Time dependent density functional calculation of plasmon response in clusters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Feng; Zhang, Feng-Shou; Eric, Suraud

2003-02-01

We have introduced a theoretical scheme for the efficient description of the optical response of a cluster based on the time-dependent density functional theory. The practical implementation is done by means of the fully fledged time-dependent local density approximation scheme, which is solved directly in the time domain without any linearization. As an example we consider the simple Na2 cluster and compute its surface plasmon photoabsorption cross section, which is in good agreement with the experiments.

Theoretical description of the 2A/double prime/ and 2A/prime/ states of the peroxyformyl radical. [for air pollution and Mars atmospheric studies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Winter, N. W.; Goddard, W. A., III; Bender, C. F.

1975-01-01

Simple orbital ideas are used to describe the lowest two states of the peroxyformyl radical, and ab initio Hartree-Fock calculations in these states are reported. It is found that both states may be formed exothermically by association of O2 and HCO in their ground states; however, the excited state may decompose readily to OH and CO2. The possible role of such processes in oxidation of aldelydes is discussed.

Perspectives on theory at the interface of physics and biology.

PubMed

Bialek, William

2018-01-01

Theoretical physics is the search for simple and universal mathematical descriptions of the natural world. In contrast, much of modern biology is an exploration of the complexity and diversity of life. For many, this contrast is prima facie evidence that theory, in the sense that physicists use the word, is impossible in a biological context. For others, this contrast serves to highlight a grand challenge. I am an optimist, and believe (along with many colleagues) that the time is ripe for the emergence of a more unified theoretical physics of biological systems, building on successes in thinking about particular phenomena. In this essay I try to explain the reasons for my optimism, through a combination of historical and modern examples.

Perspectives on theory at the interface of physics and biology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bialek, William

2018-01-01

Theoretical physics is the search for simple and universal mathematical descriptions of the natural world. In contrast, much of modern biology is an exploration of the complexity and diversity of life. For many, this contrast is prima facie evidence that theory, in the sense that physicists use the word, is impossible in a biological context. For others, this contrast serves to highlight a grand challenge. I am an optimist, and believe (along with many colleagues) that the time is ripe for the emergence of a more unified theoretical physics of biological systems, building on successes in thinking about particular phenomena. In this essay I try to explain the reasons for my optimism, through a combination of historical and modern examples.

Learning Abstract Physical Concepts from Experience: Design and Use of an RC Circuit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parra, Alfredo; Ordenes, Jorge; de la Fuente, Milton

2018-05-01

Science learning for undergraduate students requires grasping a great number of theoretical concepts in a rather short time. In our experience, this is especially difficult when students are required to simultaneously use abstract concepts, mathematical reasoning, and graphical analysis, such as occurs when learning about RC circuits. We present a simple experimental model in this work that allows students to easily design, build, and analyze RC circuits, thus providing an opportunity to test personal ideas, build graphical descriptions, and explore the meaning of the respective mathematical models, ultimately gaining a better grasp of the concepts involved. The result suggests that the simple setup indeed helps untrained students to visualize the essential points of this kind of circuit.

A numerical tool for reproducing driver behaviour: experiments and predictive simulations.

PubMed

Casucci, M; Marchitto, M; Cacciabue, P C

2010-03-01

This paper presents the simulation tool called SDDRIVE (Simple Simulation of Driver performance), which is the numerical computerised implementation of the theoretical architecture describing Driver-Vehicle-Environment (DVE) interactions, contained in Cacciabue and Carsten [Cacciabue, P.C., Carsten, O. A simple model of driver behaviour to sustain design and safety assessment of automated systems in automotive environments, 2010]. Following a brief description of the basic algorithms that simulate the performance of drivers, the paper presents and discusses a set of experiments carried out in a Virtual Reality full scale simulator for validating the simulation. Then the predictive potentiality of the tool is shown by discussing two case studies of DVE interactions, performed in the presence of different driver attitudes in similar traffic conditions.

A gauge-theoretic approach to gravity

PubMed Central

Krasnov, Kirill

2012-01-01

Einstein's general relativity (GR) is a dynamical theory of the space–time metric. We describe an approach in which GR becomes an SU(2) gauge theory. We start at the linearized level and show how a gauge-theoretic Lagrangian for non-interacting massless spin two particles (gravitons) takes a much more simple and compact form than in the standard metric description. Moreover, in contrast to the GR situation, the gauge theory Lagrangian is convex. We then proceed with a formulation of the full nonlinear theory. The equivalence to the metric-based GR holds only at the level of solutions of the field equations, that is, on-shell. The gauge-theoretic approach also makes it clear that GR is not the only interacting theory of massless spin two particles, in spite of the GR uniqueness theorems available in the metric description. Thus, there is an infinite-parameter class of gravity theories all describing just two propagating polarizations of the graviton. We describe how matter can be coupled to gravity in this formulation and, in particular, how both the gravity and Yang–Mills arise as sectors of a general diffeomorphism-invariant gauge theory. We finish by outlining a possible scenario of the ultraviolet completion of quantum gravity within this approach. PMID:22792040

Green Function Calculations of Properties for the Magnetocaloric Layered Structures Based Upon FeMnAsP

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schilling, Osvaldo F.

2016-11-01

The alternating Fe-Mn layered structures of the compounds FeMnAsxP1-x display properties which have been demonstrated experimentally as very promising as far as commercial applications of the magnetocaloric effect are concerned. However, the theoretical literature on this and other families of magnetocaloric compounds still adopts simple molecular-field models in the description of important statistical mechanical properties like the entropy variation that accompanies applied isothermal magnetic field cycling, as well as the temperature variation following adiabatic magnetic field cycles. In the present paper, a random phase approximation Green function theoretical treatment is applied to such structures. The advantages of such approach are well known since the details of the crystal structure are easily incorporated in the model, as well as a precise description of correlations between neighbor spins can be obtained. We focus on a simple one-exchange parameter Heisenberg model, and the observed first-order phase transitions are reproduced by the introduction of a biquadratic term in the Hamiltonian whose origin is related both to the magnetoelastic coupling with the phonon spectrum in these compounds as well as with the values of spins in the Fe and Mn ions. The calculations are compared with experimental magnetocaloric data for the FeMnAsxP1-x compounds. In particular, the magnetic field dependence for the entropy variation at the transition temperature predicted from the Landau theory of continuous phase transitions is reproduced even in the case of discontinuous transitions.

Development of watershed models for emerald lake watershed in Sequoia National Park and for other lakes of the Sierra Nevada. Final report

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

Sorooshian, S.; Bales, R.C.; Gupta, V.K.

1992-02-01

In order to better understand the implications of acid deposition in watershed systems in the Sierra Nevada, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) initiated an intensive integrated watershed study at Emerald Lake in Sequoia National Park. The comprehensive nature of the data obtained from these studies provided an opportunity to develop a quantitative description of how watershed characteristics and inputs to the watershed influence within-watershed fluxes, chemical composition of streams and lakes, and, therefore, biotic processes. Two different but closely-related modeling approaches were followed. In the first, the emphasis was placed on the development of systems-theoretic models. In the secondmore » approach, development of a compartmental model was undertaken. The systems-theoretic effort results in simple time-series models that allow the consideration of the stochastic properties of model errors. The compartmental model (the University of Arizona Alpine Hydrochemical Model (AHM)) is a comprehensive and detailed description of the various interacting physical and chemical processes occurring on the watershed.« less

s -wave scattering length of a Gaussian potential

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jeszenszki, Peter; Cherny, Alexander Yu.; Brand, Joachim

2018-04-01

We provide accurate expressions for the s -wave scattering length for a Gaussian potential well in one, two, and three spatial dimensions. The Gaussian potential is widely used as a pseudopotential in the theoretical description of ultracold-atomic gases, where the s -wave scattering length is a physically relevant parameter. We first describe a numerical procedure to compute the value of the s -wave scattering length from the parameters of the Gaussian, but find that its accuracy is limited in the vicinity of singularities that result from the formation of new bound states. We then derive simple analytical expressions that capture the correct asymptotic behavior of the s -wave scattering length near the bound states. Expressions that are increasingly accurate in wide parameter regimes are found by a hierarchy of approximations that capture an increasing number of bound states. The small number of numerical coefficients that enter these expressions is determined from accurate numerical calculations. The approximate formulas combine the advantages of the numerical and approximate expressions, yielding an accurate and simple description from the weakly to the strongly interacting limit.

Creating Good Employment Opportunities for the Rural Sector

PubMed Central

Foster, Andrew D.

2013-01-01

This paper examines the potential for sector-specific productivity growth, human capital, credit markets, and infrastructure to contribute to the development of stable, well-paid employment in rural areas of low-income countries. Particular emphasis is placed on the way that different sectors of the rural economy interact with each other and with local and regional product markets. A simple theoretical framework and descriptive analysis of panel data from India suggests that more emphasis should be placed on increasing the production of goods that incorporate local agricultural products as inputs. PMID:25883938

Particle Transport and Size Sorting in Bubble Microstreaming Flow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thameem, Raqeeb; Rallabandi, Bhargav; Wang, Cheng; Hilgenfeldt, Sascha

2014-11-01

Ultrasonic driving of sessile semicylindrical bubbles results in powerful steady streaming flows that are robust over a wide range of driving frequencies. In a microchannel, this flow field pattern can be fine-tuned to achieve size-sensitive sorting and trapping of particles at scales much smaller than the bubble itself; the sorting mechanism has been successfully described based on simple geometrical considerations. We investigate the sorting process in more detail, both experimentally (using new parameter variations that allow greater control over the sorting) and theoretically (incorporating the device geometry as well as the superimposed channel flow into an asymptotic theory). This results in optimized criteria for size sorting and a theoretical description that closely matches the particle behavior close to the bubble, the crucial region for size sorting.

The construct-behavior gap in behavioral decision research: A challenge beyond replicability.

PubMed

Regenwetter, Michel; Robinson, Maria M

2017-10-01

Behavioral decision research compares theoretical constructs like preferences to behavior such as observed choices. Three fairly common links from constructs to behavior are (1) to tally, across participants and decision problems, the number of choices consistent with one predicted pattern of pairwise preferences; (2) to compare what most people choose in each decision problem against a predicted preference pattern; or (3) to enumerate the decision problems in which two experimental conditions generate a 1-sided significant difference in choice frequency 'consistent' with the theory. Although simple, these theoretical links are heuristics. They are subject to well-known reasoning fallacies, most notably the fallacy of sweeping generalization and the fallacy of composition. No amount of replication can alleviate these fallacies. On the contrary, reiterating logically inconsistent theoretical reasoning over and again across studies obfuscates science. As a case in point, we consider pairwise choices among simple lotteries and the hypotheses of overweighting or underweighting of small probabilities, as well as the description-experience gap. We discuss ways to avoid reasoning fallacies in bridging the conceptual gap between hypothetical constructs, such as, for example, "overweighting" to observable pairwise choice data. Although replication is invaluable, successful replication of hard-to-interpret results is not. Behavioral decision research stands to gain much theoretical and empirical clarity by spelling out precise and formally explicit theories of how hypothetical constructs translate into observable behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Theory of periodic swarming of bacteria: Application to Proteus mirabilis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Czirók, A.; Matsushita, M.; Vicsek, T.

2001-03-01

The periodic swarming of bacteria is one of the simplest examples for pattern formation produced by the self-organized collective behavior of a large number of organisms. In the spectacular colonies of Proteus mirabilis (the most common species exhibiting this type of growth), a series of concentric rings are developed as the bacteria multiply and swarm following a scenario that periodically repeats itself. We have developed a theoretical description for this process in order to obtain a deeper insight into some of the typical processes governing the phenomena in systems of many interacting living units. Our approach is based on simple assumptions directly related to the latest experimental observations on colony formation under various conditions. The corresponding one-dimensional model consists of two coupled differential equations investigated here both by numerical integrations and by analyzing the various expressions obtained from these equations using a few natural assumptions about the parameters of the model. We determine the phase diagram corresponding to systems exhibiting periodic swarming, and discuss in detail how the various stages of the colony development can be interpreted in our framework. We point out that all of our theoretical results are in excellent agreement with the complete set of available observations. Thus the present study represents one of the few examples where self-organized biological pattern formation is understood within a relatively simple theoretical approach, leading to results and predictions fully compatible with experiments.

Growth of wormlike micelles in nonionic surfactant solutions: Quantitative theory vs. experiment.

PubMed

Danov, Krassimir D; Kralchevsky, Peter A; Stoyanov, Simeon D; Cook, Joanne L; Stott, Ian P; Pelan, Eddie G

2018-06-01

Despite the considerable advances of molecular-thermodynamic theory of micelle growth, agreement between theory and experiment has been achieved only in isolated cases. A general theory that can provide self-consistent quantitative description of the growth of wormlike micelles in mixed surfactant solutions, including the experimentally observed high peaks in viscosity and aggregation number, is still missing. As a step toward the creation of such theory, here we consider the simplest system - nonionic wormlike surfactant micelles from polyoxyethylene alkyl ethers, C i E j . Our goal is to construct a molecular-thermodynamic model that is in agreement with the available experimental data. For this goal, we systematized data for the micelle mean mass aggregation number, from which the micelle growth parameter was determined at various temperatures. None of the available models can give a quantitative description of these data. We constructed a new model, which is based on theoretical expressions for the interfacial-tension, headgroup-steric and chain-conformation components of micelle free energy, along with appropriate expressions for the parameters of the model, including their temperature and curvature dependencies. Special attention was paid to the surfactant chain-conformation free energy, for which a new more general formula was derived. As a result, relatively simple theoretical expressions are obtained. All parameters that enter these expressions are known, which facilitates the theoretical modeling of micelle growth for various nonionic surfactants in excellent agreement with the experiment. The constructed model can serve as a basis that can be further upgraded to obtain quantitative description of micelle growth in more complicated systems, including binary and ternary mixtures of nonionic, ionic and zwitterionic surfactants, which determines the viscosity and stability of various formulations in personal-care and house-hold detergency. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Transition between nuclear and quark-gluon descriptions of hadrons and light nuclei

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Holt, R. J.; Gilman, R.

2012-08-01

We provide a perspective on studies aimed at observing the transition between hadronic and quark-gluonic descriptions of reactions involving light nuclei. We begin by summarizing the results for relatively simple reactions such as the pion form factor and the neutral pion transition form factor as well as that for the nucleon and end with exclusive photoreactions in our simplest nuclei. A particular focus will be on reactions involving the deuteron. It is noted that a firm understanding of these issues is essential for unravelling important structure information from processes such as deeply virtual Compton scattering as well as deeply virtual meson production. The connection to exotic phenomena such as color transparency will be discussed. A number of outstanding challenges will require new experiments at modern facilities on the horizon as well as further theoretical developments.

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

Houdayer, Jérôme; Poitevin, Frédéric

This paper shows how small-angle scattering (SAS) curves can be decomposed in a simple sum using a set of invariant parameters calledK nwhich are related to the shape of the object of study. TheseK n, together with a radiusR, give a complete theoretical description of the SAS curve. Adding an overall constant, these parameters are easily fitted against experimental data giving a concise comprehensive description of the data. The pair distance distribution function is also entirely described by this invariant set and theD maxparameter can be measured. In addition to the understanding they bring, these invariants can be used tomore » reliably estimate structural moments beyond the radius of gyration, thereby rigorously expanding the actual set of model-free quantities one can extract from experimental SAS data, and possibly paving the way to designing new shape reconstruction strategies.« less

Simple methods of exploiting the underlying structure of rule-based systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hendler, James

1986-01-01

Much recent work in the field of expert systems research has aimed at exploiting the underlying structures of the rule base for reasons of analysis. Such techniques as Petri-nets and GAGs have been proposed as representational structures that will allow complete analysis. Much has been made of proving isomorphisms between the rule bases and the mechanisms, and in examining the theoretical power of this analysis. In this paper we describe some early work in a new system which has much simpler (and thus, one hopes, more easily achieved) aims and less formality. The technique being examined is a very simple one: OPS5 programs are analyzed in a purely syntactic way and a FSA description is generated. In this paper we describe the technique and some user interface tools which exploit this structure.

Anticipatory Cognitive Systems: a Theoretical Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Terenzi, Graziano

This paper deals with the problem of understanding anticipation in biological and cognitive systems. It is argued that a physical theory can be considered as biologically plausible only if it incorporates the ability to describe systems which exhibit anticipatory behaviors. The paper introduces a cognitive level description of anticipation and provides a simple theoretical characterization of anticipatory systems on this level. Specifically, a simple model of a formal anticipatory neuron and a model (i.e. the τ-mirror architecture) of an anticipatory neural network which is based on the former are introduced and discussed. The basic feature of this architecture is that a part of the network learns to represent the behavior of the other part over time, thus constructing an implicit model of its own functioning. As a consequence, the network is capable of self-representation; anticipation, on a oscopic level, is nothing but a consequence of anticipation on a microscopic level. Some learning algorithms are also discussed together with related experimental tasks and possible integrations. The outcome of the paper is a formal characterization of anticipation in cognitive systems which aims at being incorporated in a comprehensive and more general physical theory.

Light-propagation management in coupled waveguide arrays: Quantitative experimental and theoretical assessment from band structures to functional patterns

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moison, Jean-Marie; Belabas, Nadia; Levenson, Juan Ariel; Minot, Christophe

2012-09-01

We assess the band structure of arrays of coupled optical waveguides both by ab initio calculations and by experiments, with an excellent quantitative agreement without any adjustable physical parameter. The band structures we obtain can deviate strongly from the expectations of the standard coupled mode theory approximation, but we describe them efficiently by a few parameters within an extended coupled mode theory. We also demonstrate that this description is in turn a firm and simple basis for accurate beam management in functional patterns of coupled waveguides, in full accordance with their design.

Dimension reduction for stochastic dynamical systems forced onto a manifold by large drift: a constructive approach with examples from theoretical biology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parsons, Todd L.; Rogers, Tim

2017-10-01

Systems composed of large numbers of interacting agents often admit an effective coarse-grained description in terms of a multidimensional stochastic dynamical system, driven by small-amplitude intrinsic noise. In applications to biological, ecological, chemical and social dynamics it is common for these models to posses quantities that are approximately conserved on short timescales, in which case system trajectories are observed to remain close to some lower-dimensional subspace. Here, we derive explicit and general formulae for a reduced-dimension description of such processes that is exact in the limit of small noise and well-separated slow and fast dynamics. The Michaelis-Menten law of enzyme-catalysed reactions, and the link between the Lotka-Volterra and Wright-Fisher processes are explored as a simple worked examples. Extensions of the method are presented for infinite dimensional systems and processes coupled to non-Gaussian noise sources.

Analysis of Mathematical Modelling on Potentiometric Biosensors

PubMed Central

Mehala, N.; Rajendran, L.

2014-01-01

A mathematical model of potentiometric enzyme electrodes for a nonsteady condition has been developed. The model is based on the system of two coupled nonlinear time-dependent reaction diffusion equations for Michaelis-Menten formalism that describes the concentrations of substrate and product within the enzymatic layer. Analytical expressions for the concentration of substrate and product and the corresponding flux response have been derived for all values of parameters using the new homotopy perturbation method. Furthermore, the complex inversion formula is employed in this work to solve the boundary value problem. The analytical solutions obtained allow a full description of the response curves for only two kinetic parameters (unsaturation/saturation parameter and reaction/diffusion parameter). Theoretical descriptions are given for the two limiting cases (zero and first order kinetics) and relatively simple approaches for general cases are presented. All the analytical results are compared with simulation results using Scilab/Matlab program. The numerical results agree with the appropriate theories. PMID:25969765

Analysis of mathematical modelling on potentiometric biosensors.

PubMed

Mehala, N; Rajendran, L

2014-01-01

A mathematical model of potentiometric enzyme electrodes for a nonsteady condition has been developed. The model is based on the system of two coupled nonlinear time-dependent reaction diffusion equations for Michaelis-Menten formalism that describes the concentrations of substrate and product within the enzymatic layer. Analytical expressions for the concentration of substrate and product and the corresponding flux response have been derived for all values of parameters using the new homotopy perturbation method. Furthermore, the complex inversion formula is employed in this work to solve the boundary value problem. The analytical solutions obtained allow a full description of the response curves for only two kinetic parameters (unsaturation/saturation parameter and reaction/diffusion parameter). Theoretical descriptions are given for the two limiting cases (zero and first order kinetics) and relatively simple approaches for general cases are presented. All the analytical results are compared with simulation results using Scilab/Matlab program. The numerical results agree with the appropriate theories.

A Simple Numerical Procedure for the Simulation of "Lifelike" Linear-Sweep Voltammograms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bozzini, Benedetto P.

2000-01-01

Practical linear-sweep voltammograms seldom resemble the theoretical ones shown in textbooks. This is because several phenomena (activation, mass transport, ohmic resistance) control the kinetics over different potential ranges scanned during the potential sweep. These effects are generally treated separately in the didactic literature, yet they have never been "assembled" in a way that allows the educational use of real experiments. This makes linear-sweep voltammetric experiments almost unusable in the teaching of physical chemistry. A simple approach to the classroom description of "lifelike" experimental results is proposed in this paper. Analytical expressions of linear sweep voltammograms are provided. The actual numerical evaluations can be carried out with a pocket calculator. Two typical examples are executed and comparison with experimental data is described. This approach to teaching electrode kinetics has proved an effective tool to provide students with an insight into the effects of electrochemical parameters and operating conditions.

The status of the concept of 'phoneme' in psycholinguistics.

PubMed

Uppstad, Per Henning; Tønnessen, Finn Egil

2010-10-01

The notion of the phoneme counts as a break-through of modern theoretical linguistics in the early twentieth century. It paved the way for descriptions of distinctive features at different levels in linguistics. Although it has since then had a turbulent existence across altering theoretical positions, it remains a powerful concept of a fundamental unit in spoken language. At the same time, its conceptual status remains highly unclear. The present article aims to clarify the status of the concept of 'phoneme' in psycholinguistics, based on the scientific concepts of description, understanding and explanation. Theoretical linguistics has provided mainly descriptions. The ideas underlying this article are, first, that these descriptions may not be directly relevant to psycholinguistics and, second, that psycholinguistics in this sense is not a sub-discipline of theoretical linguistics. Rather, these two disciplines operate with different sets of features and with different orientations when it comes to the scientific concepts of description, understanding and explanation.

Directional x-ray dark-field imaging of strongly ordered systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jensen, Torben Haugaard; Bech, Martin; Zanette, Irene; Weitkamp, Timm; David, Christian; Deyhle, Hans; Rutishauser, Simon; Reznikova, Elena; Mohr, Jürgen; Feidenhans'L, Robert; Pfeiffer, Franz

2010-12-01

Recently a novel grating based x-ray imaging approach called directional x-ray dark-field imaging was introduced. Directional x-ray dark-field imaging yields information about the local texture of structures smaller than the pixel size of the imaging system. In this work we extend the theoretical description and data processing schemes for directional dark-field imaging to strongly scattering systems, which could not be described previously. We develop a simple scattering model to account for these recent observations and subsequently demonstrate the model using experimental data. The experimental data includes directional dark-field images of polypropylene fibers and a human tooth slice.

Theoretical Studies of Processes Affecting the Stratospheric and Free Tropospheric Aerosols

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hamill, Patrick

1999-01-01

This report describes the work done with funding from NASA Grant during the past three years. Funding commenced in June, 1996 and had a planned duration of three years. This report covers the time period June 1996 to June 1999. Here we present a short description of the projects carried out and documentation of the work done in terms of publications, papers presented, and conferences attended: microphysical modeling consist of two related tasks (1) development of a simple microphysical model for modeling the Pinatubo plume and (2) carrying out a study of sulfate particle formation in volcanic plume.Also analysis of sun photometer measurements are presented.

Electrostatic Origin of Salt-Induced Nucleosome Array Compaction

PubMed Central

Korolev, Nikolay; Allahverdi, Abdollah; Yang, Ye; Fan, Yanping; Lyubartsev, Alexander P.; Nordenskiöld, Lars

2010-01-01

The physical mechanism of the folding and unfolding of chromatin is fundamentally related to transcription but is incompletely characterized and not fully understood. We experimentally and theoretically studied chromatin compaction by investigating the salt-mediated folding of an array made of 12 positioning nucleosomes with 177 bp repeat length. Sedimentation velocity measurements were performed to monitor the folding provoked by addition of cations Na+, K+, Mg2+, Ca2+, spermidine3+, Co(NH3)63+, and spermine4+. We found typical polyelectrolyte behavior, with the critical concentration of cation needed to bring about maximal folding covering a range of almost five orders of magnitude (from 2 μM for spermine4+ to 100 mM for Na+). A coarse-grained model of the nucleosome array based on a continuum dielectric description and including the explicit presence of mobile ions and charged flexible histone tails was used in computer simulations to investigate the cation-mediated compaction. The results of the simulations with explicit ions are in general agreement with the experimental data, whereas simple Debye-Hückel models are intrinsically incapable of describing chromatin array folding by multivalent cations. We conclude that the theoretical description of the salt-induced chromatin folding must incorporate explicit mobile ions that include ion correlation and ion competition effects. PMID:20858435

Chaotic behaviour of Zeeman machines at introductory course of mechanics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nagy, Péter; Tasnádi, Péter

2016-05-01

Investigation of chaotic motions and cooperative systems offers a magnificent opportunity to involve modern physics into the basic course of mechanics taught to engineering students. In the present paper it will be demonstrated that Zeeman Machine can be a versatile and motivating tool for students to get introductory knowledge about chaotic motion via interactive simulations. It works in a relatively simple way and its properties can be understood very easily. Since the machine can be built easily and the simulation of its movement is also simple the experimental investigation and the theoretical description can be connected intuitively. Although Zeeman Machine is known mainly for its quasi-static and catastrophic behaviour, its dynamic properties are also of interest with its typical chaotic features. By means of a periodically driven Zeeman Machine a wide range of chaotic properties of the simple systems can be demonstrated such as bifurcation diagrams, chaotic attractors, transient chaos and so on. The main goal of this paper is the presentation of an interactive learning material for teaching the basic features of the chaotic systems through the investigation of the Zeeman Machine.

How authors did it - a methodological analysis of recent engineering education research papers in the European Journal of Engineering Education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Malmi, Lauri; Adawi, Tom; Curmi, Ronald; de Graaff, Erik; Duffy, Gavin; Kautz, Christian; Kinnunen, Päivi; Williams, Bill

2018-03-01

We investigated research processes applied in recent publications in the European Journal of Engineering Education (EJEE), exploring how papers link to theoretical work and how research processes have been designed and reported. We analysed all 155 papers published in EJEE in 2009, 2010 and 2013, classifying the papers using a taxonomy of research processes in engineering education research (EER) (Malmi et al. 2012). The majority of the papers presented either empirical work (59%) or were case reports (27%). Our main findings are as follows: (1) EJEE papers build moderately on a wide selection of theoretical work; (2) a great majority of papers have a clear research strategy, but data analysis methods are mostly simple descriptive statistics or simple/undocumented qualitative research methods; and (3) there are significant shortcomings in reporting research questions, methodology and limitations of studies. Our findings are consistent with and extend analyses of EER papers in other publishing venues; they help to build a clearer picture of the research currently published in EJEE and allow us to make recommendations for consideration by the editorial team of the journal. Our employed procedure also provides a framework that can be applied to monitor future global evolution of this and other EER journals.

Description and Recognition of the Concept of Social Capital in Higher Education System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tonkaboni, Forouzan; Yousefy, Alireza; Keshtiaray, Narges

2013-01-01

The current research is intended to describe and recognize the concept of social capital in higher education based on theoretical method in a descriptive-analytical approach. Description and Recognition of the data, gathered from theoretical and experimental studies, indicated that social capital is one of the most important indices for…

Brief communication: Skeletal biology past and present: Are we moving in the right direction?

PubMed

Hens, Samantha M; Godde, Kanya

2008-10-01

In 1982, Spencer's edited volume A History of American Physical Anthropology: 1930-1980 allowed numerous authors to document the state of our science, including a critical examination of skeletal biology. Some authors argued that the first 50 years of skeletal biology were characterized by the descriptive-historical approach with little regard for processual problems and that technological and statistical analyses were not rooted in theory. In an effort to determine whether Spencer's landmark volume impacted the field of skeletal biology, a content analysis was carried out for the American Journal of Physical Anthropology from 1980 to 2004. The percentage of skeletal biology articles is similar to that of previous decades. Analytical articles averaged only 32% and are defined by three criteria: statistical analysis, hypothesis testing, and broader explanatory context. However, when these criteria were scored individually, nearly 80% of papers attempted a broader theoretical explanation, 44% tested hypotheses, and 67% used advanced statistics, suggesting that the skeletal biology papers in the journal have an analytical emphasis. Considerable fluctuation exists between subfields; trends toward a more analytical approach are witnessed in the subfields of age/sex/stature/demography, skeletal maturation, anatomy, and nonhuman primate studies, which also increased in frequency, while paleontology and pathology were largely descriptive. Comparisons to the International Journal of Osteoarchaeology indicate that there are statistically significant differences between the two journals in terms of analytical criteria. These data indicate a positive shift in theoretical thinking, i.e., an attempt by most to explain processes rather than present a simple description of events.

Wavefront sensing with a thin diffuser

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berto, Pascal; Rigneault, Hervé; Guillon, Marc

2017-12-01

We propose and implement a broadband, compact, and low-cost wavefront sensing scheme by simply placing a thin diffuser in the close vicinity of a camera. The local wavefront gradient is determined from the local translation of the speckle pattern. The translation vector map is computed thanks to a fast diffeomorphic image registration algorithm and integrated to reconstruct the wavefront profile. The simple translation of speckle grains under local wavefront tip/tilt is ensured by the so-called "memory effect" of the diffuser. Quantitative wavefront measurements are experimentally demonstrated both for the few first Zernike polynomials and for phase-imaging applications requiring high resolution. We finally provided a theoretical description of the resolution limit that is supported experimentally.

Developing the Polynomial Expressions for Fields in the ITER Tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharma, Stephen

2017-10-01

The two most important problems to be solved in the development of working nuclear fusion power plants are: sustained partial ignition and turbulence. These two phenomena are the subject of research and investigation through the development of analytic functions and computational models. Ansatz development through Gaussian wave-function approximations, dielectric quark models, field solutions using new elliptic functions, and better descriptions of the polynomials of the superconducting current loops are the critical theoretical developments that need to be improved. Euler-Lagrange equations of motion in addition to geodesic formulations generate the particle model which should correspond to the Dirac dispersive scattering coefficient calculations and the fluid plasma model. Feynman-Hellman formalism and Heaviside step functional forms are introduced to the fusion equations to produce simple expressions for the kinetic energy and loop currents. Conclusively, a polynomial description of the current loops, the Biot-Savart field, and the Lagrangian must be uncovered before there can be an adequate computational and iterative model of the thermonuclear plasma.

Expressions for Fields in the ITER Tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharma, Stephen

2017-10-01

The two most important problems to be solved in the development of working nuclear fusion power plants are: sustained partial ignition and turbulence. These two phenomenon are the subject of research and investigation through the development of analytic functions and computational models. Ansatz development through Gaussian wave-function approximations, dielectric quark models, field solutions using new elliptic functions, and better descriptions of the polynomials of the superconducting current loops are the critical theoretical developments that need to be improved. Euler-Lagrange equations of motion in addition to geodesic formulations generate the particle model which should correspond to the Dirac dispersive scattering coefficient calculations and the fluid plasma model. Feynman-Hellman formalism and Heaviside step functional forms are introduced to the fusion equations to produce simple expressions for the kinetic energy and loop currents. Conclusively, a polynomial description of the current loops, the Biot-Savart field, and the Lagrangian must be uncovered before there can be an adequate computational and iterative model of the thermonuclear plasma.

General description and understanding of the nonlinear dynamics of mode-locked fiber lasers.

PubMed

Wei, Huai; Li, Bin; Shi, Wei; Zhu, Xiushan; Norwood, Robert A; Peyghambarian, Nasser; Jian, Shuisheng

2017-05-02

As a type of nonlinear system with complexity, mode-locked fiber lasers are known for their complex behaviour. It is a challenging task to understand the fundamental physics behind such complex behaviour, and a unified description for the nonlinear behaviour and the systematic and quantitative analysis of the underlying mechanisms of these lasers have not been developed. Here, we present a complexity science-based theoretical framework for understanding the behaviour of mode-locked fiber lasers by going beyond reductionism. This hierarchically structured framework provides a model with variable dimensionality, resulting in a simple view that can be used to systematically describe complex states. Moreover, research into the attractors' basins reveals the origin of stochasticity, hysteresis and multistability in these systems and presents a new method for quantitative analysis of these nonlinear phenomena. These findings pave the way for dynamics analysis and system designs of mode-locked fiber lasers. We expect that this paradigm will also enable potential applications in diverse research fields related to complex nonlinear phenomena.

Wurtzite spin lasers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Faria Junior, Paulo E.; Xu, Gaofeng; Chen, Yang-Fang; Sipahi, Guilherme M.; Žutić, Igor

2017-03-01

Semiconductor lasers are strongly altered by adding spin-polarized carriers. Such spin lasers could overcome many limitations of their conventional (spin-unpolarized) counterparts. While the vast majority of experiments in spin lasers employed zinc-blende semiconductors, the room-temperature electrical manipulation was first demonstrated in wurtzite GaN-based lasers. However, the underlying theoretical description of wurtzite spin lasers is still missing. To address this situation, focusing on (In,Ga)N-based wurtzite quantum wells, we develop a theoretical framework in which the calculated microscopic spin-dependent gain is combined with a simple rate equation model. A small spin-orbit coupling in these wurtzites supports simultaneous spin polarizations of electrons and holes, providing unexplored opportunities to control spin lasers. For example, the gain asymmetry, as one of the key figures of merit related to spin amplification, can change the sign by simply increasing the carrier density. The lasing threshold reduction has a nonmonotonic dependence on electron-spin polarization, even for a nonvanishing hole spin polarization.

Quantum information theory of the Bell-state quantum eraser

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Glick, Jennifer R.; Adami, Christoph

2017-01-01

Quantum systems can display particle- or wavelike properties, depending on the type of measurement that is performed on them. The Bell-state quantum eraser is an experiment that brings the duality to the forefront, as a single measurement can retroactively be made to measure particlelike or wavelike properties (or anything in between). Here we develop a unitary information-theoretic description of this and several related quantum measurement situations that sheds light on the trade-off between the quantum and classical features of the measurement. In particular, we show that both the coherence of the quantum state and the classical information obtained from it can be described using only quantum-information-theoretic tools and that those two measures satisfy an equality on account of the chain rule for entropies. The coherence information and the which-path information have simple interpretations in terms of state preparation and state determination and suggest ways to account for the relationship between the classical and the quantum world.

A guide to the use of theoretical models of the solar nebula for the interpretation of the meteoritic record

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cassen, Pat

1991-01-01

Attempts to derive a theoretical framework for the interpretation of the meteoritic record have been frustrated by our incomplete understanding of the fundamental processes that controlled the evolution of the primitive solar nebula. Nevertheless, it is possible to develop qualitative models of the nebula that illuminate its dynamic character, as well as the roles of some key parameters. These models draw on the growing body of observational data on the properties of disks around young, solar-type stars, and are constructed by applying the results of known solutions of protostellar collapse problems; making simple assumptions about the radial variations of nebular variables; and imposing the integral constraints demanded by conservation of mass, angular momentum, and energy. The models so constructed are heuristic, rather than predictive; they are intended to help us think about the nebula in realistic ways, but they cannot provide a definitive description of conditions in the nebula.

Personality is of central concern to understand health: towards a theoretical model for health psychology

PubMed Central

Ferguson, Eamonn

2013-01-01

This paper sets out the case that personality traits are central to health psychology. To achieve this, three aims need to be addressed. First, it is necessary to show that personality influences a broad range of health outcomes and mechanisms. Second, the simple descriptive account of Aim 1 is not sufficient, and a theoretical specification needs to be developed to explain the personality-health link and allow for future hypothesis generation. Third, once Aims 1 and 2 are met, it is necessary to demonstrate the clinical utility of personality. In this review I make the case that all three Aims are met. I develop a theoretical framework to understand the links between personality and health drawing on current theorising in the biology, evolution, and neuroscience of personality. I identify traits (i.e., alexithymia, Type D, hypochondriasis, and empathy) that are of particular concern to health psychology and set these within evolutionary cost-benefit analysis. The literature is reviewed within a three-level hierarchical model (individual, group, and organisational) and it is argued that health psychology needs to move from its traditional focus on the individual level to engage group and organisational levels. PMID:23772230

Half-cell potentials of semiconductive simple binary sulphides in aqueous solution

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sato, M.

1966-01-01

Theoretical consideration of the charge-transfer mechanism operative in cells with an electrode of a semiconductive binary compound leads to the conclusion that the half-cell potential of such a compound is not only a function of ionic activities in the electrolytic solution, but also a function of the activities of the component elements in the compound phase. The most general form of the electrode equation derived for such a compound with a formula MiXj which dissociates into Mj+ and Xi- ions in aqueous solution is. EMiXj = EMiXj0 + R T 2 ij ln [ (sua Mj+)aqi ?? (suaX)jMiXj/ (suaXi-)aqj ?? (suaM)iMiXj],. where. EMiXj0 = 1 2(EM,Mj+0 + EXi-,X). The equation can be modified to other forms. When applied to semiconductive simple binary sulphides, these equations appear to give better descriptions of the observed electrode potentials of such sulphides than any other proposed equations. ?? 1966.

Off-axis holographic laser speckle contrast imaging of blood vessels in tissues

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abdurashitov, Arkady; Bragina, Olga; Sindeeva, Olga; Sergey, Sindeev; Semyachkina-Glushkovskaya, Oxana V.; Tuchin, Valery V.

2017-09-01

Laser speckle contrast imaging (LSCI) has become one of the most common tools for functional imaging in tissues. Incomplete theoretical description and sophisticated interpretation of measurement results are completely sidelined by a low-cost and simple hardware, fastness, consistent results, and repeatability. In addition to the relatively low measuring volume with around 700 μm of the probing depth for the visible spectral range of illumination, there is no depth selectivity in conventional LSCI configuration; furthermore, in a case of high NA objective, the actual penetration depth of light in tissues is greater than depth of field (DOF) of an imaging system. Thus, the information about these out-of-focus regions persists in the recorded frames but cannot be retrieved due to intensity-based registration method. We propose a simple modification of LSCI system based on the off-axis holography to introduce after-registration refocusing ability to overcome both depth-selectivity and DOF problems as well as to get the potential possibility of producing a cross-section view of the specimen.

A sophisticated cad tool for the creation of complex models for electromagnetic interaction analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dion, Marc; Kashyap, Satish; Louie, Aloisius

1991-06-01

This report describes the essential features of the MS-DOS version of DIDEC-DREO, an interactive program for creating wire grid, surface patch, and cell models of complex structures for electromagnetic interaction analysis. It uses the device-independent graphics library DIGRAF and the graphics kernel system HALO, and can be executed on systems with various graphics devices. Complicated structures can be created by direct alphanumeric keyboard entry, digitization of blueprints, conversion form existing geometric structure files, and merging of simple geometric shapes. A completed DIDEC geometric file may then be converted to the format required for input to a variety of time domain and frequency domain electromagnetic interaction codes. This report gives a detailed description of the program DIDEC-DREO, its installation, and its theoretical background. Each available interactive command is described. The associated program HEDRON which generates simple geometric shapes, and other programs that extract the current amplitude data from electromagnetic interaction code outputs, are also discussed.

Calibrating White Dwarf Asteroseismic Fitting Techniques

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Castanheira, B. G.; Romero, A. D.; Bischoff-Kim, A.

2017-03-01

The main goal of looking for intrinsic variability in stars is the unique opportunity to study their internal structure. Once we have extracted independent modes from the data, it appears to be a simple matter of comparing the period spectrum with those from theoretical model grids to learn the inner structure of that star. However, asteroseismology is much more complicated than this simple description. We must account not only for observational uncertainties in period determination, but most importantly for the limitations of the model grids, coming from the uncertainties in the constitutive physics, and of the fitting techniques. In this work, we will discuss results of numerical experiments where we used different independently calculated model grids (white dwarf cooling models WDEC and fully evolutionary LPCODE-PUL) and fitting techniques to fit synthetic stars. The advantage of using synthetic stars is that we know the details of their interior structure so we can assess how well our models and fitting techniques are able to the recover the interior structure, as well as the stellar parameters.

Toward an International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health clinical data collection tool: the Italian experience of developing simple, intuitive descriptions of the Rehabilitation Set categories.

PubMed

Selb, Melissa; Gimigliano, Francesca; Prodinger, Birgit; Stucki, Gerold; Pestelli, Germano; Iocco, Maurizio; Boldrini, Paolo

2017-04-01

As part of international efforts to develop and implement national models including the specification of ICF-based clinical data collection tools, the Italian rehabilitation community initiated a project to develop simple, intuitive descriptions of the ICF Rehabilitation Set, highlighting the core concept of each category in user-friendly language. This paper outlines the Italian experience in developing simple, intuitive descriptions of the ICF Rehabilitation Set as an ICF-based clinical data collection tool for Italy. Consensus process. Expert conference. Multidisciplinary group of rehabilitation professionals. The first of a two-stage consensus process involved developing an initial proposal for simple, intuitive descriptions of each ICF Rehabilitation Set category based on descriptions generated in a similar process in China. Stage two involved a consensus conference. Divided into three working groups, participants discussed and voted (vote A) whether the initially proposed descriptions of each ICF Rehabilitation Set category was simple and intuitive enough for use in daily practice. Afterwards the categories with descriptions considered ambiguous i.e. not simple and intuitive enough, were divided among the working groups, who were asked to propose a new description for the allocated categories. These proposals were then voted (vote B) on in a plenary session. The last step of the consensus conference required each working group to develop a new proposal for each and the same categories with descriptions still considered ambiguous. Participants then voted (final vote) for which of the three proposed descriptions they preferred. Nineteen clinicians from diverse rehabilitation disciplines from various regions of Italy participated in the consensus process. Three ICF categories already achieved consensus in vote A, while 20 ICF categories were accepted in vote B. The remaining 7 categories were decided in the final vote. The findings were discussed in light of current efforts toward developing strategies for ICF implementation, specifically for the application of an ICF-based clinical data collection tool, not only for Italy but also for the rest of Europe. Promising as minimal standards for monitoring the impact of interventions and for standardized reporting of functioning as a relevant outcome in rehabilitation.

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

Gómez, A. M., E-mail: amgomezl-1@uqvirtual.edu.co; Torres, D. A., E-mail: datorresg@unal.edu.co

The experimental study of nuclear magnetic moments, using the Transient Field technique, makes use of spin-orbit hyperfine interactions to generate strong magnetic fields, above the kilo-Tesla regime, capable to create a precession of the nuclear spin. A theoretical description of such magnetic fields is still under theoretical research, and the use of parametrizations is still a common way to address the lack of theoretical information. In this contribution, a review of the main parametrizations utilized in the measurements of Nuclear Magnetic Moments will be presented, the challenges to create a theoretical description from first principles will be discussed.

On the establishment and evolution of orbit-orbit resonances. Ph.D. Thesis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yoder, C. F.

1973-01-01

A theory which suggests that in the case of planetary satellites, a tidally induced torque acting on the satellites may play an essential role on the evolution of the observed resonances is investigated as it applies to the three resonances among pairs of satellites of Saturn. Three stages are investigated: a theoretical description of transition is developed for a simple time dependent pendulum plus constant applied torque; the two body gravitational interaction is expanded and reduced to a one dimensional time independent Hamiltonion; and the model is applied to Saturn resonances. Although the theory proves successful in the Saturn case, it is less successful in the Tital-Hyperion case in providing a resonable time scale for the damping of the amplitude of liberation.

Vesicle solubilization by bile salts: comparison of macroscopic theory and simulation.

PubMed

Haustein, M; Wahab, M; Mögel, H-J; Schiller, P

2015-04-14

Lipid metabolism is accompanied by the solubilization of lipid bilayer membranes by bile salts. We use Brownian dynamics simulations to study the solubilization of model membranes and vesicles by sodium cholate. The solubilization pathways of small and large vesicles are found to be different. Both results for small and large vesicles can be compared with predictions of a macroscopic theoretical description. The line tension of bilayer edges is an important parameter in the solubilization process. We propose a simple method to determine the line tension by analyzing the shape fluctuations of planar membrane patches. Macroscopic mechanical models provide a reasonable explanation for processes observed when a spherical vesicle consisting of lipids and adsorbed bile salt molecules is transformed into mixed lipid-bile salt micelles.

Bond Dissociation Energies of the Tungsten Fluorides and Their Singly-Charged Ions: A Density Functional Survey

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dyall, Kenneth G.; Arnold, James (Technical Monitor)

1999-01-01

The dissociation of WF6 and the related singly-charged cations and anions into the lower fluorides and fluorine atoms has been investigated theoretically using density functional theory (B3LYP) and relativistic effective core potentials, with estimates of spin-orbit effects included using a simple model. The inclusion of spin-orbit is essential for a correct description of the thermochemistry. The total atomization energy of the neutral and anionic WF6 is reproduced to within 25 kcal/mol, but comparison of individual bond dissociation energies with available experimental data shows discrepancies of up to 10 kcal/mol. The results are nevertheless useful to help resolve discrepancies in experimental data and provide estimates of missing data.

Numerical tests of local scale invariance in ageing q-state Potts models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lorenz, E.; Janke, W.

2007-01-01

Much effort has been spent over the last years to achieve a coherent theoretical description of ageing as a non-linear dynamics process. Long supposed to be a consequence of the slow dynamics of glassy systems only, ageing phenomena could also be identified in the phase-ordering kinetics of simple ferromagnets. As a phenomenological approach Henkel et al. developed a group of local scale transformations under which two-time autocorrelation and response functions should transform covariantly. This work is to extend previous numerical tests of the predicted scaling functions for the Ising model by Monte Carlo simulations of two-dimensional q-state Potts models with q=3 and 8, which, in equilibrium, undergo temperature-driven phase transitions of second and first order, respectively.

Excited state dynamics of thiophene and bithiophene: new insights into theoretically challenging systems.

PubMed

Prlj, Antonio; Curchod, Basile F E; Corminboeuf, Clémence

2015-06-14

The computational elucidation and proper description of the ultrafast deactivation mechanisms of simple organic electronic units, such as thiophene and its oligomers, is as challenging as it is contentious. A comprehensive excited state dynamics analysis of these systems utilizing reliable electronic structure approaches is currently lacking, with earlier pictures of the photochemistry of these systems being conceived based upon high-level static computations or lower level dynamic trajectories. Here a detailed surface hopping molecular dynamics of thiophene and bithiophene using the algebraic diagrammatic construction to second order (ADC(2)) method is presented. Our findings illustrate that ring puckering plays an important role in thiophene photochemistry and that the photostability increases when going upon dimerization into bithiophene.

New statistical scission-point model to predict fission fragment observables

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lemaître, Jean-François; Panebianco, Stefano; Sida, Jean-Luc; Hilaire, Stéphane; Heinrich, Sophie

2015-09-01

The development of high performance computing facilities makes possible a massive production of nuclear data in a full microscopic framework. Taking advantage of the individual potential calculations of more than 7000 nuclei, a new statistical scission-point model, called SPY, has been developed. It gives access to the absolute available energy at the scission point, which allows the use of a parameter-free microcanonical statistical description to calculate the distributions and the mean values of all fission observables. SPY uses the richness of microscopy in a rather simple theoretical framework, without any parameter except the scission-point definition, to draw clear answers based on perfect knowledge of the ingredients involved in the model, with very limited computing cost.

[Systemic inflammation: theoretical and methodological approaches to description of general pathological process model. Part 3. Backgroung for nonsyndromic approach].

PubMed

Gusev, E Yu; Chereshnev, V A

2013-01-01

Theoretical and methodological approaches to description of systemic inflammation as general pathological process are discussed. It is shown, that there is a need of integration of wide range of types of researches to develop a model of systemic inflammation.

Walsh, Da Silva, and Wei Reply

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

Walsh, A.; Da Silva, J. L. F.; Wei, S. H.

2009-04-17

This is a reply to Stefano Sanvito and Chaitanya Das Pemmaraju's, Comment on Theoretical Description of Carrier Mediated Magnetism in Cobalt Doped ZnO, Phys. Rev. Lett. 102, 159701 (2009); and the original article is Theoretical Description of Carrier Mediated Magnetism in Cobalt Doped ZnO, Phys. Rev. Lett. 100, 256401 (2008).

The Argumentative Introduction in Oral Interpretation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mills, Daniel; Gaer, David C.

A study examined introductions used in competitive oral interpretation events. A total of 97 introductions (from four oral interpretation events at a nationally recognized Midwestern intercollegiate forensic tournament) were analyzed using four categories: Descriptive, Simple Theme, Descriptive and Simple Theme, and Argumentative Theme. Results…

Physics in one dimension: theoretical concepts for quantum many-body systems.

PubMed

Schönhammer, K

2013-01-09

Various sophisticated approximation methods exist for the description of quantum many-body systems. It was realized early on that the theoretical description can simplify considerably in one-dimensional systems and various exact solutions exist. The focus in this introductory paper is on fermionic systems and the emergence of the Luttinger liquid concept.

The relationship between symbolic interactionism and interpretive description.

PubMed

Oliver, Carolyn

2012-03-01

In this article I explore the relationship between symbolic interactionist theory and interpretive description methodology. The two are highly compatible, making symbolic interactionism an excellent theoretical framework for interpretive description studies. The pragmatism underlying interpretive description supports locating the methodology within this cross-disciplinary theory to make it more attractive to nonnursing researchers and expand its potential to address practice problems across the applied disciplines. The theory and method are so compatible that symbolic interactionism appears to be part of interpretive description's epistemological foundations. Interpretive description's theoretical roots have, to date, been identified only very generally in interpretivism and the philosophy of nursing. A more detailed examination of its symbolic interactionist heritage furthers the contextualization or forestructuring of the methodology to meet one of its own requirements for credibility.

Bayesian outcome-based strategy classification.

PubMed

Lee, Michael D

2016-03-01

Hilbig and Moshagen (Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 21, 1431-1443, 2014) recently developed a method for making inferences about the decision processes people use in multi-attribute forced choice tasks. Their paper makes a number of worthwhile theoretical and methodological contributions. Theoretically, they provide an insightful psychological motivation for a probabilistic extension of the widely-used "weighted additive" (WADD) model, and show how this model, as well as other important models like "take-the-best" (TTB), can and should be expressed in terms of meaningful priors. Methodologically, they develop an inference approach based on the Minimum Description Length (MDL) principles that balances both the goodness-of-fit and complexity of the decision models they consider. This paper aims to preserve these useful contributions, but provide a complementary Bayesian approach with some theoretical and methodological advantages. We develop a simple graphical model, implemented in JAGS, that allows for fully Bayesian inferences about which models people use to make decisions. To demonstrate the Bayesian approach, we apply it to the models and data considered by Hilbig and Moshagen (Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 21, 1431-1443, 2014), showing how a prior predictive analysis of the models, and posterior inferences about which models people use and the parameter settings at which they use them, can contribute to our understanding of human decision making.

On the theory of drainage area for regular and non-regular points.

PubMed

Bonetti, S; Bragg, A D; Porporato, A

2018-03-01

The drainage area is an important, non-local property of a landscape, which controls surface and subsurface hydrological fluxes. Its role in numerous ecohydrological and geomorphological applications has given rise to several numerical methods for its computation. However, its theoretical analysis has lagged behind. Only recently, an analytical definition for the specific catchment area was proposed (Gallant & Hutchinson. 2011 Water Resour. Res. 47 , W05535. (doi:10.1029/2009WR008540)), with the derivation of a differential equation whose validity is limited to regular points of the watershed. Here, we show that such a differential equation can be derived from a continuity equation (Chen et al. 2014 Geomorphology 219 , 68-86. (doi:10.1016/j.geomorph.2014.04.037)) and extend the theory to critical and singular points both by applying Gauss's theorem and by means of a dynamical systems approach to define basins of attraction of local surface minima. Simple analytical examples as well as applications to more complex topographic surfaces are examined. The theoretical description of topographic features and properties, such as the drainage area, channel lines and watershed divides, can be broadly adopted to develop and test the numerical algorithms currently used in digital terrain analysis for the computation of the drainage area, as well as for the theoretical analysis of landscape evolution and stability.

On the theory of drainage area for regular and non-regular points

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bonetti, S.; Bragg, A. D.; Porporato, A.

2018-03-01

The drainage area is an important, non-local property of a landscape, which controls surface and subsurface hydrological fluxes. Its role in numerous ecohydrological and geomorphological applications has given rise to several numerical methods for its computation. However, its theoretical analysis has lagged behind. Only recently, an analytical definition for the specific catchment area was proposed (Gallant & Hutchinson. 2011 Water Resour. Res. 47, W05535. (doi:10.1029/2009WR008540)), with the derivation of a differential equation whose validity is limited to regular points of the watershed. Here, we show that such a differential equation can be derived from a continuity equation (Chen et al. 2014 Geomorphology 219, 68-86. (doi:10.1016/j.geomorph.2014.04.037)) and extend the theory to critical and singular points both by applying Gauss's theorem and by means of a dynamical systems approach to define basins of attraction of local surface minima. Simple analytical examples as well as applications to more complex topographic surfaces are examined. The theoretical description of topographic features and properties, such as the drainage area, channel lines and watershed divides, can be broadly adopted to develop and test the numerical algorithms currently used in digital terrain analysis for the computation of the drainage area, as well as for the theoretical analysis of landscape evolution and stability.

A lifting surface computer code with jet-in-crossflow interference effects. Volume 1: Theoretical description

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Furlong, K. L.; Fearn, R. L.

1983-01-01

A method is proposed to combine a numerical description of a jet in a crossflow with a lifting surface panel code to calculate the jet/aerodynamic-surface interference effects on a V/STOL aircraft. An iterative technique is suggested that starts with a model for the properties of a jet/flat plate configuration and modifies these properties based on the flow field calculated for the configuration of interest. The method would estimate the pressures, forces, and moments on an aircraft out of ground effect. A first-order approximation to the method suggested is developed and applied to two simple configurations. The first-order approximation is a noniterative precedure which does not allow for interactions between multiple jets in a crossflow and also does not account for the influence of lifting surfaces on the jet properties. The jet/flat plate model utilized in the examples presented is restricted to a uniform round jet injected perpendicularly into a uniform crossflow for a range of jet-to-crossflow velocity ratios from three to ten.

Impulsive Stimulated Light Scattering Studies of the Liquid-Glass Transition: on the Experimental Verification of Mode-Coupling Theory Predictions.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Halalay, Ion C.

A study of the structural glass transition trough impulsive stimulated light scattering experiments has been carried out in concentrated aqueous lithium chloride solutions, at temperatures ranging from ambient to cryogenic. A specially designed sample cell made it possible to cover the whole temperature interval from simple liquid, to viscoelastic supercooled liquid, to glass. It is shown that a phenomenological description of the results of these experiments in terms of a spectrum of relaxation times through the use of a Kohlrausch-Williams-Watts relaxation function is inadequate. Based on predictions of mode-coupling theory of the liquid-glass transition, an alternative approach to data interpretation is proposed. It is shown that for an aqueous lithium chloride solution, the prediction of simple scaling and identical scaling for mechanical and electrical susceptibilities seems to be valid. However, another prediction of theory is called into question: instead of a power-law behavior on temperature difference, it is found experimentally that the behavior of the susceptibility spectrum minimum is exponential. Similar disagreements are found for other two materials, triphenyl phosphite and polypropylene oxide. The causes for these discrepancies are discussed and it is concluded that additional experimentation is necessary to verify theoretical claims. Experiments are proposed which can test these predictions and serve as guide for the construction of theoretical models for the glass transition in real systems. (Copies available exclusively from MIT Libraries, Rm. 14-0551, Cambridge, MA 02139-4307. Ph. 617 -253-5668; Fax 617-253-1690.).

Control theory meets synthetic biology

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

The past several years have witnessed an increased presence of control theoretic concepts in synthetic biology. This review presents an organized summary of how these control design concepts have been applied to tackle a variety of problems faced when building synthetic biomolecular circuits in living cells. In particular, we describe success stories that demonstrate how simple or more elaborate control design methods can be used to make the behaviour of synthetic genetic circuits within a single cell or across a cell population more reliable, predictable and robust to perturbations. The description especially highlights technical challenges that uniquely arise from the need to implement control designs within a new hardware setting, along with implemented or proposed solutions. Some engineering solutions employing complex feedback control schemes are also described, which, however, still require a deeper theoretical analysis of stability, performance and robustness properties. Overall, this paper should help synthetic biologists become familiar with feedback control concepts as they can be used in their application area. At the same time, it should provide some domain knowledge to control theorists who wish to enter the rising and exciting field of synthetic biology. PMID:27440256

Control theory meets synthetic biology.

PubMed

Del Vecchio, Domitilla; Dy, Aaron J; Qian, Yili

2016-07-01

The past several years have witnessed an increased presence of control theoretic concepts in synthetic biology. This review presents an organized summary of how these control design concepts have been applied to tackle a variety of problems faced when building synthetic biomolecular circuits in living cells. In particular, we describe success stories that demonstrate how simple or more elaborate control design methods can be used to make the behaviour of synthetic genetic circuits within a single cell or across a cell population more reliable, predictable and robust to perturbations. The description especially highlights technical challenges that uniquely arise from the need to implement control designs within a new hardware setting, along with implemented or proposed solutions. Some engineering solutions employing complex feedback control schemes are also described, which, however, still require a deeper theoretical analysis of stability, performance and robustness properties. Overall, this paper should help synthetic biologists become familiar with feedback control concepts as they can be used in their application area. At the same time, it should provide some domain knowledge to control theorists who wish to enter the rising and exciting field of synthetic biology. © 2016 The Author(s).

Unique Challenges for Modeling Defect Dynamics in Concentrated Solid-Solution Alloys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Shijun; Weber, William J.; Zhang, Yanwen

2017-11-01

Recently developed concentrated solid solution alloys (CSAs) are shown to have improved performance under irradiation that depends strongly on the number of alloying elements, alloying species, and their concentrations. In contrast to conventional dilute alloys, CSAs are composed of multiple principal elements situated randomly in a simple crystalline lattice. As a result, the intrinsic disorder has a profound influence on energy dissipation pathways and defect evolution when these CSAs are subjected to energetic particle irradiation. Extraordinary irradiation resistance, including suppression of void formation by two orders of magnitude at an elevated temperature, has been achieved with increasing compositional complexity in CSAs. Unfortunately, the loss of translational invariance associated with the intrinsic chemical disorder poses great challenges to theoretical modeling at the electronic and atomic levels. Based on recent computer simulation results for a set of novel Ni-containing, face-centered cubic CSAs, we review theoretical modeling progress in handling disorder in CSAs and underscore the impact of disorder on defect dynamics. We emphasize in particular the unique challenges associated with the description of defect dynamics in CSAs.

Calculation of density of states for modeling photoemission using method of moments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Finkenstadt, Daniel; Lambrakos, Samuel G.; Jensen, Kevin L.; Shabaev, Andrew; Moody, Nathan A.

2017-09-01

Modeling photoemission using the Moments Approach (akin to Spicer's "Three Step Model") is often presumed to follow simple models for the prediction of two critical properties of photocathodes: the yield or "Quantum Efficiency" (QE), and the intrinsic spreading of the beam or "emittance" ɛnrms. The simple models, however, tend to obscure properties of electrons in materials, the understanding of which is necessary for a proper prediction of a semiconductor or metal's QE and ɛnrms. This structure is characterized by localized resonance features as well as a universal trend at high energy. Presented in this study is a prototype analysis concerning the density of states (DOS) factor D(E) for Copper in bulk to replace the simple three-dimensional form of D(E) = (m/π2 h3)p2mE currently used in the Moments approach. This analysis demonstrates that excited state spectra of atoms, molecules and solids based on density-functional theory can be adapted as useful information for practical applications, as well as providing theoretical interpretation of density-of-states structure, e.g., qualitatively good descriptions of optical transitions in matter, in addition to DFT's utility in providing the optical constants and material parameters also required in the Moments Approach.

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

Gelis, François; Schenke, Björn

In this work, we review recent developments in the ab initio theoretical description of the initial state in heavy-ion collisions. We emphasize the importance of fluctuations, both for the phenomenological description of experimental data from the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) and the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and for the theoretical understanding of the nonequilibrium early-time dynamics and thermalization of the medium.

Functional renormalization group analysis of tensorial group field theories on Rd

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Geloun, Joseph Ben; Martini, Riccardo; Oriti, Daniele

2016-07-01

Rank-d tensorial group field theories are quantum field theories (QFTs) defined on a group manifold G×d , which represent a nonlocal generalization of standard QFT and a candidate formalism for quantum gravity, since, when endowed with appropriate data, they can be interpreted as defining a field theoretic description of the fundamental building blocks of quantum spacetime. Their renormalization analysis is crucial both for establishing their consistency as quantum field theories and for studying the emergence of continuum spacetime and geometry from them. In this paper, we study the renormalization group flow of two simple classes of tensorial group field theories (TGFTs), defined for the group G =R for arbitrary rank, both without and with gauge invariance conditions, by means of functional renormalization group techniques. The issue of IR divergences is tackled by the definition of a proper thermodynamic limit for TGFTs. We map the phase diagram of such models, in a simple truncation, and identify both UV and IR fixed points of the RG flow. Encouragingly, for all the models we study, we find evidence for the existence of a phase transition of condensation type.

Toward Predictive Theories of Nuclear Reactions Across the Isotopic Chart: Web Report

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

Escher, J. E.; Blackmon, J.; Elster, C.

Recent years have seen exciting new developments and progress in nuclear structure theory, reaction theory, and experimental techniques, that allow us to move towards a description of exotic systems and environments, setting the stage for new discoveries. The purpose of the 5-week program was to bring together physicists from the low-energy nuclear structure and reaction communities to identify avenues for achieving reliable and predictive descriptions of reactions involving nuclei across the isotopic chart. The 4-day embedded workshop focused on connecting theory developments to experimental advances and data needs for astrophysics and other applications. Nuclear theory must address phenomena from laboratorymore » experiments to stellar environments, from stable nuclei to weakly-bound and exotic isotopes. Expanding the reach of theory to these regimes requires a comprehensive understanding of the reaction mechanisms involved as well as detailed knowledge of nuclear structure. A recurring theme throughout the program was the desire to produce reliable predictions rooted in either ab initio or microscopic approaches. At the same time it was recognized that some applications involving heavy nuclei away from stability, e.g. those involving fi ssion fragments, may need to rely on simple parameterizations of incomplete data for the foreseeable future. The goal here, however, is to subsequently improve and refine the descriptions, moving to phenomenological, then microscopic approaches. There was overarching consensus that future work should also focus on reliable estimates of errors in theoretical descriptions.« less

"Time: What Is It that It Can Be Measured?"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Raju, C. K.

2006-01-01

Experiments with the simple pendulum are easy, but its motion is nevertheless confounded with simple harmonic motion. However, refined theoretical models of the pendulum can, today, be easily taught using software like CALCODE. Similarly, the cycloidal pendulum is isochronous only in simplified theory. But what "are" theoretically equal intervals…

Weighted straight skeletons in the plane☆

PubMed Central

Biedl, Therese; Held, Martin; Huber, Stefan; Kaaser, Dominik; Palfrader, Peter

2015-01-01

We investigate weighted straight skeletons from a geometric, graph-theoretical, and combinatorial point of view. We start with a thorough definition and shed light on some ambiguity issues in the procedural definition. We investigate the geometry, combinatorics, and topology of faces and the roof model, and we discuss in which cases a weighted straight skeleton is connected. Finally, we show that the weighted straight skeleton of even a simple polygon may be non-planar and may contain cycles, and we discuss under which restrictions on the weights and/or the input polygon the weighted straight skeleton still behaves similar to its unweighted counterpart. In particular, we obtain a non-procedural description and a linear-time construction algorithm for the straight skeleton of strictly convex polygons with arbitrary weights. PMID:25648398

Electron-phonon scattering rates in complex polar crystals

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

Prange, M. P.; Campbell, L. W.; Kerisit, S.

2017-09-01

The thermalization of fast electrons by phonons is studied in CsI, NaI, SrI2, and YAP. This numerical study uses an improvement to a recently developed ab initio method based on a density functional perturbation theoretical description of the phonon modes that provides a way to go beyond widely used phonon models based on binary crystals. Improvements to this method are described, and scattering rates are presented and discussed. The results here treat polar and nonpolar scattering on equal footing and allow an assessment of the relative importance of the two types of scattering. The relative activity of the numerous phononmore » modes in materials with complicated structures is discussed, and a simple criterion for finding the modes that scatter strongly is presented.« less

Signal detection via residence-time asymmetry in noisy bistable devices.

PubMed

Bulsara, A R; Seberino, C; Gammaitoni, L; Karlsson, M F; Lundqvist, B; Robinson, J W C

2003-01-01

We introduce a dynamical readout description for a wide class of nonlinear dynamic sensors operating in a noisy environment. The presence of weak unknown signals is assessed via the monitoring of the residence time in the metastable attractors of the system, in the presence of a known, usually time-periodic, bias signal. This operational scenario can mitigate the effects of sensor noise, providing a greatly simplified readout scheme, as well as significantly reduced processing procedures. Such devices can also show a wide variety of interesting dynamical features. This scheme for quantifying the response of a nonlinear dynamic device has been implemented in experiments involving a simple laboratory version of a fluxgate magnetometer. We present the results of the experiments and demonstrate that they match the theoretical predictions reasonably well.

Adapting the Euler-Lagrange equation to study one-dimensional motions under the action of a constant force

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dias, Clenilda F.; Araújo, Maria A. S.; Carvalho-Santos, Vagson L.

2018-01-01

The Euler-Lagrange equations (ELE) are very important in the theoretical description of several physical systems. In this work we have used a simplified form of ELE to study one-dimensional motions under the action of a constant force. From the use of the definition of partial derivative, we have proposed two operators, here called mean delta operators, which may be used to solve the ELE in a simplest way. We have applied this simplification to solve three simple mechanical problems in which the particle is under the action of the gravitational field: a free fall body, the Atwood’s machine and the inclined plan. The proposed simplification can be used to introduce the lagrangian formalism in teaching classical mechanics in introductory physics courses.

Potential flow theory and operation guide for the panel code PMARC

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ashby, Dale L.; Dudley, Michael R.; Iguchi, Steve K.; Browne, Lindsey; Katz, Joseph

1991-01-01

The theoretical basis for PMARC, a low-order potential-flow panel code for modeling complex three-dimensional geometries, is outlined. Several of the advanced features currently included in the code, such as internal flow modeling, a simple jet model, and a time-stepping wake model, are discussed in some detail. The code is written using adjustable size arrays so that it can be easily redimensioned for the size problem being solved and the computer hardware being used. An overview of the program input is presented, with a detailed description of the input available in the appendices. Finally, PMARC results for a generic wing/body configuration are compared with experimental data to demonstrate the accuracy of the code. The input file for this test case is given in the appendices.

Fusion cross sections for reactions involving medium and heavy nucleus-nucleus systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Atta, Debasis; Basu, D. N.

2014-12-01

Existing data on near-barrier fusion excitation functions of medium and heavy nucleus-nucleus systems have been analyzed by using a simple diffused-barrier formula derived assuming the Gaussian shape of the barrier-height distributions. The fusion cross section is obtained by folding the Gaussian barrier distribution with the classical expression for the fusion cross section for a fixed barrier. The energy dependence of the fusion cross section, thus obtained, provides good description to the existing data on near-barrier fusion and capture excitation functions for medium and heavy nucleus-nucleus systems. The theoretical values for the parameters of the barrier distribution are estimated which can be used for fusion or capture cross-section predictions that are especially important for planning experiments for synthesizing new superheavy elements.

A two-state hysteresis model from high-dimensional friction

PubMed Central

Biswas, Saurabh; Chatterjee, Anindya

2015-01-01

In prior work (Biswas & Chatterjee 2014 Proc. R. Soc. A 470, 20130817 (doi:10.1098/rspa.2013.0817)), we developed a six-state hysteresis model from a high-dimensional frictional system. Here, we use a more intuitively appealing frictional system that resembles one studied earlier by Iwan. The basis functions now have simple analytical description. The number of states required decreases further, from six to the theoretical minimum of two. The number of fitted parameters is reduced by an order of magnitude, to just six. An explicit and faster numerical solution method is developed. Parameter fitting to match different specified hysteresis loops is demonstrated. In summary, a new two-state model of hysteresis is presented that is ready for practical implementation. Essential Matlab code is provided. PMID:26587279

Theoretical estimates of the width of light-meson states in the SO(4) (2+1)-flavor limit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yépez-Martínez, Tochtli; Civitarese, Osvaldo; Hess, Peter Otto

The low-energy sector of the mesonic spectrum exhibits some features which may be understood in terms of the SO(4) symmetry contained in the QCD-Hamiltonian written in the Coulomb Gauge. In our previous work, we have shown that this is indeed the case when the Instantaneous Color-Charge Interaction (ICCI) is treated by means of nonperturbative many-body techniques. Continuing along this line of description, in this work we calculate the width of meson states belonging to the low portion of the spectrum (E < 1 GeV). In spite of the rather simple structure of the Hamiltonian used to calculate the spectra of pseudoscalar and vector mesons, the results for the width of these states follow the pattern of the data.

40 CFR 60.103a - Design, equipment, work practice or operational standards.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

...) Description and simple process flow diagram showing the interconnection of the following components of the... rate. (iv) Description and simple process flow diagram showing all gas lines (including flare, purge... which lines are monitored and identify on the process flow diagram the location and type of each monitor...

40 CFR 60.103a - Design, equipment, work practice or operational standards.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

...) Description and simple process flow diagram showing the interconnection of the following components of the... rate. (iv) Description and simple process flow diagram showing all gas lines (including flare, purge... which lines are monitored and identify on the process flow diagram the location and type of each monitor...

Towards a unified description of total and diffractive structure functions at DESY HERA in the QCD dipole picture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bialas, A.; Peschanski, R.; Royon, Ch.

1998-06-01

It is argued that the QCD dipole picture allows us to build a unified theoretical description, based on Balitskii-Fadin-Kuraev-Lipatov dynamics, of the total and diffractive nucleon structure functions. This description is in qualitative agreement with the present collection of data obtained by the H1 Collaboration. More precise theoretical estimates, in particular the determination of the normalizations and proton transverse momentum behavior of the diffractive components, are shown to be required in order to reach definite conclusions.

Gauge-transformation properties of cosmological observables and its application to the light-cone average

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

Yoo, Jaiyul; Durrer, Ruth, E-mail: jyoo@physik.uzh.ch, E-mail: ruth.durrer@unige.ch

Theoretical descriptions of observable quantities in cosmological perturbation theory should be independent of coordinate systems. This statement is often referred to as gauge-invariance of observable quantities, and the sanity of their theoretical description is verified by checking its gauge-invariance. We argue that cosmological observables are invariant scalars under diffeomorphisms and their theoretical description is gauge-invariant, only at linear order in perturbations. Beyond linear order, they are usually not gauge-invariant, and we provide the general law for the gauge-transformation that the perturbation part of an observable does obey. We apply this finding to derive the second-order expression for the observational light-conemore » average in cosmology and demonstrate that our expression is indeed invariant under diffeomorphisms.« less

A Lie-theoretic Description of the Solution Space of the tt*-Toda Equations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guest, Martin A.; Ho, Nan-Kuo

2017-12-01

We give a Lie-theoretic explanation for the convex polytope which parametrizes the globally smooth solutions of the topological-antitopological fusion equations of Toda type (tt ∗-Toda equations) which were introduced by Cecotti and Vafa. It is known from Guest and Lin (J. Reine Angew. Math. 689, 1-32 2014) Guest et al. (It. Math. Res. Notices 2015, 11745-11784 2015) and Mochizuki (2013, 2014) that these solutions can be parametrized by monodromy data of a certain flat S L n+ 1 ℝ-connection. Using Boalch's Lie-theoretic description of Stokes data, and Steinberg's description of regular conjugacy classes of a linear algebraic group, we express this monodromy data as a convex subset of a Weyl alcove of S U n+ 1.

Learning in Structured Connectionist Networks

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-04-01

the structure is too rigid and learning too difficult for cognitive modeling. Two algorithms for learning simple, feature-based concept descriptions...and learning too difficult for cognitive model- ing. Two algorithms for learning simple, feature-based concept descriptions were also implemented. The...Term Goals Recent progress in connectionist research has been encouraging; networks have success- fully modeled human performance for various cognitive

Initial-State Quantum Fluctuations in the Little Bang

DOE PAGES

Gelis, François; Schenke, Björn

2016-06-01

In this work, we review recent developments in the ab initio theoretical description of the initial state in heavy-ion collisions. We emphasize the importance of fluctuations, both for the phenomenological description of experimental data from the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) and the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and for the theoretical understanding of the nonequilibrium early-time dynamics and thermalization of the medium.

Theoretical and Experimental Investigation of Random Gust Loads Part I : Aerodynamic Transfer Function of a Simple Wing Configuration in Incompressible Flow

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hakkinen, Raimo J; Richardson, A S , Jr

1957-01-01

Sinusoidally oscillating downwash and lift produced on a simple rigid airfoil were measured and compared with calculated values. Statistically stationary random downwash and the corresponding lift on a simple rigid airfoil were also measured and the transfer functions between their power spectra determined. The random experimental values are compared with theoretically approximated values. Limitations of the experimental technique and the need for more extensive experimental data are discussed.

Sound propagation from a simple source in a wind tunnel

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cole, J. E., III

1975-01-01

The nature of the acoustic field of a simple source in a wind tunnel under flow conditions was examined theoretically and experimentally. The motivation of the study was to establish aspects of the theoretical framework for interpreting acoustic data taken (in wind) tunnels using in wind microphones. Three distinct investigations were performed and are described in detail.

Theoretical model for the discrete flexoelectric effect and a description for the sequence of intermediate smectic phases with increasing periodicity.

PubMed

Emelyanenko, A V; Osipov, M A

2003-11-01

A general phenomenological description and a simple molecular model is proposed for the "discrete" flexoelectric effect in tilted smectic liquid crystal phases. This effect defines a polarization in a smectic layer induced by a difference of director orientations in the two smectic layers adjacent to it. It is shown that the "discrete" flexoelectric effect is determined by electrostatic dipole-quadrupole interaction between positionally correlated molecules located in adjacent smectic layers, while the corresponding dipole-dipole interaction is responsible for a coupling between polarization vectors in neighboring layers. It is shown that a simple phenomenological model of a ferrielectric smectic liquid crystal, which has recently been proposed in the literature, can be used to describe the whole sequence of intermediate chiral smectic C* phases with increasing periods, and to determine the nonplanar structure of each phase without additional assumptions. In this sequence the phases with three- and four-layer periodicities have the same structure, as observed in the experiment. The theory predicts also the structure of intermediate phases with longer periods that have not been studied experimentally so far. The structures of intermediate phases with periodicities of up to nine layers are presented together with the phase diagrams, and a relationship between molecular chirality and the three-dimensional structure of intermediate phases is discussed. It is considered also how the coupling between the spontaneous polarization determined by molecular chirality and the induced polarization determined by the discrete flexoelectric effect stabilizes the nonplanar structure of intermediate phases.

Acoustic fluidization and the scale dependence of impact crater morphology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Melosh, H. J.; Gaffney, E. S.

1983-01-01

A phenomenological Bingham plastic model has previously been shown to provide an adequate description of the collapse of impact craters. This paper demonstrates that the Bingham parameters may be derived from a model in which acoustic energy generated during excavation fluidizes the rock debris surrounding the crater. Experimental support for the theoretical flow law is presented. Although the Bingham yield stress cannot be computed without detailed knowledge of the initial acoustic field, the Bingham viscosity is derived from a simple argument which shows that it increases as the 3/2 power of crater diameter, consistent with observation. Crater collapse may occur in material with internal dissipation Q as low as 100, comparable to laboratory observations of dissipation in granular materials. Crater collapse thus does not require that the acoustic field be regenerated during flow.

Hydrodynamic interactions in DNA thermophoresis.

PubMed

Ly, Aboubakry; Würger, Alois

2018-01-31

We theoretically study the molecular-weight dependence of DNA thermophoresis, which arises from mutual advection of the n repeat units of the molecular chain. As a main result we find that the dominant driving forces, i.e., the thermally induced permittivity gradient and the electrolyte Seebeck effect, result in characteristic hydrodynamic screening. In comparison with recent experimental data on single-stranded DNA (2 ≤ n ≤ 80), our theory provides a good description for the increase of the drift velocity up to n = 30; the slowing-down of longer molecules is well accounted for by a simple model for counterion condensation. It turns out that thermophoresis may change sign as a function of n: for an appropriate choice of the salt-specific Seebeck coefficient, short molecules move to the cold and long ones to the hot; this could be used for separating DNA by molecular weight.

High dynamic range infrared radiometry and imaging

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Coon, Darryl D.; Karunasiri, R. P. G.; Bandara, K. M. S. V.

1988-01-01

The use is described of cryogenically cooled, extrinsic silicon infrared detectors in an unconventional mode of operation which offers an unusually large dynamic range. The system performs intensity-to-frequency conversion at the focal plane via simple circuits with very low power consumption. The incident IR intensity controls the repetition rate of short duration output pulses over a pulse rate dynamic range of about 10(6). Theory indicates the possibility of monotonic and approx. linear response over the full dynamic range. A comparison between the theoretical and the experimental results shows that the model provides a reasonably good description of experimental data. Some measurements of survivability with a very intense IR source were made on these devices and found to be very encouraging. Evidence continues to indicate that some variations in interpulse time intervals are deterministic rather than probabilistic.

Structured Natural-Language Descriptions for Semantic Content Retrieval of Visual Materials.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tam, A. M.; Leung, C. H. C.

2001-01-01

Proposes a structure for natural language descriptions of the semantic content of visual materials that requires descriptions to be (modified) keywords, phrases, or simple sentences, with components that are grammatical relations common to many languages. This structure makes it easy to implement a collection's descriptions as a relational…

Passive Membrane Permeability: Beyond the Standard Solubility-Diffusion Model.

PubMed

Parisio, Giulia; Stocchero, Matteo; Ferrarini, Alberta

2013-12-10

The spontaneous diffusion of solutes through lipid bilayers is still a challenge for theoretical predictions. Since permeation processes remain beyond the capabilities of unbiased molecular dynamics simulations, an alternative strategy is currently adopted to gain insight into their mechanism and time scale. This is based on a monodimensional description of the translocation process only in terms of the position of the solute along the normal to the lipid bilayer, which is formally expressed in the solubility-diffusion model. Actually, a role of orientational and conformational motions has been pointed out, and the use of advanced simulation techniques has been proposed to take into account their effect. Here, we discuss the limitations of the standard solubility-diffusion approach and propose a more general description of membrane translocation as a diffusion process on a free energy surface, which is a function of the translational and rotational degrees of freedom of the molecule. Simple expressions for the permeability coefficient are obtained under suitable conditions. For fast solute reorientation, the classical solubility-diffusion equation is recovered. Under the assumption that well-defined minima can be identified on the free energy landscape, a mechanistic interpretation of the permeability coefficient in terms of all possible permeation paths is given.

A balanced memory network.

PubMed

Roudi, Yasser; Latham, Peter E

2007-09-01

A fundamental problem in neuroscience is understanding how working memory--the ability to store information at intermediate timescales, like tens of seconds--is implemented in realistic neuronal networks. The most likely candidate mechanism is the attractor network, and a great deal of effort has gone toward investigating it theoretically. Yet, despite almost a quarter century of intense work, attractor networks are not fully understood. In particular, there are still two unanswered questions. First, how is it that attractor networks exhibit irregular firing, as is observed experimentally during working memory tasks? And second, how many memories can be stored under biologically realistic conditions? Here we answer both questions by studying an attractor neural network in which inhibition and excitation balance each other. Using mean-field analysis, we derive a three-variable description of attractor networks. From this description it follows that irregular firing can exist only if the number of neurons involved in a memory is large. The same mean-field analysis also shows that the number of memories that can be stored in a network scales with the number of excitatory connections, a result that has been suggested for simple models but never shown for realistic ones. Both of these predictions are verified using simulations with large networks of spiking neurons.

Nature and magnitude of aromatic base stacking in DNA and RNA: Quantum chemistry, molecular mechanics, and experiment.

PubMed

Sponer, Jiří; Sponer, Judit E; Mládek, Arnošt; Jurečka, Petr; Banáš, Pavel; Otyepka, Michal

2013-12-01

Base stacking is a major interaction shaping up and stabilizing nucleic acids. During the last decades, base stacking has been extensively studied by experimental and theoretical methods. Advanced quantum-chemical calculations clarified that base stacking is a common interaction, which in the first approximation can be described as combination of the three most basic contributions to molecular interactions, namely, electrostatic interaction, London dispersion attraction and short-range repulsion. There is not any specific π-π energy term associated with the delocalized π electrons of the aromatic rings that cannot be described by the mentioned contributions. The base stacking can be rather reasonably approximated by simple molecular simulation methods based on well-calibrated common force fields although the force fields do not include nonadditivity of stacking, anisotropy of dispersion interactions, and some other effects. However, description of stacking association in condensed phase and understanding of the stacking role in biomolecules remain a difficult problem, as the net base stacking forces always act in a complex and context-specific environment. Moreover, the stacking forces are balanced with many other energy contributions. Differences in definition of stacking in experimental and theoretical studies are explained. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Advanced optical system for scanning-spot photorefractive keratectomy (PRK)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mrochen, Michael; Wullner, Christian; Semchishen, Vladimir A.; Seiler, Theo

1999-06-01

Purpose: The goal of this presentation is to discuss the use of the Light Shaping Beam Homogenizer in an optical system for scanning-spot PRK. Methods: The basic principle of the LSBH is the transformation of any incident intensity distribution by light scattering on an irregular microlens structure z = f(x,y). The relief of this microlens structure is determined by a defined statistical function, i.e. it is defined by the mean root-squared tilt σ of the surface relief. Therefore, the beam evolution after the LSBH and in the focal plane of an imaging lens was measured for various root-squared tilts. Beside this, an optical setup for scanning-spot PRK was assembled according to the theoretical and experimental results. Results: The divergence, homogeneity and the Gaussian radius of the intensity distribution in the treatment plane of the scanning-spot PRK laser system is mainly characterized by dependent on root-mean-square tilt σ of the LSBH, as it will be explained by the theoretical description of the LSBH. Conclusions: The LSBH represents a simple, low cost beam homogenizer with low energy losses, for scanning-spot excimer laser systems.

Experimental and theoretical study of iron and mild steel combustion in oxygen flows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

El-Rabii, Hazem; Kazakov, Kirill A.; Muller, Maryse

2017-03-01

The effects of oxygen flow speed and pressure on the iron and mild steel combustion are investigated experimentally and theoretically. The studied specimens are vertical cylindrical rods subjected to an axial oxygen flow and ignited at the upper end by laser irradiation. Three main stages of the combustion process have been identified experimentally: (1) induction period, during which the rod is heated until an intensive metal oxidation begins at its upper end; (2) static combustion, during which a laminar liquid "cap'' slowly grows on the upper rod end, and, after the liquid cap detachment from the sample; (3) dynamic combustion, which is characterized by a rapid metal consumption and turbulent liquid motions. An analytical description of these stages is given. In particular, a model of the dynamic combustion is constructed based on the turbulent oxygen transport through the liquid metal-oxide flow. This model yields a simple expression for the fraction of metal burned in the process and allows one to calculate the normal propagation speed of the solid metal-liquid interface as a function of the oxygen flow speed and pressure. A comparison of the theory with the experimental results is made, and its potential application is mentioned.

Asymptotic theory of time-varying social networks with heterogeneous activity and tie allocation.

PubMed

Ubaldi, Enrico; Perra, Nicola; Karsai, Márton; Vezzani, Alessandro; Burioni, Raffaella; Vespignani, Alessandro

2016-10-24

The dynamic of social networks is driven by the interplay between diverse mechanisms that still challenge our theoretical and modelling efforts. Amongst them, two are known to play a central role in shaping the networks evolution, namely the heterogeneous propensity of individuals to i) be socially active and ii) establish a new social relationships with their alters. Here, we empirically characterise these two mechanisms in seven real networks describing temporal human interactions in three different settings: scientific collaborations, Twitter mentions, and mobile phone calls. We find that the individuals' social activity and their strategy in choosing ties where to allocate their social interactions can be quantitatively described and encoded in a simple stochastic network modelling framework. The Master Equation of the model can be solved in the asymptotic limit. The analytical solutions provide an explicit description of both the system dynamic and the dynamical scaling laws characterising crucial aspects about the evolution of the networks. The analytical predictions match with accuracy the empirical observations, thus validating the theoretical approach. Our results provide a rigorous dynamical system framework that can be extended to include other processes shaping social dynamics and to generate data driven predictions for the asymptotic behaviour of social networks.

Asymptotic theory of time-varying social networks with heterogeneous activity and tie allocation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ubaldi, Enrico; Perra, Nicola; Karsai, Márton; Vezzani, Alessandro; Burioni, Raffaella; Vespignani, Alessandro

2016-10-01

The dynamic of social networks is driven by the interplay between diverse mechanisms that still challenge our theoretical and modelling efforts. Amongst them, two are known to play a central role in shaping the networks evolution, namely the heterogeneous propensity of individuals to i) be socially active and ii) establish a new social relationships with their alters. Here, we empirically characterise these two mechanisms in seven real networks describing temporal human interactions in three different settings: scientific collaborations, Twitter mentions, and mobile phone calls. We find that the individuals’ social activity and their strategy in choosing ties where to allocate their social interactions can be quantitatively described and encoded in a simple stochastic network modelling framework. The Master Equation of the model can be solved in the asymptotic limit. The analytical solutions provide an explicit description of both the system dynamic and the dynamical scaling laws characterising crucial aspects about the evolution of the networks. The analytical predictions match with accuracy the empirical observations, thus validating the theoretical approach. Our results provide a rigorous dynamical system framework that can be extended to include other processes shaping social dynamics and to generate data driven predictions for the asymptotic behaviour of social networks.

Neuroscience from a mathematical perspective: key concepts, scales and scaling hypothesis, universality.

PubMed

van Hemmen, J Leo

2014-10-01

This article analyzes the question of whether neuroscience allows for mathematical descriptions and whether an interaction between experimental and theoretical neuroscience can be expected to benefit both of them. It is argued that a mathematization of natural phenomena never happens by itself. First, appropriate key concepts must be found that are intimately connected with the phenomena one wishes to describe and explain mathematically. Second, the scale on, and not beyond, which a specific description can hold must be specified. Different scales allow for different conceptual and mathematical descriptions. This is the scaling hypothesis. Third, can a mathematical description be universally valid and, if so, how? Here we put forth the argument that universals also exist in theoretical neuroscience, that evolution proves the rule, and that theoretical neuroscience is a domain with still lots of space for new developments initiated by an intensive interaction with experiment. Finally, major insight is provided by a careful analysis of the way in which particular brain structures respond to perceptual input and in so doing induce action in an animal's surroundings.

Normative and Descriptive Aspects of Management Education: Differentiation and Integration

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meirovich, Gavriel

2015-01-01

This study advocates strongly for clear differentiation and synthesis of descriptive and normative approaches in management education. There is a certain isolation of normative and descriptive theoretical frameworks presented in management courses. Normative frameworks in management explain how organizations "should be" managed, while…

Aerodynamic design and analysis system for supersonic aircraft. Part 1: General description and theoretical development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Middleton, W. D.; Lundry, J. L.

1975-01-01

An integrated system of computer programs has been developed for the design and analysis of supersonic configurations. The system uses linearized theory methods for the calculation of surface pressures and supersonic area rule concepts in combination with linearized theory for calculation of aerodynamic force coefficients. Interactive graphics are optional at the user's request. This part presents a general description of the system and describes the theoretical methods used.

Connecting single cell to collective cell behavior in a unified theoretical framework

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

George, Mishel; Bullo, Francesco; Campàs, Otger

Collective cell behavior is an essential part of tissue and organ morphogenesis during embryonic development, as well as of various disease processes, such as cancer. In contrast to many in vitro studies of collective cell migration, most cases of in vivo collective cell migration involve rather small groups of cells, with large sheets of migrating cells being less common. The vast majority of theoretical descriptions of collective cell behavior focus on large numbers of cells, but fail to accurately capture the dynamics of small groups of cells. Here we introduce a low-dimensional theoretical description that successfully captures single cell migration, cell collisions, collective dynamics in small groups of cells, and force propagation during sheet expansion, all within a common theoretical framework. Our description is derived from first principles and also includes key phenomenological aspects of cell migration that control the dynamics of traction forces. Among other results, we explain the counter-intuitive observations that pairs of cells repel each other upon collision while they behave in a coordinated manner within larger clusters.

A new theoretical approach to analyze complex processes in cytoskeleton proteins.

PubMed

Li, Xin; Kolomeisky, Anatoly B

2014-03-20

Cytoskeleton proteins are filament structures that support a large number of important biological processes. These dynamic biopolymers exist in nonequilibrium conditions stimulated by hydrolysis chemical reactions in their monomers. Current theoretical methods provide a comprehensive picture of biochemical and biophysical processes in cytoskeleton proteins. However, the description is only qualitative under biologically relevant conditions because utilized theoretical mean-field models neglect correlations. We develop a new theoretical method to describe dynamic processes in cytoskeleton proteins that takes into account spatial correlations in the chemical composition of these biopolymers. Our approach is based on analysis of probabilities of different clusters of subunits. It allows us to obtain exact analytical expressions for a variety of dynamic properties of cytoskeleton filaments. By comparing theoretical predictions with Monte Carlo computer simulations, it is shown that our method provides a fully quantitative description of complex dynamic phenomena in cytoskeleton proteins under all conditions.

A simple analytical method for determining the atmospheric dispersion of upward-directed high velocity releases

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Palazzi, E.

The evaluation of atmospheric dispersion of a cloud, arising from a sudden release of flammable or toxic materials, is an essential tool for properly designing flares, vents and other safety devices and to quantify the potential risk related to the existing ones or arising from the various kinds of accidents which can occur in chemical plants. Among the methods developed to treat the important case of upward-directed jets, Hoehne's procedure for determining the behaviour and extent of flammability zone is extensively utilized, particularly concerning petrochemical plants. In a previous study, a substantial simplification of the aforesaid procedure was achieved, by correlating the experimental data with an empirical formula, allowing to obtain a mathematical description of the boundaries of the flammable cloud. Following a theoretical approach, a most general model is developed in the present work, applicable to the various kinds of design problems and/or risk evaluation regarding upward-directed releases from high velocity sources. It is also demonstrated that the model gives conservative results, if applied outside the range of the Hoehne's experimental conditions. Moreover, with simple modifications, the same approach could be easily applied to deal with the atmospheric dispersion of anyhow directed releases.

A simple theoretical model for ⁶³Ni betavoltaic battery.

PubMed

Zuo, Guoping; Zhou, Jianliang; Ke, Guotu

2013-12-01

A numerical simulation of the energy deposition distribution in semiconductors is performed for ⁶³Ni beta particles. Results show that the energy deposition distribution exhibits an approximate exponential decay law. A simple theoretical model is developed for ⁶³Ni betavoltaic battery based on the distribution characteristics. The correctness of the model is validated by two literature experiments. Results show that the theoretical short-circuit current agrees well with the experimental results, and the open-circuit voltage deviates from the experimental results in terms of the influence of the PN junction defects and the simplification of the source. The theoretical model can be applied to ⁶³Ni and ¹⁴⁷Pm betavoltaic batteries. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Newer developments on self-modeling curve resolution implementing equality and unimodality constraints.

PubMed

Beyramysoltan, Samira; Abdollahi, Hamid; Rajkó, Róbert

2014-05-27

Analytical self-modeling curve resolution (SMCR) methods resolve data sets to a range of feasible solutions using only non-negative constraints. The Lawton-Sylvestre method was the first direct method to analyze a two-component system. It was generalized as a Borgen plot for determining the feasible regions in three-component systems. It seems that a geometrical view is required for considering curve resolution methods, because the complicated (only algebraic) conceptions caused a stop in the general study of Borgen's work for 20 years. Rajkó and István revised and elucidated the principles of existing theory in SMCR methods and subsequently introduced computational geometry tools for developing an algorithm to draw Borgen plots in three-component systems. These developments are theoretical inventions and the formulations are not always able to be given in close form or regularized formalism, especially for geometric descriptions, that is why several algorithms should have been developed and provided for even the theoretical deductions and determinations. In this study, analytical SMCR methods are revised and described using simple concepts. The details of a drawing algorithm for a developmental type of Borgen plot are given. Additionally, for the first time in the literature, equality and unimodality constraints are successfully implemented in the Lawton-Sylvestre method. To this end, a new state-of-the-art procedure is proposed to impose equality constraint in Borgen plots. Two- and three-component HPLC-DAD data set were simulated and analyzed by the new analytical curve resolution methods with and without additional constraints. Detailed descriptions and explanations are given based on the obtained abstract spaces. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Simple Parametric Model for Airfoil Shape Description

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ziemkiewicz, David

2017-12-01

We show a simple, analytic equation describing a class of two-dimensional shapes well suited for representation of aircraft airfoil profiles. Our goal was to create a description characterized by a small number of parameters with easily understandable meaning, providing a tool to alter the shape with optimization procedures as well as manual tweaks by the designer. The generated shapes are well suited for numerical analysis with 2D flow solving software such as XFOIL.

Nursing management of sensory overload in psychiatry – development of a theoretical framework model

PubMed

Scheydt, Stefan; Needham, Ian; Nielsen, Gunnar H; Behrens, Johann

2016-09-01

Background: The concept of “removal from stimuli” has already been examined by a Delphi-Study. However, some knowledge gaps remained open, which have now been further investigated. Aim: Examination of the concept “management of sensory overload in inpatient psychiatry” including its sub-concepts and specific measures. Method: Analysis of qualitative data about “removal from stimuli” by content analysis according to Mayring. Results: A theoretical description and definition of the concept could be achieved. In addition, sub-concepts (removal from stimuli, modulation of environmental factors, help somebody to help him-/herself) could be identified, theoretical defined and complemented by possible specific measures. Conclusions: The conceptual descriptions provide a further step to raise awareness of professionals in the subject area. Furthermore, we created a theoretical basis for further empirical studies.

Sequential visibility-graph motifs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iacovacci, Jacopo; Lacasa, Lucas

2016-04-01

Visibility algorithms transform time series into graphs and encode dynamical information in their topology, paving the way for graph-theoretical time series analysis as well as building a bridge between nonlinear dynamics and network science. In this work we introduce and study the concept of sequential visibility-graph motifs, smaller substructures of n consecutive nodes that appear with characteristic frequencies. We develop a theory to compute in an exact way the motif profiles associated with general classes of deterministic and stochastic dynamics. We find that this simple property is indeed a highly informative and computationally efficient feature capable of distinguishing among different dynamics and robust against noise contamination. We finally confirm that it can be used in practice to perform unsupervised learning, by extracting motif profiles from experimental heart-rate series and being able, accordingly, to disentangle meditative from other relaxation states. Applications of this general theory include the automatic classification and description of physical, biological, and financial time series.

Are anharmonicity corrections needed for temperature-profile calculations of interiors of terrestrial planets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anderson, O. L.

1982-07-01

The temperature profile of planetary interiors is an important item of information, because many thermodynamic or geodynamic investigations of a planet's interior require an estimate of the temperature profile. Modeling studies of the thermal history or convective processes focus in detail on the thermal profile of the planet. A description is presented of results which show how the present (or equilibrium) interior temperature profile is related to certain constraints placed on the planet, especially the physical properties of the mantle material. These properties depend upon a priori assumptions of chemical composition. The investigation is mainly concerned with experimental and theoretical data appropriate to mantle minerals, in order to justify the use of a simple equation-of-state for planet interiors. It is found that anharmonicity does not seem to be required for calculations of interior properties of the terrestrial planets.

Unfolding and melting of DNA (RNA) hairpins: the concept of structure-specific 2D dynamic landscapes.

PubMed

Lin, Milo M; Meinhold, Lars; Shorokhov, Dmitry; Zewail, Ahmed H

2008-08-07

A 2D free-energy landscape model is presented to describe the (un)folding transition of DNA/RNA hairpins, together with molecular dynamics simulations and experimental findings. The dependence of the (un)folding transition on the stem sequence and the loop length is shown in the enthalpic and entropic contributions to the free energy. Intermediate structures are well defined by the two coordinates of the landscape during (un)zipping. Both the free-energy landscape model and the extensive molecular dynamics simulations totaling over 10 mus predict the existence of temperature-dependent kinetic intermediate states during hairpin (un)zipping and provide the theoretical description of recent ultrafast temperature-jump studies which indicate that hairpin (un)zipping is, in general, not a two-state process. The model allows for lucid prediction of the collapsed state(s) in simple 2D space and we term it the kinetic intermediate structure (KIS) model.

Programmable Self-assembly of Hydrocarbon-capped Nanoparticles: Role of Chain Conformations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Waltmann, Curt; Horst, Nathan; Travesset, Alex

Nanoparticle superlattices (NPS), i.e. crystalline arrangements of nanoparticles, are materials with fascinating structures, which in many cases are not possible to attain from simple atoms or molecules. They also span a wide range of possible applications such as metamaterials, new energy sources, catalysis, and many others. In this talk, we present a theoretical and computational description of the self-assembly of nanoparticles with hydrocarbons as capping ligands. Usually, these systems have been described with hard sphere packing models. In this talk, we show that the conformations of the hydrocarbon chains play a fundamental role in determining the equilibrium phases, including and especially in binary systems. The work of CW was supported by a DOE-SULI internship from May-December 2016, and by NSF, DMR-CMMT 1606336 CDS&E: Design Principles for Ordering Nanoparticles into Super-crystals after January 1st.

Precise and Scalable Static Program Analysis of NASA Flight Software

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brat, G.; Venet, A.

2005-01-01

Recent NASA mission failures (e.g., Mars Polar Lander and Mars Orbiter) illustrate the importance of having an efficient verification and validation process for such systems. One software error, as simple as it may be, can cause the loss of an expensive mission, or lead to budget overruns and crunched schedules. Unfortunately, traditional verification methods cannot guarantee the absence of errors in software systems. Therefore, we have developed the CGS static program analysis tool, which can exhaustively analyze large C programs. CGS analyzes the source code and identifies statements in which arrays are accessed out of bounds, or, pointers are used outside the memory region they should address. This paper gives a high-level description of CGS and its theoretical foundations. It also reports on the use of CGS on real NASA software systems used in Mars missions (from Mars PathFinder to Mars Exploration Rover) and on the International Space Station.

Melting and Freezing of Metal Clusters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aguado, Andrés; Jarrold, Martin F.

2011-05-01

Recent developments allow heat capacities to be measured for size-selected clusters isolated in the gas phase. For clusters with tens to hundreds of atoms, the heat capacities determined as a function of temperature usually have a single peak attributed to a melting transition. The melting temperatures and latent heats show large size-dependent fluctuations. In some cases, the melting temperatures change by hundreds of degrees with the addition of a single atom. Theory has played a critical role in understanding the origin of the size-dependent fluctuations, and in understanding the properties of the liquid-like and solid-like states. In some cases, the heat capacities have extra features (an additional peak or a dip) that reveal a more complex behavior than simple melting. In this article we provide a description of the methods used to measure the heat capacities and provide an overview of the experimental and theoretical results obtained for sodium and aluminum clusters.

Ion specific correlations in bulk and at biointerfaces.

PubMed

Kalcher, I; Horinek, D; Netz, R R; Dzubiella, J

2009-10-21

Ion specific effects are ubiquitous in any complex colloidal or biological fluid in bulk or at interfaces. The molecular origins of these 'Hofmeister effects' are not well understood and their theoretical description poses a formidable challenge to the modeling and simulation community. On the basis of the combination of atomistically resolved molecular dynamics (MD) computer simulations and statistical mechanics approaches, we present a few selected examples of specific electrolyte effects in bulk, at simple neutral and charged interfaces, and on a short α-helical peptide. The structural complexity in these strongly Coulomb-correlated systems is highlighted and analyzed in the light of available experimental data. While in general the comparison of MD simulations to experiments often lacks quantitative agreement, mostly because molecular force fields and coarse-graining procedures remain to be optimized, the consensus as regards trends provides important insights into microscopic hydration and binding mechanisms.

Exciton Absorption Spectra by Linear Response Methods:Application to Conjugated Polymers

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

Mosquera, Martin A.; Jackson, Nicholas E.; Fauvell, Thomas J.

The theoretical description of the timeevolution of excitons requires, as an initial step, the calculation of their spectra, which has been inaccessible to most users due to the high computational scaling of conventional algorithms and accuracy issues caused by common density functionals. Previously (J. Chem. Phys. 2016, 144, 204105), we developed a simple method that resolves these issues. Our scheme is based on a two-step calculation in which a linear-response TDDFT calculation is used to generate orbitals perturbed by the excitonic state, and then a second linear-response TDDFT calculation is used to determine the spectrum of excitations relative to themore » excitonic state. Herein, we apply this theory to study near-infrared absorption spectra of excitons in oligomers of the ubiquitous conjugated polymers poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT), poly(2-methoxy-5-(2-ethylhexyloxy)-1,4-phenylenevinylene) (MEH-PPV), and poly(benzodithiophene-thieno[3,4-b]thiophene) (PTB7). For P3HT and MEH-PPV oligomers, the calculated intense absorption bands converge at the longest wavelengths for 10 monomer units, and show strong consistency with experimental measurements. The calculations confirm that the exciton spectral features in MEH-PPV overlap with those of the bipolaron formation. In addition, our calculations identify the exciton absorption bands in transient absorption spectra measured by our group for oligomers (1, 2, and 3 units) of PTB7. For all of the cases studied, we report the dominant orbital excitations contributing to the optically active excited state-excited state transitions, and suggest a simple rule to identify absorption peaks at the longest wavelengths. We suggest our methodology could be considered for further evelopments in theoretical transient spectroscopy to include nonadiabatic effects, coherences, and to describe the formation of species such as charge-transfer states and polaron pairs.« less

Category Theoretic Analysis of Hierarchical Protein Materials and Social Networks

PubMed Central

Spivak, David I.; Giesa, Tristan; Wood, Elizabeth; Buehler, Markus J.

2011-01-01

Materials in biology span all the scales from Angstroms to meters and typically consist of complex hierarchical assemblies of simple building blocks. Here we describe an application of category theory to describe structural and resulting functional properties of biological protein materials by developing so-called ologs. An olog is like a “concept web” or “semantic network” except that it follows a rigorous mathematical formulation based on category theory. This key difference ensures that an olog is unambiguous, highly adaptable to evolution and change, and suitable for sharing concepts with other olog. We consider simple cases of beta-helical and amyloid-like protein filaments subjected to axial extension and develop an olog representation of their structural and resulting mechanical properties. We also construct a representation of a social network in which people send text-messages to their nearest neighbors and act as a team to perform a task. We show that the olog for the protein and the olog for the social network feature identical category-theoretic representations, and we proceed to precisely explicate the analogy or isomorphism between them. The examples presented here demonstrate that the intrinsic nature of a complex system, which in particular includes a precise relationship between structure and function at different hierarchical levels, can be effectively represented by an olog. This, in turn, allows for comparative studies between disparate materials or fields of application, and results in novel approaches to derive functionality in the design of de novo hierarchical systems. We discuss opportunities and challenges associated with the description of complex biological materials by using ologs as a powerful tool for analysis and design in the context of materiomics, and we present the potential impact of this approach for engineering, life sciences, and medicine. PMID:21931622

Theoretical Basis for Dynamic Label Propagation in Stationary Metabolic Networks under Step and Periodic Inputs

PubMed Central

Sokol, Serguei; Portais, Jean-Charles

2015-01-01

The dynamics of label propagation in a stationary metabolic network during an isotope labeling experiment can provide highly valuable information on the network topology, metabolic fluxes, and on the size of metabolite pools. However, major issues, both in the experimental set-up and in the accompanying numerical methods currently limit the application of this approach. Here, we propose a method to apply novel types of label inputs, sinusoidal or more generally periodic label inputs, to address both the practical and numerical challenges of dynamic labeling experiments. By considering a simple metabolic system, i.e. a linear, non-reversible pathway of arbitrary length, we develop mathematical descriptions of label propagation for both classical and novel label inputs. Theoretical developments and computer simulations show that the application of rectangular periodic pulses has both numerical and practical advantages over other approaches. We applied the strategy to estimate fluxes in a simulated experiment performed on a complex metabolic network (the central carbon metabolism of Escherichia coli), to further demonstrate its value in conditions which are close to those in real experiments. This study provides a theoretical basis for the rational interpretation of label propagation curves in real experiments, and will help identify the strengths, pitfalls and limitations of such experiments. The cases described here can also be used as test cases for more general numerical methods aimed at identifying network topology, analyzing metabolic fluxes or measuring concentrations of metabolites. PMID:26641860

Computer Series, 13.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moore, John W., Ed.

1981-01-01

Provides short descriptions of chemists' applications of computers in instruction: an interactive instructional program for Instrumental-Qualitative Organic Analysis; question-and-answer exercises in organic chemistry; computerized organic nomenclature drills; integration of theoretical and descriptive materials; acid-base titration simulation;…

Modeling shared resources with generalized synchronization within a Petri net bottom-up approach.

PubMed

Ferrarini, L; Trioni, M

1996-01-01

This paper proposes a simple and effective way to represent shared resources in manufacturing systems within a Petri net model previously developed. Such a model relies on the bottom-up and modular approach to synthesis and analysis. The designer may define elementary tasks and then connect them with one another with three kinds of connections: self-loops, inhibitor arcs and simple synchronizations. A theoretical framework has been established for the analysis of liveness and reversibility of such models. The generalized synchronization, here formalized, represents an extension of the simple synchronization, allowing the merging of suitable subnets among elementary tasks. It is proved that under suitable, but not restrictive, hypotheses the generalized synchronization may be substituted for a simple one, thus being compatible with all the developed theoretical body.

Theory and simulation of explicit solvent effects on protein folding in vitro and in vivo

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

England, Jeremy L.

The aim of this work is to develop theoretical tools for understanding what happens to water that is confined in amphipathic cavities, and for testing the consequences of this understanding for protein folding in vitro and in vivo. We begin in the first chapter with a brief review of the theoretical and simulation literature on the hydrophobic effect and the aqueous solvation of charged species that also puts forward a simple theoretical framework within which various solvation phenomena reported in past studies may be unified. Subsequently, in the second chapter we also review past computational and theoretical work on the specific question of how chaperonin complexes assist the folding of their substrates. With the context set, we turn in Chapter 3 to the case of an open system with water trapped between hydrophobic plates that experiences a uniform electric field normal to and between the plates. Classic bulk theory of electrostriction in polarizable fluids tells us that the electric field should cause an increase in local water density as it rises, yet some simulations have suggested the opposite. We present a mean-field Potts model we have developed to explain this discrepancy, and show how such a simple, coarse-grained lattice description can capture the fundamental consequences of the fact that external electric fields can frustrate the hydrogen bond network in confined water. Chapter 4 continues to pursue the issue of solvent evacuation between hydrophobic plates, but focuses on the impact of chemical denaturants on hydrophobic effects using molecular dynamics simulations of hydrophobic dewetting. We find that while urea and guanidinium have similar qualitative effects at the bulk level, they seem to differ in the microscopic mechanism by which they denature proteins, although both inhibit the onset of dewetting. Lastly, Chapters 5 and 6 examine the potential importance of solvent-mediated forces to protein folding in vivo. Chapter 5 develops a Landau-Ginzburg-type model for solvent free energy and lays out a theoretical argument for a mechanism by which chaperonins may promote the folding of their substrates through a local enhancement of the hydrophobic effect. With this argument in hand, we show results in Chapter 6 from molecular dynamics simulations we performed of different mutants of the bacterial chaperonin GroEL, which demonstrate that the hydrophilicity of the chaperonin cavity correlates with the experimentally measured ability of the cavity to facilitate folding.

Toward a Theoretical Model of Decision-Making and Resistance to Change among Higher Education Online Course Designers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dodd, Bucky J.

2013-01-01

Online course design is an emerging practice in higher education, yet few theoretical models currently exist to explain or predict how the diffusion of innovations occurs in this space. This study used a descriptive, quantitative survey research design to examine theoretical relationships between decision-making style and resistance to change…

Experimenting with Impacts in a Conceptual Physics or Descriptive Astronomy Laboratory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

LoPresto, Michael C.

2016-01-01

What follows is a description of the procedure for and results of a simple experiment on the formation of impact craters designed for the laboratory portions of lower mathematical-level general education science courses such as conceptual physics or descriptive astronomy. The experiment provides necessary experience with data collection and…

A Systematic Study of Simple Combinatorial Configurations.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dubois, Jean-Guy

1984-01-01

A classification of the simple combinatorial configurations which correspond to various cases of distribution and ordering of objects into boxes is given (in French). Concrete descriptions, structured relations, translations, and formalizations are discussed. (MNS)

Identifying consumer's needs of health information technology through an innovative participatory design approach among English- and Spanish-speaking urban older adults.

PubMed

Lucero, R; Sheehan, B; Yen, P; Velez, O; Nobile-Hernandez, D; Tiase, V

2014-01-01

We describe an innovative community-centered participatory design approach, Consumer-centered Participatory Design (C2PD), and the results of applying C2PD to design and develop a web-based fall prevention system. We conducted focus groups and design sessions with English- and Spanish-speaking community-dwelling older adults. Focus group data were summarized and used to inform the context of the design sessions. Descriptive content analysis methods were used to develop categorical descriptions of design session informant's needs related to information technology. The C2PD approach enabled the assessment and identification of informant's needs of health information technology (HIT) that informed the development of a falls prevention system. We learned that our informants needed a system that provides variation in functions/content; differentiates between actionable/non-actionable information/structures; and contains sensory cues that support wide-ranging and complex tasks in a varied, simple, and clear interface to facilitate self-management. The C2PD approach provides community-based organizations, academic researchers, and commercial entities with a systematic theoretically informed approach to develop HIT innovations. Our community-centered participatory design approach focuses on consumer's technology needs while taking into account core public health functions.

Identifying Consumer’s Needs of Health Information Technology through an Innovative Participatory Design Approach among English- and Spanish-speaking Urban Older Adults

PubMed Central

Sheehan, B.; Yen, P.; Velez, O.; Nobile-Hernandez, D.; Tiase, V.

2014-01-01

Summary Objectives We describe an innovative community-centered participatory design approach, Consumer-centered Participatory Design (C2PD), and the results of applying C2PD to design and develop a web-based fall prevention system. Methods We conducted focus groups and design sessions with English- and Spanish-speaking community-dwelling older adults. Focus group data were summarized and used to inform the context of the design sessions. Descriptive content analysis methods were used to develop categorical descriptions of design session informant’s needs related to information technology. Results The C2PD approach enabled the assessment and identification of informant’s needs of health information technology (HIT) that informed the development of a falls prevention system. We learned that our informants needed a system that provides variation in functions/content; differentiates between actionable/non-actionable information/structures; and contains sensory cues that support wide-ranging and complex tasks in a varied, simple, and clear interface to facilitate self-management. Conclusions The C2PD approach provides community-based organizations, academic researchers, and commercial entities with a systematic theoretically informed approach to develop HIT innovations. Our community-centered participatory design approach focuses on consumer’s technology needs while taking into account core public health functions. PMID:25589909

A Balanced Memory Network

PubMed Central

Roudi, Yasser; Latham, Peter E

2007-01-01

A fundamental problem in neuroscience is understanding how working memory—the ability to store information at intermediate timescales, like tens of seconds—is implemented in realistic neuronal networks. The most likely candidate mechanism is the attractor network, and a great deal of effort has gone toward investigating it theoretically. Yet, despite almost a quarter century of intense work, attractor networks are not fully understood. In particular, there are still two unanswered questions. First, how is it that attractor networks exhibit irregular firing, as is observed experimentally during working memory tasks? And second, how many memories can be stored under biologically realistic conditions? Here we answer both questions by studying an attractor neural network in which inhibition and excitation balance each other. Using mean-field analysis, we derive a three-variable description of attractor networks. From this description it follows that irregular firing can exist only if the number of neurons involved in a memory is large. The same mean-field analysis also shows that the number of memories that can be stored in a network scales with the number of excitatory connections, a result that has been suggested for simple models but never shown for realistic ones. Both of these predictions are verified using simulations with large networks of spiking neurons. PMID:17845070

AIM for Allostery: Using the Ising Model to Understand Information Processing and Transmission in Allosteric Biomolecular Systems.

PubMed

LeVine, Michael V; Weinstein, Harel

2015-05-01

In performing their biological functions, molecular machines must process and transmit information with high fidelity. Information transmission requires dynamic coupling between the conformations of discrete structural components within the protein positioned far from one another on the molecular scale. This type of biomolecular "action at a distance" is termed allostery . Although allostery is ubiquitous in biological regulation and signal transduction, its treatment in theoretical models has mostly eschewed quantitative descriptions involving the system's underlying structural components and their interactions. Here, we show how Ising models can be used to formulate an approach to allostery in a structural context of interactions between the constitutive components by building simple allosteric constructs we termed Allosteric Ising Models (AIMs). We introduce the use of AIMs in analytical and numerical calculations that relate thermodynamic descriptions of allostery to the structural context, and then show that many fundamental properties of allostery, such as the multiplicative property of parallel allosteric channels, are revealed from the analysis of such models. The power of exploring mechanistic structural models of allosteric function in more complex systems by using AIMs is demonstrated by building a model of allosteric signaling for an experimentally well-characterized asymmetric homodimer of the dopamine D2 receptor.

A Theoretical Construct for Interpreting Photographs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barrett, Terry

1986-01-01

Past categorizations of photographs are critiqued, and a new category system is offered that asks viewers to consider photographs as if they were analogous to various types of language statements: descriptive, explanatory, interpretive, ethically evaluative, aesthetically evaluative, and theoretical. (Author/RM)

Structure of electric double layers in capacitive systems and to what extent (classical) density functional theory describes it

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Härtel, Andreas

2017-10-01

Ongoing scientific interest is aimed at the properties and structure of electric double layers (EDLs), which are crucial for capacitive energy storage, water treatment, and energy harvesting technologies like supercapacitors, desalination devices, blue engines, and thermocapacitive heat-to-current converters. A promising tool to describe their physics on a microscopic level is (classical) density functional theory (DFT), which can be applied in order to analyze pair correlations and charge ordering in the primitive model of charged hard spheres. This simple model captures the main properties of ionic liquids and solutions and it predicts many of the phenomena that occur in EDLs. The latter often lead to anomalous response in the differential capacitance of EDLs. This work constructively reviews the powerful theoretical framework of DFT and its recent developments regarding the description of EDLs. It explains to what extent current approaches in DFT describe structural ordering and in-plane transitions in EDLs, which occur when the corresponding electrodes are charged. Further, the review briefly summarizes the history of modeling EDLs, presents applications, and points out limitations and strengths in present theoretical approaches. It concludes that DFT as a sophisticated microscopic theory for ionic systems is expecting a challenging but promising future in both fundamental research and applications in supercapacitive technologies.

Field-theoretical description of electromagnetic Δ resonance production and determination of the magnetic moment of the Δ+ (1232) resonance by the ep → e' N' π' γ' and γp → N' π' γ' reactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Machavariani, A. I.; Faessler, Amand; Buchmann, A. J.

1999-02-01

The ep → e' N' π' γ' and γp → N' π' γ' reactions in the Δ resonance region are investigated in the framework of the relativistic field-theoretical spectral decomposition method for the γ ∗N → γ'π'N' transition amplitude. This approach allows us to express the amplitude through three-dimensional diagrams with on-mass shell intermediate states. The Δ resonance is constructed as intermediate cluster state | ΨΔ> with real bare mass MΔ ˜ 1232 MeV and with a complex propagator of Breit-Wigner shape for the P33 π N amplitude. Thus, the usual off-mass shell ambiguities in spin {3}/{2} effective Lagrangians do not affect the present description. Using a unified treatment of nucleons, mesons, and Δ's as bound systems of quarks according to the Haag-Nishijima-Zimmermann field-theoretical approach, it is shown that quark-gluon degrees of freedom only change the rule for constructing the form factors in three-dimensional diagrams for obtaining the γ ∗N → γ'π'N' transition amplitude. However, the structure of these-dimensional diagrams remains the same as in formulations with only meson and nucleon degrees of freedom. A simple redefinition of the γ ∗N → γ'π'N' amplitude which insures gauge invariance in every order of perturbation theory with an arbitrary choice of phenomenological vertices is considered. We calculate the leading diagram of this amplitude in the Δ resonance region. It is demonstrated that the differential cross section of the ep → e' N' π' γ' and γp → N' π' γ' reactions is sensitive to the value of the magnetic moment of the Δ+ resonance. Thus, the measurement of the differential cross section for ep → e' N' π' γ' and γp → N' π' γ' reactions can be used for determining the magnetic dipole moment of Δ+.

A constraint on antigravity of antimatter from precision spectroscopy of simple atoms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karshenboim, S. G.

2009-10-01

Consideration of antigravity for antiparticles is an attractive target for various experimental projects. There are a number of theoretical arguments against it but it is not quite clear what kind of experimental data and theoretical suggestions are involved. In this paper we present straightforward arguments against a possibility of antigravity based on a few simple theoretical suggestions and some experimental data. The data are: astrophysical data on rotation of the Solar System in respect to the center of our galaxy and precision spectroscopy data on hydrogen and positronium. The theoretical suggestions for the case of absence of the gravitational field are: equality of electron and positron mass and equality of proton and positron charge. We also assume that QED is correct at the level of accuracy where it is clearly confirmed experimentally.

The use of mechanistic descriptions of algal growth and zooplankton grazing in an estuarine eutrophication model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baird, M. E.; Walker, S. J.; Wallace, B. B.; Webster, I. T.; Parslow, J. S.

2003-03-01

A simple model of estuarine eutrophication is built on biomechanical (or mechanistic) descriptions of a number of the key ecological processes in estuaries. Mechanistically described processes include the nutrient uptake and light capture of planktonic and benthic autotrophs, and the encounter rates of planktonic predators and prey. Other more complex processes, such as sediment biogeochemistry, detrital processes and phosphate dynamics, are modelled using empirical descriptions from the Port Phillip Bay Environmental Study (PPBES) ecological model. A comparison is made between the mechanistically determined rates of ecological processes and the analogous empirically determined rates in the PPBES ecological model. The rates generally agree, with a few significant exceptions. Model simulations were run at a range of estuarine depths and nutrient loads, with outputs presented as the annually averaged biomass of autotrophs. The simulations followed a simple conceptual model of eutrophication, suggesting a simple biomechanical understanding of estuarine processes can provide a predictive tool for ecological processes in a wide range of estuarine ecosystems.

Application of geometry based hysteresis modelling in compensation of hysteresis of piezo bender actuator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Milecki, Andrzej; Pelic, Marcin

2016-10-01

This paper presents results of studies of an application of a new method of piezo bender actuators modelling. A special hysteresis simulation model was developed and is presented. The model is based on a geometrical deformation of main hysteresis loop. The piezoelectric effect is described and the history of the hysteresis modelling is briefly reviewed. Firstly, a simple model for main loop modelling is proposed. Then, a geometrical description of the non-saturated hysteresis is presented and its modelling method is introduced. The modelling makes use of the function describing the geometrical shape of the two hysteresis main curves, which can be defined theoretically or obtained by measurement. These main curves are stored in the memory and transformed geometrically in order to obtain the minor curves. Such model was prepared in the Matlab-Simulink software, but can be easily implemented using any programming language and applied in an on-line controller. In comparison to the other known simulation methods, the one presented in the paper is easy to understand, and uses simple arithmetical equations, allowing to quickly obtain the inversed model of hysteresis. The inversed model was further used for compensation of a non-saturated hysteresis of the piezo bender actuator and results have also been presented in the paper.

Monte Carlo simulations of lattice models for single polymer systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hsu, Hsiao-Ping

2014-10-01

Single linear polymer chains in dilute solutions under good solvent conditions are studied by Monte Carlo simulations with the pruned-enriched Rosenbluth method up to the chain length N ˜ O(10^4). Based on the standard simple cubic lattice model (SCLM) with fixed bond length and the bond fluctuation model (BFM) with bond lengths in a range between 2 and sqrt{10}, we investigate the conformations of polymer chains described by self-avoiding walks on the simple cubic lattice, and by random walks and non-reversible random walks in the absence of excluded volume interactions. In addition to flexible chains, we also extend our study to semiflexible chains for different stiffness controlled by a bending potential. The persistence lengths of chains extracted from the orientational correlations are estimated for all cases. We show that chains based on the BFM are more flexible than those based on the SCLM for a fixed bending energy. The microscopic differences between these two lattice models are discussed and the theoretical predictions of scaling laws given in the literature are checked and verified. Our simulations clarify that a different mapping ratio between the coarse-grained models and the atomistically realistic description of polymers is required in a coarse-graining approach due to the different crossovers to the asymptotic behavior.

Simple control-theoretic models of human steering activity in visually guided vehicle control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hess, Ronald A.

1991-01-01

A simple control theoretic model of human steering or control activity in the lateral-directional control of vehicles such as automobiles and rotorcraft is discussed. The term 'control theoretic' is used to emphasize the fact that the model is derived from a consideration of well-known control system design principles as opposed to psychological theories regarding egomotion, etc. The model is employed to emphasize the 'closed-loop' nature of tasks involving the visually guided control of vehicles upon, or in close proximity to, the earth and to hypothesize how changes in vehicle dynamics can significantly alter the nature of the visual cues which a human might use in such tasks.

An Alternative to the Stay/Switch Equation Assessed When Using a Changeover-Delay

PubMed Central

MacDonall, James S.

2015-01-01

An alternative to the generalized matching equation for understanding concurrent performances is the stay/switch model. For the stay/switch model, the important events are the contingencies and behaviors at each alternative. The current experiment compares the descriptions by two stay/switch equations, the original, empirically derived stay/switch equation and a more theoretically derived equation based on ratios of stay to switch responses matching ratios of stay to switch reinforcers. The present experiment compared descriptions by the original stay/switch equation when using and not using a changeover delay. It also compared descriptions by the more theoretical equation with and without a changeover delay. Finally, it compared descriptions of the concurrent performances by these two equations. Rats were trained in 15 conditions on identical concurrent random-interval schedules in each component of a multiple schedule. A COD operated in only one component. There were no consistent differences in the variance accounted for by each equation of concurrent performances whether or not a COD was used. The simpler equation found greater sensitivity to stay than to switch reinforcers. It also found a COD eliminated the influence of switch reinforcers. Because estimates of parameters were more meaningful when using the more theoretical stay/switch equation it is preferred. PMID:26299548

An alternative to the stay/switch equation assessed when using a changeover-delay.

PubMed

MacDonall, James S

2015-11-01

An alternative to the generalized matching equation for understanding concurrent performances is the stay/switch model. For the stay/switch model, the important events are the contingencies and behaviors at each alternative. The current experiment compares the descriptions by two stay/switch equations, the original, empirically derived stay/switch equation and a more theoretically derived equation based on ratios of stay to switch responses matching ratios of stay to switch reinforcers. The present experiment compared descriptions by the original stay/switch equation when using and not using a changeover delay. It also compared descriptions by the more theoretical equation with and without a changeover delay. Finally, it compared descriptions of the concurrent performances by these two equations. Rats were trained in 15 conditions on identical concurrent random-interval schedules in each component of a multiple schedule. A COD operated in only one component. There were no consistent differences in the variance accounted for by each equation of concurrent performances whether or not a COD was used. The simpler equation found greater sensitivity to stay than to switch reinforcers. It also found a COD eliminated the influence of switch reinforcers. Because estimates of parameters were more meaningful when using the more theoretical stay/switch equation it is preferred. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

[The properties of simple medicines according to Avicenna (980-1037): analysis of some sections of the Canon].

PubMed

Ayari-Lassueur, Sylvie

2012-01-01

Avicenna spoke on pharmacology in several works, and this article considers his discussions in the Canon, a vast synthesis of the greco-arabian medicine of his time. More precisely, it focuses on book II, which treats simple medicines. This text makes evident that the Persian physician's central preoccupation was the efficacy of the treatment, since it concentrates on the properties of medicines. In this context, the article examines their different classifications and related topics, such as the notion of temperament, central to Avicenna's thought, and the concrete effects medicines have on the body. Yet, these theoretical notions only have sense in practical application. For Avicenna, medicine is both a theoretical and a practical science. For this reason, the second book of the Canon ends with an imposing pharmacopoeia, where the properties described theoretically at the beginning of the book appear in the list of simple medicines, so that the physician can select them according to the intended treatment's goals. The article analyzes a plant from this pharmacopoeia as an example of this practical application, making evident the logic Avicenna uses in detailing the different properties of each simple medicine.

Metalinguistic Negation in English and Arabic

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nedwick, Kelly M.

2014-01-01

Negation is a unique and fascinating property of human language which has been given extensive theoretical and typological treatment. One categorization divides negation use into metalinguistic negation and descriptive negation (Horn, 1985). Descriptive negation (DN) is the truth-functional semantic operator which has received the most attention…

Theoretical morphology and development of flight feather vane asymmetry with experimental tests in parrots.

PubMed

Feo, Teresa J; Prum, Richard O

2014-06-01

Asymmetry in flight feather vane width is a major functional innovation associated with the evolution of flight in the ancestors of birds. However, the developmental and morphological basis of feather shape is not simple, and the developmental processes involved in vane width asymmetry are poorly understood. We present a theoretical model of feather morphology and development that describes the possible ways to modify feather development and produce vane asymmetry. Our model finds that the theoretical morphospace of feather shape is redundant, and that many different combinations of parameters could be responsible for vane asymmetry in a given feather. Next, we empirically measured morphological and developmental model parameters in asymmetric and symmetric feathers from two species of parrots to identify which combinations of parameters create vane asymmetry in real feathers. We found that both longer barbs, and larger barb angles in the relatively wider trailing vane drove asymmetry in tail feathers. Developmentally, longer barbs were the result of an offset of the radial position of the new barb locus, whereas larger barb angles were produced by differential expansion of barbs as the feather unfurls from the tubular feather germ. In contrast, the helical angle of barb ridge development did not contribute to vane asymmetry and could be indicative of a constraint. This research provides the first comprehensive description of both the morphological and developmental modifications responsible for vane asymmetry within real feathers, and identifies key steps that must have occurred during the evolution of vane asymmetry. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Information-theoretic measures of hydrogen-like ions in weakly coupled Debye plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zan, Li Rong; Jiao, Li Guang; Ma, Jia; Ho, Yew Kam

2017-12-01

Recent development of information theory provides researchers an alternative and useful tool to quantitatively investigate the variation of the electronic structure when atoms interact with the external environment. In this work, we make systematic studies on the information-theoretic measures for hydrogen-like ions immersed in weakly coupled plasmas modeled by Debye-Hückel potential. Shannon entropy, Fisher information, and Fisher-Shannon complexity in both position and momentum spaces are quantified in high accuracy for the hydrogen atom in a large number of stationary states. The plasma screening effect on embedded atoms can significantly affect the electronic density distributions, in both conjugate spaces, and it is quantified by the variation of information quantities. It is shown that the composite quantities (the Shannon entropy sum and the Fisher information product in combined spaces and Fisher-Shannon complexity in individual space) give a more comprehensive description of the atomic structure information than single ones. The nodes of wave functions play a significant role in the changes of composite information quantities caused by plasmas. With the continuously increasing screening strength, all composite quantities in circular states increase monotonously, while in higher-lying excited states where nodal structures exist, they first decrease to a minimum and then increase rapidly before the bound state approaches the continuum limit. The minimum represents the most reduction of uncertainty properties of the atom in plasmas. The lower bounds for the uncertainty product of the system based on composite information quantities are discussed. Our research presents a comprehensive survey in the investigation of information-theoretic measures for simple atoms embedded in Debye model plasmas.

A Behavior-Analytic Account of Motivational Interviewing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Christopher, Paulette J.; Dougher, Michael J.

2009-01-01

Several published reports have now documented the clinical effectiveness of motivational interviewing (MI). Despite its effectiveness, there are no generally accepted or empirically supported theoretical accounts of its effects. The theoretical accounts that do exist are mentalistic, descriptive, and not based on empirically derived behavioral…

Loser! On the combined impact of emotional and person-descriptive word meanings in communicative situations.

PubMed

Rohr, Lana; Abdel Rahman, Rasha

2018-07-01

Humans have a unique capacity to induce intense emotional states in others by simple acts of verbal communication, and simple messages such as bad can elicit strong emotions in the addressee. However, up to now, research has mainly focused on general emotional meaning aspects and paradigms of low personal relevance (e.g., word reading), thereby possibly underestimating the impact of verbal emotion. In the present study, we recorded ERPs while presenting emotional words differing in word-inherent person descriptiveness (in that they may or may not refer to or describe a person; e.g., winner vs. sunflower). We predicted stronger emotional responses to person-descriptive words. Additionally, we enhanced the relevance of the words by embedding them in social-communicative contexts. We observed strong parallels in the characteristics of emotion and descriptiveness effects, suggesting a common underlying motivational basis. Furthermore, word-inherent person descriptiveness affected emotion processing at late elaborate stages reflected in the late positive potential, with emotion effects found only for descriptive words. The present findings underline the importance of factors determining the personal relevance of emotional words. © 2018 Society for Psychophysiological Research.

Continuing Education for E-Resources

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grogg, Jill E.

2008-01-01

Library schools may be teaching some of the theoretical framework necessary to perform the duties of electronic resource librarianship. However, a gap remains "between practical needs, as expressed in position descriptions, and the theoretical way in which library school courses address those needs." To fill this gap, professional associations…

Solvent-Ion Interactions in Salt Water: A Simple Experiment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Willey, Joan D.

1984-01-01

Describes a procedurally quick, simple, and inexpensive experiment which illustrates the magnitude and some effects of solvent-ion interactions in aqueous solutions. Theoretical information, procedures, and examples of temperature, volume and hydration number calculations are provided. (JN)

[A new model fo the evaluation of measurements of the neurocranium].

PubMed

Seidler, H; Wilfing, H; Weber, G; Traindl-Prohazka, M; zur Nedden, D; Platzer, W

1993-12-01

A simple and user-friendly model for trigonometric description of the neurocranium based on newly defined points of measurement is presented. This model not only provides individual description, but also allows for an evaluation of developmental and phylogenetic aspects.

A simple analytical model for dynamics of time-varying target leverage ratios

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lo, C. F.; Hui, C. H.

2012-03-01

In this paper we have formulated a simple theoretical model for the dynamics of the time-varying target leverage ratio of a firm under some assumptions based upon empirical observations. In our theoretical model the time evolution of the target leverage ratio of a firm can be derived self-consistently from a set of coupled Ito's stochastic differential equations governing the leverage ratios of an ensemble of firms by the nonlinear Fokker-Planck equation approach. The theoretically derived time paths of the target leverage ratio bear great resemblance to those used in the time-dependent stationary-leverage (TDSL) model [Hui et al., Int. Rev. Financ. Analy. 15, 220 (2006)]. Thus, our simple model is able to provide a theoretical foundation for the selected time paths of the target leverage ratio in the TDSL model. We also examine how the pace of the adjustment of a firm's target ratio, the volatility of the leverage ratio and the current leverage ratio affect the dynamics of the time-varying target leverage ratio. Hence, with the proposed dynamics of the time-dependent target leverage ratio, the TDSL model can be readily applied to generate the default probabilities of individual firms and to assess the default risk of the firms.

Object recognition and localization from 3D point clouds by maximum-likelihood estimation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dantanarayana, Harshana G.; Huntley, Jonathan M.

2017-08-01

We present an algorithm based on maximum-likelihood analysis for the automated recognition of objects, and estimation of their pose, from 3D point clouds. Surfaces segmented from depth images are used as the features, unlike `interest point'-based algorithms which normally discard such data. Compared to the 6D Hough transform, it has negligible memory requirements, and is computationally efficient compared to iterative closest point algorithms. The same method is applicable to both the initial recognition/pose estimation problem as well as subsequent pose refinement through appropriate choice of the dispersion of the probability density functions. This single unified approach therefore avoids the usual requirement for different algorithms for these two tasks. In addition to the theoretical description, a simple 2 degrees of freedom (d.f.) example is given, followed by a full 6 d.f. analysis of 3D point cloud data from a cluttered scene acquired by a projected fringe-based scanner, which demonstrated an RMS alignment error as low as 0.3 mm.

Non-equilibrium phase transitions in a driven-dissipative system of interacting bosons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Young, Jeremy T.; Foss-Feig, Michael; Gorshkov, Alexey V.; Maghrebi, Mohammad F.

2017-04-01

Atomic, molecular, and optical systems provide unique opportunities to study simple models of driven-dissipative many-body quantum systems. Typically, one is interested in the resultant steady state, but the non-equilibrium nature of the physics involved presents several problems in understanding its behavior theoretically. Recently, it has been shown that in many of these models, it is possible to map the steady-state phase transitions onto classical equilibrium phase transitions. In the language of Keldysh field theory, this relation typically only becomes apparent after integrating out massive fields near the critical point, leaving behind a single massless field undergoing near-equilibrium dynamics. In this talk, we study a driven-dissipative XXZ bosonic model and discover critical points at which two fields become gapless. Each critical point separates three different possible phases: a uniform phase, an anti-ferromagnetic phase, and a limit cycle phase. Furthermore, a description in terms of an equilibrium phase transition does not seem possible, so the associated phase transitions appear to be inherently non-equilibrium.

When I cut, you choose method implies intransitivity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Makowski, Marcin; Piotrowski, Edward W.

2014-12-01

There is a common belief that humans and many animals follow transitive inference (choosing A over C on the basis of knowing that A is better than B and B is better than C). Transitivity seems to be the essence of rational choice. We present a theoretical model of a repeated game in which the players make a choice between three goods (e.g. food). The rules of the game refer to the simple procedure of fair division among two players, known as the “I cut, you choose” mechanism which has been widely discussed in the literature. In this game one of the players has to make intransitive choices in order to achieve the optimal result (for him/her and his/her co-player). The point is that an intransitive choice can be rational. Previously, an increase in the significance of intransitive strategies was achieved by referring to models of quantum games. We show that relevant intransitive strategies also appear in the classic description of decision algorithms.

Theoretically Investigating the Nature of Spacetime- A grand definition of what clocks measure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Egie, Meru

Einstein's special theory of relativity established time as a dimension of reality, explaining physically the mathematical stipulations of Lorentz transformation equations that are required to keep the validity of Maxwell's equations of light and explain the null result of Michelson-Morley experiment. Our current understanding of time is relativistic, that is time is not absolute but runs differently depending on the frame of reference, yet this description uncovers so little about the fundamental reality of time. Using mathematical arguments derived from a simple thought experiment, both Lorentz transformation equations and Einstein's far reaching conclusions of his 1905 paper on the electrodynamics of moving bodies are obtained with arguments that suggest no prior knowledge of both Einstein and Lorentz works. This work attempts uncovering the fundamental nature of what clocks measure and a major implication of this is that the fourth dimension could just be a persistent illusion caused by the existence of space. Gratitude to Mr. Jon Egie for his support and Aghogo Rita for her listening ears.

On the Link Between Kolmogorov Microscales and Friction in Wall-Bounded Flow of Viscoplastic Fluids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramos, Fabio; Anbarlooei, Hamid; Cruz, Daniel; Silva Freire, Atila; Santos, Cecilia M.

2017-11-01

Most discussions in literature on the friction coefficient of turbulent flows of fluids with complex rheology are empirical. As a rule, theoretical frameworks are not available even for some relatively simple constitutive models. In this work, we present a new family of formulas for the evaluation of the friction coefficient of turbulent flows of a large family of viscoplastic fluids. The developments combine an unified analysis for the description of the Kolmogorov's micro-scales and the phenomenological turbulence model of Gioia and Chakraborty. The resulting Blasius-type friction equation has only Blasius' constant as a parameter, and tests against experimental data show excellent agreement over a significant range of Hedstrom and Reynolds numbers. The limits of the proposed model are also discussed. We also comment on the role of the new formula as a possible benchmark test for the convergence of DNS simulations of viscoplastic flows. The friction formula also provides limits for the Maximum Drag Reduction (MDR) for viscoplastic flows, which resembles MDR asymptote for viscoelastic flows.

The maximum entropy production and maximum Shannon information entropy in enzyme kinetics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dobovišek, Andrej; Markovič, Rene; Brumen, Milan; Fajmut, Aleš

2018-04-01

We demonstrate that the maximum entropy production principle (MEPP) serves as a physical selection principle for the description of the most probable non-equilibrium steady states in simple enzymatic reactions. A theoretical approach is developed, which enables maximization of the density of entropy production with respect to the enzyme rate constants for the enzyme reaction in a steady state. Mass and Gibbs free energy conservations are considered as optimization constraints. In such a way computed optimal enzyme rate constants in a steady state yield also the most uniform probability distribution of the enzyme states. This accounts for the maximal Shannon information entropy. By means of the stability analysis it is also demonstrated that maximal density of entropy production in that enzyme reaction requires flexible enzyme structure, which enables rapid transitions between different enzyme states. These results are supported by an example, in which density of entropy production and Shannon information entropy are numerically maximized for the enzyme Glucose Isomerase.

Real Spin Glasses Relax Slowly in the Shade of Hierarchical Trees

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vincent, E.; Hammann, J.; Ocio, M.

2009-06-01

The Parisi solution of the mean-field spin glass has been widely accepted and celebrated. Its marginal stability in 3d and its complexity however raised the question of its relevance to real spin glasses. This paper gives a short overview of the important experimental results which could be understood within the mean-field solution. The existence of a true phase transition and the particular behaviour of the susceptibility below the freezing temperature, predicted by the theory, are clearly confirmed by the experimental results. The behaviour of the complex order parameter and of the Fluctuation Dissipation ratio are in good agreement with results of spontaneous noise measurements. The very particular ultrametric symmetry, the key feature of the theory, provided us with a simple description of the rejuvenation and memory effects observed in experiment. Finally, going a step beyond mean-field, the paper shortly discusses new analyses in terms of correlated domains characterized by their length scales, as well as new experiments on superspin glasses which compare well with recent theoretical simulations.

The sliding rail system (monorail): description of a new technique for intravascular instrumentation and its application to coronary angioplasty.

PubMed

Bonzel, T; Wollschläger, H; Kasper, W; Meinertz, T; Just, H

1987-01-01

The sliding rail technique is a new technique for intravascular instrumentation, especially coronary stenosis dilatation. The so-called monorail balloon catheter is the first device which can be used according to this technique. The monorail catheter has a single lumen shaft and only a short central tube within the distal balloon part. With the guidewire inserted into the tube, the balloon can be advanced or retracted on the guidewire as on a sliding rail. The most relevant improvements for coronary dilatation are steerability, contrast flow and rapid and easy exchangeability of balloon catheters and other intracoronary devices. These characteristics are felt to result in a more simple and time- and fluoroscopy-saving dilatation procedure. A special transfusion catheter may also improve procedural safety. The first clinical results in 69 patients with a success rate of 96%, an emergency bypass rate of two patients (one infarction) and a stenosis improvement of 58% confirm the theoretically conceived advantages.

Rad4 recognition-at-a-distance: Physical basis of conformation-specific anomalous diffusion of DNA repair proteins.

PubMed

Kong, Muwen; Van Houten, Bennett

2017-08-01

Since Robert Brown's first observations of random walks by pollen particles suspended in solution, the concept of diffusion has been subject to countless theoretical and experimental studies in diverse fields from finance and social sciences, to physics and biology. Diffusive transport of macromolecules in cells is intimately linked to essential cellular functions including nutrient uptake, signal transduction, gene expression, as well as DNA replication and repair. Advancement in experimental techniques has allowed precise measurements of these diffusion processes. Mathematical and physical descriptions and computer simulations have been applied to model complicated biological systems in which anomalous diffusion, in addition to simple Brownian motion, was observed. The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of the major physical models of anomalous diffusion and corresponding experimental evidence on the target search problem faced by DNA-binding proteins, with an emphasis on DNA repair proteins and the role of anomalous diffusion in DNA target recognition. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Active Brownian Particles. From Individual to Collective Stochastic Dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Romanczuk, P.; Bär, M.; Ebeling, W.; Lindner, B.; Schimansky-Geier, L.

2012-03-01

We review theoretical models of individual motility as well as collective dynamics and pattern formation of active particles. We focus on simple models of active dynamics with a particular emphasis on nonlinear and stochastic dynamics of such self-propelled entities in the framework of statistical mechanics. Examples of such active units in complex physico-chemical and biological systems are chemically powered nano-rods, localized patterns in reaction-diffusion system, motile cells or macroscopic animals. Based on the description of individual motion of point-like active particles by stochastic differential equations, we discuss different velocity-dependent friction functions, the impact of various types of fluctuations and calculate characteristic observables such as stationary velocity distributions or diffusion coefficients. Finally, we consider not only the free and confined individual active dynamics but also different types of interaction between active particles. The resulting collective dynamical behavior of large assemblies and aggregates of active units is discussed and an overview over some recent results on spatiotemporal pattern formation in such systems is given.

Assessing the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon anisotropic potential with application to the exfoliation energy of graphite.

PubMed

Totton, Tim S; Misquitta, Alston J; Kraft, Markus

2011-11-24

In this work we assess a recently published anisotropic potential for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) molecules (J. Chem. Theory Comput. 2010, 6, 683-695). Comparison to recent high-level symmetry-adapted perturbation theory based on density functional theory (SAPT(DFT)) results for coronene (C(24)H(12)) demonstrate the transferability of the potential while highlighting some limitations with simple point charge descriptions of the electrostatic interaction. The potential is also shown to reproduce second virial coefficients of benzene (C(6)H(6)) with high accuracy, and this is enhanced by using a distributed multipole model for the electrostatic interaction. The graphene dimer interaction energy and the exfoliation energy of graphite have been estimated by extrapolation of PAH interaction energies. The contribution of nonlocal fluctuations in the π electron density in graphite have also been estimated which increases the exfoliation energy by 3.0 meV atom(-1) to 47.6 meV atom(-1), which compares well to recent theoretical and experimental results.

The Large-Scale Structure of Scientific Method

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kosso, Peter

2009-01-01

The standard textbook description of the nature of science describes the proposal, testing, and acceptance of a theoretical idea almost entirely in isolation from other theories. The resulting model of science is a kind of piecemeal empiricism that misses the important network structure of scientific knowledge. Only the large-scale description of…

Chiral electroweak currents in nuclei

DOE PAGES

Riska, D. O.; Schiavilla, R.

2017-01-10

Here, the development of the chiral dynamics based description of nuclear electroweak currents is reviewed. Gerald E. (Gerry) Brown’s role in basing theoretical nuclear physics on chiral Lagrangians is emphasized. Illustrative examples of the successful description of electroweak observables of light nuclei obtained from chiral effective field theory are presented.

Two Types of Definites in Natural Language

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schwarz, Florian

2009-01-01

This thesis is concerned with the description and analysis of two semantically different types of definite articles in German. While the existence of distinct article paradigms in various Germanic dialects and other languages has been acknowledged in the descriptive literature for quite some time, the theoretical implications of their existence…

Prose Style and Critical Reading.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cluett, Robert

This book is based on the York Computer Inventory of Prose Style, which seeks to provide a quantitative description of the syntactic characteristics of the literary language of specific authors over the last 400 years. After a brief theoretical introduction and a description of texts and sampling procedures, the discussion turns to specific…

Therapeutic Theory and Social Context: A Social Constructionist Perspective.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lynch, Gordon

1997-01-01

Explores the foundation of therapeutic theory from the perspective of social constructionism. Proposes a theoretical description of the interaction between an individual and the social context in the formation of therapeutic theory. Then explores this description in relation to the early life and subsequent therapeutic theory of Carl Rogers. (RJM)

Semiotic and Theoretic Control in Argumentation and Proof Activities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arzarello, Ferdinando; Sabena, Cristina

2011-01-01

We present a model to analyze the students' activities of argumentation and proof in the graphical context of Elementary Calculus. The theoretical background is provided by the integration of Toulmin's structural description of arguments, Peirce's notions of sign, diagrammatic reasoning and abduction, and Habermas' model for rational behavior.…

A Theoretical Trombone

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

LoPresto, Michael C.

2014-01-01

What follows is a description of a theoretical model designed to calculate the playing frequencies of the musical pitches produced by a trombone. The model is based on quantitative treatments that demonstrate the effects of the flaring bell and cup-shaped mouthpiece sections on these frequencies and can be used to calculate frequencies that…

The Prevailing Construct in Civic Education and Its Problems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gutierrez, Robert

2010-01-01

This article presents the natural rights construct as the perspective used in civic education, by outlining its moral, theoretical, and curricular elements. Morally, the construct holds a liberal view of individual rights and liberty from subjugation. The theoretical element consists of a description of the political systems model, which…

Dependence of tropical cyclone development on coriolis parameter: A theoretical model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deng, Liyuan; Li, Tim; Bi, Mingyu; Liu, Jia; Peng, Melinda

2018-03-01

A simple theoretical model was formulated to investigate how tropical cyclone (TC) intensification depends on the Coriolis parameter. The theoretical framework includes a two-layer free atmosphere and an Ekman boundary layer at the bottom. The linkage between the free atmosphere and the boundary layer is through the Ekman pumping vertical velocity in proportion to the vorticity at the top of the boundary layer. The closure of this linear system assumes a simple relationship between the free atmosphere diabatic heating and the boundary layer moisture convergence. Under a set of realistic atmospheric parameter values, the model suggests that the most preferred latitude for TC development is around 5° without considering other factors. The theoretical result is confirmed by high-resolution WRF model simulations in a zero-mean flow and a constant SST environment on an f -plane with different Coriolis parameters. Given an initially balanced weak vortex, the TC-like vortex intensifies most rapidly at the reference latitude of 5°. Thus, the WRF model simulations confirm the f-dependent characteristics of TC intensification rate as suggested by the theoretical model.

Flory-type theories of polymer chains under different external stimuli

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Budkov, Yu A.; Kiselev, M. G.

2018-01-01

In this Review, we present a critical analysis of various applications of the Flory-type theories to a theoretical description of the conformational behavior of single polymer chains in dilute polymer solutions under a few external stimuli. Different theoretical models of flexible polymer chains in the supercritical fluid are discussed and analysed. Different points of view on the conformational behavior of the polymer chain near the liquid-gas transition critical point of the solvent are presented. A theoretical description of the co-solvent-induced coil-globule transitions within the implicit-solvent-explicit-co-solvent models is discussed. Several explicit-solvent-explicit-co-solvent theoretical models of the coil-to-globule-to-coil transition of the polymer chain in a mixture of good solvents (co-nonsolvency) are analysed and compared with each other. Finally, a new theoretical model of the conformational behavior of the dielectric polymer chain under the external constant electric field in the dilute polymer solution with an explicit account for the many-body dipole correlations is discussed. The polymer chain collapse induced by many-body dipole correlations of monomers in the context of statistical thermodynamics of dielectric polymers is analysed.

Judgment and decision making.

PubMed

Fischhoff, Baruch

2010-09-01

The study of judgment and decision making entails three interrelated forms of research: (1) normative analysis, identifying the best courses of action, given decision makers' values; (2) descriptive studies, examining actual behavior in terms comparable to the normative analyses; and (3) prescriptive interventions, helping individuals to make better choices, bridging the gap between the normative ideal and the descriptive reality. The research is grounded in analytical foundations shared by economics, psychology, philosophy, and management science. Those foundations provide a framework for accommodating affective and social factors that shape and complement the cognitive processes of decision making. The decision sciences have grown through applications requiring collaboration with subject matter experts, familiar with the substance of the choices and the opportunities for interventions. Over the past half century, the field has shifted its emphasis from predicting choices, which can be successful without theoretical insight, to understanding the processes shaping them. Those processes are often revealed through biases that suggest non-normative processes. The practical importance of these biases depends on the sensitivity of specific decisions and the support that individuals have in making them. As a result, the field offers no simple summary of individuals' competence as decision makers, but a suite of theories and methods suited to capturing these sensitivities. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Like Beauty, Complexity is Hard to Define

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsallis, Constantino

Like beauty, complexity is hard to define and rather easy to identify: nonlinear dynamics, strongly interconnected simple elements, some sort of divisoria aquorum between order and disorder. Before focusing on complexity, let us remember that the theoretical pillars of contemporary physics are mechanics (Newtonian, relativistic, quantum), Maxwell electromagnetism, and (Boltzmann-Gibbs, BG) statistical mechanics - obligatory basic disciplines in any advanced course in physics. The firstprinciple statistical-mechanical approach starts from (microscopic) electro-mechanics and theory of probabilities, and, through a variety of possible mesoscopic descriptions, arrives to (oscopic) thermodynamics. In the middle of this trip, we cross energy and entropy. Energy is related to the possible microscopic configurations of the system, whereas entropy is related to the corresponding probabilities. Therefore, in some sense, entropy represents a concept which, epistemologically speaking, is one step further with regard to energy. The fact that energy is not parameter-independent is very familiar: the kinetic energy of a truck is very different from that of a fly, and the relativistic energy of a fast electron is very different from its classical value, and so on. What about entropy? One hundred and forty years of tradition, and hundreds - we may even say thousands - of impressive theoretical successes of the parameter-free BG entropy have sedimented, in the mind of many scientists, the conviction that it is unique. However, it can be straightforwardly argued that, in general, this is not the case...

Theoretical models for supercritical fluid extraction.

PubMed

Huang, Zhen; Shi, Xiao-Han; Jiang, Wei-Juan

2012-08-10

For the proper design of supercritical fluid extraction processes, it is essential to have a sound knowledge of the mass transfer mechanism of the extraction process and the appropriate mathematical representation. In this paper, the advances and applications of kinetic models for describing supercritical fluid extraction from various solid matrices have been presented. The theoretical models overviewed here include the hot ball diffusion, broken and intact cell, shrinking core and some relatively simple models. Mathematical representations of these models have been in detail interpreted as well as their assumptions, parameter identifications and application examples. Extraction process of the analyte solute from the solid matrix by means of supercritical fluid includes the dissolution of the analyte from the solid, the analyte diffusion in the matrix and its transport to the bulk supercritical fluid. Mechanisms involved in a mass transfer model are discussed in terms of external mass transfer resistance, internal mass transfer resistance, solute-solid interactions and axial dispersion. The correlations of the external mass transfer coefficient and axial dispersion coefficient with certain dimensionless numbers are also discussed. Among these models, the broken and intact cell model seems to be the most relevant mathematical model as it is able to provide realistic description of the plant material structure for better understanding the mass-transfer kinetics and thus it has been widely employed for modeling supercritical fluid extraction of natural matters. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Dynamics of relaxation to a stationary state for interacting molecular motors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gomes, Luiza V. F.; Kolomeisky, Anatoly B.

2018-01-01

Motor proteins are active enzymatic molecules that drive a variety of biological processes, including transfer of genetic information, cellular transport, cell motility and muscle contraction. It is known that these biological molecular motors usually perform their cellular tasks by acting collectively, and there are interactions between individual motors that specify the overall collective behavior. One of the fundamental issues related to the collective dynamics of motor proteins is the question if they function at stationary-state conditions. To investigate this problem, we analyze a relaxation to the stationary state for the system of interacting molecular motors. Our approach utilizes a recently developed theoretical framework, which views the collective dynamics of motor proteins as a totally asymmetric simple exclusion process of interacting particles, where interactions are taken into account via a thermodynamically consistent approach. The dynamics of relaxation to the stationary state is analyzed using a domain-wall method that relies on a mean-field description, which takes into account some correlations. It is found that the system quickly relaxes for repulsive interactions, while attractive interactions always slow down reaching the stationary state. It is also predicted that for some range of parameters the fastest relaxation might be achieved for a weak repulsive interaction. Our theoretical predictions are tested with Monte Carlo computer simulations. The implications of our findings for biological systems are briefly discussed.

Gas Accretion and Star Formation Rates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sánchez Almeida, Jorge

Cosmological numerical simulations of galaxy evolution show that accretion of metal-poor gas from the cosmic web drives the star formation in galaxy disks. Unfortunately, the observational support for this theoretical prediction is still indirect, and modeling and analysis are required to identify hints as actual signs of star formation feeding from metal-poor gas accretion. Thus, a meticulous interpretation of the observations is crucial, and this observational review begins with a simple theoretical description of the physical process and the key ingredients it involves, including the properties of the accreted gas and of the star formation that it induces. A number of observations pointing out the connection between metal-poor gas accretion and star formation are analyzed, specifically, the short gas-consumption time-scale compared to the age of the stellar populations, the fundamental metallicity relationship, the relationship between disk morphology and gas metallicity, the existence of metallicity drops in starbursts of star-forming galaxies, the so-called G dwarf problem, the existence of a minimum metallicity for the star-forming gas in the local universe, the origin of the α-enhanced gas forming stars in the local universe, the metallicity of the quiescent BCDs, and the direct measurements of gas accretion onto galaxies. A final section discusses intrinsic difficulties to obtain direct observational evidence, and points out alternative observational pathways to further consolidate the current ideas.

Thermoregulation in endotherms: physiological principles and ecological consequences.

PubMed

Rezende, Enrico L; Bacigalupe, Leonardo D

2015-10-01

In a seminal study published nearly 70 years ago, Scholander et al. (Biol Bull 99:259-271, 1950) employed Newton's law of cooling to describe how metabolic rates (MR) in birds and mammals vary predictably with ambient temperature (T a). Here, we explore the theoretical consequences of Newton's law of cooling and show that a thermoregulatory polygon provides an intuitively simple and yet useful description of thermoregulatory responses in endothermic organisms. This polygon encapsulates the region in which heat production and dissipation are in equilibrium and, therefore, the range of conditions in which thermoregulation is possible. Whereas the typical U-shaped curve describes the relationship between T a and MR at rest, thermoregulatory polygons expand this framework to incorporate the impact of activity, other behaviors and environmental conditions on thermoregulation and energy balance. We discuss how this framework can be employed to study the limits to effective thermoregulation and their ecological repercussions, allometric effects and residual variation in MR and thermal insulation, and how thermoregulatory requirements might constrain locomotor or reproductive performance (as proposed, for instance, by the heat dissipation limit theory). In many systems the limited empirical knowledge on how organismal traits may respond to environmental changes prevents physiological ecology from becoming a fully developed predictive science. In endotherms, however, we contend that the lack of theoretical developments that translate current physiological understanding into formal mechanistic models remains the main impediment to study the ecological and evolutionary repercussions of thermoregulation. In spite of the inherent limitations of Newton's law of cooling as an oversimplified description of the mechanics of heat transfer, we argue that understanding how systems that obey this approximation work can be enlightening on conceptual grounds and relevant as an analytical and predictive tool to study ecological phenomena. As such, the proposed approach may constitute a powerful tool to study the impact of thermoregulatory constraints on variables related to fitness, such as survival and reproductive output, and help elucidating how species will be affected by ongoing climate change.

Application of Powder Diffraction Methods to the Analysis of the Atomic Structure of Nanocrystals: The Concept of the Apparent Lattice Parameter (ALP)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Palosz, B.; Grzanka, E.; Gierlotka, S.; Stelmakh, S.; Pielaszek, R.; Bismayer, U.; Weber, H.-P.; Palosz, W.; Curreri, Peter A. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

The applicability of standard methods of elaboration of powder diffraction data for determination of the structure of nano-size crystallites is analysed. Based on our theoretical calculations of powder diffraction data we show, that the assumption of the infinite crystal lattice for nanocrystals smaller than 20 nm in size is not justified. Application of conventional tools developed for elaboration of powder diffraction data, like the Rietveld method, may lead to erroneous interpretation of the experimental results. An alternate evaluation of diffraction data of nanoparticles, based on the so-called 'apparent lattice parameter' (alp) is introduced. We assume a model of nanocrystal having a grain core with well-defined crystal structure, surrounded by a surface shell with the atomic structure similar to that of the core but being under a strain (compressive or tensile). The two structural components, the core and the shell, form essentially a composite crystal with interfering, inseparable diffraction properties. Because the structure of such a nanocrystal is not uniform, it defies the basic definitions of an unambiguous crystallographic phase. Consequently, a set of lattice parameters used for characterization of simple crystal phases is insufficient for a proper description of the complex structure of nanocrystals. We developed a method of evaluation of powder diffraction data of nanocrystals, which refers to a core-shell model and is based on the 'apparent lattice parameter' methodology. For a given diffraction pattem, the alp values are calculated for every individual Bragg reflection. For nanocrystals the alp values depend on the diffraction vector Q. By modeling different a0tomic structures of nanocrystals and calculating theoretically corresponding diffraction patterns using the Debye functions we showed, that alp-Q plots show characteristic shapes which can be used for evaluation of the atomic structure of the core-shell system. We show, that using a simple model of a nanocrystal with spherical shape and centro-symmetric strain at the surface shell we obtain theoretical alp-Q values which match very well the alp-Q plots determined experimentally for Sic, GaN, and diamond nanopowders. The theoretical models are defined by the lattice parameter of the grain core, thickness of the surface shell, and the magnitude and distribution of the strain field in the surface shell. According to our calculations, the part of the diffraction pattern measured at relatively low diffraction vectors Q (below 10/angstrom) provides information on the surface strain, whle determination of the lattice parameters in the grain core requires measurements at large Q-values (above 15 - 20/angstrom).

Nature of electrogenerated intermediates in nitro-substituted nor-β-lapachones: the structure of radical species during successive electron transfer in multiredox centers.

PubMed

Armendáriz-Vidales, Georgina; Hernández-Muñoz, Lindsay S; González, Felipe J; de Souza, Antonio A; de Abreu, Fabiane C; Jardim, Guilherme A M; da Silva, Eufrânio N; Goulart, Marilia O F; Frontana, Carlos

2014-06-06

Electrochemical, spectroelectrochemical, and theoretical studies of the reduction reactions in nor-β-lapachone derivatives including a nitro redox center showed that reduction of the compounds involves the formation of several radical intermediates, including a biradical dianion resultant from the separate reduction of the quinone and nitro groups in the molecules. Theoretical descriptions of the corresponding Fukui functions f(αα)⁺ and f(ββ)⁺(r) and LUMO densities considering finite differences and frozen core approximations for describing the changes in electron and spin densities of the system allowed us to confirm these results. A description of the potential relationship with the obtained results and biological activity selectivity indexes suggests that both the formation of stable biradical dianion species and the stability of the semiquinone intermediates during further reduction are determining factors in the description of their biological activity.

Animal Metacognition: A Tale of Two Comparative Psychologies

PubMed Central

Smith, J. David; Couchman, Justin J.; Beran, Michael J.

2014-01-01

A growing literature considers whether animals have capacities that are akin to human metacognition (i. e., humans’ capacity to monitor their states of uncertainty and knowing). Comparative psychologists have approached this question by testing a dolphin, pigeons, rats, monkeys and apes using perception, memory and food-concealment paradigms. As part of this consideration, some associative modelers have attempted to describe animals’ “metacognitive” performances in low-level, associative terms—an important goal if achievable. The authors summarize the empirical and theoretical situation regarding these associative descriptions. The associative descriptions in the animal-metacognition literature fail to encompass important phenomena. The sharp focus on abstract, mathematical associative models creates serious interpretative problems. The authors compare these failed associative descriptions to an alternative theoretical approach within contemporary comparative psychology. The alternative approach has the potential to strengthen comparative psychology as an empirical science and integrate it more fully within the mainstream of experimental psychology and cognitive science. PMID:23957740

Multiblob coarse-graining for mixtures of long polymers and soft colloids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Locatelli, Emanuele; Capone, Barbara; Likos, Christos N.

2016-11-01

Soft nanocomposites represent both a theoretical and an experimental challenge due to the high number of the microscopic constituents that strongly influence the behaviour of the systems. An effective theoretical description of such systems invokes a reduction of the degrees of freedom to be analysed, hence requiring the introduction of an efficient, quantitative, coarse-grained description. We here report on a novel coarse graining approach based on a set of transferable potentials that quantitatively reproduces properties of mixtures of linear and star-shaped homopolymeric nanocomposites. By renormalizing groups of monomers into a single effective potential between a f-functional star polymer and an homopolymer of length N0, and through a scaling argument, it will be shown how a substantial reduction of the to degrees of freedom allows for a full quantitative description of the system. Our methodology is tested upon full monomer simulations for systems of different molecular weight, proving its full predictive potential.

Revisiting liver anatomy and terminology of hepatectomies.

PubMed

Bismuth, Henri

2013-03-01

Since the development of liver surgery, several descriptions of liver anatomical division and hepatectomies have been made, causing some confusion among surgeons. The initial anatomical description according to Couinaud is reviewed and corrected taking into account the descriptions made in the following decades. It seems that by reviewing the description of the different authors, a precise anatomical division of the liver may be achieved and a simple terminology of hepatectomies may be proposed. It is hoped that the proposal of this anatomical description and this terminology of hepatectomies may find a consensus among the liver surgical community from America, Asia, and Europe.

Surface acoustic wave (SAW) vibration sensors.

PubMed

Filipiak, Jerzy; Solarz, Lech; Steczko, Grzegorz

2011-01-01

In the paper a feasibility study on the use of surface acoustic wave (SAW) vibration sensors for electronic warning systems is presented. The system is assembled from concatenated SAW vibration sensors based on a SAW delay line manufactured on a surface of a piezoelectric plate. Vibrations of the plate are transformed into electric signals that allow identification of the sensor and localization of a threat. The theoretical study of sensor vibrations leads us to the simple isotropic model with one degree of freedom. This model allowed an explicit description of the sensor plate movement and identification of the vibrating sensor. Analysis of frequency response of the ST-cut quartz sensor plate and a damping speed of its impulse response has been conducted. The analysis above was the basis to determine the ranges of parameters for vibrating plates to be useful in electronic warning systems. Generally, operation of electronic warning systems with SAW vibration sensors is based on the analysis of signal phase changes at the working frequency of delay line after being transmitted via two circuits of concatenated four-terminal networks. Frequencies of phase changes are equal to resonance frequencies of vibrating plates of sensors. The amplitude of these phase changes is proportional to the amplitude of vibrations of a sensor plate. Both pieces of information may be sent and recorded jointly by a simple electrical unit.

Real-time Feynman path integral with Picard–Lefschetz theory and its applications to quantum tunneling

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

Tanizaki, Yuya, E-mail: yuya.tanizaki@riken.jp; Theoretical Research Division, Nishina Center, RIKEN, Wako 351-0198; Koike, Takayuki, E-mail: tkoike@ms.u-tokyo.ac.jp

Picard–Lefschetz theory is applied to path integrals of quantum mechanics, in order to compute real-time dynamics directly. After discussing basic properties of real-time path integrals on Lefschetz thimbles, we demonstrate its computational method in a concrete way by solving three simple examples of quantum mechanics. It is applied to quantum mechanics of a double-well potential, and quantum tunneling is discussed. We identify all of the complex saddle points of the classical action, and their properties are discussed in detail. However a big theoretical difficulty turns out to appear in rewriting the original path integral into a sum of path integralsmore » on Lefschetz thimbles. We discuss generality of that problem and mention its importance. Real-time tunneling processes are shown to be described by those complex saddle points, and thus semi-classical description of real-time quantum tunneling becomes possible on solid ground if we could solve that problem. - Highlights: • Real-time path integral is studied based on Picard–Lefschetz theory. • Lucid demonstration is given through simple examples of quantum mechanics. • This technique is applied to quantum mechanics of the double-well potential. • Difficulty for practical applications is revealed, and we discuss its generality. • Quantum tunneling is shown to be closely related to complex classical solutions.« less

Average dispersal success: linking home range, dispersal, and metapopulation dynamics to reserve design.

PubMed

Fagan, William F; Lutscher, Frithjof

2006-04-01

Spatially explicit models for populations are often difficult to tackle mathematically and, in addition, require detailed data on individual movement behavior that are not easily obtained. An approximation known as the "average dispersal success" provides a tool for converting complex models, which may include stage structure and a mechanistic description of dispersal, into a simple matrix model. This simpler matrix model has two key advantages. First, it is easier to parameterize from the types of empirical data typically available to conservation biologists, such as survivorship, fecundity, and the fraction of juveniles produced in a study area that also recruit within the study area. Second, it is more amenable to theoretical investigation. Here, we use the average dispersal success approximation to develop estimates of the critical reserve size for systems comprising single patches or simple metapopulations. The quantitative approach can be used for both plants and animals; however, to provide a concrete example of the technique's utility, we focus on a special case pertinent to animals. Specifically, for territorial animals, we can characterize such an estimate of minimum viable habitat area in terms of the number of home ranges that the reserve contains. Consequently, the average dispersal success framework provides a framework through which home range size, natal dispersal distances, and metapopulation dynamics can be linked to reserve design. We briefly illustrate the approach using empirical data for the swift fox (Vulpes velox).

Theoretical Aspects of Speech Production.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stevens, Kenneth N.

1992-01-01

This paper on speech production in children and youth with hearing impairments summarizes theoretical aspects, including the speech production process, sound sources in the vocal tract, vowel production, and consonant production. Examples of spectra for several classes of vowel and consonant sounds in simple syllables are given. (DB)

Creating an Innovative Learning Organization

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Salisbury, Mark

2010-01-01

This article describes how to create an innovative learning (iLearning) organization. It begins by discussing the life cycle of knowledge in an organization, followed by a description of the theoretical foundation for iLearning. Next, the article presents an example of iLearning, followed by a description of the distributed nature of work, the…

Sentence Adverbs in the Kingdom of Agree

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shu, Chih-hsiang

2011-01-01

This dissertation offers a novel account of the syntax of sentence adverbs. The need for a new account is clear from the lack of descriptive coverage and theoretical coherence in current work on adverbial syntax. Descriptively, the majority of work has so far neglected the fact that sentence adverbs behave syntactically like typical focusing…

Mobile Router Testing with Diverse RF Communications Links

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brooks, David; Hoder, Doug; Wilkins, Ryan

2004-01-01

This is a short report on demonstrations using Mobile IP and several diverse physical communications links to connect a mobile network to a fixed IPv4 internet. The first section is a description of the equipment used, followed by descriptions of the tests, the theoretical results, and finally conclusions and the actual data.

Towards system-wide implementation of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) in routine practice: Developing simple, intuitive descriptions of ICF categories in the ICF Generic and Rehabilitation Set.

PubMed

Prodinger, Birgit; Reinhardt, Jan D; Selb, Melissa; Stucki, Gerold; Yan, Tiebin; Zhang, Xia; Li, Jianan

2016-06-13

A national, multi-phase, consensus process to develop simple, intuitive descriptions of International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) categories contained in the ICF Generic and Rehabilitation Sets, with the aim of enhancing the utility of the ICF in routine clinical practice, is presented in this study. A multi-stage, national, consensus process was conducted. The consensus process involved 3 expert groups and consisted of a preparatory phase, a consensus conference with consecutive working groups and 3 voting rounds (votes A, B and C), followed by an implementation phase. In the consensus conference, participants first voted on whether they agreed that an initially developed proposal for simple, intuitive descriptions of an ICF category was in fact simple and intuitive. The consensus conference was held in August 2014 in mainland China. Twenty-one people with a background in physical medicine and rehabilitation participated in the consensus process. Four ICF categories achieved consensus in vote A, 16 in vote B, and 8 in vote C. This process can be seen as part of a larger effort towards the system-wide implementation of the ICF in routine clinical and rehabilitation practice to allow for the regular and comprehensive evaluation of health outcomes most relevant for the monitoring of quality of care.

On the Lowest Ro-Vibrational States of Protonated Methane: Experiment and Analytical Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schmiedt, Hanno; Jensen, Per; Asvany, Oskar; Schlemmer, Stephan

2016-06-01

Protonated methane, CH_5^+, is the prototype of an extremely floppy molecule. To the best of our knowledge all barriers are surmountable in the rovibrational ground state; the large amount of zero-point vibrational energy leads to large amplitude motions for many degrees of freedom. Low resolution but broad band vibrational spectroscopy [1] revealed an extremely wide range of C-H stretching vibrations. Comparison with theoretical IR spectra supported the structural motif of a CH_3 tripod and an H_2 moiety, bound to the central carbon atom by a 3c2e bond. In a more dynamic picture the five protons surround the central carbon atom without significant restrictions on the H-C-H bending or H_n-C torsional motions. The large-amplitude internal motions preclude a simple theoretical description of the type possible for more conventional molecules, such as the related spherical-top methane molecule. Recent high-resolution ro-vibrational spectra obtained in cold ion trap experiments [2] show that the observed CH_5^+ transitions belong to a very well-defined energy level scheme describing the lowest rotational and vibrational states of this enigmatic molecule. Here we analyse the experimental ground state combination differences and associate them with the motional states of CH_5^+ allowed by Fermi-Dirac statistics. A model Hamiltonian for unrestricted internal rotations in CH_5^+ yields a simple analytical expression for the energy eigenvalues, expressed in terms of new quantum numbers describing the free internal rotation. These results are compared to the experimental combination differences and the validity of the model will be discussed together with the underlying assumptions. [1] O. Asvany, P. Kumar, I. Hegemann, B. Redlich, S. Schlemmer and D. Marx, Science 309, (2005) 1219-1222 [2] O. Asvany, K.M.T. Yamada, S. Brünken, A. Potapov, S. Schlemmer, Science 347 (2015) 1346-1349

The Status of the Concept of "Phoneme" in Psycholinguistics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Uppstad, Per Henning; Tonnessen, Finn Egil

2010-01-01

The notion of the phoneme counts as a break-through of modern theoretical linguistics in the early twentieth century. It paved the way for descriptions of distinctive features at different levels in linguistics. Although it has since then had a turbulent existence across altering theoretical positions, it remains a powerful concept of a…

Content Based Image Retrieval and Information Theory: A General Approach.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zachary, John; Iyengar, S. S.; Barhen, Jacob

2001-01-01

Proposes an alternative real valued representation of color based on the information theoretic concept of entropy. A theoretical presentation of image entropy is accompanied by a practical description of the merits and limitations of image entropy compared to color histograms. Results suggest that image entropy is a promising approach to image…

Preparing Teachers to Teach English as an International Language

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Matsuda, Aya, Ed.

2017-01-01

This book explores ways to prepare teachers to teach English as an International Language (EIL) and provides theoretically-grounded models for EIL-informed teacher education. The volume includes two chapters that present a theoretical approach and principles in EIL teacher education, followed by a collection of descriptions of field-tested teacher…

Applying Descriptive Statistics to Teaching the Regional Classification of Climate.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lindquist, Peter S.; Hammel, Daniel J.

1998-01-01

Describes an exercise for college and high school students that relates descriptive statistics to the regional climatic classification. The exercise introduces students to simple calculations of central tendency and dispersion, the construction and interpretation of scatterplots, and the definition of climatic regions. Forces students to engage…

From information theory to quantitative description of steric effects.

PubMed

Alipour, Mojtaba; Safari, Zahra

2016-07-21

Immense efforts have been made in the literature to apply the information theory descriptors for investigating the electronic structure theory of various systems. In the present study, the information theoretic quantities, such as Fisher information, Shannon entropy, Onicescu information energy, and Ghosh-Berkowitz-Parr entropy, have been used to present a quantitative description for one of the most widely used concepts in chemistry, namely the steric effects. Taking the experimental steric scales for the different compounds as benchmark sets, there are reasonable linear relationships between the experimental scales of the steric effects and theoretical values of steric energies calculated from information theory functionals. Perusing the results obtained from the information theoretic quantities with the two representations of electron density and shape function, the Shannon entropy has the best performance for the purpose. On the one hand, the usefulness of considering the contributions of functional groups steric energies and geometries, and on the other hand, dissecting the effects of both global and local information measures simultaneously have also been explored. Furthermore, the utility of the information functionals for the description of steric effects in several chemical transformations, such as electrophilic and nucleophilic reactions and host-guest chemistry, has been analyzed. The functionals of information theory correlate remarkably with the stability of systems and experimental scales. Overall, these findings show that the information theoretic quantities can be introduced as quantitative measures of steric effects and provide further evidences of the quality of information theory toward helping theoreticians and experimentalists to interpret different problems in real systems.

Flow, Transport, and Reaction in Porous Media: Percolation Scaling, Critical-Path Analysis, and Effective Medium Approximation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hunt, Allen G.; Sahimi, Muhammad

2017-12-01

We describe the most important developments in the application of three theoretical tools to modeling of the morphology of porous media and flow and transport processes in them. One tool is percolation theory. Although it was over 40 years ago that the possibility of using percolation theory to describe flow and transport processes in porous media was first raised, new models and concepts, as well as new variants of the original percolation model are still being developed for various applications to flow phenomena in porous media. The other two approaches, closely related to percolation theory, are the critical-path analysis, which is applicable when porous media are highly heterogeneous, and the effective medium approximation—poor man's percolation—that provide a simple and, under certain conditions, quantitatively correct description of transport in porous media in which percolation-type disorder is relevant. Applications to topics in geosciences include predictions of the hydraulic conductivity and air permeability, solute and gas diffusion that are particularly important in ecohydrological applications and land-surface interactions, and multiphase flow in porous media, as well as non-Gaussian solute transport, and flow morphologies associated with imbibition into unsaturated fractures. We describe new applications of percolation theory of solute transport to chemical weathering and soil formation, geomorphology, and elemental cycling through the terrestrial Earth surface. Wherever quantitatively accurate predictions of such quantities are relevant, so are the techniques presented here. Whenever possible, the theoretical predictions are compared with the relevant experimental data. In practically all the cases, the agreement between the theoretical predictions and the data is excellent. Also discussed are possible future directions in the application of such concepts to many other phenomena in geosciences.

High Temperature Gas Energy Transfer.

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-08-15

will be made. A theoretical model has been applied to the calculation of energy transfer amounts between molecules as a function of molecular size... theoretical analysis was given of shock tube data for high temperature gas reactions. The data were analyzed to show that colli- sional energy transfer...Systems by I. Oref and B. S. Rabiovitch. In this report a simple theoretical model describing energy transfer probabilities is given. Conservation of

Experimental Control of Simple Pendulum Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Medina, C.

2004-01-01

This paper conveys information about a Physics laboratory experiment for students with some theoretical knowledge about oscillatory motion. Students construct a simple pendulum that behaves as an ideal one, and analyze model assumption incidence on its period. The following aspects are quantitatively analyzed: vanishing friction, small amplitude,…

Rendering the "Not-So-Simple" Pendulum Experimentally Accessible.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jackson, David P.

1996-01-01

Presents three methods for obtaining experimental data related to acceleration of a simple pendulum. Two of the methods involve angular position measurements and the subsequent calculation of the acceleration while the third method involves a direct measurement of the acceleration. Compares these results with theoretical calculations and…

Energy loss of argon in a laser-generated carbon plasma.

PubMed

Frank, A; Blazević, A; Grande, P L; Harres, K; Hessling, T; Hoffmann, D H H; Knobloch-Maas, R; Kuznetsov, P G; Nürnberg, F; Pelka, A; Schaumann, G; Schiwietz, G; Schökel, A; Schollmeier, M; Schumacher, D; Schütrumpf, J; Vatulin, V V; Vinokurov, O A; Roth, M

2010-02-01

The experimental data presented in this paper address the energy loss determination for argon at 4 MeV/u projectile energy in laser-generated carbon plasma covering a huge parameter range in density and temperature. Furthermore, a consistent theoretical description of the projectile charge state evolution via a Monte Carlo code is combined with an improved version of the CasP code that allows us to calculate the contributions to the stopping power of bound and free electrons for each projectile charge state. This approach gets rid of any effective charge description of the stopping power. Comparison of experimental data and theoretical results allows us to judge the influence of different plasma parameters.

Experimental validation of a quasi-steady theory for the flow through the glottis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vilain, C. E.; Pelorson, X.; Fraysse, C.; Deverge, M.; Hirschberg, A.; Willems, J.

2004-09-01

In this paper a theoretical description of the flow through the glottis based on a quasi-steady boundary layer theory is presented. The Thwaites method is used to solve the von Kármán equations within the boundary layers. In practice this makes the theory much easier to use compared to Pohlhausen's polynomial approximations. This theoretical description is evaluated on the basis of systematic comparison with experimental data obtained under steady flow or unsteady (oscillating) flow without and with moving vocal folds. Results tend to show that the theory reasonably explains the measured data except when unsteady or viscous terms become predominant. This happens particularly during the collision of the vocal folds.

Issues in Developing a Normative Descriptive Model for Dyadic Decision Making

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Serfaty, D.; Kleinman, D. L.

1984-01-01

Most research in modelling human information processing and decision making has been devoted to the case of the single human operator. In the present effort, concepts from the fields of organizational behavior, engineering psychology, team theory and mathematical modelling are merged in an attempt to consider first the case of two cooperating decisionmakers (the Dyad) in a multi-task environment. Rooted in the well-known Dynamic Decision Model (DDM), the normative descriptive approach brings basic cognitive and psychophysical characteristics inherent to human behavior into a team theoretic analytic framework. An experimental paradigm, involving teams in dynamic decision making tasks, is designed to produce the data with which to build the theoretical model.

Feature highlighting enhances learning of a complex natural-science category.

PubMed

Miyatsu, Toshiya; Gouravajhala, Reshma; Nosofsky, Robert M; McDaniel, Mark A

2018-04-26

Learning naturalistic categories, which tend to have fuzzy boundaries and vary on many dimensions, can often be harder than learning well defined categories. One method for facilitating the category learning of naturalistic stimuli may be to provide explicit feature descriptions that highlight the characteristic features of each category. Although this method is commonly used in textbooks and classrooms, theoretically it remains uncertain whether feature descriptions should advantage learning complex natural-science categories. In three experiments, participants were trained on 12 categories of rocks, either without or with a brief description highlighting key features of each category. After training, they were tested on their ability to categorize both old and new rocks from each of the categories. Providing feature descriptions as a caption under a rock image failed to improve category learning relative to providing only the rock image with its category label (Experiment 1). However, when these same feature descriptions were presented such that they were explicitly linked to the relevant parts of the rock image (feature highlighting), participants showed significantly higher performance on both immediate generalization to new rocks (Experiment 2) and generalization after a 2-day delay (Experiment 3). Theoretical and practical implications are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Experiencing Mathematics for Connected Understanding: Using the RAMR Framework for Accelerating Students' Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nutchey, David; Grant, Edlyn; English, Lyn

2016-01-01

This paper reports on the use of the RAMR framework within a curriculum project. Description of the RAMR framework's theoretical bases is followed by two descriptions of students' learning in the classroom. Implications include the need for the teacher to connect student activities in a structured sequence, although this may be predicated on the…

Failover Switching Tests Between Two RF Communications Links

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brooks, David; Frantz, Brian; Hoder, Doug; Wilkins, Ryan

2003-01-01

This work presents a short report on the routing tests of the Ku band satcom and VHF line-of-sight communications systems on the Advanced Air Transportation Technologies (AATT) Aero/Mobile van. The first section is a description of the equipment used, followed by descriptions of the tests, the theoretical results, and finally, conclusions and the actual data.

Transport and thermodynamic properties of hydrous melts in the system An-Di.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giordano, D.; Potuzak, M.; Romano, C.; Russell, J. K.; Nowak, M.; Dingwell, D. B.

2006-12-01

The thermodynamic and transport properties hydrous silicate melts are of fundamental importance for characterization of the dynamics and energetics associated with silicate melts in the Earth. The literature concerning the transport and calorimetric properties of hydrous silicate melts remains scarce. With few exceptions little has been effectively done in order to provide chemical models that bridge the gap between the description of both complex and simple systems. The An-Di system is of general interest to geochemists as well as petrologists because it serves as a simple analogue for basaltic compositions. It was chosen here due to the combination of its simple chemical description and the presence of an extensive database of published experimental data on both its transport and thermodynamic properties. We have measured the viscosity (η)), the glass transition temperatures (Tg) and the heat capacity (Cp) of silicate melts in the An-Di system containing up to 3 wt.% of dissolved H2O. Viscosity data were obtained by using the dilatometric method of micropenetration, whereas a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) was employed to determine the glass transition temperatures and the heat capacities. In order to characterize the well-known cooling/heating rate dependence of the glass transition temperatures the calorimetric measurements were performed at heating/cooling rate of 5, 10, 15 and 20 K/min. These results together with those of previous experimental studies have been used to provide a compositional model capable of calculating the Newtonian viscosity of melts as well as the Tg and Cp values for the An- Di+H2O system. The non-Arrhenian T-dependence of viscosity is accounted for by the Vogel-Fulcher- Tammann (VFT) and the Adam Gibbs (AG) equations. Our optimizations assume a common, high-T limit (A) for silicate melt viscosity, consistent with values provided by both theoretical and experimental studies. In particular, we also show that glass transition temperatures taken at each single heating/cooling rate are associated to single viscosity values. The equivalence of the activation energy associated to viscous and enthalpic relaxation process at specific temperatures also allow us to calibrate a tool to predict the viscosity of silicate melts by using specific heat curves. The effect of water on the heat capacity of the glass (Cpglass), from dry to nearly 3 wt% H2O, ranges from almost absent up to 20% of the measured Cp,glass values.

26 CFR 25.6019-4 - Description of property listed on return.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

..., amount of principal unpaid, rate of interest and whether simple or compound, and date to which interest..., rate of interest, date or dates on which interest is payable, series number where there is more than... amount of such accrued income shall be separately set forth. Description of the seller's interest in land...

Children's Criteria for Representational Adequacy in the Perception of Simple Sonic Stimuli

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Verschaffel, Lieven; Reybrouck, Mark; Jans, Christine; Van Dooren, Wim

2010-01-01

This study investigates children's metarepresentational competence with regard to listening to and making sense of simple sonic stimuli. Using diSessa's (2003) work on metarepresentational competence in mathematics and sciences as theoretical and empirical background, it aims to assess children's criteria for representational adequacy of graphical…

Correcting the SIMPLE Model of Free Recall

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Michael D.; Pooley, James P.

2013-01-01

The scale-invariant memory, perception, and learning (SIMPLE) model developed by Brown, Neath, and Chater (2007) formalizes the theoretical idea that scale invariance is an important organizing principle across numerous cognitive domains and has made an influential contribution to the literature dealing with modeling human memory. In the context…

Prediction of Transport Properties of Permeants through Polymer Films. A Simple Gravimetric Experiment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Britton, L. N.; And Others

1988-01-01

Considers the applicability of the simple emersion/weight-gain method for predicting diffusion coefficients, solubilities, and permeation rates of chemicals in polymers that do not undergo physical and chemical deterioration. Presents the theoretical background, procedures and typical results related to this activity. (CW)

Crowd Sourcing Data Collection through Amazon Mechanical Turk

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-09-01

The first recognition study consisted of a Panel Study using a simple detection protocol, in which participants were presented with vignettes and, for...variability than the crowdsourcing data set, hewing more closely to the year 1 verbs of interest and simple description grammar . The DT:PS data were...Study RT: PS Recognition Task: Panel Study RT: RT Recognition Task: Round Table S3 Amazon Simple Storage Service SVPA Single Verb Present /Absent

Using synthetic biology to make cells tomorrow's test tubes.

PubMed

Garcia, Hernan G; Brewster, Robert C; Phillips, Rob

2016-04-18

The main tenet of physical biology is that biological phenomena can be subject to the same quantitative and predictive understanding that physics has afforded in the context of inanimate matter. However, the inherent complexity of many of these biological processes often leads to the derivation of complex theoretical descriptions containing a plethora of unknown parameters. Such complex descriptions pose a conceptual challenge to the establishment of a solid basis for predictive biology. In this article, we present various exciting examples of how synthetic biology can be used to simplify biological systems and distill these phenomena down to their essential features as a means to enable their theoretical description. Here, synthetic biology goes beyond previous efforts to engineer nature and becomes a tool to bend nature to understand it. We discuss various recent and classic experiments featuring applications of this synthetic approach to the elucidation of problems ranging from bacteriophage infection, to transcriptional regulation in bacteria and in developing embryos, to evolution. In all of these examples, synthetic biology provides the opportunity to turn cells into the equivalent of a test tube, where biological phenomena can be reconstituted and our theoretical understanding put to test with the same ease that these same phenomena can be studied in the in vitro setting.

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

Chen Jihuan; Zhao Jiarong; Huang Xuguang

A simple fiber-optic sensor based on Fabry-Perot interference for refractive index measurement of optical glass is investigated both theoretically and experimentally. A broadband light source is coupled into an extrinsic fiber Fabry-Perot cavity formed by the surfaces of a sensing fiber end and the measured sample. The interference signals from the cavity are reflected back into the same fiber. The refractive index of the sample can be obtained by measuring the contrast of the interference fringes. The experimental data meet with the theoretical values very well. The proposed technique is a new method for glass refractive index measurement with amore » simple, solid, and compact structure.« less

Special-purpose computing for dense stellar systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Makino, Junichiro

2007-08-01

I'll describe the current status of the GRAPE-DR project. The GRAPE-DR is the next-generation hardware for N-body simulation. Unlike the previous GRAPE hardwares, it is programmable SIMD machine with a large number of simple processors integrated into a single chip. The GRAPE-DR chip consists of 512 simple processors and operates at the clock speed of 500 MHz, delivering the theoretical peak speed of 512/226 Gflops (single/double precision). As of August 2006, the first prototype board with the sample chip successfully passed the test we prepared. The full GRAPE-DR system will consist of 4096 chips, reaching the theoretical peak speed of 2 Pflops.

A simple stochastic weather generator for ecological modeling

Treesearch

A.G. Birt; M.R. Valdez-Vivas; R.M. Feldman; C.W. Lafon; D. Cairns; R.N. Coulson; M. Tchakerian; W. Xi; Jim Guldin

2010-01-01

Stochastic weather generators are useful tools for exploring the relationship between organisms and their environment. This paper describes a simple weather generator that can be used in ecological modeling projects. We provide a detailed description of methodology, and links to full C++ source code (http://weathergen.sourceforge.net) required to implement or modify...

A Simple Treatment of the Liquidity Trap for Intermediate Macroeconomics Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buttet, Sebastien; Roy, Udayan

2014-01-01

Several leading undergraduate intermediate macroeconomics textbooks now include a simple reduced-form New Keynesian model of short-run dynamics (alongside the IS-LM model). Unfortunately, there is no accompanying description of how the zero lower bound on nominal interest rates affects the model. In this article, the authors show how the…

A Writing Intervention to Teach Simple Sentences and Descriptive Paragraphs to Adolescents with Writing Difficulties

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Datchuk, Shawn M.; Kubina, Richard M., Jr.

2017-01-01

The present study used a multiple-baseline, single-case experimental design to investigate the effects of a multicomponent intervention on construction of simple sentences and word sequences. The intervention entailed sequential delivery of sentence instruction and frequency building to a performance criterion and paragraph instruction.…

Quantitation & Case-Study-Driven Inquiry to Enhance Yeast Fermentation Studies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grammer, Robert T.

2012-01-01

We propose a procedure for the assay of fermentation in yeast in microcentrifuge tubes that is simple and rapid, permitting assay replicates, descriptive statistics, and the preparation of line graphs that indicate reproducibility. Using regression and simple derivatives to determine initial velocities, we suggest methods to compare the effects of…

Simple Tidal Prism Models Revisited

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luketina, D.

1998-01-01

Simple tidal prism models for well-mixed estuaries have been in use for some time and are discussed in most text books on estuaries. The appeal of this model is its simplicity. However, there are several flaws in the logic behind the model. These flaws are pointed out and a more theoretically correct simple tidal prism model is derived. In doing so, it is made clear which effects can, in theory, be neglected and which can not.

How Massive Can Stars Be?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pinochet, Jorge; Van Sint Jan, Michael

2017-01-01

Theoretical assessment of the upper limit of a star's mass is a difficult problem which lies at the frontier of astrophysical research. In this article we develop a simple and plausible argument to estimate this value. The value at which we arrive is ~228 solar masses; well within the range of predicted accepted theoretical values. Towards the end…

Choguita Rarámuri (Tarahumara) Language Description and Documentation: A Guide to the Deposited Collection and Associated Materials

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Caballero, Gabriela

2017-01-01

Choguita Rarámuri (Tarahumara) is a Uto-Aztecan language spoken in Northern Mexico of great typological, theoretical, and historical significance. This paper presents an overview and background of the Choguita Rarámuri language description and documentation project and provides a guide to the documentary collection emerging from this project. This…

A Short German Version of the Self Description Questionnaire I: Theoretical and Empirical Comparability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arens, A. Katrin; Yeung, Alexander Seeshing; Craven, Rhonda G.; Hasselhorn, Marcus

2013-01-01

This study aims to develop a short German version of the Self Description Questionnaire (SDQ I-GS) in order to present a robust economical instrument for measuring German preadolescents' multidimensional self-concept. A full German version of the SDQ I (SDQ I-G) that maintained the original structure and thus length of the English original SDQ I…

Kant on the history of nature: the ambiguous heritage of the critical philosophy for natural history.

PubMed

Sloan, Phillip R

2006-12-01

This paper seeks to show Kant's importance for the formal distinction between descriptive natural history and a developmental history of nature that entered natural history discussions in the late eighteenth century. It is argued that he developed this distinction initially upon Buffon's distinctions of 'abstract' and 'physical' truths, and applied these initially in his distinction of 'varieties' from 'races' in anthropology. In the 1770s, Kant appears to have given theoretical preference to the 'history' of nature [Naturgeschichte] over 'description' of nature [Naturbeschreibung]. Following Kant's confrontations with Johann Herder and Georg Forster in the late 1780s, Kant weakened the epistemic status of the 'history of nature' and gave theoretical preference to 'description of nature'. As a result, Kant's successors, such as Goethe, could draw from Kant either a justification for a developmental history of nature, or, as this paper argues, a warrant from the critical philosophy for denying the validity of the developmental history of nature as anything more than a 'regulative' idea of reason.

A Schema-Theoretic View of Reading. Technical Report No. 32.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adams, Marilyn Jager; Collins, Allan

This paper provides a general description of schema-theoretic models of language comprehension and examines some extensions of such models to the study of reading. The goal of schema theory is to specify the interface between the reader and the text: to specify how the reader's knowledge interacts with and shapes the information on the page and to…

The Attentional Drift Diffusion Model of Simple Perceptual Decision-Making.

PubMed

Tavares, Gabriela; Perona, Pietro; Rangel, Antonio

2017-01-01

Perceptual decisions requiring the comparison of spatially distributed stimuli that are fixated sequentially might be influenced by fluctuations in visual attention. We used two psychophysical tasks with human subjects to investigate the extent to which visual attention influences simple perceptual choices, and to test the extent to which the attentional Drift Diffusion Model (aDDM) provides a good computational description of how attention affects the underlying decision processes. We find evidence for sizable attentional choice biases and that the aDDM provides a reasonable quantitative description of the relationship between fluctuations in visual attention, choices and reaction times. We also find that exogenous manipulations of attention induce choice biases consistent with the predictions of the model.

Composition and Comprehension of Simple Texts. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Olson, Gary M.

This report describes research that focused on the comprehension and composition of simple texts. The first section reviews the overall goals and theoretical perspectives of the project. The second section describes the following studies carried out during the project: analysis and extension of prior thinking-out-loud (TOL) data, TOL and reading…

A computational method for optimizing fuel treatment locations

Treesearch

Mark A. Finney

2006-01-01

Modeling and experiments have suggested that spatial fuel treatment patterns can influence the movement of large fires. On simple theoretical landscapes consisting of two fuel types (treated and untreated) optimal patterns can be analytically derived that disrupt fire growth efficiently (i.e. with less area treated than random patterns). Although conceptually simple,...

Singlet Oxygen at the Laundromat

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Keeports, David

1995-09-01

Singlet molecular oxygen is an interesting molecule both visually and theoretically, since its red chemiluminescence can be analyzed by the application of simple molecular orbital theory. It can be produced from the reaction of hydrogen peroxide from either chlorine gas or hypochlorite ion from household bleach. Here we demostrate how to produce it using simple laundry cleansers.

Truth and probability in evolutionary games

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barrett, Jeffrey A.

2017-01-01

This paper concerns two composite Lewis-Skyrms signalling games. Each consists in a base game that evolves a language descriptive of nature and a metagame that coevolves a language descriptive of the base game and its evolving language. The first composite game shows how a pragmatic notion of truth might coevolve with a simple descriptive language. The second shows how a pragmatic notion of probability might similarly coevolve. Each of these pragmatic notions is characterised by the particular game and role that it comes to play in the game.

Towards a Deeper Understanding of the Nucleus with Exotic Nuclei

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ormand, Erich

2006-10-01

Despite more than fifty years of study, many questions about now nuclei are put together remain. While nuclei near the valley of stability have provided a wealth of information, they are not sufficient to provide us with a comprehensive and unified description of the nucleus. Especially lacking is an accurate picture of those exotic species that are the basis of cosmic alchemy. The missing pieces in the puzzle can be filled in with a determined experimental and theoretical effort focusing on nuclei lying far from the valley of stability. Here, I will outline the intellectual challenges that can be addressed by proposed exotic-beam facilities, and how new experimental data will quide and refine theoretical descriptions of the nucleus.

Describing transport across complex biological interfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lervik, A.; Kjelstrup, S.

2013-05-01

It has long been known that proteins are capable of transporting ions against a gradient in the chemical potential, using the energy available from a chemical reaction. This is called active transport. A well studied example is the Ca2+-transport by means of hydrolysis of adenosine triphoshpate (ATP) at the surface of the Ca2+-ATPase in sarcoplasmic reticulum. The cycle of events is known to be reversible, and has recently also been associated with a characteristic, and also reversible, heat production. We use the case of the Ca2+-ATPase to present and discuss various central theoretical approaches to describe active transport, with focus on two schools of development, namely the kinetic and the thermodynamic schools. Among the kinetic descriptions, Hill's diagram method gives the most sophisticated description, reducing to the common Post-Albers scheme with simple enzyme kinetic reactions. Among the thermodynamic approaches, we review the now classical approach of Katchalsky and Curran, and its extension to proper pathways by Caplan and Essig, before the most recent development based on mesoscopic theory is outlined. The mesoscopic approach gives a non-linear theory compatible with Hill's most general method when the active transport is isothermal. We show how the old question of scalar-vector coupling is resolved using rules for non-equilibrium thermodynamics for interfaces. Also thermal driving forces can then be accounted for. Essential physical concepts behind all methods are presented and advantages/deficiencies are pointed out. Emphasis is made on the connection to experiments.

Sine-Gordon equation and its application to tectonic stress transfer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bykov, Victor G.

2014-07-01

An overview is given on remarkable progress that has been made in theoretical studies of solitons and other nonlinear wave patterns, excited during the deformation of fault block (fragmented) geological media. The models that are compliant with the classical and perturbed sine-Gordon equations have only been chosen. In these mathematical models, the rotation angle of blocks (fragments) and their translatory displacement of the medium are used as dynamic variables. A brief description of the known models and their geophysical and geodynamic applications is given. These models reproduce the kinematic and dynamic features of the traveling deformation front (kink, soliton) generated in the fragmented media. It is demonstrated that the sine-Gordon equation is applicable to the description of series of the observed seismic data, modeling of strain waves, as well as the features related to fault dynamics and the subduction slab, including slow earthquakes, periodicity of episodic tremor and slow slip (ETS) events, and migration pattern of tremors. The study shows that simple heuristic models and analytical and numerical computations can explain triggering of seismicity by transient processes, such as stress changes associated with solitary strain waves in crustal faults. The need to develop the above-mentioned new (nonlinear) mathematical models of the deformed fault and fragmented media was caused by the reason that it is impossible to explain a lot of the observed effects, particularly, slow redistribution and migration of stresses in the lithosphere, within the framework of the linear elasticity theory.

A screened independent atom model for the description of ion collisions from atomic and molecular clusters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lüdde, Hans Jürgen; Horbatsch, Marko; Kirchner, Tom

2018-05-01

We apply a recently introduced model for an independent-atom-like calculation of ion-impact electron transfer and ionization cross sections to proton collisions from water, neon, and carbon clusters. The model is based on a geometrical interpretation of the cluster cross section as an effective area composed of overlapping circular disks that are representative of the atomic contributions. The latter are calculated using a time-dependent density-functional-theory-based single-particle description with accurate exchange-only ground-state potentials. We find that the net capture and ionization cross sections in p-X n collisions are proportional to n α with 2/3 ≤ α ≤ 1. For capture from water clusters at 100 keV impact energy α is close to one, which is substantially different from the value α = 2/3 predicted by a previous theoretical work based on the simplest-level electron nuclear dynamics method. For ionization at 100 keV and for capture at lower energies we find smaller α values than for capture at 100 keV. This can be understood by considering the magnitude of the atomic cross sections and the resulting overlaps of the circular disks that make up the cluster cross section in our model. Results for neon and carbon clusters confirm these trends. Simple parametrizations are found which fit the cross sections remarkably well and suggest that they depend on the relevant bond lengths.

Auto- and cross-power spectral analysis of dual trap optical tweezer experiments using Bayesian inference.

PubMed

von Hansen, Yann; Mehlich, Alexander; Pelz, Benjamin; Rief, Matthias; Netz, Roland R

2012-09-01

The thermal fluctuations of micron-sized beads in dual trap optical tweezer experiments contain complete dynamic information about the viscoelastic properties of the embedding medium and-if present-macromolecular constructs connecting the two beads. To quantitatively interpret the spectral properties of the measured signals, a detailed understanding of the instrumental characteristics is required. To this end, we present a theoretical description of the signal processing in a typical dual trap optical tweezer experiment accounting for polarization crosstalk and instrumental noise and discuss the effect of finite statistics. To infer the unknown parameters from experimental data, a maximum likelihood method based on the statistical properties of the stochastic signals is derived. In a first step, the method can be used for calibration purposes: We propose a scheme involving three consecutive measurements (both traps empty, first one occupied and second empty, and vice versa), by which all instrumental and physical parameters of the setup are determined. We test our approach for a simple model system, namely a pair of unconnected, but hydrodynamically interacting spheres. The comparison to theoretical predictions based on instantaneous as well as retarded hydrodynamics emphasizes the importance of hydrodynamic retardation effects due to vorticity diffusion in the fluid. For more complex experimental scenarios, where macromolecular constructs are tethered between the two beads, the same maximum likelihood method in conjunction with dynamic deconvolution theory will in a second step allow one to determine the viscoelastic properties of the tethered element connecting the two beads.

Intelligence moderates neural responses to monetary reward and punishment.

PubMed

Hawes, Daniel R; DeYoung, Colin G; Gray, Jeremy R; Rustichini, Aldo

2014-05-01

The relations between intelligence (IQ) and neural responses to monetary gains and losses were investigated in a simple decision task. In 94 healthy adults, typical responses of striatal blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) signal after monetary reward and punishment were weaker for subjects with higher IQ. IQ-moderated differential responses to gains and losses were also found for regions in the medial prefrontal cortex, posterior cingulate cortex, and left inferior frontal cortex. These regions have previously been identified with the subjective utility of monetary outcomes. Analysis of subjects' behavior revealed a correlation between IQ and the extent to which choices were related to experienced decision outcomes in preceding trials. Specifically, higher IQ predicted behavior to be more strongly correlated with an extended period of previously experienced decision outcomes, whereas lower IQ predicted behavior to be correlated exclusively to the most recent decision outcomes. We link these behavioral and imaging findings to a theoretical model capable of describing a role for intelligence during the evaluation of rewards generated by unknown probabilistic processes. Our results demonstrate neural differences in how people of different intelligence respond to experienced monetary rewards and punishments. Our theoretical discussion offers a functional description for how these individual differences may be linked to choice behavior. Together, our results and model support the hypothesis that observed correlations between intelligence and preferences may be rooted in the way decision outcomes are experienced ex post, rather than deriving exclusively from how choices are evaluated ex ante.

Swing and Lift

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barnes, Francis; Potter, Ann

1974-01-01

Presents theoretical fundamentals of sideways forces exerted on a cricket ball, an aerofoil, and a yacht, involving the properties of boundary layers and a description of velocity and circulation. (CC)

Class and Home Problems: Humidification, a True "Home" Problem for p. Chemical Engineer

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Condoret, Jean-Stephane

2012-01-01

The problem of maintaining hygrothermal comfort in a house is addressed using the chemical engineer's toolbox. A simple dynamic modelling proved to give a good description of the humidification of the house in winter, using a domestic humidifier. Parameters of the model were identified from a simple experiment. Surprising results, especially…

How important is self-consistency for the dDsC density dependent dispersion correction?

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

Brémond, Éric; Corminboeuf, Clémence, E-mail: clemence.corminboeuf@epfl.ch; Golubev, Nikolay

2014-05-14

The treatment of dispersion interactions is ubiquitous but computationally demanding for seamless ab initio approaches. A highly popular and simple remedy consists in correcting for the missing interactions a posteriori by adding an attractive energy term summed over all atom pairs to standard density functional approximations. These corrections were originally based on atom pairwise parameters and, hence, had a strong touch of empiricism. To overcome such limitations, we recently proposed a robust system-dependent dispersion correction, dDsC, that is computed from the electron density and that provides a balanced description of both weak inter- and intramolecular interactions. From the theoretical pointmore » of view and for the sake of increasing reliability, we here verify if the self-consistent implementation of dDsC impacts ground-state properties such as interaction energies, electron density, dipole moments, geometries, and harmonic frequencies. In addition, we investigate the suitability of the a posteriori scheme for molecular dynamics simulations, for which the analysis of the energy conservation constitutes a challenging tests. Our study demonstrates that the post-SCF approach in an excellent approximation.« less

Outline of a general theory of behavior and brain coordination.

PubMed

Kelso, J A Scott; Dumas, Guillaume; Tognoli, Emmanuelle

2013-01-01

Much evidence suggests that dynamic laws of neurobehavioral coordination are sui generis: they deal with collective properties that are repeatable from one system to another and emerge from microscopic dynamics but may not (even in principle) be deducible from them. Nevertheless, it is useful to try to understand the relationship between different levels while all the time respecting the autonomy of each. We report a program of research that uses the theoretical concepts of coordination dynamics and quantitative measurements of simple, well-defined experimental model systems to explicitly relate neural and behavioral levels of description in human beings. Our approach is both top-down and bottom-up and aims at ending up in the same place: top-down to derive behavioral patterns from neural fields, and bottom-up to generate neural field patterns from bidirectional coupling between astrocytes and neurons. Much progress can be made by recognizing that the two approaches--reductionism and emergentism--are complementary. A key to understanding is to couch the coordination of very different things--from molecules to thoughts--in the common language of coordination dynamics. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Quantifying Environmental Effects on the Decay of Hole Transfer Couplings in Biosystems.

PubMed

Ramos, Pablo; Pavanello, Michele

2014-06-10

In the past two decades, many research groups worldwide have tried to understand and categorize simple regimes in the charge transfer of such biological systems as DNA. Theoretically speaking, the lack of exact theories for electron-nuclear dynamics on one side and poor quality of the parameters needed by model Hamiltonians and nonadiabatic dynamics alike (such as couplings and site energies) on the other are the two main difficulties for an appropriate description of the charge transfer phenomena. In this work, we present an application of a previously benchmarked and linear-scaling subsystem density functional theory (DFT) method for the calculation of couplings, site energies, and superexchange decay factors (β) of several biological donor-acceptor dyads, as well as double stranded DNA oligomers composed of up to five base pairs. The calculations are all-electron and provide a clear view of the role of the environment on superexchange couplings in DNA-they follow experimental trends and confirm previous semiempirical calculations. The subsystem DFT method is proven to be an excellent tool for long-range, bridge-mediated coupling and site energy calculations of embedded molecular systems.

Outline of a General Theory of Behavior and Brain Coordination

PubMed Central

Kelso, J. A. Scott; Dumas, Guillaume; Tognoli, Emmanuelle

2012-01-01

Much evidence suggests that dynamic laws of neurobehavioral coordination are sui generis: they deal with collective properties that are repeatable from one system to another and emerge from microscopic dynamics but may not (even in principle) be deducible from them. Nevertheless, it is useful to try to understand the relationship between different levels while all the time respecting the autonomy of each. We report a program of research that uses the theoretical concepts of coordination dynamics and quantitative measurements of simple, well-defined experimental model systems to explicitly relate neural and behavioral levels of description in human beings. Our approach is both top-down and bottom-up and aims at ending up in the same place: top-down to derive behavioral patterns from neural fields, and bottom-up to generate neural field patterns from bidirectional coupling between astrocytes and neurons. Much progress can be made by recognizing that the two approaches —reductionism and emergentism— are complementary. A key to understanding is to couch the coordination of very different things —from molecules to thoughts— in the common language of coordination dynamics. PMID:23084845

Effective model approach to the dense state of QCD matter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fukushima, Kenji

2011-12-01

The first-principle approach to the dense state of QCD matter, i.e. the lattice-QCD simulation at finite baryon density, is not under theoretical control for the moment. The effective model study based on QCD symmetries is a practical alternative. However the model parameters that are fixed by hadronic properties in the vacuum may have unknown dependence on the baryon chemical potential. We propose a new prescription to constrain the effective model parameters by the matching condition with the thermal Statistical Model. In the transitional region where thermal quantities blow up in the Statistical Model, deconfined quarks and gluons should smoothly take over the relevant degrees of freedom from hadrons and resonances. We use the Polyakov-loop coupled Nambu-Jona-Lasinio (PNJL) model as an effective description in the quark side and show how the matching condition is satisfied by a simple ansäatz on the Polyakov loop potential. Our results favor a phase diagram with the chiral phase transition located at slightly higher temperature than deconfinement which stays close to the chemical freeze-out points.

Minimizing irreversible losses in quantum systems by local counterdiabatic driving

PubMed Central

Sels, Dries; Polkovnikov, Anatoli

2017-01-01

Counterdiabatic driving protocols have been proposed [Demirplak M, Rice SA (2003) J Chem Phys A 107:9937–9945; Berry M (2009) J Phys A Math Theor 42:365303] as a means to make fast changes in the Hamiltonian without exciting transitions. Such driving in principle allows one to realize arbitrarily fast annealing protocols or implement fast dissipationless driving, circumventing standard adiabatic limitations requiring infinitesimally slow rates. These ideas were tested and used both experimentally and theoretically in small systems, but in larger chaotic systems, it is known that exact counterdiabatic protocols do not exist. In this work, we develop a simple variational approach allowing one to find the best possible counterdiabatic protocols given physical constraints, like locality. These protocols are easy to derive and implement both experimentally and numerically. We show that, using these approximate protocols, one can drastically suppress heating and increase fidelity of quantum annealing protocols in complex many-particle systems. In the fast limit, these protocols provide an effective dual description of adiabatic dynamics, where the coupling constant plays the role of time and the counterdiabatic term plays the role of the Hamiltonian. PMID:28461472

Eternal non-Markovianity: from random unitary to Markov chain realisations.

PubMed

Megier, Nina; Chruściński, Dariusz; Piilo, Jyrki; Strunz, Walter T

2017-07-25

The theoretical description of quantum dynamics in an intriguing way does not necessarily imply the underlying dynamics is indeed intriguing. Here we show how a known very interesting master equation with an always negative decay rate [eternal non-Markovianity (ENM)] arises from simple stochastic Schrödinger dynamics (random unitary dynamics). Equivalently, it may be seen as arising from a mixture of Markov (semi-group) open system dynamics. Both these approaches lead to a more general family of CPT maps, characterized by a point within a parameter triangle. Our results show how ENM quantum dynamics can be realised easily in the laboratory. Moreover, we find a quantum time-continuously measured (quantum trajectory) realisation of the dynamics of the ENM master equation based on unitary transformations and projective measurements in an extended Hilbert space, guided by a classical Markov process. Furthermore, a Gorini-Kossakowski-Sudarshan-Lindblad (GKSL) representation of the dynamics in an extended Hilbert space can be found, with a remarkable property: there is no dynamics in the ancilla state. Finally, analogous constructions for two qubits extend these results from non-CP-divisible to non-P-divisible dynamics.

Surface symmetry energy of nuclear energy density functionals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nikolov, N.; Schunck, N.; Nazarewicz, W.; Bender, M.; Pei, J.

2011-03-01

We study the bulk deformation properties of the Skyrme nuclear energy density functionals (EDFs). Following simple arguments based on the leptodermous expansion and liquid drop model, we apply the nuclear density functional theory to assess the role of the surface symmetry energy in nuclei. To this end, we validate the commonly used functional parametrizations against the data on excitation energies of superdeformed band heads in Hg and Pb isotopes and fission isomers in actinide nuclei. After subtracting shell effects, the results of our self-consistent calculations are consistent with macroscopic arguments and indicate that experimental data on strongly deformed configurations in neutron-rich nuclei are essential for optimizing future nuclear EDFs. The resulting survey provides a useful benchmark for further theoretical improvements. Unlike in nuclei close to the stability valley, whose macroscopic deformability hangs on the balance of surface and Coulomb terms, the deformability of neutron-rich nuclei strongly depends on the surface symmetry energy; hence, its proper determination is crucial for the stability of deformed phases of the neutron-rich matter and description of fission rates for r-process nucleosynthesis.

Axi-symmetric patterns of active polar filaments on spherical and composite surfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Srivastava, Pragya; Rao, Madan

2014-03-01

Experiments performed on Fission Yeast cells of cylindrical and spherical shapes, rod-shaped bacteria and reconstituted cylindrical liposomes suggest the influence of cell geometry on patterning of cortical actin. A theoretical model based on active hydrodynamic description of cortical actin that includes curvature-orientation coupling predicts spontaneous formation of acto-myosin rings, cables and nodes on cylindrical and spherical geometries [P. Srivastava et al, PRL 110, 168104(2013)]. Stability and dynamics of these patterns is also affected by the cellular shape and has been observed in experiments performed on Fission Yeast cells of spherical shape. Motivated by this, we study the stability and dynamics of axi-symmetric patterns of active polar filaments on the surfaces of spherical, saddle shaped and conical geometry and classify the stable steady state patterns on these surfaces. Based on the analysis of the fluorescence images of Myosin-II during ring slippage we propose a simple mechanical model for ring-sliding based on force balance and make quantitative comparison with the experiments performed on Fission Yeast cells. NSF Grant DMR-1004789 and Syracuse Soft Matter Program.

Anomalous sound absorption in the Voronoi liquid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Farago, Jean; Ruscher, CéLine; Semenov, Alexandr; Baschnagel, Joerg

The physics of simple fluids in the hydrodynamic limit, and notably the connection between the proper microscopic scales and the macroscopic hydrodynamical description are nowadays well understood. In particular, the three peak shape of the dynamical structure factor S (k , ω) is a universal feature, as well as the k-dependence of the peak position ( k), and width k2 , the latter accounting for the sound attenuation rate. In this talk, I will present a theoretical model of monodisperse fluid, whose interactions are defined via the Voronoi tessellations of the configurations (called the Voronoi liquid and first studied in), which displays at low temperatures a marked violation of the universal features of S (k , ω) with sound attenuation rate only k . This anomalous behaviour, which apparently violates the basic symmetries of the liquid state, is traced back to the existence of a timescale which is both (1) short enough for the viscoelastic features of the liquid to impact the relaxational dynamics and (2) long enough for the momentum diffusion to be substantially slower than the sound propagation on that characteristic time.

Charge Catastrophe and Dielectric Breakdown During Exposure of Organic Thin Films to Low-Energy Electron Radiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thete, A.; Geelen, D.; van der Molen, S. J.; Tromp, R. M.

2017-12-01

The effects of exposure to ionizing radiation are central in many areas of science and technology, including medicine and biology. Absorption of UV and soft-x-ray photons releases photoelectrons, followed by a cascade of lower energy secondary electrons with energies down to 0 eV. While these low energy electrons give rise to most chemical and physical changes, their interactions with soft materials are not well studied or understood. Here, we use a low energy electron microscope to expose thin organic resist films to electrons in the range 0-50 eV, and to analyze the energy distribution of electrons returned to the vacuum. We observe surface charging that depends strongly and nonlinearly on electron energy and electron beam current, abruptly switching sign during exposure. Charging can even be sufficiently severe to induce dielectric breakdown across the film. We provide a simple but comprehensive theoretical description of these phenomena, identifying the presence of a cusp catastrophe to explain the sudden switching phenomena seen in the experiments. Surprisingly, the films undergo changes at all incident electron energies, starting at ˜0 eV .

Methane fluxes during the cold season: distribution and mass transfer in the snow cover of bogs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smagin, A. V.; Shnyrev, N. A.

2015-08-01

Fluxes and profile distribution of methane in the snow cover and different landscape elements of an oligotrophic West-Siberian bog (Mukhrino Research Station, Khanty-Mansiisk autonomous district) have been studied during a cold season. Simple models have been proposed for the description of methane distribution in the inert snow layer, which combine the transport of the gas and a source of constant intensity on the soil surface. The formation rates of stationary methane profiles in the snow cover have been estimated (characteristic time of 24 h). Theoretical equations have been derived for the calculation of small emission fluxes from bogs to the atmosphere on the basis of the stationary profile distribution parameters, the snow porosity, and the effective methane diffusion coefficient in the snow layer. The calculated values of methane emission significantly (by 2-3 to several tens of times) have exceeded the values measured under field conditions by the closed chamber method (0.008-0.25 mg C/(m2 h)), which indicates the possibility of underestimating the contribution of the cold period to the annual emission cycle of bog methane.

Note: Formation of the nematic splay-bend in two-dimensional systems of bow-shaped particles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karbowniczek, Paweł

2018-04-01

Recently, Tavarone et al. (J. Chem. Phys. 143, 114505 (2015)) discussed phase behavior of zig-zag and bow-shaped particles composed of three needles. The authors presented very interesting results of extensive Monte Carlo simulations with periodic boundary conditions in the constant-NVT and the constant-NPT ensembles. In addition to isotropic, nematic, and smectic phases, they identified a modulated nematic, which is actually the nematic splay-bend phase ($N_{SB}$), long-anticipated for bent-core systems (Europhys. Lett. 56, 247 (2001)). They also described isotropic-nematic and nematic-smectic transitions using Density Functional Theory in mean-field approximation. The authors, however, did not provided a theoretical description of the $N_{SB}$. Here, we present a simple theory of a phase transition to the $N_{SB}$ phase to fill the gap. In our study, we use Onsager-type Density Functional Theory with perfect order approximation and Meyer parametrization of modulated structures. We present results for arbitrary ratios of the length of central and side segments and opening angles of bow-shaped particles.

A bottom-up approach to the strong CP problem

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Diaz-Cruz, J. L.; Hollik, W. G.; Saldana-Salazar, U. J.

2018-05-01

The strong CP problem is one of many puzzles in the theoretical description of elementary particle physics that still lacks an explanation. While top-down solutions to that problem usually comprise new symmetries or fields or both, we want to present a rather bottom-up perspective. The main problem seems to be how to achieve small CP violation in the strong interactions despite the large CP violation in weak interactions. In this paper, we show that with minimal assumptions on the structure of mass (Yukawa) matrices, they do not contribute to the strong CP problem and thus we can provide a pathway to a solution of the strong CP problem within the structures of the Standard Model and no extension at the electroweak scale is needed. However, to address the flavor puzzle, models based on minimal SU(3) flavor groups leading to the proposed flavor matrices are favored. Though we refrain from an explicit UV completion of the Standard Model, we provide a simple requirement for such models not to show a strong CP problem by construction.

Fluctuations in the DNA double helix

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peyrard, M.; López, S. C.; Angelov, D.

2007-08-01

DNA is not the static entity suggested by the famous double helix structure. It shows large fluctuational openings, in which the bases, which contain the genetic code, are temporarily open. Therefore it is an interesting system to study the effect of nonlinearity on the physical properties of a system. A simple model for DNA, at a mesoscopic scale, can be investigated by computer simulation, in the same spirit as the original work of Fermi, Pasta and Ulam. These calculations raise fundamental questions in statistical physics because they show a temporary breaking of equipartition of energy, regions with large amplitude fluctuations being able to coexist with regions where the fluctuations are very small, even when the model is studied in the canonical ensemble. This phenomenon can be related to nonlinear excitations in the model. The ability of the model to describe the actual properties of DNA is discussed by comparing theoretical and experimental results for the probability that base pairs open an a given temperature in specific DNA sequences. These studies give us indications on the proper description of the effect of the sequence in the mesoscopic model.

Mechanisms of resonant low frequency Raman scattering from metallic nanoparticle Lamb modes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Girard, A.; Lermé, J.; Gehan, H.; Margueritat, J.; Mermet, A.

2017-05-01

The low frequency Raman scattering from gold nanoparticle bimodal assemblies with controlled size distributions has been studied. Special care has been paid to determining the size dependence of the Raman intensity corresponding to the quadrupolar Lamb mode. Existing models based on a microscopic description of the scattering mechanism in small particles (bond polarizability, dipole induced dipole models) predict, for any Raman-active Lamb modes, an inelastic intensity scaling as the volume of the nanoparticle. Surprisingly experimental intensity ratios are found to be anomalously much greater than theoretical ones, calling into question this scaling law. To explain these discrepancies, a simple mechanism of Raman scattering, based on the density fluctuations in the nanoparticles induced by the Lamb modes, is introduced. This modeling, in which the nanoparticle is described as an elastic isotropic continuous medium—as in Lamb theory, successfully explains the major features exhibited by low frequency Raman modes. Moreover this model provides a unified picture for any material, suitable for handling both small and large size ranges, as well as non-resonant and resonant excitation conditions in the case of metallic species.

High-response piezoelectricity modeled quantitatively near a phase boundary

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Newns, Dennis M.; Kuroda, Marcelo A.; Cipcigan, Flaviu S.; Crain, Jason; Martyna, Glenn J.

2017-01-01

Interconversion of mechanical and electrical energy via the piezoelectric effect is fundamental to a wide range of technologies. The discovery in the 1990s of giant piezoelectric responses in certain materials has therefore opened new application spaces, but the origin of these properties remains a challenge to our understanding. A key role is played by the presence of a structural instability in these materials at compositions near the "morphotropic phase boundary" (MPB) where the crystal structure changes abruptly and the electromechanical responses are maximal. Here we formulate a simple, unified theoretical description which accounts for extreme piezoelectric response, its observation at compositions near the MPB, accompanied by ultrahigh dielectric constant and mechanical compliances with rather large anisotropies. The resulting model, based upon a Landau free energy expression, is capable of treating the important domain engineered materials and is found to be predictive while maintaining simplicity. It therefore offers a general and powerful means of accounting for the full set of signature characteristics in these functional materials including volume conserving sum rules and strong substrate clamping effects.

Analysis of transport in gyrokinetic tokamaks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mynick, H. E.; Parker, S. E.

1995-06-01

Progress toward a detailed understanding of the transport in full-volume gyrokinetic simulations of tokamaks is described. The transition between the two asymptotic regimes (large and small) of scaling of the heat flux with system size a/ρg reported earlier is explained, along with the approximate size at which the transition occurs. The larger systems have transport close to that predicted by the simple standard estimates for transport by drift-wave turbulence (viz., Bohm or gyro-Bohm) in scaling with a/ρg, temperature, magnetic field, ion mass, safety factor, and minor radius, but lying much closer to Bohm, which seems the result better supported theoretically. The characteristic downshift in the spectrum observed previously in going from the linear to the turbulent phase is consistent with the numerically inferred coupling coefficients Mkpq of a reduced description of the system. An explanation of the downshift is given from the resemblance of the reduced system to the Hasegawa-Mima or Terry-Horton systems. These manifest an analogous downshift in slab geometry, and have Mkpq resembling those inferred from the gyrokinetic (GK) data.

Physical and optical properties of DCJTB dye for OLED display applications: Experimental and theoretical investigation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kurban, Mustafa; Gündüz, Bayram

2017-06-01

In this study, 4-(dicyanomethylene)-2-tert-butyl-6-(1,1,7,7-tetramethyljulolidin-4-yl-vinyl)-4H-pyran (DCJTB) was achieved using the experimental and theoretical studies. The electronic, optical and spectroscopic properties of DCJTB molecule were first investigated by performing experimental both solution and thin film techniques and then theoretical calculations. Theoretical results showed that one intense electronic transition is 505.26 nm a quite reasonable and agreement with the measured experimental data 505.00 and 503 nm with solution technique and film technique, respectively. Experimental and simple models were also taken into consideration to calculate the optical refractive index (n) of DCJTB molecule. The structural and electronic properties were next calculated using density functional theory (DFT) with B3LYP/6-311G (d, p) basis set. UV, FT-IR spectra characteristics and the electronic properties, such as frontier orbitals, and band gap energy (Eg) of DCJTB were also recorded time-dependent (TD) DFT approach. The theoretical Eg value were found to be 2.269 eV which is consistent with experimental results obtained from solution technique for THF solvent (2.155 eV) and literature (2.16 eV). The results herein obtained reveal that solution is simple, cost-efficient and safe for optoelectronic applications when compared with film technique.

A Simple Model for Nonlinear Confocal Ultrasonic Beams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Dong; Zhou, Lin; Si, Li-Sheng; Gong, Xiu-Fen

2007-01-01

A confocally and coaxially arranged pair of focused transmitter and receiver represents one of the best geometries for medical ultrasonic imaging and non-invasive detection. We develop a simple theoretical model for describing the nonlinear propagation of a confocal ultrasonic beam in biological tissues. On the basis of the parabolic approximation and quasi-linear approximation, the nonlinear Khokhlov-Zabolotskaya-Kuznetsov (KZK) equation is solved by using the angular spectrum approach. Gaussian superposition technique is applied to simplify the solution, and an analytical solution for the second harmonics in the confocal ultrasonic beam is presented. Measurements are performed to examine the validity of the theoretical model. This model provides a preliminary model for acoustic nonlinear microscopy.

Waves and rays in plano-concave laser cavities: I. Geometric modes in the paraxial approximation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barré, N.; Romanelli, M.; Lebental, M.; Brunel, M.

2017-05-01

Eigenmodes of laser cavities are studied theoretically and experimentally in two companion papers, with the aim of making connections between undulatory and geometric properties of light. In this first paper, we focus on macroscopic open-cavity lasers with localized gain. The model is based on the wave equation in the paraxial approximation; experiments are conducted with a simple diode-pumped Nd:YAG laser with a variable cavity length. After recalling fundamentals of laser beam optics, we consider plano-concave cavities with on-axis or off-axis pumping, with emphasis put on degenerate cavity lengths, where modes of different order resonate at the same frequency, and combine to form surprising transverse beam profiles. Degeneracy leads to the oscillation of so-called geometric modes whose properties can be understood, to a certain extent, also within a ray optics picture. We first provide a heuristic description of these modes, based on geometric reasoning, and then show more rigorously how to derive them analytically by building wave superpositions, within the framework of paraxial wave optics. The numerical methods, based on the Fox-Li approach, are described in detail. The experimental setup, including the imaging system, is also detailed and relatively simple to reproduce. The aim is to facilitate implementation of both the numerics and of the experiments, and to show that one can have access not only to the common higher-order modes but also to more exotic patterns.

Translocation of a Polymer Chain across a Nanopore: A Brownian Dynamics Simulation Study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tian, Pu; Smith, Grant D.

2003-01-01

We carried out Brownian dynamics simulation studies of the translocation of single polymer chains across a nanosized pore under the driving of an applied field (chemical potential gradient). The translocation process can be either dominated by the entropic barrier resulted from restricted motion of flexible polymer chains or by applied forces (or chemical gradient across the wall), we focused on the latter case in our studies. Calculation of radius of gyrations at the two opposite sides of the wall shows that the polymer chains are not in equilibrium during the translocation process. Despite this fact, our results show that the one-dimensional diffusion and the nucleation model provide an excellent description of the dependence of average translocation time on the chemical potential gradients, the polymer chain length and the solvent viscosity. In good agreement with experimental results and theoretical predictions, the translocation time distribution of our simple model shows strong non-Gaussian characteristics. It is observed that even for this simple tubelike pore geometry, more than one peak of translocation time distribution can be generated for proper pore diameter and applied field strengths. Both repulsive Weeks-Chandler-Anderson and attractive Lennard-Jones polymer-nanopore interaction were studied, attraction facilitates the translocation process by shortening the total translocation time and dramatically improve the capturing of polymer chain. The width of the translocation time distribution was found to decrease with increasing temperature, increasing field strength, and decreasing pore diameter.

Evaporation And Ignition Of Dense Fuel Sprays

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bellan, Josette; Harstad, Kenneth G.

1988-01-01

Simple theoretical model makes useful predictions of trends. Pair of reports presents theoretical model of evaporation and ignition of sprayed liquid fuel. Developed as part of research in combustion of oil and liquid fuels derived from coal, tar sand, and shale in furnace. Work eventually contributes to increase efficiency of combustion and decrease pollution generated by burning of such fuels.

A new theoretical basis for numerical simulations of nonlinear acoustic fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wójcik, Janusz

2000-07-01

Nonlinear acoustic equations can be considerably simplified. The presented model retains the accuracy of a more complex description of nonlinearity and a uniform description of near and far fields (in contrast to the KZK equation). A method has been presented for obtaining solutions of Kuznetsov's equation from the solutions of the model under consideration. Results of numerical calculations, including comparative ones, are presented.

IT Control Deficiencies That Affect the Financial Reporting of Companies since the Enactment of the Sarbanes Oxley Act

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harper, Roosevelt

2014-01-01

This research study examined the specific categories of IT control deficiencies and their related effects on financial reporting. The approach to this study was considered non-experimental, an approach sometimes called descriptive. Descriptive statistics are used to describe the basic features of the data in a study, providing simple summaries…

Neural electrical activity and neural network growth.

PubMed

Gafarov, F M

2018-05-01

The development of central and peripheral neural system depends in part on the emergence of the correct functional connectivity in its input and output pathways. Now it is generally accepted that molecular factors guide neurons to establish a primary scaffold that undergoes activity-dependent refinement for building a fully functional circuit. However, a number of experimental results obtained recently shows that the neuronal electrical activity plays an important role in the establishing of initial interneuronal connections. Nevertheless, these processes are rather difficult to study experimentally, due to the absence of theoretical description and quantitative parameters for estimation of the neuronal activity influence on growth in neural networks. In this work we propose a general framework for a theoretical description of the activity-dependent neural network growth. The theoretical description incorporates a closed-loop growth model in which the neural activity can affect neurite outgrowth, which in turn can affect neural activity. We carried out the detailed quantitative analysis of spatiotemporal activity patterns and studied the relationship between individual cells and the network as a whole to explore the relationship between developing connectivity and activity patterns. The model, developed in this work will allow us to develop new experimental techniques for studying and quantifying the influence of the neuronal activity on growth processes in neural networks and may lead to a novel techniques for constructing large-scale neural networks by self-organization. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Interaction of Simple Ions with Water: Theoretical Models for the Study of Ion Hydration

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gancheff, Jorge S.; Kremer, Carlos; Ventura, Oscar N.

2009-01-01

A computational experiment aimed to create and systematically analyze models of simple cation hydrates is presented. The changes in the structure (bond distances and angles) and the electronic density distribution of the solvent and the thermodynamic parameters of the hydration process are calculated and compared with the experimental data. The…

On the use of Lagrangian variables in descriptions of unsteady boundary-layer separation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cowley, Stephen J.; Vandommelen, Leon L.; Lam, Shui T.

1990-01-01

The Lagrangian description of unsteady boundary layer separation is reviewed from both analytical and numerical perspectives. It is explained in simple terms how particle distortion gives rise to unsteady separation, and why a theory centered on Lagrangian coordinates provides the clearest description of this phenomenon. Some of the more recent results for unsteady three dimensional compressible separation are included. The different forms of separation that can arise from symmetries are emphasized. A possible description of separation is also included when the detaching vorticity layer exits the classical boundary layer region, but still remains much closer to the surface than a typical body-lengthscale.

Medication competency of nurses according to theoretical and drug calculation online exams: A descriptive correlational study.

PubMed

Sneck, Sami; Saarnio, Reetta; Isola, Arja; Boigu, Risto

2016-01-01

Medication administration is an important task of registered nurses. According to previous studies, nurses lack theoretical knowledge and drug calculation skills and knowledge-based mistakes do occur in clinical practice. Finnish health care organizations started to develop a systematic verification processes for medication competence at the end of the last decade. No studies have yet been made of nurses' theoretical knowledge and drug calculation skills according to these online exams. The aim of this study was to describe the medication competence of Finnish nurses according to theoretical and drug calculation exams. A descriptive correlation design was adopted. Participants and settings All nurses who participated in the online exam in three Finnish hospitals between 1.1.2009 and 31.05.2014 were selected to the study (n=2479). Quantitative methods like Pearson's chi-squared tests, analysis of variance (ANOVA) with post hoc Tukey tests and Pearson's correlation coefficient were used to test the existence of relationships between dependent and independent variables. The majority of nurses mastered the theoretical knowledge needed in medication administration, but 5% of the nurses struggled with passing the drug calculation exam. Theoretical knowledge and drug calculation skills were better in acute care units than in the other units and younger nurses achieved better results in both exams than their older colleagues. The differences found in this study were statistically significant, but not high. Nevertheless, even the tiniest deficiency in theoretical knowledge and drug calculation skills should be focused on. It is important to identify the nurses who struggle in the exams and to plan targeted educational interventions for supporting them. The next step is to study if verification of medication competence has an effect on patient safety. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The attentional drift-diffusion model extends to simple purchasing decisions.

PubMed

Krajbich, Ian; Lu, Dingchao; Camerer, Colin; Rangel, Antonio

2012-01-01

How do we make simple purchasing decisions (e.g., whether or not to buy a product at a given price)? Previous work has shown that the attentional drift-diffusion model (aDDM) can provide accurate quantitative descriptions of the psychometric data for binary and trinary value-based choices, and of how the choice process is guided by visual attention. Here we extend the aDDM to the case of purchasing decisions, and test it using an eye-tracking experiment. We find that the model also provides a reasonably accurate quantitative description of the relationship between choice, reaction time, and visual fixations using parameters that are very similar to those that best fit the previous data. The only critical difference is that the choice biases induced by the fixations are about half as big in purchasing decisions as in binary choices. This suggests that a similar computational process is used to make binary choices, trinary choices, and simple purchasing decisions.

The Attentional Drift-Diffusion Model Extends to Simple Purchasing Decisions

PubMed Central

Krajbich, Ian; Lu, Dingchao; Camerer, Colin; Rangel, Antonio

2012-01-01

How do we make simple purchasing decisions (e.g., whether or not to buy a product at a given price)? Previous work has shown that the attentional drift-diffusion model (aDDM) can provide accurate quantitative descriptions of the psychometric data for binary and trinary value-based choices, and of how the choice process is guided by visual attention. Here we extend the aDDM to the case of purchasing decisions, and test it using an eye-tracking experiment. We find that the model also provides a reasonably accurate quantitative description of the relationship between choice, reaction time, and visual fixations using parameters that are very similar to those that best fit the previous data. The only critical difference is that the choice biases induced by the fixations are about half as big in purchasing decisions as in binary choices. This suggests that a similar computational process is used to make binary choices, trinary choices, and simple purchasing decisions. PMID:22707945

Projectiles, pendula, and special relativity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Price, Richard H.

2005-05-01

The kind of flat-earth gravity used in introductory physics appears in an accelerated reference system in special relativity. From this viewpoint, we work out the special relativistic description of a ballistic projectile and a simple pendulum, two examples of simple motion driven by earth-surface gravity. The analysis uses only the basic mathematical tools of special relativity typical of a first-year university course.

SEACAS Theory Manuals: Part III. Finite Element Analysis in Nonlinear Solid Mechanics

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

Laursen, T.A.; Attaway, S.W.; Zadoks, R.I.

1999-03-01

This report outlines the application of finite element methodology to large deformation solid mechanics problems, detailing also some of the key technological issues that effective finite element formulations must address. The presentation is organized into three major portions: first, a discussion of finite element discretization from the global point of view, emphasizing the relationship between a virtual work principle and the associated fully discrete system, second, a discussion of finite element technology, emphasizing the important theoretical and practical features associated with an individual finite element; and third, detailed description of specific elements that enjoy widespread use, providing some examples ofmore » the theoretical ideas already described. Descriptions of problem formulation in nonlinear solid mechanics, nonlinear continuum mechanics, and constitutive modeling are given in three companion reports.« less

Materials by numbers: Computations as tools of discovery

PubMed Central

Landman, Uzi

2005-01-01

Current issues pertaining to theoretical simulations of materials, with a focus on systems of nanometer-scale dimensions, are discussed. The use of atomistic simulations as high-resolution numerical experiments, enabling and guiding formulation and testing of analytic theoretical descriptions, is demonstrated through studies of the generation and breakup of nanojets, which have led to the derivation of a stochastic hydrodynamic description. Subsequently, I illustrate the use of computations and simulations as tools of discovery, with examples that include the self-organized formation of nanowires, the surprising nanocatalytic activity of small aggregates of gold that, in the bulk form, is notorious for being chemically inert, and the emergence of rotating electron molecules in two-dimensional quantum dots. I conclude with a brief discussion of some key challenges in nanomaterials simulations. PMID:15870210

Cold fission description with constant and varying mass asymmetries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duarte, S. B.; Rodríguez, O.; Tavares, O. A. P.; Gonçalves, M.; García, F.; Guzmán, F.

1998-05-01

Different descriptions for varying the mass asymmetry in the fragmentation process are used to calculate the cold fission barrier penetrability. The relevance of the appropriate choice for both the description of the prescission phase and inertia coefficient to unify alpha decay, cluster radioactivity, and spontaneous cold fission processes in the same theoretical framework is explicitly shown. We calculate the half-life of all possible partition modes of nuclei of A>200 following the most recent Mass Table by Audi and Wapstra. It is shown that if one uses the description in which the mass asymmetry is maintained constant during the fragmentation process, the experimental half-life values and mass yield of 234U cold fission are satisfactorily reproduced.

Teachers' Stances on Cell Phones in the ESL Classroom: Toward a "Theoretical" Framework

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Jeff

2014-01-01

In the ongoing and constantly expanding discussion surrounding cell phones in the classroom, a theoretical complement to the practical side of the issue is generally lacking. This is perhaps understandable. Many teachers are still trying to deal with the simple presence of cell phones in the class, and managing a classroom in which the presence…

Curso: Auxiliar de Farmacia. Guia. Farmacia Teorica: Manual del Estudiante. Matematica General: Manual del Estudiante. Documento de Trabajo (Pharmacy Assistant Course Guide. Theoretical Pharmacy Student Manual. General Mathematics Student Manual. Working Document).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Puerto Rico State Dept. of Education, Hato Rey. Area for Vocational and Technical Education.

The three parts of this document are intended for a 3-semester course for pharmacy assistants. The course guide contains the following sections: occupational description; educational philosophy; general objectives; tasks/competencies for each unit; course organization; brief description of the topics; student standards; and evaluation methods.…

Searle's"Dualism Revisited"

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

P., Henry

2008-11-20

A recent article in which John Searle claims to refute dualism is examined from a scientific perspective. John Searle begins his recent article 'Dualism Revisited' by stating his belief that the philosophical problem of consciousness has a scientific solution. He then claims to refute dualism. It is therefore appropriate to examine his arguments against dualism from a scientific perspective. Scientific physical theories contain two kinds of descriptions: (1) Descriptions of our empirical findings, expressed in an every-day language that allows us communicate to each other our sensory experiences pertaining to what we have done and what we have learned; andmore » (2) Descriptions of a theoretical model, expressed in a mathematical language that allows us to communicate to each other certain ideas that exist in our mathematical imaginations, and that are believed to represent, within our streams of consciousness, certain aspects of reality that we deem to exist independently of their being perceived by any human observer. These two parts of our scientific description correspond to the two aspects of our general contemporary dualistic understanding of the total reality in which we are imbedded, namely the empirical-mental aspect and the theoretical-physical aspect. The duality question is whether this general dualistic understanding of ourselves should be regarded as false in some important philosophical or scientific sense.« less

General Description of Fission Observables: GEF Model Code

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

Schmidt, K.-H.; Jurado, B., E-mail: jurado@cenbg.in2p3.fr; Amouroux, C.

2016-01-15

The GEF (“GEneral description of Fission observables”) model code is documented. It describes the observables for spontaneous fission, neutron-induced fission and, more generally, for fission of a compound nucleus from any other entrance channel, with given excitation energy and angular momentum. The GEF model is applicable for a wide range of isotopes from Z = 80 to Z = 112 and beyond, up to excitation energies of about 100 MeV. The results of the GEF model are compared with fission barriers, fission probabilities, fission-fragment mass- and nuclide distributions, isomeric ratios, total kinetic energies, and prompt-neutron and prompt-gamma yields and energymore » spectra from neutron-induced and spontaneous fission. Derived properties of delayed neutrons and decay heat are also considered. The GEF model is based on a general approach to nuclear fission that explains a great part of the complex appearance of fission observables on the basis of fundamental laws of physics and general properties of microscopic systems and mathematical objects. The topographic theorem is used to estimate the fission-barrier heights from theoretical macroscopic saddle-point and ground-state masses and experimental ground-state masses. Motivated by the theoretically predicted early localisation of nucleonic wave functions in a necked-in shape, the properties of the relevant fragment shells are extracted. These are used to determine the depths and the widths of the fission valleys corresponding to the different fission channels and to describe the fission-fragment distributions and deformations at scission by a statistical approach. A modified composite nuclear-level-density formula is proposed. It respects some features in the superfluid regime that are in accordance with new experimental findings and with theoretical expectations. These are a constant-temperature behaviour that is consistent with a considerably increased heat capacity and an increased pairing condensation energy that is consistent with the collective enhancement of the level density. The exchange of excitation energy and nucleons between the nascent fragments on the way from saddle to scission is estimated according to statistical mechanics. As a result, excitation energy and unpaired nucleons are predominantly transferred to the heavy fragment in the superfluid regime. This description reproduces some rather peculiar observed features of the prompt-neutron multiplicities and of the even-odd effect in fission-fragment Z distributions. For completeness, some conventional descriptions are used for calculating pre-equilibrium emission, fission probabilities and statistical emission of neutrons and gamma radiation from the excited fragments. Preference is given to simple models that can also be applied to exotic nuclei compared to more sophisticated models that need precise empirical input of nuclear properties, e.g. spectroscopic information. The approach reveals a high degree of regularity and provides a considerable insight into the physics of the fission process. Fission observables can be calculated with a precision that complies with the needs for applications in nuclear technology without specific adjustments to measured data of individual systems. The GEF executable runs out of the box with no need for entering any empirical data. This unique feature is of valuable importance, because the number of systems and energies of potential significance for fundamental and applied science will never be possible to be measured. The relevance of the approach for examining the consistency of experimental results and for evaluating nuclear data is demonstrated.« less

A theoretical trombone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

LoPresto, Michael C.

2014-09-01

What follows is a description of a theoretical model designed to calculate the playing frequencies of the musical pitches produced by a trombone. The model is based on quantitative treatments that demonstrate the effects of the flaring bell and cup-shaped mouthpiece sections on these frequencies and can be used to calculate frequencies that compare well to both the desired frequencies of the musical pitches and those actually played on a real trombone.

Theoretical investigation of gas-surface interactions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, Timothy J.

1989-01-01

Four reprints are presented from four projects which are to be published in a refereed journal. Two are of interest to us and are presented herein. One is a description of a very detailed theoretical study of four anionic hydrogen bonded complexes. The other is a detailed study of the first generally reliable diagnostic for determining the quality of results that may be expected from single reference based electron correlation methods.

A passive microwave technique for estimating rainfall and vertical structure information from space. Part 1: Algorithm description

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kummerow, Christian; Giglio, Louis

1994-01-01

This paper describes a multichannel physical approach for retrieving rainfall and vertical structure information from satellite-based passive microwave observations. The algorithm makes use of statistical inversion techniques based upon theoretically calculated relations between rainfall rates and brightness temperatures. Potential errors introduced into the theoretical calculations by the unknown vertical distribution of hydrometeors are overcome by explicity accounting for diverse hydrometeor profiles. This is accomplished by allowing for a number of different vertical distributions in the theoretical brightness temperature calculations and requiring consistency between the observed and calculated brightness temperatures. This paper will focus primarily on the theoretical aspects of the retrieval algorithm, which includes a procedure used to account for inhomogeneities of the rainfall within the satellite field of view as well as a detailed description of the algorithm as it is applied over both ocean and land surfaces. The residual error between observed and calculated brightness temperatures is found to be an important quantity in assessing the uniqueness of the solution. It is further found that the residual error is a meaningful quantity that can be used to derive expected accuracies from this retrieval technique. Examples comparing the retrieved results as well as the detailed analysis of the algorithm performance under various circumstances are the subject of a companion paper.

Theoretical study of the kinetics of chlorine atom abstraction from chloromethanes by atomic chlorine.

PubMed

Brudnik, Katarzyna; Twarda, Maria; Sarzyński, Dariusz; Jodkowski, Jerzy T

2013-10-01

Ab initio calculations at the G3 level were used in a theoretical description of the kinetics and mechanism of the chlorine abstraction reactions from mono-, di-, tri- and tetra-chloromethane by chlorine atoms. The calculated profiles of the potential energy surface of the reaction systems show that the mechanism of the studied reactions is complex and the Cl-abstraction proceeds via the formation of intermediate complexes. The multi-step reaction mechanism consists of two elementary steps in the case of CCl4 + Cl, and three for the other reactions. Rate constants were calculated using the theoretical method based on the RRKM theory and the simplified version of the statistical adiabatic channel model. The temperature dependencies of the calculated rate constants can be expressed, in temperature range of 200-3,000 K as [Formula: see text]. The rate constants for the reverse reactions CH3/CH2Cl/CHCl2/CCl3 + Cl2 were calculated via the equilibrium constants derived theoretically. The kinetic equations [Formula: see text] allow a very good description of the reaction kinetics. The derived expressions are a substantial supplement to the kinetic data necessary to describe and model the complex gas-phase reactions of importance in combustion and atmospheric chemistry.

People adopt optimal policies in simple decision-making, after practice and guidance.

PubMed

Evans, Nathan J; Brown, Scott D

2017-04-01

Organisms making repeated simple decisions are faced with a tradeoff between urgent and cautious strategies. While animals can adopt a statistically optimal policy for this tradeoff, findings about human decision-makers have been mixed. Some studies have shown that people can optimize this "speed-accuracy tradeoff", while others have identified a systematic bias towards excessive caution. These issues have driven theoretical development and spurred debate about the nature of human decision-making. We investigated a potential resolution to the debate, based on two factors that routinely differ between human and animal studies of decision-making: the effects of practice, and of longer-term feedback. Our study replicated the finding that most people, by default, are overly cautious. When given both practice and detailed feedback, people moved rapidly towards the optimal policy, with many participants reaching optimality with less than 1 h of practice. Our findings have theoretical implications for cognitive and neural models of simple decision-making, as well as methodological implications.

Review of sonic fatigue technology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Clarkson, B. L.

1994-01-01

From the early-1960s until the mid-1980s, there was very little theoretical development for sonic fatigue prediction. Design nomographs based on simple theoretical models and results of specially designed tests were developed for most common aircraft structures. The use of advanced composites in the 1980s, however, generated an increased interest in development of more sophisticated theoretical models because of the possibilities for a much wider range of structural designs. The purpose of this report is to review sonic fatigue technology and, in particular, to assess recent developments. It also suggests a plan for a coordinated program of theoretical and experimental work to meet the anticipated needs of future aerospace vehicles.

Some Key Issues in Creating Inquiry-Based Instructional Practices that Aim at the Understanding of Simple Electric Circuits

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kock, Zeger-Jan; Taconis, Ruurd; Bolhuis, Sanneke; Gravemeijer, Koeno

2013-01-01

Many students in secondary schools consider the sciences difficult and unattractive. This applies to physics in particular, a subject in which students attempt to learn and understand numerous theoretical concepts, often without much success. A case in point is the understanding of the concepts current, voltage and resistance in simple electric…

Computer program system for dynamic simulation and stability analysis of passive and actively controlled spacecraft. Volume 1. Theory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bodley, C. S.; Devers, D. A.; Park, C. A.

1975-01-01

A theoretical development and associated digital computer program system is presented. The dynamic system (spacecraft) is modeled as an assembly of rigid and/or flexible bodies not necessarily in a topological tree configuration. The computer program system may be used to investigate total system dynamic characteristics including interaction effects between rigid and/or flexible bodies, control systems, and a wide range of environmental loadings. Additionally, the program system may be used for design of attitude control systems and for evaluation of total dynamic system performance including time domain response and frequency domain stability analyses. Volume 1 presents the theoretical developments including a description of the physical system, the equations of dynamic equilibrium, discussion of kinematics and system topology, a complete treatment of momentum wheel coupling, and a discussion of gravity gradient and environmental effects. Volume 2, is a program users' guide and includes a description of the overall digital program code, individual subroutines and a description of required program input and generated program output. Volume 3 presents the results of selected demonstration problems that illustrate all program system capabilities.

Universal description of III-V/Si epitaxial growth processes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lucci, I.; Charbonnier, S.; Pedesseau, L.; Vallet, M.; Cerutti, L.; Rodriguez, J.-B.; Tournié, E.; Bernard, R.; Létoublon, A.; Bertru, N.; Le Corre, A.; Rennesson, S.; Semond, F.; Patriarche, G.; Largeau, L.; Turban, P.; Ponchet, A.; Cornet, C.

2018-06-01

Here, we experimentally and theoretically clarify III-V/Si crystal growth processes. Atomically resolved microscopy shows that monodomain three-dimensional islands are observed at the early stages of AlSb, AlN, and GaP epitaxy on Si, independently of misfit. It is also shown that complete III-V/Si wetting cannot be achieved in most III-V/Si systems. Surface/interface contributions to the free-energy variations are found to be prominent over strain relief processes. We finally propose a general and unified description of III-V/Si growth processes, including a description of the formation of antiphase boundaries.

Les Houches 2017: Physics at TeV Colliders Standard Model Working Group Report

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

Andersen, J.R.; et al.

This Report summarizes the proceedings of the 2017 Les Houches workshop on Physics at TeV Colliders. Session 1 dealt with (I) new developments relevant for high precision Standard Model calculations, (II) theoretical uncertainties and dataset dependence of parton distribution functions, (III) new developments in jet substructure techniques, (IV) issues in the theoretical description of the production of Standard Model Higgs bosons and how to relate experimental measurements, (V) phenomenological studies essential for comparing LHC data from Run II with theoretical predictions and projections for future measurements, and (VI) new developments in Monte Carlo event generators.

Simple Benchmark Specifications for Space Radiation Protection

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Singleterry, Robert C. Jr.; Aghara, Sukesh K.

2013-01-01

This report defines space radiation benchmark specifications. This specification starts with simple, monoenergetic, mono-directional particles on slabs and progresses to human models in spacecraft. This report specifies the models and sources needed to what the team performing the benchmark needs to produce in a report. Also included are brief descriptions of how OLTARIS, the NASA Langley website for space radiation analysis, performs its analysis.

SIMPL Systems, or: Can We Design Cryptographic Hardware without Secret Key Information?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rührmair, Ulrich

This paper discusses a new cryptographic primitive termed SIMPL system. Roughly speaking, a SIMPL system is a special type of Physical Unclonable Function (PUF) which possesses a binary description that allows its (slow) public simulation and prediction. Besides this public key like functionality, SIMPL systems have another advantage: No secret information is, or needs to be, contained in SIMPL systems in order to enable cryptographic protocols - neither in the form of a standard binary key, nor as secret information hidden in random, analog features, as it is the case for PUFs. The cryptographic security of SIMPLs instead rests on (i) a physical assumption on their unclonability, and (ii) a computational assumption regarding the complexity of simulating their output. This novel property makes SIMPL systems potentially immune against many known hardware and software attacks, including malware, side channel, invasive, or modeling attacks.

Simplified refracting technique in keratoconus.

PubMed

Gasset, A R

1975-01-01

A simple but effective technique to refract keratoconus patients is presented. The theoretical objection to these methods are discussed. In addition, a formula to calculate lenticular astigmatism is presented.

Subject descriptions, control groups, and research designs in published studies of language-impaired children.

PubMed

Schmitt, J F; Meline, T J

1990-12-01

We reviewed the 1983-1988 issues of six journals that frequently publish papers including specifically language-impaired (LI) subjects. A total of 92 research reports provided data for our review. The research reports included experimental studies, ex post facto studies, and intervention studies. These studies represent a broad spectrum of the theoretical and empirical foundations of knowledge regarding LI children. The analysis of the published research centered on subject descriptions and the use of control groups. A descriptive analysis of the data showed few consistent trends among the studies with respect to subject selection, subject description, and the number and types of control groups. We discuss the importance of more complete subject descriptions in studies of LI children as well as the importance of the choice of matching criteria for control groups in between-subjects designs.

Coupled Particle Transport and Pattern Formation in a Nonlinear Leaky-Box Model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barghouty, A. F.; El-Nemr, K. W.; Baird, J. K.

2009-01-01

Effects of particle-particle coupling on particle characteristics in nonlinear leaky-box type descriptions of the acceleration and transport of energetic particles in space plasmas are examined in the framework of a simple two-particle model based on the Fokker-Planck equation in momentum space. In this model, the two particles are assumed coupled via a common nonlinear source term. In analogy with a prototypical mathematical system of diffusion-driven instability, this work demonstrates that steady-state patterns with strong dependence on the magnetic turbulence but a rather weak one on the coupled particles attributes can emerge in solutions of a nonlinearly coupled leaky-box model. The insight gained from this simple model may be of wider use and significance to nonlinearly coupled leaky-box type descriptions in general.

[In defence of the diagnosis of simple schizophrenia: reflections on a case presentation].

PubMed

Martínez Serrano, José; Medina Garrido, María L; Consuegra Sánchez, Rosario; Del Cerro Oñate, Matias; López-Mesa, José L; González Matás, Juana

2012-01-01

Since the first case descriptions of dementia praecox (Diem, 1903), the diagnosis of simple schizophrenia has continued to be controversial. The questioning of its descriptive validity and its reliability, as well as its infrequent use, has led to it being eliminated as a sub-type of schizophrenia in the DSM-III. Criteria for the diagnosis of «simple deteriorative disorder» are currently included in the DSM-IV-TR as a disorder requiring more studies for its possible inclusion. An attempt is made, using a clinical case, to perform a historical review of the concept of simple schizophrenia, and at the same what has led to the reflection on the possible reasons for the controversy, and a potential route to resolve it. Using a controversial clinical case, which meets ICD-10 clinical criteria for simple schizophrenia (and those of the DSM-IV-TR for the simple deteriorative disorder), we reflect on the symptoms and diagnostic difficulties. A literature review and update on the subjects was also performed. Our patient highlights, by the absence in the clinical picture of the most obvious positive psychotic symptoms, the tendency by psychiatrists to identify the diagnosis of schizophrenia with the presence of the same, at least at some time during its evolution. The use of neuroimaging tests was useful to assess the level of deterioration and prognosis of the patient. Considering simple schizophrenia in the differential diagnosis of other chronic deteriorative disorders could increase its recognition in the initial phases. The use of neuropsychological function tests, and looking for typical deteriorative patterns of the schizophrenia spectrum, could help to increase the reliability of the diagnosis. Copyright © 2011 SEP y SEPB. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

Thermally induced oscillations in fluid flow

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zuber, N.

1970-01-01

Theoretical investigation distinguishes the various mechanisms responsible for oscillations of pressure, temperature, and flow velocity, derives a quantitative description of the most troublesome mechanisms, and develops a capability to predict the occurrence of unstable flow.

Biology: A Hypothetico-Deductive Science.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lewis, Ralph W.

1988-01-01

Examines the change and general view of methods in biological science and the possible consequences for biology education. States that the transition was from descriptive biology to theoretical biology. Lists the postulates of some theories. (RT)

Perturbation theory for water with an associating reference fluid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marshall, Bennett D.

2017-11-01

The theoretical description of the thermodynamics of water is challenged by the structural transition towards tetrahedral symmetry at ambient conditions. As perturbation theories typically assume a spherically symmetric reference fluid, they are incapable of accurately describing the liquid properties of water at ambient conditions. In this paper we address this problem by introducing the concept of an associated reference perturbation theory (APT). In APT we treat the reference fluid as an associating hard sphere fluid which transitions to tetrahedral symmetry in the fully hydrogen bonded limit. We calculate this transition in a theoretically self-consistent manner without appealing to molecular simulations. This associated reference provides the reference fluid for a second order Barker-Henderson perturbative treatment of the long-range attractions. We demonstrate that this approach gives a significantly improved description of water as compared to standard perturbation theories.

Group theoretical symmetries and generalized Bäcklund transformations for integrable systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haak, Guido

1994-05-01

A notion of symmetry for 1+1-dimensional integrable systems is presented which is consistent with their group theoretic description. It is shown how a group symmetry may be used together with a dynamical reduction to produce new generalizations of the Bäcklund transformation for the Korteweg-de Vries equation to its SL(n,C) generalization. An additional application to the relativistic invariance of the Leznov-Saveliev systems is given.

Ultimate Gradient Limitation in Niobium Superconducting Accelerating Cavities

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

Checchin, Mattia; Grassellino, Anna; Martinello, Martina

2016-06-01

The present study is addressed to the theoretical description of the ultimate gradient limitation in SRF cavities. Our intent is to exploit experimental data to confirm models which provide feed-backs on how to improve the current state-of-art. New theoretical insight on the cavities limiting factor can be suitable to improve the quench field of N-doped cavities, and therefore to take advantage of high Q 0 at high gradients.

Pure shear and simple shear calcite textures. Comparison of experimental, theoretical and natural data

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wenk, H.-R.; Takeshita, T.; Bechler, E.; Erskine, B.G.; Matthies, S.

1987-01-01

The pattern of lattice preferred orientation (texture) in deformed rocks is an expression of the strain path and the acting deformation mechanisms. A first indication about the strain path is given by the symmetry of pole figures: coaxial deformation produces orthorhombic pole figures, while non-coaxial deformation yields monoclinic or triclinic pole figures. More quantitative information about the strain history can be obtained by comparing natural textures with experimental ones and with theoretical models. For this comparison, a representation in the sensitive three-dimensional orientation distribution space is extremely important and efforts are made to explain this concept. We have been investigating differences between pure shear and simple shear deformation incarbonate rocks and have found considerable agreement between textures produced in plane strain experiments and predictions based on the Taylor model. We were able to simulate the observed changes with strain history (coaxial vs non-coaxial) and the profound texture transition which occurs with increasing temperature. Two natural calcite textures were then selected which we interpreted by comparing them with the experimental and theoretical results. A marble from the Santa Rosa mylonite zone in southern California displays orthorhombic pole figures with patterns consistent with low temperature deformation in pure shear. A limestone from the Tanque Verde detachment fault in Arizona has a monoclinic fabric from which we can interpret that 60% of the deformation occurred by simple shear. ?? 1987.

Mean-field theory of baryonic matter for QCD in the large Nc and heavy quark mass limits

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adhikari, Prabal; Cohen, Thomas D.

2013-11-01

We discuss theoretical issues pertaining to baryonic matter in the combined heavy-quark and large Nc limits of QCD. Witten's classic argument that baryons and interacting systems of baryons can be described in a mean-field approximation with each of the quarks moving in an average potential due to the remaining quarks is heuristic. It is important to justify this heuristic description for the case of baryonic matter since systems of interacting baryons are intrinsically more complicated than single baryons due to the possibility of hidden color states—states in which the subsystems making up the entire baryon crystal are not color-singlet nucleons but rather colorful states coupled together to make a color-singlet state. In this work, we provide a formal justification of this heuristic prescription. In order to do this, we start by taking the heavy quark limit, thus effectively reducing the problem to a many-body quantum mechanical system. This problem can be formulated in terms of integrals over coherent states, which for this problem are simple Slater determinants. We show that for the many-body problem, the support region for these integrals becomes narrow at large Nc, yielding an energy which is well approximated by a single coherent state—that is a mean-field description. Corrections to the energy are of relative order 1/Nc. While hidden color states are present in the exact state of the heavy quark system, they only influence the interaction energy below leading order in 1/Nc.

Some-or-none recollection: Evidence from item and source memory.

PubMed

Onyper, Serge V; Zhang, Yaofei X; Howard, Marc W

2010-05-01

Dual-process theory hypothesizes that recognition memory depends on 2 distinguishable memory signals. Recollection reflects conscious recovery of detailed information about the learning episode. Familiarity reflects a memory signal that is not accompanied by a vivid conscious experience but nonetheless enables participants to distinguish recently experienced probe items from novel ones. This dual-process explanation of recognition memory has gained wide acceptance among cognitive neuroscientists and some cognitive psychologists. Nonetheless, its difficulty in providing a quantitatively satisfactory description of performance has precluded a consensus not only regarding the theoretical structure of recognition memory but also about how to best measure recognition accuracy. In 2 experiments we show that neither the standard formulation of dual-process signal detection (DPSD) theory nor a widely used single-process model called the unequal-variance signal-detection (UVSD) model provides a satisfactory explanation of recognition memory across different types of stimuli (words and travel scenes). In the variable-recollection dual-process (VRDP) model, recollection fails for some old probe items, as in standard formulations of DPSD, but gives rise to a continuous distribution of memory strengths when it succeeds. The VRDP can approximate both the DPSD and UVSD. In both experiments it provides a consistently superior fit across materials to the superset of the DPSD and UVSD. The VRDP offers a simple explanation of the form of conjoint item-source judgments, something neither the DPSD nor UVSD accomplishes. The success of the VRDP supports the core assumptions of dual-process theory by providing an excellent quantitative description of recognition performance across materials and response criteria.

Issues with the SIMPLE Model: Comment on Brown, Neath, and Chater (2007)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Murdock, Bennet

2008-01-01

Comments on the article A temporal ratio model of memory by Brown, Neath, and Chater. SIMPLE (G. D. A. Brown, I. Neath, & N. Chater, 2007) attempts to explain data from serial recall and free recall in the same theoretical framework. While it can fit the free-recall serial-position curves that are the cornerstone of the 2-store buffer model, it…

Model Estimation Using Ridge Regression with the Variance Normalization Criterion. Interim Report No. 2. The Education and Inequality in Canada Project.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Wan-Fung; Bulcock, Jeffrey Wilson

The purposes of this study are: (1) to demonstrate the superiority of simple ridge regression over ordinary least squares regression through theoretical argument and empirical example; (2) to modify ridge regression through use of the variance normalization criterion; and (3) to demonstrate the superiority of simple ridge regression based on the…

Investigating the Impact of a LEGO(TM)-Based, Engineering-Oriented Curriculum Compared to an Inquiry-Based Curriculum on Fifth Graders' Content Learning of Simple Machines

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marulcu, Ismail

2010-01-01

This mixed method study examined the impact of a LEGO-based, engineering-oriented curriculum compared to an inquiry-based curriculum on fifth graders' content learning of simple machines. This study takes a social constructivist theoretical stance that science learning involves learning scientific concepts and their relations to each other. From…

Cognitive Constraints on the Simple View of Reading: A Longitudinal Study in Children with Intellectual Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

van Wingerden, Evelien; Segers, Eliane; van Balkom, Hans; Verhoeven, Ludo

2018-01-01

The present article aimed to explore how the development of reading comprehension is affected when its cognitive basis is compromised. The simple view of reading was adopted as the theoretical framework. The study followed 76 children with mild intellectual disabilities (average IQ = 60.38, age 121 months) across a period of 3 years. The children…

Orthodontics for the dog. Treatment methods.

PubMed

Ross, D L

1986-09-01

This article considers the prevention of orthodontic problems, occlusal adjustments, simple tooth movements, rotational techniques, tipping problems, adjustment of crown height, descriptions of common orthodontic appliances, and problems associated with therapy.

Group theoretical formulation of free fall and projectile motion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Düztaş, Koray

2018-07-01

In this work we formulate the group theoretical description of free fall and projectile motion. We show that the kinematic equations for constant acceleration form a one parameter group acting on a phase space. We define the group elements ϕ t by their action on the points in the phase space. We also generalize this approach to projectile motion. We evaluate the group orbits regarding their relations to the physical orbits of particles and unphysical solutions. We note that the group theoretical formulation does not apply to more general cases involving a time-dependent acceleration. This method improves our understanding of the constant acceleration problem with its global approach. It is especially beneficial for students who want to pursue a career in theoretical physics.

Celestial reference frames and the gauge freedom in the post-Newtonian mechanics of the Earth-Moon system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kopeikin, Sergei; Xie, Yi

2010-11-01

We introduce the Jacobi coordinates adopted to the advanced theoretical analysis of the relativistic Celestial Mechanics of the Earth-Moon system. Theoretical derivation utilizes the relativistic resolutions on reference frames adopted by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in 2000. The resolutions assume that the Solar System is isolated and space-time is asymptotically flat at infinity and the primary reference frame covers the entire space-time, has its origin at the Solar System barycenter (SSB) with spatial axes stretching up to infinity. The SSB frame is not rotating with respect to a set of distant quasars that are assumed to be at rest on the sky forming the International Celestial Reference Frame (ICRF). The second reference frame has its origin at the Earth-Moon barycenter (EMB). The EMB frame is locally inertial and is not rotating dynamically in the sense that equation of motion of a test particle moving with respect to the EMB frame, does not contain the Coriolis and centripetal forces. Two other local frames—geocentric and selenocentric—have their origins at the center of mass of Earth and Moon respectively and do not rotate dynamically. Each local frame is subject to the geodetic precession both with respect to other local frames and with respect to the ICRF because of their relative motion with respect to each other. Theoretical advantage of the dynamically non-rotating local frames is in a more simple mathematical description of the metric tensor and relative equations of motion of the Moon with respect to Earth. Each local frame can be converted to kinematically non-rotating one after alignment with the axes of ICRF by applying the matrix of the relativistic precession as recommended by the IAU resolutions. The set of one global and three local frames is introduced in order to decouple physical effects of gravity from the gauge-dependent effects in the equations of relative motion of the Moon with respect to Earth.

Development and application of a ray-based model of light propagation through a spherical acousto-optic lens

PubMed Central

Evans, Geoffrey J.; Kirkby, Paul A.; Nadella, K. M. Naga Srinivas; Marin, Bóris; Silver, R. Angus

2016-01-01

A spherical acousto-optic lens (AOL) consists of four acousto-optic deflectors (AODs) that can rapidly and precisely control the focal position of an optical beam in 3D space. Development and application of AOLs has increased the speed at which 3D random access point measurements can be performed with a two-photon microscope. This has been particularly useful for measuring brain activity with fluorescent reporter dyes because neuronal signalling is rapid and sparsely distributed in 3D space. However, a theoretical description of light propagation through AOLs has lagged behind their development, resulting in only a handful of simplified principles to guide AOL design and optimization. To address this we have developed a ray-based computer model of an AOL incorporating acousto-optic diffraction and refraction by anisotropic media. We extended an existing model of a single AOD with constant drive frequency to model a spherical AOL: four AODs in series driven with linear chirps. AOL model predictions of the relationship between optical transmission efficiency and acoustic drive frequency including second order diffraction effects closely matched experimental measurements from a 3D two-photon AOL microscope. Moreover, exploration of different AOL drive configurations identified a new simple rule for maximizing the field of view of our compact AOL design. By providing a theoretical basis for understanding optical transmission through spherical AOLs, our open source model is likely to be useful for comparing and improving different AOL designs, as well as identifying the acoustic drive configurations that provide the best transmission performance over the 3D focal region. PMID:26368449

The importance of correct specification of tribological parameters in dynamical systems modelling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alaci, S.; Ciornei, F. C.; Romanu, I. C.; Ciornei, M. C.

2018-01-01

When modelling the behaviour of dynamical systems, the friction phenomenon cannot be neglected. Dry and fluid friction may occur, but dry friction has more severe effects upon the behaviour of the systems, based on the fact that the introduced discontinuities are more important. In the modelling of dynamical systems, dry friction is the main cause of occurrence of the bifurcation phenomenon. These aspects become more complex if, in the case of dry friction, static and dynamic frictions are put forward. The behaviour of a simple dynamical system is studied, consisting in a prismatic body linked to the ground by a spring, placed on a conveyor belt. The theoretical model is described by a nonlinear differential equation which after numerical integration leads to the conclusion that the steady motion of the prism is an un-damped oscillatory motion. The system was qualitatively modelled using specialised software for dynamical analysis. It was impractical to obtain a steady uniform translational motion of a rigid, therefore the conveyor belt was replaced by a metallic disc in uniform rotation motion. The attempts to compare the CAD model to the theoretical model were unsuccessful because the efforts of selecting the tribological parameters directed to the conclusion that the motion of the prism is a damped oscillation. To decide which of the methods depicts reality, a test-rig was assembled and it indicated a sustained oscillation. The conclusion is that the model employed by the dynamical analysis software cannot describe the actual model and a more complex model is required in the description of the friction phenomenon.

Evaporation, diffusion and self-assembly at drying interfaces.

PubMed

Roger, K; Sparr, E; Wennerström, H

2018-04-18

Water evaporation from complex aqueous solutions leads to the build-up of structure and composition gradients at their interface with air. We recently introduced an experimental setup for quantitatively studying such gradients and discussed how structure formation can lead to a self-regulation mechanism for controlling water evaporation through self-assembly. Here, we provide a detailed theoretical analysis using an advection/diffusion transport equation that takes into account thermodynamically non-ideal conditions and we directly relate the theoretical description to quantitative experimental data. We derive that the concentration profile develops according to a general square root of time scaling law, which fully agrees with experimental observations. The evaporation rate notably decreases with time as t-1/2, which shows that diffusion in the liquid phase is the rate limiting step for this system, in contrast to pure water evaporation. For the particular binary system that was investigated experimentally, which is composed of water and a sugar-based surfactant (α-dodecylmaltoside), the interfacial layer consists in a sequence of liquid crystalline phases of different mesostructures. We extract values for mutual diffusion coefficients of lamellar, hexagonal and micellar cubic phases, which are consistent with previously reported values and simple models. We thus provide a method to estimate the transport properties of oriented mesophases. The macroscopic humidity-independence of the evaporation rate up to 85% relative humidities is shown to result from both an extremely low mutual diffusion coefficient and the large range of water activities corresponding to relative humidities below 85%, at which the lamellar phase exists. Such a humidity self-regulation mechanism is expected for a large variety of complex system.

Doubly resonant three-wave-mixing spectroscopy of a chiral coupled-chromophore system in solution: coherent two-dimensional optical activity spectroscopy.

PubMed

Cheon, Sangheon; Lee, Hochan; Choi, Jun-Ho; Cho, Minhaeng

2007-02-07

Theoretical descriptions of doubly resonant two-dimensional (2D) sum-frequency-generation (SFG) and difference-frequency-generation (DFG) spectroscopies of coupled-chromophore systems are presented. Despite that each electronic or vibrational chromophore is achiral, the interaction-induced chirality of a coupled multichromophore system in solution can be measured by using the doubly resonant 2D three-wave-mixing (3WM) spectroscopic method. An electronically coupled dimer, where each monomer is modeled as a simple two-level system, can have nonvanishing SFG (or DFG) properties, e.g., susceptibility in frequency domain or nonlinear response function in time domain, if the induced dipole vector of the dimer is not orthogonal to the vector product of the two monomer electronic transition dipole vectors. In order to demonstrate that these 2D 3WM spectroscopic methods can be used to determine the solution structure of a polypeptide, the authors carried out quantum chemistry calculations for an alanine dipeptide and obtained first- and second-order dipole derivatives associated with the amide I vibrational transitions of the dipeptide. It is shown that the numerically simulated 2D IR-IR SFG spectrum is highly sensitive to the dipeptide secondary structure and provides rich information on the one- and two-exciton states. It is believed that the theoretically proposed doubly resonant 2D 3WM spectroscopy, which can be considered to be an optical activity spectroscopy, will be of use in studying both structural and dynamical aspects of coupled multichromophore systems, such as proteins, nucleic acids, nanoparticle aggregates etc.

Development and application of a ray-based model of light propagation through a spherical acousto-optic lens.

PubMed

Evans, Geoffrey J; Kirkby, Paul A; Naga Srinivas Nadella, K M; Marin, Bóris; Angus Silver, R

2015-09-07

A spherical acousto-optic lens (AOL) consists of four acousto-optic deflectors (AODs) that can rapidly and precisely control the focal position of an optical beam in 3D space. Development and application of AOLs has increased the speed at which 3D random access point measurements can be performed with a two-photon microscope. This has been particularly useful for measuring brain activity with fluorescent reporter dyes because neuronal signalling is rapid and sparsely distributed in 3D space. However, a theoretical description of light propagation through AOLs has lagged behind their development, resulting in only a handful of simplified principles to guide AOL design and optimization. To address this we have developed a ray-based computer model of an AOL incorporating acousto-optic diffraction and refraction by anisotropic media. We extended an existing model of a single AOD with constant drive frequency to model a spherical AOL: four AODs in series driven with linear chirps. AOL model predictions of the relationship between optical transmission efficiency and acoustic drive frequency including second order diffraction effects closely matched experimental measurements from a 3D two-photon AOL microscope. Moreover, exploration of different AOL drive configurations identified a new simple rule for maximizing the field of view of our compact AOL design. By providing a theoretical basis for understanding optical transmission through spherical AOLs, our open source model is likely to be useful for comparing and improving different AOL designs, as well as identifying the acoustic drive configurations that provide the best transmission performance over the 3D focal region.

Describing contrast across scales

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Syed, Sohaib Ali; Iqbal, Muhammad Zafar; Riaz, Muhammad Mohsin

2017-06-01

Due to its sensitive nature against illumination and noise distributions, contrast is not widely used for image description. On the contrary, the human perception of contrast along different spatial frequency bandwidths provides a powerful discriminator function that can be modeled in a robust manner against local illumination. Based upon this observation, a dense local contrast descriptor is proposed and its potential in different applications of computer vision is discussed. Extensive experiments reveal that this simple yet effective description performs well in comparison with state of the art image descriptors. We also show the importance of this description in multiresolution pansharpening framework.

Understanding Confounding Effects in Linguistic Coordination: An Information-Theoretic Approach

PubMed Central

Gao, Shuyang; Ver Steeg, Greg; Galstyan, Aram

2015-01-01

We suggest an information-theoretic approach for measuring stylistic coordination in dialogues. The proposed measure has a simple predictive interpretation and can account for various confounding factors through proper conditioning. We revisit some of the previous studies that reported strong signatures of stylistic accommodation, and find that a significant part of the observed coordination can be attributed to a simple confounding effect—length coordination. Specifically, longer utterances tend to be followed by longer responses, which gives rise to spurious correlations in the other stylistic features. We propose a test to distinguish correlations in length due to contextual factors (topic of conversation, user verbosity, etc.) and turn-by-turn coordination. We also suggest a test to identify whether stylistic coordination persists even after accounting for length coordination and contextual factors. PMID:26115446

Theoretical analysis of a method for extracting the phase of a phase-amplitude modulated signal generated by a direct-modulated optical injection-locked semiconductor laser

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Hwan; Cho, Jun-Hyung; Sung, Hyuk-Kee

2017-05-01

The phase modulation (PM) and amplitude modulation (AM) of optical signals can be achieved using a direct-modulated (DM) optical injection-locked (OIL) semiconductor laser. We propose and theoretically analyze a simple method to extract the phase component of a PM signal produced by a DM-OIL semiconductor laser. The pure AM component of the combined PM-AM signal can be isolated by square-law detection in a photodetector and can then be used to compensate for the PM-AM signal based on an optical homodyne method. Using the AM compensation technique, we successfully developed a simple and cost-effective phase extraction method applicable to the PM-AM optical signal of a DM-OIL semiconductor laser.

The Persistence and Importance of Patriotism in the All-Volunteer Force

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-12-13

The description is cast in a theoretical framework which challenges the wisdom of focusing primarily on levels of pay and other market oriented conditions of work when establishing military manpower policy.

Capillary moving-boundary isotachophoresis with electrospray ionization mass-spectrometric detection and hydrogen ion used as essential terminator: Methodology for sensitive analysis of hydroxyderivatives of s-triazine herbicides in waters.

PubMed

Malá, Zdena; Gebauer, Petr

2017-10-06

Capillary isotachophoresis (ITP) is an electrophoretic technique offering high sensitivity due to permanent stacking of the migrating analytes. Its combination with electrospray-ionization mass-spectrometric (ESI-MS) detection is limited by the narrow spectrum of ESI-compatible components but can be compensated by experienced system architecture. This work describes a methodology for sensitive analysis of hydroxyderivatives of s-triazine herbicides, based on implementation of the concepts of moving-boundary isotachophoresis and of H + as essential terminating component into cationic ITP with ESI-MS detection. Theoretical description of such kind of system is given and equations for zone-related boundary mobilities are derived, resulting in a much more general definition of the effective mobility of the terminating H + zone than used so far. Explicit equations allowing direct calculation for selected simple systems are derived. The presented theory allows prediction of stacking properties of particular systems and easy selection of suitable electrolyte setups. A simple ESI-compatible system composed of acetic acid and ammonium with H + and ammonium as a mixed terminator was selected for the analysis of 2-hydroxyatrazine and 2-hydroxyterbutylazine, degradation products of s-triazine herbicides. The proposed method was tested with direct injection without any sample pretreatment and provided excellent linearity and high sensitivity with limits of detection below 100ng/L (0.5nM). Example analyses of unspiked and spiked drinking and river water are shown. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Notes on Barkas-Andersen effect

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sigmund, Peter; Schinner, Andreas

2014-10-01

Stimulated by recent statements in the literature on electronic stopping of heavy ions in matter, we try to clarify some central theoretical aspects of the Barkas-Andersen effect, about which there does not seem to be unanimous agreement in the community. We address the role of inner versus outer target shells, of projectile screening by bound electrons, the interference between Lindhard's description and perturbation theory, as well as the equivalence between a single-electron versus Fermi-gas description of the effect.

Emotions while awaiting lung transplantation: A comprehensive qualitative analysis

PubMed Central

Brügger, Aurelia; Aubert, John-David

2014-01-01

Patients awaiting lung transplantation are at risk of negative emotional and physical experiences. How do they talk about emotions? Semi-structured interviews were performed (15 patients). Categorical analysis focusing on emotion-related descriptions was organized into positive–negative–neutral descriptions: for primary and secondary emotions, evaluation processes, coping strategies, personal characteristics, emotion descriptions associated with physical states, (and) contexts were listed. Patients develop different strategies to maintain positive identity and attitude, while preserving significant others from extra emotional load. Results are discussed within various theoretical and research backgrounds, in emphasizing their importance in the definition of emotional support starting from the patient’s perspective. PMID:28070345

Descriptive Linear modeling of steady-state visual evoked response

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Levison, W. H.; Junker, A. M.; Kenner, K.

1986-01-01

A study is being conducted to explore use of the steady state visual-evoke electrocortical response as an indicator of cognitive task loading. Application of linear descriptive modeling to steady state Visual Evoked Response (VER) data is summarized. Two aspects of linear modeling are reviewed: (1) unwrapping the phase-shift portion of the frequency response, and (2) parsimonious characterization of task-loading effects in terms of changes in model parameters. Model-based phase unwrapping appears to be most reliable in applications, such as manual control, where theoretical models are available. Linear descriptive modeling of the VER has not yet been shown to provide consistent and readily interpretable results.

Emotions while awaiting lung transplantation: A comprehensive qualitative analysis.

PubMed

Brügger, Aurelia; Aubert, John-David; Piot-Ziegler, Chantal

2014-07-01

Patients awaiting lung transplantation are at risk of negative emotional and physical experiences. How do they talk about emotions? Semi-structured interviews were performed (15 patients). Categorical analysis focusing on emotion-related descriptions was organized into positive-negative-neutral descriptions: for primary and secondary emotions, evaluation processes, coping strategies, personal characteristics, emotion descriptions associated with physical states, (and) contexts were listed. Patients develop different strategies to maintain positive identity and attitude, while preserving significant others from extra emotional load. Results are discussed within various theoretical and research backgrounds, in emphasizing their importance in the definition of emotional support starting from the patient's perspective.

Physics of cancer propagation: A game theory perspective

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cleveland, Chris; Liao, David; Austin, Robert

2012-03-01

This is a theoretical paper which examines at a game theoretical perspective the dynamics of cooperators and cheater cells under metabolic stress conditions and high spatial heterogeneity. Although the ultimate aim of this work is to understand the dynamics of cancer tumor evolution under stress, we use a simple bacterial model to gain fundamental insights into the progression of resistance to drugs under high competition and stress conditions.

Open charm meson production at BNL RHIC within kt-factorization approach and revision of their semileptonic decays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maciuła, Rafał; Szczurek, Antoni; Łuszczak, Marta

2015-09-01

We discuss inclusive production of open charm mesons in proton-proton scattering at the BNL RHIC. The calculation is performed in the framework of kt-factorization approach which effectively includes higher-order pQCD corrections. Different models of unintegrated gluon distributions (UGDF) from the literature are used. We focus on UGDF models favored by the LHC data and on a new up-to-date parametrizations based on the HERA collider deep-inelastic scattering high-precision data. Results of the kt-factorization approach are compared to next-to-leading order collinear predictions. The hadronization of heavy quarks is done by means of fragmentation function technique. The theoretical transverse momentum distributions of charmed mesons are compared with recent experimental data of the STAR collaboration at √{s }=200 and 500 GeV. Theoretical uncertainties related to the choice of renormalization and factorization scales as well as due to the quark mass are discussed. A very good description of the measured integrated cross sections and differential distributions is obtained for the Jung setB0 CCFM UGDF. Revised charm and bottom theoretical cross sections corresponding to those measured recently by the STAR and PHENIX collaborations for semileptonic decays of D and B mesons are presented. Significant improvement in theoretical description of the nonphotonic electrons measurements is clearly obtained with respect to the previous studies within the kt-factorization.

Commercial Aircraft Protection

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

Ehst, David A.

This report summarizes the results of theoretical research performed during 3 years of P371 Project implementation. In results of such research a new scientific conceptual technology of quasi-passive individual infrared protection of heat-generating objects – Spatial Displacement of Thermal Image (SDTI technology) was developed. Theoretical substantiation and description of working processes of civil aircraft individual IR-protection system were conducted. The mathematical models and methodology were presented, there were obtained the analytical dependencies which allow performing theoretical research of the affect of intentionally arranged dynamic field of the artificial thermal interferences with variable contrast onto main parameters of optic-electronic tracking andmore » homing systems.« less

A review of carrier thermoelectric-transport theory in organic semiconductors.

PubMed

Lu, Nianduan; Li, Ling; Liu, Ming

2016-07-20

Carrier thermoelectric-transport theory has recently become of growing interest and numerous thermoelectric-transport models have been proposed for organic semiconductors, due to pressing current issues involving energy production and the environment. The purpose of this review is to provide a theoretical description of the thermoelectric Seebeck effect in organic semiconductors. Special attention is devoted to the carrier concentration, temperature, polaron effect and dipole effect dependence of the Seebeck effect and its relationship to hopping transport theory. Furthermore, various theoretical methods are used to discuss carrier thermoelectric transport. Finally, an outlook of the remaining challenges ahead for future theoretical research is provided.

pyZELDA: Python code for Zernike wavefront sensors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vigan, A.; N'Diaye, M.

2018-06-01

pyZELDA analyzes data from Zernike wavefront sensors dedicated to high-contrast imaging applications. This modular software was originally designed to analyze data from the ZELDA wavefront sensor prototype installed in VLT/SPHERE; simple configuration files allow it to be extended to support several other instruments and testbeds. pyZELDA also includes simple simulation tools to measure the theoretical sensitivity of a sensor and to compare it to other sensors.

Controlling and prevention of surface wrinkling via size-dependent critical wrinkling strain.

PubMed

Han, Xue; Zhao, Yan; Cao, Yanping; Lu, Conghua

2015-06-14

Surface wrinkling may occur in a film-substrate system when the applied strain exceeds the critical value. However, the practically required strain for the onset of surface wrinkling can be different from the theoretically predicted value. Here we investigate the film size effect-dependent critical strain for the mechanical strain-induced surface wrinkling via a combination of experiments and theoretical analysis. In the poly(dimethylsiloxane)-based system fabricated by the smart combination of mechanical straining and selective O2 plasma (OP) exposure through Cu grids, the film size effect on the critical wrinkling strain is systematically studied by considering OP exposure duration, the mesh number and geometry of Cu grids. Meanwhile, a simple analytical solution revealing the film size effect is well established, which shows good consistency with the experimental results. This study provides an experimental and theoretical basis for finely tuning the critical wrinkling strain in a simple and quantitative manner, which can find a wide range of applications in such fields as microelectronic circuits and optical devices, where controlling and/or prevention of surface wrinkling are of great importance.

Tested Demonstrations.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gilbert, George L., Ed.

1988-01-01

Details three demonstrations for use in chemistry classrooms. Includes: "A Demonstration of Corrosion by Differential Aeration"; "A Simple Demonstration of the Activation Energy Concept"; and "A Boiling Demonstration at Room Temperature." Each description includes equipment, materials, and methods. (CW)

Portable design rules for bulk CMOS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Griswold, T. W.

1982-01-01

It is pointed out that for the past several years, one school of IC designers has used a simplified set of nMOS geometric design rules (GDR) which is 'portable', in that it can be used by many different nMOS manufacturers. The present investigation is concerned with a preliminary set of design rules for bulk CMOS which has been verified for simple test structures. The GDR are defined in terms of Caltech Intermediate Form (CIF), which is a geometry-description language that defines simple geometrical objects in layers. The layers are abstractions of physical mask layers. The design rules do not presume the existence of any particular design methodology. Attention is given to p-well and n-well CMOS processes, bulk CMOS and CMOS-SOS, CMOS geometric rules, and a description of the advantages of CMOS technology.

Systematics of intermediate-energy single-nucleon removal cross sections

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tostevin, J. A.; Gade, A.

2014-11-01

There is now a large and increasing body of experimental data and theoretical analyses for reactions that remove a single nucleon from an intermediate-energy beam of neutron- or proton-rich nuclei. In each such measurement, one obtains the inclusive cross section for the population of all bound final states of the mass A -1 reaction residue. These data, from different regions of the nuclear chart, and that involve weakly and strongly bound nucleons, are compared with theoretical expectations. These calculations include an approximate treatment of the reaction dynamics and shell-model descriptions of the projectile initial state, the bound final states of the residues, and the single-particle strengths computed from their overlap functions. The results are discussed in the light of recent data, more exclusive tests of the eikonal dynamical description, and calculations that take input from more microscopic nuclear structure models.

Towards a mathematical theory of meaningful communication

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Corominas-Murtra, Bernat; Fortuny, Jordi; Solé, Ricard V.

2014-04-01

Meaning has been left outside most theoretical approaches to information in biology. Functional responses based on an appropriate interpretation of signals have been replaced by a probabilistic description of correlations between emitted and received symbols. This assumption leads to potential paradoxes, such as the presence of a maximum information associated to a channel that creates completely wrong interpretations of the signals. Game-theoretic models of language evolution and other studies considering embodied communicating agents show that the correct (meaningful) match resulting from agent-agent exchanges is always achieved and natural systems obviously solve the problem correctly. Inspired by the concept of duality of the communicative sign stated by the swiss linguist Ferdinand de Saussure, here we present a complete description of the minimal system necessary to measure the amount of information that is consistently decoded. Several consequences of our developments are investigated, such as the uselessness of a certain amount of information properly transmitted for communication among autonomous agents.

Teaching Computer Languages and Elementary Theory for Mixed Audiences at University Level

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Christiansen, Henning

2004-09-01

Theoretical issues of computer science are traditionally taught in a way that presupposes a solid mathematical background and are usually considered more or less inaccessible for students without this. An effective methodology is described which has been developed for a target group of university students with different backgrounds such as natural science or humanities. It has been developed for a course that integrates theoretical material on computer languages and abstract machines with practical programming techniques. Prolog used as meta-language for describing language issues is the central instrument in the approach: Formal descriptions become running prototypes that are easy and appealing to test and modify, and can be extended into analyzers, interpreters, and tools such as tracers and debuggers. Experience shows a high learning curve, especially when the principles are extended into a learning-by-doing approach having the students to develop such descriptions themselves from an informal introduction.

Theoretical description of the mixed-field orientation of asymmetric-top molecules: A time-dependent study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Omiste, Juan J.; González-Férez, Rosario

2016-12-01

We present a theoretical study of the mixed-field-orientation of asymmetric-top molecules in tilted static electric field and nonresonant linearly polarized laser pulse by solving the time-dependent Schrödinger equation. Within this framework, we compute the mixed-field orientation of a state-selected molecular beam of benzonitrile (C7H5N ) and compare with the experimental observations [J. L. Hansen et al., Phys. Rev. A 83, 023406 (2011), 10.1103/PhysRevA.83.023406] and with our previous time-independent descriptions [J. J. Omiste et al., Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 13, 18815 (2011), 10.1039/c1cp21195a]. For an excited rotational state, we investigate the field-dressed dynamics for several field configurations as those used in the mixed-field experiments. The nonadiabatic phenomena and their consequences on the rotational dynamics are analyzed in detail.

Action Centered Contextual Bandits.

PubMed

Greenewald, Kristjan; Tewari, Ambuj; Klasnja, Predrag; Murphy, Susan

2017-12-01

Contextual bandits have become popular as they offer a middle ground between very simple approaches based on multi-armed bandits and very complex approaches using the full power of reinforcement learning. They have demonstrated success in web applications and have a rich body of associated theoretical guarantees. Linear models are well understood theoretically and preferred by practitioners because they are not only easily interpretable but also simple to implement and debug. Furthermore, if the linear model is true, we get very strong performance guarantees. Unfortunately, in emerging applications in mobile health, the time-invariant linear model assumption is untenable. We provide an extension of the linear model for contextual bandits that has two parts: baseline reward and treatment effect. We allow the former to be complex but keep the latter simple. We argue that this model is plausible for mobile health applications. At the same time, it leads to algorithms with strong performance guarantees as in the linear model setting, while still allowing for complex nonlinear baseline modeling. Our theory is supported by experiments on data gathered in a recently concluded mobile health study.

Simple Deterministically Constructed Recurrent Neural Networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodan, Ali; Tiňo, Peter

A large number of models for time series processing, forecasting or modeling follows a state-space formulation. Models in the specific class of state-space approaches, referred to as Reservoir Computing, fix their state-transition function. The state space with the associated state transition structure forms a reservoir, which is supposed to be sufficiently complex so as to capture a large number of features of the input stream that can be potentially exploited by the reservoir-to-output readout mapping. The largely "black box" character of reservoirs prevents us from performing a deeper theoretical investigation of the dynamical properties of successful reservoirs. Reservoir construction is largely driven by a series of (more-or-less) ad-hoc randomized model building stages, with both the researchers and practitioners having to rely on a series of trials and errors. We show that a very simple deterministically constructed reservoir with simple cycle topology gives performances comparable to those of the Echo State Network (ESN) on a number of time series benchmarks. Moreover, we argue that the memory capacity of such a model can be made arbitrarily close to the proved theoretical limit.

The relationship between the force and separation of miniature magnets used in dentistry.

PubMed

Darvell, Brian W; Gilding, Brian H

2018-06-01

Miniature magnets are used in dentistry, principally for the retention of prosthetic devices. The relationship between force and separation of a magnet and its keeper, or, equivalently, two such magnets, has been neither defined theoretically nor described practically in any detail suitable for these applications. The present paper addresses this lacuna. A magnet is considered as a conglomeration of magnetic poles distributed over a surface or a solid in three-dimensional space, with the interaction of poles governed by the Coulomb law. This leads to a suite of mathematical models. These models are analysed for their description of the relationship between the force and the separation of two magnets. It is shown that at a large distance of separation, an inverse power law must apply. The power is necessarily integer and at least two. All possibilities are exhausted. Complementarily, under reasonable assumptions, it is shown that at a small distance of separation, the force remains finite. The outcome is in accordance with practical experience, and at odds with the use of simple conceptual models. Consequences relevant to the usage of magnets in dentistry are discussed. Copyright © 2018 The Academy of Dental Materials. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A laboratory investigation into microwave backscattering from sea ice. Ph.D. Thesis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bredow, Jonathan W.

1989-01-01

The sources of scattering of artificial sea ice were determined, backscatter measurements semi-quantitatively were compared with theoretical predictions, and inexpensive polarimetric radars were developed for sea ice backscatter studies. A brief review of the dielectric properties of sea ice and of commonly used surface and volume scattering theories is presented. A description is provided of the backscatter measurements performed and experimental techniques used. The development of inexpensive short-range polarimetric radars is discussed. The steps taken to add polarimetric capability to a simple FM-W radar are considered as are sample polarimetric phase measurements of the radar. Ice surface characterization data and techniques are discussed, including computation of surface rms height and correlation length and air bubble distribution statistics. A method is also presented of estimating the standard deviation of rms height and correlation length for cases of few data points. Comparisons were made of backscatter measurements and theory. It was determined that backscatter from an extremely smooth saline ice surface at C band cannot be attributed only to surface scatter. It was found that snow cover had a significant influence on backscatter from extremely smooth saline ice at C band.

Termination of the solar wind in the hot, partially ionized interstellar medium. Ph.D. Thesis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lombard, C. K.

1974-01-01

Theoretical foundations for understanding the problem of the termination of the solar wind are reexamined in the light of most recent findings concerning the states of the solar wind and the local interstellar medium. The investigation suggests that a simple extention of Parker's (1961) analytical model provides a useful approximate description of the combined solar wind, interstellar wind plasma flowfield under conditions presently thought to occur. A linear perturbation solution exhibiting both the effects of photoionization and charge exchange is obtained for the supersonic solar wind. A numerical algorithm is described for computing moments of the non-equilibrium hydrogen distribution function and associated source terms for the MHD equations. Computed using the algorithm in conjunction with the extended Parker solution to approximate the plasma flowfield, profiles of hydrogen number density are given in the solar wind along the upstream and downstream axes of flow with respect to the direction of the interstellar wind. Predictions of solar Lyman-alpha backscatter intensities to be observed at 1 a.u. have been computed, in turn, from a set of such hydrogen number density profiles varied over assumed conditions of the interstellar wind.

Yield stress in amorphous solids: A mode-coupling-theory analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ikeda, Atsushi; Berthier, Ludovic

2013-11-01

The yield stress is a defining feature of amorphous materials which is difficult to analyze theoretically, because it stems from the strongly nonlinear response of an arrested solid to an applied deformation. Mode-coupling theory predicts the flow curves of materials undergoing a glass transition and thus offers predictions for the yield stress of amorphous solids. We use this approach to analyze several classes of disordered solids, using simple models of hard-sphere glasses, soft glasses, and metallic glasses for which the mode-coupling predictions can be directly compared to the outcome of numerical measurements. The theory correctly describes the emergence of a yield stress of entropic nature in hard-sphere glasses, and its rapid growth as density approaches random close packing at qualitative level. By contrast, the emergence of solid behavior in soft and metallic glasses, which originates from direct particle interactions is not well described by the theory. We show that similar shortcomings arise in the description of the caging dynamics of the glass phase at rest. We discuss the range of applicability of mode-coupling theory to understand the yield stress and nonlinear rheology of amorphous materials.

Symmetry in the Generalized Rotor Model for Extremely Floppy Molecules

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schmiedt, Hanno; Jensen, Per; Schlemmer, Stephan

2016-06-01

Protonated methane CH_5^+ is unique: It is an extremely fluxional molecule. All attempts to assign quantum numbers to the high-resolution transitions obtained over the last 20 years have failed because molecular rotation and vibration cannot be separated in the conventional way. The first step towards a theoretical description is to include internal rotational degrees of freedom into the overall ones, which can be used to formulate a fundamentally new zero order approximation for the (now) generalized rotational states and energies. Predictions from this simple five-dimensional rotor model compare very favorably with the combination differences of protonated methane found in recent low temperature experiments. This talk will focus on symmetry aspects and implications of permutation symmetry for the generalized rotational states. Furthermore, refinements of the theory will be discussed, ranging from the generalization to even higher-dimensional rotors to explicit symmetry breaking and corresponding energy splittings. The latter includes the link to well-known theories of internal rotation dynamics and will show the general validity of the presented theory. Schmiedt, H., et al.; J. Chem. Phys. 143 (15), 154302 (2015) Wodraszka, R. et al.; J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 6, 4229-4232 (2015) Asvany, O. et al.; Science, 347, (6228), 1346-1349 (2015)

Smoothed Biasing Forces Yield Unbiased Free Energies with the Extended-System Adaptive Biasing Force Method

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

We report a theoretical description and numerical tests of the extended-system adaptive biasing force method (eABF), together with an unbiased estimator of the free energy surface from eABF dynamics. Whereas the original ABF approach uses its running estimate of the free energy gradient as the adaptive biasing force, eABF is built on the idea that the exact free energy gradient is not necessary for efficient exploration, and that it is still possible to recover the exact free energy separately with an appropriate estimator. eABF does not directly bias the collective coordinates of interest, but rather fictitious variables that are harmonically coupled to them; therefore is does not require second derivative estimates, making it easily applicable to a wider range of problems than ABF. Furthermore, the extended variables present a smoother, coarse-grain-like sampling problem on a mollified free energy surface, leading to faster exploration and convergence. We also introduce CZAR, a simple, unbiased free energy estimator from eABF trajectories. eABF/CZAR converges to the physical free energy surface faster than standard ABF for a wide range of parameters. PMID:27959559

Characteristic effects of stochastic oscillatory forcing on neural firing: analytical theory and comparison to paddlefish electroreceptor data.

PubMed

Bauermeister, Christoph; Schwalger, Tilo; Russell, David F; Neiman, Alexander B; Lindner, Benjamin

2013-01-01

Stochastic signals with pronounced oscillatory components are frequently encountered in neural systems. Input currents to a neuron in the form of stochastic oscillations could be of exogenous origin, e.g. sensory input or synaptic input from a network rhythm. They shape spike firing statistics in a characteristic way, which we explore theoretically in this report. We consider a perfect integrate-and-fire neuron that is stimulated by a constant base current (to drive regular spontaneous firing), along with Gaussian narrow-band noise (a simple example of stochastic oscillations), and a broadband noise. We derive expressions for the nth-order interval distribution, its variance, and the serial correlation coefficients of the interspike intervals (ISIs) and confirm these analytical results by computer simulations. The theory is then applied to experimental data from electroreceptors of paddlefish, which have two distinct types of internal noisy oscillators, one forcing the other. The theory provides an analytical description of their afferent spiking statistics during spontaneous firing, and replicates a pronounced dependence of ISI serial correlation coefficients on the relative frequency of the driving oscillations, and furthermore allows extraction of certain parameters of the intrinsic oscillators embedded in these electroreceptors.

To address accuracy and precision using methods from analytical chemistry and computational physics.

PubMed

Kozmutza, Cornelia; Picó, Yolanda

2009-04-01

In this work the pesticides were determined by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). In present study the occurrence of imidacloprid in 343 samples of oranges, tangerines, date plum, and watermelons from Valencian Community (Spain) has been investigated. The nine additional pesticides were chosen as they have been recommended for orchard treatment together with imidacloprid. The Mulliken population analysis has been applied to present the charge distribution in imidacloprid. Partitioned energy terms and the virial ratios have been calculated for certain molecules entering in interaction. A new technique based on the comparison of the decomposed total energy terms at various configurations is demonstrated in this work. The interaction ability could be established correctly in the studied case. An attempt is also made in this work to address accuracy and precision. These quantities are well-known in experimental measurements. In case precise theoretical description is achieved for the contributing monomers and also for the interacting complex structure some properties of this latter system can be predicted to quite a good accuracy. Based on simple hypothetical considerations we estimate the impact of applying computations on reducing the amount of analytical work.

[Model of Analysis and Prevention of Accidents - MAPA: tool for operational health surveillance].

PubMed

de Almeida, Ildeberto Muniz; Vilela, Rodolfo Andrade de Gouveia; da Silva, Alessandro José Nunes; Beltran, Sandra Lorena

2014-12-01

The analysis of work-related accidents is important for accident surveillance and prevention. Current methods of analysis seek to overcome reductionist views that see these occurrences as simple events explained by operator error. The objective of this paper is to analyze the Model of Analysis and Prevention of Accidents (MAPA) and its use in monitoring interventions, duly highlighting aspects experienced in the use of the tool. The descriptive analytical method was used, introducing the steps of the model. To illustrate contributions and or difficulties, cases where the tool was used in the context of service were selected. MAPA integrates theoretical approaches that have already been tried in studies of accidents by providing useful conceptual support from the data collection stage until conclusion and intervention stages. Besides revealing weaknesses of the traditional approach, it helps identify organizational determinants, such as management failings, system design and safety management involved in the accident. The main challenges lie in the grasp of concepts by users, in exploring organizational aspects upstream in the chain of decisions or at higher levels of the hierarchy, as well as the intervention to change the determinants of these events.

Potential Flow Theory and Operation Guide for the Panel Code PMARC. Version 14

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ashby, Dale L.

1999-01-01

The theoretical basis for PMARC, a low-order panel code for modeling complex three-dimensional bodies, in potential flow, is outlined. PMARC can be run on a wide variety of computer platforms, including desktop machines, workstations, and supercomputers. Execution times for PMARC vary tremendously depending on the computer resources used, but typically range from several minutes for simple or moderately complex cases to several hours for very large complex cases. Several of the advanced features currently included in the code, such as internal flow modeling, boundary layer analysis, and time-dependent flow analysis, including problems involving relative motion, are discussed in some detail. The code is written in Fortran77, using adjustable-size arrays so that it can be easily redimensioned to match problem requirements and computer hardware constraints. An overview of the program input is presented. A detailed description of the input parameters is provided in the appendices. PMARC results for several test cases are presented along with analytic or experimental data, where available. The input files for these test cases are given in the appendices. PMARC currently supports plotfile output formats for several commercially available graphics packages. The supported graphics packages are Plot3D, Tecplot, and PmarcViewer.

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

Shumway, R.H.; McQuarrie, A.D.

Robust statistical approaches to the problem of discriminating between regional earthquakes and explosions are developed. We compare linear discriminant analysis using descriptive features like amplitude and spectral ratios with signal discrimination techniques using the original signal waveforms and spectral approximations to the log likelihood function. Robust information theoretic techniques are proposed and all methods are applied to 8 earthquakes and 8 mining explosions in Scandinavia and to an event from Novaya Zemlya of unknown origin. It is noted that signal discrimination approaches based on discrimination information and Renyi entropy perform better in the test sample than conventional methods based onmore » spectral ratios involving the P and S phases. Two techniques for identifying the ripple-firing pattern for typical mining explosions are proposed and shown to work well on simulated data and on several Scandinavian earthquakes and explosions. We use both cepstral analysis in the frequency domain and a time domain method based on the autocorrelation and partial autocorrelation functions. The proposed approach strips off underlying smooth spectral and seasonal spectral components corresponding to the echo pattern induced by two simple ripple-fired models. For two mining explosions, a pattern is identified whereas for two earthquakes, no pattern is evident.« less

Photonics and spectroscopy in nanojunctions: a theoretical insight

DOE PAGES

Galperin, Michael

2017-04-11

The progress of experimental techniques at the nanoscale in the last decade made optical measurements in current-carrying nanojunctions a reality, thus indicating the emergence of a new field of research coined optoelectronics. Optical spectroscopy of open nonequilibrium systems is a natural meeting point for (at least) two research areas: nonlinear optical spectroscopy and quantum transport, each with its own theoretical toolbox. We review recent progress in the field comparing theoretical treatments of optical response in nanojunctions as is accepted in nonlinear spectroscopy and quantum transport communities. A unified theoretical description of spectroscopy in nanojunctions is presented. Here, we argue thatmore » theoretical approaches of the quantum transport community (and in particular, the Green function based considerations) yield a convenient tool for optoelectronics when the radiation field is treated classically, and that differences between the toolboxes may become critical when studying the quantum radiation field in junctions.« less

Estimation of M 1 scissors mode strength for deformed nuclei in the medium- to heavy-mass region by statistical Hauser-Feshbach model calculations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mumpower, M. R.; Kawano, T.; Ullmann, J. L.; Krtička, M.; Sprouse, T. M.

2017-08-01

Radiative neutron capture is an important nuclear reaction whose accurate description is needed for many applications ranging from nuclear technology to nuclear astrophysics. The description of such a process relies on the Hauser-Feshbach theory which requires the nuclear optical potential, level density, and γ -strength function as model inputs. It has recently been suggested that the M 1 scissors mode may explain discrepancies between theoretical calculations and evaluated data. We explore statistical model calculations with the strength of the M 1 scissors mode estimated to be dependent on the nuclear deformation of the compound system. We show that the form of the M 1 scissors mode improves the theoretical description of evaluated data and the match to experiment in both the fission product and actinide regions. Since the scissors mode occurs in the range of a few keV to a few MeV, it may also impact the neutron capture cross sections of neutron-rich nuclei that participate in the rapid neutron capture process of nucleosynthesis. We comment on the possible impact to nucleosynthesis by evaluating neutron capture rates for neutron-rich nuclei with the M 1 scissors mode active.

A NEW LOOK AT THE EFFECTS OF ANXIETY AND STRESS ON THE PERFORMANCE OF COMPLEX INTELLECTUAL TASKS, STUDY II. SCHOOL ANXIETY AND COGNITIVE FUNCTIONING--EXPLORATORY STUDIES.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DUNN, JAMES A.

THE EFFECTS OF TEST ANXIETY AND TEST STRESS ON THE PERFORMANCE OF TWO DIFFERENT INTELLECTUAL TASKS WERE STUDIED. IT WAS HYPOTHESIZED THAT THE DESCRIPTIVE EFFECTS OF ANXIETY WOULD BE GREATER FOR DIFFICULT BUT SIMPLE TASKS THAN FOR COMPLEX BUT EASY TASKS, AND THAT SITUATIONAL STRESS WOULD BE MORE DISRUPTIVE FOR COMPLEX TASKS THAN FOR SIMPLE TASKS. A…

SOLAR OBLIQUITY INDUCED BY PLANET NINE: SIMPLE CALCULATION

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

Lai, Dong

2016-12-01

Bailey et al. and Gomes et al. recently suggested that the 6° misalignment between the Sun’s rotational equator and the orbital plane of the major planets may be produced by forcing from the hypothetical Planet Nine on an inclined orbit. Here, we present a simple yet accurate calculation of the effect, which provides a clear description of how the Sun’s spin orientation depends on the property of Planet Nine in this scenario.

A Game Theoretical Approach to Hacktivism: Is Attack Likelihood a Product of Risks and Payoffs?

PubMed

Bodford, Jessica E; Kwan, Virginia S Y

2018-02-01

The current study examines hacktivism (i.e., hacking to convey a moral, ethical, or social justice message) through a general game theoretic framework-that is, as a product of costs and benefits. Given the inherent risk of carrying out a hacktivist attack (e.g., legal action, imprisonment), it would be rational for the user to weigh these risks against perceived benefits of carrying out the attack. As such, we examined computer science students' estimations of risks, payoffs, and attack likelihood through a game theoretic design. Furthermore, this study aims at constructing a descriptive profile of potential hacktivists, exploring two predicted covariates of attack decision making, namely, peer prevalence of hacking and sex differences. Contrary to expectations, results suggest that participants' estimations of attack likelihood stemmed solely from expected payoffs, rather than subjective risks. Peer prevalence significantly predicted increased payoffs and attack likelihood, suggesting an underlying descriptive norm in social networks. Notably, we observed no sex differences in the decision to attack, nor in the factors predicting attack likelihood. Implications for policymakers and the understanding and prevention of hacktivism are discussed, as are the possible ramifications of widely communicated payoffs over potential risks in hacking communities.

Qualitative Descriptive Methods in Health Science Research.

PubMed

Colorafi, Karen Jiggins; Evans, Bronwynne

2016-07-01

The purpose of this methodology paper is to describe an approach to qualitative design known as qualitative descriptive that is well suited to junior health sciences researchers because it can be used with a variety of theoretical approaches, sampling techniques, and data collection strategies. It is often difficult for junior qualitative researchers to pull together the tools and resources they need to embark on a high-quality qualitative research study and to manage the volumes of data they collect during qualitative studies. This paper seeks to pull together much needed resources and provide an overview of methods. A step-by-step guide to planning a qualitative descriptive study and analyzing the data is provided, utilizing exemplars from the authors' research. This paper presents steps to conducting a qualitative descriptive study under the following headings: describing the qualitative descriptive approach, designing a qualitative descriptive study, steps to data analysis, and ensuring rigor of findings. The qualitative descriptive approach results in a summary in everyday, factual language that facilitates understanding of a selected phenomenon across disciplines of health science researchers. © The Author(s) 2016.

Methods of feminist family therapy supervision.

PubMed

Prouty, A M; Thomas, V; Johnson, S; Long, J K

2001-01-01

Although feminist family therapy has been studied and practiced for more than 20 years, writing about feminist supervision in family therapy has been limited. Three supervision methods emerged from a qualitative study of the experiences of feminist family therapy supervisors and the therapists they supervised: The supervision contract, collaborative methods, and hierarchical methods. In addition to a description of the participants' experiences of these methods, we discuss their fit with previous theoretical descriptions of feminist supervision and offer suggestions for future research.

Alternating-Offers Protocol for Multi-issue Bilateral Negotiation in Semantic-Enabled Marketplaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ragone, Azzurra; di Noia, Tommaso; di Sciascio, Eugenio; Donini, Francesco M.

We present a semantic-based approach to multi-issue bilateral negotiation for e-commerce. We use Description Logics to model advertisements, and relations among issues as axioms in a TBox. We then introduce a logic-based alternating-offers protocol, able to handle conflicting information, that merges non-standard reasoning services in Description Logics with utility thoery to find the most suitable agreements. We illustrate and motivate the theoretical framework, the logical language, and the negotiation protocol.

The impact of galaxy formation on satellite kinematics and redshift-space distortions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Orsi, Álvaro A.; Angulo, Raúl E.

2018-04-01

Galaxy surveys aim to map the large-scale structure of the Universe and use redshift-space distortions to constrain deviations from general relativity and probe the existence of massive neutrinos. However, the amount of information that can be extracted is limited by the accuracy of theoretical models used to analyse the data. Here, by using the L-Galaxies semi-analytical model run over the Millennium-XXL N-body simulation, we assess the impact of galaxy formation on satellite kinematics and the theoretical modelling of redshift-space distortions. We show that different galaxy selection criteria lead to noticeable differences in the radial distributions and velocity structure of satellite galaxies. Specifically, whereas samples of stellar mass selected galaxies feature satellites that roughly follow the dark matter, emission line satellite galaxies are located preferentially in the outskirts of haloes and display net infall velocities. We demonstrate that capturing these differences is crucial for modelling the multipoles of the correlation function in redshift space, even on large scales. In particular, we show how modelling small-scale velocities with a single Gaussian distribution leads to a poor description of the measured clustering. In contrast, we propose a parametrization that is flexible enough to model the satellite kinematics and that leads to an accurate description of the correlation function down to sub-Mpc scales. We anticipate that our model will be a necessary ingredient in improved theoretical descriptions of redshift-space distortions, which together could result in significantly tighter cosmological constraints and a more optimal exploitation of future large data sets.

Theoretical model for optical properties of porphyrin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Phan, Anh D.; Nga, Do T.; Phan, The-Long; Thanh, Le T. M.; Anh, Chu T.; Bernad, Sophie; Viet, N. A.

2014-12-01

We propose a simple model to interpret the optical absorption spectra of porphyrin in different solvents. Our model successfully explains the decrease in the intensity of optical absorption at maxima of increased wavelengths. We also prove the dependence of the intensity and peak positions in the absorption spectra on the environment. The nature of the Soret band is supposed to derive from π plasmon. Our theoretical calculations are consistent with previous experimental studies.

Fundamental principles of absolute radiometry and the philosophy of this NBS program (1968 to 1971)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Geist, J.

1972-01-01

A description is given work performed on a program to develop an electrically calibrated detector (also called absolute radiometer, absolute detector, and electrically calibrated radiometer) that could be used to realize, maintain, and transfer a scale of total irradiance. The program includes a comprehensive investigation of the theoretical basis of absolute detector radiometry, as well as the design and construction of a number of detectors. A theoretical analysis of the sources of error is also included.

Theoretical Modeling of Molecular and Electron Kinetic Processes. Volume I. Theoretical Formulation of Analysis and Description of Computer Program.

DTIC Science & Technology

1979-01-01

syn- thesis proceed s by ignoring unacceptable syntax or other errors , pro- tection against subsequent execution of a faulty reaction scheme can be...resulting TAPE9 . During subroutine syn thesis and reaction processing, a search is made (fo r each secondary electron collision encountered) to...program library, which can be cat- alogued and saved if any future specialized modifications (beyond the scope of the syn thesis capability of LASER

Measurement of strains at high temperatures by means of electro-optics holography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sciammarella, Cesar A.; Bhat, G.; Vaitekunas, Jeffrey

Electro-optics holographic-moire interferometry is used to measure strains at temperatures up to 1000 C. A description of the instrumentation developed to carry out the measurements is given. The data processing technique is also explained. Main problems encountered in recording patterns at high temperatures are analyzed and possible solutions are outlined. Optical results are compared with strain gage values obtained with instrumented specimens and with theoretical results. Very good agreement is found between optical, strain gage and theoretical results.

Measurement of strains at high temperatures by means of electro-optics holography

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sciammarella, Cesar A.; Bhat, G.; Vaitekunas, Jeffrey

1991-01-01

Electro-optics holographic-moire interferometry is used to measure strains at temperatures up to 1000 C. A description of the instrumentation developed to carry out the measurements is given. The data processing technique is also explained. Main problems encountered in recording patterns at high temperatures are analyzed and possible solutions are outlined. Optical results are compared with strain gage values obtained with instrumented specimens and with theoretical results. Very good agreement is found between optical, strain gage and theoretical results.

Analysis of multimode fiber bundles for endoscopic spectral-domain optical coherence tomography

PubMed Central

Risi, Matthew D.; Makhlouf, Houssine; Rouse, Andrew R.; Gmitro, Arthur F.

2016-01-01

A theoretical analysis of the use of a fiber bundle in spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (OCT) systems is presented. The fiber bundle enables a flexible endoscopic design and provides fast, parallelized acquisition of the OCT data. However, the multimode characteristic of the fibers in the fiber bundle affects the depth sensitivity of the imaging system. A description of light interference in a multimode fiber is presented along with numerical simulations and experimental studies to illustrate the theoretical analysis. PMID:25967012

Uncertainties on exclusive diffractive Higgs boson and jet production at the LHC

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

Dechambre, A.; CEA/IRFU/Service de physique des particules, CEA/Saclay; Kepka, O.

2011-03-01

Two theoretical descriptions of exclusive diffractive jets and Higgs production at the LHC were implemented into the FPMC generator: the Khoze, Martin, Ryskin model and the Cudell, Hernandez, Ivanov, Dechambre exclusive model. We then study the uncertainties. We compare their predictions to the CDF measurement and discuss the possibility of constraining the exclusive Higgs production at the LHC with early measurements of exclusive jets. We show that the present theoretical uncertainties can be reduced with such data by a factor of 5.

Writing for the Tube.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lin, Sam Chu

1989-01-01

Addresses the differences between reporting for print and reporting for television news. Suggests that television journalists must use a simple, conversational style, while print journalists must be more descriptive. Offers suggestions for taping interviews and writing news scripts. (LS)

An analytical treatment for three neutrino oscillations in the Earth

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aguilar-Arevalo, A. A.; D'Olivo, J. C.; Supanitsky, A. D.

2012-08-01

A simple, and at the same time accurate, description of the Earth matter effects on the oscillations between three neutrino flavors is given in terms of the Magnus expansion for the evolution operator.

Notes on Experiments.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Physics Education, 1984

1984-01-01

Describes: (1) experiments using a simple phonocardiograph; (2) radioactivity experiments involving a VELA used as a ratemeter; (3) a 25cm continuously operating Foucault pendulum; and (4) camera control of experiments. Descriptions of equipment needed are provided when applicable. (JN)

Instructional Approach to Molecular Electronic Structure Theory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dykstra, Clifford E.; Schaefer, Henry F.

1977-01-01

Describes a graduate quantum mechanics projects in which students write a computer program that performs ab initio calculations on the electronic structure of a simple molecule. Theoretical potential energy curves are produced. (MLH)

Slave finite elements for nonlinear analysis of engine structures, volume 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gellin, S.

1991-01-01

A 336 degrees of freedom slave finite element processing capability to analyze engine structures under severe thermomechanical loading is presented. Description of the theoretical development and demonstration of that element is presented in this volume.

Investigating Music Information Objects

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weissenberger, Lynnsey K.

2016-01-01

This dissertation, titled "Investigating Music Information Objects," is a study of the nature, description, representations, and ideas related to music information objects (MIOs). This research study investigates how music practitioners from various traditions describe and conceptualize MIOs, using a theoretical framework to classify…

Somaesthetics of Music

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maus, Fred Everett

2010-01-01

Philosopher Richard Shusterman's book "Body Consciousness" is the most recent and most extensive addition to Shusterman's project of "somaesthetics," an area of philosophy dealing with experiences of embodiment. Shusterman distinguishes three aspects of somaesthetics. Analytic somaesthetics is a "descriptive and theoretical enterprise"; pragmatic…

Vibrational pumping and heating under SERS conditions: fact or myth?

PubMed

Le Ru, E C; Etchegoin, P G

2006-01-01

We address in this paper the long debated issue of the possibility of vibrational pumping under Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) conditions, both theoretically and experimentally. We revisit with simple theoretical models the mechanisms of vibrational pumping and its relation to heating. This presentation provides a clear classification of the various regimes of heating/pumping, from simple global laser heating to selective pumping of a single vibrational mode. We also propose the possibility of extreme pumping driven by stimulated phonon emission, and we introduce and apply a new experimental technique to study these effects in SERS. Our method relies on correlations between Raman peak parameters, and cross-correlation for two Raman peaks. We find strong evidence for local and dynamical heating, but no convincing evidence for selective pumping under our specific experimental SERS conditions.

Electron heating in a Monte Carlo model of a high Mach number, supercritical, collisionless shock

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ellison, Donald C.; Jones, Frank C.

1987-01-01

Preliminary work in the investigation of electron injection and acceleration at parallel shocks is presented. A simple model of electron heating that is derived from a unified shock model which includes the effects of an electrostatic potential jump is described. The unified shock model provides a kinetic description of the injection and acceleration of ions and a fluid description of electron heating at high Mach number, supercritical, and parallel shocks.

Quantum epistemology from subquantum ontology: Quantum mechanics from theory of classical random fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khrennikov, Andrei

2017-02-01

The scientific methodology based on two descriptive levels, ontic (reality as it is) and epistemic (observational), is briefly presented. Following Schrödinger, we point to the possible gap between these two descriptions. Our main aim is to show that, although ontic entities may be unaccessible for observations, they can be useful for clarification of the physical nature of operational epistemic entities. We illustrate this thesis by the concrete example: starting with the concrete ontic model preceding quantum mechanics (the latter is treated as an epistemic model), namely, prequantum classical statistical field theory (PCSFT), we propose the natural physical interpretation for the basic quantum mechanical entity-the quantum state ("wave function"). The correspondence PCSFT ↦ QM is not straightforward, it couples the covariance operators of classical (prequantum) random fields with the quantum density operators. We use this correspondence to clarify the physical meaning of the pure quantum state and the superposition principle-by using the formalism of classical field correlations. In classical mechanics the phase space description can be considered as the ontic description, here states are given by points λ =(x , p) of phase space. The dynamics of the ontic state is given by the system of Hamiltonian equations.We can also consider probability distributions on the phase space (or equivalently random variables valued in it). We call them probabilistic ontic states. Dynamics of probabilistic ontic states is given by the Liouville equation.In classical physics we can (at least in principle) measure both the coordinate and momentum and hence ontic states can be treated as epistemic states as well (or it is better to say that here epistemic states can be treated as ontic states). Probabilistic ontic states represent probabilities for outcomes of joint measurement of position and momentum.However, this was a very special, although very important, example of description of physical phenomena. In general there are no reasons to expect that properties of ontic states are approachable through our measurements. There is a gap between ontic and epistemic descriptions, cf. also with 't Hooft [49,50] and G G. Groessing et al. [51]. In general the presence of such a gap also implies unapproachability of the probabilistic ontic states, i.e., probability distributions on the space of ontic states. De Broglie [28] called such probability distributions hidden probabilities and distinguished them sharply from probability distributions of measurements outcomes, see also Lochak [29]. (The latter distributions are described by the quantum formalism.)This ontic-epistemic approach based on the combination of two descriptive levels for natural phenomena is closely related to the old Bild conception which was originated in the works of Hertz. Later it was heavily explored by Schrödinger in the quantum domain, see, e.g., [8,11] for detailed analysis. According to Hertz one cannot expect to construct a complete theoretical model based explicitly on observable quantities. The complete theoretical model can contain quantities which are unapproachable for external measurement inspection. For example, Hertz by trying to create a mechanical model for Maxwell's electromagnetism invented hidden masses. The main distinguishing property of a theoretical model (in contrast to an observational model) is the continuity of description, i.e., the absence of gaps in description. From this viewpoint, the quantum mechanical description is not continuous: there is a gap between premeasurement dynamics and the measurement outcome. QM cannot say anything what happens in the process of measurement, this is the well known measurement problem of QM [32], cf. [52,53]. Continuity of description is closely related to causality. However, here we cannot go in more detail, see [8,11].The important question is about interrelation between two levels of description, ontic-epistemic (or theoretical-observational). In the introduction we have already cited Schrödinger who emphasized the possible complexity of this interrelation. In particular, in general there is no reason to expect a straightforward coupling of the form, cf. [9,10]:

Necessary and sufficient conditions for the complete controllability and observability of systems in series using the coprime factorization of a rational matrix

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Callier, F. M.; Nahum, C. D.

1975-01-01

The series connection of two linear time-invariant systems that have minimal state space system descriptions is considered. From these descriptions, strict-system-equivalent polynomial matrix system descriptions in the manner of Rosenbrock are derived. They are based on the factorization of the transfer matrix of the subsystems as a ratio of two right or left coprime polynomial matrices. They give rise to a simple polynomial matrix system description of the tandem connection. Theorem 1 states that for the complete controllability and observability of the state space system description of the series connection, it is necessary and sufficient that certain 'denominator' and 'numerator' groups are coprime. Consequences for feedback systems are drawn in Corollary 1. The role of pole-zero cancellations is explained by Lemma 3 and Corollaires 2 and 3.

Resolution Study of a Hyperspectral Sensor using Computed Tomography in the Presence of Noise

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-06-14

diffraction efficiency is dependent on wavelength. Compared to techniques developed by later work, simple algebraic reconstruction techniques were used...spectral di- mension, using computed tomography (CT) techniques with only a finite number of diverse images. CTHIS require a reconstruction algorithm in...many frames are needed to reconstruct the spectral cube of a simple object using a theoretical lower bound. In this research a new algorithm is derived

Simple BiCMOS CCCTA design and resistorless analog function realization.

PubMed

Tangsrirat, Worapong

2014-01-01

The simple realization of the current-controlled conveyor transconductance amplifier (CCCTA) in BiCMOS technology is introduced. The proposed BiCMOS CCCTA realization is based on the use of differential pair and basic current mirror, which results in simple structure. Its characteristics, that is, parasitic resistance (R x) and current transfer (i o/i z), are also tunable electronically by external bias currents. The realized circuit is suitable for fabrication using standard 0.35 μm BiCMOS technology. Some simple and compact resistorless applications employing the proposed CCCTA as active elements are also suggested, which show that their circuit characteristics with electronic controllability are obtained. PSPICE simulation results demonstrating the circuit behaviors and confirming the theoretical analysis are performed.

Compaction Behavior of Granular Materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Endicott, Mark R.; Kenkre, V. M.; Glass, S. Jill; Hurd, Alan J.

1996-03-01

We report the results of our recent study of compaction of granular materials. A theoretical model is developed for the description of the compaction of granular materials exemplified by granulated ceramic powders. Its predictions are compared to observations of uniaxial compaction tests of ceramic granules of PMN-PT, spray dried alumina and rutile. The theoretical model employs a volume-based statistical mechanics treatment and an activation analogy. Results of a computer simulation of random packing of discs in two dimensions are also reported. The effect of type of particle size distribution and other parameters of that distribution on the calculated quantities are discussed. We examine the implications of the results of the simulation for the theoretical model.

Coupling biology and oceanography in models.

PubMed

Fennel, W; Neumann, T

2001-08-01

The dynamics of marine ecosystems, i.e. the changes of observable chemical-biological quantities in space and time, are driven by biological and physical processes. Predictions of future developments of marine systems need a theoretical framework, i.e. models, solidly based on research and understanding of the different processes involved. The natural way to describe marine systems theoretically seems to be the embedding of chemical-biological models into circulation models. However, while circulation models are relatively advanced the quantitative theoretical description of chemical-biological processes lags behind. This paper discusses some of the approaches and problems in the development of consistent theories and indicates the beneficial potential of the coupling of marine biology and oceanography in models.

Semantic Annotation of Computational Components

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vanderbilt, Peter; Mehrotra, Piyush

2004-01-01

This paper describes a methodology to specify machine-processable semantic descriptions of computational components to enable them to be shared and reused. A particular focus of this scheme is to enable automatic compositon of such components into simple work-flows.

A Simple MO Treatment of Metal Clusters.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sahyun, M. R. V.

1980-01-01

Illustrates how a qualitative description of the geometry and electronic characteristics of homogeneous metal clusters can be obtained using semiempirical MO (molecular orbital theory) methods. Computer applications of MO methods to inorganic systems are also described. (CS)

Analysis of pre-service physics teacher skills designing simple physics experiments based technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Susilawati; Huda, C.; Kurniawan, W.; Masturi; Khoiri, N.

2018-03-01

Pre-service physics teacher skill in designing simple experiment set is very important in adding understanding of student concept and practicing scientific skill in laboratory. This study describes the skills of physics students in designing simple experiments based technologicall. The experimental design stages include simple tool design and sensor modification. The research method used is descriptive method with the number of research samples 25 students and 5 variations of simple physics experimental design. Based on the results of interviews and observations obtained the results of pre-service physics teacher skill analysis in designing simple experimental physics charged technology is good. Based on observation result, pre-service physics teacher skill in designing simple experiment is good while modification and sensor application are still not good. This suggests that pre-service physics teacher still need a lot of practice and do experiments in designing physics experiments using sensor modifications. Based on the interview result, it is found that students have high enough motivation to perform laboratory activities actively and students have high curiosity to be skilled at making simple practicum tool for physics experiment.

Striking a Balance: Experiment and Concept in Undergraduate Inorganic Chemistry.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Frey, John E.

1990-01-01

Described is an inorganic chemistry course based on the premise that a balanced understanding of inorganic chemistry requires knowledge of the experimental, theoretical, and technological aspects of the subject. A detailed description of lectures and laboratories is included. (KR)

Understanding and Validity in Qualitative Research.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maxwell, Joseph A.

1992-01-01

Details the philosophical and practical dimensions of five types of validity used in qualitative research: descriptive, interpretive, theoretical, generalizable, and evaluative, with corresponding issues of understanding. Presents this typology as a checklist of the kinds of threats to validity that may arise. (SK)

Reconciling Verbal and Nonverbal Models of Dyadic Communication

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Firestone, Ira J.

1977-01-01

This paper examines two distinct theoretical descriptions of dyadic communication, the distance-equilibrium and reciprocity formulations, and shows that they carry divergent implications for changes that can occur in interpersonal relations. Presented at the Western Psychological Association meeting, April 1975. (Author)

Student Centered WebCT Instruction for African Language.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moshi, Lioba; Ojo, Akinloye

2000-01-01

Explores theoretical issues concerning instructional technology for African language instruction, gives a brief description of WebCT (a web-based instruction framework), and describes its practicality in the instruction of African languages with special focus on Swahili and Yoruba. (Author/VWL)

World Englishes and English-Using Communities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kachru, Braj B.

1997-01-01

A review of literature since 1990 on world English focuses on theoretical, conceptual, descriptive, ideological, and power-related issues, including: types of diaspora; English-using communities; dynamics of those communities; monolingual paradigms and heteroglossic English forms; transcultural literary creativity; codification and authentication…

The Clinician's "World of Action" as an Approach to Teaching Abnormal Psychology.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bibace, Roger; And Others

1979-01-01

Presents a description of an undergraduate abnormal psychology course developed from a theory of instruction and active student participation, the theoretical basis for the course, student course evaluation, and an interpretation of the students' performances. (Author/CK)

More on quantum groups from the quantization point of view

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jurčo, Branislav

1994-12-01

Star products on the classical double group of a simple Lie group and on corresponding symplectic groupoids are given so that the quantum double and the “quantized tangent bundle” are obtained in the deformation description. “Complex” quantum groups and bicovariant quantum Lie algebras are discussed from this point of view. Further we discuss the quantization of the Poisson structure on the symmetric algebra S(g) leading to the quantized enveloping algebra U h (g) as an example of biquantization in the sense of Turaev. Description of U h (g) in terms of the generators of the bicovariant differential calculus on F(G q ) is very convenient for this purpose. Finaly we interpret in the deformation framework some well known properties of compact quantum groups as simple consequences of corresponding properties of classical compact Lie groups. An analogue of the classical Kirillov's universal character formula is given for the unitary irreducble representation in the compact case.

Estimation of descriptive statistics for multiply censored water quality data

USGS Publications Warehouse

Helsel, Dennis R.; Cohn, Timothy A.

1988-01-01

This paper extends the work of Gilliom and Helsel (1986) on procedures for estimating descriptive statistics of water quality data that contain “less than” observations. Previously, procedures were evaluated when only one detection limit was present. Here we investigate the performance of estimators for data that have multiple detection limits. Probability plotting and maximum likelihood methods perform substantially better than simple substitution procedures now commonly in use. Therefore simple substitution procedures (e.g., substitution of the detection limit) should be avoided. Probability plotting methods are more robust than maximum likelihood methods to misspecification of the parent distribution and their use should be encouraged in the typical situation where the parent distribution is unknown. When utilized correctly, less than values frequently contain nearly as much information for estimating population moments and quantiles as would the same observations had the detection limit been below them.

Self-organized cell motility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Du, Xinxin; Doubrovinski, Konstantin

2011-03-01

Cell migration plays a key role in a wide range of biological phenomena, such as morphogenesis, chemotaxis, and wound healing. Cell locomotion relies on the cytoskeleton, a meshwork of filamentous proteins, intrinsically out of thermodynamic equilibrium and cross-linked by molecular motors, proteins that turn chemical energy into mechanical work. In the course of locomotion, cells remain polarized, i.e. they retain a single direction of motion in the absence of external cues. Traditionally, polarization has been attributed to intracellular signaling. However, recent experiments show that polarization may be a consequence of self-organized cytoskeletal dynamics. Our aim is to elucidate the mechanisms by which persistent unidirectional locomotion may arise through simple mechanical interactions of the cytoskeletal proteins. To this end, we develop a simple physical description of cytoskeletal dynamics. We find that the proposed description accounts for a range of phenomena associated with cell motility, including spontaneous polarization, persistent unidirectional motion, and the co-existence of motile and non-motile states.

Efficient micromagnetic modelling of spin-transfer torque and spin-orbit torque

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abert, Claas; Bruckner, Florian; Vogler, Christoph; Suess, Dieter

2018-05-01

While the spin-diffusion model is considered one of the most complete and accurate tools for the description of spin transport and spin torque, its solution in the context of dynamical micromagnetic simulations is numerically expensive. We propose a procedure to retrieve the free parameters of a simple macro-spin like spin-torque model through the spin-diffusion model. In case of spin-transfer torque the simplified model complies with the model of Slonczewski. A similar model can be established for the description of spin-orbit torque. In both cases the spin-diffusion model enables the retrieval of free model parameters from the geometry and the material parameters of the system. Since these parameters usually have to be determined phenomenologically through experiments, the proposed method combines the strength of the diffusion model to resolve material parameters and geometry with the high performance of simple torque models.

Optical properties of YbMnBi2: A type II Weyl semimetal candidate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pal, A.; Chinotti, M.; Degiorgi, L.; Ren, W. J.; Petrovic, C.

2018-05-01

We discuss our recent optical investigation of YbMnBi2, a representative type II Weyl semimetal, by considering a simple scheme for the electronic structure, which can be embedded within a recent theoretical approach for the calculation of the excitation spectrum. Our study allows us disentangling the generic optical fingerprints of Weyl fermions, which are in broad agreement with the theoretical predictions but also challenge the present understanding of their electrodynamic response.

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

Galperin, Michael

The progress of experimental techniques at the nanoscale in the last decade made optical measurements in current-carrying nanojunctions a reality, thus indicating the emergence of a new field of research coined optoelectronics. Optical spectroscopy of open nonequilibrium systems is a natural meeting point for (at least) two research areas: nonlinear optical spectroscopy and quantum transport, each with its own theoretical toolbox. We review recent progress in the field comparing theoretical treatments of optical response in nanojunctions as is accepted in nonlinear spectroscopy and quantum transport communities. A unified theoretical description of spectroscopy in nanojunctions is presented. Here, we argue thatmore » theoretical approaches of the quantum transport community (and in particular, the Green function based considerations) yield a convenient tool for optoelectronics when the radiation field is treated classically, and that differences between the toolboxes may become critical when studying the quantum radiation field in junctions.« less

Entanglement renormalization and topological order.

PubMed

Aguado, Miguel; Vidal, Guifré

2008-02-22

The multiscale entanglement renormalization ansatz (MERA) is argued to provide a natural description for topological states of matter. The case of Kitaev's toric code is analyzed in detail and shown to possess a remarkably simple MERA description leading to distillation of the topological degrees of freedom at the top of the tensor network. Kitaev states on an infinite lattice are also shown to be a fixed point of the renormalization group flow associated with entanglement renormalization. All of these results generalize to arbitrary quantum double models.

Catalog Descriptions Using VOTable Files

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thompson, R.; Levay, K.; Kimball, T.; White, R.

2008-08-01

Additional information is frequently required to describe database table contents and make it understandable to users. For this reason, the Multimission Archive at Space Telescope (MAST) creates Òdescription filesÓ for each table/catalog. After trying various XML and CSV formats, we finally chose VOTable. These files are easy to update via an HTML form, easily read using an XML parser such as (in our case) the PHP5 SimpleXML extension, and have found multiple uses in our data access/retrieval process.

I'll take that to go: Big data bags and minimal identifiers for exchange of large, complex datasets

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

Chard, Kyle; D'Arcy, Mike; Heavner, Benjamin D.

Big data workflows often require the assembly and exchange of complex, multi-element datasets. For example, in biomedical applications, the input to an analytic pipeline can be a dataset consisting thousands of images and genome sequences assembled from diverse repositories, requiring a description of the contents of the dataset in a concise and unambiguous form. Typical approaches to creating datasets for big data workflows assume that all data reside in a single location, requiring costly data marshaling and permitting errors of omission and commission because dataset members are not explicitly specified. We address these issues by proposing simple methods and toolsmore » for assembling, sharing, and analyzing large and complex datasets that scientists can easily integrate into their daily workflows. These tools combine a simple and robust method for describing data collections (BDBags), data descriptions (Research Objects), and simple persistent identifiers (Minids) to create a powerful ecosystem of tools and services for big data analysis and sharing. We present these tools and use biomedical case studies to illustrate their use for the rapid assembly, sharing, and analysis of large datasets.« less

Experiments on the interaction of heavy ions with dense plasma at GSI-Darmstadt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stöckl, C.; Boine-Frankenheim, O.; Geißel, M.; Roth, M.; Wetzler, H.; Seelig, W.; Iwase, O.; Spiller, P.; Bock, R.; Süß, W.; Hoffmann, D. H. H.

One of the main objectives of the experimental plasma physics activities at the Gesellschaft für Schwerionenforschung (GSI) are the interaction processes of heavy ions with dense ionized matter. Gas-discharge plasma targets were used for energy loss and charge state measurements in a regime of electron density and temperature up to 10 19 cm -3 and 20 eV, respectively. An improved model of the charge exchange processes in fully ionized hydrogen plasma, taking into account multiple excited electronic configurations which subsequently ionize, has removed the discrepancies of previous theoretical descriptions. The energy loss of the ion beam in partially ionized plasmas such as argon was found to agree very well with our simple theoretical model based on the modified Bethe-Bloch theory. A new setup with a 100 J/5 GW Nd-glass laser now provides access to density ranges up to 10 21 cm -3 and temperatures of up to 100 eV. First results of interaction experiments with laser-produced plasma are presented. To fully exploit the experimental possibilities of the new laser-plasma setup both improved charge state detection systems and better plasma diagnostics are indispensable. Present developments and future possibilities in these fields are presented. This paper summarizes the following contributions: Interaction of heavy-ion beams with laser plasma by C. Stöckl et al. Energy Loss of Heavy Ions in a laser-produced plasma by M. Roth et al. Charge state measurements of heavy ions passing a laser produced plasma with high time resolution by W. Süß et al. Plasma diagnostics for laser-produced plasma by O. Iwase et al. Future possibilities of plasma diagnostics at GSI by M. Geißel et al.

Fluid Creep Effects on Near-Wall Solute Transport for Non-Isothermal Ampoules

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Papadopoulos, Dimitrios; Rosner, Daniel E.

1996-01-01

There is a growing practical and theoretical interest in developing accurate macroscopic modelling for flows arising in chemical or physical vapor transport (VT) crystal growth experiments, including those conducted in reduced gravity environments. Rosner was the first person to point out that previously neglected rarefield gas dynamics phenomena (Stefan and bouyancy-driven flows) become rather important sources of convection. In particular, the combination of rarefaction and strong gradients of temperature (and/or concentration) tangential to the side-walls of the ampoule induces convective flows known as thermal (and concentration) 'creep' respectively. His order-of-magnitude estimates revealed that thermal creep effects can be non-negligible even at normal gravitational levels. On the macroscopic level, the bulk fluid mechanics can be adequately described by the familiar macroscopic equations as long as the boundary conditions are modified to account for the integrated effect of kinetic boundary layers adjacent to solid boundaries. Motivated by the growing importance of these phenomena, we have embarked on a series of computational studies to elucidate these fundamental creep-induced effects for a rarefied gas in simple, two-dimensional confined geometries. However, unlike previous related studies, we resort to a microscopic description of the gas, mathematically expressed by the Boltzmann integro-differential equation. We employ the direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) method of Bird, the theoretical foundations and several practical applications. In the case of thermally induced flows, the no-time counter method of Bird is used, as implemented for a hard-sphere gas. The scheme has been also extended to account for realistic molecular interaction models, an extension necessary if the diffusion physics underlying concentration creep are to be captured.

Global Langevin model of multidimensional biomolecular dynamics.

PubMed

Schaudinnus, Norbert; Lickert, Benjamin; Biswas, Mithun; Stock, Gerhard

2016-11-14

Molecular dynamics simulations of biomolecular processes are often discussed in terms of diffusive motion on a low-dimensional free energy landscape F(). To provide a theoretical basis for this interpretation, one may invoke the system-bath ansatz á la Zwanzig. That is, by assuming a time scale separation between the slow motion along the system coordinate x and the fast fluctuations of the bath, a memory-free Langevin equation can be derived that describes the system's motion on the free energy landscape F(), which is damped by a friction field and driven by a stochastic force that is related to the friction via the fluctuation-dissipation theorem. While the theoretical formulation of Zwanzig typically assumes a highly idealized form of the bath Hamiltonian and the system-bath coupling, one would like to extend the approach to realistic data-based biomolecular systems. Here a practical method is proposed to construct an analytically defined global model of structural dynamics. Given a molecular dynamics simulation and adequate collective coordinates, the approach employs an "empirical valence bond"-type model which is suitable to represent multidimensional free energy landscapes as well as an approximate description of the friction field. Adopting alanine dipeptide and a three-dimensional model of heptaalanine as simple examples, the resulting Langevin model is shown to reproduce the results of the underlying all-atom simulations. Because the Langevin equation can also be shown to satisfy the underlying assumptions of the theory (such as a delta-correlated Gaussian-distributed noise), the global model provides a correct, albeit empirical, realization of Zwanzig's formulation. As an application, the model can be used to investigate the dependence of the system on parameter changes and to predict the effect of site-selective mutations on the dynamics.

Expanding the knowledge translation metaphor.

PubMed

Engebretsen, Eivind; Sandset, Tony Joakim; Ødemark, John

2017-03-13

Knowledge translation (KT) is a buzzword in modern medical science. However, there has been little theoretical reflection on translation as a process of meaning production in KT. In this paper, we argue that KT will benefit from the incorporation of a more theoretical notion of translation as an entangled material, textual and cultural process. We discuss and challenge fundamental assumptions in KT, drawing on theories of translation from the human sciences. We show that the current construal of KT as separate from and secondary to the original scientific message is close to the now deeply compromised literary view of translation as the simple act of copying the original. Inspired by recent theories of translation, we claim that KT can be more adequately understood in terms of a 'double supplement' - on the one hand, KT offers new approaches to the communication of scientific knowledge to different groups in the healthcare system with the aim of supplementing a lack of knowledge among clinicians (and patients). On the other, it demonstrates that a textual and cultural supplement, namely a concern with target audiences (clinicians and patients), is inevitable in the creation of an 'autonomous' science. Hence, the division between science and its translation is unproductive and impossible to maintain. We discuss some possible implications of our suggested shift in concept by drawing on pharmaceutical interventions for the prevention of HIV as a case. We argue that such interventions are based on a supplementary and paradoxical relation to the target audiences, both presupposing and denying their existence. More sophisticated theories of translation can lay the foundation for an expanded model of KT that incorporates a more adequate and reflective description of the interdependency of scientific, cultural, textual and material practices.

SMRT: A new, modular snow microwave radiative transfer model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Picard, Ghislain; Sandells, Melody; Löwe, Henning; Dumont, Marie; Essery, Richard; Floury, Nicolas; Kontu, Anna; Lemmetyinen, Juha; Maslanka, William; Mätzler, Christian; Morin, Samuel; Wiesmann, Andreas

2017-04-01

Forward models of radiative transfer processes are needed to interpret remote sensing data and derive measurements of snow properties such as snow mass. A key requirement and challenge for microwave emission and scattering models is an accurate description of the snow microstructure. The snow microwave radiative transfer model (SMRT) was designed to cater for potential future active and/or passive satellite missions and developed to improve understanding of how to parameterize snow microstructure. SMRT is implemented in Python and is modular to allow easy intercomparison of different theoretical approaches. Separate modules are included for the snow microstructure model, electromagnetic module, radiative transfer solver, substrate, interface reflectivities, atmosphere and permittivities. An object-oriented approach is used with carefully specified exchanges between modules to allow future extensibility i.e. without constraining the parameter list requirements. This presentation illustrates the capabilities of SMRT. At present, five different snow microstructure models have been implemented, and direct insertion of the autocorrelation function from microtomography data is also foreseen with SMRT. Three electromagnetic modules are currently available. While DMRT-QCA and Rayleigh models need specific microstructure models, the Improved Born Approximation may be used with any microstructure representation. A discrete ordinates approach with stream connection is used to solve the radiative transfer equations, although future inclusion of 6-flux and 2-flux solvers are envisioned. Wrappers have been included to allow existing microwave emission models (MEMLS, HUT, DMRT-QMS) to be run with the same inputs and minimal extra code (2 lines). Comparisons between theoretical approaches will be shown, and evaluation against field experiments in the frequency range 5-150 GHz. SMRT is simple and elegant to use whilst providing a framework for future development within the community.

Anomalous dimensionality dependence of diffusion in a rugged energy landscape: How pathological is one dimension?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seki, Kazuhiko; Bagchi, Kaushik; Bagchi, Biman

2016-05-01

Diffusion in one dimensional rugged energy landscape (REL) is predicted to be pathologically different (from any higher dimension) with a much larger chance of encountering broken ergodicity [D. L. Stein and C. M. Newman, AIP Conf. Proc. 1479, 620 (2012)]. However, no quantitative study of this difference has been reported, despite the prevalence of multidimensional physical models in the literature (like a high dimensional funnel guiding protein folding/unfolding). Paradoxically, some theoretical studies of these phenomena still employ a one dimensional diffusion description for analytical tractability. We explore the dimensionality dependent diffusion on REL by carrying out an effective medium approximation based analytical calculations and compare them with the available computer simulation results. We find that at an intermediate level of ruggedness (assumed to have a Gaussian distribution), where diffusion is well-defined, the value of the effective diffusion coefficient depends on dimensionality and changes (increases) by several factors (˜5-10) in going from 1d to 2d. In contrast, the changes in subsequent transitions (like 2d to 3d and 3d to 4d and so on) are far more modest, of the order of 10-20% only. When ruggedness is given by random traps with an exponential distribution of barrier heights, the mean square displacement (MSD) is sub-diffusive (a well-known result), but the growth of MSD is described by different exponents in one and higher dimensions. The reason for such strong ruggedness induced retardation in the case of one dimensional REL is discussed. We also discuss the special limiting case of infinite dimension (d = ∞) where the effective medium approximation becomes exact and where theoretical results become simple. We discuss, for the first time, the role of spatial correlation in the landscape on diffusion of a random walker.

Anomalous dimensionality dependence of diffusion in a rugged energy landscape: How pathological is one dimension?

PubMed

Seki, Kazuhiko; Bagchi, Kaushik; Bagchi, Biman

2016-05-21

Diffusion in one dimensional rugged energy landscape (REL) is predicted to be pathologically different (from any higher dimension) with a much larger chance of encountering broken ergodicity [D. L. Stein and C. M. Newman, AIP Conf. Proc. 1479, 620 (2012)]. However, no quantitative study of this difference has been reported, despite the prevalence of multidimensional physical models in the literature (like a high dimensional funnel guiding protein folding/unfolding). Paradoxically, some theoretical studies of these phenomena still employ a one dimensional diffusion description for analytical tractability. We explore the dimensionality dependent diffusion on REL by carrying out an effective medium approximation based analytical calculations and compare them with the available computer simulation results. We find that at an intermediate level of ruggedness (assumed to have a Gaussian distribution), where diffusion is well-defined, the value of the effective diffusion coefficient depends on dimensionality and changes (increases) by several factors (∼5-10) in going from 1d to 2d. In contrast, the changes in subsequent transitions (like 2d to 3d and 3d to 4d and so on) are far more modest, of the order of 10-20% only. When ruggedness is given by random traps with an exponential distribution of barrier heights, the mean square displacement (MSD) is sub-diffusive (a well-known result), but the growth of MSD is described by different exponents in one and higher dimensions. The reason for such strong ruggedness induced retardation in the case of one dimensional REL is discussed. We also discuss the special limiting case of infinite dimension (d = ∞) where the effective medium approximation becomes exact and where theoretical results become simple. We discuss, for the first time, the role of spatial correlation in the landscape on diffusion of a random walker.

Global Langevin model of multidimensional biomolecular dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schaudinnus, Norbert; Lickert, Benjamin; Biswas, Mithun; Stock, Gerhard

2016-11-01

Molecular dynamics simulations of biomolecular processes are often discussed in terms of diffusive motion on a low-dimensional free energy landscape F ( 𝒙 ) . To provide a theoretical basis for this interpretation, one may invoke the system-bath ansatz á la Zwanzig. That is, by assuming a time scale separation between the slow motion along the system coordinate x and the fast fluctuations of the bath, a memory-free Langevin equation can be derived that describes the system's motion on the free energy landscape F ( 𝒙 ) , which is damped by a friction field and driven by a stochastic force that is related to the friction via the fluctuation-dissipation theorem. While the theoretical formulation of Zwanzig typically assumes a highly idealized form of the bath Hamiltonian and the system-bath coupling, one would like to extend the approach to realistic data-based biomolecular systems. Here a practical method is proposed to construct an analytically defined global model of structural dynamics. Given a molecular dynamics simulation and adequate collective coordinates, the approach employs an "empirical valence bond"-type model which is suitable to represent multidimensional free energy landscapes as well as an approximate description of the friction field. Adopting alanine dipeptide and a three-dimensional model of heptaalanine as simple examples, the resulting Langevin model is shown to reproduce the results of the underlying all-atom simulations. Because the Langevin equation can also be shown to satisfy the underlying assumptions of the theory (such as a delta-correlated Gaussian-distributed noise), the global model provides a correct, albeit empirical, realization of Zwanzig's formulation. As an application, the model can be used to investigate the dependence of the system on parameter changes and to predict the effect of site-selective mutations on the dynamics.

Numerical analysis of the Anderson localization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Markoš, P.

2006-10-01

The aim of this paper is to demonstrate, by simple numerical simulations, the main transport properties of disordered electron systems. These systems undergo the metal insulator transition when either Fermi energy crosses the mobility edge or the strength of the disorder increases over critical value. We study how disorder affects the energy spectrum and spatial distribution of electronic eigenstates in the diffusive and insulating regime, as well as in the critical region of the metal-insulator transition. Then, we introduce the transfer matrix and conductance, and we discuss how the quantum character of the electron propagation influences the transport properties of disordered samples. In the weakly disordered systems, the weak localization and anti-localization as well as the universal conductance fluctuation are numerically simulated and discussed. The localization in the one dimensional system is described and interpreted as a purely quantum effect. Statistical properties of the conductance in the critical and localized regimes are demonstrated. Special attention is given to the numerical study of the transport properties of the critical regime and to the numerical verification of the single parameter scaling theory of localization. Numerical data for the critical exponent in the orthogonal models in dimension 2 < d, ≤ 5 are compared with theoretical predictions. We argue that the discrepancy between the theory and numerical data is due to the absence of the self-averaging of transmission quantities. This complicates the analytical analysis of the disordered systems. Finally, theoretical methods of description of weakly disordered systems are explained and their possible generalization to the localized regime is discussed. Since we concentrate on the one-electron propagation at zero temperature, no effects of electron-electron interaction and incoherent scattering are discussed in the paper.

TAD- THEORETICAL AERODYNAMICS PROGRAM

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barrowman, J.

1994-01-01

This theoretical aerodynamics program, TAD, was developed to predict the aerodynamic characteristics of vehicles with sounding rocket configurations. These slender, axisymmetric finned vehicle configurations have a wide range of aeronautical applications from rockets to high speed armament. Over a given range of Mach numbers, TAD will compute the normal force coefficient derivative, the center-of-pressure, the roll forcing moment coefficient derivative, the roll damping moment coefficient derivative, and the pitch damping moment coefficient derivative of a sounding rocket configured vehicle. The vehicle may consist of a sharp pointed nose of cone or tangent ogive shape, up to nine other body divisions of conical shoulder, conical boattail, or circular cylinder shape, and fins of trapezoid planform shape with constant cross section and either three or four fins per fin set. The characteristics computed by TAD have been shown to be accurate to within ten percent of experimental data in the supersonic region. The TAD program calculates the characteristics of separate portions of the vehicle, calculates the interference between separate portions of the vehicle, and then combines the results to form a total vehicle solution. Also, TAD can be used to calculate the characteristics of the body or fins separately as an aid in the design process. Input to the TAD program consists of simple descriptions of the body and fin geometries and the Mach range of interest. Output includes the aerodynamic characteristics of the total vehicle, or user-selected portions, at specified points over the mach range. The TAD program is written in FORTRAN IV for batch execution and has been implemented on an IBM 360 computer with a central memory requirement of approximately 123K of 8 bit bytes. The TAD program was originally developed in 1967 and last updated in 1972.

High-accuracy self-mixing interferometer based on multiple reflections using a simple external reflecting mirror

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Xiu-lin; Wei, Zheng; Wang, Rui; Huang, Wen-cai

2018-05-01

A self-mixing interferometer (SMI) with resolution twenty times higher than that of a conventional interferometer is developed by multiple reflections. Only by employing a simple external reflecting mirror, the multiple-pass optical configuration can be constructed. The advantage of the configuration is simple and easy to make the light re-injected back into the laser cavity. Theoretical analysis shows that the resolution of measurement is scalable by adjusting the number of reflections. The experiment shows that the proposed method has the optical resolution of approximate λ/40. The influence of displacement sensitivity gain ( G) is further analyzed and discussed in practical experiments.

A simple device for teaching direct ophthalmoscopy to primary care practitioners.

PubMed

Chung, Kelly D; Watzke, Robert C

2004-09-01

Ophthalmoscopy, a valuable skill for primary care practitioners, can be challenging to learn. A simple and inexpensive device for teaching direct ophthalmoscopy to primary care practitioners is described. Device description. Cylindrical plastic canisters were altered to have an artificial pupil at one end and a replaceable fundus photograph at the other end to simulate the mechanics of performing direct ophthalmoscopy on a real eye. These were tested for ease of use by primary care students. The devices to aid in teaching ophthalmoscopy proved to be simple and inexpensive to construct. They allowed students to practice direct ophthalmoscopy technique and identification of funduscopic abnormalities. This simple device for teaching direct ophthalmoscopy to primary care practitioners is inexpensive to create and is a valuable aid for teaching direct ophthalmoscopy to primary care practitioners.

Experimental and simulation studies of pore scale flow and reactive transport associated with supercritical CO2 injection into brine-filled reservoir rocks (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

DePaolo, D. J.; Steefel, C. I.; Bourg, I. C.

2013-12-01

This talk will review recent research relating to pore scale reactive transport effects done in the context of the Department of Energy-sponsored Energy Frontier Research Center led by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory with several other laboratory and University partners. This Center, called the Center for Nanoscale Controls on Geologic CO2 (NCGC) has focused effort on the behavior of supercritical CO2 being injected into and/or residing as capillary trapped-bubbles in sandstone and shale, with particular emphasis on the description of nanoscale to pore scale processes that could provide the basis for advanced simulations. In general, simulation of reservoir-scale behavior of CO2 sequestration assumes a number of mostly qualitative relationships that are defensible as nominal first-order descriptions of single-fluid systems, but neglect the many complications that are associated with a two-phase or three-phase reactive system. The contrasts in properties, and the mixing behavior of scCO2 and brine provide unusual conditions for water-rock interaction, and the NCGC has investigated the underlying issues by a combination of approaches including theoretical and experimental studies of mineral nucleation and growth, experimental studies of brine films, mineral wetting properties, dissolution-precipitation rates and infiltration patterns, molecular dynamic simulations and neutron scattering experiments of fluid properties for fluid confined in nanopores, and various approaches to numerical simulation of reactive transport processes. The work to date has placed new constraints on the thickness of brine films, and also on the wetting properties of CO2 versus brine, a property that varies between minerals and with salinity, and may also change with time as a result of the reactivity of CO2-saturated brine. Mineral dissolution is dependent on reactive surface area, which can be shown to vary by a large factor for various minerals, especially when correlated with interconnected pore space. High-resolution numerical simulations of reactive transport can ultimate lead to quantitative descriptions of pore scale chemistry and flow, and examples of recent developments will be presented. However, only a limited description of the processes can realistically be treated in such simulations, and only for chemically simple systems. Whether and when more complete simulations will be achievable is yet to be determined.

On a Family of Circles

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Feeman, Timothy G.

2011-01-01

We generalize a standard example from precalculus and calculus texts to give a simple description in polar coordinates of any circle that passes through the origin. We discuss an occurrence of this formula in the context of medical imaging. (Contains 1 figure.)

Easy Games for the German Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kaiser, Linda

1977-01-01

The following easy games for the German classroom are described: around Germany, map identifications, fast response, bingo, memory training, geography college bowl, find the object, descriptions, pronunciation perfection, acrostics, simple board games, art lesson, treasure hunt, and miscellaneous games. (SW)

Distance Education in Taiwan: A Model Validated.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shih, Mei-Yau; Zvacek, Susan M.

The Triad Perspective Model of Distance Education (TPMDE) guides researchers in developing research questions, gathering data, and producing a comprehensive description of a distance education program. It was developed around three theoretical perspectives: (1) curriculum development theory (Tyler's four questions, 1949); (2) systems theory…

Cognitive Architectures for Multimedia Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reed, Stephen K.

2006-01-01

This article provides a tutorial overview of cognitive architectures that can form a theoretical foundation for designing multimedia instruction. Cognitive architectures include a description of memory stores, memory codes, and cognitive operations. Architectures that are relevant to multimedia learning include Paivio's dual coding theory,…

Planetary rings - Theory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Borderies, Nicole

1989-01-01

Theoretical models of planetary-ring dynamics are examined in a brief analytical review. The mathematical description of streamlines and streamline interactions is outlined; the redistribution of angular momentum due to collisions between particles is explained; and problems in the modeling of broad, narrow, and arc rings are discussed.

Simple lock-in detection technique utilizing multiple harmonics for digital PGC demodulators.

PubMed

Duan, Fajie; Huang, Tingting; Jiang, Jiajia; Fu, Xiao; Ma, Ling

2017-06-01

A simple lock-in detection technique especially suited for digital phase-generated carrier (PGC) demodulators is proposed in this paper. It mixes the interference signal with rectangular waves whose Fourier expansions contain multiple odd or multiple even harmonics of the carrier to recover the quadrature components needed for interference phase demodulation. In this way, the use of a multiplier is avoided and the efficiency of the algorithm is improved. Noise performance with regard to light intensity variation and circuit noise is analyzed theoretically for both the proposed technique and the traditional lock-in technique, and results show that the former provides a better signal-to-noise ratio than the latter with proper modulation depth and average interference phase. Detailed simulations were conducted and the theoretical analysis was verified. A fiber-optic Michelson interferometer was constructed and the feasibility of the proposed technique is demonstrated.

Widely tunable optical parametric oscillation in a Kerr microresonator.

PubMed

Sayson, Noel Lito B; Webb, Karen E; Coen, Stéphane; Erkintalo, Miro; Murdoch, Stuart G

2017-12-15

We report on the first experimental demonstration of widely tunable parametric sideband generation in a Kerr microresonator. Specifically, by pumping a silica microsphere in the normal dispersion regime, we achieve the generation of phase-matched four-wave mixing sidebands at large frequency detunings from the pump. Thanks to the role of higher-order dispersion in enabling phase matching, small variations of the pump wavelength translate into very large and controllable changes in the wavelengths of the generated sidebands: we experimentally demonstrate over 720 nm of tunability using a low-power continuous-wave pump laser in the C-band. We also derive simple theoretical predictions for the phase-matched sideband frequencies and discuss the predictions in light of the discrete cavity resonance frequencies. Our experimentally measured sideband wavelengths are in very good agreement with theoretical predictions obtained from our simple phase-matching analysis.

Computational assignment of redox states to Coulomb blockade diamonds.

PubMed

Olsen, Stine T; Arcisauskaite, Vaida; Hansen, Thorsten; Kongsted, Jacob; Mikkelsen, Kurt V

2014-09-07

With the advent of molecular transistors, electrochemistry can now be studied at the single-molecule level. Experimentally, the redox chemistry of the molecule manifests itself as features in the observed Coulomb blockade diamonds. We present a simple theoretical method for explicit construction of the Coulomb blockade diamonds of a molecule. A combined quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical method is invoked to calculate redox energies and polarizabilities of the molecules, including the screening effect of the metal leads. This direct approach circumvents the need for explicit modelling of the gate electrode. From the calculated parameters the Coulomb blockade diamonds are constructed using simple theory. We offer a theoretical tool for assignment of Coulomb blockade diamonds to specific redox states in particular, and a study of chemical details in the diamonds in general. With the ongoing experimental developments in molecular transistor experiments, our tool could find use in molecular electronics, electrochemistry, and electrocatalysis.

Large-deflection theory for end compression of long rectangular plates rigidly clamped along two edges

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Levy, Samuel; Krupen, Philip

1943-01-01

The von Karman equations for flat plates are solved beyond the buckling load up to edge strains equal to eight time the buckling strain, for the extreme case of rigid clamping along the edges parallel to the load. Deflections, bending stresses, and membrane stresses are given as a function of end compressive load. The theoretical values of effective width are compared with the values derived for simple support along the edges parallel to the load. The increases in effective width due to rigid clamping drops from about 20 percent near the buckling strain to about 8 percent at an edge strain equal to eight times the buckling strain. Experimental values of effective width in the elastic range reported in NACA Technical Note No. 684 are between the theoretical curves for the extremes of simple support and rigid clamping.

Selecting foils for identification lineups: matching suspects or descriptions?

PubMed

Tunnicliff, J L; Clark, S E

2000-04-01

Two experiments directly compare two methods of selecting foils for identification lineups. The suspect-matched method selects foils based on their match to the suspect, whereas the description-matched method selects foils based on their match to the witness's description of the perpetrator. Theoretical analyses and previous results predict an advantage for description-matched lineups both in terms of correctly identifying the perpetrator and minimizing false identification of innocent suspects. The advantage for description-matched lineups should be particularly pronounced if the foils selected in suspect-matched lineups are too similar to the suspect. In Experiment 1, the lineups were created by trained police officers, and in Experiment 2, the lineups were constructed by undergraduate college students. The results of both experiments showed higher suspect-to-foil similarity for suspect-matched lineups than for description-matched lineups. However, neither experiment showed a difference in correct or false identification rates. Both experiments did, however, show that there may be an advantage for suspect-matched lineups in terms of no-pick and rejection responses. From these results, the endorsement of one method over the other seems premature.

Integrated Reconfigurable Intelligent Systems (IRIS) for Complex Naval Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-02-23

INTRODUCTION 35 2.2 GENERAL MODEL SETUP 36 2.2.1 Co-Simulation Principles 36 2.2.2 Double pendulum : a simple example 38 2.2.3 Description of numerical... pendulum sample problem 45 2.3 DISCUSSION OF APPROACH WITH RESPECT TO PROPOSED SUBTASKS 49 2.4 RESULTS DISCUSSION AND FUTURE WORK 49 TASK 3...Kim and Praehofer 2000]. 2.2.2 Double pendulum : a simple example In order to be able to evaluate co-simulation principles, specifically an

Cooling tower plume - model and experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cizek, Jan; Gemperle, Jiri; Strob, Miroslav; Nozicka, Jiri

The paper discusses the description of the simple model of the, so-called, steam plume, which in many cases forms during the operation of the evaporative cooling systems of the power plants, or large technological units. The model is based on semi-empirical equations that describe the behaviour of a mixture of two gases in case of the free jet stream. In the conclusion of the paper, a simple experiment is presented through which the results of the designed model shall be validated in the subsequent period.

The visual display of regulatory information and networks.

PubMed

Pirson, I; Fortemaison, N; Jacobs, C; Dremier, S; Dumont, J E; Maenhaut, C

2000-10-01

Cell regulation and signal transduction are becoming increasingly complex, with reports of new cross-signalling, feedback, and feedforward regulations between pathways and between the multiple isozymes discovered at each step of these pathways. However, this information, which requires pages of text for its description, can be summarized in very simple schemes, although there is no consensus on the drawing of such schemes. This article presents a simple set of rules that allows a lot of information to be inserted in easily understandable displays.

Mathematical Description of the Uptake of Hydrocarbons in Jet Fuel into the Stratum Corneum of Human Volunteers

PubMed Central

Kim, David; Farthing, Matthew W.; Miller, Cass T.; Nylander-French, Leena A.

2008-01-01

The objective of this research was to develop a mathematical description of uptake of aromatic and aliphatic hydrocarbons into the stratum corneum of human skin in vivo. A simple description based on Fick’s Laws of diffusion was used to predict the spatiotemporal variation of naphthalene, 1- and 2-methylnaphthalene, undecane, and dodecane in the stratum corneum of human volunteers. The estimated values of the diffusion coefficients for each chemical were comparable to values predicted using in vitro skin systems and biomonitoring studies. These results demonstrate the value of measuring dermal exposure using the tape-strip technique and the importance of quantifying of dermal uptake. PMID:18423910

Density functional theory for the description of spherical non-associating monomers in confined media using the SAFT-VR equation of state and weighted density approximations.

PubMed

Malheiro, Carine; Mendiboure, Bruno; Plantier, Frédéric; Blas, Felipe J; Miqueu, Christelle

2014-04-07

As a first step of an ongoing study of thermodynamic properties and adsorption of complex fluids in confined media, we present a new theoretical description for spherical monomers using the Statistical Associating Fluid Theory for potential of Variable Range (SAFT-VR) and a Non-Local Density Functional Theory (NLDFT) with Weighted Density Approximations (WDA). The well-known Modified Fundamental Measure Theory is used to describe the inhomogeneous hard-sphere contribution as a reference for the monomer and two WDA approaches are developed for the dispersive terms from the high-temperature Barker and Henderson perturbation expansion. The first approach extends the dispersive contributions using the scalar and vector weighted densities introduced in the Fundamental Measure Theory (FMT) and the second one uses a coarse-grained (CG) approach with a unique weighted density. To test the accuracy of this new NLDFT/SAFT-VR coupling, the two versions of the theoretical model are compared with Grand Canonical Monte Carlo (GCMC) molecular simulations using the same molecular model. Only the version with the "CG" approach for the dispersive terms provides results in excellent agreement with GCMC calculations in a wide range of conditions while the "FMT" extension version gives a good representation solely at low pressures. Hence, the "CG" version of the theoretical model is used to reproduce methane adsorption isotherms in a Carbon Molecular Sieve and compared with experimental data after a characterization of the material. The whole results show an excellent agreement between modeling and experiments. Thus, through a complete and consistent comparison both with molecular simulations and with experimental data, the NLDFT/SAFT-VR theory has been validated for the description of monomers.

Theoretical study of the kinetics of reactions of the monohalogenated methanes with atomic chlorine.

PubMed

Brudnik, Katarzyna; Twarda, Maria; Sarzyński, Dariusz; Jodkowski, Jerzy T

2013-04-01

Ab initio calculations at the G2 level were used in a theoretical description of the kinetics and mechanism of the hydrogen abstraction reactions from fluoro-, chloro- and bromomethane by chlorine atoms. The profiles of the potential energy surfaces show that mechanism of the reactions under investigation is complex and consists of two - in the case of CH3F+Cl - and of three elementary steps for CH3Cl+Cl and CH3Br+Cl. The heights of the energy barrier related to the H-abstraction are of 8-10 kJ mol(-1), the lowest value corresponds to CH3Cl+Cl and the highest one to CH3F+Cl. The rate constants were calculated using the theoretical method based on the RRKM theory and the simplified version of the statistical adiabatic channel model. The kinetic equations derived in this study[Formula: see text]and[Formula: see text]allow a description of the kinetics of the reactions under investigation in the temperature range of 200-3000 K. The kinetics of reactions of the entirely deuterated reactants were also included in the kinetic analysis. Results of ab initio calculations show that D-abstraction process is related with the energy barrier of 5 kJ mol(-1) higher than the H-abstraction from the corresponding non-deuterated reactant molecule. The derived analytical equations for the reactions, CD3X+Cl, CH2X+HCl and CD2X+DCl (X = F, Cl and Br) are a substantial supplement of the kinetic data necessary for the description and modeling of the processes of importance in the atmospheric chemistry.

Estimation of M 1 scissors mode strength for deformed nuclei in the medium- to heavy-mass region by statistical Hauser-Feshbach model calculations

DOE PAGES

Mumpower, Matthew Ryan; Kawano, Toshihiko; Ullmann, John Leonard; ...

2017-08-17

Radiative neutron capture is an important nuclear reaction whose accurate description is needed for many applications ranging from nuclear technology to nuclear astrophysics. The description of such a process relies on the Hauser-Feshbach theory which requires the nuclear optical potential, level density, and γ-strength function as model inputs. It has recently been suggested that the M1 scissors mode may explain discrepancies between theoretical calculations and evaluated data. We explore statistical model calculations with the strength of the M1 scissors mode estimated to be dependent on the nuclear deformation of the compound system. We show that the form of the M1more » scissors mode improves the theoretical description of evaluated data and the match to experiment in both the fission product and actinide regions. Since the scissors mode occurs in the range of a few keV to a few MeV, it may also impact the neutron capture cross sections of neutron-rich nuclei that participate in the rapid neutron capture process of nucleosynthesis. As a result, we comment on the possible impact to nucleosynthesis by evaluating neutron capture rates for neutron-rich nuclei with the M1 scissors mode active.« less

Spin localization, magnetic ordering, and electronic properties of strongly correlated Ln2O3 sesquioxides (Ln=La, Ce, Pr, Nd)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

El-Kelany, Kh. E.; Ravoux, C.; Desmarais, J. K.; Cortona, P.; Pan, Y.; Tse, J. S.; Erba, A.

2018-06-01

Lanthanide sesquioxides are strongly correlated materials characterized by highly localized unpaired electrons in the f band. Theoretical descriptions based on standard density functional theory (DFT) formulations are known to be unable to correctly describe their peculiar electronic and magnetic features. In this study, electronic and magnetic properties of the first four lanthanide sesquioxides in the series are characterized through a reliable description of spin localization as ensured by hybrid functionals of the DFT, which include a fraction of nonlocal Fock exchange. Because of the high localization of the f electrons, multiple metastable electronic configurations are possible for their ground state depending on the specific partial occupation of the f orbitals: the most stable configuration is here found and characterized for all systems. Magnetic ordering is explicitly investigated, and the higher stability of an antiferromagnetic configuration with respect to the ferromagnetic one is predicted. The critical role of the fraction of exchange on the description of their electronic properties (notably, on spin localization and on the electronic band gap) is addressed. In particular, a recently proposed theoretical approach based on a self-consistent definition—through the material dielectric response—of the optimal fraction of exchange in hybrid functionals is applied to these strongly correlated materials.

Diminish electrostatic in piezoresponse force microscopy through longer or ultra-stiff tips

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gomez, A.; Puig, T.; Obradors, X.

2018-05-01

Piezoresponse Force Microscopy is a powerful but delicate nanoscale technique that measures the electromechanical response resulting from the application of a highly localized electric field. Though mechanical response is normally due to piezoelectricity, other physical phenomena, especially electrostatic interaction, can contribute to the signal read. We address this problematic through the use of longer ultra-stiff probes providing state of the art sensitivity, with the lowest electrostatic interaction and avoiding working in high frequency regime. In order to find this solution we develop a theoretical description addressing the effects of electrostatic contributions in the total cantilever vibration and its quantification for different setups. The theory is subsequently tested in a Periodically Poled Lithium Niobate (PPLN) crystal, a sample with well-defined 0° and 180° domains, using different commercial available conductive tips. We employ the theoretical description to compare the electrostatic contribution effects into the total phase recorded. Through experimental data our description is corroborated for each of the tested commercially available probes. We propose that a larger probe length can be a solution to avoid electrostatic forces, so the cantilever-sample electrostatic interaction is reduced. Our proposed solution has great implications into avoiding artifacts while studying soft biological samples, multiferroic oxides, and thin film ferroelectric materials.

Frequency-Domain Identification Of Aeroelastic Modes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Acree, C. W., Jr.; Tischler, Mark B.

1991-01-01

Report describes flight measurements and frequency-domain analyses of aeroelastic vibrational modes of wings of XV-15 tilt-rotor aircraft. Begins with description of flight-test methods. Followed by brief discussion of methods of analysis, which include Fourier-transform computations using chirp z transformers, use of coherence and other spectral functions, and methods and computer programs to obtain frequencies and damping coefficients from measurements. Includes brief description of results of flight tests and comparisions among various experimental and theoretical results. Ends with section on conclusions and recommended improvements in techniques.

Operational manual for two-dimensional transonic code TSFOIL

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stahara, S. S.

1978-01-01

This code solves the two-dimensional, transonic, small-disturbance equations for flow past lifting airfoils in both free air and various wind-tunnel environments by using a variant of the finite-difference method. A description of the theoretical and numerical basis of the code is provided, together with complete operating instructions and sample cases for the general user. In addition, a programmer's manual is also presented to assist the user interested in modifying the code. Included in the programmer's manual are a dictionary of subroutine variables in common and a detailed description of each subroutine.

Deformation profiles of elastic cylindrical tubes filled with granular media under an overload

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Álvarez Salazar, V. Salomón; Medina, Abraham; Klapp, Jaime

2017-06-01

The deformation of a thin-walled vertical tube, filled with a liquid or a cohesionless granular material is investigated theoretically and experimentally. Experiments with an overload and without it were made with latex tubes filled with water or spherical glass beads and the results were compared with the theoretical profile derived from the Janssen model. The results suggest that the soft elastic tubes could provide a simple and convenient means to investigate the forces that arise in different materials.

Analysis of NASA JP-4 fire tests data and development of a simple fire model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Raj, P.

1980-01-01

The temperature, velocity and species concentration data obtained during the NASA fire tests (3m, 7.5m and 15m diameter JP-4 fires) were analyzed. Utilizing the data analysis, a sample theoretical model was formulated to predict the temperature and velocity profiles in JP-4 fires. The theoretical model, which does not take into account the detailed chemistry of combustion, is capable of predicting the extent of necking of the fire near its base.

Graph-theoretic strengths of contextuality

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Silva, Nadish

2017-03-01

Cabello-Severini-Winter and Abramsky-Hardy (building on the framework of Abramsky-Brandenburger) both provide classes of Bell and contextuality inequalities for very general experimental scenarios using vastly different mathematical techniques. We review both approaches, carefully detail the links between them, and give simple, graph-theoretic methods for finding inequality-free proofs of nonlocality and contextuality and for finding states exhibiting strong nonlocality and/or contextuality. Finally, we apply these methods to concrete examples in stabilizer quantum mechanics relevant to understanding contextuality as a resource in quantum computation.

An improved switching converter model using discrete and average techniques

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shortt, D. J.; Lee, F. C.

1982-01-01

The nonlinear modeling and analysis of dc-dc converters has been done by averaging and discrete-sampling techniques. The averaging technique is simple, but inaccurate as the modulation frequencies approach the theoretical limit of one-half the switching frequency. The discrete technique is accurate even at high frequencies, but is very complex and cumbersome. An improved model is developed by combining the aforementioned techniques. This new model is easy to implement in circuit and state variable forms and is accurate to the theoretical limit.

A scheme for parameterizing ice cloud water content in general circulation models

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Heymsfield, Andrew J.; Donner, Leo J.

1989-01-01

A method for specifying ice water content in GCMs is developed, based on theory and in-cloud measurements. A theoretical development of the conceptual precipitation model is given and the aircraft flights used to characterize the ice mass distribution in deep ice clouds is discussed. Ice water content values derived from the theoretical parameterization are compared with the measured values. The results demonstrate that a simple parameterization for atmospheric ice content can account for ice contents observed in several synoptic contexts.

Case report and theoretical description of accelerated resolution therapy (ART) for military-related post-traumatic stress disorder.

PubMed

Kip, Kevin E; Shuman, Amy; Hernandez, Diego F; Diamond, David M; Rosenzweig, Laney

2014-01-01

This article describes a new, brief exposure-based psychotherapy known as Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) that is currently being evaluated as a treatment for combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). We describe a case report of an Army veteran with combat-related PTSD who was treated with 2 sessions of ART and experienced significant clinical improvement. We then discuss the theoretical basis and major components of the ART protocol, including use of lateral left-right eye movements, and differentiate ART with evidence-based psychotherapies currently endorsed by the Department of Defense and Veterans Administration. The number of military personnel who have served in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and are afflicted with PTSD is likely in the hundreds of thousands. The ART protocol, which is delivered in 2 to 5 sessions and without homework, uses the psychotherapeutic practices of imaginal exposure and imagery rescripting (IR) facilitated through sets of eye movements. In addition to its brevity, a novel component of ART is use of IR to "replace" negative imagery (and other sensations) with positive imagery. This theoretical description of ART and single case report provide a rationale for future formal evaluation of ART for treatment of military-related PTSD. Reprint & Copyright © 2014 Association of Military Surgeons of the U.S.

Optical Air Flow Measurements in Flight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bogue, Rodney K.; Jentink, Henk W.

2004-01-01

This document has been written to assist the flight-test engineer and researcher in using optical flow measurements in flight applications. The emphasis is on describing tradeoffs in system design to provide desired measurement performance as currently understood. Optical system components are discussed with examples that illustrate the issues. The document concludes with descriptions of optical measurement systems designed for a variety of applications including aeronautics research, airspeed measurement, and turbulence hazard detection. Theoretical discussion is minimized, but numerous references are provided to supply ample opportunity for the reader to understand the theoretical underpinning of optical concepts.

Polarization characteristics of an altazimuth sky scanner

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Garrison, L. M.; Blaszczak, Z.; Green, A. E. S.

1980-01-01

A theoretical description of the polarization characteristics of an altazimuth sky scanner optical system based on Mueller-Stokes calculus is presented. This computer-driven optical system was designed to perform laboratory studies of skylight and of celestial objects during day or night, and has no space limitations; however, the two parallel 45 deg tilt mirrors introduce some intrinsic polarization. Therefore, proper data interpretation requires a theoretical understanding of the polarization features of the instrument and accurate experimental determination of the Mueller-Stokes matrix elements describing the polarizing and depolarizing action of the system.

Structural properties of lead-lithium alloys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khambholja, S. G.; Satikunvar, D. D.; Abhishek, Agraj; Thakore, B. Y.

2018-05-01

Lead-Lihtium alloys have found large number of applications as liquid metal coolants in nuclear reactors. Large number of experimental work is reported for this system. However, complete theoretical description is still rare. In this scenario, we in the present work report the study of ground state properties of Lead-Lithium system. The present study is performed using plane wave pseudopotential density functional theory as implemented in Quantum ESPRESSO package. The theoretical findings are in agreement with previously reported experimental data. Some conclusions are drawn based on present study, which will be helpful for a comprehensive study.

Some Key Issues in Creating Inquiry-Based Instructional Practices that Aim at the Understanding of Simple Electric Circuits

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kock, Zeger-Jan; Taconis, Ruurd; Bolhuis, Sanneke; Gravemeijer, Koeno

2013-04-01

Many students in secondary schools consider the sciences difficult and unattractive. This applies to physics in particular, a subject in which students attempt to learn and understand numerous theoretical concepts, often without much success. A case in point is the understanding of the concepts current, voltage and resistance in simple electric circuits. In response to these problems, reform initiatives in education strive for a change of the classroom culture, putting emphasis on more authentic contexts and student activities containing elements of inquiry. The challenge then becomes choosing and combining these elements in such a manner that they foster an understanding of theoretical concepts. In this article we reflect on data collected and analyzed from a series of 12 grade 9 physics lessons on simple electric circuits. Drawing from a theoretical framework based on individual (conceptual change based) and socio-cultural views on learning, instruction was designed addressing known conceptual problems and attempting to create a physics (research) culture in the classroom. As the success of the lessons was limited, the focus of the study became to understand which inherent characteristics of inquiry based instruction complicate the process of constructing conceptual understanding. From the analysis of the data collected during the enactment of the lessons three tensions emerged: the tension between open inquiry and student guidance, the tension between students developing their own ideas and getting to know accepted scientific theories, and the tension between fostering scientific interest as part of a scientific research culture and the task oriented school culture. An outlook will be given on the implications for science lessons.

Parsimonious description for predicting high-dimensional dynamics

PubMed Central

Hirata, Yoshito; Takeuchi, Tomoya; Horai, Shunsuke; Suzuki, Hideyuki; Aihara, Kazuyuki

2015-01-01

When we observe a system, we often cannot observe all its variables and may have some of its limited measurements. Under such a circumstance, delay coordinates, vectors made of successive measurements, are useful to reconstruct the states of the whole system. Although the method of delay coordinates is theoretically supported for high-dimensional dynamical systems, practically there is a limitation because the calculation for higher-dimensional delay coordinates becomes more expensive. Here, we propose a parsimonious description of virtually infinite-dimensional delay coordinates by evaluating their distances with exponentially decaying weights. This description enables us to predict the future values of the measurements faster because we can reuse the calculated distances, and more accurately because the description naturally reduces the bias of the classical delay coordinates toward the stable directions. We demonstrate the proposed method with toy models of the atmosphere and real datasets related to renewable energy. PMID:26510518

Experiences in Space Science.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Washington, DC. Educational Programs Div.

This publication contains descriptions of space science activities that can be conducted with simple equipment. There are activities suitable for both elementary and secondary school children. Activities are placed under the headings: Astronomy, Atmosphere, Universal Gravitation, Aerodynamics, Guidance and Propulsion, Tracking and Communications,…

On electro-hydrodynamic effects over liquids under influence of corona discharge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bychkov, V. L.; Abakumov, V. I.; Bikmukhametova, A. R.; Chernikov, V. A.; Safronenkov, D. A.

2018-03-01

Electrohydrodynamic effects over liquids under high voltage electrode are considered in experiments with corona discharge. Simple theory is applied for description of a funnel appearance over a liquid is presented. New types of electrohydrodynamic instabilities are revealed.

The A-B-C of Desalting.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Department of the Interior, Washington, DC. Office of Water Research and Technology.

This publication provides a simple explanation of how various processes convert sea or brackish water to fresh water. Included are descriptions of the membrane processes (reverse osmosis, electrodialysis, transport depletion, and piezodialysis); the distillation processes (multistage flash distillation, vertical tube distillation, multieffect…

Interdisciplinary Research Boosted by Serendipity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Darbellay, Frédéric; Moody, Zoe; Sedooka, Ayuko; Steffen, Gabriela

2014-01-01

Interdisciplinary research can be defined as the practice of discovering new objects of knowledge beyond disciplinary borders. It often operates through the cross-fertilization and hybridization of concepts, theoretical frameworks, and methodological tools to enable the description, analysis, and understanding of the complexity of objects of study…

An Educational Response to Aging.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McLain, Rosemary

1978-01-01

The emphasis of this article is on aging and the needs of the elderly as a basis for developing educational content in the curriculum. It includes a description of a theoretical framework developed by Abraham Maslow for a holistic approach to needs of the aged. (Editor/RK)

Rational and Mechanistic Perspectives on Reinforcement Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chater, Nick

2009-01-01

This special issue describes important recent developments in applying reinforcement learning models to capture neural and cognitive function. But reinforcement learning, as a theoretical framework, can apply at two very different levels of description: "mechanistic" and "rational." Reinforcement learning is often viewed in mechanistic terms--as…

Evolutionary Design in Biological Physics and Materials Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, M.; Park, J.-M.; Deem, M. W.

In this chapter we provide a thorough discussion of the theoretical description of the multi-site approach to cancer vaccination. The discussion is somewhat demanding from a biological point of view. References to primary biological publications are given. A general reference on immunology is [1].

DRI Model of the U.S. Economy -- Model Documentation

EIA Publications

1993-01-01

Provides documentation on Data Resources, Inc., DRI Model of the U.S. Economy and the DRI Personal Computer Input/Output Model. It also describes the theoretical basis, structure and functions of both DRI models; and contains brief descriptions of the models and their equations.

Holopoetry.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kac, Eduardo

1996-01-01

Discusses a new poetic language invented in 1983 based on innovative use of the holographic medium. Defines what a holopoem is and explains the fundamental concepts of holopoetics. Introduces theoretical principles that address the new readerly experience created by the holotext. Provides a descriptive list of all holopoems created to date. (PA)

Introducing the "Cybercounseling and Cyberlearning" Web Site (cybercounsel.uncg.edu).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walz, Garry R.; Bloom, John W.

This chapter introduces the "Cybercounseling and Cyberlearning" Web site. It includes a brief description of the following chapters contained in the Web site: (1) "Cybersupervision: Close Encounters in the New Millennium" (D. Coursol and J. Lewis); (2) "Theoretical Tenets of Cybersupervision: Implications and…

Estimating Large Numbers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Landy, David; Silbert, Noah; Goldin, Aleah

2013-01-01

Despite their importance in public discourse, numbers in the range of 1 million to 1 trillion are notoriously difficult to understand. We examine magnitude estimation by adult Americans when placing large numbers on a number line and when qualitatively evaluating descriptions of imaginary geopolitical scenarios. Prior theoretical conceptions…

Wife Abuse and the Wife Abuser: Review and Recommendations.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carden, Ann D.

1994-01-01

Reviews clinical, theoretical, and empirical literature on wife abuse/abusers. Presents historical and contextual information, overview of domestic violence, prevalence data, and descriptions of evolution and current status of public and professional awareness and response. Proposes integrative model for understanding etiologic, dynamic, and…

Generative Inferences Based on Learned Relations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Dawn; Lu, Hongjing; Holyoak, Keith J.

2017-01-01

A key property of relational representations is their "generativity": From partial descriptions of relations between entities, additional inferences can be drawn about other entities. A major theoretical challenge is to demonstrate how the capacity to make generative inferences could arise as a result of learning relations from…

Improving Student Performance Outcomes and Graduation Rates through Institutional Partnerships

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roggow, Michael J.

2014-01-01

This chapter explores a grant-sponsored program and examines the role of departmental and institutional collaborations in advancing student performance outcomes. It provides a theoretical framework and a description of best practices for ensuring the success of first-generation urban community college students.

Coupled-cluster based R-matrix codes (CCRM): Recent developments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sur, Chiranjib; Pradhan, Anil K.

2008-05-01

We report the ongoing development of the new coupled-cluster R-matrix codes (CCRM) for treating electron-ion scattering and radiative processes within the framework of the relativistic coupled-cluster method (RCC), interfaced with the standard R-matrix methodology. The RCC method is size consistent and in principle equivalent to an all-order many-body perturbation theory. The RCC method is one of the most accurate many-body theories, and has been applied for several systems. This project should enable the study of electron-interactions with heavy atoms/ions, utilizing not only high speed computing platforms but also improved theoretical description of the relativistic and correlation effects for the target atoms/ions as treated extensively within the RCC method. Here we present a comprehensive outline of the newly developed theoretical method and a schematic representation of the new suite of CCRM codes. We begin with the flowchart and description of various stages involved in this development. We retain the notations and nomenclature of different stages as analogous to the standard R-matrix codes.

Surface stress induced by interactions of adsorbates and its effect on deformation and frequency of microcantilever sensors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yi, X.; Duan, H. L.

2009-08-01

Surface stress is widely used to characterize the adsorption effect on the mechanical response of nanomaterials and nanodevices. However, quantitative relations between continuum-level descriptions of surface stress and molecular-level descriptions of adsorbate interactions are not well established. In this paper, we first obtain the relations between the adsorption-induced surface stress and the van der Waals and Coulomb interactions in terms of the physical and chemical interactions between adsorbates and solid surfaces. Then, we present a theoretical framework to predict the deflection and resonance frequencies of microcantilevers with the simultaneous effects of the eigenstrain, surface stress and adsorption mass. Finally, the adsorption-induced deflection and resonance frequency shift of microcantilevers are numerically analyzed for the van der Waals and Coulomb interactions. The present theoretical framework quantifies the mechanisms of the adsorption-induced surface stress, and thus provides guidelines to the analysis of the sensitivities, and the identification of the detected substance in the design and application of micro- and nanocantilever sensors.

Josephson flux-flow oscillator: The microscopic tunneling approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gulevich, D. R.; Koshelets, V. P.; Kusmartsev, F. V.

2017-07-01

We elaborate a theoretical description of large Josephson junctions which is based on Werthamer's microscopic tunneling theory. The model naturally incorporates coupling of electromagnetic radiation to the tunnel currents and, therefore, is particularly suitable for description of the self-coupling effect in Josephson junction. In our numerical calculations we treat the arising integro-differential equation, which describes temporal evolution of the superconducting phase difference coupled to the electromagnetic field, by the Odintsov-Semenov-Zorin algorithm. This allows us to avoid evaluation of the time integrals at each time step while taking into account all the memory effects. To validate the obtained microscopic model of large Josephson junction we focus our attention on the Josephson flux-flow oscillator. The proposed microscopic model of flux-flow oscillator does not involve the phenomenological damping parameter, rather the damping is taken into account naturally in the tunnel current amplitudes calculated at a given temperature. The theoretically calculated current-voltage characteristics is compared to our experimental results obtained for a set of fabricated flux-flow oscillators of different lengths.

The Definition, Rationale, and Effects of Thresholding in OCT Angiography.

PubMed

Cole, Emily D; Moult, Eric M; Dang, Sabin; Choi, WooJhon; Ploner, Stefan B; Lee, ByungKun; Louzada, Ricardo; Novais, Eduardo; Schottenhamml, Julia; Husvogt, Lennart; Maier, Andreas; Fujimoto, James G; Waheed, Nadia K; Duker, Jay S

2017-01-01

To examine the definition, rationale, and effects of thresholding in OCT angiography (OCTA). A theoretical description of OCTA thresholding in combination with qualitative and quantitative analysis of the effects of OCTA thresholding in eyes from a retrospective case series. Four eyes were qualitatively examined: 1 from a 27-year-old control, 1 from a 78-year-old exudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD) patient, 1 from a 58-year-old myopic patient, and 1 from a 77-year-old nonexudative AMD patient with geographic atrophy (GA). One eye from a 75-year-old nonexudative AMD patient with GA was quantitatively analyzed. A theoretical thresholding model and a qualitative and quantitative description of the dependency of OCTA on thresholding level. Due to the presence of system noise, OCTA thresholding is a necessary step in forming OCTA images; however, thresholding can complicate the relationship between blood flow and OCTA signal. Thresholding in OCTA can cause significant artifacts, which should be considered when interpreting and quantifying OCTA images.

Epidemiology as discourse: the politics of development institutions in the Epidemiological Profile of El Salvador

PubMed Central

Aviles, L

2001-01-01

STUDY OBJECTIVE—To determine the ways in which institutions devoted to international development influence epidemiological studies.
DESIGN—This article takes a descriptive epidemiological study of El Salvador, Epidemiological Profile, conducted in 1994 by the US Agency for International Development, as a case study. The methods include discourse analysis in order to uncover the ideological basis of the report and its characteristics as a discourse of development.
SETTING—El Salvador.
RESULTS—The Epidemiological Profile theoretical basis, the epidemiological transition theory, embodies the ethnocentrism of a "colonizer's model of the world." This report follows the logic of a discourse of development by depoliticising development, creating abnormalities, and relying on the development consulting industry. The epidemiological transition theory serves as an ideology that legitimises and dissimulates the international order.
CONCLUSIONS—Even descriptive epidemiological assessments or epidemiological profiles are imbued with theoretical assumptions shaped by the institutional setting under which epidemiological investigations are conducted.


Keywords: El Salvador; politics PMID:11160170

Comparative Research Productivity Measures for Economic Departments.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huettner, David A.; Clark, William

1997-01-01

Develops a simple theoretical model to evaluate interdisciplinary differences in research productivity between economics departments and related subjects. Compares the research publishing statistics of economics, finance, psychology, geology, physics, oceanography, chemistry, and geophysics. Considers a number of factors including journal…

EnviroLand: A Simple Computer Program for Quantitative Stream Assessment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dunnivant, Frank; Danowski, Dan; Timmens-Haroldson, Alice; Newman, Meredith

2002-01-01

Introduces the Enviroland computer program which features lab simulations of theoretical calculations for quantitative analysis and environmental chemistry, and fate and transport models. Uses the program to demonstrate the nature of linear and nonlinear equations. (Author/YDS)

Split in phase singularities of an optical vortex by off-axis diffraction through a simple circular aperture

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

Taira, Yoshitaka; Zhang, Shukui

Here, diffraction patterns of an optical vortex through several shaped apertures reveal its topological charge. In this letter, we theoretically and experimentally show that diffraction of a Laguerre Gaussian beam through a circular aperture at an off-axis position can be used to determine the magnitude and sign of the topological charge. To our knowledge, this is the first time that a simple circular aperture has been used to detect orbital angular momentum of an incident optical vortex.

Split in phase singularities of an optical vortex by off-axis diffraction through a simple circular aperture.

PubMed

Taira, Yoshitaka; Zhang, Shukui

2017-04-01

Diffraction patterns of an optical vortex through several shaped apertures reveal its topological charge. In this Letter, we theoretically and experimentally show that diffraction of a Laguerre Gaussian beam through a circular aperture at an off-axis position can be used to determine the magnitude and sign of the topological charge. To our knowledge, this is the first time that a simple circular aperture has been used to detect orbital angular momentum of an incident optical vortex.

A simple pendulum-based measurement of g with a smartphone light sensor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pili, Unofre; Violanda, Renante

2018-07-01

A quick and very accessible method for the measurement of acceleration due to gravity is presented. The experimental set-up employs a smartphone ambient light sensor as the motion timer for measuring the period of a simple pendulum. This allowed us to obtain an experimental value, 9.72  +  0.05 m s‑2, for the gravitational acceleration which is in good agreement with the local theoretical value of 9.78 m s‑2.

Helicity and nuclear β decay correlations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hong, Ran; Sternberg, Matthew G.; Garcia, Alejandro

2017-01-01

We present simple derivations of nuclear β-decay correlations with an emphasis on the special role of helicity. This topic provides a good opportunity to teach students about helicity and chirality in particle physics with exercises that use simple aspects of quantum mechanics. In addition, this paper serves as an introduction to nuclear β-decay correlations from both a theoretical and experimental perspective. This article can be used to introduce students to ongoing experiments searching for hints of new physics in the low-energy precision frontier.

Split in phase singularities of an optical vortex by off-axis diffraction through a simple circular aperture

DOE PAGES

Taira, Yoshitaka; Zhang, Shukui

2017-03-29

Here, diffraction patterns of an optical vortex through several shaped apertures reveal its topological charge. In this letter, we theoretically and experimentally show that diffraction of a Laguerre Gaussian beam through a circular aperture at an off-axis position can be used to determine the magnitude and sign of the topological charge. To our knowledge, this is the first time that a simple circular aperture has been used to detect orbital angular momentum of an incident optical vortex.

Genetic Algorithms and Local Search

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Whitley, Darrell

1996-01-01

The first part of this presentation is a tutorial level introduction to the principles of genetic search and models of simple genetic algorithms. The second half covers the combination of genetic algorithms with local search methods to produce hybrid genetic algorithms. Hybrid algorithms can be modeled within the existing theoretical framework developed for simple genetic algorithms. An application of a hybrid to geometric model matching is given. The hybrid algorithm yields results that improve on the current state-of-the-art for this problem.

The cosmological lithium problem revisited

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bertulani, C. A.; Mukhamedzhanov, A. M.; Shubhchintak

2016-07-01

After a brief review of the cosmological lithium problem, we report a few recent attempts to find theoretical solutions by our group at Texas A&M University (Commerce & College Station). We will discuss our studies on the theoretical description of electron screening, the possible existence of parallel universes of dark matter, and the use of non-extensive statistics during the Big Bang nucleosynthesis epoch. Last but not least, we discuss possible solutions within nuclear physics realm. The impact of recent measurements of relevant nuclear reaction cross sections for the Big Bang nucleosynthesis based on indirect methods is also assessed. Although our attempts may not able to explain the observed discrepancies between theory and observations, they suggest theoretical developments that can be useful also for stellar nucleosynthesis.

The hydrodynamic description of pseudorapidity distributions at lower energies at BNL-RHIC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Zhi-Jin; Huang, Yan; Zhang, Hai-Li; Zhang, Yu

2017-04-01

The hot and dense matter produced in nucleus-nucleus collisions is supposed to expand according to unified hydrodynamics, one of the few theoretical models that can be worked out exactly. The solution is then used to formulate the rapidity distribution of charged particles frozen out from the fluid on the space-like hypersurface with a fixed temperature, T FO. A comparison is made between the theoretical predictions and the experimental measurements carried out by PHOBOS Collaboration in the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) at the Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) in different centrality Au-Au and Cu-Cu collisions at √ {s_{ {NN}}} = 19.6 and 22.4 GeV, respectively. The theoretical results are in good accordance with experimental data.

Acoustic solitons in waveguides with Helmholtz resonators: transmission line approach.

PubMed

Achilleos, V; Richoux, O; Theocharis, G; Frantzeskakis, D J

2015-02-01

We report experimental results and study theoretically soliton formation and propagation in an air-filled acoustic waveguide side loaded with Helmholtz resonators. We propose a theoretical modeling of the system, which relies on a transmission-line approach, leading to a nonlinear dynamical lattice model. The latter allows for an analytical description of the various soliton solutions for the pressure, which are found by means of dynamical systems and multiscale expansion techniques. These solutions include Boussinesq-like and Korteweg-de Vries pulse-shaped solitons that are observed in the experiment, as well as nonlinear Schrödinger envelope solitons, that are predicted theoretically. The analytical predictions are in excellent agreement with direct numerical simulations and in qualitative agreement with the experimental observations.

Preliminary study of the effect of the turbulent flow field around complex surfaces on their acoustic characteristics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Olsen, W. A.; Boldman, D.

1978-01-01

Fairly extensive measurements have been conducted of the turbulent flow around various surfaces as a basis for a study of the acoustic characteristics involved. In the experiments the flow from a nozzle was directed upon various two-dimensional surface configurations such as the three-flap model. A turbulent flow field description is given and an estimate of the acoustic characteristics is provided. The developed equations are based upon fundamental theories for simple configurations having simple flows. Qualitative estimates are obtained regarding the radiation pattern and the velocity power law. The effect of geometry and turbulent flow distribution on the acoustic emission from simple configurations are discussed.

Four simple ocean carbon models

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moore, Berrien, III

1992-01-01

This paper briefly reviews the key processes that determine oceanic CO2 uptake and sets this description within the context of four simple ocean carbon models. These models capture, in varying degrees, these key processes and establish a clear foundation for more realistic models that incorporate more directly the underlying physics and biology of the ocean rather than relying on simple parametric schemes. The purpose of this paper is more pedagogical than purely scientific. The problems encountered by current attempts to understand the global carbon cycle not only require our efforts but set a demand for a new generation of scientist, and it is hoped that this paper and the text in which it appears will help in this development.

Theoretical and empirical bases for dialect-neutral language assessment: contributions from theoretical and applied linguistics to communication disorders.

PubMed

Pearson, Barbara Zurer

2004-02-01

Three avenues of theoretical research provide insights for discovering abstract properties of language that are subject to disorder and amenable to assessment: (1) the study of universal grammar and its acquisition; (2) descriptions of African American English (AAE) Syntax, Semantics, and Phonology within theoretical linguistics; and (3) the study of specific language impairment (SLI) cross-linguistically. Abstract linguistic concepts were translated into a set of assessment protocols that were used to establish normative data on language acquisition (developmental milestones) in typically developing AAE children ages 4 to 9 years. Testing AAE-speaking language impaired (LI) children and both typically developing (TD) and LI Mainstream American English (MAE)-learning children on these same measures provided the data to select assessments for which (1) TD MAE and AAE children performed the same, and (2) TD performance was reliably different from LI performance in both dialect groups.

Stick or Switch: A Selection Heuristic Predicts when People Take the Perspective of Others or Communicate Egocentrically.

PubMed

Rogers, Shane L; Fay, Nicolas

2016-01-01

This paper examines a cognitive mechanism that drives perspective-taking and egocentrism in interpersonal communication. Using a conceptual referential communication task, in which participants describe a range of abstract geometric shapes, Experiment 1 shows that perspective-taking and egocentric communication are frequent communication strategies. Experiment 2 tests a selection heuristic account of perspective-taking and egocentric communication. It uses participants' shape description ratings to predict their communication strategy. Participants' communication strategy was predicted by how informative they perceived the different shape descriptions to be. When participants' personal shape description was perceived to be more informative than their addressee's shape description, there was a strong bias to communicate egocentrically. By contrast, when their addressee's shape description was perceived to be more informative, there was a strong bias to take their addressee's perspective. When the shape descriptions were perceived to be equally informative, there was a moderate bias to communicate egocentrically. This simple, but powerful, selection heuristic may be critical to the cumulative cultural evolution of human communication systems, and cumulative cultural evolution more generally.

Iterative channel decoding of FEC-based multiple-description codes.

PubMed

Chang, Seok-Ho; Cosman, Pamela C; Milstein, Laurence B

2012-03-01

Multiple description coding has been receiving attention as a robust transmission framework for multimedia services. This paper studies the iterative decoding of FEC-based multiple description codes. The proposed decoding algorithms take advantage of the error detection capability of Reed-Solomon (RS) erasure codes. The information of correctly decoded RS codewords is exploited to enhance the error correction capability of the Viterbi algorithm at the next iteration of decoding. In the proposed algorithm, an intradescription interleaver is synergistically combined with the iterative decoder. The interleaver does not affect the performance of noniterative decoding but greatly enhances the performance when the system is iteratively decoded. We also address the optimal allocation of RS parity symbols for unequal error protection. For the optimal allocation in iterative decoding, we derive mathematical equations from which the probability distributions of description erasures can be generated in a simple way. The performance of the algorithm is evaluated over an orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing system. The results show that the performance of the multiple description codes is significantly enhanced.

Simple-MSSM: a simple and efficient method for simultaneous multi-site saturation mutagenesis.

PubMed

Cheng, Feng; Xu, Jian-Miao; Xiang, Chao; Liu, Zhi-Qiang; Zhao, Li-Qing; Zheng, Yu-Guo

2017-04-01

To develop a practically simple and robust multi-site saturation mutagenesis (MSSM) method that enables simultaneously recombination of amino acid positions for focused mutant library generation. A general restriction enzyme-free and ligase-free MSSM method (Simple-MSSM) based on prolonged overlap extension PCR (POE-PCR) and Simple Cloning techniques. As a proof of principle of Simple-MSSM, the gene of eGFP (enhanced green fluorescent protein) was used as a template gene for simultaneous mutagenesis of five codons. Forty-eight randomly selected clones were sequenced. Sequencing revealed that all the 48 clones showed at least one mutant codon (mutation efficiency = 100%), and 46 out of the 48 clones had mutations at all the five codons. The obtained diversities at these five codons are 27, 24, 26, 26 and 22, respectively, which correspond to 84, 75, 81, 81, 69% of the theoretical diversity offered by NNK-degeneration (32 codons; NNK, K = T or G). The enzyme-free Simple-MSSM method can simultaneously and efficiently saturate five codons within one day, and therefore avoid missing interactions between residues in interacting amino acid networks.

Combined Theoretical and Experimental Study of Refractive Indices of Water-Acetonitrile-Salt Systems.

PubMed

An, Ni; Zhuang, Bilin; Li, Minglun; Lu, Yuyuan; Wang, Zhen-Gang

2015-08-20

We propose a simple theoretical formula for describing the refractive indices in binary liquid mixtures containing salt ions. Our theory is based on the Clausius-Mossotti equation; it gives the refractive index of the mixture in terms of the refractive indices of the pure liquids and the polarizability of the ionic species, by properly accounting for the volume change upon mixing. The theoretical predictions are tested by extensive experimental measurements of the refractive indices for water-acetonitrile-salt systems for several liquid compositions, different salt species, and a range of salt concentrations. Excellent agreement is obtained in all cases, especially at low salt concentrations, with no fitting parameters. A simplified expression of the refractive index for low salt concentration is also given, which can be the theoretical basis for determination of salt concentration using refractive index measurements.

Allosteric pathway identification through network analysis: from molecular dynamics simulations to interactive 2D and 3D graphs.

PubMed

Allain, Ariane; Chauvot de Beauchêne, Isaure; Langenfeld, Florent; Guarracino, Yann; Laine, Elodie; Tchertanov, Luba

2014-01-01

Allostery is a universal phenomenon that couples the information induced by a local perturbation (effector) in a protein to spatially distant regulated sites. Such an event can be described in terms of a large scale transmission of information (communication) through a dynamic coupling between structurally rigid (minimally frustrated) and plastic (locally frustrated) clusters of residues. To elaborate a rational description of allosteric coupling, we propose an original approach - MOdular NETwork Analysis (MONETA) - based on the analysis of inter-residue dynamical correlations to localize the propagation of both structural and dynamical effects of a perturbation throughout a protein structure. MONETA uses inter-residue cross-correlations and commute times computed from molecular dynamics simulations and a topological description of a protein to build a modular network representation composed of clusters of residues (dynamic segments) linked together by chains of residues (communication pathways). MONETA provides a brand new direct and simple visualization of protein allosteric communication. A GEPHI module implemented in the MONETA package allows the generation of 2D graphs of the communication network. An interactive PyMOL plugin permits drawing of the communication pathways between chosen protein fragments or residues on a 3D representation. MONETA is a powerful tool for on-the-fly display of communication networks in proteins. We applied MONETA for the analysis of communication pathways (i) between the main regulatory fragments of receptors tyrosine kinases (RTKs), KIT and CSF-1R, in the native and mutated states and (ii) in proteins STAT5 (STAT5a and STAT5b) in the phosphorylated and the unphosphorylated forms. The description of the physical support for allosteric coupling by MONETA allowed a comparison of the mechanisms of (a) constitutive activation induced by equivalent mutations in two RTKs and (b) allosteric regulation in the activated and non-activated STAT5 proteins. Our theoretical prediction based on results obtained with MONETA was validated for KIT by in vitro experiments. MONETA is a versatile analytical and visualization tool entirely devoted to the understanding of the functioning/malfunctioning of allosteric regulation in proteins - a crucial basis to guide the discovery of next-generation allosteric drugs.

THE EFFECT OF TWO-MAGNON SCATTERING ON PARALLEL-PUMP INSTABILITY THRESHOLDS.

DTIC Science & Technology

Following a general description of the important properties and symmetries of the parallel-pump coupling and of two- magnon scattering, several...theoretical approaches to the problem of the effect of two- magnon scattering on the parallel-pump instability threshold are explored. A successful approach

Pathophysiology 220.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Lori

A description is provided of a course, "Pathophysiology 220," designed to provide junior nursing students at the University of Michigan's School of Nursing with theoretical knowledge of a broad range of pathophysiological conditions. Section I discusses the place of the course in the curriculum, the allotment of class time, course requirements,…