Ge p-channel tunneling FETs with steep phosphorus profile source junctions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takaguchi, Ryotaro; Matsumura, Ryo; Katoh, Takumi; Takenaka, Mitsuru; Takagi, Shinichi

2018-04-01

The solid-phase diffusion processes of three n-type dopants, i.e., phosphorus (P), arsenic (As), and antimony (Sb), from spin-on-glass (SOG) into Ge are compared. We show that P diffusion can realize both the highest impurity concentration (˜7 × 1019 cm-3) and the steepest impurity profile (˜10 nm/dec) among the cases of the three n-type dopants because the diffusion coefficient is strongly dependent on the dopant concentration. As a result, we can conclude that P is the most suitable dopant for the source formation of Ge p-channel TFETs. Using this P diffusion, we fabricate Ge p-channel TFETs with high-P-concentration and steep-P-profile source junctions and demonstrate their operation. A high ON current of ˜1.7 µA/µm is obtained at room temperature. However, the subthreshold swing and ON current/OFF current ratio are degraded by any generation-recombination-related current component. At 150 K, SSmin of ˜108 mV/dec and ON/OFF ratio of ˜3.5 × 105 are obtained.

Interspecific variability in phosphorus-induced lipid remodelling among marine eukaryotic phytoplankton.

PubMed

Cañavate, José Pedro; Armada, Isabel; Hachero-Cruzado, Ismael

2017-01-01

The response of marine microalgal lipids to phosphorus is of central importance in phytoplankton ecology but remains poorly understood. We determined how taxonomically diverse microalgal species remodelled their lipid class profile in response to phosphorus availability and whether these changes coincided with those already known to occur in land plants and in the limited number of phytoplankton species for which data are available. The complete lipid class profile and specific lipid ratios influenced by phosphorus availability were quantified in two green microalgae and seven Chromalveolates exposed to phosphorus repletion, deprivation and replenishment. Lipid class cell quota changes in the two green microalgae resembled the currently described pattern of betaine lipids substituting for phospholipids under phosphorus depletion, whereas only two of the studied Chromalveolates showed this pattern. Sulpholipids counterbalanced phosphatidylglycerol only in Picochlorum atomus. In all other species, both lipids decreased simultaneously under phosphorus deprivation, although sulpholipids declined more slowly. Phosphorus deprivation always induced a decrease in digalactosyl-diacylglycerol. However, the ratio of digalactosyl-diacylglycerol to total phospholipids increased in eight species and remained unchanged in Isochrysis galbana. Marine phytoplankton seems to have evolved a diversified mechanism for remodelling its lipid class profile under the influence of phosphorus, with cryptophytes and particularly haptophytes exhibiting previously unobserved lipid responses to phosphorus. © 2016 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2016 New Phytologist Trust.

X-ray beam-shaping via deformable mirrors: surface profile and point spread function computation for Gaussian beams using physical optics.

PubMed

Spiga, D

2018-01-01

X-ray mirrors with high focusing performances are commonly used in different sectors of science, such as X-ray astronomy, medical imaging and synchrotron/free-electron laser beamlines. While deformations of the mirror profile may cause degradation of the focus sharpness, a deliberate deformation of the mirror can be made to endow the focus with a desired size and distribution, via piezo actuators. The resulting profile can be characterized with suitable metrology tools and correlated with the expected optical quality via a wavefront propagation code or, sometimes, predicted using geometric optics. In the latter case and for the special class of profile deformations with monotonically increasing derivative, i.e. concave upwards, the point spread function (PSF) can even be predicted analytically. Moreover, under these assumptions, the relation can also be reversed: from the desired PSF the required profile deformation can be computed analytically, avoiding the use of trial-and-error search codes. However, the computation has been so far limited to geometric optics, which entailed some limitations: for example, mirror diffraction effects and the size of the coherent X-ray source were not considered. In this paper, the beam-shaping formalism in the framework of physical optics is reviewed, in the limit of small light wavelengths and in the case of Gaussian intensity wavefronts. Some examples of shaped profiles are also shown, aiming at turning a Gaussian intensity distribution into a top-hat one, and checks of the shaping performances computing the at-wavelength PSF by means of the WISE code are made.

Small RNA profiling reveals phosphorus deficiency as a contributing factor in symptom expression for citrus huanglongbing disease.

PubMed

Zhao, Hongwei; Sun, Ruobai; Albrecht, Ute; Padmanabhan, Chellappan; Wang, Airong; Coffey, Michael D; Girke, Thomas; Wang, Zonghua; Close, Timothy J; Roose, Mikeal; Yokomi, Raymond K; Folimonova, Svetlana; Vidalakis, Georgios; Rouse, Robert; Bowman, Kim D; Jin, Hailing

2013-03-01

Huanglongbing (HLB) is a devastating citrus disease that is associated with bacteria of the genus 'Candidatus Liberibacter' (Ca. L.). Powerful diagnostic tools and management strategies are desired to control HLB. Host small RNAs (sRNA) play a vital role in regulating host responses to pathogen infection and are used as early diagnostic markers for many human diseases, including cancers. To determine whether citrus sRNAs regulate host responses to HLB, sRNAs were profiled from Citrus sinensis 10 and 14 weeks post grafting with Ca. L. asiaticus (Las)-positive or healthy tissue. Ten new microRNAs (miRNAs), 76 conserved miRNAs, and many small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) were discovered. Several miRNAs and siRNAs were highly induced by Las infection, and can be potentially developed into early diagnosis markers of HLB. miR399, which is induced by phosphorus starvation in other plant species, was induced specifically by infection of Las but not Spiroplasma citri that causes citrus stubborn-a disease with symptoms similar to HLB. We found a 35% reduction of phosphorus in Las-positive citrus trees compared to healthy trees. Applying phosphorus oxyanion solutions to HLB-positive sweet orange trees reduced HLB symptom severity and significantly improved fruit production during a 3-year field trial in south-west Florida. Our molecular, physiological, and field data suggest that phosphorus deficiency is linked to HLB disease symptomology.

Cosine-Gaussian Schell-model sources.

PubMed

Mei, Zhangrong; Korotkova, Olga

2013-07-15

We introduce a new class of partially coherent sources of Schell type with cosine-Gaussian spectral degree of coherence and confirm that such sources are physically genuine. Further, we derive the expression for the cross-spectral density function of a beam generated by the novel source propagating in free space and analyze the evolution of the spectral density and the spectral degree of coherence. It is shown that at sufficiently large distances from the source the degree of coherence of the propagating beam assumes Gaussian shape while the spectral density takes on the dark-hollow profile.

Device and method for creating Gaussian aberration-corrected electron beams

DOEpatents

McMorran, Benjamin; Linck, Martin

2016-01-19

Electron beam phase gratings have phase profiles that produce a diffracted beam having a Gaussian or other selected intensity profile. Phase profiles can also be selected to correct or compensate electron lens aberrations. Typically, a low diffraction order produces a suitable phase profile, and other orders are discarded.

Gaussian beam profile shaping apparatus, method therefor and evaluation thereof

DOEpatents

Dickey, Fred M.; Holswade, Scott C.; Romero, Louis A.

1999-01-01

A method and apparatus maps a Gaussian beam into a beam with a uniform irradiance profile by exploiting the Fourier transform properties of lenses. A phase element imparts a design phase onto an input beam and the output optical field from a lens is then the Fourier transform of the input beam and the phase function from the phase element. The phase element is selected in accordance with a dimensionless parameter which is dependent upon the radius of the incoming beam, the desired spot shape, the focal length of the lens and the wavelength of the input beam. This dimensionless parameter can also be used to evaluate the quality of a system. In order to control the radius of the incoming beam, optics such as a telescope can be employed. The size of the target spot and the focal length can be altered by exchanging the transform lens, but the dimensionless parameter will remain the same. The quality of the system, and hence the value of the dimensionless parameter, can be altered by exchanging the phase element. The dimensionless parameter provides design guidance, system evaluation, and indication as to how to improve a given system.

Gaussian beam profile shaping apparatus, method therefore and evaluation thereof

DOEpatents

Dickey, F.M.; Holswade, S.C.; Romero, L.A.

1999-01-26

A method and apparatus maps a Gaussian beam into a beam with a uniform irradiance profile by exploiting the Fourier transform properties of lenses. A phase element imparts a design phase onto an input beam and the output optical field from a lens is then the Fourier transform of the input beam and the phase function from the phase element. The phase element is selected in accordance with a dimensionless parameter which is dependent upon the radius of the incoming beam, the desired spot shape, the focal length of the lens and the wavelength of the input beam. This dimensionless parameter can also be used to evaluate the quality of a system. In order to control the radius of the incoming beam, optics such as a telescope can be employed. The size of the target spot and the focal length can be altered by exchanging the transform lens, but the dimensionless parameter will remain the same. The quality of the system, and hence the value of the dimensionless parameter, can be altered by exchanging the phase element. The dimensionless parameter provides design guidance, system evaluation, and indication as to how to improve a given system. 27 figs.

Small RNA Profiling Reveals Phosphorus Deficiency as a Contributing Factor in Symptom Expression for Citrus Huanglongbing Disease

PubMed Central

Zhao, Hongwei; Sun, Ruobai; Jin, Hailing

2013-01-01

Huanglongbing (HLB) is a devastating citrus disease that is associated with bacteria of the genus ‘Candidatus Liberibacter’ (Ca. L.). Powerful diagnostic tools and management strategies are desired to control HLB. Host small RNAs (sRNA) play a vital role in regulating host responses to pathogen infection and are used as early diagnostic markers for many human diseases, including cancers. To determine whether citrus sRNAs regulate host responses to HLB, sRNAs were profiled from Citrus sinensis 10 and 14 weeks post grafting with Ca. L. asiaticus (Las)-positive or healthy tissue. Ten new microRNAs (miRNAs), 76 conserved miRNAs, and many small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) were discovered. Several miRNAs and siRNAs were highly induced by Las infection, and can be potentially developed into early diagnosis markers of HLB. miR399, which is induced by phosphorus starvation in other plant species, was induced specifically by infection of Las but not Spiroplasma citri that causes citrus stubborn—a disease with symptoms similar to HLB. We found a 35% reduction of phosphorus in Las-positive citrus trees compared to healthy trees. Applying phosphorus oxyanion solutions to HLB-positive sweet orange trees reduced HLB symptom severity and significantly improved fruit production during a 3-year field trial in south-west Florida. Our molecular, physiological, and field data suggest that phosphorus deficiency is linked to HLB disease symptomology. PMID:23292880

Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy of diffusion probed with a Gaussian Lorentzian spatial distribution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marrocco, Michele

2007-11-01

Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy is fundamental in many physical, chemical and biological studies of molecular diffusion. However, the concept of fluorescence correlation is founded on the assumption that the analytical description of the correlation decay of diffusion can be achieved if the spatial profile of the detected volume obeys a three-dimensional Gaussian distribution. In the present Letter, the analytical result is instead proven for the fundamental Gaussian-Lorentzian profile.

Quantum steering of Gaussian states via non-Gaussian measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ji, Se-Wan; Lee, Jaehak; Park, Jiyong; Nha, Hyunchul

2016-07-01

Quantum steering—a strong correlation to be verified even when one party or its measuring device is fully untrusted—not only provides a profound insight into quantum physics but also offers a crucial basis for practical applications. For continuous-variable (CV) systems, Gaussian states among others have been extensively studied, however, mostly confined to Gaussian measurements. While the fulfilment of Gaussian criterion is sufficient to detect CV steering, whether it is also necessary for Gaussian states is a question of fundamental importance in many contexts. This critically questions the validity of characterizations established only under Gaussian measurements like the quantification of steering and the monogamy relations. Here, we introduce a formalism based on local uncertainty relations of non-Gaussian measurements, which is shown to manifest quantum steering of some Gaussian states that Gaussian criterion fails to detect. To this aim, we look into Gaussian states of practical relevance, i.e. two-mode squeezed states under a lossy and an amplifying Gaussian channel. Our finding significantly modifies the characteristics of Gaussian-state steering so far established such as monogamy relations and one-way steering under Gaussian measurements, thus opening a new direction for critical studies beyond Gaussian regime.

Terahertz radiation generation through the nonlinear interaction of Hermite and Laguerre Gaussian laser beams with collisional plasma: Field profile optimization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Safari, Samaneh; Niknam, Ali Reza; Jahangiri, Fazel; Jazi, Bahram

2018-04-01

The nonlinear interaction of Hermite-Gaussian and Laguerre-Gaussian (LG) laser beams with a collisional inhomogeneous plasma is studied, and the amplitude of the emitted terahertz (THz) electric field is evaluated. The effects of laser beams and plasma parameters, including the beams width, LG modes, the plasma collision frequency, and the amplitude of density ripple on the evolution of THz electric field amplitude, are examined. It is found that the shape of the generated THz radiation pattern can be tuned by the laser parameters. In addition, the optimum values of the effective parameters for achieving the maximum THz electric field amplitude are proposed. It is shown that a significant enhancement up to 4.5% can be obtained in our scheme, which is much greater than the maximum efficiency obtained for laser beams with the same profiles.

Propagation properties of cylindrical sinc Gaussian beam

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eyyuboğlu, Halil T.; Bayraktar, Mert

2016-09-01

We investigate the propagation properties of cylindrical sinc Gaussian beam in turbulent atmosphere. Since an analytic solution is hardly derivable, the study is carried out with the aid of random phase screens. Evolutions of the beam intensity profile, beam size and kurtosis parameter are analysed. It is found that on the source plane, cylindrical sinc Gaussian beam has a dark hollow appearance, where the side lobes also start to emerge with increase in width parameter and Gaussian source size. During propagation, beams with small width and Gaussian source size exhibit off-axis behaviour, losing the dark hollow shape, accumulating the intensity asymmetrically on one side, whereas those with large width and Gaussian source size retain dark hollow appearance even at long propagation distances. It is seen that the beams with large widths expand more in beam size than the ones with small widths. The structure constant values chosen do not seem to alter this situation. The kurtosis parameters of the beams having small widths are seen to be larger than the ones with the small widths. Again the choice of the structure constant does not change this trend.

Vertical distribution of sediment phosphorus in Lake Hachirogata related to the effect of land reclamation on phosphorus accumulation.

PubMed

Jin, G; Onodera, S; Saito, M; Maruyama, Y; Hayakawa, A; Sato, T; Ota, Y; Aritomi, D

2016-01-13

The focus of this work is the change in sediment properties and chemical characteristics that occur after land reclamation projects. The results indicate a higher sedimentation rate in Lake Hachirogata after reclamation, with the rate increasing with proximity to the agricultural zone. In the west-side water samples, higher levels of dissolved total nitrogen and dissolved total phosphorus (DTP) were found in both surface and bottom waters. The increase in P (39-80%) was generally greater than that for N (12-16%), regarding the nutrient supply from reclaimed farmland in the western part of the lake. In the eastern part of the lake, the pore-water Cl - profile showed a decreasing vertical gradient in the sediment core. This indicates desalination of the lake water after construction of a sluice gate in 1961. In the western sediment-core sample, a uniform Cl - profile indicates the mixing of lake water and pore water after reclamation. Considering the sedimentation of P in the last 100 years, there is a trend of increasing accumulation of P and P-activities after the reclamation project. This appears to be an impact from change in the lake environment as a result of increased agricultural nutrients, desalination, and residence. A large amount of mobile phosphorus (42-72% of TP in the western core sample) trapped in sediment increases the risk of phosphorus release and intensification of algal blooms. High sediment phosphorus and phosphorus mobility should be considered a source of pollution in the coastal environment.

Metabolite Profiling of Low-P Tolerant and Low-P Sensitive Maize Genotypes under Phosphorus Starvation and Restoration Conditions

PubMed Central

Ganie, Arshid Hussain; Ahmad, Altaf; Pandey, Renu; Aref, Ibrahim M.; Yousuf, Peerzada Yasir; Ahmad, Sayeed; Iqbal, Muhammad

2015-01-01

Background Maize (Zea mays L.) is one of the most widely cultivated crop plants. Unavoidable economic and environmental problems associated with the excessive use of phosphatic fertilizers demands its better management. The solution lies in improving the phosphorus (P) use efficiency to sustain productivity even at low P levels. Untargeted metabolomic profiling of contrasting genotypes provides a snap shot of whole metabolome which differs under specific conditions. This information provides an understanding of the mechanisms underlying tolerance to P stress and the approach for increasing P-use-efficiency. Methodology/Principal Findings A comparative metabolite-profiling approach based on gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) was applied to investigate the effect of P starvation and its restoration in low-P sensitive (HM-4) and low-P tolerant (PEHM-2) maize genotypes. A comparison of the metabolite profiles of contrasting genotypes in response to P-deficiency revealed distinct differences among low-P sensitive and tolerant genotypes. Another set of these genotypes were grown under P-restoration condition and sampled at different time intervals (3, 5 and 10 days) to investigate if the changes in metabolite profile under P-deficiency was restored. Significant variations in the metabolite pools of these genotypes were observed under P-deficiency which were genotype specific. Out of 180 distinct analytes, 91 were identified. Phosphorus-starvation resulted in accumulation of di- and trisaccharides and metabolites of ammonium metabolism, specifically in leaves, but decreased the levels of phosphate-containing metabolites and organic acids. A sharp increase in the concentrations of glutamine, asparagine, serine and glycine was observed in both shoots and roots under low-P condition. Conclusion The new insights generated on the maize metabolome in resposne to P-starvation and restoration would be useful towards improvement of the P-use efficiency in maize. PMID

Phosphorus out-diffusion in laser molten silicon

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Köhler, J. R.; Eisele, S. J.

2015-04-14

Laser doping via liquid phase diffusion enables the formation of defect free pn junctions and a tailoring of diffusion profiles by varying the laser pulse energy density and the overlap of laser pulses. We irradiate phosphorus diffused 100 oriented p-type float zone silicon wafers with a 5 μm wide line focused 6.5 ns pulsed frequency doubled Nd:YVO{sub 4} laser beam, using a pulse to pulse overlap of 40%. By varying the number of laser scans N{sub s} = 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 40 at constant pulse energy density H = 1.3 J/cm{sup 2} and H = 0.79 J/cm{sup 2} we examine the out-diffusion of phosphorus atoms performing secondary ionmore » mass spectroscopy concentration measurements. Phosphorus doping profiles are calculated by using a numerical simulation tool. The tool models laser induced melting and re-solidification of silicon as well as the out-diffusion of phosphorus atoms in liquid silicon during laser irradiation. We investigate the observed out-diffusion process by comparing simulations with experimental concentration measurements. The result is a pulse energy density independent phosphorus out-diffusion velocity v{sub out} = 9 ± 1 cm/s in liquid silicon, a partition coefficient of phosphorus 1 < k{sub p} < 1.1 and a diffusion coefficient D = 1.4(±0.2)cm{sup 2}/s × 10{sup −3 }× exp[−183 meV/(k{sub B}T)].« less

Distilling Gaussian states with Gaussian operations is impossible.

PubMed

Eisert, J; Scheel, S; Plenio, M B

2002-09-23

We show that no distillation protocol for Gaussian quantum states exists that relies on (i) arbitrary local unitary operations that preserve the Gaussian character of the state and (ii) homodyne detection together with classical communication and postprocessing by means of local Gaussian unitary operations on two symmetric identically prepared copies. This is in contrast to the finite-dimensional case, where entanglement can be distilled in an iterative protocol using two copies at a time. The ramifications for the distribution of Gaussian states over large distances will be outlined. We also comment on the generality of the approach and sketch the most general form of a Gaussian local operation with classical communication in a bipartite setting.

Plasma oscillations in spherical Gaussian shaped ultracold neutral plasma

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chen, Tianxing; Lu, Ronghua, E-mail: lurh@siom.ac.cn; Guo, Li

2016-04-15

The collective plasma oscillations are investigated in ultracold neutral plasma with a non-uniform density profile. Instead of the plane configuration widely used, we derive the plasma oscillation equations with spherically symmetric distribution and Gaussian density profile. The damping of radial oscillation is found. The Tonks–Dattner resonances of the ultracold neutral plasma with an applied RF field are also calculated.

Normal form decomposition for Gaussian-to-Gaussian superoperators

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

De Palma, Giacomo; INFN, Pisa; Mari, Andrea

2015-05-15

In this paper, we explore the set of linear maps sending the set of quantum Gaussian states into itself. These maps are in general not positive, a feature which can be exploited as a test to check whether a given quantum state belongs to the convex hull of Gaussian states (if one of the considered maps sends it into a non-positive operator, the above state is certified not to belong to the set). Generalizing a result known to be valid under the assumption of complete positivity, we provide a characterization of these Gaussian-to-Gaussian (not necessarily positive) superoperators in terms ofmore » their action on the characteristic function of the inputs. For the special case of one-mode mappings, we also show that any Gaussian-to-Gaussian superoperator can be expressed as a concatenation of a phase-space dilatation, followed by the action of a completely positive Gaussian channel, possibly composed with a transposition. While a similar decomposition is shown to fail in the multi-mode scenario, we prove that it still holds at least under the further hypothesis of homogeneous action on the covariance matrix.« less

NMR and mass spectrometry of phosphorus in wetlands

USGS Publications Warehouse

El-Rifai, H.; Heerboth, M.; Gedris, T.E.; Newman, S.; Orem, W.; Cooper, W.T.

2008-01-01

There is at present little information on the long-term stability of phosphorus sequestered in wetlands. Phosphorus sequestered during high loading periods may be relatively unstable and easily remobilized following changes in nutrient status or hydrological regime, but the chemical forms of sequestered phosphorus that do remobilize are largely unknown at this time. A lack of suitable analytical techniques has contributed to this dearth of knowledge regarding the stability of soil organic phosphorus. We analysed phosphorus in soils from the 'head' of Rescue Strand tree island and an adjacent marsh in the Florida Everglades by 31P nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and high-resolution mass spectrometry. Tree islands are important areas of biodiversity within the Everglades and offer a unique opportunity to study phosphorus sequestration because they are exposed to large phosphorus loads and appear to be natural nutrient sinks. The 31P NMR profiling of extracts from surface and sediment samples in the tree island indicates that phosphorus input to Rescue Strand tree island soils is mostly in the form of inorganic ortho-phosphate and is either refractory when deposited or rapidly recycled by the native vegetation into a stable phosphorus pool largely resistant to re-utilization by plants or microbes. Mass spectrometry revealed the presence of inositol hexakisphosphate, a common organic monophosphate ester not previously observed in Everglades' soils. ?? 2008 The Authors.

Beam wander characteristics of flat-topped, dark hollow, cos and cosh-Gaussian, J0- and I0- Bessel Gaussian beams propagating in turbulent atmosphere: a review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eyyuboğlu, Halil T.; Baykal, Yahya; Çil, Celal Z.; Korotkova, Olga; Cai, Yangjian

2010-02-01

In this paper we review our work done in the evaluations of the root mean square (rms) beam wander characteristics of the flat-topped, dark hollow, cos-and cosh Gaussian, J0-Bessel Gaussian and the I0-Bessel Gaussian beams in atmospheric turbulence. Our formulation is based on the wave-treatment approach, where not only the beam sizes but the source beam profiles are taken into account as well. In this approach the first and the second statistical moments are obtained from the Rytov series under weak atmospheric turbulence conditions and the beam size are determined as a function of the propagation distance. It is found that after propagating in atmospheric turbulence, under certain conditions, the collimated flat-topped, dark hollow, cos- and cosh Gaussian, J0-Bessel Gaussian and the I0-Bessel Gaussian beams have smaller rms beam wander compared to that of the Gaussian beam. The beam wander of these beams are analyzed against the propagation distance, source spot sizes, and against specific beam parameters related to the individual beam such as the relative amplitude factors of the constituent beams, the flatness parameters, the beam orders, the displacement parameters, the width parameters, and are compared against the corresponding Gaussian beam.

Gaussian content as a laser beam quality parameter.

PubMed

Ruschin, Shlomo; Yaakobi, Elad; Shekel, Eyal

2011-08-01

We propose the Gaussian content (GC) as an optional quality parameter for the characterization of laser beams. It is defined as the overlap integral of a given field with an optimally defined Gaussian. The definition is especially suited for applications where coherence properties are targeted. Mathematical definitions and basic calculation procedures are given along with results for basic beam profiles. The coherent combination of an array of laser beams and the optimal coupling between a diode laser and a single-mode fiber are elaborated as application examples. The measurement of the GC and its conservation upon propagation are experimentally confirmed.

Evaluation of non-Gaussian diffusion in cardiac MRI.

PubMed

McClymont, Darryl; Teh, Irvin; Carruth, Eric; Omens, Jeffrey; McCulloch, Andrew; Whittington, Hannah J; Kohl, Peter; Grau, Vicente; Schneider, Jürgen E

2017-09-01

The diffusion tensor model assumes Gaussian diffusion and is widely applied in cardiac diffusion MRI. However, diffusion in biological tissue deviates from a Gaussian profile as a result of hindrance and restriction from cell and tissue microstructure, and may be quantified better by non-Gaussian modeling. The aim of this study was to investigate non-Gaussian diffusion in healthy and hypertrophic hearts. Thirteen rat hearts (five healthy, four sham, four hypertrophic) were imaged ex vivo. Diffusion-weighted images were acquired at b-values up to 10,000 s/mm 2 . Models of diffusion were fit to the data and ranked based on the Akaike information criterion. The diffusion tensor was ranked best at b-values up to 2000 s/mm 2 but reflected the signal poorly in the high b-value regime, in which the best model was a non-Gaussian "beta distribution" model. Although there was considerable overlap in apparent diffusivities between the healthy, sham, and hypertrophic hearts, diffusion kurtosis and skewness in the hypertrophic hearts were more than 20% higher in the sheetlet and sheetlet-normal directions. Non-Gaussian diffusion models have a higher sensitivity for the detection of hypertrophy compared with the Gaussian model. In particular, diffusion kurtosis may serve as a useful biomarker for characterization of disease and remodeling in the heart. Magn Reson Med 78:1174-1186, 2017. © 2016 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. © 2016 The Authors Magnetic Resonance in Medicine published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

Gaussian vs non-Gaussian turbulence: impact on wind turbine loads

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berg, J.; Mann, J.; Natarajan, A.; Patton, E. G.

2014-12-01

In wind energy applications the turbulent velocity field of the Atmospheric Boundary Layer (ABL) is often characterised by Gaussian probability density functions. When estimating the dynamical loads on wind turbines this has been the rule more than anything else. From numerous studies in the laboratory, in Direct Numerical Simulations, and from in-situ measurements of the ABL we know, however, that turbulence is not purely Gaussian: the smallest and fastest scales often exhibit extreme behaviour characterised by strong non-Gaussian statistics. In this contribution we want to investigate whether these non-Gaussian effects are important when determining wind turbine loads, and hence of utmost importance to the design criteria and lifetime of a wind turbine. We devise a method based on Principal Orthogonal Decomposition where non-Gaussian velocity fields generated by high-resolution pseudo-spectral Large-Eddy Simulation (LES) of the ABL are transformed so that they maintain the exact same second-order statistics including variations of the statistics with height, but are otherwise Gaussian. In that way we can investigate in isolation the question whether it is important for wind turbine loads to include non-Gaussian properties of atmospheric turbulence. As an illustration the Figure show both a non-Gaussian velocity field (left) from our LES, and its transformed Gaussian Counterpart (right). Whereas the horizontal velocity components (top) look close to identical, the vertical components (bottom) are not: the non-Gaussian case is much more fluid-like (like in a sketch by Michelangelo). The question is then: Does the wind turbine see this? Using the load simulation software HAWC2 with both the non-Gaussian and newly constructed Gaussian fields, respectively, we show that the Fatigue loads and most of the Extreme loads are unaltered when using non-Gaussian velocity fields. The turbine thus acts like a low-pass filter which average out the non-Gaussian behaviour on time

Dissolved organic phosphorus speciation in the waters of the Tamar estuary (SW England)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Monbet, Phil; McKelvie, Ian D.; Worsfold, Paul J.

2009-02-01

The speciation of dissolved organic phosphorus (DOP) in the temperate Tamar estuary of SW England is described. Eight stations from the riverine to marine end-members were sampled during four seasonal campaigns in 2007 and the DOP pool in the water column and sediment porewater was characterized and quantified using a flow injection manifold after sequential enzymatic hydrolysis. This enabled the enzymatically hydrolysable phosphorus (EHP) fraction and its component labile monoester phosphates, diester phosphates and a phytase-hydrolysable fraction that includes myo-inositol hexakisphosphate (phytic acid), to be determined and compared with the total DOP, dissolved reactive phosphorus (DRP) and total dissolved phosphorus (TDP) pools. The results showed that the DOP pool in the water column varied temporally and spatially within the estuary (1.1-22 μg L -1) and constituted 6-40% of TDP. The EHP fraction of DOP ranged from 1.1-15 μg L -1 and represented a significant and potentially bioavailable phosphorus fraction. Furthermore the spatial profiles of the three components of the EHP pool generally showed non-conservative behavior along the salinity gradient, with apparent internal estuarine sources. Porewater profiles followed broadly similar trends but were notably higher at the marine station throughout the year. In contrast to soil organic phosphorus profiles, the labile monoester phosphate fraction was the largest component, with diester phosphates also prevalent. Phytic acid concentrations were higher in the lower estuary, possibly due to salinity induced desorption processes. The EHP fraction is not commonly determined in aquatic systems due to the lack of a suitable measurement technique and the Tamar results reported here have important implications for phosphorus biogeochemistry, estuarine ecology and the development of efficient strategies for limiting the effects of phosphorus on water quality.

Analysis of non-Gaussian laser mode guidance and evolution in leaky plasma channels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Djordjevic, Blagoje; Benedetti, Carlo; Schroeder, Carl; Esarey, Eric; Leemans, Wim

2016-10-01

The evolution and propagation of a non-Gaussian laser pulse under varying circumstances, including a typical matched parabolic channel as well as leaky channels, are investigated. It has previously been shown for a Gaussian pulse that matched guiding can be achieved using parabolic plasma channels. In the low power regime, it can be shown directly that for multi-mode pulses there is significant transverse beating. Given the adverse behavior of non-Gaussian pulses in traditional guiding designs, we examine the use of leaky channels to filter out higher modes as a means of optimizing laser conditions. The interaction between different modes can have an adverse effect on the laser pulse as it propagates through the primary channel. To improve guiding of the pulse we propose using leaky channels. Realistic plasma channel profiles are considered. Higher order mode content is lost through the leaky channel, while the fundamental mode remains well-guided. This is demonstrated using both numerical simulations as well as the source-dependent Laguerre-Gaussian modal expansion. In conclusion, an idealized plasma lens based on leaky channels is found to filter out the higher order modes and leave a near-Gaussian profile before the pulse enters the primary channel.

Analytical model for thermal lensing and spherical aberration in diode side-pumped Nd:YAG laser rod having Gaussian pump profile

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

M, H. Moghtader Dindarlu; M Kavosh, Tehrani; H, Saghafifar; A, Maleki

2015-12-01

In this paper, according to the temperature and strain distribution obtained by considering the Gaussian pump profile and dependence of physical properties on temperature, we derive an analytical model for refractive index variations of the diode side-pumped Nd:YAG laser rod. Then we evaluate this model by numerical solution and our maximum relative errors are 5% and 10% for variations caused by thermo-optical and thermo-mechanical effects; respectively. Finally, we present an analytical model for calculating the focal length of the thermal lens and spherical aberration. This model is evaluated by experimental results.

Uncertainties in extracted parameters of a Gaussian emission line profile with continuum background.

PubMed

Minin, Serge; Kamalabadi, Farzad

2009-12-20

We derive analytical equations for uncertainties in parameters extracted by nonlinear least-squares fitting of a Gaussian emission function with an unknown continuum background component in the presence of additive white Gaussian noise. The derivation is based on the inversion of the full curvature matrix (equivalent to Fisher information matrix) of the least-squares error, chi(2), in a four-variable fitting parameter space. The derived uncertainty formulas (equivalent to Cramer-Rao error bounds) are found to be in good agreement with the numerically computed uncertainties from a large ensemble of simulated measurements. The derived formulas can be used for estimating minimum achievable errors for a given signal-to-noise ratio and for investigating some aspects of measurement setup trade-offs and optimization. While the intended application is Fabry-Perot spectroscopy for wind and temperature measurements in the upper atmosphere, the derivation is generic and applicable to other spectroscopy problems with a Gaussian line shape.

Generation and propagation of a sine-azimuthal wavefront modulated Gaussian beam

PubMed Central

Lao, Guanming; Zhang, Zhaohui; Luo, Meilan; Zhao, Daomu

2016-01-01

We introduce a method for modulating the Gaussian beam by means of sine-azimuthal wavefront and carry out the experimental generation. The analytical propagation formula of such a beam passing through a paraxial ABCD optical system is derived, by which the intensity properties of the sine-azimuthal wavefront modulated Gaussian (SWMG) beam are examined both theoretically and experimentally. Both of the experimental and theoretical results show that the SWMG beam goes through the process from beam splitting to a Gaussian-like profile, which is closely determined by the phase factor and the propagation distance. Appropriate phase factor and short distance are helpful for the splitting of beam. However, in the cases of large phase factor and focal plane, the intensity distributions tend to take a Gaussian form. Such unique features may be of importance in particle trapping and medical applications. PMID:27443798

Dynamic generation of Ince-Gaussian modes with a digital micromirror device

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ren, Yu-Xuan; Fang, Zhao-Xiang; Gong, Lei; Huang, Kun; Chen, Yue; Lu, Rong-De

2015-04-01

Ince-Gaussian (IG) beam with elliptical profile, as a connection between Hermite-Gaussian (HG) and Laguerre-Gaussian (LG) beams, has showed unique advantages in some applications such as quantum entanglement and optical micromanipulation. However, its dynamic generation with high switching frequency is still challenging. Here, we experimentally reported the quick generation of Ince-Gaussian beam by using a digital micro-mirror device (DMD), which has the highest switching frequency of 5.2 kHz in principle. The configurable properties of DMD allow us to observe the quasi-smooth variation from LG (with ellipticity ɛ = 0 ) to IG and HG ( ɛ = ∞ ) beam. This approach might pave a path to high-speed quantum communication in terms of IG beam. Additionally, the characterized axial plane intensity distribution exhibits a 3D mould potentially being employed for optical micromanipulation.

Dynamic generation of Ince-Gaussian modes with a digital micromirror device

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ren, Yu-Xuan, E-mail: yxren@ustc.edu.cn; Fang, Zhao-Xiang; Chen, Yue

Ince-Gaussian (IG) beam with elliptical profile, as a connection between Hermite-Gaussian (HG) and Laguerre-Gaussian (LG) beams, has showed unique advantages in some applications such as quantum entanglement and optical micromanipulation. However, its dynamic generation with high switching frequency is still challenging. Here, we experimentally reported the quick generation of Ince-Gaussian beam by using a digital micro-mirror device (DMD), which has the highest switching frequency of 5.2 kHz in principle. The configurable properties of DMD allow us to observe the quasi-smooth variation from LG (with ellipticity ε=0) to IG and HG (ε=∞) beam. This approach might pave a path to high-speedmore » quantum communication in terms of IG beam. Additionally, the characterized axial plane intensity distribution exhibits a 3D mould potentially being employed for optical micromanipulation.« less

Propagation of a cosh-Gaussian beam through an optical system in turbulent atmosphere.

PubMed

Chu, Xiuxiang

2007-12-24

The propagation of a cosh-Gaussian beam through an arbitrary ABCD optical system in turbulent atmosphere has been investigated. The analytical expressions for the average intensity at any receiver plane are obtained. As an elementary example, the average intensity and its radius at the image plane of a cosh-Gaussian beam through a thin lens are studied. To show the effects of a lens on the average intensity and the intensity radius of the laser beam in turbulent atmosphere, the properties of a collimated cosh-Gaussian beam and a focused cosh-Gaussian beam for direct propagation in turbulent atmosphere are studied and numerically calculated. The average intensity profiles of a cosh-Gaussian beam through a lens can have a shape similar to that of the initial beam for a longer propagation distance than that of a collimated cosh-Gaussian beam for direct propagation. With the increment in the propagation distance, the average intensity radius at the image plane of a cosh-Gaussian beam through a thin lens will be smaller than that at the focal plane of a focused cosh-Gaussian beam for direct propagation. Meanwhile, the intensity distributions at the image plane of a cosh-Gaussian beam through a lens with different w(0) and Omega(0) are also studied.

Linear velocity fields in non-Gaussian models for large-scale structure

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Scherrer, Robert J.

1992-01-01

Linear velocity fields in two types of physically motivated non-Gaussian models are examined for large-scale structure: seed models, in which the density field is a convolution of a density profile with a distribution of points, and local non-Gaussian fields, derived from a local nonlinear transformation on a Gaussian field. The distribution of a single component of the velocity is derived for seed models with randomly distributed seeds, and these results are applied to the seeded hot dark matter model and the global texture model with cold dark matter. An expression for the distribution of a single component of the velocity in arbitrary local non-Gaussian models is given, and these results are applied to such fields with chi-squared and lognormal distributions. It is shown that all seed models with randomly distributed seeds and all local non-Guassian models have single-component velocity distributions with positive kurtosis.

Gaussian entanglement revisited

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lami, Ludovico; Serafini, Alessio; Adesso, Gerardo

2018-02-01

We present a novel approach to the separability problem for Gaussian quantum states of bosonic continuous variable systems. We derive a simplified necessary and sufficient separability criterion for arbitrary Gaussian states of m versus n modes, which relies on convex optimisation over marginal covariance matrices on one subsystem only. We further revisit the currently known results stating the equivalence between separability and positive partial transposition (PPT) for specific classes of Gaussian states. Using techniques based on matrix analysis, such as Schur complements and matrix means, we then provide a unified treatment and compact proofs of all these results. In particular, we recover the PPT-separability equivalence for: (i) Gaussian states of 1 versus n modes; and (ii) isotropic Gaussian states. In passing, we also retrieve (iii) the recently established equivalence between separability of a Gaussian state and and its complete Gaussian extendability. Our techniques are then applied to progress beyond the state of the art. We prove that: (iv) Gaussian states that are invariant under partial transposition are necessarily separable; (v) the PPT criterion is necessary and sufficient for separability for Gaussian states of m versus n modes that are symmetric under the exchange of any two modes belonging to one of the parties; and (vi) Gaussian states which remain PPT under passive optical operations can not be entangled by them either. This is not a foregone conclusion per se (since Gaussian bound entangled states do exist) and settles a question that had been left unanswered in the existing literature on the subject. This paper, enjoyable by both the quantum optics and the matrix analysis communities, overall delivers technical and conceptual advances which are likely to be useful for further applications in continuous variable quantum information theory, beyond the separability problem.

Quantum key distillation from Gaussian states by Gaussian operations.

PubMed

Navascués, M; Bae, J; Cirac, J I; Lewestein, M; Sanpera, A; Acín, A

2005-01-14

We study the secrecy properties of Gaussian states under Gaussian operations. Although such operations are useless for quantum distillation, we prove that it is possible to distill a secret key secure against any attack from sufficiently entangled Gaussian states with nonpositive partial transposition. Moreover, all such states allow for key distillation, when Eve is assumed to perform finite-size coherent attacks before the reconciliation process.

Gaussian measures of entanglement versus negativities: Ordering of two-mode Gaussian states

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Adesso, Gerardo; Illuminati, Fabrizio; INFN Sezione di Napoli-Gruppo Collegato di Salerno, Via S. Allende, 84081 Baronissi, SA

2005-09-15

We study the entanglement of general (pure or mixed) two-mode Gaussian states of continuous-variable systems by comparing the two available classes of computable measures of entanglement: entropy-inspired Gaussian convex-roof measures and positive partial transposition-inspired measures (negativity and logarithmic negativity). We first review the formalism of Gaussian measures of entanglement, adopting the framework introduced in M. M. Wolf et al., Phys. Rev. A 69, 052320 (2004), where the Gaussian entanglement of formation was defined. We compute explicitly Gaussian measures of entanglement for two important families of nonsymmetric two-mode Gaussian state: namely, the states of extremal (maximal and minimal) negativities at fixedmore » global and local purities, introduced in G. Adesso et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 92, 087901 (2004). This analysis allows us to compare the different orderings induced on the set of entangled two-mode Gaussian states by the negativities and by the Gaussian measures of entanglement. We find that in a certain range of values of the global and local purities (characterizing the covariance matrix of the corresponding extremal states), states of minimum negativity can have more Gaussian entanglement of formation than states of maximum negativity. Consequently, Gaussian measures and negativities are definitely inequivalent measures of entanglement on nonsymmetric two-mode Gaussian states, even when restricted to a class of extremal states. On the other hand, the two families of entanglement measures are completely equivalent on symmetric states, for which the Gaussian entanglement of formation coincides with the true entanglement of formation. Finally, we show that the inequivalence between the two families of continuous-variable entanglement measures is somehow limited. Namely, we rigorously prove that, at fixed negativities, the Gaussian measures of entanglement are bounded from below. Moreover, we provide some strong evidence suggesting

Application of multivariate Gaussian detection theory to known non-Gaussian probability density functions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schwartz, Craig R.; Thelen, Brian J.; Kenton, Arthur C.

1995-06-01

A statistical parametric multispectral sensor performance model was developed by ERIM to support mine field detection studies, multispectral sensor design/performance trade-off studies, and target detection algorithm development. The model assumes target detection algorithms and their performance models which are based on data assumed to obey multivariate Gaussian probability distribution functions (PDFs). The applicability of these algorithms and performance models can be generalized to data having non-Gaussian PDFs through the use of transforms which convert non-Gaussian data to Gaussian (or near-Gaussian) data. An example of one such transform is the Box-Cox power law transform. In practice, such a transform can be applied to non-Gaussian data prior to the introduction of a detection algorithm that is formally based on the assumption of multivariate Gaussian data. This paper presents an extension of these techniques to the case where the joint multivariate probability density function of the non-Gaussian input data is known, and where the joint estimate of the multivariate Gaussian statistics, under the Box-Cox transform, is desired. The jointly estimated multivariate Gaussian statistics can then be used to predict the performance of a target detection algorithm which has an associated Gaussian performance model.

Laguerre-Gaussian quasi-modal q-plates from nanostructured glasses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rafayelyan, Mushegh; Gertus, Titas; Brasselet, Etienne

2017-06-01

A quasi-modal version of the recently introduced Laguerre-Gaussian modal q-plates [Rafayelyan and Brasselet, Opt. Lett. 42, 1966-1969 (2017)] is proposed and implemented using femtosecond direct laser writing of space-variant nanogratings in the bulk of silica glass. The corresponding design consists of linear azimuthal modulation of the optical axis orientation and polynomial radial modulation of the retardance profile. Experimental demonstration is made for Laguerre-Gaussian modes with azimuthal indices l =(1, 2, 3) and radial index p = 0. Such quasi-modal q-plates overcome previous limitations regarding the robustness of modality against the handedness of the incident circular polarization state.

Effect of exponential density transition on self-focusing of q-Gaussian laser beam in collisionless plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Valkunde, Amol T.; Vhanmore, Bandopant D.; Urunkar, Trupti U.; Gavade, Kusum M.; Patil, Sandip D.; Takale, Mansing V.

2018-05-01

In this work, nonlinear aspects of a high intensity q-Gaussian laser beam propagating in collisionless plasma having upward density ramp of exponential profiles is studied. We have employed the nonlinearity in dielectric function of plasma by considering ponderomotive nonlinearity. The differential equation governing the dimensionless beam width parameter is achieved by using Wentzel-Kramers-Brillouin (WKB) and paraxial approximations and solved it numerically by using Runge-Kutta fourth order method. Effect of exponential density ramp profile on self-focusing of q-Gaussian laser beam for various values of q is systematically carried out and compared with results Gaussian laser beam propagating in collisionless plasma having uniform density. It is found that exponential plasma density ramp causes the laser beam to become more focused and gives reasonably interesting results.

Experimental study of the focusing properties of a Gaussian Schell-model vortex beam

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Fei; Zhu, Shijun; Cai, Yangjian

2011-08-01

We carry out an experimental and theoretical study of the focusing properties of a Gaussian Schell-model (GSM) vortex beam. It is found that we can shape the beam profile of the focused GSM vortex beam by varying its initial spatial coherence width. Focused dark hollow, flat-topped, and Gaussian beam spots can be obtained in our experiment, which will be useful for trapping particles. The experimental results agree well with the theoretical results.

Gaussian Boson Sampling.

PubMed

Hamilton, Craig S; Kruse, Regina; Sansoni, Linda; Barkhofen, Sonja; Silberhorn, Christine; Jex, Igor

2017-10-27

Boson sampling has emerged as a tool to explore the advantages of quantum over classical computers as it does not require universal control over the quantum system, which favors current photonic experimental platforms. Here, we introduce Gaussian Boson sampling, a classically hard-to-solve problem that uses squeezed states as a nonclassical resource. We relate the probability to measure specific photon patterns from a general Gaussian state in the Fock basis to a matrix function called the Hafnian, which answers the last remaining question of sampling from Gaussian states. Based on this result, we design Gaussian Boson sampling, a #P hard problem, using squeezed states. This demonstrates that Boson sampling from Gaussian states is possible, with significant advantages in the photon generation probability, compared to existing protocols.

Generalized Ince Gaussian beams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bandres, Miguel A.; Gutiérrez-Vega, Julio C.

2006-08-01

In this work we present a detailed analysis of the tree families of generalized Gaussian beams, which are the generalized Hermite, Laguerre, and Ince Gaussian beams. The generalized Gaussian beams are not the solution of a Hermitian operator at an arbitrary z plane. We derived the adjoint operator and the adjoint eigenfunctions. Each family of generalized Gaussian beams forms a complete biorthonormal set with their adjoint eigenfunctions, therefore, any paraxial field can be described as a superposition of a generalized family with the appropriate weighting and phase factors. Each family of generalized Gaussian beams includes the standard and elegant corresponding families as particular cases when the parameters of the generalized families are chosen properly. The generalized Hermite Gaussian and Laguerre Gaussian beams correspond to limiting cases of the generalized Ince Gaussian beams when the ellipticity parameter of the latter tends to infinity or to zero, respectively. The expansion formulas among the three generalized families and their Fourier transforms are also presented.

Reversible wavefront shaping between Gaussian and Airy beams by mimicking gravitational field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Xiangyang; Liu, Hui; Sheng, Chong; Zhu, Shining

2018-02-01

In this paper, we experimentally demonstrate reversible wavefront shaping through mimicking gravitational field. A gradient-index micro-structured optical waveguide with special refractive index profile was constructed whose effective index satisfying a gravitational field profile. Inside the waveguide, an incident broad Gaussian beam is firstly transformed into an accelerating beam, and the generated accelerating beam is gradually changed back to a Gaussian beam afterwards. To validate our experiment, we performed full-wave continuum simulations that agree with the experimental results. Furthermore, a theoretical model was established to describe the evolution of the laser beam based on Landau’s method, showing that the accelerating beam behaves like the Airy beam in the small range in which the linear potential approaches zero. To our knowledge, such a reversible wavefront shaping technique has not been reported before.

Gaussian Accelerated Molecular Dynamics in NAMD

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

Gaussian accelerated molecular dynamics (GaMD) is a recently developed enhanced sampling technique that provides efficient free energy calculations of biomolecules. Like the previous accelerated molecular dynamics (aMD), GaMD allows for “unconstrained” enhanced sampling without the need to set predefined collective variables and so is useful for studying complex biomolecular conformational changes such as protein folding and ligand binding. Furthermore, because the boost potential is constructed using a harmonic function that follows Gaussian distribution in GaMD, cumulant expansion to the second order can be applied to recover the original free energy profiles of proteins and other large biomolecules, which solves a long-standing energetic reweighting problem of the previous aMD method. Taken together, GaMD offers major advantages for both unconstrained enhanced sampling and free energy calculations of large biomolecules. Here, we have implemented GaMD in the NAMD package on top of the existing aMD feature and validated it on three model systems: alanine dipeptide, the chignolin fast-folding protein, and the M3 muscarinic G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR). For alanine dipeptide, while conventional molecular dynamics (cMD) simulations performed for 30 ns are poorly converged, GaMD simulations of the same length yield free energy profiles that agree quantitatively with those of 1000 ns cMD simulation. Further GaMD simulations have captured folding of the chignolin and binding of the acetylcholine (ACh) endogenous agonist to the M3 muscarinic receptor. The reweighted free energy profiles are used to characterize the protein folding and ligand binding pathways quantitatively. GaMD implemented in the scalable NAMD is widely applicable to enhanced sampling and free energy calculations of large biomolecules. PMID:28034310

Gaussian Accelerated Molecular Dynamics in NAMD.

PubMed

Pang, Yui Tik; Miao, Yinglong; Wang, Yi; McCammon, J Andrew

2017-01-10

Gaussian accelerated molecular dynamics (GaMD) is a recently developed enhanced sampling technique that provides efficient free energy calculations of biomolecules. Like the previous accelerated molecular dynamics (aMD), GaMD allows for "unconstrained" enhanced sampling without the need to set predefined collective variables and so is useful for studying complex biomolecular conformational changes such as protein folding and ligand binding. Furthermore, because the boost potential is constructed using a harmonic function that follows Gaussian distribution in GaMD, cumulant expansion to the second order can be applied to recover the original free energy profiles of proteins and other large biomolecules, which solves a long-standing energetic reweighting problem of the previous aMD method. Taken together, GaMD offers major advantages for both unconstrained enhanced sampling and free energy calculations of large biomolecules. Here, we have implemented GaMD in the NAMD package on top of the existing aMD feature and validated it on three model systems: alanine dipeptide, the chignolin fast-folding protein, and the M 3 muscarinic G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR). For alanine dipeptide, while conventional molecular dynamics (cMD) simulations performed for 30 ns are poorly converged, GaMD simulations of the same length yield free energy profiles that agree quantitatively with those of 1000 ns cMD simulation. Further GaMD simulations have captured folding of the chignolin and binding of the acetylcholine (ACh) endogenous agonist to the M 3 muscarinic receptor. The reweighted free energy profiles are used to characterize the protein folding and ligand binding pathways quantitatively. GaMD implemented in the scalable NAMD is widely applicable to enhanced sampling and free energy calculations of large biomolecules.

Quantitative comparison of self-healing ability between Bessel–Gaussian beam and Airy beam

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wen, Wei; Chu, Xiuxiang, E-mail: xiuxiangchu@yahoo.com

The self-healing ability during propagation process is one of the most important properties of non-diffracting beams. This ability has crucial advantages to light sheet-based microscopy to reduce scattering artefacts, increase the quality of the image and enhance the resolution of microscopy. Based on similarity between two infinite-dimensional complex vectors in Hilbert space, the ability to a Bessel–Gaussian beam and an Airy beam have been studied and compared. Comparing the evolution of the similarity of Bessel–Gaussian beam with Airy beam under the same conditions, we find that Bessel–Gaussian beam has stronger self-healing ability and is more stable than that of Airymore » beam. To confirm this result, the intensity profiles of Bessel–Gaussian beam and Airy beam with different similarities are numerically calculated and compared.« less

Reexamining the Phosphorus-Protein Dilemma: Does Phosphorus Restriction Compromise Protein Status?

PubMed

St-Jules, David E; Woolf, Kathleen; Pompeii, Mary Lou; Kalantar-Zadeh, Kamyar; Sevick, Mary Ann

2016-05-01

Dietary phosphorus restriction is recommended to help control hyperphosphatemia in hemodialysis patients, but many high-phosphorus foods are important sources of protein. In this review, we examine whether restricting dietary phosphorus compromises protein status in hemodialysis patients. Although dietary phosphorus and protein are highly correlated, phosphorus intakes can range up to 600 mg/day for a given energy and protein intake level. Furthermore, the collinearity of phosphorus and protein may be biased because the phosphorus burden of food depends on: (1) the presence of phosphate additives, (2) food preparation method, and (3) bioavailability of phosphorus, which are often unaccounted for in nutrition assessments. Ultimately, we argue that clinically relevant reductions in phosphorus intake can be made without limiting protein intake by avoiding phosphate additives in processed foods, using wet cooking methods such as boiling, and if needed, substituting high-phosphorus foods for nutritionally equivalent foods that are lower in bioavailable phosphorus. Copyright © 2016 National Kidney Foundation, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Resource theory of non-Gaussian operations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhuang, Quntao; Shor, Peter W.; Shapiro, Jeffrey H.

2018-05-01

Non-Gaussian states and operations are crucial for various continuous-variable quantum information processing tasks. To quantitatively understand non-Gaussianity beyond states, we establish a resource theory for non-Gaussian operations. In our framework, we consider Gaussian operations as free operations, and non-Gaussian operations as resources. We define entanglement-assisted non-Gaussianity generating power and show that it is a monotone that is nonincreasing under the set of free superoperations, i.e., concatenation and tensoring with Gaussian channels. For conditional unitary maps, this monotone can be analytically calculated. As examples, we show that the non-Gaussianity of ideal photon-number subtraction and photon-number addition equal the non-Gaussianity of the single-photon Fock state. Based on our non-Gaussianity monotone, we divide non-Gaussian operations into two classes: (i) the finite non-Gaussianity class, e.g., photon-number subtraction, photon-number addition, and all Gaussian-dilatable non-Gaussian channels; and (ii) the diverging non-Gaussianity class, e.g., the binary phase-shift channel and the Kerr nonlinearity. This classification also implies that not all non-Gaussian channels are exactly Gaussian dilatable. Our resource theory enables a quantitative characterization and a first classification of non-Gaussian operations, paving the way towards the full understanding of non-Gaussianity.

Gaussian beam in two-photon fluorescence imaging of rat brain microvessel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shi, Lingyan; Rodríguez-Contreras, Adrián; Alfano, Robert R.

2014-12-01

The critical optical properties of a Gaussian laser beam in two-photon or multiphoton fluorescence imaging, including the beam spot size, depth of focus, and intensity profile, are investigated for spatially locating nanoscale solutes in and surrounding the microvessels of rat brain.

High power infrared super-Gaussian beams: generation, propagation, and application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

du Preez, Neil C.; Forbes, Andrew; Botha, Lourens R.

2008-10-01

In this paper we present the design of a CO2 laser resonator that produces as the stable transverse mode a super-Gaussian laser beam. The resonator makes use of an intra-cavity diffractive mirror and a flat output coupler, generating the desired intensity profile at the output coupler with a flat wavefront. We consider the modal build-up in such a resonator and show that such a resonator mode has the ability to extract more energy from the cavity that a standard cavity single mode beam (e.g., Gaussian mode cavity). We demonstrate the design experimentally on a high average power TEA CO2 laser for paint stripping applications.

Fresnel zone plate with apodized aperture for hard X-ray Gaussian beam optics.

PubMed

Takeuchi, Akihisa; Uesugi, Kentaro; Suzuki, Yoshio; Itabashi, Seiichi; Oda, Masatoshi

2017-05-01

Fresnel zone plates with apodized apertures [apodization FZPs (A-FZPs)] have been developed to realise Gaussian beam optics in the hard X-ray region. The designed zone depth of A-FZPs gradually decreases from the center to peripheral regions. Such a zone structure forms a Gaussian-like smooth-shouldered aperture function which optically behaves as an apodization filter and produces a Gaussian-like focusing spot profile. Optical properties of two types of A-FZP, i.e. a circular type and a one-dimensional type, have been evaluated by using a microbeam knife-edge scan test, and have been carefully compared with those of normal FZP optics. Advantages of using A-FZPs are introduced.

Spatiotemporal behaviour of isodiffracting hollow Gaussian pulsed beams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Yanbing; Lü, Baida

2007-05-01

A model of isodiffracting hollow Gaussian pulsed beams (HGPBs) is presented. Based on the Fourier transform method, an analytical formula for the HGPBs propagating in free space is derived, which enables us to study the spatiotemporal behaviour of the ultrashort pulsed beams. Some interesting phenomena of ultrashort pulsed beams, such as the symmetrical temporal profiles, the dark rings, etc, are discussed in detail and illustrated numerically.

Time-domain least-squares migration using the Gaussian beam summation method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Jidong; Zhu, Hejun; McMechan, George; Yue, Yubo

2018-04-01

With a finite recording aperture, a limited source spectrum and unbalanced illumination, traditional imaging methods are insufficient to generate satisfactory depth profiles with high resolution and high amplitude fidelity. This is because traditional migration uses the adjoint operator of the forward modeling rather than the inverse operator. We propose a least-squares migration approach based on the time-domain Gaussian beam summation, which helps to balance subsurface illumination and improve image resolution. Based on the Born approximation for the isotropic acoustic wave equation, we derive a linear time-domain Gaussian beam modeling operator, which significantly reduces computational costs in comparison with the spectral method. Then, we formulate the corresponding adjoint Gaussian beam migration, as the gradient of an L2-norm waveform misfit function. An L1-norm regularization is introduced to the inversion to enhance the robustness of least-squares migration, and an approximated diagonal Hessian is used as a preconditioner to speed convergence. Synthetic and field data examples demonstrate that the proposed approach improves imaging resolution and amplitude fidelity in comparison with traditional Gaussian beam migration.

Time-domain least-squares migration using the Gaussian beam summation method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Jidong; Zhu, Hejun; McMechan, George; Yue, Yubo

2018-07-01

With a finite recording aperture, a limited source spectrum and unbalanced illumination, traditional imaging methods are insufficient to generate satisfactory depth profiles with high resolution and high amplitude fidelity. This is because traditional migration uses the adjoint operator of the forward modelling rather than the inverse operator. We propose a least-squares migration approach based on the time-domain Gaussian beam summation, which helps to balance subsurface illumination and improve image resolution. Based on the Born approximation for the isotropic acoustic wave equation, we derive a linear time-domain Gaussian beam modelling operator, which significantly reduces computational costs in comparison with the spectral method. Then, we formulate the corresponding adjoint Gaussian beam migration, as the gradient of an L2-norm waveform misfit function. An L1-norm regularization is introduced to the inversion to enhance the robustness of least-squares migration, and an approximated diagonal Hessian is used as a pre-conditioner to speed convergence. Synthetic and field data examples demonstrate that the proposed approach improves imaging resolution and amplitude fidelity in comparison with traditional Gaussian beam migration.

Gaussian temporal modulation for the behavior of multi-sinc Schell-model pulses in dispersive media

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Xiayin; Zhao, Daomu; Tian, Kehan; Pan, Weiqing; Zhang, Kouwen

2018-06-01

A new class of pulse source with correlation being modeled by the convolution operation of two legitimate temporal correlation function is proposed. Particularly, analytical formulas for the Gaussian temporally modulated multi-sinc Schell-model (MSSM) pulses generated by such pulse source propagating in dispersive media are derived. It is demonstrated that the average intensity of MSSM pulses on propagation are reshaped from flat profile or a train to a distribution with a Gaussian temporal envelope by adjusting the initial correlation width of the Gaussian pulse. The effects of the Gaussian temporal modulation on the temporal degree of coherence of the MSSM pulse are also analyzed. The results presented here show the potential of coherence modulation for pulse shaping and pulsed laser material processing.

[Effects of phosphorus sources on phosphorus fractions in rhizosphere soil of wild barley genotypes with high phosphorus utilization efficiency].

PubMed

Cai, Qiu-Yan; Zhang, Xi-Zhou; Li, Ting-Xuan; Chen, Guang-Deng

2014-11-01

High P-efficiency (IS-22-30, IS-22-25) and low P-efficiency (IS-07-07) wild barley cultivars were chosen to evaluate characteristics of phosphorus uptake and utilization, and properties of phosphorus fractions in rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere in a pot experiment with 0 (CK) and 30 mg P · kg(-1) supplied as only Pi (KH2PO4), only Po (phytate) or Pi + Po (KH2PO4+ phytate). The results showed that dry matter and phosphorus accumulation of wild barley in the different treatments was ranked as Pi > Pi + Po > Po > CK. In addition, dry matter yield and phosphorus uptake of wild barley with high P-efficiency exhibited significantly greater than that with low P-efficiency. The concentration of soil available phosphorus was significantly different after application of different phosphorus sources, which was presented as Pi > Pi + Po > Po. The concentration of soil available phosphorus in high P-efficiency wild barley was significantly higher than that of low P-efficiency in the rhizosphere soil. There was a deficit in rhizosphere available phosphorus of high P-efficiency wild barley, especially in Pi and Pi+Po treatments. The inorganic phosphorus fractions increased with the increasing Pi treatment, and the concentrations of inorganic phosphorus fractions in soil were sorted as follows: Ca10-P > O-P > Fe-P > Al-P > Ca2-P > Ca8-P. The contents of Ca2-P and Ca8-P for high P-efficiency wild barley showed deficits in rhizosphere soil under each phosphorus source treatment. In addition, enrichment of Al-P and Fe-P was observed in Pi treatment in rhizosphere soil. The concentrations of organic phosphorus fractions in soil were sorted as follows: moderate labile organic phosphorus > moderate resistant, resistant organic phosphorus > labile organic phosphorus. The labile and moderate labile organic phosphorus enriched in rhizosphere soil and the greatest enrichment appeared in Pi treatment. Furthermore, the concentrations of moderate resistant organic phosphorus and resistant

Walk-off reduction, using an external optical plate and Bessel-Gaussian interaction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Masoume, Mansouri; Mohsen, Askarbioki; Saeed Ghavami, Sabouri; Alireza, Khorsandi

2015-02-01

To reduce the walk-off angle of the extraordinary third-harmonic ultraviolet wave at 355 nm generated by type II KTiOPO4 and type I β-BaB2O4 optical crystals, and the Gaussian output beam of a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser, a simple theoretical model was developed based on a rotatable BK7 plate of variable thickness. By rotating the plate up to 35° along the beam direction, we reduced the walk-off angle up to ˜ 13%. The same phenomenon is predicted by the model, confirming the performance of the model. It is found that, due to the walk-off effect, the intensity profile of the third-harmonic generation beam is slightly degraded. To compensate for the observed phenomena and further reduce the walk-off, we used a combination of a convex lens and an axicon to transform the beam profile of the interacting fundamental and second-harmonic generation waves to the zero-order Bessel-Gaussian form. As a result, the walk-off is decreased to ˜48.81 mrad, providing ˜30% relative reduction. By using the same BK7 plate rotated up to 35° along the third-harmonic beam direction, the walk-off angle is further reduced to 38.9 mrad. Moreover, it is observed that the beam profile of the emerged Bessel-Gaussian third-harmonic generation beam remains unchanged with no degradation.

Experimental study of the focusing properties of a Gaussian Schell-model vortex beam.

PubMed

Wang, Fei; Zhu, Shijun; Cai, Yangjian

2011-08-15

We carry out an experimental and theoretical study of the focusing properties of a Gaussian Schell-model (GSM) vortex beam. It is found that we can shape the beam profile of the focused GSM vortex beam by varying its initial spatial coherence width. Focused dark hollow, flat-topped, and Gaussian beam spots can be obtained in our experiment, which will be useful for trapping particles. The experimental results agree well with the theoretical results. © 2011 Optical Society of America

Re-examining the phosphorus-protein dilemma: Does phosphorus restriction compromise protein status?

PubMed Central

St-Jules, David E; Woolf, Kathleen; Pompeii, Mary-Lou; Kalantar-Zadeh, Kamyar; Sevick, Mary Ann

2015-01-01

Dietary phosphorus restriction is recommended to help control hyperphosphatemia in hemodialysis (HD) patients, but many high-phosphorus foods are important sources of protein. In this review, we examine whether restricting dietary phosphorus compromises protein status in HD patients. Although dietary phosphorus and protein are highly correlated, phosphorus intakes can range up to 600 mg/day for a given energy and protein intake level. Further, the collinearity of phosphorus and protein may be biased because the phosphorus burden of food depends on: (1) the presence of phosphate additives; (2) food preparation method; and (3) bioavailability of phosphorus; which are often unaccounted for in nutrition assessments. Ultimately, we argue that clinically relevant reductions in phosphorus intake can be made without limiting protein intake by avoiding phosphate additives in processed foods, using wet cooking methods such as boiling, and if needed, substituting high-phosphorus foods for nutritionally-equivalent foods that are lower in bioavailable phosphorus. PMID:26873260

Gaussian Accelerated Molecular Dynamics: Theory, Implementation, and Applications

PubMed Central

Miao, Yinglong; McCammon, J. Andrew

2018-01-01

A novel Gaussian Accelerated Molecular Dynamics (GaMD) method has been developed for simultaneous unconstrained enhanced sampling and free energy calculation of biomolecules. Without the need to set predefined reaction coordinates, GaMD enables unconstrained enhanced sampling of the biomolecules. Furthermore, by constructing a boost potential that follows a Gaussian distribution, accurate reweighting of GaMD simulations is achieved via cumulant expansion to the second order. The free energy profiles obtained from GaMD simulations allow us to identify distinct low energy states of the biomolecules and characterize biomolecular structural dynamics quantitatively. In this chapter, we present the theory of GaMD, its implementation in the widely used molecular dynamics software packages (AMBER and NAMD), and applications to the alanine dipeptide biomolecular model system, protein folding, biomolecular large-scale conformational transitions and biomolecular recognition. PMID:29720925

Speciation of organic phosphorus in a sediment profile of Lake Taihu. I: Chemical forms and their transformation.

PubMed

Xu, Di; Ding, Shiming; Li, Bin; Bai, Xiuling; Fan, Chengxin; Zhang, Chaosheng

2013-04-01

Organic phosphorus (nonreactive P, NRP) is a major component of P in sediments, but information about its chemical forms and dynamic transformation is limited. The chemical forms and dynamic behaviors of NRP in a sediment profile from Lake Taihu, a freshwater and eutrophic lake in China, were investigated. Five forms of NRP in the sediments were extracted based on a chemical fractionation technique, including easily labile NRP (NaHCO3-NRP), reactive metal oxide-bound NRP (HCl-NRP), humic acid-associated NRP (NaOH-NRP(HA)), fulvic acid-associated NRP (NaOH-NRP(FA)) and residual NRP (Res-TP). There were notable transformations with increasing sediment depth from the labile NaHCO3-NRP and NaOH-NRP pools to the recalcitrant HCl-NRP and Res-TP pools, which caused the NRP to become increasingly recalcitrant as the early diagenetic processes proceeded. Further analyses showed that the relative changes in contents of organic matter and reactive Fe oxides in the sediment profile triggered a competition for binding NRP fractions and led to the transformation of NRP. The results highlighted the importance of abiotic processes in regulating the diagenesis of organic P and its stability in sediments.

Non-Gaussian operations on bosonic modes of light: Photon-added Gaussian channels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sabapathy, Krishna Kumar; Winter, Andreas

2017-06-01

We present a framework for studying bosonic non-Gaussian channels of continuous-variable systems. Our emphasis is on a class of channels that we call photon-added Gaussian channels, which are experimentally viable with current quantum-optical technologies. A strong motivation for considering these channels is the fact that it is compulsory to go beyond the Gaussian domain for numerous tasks in continuous-variable quantum information processing such as entanglement distillation from Gaussian states and universal quantum computation. The single-mode photon-added channels we consider are obtained by using two-mode beam splitters and squeezing operators with photon addition applied to the ancilla ports giving rise to families of non-Gaussian channels. For each such channel, we derive its operator-sum representation, indispensable in the present context. We observe that these channels are Fock preserving (coherence nongenerating). We then report two examples of activation using our scheme of photon addition, that of quantum-optical nonclassicality at outputs of channels that would otherwise output only classical states and of both the quantum and private communication capacities, hinting at far-reaching applications for quantum-optical communication. Further, we see that noisy Gaussian channels can be expressed as a convex mixture of these non-Gaussian channels. We also present other physical and information-theoretic properties of these channels.

Profiler - A Fast and Versatile New Program for Decomposing Galaxy Light Profiles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ciambur, Bogdan C.

2016-12-01

I introduce Profiler, a user-friendly program designed to analyse the radial surface brightness profiles of galaxies. With an intuitive graphical user interface, Profiler can accurately model galaxies of a broad range of morphological types, with various parametric functions routinely employed in the field (Sérsic, core-Sérsic, exponential, Gaussian, Moffat, and Ferrers). In addition to these, Profiler can employ the broken exponential model for disc truncations or anti-truncations, and two special cases of the edge-on disc model: along the disc's major or minor axis. The convolution of (circular or elliptical) models with the point spread function is performed in 2D, and offers a choice between Gaussian, Moffat or a user-provided profile for the point spread function. Profiler is optimised to work with galaxy light profiles obtained from isophotal measurements, which allow for radial gradients in the geometric parameters of the isophotes, and are thus often better at capturing the total light than 2D image-fitting programs. Additionally, the 1D approach is generally less computationally expensive and more stable. I demonstrate Profiler's features by decomposing three case-study galaxies: the cored elliptical galaxy NGC 3348, the nucleated dwarf Seyfert I galaxy Pox 52, and NGC 2549, a double-barred galaxy with an edge-on, truncated disc.

Nonparaxial Dark-Hollow Gaussian Beams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Zeng-Hui; Lü, Bai-Da

2006-01-01

The concept of nonparaxial dark-hollow Gaussian beams (DHGBs) is introduced. By using the Rayleigh-Sommerfeld diffraction integral, the analytical propagation equation of DHGBs in free space is derived. The on-axis intensity, far-field equation and, in particular, paraxial expressions are given and treated as special cases of our result. It is shown that the parameter f = 1/kw0 with k being the wave number and w0 being the waist width determines the nonparaxiality of DHGBs. However, the parameter range, within which the paraxial approach is valid, depends on the propagation distance. The beam order affects the beam profile and position of maximum on-axis intensity.

Gaussian-input Gaussian mixture model for representing density maps and atomic models.

PubMed

Kawabata, Takeshi

2018-07-01

A new Gaussian mixture model (GMM) has been developed for better representations of both atomic models and electron microscopy 3D density maps. The standard GMM algorithm employs an EM algorithm to determine the parameters. It accepted a set of 3D points with weights, corresponding to voxel or atomic centers. Although the standard algorithm worked reasonably well; however, it had three problems. First, it ignored the size (voxel width or atomic radius) of the input, and thus it could lead to a GMM with a smaller spread than the input. Second, the algorithm had a singularity problem, as it sometimes stopped the iterative procedure due to a Gaussian function with almost zero variance. Third, a map with a large number of voxels required a long computation time for conversion to a GMM. To solve these problems, we have introduced a Gaussian-input GMM algorithm, which considers the input atoms or voxels as a set of Gaussian functions. The standard EM algorithm of GMM was extended to optimize the new GMM. The new GMM has identical radius of gyration to the input, and does not suddenly stop due to the singularity problem. For fast computation, we have introduced a down-sampled Gaussian functions (DSG) by merging neighboring voxels into an anisotropic Gaussian function. It provides a GMM with thousands of Gaussian functions in a short computation time. We also have introduced a DSG-input GMM: the Gaussian-input GMM with the DSG as the input. This new algorithm is much faster than the standard algorithm. Copyright © 2018 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Optimisation of dispersion parameters of Gaussian plume model for CO₂ dispersion.

PubMed

Liu, Xiong; Godbole, Ajit; Lu, Cheng; Michal, Guillaume; Venton, Philip

2015-11-01

The carbon capture and storage (CCS) and enhanced oil recovery (EOR) projects entail the possibility of accidental release of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere. To quantify the spread of CO2 following such release, the 'Gaussian' dispersion model is often used to estimate the resulting CO2 concentration levels in the surroundings. The Gaussian model enables quick estimates of the concentration levels. However, the traditionally recommended values of the 'dispersion parameters' in the Gaussian model may not be directly applicable to CO2 dispersion. This paper presents an optimisation technique to obtain the dispersion parameters in order to achieve a quick estimation of CO2 concentration levels in the atmosphere following CO2 blowouts. The optimised dispersion parameters enable the Gaussian model to produce quick estimates of CO2 concentration levels, precluding the necessity to set up and run much more complicated models. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models were employed to produce reference CO2 dispersion profiles in various atmospheric stability classes (ASC), different 'source strengths' and degrees of ground roughness. The performance of the CFD models was validated against the 'Kit Fox' field measurements, involving dispersion over a flat horizontal terrain, both with low and high roughness regions. An optimisation model employing a genetic algorithm (GA) to determine the best dispersion parameters in the Gaussian plume model was set up. Optimum values of the dispersion parameters for different ASCs that can be used in the Gaussian plume model for predicting CO2 dispersion were obtained.

Hollow vortex Gaussian beams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, GuoQuan; Cai, YangJian; Dai, ChaoQing

2013-05-01

A kind of hollow vortex Gaussian beam is introduced. Based on the Collins integral, an analytical propagation formula of a hollow vortex Gaussian beam through a paraxial ABCD optical system is derived. Due to the special distribution of the optical field, which is caused by the initial vortex phase, the dark region of a hollow vortex Gaussian beam will not disappear upon propagation. The analytical expressions for the beam propagation factor, the kurtosis parameter, and the orbital angular momentum density of a hollow vortex Gaussian beam passing through a paraxial ABCD optical system are also derived, respectively. The beam propagation factor is determined by the beam order and the topological charge. The kurtosis parameter and the orbital angular momentum density depend on beam order n, topological charge m, parameter γ, and transfer matrix elements A and D. As a numerical example, the propagation properties of a hollow vortex Gaussian beam in free space are demonstrated. The hollow vortex Gaussian beam has eminent propagation stability and has crucial application prospects in optical micromanipulation.

Phosphorus Flamethrower: A Demonstration Using Red and White Allotropes of Phosphorus

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Golden, Melissa L.; Person, Eric C.; Bejar, Miriam; Golden, Donnie R.; Powell, Jonathan M.

2010-01-01

A demonstration was created to display the unique behavior of a familiar element, phosphorus, and to make chemistry more accessible to the introductory student. The common allotropes of phosphorus and their reactivity are discussed. In this demonstration, the white allotrope of phosphorus is synthesized from the red phosphorus obtained from a…

Hidden sources of phosphorus: presence of phosphorus-containing additives in processed foods.

PubMed

Lou-Arnal, Luis M; Arnaudas-Casanova, Laura; Caverni-Muñoz, Alberto; Vercet-Tormo, Antonio; Caramelo-Gutiérrez, Rocío; Munguía-Navarro, Paula; Campos-Gutiérrez, Belén; García-Mena, Mercedes; Moragrera, Belén; Moreno-López, Rosario; Bielsa-Gracia, Sara; Cuberes-Izquierdo, Marta

2014-01-01

An increased consumption of processed foods that include phosphorus-containing additives has led us to propose the following working hypothesis: using phosphate-rich additives that can be easily absorbed in processed foods involves a significant increase in phosphorus in the diet, which may be considered as hidden phosphorus since it is not registered in the food composition tables. The quantity of phosphorus contained in 118 processed products was determined by spectrophotometry and the results were contrasted with the food composition tables of the Higher Education Centre of Nutrition and Diet, those of Morandeira and those of the BEDCA (Spanish Food Composition Database) Network. Food processing frequently involves the use of phosphoric additives. The products whose label contains these additives have higher phosphorus content and higher phosphorus-protein ratio. We observed a discrepancy with the food composition tables in terms of the amount of phosphorus determined in a sizeable proportion of the products. The phosphorus content of prepared refrigerated foods hardly appears in the tables. Product labels provide little information on phosphorus content. We observed a discrepancy in phosphorus content in certain foods with respect to the food composition tables. We should educate our patients on reviewing the additives on the labels and on the limitation of processed foods. There must be health policy actions to deal with the problem: companies should analyse the phosphorus content of their products, display the correct information on their labels and incorporate it into the food composition tables. Incentives could be established to prepare food with a low phosphorus content and alternatives to phosphorus-containing additives.

Orbital angular momentum correlations with a phase-flipped Gaussian mode pump beam

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Romero, J.; Giovannini, D.; McLaren, M. G.; Galvez, E. J.; Forbes, A.; Padgett, M. J.

2012-08-01

We report orbital angular momentum (OAM) and angle correlations between signal and idler photons observed when the nonlinear crystal used in spontaneous parametric down-conversion is illuminated by a non-fundamental Gaussian pump beam. We introduce a π-phase step to the transverse profile of the pump, before it impinges on the crystal to create a phase-flipped Gaussian mode, which is a close approximation to an HG10 Hermite-Gaussian-like beam. The correlations in OAM and angular position are then measured holographically using two separate spatial light modulators in the signal and idler arms. We show the transfer of the OAM spectrum of the pump to the down-converted fields, manifested as a redistribution in the OAM correlations consistent with OAM conservation. This corresponds to a modulation of the angular position correlations consistent with the Fourier relationship between the OAM and angle.

Gaussian Accelerated Molecular Dynamics: Unconstrained Enhanced Sampling and Free Energy Calculation.

PubMed

Miao, Yinglong; Feher, Victoria A; McCammon, J Andrew

2015-08-11

A Gaussian accelerated molecular dynamics (GaMD) approach for simultaneous enhanced sampling and free energy calculation of biomolecules is presented. By constructing a boost potential that follows Gaussian distribution, accurate reweighting of the GaMD simulations is achieved using cumulant expansion to the second order. Here, GaMD is demonstrated on three biomolecular model systems: alanine dipeptide, chignolin folding, and ligand binding to the T4-lysozyme. Without the need to set predefined reaction coordinates, GaMD enables unconstrained enhanced sampling of these biomolecules. Furthermore, the free energy profiles obtained from reweighting of the GaMD simulations allow us to identify distinct low-energy states of the biomolecules and characterize the protein-folding and ligand-binding pathways quantitatively.

Quantum entanglement beyond Gaussian criteria.

PubMed

Gomes, R M; Salles, A; Toscano, F; Souto Ribeiro, P H; Walborn, S P

2009-12-22

Most of the attention given to continuous variable systems for quantum information processing has traditionally been focused on Gaussian states. However, non-Gaussianity is an essential requirement for universal quantum computation and entanglement distillation, and can improve the efficiency of other quantum information tasks. Here we report the experimental observation of genuine non-Gaussian entanglement using spatially entangled photon pairs. The quantum correlations are invisible to all second-order tests, which identify only Gaussian entanglement, and are revealed only under application of a higher-order entanglement criterion. Thus, the photons exhibit a variety of entanglement that cannot be reproduced by Gaussian states.

p-type doping by platinum diffusion in low phosphorus doped silicon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ventura, L.; Pichaud, B.; Vervisch, W.; Lanois, F.

2003-07-01

In this work we show that the cooling rate following a platinum diffusion strongly influences the electrical conductivity in weakly phosphorus doped silicon. Diffusions were performed at the temperature of 910 °C in the range of 8 32 hours in 0.6, 30, and 60 Ωrm cm phosphorus doped silicon samples. Spreading resistance profile analyses clearly show an n-type to p-type conversion under the surface when samples are cooled slowly. On the other hand, a compensation of the phosphorus donors can only be observed when samples are quenched. One Pt related acceptor deep level at 0.43 eV from the valence band is assumed to be at the origin of the type conversion mechanism. Its concentration increases by lowering the applied cooling rate. A complex formation with fast species such as interstitial Pt atoms or intrinsic point defects is expected. In 0.6 Ωrm cm phosphorus doped silicon, no acceptor deep level in the lower band gap is detected by DLTS measurement. This removes the opportunity of a pairing between phosphorus and platinum and suggests the possibility of a Fermi level controlled complex formation.

Structured Laguerre-Gaussian beams for mitigation of spherical aberration in tightly focused regimes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haddadi, S.; Bouzid, O.; Fromager, M.; Hasnaoui, A.; Harfouche, A.; Cagniot, E.; Forbes, A.; Aït-Ameur, K.

2018-04-01

Many laser applications utilise a focused laser beam having a single-lobed intensity profile in the focal plane, ideally with the highest possible on-axis intensity. Conventionally, this is achieved with the lowest-order Laguerre-Gaussian mode (LG00), the Gaussian beam, in a tight focusing configuration. However, tight focusing often involves significant spherical aberration due to the high numerical aperture of the systems involved, thus degrading the focal quality. Here, we demonstrate that a high-order radial LG p0 mode can be tailored to meet and in some instances exceed the performance of the Gaussian. We achieve this by phase rectification of the mode using a simple binary diffractive optic. By way of example, we show that the focusing of a rectified LG50 beam is almost insensitive to a spherical aberration coefficient of over three wavelengths, in contrast with the usual Gaussian beam for which the intensity of the focal spot is reduced by a factor of two. This work paves the way towards enhanced focal spots using structured light.

Truncated Gaussians as tolerance sets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cozman, Fabio; Krotkov, Eric

1994-01-01

This work focuses on the use of truncated Gaussian distributions as models for bounded data measurements that are constrained to appear between fixed limits. The authors prove that the truncated Gaussian can be viewed as a maximum entropy distribution for truncated bounded data, when mean and covariance are given. The characteristic function for the truncated Gaussian is presented; from this, algorithms are derived for calculation of mean, variance, summation, application of Bayes rule and filtering with truncated Gaussians. As an example of the power of their methods, a derivation of the disparity constraint (used in computer vision) from their models is described. The authors' approach complements results in Statistics, but their proposal is not only to use the truncated Gaussian as a model for selected data; they propose to model measurements as fundamentally in terms of truncated Gaussians.

Quantum entanglement beyond Gaussian criteria

PubMed Central

Gomes, R. M.; Salles, A.; Toscano, F.; Souto Ribeiro, P. H.; Walborn, S. P.

2009-01-01

Most of the attention given to continuous variable systems for quantum information processing has traditionally been focused on Gaussian states. However, non-Gaussianity is an essential requirement for universal quantum computation and entanglement distillation, and can improve the efficiency of other quantum information tasks. Here we report the experimental observation of genuine non-Gaussian entanglement using spatially entangled photon pairs. The quantum correlations are invisible to all second-order tests, which identify only Gaussian entanglement, and are revealed only under application of a higher-order entanglement criterion. Thus, the photons exhibit a variety of entanglement that cannot be reproduced by Gaussian states. PMID:19995963

Doping profile measurement on textured silicon surface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Essa, Zahi; Taleb, Nadjib; Sermage, Bernard; Broussillou, Cédric; Bazer-Bachi, Barbara; Quillec, Maurice

2018-04-01

In crystalline silicon solar cells, the front surface is textured in order to lower the reflection of the incident light and increase the efficiency of the cell. This texturing whose dimensions are a few micrometers wide and high, often makes it difficult to determine the doping profile measurement. We have measured by secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) and electrochemical capacitance voltage profiling the doping profile of implanted phosphorus in alkaline textured and in polished monocrystalline silicon wafers. The paper shows that SIMS gives accurate results provided the primary ion impact angle is small enough. Moreover, the comparison between these two techniques gives an estimation of the concentration of electrically inactive phosphorus atoms.

Phosphorus geochemistry of recent sediments in the South Basin of Lake Winnipeg

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mayer, T.; Simpson, S.L.; Thorleifson, L.H.; Lockhart, W.L.; Wilkinson, Philip M.

2006-01-01

Lake Winnipeg supports the largest commercial fishery on Canadian Prairies. It has been influenced by a variety of environmental forces and anthropogenic activities. To gain a better understanding of recent changes in nutrient status of the lake, it is important to reconstruct its previous history from sedimentary records. Lacustrine sediments are known to be an important sink of many dissolved and suspended substances, including phosphorus, hence, they provide a permanent historical record of changes occurring in the lake. These changes may be induced by natural factors or by anthropogenic activities in the watershed. Phosphorus profiles from dated sediment cores collected in 1999 and 1994 from the South Basin of Lake Winnipeg were investigated to determine phosphorus enrichment in recent sediments. To interpret the nutrient status and depositional conditions responsible for the trends in total phosphorus, three operationally defined forms of phosphorus (P) were determined: non-apatite inorganic P, apatite P, and organic P. Significant increases in sediment phosphorus concentrations were observed in the uppermost 20 cm of the cores and several anomalies were observed at depth. A doubling in total phosphorus relative to aluminum over the last fifty years is largely due to increases in the non-apatite inorganic fraction, suggesting that much of sedimentary phosphorus increase is attributable to changes in the nutrient status of the water column related to anthropogenic inputs. Organic phosphorus exhibits a subtle increase in the upper 20 cm of the gravity cores, likely due to increases in the primary productivity of the lake. Except for the slight increase in deeper sediments, apatite phosphorus, which is thought to be of detrital origin, remained fairly constant over the length of the cores. Anomalous spikes in phosphorus concentrations deeper in the cores, comprised mainly of the non-apatite inorganic phosphorus fraction, likely resulted from natural variation in

Gaussian Decomposition of Laser Altimeter Waveforms

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hofton, Michelle A.; Minster, J. Bernard; Blair, J. Bryan

1999-01-01

We develop a method to decompose a laser altimeter return waveform into its Gaussian components assuming that the position of each Gaussian within the waveform can be used to calculate the mean elevation of a specific reflecting surface within the laser footprint. We estimate the number of Gaussian components from the number of inflection points of a smoothed copy of the laser waveform, and obtain initial estimates of the Gaussian half-widths and positions from the positions of its consecutive inflection points. Initial amplitude estimates are obtained using a non-negative least-squares method. To reduce the likelihood of fitting the background noise within the waveform and to minimize the number of Gaussians needed in the approximation, we rank the "importance" of each Gaussian in the decomposition using its initial half-width and amplitude estimates. The initial parameter estimates of all Gaussians ranked "important" are optimized using the Levenburg-Marquardt method. If the sum of the Gaussians does not approximate the return waveform to a prescribed accuracy, then additional Gaussians are included in the optimization procedure. The Gaussian decomposition method is demonstrated on data collected by the airborne Laser Vegetation Imaging Sensor (LVIS) in October 1997 over the Sequoia National Forest, California.

Three-photon Gaussian-Gaussian-Laguerre-Gaussian excitation of a localized atom to a highly excited Rydberg state

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mashhadi, L.

2017-12-01

Optical vortices are currently one of the most intensively studied topics in light-matter interaction. In this work, a three-step axial Doppler- and recoil-free Gaussian-Gaussian-Laguerre-Gaussian (GGLG) excitation of a localized atom to the highly excited Rydberg state is presented. By assuming a large detuning for intermediate states, an effective quadrupole excitation related to the Laguerre-Gaussian (LG) excitation to the highly excited Rydberg state is obtained. This special excitation system radially confines the single highly excited Rydberg atom independently of the trapping system into a sharp potential landscape into the so-called ‘far-off-resonance optical dipole-quadrupole trap’ (FORDQT). The key parameters of the Rydberg excitation to the highly excited state, namely the effective Rabi frequency and the effective detuning including a position-dependent AC Stark shift, are calculated in terms of the basic parameters of the LG beam and of the polarization of the excitation lasers. It is shown that the obtained parameters can be tuned to have a precise excitation of a single atom to the desired Rydberg state as well. The features of transferring the optical orbital and spin angular momentum of the polarized LG beam to the atom via quadrupole Rydberg excitation offer a long-lived and controllable qudit quantum memory. In addition, in contrast to the Gaussian laser beam, the doughnut-shaped LG beam makes it possible to use a high intensity laser beam to increase the signal-to-noise ratio in quadrupole excitation with minimized perturbations coming from stray light broadening in the last Rydberg excitation process.

Gaussian Accelerated Molecular Dynamics: Unconstrained Enhanced Sampling and Free Energy Calculation

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

A Gaussian accelerated molecular dynamics (GaMD) approach for simultaneous enhanced sampling and free energy calculation of biomolecules is presented. By constructing a boost potential that follows Gaussian distribution, accurate reweighting of the GaMD simulations is achieved using cumulant expansion to the second order. Here, GaMD is demonstrated on three biomolecular model systems: alanine dipeptide, chignolin folding, and ligand binding to the T4-lysozyme. Without the need to set predefined reaction coordinates, GaMD enables unconstrained enhanced sampling of these biomolecules. Furthermore, the free energy profiles obtained from reweighting of the GaMD simulations allow us to identify distinct low-energy states of the biomolecules and characterize the protein-folding and ligand-binding pathways quantitatively. PMID:26300708

A regional modeling framework of phosphorus sources and transport in streams of the southeastern United States

USGS Publications Warehouse

Garcia, Ana Maria.; Hoos, Anne B.; Terziotti, Silvia

2011-01-01

We applied the SPARROW model to estimate phosphorus transport from catchments to stream reaches and subsequent delivery to major receiving water bodies in the Southeastern United States (U.S.). We show that six source variables and five land-to-water transport variables are significant (p < 0.05) in explaining 67% of the variability in long-term log-transformed mean annual phosphorus yields. Three land-to-water variables are a subset of landscape characteristics that have been used as transport factors in phosphorus indices developed by state agencies and are identified through experimental research as influencing land-to-water phosphorus transport at field and plot scales. Two land-to-water variables – soil organic matter and soil pH – are associated with phosphorus sorption, a significant finding given that most state-developed phosphorus indices do not explicitly contain variables for sorption processes. Our findings for Southeastern U.S. streams emphasize the importance of accounting for phosphorus present in the soil profile to predict attainable instream water quality. Regional estimates of phosphorus associated with soil-parent rock were highly significant in explaining instream phosphorus yield variability. Model predictions associate 31% of phosphorus delivered to receiving water bodies to geology and the highest total phosphorus yields in the Southeast were catchments with already high background levels that have been impacted by human activity.

AUTONOMOUS GAUSSIAN DECOMPOSITION

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lindner, Robert R.; Vera-Ciro, Carlos; Murray, Claire E.

2015-04-15

We present a new algorithm, named Autonomous Gaussian Decomposition (AGD), for automatically decomposing spectra into Gaussian components. AGD uses derivative spectroscopy and machine learning to provide optimized guesses for the number of Gaussian components in the data, and also their locations, widths, and amplitudes. We test AGD and find that it produces results comparable to human-derived solutions on 21 cm absorption spectra from the 21 cm SPectral line Observations of Neutral Gas with the EVLA (21-SPONGE) survey. We use AGD with Monte Carlo methods to derive the H i line completeness as a function of peak optical depth and velocitymore » width for the 21-SPONGE data, and also show that the results of AGD are stable against varying observational noise intensity. The autonomy and computational efficiency of the method over traditional manual Gaussian fits allow for truly unbiased comparisons between observations and simulations, and for the ability to scale up and interpret the very large data volumes from the upcoming Square Kilometer Array and pathfinder telescopes.« less

Quantification of Gaussian quantum steering.

PubMed

Kogias, Ioannis; Lee, Antony R; Ragy, Sammy; Adesso, Gerardo

2015-02-13

Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen steering incarnates a useful nonclassical correlation which sits between entanglement and Bell nonlocality. While a number of qualitative steering criteria exist, very little has been achieved for what concerns quantifying steerability. We introduce a computable measure of steering for arbitrary bipartite Gaussian states of continuous variable systems. For two-mode Gaussian states, the measure reduces to a form of coherent information, which is proven never to exceed entanglement, and to reduce to it on pure states. We provide an operational connection between our measure and the key rate in one-sided device-independent quantum key distribution. We further prove that Peres' conjecture holds in its stronger form within the fully Gaussian regime: namely, steering bound entangled Gaussian states by Gaussian measurements is impossible.

Response measurement by laser Doppler vibrometry in vibration qualification tests with non-Gaussian random excitation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Troncossi, M.; Di Sante, R.; Rivola, A.

2016-10-01

In the field of vibration qualification testing, random excitations are typically imposed on the tested system in terms of a power spectral density (PSD) profile. This is the one of the most popular ways to control the shaker or slip table for durability tests. However, these excitations (and the corresponding system responses) exhibit a Gaussian probability distribution, whereas not all real-life excitations are Gaussian, causing the response to be also non-Gaussian. In order to introduce non-Gaussian peaks, a further parameter, i.e., kurtosis, has to be controlled in addition to the PSD. However, depending on the specimen behaviour and input signal characteristics, the use of non-Gaussian excitations with high kurtosis and a given PSD does not automatically imply a non-Gaussian stress response. For an experimental investigation of these coupled features, suitable measurement methods need to be developed in order to estimate the stress amplitude response at critical failure locations and consequently evaluate the input signals most representative for real-life, non-Gaussian excitations. In this paper, a simple test rig with a notched cantilevered specimen was developed to measure the response and examine the kurtosis values in the case of stationary Gaussian, stationary non-Gaussian, and burst non-Gaussian excitation signals. The laser Doppler vibrometry technique was used in this type of test for the first time, in order to estimate the specimen stress amplitude response as proportional to the differential displacement measured at the notch section ends. A method based on the use of measurements using accelerometers to correct for the occasional signal dropouts occurring during the experiment is described. The results demonstrate the ability of the test procedure to evaluate the output signal features and therefore to select the most appropriate input signal for the fatigue test.

Gaussian States Minimize the Output Entropy of One-Mode Quantum Gaussian Channels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

De Palma, Giacomo; Trevisan, Dario; Giovannetti, Vittorio

2017-04-01

We prove the long-standing conjecture stating that Gaussian thermal input states minimize the output von Neumann entropy of one-mode phase-covariant quantum Gaussian channels among all the input states with a given entropy. Phase-covariant quantum Gaussian channels model the attenuation and the noise that affect any electromagnetic signal in the quantum regime. Our result is crucial to prove the converse theorems for both the triple trade-off region and the capacity region for broadcast communication of the Gaussian quantum-limited amplifier. Our result extends to the quantum regime the entropy power inequality that plays a key role in classical information theory. Our proof exploits a completely new technique based on the recent determination of the p →q norms of the quantum-limited amplifier [De Palma et al., arXiv:1610.09967]. This technique can be applied to any quantum channel.

Gaussian States Minimize the Output Entropy of One-Mode Quantum Gaussian Channels.

PubMed

De Palma, Giacomo; Trevisan, Dario; Giovannetti, Vittorio

2017-04-21

We prove the long-standing conjecture stating that Gaussian thermal input states minimize the output von Neumann entropy of one-mode phase-covariant quantum Gaussian channels among all the input states with a given entropy. Phase-covariant quantum Gaussian channels model the attenuation and the noise that affect any electromagnetic signal in the quantum regime. Our result is crucial to prove the converse theorems for both the triple trade-off region and the capacity region for broadcast communication of the Gaussian quantum-limited amplifier. Our result extends to the quantum regime the entropy power inequality that plays a key role in classical information theory. Our proof exploits a completely new technique based on the recent determination of the p→q norms of the quantum-limited amplifier [De Palma et al., arXiv:1610.09967]. This technique can be applied to any quantum channel.

Non-Gaussian quantum states generation and robust quantum non-Gaussianity via squeezing field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, Xu-Bing; Gao, Fang; Wang, Yao-Xiong; Kuang, Sen; Shuang, Feng

2015-03-01

Recent studies show that quantum non-Gaussian states or using non-Gaussian operations can improve entanglement distillation, quantum swapping, teleportation, and cloning. In this work, employing a strategy of non-Gaussian operations (namely subtracting and adding a single photon), we propose a scheme to generate non-Gaussian quantum states named single-photon-added and -subtracted coherent (SPASC) superposition states by implementing Bell measurements, and then investigate the corresponding nonclassical features. By squeezed the input field, we demonstrate that robustness of non-Gaussianity can be improved. Controllable phase space distribution offers the possibility to approximately generate a displaced coherent superposition states (DCSS). The fidelity can reach up to F ≥ 0.98 and F ≥ 0.90 for size of amplitude z = 1.53 and 2.36, respectively. Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 61203061 and 61074052), the Outstanding Young Talent Foundation of Anhui Province, China (Grant No. 2012SQRL040), and the Natural Science Foundation of Anhui Province, China (Grant No. KJ2012Z035).

Iterative local Gaussian clustering for expressed genes identification linked to malignancy of human colorectal carcinoma.

PubMed

Wasito, Ito; Hashim, Siti Zaiton M; Sukmaningrum, Sri

2007-12-30

Gene expression profiling plays an important role in the identification of biological and clinical properties of human solid tumors such as colorectal carcinoma. Profiling is required to reveal underlying molecular features for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. A non-parametric density-estimation-based approach called iterative local Gaussian clustering (ILGC), was used to identify clusters of expressed genes. We used experimental data from a previous study by Muro and others consisting of 1,536 genes in 100 colorectal cancer and 11 normal tissues. In this dataset, the ILGC finds three clusters, two large and one small gene clusters, similar to their results which used Gaussian mixture clustering. The correlation of each cluster of genes and clinical properties of malignancy of human colorectal cancer was analysed for the existence of tumor or normal, the existence of distant metastasis and the existence of lymph node metastasis.

Phytoplankton in the ocean use non-phosphorus lipids in response to phosphorus scarcity.

PubMed

Van Mooy, Benjamin A S; Fredricks, Helen F; Pedler, Byron E; Dyhrman, Sonya T; Karl, David M; Koblízek, Michal; Lomas, Michael W; Mincer, Tracy J; Moore, Lisa R; Moutin, Thierry; Rappé, Michael S; Webb, Eric A

2009-03-05

Phosphorus is an obligate requirement for the growth of all organisms; major biochemical reservoirs of phosphorus in marine plankton include nucleic acids and phospholipids. However, eukaryotic phytoplankton and cyanobacteria (that is, 'phytoplankton' collectively) have the ability to decrease their cellular phosphorus content when phosphorus in their environment is scarce. The biochemical mechanisms that allow phytoplankton to limit their phosphorus demand and still maintain growth are largely unknown. Here we show that phytoplankton, in regions of oligotrophic ocean where phosphate is scarce, reduce their cellular phosphorus requirements by substituting non-phosphorus membrane lipids for phospholipids. In the Sargasso Sea, where phosphate concentrations were less than 10 nmol l-1, we found that only 1.3 +/- 0.6% of phosphate uptake was used for phospholipid synthesis; in contrast, in the South Pacific subtropical gyre, where phosphate was greater than 100 nmol l-1, plankton used 17 6% (ref. 6). Examination of the planktonic membrane lipids at these two locations showed that classes of sulphur- and nitrogen-containing membrane lipids, which are devoid of phosphorus, were more abundant in the Sargasso Sea than in the South Pacific. Furthermore, these non-phosphorus, 'substitute lipids' were dominant in phosphorus-limited cultures of all of the phytoplankton species we examined. In contrast, the marine heterotrophic bacteria we examined contained no substitute lipids and only phospholipids. Thus heterotrophic bacteria, which compete with phytoplankton for nutrients in oligotrophic regions like the Sargasso Sea, appear to have a biochemical phosphorus requirement that phytoplankton avoid by using substitute lipids. Our results suggest that phospholipid substitutions are fundamental biochemical mechanisms that allow phytoplankton to maintain growth in the face of phosphorus limitation.

The properties of the anti-tumor model with coupling non-Gaussian noise and Gaussian colored noise

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Qin; Sun, Zhongkui; Xu, Wei

2016-05-01

The anti-tumor model with correlation between multiplicative non-Gaussian noise and additive Gaussian-colored noise has been investigated in this paper. The behaviors of the stationary probability distribution demonstrate that the multiplicative non-Gaussian noise plays a dual role in the development of tumor and an appropriate additive Gaussian colored noise can lead to a minimum of the mean value of tumor cell population. The mean first passage time is calculated to quantify the effects of noises on the transition time of tumors between the stable states. An increase in both the non-Gaussian noise intensity and the departure from the Gaussian noise can accelerate the transition from the disease state to the healthy state. On the contrary, an increase in cross-correlated degree will slow down the transition. Moreover, the correlation time can enhance the stability of the disease state.

Effect of asymmetric concentration profile on thermal conductivity in Ge/SiGe superlattices

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hahn, Konstanze R., E-mail: konstanze.hahn@dsf.unica.it; Cecchi, Stefano; Colombo, Luciano

2016-05-16

The effect of the chemical composition in Si/Ge-based superlattices on their thermal conductivity has been investigated using molecular dynamics simulations. Simulation cells of Ge/SiGe superlattices have been generated with different concentration profiles such that the Si concentration follows a step-like, a tooth-saw, a Gaussian, and a gamma-type function in direction of the heat flux. The step-like and tooth-saw profiles mimic ideally sharp interfaces, whereas Gaussian and gamma-type profiles are smooth functions imitating atomic diffusion at the interface as obtained experimentally. Symmetry effects have been investigated comparing the symmetric profiles of the step-like and the Gaussian function to the asymmetric profilesmore » of the tooth-saw and the gamma-type function. At longer sample length and similar degree of interdiffusion, the thermal conductivity is found to be lower in asymmetric profiles. Furthermore, it is found that with smooth concentration profiles where atomic diffusion at the interface takes place the thermal conductivity is higher compared to systems with atomically sharp concentration profiles.« less

A Regional Modeling Framework of Phosphorus Sources and Transport in Streams of the Southeastern United States

USGS Publications Warehouse

Garcia, A.M.; Hoos, A.B.; Terziotti, S.

2011-01-01

We applied the SPARROW model to estimate phosphorus transport from catchments to stream reaches and subsequent delivery to major receiving water bodies in the Southeastern United States (U.S.). We show that six source variables and five land-to-water transport variables are significant (p<0.05) in explaining 67% of the variability in long-term log-transformed mean annual phosphorus yields. Three land-to-water variables are a subset of landscape characteristics that have been used as transport factors in phosphorus indices developed by state agencies and are identified through experimental research as influencing land-to-water phosphorus transport at field and plot scales. Two land-to-water variables - soil organic matter and soil pH - are associated with phosphorus sorption, a significant finding given that most state-developed phosphorus indices do not explicitly contain variables for sorption processes. Our findings for Southeastern U.S. streams emphasize the importance of accounting for phosphorus present in the soil profile to predict attainable instream water quality. Regional estimates of phosphorus associated with soil-parent rock were highly significant in explaining instream phosphorus yield variability. Model predictions associate 31% of phosphorus delivered to receiving water bodies to geology and the highest total phosphorus yields in the Southeast were catchments with already high background levels that have been impacted by human activity. ?? 2011 American Water Resources Association. This article is a US Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

Controlling the ambipolarity and improvement of RF performance using Gaussian Drain Doped TFET

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nigam, Kaushal; Gupta, Sarthak; Pandey, Sunil; Kondekar, P. N.; Sharma, Dheeraj

2018-05-01

Ambipolar conduction in tunnel field-effect transistors (TFETs) has been occurred as an inherent issue due to drain-channel tunneling. It makes TFET less efficient and restricts its application in complementary digital circuits. Therefore, this manuscript reports the application of Gaussian doping profile on nanometer regime silicon channel TFETs to completely eliminate the ambipolarity. For this, Gaussian doping is used in the drain region of conventional gate-drain overlap TFET to control the tunneling of electrons from the valence band of channel to the conduction band of drain. As a result, barrier width at the drain/channel junction increases significantly leading to the suppression of an ambipolar current even when higher doping concentration (1 ? 10 ? cm ?) is considered in the drain region. However, significant improvement in terms of RF figure-of-merits such as cut-off frequency (f ?), gain bandwidth product (GBW), and gate-to-drain capacitance (C ?) is achieved with Gaussian doped gate on drain overlap TFET as compared to its counterpart TFET.

Indicators: Phosphorus

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Phosphorus, like nitrogen, is a critical nutrient required for all life. Phosphate (PO4), which plays major roles in the formation of DNA, cellular energy, and cell membranes (and plant cell walls). Too much phosphorus can create water quality problems.

High-Order Local Pooling and Encoding Gaussians Over a Dictionary of Gaussians.

PubMed

Li, Peihua; Zeng, Hui; Wang, Qilong; Shiu, Simon C K; Zhang, Lei

2017-07-01

Local pooling (LP) in configuration (feature) space proposed by Boureau et al. explicitly restricts similar features to be aggregated, which can preserve as much discriminative information as possible. At the time it appeared, this method combined with sparse coding achieved competitive classification results with only a small dictionary. However, its performance lags far behind the state-of-the-art results as only the zero-order information is exploited. Inspired by the success of high-order statistical information in existing advanced feature coding or pooling methods, we make an attempt to address the limitation of LP. To this end, we present a novel method called high-order LP (HO-LP) to leverage the information higher than the zero-order one. Our idea is intuitively simple: we compute the first- and second-order statistics per configuration bin and model them as a Gaussian. Accordingly, we employ a collection of Gaussians as visual words to represent the universal probability distribution of features from all classes. Our problem is naturally formulated as encoding Gaussians over a dictionary of Gaussians as visual words. This problem, however, is challenging since the space of Gaussians is not a Euclidean space but forms a Riemannian manifold. We address this challenge by mapping Gaussians into the Euclidean space, which enables us to perform coding with common Euclidean operations rather than complex and often expensive Riemannian operations. Our HO-LP preserves the advantages of the original LP: pooling only similar features and using a small dictionary. Meanwhile, it achieves very promising performance on standard benchmarks, with either conventional, hand-engineered features or deep learning-based features.

Super resolution terahertz imaging by subpixel estimation: application to hyperspectral beam profiling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Logofătu, Petre C.; Damian, Victor

2018-05-01

A super-resolution terahertz imaging technique based on subpixel estimation was applied to hyperspectral beam profiling. The topic of hyperspectral beam profiling was chosen because the beam profile and its dependence on wavelength are not well known and are important for imaging applications. Super-resolution is required here to avoid diffraction effects and to provide a stronger signal. Super-resolution usually adds supplementary information to the measurement, but in this case, it is a prerequisite for it. We report that the beam profile is almost Gaussian for many frequencies; the waist of the Gaussian profile increases with frequency while the center wobbles slightly. Knowledge of the beam profile may subsequently be used as reference for imaging.

Radiation pressure acceleration of corrugated thin foils by Gaussian and super-Gaussian beams

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Adusumilli, K.; Goyal, D.; Tripathi, V. K.

Rayleigh-Taylor instability of radiation pressure accelerated ultrathin foils by laser having Gaussian and super-Gaussian intensity distribution is investigated using a single fluid code. The foil is allowed to have ring shaped surface ripples. The radiation pressure force on such a foil is non-uniform with finite transverse component F{sub r}; F{sub r} varies periodically with r. Subsequently, the ripple grows as the foil moves ahead along z. With a Gaussian beam, the foil acquires an overall curvature due to non-uniformity in radiation pressure and gets thinner. In the process, the ripple perturbation is considerably washed off. With super-Gaussian beam, the ripplemore » is found to be more strongly washed out. In order to avoid transmission of the laser through the thinning foil, a criterion on the foil thickness is obtained.« less

Extremality of Gaussian quantum states.

PubMed

Wolf, Michael M; Giedke, Geza; Cirac, J Ignacio

2006-03-03

We investigate Gaussian quantum states in view of their exceptional role within the space of all continuous variables states. A general method for deriving extremality results is provided and applied to entanglement measures, secret key distillation and the classical capacity of bosonic quantum channels. We prove that for every given covariance matrix the distillable secret key rate and the entanglement, if measured appropriately, are minimized by Gaussian states. This result leads to a clearer picture of the validity of frequently made Gaussian approximations. Moreover, it implies that Gaussian encodings are optimal for the transmission of classical information through bosonic channels, if the capacity is additive.

Rethinking early Earth phosphorus geochemistry

PubMed Central

Pasek, Matthew A.

2008-01-01

Phosphorus is a key biologic element, and a prebiotic pathway leading to its incorporation into biomolecules has been difficult to ascertain. Most potentially prebiotic phosphorylation reactions have relied on orthophosphate as the source of phosphorus. It is suggested here that the geochemistry of phosphorus on the early Earth was instead controlled by reduced oxidation state phosphorus compounds such as phosphite (HPO32−), which are more soluble and reactive than orthophosphates. This reduced oxidation state phosphorus originated from extraterrestrial material that fell during the heavy bombardment period or was produced during impacts, and persisted in the mildly reducing atmosphere. This alternate view of early Earth phosphorus geochemistry provides an unexplored route to the formation of pertinent prebiotic phosphorus compounds, suggests a facile reaction pathway to condensed phosphates, and is consistent with the biochemical usage of reduced oxidation state phosphorus compounds in life today. Possible studies are suggested that may detect reduced oxidation state phosphorus compounds in ancient Archean rocks. PMID:18195373

Rethinking early Earth phosphorus geochemistry.

PubMed

Pasek, Matthew A

2008-01-22

Phosphorus is a key biologic element, and a prebiotic pathway leading to its incorporation into biomolecules has been difficult to ascertain. Most potentially prebiotic phosphorylation reactions have relied on orthophosphate as the source of phosphorus. It is suggested here that the geochemistry of phosphorus on the early Earth was instead controlled by reduced oxidation state phosphorus compounds such as phosphite (HPO(3)(2-)), which are more soluble and reactive than orthophosphates. This reduced oxidation state phosphorus originated from extraterrestrial material that fell during the heavy bombardment period or was produced during impacts, and persisted in the mildly reducing atmosphere. This alternate view of early Earth phosphorus geochemistry provides an unexplored route to the formation of pertinent prebiotic phosphorus compounds, suggests a facile reaction pathway to condensed phosphates, and is consistent with the biochemical usage of reduced oxidation state phosphorus compounds in life today. Possible studies are suggested that may detect reduced oxidation state phosphorus compounds in ancient Archean rocks.

New insights into phosphorus management in agriculture--A crop rotation approach.

PubMed

Łukowiak, Remigiusz; Grzebisz, Witold; Sassenrath, Gretchen F

2016-01-15

This manuscript presents research results examining phosphorus (P) management in a soil–plant system for three variables: i) internal resources of soil available phosphorus, ii) cropping sequence, and iii) external input of phosphorus (manure, fertilizers). The research was conducted in long-term cropping sequences with oilseed rape (10 rotations) and maize (six rotations) over three consecutive growing seasons (2004/2005, 2005/2006, and 2006/2007) in a production farm on soils originated from Albic Luvisols in Poland. The soil available phosphorus pool, measured as calcium chloride extractable P (CCE-P), constituted 28% to 67% of the total phosphorus input (PTI) to the soil–plant system in the spring. Oilseed rape and maize dominant cropping sequences showed a significant potential to utilize the CCE-P pool within the soil profile. Cropping sequences containing oilseed rape significantly affected the CCE-P pool, and in turn contributed to the P(TI). The P(TI) uptake use efficiency was 50% on average. Therefore, the CCE-P pool should be taken into account as an important component of a sound and reliable phosphorus balance. The instability of the yield prediction, based on the P(TI), was mainly due to an imbalanced management of both farmyard manure and phosphorus fertilizer. Oilseed rape plants provide a significant positive impact on the CCE-P pool after harvest, improving the productive stability of the entire cropping sequence. This phenomenon was documented by the P(TI) increase during wheat cultivation following oilseed rape. The Unit Phosphorus Uptake index also showed a higher stability in oilseed rape cropping systems compared to rotations based on maize. Cropping sequences are a primary factor impacting phosphorus management. Judicious implementation of crop rotations can improve soil P resources, efficiency of crop P use, and crop yield and yield stability. Use of cropping sequences can reduce the need for external P sources such as farmyard manure

Innovative Method for Separating Phosphorus and Iron from High-Phosphorus Oolitic Hematite by Iron Nugget Process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, Hongliang; Duan, Dongping; Wang, Xing; Chen, Siming

2014-10-01

This study puts forward a new method to separate phosphorus and iron from high-phosphorus oolitic hematite through iron nuggets process. Firstly, the physical, chemical, and microscopic characteristics of high-phosphorus oolitic hematite are investigated. Then, the reaction mechanisms of high-phosphorus hematite together with feasibility to separating phosphorus and iron by iron nugget process are discussed. Meanwhile, the experiments of high-phosphorus hematite used in rotary hearth furnace iron nugget processes are studied as well. The results indicate that the iron nugget process is a feasible and efficient method for iron and phosphorus separation of high-phosphorus oolitic hematite. The phosphorus content in iron nuggets is relatively low. Through the optimization of process parameters, the lowest of phosphorus in iron nuggets is 0.22 pct, the dephosphorization rate is above 86 pct, and the recovery of Fe is above 85 pct by the iron nugget process. This study aims to provide a theoretical and technical basis for economical and rational use of high-phosphorus oolitic hematite.

Iterative local Gaussian clustering for expressed genes identification linked to malignancy of human colorectal carcinoma

PubMed Central

Wasito, Ito; Hashim, Siti Zaiton M; Sukmaningrum, Sri

2007-01-01

Gene expression profiling plays an important role in the identification of biological and clinical properties of human solid tumors such as colorectal carcinoma. Profiling is required to reveal underlying molecular features for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. A non-parametric density-estimation-based approach called iterative local Gaussian clustering (ILGC), was used to identify clusters of expressed genes. We used experimental data from a previous study by Muro and others consisting of 1,536 genes in 100 colorectal cancer and 11 normal tissues. In this dataset, the ILGC finds three clusters, two large and one small gene clusters, similar to their results which used Gaussian mixture clustering. The correlation of each cluster of genes and clinical properties of malignancy of human colorectal cancer was analysed for the existence of tumor or normal, the existence of distant metastasis and the existence of lymph node metastasis. PMID:18305825

Breaking Gaussian incompatibility on continuous variable quantum systems

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Heinosaari, Teiko, E-mail: teiko.heinosaari@utu.fi; Kiukas, Jukka, E-mail: jukka.kiukas@aber.ac.uk; Schultz, Jussi, E-mail: jussi.schultz@gmail.com

2015-08-15

We characterise Gaussian quantum channels that are Gaussian incompatibility breaking, that is, transform every set of Gaussian measurements into a set obtainable from a joint Gaussian observable via Gaussian postprocessing. Such channels represent local noise which renders measurements useless for Gaussian EPR-steering, providing the appropriate generalisation of entanglement breaking channels for this scenario. Understanding the structure of Gaussian incompatibility breaking channels contributes to the resource theory of noisy continuous variable quantum information protocols.

DESIGN MANUAL: PHOSPHORUS REMOVAL

EPA Science Inventory

This manual summarizes process design information for the best developed methods for removing phosphorus from wastewater. his manual discusses several proven phosphorus removal methods, including phosphorus removal obtainable through biological activity as well as chemical precip...

Sedimentary phosphorus cycling and a phosphorus mass balance for the Green Bay (Lake Michigan) ecosystem

USGS Publications Warehouse

Klump, J.V.; Edgington, D. N.; Sager, P.E.; Robertson, Dale M.

2011-01-01

The tributaries of Green Bay have long been recognized as major sources of phosphorus in the Lake Michigan basin. The status of Green Bay as a sink or source of phosphorus for Lake Michigan proper has been less well defined. The bay receives nearly 70% of its annual load of phosphorus ( 700 metric tons (t) · year-1) from a single source: the Fox River. Most of this phosphorus is deposited in sediments accumulating at rates that reach 160 mg · cm-2 · year-1 with an average of 20 mg · cm-2 · year-1. The phosphorus content of these sediments varies from <5 to >70 µmol · g-1. Deposition is highly focused, with ~70% of the total sediment accumulation and at least 80% of the phosphorus burial occurring within 20% of the surface area of the bay. Diagenetic and stoichiometric models of phosphorus cycling imply that >80% of the phosphorus deposited is permanently buried. External phosphorus loading to the bay is combined with sediment fluxes of phophorus to arrive at a simple phosphorus budget. Green Bay acts as an efficient nutrient trap, with the sediments retaining an estimated 70-90% of the external phosphorus inputs before flowing into Lake Michigan.

Dynamics of dark hollow Gaussian laser pulses in relativistic plasma.

PubMed

Sharma, A; Misra, S; Mishra, S K; Kourakis, I

2013-06-01

Optical beams with null central intensity have potential applications in the field of atom optics. The spatial and temporal evolution of a central shadow dark hollow Gaussian (DHG) relativistic laser pulse propagating in a plasma is studied in this article for first principles. A nonlinear Schrodinger-type equation is obtained for the beam spot profile and then solved numerically to investigate the pulse propagation characteristics. As series of numerical simulations are employed to trace the profile of the focused and compressed DHG laser pulse as it propagates through the plasma. The theoretical and simulation results predict that higher-order DHG pulses show smaller divergence as they propagate and, thus, lead to enhanced energy transport.

Dynamics of dark hollow Gaussian laser pulses in relativistic plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharma, A.; Misra, S.; Mishra, S. K.; Kourakis, I.

2013-06-01

Optical beams with null central intensity have potential applications in the field of atom optics. The spatial and temporal evolution of a central shadow dark hollow Gaussian (DHG) relativistic laser pulse propagating in a plasma is studied in this article for first principles. A nonlinear Schrodinger-type equation is obtained for the beam spot profile and then solved numerically to investigate the pulse propagation characteristics. As series of numerical simulations are employed to trace the profile of the focused and compressed DHG laser pulse as it propagates through the plasma. The theoretical and simulation results predict that higher-order DHG pulses show smaller divergence as they propagate and, thus, lead to enhanced energy transport.

Arbitrage with fractional Gaussian processes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Xili; Xiao, Weilin

2017-04-01

While the arbitrage opportunity in the Black-Scholes model driven by fractional Brownian motion has a long history, the arbitrage strategy in the Black-Scholes model driven by general fractional Gaussian processes is in its infancy. The development of stochastic calculus with respect to fractional Gaussian processes allowed us to study such models. In this paper, following the idea of Shiryaev (1998), an arbitrage strategy is constructed for the Black-Scholes model driven by fractional Gaussian processes, when the stochastic integral is interpreted in the Riemann-Stieltjes sense. Arbitrage opportunities in some fractional Gaussian processes, including fractional Brownian motion, sub-fractional Brownian motion, bi-fractional Brownian motion, weighted-fractional Brownian motion and tempered fractional Brownian motion, are also investigated.

Numerical modeling of macrodispersion in heterogeneous media: a comparison of multi-Gaussian and non-multi-Gaussian models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wen, Xian-Huan; Gómez-Hernández, J. Jaime

1998-03-01

The macrodispersion of an inert solute in a 2-D heterogeneous porous media is estimated numerically in a series of fields of varying heterogeneity. Four different random function (RF) models are used to model log-transmissivity (ln T) spatial variability, and for each of these models, ln T variance is varied from 0.1 to 2.0. The four RF models share the same univariate Gaussian histogram and the same isotropic covariance, but differ from one another in terms of the spatial connectivity patterns at extreme transmissivity values. More specifically, model A is a multivariate Gaussian model for which, by definition, extreme values (both high and low) are spatially uncorrelated. The other three models are non-multi-Gaussian: model B with high connectivity of high extreme values, model C with high connectivity of low extreme values, and model D with high connectivities of both high and low extreme values. Residence time distributions (RTDs) and macrodispersivities (longitudinal and transverse) are computed on ln T fields corresponding to the different RF models, for two different flow directions and at several scales. They are compared with each other, as well as with predicted values based on first-order analytical results. Numerically derived RTDs and macrodispersivities for the multi-Gaussian model are in good agreement with analytically derived values using first-order theories for log-transmissivity variance up to 2.0. The results from the non-multi-Gaussian models differ from each other and deviate largely from the multi-Gaussian results even when ln T variance is small. RTDs in non-multi-Gaussian realizations with high connectivity at high extreme values display earlier breakthrough than in multi-Gaussian realizations, whereas later breakthrough and longer tails are observed for RTDs from non-multi-Gaussian realizations with high connectivity at low extreme values. Longitudinal macrodispersivities in the non-multi-Gaussian realizations are, in general, larger than

Self-accelerating Airy-Ince-Gaussian and Airy-Helical-Ince-Gaussian light bullets in free space.

PubMed

Peng, Yulian; Chen, Bo; Peng, Xi; Zhou, Meiling; Zhang, Liping; Li, Dongdong; Deng, Dongmei

2016-08-22

The evolution of the three-dimensional (3D) self-accelerating Airy-Ince-Gaussian (AiIG) and Airy-Helical-Ince-Gaussian (AiHIG) light bullets is investigated by solving the (3+1)D linear spatiotemporal evolution equation of an optical field analytically. As far as we know, the numerical experimental demonstrations of the Ince-Gaussian (IG) and Helical-Ince-Gaussian (HIG) beams in various modes are first developed to study the evolution characteristics of the different 3D spatiotemporal light bullets. A conclusion can be drawn that the different photoelastics, pulse stacked, boundary, elliptical ring and physically separated in-line vortices can be achieved by adjusting the ellipticity, the evolution distance and the mode-number of light bullets.

Design of refractive laser beam shapers to generate complex irradiance profiles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Meijie; Meuret, Youri; Duerr, Fabian; Vervaeke, Michael; Thienpont, Hugo

2014-05-01

A Gaussian laser beam is reshaped to have specific irradiance distributions in many applications in order to ensure optimal system performance. Refractive optics are commonly used for laser beam shaping. A refractive laser beam shaper is typically formed by either two plano-aspheric lenses or by one thick lens with two aspherical surfaces. Ray mapping is a general optical design technique to design refractive beam shapers based on geometric optics. This design technique in principle allows to generate any rotational-symmetric irradiance profile, yet in literature ray mapping is mainly developed to transform a Gaussian irradiance profile to a uniform profile. For more complex profiles especially with low intensity in the inner region, like a Dark Hollow Gaussian (DHG) irradiance profile, ray mapping technique is not directly applicable in practice. In order to these complex profiles, the numerical effort of calculating the aspherical surface points and fitting a surface with sufficient accuracy increases considerably. In this work we evaluate different sampling approaches and surface fitting methods. This allows us to propose and demonstrate a comprehensive numerical approach to efficiently design refractive laser beam shapers to generate rotational-symmetric collimated beams with a complex irradiance profile. Ray tracing analysis for several complex irradiance profiles demonstrates excellent performance of the designed lenses and the versatility of our design procedure.

Raman-Scattering Line Profiles of the Symbiotic Star AG Peg

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Seong-Jae; Hyung, Siek

2017-06-01

The high dispersion Hα and Hβ line profiles of the Symbiotic star AG Peg consist of top double Gaussian and bottom components. We investigated the formation of the broad wings with Raman scattering mechanism. Adopting the same physical parameters from the photo-ionization study of Kim and Hyung (2008) for the white dwarf and the ionized gas shell, Monte Carlo simulations were carried out for a rotating accretion disk geometry of non-symmetrical latitude angles from -7° < θ < +7° to -16° < θ < +16°. The smaller latitude angle of the disk corresponds to the approaching side of the disk responsible for weak blue Gaussian profile, while the wider latitude angle corresponds to the other side of the disk responsible for the strong red Gaussian profile. We confirmed that the shell has the high gas density ˜ 109.85 cm-3 in the ionized zone of AG Peg derived in the previous photo-ionization model study. The simulation with various HI shell column densities (characterized by a thickness ΔD × gas number density nH) shows that the HI gas shell with a column density Hhi ≈ 3 - 5 × 1019 cm-2 fits the observed line profiles well. The estimated rotation speed of the accretion disk shell is in the range of 44 - 55 kms-1. We conclude that the kinematically incoherent structure involving the outflowing gas from the giant star caused an asymmetry of the disk and double Gaussian profiles found in AG Peg.

Comparing fixed and variable-width Gaussian networks.

PubMed

Kůrková, Věra; Kainen, Paul C

2014-09-01

The role of width of Gaussians in two types of computational models is investigated: Gaussian radial-basis-functions (RBFs) where both widths and centers vary and Gaussian kernel networks which have fixed widths but varying centers. The effect of width on functional equivalence, universal approximation property, and form of norms in reproducing kernel Hilbert spaces (RKHS) is explored. It is proven that if two Gaussian RBF networks have the same input-output functions, then they must have the same numbers of units with the same centers and widths. Further, it is shown that while sets of input-output functions of Gaussian kernel networks with two different widths are disjoint, each such set is large enough to be a universal approximator. Embedding of RKHSs induced by "flatter" Gaussians into RKHSs induced by "sharper" Gaussians is described and growth of the ratios of norms on these spaces with increasing input dimension is estimated. Finally, large sets of argminima of error functionals in sets of input-output functions of Gaussian RBFs are described. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Assessing Long Term Impact of Phosphorus Fertilization on Phosphorus Loadings Using AnnAGNPS

EPA Science Inventory

High phosphorus (P) loss from agricultural fields has been an environmental concern because of potential water quality problems in streams and lakes. To better understand the process of P loss and evaluate the different phosphorus fertilization rates on phosphorus losses, the US...

Conditional and unconditional Gaussian quantum dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Genoni, Marco G.; Lami, Ludovico; Serafini, Alessio

2016-07-01

This article focuses on the general theory of open quantum systems in the Gaussian regime and explores a number of diverse ramifications and consequences of the theory. We shall first introduce the Gaussian framework in its full generality, including a classification of Gaussian (also known as 'general-dyne') quantum measurements. In doing so, we will give a compact proof for the parametrisation of the most general Gaussian completely positive map, which we believe to be missing in the existing literature. We will then move on to consider the linear coupling with a white noise bath, and derive the diffusion equations that describe the evolution of Gaussian states under such circumstances. Starting from these equations, we outline a constructive method to derive general master equations that apply outside the Gaussian regime. Next, we include the general-dyne monitoring of the environmental degrees of freedom and recover the Riccati equation for the conditional evolution of Gaussian states. Our derivation relies exclusively on the standard quantum mechanical update of the system state, through the evaluation of Gaussian overlaps. The parametrisation of the conditional dynamics we obtain is novel and, at variance with existing alternatives, directly ties in to physical detection schemes. We conclude our study with two examples of conditional dynamics that can be dealt with conveniently through our formalism, demonstrating how monitoring can suppress the noise in optical parametric processes as well as stabilise systems subject to diffusive scattering.

Full-wave generalizations of the fundamental Gaussian beam.

PubMed

Seshadri, S R

2009-12-01

The basic full wave corresponding to the fundamental Gaussian beam was discovered for the outwardly propagating wave in a half-space by the introduction of a source in the complex space. There is a class of extended full waves all of which reduce to the same fundamental Gaussian beam in the appropriate limit. For the extended full Gaussian waves that include the basic full Gaussian wave as a special case, the sources are in the complex space on different planes transverse to the propagation direction. The sources are cylindrically symmetric Gaussian distributions centered at the origin of the transverse planes, the axis of symmetry being the propagation direction. For the special case of the basic full Gaussian wave, the source is a point source. The radiation intensity of the extended full Gaussian waves is determined and their characteristics are discussed and compared with those of the fundamental Gaussian beam. The extended full Gaussian waves are also obtained for the oppositely propagating outwardly directed waves in the second half-space. The radiation intensity distributions in the two half-spaces have reflection symmetry about the midplane. The radiation intensity distributions of the various extended full Gaussian waves are not significantly different. The power carried by the extended full Gaussian waves is evaluated and compared with that of the fundamental Gaussian beam.

Use of annual phosphorus loss estimator (APLE) model to evaluate a phosphorus index

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Maryland’s Phosphorus Site Index (MD-PSI) has been used to guide management decisions to minimize the potential for phosphorus (P) loss from agricultural fields in Maryland since 2002. The index was recently revised and renamed the University of Maryland Phosphorus Management Tool (UM-PMT), and the...

Improved Gaussian Beam-Scattering Algorithm

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lock, James A.

1995-01-01

The localized model of the beam-shape coefficients for Gaussian beam-scattering theory by a spherical particle provides a great simplification in the numerical implementation of the theory. We derive an alternative form for the localized coefficients that is more convenient for computer computations and that provides physical insight into the details of the scattering process. We construct a FORTRAN program for Gaussian beam scattering with the localized model and compare its computer run time on a personal computer with that of a traditional Mie scattering program and with three other published methods for computing Gaussian beam scattering. We show that the analytical form of the beam-shape coefficients makes evident the fact that the excitation rate of morphology-dependent resonances is greatly enhanced for far off-axis incidence of the Gaussian beam.

Gaussian solitary waves and compactons in Fermi–Pasta–Ulam lattices with Hertzian potentials

PubMed Central

James, Guillaume; Pelinovsky, Dmitry

2014-01-01

We consider a class of fully nonlinear Fermi–Pasta–Ulam (FPU) lattices, consisting of a chain of particles coupled by fractional power nonlinearities of order α>1. This class of systems incorporates a classical Hertzian model describing acoustic wave propagation in chains of touching beads in the absence of precompression. We analyse the propagation of localized waves when α is close to unity. Solutions varying slowly in space and time are searched with an appropriate scaling, and two asymptotic models of the chain of particles are derived consistently. The first one is a logarithmic Korteweg–de Vries (KdV) equation and possesses linearly orbitally stable Gaussian solitary wave solutions. The second model consists of a generalized KdV equation with Hölder-continuous fractional power nonlinearity and admits compacton solutions, i.e. solitary waves with compact support. When , we numerically establish the asymptotically Gaussian shape of exact FPU solitary waves with near-sonic speed and analytically check the pointwise convergence of compactons towards the limiting Gaussian profile. PMID:24808748

Dietary Phosphorus Intake and the Kidney

PubMed Central

Chang, Alex R.; Anderson, Cheryl

2017-01-01

Although phosphorus is an essential nutrient required for multiple physiological functions, recent research raises concerns that high phosphorus intake could have detrimental effects on health. Phosphorus is abundant in the food supply of developed countries, occurring naturally in protein-rich foods and as an additive in processed foods. High phosphorus intake can cause vascular and renal calcification, renal tubular injury, and premature death in multiple animal models. Small studies in human suggest that high phosphorus intake may result in positive phosphorus balance and correlate with renal calcification and albuminuria. Although serum phosphorus is strongly associated with cardiovascular disease, progression of kidney disease, and death, limited data exist linking high phosphorus intake directly to adverse clinical outcomes. Further prospective studies are needed to determine whether phosphorus intake is a modifiable risk factor for kidney disease. PMID:28613982

Signal Partitioning Algorithm for Highly Efficient Gaussian Mixture Modeling in Mass Spectrometry

PubMed Central

Polanski, Andrzej; Marczyk, Michal; Pietrowska, Monika; Widlak, Piotr; Polanska, Joanna

2015-01-01

Mixture - modeling of mass spectra is an approach with many potential applications including peak detection and quantification, smoothing, de-noising, feature extraction and spectral signal compression. However, existing algorithms do not allow for automated analyses of whole spectra. Therefore, despite highlighting potential advantages of mixture modeling of mass spectra of peptide/protein mixtures and some preliminary results presented in several papers, the mixture modeling approach was so far not developed to the stage enabling systematic comparisons with existing software packages for proteomic mass spectra analyses. In this paper we present an efficient algorithm for Gaussian mixture modeling of proteomic mass spectra of different types (e.g., MALDI-ToF profiling, MALDI-IMS). The main idea is automated partitioning of protein mass spectral signal into fragments. The obtained fragments are separately decomposed into Gaussian mixture models. The parameters of the mixture models of fragments are then aggregated to form the mixture model of the whole spectrum. We compare the elaborated algorithm to existing algorithms for peak detection and we demonstrate improvements of peak detection efficiency obtained by using Gaussian mixture modeling. We also show applications of the elaborated algorithm to real proteomic datasets of low and high resolution. PMID:26230717

Spot size characterization of focused non-Gaussian X-ray laser beams.

PubMed

Chalupský, J; Krzywinski, J; Juha, L; Hájková, V; Cihelka, J; Burian, T; Vysín, L; Gaudin, J; Gleeson, A; Jurek, M; Khorsand, A R; Klinger, D; Wabnitz, H; Sobierajski, R; Störmer, M; Tiedtke, K; Toleikis, S

2010-12-20

We present a new technique for the characterization of non-Gaussian laser beams which cannot be described by an analytical formula. As a generalization of the beam spot area we apply and refine the definition of so called effective area (A(eff)) [1] in order to avoid using the full-width at half maximum (FWHM) parameter which is inappropriate for non-Gaussian beams. Furthermore, we demonstrate a practical utilization of our technique for a femtosecond soft X-ray free-electron laser. The ablative imprints in poly(methyl methacrylate) - PMMA and amorphous carbon (a-C) are used to characterize the spatial beam profile and to determine the effective area. Two procedures of the effective area determination are presented in this work. An F-scan method, newly developed in this paper, appears to be a good candidate for the spatial beam diagnostics applicable to lasers of various kinds.

Gaussian or non-Gaussian logconductivity distribution at the MADE site: What is its impact on the breakthrough curve?

PubMed

Fiori, Aldo; Volpi, Elena; Zarlenga, Antonio; Bohling, Geoffrey C

2015-08-01

The impact of the logconductivity (Y=ln K) distribution fY on transport at the MADE site is analyzed. Our principal interest is in non-Gaussian fY characterized by heavier tails than the Gaussian. Both the logconductivity moments and fY itself are inferred, taking advantage of the detailed measurements of Bohling et al. (2012). The resulting logconductivity distribution displays heavier tails than the Gaussian, although the departure from Gaussianity is not significant. The effect of the logconductivity distribution on the breakthrough curve (BTC) is studied through an analytical, physically based model. It is found that the non-Gaussianity of the MADE logconductivity distribution does not strongly affect the BTC. Counterintuitively, assuming heavier tailed distributions for Y, with same variance, leads to BTCs which are more symmetrical than those for the Gaussian fY, with less pronounced preferential flow. Results indicate that the impact of strongly non-Gaussian, heavy tailed distributions on solute transport in heterogeneous porous formations can be significant, especially in the presence of high heterogeneity, resulting in reduced preferential flow and retarded peak arrivals. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Non-Gaussianity from isocurvature perturbations

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kawasaki, Masahiro; Nakayama, Kazunori; Sekiguchi, Toyokazu

2008-11-15

We develop a formalism for studying non-Gaussianity in both curvature and isocurvature perturbations. It is shown that non-Gaussianity in the isocurvature perturbation between dark matter and photons leaves distinct signatures in the cosmic microwave background temperature fluctuations, which may be confirmed in future experiments, or possibly even in the currently available observational data. As an explicit example, we consider the quantum chromodynamics axion and show that it can actually induce sizable non-Gaussianity for the inflationary scale, H{sub inf} = O(10{sup 9}-10{sup 11}) GeV.

Recent advances in scalable non-Gaussian geostatistics: The generalized sub-Gaussian model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guadagnini, Alberto; Riva, Monica; Neuman, Shlomo P.

2018-07-01

Geostatistical analysis has been introduced over half a century ago to allow quantifying seemingly random spatial variations in earth quantities such as rock mineral content or permeability. The traditional approach has been to view such quantities as multivariate Gaussian random functions characterized by one or a few well-defined spatial correlation scales. There is, however, mounting evidence that many spatially varying quantities exhibit non-Gaussian behavior over a multiplicity of scales. The purpose of this minireview is not to paint a broad picture of the subject and its treatment in the literature. Instead, we focus on very recent advances in the recognition and analysis of this ubiquitous phenomenon, which transcends hydrology and the Earth sciences, brought about largely by our own work. In particular, we use porosity data from a deep borehole to illustrate typical aspects of such scalable non-Gaussian behavior, describe a very recent theoretical model that (for the first time) captures all these behavioral aspects in a comprehensive manner, show how this allows generating random realizations of the quantity conditional on sampled values, point toward ways of incorporating scalable non-Gaussian behavior in hydrologic analysis, highlight the significance of doing so, and list open questions requiring further research.

Damping profile of standing kink oscillations observed by SDO/AIA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pascoe, D. J.; Goddard, C. R.; Nisticò, G.; Anfinogentov, S.; Nakariakov, V. M.

2016-01-01

Aims: Strongly damped standing and propagating kink oscillations are observed in the solar corona. This can be understood in terms of mode coupling, which causes the wave energy to be converted from the bulk transverse oscillation to localised, unresolved azimuthal motions. The damping rate can provide information about the loop structure, and theory predicts two possible damping profiles. Methods: We used the recently compiled catalogue of decaying standing kink oscillations of coronal loops to search for examples with high spatial and temporal resolution and sufficient signal quality to allow the damping profile to be examined. The location of the loop axis was tracked, detrended, and fitted with sinusoidal oscillations with Gaussian and exponential damping profiles. Results: Using the highest quality data currently available, we find that for the majority of our cases a Gaussian profile describes the damping behaviour at least as well as an exponential profile, which is consistent with the recently developed theory for the damping profile due to mode coupling.

[Effects of irrigation using dairy effluent on grain yield, phosphorus utilization and distribu- tion in soil profile in winter wheat-summer maize rotation system].

PubMed

Du, Hui-ying; Feng, Jie; Guo, Hai-gang; Wang, Feng; Zhang, Ke-qiang

2015-08-01

Field experiments of winter wheat-summer maize rotation were conducted in North China Plain irrigation area to explore the effects of wheat season irrigation with dairy effluent on grain yield, phosphorus uptake, accumulative phosphorus usage efficiency and phosphorus accumulation in soil. The results showed that the irrigation with dairy effluent significantly improved the yields of winter wheat and summer maize. With the increasing of P2O5 carried by dairy effluent into soil, winter wheat yield increased at first and then decreased. When the P2O5 increased 137 kg · hm(-2), winter wheat yield increased to the maximum (7646.4 kg · hm(-2)) and the phosphorus utilization rate was the highest (24.8%). But excessive phosphorus decreased the winter wheat yield and phosphorus utilization efficiency. Summer maize yield and phosphorus uptake increased with the increase of P2O5 carried by dairy effluent. The summer maize yield increased by 2222.4-2628.6 kg · hm(-2) and the phosphorus uptake increased by 13.9-21.1 kg · hm(-2) in contrast to the control (CK). Under conventional phosphorus fertilization at 88 kg · hm(-2), and the summer maize yield increased by 2235.0 kg · hm(-2) compared with CK. As the time of irrigation with dairy effluent increasing, the grain yield increased more significantly. The cumulative phosphorus utilization in this rotation system increased year by year. After six seasons of crop harvest, the cumulative phosphorus utilization rate increased into 40.0%-47.7%. Under the experimental condition, two times of irrigation with the dairy effluents in the winter wheat-summer maize rotation system was the best operating mode.

Hollow Gaussian beam generated by beam shaping with phase-only liquid crystal spatial light modulator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nie, Yongming; Li, Xiujian; Qi, Junli; Ma, Haotong; Liao, Jiali; Yang, Jiankun; Hu, Wenhua

2012-03-01

Based on the refractive beam shaping system, the transformation of a quasi-Gaussian beam into a dark hollow Gaussian beam by a phase-only liquid crystal spatial light modulator (LC-SLM) is proposed. According to the energy conservation and constant optical path principle, the phase distribution of the aspheric lens and the phase-only LC-SLM can modulate the wave-front properly to generate the hollow beam. The numerical simulation results indicate that, the dark hollow intensity distribution of the output shaped beam can be maintained well for a certain propagation distance during which the dark region will not decrease whereas the ideal hollow Gaussian beam will do. By designing the phase modulation profile, which loaded into the LC-SLM carefully, the experimental results indicate that the dark hollow intensity distribution of the output shaped beam can be maintained well even at a distance much more than 550 mm from the LC-SLM, which agree with the numerical simulation results.

Phosphorus speciation by coupled HPLC-ICPMS: low level determination of reduced phosphorus in natural materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Atlas, Zachary; Pasek, Matthew; Sampson, Jacqueline

2015-04-01

Phosphorus is a geologically important minor element in the Earth's crust commonly found as relatively insoluble apatite. This constraint causes phosphorus to be a key limiting nutrient in biologic processes. Despite this, phosphorus plays a direct role in the formation of DNA, RNA and other cellular materials. Recent works suggest that since reduced phosphorus is considerably more soluble than oxidized phosphorus that it was integrally involved in the development of life on the early Earth and may continue to play a role in biologic productivity to this day. This work examines a new method for quantification and identification of reduced phosphorus as well as applications to the speciation of organo-phosphates separated by coupled HPLC - ICP-MS. We show that reduced phosphorus species (P1+, P3+ and P5+) are cleanly separated in the HPLC and coupled with the ICPMS reaction cell, using oxygen as a reaction gas to effectively convert elemental P to P-O. Analysis at M/Z= 47 producing lower background and flatter baseline chromatography than analyses performed at M/Z = 31. Results suggest very low detection limits (0.05 μM) for P species analyzed as P-O. Additionally we show that this technique has potential to speciate at least 5 other forms of phosphorus compounds. We verified the efficacy of method on numerous materials including leached Archean rocks, suburban retention pond waters, blood and urine samples and most samples show small but detectible levels of reduced phosphorus and or organo-phaospates. This finding in nearly all substances analyzed supports the assumption that the redox processing of phosphorus has played a significant role throughout the history of the Earth and it's presence in the present environment is nearly ubiquitous with the reduced oxidation state phosphorus compounds, phosphite and hypophosphite, potentially acting as significant constituents in the anaerobic environment.

Gaussian mass optimization for kernel PCA parameters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Yong; Wang, Zulin

2011-10-01

This paper proposes a novel kernel parameter optimization method based on Gaussian mass, which aims to overcome the current brute force parameter optimization method in a heuristic way. Generally speaking, the choice of kernel parameter should be tightly related to the target objects while the variance between the samples, the most commonly used kernel parameter, doesn't possess much features of the target, which gives birth to Gaussian mass. Gaussian mass defined in this paper has the property of the invariance of rotation and translation and is capable of depicting the edge, topology and shape information. Simulation results show that Gaussian mass leads a promising heuristic optimization boost up for kernel method. In MNIST handwriting database, the recognition rate improves by 1.6% compared with common kernel method without Gaussian mass optimization. Several promising other directions which Gaussian mass might help are also proposed at the end of the paper.

Gaussian-based filters for detecting Martian dust devils

USGS Publications Warehouse

Yang, F.; Mlsna, P.A.; Geissler, P.

2006-01-01

The ability to automatically detect dust devils in the Martian atmosphere from orbital imagery is becoming important both for scientific studies of the planet and for the planning of future robotic and manned missions. This paper describes our approach for the unsupervised detection of dust devils and the preliminary results achieved to date. The algorithm centers upon the use of a filter constructed from Gaussian profiles to match dust devil characteristics over a range of scale and orientation. The classification step is designed to reduce false positive errors caused by static surface features such as craters. A brief discussion of planned future work is included. ?? 2006 IEEE.

Virtual phosphorus ore requirement of Japanese economy.

PubMed

Matsubae, Kazuyo; Kajiyama, Jun; Hiraki, Takehito; Nagasaka, Tetsuya

2011-08-01

Phosphorus is indispensable for agricultural production. Hence, the consumption of imported food indirectly implies the import of phosphorus resources. The global consumption of agricultural products depends on a small number of ore-producing countries. For sustainable management of phosphorus resources, the global supply and demand network should be clarified. In this study, we propose the virtual phosphorus ore requirement as a new indicator of the direct and indirect phosphorus requirements for our society. The virtual phosphorus ore requirement indicates the direct and indirect demands for phosphorus ore transformed into agricultural products and fertilizer. In this study, the virtual phosphorus ore requirement was evaluated for the Japanese economy in 2005. Importantly, the results show that our society requires twice as much phosphorus ore as the domestic demand for fertilizer production. The phosphorus contained in "eaten" agricultural products was only 12% of virtual phosphorus ore requirement. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Effects of soil data and map scale on assessment of total phosphorus storage in upland soils.

PubMed

Li, Heng Rong; Zhang, Li Ming; Li, Xiao di; Yu, Dong Sheng; Shi, Xue Zheng; Xing, Shi He; Chen, Han Yue

2016-06-01

Accurate assessment of total phosphorus storage in farmland soils is of great significance to sustainable agricultural and non-point source pollution control. However, previous studies haven't considered the estimation errors from mapping scales and various databases with different sources of soil profile data. In this study, a total of 393×10 4 hm 2 of upland in the 29 counties (or cities) of North Jiangsu was cited as a case for study. Analysis was performed of how the four sources of soil profile data, namely, "Soils of County", "Soils of Prefecture", "Soils of Province" and "Soils of China", and the six scales, i.e. 1:50000, 1:250000, 1:500000, 1:1000000, 1:4000000 and1:10000000, used in the 24 soil databases established for the four soil journals, affected assessment of soil total phosphorus. Compared with the most detailed 1:50000 soil database established with 983 upland soil profiles, relative deviation of the estimates of soil total phosphorus density (STPD) and soil total phosphorus storage (STPS) from the other soil databases varied from 4.8% to 48.9% and from 1.6% to 48.4%, respectively. The estimated STPD and STPS based on the 1:50000 database of "Soils of County" and most of the estimates based on the databases of each scale in "Soils of County" and "Soils of Prefecture" were different, with the significance levels of P＜0.001 or P＜0.05. Extremely significant differences (P＜0.001) existed between the estimates based on the 1:50000 database of "Soils of County" and the estimates based on the databases of each scale in "Soils of Province" and "Soils of China". This study demonstrated the significance of appropriate soil data sources and appropriate mapping scales in estimating STPS.

Gaussian operations and privacy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Navascues, Miguel; Acin, Antonio

2005-07-15

We consider the possibilities offered by Gaussian states and operations for two honest parties, Alice and Bob, to obtain privacy against a third eavesdropping party, Eve. We first extend the security analysis of the protocol proposed in [Navascues et al. Phys. Rev. Lett. 94, 010502 (2005)]. Then, we prove that a generalized version of this protocol does not allow one to distill a secret key out of bound entangled Gaussian states.

Simulation of nucleation and growth of atomic layer deposition phosphorus for doping of advanced FinFETs

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Seidel, Thomas E., E-mail: zoomtotom@gmail.com; Goldberg, Alexander; Halls, Mat D.

2016-01-15

Simulations for the nucleation and growth of phosphorus films were carried out using density functional theory. The surface was represented by a Si{sub 9}H{sub 12} truncated cluster surface model with 2 × 1-reconstructured (100) Si-OH terminations for the initial reaction sites. Chemistries included phosphorous halides (PF{sub 3}, PCl{sub 3}, and PBr{sub 3}) and disilane (Si{sub 2}H{sub 6}). Atomic layer deposition (ALD) reaction sequences were illustrated with three-dimensional molecular models using sequential PF{sub 3} and Si{sub 2}H{sub 6} reactions and featuring SiFH{sub 3} as a byproduct. Exothermic reaction pathways were developed for both nucleation and growth for a Si-OH surface. Energetically favorable reactionsmore » for the deposition of four phosphorus atoms including lateral P–P bonding were simulated. This paper suggests energetically favorable thermodynamic reactions for the growth of elemental phosphorus on (100) silicon. Phosphorus layers made by ALD are an option for doping advanced fin field-effect transistors (FinFETs). Phosphorus may be thermally diffused into the silicon or recoil knocked in; simulations of the recoil profile of phosphorus into a FinFET surface are illustrated.« less

Phosphorus poisoning in waterfowl

USGS Publications Warehouse

Coburn, D.R.; DeWitt, J.B.; Derby, J.V.; Ediger, E.

1950-01-01

Black ducks and mallards were found to be highly susceptible to phosphorus poisoning. 3 mg. of white phosphorus per kg. of body weight given in a single dose resulted in death of a black duck in 6 hours. Pathologic changes in both acute and chronic poisoning were studied. Data are presented showing that diagnosis can be made accurately by chemical analysis of stored tissues in cases of phosphorus poisoning.

The statistics of peaks of Gaussian random fields. [cosmological density fluctuations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bardeen, J. M.; Bond, J. R.; Kaiser, N.; Szalay, A. S.

1986-01-01

A set of new mathematical results on the theory of Gaussian random fields is presented, and the application of such calculations in cosmology to treat questions of structure formation from small-amplitude initial density fluctuations is addressed. The point process equation is discussed, giving the general formula for the average number density of peaks. The problem of the proper conditional probability constraints appropriate to maxima are examined using a one-dimensional illustration. The average density of maxima of a general three-dimensional Gaussian field is calculated as a function of heights of the maxima, and the average density of 'upcrossing' points on density contour surfaces is computed. The number density of peaks subject to the constraint that the large-scale density field be fixed is determined and used to discuss the segregation of high peaks from the underlying mass distribution. The machinery to calculate n-point peak-peak correlation functions is determined, as are the shapes of the profiles about maxima.

Coherent and incoherent off-axis Hermite-Gaussian beam combinations.

PubMed

Lü, B; Ma, H

2000-03-10

A detailed study of the coherent and the incoherent combinations of two-dimensional off-axis Hermite-Gaussian beams with rectangular symmetry is made. The closed-form propagation formulas of the resulting beam are derived, and the resulting beam quality in terms of the M(2) factor and power in the bucket is discussed and compared for the coherent and the incoherent combinations. In addition, it is shown that the resulting astigmatic beam can be symmetrized in the sense of the second-moment definition of beam width. However, the symmetrizing transformation of the resulting astigmatic beams is incomplete, because there exist different irradiance profiles.

Phosphorus oxide gate dielectric for black phosphorus field effect transistors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dickerson, W.; Tayari, V.; Fakih, I.; Korinek, A.; Caporali, M.; Serrano-Ruiz, M.; Peruzzini, M.; Heun, S.; Botton, G. A.; Szkopek, T.

2018-04-01

The environmental stability of the layered semiconductor black phosphorus (bP) remains a challenge. Passivation of the bP surface with phosphorus oxide, POx, grown by a reactive ion etch with oxygen plasma is known to improve photoluminescence efficiency of exfoliated bP flakes. We apply phosphorus oxide passivation in the fabrication of bP field effect transistors using a gate stack consisting of a POx layer grown by reactive ion etching followed by atomic layer deposition of Al2O3. We observe room temperature top-gate mobilities of 115 cm2 V-1 s-1 in ambient conditions, which we attribute to the low defect density of the bP/POx interface.

Evolution of the global phosphorus cycle.

PubMed

Reinhard, Christopher T; Planavsky, Noah J; Gill, Benjamin C; Ozaki, Kazumi; Robbins, Leslie J; Lyons, Timothy W; Fischer, Woodward W; Wang, Chunjiang; Cole, Devon B; Konhauser, Kurt O

2017-01-19

The macronutrient phosphorus is thought to limit primary productivity in the oceans on geological timescales. Although there has been a sustained effort to reconstruct the dynamics of the phosphorus cycle over the past 3.5 billion years, it remains uncertain whether phosphorus limitation persisted throughout Earth's history and therefore whether the phosphorus cycle has consistently modulated biospheric productivity and ocean-atmosphere oxygen levels over time. Here we present a compilation of phosphorus abundances in marine sedimentary rocks spanning the past 3.5 billion years. We find evidence for relatively low authigenic phosphorus burial in shallow marine environments until about 800 to 700 million years ago. Our interpretation of the database leads us to propose that limited marginal phosphorus burial before that time was linked to phosphorus biolimitation, resulting in elemental stoichiometries in primary producers that diverged strongly from the Redfield ratio (the atomic ratio of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus found in phytoplankton). We place our phosphorus record in a quantitative biogeochemical model framework and find that a combination of enhanced phosphorus scavenging in anoxic, iron-rich oceans and a nutrient-based bistability in atmospheric oxygen levels could have resulted in a stable low-oxygen world. The combination of these factors may explain the protracted oxygenation of Earth's surface over the last 3.5 billion years of Earth history. However, our analysis also suggests that a fundamental shift in the phosphorus cycle may have occurred during the late Proterozoic eon (between 800 and 635 million years ago), coincident with a previously inferred shift in marine redox states, severe perturbations to Earth's climate system, and the emergence of animals.

Monogamy inequality for distributed gaussian entanglement.

PubMed

Hiroshima, Tohya; Adesso, Gerardo; Illuminati, Fabrizio

2007-02-02

We show that for all n-mode Gaussian states of continuous variable systems, the entanglement shared among n parties exhibits the fundamental monogamy property. The monogamy inequality is proven by introducing the Gaussian tangle, an entanglement monotone under Gaussian local operations and classical communication, which is defined in terms of the squared negativity in complete analogy with the case of n-qubit systems. Our results elucidate the structure of quantum correlations in many-body harmonic lattice systems.

Phosphorus cycling. Major role of planktonic phosphate reduction in the marine phosphorus redox cycle.

PubMed

Van Mooy, B A S; Krupke, A; Dyhrman, S T; Fredricks, H F; Frischkorn, K R; Ossolinski, J E; Repeta, D J; Rouco, M; Seewald, J D; Sylva, S P

2015-05-15

Phosphorus in the +5 oxidation state (i.e., phosphate) is the most abundant form of phosphorus in the global ocean. An enigmatic pool of dissolved phosphonate molecules, with phosphorus in the +3 oxidation state, is also ubiquitous; however, cycling of phosphorus between oxidation states has remained poorly constrained. Using simple incubation and chromatography approaches, we measured the rate of the chemical reduction of phosphate to P(III) compounds in the western tropical North Atlantic Ocean. Colonial nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria in surface waters played a critical role in phosphate reduction, but other classes of plankton, including potentially deep-water archaea, were also involved. These data are consistent with marine geochemical evidence and microbial genomic information, which together suggest the existence of a vast oceanic phosphorus redox cycle. Copyright © 2015, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Generation of an optical frequency comb with a Gaussian spectrum using a linear time-to-space mapping system.

PubMed

Hisatake, Shintaro; Tada, Keiji; Nagatsuma, Tadao

2010-03-01

We demonstrate the generation of an optical frequency comb (OFC) with a Gaussian spectrum using a continuous-wave (CW) laser, based on spatial convolution of a slit and a periodically moving optical beam spot in a linear time-to-space mapping system. A CW optical beam is linearly mapped to a spatial signal using two sinusoidal electro-optic (EO) deflections and an OFC is extracted by inserting a narrow spatial slit in the Fourier-transform plane of a second EO deflector (EOD). The spectral shape of the OFC corresponds to the spatial beam profile in the near-field region of the second EOD, which can be manipulated by a spatial filter without spectral dispersers. In a proof-of-concept experiment, a 16.25-GHz-spaced, 240-GHz-wide Gaussian-envelope OFC (corresponding to 1.8 ps Gaussian pulse generation) was demonstrated.

Non-gaussianity versus nonlinearity of cosmological perturbations.

PubMed

Verde, L

2001-06-01

Following the discovery of the cosmic microwave background, the hot big-bang model has become the standard cosmological model. In this theory, small primordial fluctuations are subsequently amplified by gravity to form the large-scale structure seen today. Different theories for unified models of particle physics, lead to different predictions for the statistical properties of the primordial fluctuations, that can be divided in two classes: gaussian and non-gaussian. Convincing evidence against or for gaussian initial conditions would rule out many scenarios and point us toward a physical theory for the origin of structures. The statistical distribution of cosmological perturbations, as we observe them, can deviate from the gaussian distribution in several different ways. Even if perturbations start off gaussian, nonlinear gravitational evolution can introduce non-gaussian features. Additionally, our knowledge of the Universe comes principally from the study of luminous material such as galaxies, but galaxies might not be faithful tracers of the underlying mass distribution. The relationship between fluctuations in the mass and in the galaxies distribution (bias), is often assumed to be local, but could well be nonlinear. Moreover, galaxy catalogues use the redshift as third spatial coordinate: the resulting redshift-space map of the galaxy distribution is nonlinearly distorted by peculiar velocities. Nonlinear gravitational evolution, biasing, and redshift-space distortion introduce non-gaussianity, even in an initially gaussian fluctuation field. I investigate the statistical tools that allow us, in principle, to disentangle the above different effects, and the observational datasets we require to do so in practice.

Galaxy bias and primordial non-Gaussianity

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Assassi, Valentin; Baumann, Daniel; Schmidt, Fabian, E-mail: assassi@ias.edu, E-mail: D.D.Baumann@uva.nl, E-mail: fabians@MPA-Garching.MPG.DE

2015-12-01

We present a systematic study of galaxy biasing in the presence of primordial non-Gaussianity. For a large class of non-Gaussian initial conditions, we define a general bias expansion and prove that it is closed under renormalization, thereby showing that the basis of operators in the expansion is complete. We then study the effects of primordial non-Gaussianity on the statistics of galaxies. We show that the equivalence principle enforces a relation between the scale-dependent bias in the galaxy power spectrum and that in the dipolar part of the bispectrum. This provides a powerful consistency check to confirm the primordial origin ofmore » any observed scale-dependent bias. Finally, we also discuss the imprints of anisotropic non-Gaussianity as motivated by recent studies of higher-spin fields during inflation.« less

Second order Pseudo-gaussian shaper

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Beche, Jean-Francois

2002-11-22

The purpose of this document is to provide a calculus spreadsheet for the design of second-order pseudo-gaussian shapers. A very interesting reference is given by C.H. Mosher ''Pseudo-Gaussian Transfer Functions with Superlative Recovery'', IEEE TNS Volume 23, p. 226-228 (1976). Fred Goulding and Don Landis have studied the structure of those filters and their implementation and this document will outline the calculation leading to the relation between the coefficients of the filter. The general equation of the second order pseudo-gaussian filter is: f(t) = P{sub 0} {center_dot} e{sup -3kt} {center_dot} sin{sup 2}(kt). The parameter k is a normalization factor.

Peak phosphorus - peak food? The need to close the phosphorus cycle.

PubMed

Rhodes, Christopher J

2013-01-01

The peak in the world production of phosphorus has been predicted to occur in 2033, based on world reserves of rock phosphate (URR) reckoned at around 24,000 million tonnes (Mt), with around 18,000 Mt remaining. This figure was reckoned-up to 71,000 Mt, by the USGS, in 2012, but a production maximum during the present century is still highly probable. There are complex issues over what the demand will be for phosphorus in the future, as measured against a rising population (from 7 billion to over 9 billion in 2050), and a greater per capita demand for fertiliser to grow more grain, in part to feed animals and meet a rising demand for meat by a human species that is not merely more populous but more affluent. As a counterweight to this, we may expect that greater efficiencies in the use of phosphorus - including recycling from farms and of human and animal waste - will reduce the per capita demand for phosphate rock. The unseen game changer is peak oil, since phosphate is mined and recovered using machinery powered by liquid fuels refined from crude oil. Hence, peak oil and peak phosphorus might appear as conjoined twins. There is no unequivocal case that we can afford to ignore the likelihood of a supply-demand gap for phosphorus occurring sometime this century, and it would be perilous to do so.

Information geometry of Gaussian channels

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Monras, Alex; CNR-INFM Coherentia, Napoli; CNISM Unita di Salerno

2010-06-15

We define a local Riemannian metric tensor in the manifold of Gaussian channels and the distance that it induces. We adopt an information-geometric approach and define a metric derived from the Bures-Fisher metric for quantum states. The resulting metric inherits several desirable properties from the Bures-Fisher metric and is operationally motivated by distinguishability considerations: It serves as an upper bound to the attainable quantum Fisher information for the channel parameters using Gaussian states, under generic constraints on the physically available resources. Our approach naturally includes the use of entangled Gaussian probe states. We prove that the metric enjoys some desirablemore » properties like stability and covariance. As a by-product, we also obtain some general results in Gaussian channel estimation that are the continuous-variable analogs of previously known results in finite dimensions. We prove that optimal probe states are always pure and bounded in the number of ancillary modes, even in the presence of constraints on the reduced state input in the channel. This has experimental and computational implications. It limits the complexity of optimal experimental setups for channel estimation and reduces the computational requirements for the evaluation of the metric: Indeed, we construct a converging algorithm for its computation. We provide explicit formulas for computing the multiparametric quantum Fisher information for dissipative channels probed with arbitrary Gaussian states and provide the optimal observables for the estimation of the channel parameters (e.g., bath couplings, squeezing, and temperature).« less

Response of Sugarcane in a Red Ultisol to Phosphorus Rates, Phosphorus Sources, and Filter Cake

PubMed Central

Prado, Renato de Mello; Campos, Cid Naudi Silva; Rosatto Moda, Leandro; de Lima Vasconcelos, Ricardo; Pizauro Júnior, João Martins

2015-01-01

We evaluated the effect of phosphorus application rates from various sources and in the presence or absence of filter cake on soil phosphorus, plant phosphorus, changes in acid phosphatase activity, and sugarcane productivity grown in Eutrophic Red Ultisol. Three P sources were used (triple superphosphate, Araxa rock phosphate, and Bayovar rock phosphate) and four application rates (0, 90, 180, and 360 kg ha−1 of P2O5) in the presence or absence of filter cake (7.5 t ha−1, dry basis). The soil P, the accumulated plant P, the leaf acid phosphatase activity and straw, the stalk productivity, the concentration of soluble solids in the juice (Brix), the juice sucrose content (Pol), and the purity were the parameters evaluated. We found that P applications increased levels of soil, leaf, and juice phosphorus and led to higher phosphorus accumulation and greater stalk and straw productivity. These levels were highest in the presence of filter cake. Acid phosphatase activity decreased with increasing plant phosphorus concentration. Phosphate fertilization did not show effect on sugarcane technological quality. We concluded that P application, regardless of source, improved phosphorus nutrition and increased productivity in sugarcane and, when associated with filter cake, reduced the need for mineral fertilizer. PMID:26078993

Interface Trap Profiles in 4H- and 6H-SiC MOS Capacitors with Nitrogen- and Phosphorus-Doped Gate Oxides

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiao, C.; Ahyi, A. C.; Dhar, S.; Morisette, D.; Myers-Ward, R.

2017-04-01

We report results on the interface trap density ( D it) of 4H- and 6H-SiC metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) capacitors with different interface chemistries. In addition to pure dry oxidation, we studied interfaces formed by annealing thermal oxides in NO or POCl3. The D it profiles, determined by the C- ψ s method, show that, although the as-oxidized 4H-SiC/SiO2 interface has a much higher D it profile than 6H-SiC/SiO2, after postoxidation annealing (POA), both polytypes maintain comparable D it near the conduction band edge for the gate oxides incorporated with nitrogen or phosphorus. Unlike most conventional C- V- or G- ω-based methods, the C- ψ s method is not limited by the maximum probe frequency, therefore taking into account the "fast traps" detected in previous work on 4H-SiC. The results indicate that such fast traps exist near the band edge of 6H-SiC also. For both polytypes, we show that the total interface trap density ( N it) integrated from the C- ψ s method is several times that obtained from the high-low method. The results suggest that the detected fast traps have a detrimental effect on electron transport in metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) channels.

Coherent and incoherent combination of Gaussian beams employing lens array distributed on the spherical chamber.

PubMed

Huang, Zhihua; Wei, Xiaofeng; Li, Mingzhong; Wang, Jianjun; Lin, Honghuan; Xu, Dangpeng; Deng, Ying; Zhang, Rui

2012-04-01

Coherent and incoherent combination of Gaussian beams employing a lens array distributed on the spherical chamber is theoretically analyzed. The output field of each source in the array is coupled through an individual optical system whose local optical axis coincides with the radial direction of the chamber. The resulting intensity profile near the origin is derived. The intensity profile and power in the bucket on the target for rectangular and hexagonal arrangement are numerically calculated. The influences of the center-to-center separation and the ring number of the focusing lens array are given. The synthetic intensity profile of incoherent combination changes little for a lens array scale much smaller than the chamber size. In contrast, the synthetic intensity profile of coherent combination shows an interference pattern with a sharp central peak and sidelobes.

Multivariate Bayesian analysis of Gaussian, right censored Gaussian, ordered categorical and binary traits using Gibbs sampling

PubMed Central

Korsgaard, Inge Riis; Lund, Mogens Sandø; Sorensen, Daniel; Gianola, Daniel; Madsen, Per; Jensen, Just

2003-01-01

A fully Bayesian analysis using Gibbs sampling and data augmentation in a multivariate model of Gaussian, right censored, and grouped Gaussian traits is described. The grouped Gaussian traits are either ordered categorical traits (with more than two categories) or binary traits, where the grouping is determined via thresholds on the underlying Gaussian scale, the liability scale. Allowances are made for unequal models, unknown covariance matrices and missing data. Having outlined the theory, strategies for implementation are reviewed. These include joint sampling of location parameters; efficient sampling from the fully conditional posterior distribution of augmented data, a multivariate truncated normal distribution; and sampling from the conditional inverse Wishart distribution, the fully conditional posterior distribution of the residual covariance matrix. Finally, a simulated dataset was analysed to illustrate the methodology. This paper concentrates on a model where residuals associated with liabilities of the binary traits are assumed to be independent. A Bayesian analysis using Gibbs sampling is outlined for the model where this assumption is relaxed. PMID:12633531

Elegant Gaussian beams for enhanced optical manipulation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Alpmann, Christina, E-mail: c.alpmann@uni-muenster.de; Schöler, Christoph; Denz, Cornelia

2015-06-15

Generation of micro- and nanostructured complex light beams attains increasing impact in photonics and laser applications. In this contribution, we demonstrate the implementation and experimental realization of the relatively unknown, but highly versatile class of complex-valued Elegant Hermite- and Laguerre-Gaussian beams. These beams create higher trapping forces compared to standard Gaussian light fields due to their propagation changing properties. We demonstrate optical trapping and alignment of complex functional particles as nanocontainers with standard and Elegant Gaussian light beams. Elegant Gaussian beams will inspire manifold applications in optical manipulation, direct laser writing, or microscopy, where the design of the point-spread functionmore » is relevant.« less

Orthogonal Gaussian process models

DOE PAGES

Plumlee, Matthew; Joseph, V. Roshan

2017-01-01

Gaussian processes models are widely adopted for nonparameteric/semi-parametric modeling. Identifiability issues occur when the mean model contains polynomials with unknown coefficients. Though resulting prediction is unaffected, this leads to poor estimation of the coefficients in the mean model, and thus the estimated mean model loses interpretability. This paper introduces a new Gaussian process model whose stochastic part is orthogonal to the mean part to address this issue. As a result, this paper also discusses applications to multi-fidelity simulations using data examples.

Orthogonal Gaussian process models

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Plumlee, Matthew; Joseph, V. Roshan

Gaussian processes models are widely adopted for nonparameteric/semi-parametric modeling. Identifiability issues occur when the mean model contains polynomials with unknown coefficients. Though resulting prediction is unaffected, this leads to poor estimation of the coefficients in the mean model, and thus the estimated mean model loses interpretability. This paper introduces a new Gaussian process model whose stochastic part is orthogonal to the mean part to address this issue. As a result, this paper also discusses applications to multi-fidelity simulations using data examples.

Energy and phosphorus recovery from black water.

PubMed

de Graaff, M S; Temmink, H; Zeeman, G; Buisman, C J N

2011-01-01

Source-separated black water (BW) (toilet water) containing 38% of the organic material and 68% of the phosphorus in the total household waste (water) stream including kitchen waste, is a potential source for energy and phosphorus recovery. The energy recovered, in the form of electricity and heat, is more than sufficient for anaerobic treatment, nitrogen removal and phosphorus recovery. The phosphorus balance of an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor treating concentrated BW showed a phosphorus conservation of 61% in the anaerobic effluent. Precipitation of phosphate as struvite from this stream resulted in a recovery of 0.22 kgP/p/y, representing 10% of the artificial phosphorus fertiliser production in the world. The remaining part of the phosphorus ended up in the anaerobic sludge, mainly due to precipitation (39%). Low dilution and a high pH favour the accumulation of phosphorus in the anaerobic sludge and this sludge could be used as a phosphorus-enriched organic fertiliser, provided that it is safe regarding heavy metals, pathogens and micro-pollutants.

Phosphorus and Nutrition in Chronic Kidney Disease

PubMed Central

González-Parra, Emilio; Gracia-Iguacel, Carolina; Egido, Jesús; Ortiz, Alberto

2012-01-01

Patients with renal impairment progressively lose the ability to excrete phosphorus. Decreased glomerular filtration of phosphorus is initially compensated by decreased tubular reabsorption, regulated by PTH and FGF23, maintaining normal serum phosphorus concentrations. There is a close relationship between protein and phosphorus intake. In chronic renal disease, a low dietary protein content slows the progression of kidney disease, especially in patients with proteinuria and decreases the supply of phosphorus, which has been directly related with progression of kidney disease and with patient survival. However, not all animal proteins and vegetables have the same proportion of phosphorus in their composition. Adequate labeling of food requires showing the phosphorus-to-protein ratio. The diet in patients with advanced-stage CKD has been controversial, because a diet with too low protein content can favor malnutrition and increase morbidity and mortality. Phosphorus binders lower serum phosphorus and also FGF23 levels, without decreasing diet protein content. But the interaction between intestinal dysbacteriosis in dialysis patients, phosphate binder efficacy, and patient tolerance to the binder could reduce their efficiency. PMID:22701173

Distillation and purification of symmetric entangled Gaussian states

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fiurasek, Jaromir

2010-10-15

We propose an entanglement distillation and purification scheme for symmetric two-mode entangled Gaussian states that allows to asymptotically extract a pure entangled Gaussian state from any input entangled symmetric Gaussian state. The proposed scheme is a modified and extended version of the entanglement distillation protocol originally developed by Browne et al. [Phys. Rev. A 67, 062320 (2003)]. A key feature of the present protocol is that it utilizes a two-copy degaussification procedure that involves a Mach-Zehnder interferometer with single-mode non-Gaussian filters inserted in its two arms. The required non-Gaussian filtering operations can be implemented by coherently combining two sequences ofmore » single-photon addition and subtraction operations.« less

Development of a Phosphorus-Eutrophication Management Strategy for Vermont: Evaluations Available Phosphorus Loads.

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-11-01

1980). " J . V. DePinto, T . C. Young, J . S. Bonner, and P. W. Rodgers, "Microbial Recycling of Phytoplankton Phosphorus," Canadian Journal of...algal growth, 97 9 3 S. C. Chapra, H. D. Wicke, T . M. Heidtke, "Effectiveness of Treatment to Meet Phosphorus Objectives in the Great Lakes," J . Water...Conference on Management Strategies for Phosphorus in the Environment (Selper Ltd., London, 1985.) 1 0 4 G. F. Lee, et al. (1980). 105 T . C. Young and J . V

Phosphorus vacancy cluster model for phosphorus diffusion gettering of metals in Si

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chen, Renyu; Trzynadlowski, Bart; Dunham, Scott T.

2014-02-07

In this work, we develop models for the gettering of metals in silicon by high phosphorus concentration. We first performed ab initio calculations to determine favorable configurations of complexes involving phosphorus and transition metals (Fe, Cu, Cr, Ni, Ti, Mo, and W). Our ab initio calculations found that the P{sub 4}V cluster, a vacancy surrounded by 4 nearest-neighbor phosphorus atoms, which is the most favorable inactive P species in heavily doped Si, strongly binds metals such as Cu, Cr, Ni, and Fe. Based on the calculated binding energies, we build continuum models to describe the P deactivation and Fe getteringmore » processes with model parameters calibrated against experimental data. In contrast to previous models assuming metal-P{sub 1}V or metal-P{sub 2}V as the gettered species, the binding of metals to P{sub 4}V satisfactorily explains the experimentally observed strong gettering behavior at high phosphorus concentrations.« less

Stochastic differential calculus for Gaussian and non-Gaussian noises: A critical review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Falsone, G.

2018-03-01

In this paper a review of the literature works devoted to the study of stochastic differential equations (SDEs) subjected to Gaussian and non-Gaussian white noises and to fractional Brownian noises is given. In these cases, particular attention must be paid in treating the SDEs because the classical rules of the differential calculus, as the Newton-Leibnitz one, cannot be applied or are applicable with many difficulties. Here all the principal approaches solving the SDEs are reported for any kind of noise, highlighting the negative and positive properties of each one and making the comparisons, where it is possible.

Propagation of elliptic-Gaussian beams in strongly nonlocal nonlinear media

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deng, Dongmei; Guo, Qi

2011-10-01

The propagation of the elliptic-Gaussian beams is studied in strongly nonlocal nonlinear media. The elliptic-Gaussian beams and elliptic-Gaussian vortex beams are obtained analytically and numerically. The patterns of the elegant Ince-Gaussian and the generalized Ince-Gaussian beams are varied periodically when the input power is equal to the critical power. The stability is verified by perturbing the initial beam by noise. By simulating the propagation of the elliptic-Gaussian beams in liquid crystal, we find that when the mode order is not big enough, there exists the quasi-elliptic-Gaussian soliton states.

Measurements of refractive index and size of a spherical drop from Gaussian beam scattering in the primary rainbow region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Haitao; Sun, Hui; Shen, Jianqi; Tropea, Cameron

2018-03-01

The primary rainbow observed when light is scattered by a spherical drop has been exploited in the past to measure drop size and relative refractive index. However, if higher spatial resolution is required in denser drop ensembles/sprays, and to avoid then multiple drops simultaneously appearing in the measurement volume, a highly focused beam is desirable, inevitably with a Gaussian intensity profile. The present study examines the primary rainbow pattern resulting when a Gaussian beam is scattered by a spherical drop and estimates the attainable accuracy when extracting size and refractive index. The scattering is computed using generalized Lorenz-Mie theory (GLMT) and Debye series decomposition of the Gaussian beam scattering. The results of these simulations show that the measurement accuracy is dependent on both the beam waist radius and the position of the drop in the beam waist.

The effect of noise and lipid signals on determination of Gaussian and non-Gaussian diffusion parameters in skeletal muscle.

PubMed

Cameron, Donnie; Bouhrara, Mustapha; Reiter, David A; Fishbein, Kenneth W; Choi, Seongjin; Bergeron, Christopher M; Ferrucci, Luigi; Spencer, Richard G

2017-07-01

This work characterizes the effect of lipid and noise signals on muscle diffusion parameter estimation in several conventional and non-Gaussian models, the ultimate objectives being to characterize popular fat suppression approaches for human muscle diffusion studies, to provide simulations to inform experimental work and to report normative non-Gaussian parameter values. The models investigated in this work were the Gaussian monoexponential and intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) models, and the non-Gaussian kurtosis and stretched exponential models. These were evaluated via simulations, and in vitro and in vivo experiments. Simulations were performed using literature input values, modeling fat contamination as an additive baseline to data, whereas phantom studies used a phantom containing aliphatic and olefinic fats and muscle-like gel. Human imaging was performed in the hamstring muscles of 10 volunteers. Diffusion-weighted imaging was applied with spectral attenuated inversion recovery (SPAIR), slice-select gradient reversal and water-specific excitation fat suppression, alone and in combination. Measurement bias (accuracy) and dispersion (precision) were evaluated, together with intra- and inter-scan repeatability. Simulations indicated that noise in magnitude images resulted in <6% bias in diffusion coefficients and non-Gaussian parameters (α, K), whereas baseline fitting minimized fat bias for all models, except IVIM. In vivo, popular SPAIR fat suppression proved inadequate for accurate parameter estimation, producing non-physiological parameter estimates without baseline fitting and large biases when it was used. Combining all three fat suppression techniques and fitting data with a baseline offset gave the best results of all the methods studied for both Gaussian diffusion and, overall, for non-Gaussian diffusion. It produced consistent parameter estimates for all models, except IVIM, and highlighted non-Gaussian behavior perpendicular to muscle fibers (�

PHOSPHORUS RECOVERY FROM SEWAGE

EPA Science Inventory

Phosphorus is a growth limiting nutrient that is mined from rock ore, refined, used in fertilizers, and discharged to the environment through municipal sewage. The impacts of phosphorus discharge include severe eutrophication of fresh water bodies. The future sustainable use of...

Gaussian-Beam Laser-Resonator Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cross, Patricia L.; Bair, Clayton H.; Barnes, Norman

1989-01-01

Gaussian Beam Laser Resonator Program models laser resonators by use of Gaussian-beam-propagation techniques. Used to determine radii of beams as functions of position in laser resonators. Algorithm used in program has three major components. First, ray-transfer matrix for laser resonator must be calculated. Next, initial parameters of beam calculated. Finally, propagation of beam through optical elements computed. Written in Microsoft FORTRAN (Version 4.01).

Gaussian maximally multipartite-entangled states

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Facchi, Paolo; Florio, Giuseppe; Lupo, Cosmo; Mancini, Stefano; Pascazio, Saverio

2009-12-01

We study maximally multipartite-entangled states in the context of Gaussian continuous variable quantum systems. By considering multimode Gaussian states with constrained energy, we show that perfect maximally multipartite-entangled states, which exhibit the maximum amount of bipartite entanglement for all bipartitions, only exist for systems containing n=2 or 3 modes. We further numerically investigate the structure of these states and their frustration for n≤7 .

Loop corrections to primordial non-Gaussianity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boran, Sibel; Kahya, E. O.

2018-02-01

We discuss quantum gravitational loop effects to observable quantities such as curvature power spectrum and primordial non-Gaussianity of cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation. We first review the previously shown case where one gets a time dependence for zeta-zeta correlator due to loop corrections. Then we investigate the effect of loop corrections to primordial non-Gaussianity of CMB. We conclude that, even with a single scalar inflaton, one might get a huge value for non-Gaussianity which would exceed the observed value by at least 30 orders of magnitude. Finally we discuss the consequences of this result for scalar driven inflationary models.

Variational Gaussian approximation for Poisson data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arridge, Simon R.; Ito, Kazufumi; Jin, Bangti; Zhang, Chen

2018-02-01

The Poisson model is frequently employed to describe count data, but in a Bayesian context it leads to an analytically intractable posterior probability distribution. In this work, we analyze a variational Gaussian approximation to the posterior distribution arising from the Poisson model with a Gaussian prior. This is achieved by seeking an optimal Gaussian distribution minimizing the Kullback-Leibler divergence from the posterior distribution to the approximation, or equivalently maximizing the lower bound for the model evidence. We derive an explicit expression for the lower bound, and show the existence and uniqueness of the optimal Gaussian approximation. The lower bound functional can be viewed as a variant of classical Tikhonov regularization that penalizes also the covariance. Then we develop an efficient alternating direction maximization algorithm for solving the optimization problem, and analyze its convergence. We discuss strategies for reducing the computational complexity via low rank structure of the forward operator and the sparsity of the covariance. Further, as an application of the lower bound, we discuss hierarchical Bayesian modeling for selecting the hyperparameter in the prior distribution, and propose a monotonically convergent algorithm for determining the hyperparameter. We present extensive numerical experiments to illustrate the Gaussian approximation and the algorithms.

Large-scale velocities and primordial non-Gaussianity

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Schmidt, Fabian

2010-09-15

We study the peculiar velocities of density peaks in the presence of primordial non-Gaussianity. Rare, high-density peaks in the initial density field can be identified with tracers such as galaxies and clusters in the evolved matter distribution. The distribution of relative velocities of peaks is derived in the large-scale limit using two different approaches based on a local biasing scheme. Both approaches agree, and show that halos still stream with the dark matter locally as well as statistically, i.e. they do not acquire a velocity bias. Nonetheless, even a moderate degree of (not necessarily local) non-Gaussianity induces a significant skewnessmore » ({approx}0.1-0.2) in the relative velocity distribution, making it a potentially interesting probe of non-Gaussianity on intermediate to large scales. We also study two-point correlations in redshift space. The well-known Kaiser formula is still a good approximation on large scales, if the Gaussian halo bias is replaced with its (scale-dependent) non-Gaussian generalization. However, there are additional terms not encompassed by this simple formula which become relevant on smaller scales (k > or approx. 0.01h/Mpc). Depending on the allowed level of non-Gaussianity, these could be of relevance for future large spectroscopic surveys.« less

Estimation of phosphorus flux in rivers during flooding.

PubMed

Chen, Yen-Chang; Liu, Jih-Hung; Kuo, Jan-Tai; Lin, Cheng-Fang

2013-07-01

Reservoirs in Taiwan are inundated with nutrients that result in algal growth, and thus also reservoir eutrophication. Controlling the phosphorus load has always been the most crucial issue for maintaining reservoir water quality. Numerous agricultural activities, especially the production of tea in riparian areas, are conducted in watersheds in Taiwan. Nutrients from such activities, including phosphorus, are typically flushed into rivers during flooding, when over 90% of the yearly total amount of phosphorous enters reservoirs. Excessive or enhanced soil erosion from rainstorms can dramatically increase the river sediment load and the amount of particulate phosphorus flushed into rivers. When flow rates are high, particulate phosphorus is the dominant form of phosphorus, but sediment and discharge measurements are difficult during flooding, which makes estimating phosphorus flux in rivers difficult. This study determines total amounts of phosphorus transport by measuring flood discharge and phosphorous levels during flooding. Changes in particulate phosphorus, dissolved phosphorus, and their adsorption behavior during a 24-h period are analyzed owing to the fact that the time for particulate phosphorus adsorption and desorption approaching equilibrium is about 16 h. Erosion of the reservoir watershed was caused by adsorption and desorption of suspended solids in the river, a process which can be summarily described using the Lagmuir isotherm. A method for estimating the phosphorus flux in the Daiyujay Creek during Typhoon Bilis in 2006 is presented in this study. Both sediment and phosphorus are affected by the drastic discharge during flooding. Water quality data were collected during two flood events, flood in June 9, 2006 and Typhoon Bilis, to show the concentrations of suspended solids and total phosphorus during floods are much higher than normal stages. Therefore, the drastic changes of total phosphorus, particulate phosphorus, and dissolved phosphorus in

Local Gaussian operations can enhance continuous-variable entanglement distillation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhang Shengli; Loock, Peter van; Institute of Theoretical Physics I, Universitaet Erlangen-Nuernberg, Staudtstrasse 7/B2, DE-91058 Erlangen

2011-12-15

Entanglement distillation is a fundamental building block in long-distance quantum communication. Though known to be useless on their own for distilling Gaussian entangled states, local Gaussian operations may still help to improve non-Gaussian entanglement distillation schemes. Here we show that by applying local squeezing operations both the performance and the efficiency of existing distillation protocols can be enhanced. We find that such an enhancement through local Gaussian unitaries can be obtained even when the initially shared Gaussian entangled states are mixed, as, for instance, after their distribution through a lossy-fiber communication channel.

On the parametrization of lateral dose profiles in proton radiation therapy.

PubMed

Bellinzona, V E; Ciocca, M; Embriaco, A; Fontana, A; Mairani, A; Mori, M; Parodi, K

2015-07-01

The accurate evaluation of the lateral dose profile is an important issue in the field of proton radiation therapy. The beam spread, due to Multiple Coulomb Scattering (MCS), is described by the Molière's theory. To take into account also the contribution of nuclear interactions, modern Treatment Planning Systems (TPSs) generally approximate the dose profiles by a sum of Gaussian functions. In this paper we have compared different parametrizations for the lateral dose profile of protons in water for therapeutical energies: the goal is to improve the performances of the actual treatment planning. We have simulated typical dose profiles at the CNAO (Centro Nazionale di Adroterapia Oncologica) beamline with the FLUKA code and validated them with data taken at CNAO considering different energies and depths. We then performed best fits of the lateral dose profiles for different functions using ROOT and MINUIT. The accuracy of the best fits was analyzed by evaluating the reduced χ(2), the number of free parameters of the functions and the calculation time. The best results were obtained with the triple Gaussian and double Gaussian Lorentz-Cauchy functions which have 6 parameters, but good results were also obtained with the so called Gauss-Rutherford function which has only 4 parameters. The comparison of the studied functions with accurate and validated Monte Carlo calculations and with experimental data from CNAO lead us to propose an original parametrization, the Gauss-Rutherford function, to describe the lateral dose profiles of proton beams. Copyright © 2015 Associazione Italiana di Fisica Medica. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Potential Impact of Dietary Choices on Phosphorus Recycling and Global Phosphorus Footprints: The Case of the Average Australian City

PubMed Central

Metson, Geneviève S.; Cordell, Dana; Ridoutt, Brad

2016-01-01

Changes in human diets, population increases, farming practices, and globalized food chains have led to dramatic increases in the demand for phosphorus fertilizers. Long-term food security and water quality are, however, threatened by such increased phosphorus consumption, because the world’s main source, phosphate rock, is an increasingly scarce resource. At the same time, losses of phosphorus from farms and cities have caused widespread water pollution. As one of the major factors contributing to increased phosphorus demand, dietary choices can play a key role in changing our resource consumption pathway. Importantly, the effects of dietary choices on phosphorus management are twofold: First, dietary choices affect a person or region’s “phosphorus footprint” – the magnitude of mined phosphate required to meet food demand. Second, dietary choices affect the magnitude of phosphorus content in human excreta and hence the recycling- and pollution-potential of phosphorus in sanitation systems. When considering options and impacts of interventions at the city scale (e.g., potential for recycling), dietary changes may be undervalued as a solution toward phosphorus sustainability. For example, in an average Australian city, a vegetable-based diet could marginally increase phosphorus in human excreta (an 8% increase). However, such a shift could simultaneously dramatically decrease the mined phosphate required to meet the city resident’s annual food demand by 72%. Taking a multi-scalar perspective is therefore key to fully exploring dietary choices as one of the tools for sustainable phosphorus management. PMID:27617261

Gaussian ancillary bombardment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grimmer, Daniel; Brown, Eric; Kempf, Achim; Mann, Robert B.; Martín-Martínez, Eduardo

2018-05-01

We analyze in full detail the time evolution of an open Gaussian quantum system rapidly bombarded by Gaussian ancillae. As a particular case this analysis covers the thermalization (or not) of a harmonic oscillator coupled to a thermal reservoir made of harmonic oscillators. We derive general results for this scenario and apply them to the problem of thermalization. We show that only a particular family of system-environment couplings will cause the system to thermalize to the temperature of its environment. We discuss that if we want to understand thermalization as ensuing from the Markovian interaction of a system with the individual microconstituents of its (thermal) environment then the process of thermalization is not as robust as one might expect.

Studies on the phosphorus requirement and proper calcium/phosphorus ratio in the diet of the black sea bream ( Sparus macrocephalus)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Jingke; Li, Maotang; Wang, Keling; Wang, Xincheng; Liu, Jianking

1993-06-01

An expriment on the phosphorus requirement and the proper Ca/P ratio in the diet of the black sea bream using the phosphorus gradient method (with casein as basic diet, sodium dihydrogen phosphate as source of phosphorus, and calcium lactate as source of calcium) showed that growth was greatly affected by the diet's phosphorus content and Ca/P ratio. Inadequate phosphorus in the diet resulted in slow growth and poor food conversion ratio (FCR). Analyses of the fish body showed it contained a high level of lipid but a low level of moisture, ash, calcium and phosphorus. The optimal values of phosphorus and Ca/P ratio in the black sea bream diet are 0.68% and 1∶2 respectively. Phosphorus in excess of this optimum value resulted in slow growth or even death. The results of this experiment clearly indicated that phosphorus is the principal mineral additive affecting black sea bream growth.

GaussianCpG: a Gaussian model for detection of CpG island in human genome sequences.

PubMed

Yu, Ning; Guo, Xuan; Zelikovsky, Alexander; Pan, Yi

2017-05-24

As crucial markers in identifying biological elements and processes in mammalian genomes, CpG islands (CGI) play important roles in DNA methylation, gene regulation, epigenetic inheritance, gene mutation, chromosome inactivation and nuclesome retention. The generally accepted criteria of CGI rely on: (a) %G+C content is ≥ 50%, (b) the ratio of the observed CpG content and the expected CpG content is ≥ 0.6, and (c) the general length of CGI is greater than 200 nucleotides. Most existing computational methods for the prediction of CpG island are programmed on these rules. However, many experimentally verified CpG islands deviate from these artificial criteria. Experiments indicate that in many cases %G+C is < 50%, CpG obs /CpG exp varies, and the length of CGI ranges from eight nucleotides to a few thousand of nucleotides. It implies that CGI detection is not just a straightly statistical task and some unrevealed rules probably are hidden. A novel Gaussian model, GaussianCpG, is developed for detection of CpG islands on human genome. We analyze the energy distribution over genomic primary structure for each CpG site and adopt the parameters from statistics of Human genome. The evaluation results show that the new model can predict CpG islands efficiently by balancing both sensitivity and specificity over known human CGI data sets. Compared with other models, GaussianCpG can achieve better performance in CGI detection. Our Gaussian model aims to simplify the complex interaction between nucleotides. The model is computed not by the linear statistical method but by the Gaussian energy distribution and accumulation. The parameters of Gaussian function are not arbitrarily designated but deliberately chosen by optimizing the biological statistics. By using the pseudopotential analysis on CpG islands, the novel model is validated on both the real and artificial data sets.

Apertured averaged scintillation of fully and partially coherent Gaussian, annular Gaussian, flat toped and dark hollow beams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eyyuboğlu, Halil T.

2015-03-01

Apertured averaged scintillation requires the evaluation of rather complicated irradiance covariance function. Here we develop a much simpler numerical method based on our earlier introduced semi-analytic approach. Using this method, we calculate aperture averaged scintillation of fully and partially coherent Gaussian, annular Gaussian flat topped and dark hollow beams. For comparison, the principles of equal source beam power and normalizing the aperture averaged scintillation with respect to received power are applied. Our results indicate that for fully coherent beams, upon adjusting the aperture sizes to capture 10 and 20% of the equal source power, Gaussian beam needs the largest aperture opening, yielding the lowest aperture average scintillation, whilst the opposite occurs for annular Gaussian and dark hollow beams. When assessed on the basis of received power normalized aperture averaged scintillation, fixed propagation distance and aperture size, annular Gaussian and dark hollow beams seem to have the lowest scintillation. Just like the case of point-like scintillation, partially coherent beams will offer less aperture averaged scintillation in comparison to fully coherent beams. But this performance improvement relies on larger aperture openings. Upon normalizing the aperture averaged scintillation with respect to received power, fully coherent beams become more advantageous than partially coherent ones.

Speciation of Phosphorus by coupled HPLC-ICPMS: Application for quantification of reduced forms of phosphorus in rocks and natural waters.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Atlas, Z. D.; Pasek, M. A.; Sampson, J.

2014-12-01

Phosphorus is a geologically important element making up approximately 0.12 % of the Earth's crust. It is commonly found as relatively insoluble apatite and this causes phosphorus to be a limiting nutrient in biologic processes. Despite this, phosphorus is a key element in DNA, RNA and other cellular materials. Recent works suggest that reduced phosphorus played a substantial role in the development of life on the early Earth. Reduced phosphorus is considerably more soluble than oxidized phosphorus, and reduced phosphorus may continue to play a role in biologic productivity. This study examines a new methodology for quantification of reduced phosphorus separated by coupled HPLC - ICP-MS. We show that phosphorus species (P1+, P3+ and P5+) are cleanly separated in the HPLC and coupled with the ICP-MS reaction cell (using O2 gas) effectively convert elemental P to P-O producing lower background and flatter baseline chromatography. Results suggest very low detection limits (0.05 mM) for P species analyzed as P-O at M/Z = 47. Additionally this technique has potential to speciate at least 5 other metastable forms of phosphorus. We verified this method on numerous materials including leached Archean rocks to suburban retention pond waters and many samples show small but detectible levels of reduced phosphorus. These data highlight a significant role of redox processing of phosphorus throughout the history of the Earth, with the reduced oxidation state phosphorus compounds, phosphite and hypophosphite, potentially acting as significant constituents in the anaerobic environment.

Ferric Citrate Controls Phosphorus and Delivers Iron in Patients on Dialysis

PubMed Central

Sika, Mohammed; Koury, Mark J.; Chuang, Peale; Schulman, Gerald; Smith, Mark T.; Whittier, Frederick C.; Linfert, Douglas R.; Galphin, Claude M.; Athreya, Balaji P.; Nossuli, A. Kaldun Kaldun; Chang, Ingrid J.; Blumenthal, Samuel S.; Manley, John; Zeig, Steven; Kant, Kotagal S.; Olivero, Juan Jose; Greene, Tom; Dwyer, Jamie P.

2015-01-01

Patients on dialysis require phosphorus binders to prevent hyperphosphatemia and are iron deficient. We studied ferric citrate as a phosphorus binder and iron source. In this sequential, randomized trial, 441 subjects on dialysis were randomized to ferric citrate or active control in a 52-week active control period followed by a 4-week placebo control period, in which subjects on ferric citrate who completed the active control period were rerandomized to ferric citrate or placebo. The primary analysis compared the mean change in phosphorus between ferric citrate and placebo during the placebo control period. A sequential gatekeeping strategy controlled study-wise type 1 error for serum ferritin, transferrin saturation, and intravenous iron and erythropoietin-stimulating agent usage as prespecified secondary outcomes in the active control period. Ferric citrate controlled phosphorus compared with placebo, with a mean treatment difference of −2.2±0.2 mg/dl (mean±SEM) (P<0.001). Active control period phosphorus was similar between ferric citrate and active control, with comparable safety profiles. Subjects on ferric citrate achieved higher mean iron parameters (ferritin=899±488 ng/ml [mean±SD]; transferrin saturation=39%±17%) versus subjects on active control (ferritin=628±367 ng/ml [mean±SD]; transferrin saturation=30%±12%; P<0.001 for both). Subjects on ferric citrate received less intravenous elemental iron (median=12.95 mg/wk ferric citrate; 26.88 mg/wk active control; P<0.001) and less erythropoietin-stimulating agent (median epoetin-equivalent units per week: 5306 units/wk ferric citrate; 6951 units/wk active control; P=0.04). Hemoglobin levels were statistically higher on ferric citrate. Thus, ferric citrate is an efficacious and safe phosphate binder that increases iron stores and reduces intravenous iron and erythropoietin-stimulating agent use while maintaining hemoglobin. PMID:25060056

Development and modification of a Gaussian and non-Gaussian noise exposure system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schlag, Adam W.

Millions of people across the world currently have noise induced hearing loss, and many are working in conditions with both continuous Gaussian and non-Gaussian noises that could affect their hearing. It was hypothesized that the energy of the noise was the cause of the hearing loss and did not depend on temporal pattern of a noise. This was referred to as the equal energy hypothesis. This hypothesis has been shown to have limitations though. This means that there is a difference in the types of noise a person receives to induce hearing loss and it is necessary to build a system that can easily mimic various conditions to conduct research. This study builds a system that can produce both non-Gaussian impulse/impact noises and continuous Gaussian noise. It was found that the peak sound pressure level of the system could reach well above the needed 120 dB level to represent acoustic trauma and could replicate well above the 85 dB A-weighted sound pressure level to produce conditions of gradual developing hearing loss. The system reached a maximum of 150 dB sound peak pressure level and a maximum of 133 dB A-weighted sound pressure level. Various parameters could easily be adjusted to control the sound, such as the high and low cutoff frequency to center the sound at 4 kHz. The system build can easily be adjusted to create numerous sound conditions and will hopefully be modified and improved in hopes of eventually being used for animal studies to lead to the creation of a method to treat or prevent noise induced hearing loss.

Super-resolving random-Gaussian apodized photon sieve.

PubMed

Sabatyan, Arash; Roshaninejad, Parisa

2012-09-10

A novel apodized photon sieve is presented in which random dense Gaussian distribution is implemented to modulate the pinhole density in each zone. The random distribution in dense Gaussian distribution causes intrazone discontinuities. Also, the dense Gaussian distribution generates a substantial number of pinholes in order to form a large degree of overlap between the holes in a few innermost zones of the photon sieve; thereby, clear zones are formed. The role of the discontinuities on the focusing properties of the photon sieve is examined as well. Analysis shows that secondary maxima have evidently been suppressed, transmission has increased enormously, and the central maxima width is approximately unchanged in comparison to the dense Gaussian distribution. Theoretical results have been completely verified by experiment.

Gaussian intrinsic entanglement for states with partial minimum uncertainty

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mišta, Ladislav; Baksová, Klára

2018-01-01

We develop a recently proposed theory of a quantifier of bipartite Gaussian entanglement called Gaussian intrinsic entanglement (GIE) [L. Mišta, Jr. and R. Tatham, Phys. Rev. Lett. 117, 240505 (2016), 10.1103/PhysRevLett.117.240505]. Gaussian intrinsic entanglement provides a compromise between computable and physically meaningful entanglement quantifiers and so far it has been calculated for two-mode Gaussian states including all symmetric partial minimum-uncertainty states, weakly mixed asymmetric squeezed thermal states with partial minimum uncertainty, and weakly mixed symmetric squeezed thermal states. We improve the method of derivation of GIE and show that all previously derived formulas for GIE of weakly mixed states in fact hold for states with higher mixedness. In addition, we derive analytical formulas for GIE for several other classes of two-mode Gaussian states with partial minimum uncertainty. Finally, we show that, like for all previously known states, also for all currently considered states the GIE is equal to Gaussian Rényi-2 entanglement of formation. This finding strengthens a conjecture about the equivalence of GIE and Gaussian Rényi-2 entanglement of formation for all bipartite Gaussian states.

Tilt angle measurement with a Gaussian-shaped laser beam tracking

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Šarbort, Martin; Řeřucha, Šimon; Jedlička, Petr; Lazar, Josef; Číp, Ondrej

2014-05-01

We have addressed the challenge to carry out the angular tilt stabilization of a laser guiding mirror which is intended to route a laser beam with a high energy density. Such an application requires good angular accuracy as well as large operating range, long term stability and absolute positioning. We have designed an instrument for such a high precision angular tilt measurement based on a triangulation method where a laser beam with Gaussian profile is reflected off the stabilized mirror and detected by an image sensor. As the angular deflection of the mirror causes a change of the beam spot position, the principal task is to measure the position on the image chip surface. We have employed a numerical analysis of the Gaussian intensity pattern which uses the nonlinear regression algorithm. The feasibility and performance of the method were tested by numeric modeling as well as experimentally. The experimental results indicate that the assembled instrument achieves a measurement error of 0.13 microradian in the range +/-0.65 degrees over the period of one hour. This corresponds to the dynamic range of 1:170 000.

Elegant Ince-Gaussian beams in a quadratic-index medium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bai, Zhi-Yong; Deng, Dong-Mei; Guo, Qi

2011-09-01

Elegant Ince—Gaussian beams, which are the exact solutions of the paraxial wave equation in a quadratic-index medium, are derived in elliptical coordinates. These kinds of beams are the alternative form of standard Ince—Gaussian beams and they display better symmetry between the Ince-polynomials and the Gaussian function in mathematics. The transverse intensity distribution and the phase of the elegant Ince—Gaussian beams are discussed.

GAUSSIAN BEAM LASER RESONATOR PROGRAM

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cross, P. L.

1994-01-01

In designing a laser cavity, the laser engineer is frequently concerned with more than the stability of the resonator. Other considerations include the size of the beam at various optical surfaces within the resonator or the performance of intracavity line-narrowing or other optical elements. Laser resonators obey the laws of Gaussian beam propagation, not geometric optics. The Gaussian Beam Laser Resonator Program models laser resonators using Gaussian ray trace techniques. It can be used to determine the propagation of radiation through laser resonators. The algorithm used in the Gaussian Beam Resonator program has three major components. First, the ray transfer matrix for the laser resonator must be calculated. Next calculations of the initial beam parameters, specifically, the beam stability, the beam waist size and location for the resonator input element, and the wavefront curvature and beam radius at the input surface to the first resonator element are performed. Finally the propagation of the beam through the optical elements is computed. The optical elements can be modeled as parallel plates, lenses, mirrors, dummy surfaces, or Gradient Index (GRIN) lenses. A Gradient Index lens is a good approximation of a laser rod operating under a thermal load. The optical system may contain up to 50 elements. In addition to the internal beam elements the optical system may contain elements external to the resonator. The Gaussian Beam Resonator program was written in Microsoft FORTRAN (Version 4.01). It was developed for the IBM PS/2 80-071 microcomputer and has been implemented on an IBM PC compatible under MS DOS 3.21. The program was developed in 1988 and requires approximately 95K bytes to operate.

Modified Gaussian influence function of deformable mirror actuators.

PubMed

Huang, Linhai; Rao, Changhui; Jiang, Wenhan

2008-01-07

A new deformable mirror influence function based on a Gaussian function is introduced to analyze the fitting capability of a deformable mirror. The modified expressions for both azimuthal and radial directions are presented based on the analysis of the residual error between a measured influence function and a Gaussian influence function. With a simplex search method, we further compare the fitting capability of our proposed influence function to fit the data produced by a Zygo interferometer with that of a Gaussian influence function. The result indicates that the modified Gaussian influence function provides much better performance in data fitting.

Gaussian Finite Element Method for Description of Underwater Sound Diffraction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Dehua

A new method for solving diffraction problems is presented in this dissertation. It is based on the use of Gaussian diffraction theory. The Rayleigh integral is used to prove the core of Gaussian theory: the diffraction field of a Gaussian is described by a Gaussian function. The parabolic approximation used by previous authors is not necessary to this proof. Comparison of the Gaussian beam expansion and Fourier series expansion reveals that the Gaussian expansion is a more general and more powerful technique. The method combines the Gaussian beam superposition technique (Wen and Breazeale, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 83, 1752-1756 (1988)) and the Finite element solution to the parabolic equation (Huang, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 84, 1405-1413 (1988)). Computer modeling shows that the new method is capable of solving for the sound field even in an inhomogeneous medium, whether the source is a Gaussian source or a distributed source. It can be used for horizontally layered interfaces or irregular interfaces. Calculated results are compared with experimental results by use of a recently designed and improved Gaussian transducer in a laboratory water tank. In addition, the power of the Gaussian Finite element method is demonstrated by comparing numerical results with experimental results from use of a piston transducer in a water tank.

Phosphorus K4 Crystal: A New Stable Allotrope

PubMed Central

Liu, Jie; Zhang, Shunhong; Guo, Yaguang; Wang, Qian

2016-01-01

The intriguing properties of phosphorene motivate scientists to further explore the structures and properties of phosphorus materials. Here, we report a new allotrope named K4 phosphorus composed of three-coordinated phosphorus atoms in non-layered structure which is not only dynamically and mechanically stable, but also possesses thermal stability comparable to that of the orthorhombic black phosphorus (A17). Due to its unique configuration, K4 phosphorus exhibits exceptional properties: it possesses a band gap of 1.54 eV which is much larger than that of black phosphorus (0.30 eV), and it is stiffer than black phosphorus. The band gap of the newly predicted phase can be effectively tuned by appling hydrostastic pressure. In addition, K4 phosphorus exibits a good light absorption in visible and near ultraviolet region. These findings add additional features to the phosphorus family with new potential applications in nanoelectronics and nanomechanics. PMID:27857232

Comprehensive Utilization of Iron and Phosphorus from High-Phosphorus Refractory Iron Ore

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Yongsheng; Zhang, Qi; Han, Yuexin; Gao, Peng; Li, Guofeng

2018-02-01

An innovative process of coal-based reduction followed by magnetic separation and dephosphorization was developed to simultaneously recover iron and phosphorus from one typical high-phosphorus refractory iron ore. The experimental results showed that the iron minerals in iron ore were reduced to metallic iron during the coal-based reduction and the phosphorus was enriched in the metallic iron phase. The CaO-SiO2-FeO-Al2O3 slag system was used in the dephosphorization of metallic iron. A hot metal of 99.17% Fe and 0.10% P was produced with Fe recovery of 84.41%. Meanwhile, a dephosphorization slag of 5.72% P was obtained with P recovery of 67.23%. The contents of impurities in hot metal were very low, and it could be used as feedstock for steelmaking after a secondary refining. Phosphorus in the dephosphorization slag mainly existed in the form of a 5CaO·P2O5·SiO2 solid solution where the P2O5 content is 13.10%. At a slag particle size of 20.7 μm (90% passing), 94.54% of the P2O5 could be solubilized in citric acid, indicating the slag met the feedstock requirements in phosphate fertilizer production. Consequently, the proposed process achieved simultaneous Fe and P recovery, paving the way to comprehensive utilization of high-phosphorus refractory iron ore.

Phosphorus recovery from wastes

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Phosphorus (P) is an important macro-nutrient essential for all living organisms and phosphate rock is the main raw material for all inorganic P fertilizers. It is expected that there will be a P peak and resulting P fertilizer shortage in near future. In general, phosphorus use efficiency is low a...

Gaussian process tomography for soft x-ray spectroscopy at WEST without equilibrium information

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, T.; Mazon, D.; Svensson, J.; Li, D.; Jardin, A.; Verdoolaege, G.

2018-06-01

Gaussian process tomography (GPT) is a recently developed tomography method based on the Bayesian probability theory [J. Svensson, JET Internal Report EFDA-JET-PR(11)24, 2011 and Li et al., Rev. Sci. Instrum. 84, 083506 (2013)]. By modeling the soft X-ray (SXR) emissivity field in a poloidal cross section as a Gaussian process, the Bayesian SXR tomography can be carried out in a robust and extremely fast way. Owing to the short execution time of the algorithm, GPT is an important candidate for providing real-time reconstructions with a view to impurity transport and fast magnetohydrodynamic control. In addition, the Bayesian formalism allows quantifying uncertainty on the inferred parameters. In this paper, the GPT technique is validated using a synthetic data set expected from the WEST tokamak, and the results are shown of its application to the reconstruction of SXR emissivity profiles measured on Tore Supra. The method is compared with the standard algorithm based on minimization of the Fisher information.

Gaussian broad-beam excimer laser: clinical and experimental results.

PubMed

Schraepen, P; Eskina, E; Gobin, L; Trau, R; Timmermans, J; Tassignon, M J

2005-01-01

To evaluate the mid-term (1-3 years) results of the Gaussian broad-beam excimer laser Delivery System (DS) after single treatment for the correction of myopia. To study the corneal surface with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) after excimer laser ablation using a flying spot delivery system (Bausch & Lomb) and a Gaussian Delivery System (GDS) (InPro). The 1035 consecutive eyes studied were split in four groups with respect to the treated myopia, expressed in spherical equivalent: low myopia up to -3.00 D (183 eyes), moderate myopia from -3.25 D to -6.00 D (540 eyes), high myopia from -6.25 D to -10.00 D (210 eyes) and very high myopia from -10.25 D to -20.00 D (102 eyes). Four post-mortem eyes of two donors were treated using the flying spot DS on one eye and the GDS on the other eye. We achieved postoperative spheriqual equivalent within +/- 1 D of emmetropia in respectively 99.1%, 98.9%, 83% and 21% of the eyes of group 1, 2, 3 and 4. UCVA was 10/10 or better in respectively 65%, 51% and 19% of group 1, 2 and 3. UCVA was 5/10 or better in respectively 86% and 75% of group 3 and 4. The defocus equivalent refraction was 1.0 or less in respectively 98%, 93%, 62%, and 7% of the four groups. On SEM, the corneal surface presented a smooth and polished profile for the GDS. The Gaussian Delivery System gives comparable results to the flying spot laser system for surface laser ablation in myopic eyes up to -10 D. Advantages of this system are: smooth ablation surface, short treatment time, low haze rate, high reliability and easy maintenance of the device due to the optical DS. It is an interesting alternative for the more complex mechanical DS.

Gaussian entanglement distribution via satellite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hosseinidehaj, Nedasadat; Malaney, Robert

2015-02-01

In this work we analyze three quantum communication schemes for the generation of Gaussian entanglement between two ground stations. Communication occurs via a satellite over two independent atmospheric fading channels dominated by turbulence-induced beam wander. In our first scheme, the engineering complexity remains largely on the ground transceivers, with the satellite acting simply as a reflector. Although the channel state information of the two atmospheric channels remains unknown in this scheme, the Gaussian entanglement generation between the ground stations can still be determined. On the ground, distillation and Gaussification procedures can be applied, leading to a refined Gaussian entanglement generation rate between the ground stations. We compare the rates produced by this first scheme with two competing schemes in which quantum complexity is added to the satellite, thereby illustrating the tradeoff between space-based engineering complexity and the rate of ground-station entanglement generation.

Revisiting non-Gaussianity from non-attractor inflation models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cai, Yi-Fu; Chen, Xingang; Namjoo, Mohammad Hossein; Sasaki, Misao; Wang, Dong-Gang; Wang, Ziwei

2018-05-01

Non-attractor inflation is known as the only single field inflationary scenario that can violate non-Gaussianity consistency relation with the Bunch-Davies vacuum state and generate large local non-Gaussianity. However, it is also known that the non-attractor inflation by itself is incomplete and should be followed by a phase of slow-roll attractor. Moreover, there is a transition process between these two phases. In the past literature, this transition was approximated as instant and the evolution of non-Gaussianity in this phase was not fully studied. In this paper, we follow the detailed evolution of the non-Gaussianity through the transition phase into the slow-roll attractor phase, considering different types of transition. We find that the transition process has important effect on the size of the local non-Gaussianity. We first compute the net contribution of the non-Gaussianities at the end of inflation in canonical non-attractor models. If the curvature perturbations keep evolving during the transition—such as in the case of smooth transition or some sharp transition scenarios—the Script O(1) local non-Gaussianity generated in the non-attractor phase can be completely erased by the subsequent evolution, although the consistency relation remains violated. In extremal cases of sharp transition where the super-horizon modes freeze immediately right after the end of the non-attractor phase, the original non-attractor result can be recovered. We also study models with non-canonical kinetic terms, and find that the transition can typically contribute a suppression factor in the squeezed bispectrum, but the final local non-Gaussianity can still be made parametrically large.

On focusing of a ring ripple on a Gaussian electromagnetic beam in a plasma

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Misra, Shikha; Mishra, S. K.

In this communication the authors have investigated the focusing of a ring ripple on a Gaussian electromagnetic beam propagating in a plasma, considering each of the three kinds of basic nonlinearities, namely, ponderomotive, collisional, and relativistic. In this analysis, the electric field profile of the propagating beam is assumed to be composed of the radial electric field distribution of the Gaussian beam as well as that of the ring ripple; a paraxial like approach has been adopted to analyze the characteristics of the propagation. Thus, one considers a unique dielectric function for the beam propagation and a radial field sensitivemore » diffraction term, appropriate to the vicinity of the maximum of the irradiance distribution of the ring ripple. Further, the variation of the phase associated with the beam on account of the r independent terms in the eikonal has also been accounted for.« less

Anomalous and non-Gaussian diffusion in Hertzian spheres

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ouyang, Wenze; Sun, Bin; Sun, Zhiwei; Xu, Shenghua

2018-09-01

By means of molecular dynamics simulations, we study the non-Gaussian diffusion in the fluid of Hertzian spheres. The time dependent non-Gaussian parameter, as an indicator of the dynamic heterogeneity, is increased with the increasing of temperature. When the temperature is high enough, the dynamic heterogeneity becomes very significant, and it seems counterintuitive that the maximum of non-Gaussian parameter and the position of its peak decrease monotonically with the increasing of density. By fitting the curves of self intermediate scattering function, we find that the character relaxation time τα is surprisingly not coupled with the time τmax where the non-Gaussian parameter reaches to a maximum. The intriguing features of non-Gaussian diffusion at high enough temperatures can be associated with the weakly correlated mean-field behavior of Hertzian spheres. Especially the time τmax is nearly inversely proportional to the density at extremely high temperatures.

Do soils loose phosphorus with dissolved organic matter?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaiser, K.; Brödlin, D.; Hagedorn, F.

2014-12-01

During ecosystem development and soil formation, primary mineral sources of phosphorus are becoming increasingly depleted. Inorganic phosphorus forms tend to be bound strongly to or within secondary minerals, thus, are hardly available to plants and are not leached from soil. What about organic forms of phosphorus? Since rarely studied, little is known on the composition, mobility, and bioavailability of dissolved organic phosphorus. There is some evidence that plant-derived compounds, such as phytate, bind strongly to minerals as well, while microbial compounds, such as nucleotides and nucleic acids, may represent more mobile fractions of soil phosphorus. In some weakly developed, shallow soils, leaching losses of phosphorus seem to be governed by mobile organic forms. Consequently, much of the phosphorus losses observed during initial stages of ecosystem development may be due to the leaching of dissolved organic matter. However, the potentially mobile microbial compounds are enzymatically hydrolysable. Forest ecosystems on developed soils already depleted in easily available inorganic phosphorus are characterized by rapid recycling of organic phosphors. That can reduce the production of soluble forms of organic phosphorus as well as increase the enzymatic hydrolysis and subsequent plant uptake of phosphorus bound within dissolved organic matter. This work aims at giving an outlook to the potential role of dissolved organic matter in the cycling of phosphorus within developing forest ecosystems, based on literature evidence and first results of ongoing research.

Non-Gaussian Methods for Causal Structure Learning.

PubMed

Shimizu, Shohei

2018-05-22

Causal structure learning is one of the most exciting new topics in the fields of machine learning and statistics. In many empirical sciences including prevention science, the causal mechanisms underlying various phenomena need to be studied. Nevertheless, in many cases, classical methods for causal structure learning are not capable of estimating the causal structure of variables. This is because it explicitly or implicitly assumes Gaussianity of data and typically utilizes only the covariance structure. In many applications, however, non-Gaussian data are often obtained, which means that more information may be contained in the data distribution than the covariance matrix is capable of containing. Thus, many new methods have recently been proposed for using the non-Gaussian structure of data and inferring the causal structure of variables. This paper introduces prevention scientists to such causal structure learning methods, particularly those based on the linear, non-Gaussian, acyclic model known as LiNGAM. These non-Gaussian data analysis tools can fully estimate the underlying causal structures of variables under assumptions even in the presence of unobserved common causes. This feature is in contrast to other approaches. A simulated example is also provided.

Quantifying entanglement in two-mode Gaussian states

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tserkis, Spyros; Ralph, Timothy C.

2017-12-01

Entangled two-mode Gaussian states are a key resource for quantum information technologies such as teleportation, quantum cryptography, and quantum computation, so quantification of Gaussian entanglement is an important problem. Entanglement of formation is unanimously considered a proper measure of quantum correlations, but for arbitrary two-mode Gaussian states no analytical form is currently known. In contrast, logarithmic negativity is a measure that is straightforward to calculate and so has been adopted by most researchers, even though it is a less faithful quantifier. In this work, we derive an analytical lower bound for entanglement of formation of generic two-mode Gaussian states, which becomes tight for symmetric states and for states with balanced correlations. We define simple expressions for entanglement of formation in physically relevant situations and use these to illustrate the problematic behavior of logarithmic negativity, which can lead to spurious conclusions.

Generalized multi-Gaussian correlated Schell-model beam: from theory to experiment.

PubMed

Wang, Fei; Liang, Chunhao; Yuan, Yangsheng; Cai, Yangjian

2014-09-22

A new kind of partially coherent beam with non-conventional correlation function named generalized multi-Gaussian correlated Schell-model (GMGCSM) beam is proposed. The GMGCSM beam of the first or second kind is capable of producing dark hollow or flat-topped beam profile in the focal plane (or in the far field). Furthermore, we carry out experimental generation of a GMGCSM beam of the first or second kind, and measure its focused intensity. Our experimental results verify theoretical predictions. The GMGCSM beam will be useful for free-space optical communications, material thermal processing, particle or atom trapping.

Mode entanglement of Gaussian fermionic states

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spee, C.; Schwaiger, K.; Giedke, G.; Kraus, B.

2018-04-01

We investigate the entanglement of n -mode n -partite Gaussian fermionic states (GFS). First, we identify a reasonable definition of separability for GFS and derive a standard form for mixed states, to which any state can be mapped via Gaussian local unitaries (GLU). As the standard form is unique, two GFS are equivalent under GLU if and only if their standard forms coincide. Then, we investigate the important class of local operations assisted by classical communication (LOCC). These are central in entanglement theory as they allow one to partially order the entanglement contained in states. We show, however, that there are no nontrivial Gaussian LOCC (GLOCC) among pure n -partite (fully entangled) states. That is, any such GLOCC transformation can also be accomplished via GLU. To obtain further insight into the entanglement properties of such GFS, we investigate the richer class of Gaussian stochastic local operations assisted by classical communication (SLOCC). We characterize Gaussian SLOCC classes of pure n -mode n -partite states and derive them explicitly for few-mode states. Furthermore, we consider certain fermionic LOCC and show how to identify the maximally entangled set of pure n -mode n -partite GFS, i.e., the minimal set of states having the property that any other state can be obtained from one state inside this set via fermionic LOCC. We generalize these findings also to the pure m -mode n -partite (for m >n ) case.

Gaussian Mixture Model of Heart Rate Variability

PubMed Central

Costa, Tommaso; Boccignone, Giuseppe; Ferraro, Mario

2012-01-01

Heart rate variability (HRV) is an important measure of sympathetic and parasympathetic functions of the autonomic nervous system and a key indicator of cardiovascular condition. This paper proposes a novel method to investigate HRV, namely by modelling it as a linear combination of Gaussians. Results show that three Gaussians are enough to describe the stationary statistics of heart variability and to provide a straightforward interpretation of the HRV power spectrum. Comparisons have been made also with synthetic data generated from different physiologically based models showing the plausibility of the Gaussian mixture parameters. PMID:22666386

On Gaussian feedback capacity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dembo, Amir

1989-01-01

Pinsker and Ebert (1970) proved that in channels with additive Gaussian noise, feedback at most doubles the capacity. Cover and Pombra (1989) proved that feedback at most adds half a bit per transmission. Following their approach, the author proves that in the limit as signal power approaches either zero (very low SNR) or infinity (very high SNR), feedback does not increase the finite block-length capacity (which for nonstationary Gaussian channels replaces the standard notion of capacity that may not exist). Tighter upper bounds on the capacity are obtained in the process. Specializing these results to stationary channels, the author recovers some of the bounds recently obtained by Ozarow.

Kinetic and energy production analysis of pyrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass using a three-parallel Gaussian reaction model.

PubMed

Chen, Tianju; Zhang, Jinzhi; Wu, Jinhu

2016-07-01

The kinetic and energy productions of pyrolysis of a lignocellulosic biomass were investigated using a three-parallel Gaussian distribution method in this work. The pyrolysis experiment of the pine sawdust was performed using a thermogravimetric-mass spectroscopy (TG-MS) analyzer. A three-parallel Gaussian distributed activation energy model (DAEM)-reaction model was used to describe thermal decomposition behaviors of the three components, hemicellulose, cellulose and lignin. The first, second and third pseudocomponents represent the fractions of hemicellulose, cellulose and lignin, respectively. It was found that the model is capable of predicting the pyrolysis behavior of the pine sawdust. The activation energy distribution peaks for the three pseudo-components were centered at 186.8, 197.5 and 203.9kJmol(-1) for the pine sawdust, respectively. The evolution profiles of H2, CH4, CO, and CO2 were well predicted using the three-parallel Gaussian distribution model. In addition, the chemical composition of bio-oil was also obtained by pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry instrument (Py-GC/MS). Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

SIMS of Organic Materials—Interface Location in Argon Gas Cluster Depth Profiles Using Negative Secondary Ions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Havelund, R.; Seah, M. P.; Tiddia, M.; Gilmore, I. S.

2018-02-01

A procedure has been established to define the interface position in depth profiles accurately when using secondary ion mass spectrometry and the negative secondary ions. The interface position varies strongly with the extent of the matrix effect and so depends on the secondary ion measured. Intensity profiles have been measured at both fluorenylmethyloxycarbonyl-uc(l)-pentafluorophenylalanine (FMOC) to Irganox 1010 and Irganox 1010 to FMOC interfaces for many secondary ions. These profiles show separations of the two interfaces that vary over some 10 nm depending on the secondary ion selected. The shapes of these profiles are strongly governed by matrix effects, slightly weakened by a long wavelength roughening. The matrix effects are separately measured using homogeneous, known mixtures of these two materials. Removal of the matrix and roughening effects give consistent compositional profiles for all ions that are described by an integrated exponentially modified Gaussian (EMG) profile. Use of a simple integrated Gaussian may lead to significant errors. The average interface positions in the compositional profiles are determined to standard uncertainties of 0.19 and 0.14 nm, respectively, using the integrated EMG function. Alternatively, and more simply, it is shown that interface positions and profiles may be deduced from data for several secondary ions with measured matrix factors by simply extrapolating the result to Ξ = 0. Care must be taken in quoting interface resolutions since those measured for predominantly Gaussian interfaces with Ξ above or below zero, without correction, appear significantly better than the true resolution.

Effects of inoculation with organic-phosphorus-mineralizing bacteria on soybean (Glycine max) growth and indigenous bacterial community diversity.

PubMed

Sun, Wei; Qian, Xun; Gu, Jie; Wang, Xiao-Juan; Li, Yang; Duan, Man-Li

2017-05-01

Three different organic-phosphorus-mineralizing bacteria (OPMB) strains were inoculated to soil planted with soybean (Glycine max), and their effects on soybean growth and indigenous bacterial community diversity were investigated. Inoculation with Pseudomonas fluorescens Z4-1 and Brevibacillus agri L7-1 increased organic phosphorus degradation by 22% and 30%, respectively, compared with the control at the mature stage. Strains P. fluorescens Z4-1 and B. agri L7-1 significantly improved the soil alkaline phosphatase activity, average well color development, and the soybean root activity. Terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis demonstrated that P. fluorescens Z4-1 and B. agri L7-1 could persist in the soil at relative abundances of 2.0%-6.4% throughout soybean growth. Thus, P. fluorescens Z4-1 and B. agri L7-1 could potentially be used in organic-phosphorus-mineralizing biofertilizers. OPMB inoculation altered the genetic structure of the soil bacterial communities but had no apparent influence on the carbon source utilization profiles of the soil bacterial communities. Principal components analysis showed that the changes in the carbon source utilization profiles of bacterial community depended mainly on the plant growth stages rather than inoculation with OPMB. The results help to understand the evolution of the soil bacterial community after OPMB inoculation.

Recovering dark-matter clustering from galaxies with Gaussianization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McCullagh, Nuala; Neyrinck, Mark; Norberg, Peder; Cole, Shaun

2016-04-01

The Gaussianization transform has been proposed as a method to remove the issues of scale-dependent galaxy bias and non-linearity from galaxy clustering statistics, but these benefits have yet to be thoroughly tested for realistic galaxy samples. In this paper, we test the effectiveness of the Gaussianization transform for different galaxy types by applying it to realistic simulated blue and red galaxy samples. We show that in real space, the shapes of the Gaussianized power spectra of both red and blue galaxies agree with that of the underlying dark matter, with the initial power spectrum, and with each other to smaller scales than do the statistics of the usual (untransformed) density field. However, we find that the agreement in the Gaussianized statistics breaks down in redshift space. We attribute this to the fact that red and blue galaxies exhibit very different fingers of god in redshift space. After applying a finger-of-god compression, the agreement on small scales between the Gaussianized power spectra is restored. We also compare the Gaussianization transform to the clipped galaxy density field and find that while both methods are effective in real space, they have more complicated behaviour in redshift space. Overall, we find that Gaussianization can be useful in recovering the shape of the underlying dark-matter power spectrum to k ˜ 0.5 h Mpc-1 and of the initial power spectrum to k ˜ 0.4 h Mpc-1 in certain cases at z = 0.

Gaussian discriminating strength

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rigovacca, L.; Farace, A.; De Pasquale, A.; Giovannetti, V.

2015-10-01

We present a quantifier of nonclassical correlations for bipartite, multimode Gaussian states. It is derived from the Discriminating Strength measure, introduced for finite dimensional systems in Farace et al., [New J. Phys. 16, 073010 (2014), 10.1088/1367-2630/16/7/073010]. As the latter the new measure exploits the quantum Chernoff bound to gauge the susceptibility of the composite system with respect to local perturbations induced by unitary gates extracted from a suitable set of allowed transformations (the latter being identified by posing some general requirements). Closed expressions are provided for the case of two-mode Gaussian states obtained by squeezing or by linearly mixing via a beam splitter a factorized two-mode thermal state. For these density matrices, we study how nonclassical correlations are related with the entanglement present in the system and with its total photon number.

Visualizing Alternative Phosphorus Scenarios for Future Food Security

PubMed Central

Neset, Tina-Simone; Cordell, Dana; Mohr, Steve; VanRiper, Froggi; White, Stuart

2016-01-01

The impact of global phosphorus scarcity on food security has increasingly been the focus of scientific studies over the past decade. However, systematic analyses of alternative futures for phosphorus supply and demand throughout the food system are still rare and provide limited inclusion of key stakeholders. Addressing global phosphorus scarcity requires an integrated approach exploring potential demand reduction as well as recycling opportunities. This implies recovering phosphorus from multiple sources, such as food waste, manure, and excreta, as well as exploring novel opportunities to reduce the long-term demand for phosphorus in food production such as changing diets. Presently, there is a lack of stakeholder and scientific consensus around priority measures. To therefore enable exploration of multiple pathways and facilitate a stakeholder dialog on the technical, behavioral, and institutional changes required to meet long-term future phosphorus demand, this paper introduces an interactive web-based tool, designed for visualizing global phosphorus scenarios in real time. The interactive global phosphorus scenario tool builds on several demand and supply side measures that can be selected and manipulated interactively by the user. It provides a platform to facilitate stakeholder dialog to plan for a soft landing and identify a suite of concrete priority options, such as investing in agricultural phosphorus use efficiency, or renewable fertilizers derived from phosphorus recovered from wastewater and food waste, to determine how phosphorus demand to meet future food security could be attained on a global scale in 2040 and 2070. This paper presents four example scenarios, including (1) the potential of full recovery of human excreta, (2) the challenge of a potential increase in non-food phosphorus demand, (3) the potential of decreased animal product consumption, and (4) the potential decrease in phosphorus demand from increased efficiency and yield gains in

Visualizing Alternative Phosphorus Scenarios for Future Food Security.

PubMed

Neset, Tina-Simone; Cordell, Dana; Mohr, Steve; VanRiper, Froggi; White, Stuart

2016-01-01

The impact of global phosphorus scarcity on food security has increasingly been the focus of scientific studies over the past decade. However, systematic analyses of alternative futures for phosphorus supply and demand throughout the food system are still rare and provide limited inclusion of key stakeholders. Addressing global phosphorus scarcity requires an integrated approach exploring potential demand reduction as well as recycling opportunities. This implies recovering phosphorus from multiple sources, such as food waste, manure, and excreta, as well as exploring novel opportunities to reduce the long-term demand for phosphorus in food production such as changing diets. Presently, there is a lack of stakeholder and scientific consensus around priority measures. To therefore enable exploration of multiple pathways and facilitate a stakeholder dialog on the technical, behavioral, and institutional changes required to meet long-term future phosphorus demand, this paper introduces an interactive web-based tool, designed for visualizing global phosphorus scenarios in real time. The interactive global phosphorus scenario tool builds on several demand and supply side measures that can be selected and manipulated interactively by the user. It provides a platform to facilitate stakeholder dialog to plan for a soft landing and identify a suite of concrete priority options, such as investing in agricultural phosphorus use efficiency, or renewable fertilizers derived from phosphorus recovered from wastewater and food waste, to determine how phosphorus demand to meet future food security could be attained on a global scale in 2040 and 2070. This paper presents four example scenarios, including (1) the potential of full recovery of human excreta, (2) the challenge of a potential increase in non-food phosphorus demand, (3) the potential of decreased animal product consumption, and (4) the potential decrease in phosphorus demand from increased efficiency and yield gains in

Back to Normal! Gaussianizing posterior distributions for cosmological probes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schuhmann, Robert L.; Joachimi, Benjamin; Peiris, Hiranya V.

2014-05-01

We present a method to map multivariate non-Gaussian posterior probability densities into Gaussian ones via nonlinear Box-Cox transformations, and generalizations thereof. This is analogous to the search for normal parameters in the CMB, but can in principle be applied to any probability density that is continuous and unimodal. The search for the optimally Gaussianizing transformation amongst the Box-Cox family is performed via a maximum likelihood formalism. We can judge the quality of the found transformation a posteriori: qualitatively via statistical tests of Gaussianity, and more illustratively by how well it reproduces the credible regions. The method permits an analytical reconstruction of the posterior from a sample, e.g. a Markov chain, and simplifies the subsequent joint analysis with other experiments. Furthermore, it permits the characterization of a non-Gaussian posterior in a compact and efficient way. The expression for the non-Gaussian posterior can be employed to find analytic formulae for the Bayesian evidence, and consequently be used for model comparison.

Superstatistical generalised Langevin equation: non-Gaussian viscoelastic anomalous diffusion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ślęzak, Jakub; Metzler, Ralf; Magdziarz, Marcin

2018-02-01

Recent advances in single particle tracking and supercomputing techniques demonstrate the emergence of normal or anomalous, viscoelastic diffusion in conjunction with non-Gaussian distributions in soft, biological, and active matter systems. We here formulate a stochastic model based on a generalised Langevin equation in which non-Gaussian shapes of the probability density function and normal or anomalous diffusion have a common origin, namely a random parametrisation of the stochastic force. We perform a detailed analysis demonstrating how various types of parameter distributions for the memory kernel result in exponential, power law, or power-log law tails of the memory functions. The studied system is also shown to exhibit a further unusual property: the velocity has a Gaussian one point probability density but non-Gaussian joint distributions. This behaviour is reflected in the relaxation from a Gaussian to a non-Gaussian distribution observed for the position variable. We show that our theoretical results are in excellent agreement with stochastic simulations.

Ancient rice cultivar extensively replaces phospholipids with non-phosphorus glycolipid under phosphorus deficiency.

PubMed

Tawaraya, Keitaro; Honda, Soichiro; Cheng, Weiguo; Chuba, Masaru; Okazaki, Yozo; Saito, Kazuki; Oikawa, Akira; Maruyama, Hayato; Wasaki, Jun; Wagatsuma, Tadao

2018-02-07

Recycling of phosphorus (P) from P-containing metabolites is an adaptive strategy of plants to overcome soil P deficiency. This study was aimed at demonstrating differences in lipid remodelling between low-P-tolerant and -sensitive rice cultivars using lipidome profiling. The rice cultivars Akamai (low-P-tolerant) and Koshihikari (low-P-sensitive) were grown in a culture solution with [2 mg l -1 (+P)] or without (-P) phosphate for 21 and 28 days after transplantation. Upper and lower leaves were collected. Lipids were extracted from the leaves and their composition was analysed by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC-MS). Phospholipids, namely phosphatidylcholine (PC), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), phosphatidylglycerol (PG) and phosphatidylinositol (PI), lysophosphatidylcholine (lysoPC), diacylglycerol (DAG), triacylglycerol (TAG) and glycolipids, namely sulfoquinovosyl diacylglycerol (SQDG), digalactosyldiacylglycerol (DGDG), monogalactosyldiacylglycerol (MGDG) and 1,2-diacyl-3-O-alpha-glucuronosyl glycerol (GlcADG), were detected. GlcADG level was higher in both cultivars grown in -P than in +P and the increase was larger in Akamai than in Koshihikari. DGDG, MGDG and SQDG levels were higher in Akamai grown in -P than in +P and the increase was larger in the upper leaves than in the lower leaves. PC, PE, PG and PI levels were lower in both cultivars grown in -P than in +P and the decrease was larger in the lower leaves than in the upper leaves and in Akamai than in Koshihikari. Akamai catabolised more phospholipids in older leaves and synthesised glycolipids in younger leaves. These results suggested that extensive phospholipid replacement with non-phosphorus glycolipids is a mechanism underlying low-P-tolerance in rice cultivars. © 2018 Scandinavian Plant Physiology Society.

Capacity of PPM on Gaussian and Webb Channels

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Divsalar, D.; Dolinar, S.; Pollara, F.; Hamkins, J.

2000-01-01

This paper computes and compares the capacities of M-ary PPM on various idealized channels that approximate the optical communication channel: (1) the standard additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) channel;(2) a more general AWGN channel (AWGN2) allowing different variances in signal and noise slots;(3) a Webb-distributed channel (Webb2);(4) a Webb+Gaussian channel, modeling Gaussian thermal noise added to Webb-distributed channel outputs.

Influence of organic phosphorus on reproductive performance and metabolic profiles of anoestrous Farafra ewes in subtropics at the end of breeding season.

PubMed

Senosy, W; Kassab, A Y; Hamdon, H A; Mohammed, A A

2018-05-07

The effect of organic phosphorus on metabolic, haematological and hormonal status, restoration of ovarian functions and conception rate in anoestrous Farafra ewes in subtropics were evaluated. Anoestrous Farafra ewes (n = 24; 34.72 ± 0.52 kg body weight) were allocated into two equal groups: control and phosphorus groups. The ewes of phosphorus group were treated with sodium 4-dimethylamino-2-methyl-phenyl-phosphonate as an organic bound phosphorous twice a week for successive 3 weeks. Ovarian follicle development and corpora lutea were checked three times a week till occurrence of oestrus using ultrasonography while pregnancy was confirmed at 30 days post-service. Plasma metabolites, reproductive hormones, thyroid hormones and minerals were detected at weeks -2, -1, 0 (mating day) and + 4 weeks post-oestrus. Phosphorus group had significantly (p < .05) short interval to oestrous resumption if compared to control ewes (2.1 ± 0.8 weeks vs. 4.6 ± 1.1 weeks). In addition, phosphorous supplementation significantly (p < .05) increased the number of antral follicles (developed and their sizes in addition to sizes of corpora lutea (8.72 ± 0.3 mm vs. 7.46 ± 0.9 mm) as well. Number of services per conception (2.6 vs. 1.4; p < .01) was higher in control group than that of phosphorus group. Pregnancy rate (80 vs. 50%) was significantly (p < .01) higher in phosphorus group when compared to control. White blood cells in treated ewes (10.8 ± 0.44; p < .05) and monocytes (2.93 ± 0.13; p < .01) were higher than that of control group (white blood cells; 9.53 ± 0.50 and monocytes; 2.24 ± 0.14). Metabolic parameters did not differ between phosphorus and control groups during different times of treatment. It could be concluded that phosphorous administration to anoestrous Farafra ewes in subtropics could improve reproductive performance and restore ovarian activity at the end of spring and early summer. © 2018 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Proposed biokinetic model for phosphorus

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Leggett, Richard Wayne

2014-06-04

This paper reviews data related to the biokinetics of phosphorus in the human body and proposes a biokinetic model for systemic phosphorus for use in updated International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) guidance on occupational intake of radionuclides. Compared with the ICRP s current occupational model for phosphorus (Publication 68, 1994) the proposed model provides a more realistic description of the paths of movement of phosphorus in the body and improved consistency with experimental, medical, and environmental data on the time-dependent distribution and retention of phosphorus following uptake to blood. For acute uptake of 32P to blood, the proposed modelmore » yields roughly a 50% decrease in dose estimates for bone surface and red marrow and a 6-fold increase in estimates for liver and kidney compared with the biokinetic model of Publication 68 (applying Publication 68 dosimetric models in both sets of calculations). For acute uptake of 33P to blood, the proposed model yields roughly a 50% increase in dose estimates for bone surface and red marrow and a 7-fold increase in estimates for liver and kidney compared with the model of Publication 68.« less

Comparing phosphorus mobilization strategies using Aspergillus niger for the mineral dissolution of three phosphate rocks.

PubMed

Schneider, K D; van Straaten, P; de Orduña, R Mira; Glasauer, S; Trevors, J; Fallow, D; Smith, P S

2010-01-01

Phosphorus deficiencies are limiting crop production in agricultural soils worldwide. Locally available sources of raw phosphate rock (PR) are being recognized for their potential role in soil fertility improvement. Phosphorus bioavailability is essential for the efficiency of PRs and can be increased by acid treatments. The utilization of organic acid producing micro-organisms, notably Aspergillus niger, presents a sustainable alternative to the use of strong inorganic acids, but acid production of A. niger strongly depends on the mineral content of the growth media. This study compared the phosphorus mobilization efficiency of two biological treatments, namely addition of acidic cell-free supernatants from A. niger cultivations to PRs and the direct cultivation of A. niger with PRs. The results show that addition of PR to cultivations leads to significant differences in the profile of organic acids produced by A. niger. Additions of PR, especially igneous rocks containing high amounts of iron and manganese, lead to reduced citric acid concentrations. In spite of these differences, phosphorus mobilization was similar between treatments, suggesting that the simpler direct cultivation method was not inferior. In addition to citric acid, it is suggested that oxalic acid contributes to PR solubilization in direct cultivations with A. niger, which would benefit farmers in developing countries where conventional fertilizers are not adequately accessible.

21 CFR 862.1580 - Phosphorus (inorganic) test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Phosphorus (inorganic) test system. 862.1580... Systems § 862.1580 Phosphorus (inorganic) test system. (a) Identification. A phosphorus (inorganic) test system is a device intended to measure inorganic phosphorus in serum, plasma, and urine. Measurements of...

21 CFR 862.1580 - Phosphorus (inorganic) test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Phosphorus (inorganic) test system. 862.1580... Systems § 862.1580 Phosphorus (inorganic) test system. (a) Identification. A phosphorus (inorganic) test system is a device intended to measure inorganic phosphorus in serum, plasma, and urine. Measurements of...

Yellow phosphorus-induced Brugada phenocopy.

PubMed

Dharanipradab, Mayakrishnan; Viswanathan, Stalin; Kumar, Gokula Raman; Krishnamurthy, Vijayalatchumy; Stanley, Daphene Divya

Metallic phosphides (of aluminum and phosphide) and yellow phosphorus are commonly used rodenticide compounds in developing countries. Toxicity of yellow phosphorus mostly pertains to the liver, kidney, heart, pancreas and the brain. Cardiotoxicity with associated Brugada ECG pattern has been reported only in poisoning with metallic phosphides. Brugada phenocopy and hepatic dysfunction were observed in a 29-year-old male following yellow phosphorus consumption. He had both type 1 (day1) and type 2 (day2) Brugada patterns in the electrocardiogram, which resolved spontaneously by the third day without hemodynamic compromise. Toxins such as aluminum and zinc phosphide have been reported to induce Brugada ECG patterns due to the generation of phosphine. We report the first case of yellow phosphorus-related Brugada phenocopy, without hemodynamic compromise or malignant arrhythmia. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Multipartite Gaussian steering: Monogamy constraints and quantum cryptography applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiang, Yu; Kogias, Ioannis; Adesso, Gerardo; He, Qiongyi

2017-01-01

We derive laws for the distribution of quantum steering among different parties in multipartite Gaussian states under Gaussian measurements. We prove that a monogamy relation akin to the generalized Coffman-Kundu-Wootters inequality holds quantitatively for a recently introduced measure of Gaussian steering. We then define the residual Gaussian steering, stemming from the monogamy inequality, as an indicator of collective steering-type correlations. For pure three-mode Gaussian states, the residual acts as a quantifier of genuine multipartite steering, and is interpreted operationally in terms of the guaranteed key rate in the task of secure quantum secret sharing. Optimal resource states for the latter protocol are identified, and their possible experimental implementation discussed. Our results pin down the role of multipartite steering for quantum communication.

Non-Gaussian effects, space-time decoupling, and mobility bifurcation in glassy hard-sphere fluids and suspensions.

PubMed

Saltzman, Erica J; Schweizer, Kenneth S

2006-12-01

Brownian trajectory simulation methods are employed to fully establish the non-Gaussian fluctuation effects predicted by our nonlinear Langevin equation theory of single particle activated dynamics in glassy hard-sphere fluids. The consequences of stochastic mobility fluctuations associated with the space-time complexities of the transient localization and barrier hopping processes have been determined. The incoherent dynamic structure factor was computed for a range of wave vectors and becomes of an increasingly non-Gaussian form for volume fractions beyond the (naive) ideal mode coupling theory (MCT) transition. The non-Gaussian parameter (NGP) amplitude increases markedly with volume fraction and is well described by a power law in the maximum restoring force of the nonequilibrium free energy profile. The time scale associated with the NGP peak becomes much smaller than the alpha relaxation time for systems characterized by significant entropic barriers. An alternate non-Gaussian parameter that probes the long time alpha relaxation process displays a different shape, peak intensity, and time scale of its maximum. However, a strong correspondence between the classic and alternate NGP amplitudes is predicted which suggests a deep connection between the early and final stages of cage escape. Strong space-time decoupling emerges at high volume fractions as indicated by a nondiffusive wave vector dependence of the relaxation time and growth of the translation-relaxation decoupling parameter. Displacement distributions exhibit non-Gaussian behavior at intermediate times, evolving into a strongly bimodal form with slow and fast subpopulations at high volume fractions. Qualitative and semiquantitative comparisons of the theoretical results with colloid experiments, ideal MCT, and multiple simulation studies are presented.

Analysis of Flow and Transport in non-Gaussian Heterogeneous Formations Using a Generalized Sub-Gaussian Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guadagnini, A.; Riva, M.; Neuman, S. P.

2016-12-01

Environmental quantities such as log hydraulic conductivity (or transmissivity), Y(x) = ln K(x), and their spatial (or temporal) increments, ΔY, are known to be generally non-Gaussian. Documented evidence of such behavior includes symmetry of increment distributions at all separation scales (or lags) between incremental values of Y with sharp peaks and heavy tails that decay asymptotically as lag increases. This statistical scaling occurs in porous as well as fractured media characterized by either one or a hierarchy of spatial correlation scales. In hierarchical media one observes a range of additional statistical ΔY scaling phenomena, all of which are captured comprehensibly by a novel generalized sub-Gaussian (GSG) model. In this model Y forms a mixture Y(x) = U(x) G(x) of single- or multi-scale Gaussian processes G having random variances, U being a non-negative subordinator independent of G. Elsewhere we developed ways to generate unconditional and conditional random realizations of isotropic or anisotropic GSG fields which can be embedded in numerical Monte Carlo flow and transport simulations. Here we present and discuss expressions for probability distribution functions of Y and ΔY as well as their lead statistical moments. We then focus on a simple flow setting of mean uniform steady state flow in an unbounded, two-dimensional domain, exploring ways in which non-Gaussian heterogeneity affects stochastic flow and transport descriptions. Our expressions represent (a) lead order autocovariance and cross-covariance functions of hydraulic head, velocity and advective particle displacement as well as (b) analogues of preasymptotic and asymptotic Fickian dispersion coefficients. We compare them with corresponding expressions developed in the literature for Gaussian Y.

How Gaussian can our Universe be?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cabass, G.; Pajer, E.; Schmidt, F.

2017-01-01

Gravity is a non-linear theory, and hence, barring cancellations, the initial super-horizon perturbations produced by inflation must contain some minimum amount of mode coupling, or primordial non-Gaussianity. In single-field slow-roll models, where this lower bound is saturated, non-Gaussianity is controlled by two observables: the tensor-to-scalar ratio, which is uncertain by more than fifty orders of magnitude; and the scalar spectral index, or tilt, which is relatively well measured. It is well known that to leading and next-to-leading order in derivatives, the contributions proportional to the tilt disappear from any local observable, and suspicion has been raised that this might happen to all orders, allowing for an arbitrarily low amount of primordial non-Gaussianity. Employing Conformal Fermi Coordinates, we show explicitly that this is not the case. Instead, a contribution of order the tilt appears in local observables. In summary, the floor of physical primordial non-Gaussianity in our Universe has a squeezed-limit scaling of kl2/ks2, similar to equilateral and orthogonal shapes, and a dimensionless amplitude of order 0.1 × (ns-1).

The phosphorus cost of agricultural intensification in the tropics.

PubMed

Roy, Eric D; Richards, Peter D; Martinelli, Luiz A; Coletta, Luciana Della; Lins, Silvia Rafaela Machado; Vazquez, Felipe Ferraz; Willig, Edwin; Spera, Stephanie A; VanWey, Leah K; Porder, Stephen

2016-04-18

Agricultural intensification in the tropics is one way to meet rising global food demand in coming decades(1,2). Although this strategy can potentially spare land from conversion to agriculture(3), it relies on large material inputs. Here we quantify one such material cost, the phosphorus fertilizer required to intensify global crop production atop phosphorus-fixing soils and achieve yields similar to productive temperate agriculture. Phosphorus-fixing soils occur mainly in the tropics, and render added phosphorus less available to crops(4,5). We estimate that intensification of the 8-12% of global croplands overlying phosphorus-fixing soils in 2005 would require 1-4 Tg P yr(-1) to overcome phosphorus fixation, equivalent to 8-25% of global inorganic phosphorus fertilizer consumption that year. This imposed phosphorus 'tax' is in addition to phosphorus added to soils and subsequently harvested in crops, and doubles (2-7 Tg P yr(-1)) for scenarios of cropland extent in 2050(6). Our estimates are informed by local-, state- and national-scale investigations in Brazil, where, more than any other tropical country, low-yielding agriculture has been replaced by intensive production. In the 11 major Brazilian agricultural states, the surplus of added inorganic fertilizer phosphorus retained by soils post harvest is strongly correlated with the fraction of cropland overlying phosphorus-fixing soils (r(2) = 0.84, p < 0.001). Our interviews with 49 farmers in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso, which produces 8% of the world's soybeans mostly on phosphorus-fixing soils, suggest this phosphorus surplus is required even after three decades of high phosphorus inputs. Our findings in Brazil highlight the need for better understanding of long-term soil phosphorus fixation elsewhere in the tropics. Strategies beyond liming, which is currently widespread in Brazil, are needed to reduce phosphorus retention by phosphorus-fixing soils to better manage the Earth

Novel Alleles of Phosphorus-Starvation Tolerance 1 Gene (PSTOL1) from Oryza rufipogon Confers High Phosphorus Uptake Efficiency

PubMed Central

Neelam, Kumari; Thakur, Shiwali; Neha; Yadav, Inderjit S.; Kumar, Kishor; Dhaliwal, Salwinder S.; Singh, Kuldeep

2017-01-01

Limited phosphorus availability in the soil is one of the major constraints to the growth and productivity of rice across Asian, African and South American countries, where 50% of the rice is grown under rain-fed systems on poor and problematic soils. With an aim to determine novel alleles for enhanced phosphorus uptake efficiency in wild species germplasm of rice Oryza rufipogon, we investigated phosphorus uptake1 (Pup1) locus with 11 previously reported SSR markers and sequence characterized the phosphorus-starvation tolerance 1 (PSTOL1) gene. In the present study, we screened 182 accessions of O. rufipogon along with Vandana as a positive control with SSR markers. From the analysis, it was inferred that all of the O. rufipogon accessions undertaken in this study had an insertion of 90 kb region, including Pup1-K46, a diagnostic marker for PSTOL1, however, it was absent among O. sativa cv. PR114, PR121, and PR122. The complete PSTOL1 gene was also sequenced in 67 representative accessions of O. rufipogon and Vandana as a positive control. From comparative sequence analysis, 53 mutations (52 SNPs and 1 nonsense mutation) were found in the PSTOL1 coding region, of which 28 were missense mutations and 10 corresponded to changes in the amino acid polarity. These 53 mutations correspond to 17 haplotypes, of these 6 were shared and 11 were scored only once. A major shared haplotype was observed among 44 accessions of O. rufipogon along with Vandana and Kasalath. Out of 17 haplotypes, accessions representing 8 haplotypes were grown under the phosphorus-deficient conditions in hydroponics for 60 days. Significant differences were observed in the root length and weight among all the genotypes when grown under phosphorus deficiency conditions as compared to the phosphorus sufficient conditions. The O. rufipogon accession IRGC 106506 from Laos performed significantly better, with 2.5 times higher root weight and phosphorus content as compared to the positive control Vandana

Novel Alleles of Phosphorus-Starvation Tolerance 1 Gene (PSTOL1) from Oryza rufipogon Confers High Phosphorus Uptake Efficiency.

PubMed

Neelam, Kumari; Thakur, Shiwali; Neha; Yadav, Inderjit S; Kumar, Kishor; Dhaliwal, Salwinder S; Singh, Kuldeep

2017-01-01

Limited phosphorus availability in the soil is one of the major constraints to the growth and productivity of rice across Asian, African and South American countries, where 50% of the rice is grown under rain-fed systems on poor and problematic soils. With an aim to determine novel alleles for enhanced phosphorus uptake efficiency in wild species germplasm of rice Oryza rufipogon , we investigated phosphorus uptake1 ( Pup1 ) locus with 11 previously reported SSR markers and sequence characterized the phosphorus-starvation tolerance 1 ( PSTOL1 ) gene. In the present study, we screened 182 accessions of O. rufipogon along with Vandana as a positive control with SSR markers. From the analysis, it was inferred that all of the O. rufipogon accessions undertaken in this study had an insertion of 90 kb region, including Pup1 -K46, a diagnostic marker for PSTOL1 , however, it was absent among O. sativa cv. PR114, PR121, and PR122. The complete PSTOL1 gene was also sequenced in 67 representative accessions of O. rufipogon and Vandana as a positive control. From comparative sequence analysis, 53 mutations (52 SNPs and 1 nonsense mutation) were found in the PSTOL1 coding region, of which 28 were missense mutations and 10 corresponded to changes in the amino acid polarity. These 53 mutations correspond to 17 haplotypes, of these 6 were shared and 11 were scored only once. A major shared haplotype was observed among 44 accessions of O. rufipogon along with Vandana and Kasalath. Out of 17 haplotypes, accessions representing 8 haplotypes were grown under the phosphorus-deficient conditions in hydroponics for 60 days. Significant differences were observed in the root length and weight among all the genotypes when grown under phosphorus deficiency conditions as compared to the phosphorus sufficient conditions. The O. rufipogon accession IRGC 106506 from Laos performed significantly better, with 2.5 times higher root weight and phosphorus content as compared to the positive control

Guiding phosphorus stewardship for multiple ecosystem services

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Phosphorus is vital to agricultural production and water quality regulation. While the role of phosphorus in agriculture and water quality has been studied for decades, the benefits of sustainable phosphorus use and management for society due to its downstream impacts on multiple ecosystem services...

Primordial non-Gaussianity and reionization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lidz, Adam; Baxter, Eric J.; Adshead, Peter; Dodelson, Scott

2013-07-01

The statistical properties of the primordial perturbations contain clues about their origins. Although the Planck collaboration has recently obtained tight constraints on primordial non-Gaussianity from cosmic microwave background measurements, it is still worthwhile to mine upcoming data sets in an effort to place independent or competitive limits. The ionized bubbles that formed at redshift z˜6-20 during the epoch of reionization were seeded by primordial overdensities, and so the statistics of the ionization field at high redshift are related to the statistics of the primordial field. Here we model the effect of primordial non-Gaussianity on the reionization field. The epoch and duration of reionization are affected, as are the sizes of the ionized bubbles, but these changes are degenerate with variations in the properties of the ionizing sources and the surrounding intergalactic medium. A more promising signature is the power spectrum of the spatial fluctuations in the ionization field, which may be probed by upcoming 21 cm surveys. This has the expected 1/k2 dependence on large scales, characteristic of a biased tracer of the matter field. We project how well upcoming 21 cm observations will be able to disentangle this signal from foreground contamination. Although foreground cleaning inevitably removes the large-scale modes most impacted by primordial non-Gaussianity, we find that primordial non-Gaussianity can be separated from foreground contamination for a narrow range of length scales. In principle, futuristic redshifted 21 cm surveys may allow constraints competitive with Planck.

Benthic phosphorus regeneration in the Potomac River Estuary

USGS Publications Warehouse

Callender, E.

1982-01-01

The flux of dissolved reactive phosphate from Potomac riverine and estuarine sediments is controlled by processes occurring at the water-sediment interface and within surficial sediment. In situ benthic fluxes (0.1 to 2.0 mmoles m-2 day-1) are generally five to ten times higher than calculated diffusive fluxes (0.020 to 0.30 mmoles m-2 day-1). The discrepancy between the two flux estimates is greatest in the transition zone (river mile 50 to 70) and is attributd to macrofaunal irrigation. Both in situ and diffusive fluxes of dissolved reactive phosphate from Potomac tidal river sediments are low while those from anoxic lower estuarine sediments are high. The net accumulation rate of phosphorus in benthic sediment exhibits an inverse pattern. Thus a large fraction of phosphorus is retained by Potomac tidal river sediments, which contain a surficial oxidized layer and oligochaete worms tolerant of low oxygen conditions, and a large fraction of phosphorus is released from anoxic lower estuary sediments. Tidal river sediment pore waters are in equilibrium with amorphous Fe (OH)3 while lower estuary pore waters are significantly undersaturated with respect to this phase. Benthic regeneration of dissolved reactive phosphorus is sufficient to supply all the phosphorus requirements for net primary production in the lower tidal river and transition-zone waters of the Potomac River Estuary. Benthic regeneration supplies approximately 25% as much phosphorus as inputs from sewage treatment plants and 10% of all phosphorus inputs to the tidal Potomac River. When all available point source phosphorus data are put into a steady-state conservation of mass model and reasonable coefficients for uptake of dissolved phosphorus, remineralization of particulate phosphorus, and sedimentation of particulate phosphorus are used in the model, a reasonably accurate simulation of dissolved and particulate phosphorus in the water column is obtained for the summer of 1980. ?? 1982 Dr W. Junk

The New Nordic Diet: phosphorus content and absorption.

PubMed

Salomo, Louise; Poulsen, Sanne K; Rix, Marianne; Kamper, Anne-Lise; Larsen, Thomas M; Astrup, Arne

2016-04-01

High phosphorus content in the diet may have adverse effect on cardiovascular health. We investigated whether the New Nordic Diet (NND), based mainly on local, organic and less processed food and large amounts of fruit, vegetables, wholegrain and fish, versus an Average Danish Diet (ADD) would reduce the phosphorus load due to less phosphorus-containing food additives, animal protein and more plant-based proteins. Phosphorus and creatinine were measured in plasma and urine at baseline, week 12 and week 26 in 132 centrally obese subjects with normal renal function as part of a post hoc analysis of data acquired from a 26-week controlled trial. We used the fractional phosphorus excretion as a measurement of phosphorus absorption. Mean baseline fractional phosphorus excretion was 20.9 ± 6.6 % in the NND group (n = 82) and 20.8 ± 5.5 % in the ADD group (n = 50) and was decreased by 2.8 ± 5.1 and 3.1 ± 5.4 %, respectively, (p = 0.6) at week 26. At week 26, the mean change in plasma phosphorus was 0.04 ± 0.12 mmol/L in the NND group and -0.03 ± 0.13 mmol/L in the ADD group (p = 0.001). Mean baseline phosphorus intake was 1950 ± 16 mg/10 MJ in the NND group and 1968 ± 22 mg/10 MJ in the ADD group and decreased less in the NND compared to the ADD (67 ± 36 mg/10 MJ and -266 ± 45 mg/day, respectively, p < 0.298). Contrary to expectations, the NND had a high phosphorus intake and did not decrease the fractional phosphorus excretion compared with ADD. Further modifications of the diet are needed in order to make this food concept beneficial regarding phosphorus absorption.

49 CFR 173.188 - White or yellow phosphorus.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 49 Transportation 2 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false White or yellow phosphorus. 173.188 Section 173... Class 7 § 173.188 White or yellow phosphorus. Phosphorus, white or yellow, when offered for... pound) of phosphorus with screw-top closures; or (2) Steel drums (1A1) not over 250 L (66 gallons...

49 CFR 173.188 - White or yellow phosphorus.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 49 Transportation 2 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false White or yellow phosphorus. 173.188 Section 173... Class 7 § 173.188 White or yellow phosphorus. Phosphorus, white or yellow, when offered for... pound) of phosphorus with screw-top closures; or (2) Steel drums (1A1) not over 250 L (66 gallons...

Biomass recycling and Earth’s early phosphorus cycle

PubMed Central

Kipp, Michael A.; Stüeken, Eva E.

2017-01-01

Phosphorus sets the pace of marine biological productivity on geological time scales. Recent estimates of Precambrian phosphorus levels suggest a severe deficit of this macronutrient, with the depletion attributed to scavenging by iron minerals. We propose that the size of the marine phosphorus reservoir was instead constrained by muted liberation of phosphorus during the remineralization of biomass. In the modern ocean, most biomass-bound phosphorus gets aerobically recycled; but a dearth of oxidizing power in Earth’s early oceans would have limited the stoichiometric capacity for remineralization, particularly during the Archean. The resulting low phosphorus concentrations would have substantially hampered primary productivity, contributing to the delayed rise of atmospheric oxygen. PMID:29202032

[Influence of dredging on sediment resuspension and phosphorus transfer in lake: a simulation study].

PubMed

Yu, Ju-Hua; Zhong, Ji-Cheng; Zhang, Yin-Long; Fan, Cheng-Xin; He, Wei; Zhang, Lei; Tang, Zhen-Wu

2012-10-01

A simulated experiment was conducted to investigate the impacts of sediment dredging on sediment resuspension and phosphorus transfer in the summer and winter seasons under the common wind-wave disturbance, and the contaminated sediment used in this study was from Meiliang Bay, Taihu lake. The result showed that 20 cm dredging could effectively inhibit the sediment resuspension in study area, dredging in winter has a better effect than that in summer, and the higher values of the total suspended solid (TSS) in undredged and dredged water column during the process of wind wave disturbance were 7.0 and 2.2, 24.3 and 6.4 times higher than the initial value in summer and winter simulation respectively. The paired-samples t-test result demonstrated that total phosphorus (TP) and phosphate (PO4(3-)-P) loading positively correlated to TSS content in dredged (P<0.01) and undredged water column (P<0.05), which proved that internal phosphorus fulminating release induced by wind-wave disturbance would significantly increase the TP and PO4(3-)-P loading in the water column. The effect of dredging conducted in summer on the TP and PO4(3)-P loading in the water column was negative, but not for winter dredging (P<0.01). The pore water dissolved reactive phosphorus (DRP) profile at water-sediment interface in summer simulation was also investigated by diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) technique. Diffusion layer of the DRP profile in undredged sediment was wider than that in dredged sediment. However, the DRP diffusion potential in dredged sediment was greater than that in undredged sediment, showing that dredging can effectively reduce the risk of the DRP potential release in dredged pore water, but also would induce the DRP fulminating release in the short time under hydrodynamic action. Generally, dredging was usually deployed during the summer and the autumn. Considering Taihu Lake is a large, shallow, eutrophic lake and the contaminant distribution is spatially

Some error bounds for K-iterated Gaussian recursive filters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cuomo, Salvatore; Galletti, Ardelio; Giunta, Giulio; Marcellino, Livia

2016-10-01

Recursive filters (RFs) have achieved a central role in several research fields over the last few years. For example, they are used in image processing, in data assimilation and in electrocardiogram denoising. More in particular, among RFs, the Gaussian RFs are an efficient computational tool for approximating Gaussian-based convolutions and are suitable for digital image processing and applications of the scale-space theory. As is a common knowledge, the Gaussian RFs, applied to signals with support in a finite domain, generate distortions and artifacts, mostly localized at the boundaries. Heuristic and theoretical improvements have been proposed in literature to deal with this issue (namely boundary conditions). They include the case in which a Gaussian RF is applied more than once, i.e. the so called K-iterated Gaussian RFs. In this paper, starting from a summary of the comprehensive mathematical background, we consider the case of the K-iterated first-order Gaussian RF and provide the study of its numerical stability and some component-wise theoretical error bounds.

Kurtosis, skewness, and non-Gaussian cosmological density perturbations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Luo, Xiaochun; Schramm, David N.

1993-01-01

Cosmological topological defects as well as some nonstandard inflation models can give rise to non-Gaussian density perturbations. Skewness and kurtosis are the third and fourth moments that measure the deviation of a distribution from a Gaussian. Measurement of these moments for the cosmological density field and for the microwave background temperature anisotropy can provide a test of the Gaussian nature of the primordial fluctuation spectrum. In the case of the density field, the importance of measuring the kurtosis is stressed since it will be preserved through the weakly nonlinear gravitational evolution epoch. Current constraints on skewness and kurtosis of primeval perturbations are obtained from the observed density contrast on small scales and from recent COBE observations of temperature anisotropies on large scales. It is also shown how, in principle, future microwave anisotropy experiments might be able to reveal the initial skewness and kurtosis. It is shown that present data argue that if the initial spectrum is adiabatic, then it is probably Gaussian, but non-Gaussian isocurvature fluctuations are still allowed, and these are what topological defects provide.

Impact of Fish Farming on Phosphorus in Reservoir Sediments

PubMed Central

Jia, Binyang; Tang, Ya; Tian, Liyan; Franz, Leander; Alewell, Christine; Huang, Jen-How

2015-01-01

Fish farming has seriously influenced the aquatic environment in Sancha reservoir in SW China since 1985 and has been strongly restricted since 2005. Thus, phosphorus speciation in a sediment core dated between 1945 and 2010 at cm-resolution and in surface sediments from Sancha reservoir may allow us track how fish farming impacts phosphorus dynamics in lake sediments. Fish farming shifts the major binding forms of phosphorus in sediments from organic to residual phosphorus, which mostly originated from fish feed. Sorption to metal oxides and association with organic matters are important mechanisms for phosphorus immobilisation with low fish farming activities, whereas calcium-bound phosphorous had an essential contribution to sediment phosphorus increases under intensive fish framing. Notwithstanding the shifting, the aforementioned phosphorus fractions are usually inert in the lake environment, therefore changing phosphorus mobility little. The use of fish feed and water-purification reagents, the most important additives for fish farming, introduce not only phosphorus but also large amounts of sand-sized minerals such as quartz into the lake, to which phosphorus weakly sorbs. The sand-sized minerals as additional sorbents increase the pool of easily mobilisable phosphorus in sediments, which will slow down the recovery of reservoir water due to its rapid re-mobilisation. PMID:26577441

Non-Gaussianity in a quasiclassical electronic circuit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suzuki, Takafumi J.; Hayakawa, Hisao

2017-05-01

We study the non-Gaussian dynamics of a quasiclassical electronic circuit coupled to a mesoscopic conductor. Non-Gaussian noise accompanying the nonequilibrium transport through the conductor significantly modifies the stationary probability density function (PDF) of the flux in the dissipative circuit. We incorporate weak quantum fluctuation of the dissipative LC circuit with a stochastic method and evaluate the quantum correction of the stationary PDF. Furthermore, an inverse formula to infer the statistical properties of the non-Gaussian noise from the stationary PDF is derived in the classical-quantum crossover regime. The quantum correction is indispensable to correctly estimate the microscopic transfer events in the QPC with the quasiclassical inverse formula.

Quantum non-Gaussianity and quantification of nonclassicality

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kühn, B.; Vogel, W.

2018-05-01

The algebraic quantification of nonclassicality, which naturally arises from the quantum superposition principle, is related to properties of regular nonclassicality quasiprobabilities. The latter are obtained by non-Gaussian filtering of the Glauber-Sudarshan P function. They yield lower bounds for the degree of nonclassicality. We also derive bounds for convex combinations of Gaussian states for certifying quantum non-Gaussianity directly from the experimentally accessible nonclassicality quasiprobabilities. Other quantum-state representations, such as s -parametrized quasiprobabilities, insufficiently indicate or even fail to directly uncover detailed information on the properties of quantum states. As an example, our approach is applied to multi-photon-added squeezed vacuum states.

Axial acoustic radiation force on a sphere in Gaussian field

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wu, Rongrong; Liu, Xiaozhou, E-mail: xzliu@nju.edu.cn; Gong, Xiufen

2015-10-28

Based on the finite series method, the acoustical radiation force resulting from a Gaussian beam incident on a spherical object is investigated analytically. When the position of the particles deviating from the center of the beam, the Gaussian beam is expanded as a spherical function at the center of the particles and the expanded coefficients of the Gaussian beam is calculated. The analytical expression of the acoustic radiation force on spherical particles deviating from the Gaussian beam center is deduced. The acoustic radiation force affected by the acoustic frequency and the offset distance from the Gaussian beam center is investigated.more » Results have been presented for Gaussian beams with different wavelengths and it has been shown that the interaction of a Gaussian beam with a sphere can result in attractive axial force under specific operational conditions. Results indicate the capability of manipulating and separating spherical spheres based on their mechanical and acoustical properties, the results provided here may provide a theoretical basis for development of single-beam acoustical tweezers.« less

Comparisons of non-Gaussian statistical models in DNA methylation analysis.

PubMed

Ma, Zhanyu; Teschendorff, Andrew E; Yu, Hong; Taghia, Jalil; Guo, Jun

2014-06-16

As a key regulatory mechanism of gene expression, DNA methylation patterns are widely altered in many complex genetic diseases, including cancer. DNA methylation is naturally quantified by bounded support data; therefore, it is non-Gaussian distributed. In order to capture such properties, we introduce some non-Gaussian statistical models to perform dimension reduction on DNA methylation data. Afterwards, non-Gaussian statistical model-based unsupervised clustering strategies are applied to cluster the data. Comparisons and analysis of different dimension reduction strategies and unsupervised clustering methods are presented. Experimental results show that the non-Gaussian statistical model-based methods are superior to the conventional Gaussian distribution-based method. They are meaningful tools for DNA methylation analysis. Moreover, among several non-Gaussian methods, the one that captures the bounded nature of DNA methylation data reveals the best clustering performance.

Comparisons of Non-Gaussian Statistical Models in DNA Methylation Analysis

PubMed Central

Ma, Zhanyu; Teschendorff, Andrew E.; Yu, Hong; Taghia, Jalil; Guo, Jun

2014-01-01

As a key regulatory mechanism of gene expression, DNA methylation patterns are widely altered in many complex genetic diseases, including cancer. DNA methylation is naturally quantified by bounded support data; therefore, it is non-Gaussian distributed. In order to capture such properties, we introduce some non-Gaussian statistical models to perform dimension reduction on DNA methylation data. Afterwards, non-Gaussian statistical model-based unsupervised clustering strategies are applied to cluster the data. Comparisons and analysis of different dimension reduction strategies and unsupervised clustering methods are presented. Experimental results show that the non-Gaussian statistical model-based methods are superior to the conventional Gaussian distribution-based method. They are meaningful tools for DNA methylation analysis. Moreover, among several non-Gaussian methods, the one that captures the bounded nature of DNA methylation data reveals the best clustering performance. PMID:24937687

Two-dimensional beam profiles and one-dimensional projections

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Findlay, D. J. S.; Jones, B.; Adams, D. J.

2018-05-01

One-dimensional projections of improved two-dimensional representations of transverse profiles of particle beams are proposed for fitting to data from harp-type monitors measuring beam profiles on particle accelerators. Composite distributions, with tails smoothly matched on to a central (inverted) parabola, are shown to give noticeably better fits than single gaussian and single parabolic distributions to data from harp-type beam profile monitors all along the proton beam transport lines to the two target stations on the ISIS Spallation Neutron Source. Some implications for inferring beam current densities on the beam axis are noted.

Sustainable use of phosphorus: a finite resource.

PubMed

Scholz, Roland W; Ulrich, Andrea E; Eilittä, Marjatta; Roy, Amit

2013-09-01

Phosphorus is an essential element of life and of the modern agricultural system. Today, science, policy, agro-industry and other stakeholder groups are increasingly concerned about the sustainable use of this resource, given the dissipative nature of phosphorus and difficulties in assessing, evaluating, and coping with phosphorus pollution in aquatic and terrestrial systems. We argue that predictions about a forthcoming peak, followed by a quick reduction (i.e., physical phosphate rock scarcity) are unreasoned and stress that access to phosphorus (economic scarcity) is already, and may increasingly become critical, in particular for smallholders farmers in different parts of the world. The paper elaborates on the design, development, goals and cutting-edge contributions of a global transdisciplinary process (i.e. mutual learning between science and society including multiple stakeholders) on the understanding of potential contributions and risks related to the current mode of using phosphorus on multiple scales (Global TraPs). While taking a global and comprehensive view on the whole phosphorus-supply chain, Global TraPs organizes and integrates multiple transdisciplinary case studies to better answer questions which inform sustainable future phosphorus use. Its major goals are to contribute to four issues central to sustainable resource management: i) long-term management of biogeochemical cycles, in particular the challenge of closing the phosphorus cycle, ii) achieving food security, iii) avoiding environmental pollution and iv) sustainability learning on a global level by transdisciplinary processes. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Analysis of randomly time varying systems by gaussian closure technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dash, P. K.; Iyengar, R. N.

1982-07-01

The Gaussian probability closure technique is applied to study the random response of multidegree of freedom stochastically time varying systems under non-Gaussian excitations. Under the assumption that the response, the coefficient and the excitation processes are jointly Gaussian, deterministic equations are derived for the first two response moments. It is further shown that this technique leads to the best Gaussian estimate in a minimum mean square error sense. An example problem is solved which demonstrates the capability of this technique for handling non-linearity, stochastic system parameters and amplitude limited responses in a unified manner. Numerical results obtained through the Gaussian closure technique compare well with the exact solutions.

Diffusion weighted imaging in patients with rectal cancer: Comparison between Gaussian and non-Gaussian models

PubMed Central

Marias, Kostas; Lambregts, Doenja M. J.; Nikiforaki, Katerina; van Heeswijk, Miriam M.; Bakers, Frans C. H.; Beets-Tan, Regina G. H.

2017-01-01

Purpose The purpose of this study was to compare the performance of four diffusion models, including mono and bi-exponential both Gaussian and non-Gaussian models, in diffusion weighted imaging of rectal cancer. Material and methods Nineteen patients with rectal adenocarcinoma underwent MRI examination of the rectum before chemoradiation therapy including a 7 b-value diffusion sequence (0, 25, 50, 100, 500, 1000 and 2000 s/mm2) at a 1.5T scanner. Four different diffusion models including mono- and bi-exponential Gaussian (MG and BG) and non-Gaussian (MNG and BNG) were applied on whole tumor volumes of interest. Two different statistical criteria were recruited to assess their fitting performance, including the adjusted-R2 and Root Mean Square Error (RMSE). To decide which model better characterizes rectal cancer, model selection was relied on Akaike Information Criteria (AIC) and F-ratio. Results All candidate models achieved a good fitting performance with the two most complex models, the BG and the BNG, exhibiting the best fitting performance. However, both criteria for model selection indicated that the MG model performed better than any other model. In particular, using AIC Weights and F-ratio, the pixel-based analysis demonstrated that tumor areas better described by the simplest MG model in an average area of 53% and 33%, respectively. Non-Gaussian behavior was illustrated in an average area of 37% according to the F-ratio, and 7% using AIC Weights. However, the distributions of the pixels best fitted by each of the four models suggest that MG failed to perform better than any other model in all patients, and the overall tumor area. Conclusion No single diffusion model evaluated herein could accurately describe rectal tumours. These findings probably can be explained on the basis of increased tumour heterogeneity, where areas with high vascularity could be fitted better with bi-exponential models, and areas with necrosis would mostly follow mono

Diffusion weighted imaging in patients with rectal cancer: Comparison between Gaussian and non-Gaussian models.

PubMed

Manikis, Georgios C; Marias, Kostas; Lambregts, Doenja M J; Nikiforaki, Katerina; van Heeswijk, Miriam M; Bakers, Frans C H; Beets-Tan, Regina G H; Papanikolaou, Nikolaos

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to compare the performance of four diffusion models, including mono and bi-exponential both Gaussian and non-Gaussian models, in diffusion weighted imaging of rectal cancer. Nineteen patients with rectal adenocarcinoma underwent MRI examination of the rectum before chemoradiation therapy including a 7 b-value diffusion sequence (0, 25, 50, 100, 500, 1000 and 2000 s/mm2) at a 1.5T scanner. Four different diffusion models including mono- and bi-exponential Gaussian (MG and BG) and non-Gaussian (MNG and BNG) were applied on whole tumor volumes of interest. Two different statistical criteria were recruited to assess their fitting performance, including the adjusted-R2 and Root Mean Square Error (RMSE). To decide which model better characterizes rectal cancer, model selection was relied on Akaike Information Criteria (AIC) and F-ratio. All candidate models achieved a good fitting performance with the two most complex models, the BG and the BNG, exhibiting the best fitting performance. However, both criteria for model selection indicated that the MG model performed better than any other model. In particular, using AIC Weights and F-ratio, the pixel-based analysis demonstrated that tumor areas better described by the simplest MG model in an average area of 53% and 33%, respectively. Non-Gaussian behavior was illustrated in an average area of 37% according to the F-ratio, and 7% using AIC Weights. However, the distributions of the pixels best fitted by each of the four models suggest that MG failed to perform better than any other model in all patients, and the overall tumor area. No single diffusion model evaluated herein could accurately describe rectal tumours. These findings probably can be explained on the basis of increased tumour heterogeneity, where areas with high vascularity could be fitted better with bi-exponential models, and areas with necrosis would mostly follow mono-exponential behavior.

Quantifying non-Gaussianity for quantum information

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Genoni, Marco G.; Paris, Matteo G. A.

2010-11-01

We address the quantification of non-Gaussianity (nG) of states and operations in continuous-variable systems and its use in quantum information. We start by illustrating in detail the properties and the relationships of two recently proposed measures of nG based on the Hilbert-Schmidt distance and the quantum relative entropy (QRE) between the state under examination and a reference Gaussian state. We then evaluate the non-Gaussianities of several families of non-Gaussian quantum states and show that the two measures have the same basic properties and also share the same qualitative behavior in most of the examples taken into account. However, we also show that they introduce a different relation of order; that is, they are not strictly monotone to each other. We exploit the nG measures for states in order to introduce a measure of nG for quantum operations, to assess Gaussification and de-Gaussification protocols, and to investigate in detail the role played by nG in entanglement-distillation protocols. Besides, we exploit the QRE-based nG measure to provide different insight on the extremality of Gaussian states for some entropic quantities such as conditional entropy, mutual information, and the Holevo bound. We also deal with parameter estimation and present a theorem connecting the QRE nG to the quantum Fisher information. Finally, since evaluation of the QRE nG measure requires the knowledge of the full density matrix, we derive some experimentally friendly lower bounds to nG for some classes of states and by considering the possibility of performing on the states only certain efficient or inefficient measurements.

How Gaussian can our Universe be?

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cabass, G.; Pajer, E.; Schmidt, F., E-mail: giovanni.cabass@roma1.infn.it, E-mail: e.pajer@uu.nl, E-mail: fabians@mpa-garching.mpg.de

Gravity is a non-linear theory, and hence, barring cancellations, the initial super-horizon perturbations produced by inflation must contain some minimum amount of mode coupling, or primordial non-Gaussianity. In single-field slow-roll models, where this lower bound is saturated, non-Gaussianity is controlled by two observables: the tensor-to-scalar ratio, which is uncertain by more than fifty orders of magnitude; and the scalar spectral index, or tilt, which is relatively well measured. It is well known that to leading and next-to-leading order in derivatives, the contributions proportional to the tilt disappear from any local observable, and suspicion has been raised that this might happenmore » to all orders, allowing for an arbitrarily low amount of primordial non-Gaussianity. Employing Conformal Fermi Coordinates, we show explicitly that this is not the case. Instead, a contribution of order the tilt appears in local observables. In summary, the floor of physical primordial non-Gaussianity in our Universe has a squeezed-limit scaling of k {sub ℓ}{sup 2}/ k {sub s} {sup 2}, similar to equilateral and orthogonal shapes, and a dimensionless amplitude of order 0.1 × ( n {sub s}−1).« less

Anthropogenic phosphorus flow analysis of Hefei City, China.

PubMed

Li, Sisi; Yuan, Zengwei; Bi, Jun; Wu, Huijun

2010-11-01

The substance flow analysis (SFA) method was employed to examine phosphorus flow and its connection to water pollution in the city of Hefei, China, in 2008. As human activity is the driving force of phosphorus flux from the environment to the economy, the study provides a conceptual framework for analyzing an anthropogenic phosphorus cycle that includes four stages: extraction, fabrication and manufacturing, use, and waste management. Estimates of phosphorus flow were based on existing data as well as field research, expert advice, local accounting systems, and literature. The total phosphorus input into Hefei in 2008 reached 7810 tons, mainly as phosphate ore, chemical fertilizer, pesticides, crops and animal products. Approximately 33% of the total phosphorus input left the area, and nearly 20% of that amount was discharged as waste to surface water. Effluent containing excessive fertilizer from farming operations plays an important role in phosphorus overloads onto surface water; the other major emission source is sewage discharge. We also provide suggestions for reducing phosphorus emissions, for example reducing fertilizer use, recycling farming residues, and changing human consumption patterns. Crown Copyright © 2010. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Transformation of apatite phosphorus and non-apatite inorganic phosphorus during incineration of sewage sludge.

PubMed

Li, Rundong; Zhang, Ziheng; Li, Yanlong; Teng, Wenchao; Wang, Weiyun; Yang, Tianhua

2015-12-01

The recovery of phosphorus from incinerated sewage sludge ash (SSA) is assumed to be economical. Transformation from non-apatite inorganic phosphorus (NAIP) to apatite phosphorus (AP), which has a higher bioavailability and more extensive industrial applications, was studied at 750-950°C by sewage sludge incineration and model compound incineration with a calcium oxide (CaO) additive. Thermogravimetric differential scanning calorimetry analysis and X-ray diffraction measurements were used to analyze the reactions between NAIP with CaO and crystallized phases in SSA. High temperatures stimulated the volatilization of NAIP instead of AP. Sewage sludge incineration with CaO transformed NAIP into AP, and the percentage of AP from the total phosphorus reached 99% at 950°C. Aluminum phosphate reacted with CaO, forming Ca2P2O7 and Ca3(PO4)2 at 750-950°C. Reactions between iron phosphate and CaO occurred at lower temperatures, forming Ca(PO3)2 before reaching 850°C. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Phosphorus Fate and Dynamics in Greywater Biofiltration Systems.

PubMed

Fowdar, Harsha S; Hatt, Belinda E; Cresswell, Tom; Harrison, Jennifer J; Cook, Perran L M; Deletic, Ana

2017-02-21

Phosphorus, a critical environmental pollutant, is effectively removed from stormwater by biofiltration systems, mainly via sedimentation and straining. However, the fate of dissolved inflow phosphorus concentrations in these systems is unknown. Given the growing interest in using biofiltration systems to treat other polluted waters, for example greywater, such an understanding is imperative to optimize designs for successful long-term performance. A mass balance method and a radiotracer, 32 P (as H 3 PO 4 ), were used to investigate the partitioning of phosphorus (concentrations of 2.5-3.5 mg/L, >80% was in dissolved inorganic form) between the various biofilter components at the laboratory scale. Planted columns maintained a phosphorus removal efficiency of >95% over the 15-week study period. Plant storage was found to be the dominant phosphorus sink (64% on average). Approximately 60% of the phosphorus retained in the filter media was recovered in the top 0-6 cm. The 32 P tracer results indicate that adsorption is the immediate primary fate of dissolved phosphorus in the system (up to 57% of input P). Plant assimilation occurs at other times, potentially liberating sorption sites for processing of subsequent incoming phosphorus. Plants with high nutrient uptake capacities and the ability to efficiently extract soil phosphorus, for example Carex appressa, are, thus, recommended for use in greywater biofilters.

TH-C-BRD-04: Beam Modeling and Validation with Triple and Double Gaussian Dose Kernel for Spot Scanning Proton Beams

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hirayama, S; Takayanagi, T; Fujii, Y

2014-06-15

Purpose: To present the validity of our beam modeling with double and triple Gaussian dose kernels for spot scanning proton beams in Nagoya Proton Therapy Center. This study investigates the conformance between the measurements and calculation results in absolute dose with two types of beam kernel. Methods: A dose kernel is one of the important input data required for the treatment planning software. The dose kernel is the 3D dose distribution of an infinitesimal pencil beam of protons in water and consists of integral depth doses and lateral distributions. We have adopted double and triple Gaussian model as lateral distributionmore » in order to take account of the large angle scattering due to nuclear reaction by fitting simulated inwater lateral dose profile for needle proton beam at various depths. The fitted parameters were interpolated as a function of depth in water and were stored as a separate look-up table for the each beam energy. The process of beam modeling is based on the method of MDACC [X.R.Zhu 2013]. Results: From the comparison results between the absolute doses calculated by double Gaussian model and those measured at the center of SOBP, the difference is increased up to 3.5% in the high-energy region because the large angle scattering due to nuclear reaction is not sufficiently considered at intermediate depths in the double Gaussian model. In case of employing triple Gaussian dose kernels, the measured absolute dose at the center of SOBP agrees with calculation within ±1% regardless of the SOBP width and maximum range. Conclusion: We have demonstrated the beam modeling results of dose distribution employing double and triple Gaussian dose kernel. Treatment planning system with the triple Gaussian dose kernel has been successfully verified and applied to the patient treatment with a spot scanning technique in Nagoya Proton Therapy Center.« less

Broad distribution spectrum from Gaussian to power law appears in stochastic variations in RNA-seq data.

PubMed

Awazu, Akinori; Tanabe, Takahiro; Kamitani, Mari; Tezuka, Ayumi; Nagano, Atsushi J

2018-05-29

Gene expression levels exhibit stochastic variations among genetically identical organisms under the same environmental conditions. In many recent transcriptome analyses based on RNA sequencing (RNA-seq), variations in gene expression levels among replicates were assumed to follow a negative binomial distribution, although the physiological basis of this assumption remains unclear. In this study, RNA-seq data were obtained from Arabidopsis thaliana under eight conditions (21-27 replicates), and the characteristics of gene-dependent empirical probability density function (ePDF) profiles of gene expression levels were analyzed. For A. thaliana and Saccharomyces cerevisiae, various types of ePDF of gene expression levels were obtained that were classified as Gaussian, power law-like containing a long tail, or intermediate. These ePDF profiles were well fitted with a Gauss-power mixing distribution function derived from a simple model of a stochastic transcriptional network containing a feedback loop. The fitting function suggested that gene expression levels with long-tailed ePDFs would be strongly influenced by feedback regulation. Furthermore, the features of gene expression levels are correlated with their functions, with the levels of essential genes tending to follow a Gaussian-like ePDF while those of genes encoding nucleic acid-binding proteins and transcription factors exhibit long-tailed ePDF.

Comparison of phosphorus forms in three extracts of dairy feces by solution 31P NMR analysis

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Using solution 31P NMR spectroscopy, we compared three extractants, deionized water, sodium acetate buffer (pH 5.0) with fresh sodium dithionite (NaAc-SD), and 0.25 M NaOH-0.05 M EDTA (NaOH-EDTA), for the profile of P compounds in two dairy fecal samples. Phosphorus extracted was 35% for water, and...

Efficiency of the human observer for detecting a Gaussian signal at a known location in non-Gaussian distributed lumpy backgrounds.

PubMed

Park, Subok; Gallas, Bradon D; Badano, Aldo; Petrick, Nicholas A; Myers, Kyle J

2007-04-01

A previous study [J. Opt. Soc. Am. A22, 3 (2005)] has shown that human efficiency for detecting a Gaussian signal at a known location in non-Gaussian distributed lumpy backgrounds is approximately 4%. This human efficiency is much less than the reported 40% efficiency that has been documented for Gaussian-distributed lumpy backgrounds [J. Opt. Soc. Am. A16, 694 (1999) and J. Opt. Soc. Am. A18, 473 (2001)]. We conducted a psychophysical study with a number of changes, specifically in display-device calibration and data scaling, from the design of the aforementioned study. Human efficiency relative to the ideal observer was found again to be approximately 5%. Our variance analysis indicates that neither scaling nor display made a statistically significant difference in human performance for the task. We conclude that the non-Gaussian distributed lumpy background is a major factor in our low human-efficiency results.

Sustainable Phosphorus Chemistry: A Silylphosphide Synthon for the Generation of Value-Added Phosphorus Chemicals.

PubMed

Slootweg, J Chris

2018-05-07

Avoiding white phosphorus: Cummins and Geeson have recently described the conversion of phosphoric acid into the novel bis(trichlorosilyl)phosphide anion, which serves as a key intermediate in the synthesis of organophosphines, hexafluorophosphate, and phosphine gas in a reaction sequence that does not rely on white phosphorus. © 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Semisupervised Gaussian Process for Automated Enzyme Search.

PubMed

Mellor, Joseph; Grigoras, Ioana; Carbonell, Pablo; Faulon, Jean-Loup

2016-06-17

Synthetic biology is today harnessing the design of novel and greener biosynthesis routes for the production of added-value chemicals and natural products. The design of novel pathways often requires a detailed selection of enzyme sequences to import into the chassis at each of the reaction steps. To address such design requirements in an automated way, we present here a tool for exploring the space of enzymatic reactions. Given a reaction and an enzyme the tool provides a probability estimate that the enzyme catalyzes the reaction. Our tool first considers the similarity of a reaction to known biochemical reactions with respect to signatures around their reaction centers. Signatures are defined based on chemical transformation rules by using extended connectivity fingerprint descriptors. A semisupervised Gaussian process model associated with the similar known reactions then provides the probability estimate. The Gaussian process model uses information about both the reaction and the enzyme in providing the estimate. These estimates were validated experimentally by the application of the Gaussian process model to a newly identified metabolite in Escherichia coli in order to search for the enzymes catalyzing its associated reactions. Furthermore, we show with several pathway design examples how such ability to assign probability estimates to enzymatic reactions provides the potential to assist in bioengineering applications, providing experimental validation to our proposed approach. To the best of our knowledge, the proposed approach is the first application of Gaussian processes dealing with biological sequences and chemicals, the use of a semisupervised Gaussian process framework is also novel in the context of machine learning applied to bioinformatics. However, the ability of an enzyme to catalyze a reaction depends on the affinity between the substrates of the reaction and the enzyme. This affinity is generally quantified by the Michaelis constant KM

Gaussian statistics for palaeomagnetic vectors

USGS Publications Warehouse

Love, J.J.; Constable, C.G.

2003-01-01

With the aim of treating the statistics of palaeomagnetic directions and intensities jointly and consistently, we represent the mean and the variance of palaeomagnetic vectors, at a particular site and of a particular polarity, by a probability density function in a Cartesian three-space of orthogonal magnetic-field components consisting of a single (unimoda) non-zero mean, spherically-symmetrical (isotropic) Gaussian function. For palaeomagnetic data of mixed polarities, we consider a bimodal distribution consisting of a pair of such symmetrical Gaussian functions, with equal, but opposite, means and equal variances. For both the Gaussian and bi-Gaussian distributions, and in the spherical three-space of intensity, inclination, and declination, we obtain analytical expressions for the marginal density functions, the cumulative distributions, and the expected values and variances for each spherical coordinate (including the angle with respect to the axis of symmetry of the distributions). The mathematical expressions for the intensity and off-axis angle are closed-form and especially manageable, with the intensity distribution being Rayleigh-Rician. In the limit of small relative vectorial dispersion, the Gaussian (bi-Gaussian) directional distribution approaches a Fisher (Bingham) distribution and the intensity distribution approaches a normal distribution. In the opposite limit of large relative vectorial dispersion, the directional distributions approach a spherically-uniform distribution and the intensity distribution approaches a Maxwell distribution. We quantify biases in estimating the properties of the vector field resulting from the use of simple arithmetic averages, such as estimates of the intensity or the inclination of the mean vector, or the variances of these quantities. With the statistical framework developed here and using the maximum-likelihood method, which gives unbiased estimates in the limit of large data numbers, we demonstrate how to

Gaussian statistics for palaeomagnetic vectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Love, J. J.; Constable, C. G.

2003-03-01

With the aim of treating the statistics of palaeomagnetic directions and intensities jointly and consistently, we represent the mean and the variance of palaeomagnetic vectors, at a particular site and of a particular polarity, by a probability density function in a Cartesian three-space of orthogonal magnetic-field components consisting of a single (unimodal) non-zero mean, spherically-symmetrical (isotropic) Gaussian function. For palaeomagnetic data of mixed polarities, we consider a bimodal distribution consisting of a pair of such symmetrical Gaussian functions, with equal, but opposite, means and equal variances. For both the Gaussian and bi-Gaussian distributions, and in the spherical three-space of intensity, inclination, and declination, we obtain analytical expressions for the marginal density functions, the cumulative distributions, and the expected values and variances for each spherical coordinate (including the angle with respect to the axis of symmetry of the distributions). The mathematical expressions for the intensity and off-axis angle are closed-form and especially manageable, with the intensity distribution being Rayleigh-Rician. In the limit of small relative vectorial dispersion, the Gaussian (bi-Gaussian) directional distribution approaches a Fisher (Bingham) distribution and the intensity distribution approaches a normal distribution. In the opposite limit of large relative vectorial dispersion, the directional distributions approach a spherically-uniform distribution and the intensity distribution approaches a Maxwell distribution. We quantify biases in estimating the properties of the vector field resulting from the use of simple arithmetic averages, such as estimates of the intensity or the inclination of the mean vector, or the variances of these quantities. With the statistical framework developed here and using the maximum-likelihood method, which gives unbiased estimates in the limit of large data numbers, we demonstrate how to

Ince-Gaussian series representation of the two-dimensional fractional Fourier transform.

PubMed

Bandres, Miguel A; Gutiérrez-Vega, Julio C

2005-03-01

We introduce the Ince-Gaussian series representation of the two-dimensional fractional Fourier transform in elliptical coordinates. A physical interpretation is provided in terms of field propagation in quadratic graded-index media whose eigenmodes in elliptical coordinates are derived for the first time to our knowledge. The kernel of the new series representation is expressed in terms of Ince-Gaussian functions. The equivalence among the Hermite-Gaussian, Laguerre-Gaussian, and Ince-Gaussian series representations is verified by establishing the relation among the three definitions.

40 CFR 422.20 - Applicability; description of the phosphorus consuming subcategory.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... phosphorus consuming subcategory. 422.20 Section 422.20 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION... Phosphorus Consuming Subcategory § 422.20 Applicability; description of the phosphorus consuming subcategory... manufacture of phosphoric acid, phosphorus pentoxide, phosphorus pentasulfide, phosphorus trichloride, and...

40 CFR 422.20 - Applicability; description of the phosphorus consuming subcategory.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... phosphorus consuming subcategory. 422.20 Section 422.20 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION... Phosphorus Consuming Subcategory § 422.20 Applicability; description of the phosphorus consuming subcategory... manufacture of phosphoric acid, phosphorus pentoxide, phosphorus pentasulfide, phosphorus trichloride, and...

Consistency relations for sharp inflationary non-Gaussian features

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mooij, Sander; Palma, Gonzalo A.; Panotopoulos, Grigoris

If cosmic inflation suffered tiny time-dependent deviations from the slow-roll regime, these would induce the existence of small scale-dependent features imprinted in the primordial spectra, with their shapes and sizes revealing information about the physics that produced them. Small sharp features could be suppressed at the level of the two-point correlation function, making them undetectable in the power spectrum, but could be amplified at the level of the three-point correlation function, offering us a window of opportunity to uncover them in the non-Gaussian bispectrum. In this article, we show that sharp features may be analyzed using only data coming frommore » the three point correlation function parametrizing primordial non-Gaussianity. More precisely, we show that if features appear in a particular non-Gaussian triangle configuration (e.g. equilateral, folded, squeezed), these must reappear in every other configuration according to a specific relation allowing us to correlate features across the non-Gaussian bispectrum. As a result, we offer a method to study scale-dependent features generated during inflation that depends only on data coming from measurements of non-Gaussianity, allowing us to omit data from the power spectrum.« less

The impact of non-Gaussianity upon cosmological forecasts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Repp, A.; Szapudi, I.; Carron, J.; Wolk, M.

2015-12-01

The primary science driver for 3D galaxy surveys is their potential to constrain cosmological parameters. Forecasts of these surveys' effectiveness typically assume Gaussian statistics for the underlying matter density, despite the fact that the actual distribution is decidedly non-Gaussian. To quantify the effect of this assumption, we employ an analytic expression for the power spectrum covariance matrix to calculate the Fisher information for Baryon Acoustic Oscillation (BAO)-type model surveys. We find that for typical number densities, at kmax = 0.5h Mpc-1, Gaussian assumptions significantly overestimate the information on all parameters considered, in some cases by up to an order of magnitude. However, after marginalizing over a six-parameter set, the form of the covariance matrix (dictated by N-body simulations) causes the majority of the effect to shift to the `amplitude-like' parameters, leaving the others virtually unaffected. We find that Gaussian assumptions at such wavenumbers can underestimate the dark energy parameter errors by well over 50 per cent, producing dark energy figures of merit almost three times too large. Thus, for 3D galaxy surveys probing the non-linear regime, proper consideration of non-Gaussian effects is essential.

On the robustness of the q-Gaussian family

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sicuro, Gabriele; Tempesta, Piergiulio; Rodríguez, Antonio; Tsallis, Constantino

2015-12-01

We introduce three deformations, called α-, β- and γ-deformation respectively, of a N-body probabilistic model, first proposed by Rodríguez et al. (2008), having q-Gaussians as N → ∞ limiting probability distributions. The proposed α- and β-deformations are asymptotically scale-invariant, whereas the γ-deformation is not. We prove that, for both α- and β-deformations, the resulting deformed triangles still have q-Gaussians as limiting distributions, with a value of q independent (dependent) on the deformation parameter in the α-case (β-case). In contrast, the γ-case, where we have used the celebrated Q-numbers and the Gauss binomial coefficients, yields other limiting probability distribution functions, outside the q-Gaussian family. These results suggest that scale-invariance might play an important role regarding the robustness of the q-Gaussian family.

Analysis of alkyl phosphates in petroleum samples by comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography with nitrogen phosphorus detection and post-column Deans switching.

PubMed

Nizio, Katie D; Harynuk, James J

2012-08-24

Alkyl phosphate based gellants used as viscosity builders for fracturing fluids used in the process of hydraulic fracturing have been implicated in numerous refinery-fouling incidents in North America. In response, industry developed an inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) based method for the analysis of total volatile phosphorus in distillate fractions of crude oil; however, this method is plagued by poor precision and a high limit of detection (0.5±1μg phosphorus mL(-1)). Furthermore this method cannot provide speciation information, which is critical for developing an understanding of the challenge of alkyl phosphates at a molecular level. An approach using comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography with nitrogen phosphorus detection (GC×GC-NPD) and post-column Deans switching is presented. This method provides qualitative and quantitative profiles of alkyl phosphates in industrial petroleum samples with increased precision and at levels comparable to or below those achievable by ICP-OES. A recovery study in a fracturing fluid sample and a profiling study of alkyl phosphates in four recovered fracturing fluid/crude oil mixtures (flowback) are also presented. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Vector spherical quasi-Gaussian vortex beams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mitri, F. G.

2014-02-01

Model equations for describing and efficiently computing the radiation profiles of tightly spherically focused higher-order electromagnetic beams of vortex nature are derived stemming from a vectorial analysis with the complex-source-point method. This solution, termed as a high-order quasi-Gaussian (qG) vortex beam, exactly satisfies the vector Helmholtz and Maxwell's equations. It is characterized by a nonzero integer degree and order (n,m), respectively, an arbitrary waist w0, a diffraction convergence length known as the Rayleigh range zR, and an azimuthal phase dependency in the form of a complex exponential corresponding to a vortex beam. An attractive feature of the high-order solution is the rigorous description of strongly focused (or strongly divergent) vortex wave fields without the need of either the higher-order corrections or the numerically intensive methods. Closed-form expressions and computational results illustrate the analysis and some properties of the high-order qG vortex beams based on the axial and transverse polarization schemes of the vector potentials with emphasis on the beam waist.

Weakly anomalous diffusion with non-Gaussian propagators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cressoni, J. C.; Viswanathan, G. M.; Ferreira, A. S.; da Silva, M. A. A.

2012-08-01

A poorly understood phenomenon seen in complex systems is diffusion characterized by Hurst exponent H≈1/2 but with non-Gaussian statistics. Motivated by such empirical findings, we report an exact analytical solution for a non-Markovian random walk model that gives rise to weakly anomalous diffusion with H=1/2 but with a non-Gaussian propagator.

Skewness in large-scale structure and non-Gaussian initial conditions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fry, J. N.; Scherrer, Robert J.

1994-01-01

We compute the skewness of the galaxy distribution arising from the nonlinear evolution of arbitrary non-Gaussian intial conditions to second order in perturbation theory including the effects of nonlinear biasing. The result contains a term identical to that for a Gaussian initial distribution plus terms which depend on the skewness and kurtosis of the initial conditions. The results are model dependent; we present calculations for several toy models. At late times, the leading contribution from the initial skewness decays away relative to the other terms and becomes increasingly unimportant, but the contribution from initial kurtosis, previously overlooked, has the same time dependence as the Gaussian terms. Observations of a linear dependence of the normalized skewness on the rms density fluctuation therefore do not necessarily rule out initially non-Gaussian models. We also show that with non-Gaussian initial conditions the first correction to linear theory for the mean square density fluctuation is larger than for Gaussian models.

Preliminary analysis of phosphorus flow in Hue Citadel.

PubMed

Anh, T N Q; Harada, H; Fujii, S; Anh, P N; Lieu, P K; Tanaka, S

2016-01-01

Characteristics of waste and wastewater management can affect material flows. Our research investigates the management of waste and wastewater in urban areas of developing countries and its effects on phosphorus flow based on a case study in Hue Citadel, Hue, Vietnam. One hundred households were interviewed to gain insight into domestic waste and wastewater management together with secondary data collection. Next, a phosphorus flow model was developed to quantify the phosphorus input and output in the area. The results showed that almost all wastewater generated in Hue Citadel was eventually discharged into water bodies and to the ground/groundwater. This led to most of the phosphorus output flowing into water bodies (41.2 kg P/(ha year)) and ground/groundwater (25.3 kg P/(ha year)). Sewage from the sewer system was the largest source of phosphorus loading into water bodies, while effluent from on-site sanitation systems was responsible for a major portion of phosphorus into the ground/groundwater. This elevated phosphorus loading is a serious issue in considering surface water and groundwater protection.

Soil Phosphorus and the Ecology of Tropical Forests

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Turner, B. L.

2016-12-01

Phosphorus availability is commonly assumed to limit forest productivity on strongly weathered soils in the lowland tropics, but experimental evidence is scarce and equivocal. In this presentation I will explore the extent to which phosphorus influences the productivity and distribution of tree species in tropical forests. I will highlight the range of soils that occur in tropical forests and the associated variation in the amounts and forms of soil phosphorus. I will draw on data from a regional-scale network of forest dynamics plots in Panama to show that tree species distributions are determined primarily by dry season intensity and soil phosphorus availability. Finally, I will demonstrate that phosphorus limitation of tropical tree growth is widespread at the level of individual species, but is not observed at the community level in diverse forests due to species turnover across phosphorus gradients.

Effects of scale-dependent non-Gaussianity on cosmological structures

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

LoVerde, Marilena; Miller, Amber; Shandera, Sarah

2008-04-15

The detection of primordial non-Gaussianity could provide a powerful means to test various inflationary scenarios. Although scale-invariant non-Gaussianity (often described by the f{sub NL} formalism) is currently best constrained by the CMB, single-field models with changing sound speed can have strongly scale-dependent non-Gaussianity. Such models could evade the CMB constraints but still have important effects at scales responsible for the formation of cosmological objects such as clusters and galaxies. We compute the effect of scale-dependent primordial non-Gaussianity on cluster number counts as a function of redshift, using a simple ansatz to model scale-dependent features. We forecast constraints on these modelsmore » achievable with forthcoming datasets. We also examine consequences for the galaxy bispectrum. Our results are relevant for the Dirac-Born-Infeld model of brane inflation, where the scale dependence of the non-Gaussianity is directly related to the geometry of the extra dimensions.« less

SU-F-T-158: Experimental Characterization of Field Size Dependence of Dose and Lateral Beam Profiles of Scanning Proton and Carbon Ion Beams for Empirical Model in Air

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Li, Y; Hsi, W; Zhao, J

2016-06-15

Purpose: The Gaussian model for the lateral profiles in air is crucial for an accurate treatment planning system. The field size dependence of dose and the lateral beam profiles of scanning proton and carbon ion beams are due mainly to particles undergoing multiple Coulomb scattering in the beam line components and secondary particles produced by nuclear interactions in the target, both of which depend upon the energy and species of the beam. In this work, lateral profile shape parameters were fitted to measurements of field size dependence dose at the center of field size in air. Methods: Previous studies havemore » employed empirical fits to measured profile data to significantly reduce the QA time required for measurements. From this approach to derive the weight and sigma of lateral profiles in air, empirical model formulations were simulated for three selected energies for both proton and carbon beams. Results: The 20%–80% lateral penumbras predicted by the double model for proton and single model for carbon with the error functions agreed with the measurements within 1 mm. The standard deviation between measured and fitted field size dependence of dose for empirical model in air has a maximum accuracy of 0.74% for proton with double Gaussian, and of 0.57% for carbon with single Gaussian. Conclusion: We have demonstrated that the double Gaussian model of lateral beam profiles is significantly better than the single Gaussian model for proton while a single Gaussian model is sufficient for carbon. The empirical equation may be used to double check the separately obtained model that is currently used by the planning system. The empirical model in air for dose of spot scanning proton and carbon ion beams cannot be directly used for irregular shaped patient fields, but can be to provide reference values for clinical use and quality assurance.« less

Voigt spectral profiles in two-photon resonance fluorescence

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Alexanian, Moorad; Bose, Subir K.; Department of Physics, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida 32816

2007-11-15

A recent work on two-photon fluorescence is extended by considering the pump field to be a coherent state, which represents a laser field operating well above threshold. The dynamical conditions are investigated under which the two-photon spectrum gives rise, in addition to a Lorentzian line shape at the pump frequency, to two Voigt spectral sideband profiles. Additional conditions are found under which the Voigt profile behaves like either a Gaussian or a Lorentzian line shape.

[Research advances in mechanism of high phosphorus use efficiency of plants].

PubMed

Ma, Xiangqing; Liang, Xia

2004-04-01

Phosphorus deficiency is one of the main factors influencing agricultural and forestry productions. Fertilization and soil improvement are the major measures to meet the demand of phosphorus for crops in traditional agriculture and forestry management. Recently, the plants with high phosphorus use efficiency have been discovered to replace the traditional measures to improve phosphorus use efficiency of crops. This paper reviewed the research advances in the morphological, physiological and genetics mechanisms of plants with high phosphorus use efficiency. There were three mechanisms for the plants with high phosphorus use efficiency to grow under phosphorus stress: (1) under low phosphorus stress, the root morphology would change (root system grew fast, root axes became small, the number and density of lateral root increased) and more photosynthesis products would transport from the crown to the root, (2) under low phosphorus stress, plant root exudation increased, mycorrhizae invaded into root system, the feature of root absorption kinetics changed, and the internal phosphorus cycling of plant reinforced to tolerate phosphorus deficiency, and (3) under long selection stress of low phosphorus, some plants would form the genetic properties of phosphorus nutrition that could exploit the hardly soluble phosphorus in the soil.

Patient education for phosphorus management in chronic kidney disease

PubMed Central

Kalantar-Zadeh, Kamyar

2013-01-01

Objectives: This review explores the challenges and solutions in educating patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) to lower serum phosphorus while avoiding protein insufficiency and hypercalcemia. Methods: A literature search including terms “hyperphosphatemia,” “patient education,” “food fatigue,” “hypercalcemia,” and “phosphorus–protein ratio” was undertaken using PubMed. Results: Hyperphosphatemia is a strong predictor of mortality in advanced CKD and is remediated via diet, phosphorus binders, and dialysis. Dietary counseling should encourage the consumption of foods with the least amount of inorganic or absorbable phosphorus, low phosphorus-to-protein ratios, and adequate protein content, and discourage excessive calcium intake in high-risk patients. Emerging educational initiatives include food labeling using a “traffic light” scheme, motivational interviewing techniques, and the Phosphate Education Program – whereby patients no longer have to memorize the phosphorus content of each individual food component, but only a “phosphorus unit” value for a limited number of food groups. Phosphorus binders are associated with a clear survival advantage in CKD patients, overcome the limitations associated with dietary phosphorus restriction, and permit a more flexible approach to achieving normalization of phosphorus levels. Conclusion: Patient education on phosphorus and calcium management can improve concordance and adherence and empower patients to collaborate actively for optimal control of mineral metabolism. PMID:23667310

Effects of systematic nursing instruction on a low-phosphorus diet, serum phosphorus level and pruritus of patients on haemodialysis.

PubMed

Cheng, Ting-Yin; Tarng, Der-Cherng; Liao, Yuan-Mei; Lin, Pi-Chu

2017-02-01

To investigate the effectiveness of systematic nursing instruction on a low-phosphorus diet, serum phosphorus level and pruritus of haemodialysis patients. A high number of end-stage renal disease patients on haemodialysis are bothered by pruritus. Hyperphosphataemia was reported to be related to pruritus. An experimental design was applied. Ninety-four patients who received haemodialysis between September 2013 and December 2013 at a medical centre in Taipei, Taiwan, were recruited. An experimental group received individual systematic nursing instruction by the investigator through a nursing instruction pamphlet and reminder card for taking medication. A control group received traditional nursing instruction. The pruritus, blood phosphorus level and five-day diet records were evaluated before and after intervention. The experimental group had a low-phosphorus diet intake compared with the control group (p < 0·001). A significant difference in serum phosphorus level was observed between the experimental and control groups (p = 0·002). Incidence of pruritus was lower in the experimental group than in the control group (p < 0·001). A systematic nursing instruction included using a pamphlet, pictures and reminder cards, the patients' blood phosphorus levels decreased, the patients consumed more low-phosphorus food, and pruritus decreased. This study recommends that clinical nursing staff include systematic nursing instruction as a routine practice for dialysis patients. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Persistent homology and non-Gaussianity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cole, Alex; Shiu, Gary

2018-03-01

In this paper, we introduce the topological persistence diagram as a statistic for Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) temperature anisotropy maps. A central concept in 'Topological Data Analysis' (TDA), the idea of persistence is to represent a data set by a family of topological spaces. One then examines how long topological features 'persist' as the family of spaces is traversed. We compute persistence diagrams for simulated CMB temperature anisotropy maps featuring various levels of primordial non-Gaussianity of local type. Postponing the analysis of observational effects, we show that persistence diagrams are more sensitive to local non-Gaussianity than previous topological statistics including the genus and Betti number curves, and can constrain Δ fNLloc= 35.8 at the 68% confidence level on the simulation set, compared to Δ fNLloc= 60.6 for the Betti number curves. Given the resolution of our simulations, we expect applying persistence diagrams to observational data will give constraints competitive with those of the Minkowski Functionals. This is the first in a series of papers where we plan to apply TDA to different shapes of non-Gaussianity in the CMB and Large Scale Structure.

Soil phosphorus dynamics under sprinkler and furrow irrigation

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Furrow irrigation detaches and transports soil particles and subsequently nutrients such as phosphorus. To reduce the risk of erosion and offsite phosphorus movement, producers can convert from furrow to sprinkler irrigation. We completed research on soil phosphorus dynamics in furrow versus sprin...

Optimization of spectroscopic surveys for testing non-Gaussianity

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Raccanelli, Alvise; Doré, Olivier; Dalal, Neal, E-mail: alvise@caltech.edu, E-mail: Olivier.P.Dore@jpl.nasa.gov, E-mail: dalaln@illinois.edu

We investigate optimization strategies to measure primordial non-Gaussianity with future spectroscopic surveys. We forecast measurements coming from the 3D galaxy power spectrum and compute constraints on primordial non-Gaussianity parameters f{sub NL} and n{sub NG}. After studying the dependence on those parameters upon survey specifications such as redshift range, area, number density, we assume a reference mock survey and investigate the trade-off between number density and area surveyed. We then define the observational requirements to reach the detection of f{sub NL} of order 1. Our results show that power spectrum constraints on non-Gaussianity from future spectroscopic surveys can improve on currentmore » CMB limits, but the multi-tracer technique and higher order correlations will be needed in order to reach an even better precision in the measurements of the non-Gaussianity parameter f{sub NL}.« less

Phosphorus cycling in the Early Aptian

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oakes, R.; Dittrich, M.; Wortmann, U. G.

2012-12-01

Phosphorus is an essential nutrient for living organisms. It is vital for the formation of ATP, the energy store in cells, and is needed for DNA synthesis. Seawater phosphorus concentration therefore plays a critical role in controlling marine productivity on geological timescales. The majority of research on the P cycle focuses on modern lacustrine and marine settings. This follows the necessity to gain a further understanding on the effects of agricultural fertilisers on nutrient cycling; in particular on the mechanisms which lead to eutrophication. These studies use sequential extraction to determine the speciation of P. The results suggest that bottom sediments can act as both a source and a sink of phosphorus; the role they assume depends on range of factors including bottom water oxygen concentrations, sedimentation rate and the concentration of iron. This study applies a sequential extraction method developed in modern sediments to sediments from the Early Cretaceous, specifically the Early Aptian. During this time, globally synchronous oceanic anoxic events (OAE's) appear in the rock record. It has been suggested that these events represent an increase in marine productivity combined with bottom water anoxia. Our study investigates whether the speciation of sedimentary phosphorus can be used to reconstruct P cycling at this time. Our samples are taken from pre-, syn- and post-OAE1a but are not from the organic matter rich layers. Our results show that the original fractions of phosphorus have been altered during diagenesis with the majority of phosphorus now being preserved as either apatite (Ca-P) or phosphorus in organic matter (Porg). The dominance of Ca-P is expected as it is thought that redox-sensitive forms of P undergo 'sink switching' during diagenesis and are preserved as Ca-P. The high concentration of Porg however, differs from previous studies which generally find that Ca-P or iron (oxyhydr)oxide associated phosphorus (Fe-P) are dominant

Propagation of Ince-Gaussian beams in a thermal lens medium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Ting; Wang, Shaomin

2006-09-01

The propagation of Ince-Gaussian beams in a thermal lens medium is studied in this paper. Based on the ABCD matrix for Gaussian beams passing through a thermal lens medium, distinct expressions for the beam transverse intensity distributions and the longitudinal phase shift are deduced and discussed. Similar to Laguerre and Hermite-Gaussian beams, Ince-Gaussian beams, which constitute the third complete family of exact and orthogonal solutions of the paraxial wave equation, can also be used in other inhomogeneous media such as lenslike media and saturated absorption media.

Management of Natural and Added Dietary Phosphorus Burden in Kidney Disease

PubMed Central

Cupisti, Adamasco; Kalantar-Zadeh, Kamyar

2018-01-01

Phosphorus retention occurs from higher dietary phosphorus intake relative to its renal excretion or dialysis removal. In the gastrointestinal tract the naturally existing organic phosphorus is only partially (~60%) absorbable; however, this absorption varies widely and is lower for plant-based phosphorus including phytate (<40%) and higher for foods enhanced with inorganic-phosphorus-containing preservatives (>80%). The latter phosphorus often remains unrecognized by patients and health care professionals, even though it is widely used in contemporary diets, in particular low-cost foods. In a non-enhanced mixed diet, the digestible phosphorus is closely correlated with total protein content, making protein-rich foods a main source of natural phosphorus. Phosphorus burden is more appropriately limited in pre-dialysis patients who are on low protein diets (~0.6 g/kg/day), whereas dialysis patients who require higher protein intake (~1.2 g/kg/day) are subject to a higher dietary phosphorus load. An effective and patient-friendly approach to reduce phosphorus intake without depriving patients of adequate proteins is to educate patients to avoid foods with high phosphorus relative to protein such as egg yolk and those with high amounts of phosphorus-based preservatives such as certain soft drinks and enhanced cheese and meat. Protein-rich foods should be prepared by boiling, which reduces phosphorus as well as sodium and potassium content, or by other types of cooking induced demineralization. The dose of phosphorus-binding therapy should be adjusted separately for the amount and absorbability of phosphorus in each meal. Dietician counselling to address the foregoing aspects of dietary phosphorus management is instrumental for achieving reduction of phosphorus load. PMID:23465504

phosphorus retention data and metadata

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

phosphorus retention in wetlands data and metadataThis dataset is associated with the following publication:Lane , C., and B. Autrey. Phosphorus retention of forested and emergent marsh depressional wetlands in differing land uses in Florida, USA. Wetlands Ecology and Management. Springer Science and Business Media B.V;Formerly Kluwer Academic Publishers B.V., GERMANY, 24(1): 45-60, (2016).

Electrically-inactive phosphorus re-distribution during low temperature annealing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peral, Ana; Youssef, Amanda; Dastgheib-Shirazi, Amir; Akey, Austin; Peters, Ian Marius; Hahn, Giso; Buonassisi, Tonio; del Cañizo, Carlos

2018-04-01

An increased total dose of phosphorus (P dose) in the first 40 nm of a phosphorus diffused emitter has been measured after Low Temperature Annealing (LTA) at 700 °C using the Glow Discharge Optical Emission Spectrometry technique. This evidence has been observed in three versions of the same emitter containing different amounts of initial phosphorus. A stepwise chemical etching of a diffused phosphorus emitter has been carried out to prepare the three types of samples. The total P dose in the first 40 nm increases during annealing by 1.4 × 1015 cm-2 for the sample with the highly doped emitter, by 0.8 × 1015 cm-2 in the middle-doped emitter, and by 0.5 × 1015 cm-2 in the lowest-doped emitter. The presence of surface dislocations in the first few nanometers of the phosphorus emitter might play a role as preferential sites of local phosphorus gettering in phosphorus re-distribution, because the phosphorus gettering to the first 40 nm is lower when this region is etched stepwise. This total increase in phosphorus takes place even though the calculated electrically active phosphorus concentration shows a reduction, and the measured sheet resistance shows an increase after annealing at a low temperature. The reduced electrically active P dose is around 0.6 × 1015 cm-2 for all the emitters. This can be explained with phosphorus-atoms diffusing towards the surface during annealing, occupying electrically inactive configurations. An atomic-scale visual local analysis is carried out with needle-shaped samples of tens of nm in diameter containing a region of the highly doped emitter before and after LTA using Atom Probe Tomography, showing phosphorus precipitates of 10 nm and less before annealing and an increased density of larger precipitates after annealing (25 nm and less).

Reactive-transport simulation of phosphorus in the sewage plume at the Massachusetts Military Reservation, Cape Cod, Massachusetts

USGS Publications Warehouse

Parkhurst, David L.; Stollenwerk, Kenneth G.; Colman, John A.

2003-01-01

which non-desorbable phosphorus is incorporated in the sediments. The uncertainties were large enough to make it difficult to determine whether loads of phosphorus transported to Ashumet Pond in the 1990s were greater or less than loads during the previous two decades. The model simulations indicate substantial discharge of phosphorus to Ashumet Pond after about 1965. After the period 2000?10 the simulations indicate that the load of phosphorus transported to Ashumet Pond decreases continuously, but the load of phosphorus remains substantial for many decades. The current simulations indicate a peak in phosphorus discharge to Ashumet Pond of about 1,000 kilograms per year during the 1990s; however, comparisons of simulated phosphorus concentrations with measured concentrations in 1993 indicate that the peak in phosphorus load transported to Ashumet Pond may be larger and moving more quickly in the model simulations than in the aquifer. The results of the three-dimensional reactive-transport simulations are consistent with the loading history, experimental laboratory data, and field measurements. The results of the simulations adequately reproduce the spatial distribution of phosphorus concentrations measured in 1993, the magnitude of changes in phosphorus concentration with time in a profile near the disposal beds following cessation of sewage disposal, the observed iron zone in the sewage plume, the approximate flow of treated sewage effluent into Ashumet Valley, and laboratory-column data for phosphorus sorption and desorption.

21 CFR 862.1580 - Phosphorus (inorganic) test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Phosphorus (inorganic) test system. 862.1580... (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES CLINICAL CHEMISTRY AND CLINICAL TOXICOLOGY DEVICES Clinical Chemistry Test Systems § 862.1580 Phosphorus (inorganic) test system. (a) Identification. A phosphorus (inorganic) test...

21 CFR 862.1580 - Phosphorus (inorganic) test system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Phosphorus (inorganic) test system. 862.1580... (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES CLINICAL CHEMISTRY AND CLINICAL TOXICOLOGY DEVICES Clinical Chemistry Test Systems § 862.1580 Phosphorus (inorganic) test system. (a) Identification. A phosphorus (inorganic) test...

The effects of phosphorus additions on the sedimentation of contaminants in a uranium mine pit-lake.

PubMed

Dessouki, Tarik C E; Hudson, Jeff J; Neal, Brian R; Bogard, Matthew J

2005-08-01

We investigated the usefulness of phytoplankton for the removal of surface water contaminants. Nine large mesocosms (92.2m(3)) were suspended in the flooded DJX uranium pit at Cluff Lake (Saskatchewan, Canada), and filled with highly contaminated mine water. Each mesocosm was fertilized with a different amount of phosphorus throughout the 35 day experiment to stimulate phytoplankton growth, and to create a range in phosphorus load (g) to examine how contaminants may be affected by different nutrient regimes. Algal growth was rapid in fertilized mesocosms (as demonstrated by chlorophyll a profiles). As phosphorus loads increased there were significant declines (p<0.05) in the surface water concentrations of As, Co, Cu, Mn, Ni, and Zn. This decline was near significant for uranium (p=0.065). The surface water concentrations of Ra-226, Mo, and Se showed no relationship to phosphorus load. Contaminant concentrations in sediment traps suspended at the bottom of each mesocosm generally showed the opposite trend to that observed in the surface water, with most contaminants (As, Co, Cu, Mn, Ni, Ra-226, U, and Zn) exhibiting a significant positive relationship (p<0.05) with phosphorus load. Selenium and Mo did not respond to nutrient treatments. Our results suggest that phytoremediation has the potential to lower many surface water contaminants through the sedimentation of phytoplankton. Based on our results, we estimate that the Saskatchewan Surface Water Quality Objectives (SSWQO) for DJX pit would be met in approximately 45 weeks for Co, 65 weeks for Ni, 15 weeks for U, and 5 weeks for Zn.

Ocean acidification: One potential driver of phosphorus eutrophication.

PubMed

Ge, Changzi; Chai, Yanchao; Wang, Haiqing; Kan, Manman

2017-02-15

Harmful algal blooms which may be limited by phosphorus outbreak increases currently and ocean acidification worsens presently, which implies that ocean acidification might lead to phosphorus eutrophication. To verify the hypothesis, oxic sediments were exposed to seawater with different pH 30days. If pH was 8.1 and 7.7, the total phosphorus (TP) content in sediments was 1.52±0.50 and 1.29±0.40mg/g. The inorganic phosphorus (IP) content in sediments exposed to seawater with pH8.1 and 7.7 was 1.39±0.10 and 1.06±0.20mg/g, respectively. The exchangeable phosphorus (Ex-P) content in sediments was 4.40±0.45 and 2.82±0.15μg/g, if seawater pH was 8.1 and 7.7. Ex-P and IP contents in oxic sediments were reduced by ocean acidification significantly (p<5%). The reduced phosphorus in sediments diffused into water, which implied that ocean acidification was one potential facilitator of phosphorus eutrophication in oxic conditions. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Comparison of non-Gaussian and Gaussian diffusion models of diffusion weighted imaging of rectal cancer at 3.0 T MRI.

PubMed

Zhang, Guangwen; Wang, Shuangshuang; Wen, Didi; Zhang, Jing; Wei, Xiaocheng; Ma, Wanling; Zhao, Weiwei; Wang, Mian; Wu, Guosheng; Zhang, Jinsong

2016-12-09

Water molecular diffusion in vivo tissue is much more complicated. We aimed to compare non-Gaussian diffusion models of diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) including intra-voxel incoherent motion (IVIM), stretched-exponential model (SEM) and Gaussian diffusion model at 3.0 T MRI in patients with rectal cancer, and to determine the optimal model for investigating the water diffusion properties and characterization of rectal carcinoma. Fifty-nine consecutive patients with pathologically confirmed rectal adenocarcinoma underwent DWI with 16 b-values at a 3.0 T MRI system. DWI signals were fitted to the mono-exponential and non-Gaussian diffusion models (IVIM-mono, IVIM-bi and SEM) on primary tumor and adjacent normal rectal tissue. Parameters of standard apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), slow- and fast-ADC, fraction of fast ADC (f), α value and distributed diffusion coefficient (DDC) were generated and compared between the tumor and normal tissues. The SEM exhibited the best fitting results of actual DWI signal in rectal cancer and the normal rectal wall (R 2  = 0.998, 0.999 respectively). The DDC achieved relatively high area under the curve (AUC = 0.980) in differentiating tumor from normal rectal wall. Non-Gaussian diffusion models could assess tissue properties more accurately than the ADC derived Gaussian diffusion model. SEM may be used as a potential optimal model for characterization of rectal cancer.

Role of sufficient phosphorus in biodiesel production from diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum.

PubMed

Yu, Shi-Jin; Shen, Xiao-Fei; Ge, Huo-Qing; Zheng, Hang; Chu, Fei-Fei; Hu, Hao; Zeng, Raymond J

2016-08-01

In order to study the role of sufficient phosphorus (P) in biodiesel production by microalgae, Phaeodactylum tricornutum were cultivated in six different media treatments with combination of nitrogen (N) sufficiency/deprivation and phosphorus sufficiency/limitation/deprivation. Profiles of N and P, biomass, and fatty acids (FAs) content and compositions were measured during a 7-day cultivation period. The results showed that the FA content in microalgae biomass was promoted by P deprivation. However, statistical analysis showed that FA productivity had no significant difference (p = 0.63, >0.05) under the treatments of N deprivation with P sufficiency (N-P) and N deprivation with P deprivation (N-P-), indicating P sufficiency in N deprivation medium has little effect on increasing biodiesel productivity from P. triornutum. It was also found that the P absorption in N-P medium was 1.41 times higher than that in N sufficiency and P sufficiency (NP) medium. N deprivation with P limitation (N-P-l) was the optimal treatment for producing biodiesel from P. triornutum because of both the highest FA productivity and good biodiesel quality.

Connections between Graphical Gaussian Models and Factor Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Salgueiro, M. Fatima; Smith, Peter W. F.; McDonald, John W.

2010-01-01

Connections between graphical Gaussian models and classical single-factor models are obtained by parameterizing the single-factor model as a graphical Gaussian model. Models are represented by independence graphs, and associations between each manifest variable and the latent factor are measured by factor partial correlations. Power calculations…

Infrared fingerprints of few-layer black phosphorus

PubMed Central

Zhang, Guowei; Huang, Shenyang; Chaves, Andrey; Song, Chaoyu; Özçelik, V. Ongun; Low, Tony; Yan, Hugen

2017-01-01

Black phosphorus is an infrared layered material. Its bandgap complements other widely studied two-dimensional materials: zero-gap graphene and visible/near-infrared gap transition metal dichalcogenides. Although highly desirable, a comprehensive infrared characterization is still lacking. Here we report a systematic infrared study of mechanically exfoliated few-layer black phosphorus, with thickness ranging from 2 to 15 layers and photon energy spanning from 0.25 to 1.36 eV. Each few-layer black phosphorus exhibits a thickness-dependent unique infrared spectrum with a series of absorption resonances, which reveals the underlying electronic structure evolution and serves as its infrared fingerprints. Surprisingly, unexpected absorption features, which are associated with the forbidden optical transitions, have been observed. Furthermore, we unambiguously demonstrate that controllable uniaxial strain can be used as a convenient and effective approach to tune the electronic structure of few-layer black phosphorus. Our study paves the way for black phosphorus applications in infrared photonics and optoelectronics. PMID:28059084

Infrared fingerprints of few-layer black phosphorus.

PubMed

Zhang, Guowei; Huang, Shenyang; Chaves, Andrey; Song, Chaoyu; Özçelik, V Ongun; Low, Tony; Yan, Hugen

2017-01-06

Black phosphorus is an infrared layered material. Its bandgap complements other widely studied two-dimensional materials: zero-gap graphene and visible/near-infrared gap transition metal dichalcogenides. Although highly desirable, a comprehensive infrared characterization is still lacking. Here we report a systematic infrared study of mechanically exfoliated few-layer black phosphorus, with thickness ranging from 2 to 15 layers and photon energy spanning from 0.25 to 1.36 eV. Each few-layer black phosphorus exhibits a thickness-dependent unique infrared spectrum with a series of absorption resonances, which reveals the underlying electronic structure evolution and serves as its infrared fingerprints. Surprisingly, unexpected absorption features, which are associated with the forbidden optical transitions, have been observed. Furthermore, we unambiguously demonstrate that controllable uniaxial strain can be used as a convenient and effective approach to tune the electronic structure of few-layer black phosphorus. Our study paves the way for black phosphorus applications in infrared photonics and optoelectronics.

Ince Gaussian beams in strongly nonlocal nonlinear media

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deng, Dongmei; Guo, Qi

2008-07-01

Based on the Snyder-Mitchell model that describes the beam propagation in strongly nonlocal nonlinear media, the close forms of Ince-Gaussian (IG) beams have been found. The transverse structures of the IG beams are described by the product of the Ince polynomials and the Gaussian function. Depending on the input power of the beams, the IG beams can be either a soliton state or a breather state. The IG beams constitute the exact and continuous transition modes between Hermite-Gaussian beams and Laguerre-Gaussian beams. The IG vortex beams can be constructed by a linear combination of the even and odd IG beams. The transverse intensity pattern of IG vortex beams consists of elliptic rings, whose number and ellipticity can be controlled, and a phase displaying a number of in-line vortices, each with a unitary topological charge. The analytical solutions of the IG beams are confirmed by the numerical simulations of the nonlocal nonlinear Schr\\rm \\ddot{o} dinger equation.

Non-Gaussian probabilistic MEG source localisation based on kernel density estimation☆

PubMed Central

Mohseni, Hamid R.; Kringelbach, Morten L.; Woolrich, Mark W.; Baker, Adam; Aziz, Tipu Z.; Probert-Smith, Penny

2014-01-01

There is strong evidence to suggest that data recorded from magnetoencephalography (MEG) follows a non-Gaussian distribution. However, existing standard methods for source localisation model the data using only second order statistics, and therefore use the inherent assumption of a Gaussian distribution. In this paper, we present a new general method for non-Gaussian source estimation of stationary signals for localising brain activity from MEG data. By providing a Bayesian formulation for MEG source localisation, we show that the source probability density function (pdf), which is not necessarily Gaussian, can be estimated using multivariate kernel density estimators. In the case of Gaussian data, the solution of the method is equivalent to that of widely used linearly constrained minimum variance (LCMV) beamformer. The method is also extended to handle data with highly correlated sources using the marginal distribution of the estimated joint distribution, which, in the case of Gaussian measurements, corresponds to the null-beamformer. The proposed non-Gaussian source localisation approach is shown to give better spatial estimates than the LCMV beamformer, both in simulations incorporating non-Gaussian signals, and in real MEG measurements of auditory and visual evoked responses, where the highly correlated sources are known to be difficult to estimate. PMID:24055702

Phosphorus allotropes: Stability of black versus red phosphorus re-examined by means of the van der Waals inclusive density functional method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aykol, Muratahan; Doak, Jeff W.; Wolverton, C.

2017-06-01

We evaluate the energetic stabilities of white, red, and black allotropes of phosphorus using density functional theory (DFT) and hybrid functional methods, van der Waals (vdW) corrections (DFT+vdW and hybrid+vdW), vdW density functionals, and random phase approximation (RPA). We find that stability of black phosphorus over red-V (i.e., the violet form) is not ubiquitous among these methods, and the calculated enthalpies for the reaction phosphorus (red-V)→phosphorus (black) are scattered between -20 and 40 meV/atom. With local density and generalized gradient approximations, and hybrid functionals, mean absolute errors (MAEs) in densities of P allotropes relative to experiments are found to be around 10%-25%, whereas with vdW-inclusive methods, MAEs in densities drop below ˜5 %. While the inconsistency among the density functional methods could not shed light on the stability puzzle of black versus red phosphorus, comparison of their accuracy in predicting densities and the supplementary RPA results on relative stabilities indicate that opposite to the common belief, black and red phosphorus are almost degenerate, or the red-V (violet) form of phosphorus might even be the ground state.

Phosphorus sorption-desorption and effects of temperature, pH and salinity on phosphorus sorption in marsh soils from coastal wetlands with different flooding conditions.

PubMed

Bai, Junhong; Ye, Xiaofei; Jia, Jia; Zhang, Guangliang; Zhao, Qingqing; Cui, Baoshan; Liu, Xinhui

2017-12-01

Wetland soils act as a sink or source of phosphorus (P) to the overlaying water due to phosphorus sorption-desorption processes. Litter information is available on sorption and desorption behaviors of phosphorus in coastal wetlands with different flooding conditions. Laboratory experiments were conducted to investigate phosphorus sorption-desorption processes, fractions of adsorbed phosphorus, and the effects of salinity, pH and temperature on phosphorus sorption on soils in tidal-flooding wetlands (TW), freshwater-flooding wetlands (FW) and seasonal-flooding wetlands (SW) in the Yellow River Delta. Our results showed that the freshly adsorbed phosphorus dominantly exists in Occluded-P and Fe/AlP and their percentages increased with increasing phosphorus adsorbed. Phosphorus sorption isotherms could be better described by the modified Langmuir model than by the modified Freundlich model. A binomial equation could be properly used to describe the effects of salinity, pH, and temperature on phosphorus sorption. Phosphorus sorption generally increased with increasing salinity, pH, and temperature at lower ranges, while decreased in excess of some threshold values. The maximum phosphorus sorption capacity (Q max ) was larger for FW soils (256 mg/kg) compared with TW (218 mg/kg) and SW soils (235 mg/kg) (p < 0.05). The percentage of phosphorus desorption (P des ) in the FW soils (7.5-63.5%) was much lower than those in TW (27.7-124.9%) and SW soils (19.2-108.5%). The initial soil organic matter, pH and the exchangeable Al, Fe and Cd contents were important factors influencing P sorption and desorption. The findings of this study indicate that freshwater restoration can contribute to controlling the eutrophication status of water bodies through increasing P sorption. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Realistic continuous-variable quantum teleportation with non-Gaussian resources

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dell'Anno, F.; De Siena, S.; CNR-INFM Coherentia, Napoli, Italy, and CNISM and INFN Sezione di Napoli, Gruppo Collegato di Salerno, Baronissi, SA

2010-01-15

We present a comprehensive investigation of nonideal continuous-variable quantum teleportation implemented with entangled non-Gaussian resources. We discuss in a unified framework the main decoherence mechanisms, including imperfect Bell measurements and propagation of optical fields in lossy fibers, applying the formalism of the characteristic function. By exploiting appropriate displacement strategies, we compute analytically the success probability of teleportation for input coherent states and two classes of non-Gaussian entangled resources: two-mode squeezed Bell-like states (that include as particular cases photon-added and photon-subtracted de-Gaussified states), and two-mode squeezed catlike states. We discuss the optimization procedure on the free parameters of the non-Gaussian resourcesmore » at fixed values of the squeezing and of the experimental quantities determining the inefficiencies of the nonideal protocol. It is found that non-Gaussian resources enhance significantly the efficiency of teleportation and are more robust against decoherence than the corresponding Gaussian ones. Partial information on the alphabet of input states allows further significant improvement in the performance of the nonideal teleportation protocol.« less

Compensation of Gaussian curvature in developable cones is local

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Jin W.; Witten, Thomas A.

2009-10-01

We use the angular deficit scheme [V. Borrelli, F. Cazals, and J.-M. Morvan, Comput. Aided Geom. Des. 20, 319 (2003)] to determine the distribution of Gaussian curvature in developable cones (d-cones) [E. Cerda, S. Chaieb, F. Melo, and L. Mahadevan, Nature (London) 401, 46 (1999)] numerically. These d-cones are formed by pushing a thin elastic sheet into a circular container. Negative Gaussian curvatures are identified at the rim where the sheet touches the container. Around the rim there are two narrow bands with positive Gaussian curvatures. The integral of the (negative) Gaussian curvature near the rim is almost completely compensated by that of the two adjacent bands. This suggests that the Gauss-Bonnet theorem which constrains the integral of Gaussian curvature globally does not explain the spontaneous curvature cancellation phenomenon [T. Liang and T. A. Witten, Phys. Rev. E 73, 046604 (2006)]. The locality of the compensation seems to increase for decreasing d-cone thickness. The angular deficit scheme also provides a way to confirm the curvature cancellation phenomenon.

The study of Phosphorus distribution at Putrajaya Wetland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mubin Zahari, Nazirul; Malek, Nur Farzana Fasiha Abdul; Fai, Chow Ming; Humaira Haron, Siti; Hafiz Zawawi, Mohd; Nazmi Ismail, Iszmir; Mohamad, Daud; Syamsir, Agusril; Sidek, Lariyah Mohd; Zakwan Ramli, Mohd; Ismail, Norfariza; Zubir Sapian, Ahmad; Noordin, Normaliza; Rahaman, Nurliyana Abdul; Muhamad, Yahzam; Mat Saman, Jarina

2018-04-01

This study is concerning phosphorus distribution in Putrajaya Wetland. Phosphorus is one of the important component in nutrients for living things be it aquatic or non – aquatic organisms. Total phosphorus (TP) results will give some information on the trophic status of surface water in water bodies. The focus of this study is to determine the total phosphorus concentration in Putrajaya Wetland which is in the inlet of the wetland then outlet of the wetland (Central Wetland Lake). The water sample is taken from Putrajaya Wetland and the test was conducted in the laboratory. The result from this study shows the results for total phosphorus according to month, sampling station and cells. Lowest total phosphate at the Central Wetland compare with all the wetland arms cells.

Coherence of the vortex Bessel-Gaussian beam in turbulent atmosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lukin, Igor P.

2017-11-01

In this paper the theoretical research of coherent properties of the vortex Bessel-Gaussian optical beams propagating in turbulent atmosphere are developed. The approach to the analysis of this problem is based on the analytical solution of the equation for the transverse second-order mutual coherence function of a field of optical radiation. The behavior of integral scale of coherence degree of vortex Bessel-Gaussian optical beams depending on parameters of an optical beam and characteristics of turbulent atmosphere is particularly considered. It is shown that the integral scale of coherence degree of a vortex Bessel-Gaussian optical beam essentially depends on value of a topological charge of a vortex optical beam. With increase in a topological charge of a vortex Bessel-Gaussian optical beam the value of integral scale of coherence degree of a vortex Bessel-Gaussian optical beam are decreased.

Renyi entropy measures of heart rate Gaussianity.

PubMed

Lake, Douglas E

2006-01-01

Sample entropy and approximate entropy are measures that have been successfully utilized to study the deterministic dynamics of heart rate (HR). A complementary stochastic point of view and a heuristic argument using the Central Limit Theorem suggests that the Gaussianity of HR is a complementary measure of the physiological complexity of the underlying signal transduction processes. Renyi entropy (or q-entropy) is a widely used measure of Gaussianity in many applications. Particularly important members of this family are differential (or Shannon) entropy (q = 1) and quadratic entropy (q = 2). We introduce the concepts of differential and conditional Renyi entropy rate and, in conjunction with Burg's theorem, develop a measure of the Gaussianity of a linear random process. Robust algorithms for estimating these quantities are presented along with estimates of their standard errors.

Gaussian Curvature Directs Stress Fiber Orientation and Cell Migration.

PubMed

Bade, Nathan D; Xu, Tina; Kamien, Randall D; Assoian, Richard K; Stebe, Kathleen J

2018-03-27

We show that substrates with nonzero Gaussian curvature influence the organization of stress fibers and direct the migration of cells. To study the role of Gaussian curvature, we developed a sphere-with-skirt surface in which a positive Gaussian curvature spherical cap is seamlessly surrounded by a negative Gaussian curvature draping skirt, both with principal radii similar to cell-length scales. We find significant reconfiguration of two subpopulations of stress fibers when fibroblasts are exposed to these curvatures. Apical stress fibers in cells on skirts align in the radial direction and avoid bending by forming chords across the concave gap, whereas basal stress fibers bend along the convex direction. Cell migration is also strongly influenced by the Gaussian curvature. Real-time imaging shows that cells migrating on skirts repolarize to establish a leading edge in the azimuthal direction. Thereafter, they migrate in that direction. This behavior is notably different from migration on planar surfaces, in which cells typically migrate in the same direction as the apical stress fiber orientation. Thus, this platform reveals that nonzero Gaussian curvature not only affects the positioning of cells and alignment of stress fiber subpopulations but also directs migration in a manner fundamentally distinct from that of migration on planar surfaces. Copyright © 2018 Biophysical Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The effect of optically active turbulence on Gaussian laser beams in the ocean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nootz, G.; Matt, S.; Jarosz, E.; Hou, W.

2016-02-01

Motivated by the high resolution and data transfer potential, optical imaging and communication methods are intensely investigated for marine applications. The majority of research focuses on overcoming the strong scattering of light by particles present in the ocean. However when operating in very clear water the limiting factor for such applications can be the strongly forward biased scattering from optically active turbulent layers. For this presentation the effect of optically active turbulence on focused Gaussian beams has been studied in the field, in a controlled laboratory test tank, and by numerical simulations. For the field experiments a telescoping rigid underwater sensor structure (TRUSS) was deployed in the Bahamas equipped with a diffractive optics element projecting a matrix of beams towards a fast beam profiler. Image processing techniques are used to extract the beam wander and beam breathing. The results are compared to theoretical values for the optical turbulence strength derived from the measured temperature microstructure at the test side. Laboratory and simulated experiments are carried out in a physical and numerical Rayleigh-Benard convection turbulence tank of the same geometry. A focused Gaussian laser beam is propagated through the test tank and recorded with a camera from the back side of a diffuser. Similarly, a focused Gaussian beam is propagated numerically by means of split-step Fourier method through the simulated turbulence environment. Results will be presented for weak to moderate turbulence as they are most typical for oceanic conditions. Conclusions about the effect on optical imaging and communication applications will be discussed.

Steady states of OQBM: Central Limit Theorem, Gaussian and non-Gaussian behavior

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petruccione, Francesco; Sinayskiy, Ilya

Open Quantum Brownian Motion (OQBM) describes a Brownian particle with an additional internal quantum degree of freedom. Originally, it was introduced as a scaling limit of Open Quantum Walks (OQWs). Recently, it was noted, that for the model of free OQBM with a two-level system as an internal degree of freedom and decoherent coupling to a dissipative environment, one could use weak external driving of the internal degree of freedom to manipulate the steady-state position of the walker. This observation establishes a useful connection between controllable parameters of the OQBM, e.g. driving strengths and magnitude of detuning, and its steady state properties. Although OQWs satisfy a central limit theorem (CLT), it is known, that OQBM, in general, does not. The aim of this work is to derive steady states for some particular OQBMs and observe possible transitions from Gaussian to non-Gaussian behavior depending on the choice of quantum coin and as a function of diffusion coefficient and dissipation strength.

Data from fitting Gaussian process models to various data sets using eight Gaussian process software packages.

PubMed

Erickson, Collin B; Ankenman, Bruce E; Sanchez, Susan M

2018-06-01

This data article provides the summary data from tests comparing various Gaussian process software packages. Each spreadsheet represents a single function or type of function using a particular input sample size. In each spreadsheet, a row gives the results for a particular replication using a single package. Within each spreadsheet there are the results from eight Gaussian process model-fitting packages on five replicates of the surface. There is also one spreadsheet comparing the results from two packages performing stochastic kriging. These data enable comparisons between the packages to determine which package will give users the best results.

Feasibility study on the least square method for fitting non-Gaussian noise data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Wei; Chen, Wen; Liang, Yingjie

2018-02-01

This study is to investigate the feasibility of least square method in fitting non-Gaussian noise data. We add different levels of the two typical non-Gaussian noises, Lévy and stretched Gaussian noises, to exact value of the selected functions including linear equations, polynomial and exponential equations, and the maximum absolute and the mean square errors are calculated for the different cases. Lévy and stretched Gaussian distributions have many applications in fractional and fractal calculus. It is observed that the non-Gaussian noises are less accurately fitted than the Gaussian noise, but the stretched Gaussian cases appear to perform better than the Lévy noise cases. It is stressed that the least-squares method is inapplicable to the non-Gaussian noise cases when the noise level is larger than 5%.

77 FR 46298 - Phosphorus Water Quality Standards for Florida Everglades

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-08-03

... Phosphorus Water Quality Standards for Florida Everglades AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA... Quality Standards for Phosphorus in the Everglades Protection Area (Phosphorus Rule) and Florida's Amended... deficiencies in the Phosphorus Rule and EFA. EPA's disapproval, specific directions to the State, and this rule...

Generation of hollow Gaussian beams by spatial filtering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Zhengjun; Zhao, Haifa; Liu, Jianlong; Lin, Jie; Ashfaq Ahmad, Muhammad; Liu, Shutian

2007-08-01

We demonstrate that hollow Gaussian beams can be obtained from Fourier transform of the differentials of a Gaussian beam, and thus they can be generated by spatial filtering in the Fourier domain with spatial filters that consist of binomial combinations of even-order Hermite polynomials. A typical 4f optical system and a Michelson interferometer type system are proposed to implement the proposed scheme. Numerical results have proved the validity and effectiveness of this method. Furthermore, other polynomial Gaussian beams can also be generated by using this scheme. This approach is simple and may find significant applications in generating the dark hollow beams for nanophotonic technology.

Generation of hollow Gaussian beams by spatial filtering.

PubMed

Liu, Zhengjun; Zhao, Haifa; Liu, Jianlong; Lin, Jie; Ahmad, Muhammad Ashfaq; Liu, Shutian

2007-08-01

We demonstrate that hollow Gaussian beams can be obtained from Fourier transform of the differentials of a Gaussian beam, and thus they can be generated by spatial filtering in the Fourier domain with spatial filters that consist of binomial combinations of even-order Hermite polynomials. A typical 4f optical system and a Michelson interferometer type system are proposed to implement the proposed scheme. Numerical results have proved the validity and effectiveness of this method. Furthermore, other polynomial Gaussian beams can also be generated by using this scheme. This approach is simple and may find significant applications in generating the dark hollow beams for nanophotonic technology.

Gaussian entanglement generation from coherence using beam-splitters

PubMed Central

Wang, Zhong-Xiao; Wang, Shuhao; Ma, Teng; Wang, Tie-Jun; Wang, Chuan

2016-01-01

The generation and quantification of quantum entanglement is crucial for quantum information processing. Here we study the transition of Gaussian correlation under the effect of linear optical beam-splitters. We find the single-mode Gaussian coherence acts as the resource in generating Gaussian entanglement for two squeezed states as the input states. With the help of consecutive beam-splitters, single-mode coherence and quantum entanglement can be converted to each other. Our results reveal that by using finite number of beam-splitters, it is possible to extract all the entanglement from the single-mode coherence even if the entanglement is wiped out before each beam-splitter. PMID:27892537

Synthetic Incoherence via Scanned Gaussian Beams

PubMed Central

Levine, Zachary H.

2006-01-01

Tomography, in most formulations, requires an incoherent signal. For a conventional transmission electron microscope, the coherence of the beam often results in diffraction effects that limit the ability to perform a 3D reconstruction from a tilt series with conventional tomographic reconstruction algorithms. In this paper, an analytic solution is given to a scanned Gaussian beam, which reduces the beam coherence to be effectively incoherent for medium-size (of order 100 voxels thick) tomographic applications. The scanned Gaussian beam leads to more incoherence than hollow-cone illumination. PMID:27274945

A classification of open Gaussian dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grimmer, Daniel; Brown, Eric; Kempf, Achim; Mann, Robert B.; Martín-Martínez, Eduardo

2018-06-01

We introduce a classification scheme for the generators of bosonic open Gaussian dynamics, providing instructive diagrams description for each type of dynamics. Using this classification, we discuss the consequences of imposing complete positivity on Gaussian dynamics. In particular, we show that non-symplectic operations must be active to allow for complete positivity. In addition, non-symplectic operations can, in fact, conserve the volume of phase space only if the restriction of complete positivity is lifted. We then discuss the implications for the relationship between information and energy flows in open quantum mechanics.

Simple proof that Gaussian attacks are optimal among collective attacks against continuous-variable quantum key distribution with a Gaussian modulation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Leverrier, Anthony; Grangier, Philippe; Laboratoire Charles Fabry, Institut d'Optique, CNRS, University Paris-Sud, Campus Polytechnique, RD 128, F-91127 Palaiseau Cedex

2010-06-15

In this article, we give a simple proof of the fact that the optimal collective attacks against continuous-variable quantum key distribution with a Gaussian modulation are Gaussian attacks. Our proof, which makes use of symmetry properties of the protocol in phase space, is particularly relevant for the finite-key analysis of the protocol and therefore for practical applications.

Seedling growth responses to phosphorus reflect adult distribution patterns of tropical trees.

PubMed

Zalamea, Paul-Camilo; Turner, Benjamin L; Winter, Klaus; Jones, F Andrew; Sarmiento, Carolina; Dalling, James W

2016-10-01

Soils influence tropical forest composition at regional scales. In Panama, data on tree communities and underlying soils indicate that species frequently show distributional associations to soil phosphorus. To understand how these associations arise, we combined a pot experiment to measure seedling responses of 15 pioneer species to phosphorus addition with an analysis of the phylogenetic structure of phosphorus associations of the entire tree community. Growth responses of pioneers to phosphorus addition revealed a clear tradeoff: species from high-phosphorus sites grew fastest in the phosphorus-addition treatment, while species from low-phosphorus sites grew fastest in the low-phosphorus treatment. Traits associated with growth performance remain unclear: biomass allocation, phosphatase activity and phosphorus-use efficiency did not correlate with phosphorus associations; however, phosphatase activity was most strongly down-regulated in response to phosphorus addition in species from high-phosphorus sites. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that pioneers occur more frequently in clades where phosphorus associations are overdispersed as compared with the overall tree community, suggesting that selection on phosphorus acquisition and use may be strongest for pioneer species with high phosphorus demand. Our results show that phosphorus-dependent growth rates provide an additional explanation for the regional distribution of tree species in Panama, and possibly elsewhere. © 2016 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2016 New Phytologist Trust.

Distillation of squeezing from non-Gaussian quantum states.

PubMed

Heersink, J; Marquardt, Ch; Dong, R; Filip, R; Lorenz, S; Leuchs, G; Andersen, U L

2006-06-30

We show that single copy distillation of squeezing from continuous variable non-Gaussian states is possible using linear optics and conditional homodyne detection. A specific non-Gaussian noise source, corresponding to a random linear displacement, is investigated experimentally. Conditioning the signal on a tap measurement, we observe probabilistic recovery of squeezing.

Dynamic characteristics of sulfur, iron and phosphorus in coastal polluted sediments, north China.

PubMed

Sun, Qiyao; Sheng, Yanqing; Yang, Jian; Di Bonito, Marcello; Mortimer, Robert J G

2016-12-01

The cycling of sulfur (S), iron (Fe) and phosphorus (P) in sediments and pore water can impact the water quality of overlying water. In a heavily polluted river estuary (Yantai, China), vertical profiles of fluxes of dissolved sulfide, Fe 2+ and dissolved reactive phosphorus (DRP) in sediment pore water were investigated by the Diffusive Gradients in Thin films technique (DGT). Vertical fluxes of S, Fe, P in intertidal sediment showed the availability of DRP increased while the sulfide decreased with depth in surface sediment, indicating that sulfide accumulation could enhance P release in anoxic sediment. In sites with contrasting salinity, the relative dominance of iron and sulfate reduction was different, with iron reduction dominant over sulfate reduction in the upper sediment at an intertidal site but the reverse true in a freshwater site, with the other process dominating at depth in each case. Phosphate release was largely controlled by iron reduction. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Phosphorus, a key to life on the primitive earth

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Griffith, E. J.; Ponnamperuma, C.; Gabel, N. W.

1977-01-01

The phosphorus of the primitive earth was present as phosphates. It is strongly probable that a portion of the phosphate was present as condensed phosphates. The primitive earth was highly deficient in the total available phosphorus until a sufficient quantity of phosphorus weathered from the igneous rocks in which it was entrapped. Approximately three billion years were required for the seas to become saturated. Until this time passed the seas acted as a giant sink for phosphorus, diluting it to the extent that all forms of life were deprived of the vital nutrient. When the seas became saturated, the rate of turnover of the phosphorus increased rapidly. As the seas pulsated, they left the excess precipitate phosphorus as sedimentary rock in locally rich deposits on which life could thrive.

76 FR 38592 - Phosphorus Water Quality Standards for Florida Everglades

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-07-01

... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY 40 CFR Part 131 [EPA-HQ-OW-2011-0515; FRL-9428-3] Phosphorus Water... Standards for Phosphorus in the Everglades Protection Area (Phosphorus Rule) and Florida's Amended... the Phosphorus Rule and EFA. EPA's disapproval, specific directions to the State, and today's proposed...

Recovery of phosphorus compounds from thermally-processed wastes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Czechowska-Kosacka, A.; Pawłowski, L.; Niedbala, G.; Cel, W.

2018-05-01

Depletion of phosphorus deposits is one of the most serious global problems, which may soon lead to a crisis in food production. It is estimated that if the current living standard is maintained, the available reserves will be depleted in 130 years. Considering the principle of sustainable development, searching for alternative phosphorus sources is extremely important. The work presented the results of the research on the possibility of utilizing wastes as a source of phosphorus. The studies were conducted on poultry manure. The physicochemical properties of phosporus-rich wastes were determined as well. The fertilizing properties of ashes from poultry manure combustion – obtained from different systems, i.e. caged and barn production. The assimilability of phosphorus from the obtained ashes was determined. Potential applications of phosphorus-rich ashes were proposed as well.

Integral momenta of vortex Bessel-Gaussian beams in turbulent atmosphere.

PubMed

Lukin, Igor P

2016-04-20

The orbital angular momentum of vortex Bessel-Gaussian beams propagating in turbulent atmosphere is studied theoretically. The field of an optical beam is determined through the solution of the paraxial wave equation for a randomly inhomogeneous medium with fluctuations of the refraction index of the turbulent atmosphere. Peculiarities in the behavior of the total power of the vortex Bessel-Gaussian beam at the receiver (or transmitter) are examined. The dependence of the total power of the vortex Bessel-Gaussian beam on optical beam parameters, namely, the transverse wave number of optical radiation, amplitude factor radius, and, especially, topological charge of the optical beam, is analyzed in detail. It turns out that the mean value of the orbital angular momentum of the vortex Bessel-Gaussian beam remains constant during propagation in the turbulent atmosphere. It is shown that the variance of fluctuations of the orbital angular momentum of the vortex Bessel-Gaussian beam propagating in turbulent atmosphere calculated with the "mean-intensity" approximation is equal to zero identically. Thus, it is possible to declare confidently that the variance of fluctuations of the orbital angular momentum of the vortex Bessel-Gaussian beam in turbulent atmosphere is not very large.

A wavelet-based Gaussian method for energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrum.

PubMed

Liu, Pan; Deng, Xiaoyan; Tang, Xin; Shen, Shijian

2017-05-01

This paper presents a wavelet-based Gaussian method (WGM) for the peak intensity estimation of energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF). The relationship between the parameters of Gaussian curve and the wavelet coefficients of Gaussian peak point is firstly established based on the Mexican hat wavelet. It is found that the Gaussian parameters can be accurately calculated by any two wavelet coefficients at the peak point which has to be known. This fact leads to a local Gaussian estimation method for spectral peaks, which estimates the Gaussian parameters based on the detail wavelet coefficients of Gaussian peak point. The proposed method is tested via simulated and measured spectra from an energy X-ray spectrometer, and compared with some existing methods. The results prove that the proposed method can directly estimate the peak intensity of EDXRF free from the background information, and also effectively distinguish overlap peaks in EDXRF spectrum.

Doping-stabilized two-dimensional black phosphorus.

PubMed

Xuan, Xiaoyu; Zhang, Zhuhua; Guo, Wanlin

2018-05-03

Two-dimensional (2D) black phosphorus (BP) has attracted broad interests but remains to be synthesized. One of the issues lies in its large number of 2D allotropes with highly degenerate energies, especially 2D blue phosphorus. Here, we show that both nitrogen and hole-carrier doping can lift the energy degeneracy and locate 2D BP in a deep global energy minimum, while arsenic doping favours the formation of 2D blue phosphorus, attributed to a delicate interplay between s-p overlapping and repulsion of lone pairs. Chemically inert substrates, e.g. graphene and hexagonal boron nitride, can be synergic with carrier doping to stabilize the BP further over other 2D allotropes, while frequently used metal substrates severely reduce the stability of 2D BP. These results not only offer new insight into the structural stability of 2D phosphorus but also suggest a promising pathway towards the chemical synthesis of 2D BP.

Calcium and phosphorus requirements of breeding bobwhite quail

USGS Publications Warehouse

DeWitt, J.B.; Nestler, R.B.; Derby, J.V.

1949-01-01

In the course of studies designed to determine the calcium and phosphorus requirements of breeding bobwhite quail, it was found that best results were obtained when the Ca/P ratio in the diet was approximately 2.3:1. Variations in the Ca/P ratio produced significant differences in results when the level of phosphorus in the diet was 0.75%, but the differences were less marked when the level of phosphorus was increased to 1.00%. Although diets containing 0.75% phosphorus and 1.8% calcium appeared adequate for reproduction, as judged by the criteria of the maintenance of satisfactory condition in the breeders, egg production, fertility, hatchability and survival of offspring during the first 5 days after hatching, it was found that the winter mortality of the offspring of birds fed such a diet was much greater than that occurring in the offspring of birds fed on diets containing 1.00 or 1.25% phosphorus. It is concluded that breeding bobwhite quail require diets furnishing approximately 1.00% phosphorus and 2.3% calcium.

White phosphorus

Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS)

White phosphorus ; CASRN 7723 - 14 - 0 Human health assessment information on a chemical substance is included in the IRIS database only after a comprehensive review of toxicity data , as outlined in the IRIS assessment development process . Sections I ( Health Hazard Assessments for Noncarcinogenic

The effects of phosphorus limitation on carbon metabolism in diatoms.

PubMed

Brembu, Tore; Mühlroth, Alice; Alipanah, Leila; Bones, Atle M

2017-09-05

Phosphorus is an essential element for life, serving as an integral component of nucleic acids, lipids and a diverse range of other metabolites. Concentrations of bioavailable phosphorus are low in many aquatic environments. Microalgae, including diatoms, apply physiological and molecular strategies such as phosphorus scavenging or recycling as well as adjusting cell growth in order to adapt to limiting phosphorus concentrations. Such strategies also involve adjustments of the carbon metabolism. Here, we review the effect of phosphorus limitation on carbon metabolism in diatoms. Two transcriptome studies are analysed in detail, supplemented by other transcriptome, proteome and metabolite data, to gain an overview of different pathways and their responses. Phosphorus, nitrogen and silicon limitation responses are compared, and similarities and differences discussed. We use the current knowledge to propose a suggestive model for the carbon flow in phosphorus-replete and phosphorus-limited diatom cells.This article is part of the themed issue 'The peculiar carbon metabolism in diatoms'. © 2017 The Authors.

The effects of phosphorus limitation on carbon metabolism in diatoms

PubMed Central

Alipanah, Leila

2017-01-01

Phosphorus is an essential element for life, serving as an integral component of nucleic acids, lipids and a diverse range of other metabolites. Concentrations of bioavailable phosphorus are low in many aquatic environments. Microalgae, including diatoms, apply physiological and molecular strategies such as phosphorus scavenging or recycling as well as adjusting cell growth in order to adapt to limiting phosphorus concentrations. Such strategies also involve adjustments of the carbon metabolism. Here, we review the effect of phosphorus limitation on carbon metabolism in diatoms. Two transcriptome studies are analysed in detail, supplemented by other transcriptome, proteome and metabolite data, to gain an overview of different pathways and their responses. Phosphorus, nitrogen and silicon limitation responses are compared, and similarities and differences discussed. We use the current knowledge to propose a suggestive model for the carbon flow in phosphorus-replete and phosphorus-limited diatom cells. This article is part of the themed issue ‘The peculiar carbon metabolism in diatoms’. PMID:28717016

Phosphorus adlayers on Platinum (110)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heikkinen, Olli; Riihimäki, Ari; Sainio, Jani; Lahtinen, Jouko

2017-10-01

Platinum is a metal utilized in many applications. Its catalytic activity can be decreased due to chemical poisoning caused e.g. by phosphorus. To gain more understanding of its poisoning, we present a study of phosphorus adsorption on a platinum (110) single crystal surface. Using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, we have found that the adsorbate coverage saturates at around 3 monolayers. Annealing the phosphorus-covered platinum surface at 750 °C gives rise to three different ordered adlayer structures, with symmetries of 2 × 3, 11 × 4 and √{ 2} × 1 , from the lowest to the highest coverage, detected with low-energy electron diffraction. We have studied the sample topography with scanning tunnelling microscopy. We also present a tentative model for the observed structures and their evolution.

Self-assembled structures of Gaussian nematic particles.

PubMed

Nikoubashman, Arash; Likos, Christos N

2010-03-17

We investigate the stable crystalline configurations of a nematic liquid crystal made of soft parallel ellipsoidal particles interacting via a repulsive, anisotropic Gaussian potential. For this purpose, we use genetic algorithms (GA) in order to predict all relevant and possible solid phase candidates into which this fluid can freeze. Subsequently we present and discuss the emerging novel structures and the resulting zero-temperature phase diagram of this system. The latter features a variety of crystalline arrangements, in which the elongated Gaussian particles in general do not align with any one of the high-symmetry crystallographic directions, a compromise arising from the interplay and competition between anisotropic repulsions and crystal ordering. Only at very strong degrees of elongation does a tendency of the Gaussian nematics to align with the longest axis of the elementary unit cell emerge.

Unitarily localizable entanglement of Gaussian states

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Serafini, Alessio; Adesso, Gerardo; Illuminati, Fabrizio

2005-03-01

We consider generic (mxn)-mode bipartitions of continuous-variable systems, and study the associated bisymmetric multimode Gaussian states. They are defined as (m+n)-mode Gaussian states invariant under local mode permutations on the m-mode and n-mode subsystems. We prove that such states are equivalent, under local unitary transformations, to the tensor product of a two-mode state and of m+n-2 uncorrelated single-mode states. The entanglement between the m-mode and the n-mode blocks can then be completely concentrated on a single pair of modes by means of local unitary operations alone. This result allows us to prove that the PPT (positivity of the partial transpose)more » condition is necessary and sufficient for the separability of (m+n)-mode bisymmetric Gaussian states. We determine exactly their negativity and identify a subset of bisymmetric states whose multimode entanglement of formation can be computed analytically. We consider explicit examples of pure and mixed bisymmetric states and study their entanglement scaling with the number of modes.« less

Phosphorus removal by electric arc furnace steel slag adsorption

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lim, J. W.; Lee, K. F.; Chong, Thomas S. Y.; Abdullah, L. C.; Razak, M. A.; Tezara, C.

2017-10-01

As to overcome the eutrophication in lakes and reservoirs which is resulted from excessive input of phosphorus due to rapid urbanization or uncontrolled agricultural activities, Electric Arc Furnace steel slag (EAFS), a steelmaking by-product, in which the disposal of this industrial waste considered economically unfavourable yet it’s physical and chemical properties exhibits high potential to be great P adsorbent. The objective of this study was to identify most suitable mathematical model in description of adsorption by using traditional batch experiment and to investigate the effect on Phosphorus removal efficiency and Phosphorus removal capacity by EAFS adsorption through variation of parameters such as pH, size of slag and initial concentration of Phosphorus. Result demonstrated that, Langmuir is suitable in describing Phosphorus removal mechanisms with the Maximum Adsorption Capacity, Q m of 0.166 mg/g and Langmuir Constant, KL of 0.03519 L/mg. As for effect studies, smaller size of adsorbent shows higher percentage (up to 37.8%) of Phosphorus removal compared to the larger size. Besides that, the experiment indicated a more acidic environment is favourable for Phosphorus removal and the amount of Phosphorus adsorbed at pH 3.0 was the highest. In addition, the adsorption capacity increases steadily as the initial Phosphorus concentration increases but it remained steady at 100mg P/L. Eventually, this study serves as better understanding on preliminary studies of P removal mechanisms by EAFS.

Stable Lévy motion with inverse Gaussian subordinator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, A.; Wyłomańska, A.; Gajda, J.

2017-09-01

In this paper we study the stable Lévy motion subordinated by the so-called inverse Gaussian process. This process extends the well known normal inverse Gaussian (NIG) process introduced by Barndorff-Nielsen, which arises by subordinating ordinary Brownian motion (with drift) with inverse Gaussian process. The NIG process found many interesting applications, especially in financial data description. We discuss here the main features of the introduced subordinated process, such as distributional properties, existence of fractional order moments and asymptotic tail behavior. We show the connection of the process with continuous time random walk. Further, the governing fractional partial differential equations for the probability density function is also obtained. Moreover, we discuss the asymptotic distribution of sample mean square displacement, the main tool in detection of anomalous diffusion phenomena (Metzler et al., 2014). In order to apply the stable Lévy motion time-changed by inverse Gaussian subordinator we propose a step-by-step procedure of parameters estimation. At the end, we show how the examined process can be useful to model financial time series.

Controllable gaussian-qubit interface for extremal quantum state engineering.

PubMed

Adesso, Gerardo; Campbell, Steve; Illuminati, Fabrizio; Paternostro, Mauro

2010-06-18

We study state engineering through bilinear interactions between two remote qubits and two-mode gaussian light fields. The attainable two-qubit states span the entire physically allowed region in the entanglement-versus-global-purity plane. Two-mode gaussian states with maximal entanglement at fixed global and marginal entropies produce maximally entangled two-qubit states in the corresponding entropic diagram. We show that a small set of parameters characterizing extremally entangled two-mode gaussian states is sufficient to control the engineering of extremally entangled two-qubit states, which can be realized in realistic matter-light scenarios.

Quantum Teamwork for Unconditional Multiparty Communication with Gaussian States

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Jing; Adesso, Gerardo; Xie, Changde; Peng, Kunchi

2009-08-01

We demonstrate the capability of continuous variable Gaussian states to communicate multipartite quantum information. A quantum teamwork protocol is presented according to which an arbitrary possibly entangled multimode state can be faithfully teleported between two teams each comprising many cooperative users. We prove that N-mode Gaussian weighted graph states exist for arbitrary N that enable unconditional quantum teamwork implementations for any arrangement of the teams. These perfect continuous variable maximally multipartite entangled resources are typical among pure Gaussian states and are unaffected by the entanglement frustration occurring in multiqubit states.

Sequencing batch-reactor control using Gaussian-process models.

PubMed

Kocijan, Juš; Hvala, Nadja

2013-06-01

This paper presents a Gaussian-process (GP) model for the design of sequencing batch-reactor (SBR) control for wastewater treatment. The GP model is a probabilistic, nonparametric model with uncertainty predictions. In the case of SBR control, it is used for the on-line optimisation of the batch-phases duration. The control algorithm follows the course of the indirect process variables (pH, redox potential and dissolved oxygen concentration) and recognises the characteristic patterns in their time profile. The control algorithm uses GP-based regression to smooth the signals and GP-based classification for the pattern recognition. When tested on the signals from an SBR laboratory pilot plant, the control algorithm provided a satisfactory agreement between the proposed completion times and the actual termination times of the biodegradation processes. In a set of tested batches the final ammonia and nitrate concentrations were below 1 and 0.5 mg L(-1), respectively, while the aeration time was shortened considerably. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Phosphorus Moieties Make Polymers Less Flammable

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kourtides, D. A.; Mikroyannidis, J. A.

1992-01-01

Phosphorus incorporated into epoxies and polyamides via curing agent. According to report, use of 1-(di(2-chloroethoxyphosphinyl)methyl)-2,4- and -2,6-diaminobenzene (DCEPD) as curing agent for epoxies and polyamides makes these polymers more fire-retardant than corresponding polymers made with standard curing agents not containing phosphorus.

Inflation in random Gaussian landscapes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Masoumi, Ali; Vilenkin, Alexander; Yamada, Masaki, E-mail: ali@cosmos.phy.tufts.edu, E-mail: vilenkin@cosmos.phy.tufts.edu, E-mail: Masaki.Yamada@tufts.edu

2017-05-01

We develop analytic and numerical techniques for studying the statistics of slow-roll inflation in random Gaussian landscapes. As an illustration of these techniques, we analyze small-field inflation in a one-dimensional landscape. We calculate the probability distributions for the maximal number of e-folds and for the spectral index of density fluctuations n {sub s} and its running α {sub s} . These distributions have a universal form, insensitive to the correlation function of the Gaussian ensemble. We outline possible extensions of our methods to a large number of fields and to models of large-field inflation. These methods do not suffer frommore » potential inconsistencies inherent in the Brownian motion technique, which has been used in most of the earlier treatments.« less

Non-Markovian dynamics of single- and two-qubit systems interacting with Gaussian and non-Gaussian fluctuating transverse environments

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rossi, Matteo A. C., E-mail: matteo.rossi@unimi.it; Paris, Matteo G. A., E-mail: matteo.paris@fisica.unimi.it; CNISM, Unità Milano Statale, I-20133 Milano

2016-01-14

We address the interaction of single- and two-qubit systems with an external transverse fluctuating field and analyze in detail the dynamical decoherence induced by Gaussian noise and random telegraph noise (RTN). Upon exploiting the exact RTN solution of the time-dependent von Neumann equation, we analyze in detail the behavior of quantum correlations and prove the non-Markovianity of the dynamical map in the full parameter range, i.e., for either fast or slow noise. The dynamics induced by Gaussian noise is studied numerically and compared to the RTN solution, showing the existence of (state dependent) regions of the parameter space where themore » two noises lead to very similar dynamics. We show that the effects of RTN noise and of Gaussian noise are different, i.e., the spectrum alone is not enough to summarize the noise effects, but the dynamics under the effect of one kind of noise may be simulated with high fidelity by the other one.« less

Nonlinear derating of high-intensity focused ultrasound beams using Gaussian modal sums.

PubMed

Dibaji, Seyed Ahmad Reza; Banerjee, Rupak K; Soneson, Joshua E; Myers, Matthew R

2013-11-01

A method is introduced for using measurements made in water of the nonlinear acoustic pressure field produced by a high-intensity focused ultrasound transducer to compute the acoustic pressure and temperature rise in a tissue medium. The acoustic pressure harmonics generated by nonlinear propagation are represented as a sum of modes having a Gaussian functional dependence in the radial direction. While the method is derived in the context of Gaussian beams, final results are applicable to general transducer profiles. The focal acoustic pressure is obtained by solving an evolution equation in the axial variable. The nonlinear term in the evolution equation for tissue is modeled using modal amplitudes measured in water and suitably reduced using a combination of "source derating" (experiments in water performed at a lower source acoustic pressure than in tissue) and "endpoint derating" (amplitudes reduced at the target location). Numerical experiments showed that, with proper combinations of source derating and endpoint derating, direct simulations of acoustic pressure and temperature in tissue could be reproduced by derating within 5% error. Advantages of the derating approach presented include applicability over a wide range of gains, ease of computation (a single numerical quadrature is required), and readily obtained temperature estimates from the water measurements.

Investigation of non-Gaussian effects in the Brazilian option market

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sosa-Correa, William O.; Ramos, Antônio M. T.; Vasconcelos, Giovani L.

2018-04-01

An empirical study of the Brazilian option market is presented in light of three option pricing models, namely the Black-Scholes model, the exponential model, and a model based on a power law distribution, the so-called q-Gaussian distribution or Tsallis distribution. It is found that the q-Gaussian model performs better than the Black-Scholes model in about one third of the option chains analyzed. But among these cases, the exponential model performs better than the q-Gaussian model in 75% of the time. The superiority of the exponential model over the q-Gaussian model is particularly impressive for options close to the expiration date, where its success rate rises above ninety percent.

Probability density and exceedance rate functions of locally Gaussian turbulence

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mark, W. D.

1989-01-01

A locally Gaussian model of turbulence velocities is postulated which consists of the superposition of a slowly varying strictly Gaussian component representing slow temporal changes in the mean wind speed and a more rapidly varying locally Gaussian turbulence component possessing a temporally fluctuating local variance. Series expansions of the probability density and exceedance rate functions of the turbulence velocity model, based on Taylor's series, are derived. Comparisons of the resulting two-term approximations with measured probability density and exceedance rate functions of atmospheric turbulence velocity records show encouraging agreement, thereby confirming the consistency of the measured records with the locally Gaussian model. Explicit formulas are derived for computing all required expansion coefficients from measured turbulence records.

Swings and roundabouts: optical Poincaré spheres for polarization and Gaussian beams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dennis, M. R.; Alonso, M. A.

2017-02-01

The connection between Poincaré spheres for polarization and Gaussian beams is explored, focusing on the interpretation of elliptic polarization in terms of the isotropic two-dimensional harmonic oscillator in Hamiltonian mechanics, its canonical quantization and semiclassical interpretation. This leads to the interpretation of structured Gaussian modes, the Hermite-Gaussian, Laguerre-Gaussian and generalized Hermite-Laguerre-Gaussian modes as eigenfunctions of operators corresponding to the classical constants of motion of the two-dimensional oscillator, which acquire an extra significance as families of classical ellipses upon semiclassical quantization. This article is part of the themed issue 'Optical orbital angular momentum'.

Automatic image equalization and contrast enhancement using Gaussian mixture modeling.

PubMed

Celik, Turgay; Tjahjadi, Tardi

2012-01-01

In this paper, we propose an adaptive image equalization algorithm that automatically enhances the contrast in an input image. The algorithm uses the Gaussian mixture model to model the image gray-level distribution, and the intersection points of the Gaussian components in the model are used to partition the dynamic range of the image into input gray-level intervals. The contrast equalized image is generated by transforming the pixels' gray levels in each input interval to the appropriate output gray-level interval according to the dominant Gaussian component and the cumulative distribution function of the input interval. To take account of the hypothesis that homogeneous regions in the image represent homogeneous silences (or set of Gaussian components) in the image histogram, the Gaussian components with small variances are weighted with smaller values than the Gaussian components with larger variances, and the gray-level distribution is also used to weight the components in the mapping of the input interval to the output interval. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithm produces better or comparable enhanced images than several state-of-the-art algorithms. Unlike the other algorithms, the proposed algorithm is free of parameter setting for a given dynamic range of the enhanced image and can be applied to a wide range of image types.

Skewness and kurtosis analysis for non-Gaussian distributions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Celikoglu, Ahmet; Tirnakli, Ugur

2018-06-01

In this paper we address a number of pitfalls regarding the use of kurtosis as a measure of deviations from the Gaussian. We treat kurtosis in both its standard definition and that which arises in q-statistics, namely q-kurtosis. We have recently shown that the relation proposed by Cristelli et al. (2012) between skewness and kurtosis can only be verified for relatively small data sets, independently of the type of statistics chosen; however it fails for sufficiently large data sets, if the fourth moment of the distribution is finite. For infinite fourth moments, kurtosis is not defined as the size of the data set tends to infinity. For distributions with finite fourth moments, the size, N, of the data set for which the standard kurtosis saturates to a fixed value, depends on the deviation of the original distribution from the Gaussian. Nevertheless, using kurtosis as a criterion for deciding which distribution deviates further from the Gaussian can be misleading for small data sets, even for finite fourth moment distributions. Going over to q-statistics, we find that although the value of q-kurtosis is finite in the range of 0 < q < 3, this quantity is not useful for comparing different non-Gaussian distributed data sets, unless the appropriate q value, which truly characterizes the data set of interest, is chosen. Finally, we propose a method to determine the correct q value and thereby to compute the q-kurtosis of q-Gaussian distributed data sets.

Non-Gaussian diffusion in static disordered media

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luo, Liang; Yi, Ming

2018-04-01

Non-Gaussian diffusion is commonly considered as a result of fluctuating diffusivity, which is correlated in time or in space or both. In this work, we investigate the non-Gaussian diffusion in static disordered media via a quenched trap model, where the diffusivity is spatially correlated. Several unique effects due to quenched disorder are reported. We analytically estimate the diffusion coefficient Ddis and its fluctuation over samples of finite size. We show a mechanism of population splitting in the non-Gaussian diffusion. It results in a sharp peak in the distribution of displacement P (x ,t ) around x =0 , that has frequently been observed in experiments. We examine the fidelity of the coarse-grained diffusion map, which is reconstructed from particle trajectories. Finally, we propose a procedure to estimate the correlation length in static disordered environments, where the information stored in the sample-to-sample fluctuation has been utilized.

Entanglement negativity bounds for fermionic Gaussian states

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eisert, Jens; Eisler, Viktor; Zimborás, Zoltán

2018-04-01

The entanglement negativity is a versatile measure of entanglement that has numerous applications in quantum information and in condensed matter theory. It can not only efficiently be computed in the Hilbert space dimension, but for noninteracting bosonic systems, one can compute the negativity efficiently in the number of modes. However, such an efficient computation does not carry over to the fermionic realm, the ultimate reason for this being that the partial transpose of a fermionic Gaussian state is no longer Gaussian. To provide a remedy for this state of affairs, in this work, we introduce efficiently computable and rigorous upper and lower bounds to the negativity, making use of techniques of semidefinite programming, building upon the Lagrangian formulation of fermionic linear optics, and exploiting suitable products of Gaussian operators. We discuss examples in quantum many-body theory and hint at applications in the study of topological properties at finite temperature.

40 CFR 422.10 - Applicability; description of the phosphorus production subcategory.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... phosphorus production subcategory. 422.10 Section 422.10 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION... Phosphorus Production Subcategory § 422.10 Applicability; description of the phosphorus production... production of phosphorus and ferrophosphorus by smelting of phosphate ore. ...

40 CFR 422.10 - Applicability; description of the phosphorus production subcategory.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... phosphorus production subcategory. 422.10 Section 422.10 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION... Phosphorus Production Subcategory § 422.10 Applicability; description of the phosphorus production... production of phosphorus and ferrophosphorus by smelting of phosphate ore. ...

Toward the detection of gravitational waves under non-Gaussian noises I. Locally optimal statistic.

PubMed

Yokoyama, Jun'ichi

2014-01-01

After reviewing the standard hypothesis test and the matched filter technique to identify gravitational waves under Gaussian noises, we introduce two methods to deal with non-Gaussian stationary noises. We formulate the likelihood ratio function under weakly non-Gaussian noises through the Edgeworth expansion and strongly non-Gaussian noises in terms of a new method we call Gaussian mapping where the observed marginal distribution and the two-body correlation function are fully taken into account. We then apply these two approaches to Student's t-distribution which has a larger tails than Gaussian. It is shown that while both methods work well in the case the non-Gaussianity is small, only the latter method works well for highly non-Gaussian case.

Toward the detection of gravitational waves under non-Gaussian noises I. Locally optimal statistic

PubMed Central

YOKOYAMA, Jun’ichi

2014-01-01

After reviewing the standard hypothesis test and the matched filter technique to identify gravitational waves under Gaussian noises, we introduce two methods to deal with non-Gaussian stationary noises. We formulate the likelihood ratio function under weakly non-Gaussian noises through the Edgeworth expansion and strongly non-Gaussian noises in terms of a new method we call Gaussian mapping where the observed marginal distribution and the two-body correlation function are fully taken into account. We then apply these two approaches to Student’s t-distribution which has a larger tails than Gaussian. It is shown that while both methods work well in the case the non-Gaussianity is small, only the latter method works well for highly non-Gaussian case. PMID:25504231

Recovery oriented phosphorus adsorption process in decentralized advanced Johkasou.

PubMed

Ebie, Y; Kondo, T; Kadoya, N; Mouri, M; Maruyama, O; Noritake, S; Inamori, Y; Xu, K

2008-01-01

Decentralized advanced wastewater treatment using adsorption and desorption process for recovery and recycling oriented phosphorus removal was developed. Adsorbent particles made of zirconium were set in a column, and it was installed as subsequent stage of BOD and nitrogen removal type Johkasou, a household domestic wastewater treatment facility. The water quality of the effluent of adsorption column in a number of experimental sites was monitored. The effluent phosphorus concentration was kept below 1 mg l(-1) during 90 days at all the sites. Furthermore, over 80% of the sites achieved 1 mg l(-1) of T-P during 200 days. This adsorbent was durable, and deterioration of the particles was not observed over a long duration. The adsorbent collected from each site was immersed in alkali solution to desorb phosphorus. Then the adsorbent was reactivated by soaking in acid solution. The reactivated adsorbent was reused and showed almost the same phosphorus adsorption capacity as a new one. Meanwhile, the desorbed phosphorus was recovered with high purity as trisodium phosphate by crystallization. It is proposed as a new decentralized system for recycling phosphorus that paves the way to high-purity recovery of finite phosphorus. IWA Publishing 2008.

Metasurface-assisted orbital angular momentum carrying Bessel-Gaussian Laser: proposal and simulation.

PubMed

Zhou, Nan; Wang, Jian

2018-05-23

Bessel-Gaussian beams have distinct properties of suppressed diffraction divergence and self-reconstruction. In this paper, we propose and simulate metasurface-assisted orbital angular momentum (OAM) carrying Bessel-Gaussian laser. The laser can be regarded as a Fabry-Perot cavity formed by one partially transparent output plane mirror and the other metasurface-based reflector mirror. The gain medium of Nd:YVO 4 enables the lasing wavelength at 1064 nm with a 808 nm laser serving as the pump. The sub-wavelength structure of metasurface facilitates flexible spatial light manipulation. The compact metasurface-based reflector provides combined phase functions of an axicon and a spherical mirror. By appropriately selecting the size of output mirror and inserting mode-selection element in the laser cavity, different orders of OAM-carrying Bessel-Gaussian lasing modes are achievable. The lasing Bessel-Gaussian 0 , Bessel-Gaussian 01 + , Bessel-Gaussian 02 + and Bessel-Gaussian 03 + modes have high fidelities of ~0.889, ~0.889, ~0.881 and ~0.879, respectively. The metasurface fabrication tolerance and the dependence of threshold power and output lasing power on the length of gain medium, beam radius of pump and transmittance of output mirror are also discussed. The obtained results show successful implementation of metasurface-assisted OAM-carrying Bessel-Gaussian laser with favorable performance. The metasurface-assisted OAM-carrying Bessel-Gaussian laser may find wide OAM-enabled communication and non-communication applications.

Spiraling elliptic Laguerre-Gaussian soliton in isotropic nonlocal competing cubic-quintic nonlinear media

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Qing; Li, JingZhen; Xie, WeiXin

2018-06-01

This paper introduce a kind of spiraling elliptic Laguerre-Gaussian (SELG) soliton which has complicated structures in its profile and phase, and find that it can be formed in nonlocal cubic, quantic and competing cubic-quintic nonlinear media, respectively. The different-order SELG solitons with the same ellipticity have the same rotation period, cross-term phase coefficient, critical power and different critical orbital angular momentums (OAM). However, with the increase of ellipticity, the rotation period, cross-term phase coefficient, critical power and OAM are all increased. In particular, there are bistable SELG solitons stemmed by the competing effect between self-focusing cubic and self-defocusing quintic nonlinearities.

Degeneracy of energy levels of pseudo-Gaussian oscillators

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Iacob, Theodor-Felix; Iacob, Felix, E-mail: felix@physics.uvt.ro; Lute, Marina

2015-12-07

We study the main features of the isotropic radial pseudo-Gaussian oscillators spectral properties. This study is made upon the energy levels degeneracy with respect to orbital angular momentum quantum number. In a previous work [6] we have shown that the pseudo-Gaussian oscillators belong to the class of quasi-exactly solvable models and an exact solution has been found.

40 CFR 721.2752 - Epoxy resin containing phosphorus (generic).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 32 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Epoxy resin containing phosphorus... Specific Chemical Substances § 721.2752 Epoxy resin containing phosphorus (generic). (a) Chemical substance... epoxy resin containing phosphorus (PMN P-00-912) is subject to reporting under this section for the...

40 CFR 721.2752 - Epoxy resin containing phosphorus (generic).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 31 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Epoxy resin containing phosphorus... Specific Chemical Substances § 721.2752 Epoxy resin containing phosphorus (generic). (a) Chemical substance... epoxy resin containing phosphorus (PMN P-00-912) is subject to reporting under this section for the...

40 CFR 721.2752 - Epoxy resin containing phosphorus (generic).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 32 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Epoxy resin containing phosphorus... Specific Chemical Substances § 721.2752 Epoxy resin containing phosphorus (generic). (a) Chemical substance... epoxy resin containing phosphorus (PMN P-00-912) is subject to reporting under this section for the...

40 CFR 721.2752 - Epoxy resin containing phosphorus (generic).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 31 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Epoxy resin containing phosphorus... Specific Chemical Substances § 721.2752 Epoxy resin containing phosphorus (generic). (a) Chemical substance... epoxy resin containing phosphorus (PMN P-00-912) is subject to reporting under this section for the...

40 CFR 721.2752 - Epoxy resin containing phosphorus (generic).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 30 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Epoxy resin containing phosphorus... Specific Chemical Substances § 721.2752 Epoxy resin containing phosphorus (generic). (a) Chemical substance... epoxy resin containing phosphorus (PMN P-00-912) is subject to reporting under this section for the...

Hypergeometric Gaussian beam and its propagation in turbulence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eyyuboğlu, Halil Tanyer; Cai, Yangjian

2012-10-01

We study propagation characteristics of hypergeometric Gaussian beam in turbulence. In this context, we formulate the receiver plane intensity using extended Huygens-Fresnel integral. From the graphical results, it is seen that, after propagation, hypergeometric Gaussian will in general assume the shape of a dark hollow beam at topological charges other than zero. Increasing values of topological charge will make the beam broader with steeper walls. On the other hand, higher values of hollowness parameter will contract into a narrower shape. Raising the topological charge or the hollowness parameter individually will cause outer rings to appear. Both increased levels of turbulence and longer propagation distances will accelerate the beam evolution and help reach the final Gaussian shape sooner. At lower wavelengths, there will be less beam spreading.

Phase retrieval of images using Gaussian radial bases.

PubMed

Trahan, Russell; Hyland, David

2013-12-20

Here, the possibility of a noniterative solution to the phase retrieval problem is explored. A new look is taken at the phase retrieval problem that reveals that knowledge of a diffraction pattern's frequency components is enough to recover the image without projective iterations. This occurs when the image is formed using Gaussian bases that give the convenience of a continuous Fourier transform existing in a compact form where square pixels do not. The Gaussian bases are appropriate when circular apertures are used to detect the diffraction pattern because of their optical transfer functions, as discussed briefly. An algorithm is derived that is capable of recovering an image formed by Gaussian bases from only the Fourier transform's modulus, without background constraints. A practical example is shown.

Gaussian geometric discord in terms of Hellinger distance

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Suciu, Serban, E-mail: serban.suciu@theory.nipne.ro; Isar, Aurelian

2015-12-07

In the framework of the theory of open systems based on completely positive quantum dynamical semigroups, we address the quantification of general non-classical correlations in Gaussian states of continuous variable systems from a geometric perspective. We give a description of the Gaussian geometric discord by using the Hellinger distance as a measure for quantum correlations between two non-interacting non-resonant bosonic modes embedded in a thermal environment. We evaluate the Gaussian geometric discord by taking two-mode squeezed thermal states as initial states of the system and show that it has finite values between 0 and 1 and that it decays asymptoticallymore » to zero in time under the effect of the thermal bath.« less

Sustainable Phosphorus Loadings from Effective and Cost-Effective Phosphorus Management Around the Baltic Sea

PubMed Central

Bryhn, Andreas C.

2009-01-01

Nutrient over-enrichment of the Baltic Sea, accompanied by intensified algal blooms and decreasing water clarity, has aroused widespread concern in the surrounding countries during the last four decades. This work has used a well-tested dynamic mass-balance model to investigate which decrease in total phosphorus loading would be required to meet the environmental goal to restore the trophic state in the Baltic Sea to pre-1960s levels. Furthermore, the extent to which various abatement options may decrease the phosphorus loading in a cost-effective manner has been studied. Upgrading urban sewage treatment in the catchment could, alone or in combination with banning phosphates in detergents, be sufficient to meet the set environmental goal, at an estimated annual basin-wide cost of 0.21–0.43 billion euro. Such a plan would potentially decrease the total phosphorus loading to the Baltic Sea with 6,650–10,200 tonnes per year. PMID:19412551

Black phosphorus saturable absorber for ultrashort pulse generation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sotor, J., E-mail: jaroslaw.sotor@pwr.edu.pl; Sobon, G.; Abramski, K. M.

Low-dimensional materials, due to their unique and versatile properties, are very interesting for numerous applications in electronics and optoelectronics. Recently rediscovered black phosphorus, with a graphite-like layered structure, can be effectively exfoliated up to the single atomic layer called phosphorene. Contrary to graphene, it possesses a direct band gap controllable by the number of stacked atomic layers. For those reasons, black phosphorus is now intensively investigated and can complement or replace graphene in various photonics and electronics applications. Here, we demonstrate that black phosphorus can serve as a broadband saturable absorber and can be used for ultrashort optical pulse generation.more » The mechanically exfoliated ∼300 nm thick layers of black phosphorus were transferred onto the fiber core, and under pulsed excitation at 1560 nm wavelength, its transmission increases by 4.6%. We have demonstrated that the saturable absorption of black phosphorus is polarization sensitive. The fabricated device was used to mode-lock an Er-doped fiber laser. The generated optical solitons with the 10.2 nm bandwidth and 272 fs duration were centered at 1550 nm. The obtained results unambiguously show that black phosphorus can be effectively used for ultrashort pulse generation with performances similar or even better than currently used graphene or carbon nanotubes. This application of black phosphorus proves its great potential to future practical use in photonics.« less

Non-Gaussian statistics of soliton timing jitter induced by amplifier noise.

PubMed

Ho, Keang-Po

2003-11-15

Based on first-order perturbation theory of the soliton, the Gordon-Haus timing jitter induced by amplifier noise is found to be non-Gaussian distributed. Both frequency and timing jitter have larger tail probabilities than Gaussian distribution given by the linearized perturbation theory. The timing jitter has a larger discrepancy from Gaussian distribution than does the frequency jitter.

Entanglement and Wigner Function Negativity of Multimode Non-Gaussian States

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walschaers, Mattia; Fabre, Claude; Parigi, Valentina; Treps, Nicolas

2017-11-01

Non-Gaussian operations are essential to exploit the quantum advantages in optical continuous variable quantum information protocols. We focus on mode-selective photon addition and subtraction as experimentally promising processes to create multimode non-Gaussian states. Our approach is based on correlation functions, as is common in quantum statistical mechanics and condensed matter physics, mixed with quantum optics tools. We formulate an analytical expression of the Wigner function after the subtraction or addition of a single photon, for arbitrarily many modes. It is used to demonstrate entanglement properties specific to non-Gaussian states and also leads to a practical and elegant condition for Wigner function negativity. Finally, we analyze the potential of photon addition and subtraction for an experimentally generated multimode Gaussian state.

Entanglement and Wigner Function Negativity of Multimode Non-Gaussian States.

PubMed

Walschaers, Mattia; Fabre, Claude; Parigi, Valentina; Treps, Nicolas

2017-11-03

Non-Gaussian operations are essential to exploit the quantum advantages in optical continuous variable quantum information protocols. We focus on mode-selective photon addition and subtraction as experimentally promising processes to create multimode non-Gaussian states. Our approach is based on correlation functions, as is common in quantum statistical mechanics and condensed matter physics, mixed with quantum optics tools. We formulate an analytical expression of the Wigner function after the subtraction or addition of a single photon, for arbitrarily many modes. It is used to demonstrate entanglement properties specific to non-Gaussian states and also leads to a practical and elegant condition for Wigner function negativity. Finally, we analyze the potential of photon addition and subtraction for an experimentally generated multimode Gaussian state.

Mode calculations in unstable resonators with flowing saturable gain. 1:hermite-gaussian expansion.

PubMed

Siegman, A E; Sziklas, E A

1974-12-01

We present a procedure for calculating the three-dimensional mode pattern, the output beam characteristics, and the power output of an oscillating high-power laser taking into account a nonuniform, transversely flowing, saturable gain medium; index inhomogeneities inside the laser resonator; and arbitrary mirror distortion and misalignment. The laser is divided into a number of axial segments. The saturated gain-and-index variation. across each short segment is lumped into a complex gain profile across the midplane of that segment. The circulating optical wave within the resonator is propagated from midplane to midplane in free-space fashion and is multiplied by the lumped complex gain profile upon passing through each midplane. After each complete round trip of the optical wave inside the resonator, the saturated gain profiles are recalculated based upon the circulating fields in the cavity. The procedure when applied to typical unstable-resonator flowing-gain lasers shows convergence to a single distorted steady-state mode of oscillation. Typical near-field and far-field results are presented. Several empirical rules of thumb for finite truncated Hermite-Gaussian expansions, including an approximate sampling theorem, have been developed as part of the calculations.

Monitoring to assess progress toward meeting the total maximum daily load for phosphorus in the Assabet River, Massachusetts: phosphorus loads, 2008 through 2010

USGS Publications Warehouse

Zimmerman, Marc J.; Savoie, Jennifer G.

2013-01-01

Wastewater discharges to the Assabet River contribute substantial amounts of phosphorus, which support accumulations of nuisance aquatic plants that are most evident in the river’s impounded reaches during the growing season. To restore the Assabet River’s water quality and aesthetics, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency required the major wastewater-treatment plants in the drainage basin to reduce the amount of phosphorus discharged to the river by 2012. From October 2008 to December 2010, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection and in support of the requirements of the Total Maximum Daily Load for Phosphorus, collected weekly flow-proportional, composite samples for analysis of concentrations of total phosphorus and orthophosphorus upstream and downstream from each of the Assabet River’s two largest impoundments: Hudson and Ben Smith. The purpose of this monitoring effort was to evaluate conditions in the river before enhanced treatment-plant technologies had effected reductions in phosphorus loads, thereby defining baseline conditions for comparison with conditions following the mandated load reductions. The locations of sampling sites with respect to the impoundments enabled examination of the impoundments’ effects on phosphorus sequestration and on the transformation of phosphorus between particulate and dissolved forms. The study evaluated the differences between loads upstream and downstream from the impoundments throughout the sampling period and compared differences during two seasonal periods of relevance to aquatic plants: April 1 through October 31, the growing season, and November 1 through March 31, the nongrowing season, when existing permit limits allowed average monthly wastewater-treatment-plant-effluent concentrations of 0.75 milligram per liter (growing season) or 1.0 milligram per liter (nongrowing season) for total phosphorus. At the four sampling sites during the

Mean intensity of the vortex Bessel-Gaussian beam in turbulent atmosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lukin, Igor P.

2017-11-01

In this work the question of stability of the vortex Bessel-Gaussian optical beams formed in turbulent atmosphere is theoretically considered. The detailed analysis of features of spatial structure of distribution of mean intensity of vortex Bessel-Gaussian optical beams in turbulent atmosphere are analyzed. The quantitative criterion of possibility of formation of vortex Bessel-Gaussian optical beams in turbulent atmosphere is derived. It is shown that stability of the form of a vortex Bessel-Gaussian optical beam during propagation in turbulent atmosphere increases with increase of value of a topological charge of this optical beam.

A Paper-and-Pencil gcd Algorithm for Gaussian Integers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Szabo, Sandor

2005-01-01

As with natural numbers, a greatest common divisor of two Gaussian (complex) integers "a" and "b" is a Gaussian integer "d" that is a common divisor of both "a" and "b". This article explores an algorithm for such gcds that is easy to do by hand.

The Gaussian CL s method for searches of new physics

DOE PAGES

Qian, X.; Tan, A.; Ling, J. J.; ...

2016-04-23

Here we describe a method based on the CL s approach to present results in searches of new physics, under the condition that the relevant parameter space is continuous. Our method relies on a class of test statistics developed for non-nested hypotheses testing problems, denoted by ΔT, which has a Gaussian approximation to its parent distribution when the sample size is large. This leads to a simple procedure of forming exclusion sets for the parameters of interest, which we call the Gaussian CL s method. Our work provides a self-contained mathematical proof for the Gaussian CL s method, that explicitlymore » outlines the required conditions. These conditions are milder than that required by the Wilks' theorem to set confidence intervals (CIs). We illustrate the Gaussian CL s method in an example of searching for a sterile neutrino, where the CL s approach was rarely used before. We also compare data analysis results produced by the Gaussian CL s method and various CI methods to showcase their differences.« less

PHYSICS OF NON-GAUSSIAN FIELDS AND THE COSMOLOGICAL GENUS STATISTIC

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

James, J. Berian, E-mail: berian@berkeley.edu

2012-05-20

We report a technique to calculate the impact of distinct physical processes inducing non-Gaussianity on the cosmological density field. A natural decomposition of the cosmic genus statistic into an orthogonal polynomial sequence allows complete expression of the scale-dependent evolution of the topology of large-scale structure, in which effects including galaxy bias, nonlinear gravitational evolution, and primordial non-Gaussianity may be delineated. The relationship of this decomposition to previous methods for analyzing the genus statistic is briefly considered and the following applications are made: (1) the expression of certain systematics affecting topological measurements, (2) the quantification of broad deformations from Gaussianity thatmore » appear in the genus statistic as measured in the Horizon Run simulation, and (3) the study of the evolution of the genus curve for simulations with primordial non-Gaussianity. These advances improve the treatment of flux-limited galaxy catalogs for use with this measurement and further the use of the genus statistic as a tool for exploring non-Gaussianity.« less

Effect of lensing non-Gaussianity on the CMB power spectra

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lewis, Antony; Pratten, Geraint, E-mail: antony@cosmologist.info, E-mail: geraint.pratten@gmail.com

2016-12-01

Observed CMB anisotropies are lensed, and the lensed power spectra can be calculated accurately assuming the lensing deflections are Gaussian. However, the lensing deflections are actually slightly non-Gaussian due to both non-linear large-scale structure growth and post-Born corrections. We calculate the leading correction to the lensed CMB power spectra from the non-Gaussianity, which is determined by the lensing bispectrum. Assuming no primordial non-Gaussianity, the lowest-order result gives ∼ 0.3% corrections to the BB and EE polarization spectra on small-scales. However we show that the effect on EE is reduced by about a factor of two by higher-order Gaussian lensing smoothing,more » rendering the total effect safely negligible for the foreseeable future. We give a simple analytic model for the signal expected from skewness of the large-scale lensing field; the effect is similar to a net demagnification and hence a small change in acoustic scale (and therefore out of phase with the dominant lensing smoothing that predominantly affects the peaks and troughs of the power spectrum).« less

Fixing convergence of Gaussian belief propagation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Johnson, Jason K; Bickson, Danny; Dolev, Danny

Gaussian belief propagation (GaBP) is an iterative message-passing algorithm for inference in Gaussian graphical models. It is known that when GaBP converges it converges to the correct MAP estimate of the Gaussian random vector and simple sufficient conditions for its convergence have been established. In this paper we develop a double-loop algorithm for forcing convergence of GaBP. Our method computes the correct MAP estimate even in cases where standard GaBP would not have converged. We further extend this construction to compute least-squares solutions of over-constrained linear systems. We believe that our construction has numerous applications, since the GaBP algorithm ismore » linked to solution of linear systems of equations, which is a fundamental problem in computer science and engineering. As a case study, we discuss the linear detection problem. We show that using our new construction, we are able to force convergence of Montanari's linear detection algorithm, in cases where it would originally fail. As a consequence, we are able to increase significantly the number of users that can transmit concurrently.« less

Calcium and phosphorus requirements of bobwhite quail chicks

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nestler, R.B.; DeWitt, J.B.; Derby, J.V.; Moschler, M.

1948-01-01

Four experiments involving 873 bob-white quail (Colinus virginianus) chicks were conducted at the Patuxent Research Refuge, Laurel, Maryland. A comparison was made of calcium: phosphorus ratios of 1:1, 15:1, 1%: 1, 2:1, 2+:1,and 2%: 1in diets with phosphorus levels of 0.52, 0.75, 1.00, and 1.25 percent. The results indicate that the optimum level of phosphorus for growth is in the neighborhood of 0.75 per cent, and that of calcium is about 1.00 per cent, making a ratio of 1 1/3: 1....Although the greatest efficiency of feed utilization occurred on the phosphorus level of 0.52 per cent, the liveweight and bone-ash of the birds at the end of ten weeks were significantly lower than they were on the levels of 0.75 and 1.00 per cent, phosphorus. Bone-ash of birds on a Ca: P ratio of 1:1was significantly lower than that on any of the other five ratios, regardless of phosphorus level....There was a significant reverse correlation between the Ca: P ratio of the diet and the storage of vitamin A in the liver. Storage was especially low on the ratio of 2 2/3: 1....The low and high levels of calcium and phosphorus considered in these studies are abnormal, the low level especially being hard to obtain with common feedstuffs, if the protein requirements of the birds are met. Nevertheless, even on such levels, results were not disastrous. The growth of quail in the wild happens during a season when the birds have access to the minerals of the soil and in the abundant animal matter (mostly insects), as well as to minerals in plant material. Therefore, seemingly, calcium and phosphorus need not be critical nutrients for growing quail in the wild.

Antibunching and unconventional photon blockade with Gaussian squeezed states

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lemonde, Marc-Antoine; Didier, Nicolas; Clerk, Aashish A.

2014-12-01

Photon antibunching is a quantum phenomenon typically observed in strongly nonlinear systems where photon blockade suppresses the probability of detecting two photons at the same time. Antibunching has also been reported with Gaussian states, where optimized amplitude squeezing yields classically forbidden values of the intensity correlation, g(2 )(0 ) <1 . As a consequence, observation of antibunching is not necessarily a signature of photon-photon interactions. To clarify the significance of the intensity correlations, we derive a sufficient condition for deducing whether a field is non-Gaussian based on a g(2 )(0 ) measurement. We then show that the Gaussian antibunching obtained with a degenerate parametric amplifier is close to the ideal case reached using dissipative squeezing protocols. We finally shed light on the so-called unconventional photon blockade effect predicted in a driven two-cavity setup with surprisingly weak Kerr nonlinearities, stressing that it is a particular realization of optimized Gaussian amplitude squeezing.

Leading non-Gaussian corrections for diffusion orientation distribution function.

PubMed

Jensen, Jens H; Helpern, Joseph A; Tabesh, Ali

2014-02-01

An analytical representation of the leading non-Gaussian corrections for a class of diffusion orientation distribution functions (dODFs) is presented. This formula is constructed from the diffusion and diffusional kurtosis tensors, both of which may be estimated with diffusional kurtosis imaging (DKI). By incorporating model-independent non-Gaussian diffusion effects, it improves on the Gaussian approximation used in diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). This analytical representation therefore provides a natural foundation for DKI-based white matter fiber tractography, which has potential advantages over conventional DTI-based fiber tractography in generating more accurate predictions for the orientations of fiber bundles and in being able to directly resolve intra-voxel fiber crossings. The formula is illustrated with numerical simulations for a two-compartment model of fiber crossings and for human brain data. These results indicate that the inclusion of the leading non-Gaussian corrections can significantly affect fiber tractography in white matter regions, such as the centrum semiovale, where fiber crossings are common. 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Leading Non-Gaussian Corrections for Diffusion Orientation Distribution Function

PubMed Central

Jensen, Jens H.; Helpern, Joseph A.; Tabesh, Ali

2014-01-01

An analytical representation of the leading non-Gaussian corrections for a class of diffusion orientation distribution functions (dODFs) is presented. This formula is constructed out of the diffusion and diffusional kurtosis tensors, both of which may be estimated with diffusional kurtosis imaging (DKI). By incorporating model-independent non-Gaussian diffusion effects, it improves upon the Gaussian approximation used in diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). This analytical representation therefore provides a natural foundation for DKI-based white matter fiber tractography, which has potential advantages over conventional DTI-based fiber tractography in generating more accurate predictions for the orientations of fiber bundles and in being able to directly resolve intra-voxel fiber crossings. The formula is illustrated with numerical simulations for a two-compartment model of fiber crossings and for human brain data. These results indicate that the inclusion of the leading non-Gaussian corrections can significantly affect fiber tractography in white matter regions, such as the centrum semiovale, where fiber crossings are common. PMID:24738143

Environmental Benefits and Burdens of Phosphorus Recovery from Municipal Wastewater.

PubMed

Bradford-Hartke, Zenah; Lane, Joe; Lant, Paul; Leslie, Gregory

2015-07-21

The environmental benefits and burdens of phosphorus recovery in four centralized and two decentralized municipal wastewater systems were compared using life cycle assessment (LCA). In centralized systems, phosphorus recovered as struvite from the solids dewatering liquid resulted in an environmental benefit except for the terrestrial ecotoxicity and freshwater eutrophication impact categories, with power and chemical use offset by operational savings and avoided fertilizer production. Chemical-based phosphorus recovery, however, generally required more resources than were offset by avoided fertilizers, resulting in a net environmental burden. In decentralized systems, phosphorus recovery via urine source separation reduced the global warming and ozone depletion potentials but increased terrestrial ecotoxicity and salinization potentials due to application of untreated urine to land. Overall, mineral depletion and eutrophication are well-documented arguments for phosphorus recovery; however, phosphorus recovery does not necessarily present a net environmental benefit. While avoided fertilizer production does reduce potential impacts, phosphorus recovery does not necessarily offset the resources consumed in the process. LCA results indicate that selection of an appropriate phosphorus recovery method should consider both local conditions and other environmental impacts, including global warming, ozone depletion, toxicity, and salinization, in addition to eutrophication and mineral depletion impacts.

A Bernoulli Gaussian Watermark for Detecting Integrity Attacks in Control Systems

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Weerakkody, Sean; Ozel, Omur; Sinopoli, Bruno

We examine the merit of Bernoulli packet drops in actively detecting integrity attacks on control systems. The aim is to detect an adversary who delivers fake sensor measurements to a system operator in order to conceal their effect on the plant. Physical watermarks, or noisy additive Gaussian inputs, have been previously used to detect several classes of integrity attacks in control systems. In this paper, we consider the analysis and design of Gaussian physical watermarks in the presence of packet drops at the control input. On one hand, this enables analysis in a more general network setting. On the othermore » hand, we observe that in certain cases, Bernoulli packet drops can improve detection performance relative to a purely Gaussian watermark. This motivates the joint design of a Bernoulli-Gaussian watermark which incorporates both an additive Gaussian input and a Bernoulli drop process. We characterize the effect of such a watermark on system performance as well as attack detectability in two separate design scenarios. Here, we consider a correlation detector for attack recognition. We then propose efficiently solvable optimization problems to intelligently select parameters of the Gaussian input and the Bernoulli drop process while addressing security and performance trade-offs. Finally, we provide numerical results which illustrate that a watermark with packet drops can indeed outperform a Gaussian watermark.« less

The Galactic evolution of phosphorus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Caffau, E.; Bonifacio, P.; Faraggiana, R.; Steffen, M.

2011-08-01

Context. As a galaxy evolves, its chemical composition changes and the abundance ratios of different elements are powerful probes of the underlying evolutionary processes. Phosphorous is an element whose evolution has remained quite elusive until now, because it is difficult to detect in cool stars. The infrared weak P i lines of the multiplet 1, at 1050-1082 nm, are the most reliable indicators of the presence of phosphorus. The availability of CRIRES at VLT has permitted access to this wavelength range in stellar spectra. Aims: We attempt to measure the phosphorus abundance of twenty cool stars in the Galactic disk. Methods: The spectra are analysed with one-dimensional model-atmospheres computed in local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE). The line formation computations are performed assuming LTE. Results: The ratio of phosphorus to iron behaves similarly to sulphur, increasing towards lower metallicity stars. Its ratio with respect to sulphur is roughly constant and slightly larger than solar, [P/S] = 0.10 ± 0.10. Conclusions: We succeed in taking an important step towards the understanding of the chemical evolution of phosphorus in the Galaxy. However, the observed rise in the P/Fe abundance ratio is steeper than predicted by Galactic chemical evolution model developed by Kobayashi and collaborators. Phosphorus appears to evolve differently from the light odd-Z elements sodium and aluminium. The constant value of [P/S] with metallicity implies that P production is insensitive to the neutron excess, thus processes other than neutron captures operate. We suggest that proton captures on 30Si and α captures on 27Al are possibilities to investigate. We see no clear distinction between our results for stars with planets and stars without any detected planet. Based on observations obtained with the CRIRES spectrograph at ESO-VLT Antu 8.2 m telescope at Paranal, Programme 386.D-0130, P.I. E. Caffau.

Propagation of Ince-Gaussian beams in uniaxial crystals orthogonal to the optical axis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Y. Q.; Zhou, G. Q.

2012-03-01

An analytical propagation expression of an Ince-Gaussian beam in uniaxial crystals orthogonal to the optical axis is derived. The uniaxial crystal considered here has the property of the extraordinary refractive index being larger than the ordinary refractive index. The Ince-Gaussian beam in the transversal direction along the optical axis spreads more rapidly than that in the other transversal direction. With increasing the ratio of the extraordinary refractive index to the ordinary refractive index, the spreading of the Ince-Gaussian beam in the transversal direction along the optical axis increases and the spreading of the Ince-Gaussian beam in the other transversal direction decreases. The effective beam size in the transversal direction along the optical axis is always larger than that in the other transversal direction. When the even and odd modes of Ince-Gaussian beams exist simultaneously, the effective beam size in the direction along the optical axis of the odd Ince-Gaussian beam is smaller than that of the even Ince-Gaussian beam in the corresponding direction, and the effective beam size in the transversal direction orthogonal to the optical axis of the odd Ince-Gaussian beam is larger than that of the even Ince-Gaussian beam in the corresponding direction.

Non-Gaussian bias: insights from discrete density peaks

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Desjacques, Vincent; Riotto, Antonio; Gong, Jinn-Ouk, E-mail: Vincent.Desjacques@unige.ch, E-mail: jinn-ouk.gong@apctp.org, E-mail: Antonio.Riotto@unige.ch

2013-09-01

Corrections induced by primordial non-Gaussianity to the linear halo bias can be computed from a peak-background split or the widespread local bias model. However, numerical simulations clearly support the prediction of the former, in which the non-Gaussian amplitude is proportional to the linear halo bias. To understand better the reasons behind the failure of standard Lagrangian local bias, in which the halo overdensity is a function of the local mass overdensity only, we explore the effect of a primordial bispectrum on the 2-point correlation of discrete density peaks. We show that the effective local bias expansion to peak clustering vastlymore » simplifies the calculation. We generalize this approach to excursion set peaks and demonstrate that the resulting non-Gaussian amplitude, which is a weighted sum of quadratic bias factors, precisely agrees with the peak-background split expectation, which is a logarithmic derivative of the halo mass function with respect to the normalisation amplitude. We point out that statistics of thresholded regions can be computed using the same formalism. Our results suggest that halo clustering statistics can be modelled consistently (in the sense that the Gaussian and non-Gaussian bias factors agree with peak-background split expectations) from a Lagrangian bias relation only if the latter is specified as a set of constraints imposed on the linear density field. This is clearly not the case of standard Lagrangian local bias. Therefore, one is led to consider additional variables beyond the local mass overdensity.« less

Near grazing scattering from non-Gaussian ocean surfaces

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kim, Yunjin; Rodriguez, Ernesto

1993-01-01

We investigate the behavior of the scattered electromagnetic waves from non-Gaussian ocean surfaces at near grazing incidence. Even though the scattering mechanisms at moderate incidence angles are relatively well understood, the same is not true for near grazing rough surface scattering. However, from the experimental ocean scattering data, it has been observed that the backscattering cross section of a horizontally polarized wave can be as large as the vertical counterpart at near grazing incidence. In addition, these returns are highly intermittent in time. There have been some suggestions that these unexpected effects may come from shadowing or feature scattering. Using numerical scattering simulations, it can be shown that the horizontal backscattering cannot be larger than the vertical one for the Gaussian surfaces. Our main objective of this study is to gain a clear understanding of scattering mechanisms underlying the near grazing ocean scattering. In order to evaluate the backscattering cross section from ocean surfaces at near grazing incidence, both the hydrodynamic modeling of ocean surfaces and an accurate near grazing scattering theory are required. For the surface modeling, we generate Gaussian surfaces from the ocean surface power spectrum which is derived using several experimental data. Then, weakly nonlinear large scale ocean surfaces are generated following Longuet-Higgins. In addition, the modulation of small waves by large waves is included using the conservation of wave action. For surface scattering, we use MOM (Method of Moments) to calculate the backscattering from scattering patches with the two scale shadowing approximation. The differences between Gaussian and non-Gaussian surface scattering at near grazing incidence are presented.

Anisotropic CMB distortions from non-Gaussian isocurvature perturbations

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ota, Atsuhisa; Sekiguchi, Toyokazu; Tada, Yuichiro

2015-03-01

We calculate the CMB μ-distortion, (μ), and the angular power spectrum of its cross-correlation with the temperature anisotropy, (μT), in the presence of the non-Gaussian neutrino isocurvature density (NID) mode. While the pure Gaussian NID perturbations give merely subdominant contributions to (μ) and do not create (μT), we show large (μT) can be realized in case where, especially, the NID perturbations S(x) are proportional to the square of a Gaussian field g(x), i.e. S(x)∝ g{sup 2}(x). Such Gaussian-squared perturbations contribute to not only the power spectrum, but also the bispectrum of CMB anisotropies. The constraints from the power spectrum ismore » given by P{sub SS}(k{sub 0})∼P{sub g}{sup 2}(k{sub 0})∼<10{sup −10} at k{sub 0}=0.05 Mpc{sup −1}. We also forecast constraints from the CMB temperature and E-mode polarisation bispectra, and show that P{sub g}(k{sub 0})∼<10{sup −5} would be allowed from the Planck data. We find that (μ) and |l(l+1)C{sup μT}{sub l}| can respectively be as large as 10{sup −9} and 10{sup −14} with uncorrelated scale-invariant NID perturbations for P{sub g}(k{sub 0})=10{sup −5}. When the spectrum of the Gaussian field is blue-tilted (with spectral index n{sub g}≅1.5), (μT) can be enhanced by an order of magnitude.« less

Method of removing and detoxifying a phosphorus-based substance

DOEpatents

Vandegrift, G.F.; Steindler, M.J.

1985-05-21

A method of removing a phosphorus-based poisonous substance from water contaminated is presented. In addition, the toxicity of the phosphorus-based substance is also subsequently destroyed. A water-immiscible organic solvent is first immobilized on a supported liquid membrane before the contaminated water is contacted with one side of the supported liquid membrane to absorb the phosphorus-based substance in the organic solvent. The other side of the supported liquid membrane is contacted with a hydroxy-affording strong base to react with phosphorus-based solvated species to form a non-toxic product.

NON-GAUSSIANITIES IN THE LOCAL CURVATURE OF THE FIVE-YEAR WMAP DATA

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rudjord, Oeystein; Groeneboom, Nicolaas E.; Hansen, Frode K.

Using the five-year WMAP data, we re-investigate claims of non-Gaussianities and asymmetries detected in local curvature statistics of the one-year WMAP data. In Hansen et al., it was found that the northern ecliptic hemisphere was non-Gaussian at the {approx}1% level testing the densities of hill, lake, and saddle points based on the second derivatives of the cosmic microwave background temperature map. The five-year WMAP data have a much lower noise level and better control of systematics. Using these, we find that the anomalies are still present at a consistent level. Also the direction of maximum non-Gaussianity remains. Due to limitedmore » availability of computer resources, Hansen et al. were unable to calculate the full covariance matrix for the {chi}{sup 2}-test used. Here, we apply the full covariance matrix instead of the diagonal approximation and find that the non-Gaussianities disappear and there is no preferred non-Gaussian direction. We compare with simulations of weak lensing to see if this may cause the observed non-Gaussianity when using a diagonal covariance matrix. We conclude that weak lensing does not produce non-Gaussianity in the local curvature statistics at the scales investigated in this paper. The cause of the non-Gaussian detection in the case of a diagonal matrix remains unclear.« less

Characterization of Adrenal Adenoma by Gaussian Model-Based Algorithm.

PubMed

Hsu, Larson D; Wang, Carolyn L; Clark, Toshimasa J

2016-01-01

We confirmed that computed tomography (CT) attenuation values of pixels in an adrenal nodule approximate a Gaussian distribution. Building on this and the previously described histogram analysis method, we created an algorithm that uses mean and standard deviation to estimate the percentage of negative attenuation pixels in an adrenal nodule, thereby allowing differentiation of adenomas and nonadenomas. The institutional review board approved both components of this study in which we developed and then validated our criteria. In the first, we retrospectively assessed CT attenuation values of adrenal nodules for normality using a 2-sample Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. In the second, we evaluated a separate cohort of patients with adrenal nodules using both the conventional 10HU unit mean attenuation method and our Gaussian model-based algorithm. We compared the sensitivities of the 2 methods using McNemar's test. A total of 183 of 185 observations (98.9%) demonstrated a Gaussian distribution in adrenal nodule pixel attenuation values. The sensitivity and specificity of our Gaussian model-based algorithm for identifying adrenal adenoma were 86.1% and 83.3%, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of the mean attenuation method were 53.2% and 94.4%, respectively. The sensitivities of the 2 methods were significantly different (P value < 0.001). In conclusion, the CT attenuation values within an adrenal nodule follow a Gaussian distribution. Our Gaussian model-based algorithm can characterize adrenal adenomas with higher sensitivity than the conventional mean attenuation method. The use of our algorithm, which does not require additional postprocessing, may increase workflow efficiency and reduce unnecessary workup of benign nodules. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

On the Response of a Nonlinear Structure to High Kurtosis Non-Gaussian Random Loadings

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rizzi, Stephen A.; Przekop, Adam; Turner, Travis L.

2011-01-01

This paper is a follow-on to recent work by the authors in which the response and high-cycle fatigue of a nonlinear structure subject to non-Gaussian loadings was found to vary markedly depending on the nature of the loading. There it was found that a non-Gaussian loading having a steady rate of short-duration, high-excursion peaks produced essentially the same response as would have been incurred by a Gaussian loading. In contrast, a non-Gaussian loading having the same kurtosis, but with bursts of high-excursion peaks was found to elicit a much greater response. This work is meant to answer the question of when consideration of a loading probability distribution other than Gaussian is important. The approach entailed nonlinear numerical simulation of a beam structure under Gaussian and non-Gaussian random excitations. Whether the structure responded in a Gaussian or non-Gaussian manner was determined by adherence to, or violations of, the Central Limit Theorem. Over a practical range of damping, it was found that the linear response to a non-Gaussian loading was Gaussian when the period of the system impulse response is much greater than the rate of peaks in the loading. Lower damping reduced the kurtosis, but only when the linear response was non-Gaussian. In the nonlinear regime, the response was found to be non-Gaussian for all loadings. The effect of a spring-hardening type of nonlinearity was found to limit extreme values and thereby lower the kurtosis relative to the linear response regime. In this case, lower damping gave rise to greater nonlinearity, resulting in lower kurtosis than a higher level of damping.

First-principles study of the effect of phosphorus on nickel grain boundary

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Liu, Wenguan; Ren, Cuilan; Han, Han, E-mail: hanhan@sinap.ac.cn, E-mail: xuhongjie@sinap.ac.cn

2014-01-28

Based on first-principles quantum-mechanical calculations, the impurity-dopant effects of phosphorus on Σ5(012) symmetrical tilt grain boundary in nickel have been studied. The calculated binding energy suggests that phosphorus has a strong tendency to segregate to the grain boundary. Phosphorus forms strong and covalent-like bonding with nickel, which is beneficial to the grain boundary cohesion. However, a too high phosphorus content can result in a thin and fragile zone in the grain boundary, due to the repulsion between phosphorus atoms. As the concentration of phosphorus increases, the strength of the grain boundary increases first and then decreases. Obviously, there exists anmore » optimum concentration for phosphorus segregation, which is consistent with observed segregation behaviors of phosphorus in the grain boundary of nickel. This work is very helpful to understand the comprehensive effects of phosphorus.« less

Effects of white phosphorus on mallard reproduction

USGS Publications Warehouse

Vann, S.I.; Sparling, D.W.; Ottinger, M.A.

2000-01-01

Extensive waterfowl mortality involving thousands of ducks, geese, and swans has occurred annually at Eagle River Flats, Alaska since at least 1982. The primary agent for this mortality has been identified as white phosphorus. Although acute and subacute lethality have been described, sublethal effects are less well known. This study reports on the effects of white phosphorus on reproductive function in the mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) in captivity. Fertility, hatching success, teratogenicity, and egg laying frequency were examined in 70 adult female mallards who received up to 7 daily doses of 0, 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 mg/kg of white phosphorus. Measurements of fertility and hatchability were reduced by the white phosphorus. Teratogenic effects were observed in embryos from hens dosed at all treatment levels. Egg laying frequency was reduced even at the lowest treatment level; treated hens required a greater number of days to lay a clutch of 12 eggs than control hens. After two doses at 2.0 mg/kg, all females stopped laying completely for a minimum of 10 days and laying frequency was depressed for at least 45 days. Fertility of 10 adult male mallards dosed with 1.0 mg/kg of white phosphorus did not differ from 10 controls, but plasma testosterone levels were significantly (p < 0.05) reduced in the treated males 1 day after dosing ended. These results provide evidence that productivity of free-ranging mallards may be impaired if they are exposed to white phosphorus at typical field levels.

Flammability of Epoxy Resins Containing Phosphorus

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hergenrother, P. M.; Thompson, C. M.; Smith, J. G.; Connell, J. W.; Hinkley, J. A.

2005-01-01

As part of a program to develop fire-resistant exterior composite structures for future subsonic commercial and general aviation aircraft, flame-retardant epoxy resins are under investigation. Epoxies and their curing agents (aromatic diamines) containing phosphorus were synthesized and used to prepare epoxy formulations. Phosphorus was incorporated within the backbone of the epoxy resin and not used as an additive. The resulting cured neat epoxy formulations were characterized by thermogravimetric analysis, propane torch test, elemental analysis, microscale combustion calorimetry, and fire calorimetry. Several formulations showed excellent flame retardation with phosphorous contents as low as 1.5% by weight. The fracture toughness and compressive strength of several cured formulations showed no detrimental effect due to phosphorus content. The chemistry and properties of these new epoxy formulations are discussed.

Long-term accumulation and transport of anthropogenic phosphorus in three river basins

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Powers, Stephen M.; Bruulsema, Thomas W.; Burt, Tim P.; Chan, Neng Iong; Elser, James J.; Haygarth, Philip M.; Howden, Nicholas J. K.; Jarvie, Helen P.; Lyu, Yang; Peterson, Heidi M.; Sharpley, Andrew N.; Shen, Jianbo; Worrall, Fred; Zhang, Fusuo

2016-05-01

Global food production depends on phosphorus. Phosphorus is broadly applied as fertilizer, but excess phosphorus contributes to eutrophication of surface water bodies and coastal ecosystems. Here we present an analysis of phosphorus fluxes in three large river basins, including published data on fertilizer, harvested crops, sewage, food waste and river fluxes. Our analyses reveal that the magnitude of phosphorus accumulation has varied greatly over the past 30-70 years in mixed agricultural-urban landscapes of the Thames Basin, UK, the Yangtze Basin, China, and the rural Maumee Basin, USA. Fluxes of phosphorus in fertilizer, harvested crops, food waste and sewage dominate over the river fluxes. Since the late 1990s, net exports from the Thames and Maumee Basins have exceeded inputs, suggesting net mobilization of the phosphorus pool accumulated in earlier decades. In contrast, the Yangtze Basin has consistently accumulated phosphorus since 1980. Infrastructure modifications such as sewage treatment and dams may explain more recent declines in total phosphorus fluxes from the Thames and Yangtze Rivers. We conclude that human-dominated river basins may undergo a prolonged but finite accumulation phase when phosphorus inputs exceed agricultural demand, and this accumulated phosphorus may continue to mobilize long after inputs decline.

Investigating Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen steering of continuous-variable bipartite states by non-Gaussian pseudospin measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiang, Yu; Xu, Buqing; Mišta, Ladislav; Tufarelli, Tommaso; He, Qiongyi; Adesso, Gerardo

2017-10-01

Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) steering is an asymmetric form of correlations which is intermediate between quantum entanglement and Bell nonlocality, and can be exploited as a resource for quantum communication with one untrusted party. In particular, steering of continuous-variable Gaussian states has been extensively studied theoretically and experimentally, as a fundamental manifestation of the EPR paradox. While most of these studies focused on quadrature measurements for steering detection, two recent works revealed that there exist Gaussian states which are only steerable by suitable non-Gaussian measurements. In this paper we perform a systematic investigation of EPR steering of bipartite Gaussian states by pseudospin measurements, complementing and extending previous findings. We first derive the density-matrix elements of two-mode squeezed thermal Gaussian states in the Fock basis, which may be of independent interest. We then use such a representation to investigate steering of these states as detected by a simple nonlinear criterion, based on second moments of the correlation matrix constructed from pseudospin operators. This analysis reveals previously unexplored regimes where non-Gaussian measurements are shown to be more effective than Gaussian ones to witness steering of Gaussian states in the presence of local noise. We further consider an alternative set of pseudospin observables, whose expectation value can be expressed more compactly in terms of Wigner functions for all two-mode Gaussian states. However, according to the adopted criterion, these observables are found to be always less sensitive than conventional Gaussian observables for steering detection. Finally, we investigate continuous-variable Werner states, which are non-Gaussian mixtures of Gaussian states, and find that pseudospin measurements are always more effective than Gaussian ones to reveal their steerability. Our results provide useful insights on the role of non-Gaussian

Improving Phosphorus Availability in an Acid Soil Using Organic Amendments Produced from Agroindustrial Wastes

PubMed Central

Ch'ng, Huck Ywih; Ahmed, Osumanu Haruna; Majid, Nik Muhamad Ab.

2014-01-01

In acid soils, soluble inorganic phosphorus is fixed by aluminium and iron. To overcome this problem, acid soils are limed to fix aluminium and iron but this practice is not economical. The practice is also not environmentally friendly. This study was conducted to improve phosphorus availability using organic amendments (biochar and compost produced from chicken litter and pineapple leaves, resp.) to fix aluminium and iron instead of phosphorus. Amending soil with biochar or compost or a mixture of biochar and compost increased total phosphorus, available phosphorus, inorganic phosphorus fractions (soluble inorganic phosphorus, aluminium bound inorganic phosphorus, iron bound inorganic phosphorus, redundant soluble inorganic phosphorus, and calcium bound phosphorus), and organic phosphorus. This was possible because the organic amendments increased soil pH and reduced exchangeable acidity, exchangeable aluminium, and exchangeable iron. The findings suggest that the organic amendments altered soil chemical properties in a way that enhanced the availability of phosphorus in this study. The amendments effectively fixed aluminium and iron instead of phosphorus, thus rendering phosphorus available by keeping the inorganic phosphorus in a bioavailable labile phosphorus pool for a longer period compared with application of Triple Superphosphate without organic amendments. PMID:25032229

Environmental and resource implications of phosphorus recovery from waste activated sludge.

PubMed

Sørensen, Birgitte Lilholt; Dall, Ole Leinikka; Habib, Komal

2015-11-01

Phosphorus is an essential mineral resource for the growth of crops and thus necessary to feed the ever increasing global population. The essentiality and irreplaceability of phosphorus in food production has raised the concerns regarding the long-term phosphorus availability and the resulting food supply issues in the future. Hence, the recovery of phosphorus from waste activated sludge and other waste streams is getting huge attention as a viable solution to tackle the potential availability issues of phosphorus in the future. This study explores the environmental implications of phosphorus recovery from waste activated sludge in Denmark and further elaborates on the potential availability or scarcity issue of phosphorus today and 2050. Life cycle assessment is used to assess the possibility of phosphorus recovery with little or no environmental impacts compared to the conventional mining. The phosphorus recovery method assessed in this study consists of drying process, and thermal gasification of the waste activated sludge followed by extraction of phosphorus from the ashes. Our results indicate that the environmental impacts of phosphorus recovery in an energy efficient process are comparable to the environmental effects from the re-use of waste activated sludge applied directly on farmland. Moreover, our findings conclude that the general recommendation according to the waste hierarchy, where re-use of the waste sludge on farmland is preferable to material and energy recovery, is wrong in this case. Especially when phosphorus is a critical resource due to its life threatening necessity, lack of substitution options and potential future supply risk originating due to the high level of global supply concentration. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Speech Enhancement Using Gaussian Scale Mixture Models

PubMed Central

Hao, Jiucang; Lee, Te-Won; Sejnowski, Terrence J.

2011-01-01

This paper presents a novel probabilistic approach to speech enhancement. Instead of a deterministic logarithmic relationship, we assume a probabilistic relationship between the frequency coefficients and the log-spectra. The speech model in the log-spectral domain is a Gaussian mixture model (GMM). The frequency coefficients obey a zero-mean Gaussian whose covariance equals to the exponential of the log-spectra. This results in a Gaussian scale mixture model (GSMM) for the speech signal in the frequency domain, since the log-spectra can be regarded as scaling factors. The probabilistic relation between frequency coefficients and log-spectra allows these to be treated as two random variables, both to be estimated from the noisy signals. Expectation-maximization (EM) was used to train the GSMM and Bayesian inference was used to compute the posterior signal distribution. Because exact inference of this full probabilistic model is computationally intractable, we developed two approaches to enhance the efficiency: the Laplace method and a variational approximation. The proposed methods were applied to enhance speech corrupted by Gaussian noise and speech-shaped noise (SSN). For both approximations, signals reconstructed from the estimated frequency coefficients provided higher signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and those reconstructed from the estimated log-spectra produced lower word recognition error rate because the log-spectra fit the inputs to the recognizer better. Our algorithms effectively reduced the SSN, which algorithms based on spectral analysis were not able to suppress. PMID:21359139

Secondary poisoning of kestrels by white phosphorus

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sparling, D.W.; Federoff, N.E.

1997-01-01

Since 1982, extensive waterfowl mortality due to white phosphorus (P4) has been observed at Eagle River Flats, a tidal marsh near Anchorage, Alaska. Ducks and swans that ingest P4 pellets become lethargic and may display severe convulsions. Intoxicated waterfowl attract raptors and gulls that feed on dead or dying birds. To determine if avian predators can be affected by secondary poisoning, we fed American kestrels (Falco sparverius) 10-day-old domestic chickens that had been dosed with white phosphorus. Eight of 15 kestrels fed intact chicks with a pellet of P4 implanted in their crops died within seven days. Three of 15 kestrels fed chicks that had their upper digestive tracts removed to eliminate any pellets of white phosphorus also died. Hematocrit and hemoglobin in kestrels decreased whereas lactate dehydrogenaseL, glucose, and alanine aminotransferase levels in plasma increased with exposure to contaminated chicks. Histological examination of liver and kidneys showed that the incidence and severity of lesions increased when kestrels were fed contaminated chicks. White phosphorus residues were measurable in 87% of the kestrels dying on study and 20% of the survivors. This study shows that raptors can become intoxicated either by ingesting portions of digestive tracts containing white phosphorus pellets or by consuming tissues of P4 contaminated prey.

The Spatial-temperal Distribution of Phosphorus Species and the Main Factors Influencing on Phosphorus Transportation in Middle Reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo River, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pu, X.; An, R.; Li, R.; Huang, W.; Li, J.

2017-12-01

The objectives of the current study are to investigate the spatial, temperal variation of phisphorus (P) fraction in middle reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo River of China. Samples were collected in April (dry season), August (wet season), and Octber (normal season) along with the middle reaches from Lazi site to Nuxia sitewhich which is about 1000km long. Sequential extraction were applied to determine the forms of phosphorus in suspended particles and to assess the potential bioavailability of particulate P. The results indicated that the distribution of suspended particle size inflenced not only the total phosphorus concentration, but also the proportions of different forms of phosphorus. The exchangeable phosphorus (Ex-P), Fe-bound-P, Ca-bound-P were the most aboundant forms and the highest proportions of total P. The total P concentrations were closely relative to the concentration of suspended particles. According to the characteristics of suspended particles in the Yarlung Zangbo River, the relationship between the suspended particles size and species of phosphorus was established though statistical analysis. The Ex-P increased with the decreasing of suspended particulate size. The content of bioavailable particulate phosphorus varied greatly with the proportions of particulate size. In genral, the higher the proportion of smaller particle size, the higher the content of bioavailable phosphorus. The main factors which affect the phosphorus transportation in Yarlung Zangbo River had also been discussed.

Plant based phosphorus recovery from wastewater via algae and macrophytes.

PubMed

Shilton, Andrew N; Powell, Nicola; Guieysse, Benoit

2012-12-01

At present, resource recovery by irrigation of wastewater to plants is usually driven by the value of the water resource rather than phosphorus recovery. Expanded irrigation for increased phosphorus recovery may be expected as the scarcity and price of phosphorus increases, but providing the necessary treatment, storage and conveyance comes at significant expense. An alternative to taking the wastewater to the plants is instead to take the plants to the wastewater. Algal ponds and macrophyte wetlands are already in widespread use for wastewater treatment and if harvested, would require less than one-tenth of the area to recover phosphorus compared to terrestrial crops/pastures. This area could be further decreased if the phosphorus content of the macrophytes and algae biomass was tripled from 1% to 3% via luxury uptake. While this and many other opportunities for plant based recovery of phosphorus exist, e.g. offshore cultivation, much of this technology development is still in its infancy. Research that enhances our understanding of how to maximise phosphorus uptake and harvest yields; and further add value to the biomass for reuse would see the recovery of phosphorus via plants become an important solution in the future. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The prevalence of phosphorus-containing food additives in top-selling foods in grocery stores.

PubMed

León, Janeen B; Sullivan, Catherine M; Sehgal, Ashwini R

2013-07-01

The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of phosphorus-containing food additives in best-selling processed grocery products and to compare the phosphorus content of a subset of top-selling foods with and without phosphorus additives. The labels of 2394 best-selling branded grocery products in northeast Ohio were reviewed for phosphorus additives. The top 5 best-selling products containing phosphorus additives from each food category were matched with similar products without phosphorus additives and analyzed for phosphorus content. Four days of sample meals consisting of foods with and without phosphorus additives were created, and daily phosphorus and pricing differentials were computed. Presence of phosphorus-containing food additives, phosphorus content. Forty-four percent of the best-selling grocery items contained phosphorus additives. The additives were particularly common in prepared frozen foods (72%), dry food mixes (70%), packaged meat (65%), bread and baked goods (57%), soup (54%), and yogurt (51%) categories. Phosphorus additive-containing foods averaged 67 mg phosphorus/100 g more than matched nonadditive-containing foods (P = .03). Sample meals comprised mostly of phosphorus additive-containing foods had 736 mg more phosphorus per day compared with meals consisting of only additive-free foods. Phosphorus additive-free meals cost an average of $2.00 more per day. Phosphorus additives are common in best-selling processed groceries and contribute significantly to their phosphorus content. Moreover, phosphorus additive foods are less costly than phosphorus additive-free foods. As a result, persons with chronic kidney disease may purchase these popular low-cost groceries and unknowingly increase their intake of highly bioavailable phosphorus. Copyright © 2013 National Kidney Foundation, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Prevalence of Phosphorus Containing Food Additives in Top Selling Foods in Grocery Stores

PubMed Central

León, Janeen B.; Sullivan, Catherine M.; Sehgal, Ashwini R.

2013-01-01

Objective To determine the prevalence of phosphorus-containing food additives in best selling processed grocery products and to compare the phosphorus content of a subset of top selling foods with and without phosphorus additives. Design The labels of 2394 best selling branded grocery products in northeast Ohio were reviewed for phosphorus additives. The top 5 best selling products containing phosphorus additives from each food category were matched with similar products without phosphorus additives and analyzed for phosphorus content. Four days of sample meals consisting of foods with and without phosphorus additives were created and daily phosphorus and pricing differentials were computed. Setting Northeast Ohio Main outcome measures Presence of phosphorus-containing food additives, phosphorus content Results 44% of the best selling grocery items contained phosphorus additives. The additives were particularly common in prepared frozen foods (72%), dry food mixes (70%), packaged meat (65%), bread & baked goods (57%), soup (54%), and yogurt (51%) categories. Phosphorus additive containing foods averaged 67 mg phosphorus/100 gm more than matched non-additive containing foods (p=.03). Sample meals comprised mostly of phosphorus additive-containing foods had 736 mg more phosphorus per day compared to meals consisting of only additive-free foods. Phosphorus additive-free meals cost an average of $2.00 more per day. Conclusion Phosphorus additives are common in best selling processed groceries and contribute significantly to their phosphorus content. Moreover, phosphorus additive foods are less costly than phosphorus additive-free foods. As a result, persons with chronic kidney disease may purchase these popular low-cost groceries and unknowingly increase their intake of highly bioavailable phosphorus. PMID:23402914

46 CFR 151.50-50 - Elemental phosphorus in water.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 46 Shipping 5 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Elemental phosphorus in water. 151.50-50 Section 151.50... phosphorus in water. (a) Tanks shall be designed and tested for a head equivalent to the design lading of phosphorus and its water blanket extended to 8 feet above the tank top. In addition, tank design calculations...

46 CFR 151.50-50 - Elemental phosphorus in water.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 5 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Elemental phosphorus in water. 151.50-50 Section 151.50... phosphorus in water. (a) Tanks shall be designed and tested for a head equivalent to the design lading of phosphorus and its water blanket extended to 8 feet above the tank top. In addition, tank design calculations...

46 CFR 151.50-50 - Elemental phosphorus in water.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 46 Shipping 5 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Elemental phosphorus in water. 151.50-50 Section 151.50... phosphorus in water. (a) Tanks shall be designed and tested for a head equivalent to the design lading of phosphorus and its water blanket extended to 8 feet above the tank top. In addition, tank design calculations...

46 CFR 151.50-50 - Elemental phosphorus in water.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 46 Shipping 5 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Elemental phosphorus in water. 151.50-50 Section 151.50... phosphorus in water. (a) Tanks shall be designed and tested for a head equivalent to the design lading of phosphorus and its water blanket extended to 8 feet above the tank top. In addition, tank design calculations...

Dynamical Casimir Effect for Gaussian Boson Sampling.

PubMed

Peropadre, Borja; Huh, Joonsuk; Sabín, Carlos

2018-02-28

We show that the Dynamical Casimir Effect (DCE), realized on two multimode coplanar waveg-uide resonators, implements a gaussian boson sampler (GBS). The appropriate choice of the mirror acceleration that couples both resonators translates into the desired initial gaussian state and many-boson interference in a boson sampling network. In particular, we show that the proposed quantum simulator naturally performs a classically hard task, known as scattershot boson sampling. Our result unveils an unprecedented computational power of DCE, and paves the way for using DCE as a resource for quantum simulation.

Entropic characterization of separability in Gaussian states

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sudha; Devi, A. R. Usha; Inspire Institute Inc., McLean, Virginia 22101

2010-02-15

We explore separability of bipartite divisions of mixed Gaussian states based on the positivity of the Abe-Rajagopal (AR) q-conditional entropy. The AR q-conditional entropic characterization provide more stringent restrictions on separability (in the limit q{yields}{infinity}) than that obtained from the corresponding von Neumann conditional entropy (q=1 case)--similar to the situation in finite dimensional states. Effectiveness of this approach, in relation to the results obtained by partial transpose criterion, is explicitly analyzed in three illustrative examples of two-mode Gaussian states of physical significance.

From prompt gamma distribution to dose: a novel approach combining an evolutionary algorithm and filtering based on Gaussian-powerlaw convolutions.

PubMed

Schumann, A; Priegnitz, M; Schoene, S; Enghardt, W; Rohling, H; Fiedler, F

2016-10-07

Range verification and dose monitoring in proton therapy is considered as highly desirable. Different methods have been developed worldwide, like particle therapy positron emission tomography (PT-PET) and prompt gamma imaging (PGI). In general, these methods allow for a verification of the proton range. However, quantification of the dose from these measurements remains challenging. For the first time, we present an approach for estimating the dose from prompt γ-ray emission profiles. It combines a filtering procedure based on Gaussian-powerlaw convolution with an evolutionary algorithm. By means of convolving depth dose profiles with an appropriate filter kernel, prompt γ-ray depth profiles are obtained. In order to reverse this step, the evolutionary algorithm is applied. The feasibility of this approach is demonstrated for a spread-out Bragg-peak in a water target.

An algorithm for separation of mixed sparse and Gaussian sources

PubMed Central

Akkalkotkar, Ameya

2017-01-01

Independent component analysis (ICA) is a ubiquitous method for decomposing complex signal mixtures into a small set of statistically independent source signals. However, in cases in which the signal mixture consists of both nongaussian and Gaussian sources, the Gaussian sources will not be recoverable by ICA and will pollute estimates of the nongaussian sources. Therefore, it is desirable to have methods for mixed ICA/PCA which can separate mixtures of Gaussian and nongaussian sources. For mixtures of purely Gaussian sources, principal component analysis (PCA) can provide a basis for the Gaussian subspace. We introduce a new method for mixed ICA/PCA which we call Mixed ICA/PCA via Reproducibility Stability (MIPReSt). Our method uses a repeated estimations technique to rank sources by reproducibility, combined with decomposition of multiple subsamplings of the original data matrix. These multiple decompositions allow us to assess component stability as the size of the data matrix changes, which can be used to determinine the dimension of the nongaussian subspace in a mixture. We demonstrate the utility of MIPReSt for signal mixtures consisting of simulated sources and real-word (speech) sources, as well as mixture of unknown composition. PMID:28414814

An algorithm for separation of mixed sparse and Gaussian sources.

PubMed

Akkalkotkar, Ameya; Brown, Kevin Scott

2017-01-01

Independent component analysis (ICA) is a ubiquitous method for decomposing complex signal mixtures into a small set of statistically independent source signals. However, in cases in which the signal mixture consists of both nongaussian and Gaussian sources, the Gaussian sources will not be recoverable by ICA and will pollute estimates of the nongaussian sources. Therefore, it is desirable to have methods for mixed ICA/PCA which can separate mixtures of Gaussian and nongaussian sources. For mixtures of purely Gaussian sources, principal component analysis (PCA) can provide a basis for the Gaussian subspace. We introduce a new method for mixed ICA/PCA which we call Mixed ICA/PCA via Reproducibility Stability (MIPReSt). Our method uses a repeated estimations technique to rank sources by reproducibility, combined with decomposition of multiple subsamplings of the original data matrix. These multiple decompositions allow us to assess component stability as the size of the data matrix changes, which can be used to determinine the dimension of the nongaussian subspace in a mixture. We demonstrate the utility of MIPReSt for signal mixtures consisting of simulated sources and real-word (speech) sources, as well as mixture of unknown composition.

Factors effective on peritoneal phosphorus transport and clearance in peritoneal dialysis patients
.

PubMed

Cebeci, Egemen; Gursu, Meltem; Uzun, Sami; Karadag, Serhat; Kazancioglu, Rumeyza; Ozturk, Savas

2017-02-01

Transport characteristics of phosphorus are different from other small solutes that are evaluated in routine peritoneal equilibration test (PET) in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. We aimed to evaluate peritoneal phosphorus clearance and permeability, and their relationship with peritoneal membrane transport type and creatinine clearance as well as factors affecting peritoneal phosphorus clearance. 70 adult patients on a PD program were included in our study. Phosphorus transport status was classified according to dialysate/plasma (D/P) phosphorus at the 4^th hour of PET as slow transporter (< 0.47), slow-average transporter (0.47 - 0.56), fast-average transporter (0.57 - 0.67), and fast transporter (> 0.67). We evaluated the relationship of peritoneal phosphorus clearance and transport type with PD regime, phosphorus level, and presence of residual renal function in addition to investigating factors that are effective on peritoneal phosphorus clearance. D/P phosphorus and peritoneal phosphorus clearance were positively correlated with D/P creatinine and peritoneal creatinine clearance, respectively. Automated PD and continuous ambulatory PD patients were similar regarding phosphorus and creatinine clearances and transport status based on D/P phosphorus. The major determinant of peritoneal phosphorus clearance was anuria status. Anuric patients had higher dialysate volume (11.6 ± 3.0 L vs. 8.4 ± 2.1 L, p < 0.001) and therefore higher peritoneal phosphorus clearance (61.7 ± 15.1 L/week/1.73 m² vs. 48.4 ± 14.0 L/week/1.73 m², p = 0.001). Hyperphosphatemia was present in 40% and 11% of anuric patients and those with residual renal function, respectively (p = 0.005). Peritoneal phosphorus transport characteristics are similar to that of creatinine. Although increased dialysis dose may increase peritoneal phosphorus clearance, it may be insufficient to prevent hyperphosphatemia in anuric patients.
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A Hierarchical Phosphorus Nanobarbed Nanowire Hybrid: Its Structure and Electrochemical Properties.

PubMed

Zhao, Dan; Li, Beibei; Zhang, Jinying; Li, Xin; Xiao, Dingbin; Fu, Chengcheng; Zhang, Lihui; Li, Zhihui; Li, Jun; Cao, Daxian; Niu, Chunming

2017-06-14

Nanostructured phosphorus-carbon composites are promising materials for Li-ion and Na-ion battery anodes. A hierarchical phosphorus hybrid, SiC@graphene@P, has been synthesized by the chemical vapor deposition of phosphorus on the surfaces of barbed nanowires, where the barbs are vertically grown graphene nanosheets and the cores are SiC nanowires. A temperature-gradient vaporization-condensation method has been used to remove the unhybridized phosphorus particles formed by homogeneous nucleation. The vertically grown barb shaped graphene nanosheets and a high concentration of edge carbon atoms induced a fibrous red phosphorus (f-RP) growth with its {001} planes in parallel to {002} planes of nanographene sheets and led to a strong interpenetrated interface interaction between phosphorus and the surfaces of graphene nanosheets. This hybridization has been demonstrated to significantly enhance the electrochemical performances of phosphorus.

Coherence degree of the fundamental Bessel-Gaussian beam in turbulent atmosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lukin, Igor P.

2017-11-01

In this article the coherence of a fundamental Bessel-Gaussian optical beam in turbulent atmosphere is analyzed. The problem analysis is based on the solution of the equation for the transverse second-order mutual coherence function of a fundamental Bessel-Gaussian optical beam of optical radiation. The behavior of a coherence degree of a fundamental Bessel-Gaussian optical beam depending on parameters of an optical beam and characteristics of turbulent atmosphere is examined. It was revealed that at low levels of fluctuations in turbulent atmosphere the coherence degree of a fundamental Bessel-Gaussian optical beam has the characteristic oscillating appearance. At high levels of fluctuations in turbulent atmosphere the coherence degree of a fundamental Bessel-Gaussian optical beam is described by an one-scale decreasing curve which in process of increase of level of fluctuations on a line of formation of a laser beam becomes closer to the same characteristic of a spherical optical wave.

Activation rates for nonlinear stochastic flows driven by non-Gaussian noise

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van den Broeck, C.; Hänggi, P.

1984-11-01

Activation rates are calculated for stochastic bistable flows driven by asymmetric dichotomic Markov noise (a two-state Markov process). This noise contains as limits both a particular type of non-Gaussian white shot noise and white Gaussian noise. Apart from investigating the role of colored noise on the escape rates, one can thus also study the influence of the non-Gaussian nature of the noise on these rates. The rate for white shot noise differs in leading order (Arrhenius factor) from the corresponding rate for white Gaussian noise of equal strength. In evaluating the rates we demonstrate the advantage of using transport theory over a mean first-passage time approach for cases with generally non-white and non-Gaussian noise sources. For white shot noise with exponentially distributed weights we succeed in evaluating the mean first-passage time of the corresponding integro-differential master-equation dynamics. The rate is shown to coincide in the weak noise limit with the inverse mean first-passage time.

Cosmological information in Gaussianized weak lensing signals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Joachimi, B.; Taylor, A. N.; Kiessling, A.

2011-11-01

Gaussianizing the one-point distribution of the weak gravitational lensing convergence has recently been shown to increase the signal-to-noise ratio contained in two-point statistics. We investigate the information on cosmology that can be extracted from the transformed convergence fields. Employing Box-Cox transformations to determine optimal transformations to Gaussianity, we develop analytical models for the transformed power spectrum, including effects of noise and smoothing. We find that optimized Box-Cox transformations perform substantially better than an offset logarithmic transformation in Gaussianizing the convergence, but both yield very similar results for the signal-to-noise ratio. None of the transformations is capable of eliminating correlations of the power spectra between different angular frequencies, which we demonstrate to have a significant impact on the errors in cosmology. Analytic models of the Gaussianized power spectrum yield good fits to the simulations and produce unbiased parameter estimates in the majority of cases, where the exceptions can be traced back to the limitations in modelling the higher order correlations of the original convergence. In the ideal case, without galaxy shape noise, we find an increase in the cumulative signal-to-noise ratio by a factor of 2.6 for angular frequencies up to ℓ= 1500, and a decrease in the area of the confidence region in the Ωm-σ8 plane, measured in terms of q-values, by a factor of 4.4 for the best performing transformation. When adding a realistic level of shape noise, all transformations perform poorly with little decorrelation of angular frequencies, a maximum increase in signal-to-noise ratio of 34 per cent, and even slightly degraded errors on cosmological parameters. We argue that to find Gaussianizing transformations of practical use, it will be necessary to go beyond transformations of the one-point distribution of the convergence, extend the analysis deeper into the non

Generally astigmatic Gaussian beam representation and optimization using skew rays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Colbourne, Paul D.

2014-12-01

Methods are presented of using skew rays to optimize a generally astigmatic optical system to obtain the desired Gaussian beam focus and minimize aberrations, and to calculate the propagating generally astigmatic Gaussian beam parameters at any point. The optimization method requires very little computation beyond that of a conventional ray optimization, and requires no explicit calculation of the properties of the propagating Gaussian beam. Unlike previous methods, the calculation of beam parameters does not require matrix calculations or the introduction of non-physical concepts such as imaginary rays.

Optimality of Gaussian attacks in continuous-variable quantum cryptography.

PubMed

Navascués, Miguel; Grosshans, Frédéric; Acín, Antonio

2006-11-10

We analyze the asymptotic security of the family of Gaussian modulated quantum key distribution protocols for continuous-variables systems. We prove that the Gaussian unitary attack is optimal for all the considered bounds on the key rate when the first and second momenta of the canonical variables involved are known by the honest parties.