Determination of Validity and Reliability of the Mobbing Scale for Indoor Sports Referees

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Serkan HACICAFEROĞLU

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Purpose of this study is to conduct validity and reliability analyses of the scale prepared for determining the mobbing of indoor sports referees, who take active duties in different classes (basketball, handball and volleyball. In orde r to develop the scale, a trial scale made of 31 items in likert type was prepared and applied to referees and then factor analysis method was used, which converts many variables into meaningful and independent factors in fewer number. According to the dat a obtained from factor analysis, the scale has a structure of 14 articles and single component. It was determined that the total variance of scale items was 43.721 and factor load was between 0.48 and 0.76. The cronbach alpha internal coefficient of consis tency was computed as 0.82. Based on the values obtained from the scale it could be said that the Mobbing Scale for Indoor Sports Referees is valid and reliable.

Macromolecular structure determination in the post-genome era

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuhn, P.; Soltis, S.M.

2001-01-01

Recent advances in genetics, molecular biology and crystallographic instrumentation and methodology have led to a revolution in the field of Structural Molecular Biology (SMB). These combined advances have paved the way to a more complete and detailed understanding of the biological macromolecules that make up an organism, both in terms of their individual functions and also the interactions between them. In this paper we describe a large-scale, genomic approach to the three-dimensional structure determination of macromolecules and their complexes, using high-throughput methodology to streamline all aspects of the process. This task requires the development of automated high-intensity synchrotron beam lines for X-ray diffraction data collection from single crystal samples. Furthermore, these beam lines must be operated within a sophisticated software and hardware environment, which is capable of delivering a completely automated structure determination pipeline. The SMB resource at SSRL is developing a system for the structure determination steps of this process, starting with the initial characterization of the frozen sample, followed by data collection, data reduction, phase determination, and model building. This paper focuses on the data collection elements of this high-throughput system

Characterizing the multi–scale spatial structure of remotely sensed evapotranspiration with information theory

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

N. A. Brunsell

2011-08-01

Full Text Available A more thorough understanding of the multi-scale spatial structure of land surface heterogeneity will enhance understanding of the relationships and feedbacks between land surface conditions, mass and energy exchanges between the surface and the atmosphere, and regional meteorological and climatological conditions. The objectives of this study were to (1 quantify which spatial scales are dominant in determining the evapotranspiration flux between the surface and the atmosphere and (2 to quantify how different spatial scales of atmospheric and surface processes interact for different stages of the phenological cycle. We used the ALEXI/DisALEXI model for three days (DOY 181, 229 and 245 in 2002 over the Ft. Peck Ameriflux site to estimate the latent heat flux from Landsat, MODIS and GOES satellites. We then applied a multiresolution information theory methodology to quantify these interactions across different spatial scales and compared the dynamics across the different sensors and different periods. We note several important results: (1 spatial scaling characteristics vary with day, but are usually consistent for a given sensor, but (2 different sensors give different scalings, and (3 the different sensors exhibit different scaling relationships with driving variables such as fractional vegetation and near surface soil moisture. In addition, we note that while the dominant length scale of the vegetation index remains relatively constant across the dates, the contribution of the vegetation index to the derived latent heat flux varies with time. We also note that length scales determined from MODIS are consistently larger than those determined from Landsat, even at scales that should be detectable by MODIS. This may imply an inability of the MODIS sensor to accurately determine the fine scale spatial structure of the land surface. These results aid in identifying the dominant cross-scale nature of local to regional biosphere

Large-scale structure in the universe: Theory vs observations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kashlinsky, A.; Jones, B.J.T.

1990-01-01

A variety of observations constrain models of the origin of large scale cosmic structures. We review here the elements of current theories and comment in detail on which of the current observational data provide the principal constraints. We point out that enough observational data have accumulated to constrain (and perhaps determine) the power spectrum of primordial density fluctuations over a very large range of scales. We discuss the theories in the light of observational data and focus on the potential of future observations in providing even (and ever) tighter constraints. (orig.)

Emergence of scale-free close-knit friendship structure in online social networks.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ai-Xiang Cui

Full Text Available Although the structural properties of online social networks have attracted much attention, the properties of the close-knit friendship structures remain an important question. Here, we mainly focus on how these mesoscale structures are affected by the local and global structural properties. Analyzing the data of four large-scale online social networks reveals several common structural properties. It is found that not only the local structures given by the indegree, outdegree, and reciprocal degree distributions follow a similar scaling behavior, the mesoscale structures represented by the distributions of close-knit friendship structures also exhibit a similar scaling law. The degree correlation is very weak over a wide range of the degrees. We propose a simple directed network model that captures the observed properties. The model incorporates two mechanisms: reciprocation and preferential attachment. Through rate equation analysis of our model, the local-scale and mesoscale structural properties are derived. In the local-scale, the same scaling behavior of indegree and outdegree distributions stems from indegree and outdegree of nodes both growing as the same function of the introduction time, and the reciprocal degree distribution also shows the same power-law due to the linear relationship between the reciprocal degree and in/outdegree of nodes. In the mesoscale, the distributions of four closed triples representing close-knit friendship structures are found to exhibit identical power-laws, a behavior attributed to the negligible degree correlations. Intriguingly, all the power-law exponents of the distributions in the local-scale and mesoscale depend only on one global parameter, the mean in/outdegree, while both the mean in/outdegree and the reciprocity together determine the ratio of the reciprocal degree of a node to its in/outdegree. Structural properties of numerical simulated networks are analyzed and compared with each of the four

Emergence of scale-free close-knit friendship structure in online social networks.

Science.gov (United States)

Cui, Ai-Xiang; Zhang, Zi-Ke; Tang, Ming; Hui, Pak Ming; Fu, Yan

2012-01-01

Although the structural properties of online social networks have attracted much attention, the properties of the close-knit friendship structures remain an important question. Here, we mainly focus on how these mesoscale structures are affected by the local and global structural properties. Analyzing the data of four large-scale online social networks reveals several common structural properties. It is found that not only the local structures given by the indegree, outdegree, and reciprocal degree distributions follow a similar scaling behavior, the mesoscale structures represented by the distributions of close-knit friendship structures also exhibit a similar scaling law. The degree correlation is very weak over a wide range of the degrees. We propose a simple directed network model that captures the observed properties. The model incorporates two mechanisms: reciprocation and preferential attachment. Through rate equation analysis of our model, the local-scale and mesoscale structural properties are derived. In the local-scale, the same scaling behavior of indegree and outdegree distributions stems from indegree and outdegree of nodes both growing as the same function of the introduction time, and the reciprocal degree distribution also shows the same power-law due to the linear relationship between the reciprocal degree and in/outdegree of nodes. In the mesoscale, the distributions of four closed triples representing close-knit friendship structures are found to exhibit identical power-laws, a behavior attributed to the negligible degree correlations. Intriguingly, all the power-law exponents of the distributions in the local-scale and mesoscale depend only on one global parameter, the mean in/outdegree, while both the mean in/outdegree and the reciprocity together determine the ratio of the reciprocal degree of a node to its in/outdegree. Structural properties of numerical simulated networks are analyzed and compared with each of the four real networks. This

Universal Scaling Relations in Scale-Free Structure Formation

Science.gov (United States)

Guszejnov, Dávid; Hopkins, Philip F.; Grudić, Michael Y.

2018-04-01

A large number of astronomical phenomena exhibit remarkably similar scaling relations. The most well-known of these is the mass distribution dN/dM∝M-2 which (to first order) describes stars, protostellar cores, clumps, giant molecular clouds, star clusters and even dark matter halos. In this paper we propose that this ubiquity is not a coincidence and that it is the generic result of scale-free structure formation where the different scales are uncorrelated. We show that all such systems produce a mass function proportional to M-2 and a column density distribution with a power law tail of dA/d lnΣ∝Σ-1. In the case where structure formation is controlled by gravity the two-point correlation becomes ξ2D∝R-1. Furthermore, structures formed by such processes (e.g. young star clusters, DM halos) tend to a ρ∝R-3 density profile. We compare these predictions with observations, analytical fragmentation cascade models, semi-analytical models of gravito-turbulent fragmentation and detailed "full physics" hydrodynamical simulations. We find that these power-laws are good first order descriptions in all cases.

Phase space properties of local observables and structure of scaling limits

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Buchholz, D.

1995-05-01

For any given algebra of local observables in relativistic quantum field theory there exists an associated scaling algebra which permits one to introduce renormalization group transformations and to construct the scaling (short distance) limit of the theory. On the basis of this result it is discussed how the phase space properties of a theory determine the structure of its scaling limit. Bounds on the number of local degrees of freedom appearing in the scaling limit are given which allow one to distinguish between theories with classical and quantum scaling limits. The results can also be used to establish physically significant algebraic properties of the scaling limit theories, such as the split property. (orig.)

Structural colors from Morpho peleides butterfly wing scales

KAUST Repository

Ding, Yong; Xu, Sheng; Wang, Zhong Lin

2009-01-01

A male Morpho peleides butterfly wing is decorated by two types of scales, cover and ground scales. We have studied the optical properties of each type of scales in conjunction with the structural information provided by cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy and computer simulation. The shining blue color is mainly from the Bragg reflection of the one-dimensional photonic structure, e.g., the shelf structure packed regularly in each ridges on cover scales. A thin-film-like interference effect from the base plate of the cover scale enhances such blue color and further gives extra reflection peaks in the infrared and ultraviolet regions. The analogy in the spectra acquired from the original wing and that from the cover scales suggests that the cover scales take a dominant role in its structural color. This study provides insight of using the biotemplates for fabricating smart photonic structures. © 2009 American Institute of Physics.

The prisoner's dilemma in structured scale-free networks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Xing; Wu Yonghui; Zhang Zhongzhi; Zhou Shuigeng; Rong Zhihai

2009-01-01

The conventional wisdom is that scale-free networks are prone to cooperation spreading. In this paper we investigate the cooperative behavior on the structured scale-free network. In contrast to the conventional wisdom that scale-free networks are prone to cooperation spreading, the evolution of cooperation is inhibited on the structured scale-free network when the prisoner's dilemma (PD) game is modeled. First, we demonstrate that neither the scale-free property nor the high clustering coefficient is responsible for the inhibition of cooperation spreading on the structured scale-free network. Then we provide one heuristic method to argue that the lack of age correlations and its associated 'large-world' behavior in the structured scale-free network inhibit the spread of cooperation. These findings may help enlighten further studies on the evolutionary dynamics of the PD game in scale-free networks

The XChemExplorer graphical workflow tool for routine or large-scale protein–ligand structure determination

Science.gov (United States)

Krojer, Tobias; Talon, Romain; Pearce, Nicholas; Douangamath, Alice; Brandao-Neto, Jose; Dias, Alexandre; Marsden, Brian

2017-01-01

XChemExplorer (XCE) is a data-management and workflow tool to support large-scale simultaneous analysis of protein–ligand complexes during structure-based ligand discovery (SBLD). The user interfaces of established crystallo­graphic software packages such as CCP4 [Winn et al. (2011 ▸), Acta Cryst. D67, 235–242] or PHENIX [Adams et al. (2010 ▸), Acta Cryst. D66, 213–221] have entrenched the paradigm that a ‘project’ is concerned with solving one structure. This does not hold for SBLD, where many almost identical structures need to be solved and analysed quickly in one batch of work. Functionality to track progress and annotate structures is essential. XCE provides an intuitive graphical user interface which guides the user from data processing, initial map calculation, ligand identification and refinement up until data dissemination. It provides multiple entry points depending on the need of each project, enables batch processing of multiple data sets and records metadata, progress and annotations in an SQLite database. XCE is freely available and works on any Linux and Mac OS X system, and the only dependency is to have the latest version of CCP4 installed. The design and usage of this tool are described here, and its usefulness is demonstrated in the context of fragment-screening campaigns at the Diamond Light Source. It is routinely used to analyse projects comprising 1000 data sets or more, and therefore scales well to even very large ligand-design projects. PMID:28291762

The XChemExplorer graphical workflow tool for routine or large-scale protein-ligand structure determination.

Science.gov (United States)

Krojer, Tobias; Talon, Romain; Pearce, Nicholas; Collins, Patrick; Douangamath, Alice; Brandao-Neto, Jose; Dias, Alexandre; Marsden, Brian; von Delft, Frank

2017-03-01

XChemExplorer (XCE) is a data-management and workflow tool to support large-scale simultaneous analysis of protein-ligand complexes during structure-based ligand discovery (SBLD). The user interfaces of established crystallographic software packages such as CCP4 [Winn et al. (2011), Acta Cryst. D67, 235-242] or PHENIX [Adams et al. (2010), Acta Cryst. D66, 213-221] have entrenched the paradigm that a `project' is concerned with solving one structure. This does not hold for SBLD, where many almost identical structures need to be solved and analysed quickly in one batch of work. Functionality to track progress and annotate structures is essential. XCE provides an intuitive graphical user interface which guides the user from data processing, initial map calculation, ligand identification and refinement up until data dissemination. It provides multiple entry points depending on the need of each project, enables batch processing of multiple data sets and records metadata, progress and annotations in an SQLite database. XCE is freely available and works on any Linux and Mac OS X system, and the only dependency is to have the latest version of CCP4 installed. The design and usage of this tool are described here, and its usefulness is demonstrated in the context of fragment-screening campaigns at the Diamond Light Source. It is routinely used to analyse projects comprising 1000 data sets or more, and therefore scales well to even very large ligand-design projects.

Macromolecular structure determination in the post-genome era

CERN Document Server

Kuhn, P

2001-01-01

Recent advances in genetics, molecular biology and crystallographic instrumentation and methodology have led to a revolution in the field of Structural Molecular Biology (SMB). These combined advances have paved the way to a more complete and detailed understanding of the biological macromolecules that make up an organism, both in terms of their individual functions and also the interactions between them. In this paper we describe a large-scale, genomic approach to the three-dimensional structure determination of macromolecules and their complexes, using high-throughput methodology to streamline all aspects of the process. This task requires the development of automated high-intensity synchrotron beam lines for X-ray diffraction data collection from single crystal samples. Furthermore, these beam lines must be operated within a sophisticated software and hardware environment, which is capable of delivering a completely automated structure determination pipeline. The SMB resource at SSRL is developing a system...

A scale invariant covariance structure on jet space

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, Kim Steenstrup; Loog, Marco; Markussen, Bo

2005-01-01

This paper considers scale invariance of statistical image models. We study statistical scale invariance of the covariance structure of jet space under scale space blurring and derive the necessary structure and conditions of the jet covariance matrix in order for it to be scale invariant. As par...

An improved method to characterise the modulation of small-scale turbulent by large-scale structures

Science.gov (United States)

Agostini, Lionel; Leschziner, Michael; Gaitonde, Datta

2015-11-01

A key aspect of turbulent boundary layer dynamics is ``modulation,'' which refers to degree to which the intensity of coherent large-scale structures (LS) cause an amplification or attenuation of the intensity of the small-scale structures (SS) through large-scale-linkage. In order to identify the variation of the amplitude of the SS motion, the envelope of the fluctuations needs to be determined. Mathis et al. (2009) proposed to define this latter by low-pass filtering the modulus of the analytic signal built from the Hilbert transform of SS. The validity of this definition, as a basis for quantifying the modulated SS signal, is re-examined on the basis of DNS data for a channel flow. The analysis shows that the modulus of the analytic signal is very sensitive to the skewness of its PDF, which is dependent, in turn, on the sign of the LS fluctuation and thus of whether these fluctuations are associated with sweeps or ejections. The conclusion is that generating an envelope by use of a low-pass filtering step leads to an important loss of information associated with the effects of the local skewness of the PDF of the SS on the modulation process. An improved Hilbert-transform-based method is proposed to characterize the modulation of SS turbulence by LS structures

Galaxies distribution in the universe: large-scale statistics and structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maurogordato, Sophie

1988-01-01

This research thesis addresses the distribution of galaxies in the Universe, and more particularly large scale statistics and structures. Based on an assessment of the main used statistical techniques, the author outlines the need to develop additional tools to correlation functions in order to characterise the distribution. She introduces a new indicator: the probability of a volume randomly tested in the distribution to be void. This allows a characterisation of void properties at the work scales (until 10h"-"1 Mpc) in the Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics Redshift Survey, or CfA catalog. A systematic analysis of statistical properties of different sub-samples has then been performed with respect to the size and location, luminosity class, and morphological type. This analysis is then extended to different scenarios of structure formation. A program of radial speed measurements based on observations allows the determination of possible relationships between apparent structures. The author also presents results of the search for south extensions of Perseus supernova [fr

Determining the scale in lattice QCD

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bornyakov, V.G. [Institute for High Energy Physics, Protvino (Russian Federation); Institute of Theoretical and Experimental Physics, Moscow (Russian Federation); Far Eastern Federal Univ., Vladivostok (Russian Federation). School of Biomedicine; Horsley, R. [Edinburgh Univ. (United Kingdom). School of Physics and Astronomy; Hudspith, R. [York Univ., Toronto, ON (Canada). Dept. of Physics and Astronomy; and others

2015-12-15

We discuss scale setting in the context of 2+1 dynamical fermion simulations where we approach the physical point in the quark mass plane keeping the average quark mass constant. We have simulations at four beta values, and after determining the paths and lattice spacings, we give an estimation of the phenomenological values of various Wilson flow scales.

Identification of the underlying factor structure of the Derriford Appearance Scale 24

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Timothy P. Moss

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Background. The Derriford Appearance Scale24 (DAS24 is a widely used measure of distress and dysfunction in relation to self-consciousness of appearance. It has been used in clinical and research settings, and translated into numerous European and Asian languages. Hitherto, no study has conducted an analysis to determine the underlying factor structure of the scale.Methods. A large (n = 1,265 sample of community and hospital patients with a visible difference were recruited face to face or by post, and completed the DAS24.Results. A two factor solution was generated. An evaluation of the congruence of the factor solutions on each of the the hospital and the community samples using Tucker’s Coefficient of Congruence (rc = .979 and confirmatory factor analysis, which demonstrated a consistent factor structure. A main factor, general self consciousness (GSC, was represented by 18 items. Six items comprised a second factor, sexual and body self-consciousness (SBSC. The SBSC scale demonstrated greater sensitivity and specificity in identifying distress for sexually significant areas of the body.Discussion. The factor structure of the DAS24 facilitates a more nuanced interpretation of scores using this scale. Two conceptually and statistically coherent sub-scales were identified. The SBSC sub-scale offers a means of identifying distress and dysfunction around sexually significant areas of the body not previously possible with this scale.

[Development of free will and determinism scale in Japanese].

Science.gov (United States)

Goto, Takayuki; Ishibashi, Yuya; Kajimura, Shogo; Oka, Ryunosuke; Kusumi, Takashi

2015-04-01

We developed a free will and determinism scale in Japanese (FAD-J) to assess lay beliefs in free will, scientific determinism, fatalistic determinism, and unpredictability. In Study 1, we translated a free will and determinism scale (FAD-Plus) into Japanese and verified its reliability and validity. In Study 2, we examined the relationship between the FAD-J and eight other scales. Results suggested that lay beliefs in free will and determinism were related to self-regulation, critical thinking, other-oriented empathy, self-esteem, and regret and maximization in decision makings. We discuss the usefulness of the FAD-J for studying the psychological functions of lay beliefs in free will and determinism.

Multi-Scale Modeling for Predicting the Stiffness and Strength of Hollow-Structured Metal Foams with Structural Hierarchy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yong Yi

2018-03-01

Full Text Available This work was inspired by previous experiments which managed to establish an optimal template-dealloying route to prepare ultralow density metal foams. In this study, we propose a new analytical–numerical model of hollow-structured metal foams with structural hierarchy to predict its stiffness and strength. The two-level model comprises a main backbone and a secondary nanoporous structure. The main backbone is composed of hollow sphere-packing architecture, while the secondary one is constructed of a bicontinuous nanoporous network proposed to describe the nanoscale interactions in the shell. Firstly, two nanoporous models with different geometries are generated by Voronoi tessellation, then the scaling laws of the mechanical properties are determined as a function of relative density by finite volume simulation. Furthermore, the scaling laws are applied to identify the uniaxial compression behavior of metal foams. It is shown that the thickness and relative density highly influence the Young’s modulus and yield strength, and vacancy defect determines the foams being self-supported. The present study provides not only new insights into the mechanical behaviors of both nanoporous metals and metal foams, but also a practical guide for their fabrication and application.

Multiple Scales of Control on the Structure and Spatial Distribution of Woody Vegetation in African Savanna Watersheds.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nicholas R Vaughn

Full Text Available Factors controlling savanna woody vegetation structure vary at multiple spatial and temporal scales, and as a consequence, unraveling their combined effects has proven to be a classic challenge in savanna ecology. We used airborne LiDAR (light detection and ranging to map three-dimensional woody vegetation structure throughout four savanna watersheds, each contrasting in geologic substrate and climate, in Kruger National Park, South Africa. By comparison of the four watersheds, we found that geologic substrate had a stronger effect than climate in determining watershed-scale differences in vegetation structural properties, including cover, height and crown density. Generalized Linear Models were used to assess the spatial distribution of woody vegetation structural properties, including cover, height and crown density, in relation to mapped hydrologic, topographic and fire history traits. For each substrate and climate combination, models incorporating topography, hydrology and fire history explained up to 30% of the remaining variation in woody canopy structure, but inclusion of a spatial autocovariate term further improved model performance. Both crown density and the cover of shorter woody canopies were determined more by unknown factors likely to be changing on smaller spatial scales, such as soil texture, herbivore abundance or fire behavior, than by our mapped regional-scale changes in topography and hydrology. We also detected patterns in spatial covariance at distances up to 50-450 m, depending on watershed and structural metric. Our results suggest that large-scale environmental factors play a smaller role than is often attributed to them in determining woody vegetation structure in southern African savannas. This highlights the need for more spatially-explicit, wide-area analyses using high resolution remote sensing techniques.

Effective cross-section for dimuon production and experimental determination of the hadronic structure functions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weisz, S.

1982-07-01

High mass dimuon hadronic production is studied. This study is aimed at pion structure determination. The device is presented. The accessible luminosity is more than one scale order beyond the preceeding experiment one. The performant beam, the great acceptance and the good high mass dimuon selection are described. Parton model is introduced. Drell-Yann mechanism is reviewed. Hadronic structure, revealed during high mass muon pair production, is presented. In particular, pion structure is determined [fr

Cooling pipeline disposing structure for large-scaled cryogenic structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takahashi, Hiroyuki.

1996-01-01

The present invention concerns an electromagnetic force supporting structure for superconductive coils. As the size of a cryogenic structure is increased, since it takes much cooling time, temperature difference between cooling pipelines and the cryogenic structure is increased over a wide range, and difference of heat shrinkage is increased to increase thermal stresses. Then, in the cooling pipelines for a large scaled cryogenic structure, the cooling pipelines and the structure are connected by way of a thin metal plate made of a material having a heat conductivity higher than that of the material of the structure by one digit or more, and the thin metal plate is bent. The displacement between the cryogenic structure and the cooling pipelines caused by heat shrinkage is absorbed by the elongation/shrinkage of the bent structure of the thin metal plate, and the thermal stresses due to the displacement is reduced. In addition, the heat of the cryogenic structures is transferred by way of the thin metal plate. Then, the cooling pipelines can be secured to the cryogenic structure such that cooling by heat transfer is enabled by absorbing a great deviation or three dimensional displacement due to the difference of the temperature distribution between the cryogenic structure enlarged in the scale and put into the three dimensional shape, and the cooling pipelines. (N.H.)

Poly aniline synthesized in pilot scale: structural and morphological characteristics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mazzeu, Maria Alice Carvalho; Goncalves, Emerson Sarmento, E-mail: aie.mzz@hotmail.com [Instituto Tecnologico de Aeronautica (ITA), Sao Jose dos Campos, SP (Brazil); Gama, Adriana Medeiros [Instituto de Aeronautica e Espaco (IAE), Sao Jose dos Campos, SP (Brazil); Baldan, Mauricio Ribeiro [Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais (INPE), Sao Jose dos Campos, SP (Brazil); Faria, Lohana Komorek [Universidade do Vale do Paraiba (UNIVAP), Sao Jose dos Campos, SP (Brazil)

2016-07-01

Full text: Among various conducting polymers, poly aniline (PAni) has received wide-spread attention because of its outstanding properties including simple and reversible doping–dedoping chemistry, stable electrical conduction mechanisms, high environmental stability and ease of synthesis [1]. Increasing applications require PAni at industrial scale and optimization of manufacturing processes are essential for this purpose. Since pilot scale influences hydrodynamics of the polymerizations system [2], pilot scale is an important instrument for evaluating amendments in the process. In this work, polyaniline was synthesized on pilot scale, with variation of reaction time for every synthesis, keeping the other parameters unchanged. The PAni salt first obtained was dedoped and the PAni-B (PAni in a base form, nonconductive) obtained was redoped with dodecylbenzenesulfonic acid (DBSA), when PAni-DBSA (PAni in a salt form, conductive) is obtained. The effects of synthesis conditions on the structural and morphological characteristics of PAni-B and PAni-DBSA are investigate by Raman Spectroscopy, XRD (X-ray diffractometer) and SEM (Scanning electron microscopy). Electrical conductivity was determined to redoped samples. Results were analyzed and we compare PAni forms to identifying the doping structure to PAni-DBSA by Raman spectroscopy. It was found too that reaction time can give some influence at conductivity. The XRD result showed differences in crystalline peaks of PAni-B and PAni-DBSA and this difference could be attributed mainly to the redoping process. Whereas the formation of crystals on a pilot scale may change because of effects caused by water flow, speed of polymerization could affect the formation of crystals too. The SEM pictures to PAni-B showed tiny coral reefs with globules structure and PAni-DBSA showed multilayer structure. References: 1 - Fratoddia I. et al. Sensors and Actuators B 220: 534–548 (2015); 2 - Roichman Y et al. Synthetic Metals 98

Size structure, not metabolic scaling rules, determines fisheries reference points

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Ken Haste; Beyer, Jan

2015-01-01

Impact assessments of fishing on a stock require parameterization of vital rates: growth, mortality and recruitment. For 'data-poor' stocks, vital rates may be estimated from empirical size-based relationships or from life-history invariants. However, a theoretical framework to synthesize...... these empirical relations is lacking. Here, we combine life-history invariants, metabolic scaling and size-spectrum theory to develop a general size- and trait-based theory for demography and recruitment of exploited fish stocks. Important concepts are physiological or metabolic scaled mortalities and flux...... is that larger species have a higher egg production per recruit than small species. This means that density dependence is stronger for large than for small species and has the consequence that fisheries reference points that incorporate recruitment do not obey metabolic scaling rules. This result implies...

Probes of large-scale structure in the Universe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suto, Yasushi; Gorski, K.; Juszkiewicz, R.; Silk, J.

1988-01-01

Recent progress in observational techniques has made it possible to confront quantitatively various models for the large-scale structure of the Universe with detailed observational data. We develop a general formalism to show that the gravitational instability theory for the origin of large-scale structure is now capable of critically confronting observational results on cosmic microwave background radiation angular anisotropies, large-scale bulk motions and large-scale clumpiness in the galaxy counts. (author)

Large-scale structure of the Universe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Doroshkevich, A.G.

1978-01-01

The problems, discussed at the ''Large-scale Structure of the Universe'' symposium are considered on a popular level. Described are the cell structure of galaxy distribution in the Universe, principles of mathematical galaxy distribution modelling. The images of cell structures, obtained after reprocessing with the computer are given. Discussed are three hypothesis - vortical, entropic, adiabatic, suggesting various processes of galaxy and galaxy clusters origin. A considerable advantage of the adiabatic hypothesis is recognized. The relict radiation, as a method of direct studying the processes taking place in the Universe is considered. The large-scale peculiarities and small-scale fluctuations of the relict radiation temperature enable one to estimate the turbance properties at the pre-galaxy stage. The discussion of problems, pertaining to studying the hot gas, contained in galaxy clusters, the interactions within galaxy clusters and with the inter-galaxy medium, is recognized to be a notable contribution into the development of theoretical and observational cosmology

Large scale nuclear structure studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Faessler, A.

1985-01-01

Results of large scale nuclear structure studies are reported. The starting point is the Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov solution with angular momentum and proton and neutron number projection after variation. This model for number and spin projected two-quasiparticle excitations with realistic forces yields in sd-shell nuclei similar good results as the 'exact' shell-model calculations. Here the authors present results for a pf-shell nucleus 46 Ti and results for the A=130 mass region where they studied 58 different nuclei with the same single-particle energies and the same effective force derived from a meson exchange potential. They carried out a Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov variation after mean field projection in realistic model spaces. In this way, they determine for each yrast state the optimal mean Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov field. They apply this method to 130 Ce and 128 Ba using the same effective nucleon-nucleon interaction. (Auth.)

Strategy and structure in interaction: What determines the boundaries of the firm?

OpenAIRE

Staffan Canback; Phillip Samouel; David Price

2003-01-01

This paper analyzes empirically the boundaries of the firm based on Williamson's perspective on what determines firm size. It uses firm performance (risk-adjusted profitability and growth) as dependent variable; and firm organization, diseconomies of scale (atmospheric consequences, bureaucratic insularity, incentive limits, and communication distortion), economies of scale, and asset specificity as independent variables in a structural equation model. Data were collected from the 784 largest...

Substrate Type and Free Ammonia Determine Bacterial Community Structure in Full-Scale Mesophilic Anaerobic Digesters Treating Cattle or Swine Manure.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Jiabao; Rui, Junpeng; Yao, Minjie; Zhang, Shiheng; Yan, Xuefeng; Wang, Yuanpeng; Yan, Zhiying; Li, Xiangzhen

2015-01-01

The microbial-mediated anaerobic digestion (AD) process represents an efficient biological process for the treatment of organic waste along with biogas harvest. Currently, the key factors structuring bacterial communities and the potential core and unique bacterial populations in manure anaerobic digesters are not completely elucidated yet. In this study, we collected sludge samples from 20 full-scale anaerobic digesters treating cattle or swine manure, and investigated the variations of bacterial community compositions using high-throughput 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing. Clustering and correlation analysis suggested that substrate type and free ammonia (FA) play key roles in determining the bacterial community structure. The COD: [Formula: see text] (C:N) ratio of substrate and FA were the most important available operational parameters correlating to the bacterial communities in cattle and swine manure digesters, respectively. The bacterial populations in all of the digesters were dominated by phylum Firmicutes, followed by Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria and Chloroflexi. Increased FA content selected Firmicutes, suggesting that they probably play more important roles under high FA content. Syntrophic metabolism by Proteobacteria, Chloroflexi, Synergistetes and Planctomycetes are likely inhibited when FA content is high. Despite the different manure substrates, operational conditions and geographical locations of digesters, core bacterial communities were identified. The core communities were best characterized by phylum Firmicutes, wherein Clostridium predominated overwhelmingly. Substrate-unique and abundant communities may reflect the properties of manure substrate and operational conditions. These findings extend our current understanding of the bacterial assembly in full-scale manure anaerobic digesters.

Analysis of small scale turbulent structures and the effect of spatial scales on gas transfer

Science.gov (United States)

Schnieders, Jana; Garbe, Christoph

2014-05-01

The exchange of gases through the air-sea interface strongly depends on environmental conditions such as wind stress and waves which in turn generate near surface turbulence. Near surface turbulence is a main driver of surface divergence which has been shown to cause highly variable transfer rates on relatively small spatial scales. Due to the cool skin of the ocean, heat can be used as a tracer to detect areas of surface convergence and thus gather information about size and intensity of a turbulent process. We use infrared imagery to visualize near surface aqueous turbulence and determine the impact of turbulent scales on exchange rates. Through the high temporal and spatial resolution of these types of measurements spatial scales as well as surface dynamics can be captured. The surface heat pattern is formed by distinct structures on two scales - small-scale short lived structures termed fish scales and larger scale cold streaks that are consistent with the footprints of Langmuir Circulations. There are two key characteristics of the observed surface heat patterns: 1. The surface heat patterns show characteristic features of scales. 2. The structure of these patterns change with increasing wind stress and surface conditions. In [2] turbulent cell sizes have been shown to systematically decrease with increasing wind speed until a saturation at u* = 0.7 cm/s is reached. Results suggest a saturation in the tangential stress. Similar behaviour has been observed by [1] for gas transfer measurements at higher wind speeds. In this contribution a new model to estimate the heat flux is applied which is based on the measured turbulent cell size und surface velocities. This approach allows the direct comparison of the net effect on heat flux of eddies of different sizes and a comparison to gas transfer measurements. Linking transport models with thermographic measurements, transfer velocities can be computed. In this contribution, we will quantify the effect of small scale

Image-based correlation between the meso-scale structure and deformation of closed-cell foam

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sun, Yongle, E-mail: yongle.sun@manchester.ac.uk [School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering, The University of Manchester, Sackville Street, Manchester M13 9PL (United Kingdom); Zhang, Xun [Henry Moseley X-ray Imaging Facility, School of Materials, The University of Manchester, Upper Brook Street, Manchester M13 9PL (United Kingdom); Shao, Zhushan [School of Civil Engineering, Xi' an University of Architecture & Technology, Xi' an 710055 (China); Li, Q.M. [School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering, The University of Manchester, Sackville Street, Manchester M13 9PL (United Kingdom); State Key Laboratory of Explosion Science and Technology, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081 (China)

2017-03-14

In the correlation between structural parameters and compressive behaviour of cellular materials, previous studies have mostly focused on averaged structural parameters and bulk material properties for different samples. This study focuses on the meso-scale correlation between structure and deformation in a 2D foam sample generated from a computed tomography slice of Alporas™ foam, for which quasi-static compression was simulated using 2D image-based finite element modelling. First, a comprehensive meso-scale structural characterisation of the 2D foam was carried out to determine the size, aspect ratio, orientation and anisotropy of individual cells, as well as the length, straightness, inclination and thickness of individual cell walls. Measurements were then conducted to obtain the axial distributions of local structural parameters averaged laterally to compression axis. Second, the meso-scale deformation was characterised by cell-wall strain, cell area ratio, digital image correlation strain and local compressive engineering strain. According to the results, the through-width sub-regions over an axial length between the average (lower bound) and the maximum (upper bound) of cell size should be used to characterise the meso-scale heterogeneity of the cell structure and deformation. It was found that the first crush band forms in a sub-region where the ratio of cell-wall thickness to cell-wall length is a minimum, in which the collapse deformation is dominated by the plastic bending and buckling of cell walls. Other morphological parameters have secondary effect on the initiation of crush band in the 2D foam. The finding of this study suggests that the measurement of local structural properties is crucial for the identification of the “weakest” region which determines the initiation of collapse and hence the corresponding collapse load of a heterogeneous cellular material.

Image-based correlation between the meso-scale structure and deformation of closed-cell foam

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sun, Yongle; Zhang, Xun; Shao, Zhushan; Li, Q.M.

2017-01-01

In the correlation between structural parameters and compressive behaviour of cellular materials, previous studies have mostly focused on averaged structural parameters and bulk material properties for different samples. This study focuses on the meso-scale correlation between structure and deformation in a 2D foam sample generated from a computed tomography slice of Alporas™ foam, for which quasi-static compression was simulated using 2D image-based finite element modelling. First, a comprehensive meso-scale structural characterisation of the 2D foam was carried out to determine the size, aspect ratio, orientation and anisotropy of individual cells, as well as the length, straightness, inclination and thickness of individual cell walls. Measurements were then conducted to obtain the axial distributions of local structural parameters averaged laterally to compression axis. Second, the meso-scale deformation was characterised by cell-wall strain, cell area ratio, digital image correlation strain and local compressive engineering strain. According to the results, the through-width sub-regions over an axial length between the average (lower bound) and the maximum (upper bound) of cell size should be used to characterise the meso-scale heterogeneity of the cell structure and deformation. It was found that the first crush band forms in a sub-region where the ratio of cell-wall thickness to cell-wall length is a minimum, in which the collapse deformation is dominated by the plastic bending and buckling of cell walls. Other morphological parameters have secondary effect on the initiation of crush band in the 2D foam. The finding of this study suggests that the measurement of local structural properties is crucial for the identification of the “weakest” region which determines the initiation of collapse and hence the corresponding collapse load of a heterogeneous cellular material.

Multi-scale structural similarity index for motion detection

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Abdel-Salam Nasr

2017-07-01

Full Text Available The most recent approach for measuring the image quality is the structural similarity index (SSI. This paper presents a novel algorithm based on the multi-scale structural similarity index for motion detection (MS-SSIM in videos. The MS-SSIM approach is based on modeling of image luminance, contrast and structure at multiple scales. The MS-SSIM has resulted in much better performance than the single scale SSI approach but at the cost of relatively lower processing speed. The major advantages of the presented algorithm are both: the higher detection accuracy and the quasi real-time processing speed.

Determinants of Capital Structure:Evidence from UK Firm Panel Data

OpenAIRE

SONG, PING

2015-01-01

This study investigates the factors that determine firms’ the capital structures in the UK market. There 139 firms, in total, listed on FTSE 100 and FTSE 250 have been used as the sample set, and a 10-year time scale, from 2004 to 2013, is selected to constitute the panel data. Both firm-specific and macroeconomic determinants are included to be investigated whether they would pose impacts on total, long term and short term debt issuance. The fixed effects regression model is adopted to estim...

Evidence against the continuum structure underlying motivation measures derived from self-determination theory.

Science.gov (United States)

Chemolli, Emanuela; Gagné, Marylène

2014-06-01

Self-determination theory (SDT) proposes a multidimensional conceptualization of motivation in which the different regulations are said to fall along a continuum of self-determination. The continuum has been used as a basis for using a relative autonomy index as a means to create motivational scores. Rasch analysis was used to verify the continuum structure of the Multidimensional Work Motivation Scale and of the Academic Motivation Scale. We discuss the concept of continuum against SDT's conceptualization of motivation and argue against the use of the relative autonomy index on the grounds that evidence for a continuum structure underlying the regulations is weak and because the index is statistically problematic. We suggest exploiting the full richness of SDT's multidimensional conceptualization of motivation through the use of alternative scoring methods when investigating motivational dynamics across life domains.

Thermal fluid-structure interaction - a few scaling considerations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dimitrov, B.; Schwan, H.

1984-01-01

Scaling laws for modeling of nuclear reactor systems primarily consider relations between thermalhydraulic parameters in the control volumes for the model and the prototype. Usually the influence of structural heat is neglected. This report describes, how scaling criteria are improved by parameters concerning structural heat, because during thermal transients there is a strong coupling between the thermalhydraulic system and the surrounding structures. Volumetric scaling laws are applied to a straight pipe of the primary loop of a pressurized water reactor (PWR). For the prototype pipe data of a KWU standard PWR with four loops are chosen. Theoretical studies and RELAP 5/MOD 1 calculations regarding the influence of structural heat on thermalhydraulic response of the fluid are performed. Recommendations are given for minimization of distortions due to influence of structural heat between model and prototype. (orig.) [de

Large-Scale Structure and Hyperuniformity of Amorphous Ices

Science.gov (United States)

Martelli, Fausto; Torquato, Salvatore; Giovambattista, Nicolas; Car, Roberto

2017-09-01

We investigate the large-scale structure of amorphous ices and transitions between their different forms by quantifying their large-scale density fluctuations. Specifically, we simulate the isothermal compression of low-density amorphous ice (LDA) and hexagonal ice to produce high-density amorphous ice (HDA). Both HDA and LDA are nearly hyperuniform; i.e., they are characterized by an anomalous suppression of large-scale density fluctuations. By contrast, in correspondence with the nonequilibrium phase transitions to HDA, the presence of structural heterogeneities strongly suppresses the hyperuniformity and the system becomes hyposurficial (devoid of "surface-area fluctuations"). Our investigation challenges the largely accepted "frozen-liquid" picture, which views glasses as structurally arrested liquids. Beyond implications for water, our findings enrich our understanding of pressure-induced structural transformations in glasses.

Clonal growth and fine-scale genetic structure in tanoak (Notholithocarpus densiflorus: Fagaceae)

Science.gov (United States)

Richard S. Dodd; Wasima Mayer; Alejandro Nettel; Zara Afzal-Rafii

2013-01-01

The combination of sprouting and reproduction by seed can have important consequences on fine-scale spatial distribution of genetic structure (SGS). SGS is an important consideration for species’ restoration because it determines the minimum distance among seed trees to maximize genetic diversity while not prejudicing locally adapted genotypes. Local environmental...

Trends in large-scale testing of reactor structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blejwas, T.E.

2003-01-01

Large-scale tests of reactor structures have been conducted at Sandia National Laboratories since the late 1970s. This paper describes a number of different large-scale impact tests, pressurization tests of models of containment structures, and thermal-pressure tests of models of reactor pressure vessels. The advantages of large-scale testing are evident, but cost, in particular limits its use. As computer models have grown in size, such as number of degrees of freedom, the advent of computer graphics has made possible very realistic representation of results - results that may not accurately represent reality. A necessary condition to avoiding this pitfall is the validation of the analytical methods and underlying physical representations. Ironically, the immensely larger computer models sometimes increase the need for large-scale testing, because the modeling is applied to increasing more complex structural systems and/or more complex physical phenomena. Unfortunately, the cost of large-scale tests is a disadvantage that will likely severely limit similar testing in the future. International collaborations may provide the best mechanism for funding future programs with large-scale tests. (author)

Substrate type and free ammonia determine bacterial community structure in full-scale mesophilic anaerobic digesters treating cattle or swine manure

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jiabao eLi

2015-11-01

Full Text Available The microbial-mediated anaerobic digestion (AD process represents an efficient biological process for the treatment of organic waste along with biogas harvest. Currently, the key factors structuring bacterial communities and the potential core and unique bacterial populations in manure anaerobic digesters are not completely elucidated yet. In this study, we collected sludge samples from 20 full-scale anaerobic digesters treating cattle or swine manure, and investigated the variations of bacterial community compositions using high-throughput 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing. Clustering and correlation analysis suggested that substrate type and free ammonia (FA play key roles in determining the bacterial community structure. The COD: NH4+-N (C:N ratio of substrate and FA were the most important available operational parameters correlating to the bacterial communities in cattle and swine manure digesters, respectively. The bacterial populations in all of the digesters were dominated by phylum Firmicutes, followed by Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria and Chloroflexi. Increased FA content selected Firmicutes, suggesting that they probably play more important roles under high FA content. Syntrophic metabolism by Proteobacteria, Chloroflexi, Synergistetes and Planctomycetes are likely inhibited when FA content is high. Despite the different manure substrates, operational conditions and geographical locations of digesters, core bacterial communities were identified. The core communities were best characterized by phylum Firmicutes, wherein Clostridium predominated overwhelmingly. Substrate-unique and abundant communities may reflect the properties of manure substrate and operational conditions. These findings extend our current understanding of the bacterial assembly in full-scale manure anaerobic digesters.

Geographical ecology of the palms (Arecaceae): determinants of diversity and distributions across spatial scales

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Eiserhardt, Wolf L.; Svenning, J.-C.; Kissling, W. Daniel

2011-01-01

, and dispersal again at all scales. For species richness, climate and dispersal appear to be important at continental to global scales, soil at landscape and broader scales, and topography at landscape and finer scales. Some scale–predictor combinations have not been studied or deserve further attention, e......Background The palm family occurs in all tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world. Palms are of high ecological and economical importance, and display complex spatial patterns of species distributions and diversity. Scope This review summarizes empirical evidence for factors that determine...... palm species distributions, community composition and species richness such as the abiotic environment (climate, soil chemistry, hydrology and topography), the biotic environment (vegetation structure and species interactions) and dispersal. The importance of contemporary vs. historical impacts...

Protein structure determination by exhaustive search of Protein Data Bank derived databases.

Science.gov (United States)

Stokes-Rees, Ian; Sliz, Piotr

2010-12-14

Parallel sequence and structure alignment tools have become ubiquitous and invaluable at all levels in the study of biological systems. We demonstrate the application and utility of this same parallel search paradigm to the process of protein structure determination, benefitting from the large and growing corpus of known structures. Such searches were previously computationally intractable. Through the method of Wide Search Molecular Replacement, developed here, they can be completed in a few hours with the aide of national-scale federated cyberinfrastructure. By dramatically expanding the range of models considered for structure determination, we show that small (less than 12% structural coverage) and low sequence identity (less than 20% identity) template structures can be identified through multidimensional template scoring metrics and used for structure determination. Many new macromolecular complexes can benefit significantly from such a technique due to the lack of known homologous protein folds or sequences. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the method by determining the structure of a full-length p97 homologue from Trichoplusia ni. Example cases with the MHC/T-cell receptor complex and the EmoB protein provide systematic estimates of minimum sequence identity, structure coverage, and structural similarity required for this method to succeed. We describe how this structure-search approach and other novel computationally intensive workflows are made tractable through integration with the US national computational cyberinfrastructure, allowing, for example, rapid processing of the entire Structural Classification of Proteins protein fragment database.

Study of structural colour of Hebomoia glaucippe butterfly wing scales

Science.gov (United States)

Shur, V. Ya; Kuznetsov, D. K.; Pryakhina, V. I.; Kosobokov, M. S.; Zubarev, I. V.; Boymuradova, S. K.; Volchetskaya, K. V.

2017-10-01

Structural colours of Hebomoia glaucippe butterfly wing scales have been studied experimentally using high resolution scanning electron microscopy. Visualization of scales structures and computer simulation allowed distinguishing correlation between nanostructures on the scales and their colour.

Practical guidelines to select and scale earthquake records for nonlinear response history analysis of structures

Science.gov (United States)

Kalkan, Erol; Chopra, Anil K.

2010-01-01

Earthquake engineering practice is increasingly using nonlinear response history analysis (RHA) to demonstrate performance of structures. This rigorous method of analysis requires selection and scaling of ground motions appropriate to design hazard levels. Presented herein is a modal-pushover-based scaling (MPS) method to scale ground motions for use in nonlinear RHA of buildings and bridges. In the MPS method, the ground motions are scaled to match (to a specified tolerance) a target value of the inelastic deformation of the first-'mode' inelastic single-degree-of-freedom (SDF) system whose properties are determined by first-'mode' pushover analysis. Appropriate for first-?mode? dominated structures, this approach is extended for structures with significant contributions of higher modes by considering elastic deformation of second-'mode' SDF system in selecting a subset of the scaled ground motions. Based on results presented for two bridges, covering single- and multi-span 'ordinary standard' bridge types, and six buildings, covering low-, mid-, and tall building types in California, the accuracy and efficiency of the MPS procedure are established and its superiority over the ASCE/SEI 7-05 scaling procedure is demonstrated.

2MASS Constraints on the Local Large-Scale Structure: A Challenge to LCDM?

OpenAIRE

Frith, W. J.; Shanks, T.; Outram, P. J.

2004-01-01

We investigate the large-scale structure of the local galaxy distribution using the recently completed 2 Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS). First, we determine the K-band number counts over the 4000 sq.deg. APM survey area where evidence for a large-scale `local hole' has previously been detected and compare them to a homogeneous prediction. Considering a LCDM form for the 2-point angular correlation function, the observed deficiency represents a 5 sigma fluctuation in the galaxy distribution. We...

Risk Syndromes and Scales Determining Risk in Schizophrenia and Other Psychoses

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Soner Cakmak

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Schizophrenia is a chronic disorder leading to lifelong deterioration of social and vocational functioning. Prodromal period, designates the time interval starting with emerging nonspecific signs and deficits and extending up to presentation of distinct and ongoing schizophrenic symptoms, is observed in most of schizophrenia patients. In schizophrenia, poor premorbid adjustment leads to a worse prognosis and thus early detection and intervention is required in prodromal period. To this end, under the heading of risk factors for schizophrenia and psychosis, classification and scales to determine the risk are being utilized. Most frequently used scales are; Bonn Scale for the Assessment of Basic Symptoms (BSABS, Comprehensive Assessment of At-Risk Mental States (CAARMS, Structured Interview for Psychosis-Risk Syndromes (SIPS. Through the light of these latest developments, recent edition of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5 added psychosis risk syndrome or attenuated psychosis syndrome to indicate risk of transition to psychosis. These approaches revealed that the risk of progression to psychosis was not reliably correlated with fulfilled criteria, but abscence of criteria credibly predicted the unlikelihood of psychosis emergence. Evidently, concomitant premorbid features and prodromal symptoms significantly increase the risk of progression to psychosis and schizophrenia in comparison to normal population. Nevertheless, specification and elaboration of risk criteria will enhance reliability of risk determination. [Archives Medical Review Journal 2015; 24(4.000: 494-508

Assessing educational priorities in genetics for general practitioners and specialists in five countries: factor structure of the Genetic-Educational Priorities (Gen-EP) scale.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Calefato, J.M.; Nippert, I.; Harris, H.J.; Kristoffersson, U.; Schmidtke, J.; Kate, L.P. ten; Anionwu, E.; Benjamin, C.; Challen, K.; Plass, A.M.; Harris, R.; Julian-Reynier, C.

2008-01-01

Purpose: A scale assessing primary care physicians' priorities for genetic education (The Gen-EP scale) was developed and tested in five European countries. The objective of this study was to determine its factor structure, to test scaling assumptions and to determine internal consistency. Methods:

Hierarchical structure and cytocompatibility of fish scales from Carassius auratus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fang, Zhou; Wang, Yukun; Feng, Qingling; Kienzle, Arne; Müller, Werner E.G.

2014-01-01

To study the structure and the cytocompatibility of fish scales from Carassius auratus, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to observe the morphology of fish scales treated with different processing methods. Based on varying morphologies and components, the fish scales can be divided into three regions on the surface and three layers in vertical. The functions of these three individual layers were analyzed. SEM results show that the primary inorganic components are spherical or cubic hydroxyapatite (HA) nanoparticles. The fish scales have an ∼ 60° overlapped plywood structure of lamellas in the fibrillary plate. The plywood structure consists of co-aligned type I collagen fibers, which are parallel to the HA lamellas. X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis/differential scanning calorimetry (TGA/DSC) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis indicate that the main components are HA and type I collagen fibers. MC3T3-E1 cell culture results show a high cytocompatibility and the ability to guide cell proliferation and migration along the scale ridge channels of the fish scales. This plywood structure provides inspiration for a structure-enhanced composite material. - Highlights: • The Carassius auratus fish scale can be divided into 3 layers rather than 2. • The functions of these three individual layers were firstly analyzed. • The fish scale shows a high cytocompatibility. • The fish scale can guide cells migration along the scale ridge channels

Hierarchical structure and cytocompatibility of fish scales from Carassius auratus

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fang, Zhou [State Key Laboratory of New Ceramics and Fine Processing, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China); Wang, Yukun [State Key Laboratory of Geological Processes and Mineral Resources, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100084 (China); Feng, Qingling, E-mail: biomater@mail.tsinghua.edu.cn [State Key Laboratory of New Ceramics and Fine Processing, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China); Key Laboratory of Advanced Materials of Ministry of Education of China, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China); Kienzle, Arne; Müller, Werner E.G. [Institut für Physiologische Chemie, Abteilung Angewandte Molekularbiologie, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität, Duesbergweg 6, Mainz 55099 (Germany)

2014-10-01

To study the structure and the cytocompatibility of fish scales from Carassius auratus, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to observe the morphology of fish scales treated with different processing methods. Based on varying morphologies and components, the fish scales can be divided into three regions on the surface and three layers in vertical. The functions of these three individual layers were analyzed. SEM results show that the primary inorganic components are spherical or cubic hydroxyapatite (HA) nanoparticles. The fish scales have an ∼ 60° overlapped plywood structure of lamellas in the fibrillary plate. The plywood structure consists of co-aligned type I collagen fibers, which are parallel to the HA lamellas. X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis/differential scanning calorimetry (TGA/DSC) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis indicate that the main components are HA and type I collagen fibers. MC3T3-E1 cell culture results show a high cytocompatibility and the ability to guide cell proliferation and migration along the scale ridge channels of the fish scales. This plywood structure provides inspiration for a structure-enhanced composite material. - Highlights: • The Carassius auratus fish scale can be divided into 3 layers rather than 2. • The functions of these three individual layers were firstly analyzed. • The fish scale shows a high cytocompatibility. • The fish scale can guide cells migration along the scale ridge channels.

Large scale structure and baryogenesis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kirilova, D.P.; Chizhov, M.V.

2001-08-01

We discuss a possible connection between the large scale structure formation and the baryogenesis in the universe. An update review of the observational indications for the presence of a very large scale 120h -1 Mpc in the distribution of the visible matter of the universe is provided. The possibility to generate a periodic distribution with the characteristic scale 120h -1 Mpc through a mechanism producing quasi-periodic baryon density perturbations during inflationary stage, is discussed. The evolution of the baryon charge density distribution is explored in the framework of a low temperature boson condensate baryogenesis scenario. Both the observed very large scale of a the visible matter distribution in the universe and the observed baryon asymmetry value could naturally appear as a result of the evolution of a complex scalar field condensate, formed at the inflationary stage. Moreover, for some model's parameters a natural separation of matter superclusters from antimatter ones can be achieved. (author)

The effective field theory of cosmological large scale structures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Carrasco, John Joseph M. [Stanford Univ., Stanford, CA (United States); Hertzberg, Mark P. [Stanford Univ., Stanford, CA (United States); SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States); Senatore, Leonardo [Stanford Univ., Stanford, CA (United States); SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States)

2012-09-20

Large scale structure surveys will likely become the next leading cosmological probe. In our universe, matter perturbations are large on short distances and small at long scales, i.e. strongly coupled in the UV and weakly coupled in the IR. To make precise analytical predictions on large scales, we develop an effective field theory formulated in terms of an IR effective fluid characterized by several parameters, such as speed of sound and viscosity. These parameters, determined by the UV physics described by the Boltzmann equation, are measured from N-body simulations. We find that the speed of sound of the effective fluid is c²_s ≈ 10^–6c² and that the viscosity contributions are of the same order. The fluid describes all the relevant physics at long scales k and permits a manifestly convergent perturbative expansion in the size of the matter perturbations δ(k) for all the observables. As an example, we calculate the correction to the power spectrum at order δ(k)⁴. As a result, the predictions of the effective field theory are found to be in much better agreement with observation than standard cosmological perturbation theory, already reaching percent precision at this order up to a relatively short scale k ≃ 0.24h Mpc^–1.

Testing the simplex assumption underlying the Sport Motivation Scale: a structural equation modeling analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, F; Harmer, P

1996-12-01

Self-determination theory (Deci & Ryan, 1985) suggests that motivational orientation or regulatory styles with respect to various behaviors can be conceptualized along a continuum ranging from low (a motivation) to high (intrinsic motivation) levels of self-determination. This pattern is manifested in the rank order of correlations among these regulatory styles (i.e., adjacent correlations are expected to be higher than those more distant) and is known as a simplex structure. Using responses from the Sport Motivation Scale (Pelletier et al., 1995) obtained from a sample of 857 college students (442 men, 415 women), the present study tested the simplex structure underlying SMS subscales via structural equation modeling. Results confirmed the simplex model structure, indicating that the various motivational constructs are empirically organized from low to high self-determination. The simplex pattern was further found to be invariant across gender. Findings from this study support the construct validity of the SMS and have important implications for studies focusing on the influence of motivational orientation in sport.

Spatial Scales of Genetic Structure in Free-Standing and Strangler Figs (Ficus, Moraceae Inhabiting Neotropical Forests.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Katrin Heer

Full Text Available Wind-borne pollinating wasps (Agaonidae can transport fig (Ficus sp., Moraceae pollen over enormous distances (> 100 km. Because of their extensive breeding areas, Neotropical figs are expected to exhibit weak patterns of genetic structure at local and regional scales. We evaluated genetic structure at the regional to continental scale (Panama, Costa Rica, and Peru for the free-standing fig species Ficus insipida. Genetic differentiation was detected only at distances > 300 km (Jost´s Dest = 0.68 ± 0.07 & FST = 0.30 ± 0.03 between Mesoamerican and Amazonian sites and evidence for phylogeographic structure (RST>>permuted RST was only significant in comparisons between Central and South America. Further, we assessed local scale spatial genetic structure (SGS, d ≤ 8 km in Panama and developed an agent-based model parameterized with data from F. insipida to estimate minimum pollination distances, which determine the contribution of pollen dispersal on SGS. The local scale data for F. insipida was compared to SGS data collected for an additional free-standing fig, F. yoponensis (subgenus Pharmacosycea, and two species of strangler figs, F. citrifolia and F. obtusifolia (subgenus Urostigma sampled in Panama. All four species displayed significant SGS (mean Sp = 0.014 ± 0.012. Model simulations indicated that most pollination events likely occur at distances > > 1 km, largely ruling out spatially limited pollen dispersal as the determinant of SGS in F. insipida and, by extension, the other fig species. Our results are consistent with the view that Ficus develops fine-scale SGS primarily as a result of localized seed dispersal and/or clumped seedling establishment despite extensive long-distance pollen dispersal. We discuss several ecological and life history factors that could have species- or subgenus-specific impacts on the genetic structure of Neotropical figs.

Evaporation characteristics of a hydrophilic surface with micro-scale and/or nano-scale structures fabricated by sandblasting and aluminum anodization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Hyungmo; Kim, Joonwon

2010-01-01

This paper presents the results of evaporation experiments using water droplets on aluminum sheets that were either smooth or had surface structures at the micro-scale, at the nano-scale or at both micro- and nano-scales (dual-scale). The smooth surface was a polished aluminum sheet; the surface with micro-scale structures was obtained by sandblasting; the surface with nano-scale structures was obtained using conventional aluminum anodization and the surface with dual-scale structures was prepared using sandblasting and anodization sequentially. The wetting properties and evaporation rates were measured for each surface. The evaporation rates were affected by their static and dynamic wetting properties. Evaporation on the surface with dual-scale structures was fastest and the evaporation rate was analyzed quantitatively.

Similitude and scaling of large structural elements: Case study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Shehadeh

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Scaled down models are widely used for experimental investigations of large structures due to the limitation in the capacities of testing facilities along with the expenses of the experimentation. The modeling accuracy depends upon the model material properties, fabrication accuracy and loading techniques. In the present work the Buckingham π theorem is used to develop the relations (i.e. geometry, loading and properties between the model and a large structural element as that is present in the huge existing petroleum oil drilling rigs. The model is to be designed, loaded and treated according to a set of similitude requirements that relate the model to the large structural element. Three independent scale factors which represent three fundamental dimensions, namely mass, length and time need to be selected for designing the scaled down model. Numerical prediction of the stress distribution within the model and its elastic deformation under steady loading is to be made. The results are compared with those obtained from the full scale structure numerical computations. The effect of scaled down model size and material on the accuracy of the modeling technique is thoroughly examined.

Testing a continuum structure of self-determined motivation: A meta-analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Howard, Joshua L; Gagné, Marylène; Bureau, Julien S

2017-12-01

Self-determination theory proposes a multidimensional representation of motivation comprised of several factors said to fall along a continuum of relative autonomy. The current meta-analysis examined the relationships between these motivation factors in order to demonstrate how reliably they conformed to a predictable continuum-like pattern. Based on data from 486 samples representing over 205,000 participants who completed 1 of 13 validated motivation scales, the results largely supported a continuum-like structure of motivation and indicate that self-determination is central in explaining human motivation. Further examination of heterogeneity indicated that while regulations were predictably ordered across domains and scales, the exact distance between subscales varied across samples in a way that was not explainable by a set of moderators. Results did not support the inclusion of integrated regulation or the 3 subscales of intrinsic motivation (i.e., intrinsic motivation to know, to experience stimulation, and to achieve) due to excessively high interfactor correlations and overlapping confidence intervals. Recommendations for scale refinements and the scoring of motivation are provided. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Classification of Farmland Landscape Structure in Multiple Scales

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, P.; Cheng, Q.; Li, M.

2017-12-01

Farmland is one of the basic terrestrial resources that support the development and survival of human beings and thus plays a crucial role in the national security of every country. Pattern change is the intuitively spatial representation of the scale and quality variation of farmland. Through the characteristic development of spatial shapes as well as through changes in system structures, functions and so on, farmland landscape patterns may indicate the landscape health level. Currently, it is still difficult to perform positioning analyses of landscape pattern changes that reflect the landscape structure variations of farmland with an index model. Depending on a number of spatial properties such as locations and adjacency relations, distance decay, fringe effect, and on the model of patch-corridor-matrix that is applied, this study defines a type system of farmland landscape structure on the national, provincial, and city levels. According to such a definition, the classification model of farmland landscape-structure type at the pixel scale is developed and validated based on mathematical-morphology concepts and on spatial-analysis methods. Then, the laws that govern farmland landscape-pattern change in multiple scales are analyzed from the perspectives of spatial heterogeneity, spatio-temporal evolution, and function transformation. The result shows that the classification model of farmland landscape-structure type can reflect farmland landscape-pattern change and its effects on farmland production function. Moreover, farmland landscape change in different scales displayed significant disparity in zonality, both within specific regions and in urban-rural areas.

Double inflation: A possible resolution of the large-scale structure problem

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Turner, M.S.; Villumsen, J.V.; Vittorio, N.; Silk, J.; Juszkiewicz, R.

1986-11-01

A model is presented for the large-scale structure of the universe in which two successive inflationary phases resulted in large small-scale and small large-scale density fluctuations. This bimodal density fluctuation spectrum in an Ω = 1 universe dominated by hot dark matter leads to large-scale structure of the galaxy distribution that is consistent with recent observational results. In particular, large, nearly empty voids and significant large-scale peculiar velocity fields are produced over scales of ∼100 Mpc, while the small-scale structure over ≤ 10 Mpc resembles that in a low density universe, as observed. Detailed analytical calculations and numerical simulations are given of the spatial and velocity correlations. 38 refs., 6 figs

The Principal of International Nuclear Event Scale Determination and Its Implementation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Piping Supriatna

2006-01-01

International Nuclear Event Scale (INES) is a scale system for determination nuclear event level on an international scale. Comprehension of INES system commonly as a way to motivate communication between nuclear management and the public, in accordance with disturbance to public safety level as the impact of nuclear installation accident. By using INES as the scaling system, the nuclear event is easy to be understood by nuclear group, journalist or by the public directly. In this report has been analyzed the procedure of nuclear event level determination refer to INES scaling system and its implementation in the field. In order to get same perception in determination of nuclear event level, it is necessary to improve full comprehension for INES and its implementation. (author)

Mechanical deformation of atomic-scale metallic contacts: Structure and mechanisms

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, Mads Reinholdt; Brandbyge, Mads; Jacobsen, Karsten Wedel

1998-01-01

We have simulated the mechanical deformation of atomic-scale metallic contacts under tensile strain using molecular dynamics and effective medium theory potentials. The evolution of the structure of the contacts and the underlying deformation mechanisms are described along with the calculated......, but vacancies can be permanently present. The transition states and energies for slip mechanisms have been determined using the nudged elastic band method, and we find a size-dependent crossover from a dislocation-mediated slip to a homogeneous slip when the contact diameter becomes less than a few nm. We show...

Design of scaled down structural models

Science.gov (United States)

Simitses, George J.

1994-07-01

In the aircraft industry, full scale and large component testing is a very necessary, time consuming, and expensive process. It is essential to find ways by which this process can be minimized without loss of reliability. One possible alternative is the use of scaled down models in testing and use of the model test results in order to predict the behavior of the larger system, referred to herein as prototype. This viewgraph presentation provides justifications and motivation for the research study, and it describes the necessary conditions (similarity conditions) for two structural systems to be structurally similar with similar behavioral response. Similarity conditions provide the relationship between a scaled down model and its prototype. Thus, scaled down models can be used to predict the behavior of the prototype by extrapolating their experimental data. Since satisfying all similarity conditions simultaneously is in most cases impractical, distorted models with partial similarity can be employed. Establishment of similarity conditions, based on the direct use of the governing equations, is discussed and their use in the design of models is presented. Examples include the use of models for the analysis of cylindrical bending of orthotropic laminated beam plates, of buckling of symmetric laminated rectangular plates subjected to uniform uniaxial compression and shear, applied individually, and of vibrational response of the same rectangular plates. Extensions and future tasks are also described.

Large-scale structure observables in general relativity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jeong, Donghui; Schmidt, Fabian

2015-01-01

We review recent studies that rigorously define several key observables of the large-scale structure of the Universe in a general relativistic context. Specifically, we consider (i) redshift perturbation of cosmic clock events; (ii) distortion of cosmic rulers, including weak lensing shear and magnification; and (iii) observed number density of tracers of the large-scale structure. We provide covariant and gauge-invariant expressions of these observables. Our expressions are given for a linearly perturbed flat Friedmann–Robertson–Walker metric including scalar, vector, and tensor metric perturbations. While we restrict ourselves to linear order in perturbation theory, the approach can be straightforwardly generalized to higher order. (paper)

Assembly and structural analysis of a covalently closed nano-scale DNA cage

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Félicie Faucon; Knudsen, Bjarne; Oliveira, Cristiano Luis Pinto De

2008-01-01

for investigations of DNA-interacting enzymes. More recently, strategies for synthesis of more complex two-dimensional (2D) and 3D DNA structures have emerged. However, the building of such structures is still in progress and more experiences from different research groups and different fields of expertise...... be described as a nano-scale DNA cage, Hence, in theory it could hold proteins or other bio-molecules to enable their investigation in certain harmful environments or even allow their organization into higher order structures...... The inherent properties of DNA as a stable polymer with unique affinity for partner molecules determined by the specific Watson-Crick base pairing makes it an ideal component in self-assembling structures. This has been exploited for decades in the design of a variety of artificial substrates...

The Factor Structure of the Spiritual Well-Being Scale in Veterans Experienced Chemical Weapon Exposure.

Science.gov (United States)

Sharif Nia, Hamid; Pahlevan Sharif, Saeed; Boyle, Christopher; Yaghoobzadeh, Ameneh; Tahmasbi, Bahram; Rassool, G Hussein; Taebei, Mozhgan; Soleimani, Mohammad Ali

2018-04-01

This study aimed to determine the factor structure of the spiritual well-being among a sample of the Iranian veterans. In this methodological research, 211 male veterans of Iran-Iraq warfare completed the Paloutzian and Ellison spiritual well-being scale. Maximum likelihood (ML) with oblique rotation was used to assess domain structure of the spiritual well-being. The construct validity of the scale was assessed using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), convergent validity, and discriminant validity. Reliability was evaluated with Cronbach's alpha, Theta (θ), and McDonald Omega (Ω) coefficients, intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC), and construct reliability (CR). Results of ML and CFA suggested three factors which were labeled "relationship with God," "belief in fate and destiny," and "life optimism." The ICC, coefficients of the internal consistency, and CR were >.7 for the factors of the scale. Convergent validity and discriminant validity did not fulfill the requirements. The Persian version of spiritual well-being scale demonstrated suitable validity and reliability among the veterans of Iran-Iraq warfare.

Technique for large-scale structural mapping at uranium deposits i in non-metamorphosed sedimentary cover rocks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kochkin, B.T.

1985-01-01

The technique for large-scale construction (1:1000 - 1:10000), reflecting small amplitude fracture plicate structures, is given for uranium deposits in non-metamorphozed sedimentary cover rocks. Structure drill log sections, as well as a set of maps with the results of area analysis of hidden disturbances, structural analysis of iso-pachous lines and facies of platform mantle horizons serve as sour ce materials for structural mapplotting. The steps of structural map construction are considered: 1) structural carcass construction; 2) reconstruction of structure contour; 3) time determination of structure initiation; 4) plotting of an additional geologic load

Quantitative characterization of the atomic-scale structure of oxyhydroxides in rusts formed on steel surfaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saito, M.; Suzuki, S.; Kimura, M.; Suzuki, T.; Kihira, H.; Waseda, Y.

2005-01-01

Quantitative X-ray structural analysis coupled with anomalous X-ray scattering has been used for characterizing the atomic-scale structure of rust formed on steel surfaces. Samples were prepared from rust layers formed on the surfaces of two commercial steels. X-ray scattered intensity profiles of the two samples showed that the rusts consisted mainly of two types of ferric oxyhydroxide, α-FeOOH and γ-FeOOH. The amounts of these rust components and the realistic atomic arrangements in the components were estimated by fitting both the ordinary and the environmental interference functions with a model structure calculated using the reverse Monte Carlo simulation technique. The two rust components were found to be the network structure formed by FeO 6 octahedral units, the network structure itself deviating from the ideal case. The present results also suggest that the structural analysis method using anomalous X-ray scattering and the reverse Monte Carlo technique is very successful in determining the atomic-scale structure of rusts formed on the steel surfaces

Solution NMR structure determination of proteins revisited

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Billeter, Martin; Wagner, Gerhard; Wuethrich, Kurt

2008-01-01

This 'Perspective' bears on the present state of protein structure determination by NMR in solution. The focus is on a comparison of the infrastructure available for NMR structure determination when compared to protein crystal structure determination by X-ray diffraction. The main conclusion emerges that the unique potential of NMR to generate high resolution data also on dynamics, interactions and conformational equilibria has contributed to a lack of standard procedures for structure determination which would be readily amenable to improved efficiency by automation. To spark renewed discussion on the topic of NMR structure determination of proteins, procedural steps with high potential for improvement are identified

A Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Structure of Abbreviated Math Anxiety Scale

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Farahman Farrokhi

2011-06-01

Full Text Available "nObjective: The aim of this study is to explore the confirmatory factor analysis results of the Persian adaptation of Abbreviated Math Anxiety Scale (AMAS, proposed by Hopko, Mahadevan, Bare & Hunt. "nMethod: The validity and reliability assessments of the scale were performed on 298 college students chosen randomly from Tabriz University in Iran. The confirmatory factor analysis (CFA was carried out to determine the factor structures of the Persian version of AMAS. "nResults: As expected, the two-factor solution provided a better fit to the data than a single factor. Moreover, multi-group analyses showed that this two-factor structure was invariant across sex. Hence, AMAS provides an equally valid measure for use among college students. "nConclusions:  Brief AMAS demonstrates adequate reliability and validity. The AMAS scores can be used to compare symptoms of math anxiety between male and female students. The study both expands and adds support to the existing body of math anxiety literature.

Some Statistics for Measuring Large-Scale Structure

OpenAIRE

Brandenberger, Robert H.; Kaplan, David M.; A, Stephen; Ramsey

1993-01-01

Good statistics for measuring large-scale structure in the Universe must be able to distinguish between different models of structure formation. In this paper, two and three dimensional ``counts in cell" statistics and a new ``discrete genus statistic" are applied to toy versions of several popular theories of structure formation: random phase cold dark matter model, cosmic string models, and global texture scenario. All three statistics appear quite promising in terms of differentiating betw...

Fluid-structure interaction in non-rigid pipeline systems - large scale validation experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heinsbroek, A.G.T.J.; Kruisbrink, A.C.H.

1993-01-01

The fluid-structure interaction computer code FLUSTRIN, developed by DELFT HYDRAULICS, enables the user to determine dynamic fluid pressures, structural stresses and displacements in a liquid-filled pipeline system under transient conditions. As such, the code is a useful tool to process and mechanical engineers in the safe design and operation of pipeline systems in nuclear power plants. To validate FLUSTRIN, experiments have been performed in a large scale 3D test facility. The test facility consists of a flexible pipeline system which is suspended by wires, bearings and anchors. Pressure surges, which excite the system, are generated by a fast acting shut-off valve. Dynamic pressures, structural displacements and strains (in total 70 signals) have been measured under well determined initial and boundary conditions. The experiments have been simulated with FLUSTRIN, which solves the acoustic equations using the method of characteristics (fluid) and the finite element method (structure). The agreement between experiments and simulations is shown to be good: frequencies, amplitudes and wave phenomena are well predicted by the numerical simulations. It is demonstrated that an uncoupled water hammer computation would render unreliable and useless results. (author)

Small scale structure formation in chameleon cosmology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brax, Ph.; Bruck, C. van de; Davis, A.C.; Green, A.M.

2006-01-01

Chameleon fields are scalar fields whose mass depends on the ambient matter density. We investigate the effects of these fields on the growth of density perturbations on sub-galactic scales and the formation of the first dark matter halos. Density perturbations on comoving scales R<1 pc go non-linear and collapse to form structure much earlier than in standard ΛCDM cosmology. The resulting mini-halos are hence more dense and resilient to disruption. We therefore expect (provided that the density perturbations on these scales have not been erased by damping processes) that the dark matter distribution on small scales would be more clumpy in chameleon cosmology than in the ΛCDM model

Hierarchical Cantor set in the large scale structure with torus geometry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Murdzek, R. [Physics Department, ' Al. I. Cuza' University, Blvd. Carol I, Nr. 11, Iassy 700506 (Romania)], E-mail: rmurdzek@yahoo.com

2008-12-15

The formation of large scale structures is considered within a model with string on toroidal space-time. Firstly, the space-time geometry is presented. In this geometry, the Universe is represented by a string describing a torus surface. Thereafter, the large scale structure of the Universe is derived from the string oscillations. The results are in agreement with the cellular structure of the large scale distribution and with the theory of a Cantorian space-time.

Semi-Automated Air-Coupled Impact-Echo Method for Large-Scale Parkade Structure

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tyler Epp

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Structural Health Monitoring (SHM has moved to data-dense systems, utilizing numerous sensor types to monitor infrastructure, such as bridges and dams, more regularly. One of the issues faced in this endeavour is the scale of the inspected structures and the time it takes to carry out testing. Installing automated systems that can provide measurements in a timely manner is one way of overcoming these obstacles. This study proposes an Artificial Neural Network (ANN application that determines intact and damaged locations from a small training sample of impact-echo data, using air-coupled microphones from a reinforced concrete beam in lab conditions and data collected from a field experiment in a parking garage. The impact-echo testing in the field is carried out in a semi-autonomous manner to expedite the front end of the in situ damage detection testing. The use of an ANN removes the need for a user-defined cutoff value for the classification of intact and damaged locations when a least-square distance approach is used. It is postulated that this may contribute significantly to testing time reduction when monitoring large-scale civil Reinforced Concrete (RC structures.

Graph-based linear scaling electronic structure theory

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Niklasson, Anders M. N., E-mail: amn@lanl.gov; Negre, Christian F. A.; Cawkwell, Marc J.; Swart, Pieter J.; Germann, Timothy C.; Bock, Nicolas [Theoretical Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545 (United States); Mniszewski, Susan M.; Mohd-Yusof, Jamal; Wall, Michael E.; Djidjev, Hristo [Computer, Computational, and Statistical Sciences Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545 (United States); Rubensson, Emanuel H. [Division of Scientific Computing, Department of Information Technology, Uppsala University, Box 337, SE-751 05 Uppsala (Sweden)

2016-06-21

We show how graph theory can be combined with quantum theory to calculate the electronic structure of large complex systems. The graph formalism is general and applicable to a broad range of electronic structure methods and materials, including challenging systems such as biomolecules. The methodology combines well-controlled accuracy, low computational cost, and natural low-communication parallelism. This combination addresses substantial shortcomings of linear scaling electronic structure theory, in particular with respect to quantum-based molecular dynamics simulations.

Detecting Multi-scale Structures in Chandra Images of Centaurus A

Science.gov (United States)

Karovska, M.; Fabbiano, G.; Elvis, M. S.; Evans, I. N.; Kim, D. W.; Prestwich, A. H.; Schwartz, D. A.; Murray, S. S.; Forman, W.; Jones, C.; Kraft, R. P.; Isobe, T.; Cui, W.; Schreier, E. J.

1999-12-01

Centaurus A (NGC 5128) is a giant early-type galaxy with a merger history, containing the nearest radio-bright AGN. Recent Chandra High Resolution Camera (HRC) observations of Cen A reveal X-ray multi-scale structures in this object with unprecedented detail and clarity. We show the results of an analysis of the Chandra data with smoothing and edge enhancement techniques that allow us to enhance and quantify the multi-scale structures present in the HRC images. These techniques include an adaptive smoothing algorithm (Ebeling et al 1999), and a multi-directional gradient detection algorithm (Karovska et al 1994). The Ebeling et al adaptive smoothing algorithm, which is incorporated in the CXC analysis s/w package, is a powerful tool for smoothing images containing complex structures at various spatial scales. The adaptively smoothed images of Centaurus A show simultaneously the high-angular resolution bright structures at scales as small as an arcsecond and the extended faint structures as large as several arc minutes. The large scale structures suggest complex symmetry, including a component possibly associated with the inner radio lobes (as suggested by the ROSAT HRI data, Dobereiner et al 1996), and a separate component with an orthogonal symmetry that may be associated with the galaxy as a whole. The dust lane and the x-ray ridges are very clearly visible. The adaptively smoothed images and the edge-enhanced images also suggest several filamentary features including a large filament-like structure extending as far as about 5 arcminutes to North-West.

Implementation of Grid-computing Framework for Simulation in Multi-scale Structural Analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Data Iranata

2010-05-01

Full Text Available A new grid-computing framework for simulation in multi-scale structural analysis is presented. Two levels of parallel processing will be involved in this framework: multiple local distributed computing environments connected by local network to form a grid-based cluster-to-cluster distributed computing environment. To successfully perform the simulation, a large-scale structural system task is decomposed into the simulations of a simplified global model and several detailed component models using various scales. These correlated multi-scale structural system tasks are distributed among clusters and connected together in a multi-level hierarchy and then coordinated over the internet. The software framework for supporting the multi-scale structural simulation approach is also presented. The program architecture design allows the integration of several multi-scale models as clients and servers under a single platform. To check its feasibility, a prototype software system has been designed and implemented to perform the proposed concept. The simulation results show that the software framework can increase the speedup performance of the structural analysis. Based on this result, the proposed grid-computing framework is suitable to perform the simulation of the multi-scale structural analysis.

BigSUR: large-scale structured urban reconstruction

KAUST Repository

Kelly, Tom

2017-11-22

The creation of high-quality semantically parsed 3D models for dense metropolitan areas is a fundamental urban modeling problem. Although recent advances in acquisition techniques and processing algorithms have resulted in large-scale imagery or 3D polygonal reconstructions, such data-sources are typically noisy, and incomplete, with no semantic structure. In this paper, we present an automatic data fusion technique that produces high-quality structured models of city blocks. From coarse polygonal meshes, street-level imagery, and GIS footprints, we formulate a binary integer program that globally balances sources of error to produce semantically parsed mass models with associated facade elements. We demonstrate our system on four city regions of varying complexity; our examples typically contain densely built urban blocks spanning hundreds of buildings. In our largest example, we produce a structured model of 37 city blocks spanning a total of 1,011 buildings at a scale and quality previously impossible to achieve automatically.

BigSUR: large-scale structured urban reconstruction

KAUST Repository

Kelly, Tom; Femiani, John; Wonka, Peter; Mitra, Niloy J.

2017-01-01

The creation of high-quality semantically parsed 3D models for dense metropolitan areas is a fundamental urban modeling problem. Although recent advances in acquisition techniques and processing algorithms have resulted in large-scale imagery or 3D polygonal reconstructions, such data-sources are typically noisy, and incomplete, with no semantic structure. In this paper, we present an automatic data fusion technique that produces high-quality structured models of city blocks. From coarse polygonal meshes, street-level imagery, and GIS footprints, we formulate a binary integer program that globally balances sources of error to produce semantically parsed mass models with associated facade elements. We demonstrate our system on four city regions of varying complexity; our examples typically contain densely built urban blocks spanning hundreds of buildings. In our largest example, we produce a structured model of 37 city blocks spanning a total of 1,011 buildings at a scale and quality previously impossible to achieve automatically.

DNA nanotubes for NMR structure determination of membrane proteins.

Science.gov (United States)

Bellot, Gaëtan; McClintock, Mark A; Chou, James J; Shih, William M

2013-04-01

Finding a way to determine the structures of integral membrane proteins using solution nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy has proved to be challenging. A residual-dipolar-coupling-based refinement approach can be used to resolve the structure of membrane proteins up to 40 kDa in size, but to do this you need a weak-alignment medium that is detergent-resistant and it has thus far been difficult to obtain such a medium suitable for weak alignment of membrane proteins. We describe here a protocol for robust, large-scale synthesis of detergent-resistant DNA nanotubes that can be assembled into dilute liquid crystals for application as weak-alignment media in solution NMR structure determination of membrane proteins in detergent micelles. The DNA nanotubes are heterodimers of 400-nm-long six-helix bundles, each self-assembled from a M13-based p7308 scaffold strand and >170 short oligonucleotide staple strands. Compatibility with proteins bearing considerable positive charge as well as modulation of molecular alignment, toward collection of linearly independent restraints, can be introduced by reducing the negative charge of DNA nanotubes using counter ions and small DNA-binding molecules. This detergent-resistant liquid-crystal medium offers a number of properties conducive for membrane protein alignment, including high-yield production, thermal stability, buffer compatibility and structural programmability. Production of sufficient nanotubes for four or five NMR experiments can be completed in 1 week by a single individual.

Spatial structure and scaling of macropores in hydrological process at small catchment scale

Science.gov (United States)

Silasari, Rasmiaditya; Broer, Martine; Blöschl, Günter

2013-04-01

During rainfall events, the formation of overland flow can occur under the circumstances of saturation excess and/or infiltration excess. These conditions are affected by the soil moisture state which represents the soil water content in micropores and macropores. Macropores act as pathway for the preferential flows and have been widely studied locally. However, very little is known about their spatial structure and conductivity of macropores and other flow characteristic at the catchment scale. This study will analyze these characteristics to better understand its importance in hydrological processes. The research will be conducted in Petzenkirchen Hydrological Open Air Laboratory (HOAL), a 64 ha catchment located 100 km west of Vienna. The land use is divided between arable land (87%), pasture (5%), forest (6%) and paved surfaces (2%). Video cameras will be installed on an agricultural field to monitor the overland flow pattern during rainfall events. A wireless soil moisture network is also installed within the monitored area. These field data will be combined to analyze the soil moisture state and the responding surface runoff occurrence. The variability of the macropores spatial structure of the observed area (field scale) then will be assessed based on the topography and soil data. Soil characteristics will be supported with laboratory experiments on soil matrix flow to obtain proper definitions of the spatial structure of macropores and its variability. A coupled physically based distributed model of surface and subsurface flow will be used to simulate the variability of macropores spatial structure and its effect on the flow behaviour. This model will be validated by simulating the observed rainfall events. Upscaling from field scale to catchment scale will be done to understand the effect of macropores variability on larger scales by applying spatial stochastic methods. The first phase in this study is the installation and monitoring configuration of video

Large-scale structures in turbulent Couette flow

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Jung Hoon; Lee, Jae Hwa

2016-11-01

Direct numerical simulation of fully developed turbulent Couette flow is performed with a large computational domain in the streamwise and spanwise directions (40 πh and 6 πh) to investigate streamwise-scale growth mechanism of the streamwise velocity fluctuating structures in the core region, where h is the channel half height. It is shown that long streamwise-scale structures (> 3 h) are highly energetic and they contribute to more than 80% of the turbulent kinetic energy and Reynolds shear stress, compared to previous studies in canonical Poiseuille flows. Instantaneous and statistical analysis show that negative-u' structures on the bottom wall in the Couette flow continuously grow in the streamwise direction due to mean shear, and they penetrate to the opposite moving wall. The geometric center of the log layer is observed in the centerline with a dominant outer peak in streamwise spectrum, and the maximum streamwise extent for structure is found in the centerline, similar to previous observation in turbulent Poiseuille flows at high Reynolds number. Further inspection of time-evolving instantaneous fields clearly exhibits that adjacent long structures combine to form a longer structure in the centerline. This research was supported by Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Education (NRF-2014R1A1A2057031).

Full-scale tank car rollover tests - survivability of top fittings and top fittings protective structures : final report.

Science.gov (United States)

2016-05-01

Full-scale rollover crash tests were performed on three non-pressure tank carbodies to validate previous analytical work and : determine the effectiveness of two different types of protective structures in protecting the top fittings. The tests were ...

Computational tools for experimental determination and theoretical prediction of protein structure

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

O`Donoghue, S.; Rost, B.

1995-12-31

This tutorial was one of eight tutorials selected to be presented at the Third International Conference on Intelligent Systems for Molecular Biology which was held in the United Kingdom from July 16 to 19, 1995. The authors intend to review the state of the art in the experimental determination of protein 3D structure (focus on nuclear magnetic resonance), and in the theoretical prediction of protein function and of protein structure in 1D, 2D and 3D from sequence. All the atomic resolution structures determined so far have been derived from either X-ray crystallography (the majority so far) or Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Spectroscopy (becoming increasingly more important). The authors briefly describe the physical methods behind both of these techniques; the major computational methods involved will be covered in some detail. They highlight parallels and differences between the methods, and also the current limitations. Special emphasis will be given to techniques which have application to ab initio structure prediction. Large scale sequencing techniques increase the gap between the number of known proteins sequences and that of known protein structures. They describe the scope and principles of methods that contribute successfully to closing that gap. Emphasis will be given on the specification of adequate testing procedures to validate such methods.

Quantitative Determination of Organic Semiconductor Microstructure from the Molecular to Device Scale

KAUST Repository

Rivnay, Jonathan; Mannsfeld, Stefan C. B.; Miller, Chad E.; Salleo, Alberto; Toney, Michael F.

2012-01-01

A study was conducted to demonstrate quantitative determination of organic semiconductor microstructure from the molecular to device scale. The quantitative determination of organic semiconductor microstructure from the molecular to device scale

Patch-Scale Effects of Equine Disturbance on Arthropod Assemblages and Vegetation Structure in Subalpine Wetlands

Science.gov (United States)

Holmquist, Jeffrey G.; Schmidt-Gengenbach, Jutta; Ballenger, Elizabeth A.

2014-06-01

Assessments of vertebrate disturbance to plant and animal assemblages often contrast grazed versus ungrazed meadows or other larger areas of usage, and this approach can be powerful. Random sampling of such habitats carries the potential, however, for smaller, more intensely affected patches to be missed and for other responses that are only revealed at smaller scales to also escape detection. We instead sampled arthropod assemblages and vegetation structure at the patch scale (400-900 m2 patches) within subalpine wet meadows of Yosemite National Park (USA), with the goal of determining if there were fine-scale differences in magnitude and directionality of response at three levels of grazing intensity. Effects were both stronger and more nuanced than effects evidenced by previous random sampling of paired grazed and ungrazed meadows: (a) greater negative effects on vegetation structure and fauna in heavily used patches, but (b) some positive effects on fauna in lightly grazed patches, suggested by trends for mean richness and total and population abundances. Although assessment of disturbance at either patch or landscape scales should be appropriate, depending on the management question at hand, our patch-scale work demonstrated that there can be strong local effects on the ecology of these wetlands that may not be detected by comparing larger scale habitats.

Structure of catalase determined by MicroED

Science.gov (United States)

Nannenga, Brent L; Shi, Dan; Hattne, Johan; Reyes, Francis E; Gonen, Tamir

2014-01-01

MicroED is a recently developed method that uses electron diffraction for structure determination from very small three-dimensional crystals of biological material. Previously we used a series of still diffraction patterns to determine the structure of lysozyme at 2.9 Å resolution with MicroED (Shi et al., 2013). Here we present the structure of bovine liver catalase determined from a single crystal at 3.2 Å resolution by MicroED. The data were collected by continuous rotation of the sample under constant exposure and were processed and refined using standard programs for X-ray crystallography. The ability of MicroED to determine the structure of bovine liver catalase, a protein that has long resisted atomic analysis by traditional electron crystallography, demonstrates the potential of this method for structure determination. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.03600.001 PMID:25303172

Crystal Structure of the 30S Ribosomal Subunit from Thermus Thermophilus: Purification, Crystallization and Structure Determination

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Clemons, William M. Jr.; Brodersen, Ditlev E.; McCutcheonn, John P.; May, Joanna L.C.; Carter, Andrew P.; Morgan-Warren, Robert J.; Wimberly, Brian T.; Ramakrishnan, Venki

2001-01-01

We describe the crystallization and structure determination of the 30 S ribosomal subunit from Thermus thermophilus. Previous reports of crystals that diffracted to 10 (angstrom) resolution were used as a starting point to improve the quality of the diffraction. Eventually, ideas such as the addition of substrates or factors to eliminate conformational heterogeneity proved less important than attention to detail in yielding crystals that diffracted beyond 3 (angstrom) resolution. Despite improvements in technology and methodology in the last decade, the structure determination of the 30 S subunit presented some very challenging technical problems because of the size of the asymmetric unit, crystal variability and sensitivity to radiation damage. Some steps that were useful for determination of the atomic structure were: the use of anomalous scattering from the LIII edges of osmium and lutetium to obtain the necessary phasing signal; the use of tunable, third-generation synchrotron sources to obtain data of reasonable quality at high resolution; collection of derivative data precisely about a mirror plane to preserve small anomalous differences between Bijvoet mates despite extensive radiation damage and multi-crystal scaling; the pre-screening of crystals to ensure quality, isomorphism and the efficient use of scarce third-generation synchrotron time; pre-incubation of crystals in cobalt hexaammine to ensure isomorphism with other derivatives; and finally, the placement of proteins whose structures had been previously solved in isolation, in conjunction with biochemical data on protein-RNA interactions, to map out the architecture of the 30 S subunit prior to the construction of a detailed atomic-resolution model.

Evaluating the Latent Structure of the MMPI-2 F(p) Scale in a Forensic Sample: A Taxometric Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Strong, David R.; Glassmire, David M.; Frederick, Richard I.; Greene, Roger L.

2006-01-01

P. A. Arbisi and Y. S. Ben-Porath (1995) originally proposed that the Infrequency Psychopathology scale, F(p), be used as the final step in an algorithm to determine the validity of a Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) protocol. The current study used taxometric procedures to determine the latent structure of F(p) among…

TOPOLOGY OF A LARGE-SCALE STRUCTURE AS A TEST OF MODIFIED GRAVITY

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Xin; Chen Xuelei; Park, Changbom

2012-01-01

The genus of the isodensity contours is a robust measure of the topology of a large-scale structure, and it is relatively insensitive to nonlinear gravitational evolution, galaxy bias, and redshift-space distortion. We show that the growth of density fluctuations is scale dependent even in the linear regime in some modified gravity theories, which opens a new possibility of testing the theories observationally. We propose to use the genus of the isodensity contours, an intrinsic measure of the topology of the large-scale structure, as a statistic to be used in such tests. In Einstein's general theory of relativity, density fluctuations grow at the same rate on all scales in the linear regime, and the genus per comoving volume is almost conserved as structures grow homologously, so we expect that the genus-smoothing-scale relation is basically time independent. However, in some modified gravity models where structures grow with different rates on different scales, the genus-smoothing-scale relation should change over time. This can be used to test the gravity models with large-scale structure observations. We study the cases of the f(R) theory, DGP braneworld theory as well as the parameterized post-Friedmann models. We also forecast how the modified gravity models can be constrained with optical/IR or redshifted 21 cm radio surveys in the near future.

Low-energy electron diffraction experiment, theory and surface structure determination

CERN Document Server

Hove, Michel A; Chan, Chi-Ming

1986-01-01

Surface crystallography plays the same fundamental role in surface science which bulk crystallography has played so successfully in solid-state physics and chemistry. The atomic-scale structure is one of the most important aspects in the understanding of the behavior of surfaces in such widely diverse fields as heterogeneous catalysis, microelectronics, adhesion, lubrication, cor­ rosion, coatings, and solid-solid and solid-liquid interfaces. Low-Energy Electron Diffraction or LEED has become the prime tech­ nique used to determine atomic locations at surfaces. On one hand, LEED has yielded the most numerous and complete structural results to date (almost 200 structures), while on the other, LEED has been regarded as the "technique to beat" by a variety of other surface crystallographic methods, such as photoemission, SEXAFS, ion scattering and atomic diffraction. Although these other approaches have had impressive successes, LEED has remained the most productive technique and has shown the most versatility...

INVESTIGATING THE FACTOR STRUCTURE OF THE BLOG ATTITUDE SCALE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zahra SHAHSAVAR

2010-10-01

Full Text Available Due to the wide application of advanced technology in education, many attitude scales have been developed to evaluate learners’ attitudes toward educational tools. However, with the rapid development of emerging technologies, using blogs as one of the Web 2.0 tools is still in its infancy and few blog attitude scales have been developed yet. In view of this need, a lot of researchers like to design a new scale based on their conceptual and theoretical framework of their own study rather than using available scales. The present study reports the design and development of a blog attitude scale (BAS. The researchers developed a pool of items to capture the complexity of the blog attitude trait, selected 29 items in the content analysis, and assigned the scale comprising 29 items to 216 undergraduate students to explore the underlying structure of the BAS. In exploratory factor analysis, three factors were discovered: blog anxiety, blog desirability, and blog self-efficacy; 14 items were excluded. The extracted items were subjected to a confirmatory factor analysis which lent further support to the BAS underpinning structure.

Indicators and Determinants of Small-Scale Bamboo Commercialization in Ethiopia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

André Lindner

2013-09-01

Full Text Available Bamboo is an abundant resource in Ethiopia and has a great potential for commercialization, which can drive rural development. In view of these realities, this study analyzed the state and determinants of small-scale bamboo commercialization in Ethiopia. Data were collected from three major bamboo-growing districts (Awi, Sidama, and Sheka and four urban centers (Masha, Hawassa, Bahir Dar, and Addis Ababa via semi-structured interviews, group discussions, and questionnaire surveys with key actors along the value chain. Results revealed distinctive differences in proportion of cash income, value chain structure, and management engagement among the districts. Percentages of cash income were 60.15, 42.60, and 9.48 at Awi, Sidam, and Sheka, respectively. Differences were statistically significant between Sheka and both other districts (p = 0.05, but not between Awi and Sidama. The value chain structure showed that compared with Sheka, Awi and Sidama have a relatively large number of actors involved. The major factors explaining commercialization differences among regions were distance to market and presence of alternative forest products. Within Sheka, households with larger family size, higher education attainment, and access to training reportedly engaged more in commercial extraction. Therefore, we conclude that development of infrastructure for linking resource and consumer centers and expansion of extension education among producers may enhance the commercial engagement of producers and improve the accessibility of bamboo resources for commercial production.

The origin of large scale cosmic structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jones, B.J.T.; Palmer, P.L.

1985-01-01

The paper concerns the origin of large scale cosmic structure. The evolution of density perturbations, the nonlinear regime (Zel'dovich's solution and others), the Gott and Rees clustering hierarchy, the spectrum of condensations, and biassed galaxy formation, are all discussed. (UK)

A large-scale soil-structure interaction experiment: Design and construction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tang, H.T.; Tang, Y.K.; Stepp, J.C.; Wall, I.B.; Lin, E.; Cheng, S.C.; Lee, S.K.

1989-01-01

This paper describes the design and construction phase of the Large-Scale Soil-Structure Interaction Experiment project jointly sponsored by EPRI and Taipower. The project has two objectives: 1. to obtain an earthquake database which can be used to substantiate soil-structure interaction (SSI) models and analysis methods; and 2. to quantify nuclear power plant reactor containment and internal components seismic margin based on earthquake experience data. These objectives were accomplished by recording and analyzing data from two instrumented, scaled down, reinforced concrete containment structures during seismic events. The two model structures are sited in a high seismic region in Taiwan (SMART-1). A strong-motion seismic array network is located at the site. The containment models (1/4- and 1/12-scale) were constructed and instrumented specially for this experiment. Construction was completed and data recording began in September 1985. By November 1986, 18 strong motion earthquakes ranging from Richter magnitude 4.5 to 7.0 were recorded. (orig./HP)

Epidemic spreading in weighted scale-free networks with community structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chu, Xiangwei; Guan, Jihong; Zhang, Zhongzhi; Zhou, Shuigeng

2009-01-01

Many empirical studies reveal that the weights and community structure are ubiquitous in various natural and artificial networks. In this paper, based on the SI disease model, we investigate the epidemic spreading in weighted scale-free networks with community structure. Two exponents, α and β, are introduced to weight the internal edges and external edges, respectively; and a tunable probability parameter q is also introduced to adjust the strength of community structure. We find the external weighting exponent β plays a much more important role in slackening the epidemic spreading and reducing the danger brought by the epidemic than the internal weighting exponent α. Moreover, a novel result we find is that the strong community structure is no longer helpful for slackening the danger brought by the epidemic in the weighted cases. In addition, we show the hierarchical dynamics of the epidemic spreading in the weighted scale-free networks with communities which is also displayed in the famous BA scale-free networks

Determination of the structural phase and octahedral rotation angle in halide perovskites

Science.gov (United States)

dos Reis, Roberto; Yang, Hao; Ophus, Colin; Ercius, Peter; Bizarri, Gregory; Perrodin, Didier; Shalapska, Tetiana; Bourret, Edith; Ciston, Jim; Dahmen, Ulrich

2018-02-01

A key to the unique combination of electronic and optical properties in halide perovskite materials lies in their rich structural complexity. However, their radiation sensitive nature limits nanoscale structural characterization requiring dose efficient microscopic techniques in order to determine their structures precisely. In this work, we determine the space-group and directly image the Br halide sites of CsPbBr3, a promising material for optoelectronic applications. Based on the symmetry of high-order Laue zone reflections of convergent-beam electron diffraction, we identify the tetragonal (I4/mcm) structural phase of CsPbBr3 at cryogenic temperature. Electron ptychography provides a highly sensitive phase contrast measurement of the halide positions under low electron-dose conditions, enabling imaging of the elongated Br sites originating from the out-of-phase octahedral rotation viewed along the [001] direction of I4/mcm persisting at room temperature. The measurement of these features and comparison with simulations yield an octahedral rotation angle of 6.5°(±1.5°). The approach demonstrated here opens up opportunities for understanding the atomic scale structural phenomena applying advanced characterization tools on a wide range of radiation sensitive halide-based all-inorganic and hybrid organic-inorganic perovskites.

Electron Scale Structures and Magnetic Reconnection Signatures in the Turbulent Magnetosheath

Science.gov (United States)

Yordanova, E.; Voros, Z.; Varsani, A.; Graham, D. B.; Norgren, C.; Khotyaintsev, Yu. V.; Vaivads, A.; Eriksson, E.; Nakamura, R.; Lindqvist, P.-A.;

Coupling Fine-Scale Root and Canopy Structure Using Ground-Based Remote Sensing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Brady S. Hardiman

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Ecosystem physical structure, defined by the quantity and spatial distribution of biomass, influences a range of ecosystem functions. Remote sensing tools permit the non-destructive characterization of canopy and root features, potentially providing opportunities to link above- and belowground structure at fine spatial resolution in functionally meaningful ways. To test this possibility, we employed ground-based portable canopy LiDAR (PCL and ground penetrating radar (GPR along co-located transects in forested sites spanning multiple stages of ecosystem development and, consequently, of structural complexity. We examined canopy and root structural data for coherence (i.e., correlation in the frequency of spatial variation at multiple spatial scales ≤10 m within each site using wavelet analysis. Forest sites varied substantially in vertical canopy and root structure, with leaf area index and root mass more becoming even vertically as forests aged. In all sites, above- and belowground structure, characterized as mean maximum canopy height and root mass, exhibited significant coherence at a scale of 3.5–4 m, and results suggest that the scale of coherence may increase with stand age. Our findings demonstrate that canopy and root structure are linked at characteristic spatial scales, which provides the basis to optimize scales of observation. Our study highlights the potential, and limitations, for fusing LiDAR and radar technologies to quantitatively couple above- and belowground ecosystem structure.

Multiscale properties of DNA primary structure: cross-scale correlations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Altajskij, M.V.; Ivanov, V.V.; Polozov, R.V.

2000-01-01

Cross-scale correlations of wavelet coefficients of the DNA coding sequences are calculated and compared to that of the generated random sequence of the same length. The coding sequences are shown to have strong correlation between large and small scale structures, while random sequences have not

Impact of small-scale structures on estuarine circulation

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Zhuo; Zhang, Yinglong J.; Wang, Harry V.; Huang, Hai; Wang, Zhengui; Ye, Fei; Sisson, Mac

2018-05-01

We present a novel and challenging application of a 3D estuary-shelf model to the study of the collective impact of many small-scale structures (bridge pilings of 1 m × 2 m in size) on larger-scale circulation in a tributary (James River) of Chesapeake Bay. We first demonstrate that the model is capable of effectively transitioning grid resolution from 400 m down to 1 m near the pilings without introducing undue numerical artifact. We then show that despite their small sizes and collectively small area as compared to the total channel cross-sectional area, the pilings exert a noticeable impact on the large-scale circulation, and also create a rich structure of vortices and wakes around the pilings. As a result, the water quality and local sedimentation patterns near the bridge piling area are likely to be affected as well. However, when evaluating over the entire waterbody of the project area, the near field effects are weighed with the areal percentage which is small compared to that for the larger unaffected area, and therefore the impact on the lower James River as a whole becomes relatively insignificant. The study highlights the importance of the use of high resolution in assessing the near-field impact of structures.

Macroscopic High-Temperature Structural Analysis Model of Small-Scale PCHE Prototype (II)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Song, Kee Nam; Lee, Heong Yeon; Hong, Sung Deok; Park, Hong Yoon

2011-01-01

The IHX (intermediate heat exchanger) of a VHTR (very high-temperature reactor) is a core component that transfers the high heat generated by the VHTR at 950 .deg. C to a hydrogen production plant. Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute manufactured a small-scale prototype of a PCHE (printed circuit heat exchanger) that was being considered as a candidate for the IHX. In this study, as a part of high-temperature structural integrity evaluation of the small-scale PCHE prototype, we carried out high-temperature structural analysis modeling and macroscopic thermal and elastic structural analysis for the small-scale PCHE prototype under small-scale gas-loop test conditions. The modeling and analysis were performed as a precedent study prior to the performance test in the small-scale gas loop. The results obtained in this study will be compared with the test results for the small-scale PCHE. Moreover, these results will be used in the design of a medium-scale PCHE prototype

Determination of the jet energy scale at the Collider Detector at Fermilab

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bhatti, A.; Hatakeyama, K. [Rockefeller Univ., New York, NY 10021 (United States); Canelli, F. [Univ. of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90024 (United States)]. E-mail: canelli@fnal.gov; Heinemann, B. [Univ. of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZE (United Kingdom); Adelman, J.; Hoffman, D.; Kwang, S.; Malkus, A.; Shochet, M. [Enrico Fermi Inst., Univ. of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637 (United States); Ambrose, D. [Univ. of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104 (United States); Arguin, J.-F. [Univ. of Toronto, Toronto, Canada M5S 1A7 (Canada); Barbaro-Galtieri, A.; Currat, C.; Gibson, A.; Movilla-Fernandez, P.A. [Ernest Orlando Lawrence Berkeley National Lab., Berkeley, CA 94720 (United States); Budd, H.; Chung, Y.S.; Sakumoto, W.; Yun, G. [Univ. of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627 (United States); Chung, K. [Carnegie Mellon Univ., Pittsburgh, PA 15213 (United States); Cooper, B. [Univ. College London, London WC1E 6BT (United Kingdom); D' Onofrio, M. [Univ. of Geneva, CH-1211 Geneva 4 (Switzerland); Dorigo, T. [Univ. of Padova, Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Padova-Trento, I-35131 Padova (Italy); Erbacher, R. [Fermi National Accelerator Lab., Batavia, IL 60510 (United States); Field, R. [Univ. of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611 (United States); Flanagan, G. [Michigan State Univ., East Lansing, MI 48824 (United States); Happacher, F. [Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati, Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, I-00044 Frascati (Italy); Introzzi, G. [Univ. of Pavia, Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Pavia, I-27100 Pavia (Italy); Kuhlmann, S.; Nodulman, L.; Proudfoot, J. [Argonne National Lab., Argonne, IL 60439 (United States); Jun, S.; Paulini, M.; Tiwari, V. [Carnegie Mellon Univ., Pittsburgh, PA 15213 (United States); Latino, G. [Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare Pisa, Univ. of Pisa, Siena and Scuola Normale Superiore of Pisa, I-56127 Pisa (Italy)] [and others

2006-10-15

A precise determination of the energy scale of jets at the Collider Detector at Fermilab at the Tevatron pp-bar collider is described. Jets are used in many analyses to estimate the energies of partons resulting from the underlying physics process. Several correction factors are developed to estimate the original parton energy from the observed jet energy in the calorimeter. The jet energy response is compared between data and Monte Carlo simulation for various physics processes, and systematic uncertainties on the jet energy scale are determined. For jets with transverse momenta above 50GeV the jet energy scale is determined with a 3% systematic uncertainty.

Functional nanometer-scale structures

Science.gov (United States)

Chan, Tsz On Mario

Nanometer-scale structures have properties that are fundamentally different from their bulk counterparts. Much research effort has been devoted in the past decades to explore new fabrication techniques, model the physical properties of these structures, and construct functional devices. The ability to manipulate and control the structure of matter at the nanoscale has made many new classes of materials available for the study of fundamental physical processes and potential applications. The interplay between fabrication techniques and physical understanding of the nanostructures and processes has revolutionized the physical and material sciences, providing far superior properties in materials for novel applications that benefit society. This thesis consists of two major aspects of my graduate research in nano-scale materials. In the first part (Chapters 3--6), a comprehensive study on the nanostructures based on electrospinning and thermal treatment is presented. Electrospinning is a well-established method for producing high-aspect-ratio fibrous structures, with fiber diameter ranging from 1 nm--1 microm. A polymeric solution is typically used as a precursor in electrospinning. In our study, the functionality of the nanostructure relies on both the nanostructure and material constituents. Metallic ions containing precursors were added to the polymeric precursor following a sol-gel process to prepare the solution suitable for electrospinning. A typical electrospinning process produces as-spun fibers containing both polymer and metallic salt precursors. Subsequent thermal treatments of the as-spun fibers were carried out in various conditions to produce desired structures. In most cases, polymer in the solution and the as-spun fibers acted as a backbone for the structure formation during the subsequent heat treatment, and were thermally removed in the final stage. Polymers were also designed to react with the metallic ion precursors during heat treatment in some

Microscopy and Chemical Inversing Techniques to Determine the Photonic Crystal Structure of Iridescent Beetle Scales in the Cerambycidae Family

Science.gov (United States)

Richey, Lauren; Gardner, John; Standing, Michael; Jorgensen, Matthew; Bartl, Michael

2010-10-01

Photonic crystals (PCs) are periodic structures that manipulate electromagnetic waves by defining allowed and forbidden frequency bands known as photonic band gaps. Despite production of PC structures operating at infrared wavelengths, visible counterparts are difficult to fabricate because periodicities must satisfy the diffraction criteria. As part of an ongoing search for naturally occurring PCs [1], a three-dimensional array of nanoscopic spheres in the iridescent scales of the Cerambycidae insects A. elegans and G. celestis has been found. Such arrays are similar to opal gemstones and self-assembled colloidal spheres which can be chemically inverted to create a lattice-like PC. Through a chemical replication process [2], scanning electron microscopy analysis, sequential focused ion beam slicing and three-dimensional modeling, we analyzed the structural arrangement of the nanoscopic spheres. The study of naturally occurring structures and their inversing techniques into PCs allows for diversity in optical PC fabrication. [1] J.W. Galusha et al., Phys. Rev. E 77 (2008) 050904. [2] J.W. Galusha et al., J. Mater. Chem. 20 (2010) 1277.

A multi scale model for small scale plasticity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zbib, Hussein M.

2002-01-01

Full text.A framework for investigating size-dependent small-scale plasticity phenomena and related material instabilities at various length scales ranging from the nano-microscale to the mesoscale is presented. The model is based on fundamental physical laws that govern dislocation motion and their interaction with various defects and interfaces. Particularly, a multi-scale model is developed merging two scales, the nano-microscale where plasticity is determined by explicit three-dimensional dislocation dynamics analysis providing the material length-scale, and the continuum scale where energy transport is based on basic continuum mechanics laws. The result is a hybrid simulation model coupling discrete dislocation dynamics with finite element analyses. With this hybrid approach, one can address complex size-dependent problems, including dislocation boundaries, dislocations in heterogeneous structures, dislocation interaction with interfaces and associated shape changes and lattice rotations, as well as deformation in nano-structured materials, localized deformation and shear band

Capital Structure Determinants and Governance Structure Variety in Franchising

NARCIS (Netherlands)

T. Jiang (Tao)

2009-01-01

textabstractThis thesis investigates two questions: the determinants of capital structure in franchising and its subsequent impact on the franchise financing decisions; and the efficient governance structure choice in franchising. We posit that firms franchise in order to benefit from the reduced

Large-scale determination of sequence, structure, and function relationships in cytosolic glutathione transferases across the biosphere.

Science.gov (United States)

Mashiyama, Susan T; Malabanan, M Merced; Akiva, Eyal; Bhosle, Rahul; Branch, Megan C; Hillerich, Brandan; Jagessar, Kevin; Kim, Jungwook; Patskovsky, Yury; Seidel, Ronald D; Stead, Mark; Toro, Rafael; Vetting, Matthew W; Almo, Steven C; Armstrong, Richard N; Babbitt, Patricia C

2014-04-01

The cytosolic glutathione transferase (cytGST) superfamily comprises more than 13,000 nonredundant sequences found throughout the biosphere. Their key roles in metabolism and defense against oxidative damage have led to thousands of studies over several decades. Despite this attention, little is known about the physiological reactions they catalyze and most of the substrates used to assay cytGSTs are synthetic compounds. A deeper understanding of relationships across the superfamily could provide new clues about their functions. To establish a foundation for expanded classification of cytGSTs, we generated similarity-based subgroupings for the entire superfamily. Using the resulting sequence similarity networks, we chose targets that broadly covered unknown functions and report here experimental results confirming GST-like activity for 82 of them, along with 37 new 3D structures determined for 27 targets. These new data, along with experimentally known GST reactions and structures reported in the literature, were painted onto the networks to generate a global view of their sequence-structure-function relationships. The results show how proteins of both known and unknown function relate to each other across the entire superfamily and reveal that the great majority of cytGSTs have not been experimentally characterized or annotated by canonical class. A mapping of taxonomic classes across the superfamily indicates that many taxa are represented in each subgroup and highlights challenges for classification of superfamily sequences into functionally relevant classes. Experimental determination of disulfide bond reductase activity in many diverse subgroups illustrate a theme common for many reaction types. Finally, sequence comparison between an enzyme that catalyzes a reductive dechlorination reaction relevant to bioremediation efforts with some of its closest homologs reveals differences among them likely to be associated with evolution of this unusual reaction

Large-scale determination of sequence, structure, and function relationships in cytosolic glutathione transferases across the biosphere.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Susan T Mashiyama

2014-04-01

Full Text Available The cytosolic glutathione transferase (cytGST superfamily comprises more than 13,000 nonredundant sequences found throughout the biosphere. Their key roles in metabolism and defense against oxidative damage have led to thousands of studies over several decades. Despite this attention, little is known about the physiological reactions they catalyze and most of the substrates used to assay cytGSTs are synthetic compounds. A deeper understanding of relationships across the superfamily could provide new clues about their functions. To establish a foundation for expanded classification of cytGSTs, we generated similarity-based subgroupings for the entire superfamily. Using the resulting sequence similarity networks, we chose targets that broadly covered unknown functions and report here experimental results confirming GST-like activity for 82 of them, along with 37 new 3D structures determined for 27 targets. These new data, along with experimentally known GST reactions and structures reported in the literature, were painted onto the networks to generate a global view of their sequence-structure-function relationships. The results show how proteins of both known and unknown function relate to each other across the entire superfamily and reveal that the great majority of cytGSTs have not been experimentally characterized or annotated by canonical class. A mapping of taxonomic classes across the superfamily indicates that many taxa are represented in each subgroup and highlights challenges for classification of superfamily sequences into functionally relevant classes. Experimental determination of disulfide bond reductase activity in many diverse subgroups illustrate a theme common for many reaction types. Finally, sequence comparison between an enzyme that catalyzes a reductive dechlorination reaction relevant to bioremediation efforts with some of its closest homologs reveals differences among them likely to be associated with evolution of this

Challenges for Large Scale Structure Theory

CERN Multimedia

CERN. Geneva

2018-01-01

I will describe some of the outstanding questions in Cosmology where answers could be provided by observations of the Large Scale Structure of the Universe at late times.I will discuss some of the theoretical challenges which will have to be overcome to extract this information from the observations. I will describe some of the theoretical tools that might be useful to achieve this goal. 

Determination of lead 210 in scales from industrial processes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Faria, Lígia S.; Moreira, Rubens M.; Kastner, Geraldo F.; Barbosa, João B.S.

2017-01-01

Industrial processes such as oil and gas extraction and groundwater exploitation are examples of installations that can accumulate naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM) during the extraction and production. Lead-210 deposits in the production can be formed by the same mechanisms that occur in the environment through the support of Radon-222, (where 210 Pb is produced at 222 Rn decay) or without support, as 210 Pb. The objective of this work is to evaluate the mineralogical characteristics and determine the activity of lead-210 in the scales using the X-Ray Diffraction and Gamma Spectrometry techniques. Were analyzed fifteen samples, four scales from oil industry, ten scales from groundwater conductors and one for groundwater supply pipe. The highest activity found in the oil scale and groundwater conductors scale was 0.30 ± 0.06 Bq g -1 and 3.80 ± 0.20 Bq g -1 , respectively. (author)

Demonstrating the Uneven Importance of Fine-Scale Forest Structure on Snow Distributions using High Resolution Modeling

Science.gov (United States)

Broxton, P. D.; Harpold, A. A.; van Leeuwen, W.; Biederman, J. A.

2016-12-01

Quantifying the amount of snow in forested mountainous environments, as well as how it may change due to warming and forest disturbance, is critical given its importance for water supply and ecosystem health. Forest canopies affect snow accumulation and ablation in ways that are difficult to observe and model. Furthermore, fine-scale forest structure can accentuate or diminish the effects of forest-snow interactions. Despite decades of research demonstrating the importance of fine-scale forest structure (e.g. canopy edges and gaps) on snow, we still lack a comprehensive understanding of where and when forest structure has the largest impact on snowpack mass and energy budgets. Here, we use a hyper-resolution (1 meter spatial resolution) mass and energy balance snow model called the Snow Physics and Laser Mapping (SnowPALM) model along with LIDAR-derived forest structure to determine where spatial variability of fine-scale forest structure has the largest influence on large scale mass and energy budgets. SnowPALM was set up and calibrated at sites representing diverse climates in New Mexico, Arizona, and California. Then, we compared simulations at different model resolutions (i.e. 1, 10, and 100 m) to elucidate the effects of including versus not including information about fine scale canopy structure. These experiments were repeated for different prescribed topographies (i.e. flat, 30% slope north, and south-facing) at each site. Higher resolution simulations had more snow at lower canopy cover, with the opposite being true at high canopy cover. Furthermore, there is considerable scatter, indicating that different canopy arrangements can lead to different amounts of snow, even when the overall canopy coverage is the same. This modeling is contributing to the development of a high resolution machine learning algorithm called the Snow Water Artificial Network (SWANN) model to generate predictions of snow distributions over much larger domains, which has implications

Structural determination of organic compounds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kintzinger, J.P.

1991-01-01

This paper reports that the current methods available in high-field NMR spectroscopy are such that the tridimensional structure determination of any rigid molecule containing only carbon and hydrogen atoms may be achieved. The connectivities between carbon-carbon, carbon-hydrogen, and hydrogen-hydrogen atoms are determined by multipulse and two-dimensional (2D) experiments. These connectivity patterns or maps allow a step-by-step reconstruction of the molecular structures. From the carbon-carbon connectivity map, the carbon framework of the molecule is obtained, whereas the carbon-hydrogen pattern allows determination of the positions of the hydrogen atoms on their corresponding carbon atoms. High-field spectrometers are then necessary to remove fortuitous degeneracy and to reduce the proton spectra to a nearly first-order one, allowing an easy measurement of the chemical shifts and the coupling constants

Neutrinos and large-scale structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eisenstein, Daniel J.

2015-01-01

I review the use of cosmological large-scale structure to measure properties of neutrinos and other relic populations of light relativistic particles. With experiments to measure the anisotropies of the cosmic microwave anisotropies and the clustering of matter at low redshift, we now have securely measured a relativistic background with density appropriate to the cosmic neutrino background. Our limits on the mass of the neutrino continue to shrink. Experiments coming in the next decade will greatly improve the available precision on searches for the energy density of novel relativistic backgrounds and the mass of neutrinos

Neutrinos and large-scale structure

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Eisenstein, Daniel J. [Daniel J. Eisenstein, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden St., MS #20, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States)

2015-07-15

I review the use of cosmological large-scale structure to measure properties of neutrinos and other relic populations of light relativistic particles. With experiments to measure the anisotropies of the cosmic microwave anisotropies and the clustering of matter at low redshift, we now have securely measured a relativistic background with density appropriate to the cosmic neutrino background. Our limits on the mass of the neutrino continue to shrink. Experiments coming in the next decade will greatly improve the available precision on searches for the energy density of novel relativistic backgrounds and the mass of neutrinos.

Food-web structure of seagrass communities across different spatial scales and human impacts.

Science.gov (United States)

Coll, Marta; Schmidt, Allison; Romanuk, Tamara; Lotze, Heike K

2011-01-01

Seagrass beds provide important habitat for a wide range of marine species but are threatened by multiple human impacts in coastal waters. Although seagrass communities have been well-studied in the field, a quantification of their food-web structure and functioning, and how these change across space and human impacts has been lacking. Motivated by extensive field surveys and literature information, we analyzed the structural features of food webs associated with Zostera marina across 16 study sites in 3 provinces in Atlantic Canada. Our goals were to (i) quantify differences in food-web structure across local and regional scales and human impacts, (ii) assess the robustness of seagrass webs to simulated species loss, and (iii) compare food-web structure in temperate Atlantic seagrass beds with those of other aquatic ecosystems. We constructed individual food webs for each study site and cumulative webs for each province and the entire region based on presence/absence of species, and calculated 16 structural properties for each web. Our results indicate that food-web structure was similar among low impact sites across regions. With increasing human impacts associated with eutrophication, however, food-web structure show evidence of degradation as indicated by fewer trophic groups, lower maximum trophic level of the highest top predator, fewer trophic links connecting top to basal species, higher fractions of herbivores and intermediate consumers, and higher number of prey per species. These structural changes translate into functional changes with impacted sites being less robust to simulated species loss. Temperate Atlantic seagrass webs are similar to a tropical seagrass web, yet differed from other aquatic webs, suggesting consistent food-web characteristics across seagrass ecosystems in different regions. Our study illustrates that food-web structure and functioning of seagrass habitats change with human impacts and that the spatial scale of food-web analysis

Food-web structure of seagrass communities across different spatial scales and human impacts.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marta Coll

Full Text Available Seagrass beds provide important habitat for a wide range of marine species but are threatened by multiple human impacts in coastal waters. Although seagrass communities have been well-studied in the field, a quantification of their food-web structure and functioning, and how these change across space and human impacts has been lacking. Motivated by extensive field surveys and literature information, we analyzed the structural features of food webs associated with Zostera marina across 16 study sites in 3 provinces in Atlantic Canada. Our goals were to (i quantify differences in food-web structure across local and regional scales and human impacts, (ii assess the robustness of seagrass webs to simulated species loss, and (iii compare food-web structure in temperate Atlantic seagrass beds with those of other aquatic ecosystems. We constructed individual food webs for each study site and cumulative webs for each province and the entire region based on presence/absence of species, and calculated 16 structural properties for each web. Our results indicate that food-web structure was similar among low impact sites across regions. With increasing human impacts associated with eutrophication, however, food-web structure show evidence of degradation as indicated by fewer trophic groups, lower maximum trophic level of the highest top predator, fewer trophic links connecting top to basal species, higher fractions of herbivores and intermediate consumers, and higher number of prey per species. These structural changes translate into functional changes with impacted sites being less robust to simulated species loss. Temperate Atlantic seagrass webs are similar to a tropical seagrass web, yet differed from other aquatic webs, suggesting consistent food-web characteristics across seagrass ecosystems in different regions. Our study illustrates that food-web structure and functioning of seagrass habitats change with human impacts and that the spatial scale of

Mirror dark matter and large scale structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ignatiev, A.Yu.; Volkas, R.R.

2003-01-01

Mirror matter is a dark matter candidate. In this paper, we reexamine the linear regime of density perturbation growth in a universe containing mirror dark matter. Taking adiabatic scale-invariant perturbations as the input, we confirm that the resulting processed power spectrum is richer than for the more familiar cases of cold, warm and hot dark matter. The new features include a maximum at a certain scale λ max , collisional damping below a smaller characteristic scale λ S ' , with oscillatory perturbations between the two. These scales are functions of the fundamental parameters of the theory. In particular, they decrease for decreasing x, the ratio of the mirror plasma temperature to that of the ordinary. For x∼0.2, the scale λ max becomes galactic. Mirror dark matter therefore leads to bottom-up large scale structure formation, similar to conventional cold dark matter, for x(less-or-similar sign)0.2. Indeed, the smaller the value of x, the closer mirror dark matter resembles standard cold dark matter during the linear regime. The differences pertain to scales smaller than λ S ' in the linear regime, and generally in the nonlinear regime because mirror dark matter is chemically complex and to some extent dissipative. Lyman-α forest data and the early reionization epoch established by WMAP may hold the key to distinguishing mirror dark matter from WIMP-style cold dark matter

Puzzles of large scale structure and gravitation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sidharth, B.G.

2006-01-01

We consider the puzzle of cosmic voids bounded by two-dimensional structures of galactic clusters as also a puzzle pointed out by Weinberg: How can the mass of a typical elementary particle depend on a cosmic parameter like the Hubble constant? An answer to the first puzzle is proposed in terms of 'Scaled' Quantum Mechanical like behaviour which appears at large scales. The second puzzle can be answered by showing that the gravitational mass of an elementary particle has a Machian character (see Ahmed N. Cantorian small worked, Mach's principle and the universal mass network. Chaos, Solitons and Fractals 2004;21(4))

Dark matter self-interactions and small scale structure

Science.gov (United States)

Tulin, Sean; Yu, Hai-Bo

2018-02-01

We review theories of dark matter (DM) beyond the collisionless paradigm, known as self-interacting dark matter (SIDM), and their observable implications for astrophysical structure in the Universe. Self-interactions are motivated, in part, due to the potential to explain long-standing (and more recent) small scale structure observations that are in tension with collisionless cold DM (CDM) predictions. Simple particle physics models for SIDM can provide a universal explanation for these observations across a wide range of mass scales spanning dwarf galaxies, low and high surface brightness spiral galaxies, and clusters of galaxies. At the same time, SIDM leaves intact the success of ΛCDM cosmology on large scales. This report covers the following topics: (1) small scale structure issues, including the core-cusp problem, the diversity problem for rotation curves, the missing satellites problem, and the too-big-to-fail problem, as well as recent progress in hydrodynamical simulations of galaxy formation; (2) N-body simulations for SIDM, including implications for density profiles, halo shapes, substructure, and the interplay between baryons and self-interactions; (3) semi-analytic Jeans-based methods that provide a complementary approach for connecting particle models with observations; (4) merging systems, such as cluster mergers (e.g., the Bullet Cluster) and minor infalls, along with recent simulation results for mergers; (5) particle physics models, including light mediator models and composite DM models; and (6) complementary probes for SIDM, including indirect and direct detection experiments, particle collider searches, and cosmological observations. We provide a summary and critical look for all current constraints on DM self-interactions and an outline for future directions.

Scaling Issues in the Determination of Wind loads on Lattice Masts

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Koss, Holger; Srouji, Robin G.

2015-01-01

The paper presents a study conducted to investigate the influence of geometric scale and flow condition on the wind load coefficients for lattice masts structures. An initial study in 2008 on a full size mast section indicated a possible contingency, which could be used to add equipment on teleco......The paper presents a study conducted to investigate the influence of geometric scale and flow condition on the wind load coefficients for lattice masts structures. An initial study in 2008 on a full size mast section indicated a possible contingency, which could be used to add equipment...

Monte Carlo determination of heteroepitaxial misfit structures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Baker, J.; Lindgård, Per-Anker

1996-01-01

We use Monte Carlo simulations to determine the structure of KBr overlayers on a NaCl(001) substrate, a system with large (17%) heteroepitaxial misfit. The equilibrium relaxation structure is determined for films of 2-6 ML, for which extensive helium-atom scattering data exist for comparison...

Determination of lead 210 in scales from industrial processes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Faria, Lígia S.; Moreira, Rubens M.; Kastner, Geraldo F.; Barbosa, João B.S., E-mail: ligsfaria@gmail.com, E-mail: rubens@cdtn.br, E-mail: gfk@cdtn.br, E-mail: jbsb@cdtn.br [Centro de Desenvolvimento da Tecnologia Nuclear (CDTN/CNEN-MG), Belo Horizonte, MG (Brazil)

2017-11-01

Industrial processes such as oil and gas extraction and groundwater exploitation are examples of installations that can accumulate naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM) during the extraction and production. Lead-210 deposits in the production can be formed by the same mechanisms that occur in the environment through the support of Radon-222, (where {sup 210}Pb is produced at {sup 222}Rn decay) or without support, as {sup 210}Pb. The objective of this work is to evaluate the mineralogical characteristics and determine the activity of lead-210 in the scales using the X-Ray Diffraction and Gamma Spectrometry techniques. Were analyzed fifteen samples, four scales from oil industry, ten scales from groundwater conductors and one for groundwater supply pipe. The highest activity found in the oil scale and groundwater conductors scale was 0.30 ± 0.06 Bq g{sup -1} and 3.80 ± 0.20 Bq g{sup -1}, respectively. (author)

Analysis of ground response data at Lotung large-scale soil- structure interaction experiment site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chang, C.Y.; Mok, C.M.; Power, M.S.

1991-12-01

The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), in cooperation with the Taiwan Power Company (TPC), constructed two models (1/4-scale and 1/2-scale) of a nuclear plant containment structure at a site in Lotung (Tang, 1987), a seismically active region in northeast Taiwan. The models were constructed to gather data for the evaluation and validation of soil-structure interaction (SSI) analysis methodologies. Extensive instrumentation was deployed to record both structural and ground responses at the site during earthquakes. The experiment is generally referred to as the Lotung Large-Scale Seismic Test (LSST). As part of the LSST, two downhole arrays were installed at the site to record ground motions at depths as well as at the ground surface. Structural response and ground response have been recorded for a number of earthquakes (i.e. a total of 18 earthquakes in the period of October 1985 through November 1986) at the LSST site since the completion of the installation of the downhole instruments in October 1985. These data include those from earthquakes having magnitudes ranging from M L 4.5 to M L 7.0 and epicentral distances range from 4.7 km to 77.7 km. Peak ground surface accelerations range from 0.03 g to 0.21 g for the horizontal component and from 0.01 g to 0.20 g for the vertical component. The objectives of the study were: (1) to obtain empirical data on variations of earthquake ground motion with depth; (2) to examine field evidence of nonlinear soil response due to earthquake shaking and to determine the degree of soil nonlinearity; (3) to assess the ability of ground response analysis techniques including techniques to approximate nonlinear soil response to estimate ground motions due to earthquake shaking; and (4) to analyze earth pressures recorded beneath the basemat and on the side wall of the 1/4 scale model structure during selected earthquakes

Lagrangian space consistency relation for large scale structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Horn, Bart; Hui, Lam; Xiao, Xiao

2015-01-01

Consistency relations, which relate the squeezed limit of an (N+1)-point correlation function to an N-point function, are non-perturbative symmetry statements that hold even if the associated high momentum modes are deep in the nonlinear regime and astrophysically complex. Recently, Kehagias and Riotto and Peloso and Pietroni discovered a consistency relation applicable to large scale structure. We show that this can be recast into a simple physical statement in Lagrangian space: that the squeezed correlation function (suitably normalized) vanishes. This holds regardless of whether the correlation observables are at the same time or not, and regardless of whether multiple-streaming is present. The simplicity of this statement suggests that an analytic understanding of large scale structure in the nonlinear regime may be particularly promising in Lagrangian space

Inflation, large scale structure and particle physics

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Logo of the Indian Academy of Sciences ... Hybrid inflation; Higgs scalar field; structure formation; curvation. ... We then discuss a particle physics model of supersymmetric hybrid inflation at the intermediate scale in which ... May 2018. Home · Volumes & Issues · Special Issues · Forthcoming Articles · Search · Editorial Board ...

Signatures of non-universal large scales in conditional structure functions from various turbulent flows

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blum, Daniel B; Voth, Greg A; Bewley, Gregory P; Bodenschatz, Eberhard; Gibert, Mathieu; Xu Haitao; Gylfason, Ármann; Mydlarski, Laurent; Yeung, P K

2011-01-01

We present a systematic comparison of conditional structure functions in nine turbulent flows. The flows studied include forced isotropic turbulence simulated on a periodic domain, passive grid wind tunnel turbulence in air and in pressurized SF 6 , active grid wind tunnel turbulence (in both synchronous and random driving modes), the flow between counter-rotating discs, oscillating grid turbulence and the flow in the Lagrangian exploration module (in both constant and random driving modes). We compare longitudinal Eulerian second-order structure functions conditioned on the instantaneous large-scale velocity in each flow to assess the ways in which the large scales affect the small scales in a variety of turbulent flows. Structure functions are shown to have larger values when the large-scale velocity significantly deviates from the mean in most flows, suggesting that dependence on the large scales is typical in many turbulent flows. The effects of the large-scale velocity on the structure functions can be quite strong, with the structure function varying by up to a factor of 2 when the large-scale velocity deviates from the mean by ±2 standard deviations. In several flows, the effects of the large-scale velocity are similar at all the length scales we measured, indicating that the large-scale effects are scale independent. In a few flows, the effects of the large-scale velocity are larger on the smallest length scales. (paper)

Dynamic Arrest in Charged Colloidal Systems Exhibiting Large-Scale Structural Heterogeneities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haro-Perez, C.; Callejas-Fernandez, J.; Hidalgo-Alvarez, R.; Rojas-Ochoa, L. F.; Castaneda-Priego, R.; Quesada-Perez, M.; Trappe, V.

2009-01-01

Suspensions of charged liposomes are found to exhibit typical features of strongly repulsive fluid systems at short length scales, while exhibiting structural heterogeneities at larger length scales that are characteristic of attractive systems. We model the static structure factor of these systems using effective pair interaction potentials composed of a long-range attraction and a shorter range repulsion. Our modeling of the static structure yields conditions for dynamically arrested states at larger volume fractions, which we find to agree with the experimentally observed dynamics

Autonomous smart sensor network for full-scale structural health monitoring

Science.gov (United States)

Rice, Jennifer A.; Mechitov, Kirill A.; Spencer, B. F., Jr.; Agha, Gul A.

2010-04-01

The demands of aging infrastructure require effective methods for structural monitoring and maintenance. Wireless smart sensor networks offer the ability to enhance structural health monitoring (SHM) practices through the utilization of onboard computation to achieve distributed data management. Such an approach is scalable to the large number of sensor nodes required for high-fidelity modal analysis and damage detection. While smart sensor technology is not new, the number of full-scale SHM applications has been limited. This slow progress is due, in part, to the complex network management issues that arise when moving from a laboratory setting to a full-scale monitoring implementation. This paper presents flexible network management software that enables continuous and autonomous operation of wireless smart sensor networks for full-scale SHM applications. The software components combine sleep/wake cycling for enhanced power management with threshold detection for triggering network wide tasks, such as synchronized sensing or decentralized modal analysis, during periods of critical structural response.

The Large-Scale Structure of Scientific Method

Science.gov (United States)

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…

Dynamical Mechanism of Scaling Behaviors in Multifractal Structure

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Kyungsik; Jung, Jae Won; Kim, Soo Yong

2010-03-01

The pattern of stone distribution in the game of Go (Baduk, Weiqi, or Igo) can be treated in the mathematical and physical languages of multifractals. The concepts of fractals and multifractals have relevance to many fields of science and even arts. A significant and fascinating feature of this approach is that it provides a proper interpretation for the pattern of the two-colored (black and white) stones in terms of the numerical values of the generalized dimension and the scaling exponent. For our case, these statistical quantities can be estimated numerically from the black, white, and mixed stones, assuming the excluded edge effect that the cell form of the Go game has the self-similar structure. The result from the multifractal structure allows us to find a definite and reliable fractal dimension, and it precisely verifies that the fractal dimension becomes larger, as the cell of grids increases. We also find the strength of multifractal structures from the difference in the scaling exponents in the black, white, and mixed stones.

A scale-free structure prior for graphical models with applications in functional genomics.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Paul Sheridan

Full Text Available The problem of reconstructing large-scale, gene regulatory networks from gene expression data has garnered considerable attention in bioinformatics over the past decade with the graphical modeling paradigm having emerged as a popular framework for inference. Analysis in a full Bayesian setting is contingent upon the assignment of a so-called structure prior-a probability distribution on networks, encoding a priori biological knowledge either in the form of supplemental data or high-level topological features. A key topological consideration is that a wide range of cellular networks are approximately scale-free, meaning that the fraction, , of nodes in a network with degree is roughly described by a power-law with exponent between and . The standard practice, however, is to utilize a random structure prior, which favors networks with binomially distributed degree distributions. In this paper, we introduce a scale-free structure prior for graphical models based on the formula for the probability of a network under a simple scale-free network model. Unlike the random structure prior, its scale-free counterpart requires a node labeling as a parameter. In order to use this prior for large-scale network inference, we design a novel Metropolis-Hastings sampler for graphical models that includes a node labeling as a state space variable. In a simulation study, we demonstrate that the scale-free structure prior outperforms the random structure prior at recovering scale-free networks while at the same time retains the ability to recover random networks. We then estimate a gene association network from gene expression data taken from a breast cancer tumor study, showing that scale-free structure prior recovers hubs, including the previously unknown hub SLC39A6, which is a zinc transporter that has been implicated with the spread of breast cancer to the lymph nodes. Our analysis of the breast cancer expression data underscores the value of the scale

Spatial structure of ion-scale plasma turbulence

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yasuhito eNarita

2014-03-01

Full Text Available Spatial structure of small-scale plasma turbulence is studied under different conditions of plasma parameter beta directly in the three-dimensional wave vector domain. Two independent approaches are taken: observations of turbulent magnetic field fluctuations in the solar wind measured by four Cluster spacecraft, and direct numerical simulations of plasma turbulence using the hybrid code AIKEF, both resolving turbulence on the ion kinetic scales. The two methods provide independently evidence of wave vector anisotropy as a function of beta. Wave vector anisotropy is characterized primarily by an extension of the energy spectrum in the direction perpendicular to the large-scale magnetic field. The spectrum is strongly anisotropic at lower values of beta, and is more isotropic at higher values of beta. Cluster magnetic field data analysis also provides evidence of axial asymmetry of the spectrum in the directions around the large-scale field. Anisotropy is interpreted as filament formation as plasma evolves into turbulence. Axial asymmetry is interpreted as the effect of radial expansion of the solar wind from the corona.

Otoliths versus scales: evaluating the most suitable structure for ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The suitability of scales for ageing Micropterus salmoides was determined by comparing the precision of growth zone counts on scales with those obtained from sectioned sagittal otoliths from a sample of 496 fish collected from Wriggleswade and Mankazana Impoundments in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. Otoliths (1.4% ...

Validation of the Factor Structure of the Positive Life Assets Scale for High School Students in Thailand

Science.gov (United States)

Tripathi, Suriyadeo

2018-01-01

The aim of the present study was to determine the factor structure of the Positive Life Assets Scale (PLAS), a new measure to identify both internal and external life assets among high school students in Thailand, and to further examine the usefulness of the PLAS for a comprehensive, developmental, and strengths-based school and community…

Substrate Type and Free Ammonia Determine Bacterial Community Structure in Full-Scale Mesophilic Anaerobic Digesters Treating Cattle or Swine Manure

OpenAIRE

Li, Jiabao; Rui, Junpeng; Yao, Minjie; Zhang, Shiheng; Yan, Xuefeng; Wang, Yuanpeng; Yan, Zhiying; Li, Xiangzhen

2015-01-01

The microbial-mediated anaerobic digestion (AD) process represents an efficient biological process for the treatment of organic waste along with biogas harvest. Currently, the key factors structuring bacterial communities and the potential core and unique bacterial populations in manure anaerobic digesters are not completely elucidated yet. In this study, we collected sludge samples from 20 full-scale anaerobic digesters treating cattle or swine manure, and investigated the variations of bact...

Determinants of capital structure.

Science.gov (United States)

McCue, M J; Ozcan, Y A

1992-01-01

This study analyzes the determinants of hospital capital structure in a new market setting that are created by the financial pressures of prospective payment and the intense price competition among hospitals. Using California data, the study found hospital system affiliation, bed size, growth rate in revenues, operating risk, and asset structure affected both short- and long-term debt borrowings. In addition, percentage of uncompensated care, profitability, and payer mix influenced short-term borrowings while market conditions and ownership affected long-term borrowings. Most significant of all is the finding that smaller hospitals tend to borrow more, possibly because they cannot generate funds internally.

Seeing Scale: Richard Dunn’s Structuralism

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Keith Broadfoot

2012-11-01

Full Text Available Writing on the occasion of a retrospective of Richard Dunn’s work, Terence Maloon argued that ‘structuralism had an important bearing on virtually all of Richard Dunn’s mature works’, with ‘his modular, “crossed” formats’ being the most obvious manifestation of this. In this article I wish to reconsider this relation, withdrawing from a broad consideration of the framework of structuralism to focus on some of the quite particular ideas that Lacan proposed in response to structuralism. Beginning from a pivotal painting in the 1960s that developed out of Dunn’s experience of viewing the work of Barnett Newman, I wish to suggest a relation between the ongoing exploration of the thematic of scale in Dunn’s work and the idea of the symbolic that Lacan derives from structuralist thought. This relation, I argue, opens up a different way of understanding the art historical transition from Minimalism to Conceptual art.

GLOBAL EPIDEMIOLOGY OF HIV AMONG FEMALE SEX WORKERS: INFLUENCE OF STRUCTURAL DETERMINANTS

Science.gov (United States)

Shannon, K; Strathdee, SA; Goldenberg, SM; Duff, P; Mwangi, P; Rusakova, M; Reza-Paul, S; Lau, J; Deering, K; Pickles, M; Boily, M-C

2014-01-01

SUMMARY Female sex workers (FSWs) bear a disproportionately large burden of HIV infection worldwide. Despite decades of research and programme activity, the epidemiology of HIV and the role that structural determinants have in mitigating or potentiating HIV epidemics and access to care for FSWs is poorly understood. We reviewed available published data for HIV prevalence and incidence, condom use, and structural determinants among this group. Only 87 (43%) of 204 unique studies reviewed explicitly examined structural determinants of HIV. Most studies were from Asia, with few from areas with a heavy burden of HIV such as sub-Saharan Africa, Russia, and eastern Europe. To further explore the potential effect of structural determinants on the course of epidemics, we used a deterministic transmission model to simulate potential HIV infections averted through structural changes in regions with concentrated and generalised epidemics, and high HIV prevalence among FSWs. This modelling suggested that elimination of sexual violence alone could avert 17% of HIV infections in Kenya (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 1–31) and 20% in Canada (95% UI 3–39) through its immediate and sustained effect on non-condom use) among FSWs and their clients in the next decade. In Kenya, scaling up of access to antiretroviral therapy among FSWs and their clients to meet WHO eligibility of a CD4 cell count of less than 500 cells per μL could avert 34% (95% UI 25–42) of infections and even modest coverage of sex worker-led outreach could avert 20% (95% UI 8–36) of infections in the next decade. Decriminalisation of sex work would have the greatest effect on the course of HIV epidemics across all settings, averting 33–46% of HIV infections in the next decade. Multipronged structural and community-led interventions are crucial to increase access to prevention and treatment and to promote human rights for FSWs worldwide. PMID:25059947

The limiting layer of fish scales: Structure and properties.

Science.gov (United States)

Arola, D; Murcia, S; Stossel, M; Pahuja, R; Linley, T; Devaraj, Arun; Ramulu, M; Ossa, E A; Wang, J

2018-02-01

Fish scales serve as a flexible natural armor that have received increasing attention across the materials community. Most efforts in this area have focused on the composite structure of the predominately organic elasmodine, and limited work addresses the highly mineralized external portion known as the Limiting Layer (LL). This coating serves as the first barrier to external threats and plays an important role in resisting puncture. In this investigation the structure, composition and mechanical behavior of the LL were explored for three different fish, including the arapaima (Arapaima gigas), the tarpon (Megalops atlanticus) and the carp (Cyprinus carpio). The scales of these three fish have received the most attention within the materials community. Features of the LL were evaluated with respect to anatomical position to distinguish site-specific functional differences. Results show that there are significant differences in the surface morphology of the LL from posterior and anterior regions in the scales, and between the three fish species. The calcium to phosphorus ratio and the mineral to collagen ratios of the LL are not equivalent among the three fish. Results from nanoindentation showed that the LL of tarpon scales is the hardest, followed by the carp and the arapaima and the differences in hardness are related to the apatite structure, possibly induced by the growth rate and environment of each fish. The natural armor of fish, turtles and other animals, has become a topic of substantial scientific interest. The majority of investigations have focused on the more highly organic layer known as the elasmodine. The present study addresses the highly mineralized external portion known as the Limiting Layer (LL). Specifically, the structure, composition and mechanical behavior of the LL were explored for three different fish, including the arapaima (Arapaima gigas), the tarpon (Megalops atlanticus) and the carp (Cyprinus carpio). Results show that there are

Habitat structure and body size distributions: Cross-ecosystem comparison for taxa with determinate and indeterminate growth

Science.gov (United States)

Nash, Kirsty L.; Allen, Craig R.; Barichievy, Chris; Nystrom, Magnus; Sundstrom, Shana M.; Graham, Nicholas A.J.

2014-01-01

Habitat structure across multiple spatial and temporal scales has been proposed as a key driver of body size distributions for associated communities. Thus, understanding the relationship between habitat and body size is fundamental to developing predictions regarding the influence of habitat change on animal communities. Much of the work assessing the relationship between habitat structure and body size distributions has focused on terrestrial taxa with determinate growth, and has primarily analysed discontinuities (gaps) in the distribution of species mean sizes (species size relationships or SSRs). The suitability of this approach for taxa with indeterminate growth has yet to be determined. We provide a cross-ecosystem comparison of bird (determinate growth) and fish (indeterminate growth) body mass distributions using four independent data sets. We evaluate three size distribution indices: SSRs, species size–density relationships (SSDRs) and individual size–density relationships (ISDRs), and two types of analysis: looking for either discontinuities or abundance patterns and multi-modality in the distributions. To assess the respective suitability of these three indices and two analytical approaches for understanding habitat–size relationships in different ecosystems, we compare their ability to differentiate bird or fish communities found within contrasting habitat conditions. All three indices of body size distribution are useful for examining the relationship between cross-scale patterns of habitat structure and size for species with determinate growth, such as birds. In contrast, for species with indeterminate growth such as fish, the relationship between habitat structure and body size may be masked when using mean summary metrics, and thus individual-level data (ISDRs) are more useful. Furthermore, ISDRs, which have traditionally been used to study aquatic systems, present a potentially useful common currency for comparing body size distributions

Scale-Dependence of Processes Structuring Dung Beetle Metacommunities Using Functional Diversity and Community Deconstruction Approaches

Science.gov (United States)

da Silva, Pedro Giovâni; Hernández, Malva Isabel Medina

2015-01-01

Community structure is driven by mechanisms linked to environmental, spatial and temporal processes, which have been successfully addressed using metacommunity framework. The relative importance of processes shaping community structure can be identified using several different approaches. Two approaches that are increasingly being used are functional diversity and community deconstruction. Functional diversity is measured using various indices that incorporate distinct community attributes. Community deconstruction is a way to disentangle species responses to ecological processes by grouping species with similar traits. We used these two approaches to determine whether they are improvements over traditional measures (e.g., species composition, abundance, biomass) for identification of the main processes driving dung beetle (Scarabaeinae) community structure in a fragmented mainland-island landscape in southern Brazilian Atlantic Forest. We sampled five sites in each of four large forest areas, two on the mainland and two on the island. Sampling was performed in 2012 and 2013. We collected abundance and biomass data from 100 sampling points distributed over 20 sampling sites. We studied environmental, spatial and temporal effects on dung beetle community across three spatial scales, i.e., between sites, between areas and mainland-island. The γ-diversity based on species abundance was mainly attributed to β-diversity as a consequence of the increase in mean α- and β-diversity between areas. Variation partitioning on abundance, biomass and functional diversity showed scale-dependence of processes structuring dung beetle metacommunities. We identified two major groups of responses among 17 functional groups. In general, environmental filters were important at both local and regional scales. Spatial factors were important at the intermediate scale. Our study supports the notion of scale-dependence of environmental, spatial and temporal processes in the distribution

Scaling exponents of the velocity structure functions in the interplanetary medium

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. Carbone

Full Text Available We analyze the scaling exponents of the velocity structure functions, obtained from the velocity fluctuations measured in the interplanetary space plasma. Using the expression for the energy transfer rate which seems the most relevant in describing the evolution of the pseudo-energy densities in the interplanetary medium, we introduce an energy cascade model derived from a simple fragmentation process, which takes into account the intermittency effect. In the absence and in the presence of the large-scale magnetic field decorrelation effect the model reduces to the fluid and the hydromagnetic p-model, respectively. We show that the scaling exponents of the q-th power of the velocity structure functions, as obtained by the model in the absence of the decorrelation effect, furnishes the best-fit to the data analyzed from the Voyager 2 velocity field measurements at 8.5 AU. Our results allow us to hypothesize a new kind of scale-similarity for magnetohydrodynamic turbulence when the decorrelation effect is at work, related to the fourth-order velocity structure function.

A laboratory-scale pretreatment and hydrolysis assay for determination of reactivity in cellulosic biomass feedstocks.

Science.gov (United States)

Wolfrum, Edward J; Ness, Ryan M; Nagle, Nicholas J; Peterson, Darren J; Scarlata, Christopher J

2013-11-14

The rapid determination of the release of structural sugars from biomass feedstocks is an important enabling technology for the development of cellulosic biofuels. An assay that is used to determine sugar release for large numbers of samples must be robust, rapid, and easy to perform, and must use modest amounts of the samples to be tested.In this work we present a laboratory-scale combined pretreatment and saccharification assay that can be used as a biomass feedstock screening tool. The assay uses a commercially available automated solvent extraction system for pretreatment followed by a small-scale enzymatic hydrolysis step. The assay allows multiple samples to be screened simultaneously, and uses only ~3 g of biomass per sample. If the composition of the biomass sample is known, the results of the assay can be expressed as reactivity (fraction of structural carbohydrate present in the biomass sample released as monomeric sugars). We first present pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis experiments on a set of representative biomass feedstock samples (corn stover, poplar, sorghum, switchgrass) in order to put the assay in context, and then show the results of the assay applied to approximately 150 different feedstock samples covering 5 different materials. From the compositional analysis data we identify a positive correlation between lignin and structural carbohydrates, and from the reactivity data we identify a negative correlation between both carbohydrate and lignin content and total reactivity. The negative correlation between lignin content and total reactivity suggests that lignin may interfere with sugar release, or that more mature samples (with higher structural sugars) may have more recalcitrant lignin. The assay presented in this work provides a robust and straightforward method to measure the sugar release after pretreatment and saccharification that can be used as a biomass feedstock screening tool. We demonstrated the utility of the assay by

Accelerating large-scale protein structure alignments with graphics processing units

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pang Bin

2012-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Large-scale protein structure alignment, an indispensable tool to structural bioinformatics, poses a tremendous challenge on computational resources. To ensure structure alignment accuracy and efficiency, efforts have been made to parallelize traditional alignment algorithms in grid environments. However, these solutions are costly and of limited accessibility. Others trade alignment quality for speedup by using high-level characteristics of structure fragments for structure comparisons. Findings We present ppsAlign, a parallel protein structure Alignment framework designed and optimized to exploit the parallelism of Graphics Processing Units (GPUs. As a general-purpose GPU platform, ppsAlign could take many concurrent methods, such as TM-align and Fr-TM-align, into the parallelized algorithm design. We evaluated ppsAlign on an NVIDIA Tesla C2050 GPU card, and compared it with existing software solutions running on an AMD dual-core CPU. We observed a 36-fold speedup over TM-align, a 65-fold speedup over Fr-TM-align, and a 40-fold speedup over MAMMOTH. Conclusions ppsAlign is a high-performance protein structure alignment tool designed to tackle the computational complexity issues from protein structural data. The solution presented in this paper allows large-scale structure comparisons to be performed using massive parallel computing power of GPU.

Mechanical properties and the laminate structure of Arapaima gigas scales.

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Y S; Wei, C T; Olevsky, E A; Meyers, Marc A

2011-10-01

The Arapaima gigas scales play an important role in protecting this large Amazon basin fish against predators such as the piranha. They have a laminate composite structure composed of an external mineralized layer and internal lamellae with thickness of 50-60 μm each and composed of collagen fibers with ~1 μm diameter. The alignment of collagen fibers is consistent in each individual layer but varies from layer to layer, forming a non-orthogonal plywood structure, known as Bouligand stacking. X-ray diffraction revealed that the external surface of the scale contains calcium-deficient hydroxyapatite. EDS results confirm that the percentage of calcium is higher in the external layer. The micro-indentation hardness of the external layer (550 MPa) is considerably higher than that of the internal layer (200 MPa), consistent with its higher degree of mineralization. Tensile testing of the scales carried out in the dry and wet conditions shows that the strength and stiffness are hydration dependent. As is the case of most biological materials, the elastic modulus of the scale is strain-rate dependent. The strain-rate dependence of the elastic modulus, as expressed by the Ramberg-Osgood equation, is equal to 0.26, approximately ten times higher than that of bone. This is attributed to the higher fraction of collagen in the scales and to the high degree of hydration (30% H(2)O). Deproteinization of the scale reveals the structure of the mineral component consisting of an interconnected network of platelets with a thickness of ~50 nm and diameter of ~500 nm. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Integral membrane protein structure determination using pseudocontact shifts

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Crick, Duncan J.; Wang, Jue X. [University of Cambridge, Department of Biochemistry (United Kingdom); Graham, Bim; Swarbrick, James D. [Monash University, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences (Australia); Mott, Helen R.; Nietlispach, Daniel, E-mail: dn206@cam.ac.uk [University of Cambridge, Department of Biochemistry (United Kingdom)

2015-04-15

Obtaining enough experimental restraints can be a limiting factor in the NMR structure determination of larger proteins. This is particularly the case for large assemblies such as membrane proteins that have been solubilized in a membrane-mimicking environment. Whilst in such cases extensive deuteration strategies are regularly utilised with the aim to improve the spectral quality, these schemes often limit the number of NOEs obtainable, making complementary strategies highly beneficial for successful structure elucidation. Recently, lanthanide-induced pseudocontact shifts (PCSs) have been established as a structural tool for globular proteins. Here, we demonstrate that a PCS-based approach can be successfully applied for the structure determination of integral membrane proteins. Using the 7TM α-helical microbial receptor pSRII, we show that PCS-derived restraints from lanthanide binding tags attached to four different positions of the protein facilitate the backbone structure determination when combined with a limited set of NOEs. In contrast, the same set of NOEs fails to determine the correct 3D fold. The latter situation is frequently encountered in polytopical α-helical membrane proteins and a PCS approach is thus suitable even for this particularly challenging class of membrane proteins. The ease of measuring PCSs makes this an attractive route for structure determination of large membrane proteins in general.

A cross-cultural investigation into the dimensional structure and stability of the Barriers to Research and Utilization Scale (BARRIERS Scale).

Science.gov (United States)

Williams, Brett; Brown, Ted; Costello, Shane

2015-10-24

It is important that scales exhibit strong measurement properties including those related to the investigation of issues that impact evidence-based practice. The validity of the Barriers to Research Utilization Scale (BARRIERS Scale) has recently been questioned in a systematic review. This study investigated the dimensional structure and stability of the 28 item BARRIERS Scale when completed by three groups of participants from three different cross-cultural environments. Data from the BARRIERS Scale completed by 696 occupational therapists from Australia (n = 137), Taiwan (n = 413), and the United Kingdom (n = 144) were analysed using principal components analysis, followed by Procrustes Transformation. Poorly fitting items were identified by low communalities, cross-loading, and theoretically inconsistent primary loadings, and were systematically removed until good fit was achieved. The cross-cultural stability of the component structure of the BARRIERS Scale was examined. A four component, 19 item version of the BARRIERS Scale emerged that demonstrated an improved dimensional fit and stability across the three participant groups. The resulting four components were consistent with the BARRIERS Scale as originally conceptualised. Findings from the study suggest that the four component, 19 item version of the BARRIERS Scale is a robust and valid measure for identifying barriers to research utilization for occupational therapists in paediatric health care settings across Australia, United Kingdom, and Taiwan. The four component 19 item version of the BARRIERS Scale exhibited good dimensional structure, internal consistency, and stability.

Stress determination in thermally grown alumina scales using ruby luminescence

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Renusch, D.; Veal, B.W.; Koshelev, I.; Natesan, K.; Grimsditch [Argonne National Lab., IL (United States); Hou, P.Y. [Lawrence Berkeley Lab., CA (United States)

1996-06-01

By exploiting the strain dependence of the ruby luminescence line, we have measured the strain in alumina scales thermally grown on Fe-Cr- Al alloys. Results are compared and found to be reasonably consistent with strains determined using x rays. Oxidation studies were carried out on alloys Fe - 5Cr - 28Al and Fe - 18Cr - 10Al (at.%). Significantly different levels of strain buildup were observed in scales on these alloys. Results on similar alloys containing a ``reactive element`` (Zr or Hf) in dilute quantity are also presented. Scales on alloys containing a reactive element (RE) can support significantly higher strains than scales on RE-free alloys. With the luminescence technique, strain relief associated with spallation thresholds is readily observed.

Protein Structure Determination Using Chemical Shifts

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christensen, Anders Steen

is determined using only chemical shifts recorded and assigned through automated processes. The CARMSD to the experimental X-ray for this structure is 1.1. Å. Additionally, the method is combined with very sparse NOE-restraints and evolutionary distance restraints and tested on several protein structures >100...

The scale of population structure in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alexander Platt

2010-02-01

Full Text Available The population structure of an organism reflects its evolutionary history and influences its evolutionary trajectory. It constrains the combination of genetic diversity and reveals patterns of past gene flow. Understanding it is a prerequisite for detecting genomic regions under selection, predicting the effect of population disturbances, or modeling gene flow. This paper examines the detailed global population structure of Arabidopsis thaliana. Using a set of 5,707 plants collected from around the globe and genotyped at 149 SNPs, we show that while A. thaliana as a species self-fertilizes 97% of the time, there is considerable variation among local groups. This level of outcrossing greatly limits observed heterozygosity but is sufficient to generate considerable local haplotypic diversity. We also find that in its native Eurasian range A. thaliana exhibits continuous isolation by distance at every geographic scale without natural breaks corresponding to classical notions of populations. By contrast, in North America, where it exists as an exotic species, A. thaliana exhibits little or no population structure at a continental scale but local isolation by distance that extends hundreds of km. This suggests a pattern for the development of isolation by distance that can establish itself shortly after an organism fills a new habitat range. It also raises questions about the general applicability of many standard population genetics models. Any model based on discrete clusters of interchangeable individuals will be an uneasy fit to organisms like A. thaliana which exhibit continuous isolation by distance on many scales.

Modelling concrete behaviour at early-age: multi-scale analysis and simulation of a massive disposal structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Honorio-De-Faria, Tulio

2015-01-01

The accurate prediction of the long and short-term behaviour of concrete structures in the nuclear domain is essential to ensure optimal performances (integrity, containment properties) during their service life. In the particular case of massive concrete structures, at early age the heat produced by hydration reactions cannot be evacuated fast enough so that high temperatures may be reached and the resulting gradients of temperature might lead to cracking according to the external and internal restraints to which the structures are subjected. The goals of this study are (1) to perform numerical simulations in order to describe and predict the thermo-chemo-mechanical behaviour at early-age of a massive concrete structure devoted to nuclear waste disposal on surface, and (2) to develop and apply up-scaling tools to estimate rigorously the key properties of concrete needed in an early-age analysis from the composition of the material. Firstly, a chemo-thermal analysis aims at determining the influence of convection, solar radiation, re-radiation and hydration heat on the thermal response of the structure. Practical recommendations regarding concreting temperatures are provided in order to limit the maximum temperature reached within the structure. Then, by means of a mechanical analysis, simplified and more complex (i.e. accounting for coupled creep and damage) modelling strategies are used to assess scenarios involving different boundary conditions defined from the previous chemo-thermal analysis. Secondly, a study accounting for the multi-scale character of concrete is performed. A simplified model of cement hydration kinetics is proposed. The evolution of the different phases at the cement paste level can be estimated. Then, analytical and numerical tools to upscale the ageing properties are presented and applied to estimate the mechanical and thermal properties of cement based materials. Finally, the input data used in the structural analysis are compared with

Full-Scale Structural and NDI Validation Tests of Bonded Composite Doublers for Commercial Aircraft Applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Roach, D.; Walkington, P.

1999-02-01

Composite doublers, or repair patches, provide an innovative repair technique which can enhance the way aircraft are maintained. Instead of riveting multiple steel or aluminum plates to facilitate an aircraft repair, it is possible to bond a single Boron-Epoxy composite doubler to the damaged structure. Most of the concerns surrounding composite doubler technology pertain to long-term survivability, especially in the presence of non-optimum installations, and the validation of appropriate inspection procedures. This report focuses on a series of full-scale structural and nondestructive inspection (NDI) tests that were conducted to investigate the performance of Boron-Epoxy composite doublers. Full-scale tests were conducted on fuselage panels cut from retired aircraft. These full-scale tests studied stress reductions, crack mitigation, and load transfer capabilities of composite doublers using simulated flight conditions of cabin pressure and axial stress. Also, structures which modeled key aspects of aircraft structure repairs were subjected to extreme tension, shear and bending loads to examine the composite laminate's resistance to disbond and delamination flaws. Several of the structures were loaded to failure in order to determine doubler design margins. Nondestructive inspections were conducted throughout the test series in order to validate appropriate techniques on actual aircraft structure. The test results showed that a properly designed and installed composite doubler is able to enhance fatigue life, transfer load away from damaged structure, and avoid the introduction of new stress risers (i.e. eliminate global reduction in the fatigue life of the structure). Comparisons with test data obtained prior to the doubler installation revealed that stresses in the parent material can be reduced 30%--60% through the use of the composite doubler. Tests to failure demonstrated that the bondline is able to transfer plastic strains into the doubler and that

Factor structure of the Body Appreciation Scale among Malaysian women.

Science.gov (United States)

Swami, Viren; Chamorro-Premuzic, Tomas

2008-12-01

The present study examined the factor structure of a Malay version of the Body Appreciation Scale (BAS), a recently developed scale for the assessment of positive body image that has been shown to have a unidimensional structure in Western settings. Results of exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses based on data from community sample of 591 women in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, failed to support a unidimensional structure for the Malay BAS. Results of a confirmatory factor analysis suggested two stable factors, which were labelled 'General Body Appreciation' and 'Body Image Investment'. Multi-group analysis showed that the two-factor structure was invariant for both Malaysian Malay and Chinese women, and that there were no significant ethnic differences on either factor. Results also showed that General Body Appreciation was significant negatively correlated with participants' body mass index. These results are discussed in relation to possible cross-cultural differences in positive body image.

Evaluating the validity and reliability of the V-scale instrument (Turkish version) used to determine nurses' attitudes towards vital sign monitoring.

Science.gov (United States)

Ertuğ, Nurcan

2018-06-01

The aim of this study was to determine the validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the V-scale, which measures nurses' attitudes towards vital signs monitoring in the detection of clinical deterioration. This validity and reliability study was conducted at a tertiary hospital in Ankara, Turkey, in 2016. A total of 169 ward nurses participated in the study. Exploratory factor analysis, Cronbach's alpha coefficient, and the intraclass correlation coefficient were used to determine the validity and reliability of the scale. A 5-factor, 16-item scale explained 60.823% of the total variance according to the validity analysis. Our version matched the original scale in terms of the number of items and factor structure. Cronbach's alpha coefficient of the Turkish version of the V-scale was 0.764. The test-retest reliability results were 0.855 for the overall intraclass correlation coefficient, and the t-test result was P > 0.05. The V-scale is a reliable and valid instrument to measure Turkish nurses' attitudes towards vital signs monitoring in the detection of clinical deterioration. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

KILOPARSEC-SCALE RADIO STRUCTURES IN NARROW-LINE SEYFERT 1 GALAXIES

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Doi, Akihiro; Kino, Motoki [Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, 3-1-1 Yoshinodai, Chuou-ku, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 252-5210 (Japan); Nagira, Hiroshi [Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Yamaguchi University, 1677-1 Yoshida, Yamaguchi, Yamaguchi 753-8512 (Japan); Kawakatu, Nozomu [Graduate School of Pure and Applied Sciences, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8571 (Japan); Nagai, Hiroshi [National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, 2-21-1 Osawa, Mitaka, Tokyo 181-8588 (Japan); Asada, Keiichi, E-mail: akihiro.doi@vsop.isas.jaxa.jp [Academia Sinica Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics, P.O. Box 23-141, Taipei 10617, Taiwan (China)

2012-11-20

We report the finding of kiloparsec (kpc)-scale radio structures in three radio-loud narrow-line Seyfert 1 (NLS1) galaxies from the Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-centimeters of the Very Large Array, which increases the number of known radio-loud NLS1s with kpc-scale structures to six, including two {gamma}-ray-emitting NLS1s (PMN J0948+0022 and 1H 0323+342) detected by the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. The detection rate of extended radio emissions in NLS1s is lower than that in broad-line active galactic nuclei (AGNs) with a statistical significance. We found both core-dominated (blazar-like) and lobe-dominated (radio-galaxy-like) radio structures in these six NLS1s, which can be understood in the framework of the unified scheme of radio-loud AGNs that considers radio galaxies as non-beamed parent populations of blazars. Five of the six NLS1s have (1) extended radio luminosities suggesting jet kinetic powers of {approx}> 10{sup 44} erg s{sup -1}, which is sufficient to make jets escape from hosts' dense environments; (2) black holes of {approx}> 10{sup 7} M {sub Sun }, which can generate the necessary jet powers from near-Eddington mass accretion; and (3) two-sided radio structures at kpc scales, requiring expansion rates of {approx}0.01c-0.3c and kinematic ages of {approx}> 10{sup 7} years. On the other hand, most typical NLS1s would be driven by black holes of {approx}< 10{sup 7} M {sub Sun} in a limited lifetime of {approx}10{sup 7} years. Hence, the kpc-scale radio structures may originate in a small window of opportunity during the final stage of the NLS1 phase just before growing into broad-line AGNs.

Self-determined motivation and students' physical activity during structured physical education lessons and free choice periods.

Science.gov (United States)

Lonsdale, Chris; Sabiston, Catherine M; Raedeke, Thomas D; Ha, Amy S C; Sum, Raymond K W

2009-01-01

Various organizations have suggested that physical education (PE) should play a central role in increasing adolescents' physical activity (PA) levels. The purpose of this study was to examine relationships between students' self-determined motivation and their PA behavior during a structured PE lesson led by their teacher and a free-choice period in which they were not required to be active. 528 Hong Kong students (mean age=15.78 years) participated in this study in April and May 2007. Situational Motivation Scale scores were used to form high and low self-determined motivation groups. Students wore a pedometer during a 20-minute structured basketball lesson and a 20-minute free choice period, during which they did not receive instruction. ANOVA revealed that self-determined motivation and PE class environments which provided students opportunities to make choices were related to greater PA. Furthermore, the difference in PA between the high and low self-determined groups was greater in the free-choice condition than the structured lesson, suggesting that self-determined motivation is especially important when students are not supervised. Findings indicated that promoting self-determined motivation may be an effective means of ensuring that PE programs are able to increase PA levels, foster self-initiated PA behaviors, and enhance adolescents' health.

A Structural Equation Modelling of the Academic Self-Concept Scale

Science.gov (United States)

Matovu, Musa

2014-01-01

The study aimed at validating the academic self-concept scale by Liu and Wang (2005) in measuring academic self-concept among university students. Structural equation modelling was used to validate the scale which was composed of two subscales; academic confidence and academic effort. The study was conducted on university students; males and…

Psychometric properties of the AIR Self-Determination Scale: the Chinese version (AIR SDS-C) for Chinese people with intellectual disabilities.

Science.gov (United States)

Wong, P K S; Wong, D F K; Zhuang, X Y; Liu, Y

2017-03-01

The construct of self-determination has received considerable attention in the international field of intellectual disabilities (ID). Recently, there has been a rapid development of this construct in Chinese societies including Hong Kong. However, there is no locally validated instrument to measure self-determination in people with ID. This article explains the validation process of the AIR Self-Determination Scale - Chinese version (AIR SDS-C) adapted from the 24-item AIR Self-Determination Scale, developed by Wolman and his colleagues, which is used in school setting. People with mild/moderate ID aged 15 years or above were recruited from special schools and social services units in different regions of Hong Kong. Factor analysis and reliability tests were conducted. Data for a total of 356 participants were used for the analysis. A confirmatory factor analysis was performed to test the factorial construct, and Mplus 7.0 was used for the analysis. The factor structure proposed in the original English version was supported by the data, and all factor loadings were between 0.42 and 0.76. The whole scale achieved good reliability (Cronbach's α = 0.88 and ω = 0.90). The AIR SDS-C appears to be a valid and reliable scale. This study examined adult groups as well as student groups. The application of the scale can thus be extended to a wider population. The implications for theory building and practice are discussed. © 2016 MENCAP and International Association of the Scientific Study of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Validity and factor structure of the bodybuilding dependence scale

OpenAIRE

Smith, D; Hale, B

2004-01-01

Objectives: To investigate the factor structure, validity, and reliability of the bodybuilding dependence scale and to investigate differences in bodybuilding dependence between men and women and competitive and non-competitive bodybuilders.

Cryo-EM Structure Determination Using Segmented Helical Image Reconstruction.

Science.gov (United States)

Fromm, S A; Sachse, C

2016-01-01

Treating helices as single-particle-like segments followed by helical image reconstruction has become the method of choice for high-resolution structure determination of well-ordered helical viruses as well as flexible filaments. In this review, we will illustrate how the combination of latest hardware developments with optimized image processing routines have led to a series of near-atomic resolution structures of helical assemblies. Originally, the treatment of helices as a sequence of segments followed by Fourier-Bessel reconstruction revealed the potential to determine near-atomic resolution structures from helical specimens. In the meantime, real-space image processing of helices in a stack of single particles was developed and enabled the structure determination of specimens that resisted classical Fourier helical reconstruction and also facilitated high-resolution structure determination. Despite the progress in real-space analysis, the combination of Fourier and real-space processing is still commonly used to better estimate the symmetry parameters as the imposition of the correct helical symmetry is essential for high-resolution structure determination. Recent hardware advancement by the introduction of direct electron detectors has significantly enhanced the image quality and together with improved image processing procedures has made segmented helical reconstruction a very productive cryo-EM structure determination method. © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Factor Structure of Child Behavior Scale Scores in Peruvian Preschoolers

Science.gov (United States)

Meyer, Erin L.; Schaefer, Barbara A.; Soto, Cesar Merino; Simmons, Crystal S.; Anguiano, Rebecca; Brett, Jeremy; Holman, Alea; Martin, Justin F.; Hata, Heidi K.; Roberts, Kimberly J.; Mello, Zena R.; Worrell, Frank C.

2011-01-01

Behavior rating scales aid in the identification of problem behaviors, as well as the development of interventions to reduce such behavior. Although scores on many behavior rating scales have been validated in the United States, there have been few such studies in other cultural contexts. In this study, the structural validity of scores on a…

Crystal structure determination of Efavirenz

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Popeneciu, Horea; Dumitru, Ristoiu; Tripon, Carmen; Borodi, Gheorghe; Pop, Mihaela Maria

2015-01-01

Needle-shaped single crystals of the title compound, C 14 H 9 ClF 3 NO 2 , were obtained from a co-crystallization experiment of Efavirenz with maleic acid in a (1:1) ratio, using methanol as solvent. Crystal structure determination at room temperature revealed a significant anisotropy of the lattice expansion compared to the previously reported low-temperature structure. In both low- and room temperature structures the cyclopropylethynyl fragment in one of the asymmetric unit molecules is disordered. While at low-temperature only one C atom exhibits positional disorder, at room temperature the disorder is present for two C atoms of the cyclopropane ring

[Scale Relativity Theory in living beings morphogenesis: fratal, determinism and chance].

Science.gov (United States)

Chaline, J

2012-10-01

The Scale Relativity Theory has many biological applications from linear to non-linear and, from classical mechanics to quantum mechanics. Self-similar laws have been used as model for the description of a huge number of biological systems. Theses laws may explain the origin of basal life structures. Log-periodic behaviors of acceleration or deceleration can be applied to branching macroevolution, to the time sequences of major evolutionary leaps. The existence of such a law does not mean that the role of chance in evolution is reduced, but instead that randomness and contingency may occur within a framework which may itself be structured in a partly statistical way. The scale relativity theory can open new perspectives in evolution. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Reliability of the factor structure of the Multidimensional Scale of Interpersonal Reactivity (EMRI

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nilton S. Formiga

2013-10-01

Full Text Available This study aims to check the internal consistency and factor structure evaluative of the empathy scale in a high school and college sample in the state of Minas Gerais. The instruments that measure empathy can be easily found, however, of the existing, just multidimensional scale of interpersonal reactivity (Emri is the theoretical framework that has far more and better organized, and the scale that is most commonly used to assess this construct. Participated 488 subjects, male and female, with ages from 14-54 years old, distributed in primary and college levels in Patrocínio-MG composed this study sample. The subjects answered the Multidimensional Scale of Interpersonal Reactivity and socio-demographic data. From an equation analysis and structural modeling were observed psychometric indicators that assured the structural consistency of the scale, promoting in the security of the measure theoretical construct of empathy.

Nonlinear evolution of large-scale structure in the universe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Frenk, C.S.; White, S.D.M.; Davis, M.

1983-01-01

Using N-body simulations we study the nonlinear development of primordial density perturbation in an Einstein--de Sitter universe. We compare the evolution of an initial distribution without small-scale density fluctuations to evolution from a random Poisson distribution. These initial conditions mimic the assumptions of the adiabatic and isothermal theories of galaxy formation. The large-scale structures which form in the two cases are markedly dissimilar. In particular, the correlation function xi(r) and the visual appearance of our adiabatic (or ''pancake'') models match better the observed distribution of galaxies. This distribution is characterized by large-scale filamentary structure. Because the pancake models do not evolve in a self-similar fashion, the slope of xi(r) steepens with time; as a result there is a unique epoch at which these models fit the galaxy observations. We find the ratio of cutoff length to correlation length at this time to be lambda/sub min//r 0 = 5.1; its expected value in a neutrino dominated universe is 4(Ωh) -1 (H 0 = 100h km s -1 Mpc -1 ). At early epochs these models predict a negligible amplitude for xi(r) and could explain the lack of measurable clustering in the Lyα absorption lines of high-redshift quasars. However, large-scale structure in our models collapses after z = 2. If this collapse precedes galaxy formation as in the usual pancake theory, galaxies formed uncomfortably recently. The extent of this problem may depend on the cosmological model used; the present series of experiments should be extended in the future to include models with Ω<1

Responses in large-scale structure

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Barreira, Alexandre; Schmidt, Fabian, E-mail: barreira@MPA-Garching.MPG.DE, E-mail: fabians@MPA-Garching.MPG.DE [Max-Planck-Institut für Astrophysik, Karl-Schwarzschild-Str. 1, 85741 Garching (Germany)

2017-06-01

We introduce a rigorous definition of general power-spectrum responses as resummed vertices with two hard and n soft momenta in cosmological perturbation theory. These responses measure the impact of long-wavelength perturbations on the local small-scale power spectrum. The kinematic structure of the responses (i.e., their angular dependence) can be decomposed unambiguously through a ''bias'' expansion of the local power spectrum, with a fixed number of physical response coefficients , which are only a function of the hard wavenumber k . Further, the responses up to n -th order completely describe the ( n +2)-point function in the squeezed limit, i.e. with two hard and n soft modes, which one can use to derive the response coefficients. This generalizes previous results, which relate the angle-averaged squeezed limit to isotropic response coefficients. We derive the complete expression of first- and second-order responses at leading order in perturbation theory, and present extrapolations to nonlinear scales based on simulation measurements of the isotropic response coefficients. As an application, we use these results to predict the non-Gaussian part of the angle-averaged matter power spectrum covariance Cov{sup NG}{sub ℓ=0}( k {sub 1}, k {sub 2}), in the limit where one of the modes, say k {sub 2}, is much smaller than the other. Without any free parameters, our model results are in very good agreement with simulations for k {sub 2} ∼< 0.06 h Mpc{sup −1}, and for any k {sub 1} ∼> 2 k {sub 2}. The well-defined kinematic structure of the power spectrum response also permits a quick evaluation of the angular dependence of the covariance matrix. While we focus on the matter density field, the formalism presented here can be generalized to generic tracers such as galaxies.

Responses in large-scale structure

Science.gov (United States)

Barreira, Alexandre; Schmidt, Fabian

2017-06-01

We introduce a rigorous definition of general power-spectrum responses as resummed vertices with two hard and n soft momenta in cosmological perturbation theory. These responses measure the impact of long-wavelength perturbations on the local small-scale power spectrum. The kinematic structure of the responses (i.e., their angular dependence) can be decomposed unambiguously through a ``bias'' expansion of the local power spectrum, with a fixed number of physical response coefficients, which are only a function of the hard wavenumber k. Further, the responses up to n-th order completely describe the (n+2)-point function in the squeezed limit, i.e. with two hard and n soft modes, which one can use to derive the response coefficients. This generalizes previous results, which relate the angle-averaged squeezed limit to isotropic response coefficients. We derive the complete expression of first- and second-order responses at leading order in perturbation theory, and present extrapolations to nonlinear scales based on simulation measurements of the isotropic response coefficients. As an application, we use these results to predict the non-Gaussian part of the angle-averaged matter power spectrum covariance CovNGl=0(k1,k2), in the limit where one of the modes, say k2, is much smaller than the other. Without any free parameters, our model results are in very good agreement with simulations for k2 lesssim 0.06 h Mpc-1, and for any k1 gtrsim 2k2. The well-defined kinematic structure of the power spectrum response also permits a quick evaluation of the angular dependence of the covariance matrix. While we focus on the matter density field, the formalism presented here can be generalized to generic tracers such as galaxies.

x- and xi-scaling of the Nuclear Structure Function at Large x

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arrington, J.; Armstrong, C. S.; Averett, T.; Baker, O. K.; Bever, L. de; Bochna, C. W.; Boeglin, W.; Bray, B.; Carlini, R. D.; Collins, G.; Cothran, C.; Crabb, D.; Day, D.; Dunne, J. A.; Dutta, D.; Ent, R.; Filippone, B. W.; Honegger, A.; Hughes, E. W.; Jensen, J.; Jourdan, J.; Keppel, C. E.; Koltenuk, D. M.; Lindgren, R.; Lung, A.; Mack, D. J.; McCarthy, J.; McKeown, R. D.; Meekins, D.; Mitchell, J. H.; Mkrtchyan, H. G.; Niculescu, G.; Niculescu, I.; Petitjean, T.; Rondon, O.; Sick, I.; Smith, C.; Terburg, B.; Vulcan, W. F.; Wood, S. A.; Yan, C.; Zhao, J.; Zihlmann, B.

2001-01-01

Inclusive electron scattering data are presented for 2 H and Fe targets at an incident electron energy of 4.045 GeV for a range of momentum transfers from Q 2 = 1 to 7 (GeV/c) 2 . Data were taken at Jefferson Laboratory for low values of energy loss, corresponding to values of Bjorken x greater than or near 1. The structure functions do not show scaling in x in this range, where inelastic scattering is not expected to dominate the cross section. The data do show scaling, however, in the Nachtmann variable ξ. This scaling may be the result of Bloom Gilman duality in the nucleon structure function combined with the Fermi motion of the nucleons in the nucleus. The resulting extension of scaling to larger values of ξ opens up the possibility of accessing nuclear structure functions in the high-x region at lower values of Q 2 than previously believed

Small Scales Structure of MHD Turbulence, Tubes or Ribbons?

Science.gov (United States)

Verdini, A.; Grappin, R.; Alexandrova, O.; Lion, S.

2017-12-01

Observations in the solar wind indicate that turbulent eddies change their anisotropy with scales [1]. At large scales eddies are elongated in direction perpendicular to the mean-field axis. This is the result of solar wind expansion that affects both the anisotropy and single-spacecraft measurments [2,3]. At small scales one recovers the anisotropy expected in strong MHD turbulence and constrained by the so-called critical balance: eddies are elongated along the mean-field axis. However, the actual eddy shape is intermediate between tubes and ribbons, preventing us to discriminate between two concurrent theories that predict 2D axysimmetric anisotropy [4] or full 3D anisotropy [5]. We analyse 10 years of WIND data and apply a numerically-derived criterion to select intervals in which solar wind expansion is expected to be negligible. By computing the anisotropy of structure functions with respect to the local mean field we obtain for the first time scaling relations that are in agreement with full 3D anisotropy, i.e. ribbons-like structures. However, we cannot obtain the expected scaling relations for the alignment angle which, according to the theory, is physically responsible for the departure from axisymmetry. In addition, a further change of anisotropy occurs well above the proton scales. We discuss the implication of our findings and how numerical simulations can help interpreting the observed spectral anisotropy. [1] Chen et al., ApJ, 768:120, 2012 [2] Verdini & Grappin, ApJL, 808:L34, 2015 [3] Vech & Chen, ApJL, 832:L16, 2016 [4] Goldreich & Shridar, ApJ, 438:763, 1995 [5] Boldyrev, ApJL, 626:L37, 2005

Phylogenetic distribution of large-scale genome patchiness

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hackenberg Michael

2008-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The phylogenetic distribution of large-scale genome structure (i.e. mosaic compositional patchiness has been explored mainly by analytical ultracentrifugation of bulk DNA. However, with the availability of large, good-quality chromosome sequences, and the recently developed computational methods to directly analyze patchiness on the genome sequence, an evolutionary comparative analysis can be carried out at the sequence level. Results The local variations in the scaling exponent of the Detrended Fluctuation Analysis are used here to analyze large-scale genome structure and directly uncover the characteristic scales present in genome sequences. Furthermore, through shuffling experiments of selected genome regions, computationally-identified, isochore-like regions were identified as the biological source for the uncovered large-scale genome structure. The phylogenetic distribution of short- and large-scale patchiness was determined in the best-sequenced genome assemblies from eleven eukaryotic genomes: mammals (Homo sapiens, Pan troglodytes, Mus musculus, Rattus norvegicus, and Canis familiaris, birds (Gallus gallus, fishes (Danio rerio, invertebrates (Drosophila melanogaster and Caenorhabditis elegans, plants (Arabidopsis thaliana and yeasts (Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We found large-scale patchiness of genome structure, associated with in silico determined, isochore-like regions, throughout this wide phylogenetic range. Conclusion Large-scale genome structure is detected by directly analyzing DNA sequences in a wide range of eukaryotic chromosome sequences, from human to yeast. In all these genomes, large-scale patchiness can be associated with the isochore-like regions, as directly detected in silico at the sequence level.

Mapping the MMPI-2-RF Specific Problems Scales Onto Extant Psychopathology Structures.

Science.gov (United States)

Sellbom, Martin

2017-01-01

A main objective in developing the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2-Restructured Form (MMPI-2-RF; Ben-Porath & Tellegen, 2008 ) was to link the hierarchical structure of the instrument's scales to contemporary psychopathology and personality models for greater enhancement of construct validity. Initial evidence published with the Restructured Clinical scales has indicated promising results in that the higher order structure of these measures maps onto those reported in the extant psychopathology literature. This study focused on evaluating the internal structure of the Specific Problems and Interest scales, which have not yet been examined in this manner. Two large, mixed-gender outpatient and correctional samples were used. Exploratory factor analyses revealed consistent evidence for a 4-factor structure representing somatization, negative affect, externalizing, and social detachment. Convergent and discriminant validity analyses in the outpatient sample yielded a pattern of results consistent with expectations. These findings add further evidence to indicate that the MMPI-2-RF hierarchy of scales map onto extant psychopathology literature, and also add support to the notion that somatization and detachment should be considered important higher order domains in the psychopathology literature.

Energy group structure determination using particle swarm optimization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yi, Ce; Sjoden, Glenn

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► Particle swarm optimization is applied to determine broad group structure. ► A graph representation of the broad group structure problem is introduced. ► The approach is tested on a fuel-pin model. - Abstract: Multi-group theory is widely applied for the energy domain discretization when solving the Linear Boltzmann Equation. To reduce the computational cost, fine group cross libraries are often down-sampled into broad group cross section libraries. Cross section data collapsing generally involves two steps: Firstly, the broad group structure has to be determined; secondly, a weighting scheme is used to evaluate the broad cross section library based on the fine group cross section data and the broad group structure. A common scheme is to average the fine group cross section weighted by the fine group flux. Cross section collapsing techniques have been intensively researched. However, most studies use a pre-determined group structure, open based on experience, to divide the neutron energy spectrum into thermal, epi-thermal, fast, etc. energy range. In this paper, a swarm intelligence algorithm, particle swarm optimization (PSO), is applied to optimize the broad group structure. A graph representation of the broad group structure determination problem is introduced. And the swarm intelligence algorithm is used to solve the graph model. The effectiveness of the approach is demonstrated using a fuel-pin model

Determination of structural and spectroscopic parameters of 4-hydroxyantipyrine, using DFT method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Catikkas, B.; Aktan, E.

2010-01-01

In this study, structural and vibrational parameters were calculated. First of all, conformational analysis of 4-hydroxyantipyrine was carried out in gas phase. Then, the geometric parameters (bond length, bond angle and tortion angle) of the most stable conformer were calculated and the Infrared and Raman frequencies of fundamental modes were determined. Calculations were made by using DFT B3LYP/6-311+G(d,p) method implemented the Gaussian 03 program. Afterwards, vibrational assignments of the title molecule were calculated by using Scaled Quantum Mechanical (SQM) analysis. In conclusion, calculated values were compared with corresponding experimental results.

Capital Structure Determinants and Governance Structure Variety in Franchising

OpenAIRE

Jiang, Tao

2009-01-01

textabstractThis thesis investigates two questions: the determinants of capital structure in franchising and its subsequent impact on the franchise financing decisions; and the efficient governance structure choice in franchising. We posit that firms franchise in order to benefit from the reduced franchisees’ operational risks by limiting the debt level, such that the franchisor can bear more debt and gain tax-deduction benefits. Specific hypotheses are based on various theories like resource...

Three-Dimensional Structure Determination of Botulinum Toxin

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Stevens, Ray

1997-01-01

...) Based on the structure of the neurotoxin, understand the toxins mechanism of action. We have accomplished the first goal of determining the three-dimensional structure of the 150 kD botulinum neurotoxin serotype...

Three-Dimensional Structure Determination of Botulinum Toxin

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Stevens, Ray

1998-01-01

...) Based on the structure of the neurotoxin, understand the toxins mechanism of action. We have accomplished the first goal of determining the three-dimensional structure of the 150 kD botulinum neurotoxin serotype...

Analysis of the Determinants of Small-Scale Farmers' Grain Market ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

In some cases, farmers may sell at low price when they face financial constraints, especially ... Analysis of the Determinants of Small-Scale Farmers' Grain Market Participations. [76] ...... An MSc Thesis Presented to the School of Graduate.

On soft limits of large-scale structure correlation functions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sagunski, Laura

2016-08-01

background method to the case of a directional soft mode, being absorbed into a locally curved anisotropic background cosmology. The resulting non-perturbative power spectrum equation encodes the coupling to ultraviolet (UV) modes in two time-dependent coefficients. These can most generally be inferred from response functions to geometrical parameters, such as spatial curvature, in the locally curved anisotropic background cosmology. However, we can determine one coefficient by use of the angular-averaged bispectrum consistency condition together with the generalized VKPR proposal, and we show that the impact of the other one is subleading. Neglecting the latter in consequence, we confront the non-perturbative power spectrum equation against numerical simulations and find indeed a very good agreement within the expected error bars. Moreover, we argue that both coefficients and thus the non-perturbative power spectrum in the soft limit depend only weakly on UV modes deep in the non-linear regime. This non-perturbative finding allows us in turn to derive important implications for perturbative approaches to large-scale structure formation. First, it leads to the conclusion that the UV dependence of the power spectrum found in explicit computations within standard perturbation theory is an artifact. Second, it implies that in the Eulerian (Lagrangian) effective field theory (EFT) approach, where UV divergences are canceled by counter-terms, the renormalized leading-order coefficient(s) receive most contributions from modes close to the non-linear scale. The non-perturbative approach we developed can in principle be used to precisely infer the size of these renormalized leading-order EFT coefficient(s) by performing small-volume numerical simulations within an anisotropic 'separate universe' framework. Our results suggest that the importance of these coefficient(s) is a ∝10% effect at most.

On soft limits of large-scale structure correlation functions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sagunski, Laura

2016-08-15

background method to the case of a directional soft mode, being absorbed into a locally curved anisotropic background cosmology. The resulting non-perturbative power spectrum equation encodes the coupling to ultraviolet (UV) modes in two time-dependent coefficients. These can most generally be inferred from response functions to geometrical parameters, such as spatial curvature, in the locally curved anisotropic background cosmology. However, we can determine one coefficient by use of the angular-averaged bispectrum consistency condition together with the generalized VKPR proposal, and we show that the impact of the other one is subleading. Neglecting the latter in consequence, we confront the non-perturbative power spectrum equation against numerical simulations and find indeed a very good agreement within the expected error bars. Moreover, we argue that both coefficients and thus the non-perturbative power spectrum in the soft limit depend only weakly on UV modes deep in the non-linear regime. This non-perturbative finding allows us in turn to derive important implications for perturbative approaches to large-scale structure formation. First, it leads to the conclusion that the UV dependence of the power spectrum found in explicit computations within standard perturbation theory is an artifact. Second, it implies that in the Eulerian (Lagrangian) effective field theory (EFT) approach, where UV divergences are canceled by counter-terms, the renormalized leading-order coefficient(s) receive most contributions from modes close to the non-linear scale. The non-perturbative approach we developed can in principle be used to precisely infer the size of these renormalized leading-order EFT coefficient(s) by performing small-volume numerical simulations within an anisotropic 'separate universe' framework. Our results suggest that the importance of these coefficient(s) is a ∝10% effect at most.

Complex modular structure of large-scale brain networks

Science.gov (United States)

Valencia, M.; Pastor, M. A.; Fernández-Seara, M. A.; Artieda, J.; Martinerie, J.; Chavez, M.

2009-06-01

Modular structure is ubiquitous among real-world networks from related proteins to social groups. Here we analyze the modular organization of brain networks at a large scale (voxel level) extracted from functional magnetic resonance imaging signals. By using a random-walk-based method, we unveil the modularity of brain webs and show modules with a spatial distribution that matches anatomical structures with functional significance. The functional role of each node in the network is studied by analyzing its patterns of inter- and intramodular connections. Results suggest that the modular architecture constitutes the structural basis for the coexistence of functional integration of distant and specialized brain areas during normal brain activities at rest.

Structural determination of intact proteins using mass spectrometry

Science.gov (United States)

Kruppa, Gary [San Francisco, CA; Schoeniger, Joseph S [Oakland, CA; Young, Malin M [Livermore, CA

2008-05-06

The present invention relates to novel methods of determining the sequence and structure of proteins. Specifically, the present invention allows for the analysis of intact proteins within a mass spectrometer. Therefore, preparatory separations need not be performed prior to introducing a protein sample into the mass spectrometer. Also disclosed herein are new instrumental developments for enhancing the signal from the desired modified proteins, methods for producing controlled protein fragments in the mass spectrometer, eliminating complex microseparations, and protein preparatory chemical steps necessary for cross-linking based protein structure determination.Additionally, the preferred method of the present invention involves the determination of protein structures utilizing a top-down analysis of protein structures to search for covalent modifications. In the preferred method, intact proteins are ionized and fragmented within the mass spectrometer.

A four-scale homogenization analysis of creep of a nuclear containment structure

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tran, A.B. [Université Paris-Est, Laboratoire Modélisation et Simulation Multi Échelle, MSME UMR 8208 CNRS, 5 bd Descartes, F-77454 Marne-la-Vallée (France); EDF R and D – Département MMC Site des Renardières – Avenue des Renardières - Ecuelles, 77818 Moret sur Loing Cedex (France); Department of Applied Informatics in Construction, National University of Civil Engineering, 55 Giai Phong Road, Hai Ba Trung District, Hanoi (Viet Nam); Yvonnet, J., E-mail: julien.yvonnet@univ-paris-est.fr [Université Paris-Est, Laboratoire Modélisation et Simulation Multi Échelle, MSME UMR 8208 CNRS, 5 bd Descartes, F-77454 Marne-la-Vallée (France); He, Q.-C. [Université Paris-Est, Laboratoire Modélisation et Simulation Multi Échelle, MSME UMR 8208 CNRS, 5 bd Descartes, F-77454 Marne-la-Vallée (France); Toulemonde, C.; Sanahuja, J. [EDF R and D – Département MMC Site des Renardières – Avenue des Renardières - Ecuelles, 77818 Moret sur Loing Cedex (France)

2013-12-15

A four-scale approach is proposed to predict the creep behavior of a concrete structure. The behavior of concrete is modeled through a numerical multiscale methodology, by successively homogenizing the viscoelastic behavior at different scales, starting from the cement paste. The homogenization is carried out by numerically constructing an effective relaxation tensor at each scale. In this framework, the impact of modifying the microstructural parameters can be directly observed on the structure response, like the interaction of the creep of concrete with the prestressing tendons network, and the effects of an internal pressure which might occur during a nuclear accident.

A four-scale homogenization analysis of creep of a nuclear containment structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tran, A.B.; Yvonnet, J.; He, Q.-C.; Toulemonde, C.; Sanahuja, J.

2013-01-01

A four-scale approach is proposed to predict the creep behavior of a concrete structure. The behavior of concrete is modeled through a numerical multiscale methodology, by successively homogenizing the viscoelastic behavior at different scales, starting from the cement paste. The homogenization is carried out by numerically constructing an effective relaxation tensor at each scale. In this framework, the impact of modifying the microstructural parameters can be directly observed on the structure response, like the interaction of the creep of concrete with the prestressing tendons network, and the effects of an internal pressure which might occur during a nuclear accident

Structures and Intermittency in Small Scales Solar Wind Turbulence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sahraoui, Fouad; Goldstein, Melvyn

2010-01-01

Several observations in space plasmas have reported the presence of coherent structures at different plasma scales. Structure formation is believed to result from nonlinear interactions between the plasma modes, which depend strongly on their phase synchronization. Despite this important role of the phases in turbulence, very limited work has been devoted to study the phases as potential tracers of nonlinearities in comparison with the wealth of literature on power spectra of turbulence where phases are totally missed. The reason why the phases are seldom used is probably because they usually appear to be completely mixed (due to their dependence on an arbitrary time origin and to 2π periodicity). To handle the phases properly, a new method based on using surrogate data has been developed recently to detect coherent structures in magnetized plasmas [Sahraoui, PRE, 2008]. Here, we show new applications of the technique to study the nature (weak vs strong, self-similar vs intermittent) of the small scale turbulence in the solar wind using the Cluster observations.

Lack of sex-biased dispersal promotes fine-scale genetic structure in alpine ungulates

Science.gov (United States)

Gretchen H. Roffler; Sandra L. Talbot; Gordon Luikart; George K. Sage; Kristy L. Pilgrim; Layne G. Adams; Michael K. Schwartz

2014-01-01

Identifying patterns of fine-scale genetic structure in natural populations can advance understanding of critical ecological processes such as dispersal and gene flow across heterogeneous landscapes. Alpine ungulates generally exhibit high levels of genetic structure due to female philopatry and patchy configuration of mountain habitats. We assessed the spatial scale...

Relationships between avian richness and landscape structure at multiple scales using multiple landscapes

Science.gov (United States)

Michael S. Mitchell; Scott H. Rutzmoser; T. Bently Wigley; Craig Loehle; John A. Gerwin; Patrick D. Keyser; Richard A. Lancia; Roger W. Perry; Christopher L. Reynolds; Ronald E. Thill; Robert Weih; Don White; Petra Bohall Wood

2006-01-01

Little is known about factors that structure biodiversity on landscape scales, yet current land management protocols, such as forest certification programs, place an increasing emphasis on managing for sustainable biodiversity at landscape scales. We used a replicated landscape study to evaluate relationships between forest structure and avian diversity at both stand...

Dual linear structured support vector machine tracking method via scale correlation filter

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Weisheng; Chen, Yanquan; Xiao, Bin; Feng, Chen

2018-01-01

Adaptive tracking-by-detection methods based on structured support vector machine (SVM) performed well on recent visual tracking benchmarks. However, these methods did not adopt an effective strategy of object scale estimation, which limits the overall tracking performance. We present a tracking method based on a dual linear structured support vector machine (DLSSVM) with a discriminative scale correlation filter. The collaborative tracker comprised of a DLSSVM model and a scale correlation filter obtains good results in tracking target position and scale estimation. The fast Fourier transform is applied for detection. Extensive experiments show that our tracking approach outperforms many popular top-ranking trackers. On a benchmark including 100 challenging video sequences, the average precision of the proposed method is 82.8%.

Fractal properties and small-scale structure of cosmic string networks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martins, C.J.A.P.; Shellard, E.P.S.

2006-01-01

We present results from a detailed numerical study of the small-scale and loop production properties of cosmic string networks, based on the largest and highest resolution string simulations to date. We investigate the nontrivial fractal properties of cosmic strings, in particular, the fractal dimension and renormalized string mass per unit length, and we also study velocity correlations. We demonstrate important differences between string networks in flat (Minkowski) spacetime and the two very similar expanding cases. For high resolution matter era network simulations, we provide strong evidence that small-scale structure has converged to 'scaling' on all dynamical length scales, without the need for other radiative damping mechanisms. We also discuss preliminary evidence that the dominant loop production size is also approaching scaling

Structured ecosystem-scale approach to marine water quality management

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Taljaard, Susan

2006-10-01

Full Text Available and implement environmental management programmes. A structured ecosystem-scale approach for the design and implementation of marine water quality management programmes developed by the CSIR (South Africa) in response to recent advances in policies...

Hypersingular integral equations, waveguiding effects in Cantorian Universe and genesis of large scale structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Iovane, G.; Giordano, P.

2005-01-01

In this work we introduce the hypersingular integral equations and analyze a realistic model of gravitational waveguides on a cantorian space-time. A waveguiding effect is considered with respect to the large scale structure of the Universe, where the structure formation appears as if it were a classically self-similar random process at all astrophysical scales. The result is that it seems we live in an El Naschie's o (∞) Cantorian space-time, where gravitational lensing and waveguiding effects can explain the appearing Universe. In particular, we consider filamentary and planar large scale structures as possible refraction channels for electromagnetic radiation coming from cosmological structures. From this vision the Universe appears like a large self-similar adaptive mirrors set, thanks to three numerical simulations. Consequently, an infinite Universe is just an optical illusion that is produced by mirroring effects connected with the large scale structure of a finite and not a large Universe

Feelings about culture scales: development, factor structure, reliability, and validity.

Science.gov (United States)

Maffini, Cara S; Wong, Y Joel

2015-04-01

Although measures of cultural identity, values, and behavior exist in the multicultural psychological literature, there is currently no measure that explicitly assesses ethnic minority individuals' positive and negative affect toward culture. Therefore, we developed 2 new measures called the Feelings About Culture Scale--Ethnic Culture and Feelings About Culture Scale--Mainstream American Culture and tested their psychometric properties. In 6 studies, we piloted the measures, conducted factor analyses to clarify their factor structure, and examined reliability and validity. The factor structure revealed 2 dimensions reflecting positive and negative affect for each measure. Results provided evidence for convergent, discriminant, criterion-related, and incremental validity as well as the reliability of the scales. The Feelings About Culture Scales are the first known measures to examine both positive and negative affect toward an individual's ethnic culture and mainstream American culture. The focus on affect captures dimensions of psychological experiences that differ from cognitive and behavioral constructs often used to measure cultural orientation. These measures can serve as a valuable contribution to both research and counseling by providing insight into the nuanced affective experiences ethnic minority individuals have toward culture. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Origin of the large scale structures of the universe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oaknin, David H.

2004-01-01

We revise the statistical properties of the primordial cosmological density anisotropies that, at the time of matter-radiation equality, seeded the gravitational development of large scale structures in the otherwise homogeneous and isotropic Friedmann-Robertson-Walker flat universe. Our analysis shows that random fluctuations of the density field at the same instant of equality and with comoving wavelength shorter than the causal horizon at that time can naturally account, when globally constrained to conserve the total mass (energy) of the system, for the observed scale invariance of the anisotropies over cosmologically large comoving volumes. Statistical systems with similar features are generically known as glasslike or latticelike. Obviously, these conclusions conflict with the widely accepted understanding of the primordial structures reported in the literature, which requires an epoch of inflationary cosmology to precede the standard expansion of the universe. The origin of the conflict must be found in the widespread, but unjustified, claim that scale invariant mass (energy) anisotropies at the instant of equality over comoving volumes of cosmological size, larger than the causal horizon at the time, must be generated by fluctuations in the density field with comparably large comoving wavelength

Geophysical mapping of complex glaciogenic large-scale structures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Høyer, Anne-Sophie

2013-01-01

This thesis presents the main results of a four year PhD study concerning the use of geophysical data in geological mapping. The study is related to the Geocenter project, “KOMPLEKS”, which focuses on the mapping of complex, large-scale geological structures. The study area is approximately 100 km2...... data types and co-interpret them in order to improve our geological understanding. However, in order to perform this successfully, methodological considerations are necessary. For instance, a structure indicated by a reflection in the seismic data is not always apparent in the resistivity data...... information) can be collected. The geophysical data are used together with geological analyses from boreholes and pits to interpret the geological history of the hill-island. The geophysical data reveal that the glaciotectonic structures truncate at the surface. The directions of the structures were mapped...

Exploring the determinants of phylogenetic diversity and assemblage structure in conifers across temporal, spatial, and taxonomic scales

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Eiserhardt, Wolf L.; Borchsenius, Finn; Sandel, Brody Steven

-environmental models are important elements in this framework. Here, we integrate both types of data in order to explore the determinants of forest tree diversity using the conifers as a model group. Conifers are an old, diverse (ca. 650 spp. in 6 families) and widespread group of woody plants of high ecological...... and economic importance. They are better studied than most other globally distributed groups of forest trees, allowing integrative studies with high phylogenetic and spatial resolution. We analyse phylogenetic diversity, assemblage structure, and diversification rates for regional conifer assemblages...

Factor Structure of the Exercise Self-Efficacy Scale

Science.gov (United States)

Cornick, Jessica E.

2015-01-01

The current study utilized exercise self-efficacy ratings from undergraduate students to assess the factor structure of the Self-Efficacy to Regulate Exercise Scale (Bandura, 1997, 2006). An exploratory factor analysis (n = 759) indicated a two-factor model solution and three separate confirmatory factor analyses (n = 1,798) supported this…

Thermal interaction in crusted melt jets with large-scale structures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sugiyama, Ken-ichiro; Sotome, Fuminori; Ishikawa, Michio [Hokkaido Univ., Sapporo (Japan). Faculty of Engineering

1998-01-01

The objective of the present study is to experimentally observe thermal interaction which would be capable of triggering due to entrainment, or entrapment in crusted melt jets with `large-scale structure`. The present experiment was carried out by dropping molten zinc and molten tin of 100 grams, of which mass was sufficient to generate large-scale structures of melt jets. The experimental results show that the thermal interaction of entrapment type occurs in molten-zinc jets with rare probability, and the thermal interaction of entrainment type occurs in molten tin jets with high probability. The difference of thermal interaction between molten zinc and molten tin may attribute to differences of kinematic viscosity and melting point between them. (author)

The existence of very large-scale structures in the universe

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Goicoechea, L J; Martin-Mirones, J M [Universidad de Cantabria Santander, (ES)

1989-09-01

Assuming that the dipole moment observed in the cosmic background radiation (microwaves and X-rays) can be interpreted as a consequence of the motion of the observer toward a non-local and very large-scale structure in our universe, we study the perturbation of the m-z relation by this inhomogeneity, the dynamical contribution of sources to the dipole anisotropy in the X-ray background and the imprint that several structures with such characteristics would have had on the microwave background at the decoupling. We conclude that in this model the observed anisotropy in the microwave background on intermediate angular scales ({approx}10{sup 0}) may be in conflict with the existence of superstructures.

Initial condition effects on large scale structure in numerical simulations of plane mixing layers

Science.gov (United States)

McMullan, W. A.; Garrett, S. J.

2016-01-01

In this paper, Large Eddy Simulations are performed on the spatially developing plane turbulent mixing layer. The simulated mixing layers originate from initially laminar conditions. The focus of this research is on the effect of the nature of the imposed fluctuations on the large-scale spanwise and streamwise structures in the flow. Two simulations are performed; one with low-level three-dimensional inflow fluctuations obtained from pseudo-random numbers, the other with physically correlated fluctuations of the same magnitude obtained from an inflow generation technique. Where white-noise fluctuations provide the inflow disturbances, no spatially stationary streamwise vortex structure is observed, and the large-scale spanwise turbulent vortical structures grow continuously and linearly. These structures are observed to have a three-dimensional internal geometry with branches and dislocations. Where physically correlated provide the inflow disturbances a "streaky" streamwise structure that is spatially stationary is observed, with the large-scale turbulent vortical structures growing with the square-root of time. These large-scale structures are quasi-two-dimensional, on top of which the secondary structure rides. The simulation results are discussed in the context of the varying interpretations of mixing layer growth that have been postulated. Recommendations are made concerning the data required from experiments in order to produce accurate numerical simulation recreations of real flows.

FINE-SCALE STRUCTURES OF FLUX ROPES TRACKED BY ERUPTING MATERIAL

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li Ting; Zhang Jun, E-mail: liting@nao.cas.cn, E-mail: zjun@nao.cas.cn [Key Laboratory of Solar Activity, National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100012 (China)

2013-06-20

We present Solar Dynamics Observatory observations of two flux ropes tracked out by material from a surge and a failed filament eruption on 2012 July 29 and August 4, respectively. For the first event, the interaction between the erupting surge and a loop-shaped filament in the east seems to 'peel off' the filament and add bright mass into the flux rope body. The second event is associated with a C-class flare that occurs several minutes before the filament activation. The two flux ropes are, respectively, composed of 85 {+-} 12 and 102 {+-} 15 fine-scale structures, with an average width of about 1.''6. Our observations show that two extreme ends of the flux rope are rooted in opposite polarity fields and each end is composed of multiple footpoints (FPs) of fine-scale structures. The FPs of the fine-scale structures are located at network magnetic fields, with magnetic fluxes from 5.6 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 18} Mx to 8.6 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 19} Mx. Moreover, almost half of the FPs show converging motion of smaller magnetic structures over 10 hr before the appearance of the flux rope. By calculating the magnetic fields of the FPs, we deduce that the two flux ropes occupy at least 4.3 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 20} Mx and 7.6 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 20} Mx magnetic fluxes, respectively.

Development of porous structure simulator for multi-scale simulation of irregular porous catalysts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koyama, Michihisa; Suzuki, Ai; Sahnoun, Riadh; Tsuboi, Hideyuki; Hatakeyama, Nozomu; Endou, Akira; Takaba, Hiromitsu; Kubo, Momoji; Del Carpio, Carlos A.; Miyamoto, Akira

2008-01-01

Efficient development of highly functional porous materials, used as catalysts in the automobile industry, demands a meticulous knowledge of the nano-scale interface at the electronic and atomistic scale. However, it is often difficult to correlate the microscopic interfacial interactions with macroscopic characteristics of the materials; for instance, the interaction between a precious metal and its support oxide with long-term sintering properties of the catalyst. Multi-scale computational chemistry approaches can contribute to bridge the gap between micro- and macroscopic characteristics of these materials; however this type of multi-scale simulations has been difficult to apply especially to porous materials. To overcome this problem, we have developed a novel mesoscopic approach based on a porous structure simulator. This simulator can construct automatically irregular porous structures on a computer, enabling simulations with complex meso-scale structures. Moreover, in this work we have developed a new method to simulate long-term sintering properties of metal particles on porous catalysts. Finally, we have applied the method to the simulation of sintering properties of Pt on alumina support. This newly developed method has enabled us to propose a multi-scale simulation approach for porous catalysts

Advances on surface structural determination by LEED

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Soares, Edmar A; De Carvalho, Vagner E; De Castilho, Caio M C

2011-01-01

In the last 40 years, low energy electron diffraction (LEED) has proved to be the most reliable quantitative technique for surface structural determination. In this review, recent developments related to the theory that gives support to LEED structural determination are discussed under a critical analysis of the main theoretical approximation-the muffin-tin calculation. The search methodologies aimed at identifying the best matches between theoretical and experimental intensity versus voltage curves are also considered, with the most recent procedures being reviewed in detail. (topical review)

The Student Perception of University Support and Structure Scale: Development and Validation

Science.gov (United States)

Wintre, Maxine G.; Gates, Shawn K. E.; Pancer, W. Mark; Pratt, Michael S.; Polivy, Janet; Birnie-Lefcovitch, S.; Adams, Gerald

2009-01-01

A new scale, the Student Perception of University Support and Structure Scale (SPUSS), was developed for research on the transition to university. The scale was based on concepts derived from Baumrind's (1971) theory of parenting styles. Data were obtained from two separate cohorts of freshmen (n=759 and 397) attending six Canadian universities of…

Skin and scales of teleost fish: Simple structure but high performance and multiple functions

Science.gov (United States)

Vernerey, Franck J.; Barthelat, Francois

2014-08-01

Natural and man-made structural materials perform similar functions such as structural support or protection. Therefore they rely on the same types of properties: strength, robustness, lightweight. Nature can therefore provide a significant source of inspiration for new and alternative engineering designs. We report here some results regarding a very common, yet largely unknown, type of biological material: fish skin. Within a thin, flexible and lightweight layer, fish skins display a variety of strain stiffening and stabilizing mechanisms which promote multiple functions such as protection, robustness and swimming efficiency. We particularly discuss four important features pertaining to scaled skins: (a) a strongly elastic tensile behavior that is independent from the presence of rigid scales, (b) a compressive response that prevents buckling and wrinkling instabilities, which are usually predominant for thin membranes, (c) a bending response that displays nonlinear stiffening mechanisms arising from geometric constraints between neighboring scales and (d) a robust structure that preserves the above characteristics upon the loss or damage of structural elements. These important properties make fish skin an attractive model for the development of very thin and flexible armors and protective layers, especially when combined with the high penetration resistance of individual scales. Scaled structures inspired by fish skin could find applications in ultra-light and flexible armor systems, flexible electronics or the design of smart and adaptive morphing structures for aerospace vehicles.

Co-Cure-Ply Resins for High Performance, Large-Scale Structures

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Large-scale composite structures are commonly joined by secondary bonding of molded-and-cured thermoset components. This approach may result in unpredictable joint...

Fuzzy Reasoning to More Accurately Determine Void Areas on Optical Micrographs of Composite Structures

Science.gov (United States)

Dominquez, Jesus A.; Tate, Lanetra C.; Wright, M. Clara; Caraccio, Anne

2013-01-01

Accomplishing the best-performing composite matrix (resin) requires that not only the processing method but also the cure cycle generate low-void-content structures. If voids are present, the performance of the composite matrix will be significantly reduced. This is usually noticed by significant reductions in matrix-dominated properties, such as compression and shear strength. Voids in composite materials are areas that are absent of the composite components: matrix and fibers. The characteristics of the voids and their accurate estimation are critical to determine for high performance composite structures. One widely used method of performing void analysis on a composite structure sample is acquiring optical micrographs or Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) images of lateral sides of the sample and retrieving the void areas within the micrographs/images using an image analysis technique. Segmentation for the retrieval and subsequent computation of void areas within the micrographs/images is challenging as the gray-scaled values of the void areas are close to the gray-scaled values of the matrix leading to the need of manually performing the segmentation based on the histogram of the micrographs/images to retrieve the void areas. The use of an algorithm developed by NASA and based on Fuzzy Reasoning (FR) proved to overcome the difficulty of suitably differentiate void and matrix image areas with similar gray-scaled values leading not only to a more accurate estimation of void areas on composite matrix micrographs but also to a faster void analysis process as the algorithm is fully autonomous.

Primordial Non-Gaussianity in the Large-Scale Structure of the Universe

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vincent Desjacques

2010-01-01

generated the cosmological fluctuations observed today. Any detection of significant non-Gaussianity would thus have profound implications for our understanding of cosmic structure formation. The large-scale mass distribution in the Universe is a sensitive probe of the nature of initial conditions. Recent theoretical progress together with rapid developments in observational techniques will enable us to critically confront predictions of inflationary scenarios and set constraints as competitive as those from the Cosmic Microwave Background. In this paper, we review past and current efforts in the search for primordial non-Gaussianity in the large-scale structure of the Universe.

Commonness of Amazonian palm (Arecaceae) species: Cross-scale links and potential determinants

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kristiansen, Thea; Svenning, J.-C.; Grández, César

2009-01-01

was positively related to topographic niche breadth. Stem height correlated with continental range size and was the only species life-history trait related to any commonness measure. Distance from the study area to a species' range centre did not influence any of the commonness measures. The factors determining......The mechanisms that cause variation in commonness (abundances and range sizes) of species remain debated in ecology, and a repeatedly observed pattern is the positive relation between local abundances and larger scale range sizes. We used the Amazonian palm species (Arecaceae) to investigate...... the dependence between and potential determinants of commonness across three (local, landscape, continental) spatial scales. Commonness at the smaller scales (local abundance, landscape frequency) was estimated using data from 57 transects (5 × 500 m) in primary, non-inundated (terra firme) rainforest...

Comparison of Wechsler Memory Scale-Fourth Edition (WMS-IV) and Third Edition (WMS-III) dimensional structures: improved ability to evaluate auditory and visual constructs.

Science.gov (United States)

Hoelzle, James B; Nelson, Nathaniel W; Smith, Clifford A

2011-03-01

Dimensional structures underlying the Wechsler Memory Scale-Fourth Edition (WMS-IV) and Wechsler Memory Scale-Third Edition (WMS-III) were compared to determine whether the revised measure has a more coherent and clinically relevant factor structure. Principal component analyses were conducted in normative samples reported in the respective technical manuals. Empirically supported procedures guided retention of dimensions. An invariant two-dimensional WMS-IV structure reflecting constructs of auditory learning/memory and visual attention/memory (C1 = .97; C2 = .96) is more theoretically coherent than the replicable, heterogeneous WMS-III dimension (C1 = .97). This research suggests that the WMS-IV may have greater utility in identifying lateralized memory dysfunction.

Processor farming method for multi-scale analysis of masonry structures

Science.gov (United States)

Krejčí, Tomáš; Koudelka, Tomáš

2017-07-01

This paper describes a processor farming method for a coupled heat and moisture transport in masonry using a two-level approach. The motivation for the two-level description comes from difficulties connected with masonry structures, where the size of stone blocks is much larger than the size of mortar layers and very fine finite element mesh has to be used. The two-level approach is suitable for parallel computing because nearly all computations can be performed independently with little synchronization. This approach is called processor farming. The master processor is dealing with the macro-scale level - the structure and the slave processors are dealing with a homogenization procedure on the meso-scale level which is represented by an appropriate representative volume element.

Fractals and the Large-Scale Structure in the Universe

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Home; Journals; Resonance – Journal of Science Education; Volume 7; Issue 4. Fractals and the Large-Scale Structure in the Universe - Is the Cosmological Principle Valid? A K Mittal T R Seshadri. General Article Volume 7 Issue 4 April 2002 pp 39-47 ...

A structured ecosystem-scale approach to marine water quality ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

These, in turn, created the need for holistic and integrated frameworks within which to design and implement environmental management programmes. A structured ecosystem-scale approach for the design and implementation of marine water quality management programmes developed by the CSIR (South Africa) in ...

A new scaling approach for the mesoscale simulation of magnetic domain structures using Monte Carlo simulations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Radhakrishnan, B., E-mail: radhakrishnb@ornl.gov; Eisenbach, M.; Burress, T.A.

2017-06-15

Highlights: • Developed new scaling technique for dipole–dipole interaction energy. • Developed new scaling technique for exchange interaction energy. • Used scaling laws to extend atomistic simulations to micrometer length scale. • Demonstrated transition from mono-domain to vortex magnetic structure. • Simulated domain wall width and transition length scale agree with experiments. - Abstract: A new scaling approach has been proposed for the spin exchange and the dipole–dipole interaction energy as a function of the system size. The computed scaling laws are used in atomistic Monte Carlo simulations of magnetic moment evolution to predict the transition from single domain to a vortex structure as the system size increases. The width of a 180° – domain wall extracted from the simulated structures is in close agreement with experimentally values for an F–Si alloy. The transition size from a single domain to a vortex structure is also in close agreement with theoretically predicted and experimentally measured values for Fe.

Inflation and large scale structure formation after COBE

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schaefer, R.K.; Shafi, Q.

1992-06-01

The simplest realizations of the new inflationary scenario typically give rise to primordial density fluctuations which deviate logarithmically from the scale free Harrison-Zeldovich spectrum. We consider a number of such examples and, in each case we normalize the amplitude of the fluctuations with the recent COBE measurement of the microwave background anisotropy. The predictions for the bulk velocities as well as anisotropies on smaller (1-2 degrees) angular scales are compared with the Harrison-Zeldovich case. Deviations from the latter range from a few to about 15 percent. We also estimate the redshift beyond which the quasars would not be expected to be seen. The inflationary quasar cutoff redshifts can vary by as much as 25% from the Harrison-Zeldovich case. We find that the inflationary scenario provides a good starting point for a theory of large scale structure in the universe provided the dark matter is a combination of cold plus (10-30%) hot components. (author). 27 refs, 1 fig., 1 tab

Structural Quality of Service in Large-Scale Networks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, Jens Myrup

, telephony and data. To meet the requirements of the different applications, and to handle the increased vulnerability to failures, the ability to design robust networks providing good Quality of Service is crucial. However, most planning of large-scale networks today is ad-hoc based, leading to highly...... complex networks lacking predictability and global structural properties. The thesis applies the concept of Structural Quality of Service to formulate desirable global properties, and it shows how regular graph structures can be used to obtain such properties.......Digitalization has created the base for co-existence and convergence in communications, leading to an increasing use of multi service networks. This is for example seen in the Fiber To The Home implementations, where a single fiber is used for virtually all means of communication, including TV...

Scaling behavior in urban development process of Tokyo City and hierarchical dynamical structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matsuba, Ikuo; Namatame, Masanori

2003-01-01

We study a geometric structure of urban development process which pays particular attention to scaling properties in the settlement area and inhabitant population through changes in the scaling exponents. Both the degree to which the space is fulfilled and the rate at which it is filled are obtained for the residential development in Tokyo. For distances larger than the city boundary, there is a sharp cross-over to a suburban region with a quite intriguing variation with a distance from the center of the city. The population densities in this region are found to collapse into a single scaling function with the scaling exponent 0.678 in the early 1990s in which the growth of the population attenuates. We propose a cellular automata model using the simulated annealing method that succeeds in reproducing the qualitative similar structural complexity of the actual city by taking into account the transportation system, especially railroad network. Finally, a possible theoretical consideration is given in analogous with fluid dynamics. Scaling of the population density is obtained assuming that there is a dynamical hierarchical structure in the scaling region where the stationarity is fulfilled. The theoretically obtained exponent 2/3 agrees well with the observed one

Spectrally tuned structural and pigmentary coloration of birdwing butterfly wing scales.

Science.gov (United States)

Wilts, Bodo D; Matsushita, Atsuko; Arikawa, Kentaro; Stavenga, Doekele G

2015-10-06

The colourful wing patterns of butterflies play an important role for enhancing fitness; for instance, by providing camouflage, for interspecific mate recognition, or for aposematic display. Closely related butterfly species can have dramatically different wing patterns. The phenomenon is assumed to be caused by ecological processes with changing conditions, e.g. in the environment, and also by sexual selection. Here, we investigate the birdwing butterflies, Ornithoptera, the largest butterflies of the world, together forming a small genus in the butterfly family Papilionidae. The wings of these butterflies are marked by strongly coloured patches. The colours are caused by specially structured wing scales, which act as a chirped multilayer reflector, but the scales also contain papiliochrome pigments, which act as a spectral filter. The combined structural and pigmentary effects tune the coloration of the wing scales. The tuned colours are presumably important for mate recognition and signalling. By applying electron microscopy, (micro-)spectrophotometry and scatterometry we found that the various mechanisms of scale coloration of the different birdwing species strongly correlate with the taxonomical distribution of Ornithoptera species. © 2015 The Author(s).

Method of magnetic susceptibility mapping of drilled cores. Experimental measurements for geologic structures determination; Methode de cartographie de susceptibilite magnetique sur carottes de forage. Mesures experimentales pour la determination de structures geologiques

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Delrive, C

1993-11-08

The evaluation of the safety of a deep geologic repository for dangerous materials requires the knowledge of the interstitial system of the surrounding host rock. A method is proposed for the determination of geologic structures (in particular fractures) from the magnetic susceptibility mapping of drilled cores. The feasibility of the method has been demonstrated using a SQUID magneto-gradient meter. A measurement tool using a new magnetic susceptibility captor and a testing bench have been developed. This tool allows the measurement of rocks with a magnetic susceptibility greater than 10{sup -5} SI units and can generate magnetic susceptibility maps with 4 x 4 mm{sup 2} pixels. A magnetic visibility criterion has been defined which allows to foresee if a structure is visible or not. According to the measurements done, it is shown that any centimeter-scale structure with a sufficient magnetic contrast (20%) with respect to the matrix is visible. Therefore, the dip and the orientation of such structure can be determined with a 3 degree and a 5 degree precision, respectively. The position of the structure along the core axis is known with a 4 mm precision. On the other hand, about half of the magnetic contrasts observed do not correspond to the visual analyses and can be explained by very small variations of the mineralogic composition. This last point offers some interesting ways for future research using magnetic susceptibility mapping. (J.S.). 31 refs., 90 figs., 18 tabs., 2 photos., 6 appends.

Lack of sex-biased dispersal promotes fine-scale genetic structure in alpine ungulates

Science.gov (United States)

Roffler, Gretchen H.; Talbot, Sandra L.; Luikart, Gordon; Sage, George K.; Pilgrim, Kristy L.; Adams, Layne G.; Schwartz, Michael K.

2014-01-01

Identifying patterns of fine-scale genetic structure in natural populations can advance understanding of critical ecological processes such as dispersal and gene flow across heterogeneous landscapes. Alpine ungulates generally exhibit high levels of genetic structure due to female philopatry and patchy configuration of mountain habitats. We assessed the spatial scale of genetic structure and the amount of gene flow in 301 Dall’s sheep (Ovis dalli dalli) at the landscape level using 15 nuclear microsatellites and 473 base pairs of the mitochondrial (mtDNA) control region. Dall’s sheep exhibited significant genetic structure within contiguous mountain ranges, but mtDNA structure occurred at a broader geographic scale than nuclear DNA within the study area, and mtDNA structure for other North American mountain sheep populations. No evidence of male-mediated gene flow or greater philopatry of females was observed; there was little difference between markers with different modes of inheritance (pairwise nuclear DNA F ST = 0.004–0.325; mtDNA F ST = 0.009–0.544), and males were no more likely than females to be recent immigrants. Historical patterns based on mtDNA indicate separate northern and southern lineages and a pattern of expansion following regional glacial retreat. Boundaries of genetic clusters aligned geographically with prominent mountain ranges, icefields, and major river valleys based on Bayesian and hierarchical modeling of microsatellite and mtDNA data. Our results suggest that fine-scale genetic structure in Dall’s sheep is influenced by limited dispersal, and structure may be weaker in populations occurring near ancestral levels of density and distribution in continuous habitats compared to other alpine ungulates that have experienced declines and marked habitat fragmentation.

The topology of large-scale structure. III. Analysis of observations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gott, J.R. III; Weinberg, D.H.; Miller, J.; Thuan, T.X.; Schneider, S.E.

1989-01-01

A recently developed algorithm for quantitatively measuring the topology of large-scale structures in the universe was applied to a number of important observational data sets. The data sets included an Abell (1958) cluster sample out to Vmax = 22,600 km/sec, the Giovanelli and Haynes (1985) sample out to Vmax = 11,800 km/sec, the CfA sample out to Vmax = 5000 km/sec, the Thuan and Schneider (1988) dwarf sample out to Vmax = 3000 km/sec, and the Tully (1987) sample out to Vmax = 3000 km/sec. It was found that, when the topology is studied on smoothing scales significantly larger than the correlation length (i.e., smoothing length, lambda, not below 1200 km/sec), the topology is spongelike and is consistent with the standard model in which the structure seen today has grown from small fluctuations caused by random noise in the early universe. When the topology is studied on the scale of lambda of about 600 km/sec, a small shift is observed in the genus curve in the direction of a meatball topology. 66 refs

The topology of large-scale structure. III - Analysis of observations

Science.gov (United States)

Gott, J. Richard, III; Miller, John; Thuan, Trinh X.; Schneider, Stephen E.; Weinberg, David H.; Gammie, Charles; Polk, Kevin; Vogeley, Michael; Jeffrey, Scott; Bhavsar, Suketu P.; Melott, Adrian L.; Giovanelli, Riccardo; Hayes, Martha P.; Tully, R. Brent; Hamilton, Andrew J. S.

1989-05-01

A recently developed algorithm for quantitatively measuring the topology of large-scale structures in the universe was applied to a number of important observational data sets. The data sets included an Abell (1958) cluster sample out to Vmax = 22,600 km/sec, the Giovanelli and Haynes (1985) sample out to Vmax = 11,800 km/sec, the CfA sample out to Vmax = 5000 km/sec, the Thuan and Schneider (1988) dwarf sample out to Vmax = 3000 km/sec, and the Tully (1987) sample out to Vmax = 3000 km/sec. It was found that, when the topology is studied on smoothing scales significantly larger than the correlation length (i.e., smoothing length, lambda, not below 1200 km/sec), the topology is spongelike and is consistent with the standard model in which the structure seen today has grown from small fluctuations caused by random noise in the early universe. When the topology is studied on the scale of lambda of about 600 km/sec, a small shift is observed in the genus curve in the direction of a 'meatball' topology.

Finite element modeling of multilayered structures of fish scales.

Science.gov (United States)

Chandler, Mei Qiang; Allison, Paul G; Rodriguez, Rogie I; Moser, Robert D; Kennedy, Alan J

2014-12-01

The interlinked fish scales of Atractosteus spatula (alligator gar) and Polypterus senegalus (gray and albino bichir) are effective multilayered armor systems for protecting fish from threats such as aggressive conspecific interactions or predation. Both types of fish scales have multi-layered structures with a harder and stiffer outer layer, and softer and more compliant inner layers. However, there are differences in relative layer thickness, property mismatch between layers, the property gradations and nanostructures in each layer. The fracture paths and patterns of both scales under microindentation loads were different. In this work, finite element models of fish scales of A. spatula and P. senegalus were built to investigate the mechanics of their multi-layered structures under penetration loads. The models simulate a rigid microindenter penetrating the fish scales quasi-statically to understand the observed experimental results. Study results indicate that the different fracture patterns and crack paths observed in the experiments were related to the different stress fields caused by the differences in layer thickness, and spatial distribution of the elastic and plastic properties in the layers, and the differences in interface properties. The parametric studies and experimental results suggest that smaller fish such as P. senegalus may have adopted a thinner outer layer for light-weighting and improved mobility, and meanwhile adopted higher strength and higher modulus at the outer layer, and stronger interface properties to prevent ring cracking and interface cracking, and larger fish such as A. spatula and Arapaima gigas have lower strength and lower modulus at the outer layers and weaker interface properties, but have adopted thicker outer layers to provide adequate protection against ring cracking and interface cracking, possibly because weight is less of a concern relative to the smaller fish such as P. senegalus. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Scaling of structural failure

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bazant, Z.P. [Northwestern Univ., Evanston, IL (United States); Chen, Er-Ping [Sandia National Lab., Albuquerque, NM (United States)

1997-01-01

This article attempts to review the progress achieved in the understanding of scaling and size effect in the failure of structures. Particular emphasis is placed on quasibrittle materials for which the size effect is complicated. Attention is focused on three main types of size effects, namely the statistical size effect due to randomness of strength, the energy release size effect, and the possible size effect due to fractality of fracture or microcracks. Definitive conclusions on the applicability of these theories are drawn. Subsequently, the article discusses the application of the known size effect law for the measurement of material fracture properties, and the modeling of the size effect by the cohesive crack model, nonlocal finite element models and discrete element models. Extensions to compression failure and to the rate-dependent material behavior are also outlined. The damage constitutive law needed for describing a microcracked material in the fracture process zone is discussed. Various applications to quasibrittle materials, including concrete, sea ice, fiber composites, rocks and ceramics are presented.

The factor structure of the self-directed learning readiness scale | de ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The factor structure of the Self-Directed Learning Readiness Scale (SDLRS) was investigated for Afrikaans and English-speaking first-year university students. Five factors were extracted and rotated to oblique simple structure for both groups. Four of the five factors were satisfactorily replicated. The fifth factor appeared to ...

Fluid bilayer structure determination: Joint refinement in composition space using X-ray and neutron diffraction data

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

White, S.H. [Univ. of California, Irvine, CA (United States); Wiener, M.C. [Univ. of California, San Francisco, CA (United States)

1994-12-31

Experimentally-determined structural models of fluid lipid bilayers are essential for verifying molecular dynamics simulations of bilayers and for understanding the structural consequences of peptide interactions. The extreme thermal motion of bilayers precludes the possibility of atomic-level structural models. Defining {open_quote}the structure{close_quote} of a bilayer as the time-averaged transbilayer distribution of the water and the principal lipid structural groups such as the carbonyls and double-bonds (quasimolecular fragments), one can represent the bilayer structure as a sum of Gaussian functions referred to collectively as the quasimolecular structure. One method of determining the structure is by neutron diffraction combined with exhaustive specific deuteration. This method is impractical because of the expense of the chemical syntheses and the limited amount of neutron beam time currently available. We have therefore developed the composition space refinement method for combining X-ray and minimal neutron diffraction data to arrive at remarkably detailed and accurate structures of fluid bilayers. The composition space representation of the bilayer describes the probability of occupancy per unit length across the width of the bilayer of each quasimolecular component and permits the joint refinement of X-ray and neutron lamellar diffraction data by means of a single quasimolecular structure that is fitted simultaneously to both data sets. Scaling of each component by the appropriate neutron or X-ray scattering length maps the composition-space profile to the appropriate scattering length space for comparison to experimental data. The difficulty with the method is that fluid bilayer structures are generally only marginally determined by the experimental data. This means that the space of possible solutions must be extensively explored in conjunction with a thorough analysis of errors.

Fluid bilayer structure determination: Joint refinement in composition space using X-ray and neutron diffraction data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

White, S.H.; Wiener, M.C.

1994-01-01

Experimentally-determined structural models of fluid lipid bilayers are essential for verifying molecular dynamics simulations of bilayers and for understanding the structural consequences of peptide interactions. The extreme thermal motion of bilayers precludes the possibility of atomic-level structural models. Defining open-quote the structure close-quote of a bilayer as the time-averaged transbilayer distribution of the water and the principal lipid structural groups such as the carbonyls and double-bonds (quasimolecular fragments), one can represent the bilayer structure as a sum of Gaussian functions referred to collectively as the quasimolecular structure. One method of determining the structure is by neutron diffraction combined with exhaustive specific deuteration. This method is impractical because of the expense of the chemical syntheses and the limited amount of neutron beam time currently available. We have therefore developed the composition space refinement method for combining X-ray and minimal neutron diffraction data to arrive at remarkably detailed and accurate structures of fluid bilayers. The composition space representation of the bilayer describes the probability of occupancy per unit length across the width of the bilayer of each quasimolecular component and permits the joint refinement of X-ray and neutron lamellar diffraction data by means of a single quasimolecular structure that is fitted simultaneously to both data sets. Scaling of each component by the appropriate neutron or X-ray scattering length maps the composition-space profile to the appropriate scattering length space for comparison to experimental data. The difficulty with the method is that fluid bilayer structures are generally only marginally determined by the experimental data. This means that the space of possible solutions must be extensively explored in conjunction with a thorough analysis of errors

Application of multi-scale (cross-) sample entropy for structural health monitoring

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Tzu-Kang; Liang, Jui-Chang

2015-08-01

This study proposes an information-theoretic structural health monitoring (SHM) system based on multi-scale entropy (MSE) and multi-scale cross-sample entropy (MSCE). By measuring the ambient vibration signal from a structure, the damage condition can be rapidly evaluated via MSE analysis. The damage location can then be detected by analyzing the signals of different floors under the same damage condition via MSCE analysis. Moreover, a damage index is proposed to efficiently quantify the SHM process. Unlike some existing SHM methods, no experimental database or numerical model is required. Instead, a reference measurement of the current stage can initiate and launch the SHM system. A numerical simulation of a four-story steel structure is used to verify that the damage location and condition can be detected by the proposed SHM algorithm, and the location can be efficiently quantified by the damage index. A seven-story scaled-down benchmark structure is then employed for experimental verification. Based on the results, the damage condition can be correctly assessed, and average accuracy rates of 63.4 and 86.6% for the damage location can be achieved using the MSCE and damage index methods, respectively. As only the ambient vibration signal is required with a set of initial reference measurements, the proposed SHM system can be implemented practically with low cost.

Halo Models of Large Scale Structure and Reliability of Cosmological N-Body Simulations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

José Gaite

2013-05-01

Full Text Available Halo models of the large scale structure of the Universe are critically examined, focusing on the definition of halos as smooth distributions of cold dark matter. This definition is essentially based on the results of cosmological N-body simulations. By a careful analysis of the standard assumptions of halo models and N-body simulations and by taking into account previous studies of self-similarity of the cosmic web structure, we conclude that N-body cosmological simulations are not fully reliable in the range of scales where halos appear. Therefore, to have a consistent definition of halos is necessary either to define them as entities of arbitrary size with a grainy rather than smooth structure or to define their size in terms of small-scale baryonic physics.

Probing cosmology with the homogeneity scale of the Universe through large scale structure surveys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ntelis, Pierros

2017-01-01

. It is thus possible to reconstruct the distribution of matter in 3 dimensions in gigantic volumes. We can then extract various statistical observables to measure the BAO scale and the scale of homogeneity of the universe. Using Data Release 12 CMASS galaxy catalogs, we obtained precision on the homogeneity scale reduced by 5 times compared to Wiggle Z measurement. At large scales, the universe is remarkably well described in linear order by the ΛCDM-model, the standard model of cosmology. In general, it is not necessary to take into account the nonlinear effects which complicate the model at small scales. On the other hand, at large scales, the measurement of our observables becomes very sensitive to the systematic effects. This is particularly true for the analysis of cosmic homogeneity, which requires an observational method so as not to bias the measurement. In order to study the homogeneity principle in a model independent way, we explore a new way to infer distances using cosmic clocks and type Ia Supernovae. This establishes the Cosmological Principle using only a small number of a priori assumption, i.e. the theory of General Relativity and astrophysical assumptions that are independent from Friedmann Universes and in extend the homogeneity assumption. This manuscript is as follows. After a short presentation of the knowledge in cosmology necessary for the understanding of this manuscript, presented in Chapter 1, Chapter 2 will deal with the challenges of the Cosmological Principle as well as how to overcome those. In Chapter 3, we will discuss the technical characteristics of the large scale structure surveys, in particular focusing on BOSS and eBOSS galaxy surveys. Chapter 4 presents the detailed analysis of the measurement of cosmic homogeneity and the various systematic effects likely to impact our observables. Chapter 5 will discuss how to use the cosmic homogeneity as a standard ruler to constrain dark energy models from current and future surveys. In

Personality Assessment Inventory scale characteristics and factor structure in the assessment of alcohol dependency.

Science.gov (United States)

Schinka, J A

1995-02-01

Individual scale characteristics and the inventory structure of the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI; Morey, 1991) were examined by conducting internal consistency and factor analyses of item and scale score data from a large group (N = 301) of alcohol-dependent patients. Alpha coefficients, mean inter-item correlations, and corrected item-total scale correlations for the sample paralleled values reported by Morey for a large clinical sample. Minor differences in the scale factor structure of the inventory from Morey's clinical sample were found. Overall, the findings support the use of the PAI in the assessment of personality and psychopathology of alcohol-dependent patients.

Large-scale coherent structures of suspended dust concentration in the neutral atmospheric surface layer: A large-eddy simulation study

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Yangyue; Hu, Ruifeng; Zheng, Xiaojing

2018-04-01

Dust particles can remain suspended in the atmospheric boundary layer, motions of which are primarily determined by turbulent diffusion and gravitational settling. Little is known about the spatial organizations of suspended dust concentration and how turbulent coherent motions contribute to the vertical transport of dust particles. Numerous studies in recent years have revealed that large- and very-large-scale motions in the logarithmic region of laboratory-scale turbulent boundary layers also exist in the high Reynolds number atmospheric boundary layer, but their influence on dust transport is still unclear. In this study, numerical simulations of dust transport in a neutral atmospheric boundary layer based on an Eulerian modeling approach and large-eddy simulation technique are performed to investigate the coherent structures of dust concentration. The instantaneous fields confirm the existence of very long meandering streaks of dust concentration, with alternating high- and low-concentration regions. A strong negative correlation between the streamwise velocity and concentration and a mild positive correlation between the vertical velocity and concentration are observed. The spatial length scales and inclination angles of concentration structures are determined, compared with their flow counterparts. The conditionally averaged fields vividly depict that high- and low-concentration events are accompanied by a pair of counter-rotating quasi-streamwise vortices, with a downwash inside the low-concentration region and an upwash inside the high-concentration region. Through the quadrant analysis, it is indicated that the vertical dust transport is closely related to the large-scale roll modes, and ejections in high-concentration regions are the major mechanisms for the upward motions of dust particles.

Rapid and reliable protein structure determination via chemical shift threading.

Science.gov (United States)

Hafsa, Noor E; Berjanskii, Mark V; Arndt, David; Wishart, David S

2018-01-01

Protein structure determination using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy can be both time-consuming and labor intensive. Here we demonstrate how chemical shift threading can permit rapid, robust, and accurate protein structure determination using only chemical shift data. Threading is a relatively old bioinformatics technique that uses a combination of sequence information and predicted (or experimentally acquired) low-resolution structural data to generate high-resolution 3D protein structures. The key motivations behind using NMR chemical shifts for protein threading lie in the fact that they are easy to measure, they are available prior to 3D structure determination, and they contain vital structural information. The method we have developed uses not only sequence and chemical shift similarity but also chemical shift-derived secondary structure, shift-derived super-secondary structure, and shift-derived accessible surface area to generate a high quality protein structure regardless of the sequence similarity (or lack thereof) to a known structure already in the PDB. The method (called E-Thrifty) was found to be very fast (often chemical shift refinement, these results suggest that protein structure determination, using only NMR chemical shifts, is becoming increasingly practical and reliable. E-Thrifty is available as a web server at http://ethrifty.ca .

Body Appreciation Scale: Evaluation of the Factor Structure and Psychometric Properties among Male and Female Turkish University Students

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Orkide BAKALIM

2016-02-01

Full Text Available The Body Appreciation Scale (BAS was developed by Avalos, Tylka & Wood-Barcalow (2005 to determine body appreciation. The present study examined the factor structure of the BAS among Turkish women and men university students. For this purpose, confirmatory factor analysis (competing model analysis was conducted to evaluate the factor structure the BAS. Results from the confirmatory factor analysis on 741 university student (431 women; 310 men suggested that a two-factor model with four items deleted represents an adequate description of the data, and best of the factor model proposed. In terms of convergent validity of the scale a negative and significant correlation was found between body appreciation and social appearance anxiety for women and men samples. The Turkish version of the BAS demonstrated adequate internal consistency and composite reliability. Finally, findings from t-test analysis showed that the BAS scores did not differ according to gender.

The small-scale structure of the Magellanic stream as a foundation for galaxy evolution

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stanimirović S.

2010-01-01

Full Text Available The Magellanic Stream (MS is the nearest example of a gaseous trail formed by interacting galaxies. While the substantial gas masses in these kinds of circumgalactic structures are postulated to represent important sources of fuel for future star formation, the mechanisms whereby this material might be accreted back into galaxies remain unclear. Recent neutral hydrogen (HI observations have demonstrated that the northern portion of the MS, which probably has been interacting with the Milky Way's hot gaseous halo for close to 1000 Myr, has a larger spatial extent than previously recognized, while also containing significant amounts of small-scale structure. After a brief consideration of the large-scale kinematics of the MS as traced by the recently-discovered extension of the MS, we explore the aging process of the MS gas through the operation of various hydrodynamic instabilities and interstellar turbulence. This in turn leads to consideration of processes whereby MS material survives as cool gas, and yet also evidently fails to form stars. Parallels between the MS and extragalactic tidal features are brie'y discussed with an emphasis on steps toward establishing what the MS reveals about the critical role of local processes in determining the evolution of these kinds of systems.

The Small-Scale Structure of the Magellanic Stream as a Foundation for Galaxy Evolution

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nigra, L.

2010-06-01

Full Text Available The Magellanic Stream (MS is the nearest example of agaseous trail formed by interacting galaxies. While the substantial gas masses in these kinds of circumgalactic structures are postulated to represent important sources of fuel for future star formation, the mechanisms whereby this material might be accreted back into galaxies remain unclear. Recent neutral hydrogen (HI observations have demonstrated that the northern portion of the MS, which probably has been interacting with the Milky Way's hot gaseous halo for close to 1000~Myr, has a larger spatial extent than previously recognized, while also containing significant amounts of small-scale structure. After a brief consideration of the large-scale kinematics of the MS as traced by the recently-discovered extension of the MS, we explore the aging process of the MS gas through the operation of various hydrodynamic instabilities and interstellar turbulence. This in turn leads to consideration of processes whereby MS material survives as cool gas, and yet also evidently fails to form stars.Parallels between the MS and extragalactic tidal features are briefly discussed with an emphasis on steps toward establishing what the MS reveals about the critical role of local processes in determining the evolution of these kinds of systems.

Development of the simulation package 'ELSES' for extra-large-scale electronic structure calculation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hoshi, T; Fujiwara, T

2009-01-01

An early-stage version of the simulation package 'ELSES' (extra-large-scale electronic structure calculation) is developed for simulating the electronic structure and dynamics of large systems, particularly nanometer-scale and ten-nanometer-scale systems (see www.elses.jp). Input and output files are written in the extensible markup language (XML) style for general users. Related pre-/post-simulation tools are also available. A practical workflow and an example are described. A test calculation for the GaAs bulk system is shown, to demonstrate that the present code can handle systems with more than one atom species. Several future aspects are also discussed.

Integrated Structural Biology for α-Helical Membrane Protein Structure Determination.

Science.gov (United States)

Xia, Yan; Fischer, Axel W; Teixeira, Pedro; Weiner, Brian; Meiler, Jens

2018-04-03

While great progress has been made, only 10% of the nearly 1,000 integral, α-helical, multi-span membrane protein families are represented by at least one experimentally determined structure in the PDB. Previously, we developed the algorithm BCL::MP-Fold, which samples the large conformational space of membrane proteins de novo by assembling predicted secondary structure elements guided by knowledge-based potentials. Here, we present a case study of rhodopsin fold determination by integrating sparse and/or low-resolution restraints from multiple experimental techniques including electron microscopy, electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy, and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Simultaneous incorporation of orthogonal experimental restraints not only significantly improved the sampling accuracy but also allowed identification of the correct fold, which is demonstrated by a protein size-normalized transmembrane root-mean-square deviation as low as 1.2 Å. The protocol developed in this case study can be used for the determination of unknown membrane protein folds when limited experimental restraints are available. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Development of XAFS Into a Structure Determination Technique

Science.gov (United States)

Stern, E. A.

After the detection of diffraction of x-rays by M. Laue in 1912, the technique was soon applied to structure determination by Bragg within a year. On the other hand, although the edge steps in X-Ray absorption were discovered even earlier by Barkla and both the near edge (XANES) and extended X-Ray fine structure (EXAFS) past the edge were detected by 1929, it still took over 40 years to realize the structure information contained in this X-Ray absorption fine structure (XAFS). To understand this delay a brief historical review of the development of the scientific ideas that transformed XAFS into the premiere technique for local structure determination is given. The development includes both advances in theoretical understanding and calculational capabilities, and in experimental facilities, especially synchrotron radiation sources. The present state of the XAFS technique and its capabilities are summarized.

A large-scale soil-structure interaction experiment: Part I design and construction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tang, H.T.; Tang, Y.K.; Wall, I.B.; Lin, E.

1987-01-01

In the simulated earthquake experiments (SIMQUAKE) sponsored by EPRI, the detonation of vertical arrays of explosives propagated wave motions through the ground to the model structures. Although such a simulation can provide information about dynamic soil-structure interaction (SSI) characteristics in a strong motion environment, it lacks seismic wave scattering characteristics for studying seismic input to the soil-structure system and the effect of different kinds of wave composition to the soil-structure response. To supplement the inadequacy of the simulated earthquake SSI experiment, the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and the Taiwan Power Company (Taipower) jointly sponsored a large scale SSI experiment in the field. The objectives of the experiment are: (1) to obtain actual strong motion earthquakes induced database in a soft-soil environment which will substantiate predictive and design SSI models;and (2) to assess nuclear power plant reactor containment internal components dynamic response and margins relating to actual earthquake-induced excitation. These objectives are accomplished by recording and analyzing data from two instrumented, scaled down, (1/4- and 1/12-scale) reinforced concrete containments sited in a high seismic region in Taiwan where a strong-motion seismic array network is located

Structure function scaling in a Reλ = 250 turbulent mixing layer

KAUST Repository

Attili, Antonio

2011-12-22

A highly resolved Direct Numerical Simulation of a spatially developing turbulent mixing layer is presented. In the fully developed region, the flow achieves a turbulent Reynolds number Reλ = 250, high enough for a clear separation between large and dissipative scales, so for the presence of an inertial range. Structure functions have been calculated in the self-similar region using velocity time series and Taylor\\'s frozen turbulence hypothesis. The Extended Self-Similarity (ESS) concept has been employed to evaluate relative scaling exponents. A wide range of scales with scaling exponents and intermittency levels equal to homogeneous isotropic turbulence has been identified. Moreover an additional scaling range exists for larger scales; it is characterized by smaller exponents, similar to the values reported in the literature for flows with strong shear.

Structure function scaling in a Reλ = 250 turbulent mixing layer

KAUST Repository

Attili, Antonio; Bisetti, Fabrizio

2011-01-01

A highly resolved Direct Numerical Simulation of a spatially developing turbulent mixing layer is presented. In the fully developed region, the flow achieves a turbulent Reynolds number Reλ = 250, high enough for a clear separation between large and dissipative scales, so for the presence of an inertial range. Structure functions have been calculated in the self-similar region using velocity time series and Taylor's frozen turbulence hypothesis. The Extended Self-Similarity (ESS) concept has been employed to evaluate relative scaling exponents. A wide range of scales with scaling exponents and intermittency levels equal to homogeneous isotropic turbulence has been identified. Moreover an additional scaling range exists for larger scales; it is characterized by smaller exponents, similar to the values reported in the literature for flows with strong shear.

Factor Structure of Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale in Malaysian patients with coronary artery disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Kaur, Satpal; Zainal, Nor Zuraida; Low, Wah Yun; Ramasamy, Ravindran; Sidhu, Jaideep Singh

2015-05-01

The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) is a common screening instrument used to determine the levels of anxiety and depression experienced by a patient and has been extensively used in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). This study aimed to establish the factor structure of HADS in a Malaysian sample of 189 patients with CAD. Factor analysis of HADS using principal component analysis with varimax rotation yielded 3 factors. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the use of HADS in assessing 3 distinct dimensions of psychological distress--namely, anxiety, anhedonia, and psychomotor retardation. The HADS showed good internal consistency and was found to be a valid measure of psychological distress among Malaysian patients with CAD. However, low mean scores on the original 2 factors--that is, anxiety and depression--and also on the 2 depression subscales--anhedonia and psychomotor retardation--suggests that the recommended cutoff score to screen for psychological distress among CAD patients be reevaluated. Further research to determine the generalizability and consistency for the tridimensional structure of the HADS in Malaysia is recommended. © 2014 APJPH.

Heuristic algorithm for determination of local properties of scale-free networks

CERN Document Server

Mitrovic, M

2006-01-01

Complex networks are everywhere. Many phenomena in nature can be modeled as networks: - brain structures - protein-protein interaction networks - social interactions - the Internet and WWW. They can be represented in terms of nodes and edges connecting them. Important characteristics: - these networks are not random; they have a structured architecture. Structure of different networks are similar: - all have power law degree distribution (scale-free property) - despite large size there is usually relatively short path between any two nodes (small world property). Global characteristics: - degree distribution, clustering coefficient and the diameter. Local structure: - frequency of subgraphs of given type (subgraph of order k is a part of the network consisting of k nodes and edges between them). There are different types of subgraphs of the same order.

Scale characters analysis for gully structure in the watersheds of loess landforms based on digital elevation models

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Hongchun; Zhao, Yipeng; Liu, Haiying

2018-04-01

Scale is the basic attribute for expressing and describing spatial entity and phenomena. It offers theoretical significance in the study of gully structure information, variable characteristics of watershed morphology, and development evolution at different scales. This research selected five different areas in China's Loess Plateau as the experimental region and used DEM data at different scales as the experimental data. First, the change rule of the characteristic parameters of the data at different scales was analyzed. The watershed structure information did not change along with a change in the data scale. This condition was proven by selecting indices of gully bifurcation ratio and fractal dimension as characteristic parameters of watershed structure information. Then, the change rule of the characteristic parameters of gully structure with different analysis scales was analyzed by setting the scale sequence of analysis at the extraction gully. The gully structure of the watershed changed with variations in the analysis scale, and the change rule was obvious when the gully level changed. Finally, the change rule of the characteristic parameters of the gully structure at different areas was analyzed. The gully fractal dimension showed a significant numerical difference in different areas, whereas the variation of the gully branch ratio was small. The change rule indicated that the development degree of the gully obviously varied in different regions, but the morphological structure was basically similar.

Scale characters analysis for gully structure in the watersheds of loess landforms based on digital elevation models

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Hongchun; Zhao, Yipeng; Liu, Haiying

2018-06-01

Scale is the basic attribute for expressing and describing spatial entity and phenomena. It offers theoretical significance in the study of gully structure information, variable characteristics of watershed morphology, and development evolution at different scales. This research selected five different areas in China's Loess Plateau as the experimental region and used DEM data at different scales as the experimental data. First, the change rule of the characteristic parameters of the data at different scales was analyzed. The watershed structure information did not change along with a change in the data scale. This condition was proven by selecting indices of gully bifurcation ratio and fractal dimension as characteristic parameters of watershed structure information. Then, the change rule of the characteristic parameters of gully structure with different analysis scales was analyzed by setting the scale sequence of analysis at the extraction gully. The gully structure of the watershed changed with variations in the analysis scale, and the change rule was obvious when the gully level changed. Finally, the change rule of the characteristic parameters of the gully structure at different areas was analyzed. The gully fractal dimension showed a significant numerical difference in different areas, whereas the variation of the gully branch ratio was small. The change rule indicated that the development degree of the gully obviously varied in different regions, but the morphological structure was basically similar.

Novel material and structural design for large-scale marine protective devices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Qiu, Ang; Lin, Wei; Ma, Yong; Zhao, Chengbi; Tang, Youhong

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Large-scale protective devices with different structural designs have been optimized. • Large-scale protective devices with novel material designs have been optimized. • Protective devices constructed of sandwich panels have the best anti-collision performance. • Protective devices with novel material design can reduce weight and construction cost. - Abstract: Large-scale protective devices must endure the impact of severe forces, large structural deformation, the increased stress and strain rate effects, and multiple coupling effects. In evaluation of the safety of conceptual design through simulation, several key parameters considered in this research are maximum impact force, energy dissipated by the impactor (e.g. a ship) and energy absorbed by the device and the impactor stroke. During impact, the main function of the ring beam structure is to resist and buffer the impact force between ship and bridge pile caps, which could guarantee that the magnitude of impact force meets the corresponding requirements. The means of improving anti-collision performance can be to increase the strength of the beam section or to exchange the steel material with novel fiber reinforced polymer laminates. The main function of the buoyancy tank is to absorb and transfer the ship’s kinetic energy through large plastic deformation, damage, or friction occurring within itself. The energy absorption effect can be improved by structure optimization or by the use of new sandwich panels. Structural and material optimization schemes are proposed on the basis of conceptual design in this research, and protective devices constructed of sandwich panels prove to have the best anti-collision performance

Method of magnetic susceptibility mapping of drilled cores. Experimental measurements for geologic structures determination

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Delrive, C.

1993-01-01

The evaluation of the safety of a deep geologic repository for dangerous materials requires the knowledge of the interstitial system of the surrounding host rock. A method is proposed for the determination of geologic structures (in particular fractures) from the magnetic susceptibility mapping of drilled cores. The feasibility of the method has been demonstrated using a SQUID magneto-gradient meter. A measurement tool using a new magnetic susceptibility captor and a testing bench have been developed. This tool allows the measurement of rocks with a magnetic susceptibility greater than 10 -5 SI units and can generate magnetic susceptibility maps with 4 x 4 mm 2 pixels. A magnetic visibility criterion has been defined which allows to foresee if a structure is visible or not. According to the measurements done, it is shown that any centimeter-scale structure with a sufficient magnetic contrast (20%) with respect to the matrix is visible. Therefore, the dip and the orientation of such structure can be determined with a 3 degree and a 5 degree precision, respectively. The position of the structure along the core axis is known with a 4 mm precision. On the other hand, about half of the magnetic contrasts observed do not correspond to the visual analyses and can be explained by very small variations of the mineralogic composition. This last point offers some interesting ways for future research using magnetic susceptibility mapping. (J.S.). 31 refs., 90 figs., 18 tabs., 2 photos., 6 appends

Challenges in Scale-Resolving Simulations of turbulent wake flows with coherent structures

Science.gov (United States)

Pereira, Filipe S.; Eça, Luís; Vaz, Guilherme; Girimaji, Sharath S.

2018-06-01

The objective of this work is to investigate the challenges encountered in Scale-Resolving Simulations (SRS) of turbulent wake flows driven by spatially-developing coherent structures. SRS of practical interest are expressly intended for efficiently computing such flows by resolving only the most important features of the coherent structures and modelling the remainder as stochastic field. The success of SRS methods depends upon three important factors: i) ability to identify key flow mechanisms responsible for the generation of coherent structures; ii) determine the optimum range of resolution required to adequately capture key elements of coherent structures; and iii) ensure that the modelled part is comprised nearly exclusively of fully-developed stochastic turbulence. This study considers the canonical case of the flow around a circular cylinder to address the aforementioned three key issues. It is first demonstrated using experimental evidence that the vortex-shedding instability and flow-structure development involves four important stages. A series of SRS computations of progressively increasing resolution (decreasing cut-off length) are performed. An a priori basis for locating the origin of the coherent structures development is proposed and examined. The criterion is based on the fact that the coherent structures are generated by the Kelvin-Helmholtz (KH) instability. The most important finding is that the key aspects of coherent structures can be resolved only if the effective computational Reynolds number (based on total viscosity) exceeds the critical value of the KH instability in laminar flows. Finally, a quantitative criterion assessing the nature of the unresolved field based on the strain-rate ratio of mean and unresolved fields is examined. The two proposed conditions and rationale offer a quantitative basis for developing "good practice" guidelines for SRS of complex turbulent wake flows with coherent structures.

Phosphorylation variation during the cell cycle scales with structural propensities of proteins.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stefka Tyanova

Full Text Available Phosphorylation at specific residues can activate a protein, lead to its localization to particular compartments, be a trigger for protein degradation and fulfill many other biological functions. Protein phosphorylation is increasingly being studied at a large scale and in a quantitative manner that includes a temporal dimension. By contrast, structural properties of identified phosphorylation sites have so far been investigated in a static, non-quantitative way. Here we combine for the first time dynamic properties of the phosphoproteome with protein structural features. At six time points of the cell division cycle we investigate how the variation of the amount of phosphorylation correlates with the protein structure in the vicinity of the modified site. We find two distinct phosphorylation site groups: intrinsically disordered regions tend to contain sites with dynamically varying levels, whereas regions with predominantly regular secondary structures retain more constant phosphorylation levels. The two groups show preferences for different amino acids in their kinase recognition motifs - proline and other disorder-associated residues are enriched in the former group and charged residues in the latter. Furthermore, these preferences scale with the degree of disorderedness, from regular to irregular and to disordered structures. Our results suggest that the structural organization of the region in which a phosphorylation site resides may serve as an additional control mechanism. They also imply that phosphorylation sites are associated with different time scales that serve different functional needs.

Particle-scale structure in frozen colloidal suspensions from small-angle x-ray scattering

KAUST Repository

Spannuth, Melissa

2011-02-01

During directional solidification of the solvent in a colloidal suspension, the colloidal particles segregate from the growing solid, forming high-particle-density regions with structure on a hierarchy of length scales ranging from that of the particle-scale packing to the large-scale spacing between these regions. Previous work has concentrated mostly on the medium- to large-length scale structure, as it is the most accessible and thought to be more technologically relevant. However, the packing of the colloids at the particle scale is an important component not only in theoretical descriptions of the segregation process, but also to the utility of freeze-cast materials for new applications. Here we present the results of experiments in which we investigated this structure across a wide range of length scales using a combination of small-angle x-ray scattering and direct optical imaging. As expected, during freezing the particles were concentrated into regions between ice dendrites forming a microscopic pattern of high- and low-particle-density regions. X-ray scattering indicates that the particles in the high-density regions were so closely packed as to be touching. However, the arrangement of the particles does not conform to that predicted by standard interparticle pair potentials, suggesting that the particle packing induced by freezing differs from that formed during equilibrium densification processes. © 2011 American Physical Society.

Particle-scale structure in frozen colloidal suspensions from small-angle x-ray scattering

KAUST Repository

Spannuth, Melissa; Mochrie, S. G. J.; Peppin, S. S. L.; Wettlaufer, J. S.

2011-01-01

During directional solidification of the solvent in a colloidal suspension, the colloidal particles segregate from the growing solid, forming high-particle-density regions with structure on a hierarchy of length scales ranging from that of the particle-scale packing to the large-scale spacing between these regions. Previous work has concentrated mostly on the medium- to large-length scale structure, as it is the most accessible and thought to be more technologically relevant. However, the packing of the colloids at the particle scale is an important component not only in theoretical descriptions of the segregation process, but also to the utility of freeze-cast materials for new applications. Here we present the results of experiments in which we investigated this structure across a wide range of length scales using a combination of small-angle x-ray scattering and direct optical imaging. As expected, during freezing the particles were concentrated into regions between ice dendrites forming a microscopic pattern of high- and low-particle-density regions. X-ray scattering indicates that the particles in the high-density regions were so closely packed as to be touching. However, the arrangement of the particles does not conform to that predicted by standard interparticle pair potentials, suggesting that the particle packing induced by freezing differs from that formed during equilibrium densification processes. © 2011 American Physical Society.

The seesaw space, a vector space to identify and characterize large-scale structures at 1 AU

Science.gov (United States)

Lara, A.; Niembro, T.

2017-12-01

We introduce the seesaw space, an orthonormal space formed by the local and the global fluctuations of any of the four basic solar parameters: velocity, density, magnetic field and temperature at any heliospheric distance. The fluctuations compare the standard deviation of a moving average of three hours against the running average of the parameter in a month (consider as the local fluctuations) and in a year (global fluctuations) We created this new vectorial spaces to identify the arrival of transients to any spacecraft without the need of an observer. We applied our method to the one-minute resolution data of WIND spacecraft from 1996 to 2016. To study the behavior of the seesaw norms in terms of the solar cycle, we computed annual histograms and fixed piecewise functions formed by two log-normal distributions and observed that one of the distributions is due to large-scale structures while the other to the ambient solar wind. The norm values in which the piecewise functions change vary in terms of the solar cycle. We compared the seesaw norms of each of the basic parameters due to the arrival of coronal mass ejections, co-rotating interaction regions and sector boundaries reported in literature. High seesaw norms are due to large-scale structures. We found three critical values of the norms that can be used to determined the arrival of coronal mass ejections. We present as well general comparisons of the norms during the two maxima and the minimum solar cycle periods and the differences of the norms due to large-scale structures depending on each period.

Using the Karolinska Scales of Personality on male juvenile delinquents: relationships between scales and factor structure.

Science.gov (United States)

Dåderman, Anna M; Hellström, Ake; Wennberg, Peter; Törestad, Bertil

2005-01-01

The aim of the present study was to investigate relationships between scales from the Karolinska Scales of Personality (KSP) and the factor structure of the KSP in a sample of male juvenile delinquents. The KSP was administered to a group of male juvenile delinquents (n=55, mean age 17 years; standard deviation=1.2) from four Swedish national correctional institutions for serious offenders. As expected, the KSP showed appropriate correlations between the scales. Factor analysis (maximum likelihood) arrived at a four-factor solution in this sample, which is in line with previous research performed in a non-clinical sample of Swedish males. More research is needed in a somewhat larger sample of juvenile delinquents in order to confirm the present results regarding the factor solution.

Influence of structured sidewalls on the wetting states and superhydrophobic stability of surfaces with dual-scale roughness

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wu, Huaping, E-mail: wuhuaping@gmail.com [Key Laboratory of E& M (Zhejiang University of Technology), Ministry of Education & Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou 310014 (China); State Key Laboratory of Structural Analysis for Industrial Equipment, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024 (China); Zhu, Kai; Wu, Bingbing [Key Laboratory of E& M (Zhejiang University of Technology), Ministry of Education & Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou 310014 (China); Lou, Jia [Piezoelectric Device Laboratory, Department of Mechanics and Engineering Science, Ningbo University, Ningbo, Zhejiang 315211 (China); Zhang, Zheng [Key Laboratory of E& M (Zhejiang University of Technology), Ministry of Education & Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou 310014 (China); Chai, Guozhong, E-mail: chaigz@zjut.edu.cn [Key Laboratory of E& M (Zhejiang University of Technology), Ministry of Education & Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou 310014 (China)

2016-09-30

Highlights: • Apparent contact angle equation of all wetting states on dual-scale rough surfaces is derived. • Structured sidewalls can improve superhydrophobicity than smooth sidewalls. • Structured sidewalls can enlarge ACA than smooth sidewalls. • Structured sidewalls present an advantage over smooth sidewalls in terms of enhancing superhydrophobic stability. - Abstract: The superhydrophobicity of biological surfaces with dual-scale roughness has recently received considerable attention because of the unique wettability of such surfaces. Based on this, artificial micro/nano hierarchical structures with structured sidewalls and smooth sidewalls were designed and the influences of sidewall configurations (i.e., structured and smooth) on the wetting state of micro/nano hierarchical structures were systematically investigated based on thermodynamics and the principle of minimum free energy. Wetting transition and superhydrophobic stability were then analyzed for a droplet on dual-scale rough surfaces with structured and smooth sidewalls. Theoretical analysis results show that dual-scale rough surfaces with structured sidewalls have a larger “stable superhydrophobic region” than those with smooth sidewalls. The dual-scale rough surfaces with smooth sidewalls can enlarge the apparent contact angle (ACA) without improvement in the superhydrophobic stability. By contrast, dual-scale rough surfaces with structured sidewalls present an advantage over those with smooth sidewalls in terms of enlarging ACA and enhancing superhydrophobic stability. The proposed thermodynamic model is valid when compared with previous experimental data and numerical analysis results, which is helpful for designing and understanding the wetting states and superhydrophobic stability of surfaces with dual-scale roughness.

Scaling for deuteron structure functions in a relativistic light-front model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Polyzou, W.N.; Gloeckle, W.

1996-01-01

Scaling limits of the structure functions [B.D. Keister, Phys. Rev. C 37, 1765 (1988)], W 1 and W 2 , are studied in a relativistic model of the two-nucleon system. The relativistic model is defined by a unitary representation, U(Λ,a), of the Poincaracute e group which acts on the Hilbert space of two spinless nucleons. The representation is in Dirac close-quote s [P.A.M. Dirac, Rev. Mod. Phys. 21, 392 (1949)] light-front formulation of relativistic quantum mechanics and is designed to give the experimental deuteron mass and n-p scattering length. A model hadronic current operator that is conserved and covariant with respect to this representation is used to define the structure tensor. This work is the first step in a relativistic extension of the results of Hueber, Gloeckle, and Boemelburg. The nonrelativistic limit of the model is shown to be consistent with the nonrelativistic model of Hueber, Gloeckle, and Boemelburg. [D. Hueber et al. Phys. Rev. C 42, 2342 (1990)]. The relativistic and nonrelativistic scaling limits, for both Bjorken and y scaling are compared. The interpretation of y scaling in the relativistic model is studied critically. The standard interpretation of y scaling requires a soft wave function which is not realized in this model. The scaling limits in both the relativistic and nonrelativistic case are related to probability distributions associated with the target deuteron. copyright 1996 The American Physical Society

Uniform functional structure across spatial scales in an intertidal benthic assemblage.

Science.gov (United States)

Barnes, R S K; Hamylton, Sarah

2015-05-01

To investigate the causes of the remarkable similarity of emergent assemblage properties that has been demonstrated across disparate intertidal seagrass sites and assemblages, this study examined whether their emergent functional-group metrics are scale related by testing the null hypothesis that functional diversity and the suite of dominant functional groups in seagrass-associated macrofauna are robust structural features of such assemblages and do not vary spatially across nested scales within a 0.4 ha area. This was carried out via a lattice of 64 spatially referenced stations. Although densities of individual components were patchily dispersed across the locality, rank orders of importance of the 14 functional groups present, their overall functional diversity and evenness, and the proportions of the total individuals contained within each showed, in contrast, statistically significant spatial uniformity, even at areal scales functional groups in their geospatial context also revealed weaker than expected levels of spatial autocorrelation, and then only at the smaller scales and amongst the most dominant groups, and only a small number of negative correlations occurred between the proportional importances of the individual groups. In effect, such patterning was a surface veneer overlying remarkable stability of assemblage functional composition across all spatial scales. Although assemblage species composition is known to be homogeneous in some soft-sediment marine systems over equivalent scales, this combination of patchy individual components yet basically constant functional-group structure seems as yet unreported. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

De novo protein structure determination using sparse NMR data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bowers, Peter M.; Strauss, Charlie E.M.; Baker, David

2000-01-01

We describe a method for generating moderate to high-resolution protein structures using limited NMR data combined with the ab initio protein structure prediction method Rosetta. Peptide fragments are selected from proteins of known structure based on sequence similarity and consistency with chemical shift and NOE data. Models are built from these fragments by minimizing an energy function that favors hydrophobic burial, strand pairing, and satisfaction of NOE constraints. Models generated using this procedure with ∼1 NOE constraint per residue are in some cases closer to the corresponding X-ray structures than the published NMR solution structures. The method requires only the sparse constraints available during initial stages of NMR structure determination, and thus holds promise for increasing the speed with which protein solution structures can be determined

Radiochemical determination of 210 Pb and 226Ra in petroleum sludges and scales

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Araujo, Andressa Arruda de

2005-01-01

The oil extraction and production, both onshore and offshore, can generate different types of residues, such as sludge, that is deposited in the water/oil separators, valves and storage tanks and scales, which form i the inner surface of ducts and equipment. Analyses already carried out through gamma spectrometry indicated the existence of high radioisotope concentration. However, radionuclides emitting low-energy gamma-rays, such as 210 Pb, are hardly detected by that technique. Consequently, there is a need to test alternative techniques to determine this and other radionuclides from the 238 U series. This work, therefore, focuses on the radiochemical determination of the concentration of 210 Pb, and 226 Ra in samples of sludge and scale from the oil processing stations of the UN-SEAL, a PETROBRAS unit responsible for the exploration and production of petroleum in Sergipe and Alagoas. The sludge and scale samples went through a preliminary process of extraction of oil, in order to separate the solid phase, where the largest fraction of the radioactivity is concentrated. After oil removal, the samples were digested using alkaline fusion as an option for dissolution. Finally, their activity concentration was determined for the samples of sludge and scales, using and alternative radiochemical method, which is based on ionic exchange. The activity concentration found for 210 Pb varied from 1,14 to 507,3 kBq kg -1 . The values for 226 Ra were higher, varying from 4,36 to 3.445 kBq kg -1 . The results for 226 Ra were then compared with the ones found for the same samples of sludge and scales using gamma spectrometry. The results of the comparison confirm the efficiency of the methodology used int hi work, that is, radiochemical determination by means of ionic exchange. (author)

Time-sliced perturbation theory for large scale structure I: general formalism

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Blas, Diego; Garny, Mathias; Sibiryakov, Sergey [Theory Division, CERN, CH-1211 Genève 23 (Switzerland); Ivanov, Mikhail M., E-mail: diego.blas@cern.ch, E-mail: mathias.garny@cern.ch, E-mail: mikhail.ivanov@cern.ch, E-mail: sergey.sibiryakov@cern.ch [FSB/ITP/LPPC, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, CH-1015, Lausanne (Switzerland)

2016-07-01

We present a new analytic approach to describe large scale structure formation in the mildly non-linear regime. The central object of the method is the time-dependent probability distribution function generating correlators of the cosmological observables at a given moment of time. Expanding the distribution function around the Gaussian weight we formulate a perturbative technique to calculate non-linear corrections to cosmological correlators, similar to the diagrammatic expansion in a three-dimensional Euclidean quantum field theory, with time playing the role of an external parameter. For the physically relevant case of cold dark matter in an Einstein-de Sitter universe, the time evolution of the distribution function can be found exactly and is encapsulated by a time-dependent coupling constant controlling the perturbative expansion. We show that all building blocks of the expansion are free from spurious infrared enhanced contributions that plague the standard cosmological perturbation theory. This paves the way towards the systematic resummation of infrared effects in large scale structure formation. We also argue that the approach proposed here provides a natural framework to account for the influence of short-scale dynamics on larger scales along the lines of effective field theory.

Factor Structure and Psychometric Properties of the Injection Phobia Scale-Anxiety

Science.gov (United States)

Olatunji, Bunmi O.; Sawchuk, Craig N.; Moretz, Melanie W.; David, Bieke; Armstrong, Thomas; Ciesielski, Bethany G.

2010-01-01

The present investigation examined the factor structure and psychometric properties of the Injection Phobia Scale-Anxiety (IPS-Anx). Principal components analysis of IPS-Anx items in Study 1 (n = 498) revealed a 2-factor structure consisting of Distal Fear and Contact Fear. However, CFA results in Study 2 (n = 567) suggest that a 1-factor…

FACTOR STRUCTURE OF THE BRIEF NEGATIVE SYMPTOM SCALE

OpenAIRE

Strauss, Gregory P.; Hong, L. Elliot; Gold, James M.; Buchanan, Robert W.; McMahon, Robert P.; Keller, William R.; Fischer, Bernard A.; Catalano, Lauren T.; Culbreth, Adam J.; Carpenter, William T.; Kirkpatrick, Brian

2012-01-01

The current study examined the factor structure of the Brief Negative Symptom Scale (BNSS), a next-generation negative symptom rating instrument developed in response to the NIMH-sponsored Consensus Development Conference on Negative Symptoms. Participants included 146 individuals with a DSM-IV diagnosis of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. Principal axis factoring indicated two distinct factors explaining 68.7% of the variance. Similar to previous findings, the factors reflected mot...

Atomic-scale structural signature of dynamic heterogeneities in metallic liquids

Science.gov (United States)

Pasturel, Alain; Jakse, Noel

2017-08-01

With sufficiently high cooling rates, liquids will cross their equilibrium melting temperatures and can be maintained in a metastable undercooled state before solidifying. Studies of undercooled liquids reveal several intriguing dynamic phenomena and because explicit connections between liquid structure and liquids dynamics are difficult to identify, it remains a major challenge to capture the underlying structural link to these phenomena. Ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) simulations are yet especially powerful in providing atomic-scale details otherwise not accessible in experiments. Through the AIMD-based study of Cr additions in Al-based liquids, we evidence for the first time a close relationship between the decoupling of component diffusion and the emergence of dynamic heterogeneities in the undercooling regime. In addition, we demonstrate that the origin of both phenomena is related to a structural heterogeneity caused by a strong interplay between chemical short-range order (CSRO) and local fivefold topology (ISRO) at the short-range scale in the liquid phase that develops into an icosahedral-based medium-range order (IMRO) upon undercooling. Finally, our findings reveal that this structural signature is also captured in the temperature dependence of partial pair-distribution functions which opens up the route to more elaborated experimental studies.

Evolutionary-Optimized Photonic Network Structure in White Beetle Wing Scales.

Science.gov (United States)

Wilts, Bodo D; Sheng, Xiaoyuan; Holler, Mirko; Diaz, Ana; Guizar-Sicairos, Manuel; Raabe, Jörg; Hoppe, Robert; Liu, Shu-Hao; Langford, Richard; Onelli, Olimpia D; Chen, Duyu; Torquato, Salvatore; Steiner, Ullrich; Schroer, Christian G; Vignolini, Silvia; Sepe, Alessandro

2018-05-01

Most studies of structural color in nature concern periodic arrays, which through the interference of light create color. The "color" white however relies on the multiple scattering of light within a randomly structured medium, which randomizes the direction and phase of incident light. Opaque white materials therefore must be much thicker than periodic structures. It is known that flying insects create "white" in extremely thin layers. This raises the question, whether evolution has optimized the wing scale morphology for white reflection at a minimum material use. This hypothesis is difficult to prove, since this requires the detailed knowledge of the scattering morphology combined with a suitable theoretical model. Here, a cryoptychographic X-ray tomography method is employed to obtain a full 3D structural dataset of the network morphology within a white beetle wing scale. By digitally manipulating this 3D representation, this study demonstrates that this morphology indeed provides the highest white retroreflection at the minimum use of material, and hence weight for the organism. Changing any of the network parameters (within the parameter space accessible by biological materials) either increases the weight, increases the thickness, or reduces reflectivity, providing clear evidence for the evolutionary optimization of this morphology. © 2017 The Authors. Published by WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Agri-Environmental Resource Management by Large-Scale Collective Action: Determining KEY Success Factors

Science.gov (United States)

Uetake, Tetsuya

2015-01-01

Purpose: Large-scale collective action is necessary when managing agricultural natural resources such as biodiversity and water quality. This paper determines the key factors to the success of such action. Design/Methodology/Approach: This paper analyses four large-scale collective actions used to manage agri-environmental resources in Canada and…

Origin of large-scale cell structure in the universe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zel'dovich, Y.B.

1982-01-01

A qualitative explanation is offered for the characteristic global structure of the universe, wherein ''black'' regions devoid of galaxies are surrounded on all sides by closed, comparatively thin, ''bright'' layers populated by galaxies. The interpretation rests on some very general arguments regarding the growth of large-scale perturbations in a cold gas

Broadband Structural Dynamics: Understanding the Impulse-Response of Structures Across Multiple Length and Time Scales

Science.gov (United States)

2010-08-18

Spectral domain response calculated • Time domain response obtained through inverse transform Approach 4: WASABI Wavelet Analysis of Structural Anomalies...differences at unity scale! Time Function Transform Apply Spectral Domain Transfer Function Time Function Inverse Transform Transform Transform  mtP

An Examination of the Structure of Sustainable Facilities Planning Scale for User Satisfaction in Nigerian Universities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abayomi Ibiyemi

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Universities are under increasing pressure to demonstrate that continuous performance improvement is being delivered for user satisfaction, but the importance of facilities planning as a student-staff focused tool needs to be emphasised. This research sought answers to questions relating to the underlying structure of sustainable facilities planning and user satisfaction, and the number of factors that make up the facilities planning scale. Three universities from the south-western part of Nigeria were selected randomly using ownership structure to define the cases: University of Lagos, Akoka, Lagos, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso and Joseph Ayo Babalola University, Ikeji Arakeji, each representing the Federal, State, and Private ownership. A questionnaire survey was used on a random sample of 651 staff and students from the three universities. Six hundred questionnaires were retrieved (response rate of 92.2%. An exploratory factor analysis was used to understand the responses and the interrelationships. The results showed a two-factor solution of ‘locational advantages and user needs’ and ‘adequacy of facilities/functional connection and four core determinants for acceptance. It is concluded that universities should factor student-staff focus points into their facilities planning schemes to optimise their service deliveries. The study contributes to the discussion on factor structure of sustainable facilities planning scale with a focus on students and staff of universities.   Keywords: Facilities planning, universities, data structure, factors, Nigeria.

An Examination of the Structure of Sustainable Facilities Planning Scale for User Satisfaction in Nigerian Universities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abayomi Ibiyemi

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Universities are under increasing pressure to demonstrate that continuous performance improvement is being delivered for user satisfaction, but the importance of facilities planning as a student-staff focused tool needs to be emphasised. This research sought answers to questions relating to the underlying structure of sustainable facilities planning and user satisfaction, and the number of factors that make up the facilities planning scale. Three universities from the south-western part of Nigeria were selected randomly using ownership structure to define the cases: University of Lagos, Akoka, Lagos, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso and Joseph Ayo Babalola University, Ikeji Arakeji, each representing the Federal, State, and Private ownership. A questionnaire survey was used on a random sample of 651 staff and students from the three universities. Six hundred questionnaires were retrieved (response rate of 92.2%. An exploratory factor analysis was used to understand the responses and the interrelationships. The results showed a two-factor solution of ‘locational advantages and user needs’ and ‘adequacy of facilities/functional connection and four core determinants for acceptance. It is concluded that universities should factor student-staff focus points into their facilities planning schemes to optimise their service deliveries. The study contributes to the discussion on factor structure of sustainable facilities planning scale with a focus on students and staff of universities. Keywords: Facilities planning, universities, data structure, factors, Nigeria.

In cellulo structure determination of a novel cypovirus polyhedrin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Axford, Danny; Ji, Xiaoyun; Stuart, David I.; Sutton, Geoff

2014-01-01

The crystal structure of a previously unsolved type of cypovirus polyhedrin has been determined from data collected directly from frozen live insect cells. This work demonstrates that with the use of a microfocus synchrotron beam the structure of a novel viral polyhedrin could be successfully determined from microcrystals within cells, removing the preparatory step of sample isolation and maintaining a favourable biological environment. The data obtained are of high quality, comparable to that obtained from isolated crystals, and enabled a facile structure determination. A small but significant difference is observed between the unit-cell parameters and the mosaic spread of in cellulo and isolated crystals, suggesting that even these robust crystals are adversely affected by removal from the cell

Small-scale structure in the diffuse interstellar medium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meyer, D.M.

1990-01-01

The initial results of a study to probe the small-scale structure in the diffuse interstellar medium (ISM) through IUE and optical observations of interstellar absorption lines toward both components of resolvable binary stars is reported. The binaries (Kappa CrA, 57 Aql, 59 And, HR 1609/10, 19 Lyn, and Theta Ser) observed with IUE have projected linear separations ranging from 5700 to 700 Au. Except for Kappa CrA, the strengths of the interstellar absorption lines toward both components of these binaries agree to within 10 percent. In the case of Kappa CrA, the optically thin interstellar Mg I and Mn II lines are about 50 percent stronger toward Kappa-2 CrA than Kappa-1 CrA. Higher resolution observations of interstellar Ca II show that this difference is concentrated in the main interstellar component at V(LSR) = 9 + or - 2 km/s. Interestingly, this velocity corresponds to an intervening cloud that may be associated with the prominent Loop I shell in the local ISM. Given the separation (23 arcsec) and distance (120 pc) of Kappa CrA, the line strength variations indicate that this cloud has structure on scales of 2800 AU or less. 21 refs

Ion-Scale Structure in Mercury's Magnetopause Reconnection Diffusion Region

Science.gov (United States)

Gershman, Daniel J.; Dorelli, John C.; DiBraccio, Gina A.; Raines, Jim M.; Slavin, James A.; Poh, Gangkai; Zurbuchen, Thomas H.

2016-01-01

The strength and time dependence of the electric field in a magnetopause diffusion region relate to the rate of magnetic reconnection between the solar wind and a planetary magnetic field. Here we use approximately 150 milliseconds measurements of energetic electrons from the Mercury Surface, Space Environment, GEochemistry, and Ranging (MESSENGER) spacecraft observed over Mercury's dayside polar cap boundary (PCB) to infer such small-scale changes in magnetic topology and reconnection rates. We provide the first direct measurement of open magnetic topology in flux transfer events at Mercury, structures thought to account for a significant portion of the open magnetic flux transport throughout the magnetosphere. In addition, variations in PCB latitude likely correspond to intermittent bursts of approximately 0.3 to 3 millivolts per meter reconnection electric fields separated by approximately 5 to10 seconds, resulting in average and peak normalized dayside reconnection rates of approximately 0.02 and approximately 0.2, respectively. These data demonstrate that structure in the magnetopause diffusion region at Mercury occurs at the smallest ion scales relevant to reconnection physics.

Determination of atomic cluster structure with cluster fusion algorithm

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Obolensky, Oleg I.; Solov'yov, Ilia; Solov'yov, Andrey V.

2005-01-01

We report an efficient scheme of global optimization, called cluster fusion algorithm, which has proved its reliability and high efficiency in determination of the structure of various atomic clusters.......We report an efficient scheme of global optimization, called cluster fusion algorithm, which has proved its reliability and high efficiency in determination of the structure of various atomic clusters....

Auxiliary basis expansions for large-scale electronic structure calculations.

Science.gov (United States)

Jung, Yousung; Sodt, Alex; Gill, Peter M W; Head-Gordon, Martin

2005-05-10

One way to reduce the computational cost of electronic structure calculations is to use auxiliary basis expansions to approximate four-center integrals in terms of two- and three-center integrals, usually by using the variationally optimum Coulomb metric to determine the expansion coefficients. However, the long-range decay behavior of the auxiliary basis expansion coefficients has not been characterized. We find that this decay can be surprisingly slow. Numerical experiments on linear alkanes and a toy model both show that the decay can be as slow as 1/r in the distance between the auxiliary function and the fitted charge distribution. The Coulomb metric fitting equations also involve divergent matrix elements for extended systems treated with periodic boundary conditions. An attenuated Coulomb metric that is short-range can eliminate these oddities without substantially degrading calculated relative energies. The sparsity of the fit coefficients is assessed on simple hydrocarbon molecules and shows quite early onset of linear growth in the number of significant coefficients with system size using the attenuated Coulomb metric. Hence it is possible to design linear scaling auxiliary basis methods without additional approximations to treat large systems.

Assessment of the confiability and factorial structure of three scales measuring chronic procrastination

OpenAIRE

Doris Argumedo Bustinza; Karem Díaz Cema; Arturo Calderón García; Juan Francisco Díaz-Morales; Joseph R. Ferrari

2005-01-01

This study explores the confiability and factorial structure of three scales measuring chronic procrastination: Scale of General Procrastination (EPG. Lay. 1986). Adult Procrastinatio Inventory (lPA. McCown & Johnson as cited in Ferrari. Johnson & McCown. 1995) and the Scale of Procrastination in Decision-Making (PTF. Mann. 1982). The sample included 514 adults between 20 and 65 years of age from Lima. The three scales showed high levels of intemal consistency and factorial analysis s...

Dye-sensitized solar cells: Atomic scale investigation of interface structure and dynamics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ma Wei; Zhang Fan; Meng Sheng

2014-01-01

Recent progress in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSC) research is reviewed, focusing on atomic-scale investigations of the interface electronic structures and dynamical processes, including the structure of dye adsorption onto TiO 2 , ultrafast electron injection, hot-electron injection, multiple-exciton generation, and electron—hole recombination. Advanced experimental techniques and theoretical approaches are briefly summarized, and then progressive achievements in photovoltaic device optimization based on insights from atomic scale investigations are introduced. Finally, some challenges and opportunities for further improvement of dye solar cells are presented. (invited review — international conference on nanoscience and technology, china 2013)

Factorial Structure of Rosenberg's Self-Esteem Scale among Crack-Cocaine Drug Users.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Jichuan; Siegal, Harvey A.; Falck, Russell S.; Carlson, Robert G.

2001-01-01

Used nine different confirmatory factor analysis models to test the factorial structure of Rosenberg's (M. Rosenberg, 1965) self-esteem scale with a sample of 430 crack-cocaine users. Results partly support earlier research to show a single global self-esteem factor underlying responses to the Rosenberg scale, method effects associated with item…

INCREASING RETURNS TO SCALE, DYNAMICS OF INDUSTRIAL STRUCTURE AND SIZE DISTRIBUTION OF FIRMS

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Ying FAN; Menghui LI; Zengru DI

2006-01-01

A multi-agent model is presented to discuss the market dynamics and the size distribution of firms.The model emphasizes the effects of increasing returns to scale and gives the description of the born and death of adaptive producers. The evolution of market structure and its behavior under the technological shocks are investigated. Its dynamical results are in good agreement with some empirical "stylized facts" of industrial evolution. With the diversity of demand and adaptive growth strategies of firms, the firm size in the generalized model obeys the power-law distribution. Three factors mainly determine the competitive dynamics and the skewed size distributions of firms: 1. Self-reinforcing mechanism; 2. Adaptive firm growing strategies; 3. Demand diversity or widespread heterogeneity in the technological capabilities of firms.

Kinetic Scale Structure of Low-frequency Waves and Fluctuations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

López, Rodrigo A.; Yoon, Peter H. [Institute for Physical Science and Technology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742 (United States); Viñas, Adolfo F. [NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Heliophysics Science Division, Geospace Physics Laboratory, Mail Code 673, Greenbelt, MD 20771 (United States); Araneda, Jaime A., E-mail: rlopezh@umd.edu, E-mail: yoonp@umd.edu [Departamento de Física, Facultad de Ciencias Físicas y Matemáticas, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción (Chile)

2017-08-10

The dissipation of solar wind turbulence at kinetic scales is believed to be important for the heating of the corona and for accelerating the wind. The linear Vlasov kinetic theory is a useful tool for identifying various wave modes, including kinetic Alfvén, fast magnetosonic/whistler, and ion-acoustic (or kinetic slow), and their possible roles in the dissipation. However, the kinetic mode structure in the vicinity of ion-cyclotron modes is not clearly understood. The present paper aims to further elucidate the structure of these low-frequency waves by introducing discrete particle effects through hybrid simulations and Klimontovich formalism of spontaneous emission theory. The theory and simulation of spontaneously emitted low-frequency fluctuations are employed to identify and distinguish the detailed mode structures associated with ion-Bernstein modes versus quasi-modes. The spontaneous emission theory and simulation also confirm the findings of the Vlasov theory in that the kinetic Alfvén waves can be defined over a wide range of frequencies, including the proton cyclotron frequency and its harmonics, especially for high-beta plasmas. This implies that these low-frequency modes may play predominant roles even in the fully kinetic description of kinetic scale turbulence and dissipation despite the fact that cyclotron harmonic and Bernstein modes may also play important roles in wave–particle interactions.

CO2 emissions and economic activity: Short- and long-run economic determinants of scale, energy intensity and carbon intensity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andersson, Fredrik N.G.; Karpestam, Peter

2013-01-01

We analyze the short-term and the long-term determinants of energy intensity, carbon intensity and scale effects for eight developed economies and two emerging economies from 1973 to 2007. Our results show that there is a difference between the short-term and the long-term results and that climate policy are more likely to affect emission over the long-term than over the short-term. Climate policies should therefore be aimed at a time horizon of at least 8 years and year-on-year changes in emissions contains little information about the trend path of emissions. In the long-run capital accumulation is the main driver of emissions. Productivity growth reduces the energy intensity while the real oil price reduces both the energy intensity and the carbon intensity. The real oil price effect suggests that a global carbon tax is an important policy tool to reduce emissions, but our results also suggest that a carbon tax is likely to be insufficient decouple emission from economic growth. Such a decoupling is likely to require a structural transformation of the economy. The key policy challenge is thus to build new economic structures where investments in green technologies are more profitable. - Highlights: • We model determinants of scale, energy intensity and carbon intensity. • Using band spectrum regressions, we separate between short and long run effects. • Different economic variables affect emission in the short and long run. • CO 2 reducing policies should have a long run horizon of (at least 8 years). • A low carbon society requires a structural transformation of the economy

Spatial scale affects the relative role of stochasticity versus determinism in soil bacterial communities in wheat fields across the North China Plain.

Science.gov (United States)

Shi, Yu; Li, Yuntao; Xiang, Xingjia; Sun, Ruibo; Yang, Teng; He, Dan; Zhang, Kaoping; Ni, Yingying; Zhu, Yong-Guan; Adams, Jonathan M; Chu, Haiyan

2018-02-05

The relative importance of stochasticity versus determinism in soil bacterial communities is unclear, as are the possible influences that alter the balance between these. Here, we investigated the influence of spatial scale on the relative role of stochasticity and determinism in agricultural monocultures consisting only of wheat, thereby minimizing the influence of differences in plant species cover and in cultivation/disturbance regime, extending across a wide range of soils and climates of the North China Plain (NCP). We sampled 243 sites across 1092 km and sequenced the 16S rRNA bacterial gene using MiSeq. We hypothesized that determinism would play a relatively stronger role at the broadest scales, due to the strong influence of climate and soil differences in selecting many distinct OTUs of bacteria adapted to the different environments. In order to test the more general applicability of the hypothesis, we also compared with a natural ecosystem on the Tibetan Plateau. Our results revealed that the relative importance of stochasticity vs. determinism did vary with spatial scale, in the direction predicted. On the North China Plain, stochasticity played a dominant role from 150 to 900 km (separation between pairs of sites) and determinism dominated at more than 900 km (broad scale). On the Tibetan Plateau, determinism played a dominant role from 130 to 1200 km and stochasticity dominated at less than 130 km. Among the identifiable deterministic factors, soil pH showed the strongest influence on soil bacterial community structure and diversity across the North China Plain. Together, 23.9% of variation in soil microbial community composition could be explained, with environmental factors accounting for 19.7% and spatial parameters 4.1%. Our findings revealed that (1) stochastic processes are relatively more important on the North China Plain, while deterministic processes are more important on the Tibetan Plateau; (2) soil pH was the major factor in shaping

Experimental investigation of torque scaling and coherent structures in turbulent Taylor–Couette flow

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tokgoz, S; Elsinga, G E; Delfos, R; Westerweel, J

2011-01-01

The effect of flow structures to the torque values of fully turbulent Taylor-Couette flow was experimentally studied using tomographic PIV. The measurements were performed for various relative cylinder rotation speeds and Reynolds numbers, based on a study of Ravelet et al. (2010). We confirmed that the flow structures are strongly influenced by the rotation number. Our analyses using time-averaged mean flow showed the presence of Taylor vortices for the two smallest rotation numbers that were studied. Increasing the rotation number initially resulted in the shape deformation of the Taylor vortices. Further increment towards only outer cylinder rotation, showed transition to the dominance of the small scale vortices and absence of Taylor vortex-like structures. We compared the transition of the flow structures with the curves of dimensionless torque. Sudden changes of the flow structures confirmed the presence of transition points on the torque curve, where the dominance of small and large scale vortical structures on the mean flow interchanges.

Direct electron crystallographic determination of zeolite zonal structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dorset, Douglas L.; Gilmore, Christopher J.; Jorda, Jose Luis; Nicolopoulos, Stavros

2007-01-01

The prospect for improving the success of ab initio zeolite structure investigations with electron diffraction data is evaluated. First of all, the quality of intensities obtained by precession electron diffraction at small hollow cone illumination angles is evaluated for seven representative materials: ITQ-1, ITQ-7, ITQ-29, ZSM-5, ZSM-10, mordenite, and MCM-68. It is clear that, for most examples, an appreciable fraction of a secondary scattering perturbation is removed by precession at small angles. In one case, ZSM-10, it can also be argued that precession diffraction produces a dramatically improved 'kinematical' data set. There seems to no real support for application of a Lorentz correction to these data and there is no reason to expect for any of these samples that a two-beam dynamical scattering relationship between structure factor amplitude and observed intensity should be valid. Removal of secondary scattering by the precession mode appears to facilitate ab initio structure analysis. Most zeolite structures investigated could be solved by maximum entropy and likelihood phasing via error-correcting codes when precession data were used. Examples include the projected structure of mordenite that could not be determined from selected area data alone. One anomaly is the case of ZSM-5, where the best structure determination in projection is made from selected area diffraction data. In a control study, the zonal structure of SSZ-48 could be determined from selected area diffraction data by either maximum entropy and likelihood or traditional direct methods. While the maximum entropy and likelihood approach enjoys some advantages over traditional direct methods (non-dependence on predicted phase invariant sums), some effort must be made to improve the figures of merit used to identify potential structure solutions

Capital Structure Determinants of Small and Medium Enterprises in Croatia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nataša Šarlija

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Most of the research about capital structure is focused towards two theories: trade off theory (TOT and pecking order theory (POT. The idea is to explore which theory works better in certain conditions and identify the key determinants that affect the capital structure of the company. However, in different countries different determinants with opposite relation to the leverage are found to be significant. Besides, most of the previous researches are oriented on listed companies. The aim of this paper is to analyse the capital structure of small and medium enterprises in Croatia through the analysis of the fundamental determinants of the capital structure. The research was conducted on a data sample of 500 SMEs in Croatia in the period of 2005–2011. On the unbalanced panel data set a linear regression is applied. Influence of determinants on leverage is estimated by a static panel model with random effect and with fixed effect estimation. Four capital structure determinants are analysed: growth, size, profitability and tangible assets. The results of this research support the pecking order theory confirming that SMEs in Croatia are primarily financed frominternally generated funds that affect profitability, growth, tangible assets and enterprise size.

The determinants of capital structure: evidence from Dutch panel data

OpenAIRE

Chen, Linda H.; Lensink, Robert; Sterken, Elmer

1999-01-01

This paper studies the determinants of capital structure choice of Dutch firms. Our main objective is to investigate whether and to what extent the main capital structure theories can explain capital structure choice of Dutch firms. A better understanding of the capital structure determinants in a rela-tively small yet open industrialized economy is essential not only for enrich-ing empirical studies in this field, but also for the purpose of cross country asset evaluation. By estimating a pa...

Coulometric-potentiometric determination of autoprotolysis constant and relative acidity scale of water

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Džudović Radmila M.

2010-01-01

Full Text Available The autoprotolysis constant and relative acidity scale of water were determined by applying the coulometric-potentiometric method and a hydrogen/palladium (H2/Pd generator anode. In the described procedure for the evaluation of autoprotolysis constant, a strong base generated coulometrically at the platinum cathode in situ in the electrolytic cell, in presence of sodium perchlorate as the supporting electrolyte, is titrated with hydrogen ions obtained by the anodic oxidation of hydrogen dissolved in palladium electrode. The titration was carried out with a glass-SCE electrode pair at 25.0±0.1°C. The value obtained pKw = 13.91 ± 0.06 is in agreement with literature data. The range of acidity scale of water is determined from the difference between the halfneutralization potentials of electrogenerated perchloric acid and that of sodium hydroxide in a sodium perchlorate medium. The halfneutralization potentials were measured using both a glass-SCE and a (H2/Pdind-SCE electrode pairs. A wider range of relative acidity scale of water was obtained with the glass-SCE electrode pair.

Towards a Gravity Dual for the Large Scale Structure of the Universe

CERN Document Server

Kehagias, A.

2016-01-01

The dynamics of the large-scale structure of the universe enjoys at all scales, even in the highly non-linear regime, a Lifshitz symmetry during the matter-dominated period. In this paper we propose a general class of six-dimensional spacetimes which could be a gravity dual to the four-dimensional large-scale structure of the universe. In this set-up, the Lifshitz symmetry manifests itself as an isometry in the bulk and our universe is a four-dimensional brane moving in such six-dimensional bulk. After finding the correspondence between the bulk and the brane dynamical Lifshitz exponents, we find the intriguing result that the preferred value of the dynamical Lifshitz exponent of our observed universe, at both linear and non-linear scales, corresponds to a fixed point of the RGE flow of the dynamical Lifshitz exponent in the dual system where the symmetry is enhanced to the Schrodinger group containing a non-relativistic conformal symmetry. We also investigate the RGE flow between fixed points of the Lifshitz...

Transaction cost determinants of credit governance structures of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This paper explores transaction cost determinants of credit governance structures (CGS) of commercial banks in Tanzania. Descriptive statistics, linear regression model, binary and multinomial logistic regression models were employed for analysis. Findings revealed four modes of credit governance structures that are ...

Quantitative anomalous small-angle X-ray scattering - The determination of chemical concentrations in nano-scale phases

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goerigk, G.; Huber, K.; Mattern, N.; Williamson, D.L.

2012-01-01

In the last years Anomalous Small-Angle X-ray Scattering became a precise quantitative method resolving scattering contributions two or three orders of magnitude smaller compared to the overall small-angle scattering, which are related to the so-called pure-resonant scattering contribution. Additionally to the structural information precise quantitative information about the different constituents of multi-component systems like the fraction of a chemical component implemented into the materials nano-structures are obtained from these scattering contributions. The application of the Gauss elimination algorithm to the vector equation established by ASAXS measurements at three X-ray energies is demonstrated for three examples from chemistry and solid state physics. All examples deal with the quantitative analysis of the Resonant Invariant (RI-analysis). From the integrals of the pure-resonant scattering contribution the chemical concentrations in nano-scaled phases are determined. In one example the correlated analysis of the Resonant Invariant and the Non-resonant Invariant (NI-analysis) is employed. (authors)

LANDIS PRO: a landscape model that predicts forest composition and structure changes at regional scales

Science.gov (United States)

Wen J. Wang; Hong S. He; Jacob S. Fraser; Frank R. Thompson; Stephen R. Shifley; Martin A. Spetich

2014-01-01

LANDIS PRO predicts forest composition and structure changes incorporating species-, stand-, and landscape-scales processes at regional scales. Species-scale processes include tree growth, establishment, and mortality. Stand-scale processes contain density- and size-related resource competition that regulates self-thinning and seedling establishment. Landscapescale...

Visions of Atomic Scale Tomography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kelly, T.F.; Miller, Michael K.; Rajan, Krishna; Ringer, S.P.

2012-01-01

A microscope, by definition, provides structural and analytical information about objects that are too small to see with the unaided eye. From the very first microscope, efforts to improve its capabilities and push them to ever-finer length scales have been pursued. In this context, it would seem that the concept of an ultimate microscope would have received much attention by now; but has it really ever been defined? Human knowledge extends to structures on a scale much finer than atoms, so it might seem that a proton-scale microscope or a quark-scale microscope would be the ultimate. However, we argue that an atomic-scale microscope is the ultimate for the following reason: the smallest building block for either synthetic structures or natural structures is the atom. Indeed, humans and nature both engineer structures with atoms, not quarks. So far as we know, all building blocks (atoms) of a given type are identical; it is the assembly of the building blocks that makes a useful structure. Thus, would a microscope that determines the position and identity of every atom in a structure with high precision and for large volumes be the ultimate microscope? We argue, yes. In this article, we consider how it could be built, and we ponder the answer to the equally important follow-on questions: who would care if it is built, and what could be achieved with it?

Patterned Electroplating of Micrometer Scale Magnetic Structures on Glass Substrates

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Vries, A.H.B.; Kanger, Johannes S.; Krenn, Bea E.; van Driel, Roel

2004-01-01

This paper has developed a new method of micro patterned electroplating that enables the fabrication of micrometer scale magnetic structures on glass substrates. In contrast to other methods, the process as developed here leaves the surrounding substrate area untouched: that is there is no seed

Patterned electroplating of micrometer scale magnetic structures on glass substrates.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Vries, A.H.B.; Kanger, S.J.; Krenn, G.E.; van Driel, R.

2004-01-01

This paper has developed a new method of micro patterned electroplating that enables the fabrication of micrometer scale magnetic structures on glass substrates. In contrast to other methods, the process as developed here leaves the surrounding substrate area untouched: that is there is no seed

ADVANTAGES OF RAPID METHOD FOR DETERMINING SCALE MASS AND DECARBURIZED LAYER OF ROLLED COIL STEEL

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

E. V. Parusov

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Purpose. To determine the universal empirical relationships that allow for operational calculation of scale mass and decarbonized layer depth based on the parameters of the technological process for rolled coil steel production. Methodology. The research is carried out on the industrial batches of the rolled steel of SAE 1006 and SAE 1065 grades. Scale removability was determined in accordance with the procedure of «Bekaert» company by the specifi-cations: GA-03-16, GA-03-18, GS-03-02, GS-06-01. The depth of decarbonized layer was identified in accordance with GOST 1763-68 (M method. Findings. Analysis of experimental data allowed us to determine the rational temperature of coil formation of the investigated steel grades, which provide the best possible removal of scale from the metal surface, a minimal amount of scale, as well as compliance of the metal surface color with the require-ments of European consumers. Originality. The work allowed establishing correlation of the basic quality indicators of the rolled coil high carbon steel (scale mass, depth of decarbonized layer and inter-laminar distance in pearlite with one of the main parameters (coil formation temperature of the deformation and heat treatment mode. The re-sulting regression equations, without metallographic analysis, can be used to determine, with a minimum error, the quantitative values of the total scale mass, depth of decarbonized layer and the average inter-lamellar distance in pearlite of the rolled coil high carbon steel. Practical value. Based on the specifications of «Bekaert» company (GA-03-16, GA-03-18, GS-03-02 and GS-06-01 the method of testing descaling by mechanical means from the surface of the rolled coil steel of low- and high-carbon steel grades was developed and approved in the environment of PJSC «ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih». The work resulted in development of the rapid method for determination of total and remaining scale mass on the rolled coil steel

A precise determination of the nucleon structure functions in charged-current interactions on an iron target

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vallage, B.

1987-01-01

570 000 neutrino-iron and 370 000 antineutrino-iron charged-current events were obtained from the Wide Band Beam exposure of the CDHS detector at CERN in 1983, at energies ranging from 20 to 400 GeV. These large statistics allowed a precise measurement of the charged-current differential cross-sections and a detailed study of systematic effects. The nucleon structure functions have been determined in the framework of the quark-parton model, in the kinematic range: 0.015 2 2 /c 2 . The longitudinal structure function F L (x) is in good agreement with the QCD predicted shape. Deviations from scale invariance are clearly seen from the functions F 2 and xF 3 . The Q 2 evolution of the valence quark distribution has been compared with the QCD prediction in order to measure the scale parameter Λ. A good agreement is obtained only if the low Q 2 points are removed from the comparison. Our experiment favours a value of Λ between 50 and 250 MeV [fr

Engineering polyelectrolyte multilayer structure at the nanometer length scale by tuning polymer solution conformation.

Science.gov (United States)

Boddohi, Soheil; Killingsworth, Christopher; Kipper, Matt

2008-03-01

Chitosan (a weak polycation) and heparin (a strong polyanion) are used to make polyelectrolyte multilayers (PEM). PEM thickness and composition are determined as a function of solution pH (4.6 to 5.8) and ionic strength (0.1 to 0.5 M). Over this range, increasing pH increases the PEM thickness; however, the sensitivity to changes in pH is a strong function of ionic strength. The PEM thickness data are correlated to the polymer conformation in solution. Polyelectrolyte conformation in solution is characterized by gel permeation chromatography (GPC). The highest sensitivity of PEM structure to pH is obtained at intermediate ionic strength. Different interactions govern the conformation and adsorption phenomena at low and high ionic strength, leading to reduced sensitivity to solution pH at extreme ionic strengths. The correspondence between PEM thickness and polymer solution conformation offers opportunities to tune polymer thin film structure at the nanometer length scale by controlling simple, reproducible processing conditions.

Intercorrelation of the WISC-R and the Renzulli-Hartman Scale for Determination of Gifted Placement.

Science.gov (United States)

Lowrance, Dan; Anderson, Howard N.

In order to compare the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children--Revised (WISC-R) and the Renzulli-Hartman Scale for Determination of Gifted Placement, 192 potentially gifted elementary students were rated on both tests. A correlation matrix indicated that one of the four subscales of the Renzulli-Hartman Scale, the Learning Characteristics…

Large scale electronic structure calculations in the study of the condensed phase

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Dam, H.J.J.; Guest, M.F.; Sherwood, P.; Thomas, J.M.H.; van Lenthe, J.H.; van Lingen, J.N.J.; Bailey, C.L.; Bush, I.J.

2006-01-01

We consider the role that large-scale electronic structure computations can now play in the modelling of the condensed phase. To structure our analysis, we consider four distict ways in which today's scientific targets can be re-scoped to take advantage of advances in computing resources: 1. time to

On Hierarchical Extensions of Large-Scale 4-regular Grid Network Structures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, Jens Myrup; Patel, A.; Knudsen, Thomas Phillip

2004-01-01

dependencies between the number of nodes and the distances in the structures. The perfect square mesh is introduced for hierarchies, and it is shown that applying ordered hierarchies in this way results in logarithmic dependencies between the number of nodes and the distances, resulting in better scaling...... structures. For example, in a mesh of 391876 nodes the average distance is reduced from 417.33 to 17.32 by adding hierarchical lines. This is gained by increasing the number of lines by 4.20% compared to the non-hierarchical structure. A similar hierarchical extension of the torus structure also results...

Landscape-Level and Fine-Scale Genetic Structure of the Neo tropical Tree Protium spruceanum (Burseraceae)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vieira, F.D.A.; Fajardo, C.G.; De Souza, A.M.; Dulciniea De Carvalho, D.

2010-01-01

Knowledge of genetic structure at different scales and correlation with the current landscape is fundamental for evaluating the importance of evolutionary processes and identifying conservation units. Here, we used allozyme loci to examine the spatial genetic structure (SGS) of 230 individuals of Protium spruceanum, a native canopy-emergent in five fragments of Brazilian Atlantic forest (1 to 11.8 ha), and four ecological corridors (460 to 1000 m length). Wright's FST statistic and Mantel tests revealed little evidence of significant genetic structure at the landscape-scale (FST=0.027; rM=-0.051, P=.539). At fine-scale SGS, low levels of relatedness within fragments and corridors (Sp=0.008, P>.05) were observed. Differences in the levels and distribution of the SGS at both spatial scales are discussed in relation to biological and conservation strategies of corridors and forest fragments.

A structural equation modelling of the academic self-concept scale

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Musa Matovu

2014-03-01

Full Text Available The study aimed at validating the academic self-concept scale by Liu and Wang (2005 in measuring academic self-concept among university students. Structural equation modelling was used to validate the scale which was composed of two subscales; academic confidence and academic effort. The study was conducted on university students; males and females from different levels of study and faculties. In this study the influence of academic self-concept on academic achievement was assessed, tested whether the hypothesised model fitted the data, analysed the invariance of the path coefficients among the moderating variables, and also, highlighted whether academic confidence and academic effort measured academic selfconcept. The results from the model revealed that academic self-concept influenced academic achievement and the hypothesised model fitted the data. The results also supported the model as the causal structure was not sensitive to gender, levels of study, and faculties of students; hence, applicable to all the groups taken as moderating variables. It was also noted that academic confidence and academic effort are a measure of academic self-concept. According to the results the academic self-concept scale by Liu and Wang (2005 was deemed adequate in collecting information about academic self-concept among university students.

Measures of large-scale structure in the CfA redshift survey slices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

De Lapparent, V.; Geller, M.J.; Huchra, J.P.

1991-01-01

Variations of the counts-in-cells with cell size are used here to define two statistical measures of large-scale clustering in three 6 deg slices of the CfA redshift survey. A percolation criterion is used to estimate the filling factor which measures the fraction of the total volume in the survey occupied by the large-scale structures. For the full 18 deg slice of the CfA redshift survey, f is about 0.25 + or - 0.05. After removing groups with more than five members from two of the slices, variations of the counts in occupied cells with cell size have a power-law behavior with a slope beta about 2.2 on scales from 1-10/h Mpc. Application of both this statistic and the percolation analysis to simulations suggests that a network of two-dimensional structures is a better description of the geometry of the clustering in the CfA slices than a network of one-dimensional structures. Counts-in-cells are also used to estimate at 0.3 galaxy h-squared/Mpc the average galaxy surface density in sheets like the Great Wall. 46 refs

Determinants of capital structure and financial crisis impact: evidence

OpenAIRE

Proença, Pedro Miguel Correia

2012-01-01

Mestrado em contabilidade The objectives of this empirical work are to investigate the determinants of Portuguese SMEs capital structure, evaluate whether and how the impacts of those determinants affect the debt ratios and examine the effects of financial crisis and industry on Portuguese SMEs capital structure. The sample used considers the period 2007-2010, resulting in 12.857 Portugues e SMEs per year observations. R...

X-ray structure determination and deuteration of nattokinase

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yanagisawa, Yasuhide; Chatake, Toshiyuki; Naito, Sawa; Ohsugi, Tadanori; Yatagai, Chieko; Sumi, Hiroyuki; Kawaguchi, Akio; Chiba-Kamosida, Kaori; Ogawa, Megumi; Adachi, Tatsumi; Morimoto, Yukio

2013-01-01

X-ray structure determination and deuteration of nattokinase were performed to facilitate neutron crystallographic analysis. Nattokinase (NK) is a strong fibrinolytic enzyme, which is produced in abundance by Bacillus subtilis natto. Although NK is a member of the subtilisin family, it displays different substrate specificity when compared with other subtilisins. The results of molecular simulations predict that hydrogen arrangements around Ser221 at the active site probably account for the substrate specificity of NK. Therefore, neutron crystallographic analysis should provide valuable information that reveals the enzymatic mechanism of NK. In this report, the X-ray structure of the non-hydrogen form of undeuterated NK was determined, and the preparation of deuterated NK was successfully achieved. The non-hydrogen NK structure was determined at 1.74 Å resolution. The three-dimensional structures of NK and subtilisin E from Bacillus subtilis DB104 are near identical. Deuteration of NK was carried out by cultivating Bacillus subtilis natto in deuterated medium. The D 2 O resistant strain of Bacillus subtilis natto was obtained by successive cultivation rounds, in which the concentration of D 2 O in the medium was gradually increased. NK was purified from the culture medium and its activity was confirmed by the fibrin plate method. The results lay the framework for neutron protein crystallography analysis

Determination of vibration amplitudes and neutron-mechanical scale factors in the PWR nuclear power plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kostic, Lj.; Heidemann, P.; Runkel, J.

1997-01-01

Displacements of vibrating reactor components which can not be measured by other means during normal reactor operation can be determined through the scale factors from the neutron spectra of signals measured by the standard in-core neutron instrumentation. Neutron-mechanical scale factors are determined for the vibrations of fuel assemblies and reactor pressure vessel/core barrel system using the signals of in-core neutron detectors and accelerometers. (author)

Large-scale seismic test for soil-structure interaction research in Hualien, Taiwan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ueshima, T.; Kokusho, T.; Okamoto, T.

1995-01-01

It is important to evaluate dynamic soil-structure interaction more accurately in the aseismic design of important facilities such as nuclear power plants. A large-scale model structure with about 1/4th of commercial nuclear power plants was constructed on the gravelly layers in seismically active Hualien, Taiwan. This international joint project is called 'the Hualien LSST Project', where 'LSST' is short for Large-Scale Seismic Test. In this paper, research tasks and responsibilities, the process of the construction work and research tasks along the time-line, main results obtained up to now, and so on in this Project are described. (J.P.N.)

The Singularity Structure of Scale-Invariant Rank-2 Coulomb Branches

OpenAIRE

Argyres, Philip C.; Long, Cody; Martone, Mario

2018-01-01

We compute the spectrum of scaling dimensions of Coulomb branch operators in 4d rank-2 $\\mathcal{N}{=}2$ superconformal field theories. Only a finite rational set of scaling dimensions is allowed. It is determined by using information about the global topology of the locus of metric singularities on the Coulomb branch, the special K\\"ahler geometry near those singularities, and electric-magnetic duality monodromies along orbits of the $\\rm\\, U(1)_R$ symmetry. A set of novel topological and ge...

Factor Structure and Measurement Invariance of the Need-Supportive Teaching Style Scale for Physical Education.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Jing-Dong; Chung, Pak-Kwong

2017-08-01

The purpose of the current study was to examine the factor structure and measurement invariance of a scale measuring students' perceptions of need-supportive teaching (Need-Supportive Teaching Style Scale in Physical Education; NSTSSPE). We sampled 615 secondary school students in Hong Kong, 200 of whom also completed a follow-up assessment two months later. Factor structure of the scale was examined through exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM). Further, nomological validity of the NSTSSPE was evaluated by examining the relationships between need-supportive teaching style and student satisfaction of psychological needs. Finally, four measurement models-configural, metric invariance, scalar invariance, and item uniqueness invariance-were assessed using multiple group ESEM to test the measurement invariance of the scale across gender, grade, and time. ESEM results suggested a three-factor structure of the NSTSSPE. Nomological validity was supported, and weak, strong, and strict measurement invariance of the NSTSSPE was evidenced across gender, grade, and time. The current study provides initial psychometric support for the NSTSSPE to assess student perceptions of teachers' need-supportive teaching style in physical education classes.

Application of Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling to Evaluate the Academic Motivation Scale

Science.gov (United States)

Guay, Frédéric; Morin, Alexandre J. S.; Litalien, David; Valois, Pierre; Vallerand, Robert J.

2015-01-01

In this research, the authors examined the construct validity of scores of the Academic Motivation Scale using exploratory structural equation modeling. Study 1 and Study 2 involved 1,416 college students and 4,498 high school students, respectively. First, results of both studies indicated that the factor structure tested with exploratory…

Planck 2013 results. XVII. Gravitational lensing by large-scale structure

CERN Document Server

Ade, P.A.R.; Armitage-Caplan, C.; Arnaud, M.; Ashdown, M.; Atrio-Barandela, F.; Aumont, J.; Baccigalupi, C.; Banday, A.J.; Barreiro, R.B.; Bartlett, J.G.; Basak, S.; Battaner, E.; Benabed, K.; Benoit, A.; Benoit-Levy, A.; Bernard, J.P.; Bersanelli, M.; Bielewicz, P.; Bobin, J.; Bock, J.J.; Bonaldi, A.; Bonavera, L.; Bond, J.R.; Borrill, J.; Bouchet, F.R.; Bridges, M.; Bucher, M.; Burigana, C.; Butler, R.C.; Cardoso, J.F.; Catalano, A.; Challinor, A.; Chamballu, A.; Chiang, L.Y.; Chiang, H.C.; Christensen, P.R.; Church, S.; Clements, D.L.; Colombi, S.; Colombo, L.P.L.; Couchot, F.; Coulais, A.; Crill, B.P.; Curto, A.; Cuttaia, F.; Danese, L.; Davies, R.D.; Davis, R.J.; de Bernardis, P.; de Rosa, A.; de Zotti, G.; Dechelette, T.; Delabrouille, J.; Delouis, J.M.; Desert, F.X.; Dickinson, C.; Diego, J.M.; Dole, H.; Donzelli, S.; Dore, O.; Douspis, M.; Dunkley, J.; Dupac, X.; Efstathiou, G.; Ensslin, T.A.; Eriksen, H.K.; Finelli, F.; Forni, O.; Frailis, M.; Franceschi, E.; Galeotta, S.; Ganga, K.; Giard, M.; Giardino, G.; Giraud-Heraud, Y.; Gonzalez-Nuevo, J.; Gorski, K.M.; Gratton, S.; Gregorio, A.; Gruppuso, A.; Gudmundsson, J.E.; Hansen, F.K.; Hanson, D.; Harrison, D.; Henrot-Versille, S.; Hernandez-Monteagudo, C.; Herranz, D.; Hildebrandt, S.R.; Hivon, E.; Ho, S.; Hobson, M.; Holmes, W.A.; Hornstrup, A.; Hovest, W.; Huffenberger, K.M.; Jaffe, T.R.; Jaffe, A.H.; Jones, W.C.; Juvela, M.; Keihanen, E.; Keskitalo, R.; Kisner, T.S.; Kneissl, R.; Knoche, J.; Knox, L.; Kunz, M.; Kurki-Suonio, H.; Lagache, G.; Lahteenmaki, A.; Lamarre, J.M.; Lasenby, A.; Laureijs, R.J.; Lavabre, A.; Lawrence, C.R.; Leahy, J.P.; Leonardi, R.; Leon-Tavares, J.; Lesgourgues, J.; Lewis, A.; Liguori, M.; Lilje, P.B.; Linden-Vornle, M.; Lopez-Caniego, M.; Lubin, P.M.; Macias-Perez, J.F.; Maffei, B.; Maino, D.; Mandolesi, N.; Mangilli, A.; Maris, M.; Marshall, D.J.; Martin, P.G.; Martinez-Gonzalez, E.; Masi, S.; Matarrese, S.; Matthai, F.; Mazzotta, P.; Melchiorri, A.; Mendes, L.; Mennella, A.; Migliaccio, M.; Mitra, S.; Miville-Deschenes, M.A.; Moneti, A.; Montier, L.; Morgante, G.; Mortlock, D.; Moss, A.; Munshi, D.; Naselsky, P.; Nati, F.; Natoli, P.; Netterfield, C.B.; Norgaard-Nielsen, H.U.; Noviello, F.; Novikov, D.; Novikov, I.; Osborne, S.; Oxborrow, C.A.; Paci, F.; Pagano, L.; Pajot, F.; Paoletti, D.; Partridge, B.; Pasian, F.; Patanchon, G.; Perdereau, O.; Perotto, L.; Perrotta, F.; Piacentini, F.; Piat, M.; Pierpaoli, E.; Pietrobon, D.; Plaszczynski, S.; Pointecouteau, E.; Polenta, G.; Ponthieu, N.; Popa, L.; Poutanen, T.; Pratt, G.W.; Prezeau, G.; Prunet, S.; Puget, J.L.; Pullen, A.R.; Rachen, J.P.; Rebolo, R.; Reinecke, M.; Remazeilles, M.; Renault, C.; Ricciardi, S.; Riller, T.; Ristorcelli, I.; Rocha, G.; Rosset, C.; Roudier, G.; Rowan-Robinson, M.; Rubino-Martin, J.A.; Rusholme, B.; Sandri, M.; Santos, D.; Savini, G.; Scott, D.; Seiffert, M.D.; Shellard, E.P.S.; Spencer, L.D.; Starck, J.L.; Stolyarov, V.; Stompor, R.; Sudiwala, R.; Sunyaev, R.; Sureau, F.; Sutton, D.; Suur-Uski, A.S.; Sygnet, J.F.; Tauber, J.A.; Tavagnacco, D.; Terenzi, L.; Toffolatti, L.; Tomasi, M.; Tristram, M.; Tucci, M.; Tuovinen, J.; Umana, G.; Valenziano, L.; Valiviita, J.; Van Tent, B.; Vielva, P.; Villa, F.; Vittorio, N.; Wade, L.A.; Wandelt, B.D.; White, M.; White, S.D.M.; Yvon, D.; Zacchei, A.; Zonca, A.

2014-01-01

On the arcminute angular scales probed by Planck, the CMB anisotropies are gently perturbed by gravitational lensing. Here we present a detailed study of this effect, detecting lensing independently in the 100, 143, and 217GHz frequency bands with an overall significance of greater than 25sigma. We use the temperature-gradient correlations induced by lensing to reconstruct a (noisy) map of the CMB lensing potential, which provides an integrated measure of the mass distribution back to the CMB last-scattering surface. Our lensing potential map is significantly correlated with other tracers of mass, a fact which we demonstrate using several representative tracers of large-scale structure. We estimate the power spectrum of the lensing potential, finding generally good agreement with expectations from the best-fitting LCDM model for the Planck temperature power spectrum, showing that this measurement at z=1100 correctly predicts the properties of the lower-redshift, later-time structures which source the lensing ...

Structural determinants of students' employability: Influence of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Structural determinants of students' employability: Influence of career ... greatest influence on students' employability, followed by decision-making skills, and ... efforts in developing app-ropriate strategies so as to engage undergraduates with ...

Denotational, Causal, and Operational Determinism in Event Structures

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Rensink, Arend; Kirchner, H.

1996-01-01

Determinism of labelled transition systems and trees is a concept of theoretical and practical importance. We study its generalisation to event structures. It turns out that the result depends on what characterising property of tree determinism one sets out to generalise. We present three distinct

Denotational, Causal, and Operational Determinism in Event Structures

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Rensink, Arend

Determinism is a theoretically and practically important concept in labelled transition systems and trees. We study its generalisation to event structures. It turns out that the result depends on what characterising property of tree determinism one sets out to generalise. We present three distinct

Coherent structures at ion scales in fast and slow solar wind: Cluster observations

Science.gov (United States)

Perrone, D.; Alexandrova, O.; Zouganelis, Y.; Roberts, O.; Lion, S.; Escoubet, C. P.; Walsh, A. P.; Maksimovic, M.; Lacombe, C.

2017-12-01

Spacecraft measurements generally reveal that solar wind electromagnetic fluctuations are in a state of fully-developed turbulence. Turbulence represents a very complex problem in plasmas since cross-scale coupling and kinetic effects are present. Moreover, the intermittency phenomenon, i.e. the manifestation of the non-uniform and inhomogeneous energy transfer and dissipation in a turbulent system, represents a very important aspect of the solar wind turbulent cascade. Here, we study coherent structures responsible for solar wind intermittency around ion characteristic scales. We find that, in fast solar wind, intermittency is due to Alfvén vortex-like structures and current sheets. In slow solar wind, we observe as well compressive structures like magnetic solitons, holes and shocks. By using high-time resolution magnetic field data of multi-point measurements of Cluster spacecraft, we characterize the observed coherent structures in terms of topology and propagation speed. We show that all structures around ion characteristic scales, both in fast and slow solar wind, are characterized by a strong wave-vector anisotropy in the perpendicular direction with respect to the local magnetic field. Moreover, some of them propagate in the plasma rest frame in the direction perpendicular to the local field. Finally, a further analysis on the electron and ion velocity distributions shows a high variability; in particular, close to coherent structures the electron and ion distribution functions appear strongly deformed and far from the thermodynamic equilibrium. Possible interpretations of the observed structures and their role in the heating process of the plasma are also discussed.

Scaling strength distributions in quasi-brittle materials from micro-to macro-scales: A computational approach to modeling Nature-inspired structural ceramics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Genet, Martin; Couegnat, Guillaume; Tomsia, Antoni P.; Ritchie, Robert O.

2014-01-01

This paper presents an approach to predict the strength distribution of quasi-brittle materials across multiple length-scales, with emphasis on Nature-inspired ceramic structures. It permits the computation of the failure probability of any structure under any mechanical load, solely based on considerations of the microstructure and its failure properties by naturally incorporating the statistical and size-dependent aspects of failure. We overcome the intrinsic limitations of single periodic unit-based approaches by computing the successive failures of the material components and associated stress redistributions on arbitrary numbers of periodic units. For large size samples, the microscopic cells are replaced by a homogenized continuum with equivalent stochastic and damaged constitutive behavior. After establishing the predictive capabilities of the method, and illustrating its potential relevance to several engineering problems, we employ it in the study of the shape and scaling of strength distributions across differing length-scales for a particular quasi-brittle system. We find that the strength distributions display a Weibull form for samples of size approaching the periodic unit; however, these distributions become closer to normal with further increase in sample size before finally reverting to a Weibull form for macroscopic sized samples. In terms of scaling, we find that the weakest link scaling applies only to microscopic, and not macroscopic scale, samples. These findings are discussed in relation to failure patterns computed at different size-scales. (authors)

Evolution of atomic-scale surface structures during ion bombardment: A fractal simulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shaheen, M.A.; Ruzic, D.N.

1993-01-01

Surfaces of interest in microelectronics have been shown to exhibit fractal topographies on the atomic scale. A model utilizing self-similar fractals to simulate surface roughness has been added to the ion bombardment code TRIM. The model has successfully predicted experimental sputtering yields of low energy (less then 1000 eV) Ar on Si and D on C using experimentally determined fractal dimensions. Under ion bombardment the fractal surface structures evolve as the atoms in the collision cascade are displaced or sputtered. These atoms have been tracked and the evolution of the surface in steps of one monolayer of flux has been determined. The Ar--Si system has been studied for incidence energies of 100 and 500 eV, and incidence angles of 0 degree, 30 degree, and 60 degree. As expected, normally incident ion bombardment tends to reduce the roughness of the surface, whereas large angle ion bombardment increases the degree of surface roughness. Of particular interest though, the surfaces are still locally self-similar fractals after ion bombardment and a steady state fractal dimension is reached, except at large angles of incidence

Effects of baryons on the statistical properties of large scale structure of the Universe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guillet, T.

2010-01-01

Observations of weak gravitational lensing will provide strong constraints on the cosmic expansion history and the growth rate of large scale structure, yielding clues to the properties and nature of dark energy. Their interpretation is impacted by baryonic physics, which are expected to modify the total matter distribution at small scales. My work has focused on determining and modeling the impact of baryons on the statistics of the large scale matter distribution in the Universe. Using numerical simulations, I have extracted the effect of baryons on the power spectrum, variance and skewness of the total density field as predicted by these simulations. I have shown that a model based on the halo model construction, featuring a concentrated central component to account for cool condensed baryons, is able to reproduce accurately, and down to very small scales, the measured amplifications of both the variance and skewness of the density field. Because of well-known issues with baryons in current cosmological simulations, I have extended the central component model to rely on as many observation-based ingredients as possible. As an application, I have studied the effect of baryons on the predictions of the upcoming Euclid weak lensing survey. During the course of this work, I have also worked at developing and extending the RAMSES code, in particular by developing a parallel self-gravity solver, which offers significant performance gains, in particular for the simulation of some astrophysical setups such as isolated galaxy or cluster simulations. (author) [fr

Scale and structure of capitated physician organizations in California.

Science.gov (United States)

Rosenthal, M B; Frank, R G; Buchanan, J L; Epstein, A M

2001-01-01

Physician organizations in California broke new ground in the 1980s by accepting capitated contracts and taking on utilization management functions. In this paper we present new data that document the scale, structure, and vertical affiliations of physician organizations that accept capitation in California. We provide information on capitated enrollment, the share of revenue derived by physician organizations from capitation contracts, and the scope of risk sharing with health maintenance organizations (HMOs). Capitation contracts and risk sharing dominate payment arrangements with HMOs. Physician organizations appear to have responded to capitation by affiliating with hospitals and management companies, adopting hybrid organizational structures, and consolidating into larger entities.

Representing Personal Determinants in Causal Structures.

Science.gov (United States)

Bandura, Albert

1984-01-01

Responds to Staddon's critique of the author's earlier article and addresses issues raised by Staddon's (1984) alternative models of causality. The author argues that it is not the formalizability of causal processes that is the issue but whether cognitive determinants of behavior are reducible to past stimulus inputs in causal structures.…

Determination of structure and properties of molecular crystals from first principles.

Science.gov (United States)

Szalewicz, Krzysztof

2014-11-18

extrapolated to such cases. As an alternative to applying SAPT(DFT) in crystal structure calculations, one can use supermolecular DFT interaction energies combined with scaled dispersion energies computed from simple atom-atom functions, that is, use the so-called DFT+D approach. Whereas the standard DFT methods fail for intermolecular interactions, DFT+D performs reasonably well since the dispersion correction is used not only to provide the missing dispersion contribution but also to fix other deficiencies of DFT. The latter cancellation of errors is unphysical and can be avoided by applying the so-called dispersionless density functional, dlDF. In this case, the dispersion energies are added without any scaling. The dlDF+D method is also one of the best performing DFT+D methods. The SAPT(DFT)-based approach has been applied so far only to crystals with rigid monomers. It can be extended to partly flexible monomers, that is, to monomers with only a few internal coordinates allowed to vary. However, the costs will increase relative to rigid monomer cases since the number of grid points increases exponentially with the number of dimensions. One way around this problem is to construct force fields with approximate couplings between inter- and intramonomer degrees of freedom. Another way is to calculate interaction energies (and possibly forces) "on the fly", i.e., in each step of lattice energy minimization procedure. Such an approach would be prohibitively expensive if it replaced analytic force fields at all stages of the crystal predictions procedure, but it can be used to optimize a few dozen candidate structures determined by other methods.

Goal Attainment Scaling to Determine Effectiveness of Individual and Group Counseling

Science.gov (United States)

Woolwine, Andrew J.

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study was to utilize the Goal Attainment Scale (GAS) during the Marshall University Summer Enrichment Program (MUSEP) to determine the effectiveness of individual counseling, group counseling, and a combination of both, on student academic and behavioral goals. Results indicated that no significant differences were found when…

Organizational Structure as a Determinant of Job Burnout.

Science.gov (United States)

Bilal, Atif; Ahmed, Hafiz Mushtaq

2017-03-01

This exploratory study determined the impact of organizational structure, particularly participation in decision making, instrumental communication, formalization, integration, and promotional opportunity, on burnout among Pakistani pediatric nurses. Data were collected from pediatric nurses working for Punjab's largest state-run hospital. The findings revealed that participation in decision making, instrumental communication, and promotional opportunity prevented burnout. Formalization contributed to burnout but integration was not related to burnout. Quite interestingly, except for supervisory status, most control variables for this study were not significantly related to emotional burnout. Hence, the hypothesis that organizational structure is a determinant of job burnout was accepted.

Alignment between galaxies and large-scale structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Faltenbacher, A.; Li Cheng; White, Simon D. M.; Jing, Yi-Peng; Mao Shude; Wang Jie

2009-01-01

Based on the Sloan Digital Sky Survey DR6 (SDSS) and the Millennium Simulation (MS), we investigate the alignment between galaxies and large-scale structure. For this purpose, we develop two new statistical tools, namely the alignment correlation function and the cos(2θ)-statistic. The former is a two-dimensional extension of the traditional two-point correlation function and the latter is related to the ellipticity correlation function used for cosmic shear measurements. Both are based on the cross correlation between a sample of galaxies with orientations and a reference sample which represents the large-scale structure. We apply the new statistics to the SDSS galaxy catalog. The alignment correlation function reveals an overabundance of reference galaxies along the major axes of red, luminous (L ∼ * ) galaxies out to projected separations of 60 h- 1 Mpc. The signal increases with central galaxy luminosity. No alignment signal is detected for blue galaxies. The cos(2θ)-statistic yields very similar results. Starting from a MS semi-analytic galaxy catalog, we assign an orientation to each red, luminous and central galaxy, based on that of the central region of the host halo (with size similar to that of the stellar galaxy). As an alternative, we use the orientation of the host halo itself. We find a mean projected misalignment between a halo and its central region of ∼ 25 deg. The misalignment decreases slightly with increasing luminosity of the central galaxy. Using the orientations and luminosities of the semi-analytic galaxies, we repeat our alignment analysis on mock surveys of the MS. Agreement with the SDSS results is good if the central orientations are used. Predictions using the halo orientations as proxies for central galaxy orientations overestimate the observed alignment by more than a factor of 2. Finally, the large volume of the MS allows us to generate a two-dimensional map of the alignment correlation function, which shows the reference

Quantification of structural uncertainties in multi-scale models; case study of the Lublin Basin, Poland

Science.gov (United States)

Małolepszy, Zbigniew; Szynkaruk, Ewa

2015-04-01

The multiscale static modeling of regional structure of the Lublin Basin is carried on in the Polish Geological Institute, in accordance with principles of integrated 3D geological modelling. The model is based on all available geospatial data from Polish digital databases and analogue archives. Mapped regional structure covers the area of 260x80 km located between Warsaw and Polish-Ukrainian border, along NW-SE-trending margin of the East European Craton. Within the basin, the Paleozoic beds with coalbearing Carboniferous and older formations containing hydrocarbons and unconventional prospects are covered unconformably by Permo-Mesozoic and younger rocks. Vertical extent of the regional model is set from topographic surface to 6000 m ssl and at the bottom includes some Proterozoic crystalline formations of the craton. The project focuses on internal consistency of the models built at different scales - from basin (small) scale to field-scale (large-scale). The models, nested in the common structural framework, are being constructed with regional geological knowledge, ensuring smooth transition in the 3D model resolution and amount of geological detail. Major challenge of the multiscale approach to subsurface modelling is the assessment and consistent quantification of various types of geological uncertainties tied to those various scale sub-models. Decreasing amount of information with depth and, particularly, very limited data collected below exploration targets, as well as accuracy and quality of data, all have the most critical impact on the modelled structure. In deeper levels of the Lublin Basin model, seismic interpretation of 2D surveys is sparsely tied to well data. Therefore time-to-depth conversion carries one of the major uncertainties in the modeling of structures, especially below 3000 m ssl. Furthermore, as all models at different scales are based on the same dataset, we must deal with different levels of generalization of geological structures. The

The pion structure function and scale breaking in Drell-Yan processes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moore, R.

1979-01-01

By use of the formalism of QCD, the structure functions of the nucleon and the pion obtained at Q 2 = m 2 sub(psi) is extended to higher values of Q 2 . These structure functions are then used to obtain predictions of scale-breaking effects in Drell-Yan lepton-pair production for both nucleon-nucleon and pion-nucleon cases. A comparison with recent experimental data is also presented. (author)

Resistance to Internal Damage and Scaling of Concrete Air Entrained By Microspheres

Science.gov (United States)

Molendowska, Agnieszka; Wawrzenczyk, Jerzy

2017-10-01

This paper report the test results of high strength concrete produced with slag cement and air entrained with polymer microspheres in three diameters. The study focused on determining the effects of the microsphere size and quantity on the air void structure and resistance to internal cracking and scaling of the concrete. The resistance to internal cracking was determined in compliance with the requirements of the modified ASTM C666 A method on beam specimens. The scaling resistance in a 3% NaCl solution was determined using the slab test in accordance with PKN-CEN/TS 12390-9:2007. The air void structure parameters were determined to PN-EN 480-11:1998. The study results indicate that the use of microspheres is an effective air entrainment method providing very good air void structure parameters. The results show high freeze-thaw durability of polymer microsphere-based concrete in exposure class XF3. The scaling resistance test confirms that it is substantially more difficult to protect concrete against scaling in the presence of the 3% NaCl solution (exposure class XF4). Concrete scaling is a complex phenomenon controlled by a number of independent factors.

LARGE-SCALE STRUCTURE OF THE UNIVERSE AS A COSMIC STANDARD RULER

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Changbom; Kim, Young-Rae

2010-01-01

We propose to use the large-scale structure (LSS) of the universe as a cosmic standard ruler. This is possible because the pattern of large-scale distribution of matter is scale-dependent and does not change in comoving space during the linear-regime evolution of structure. By examining the pattern of LSS in several redshift intervals it is possible to reconstruct the expansion history of the universe, and thus to measure the cosmological parameters governing the expansion of the universe. The features of the large-scale matter distribution that can be used as standard rulers include the topology of LSS and the overall shapes of the power spectrum and correlation function. The genus, being an intrinsic topology measure, is insensitive to systematic effects such as the nonlinear gravitational evolution, galaxy biasing, and redshift-space distortion, and thus is an ideal cosmic ruler when galaxies in redshift space are used to trace the initial matter distribution. The genus remains unchanged as far as the rank order of density is conserved, which is true for linear and weakly nonlinear gravitational evolution, monotonic galaxy biasing, and mild redshift-space distortions. The expansion history of the universe can be constrained by comparing the theoretically predicted genus corresponding to an adopted set of cosmological parameters with the observed genus measured by using the redshift-comoving distance relation of the same cosmological model.

Structure of exotic nuclei by large-scale shell model calculations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Utsuno, Yutaka; Otsuka, Takaharu; Mizusaki, Takahiro; Honma, Michio

2006-01-01

An extensive large-scale shell-model study is conducted for unstable nuclei around N = 20 and N = 28, aiming to investigate how the shell structure evolves from stable to unstable nuclei and affects the nuclear structure. The structure around N = 20 including the disappearance of the magic number is reproduced systematically, exemplified in the systematics of the electromagnetic moments in the Na isotope chain. As a key ingredient dominating the structure/shell evolution in the exotic nuclei from a general viewpoint, we pay attention to the tensor force. Including a proper strength of the tensor force in the effective interaction, we successfully reproduce the proton shell evolution ranging from N = 20 to 28 without any arbitrary modifications in the interaction and predict the ground state of 42Si to contain a large deformed component

TURBULENCE-GENERATED PROTON-SCALE STRUCTURES IN THE TERRESTRIAL MAGNETOSHEATH

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vörös, Zoltán; Narita, Yasuhito [Space Research Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Graz (Austria); Yordanova, Emiliya [Swedish Institute of Space Physics, Uppsala (Sweden); Echim, Marius M. [Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy, Bruxelles (Belgium); Consolini, Giuseppe, E-mail: zoltan.voeroes@oeaw.ac.at [INAF-Istituto di Astrofisica e Planetologia Spaziali, Roma (Italy)

2016-03-01

Recent results of numerical magnetohydrodynamic simulations suggest that in collisionless space plasmas, turbulence can spontaneously generate thin current sheets. These coherent structures can partially explain the intermittency and the non-homogenous distribution of localized plasma heating in turbulence. In this Letter, Cluster multi-point observations are used to investigate the distribution of magnetic field discontinuities and the associated small-scale current sheets in the terrestrial magnetosheath downstream of a quasi-parallel bow shock. It is shown experimentally, for the first time, that the strongest turbulence-generated current sheets occupy the long tails of probability distribution functions associated with extremal values of magnetic field partial derivatives. During the analyzed one-hour time interval, about a hundred strong discontinuities, possibly proton-scale current sheets, were observed.

Atomic Scale Structure-Chemistry Relationships at Oxide Catalyst Surfaces and Interfaces

Science.gov (United States)

McBriarty, Martin E.

Oxide catalysts are integral to chemical production, fuel refining, and the removal of environmental pollutants. However, the atomic-scale phenomena which lead to the useful reactive properties of catalyst materials are not sufficiently understood. In this work, the tools of surface and interface science and electronic structure theory are applied to investigate the structure and chemical properties of catalytically active particles and ultrathin films supported on oxide single crystals. These studies focus on structure-property relationships in vanadium oxide, tungsten oxide, and mixed V-W oxides on the surfaces of alpha-Al2O3 and alpha-Fe2O 3 (0001)-oriented single crystal substrates, two materials with nearly identical crystal structures but drastically different chemical properties. In situ synchrotron X-ray standing wave (XSW) measurements are sensitive to changes in the atomic-scale geometry of single crystal model catalyst surfaces through chemical reaction cycles, while X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) reveals corresponding chemical changes. Experimental results agree with theoretical calculations of surface structures, allowing for detailed electronic structure investigations and predictions of surface chemical phenomena. The surface configurations and oxidation states of V and W are found to depend on the coverage of each, and reversible structural shifts accompany chemical state changes through reduction-oxidation cycles. Substrate-dependent effects suggest how the choice of oxide support material may affect catalytic behavior. Additionally, the structure and chemistry of W deposited on alpha-Fe 2O3 nanopowders is studied using X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) measurements in an attempt to bridge single crystal surface studies with real catalysts. These investigations of catalytically active material surfaces can inform the rational design of new catalysts for more efficient and sustainable chemistry.

Atomic-scale structure of single-layer MoS2 nanoclusters

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Helveg, S.; Lauritsen, J. V.; Lægsgaard, E.

2000-01-01

We have studied using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) the atomic-scale realm of molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) nanoclusters, which are of interest as a model system in hydrodesulfurization catalysis. The STM gives the first real space images of the shape and edge structure of single-layer MoS2...

Statistical balance of vorticity and a new scale for vortical structures in turbulence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Novikov, E.A.

1993-01-01

The balance of one-point and two-point statistical characterics of vorticity, is considered on the basis of the Navier-Stokes equations. It is shown that within the inertial range of scales (L Re -3/4 much-lt r much-lt L, L external scale, Re Reynolds number) there is a physically distinguished scale l s ∼L Re -3/10 . The balance of vortical correlations with scales r≥l s is directly affected by the large-scale motion. l s is a natural length scale for the ''vortex strings,'' observed experimentally and numerically in three-dimensional turbulent flows. The twist of vortex lines in the internal structure of vortex strings is also briefly discussed

X-ray structure determination and deuteration of nattokinase

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yanagisawa, Yasuhide [Chiba Institute of Science, 15-8 Shiomi-cho, Cho-shi, Chiba 288-025 (Japan); Chatake, Toshiyuki [Kyoto University, Asashironishi 2, Kumatori, Osaka 590-0494 (Japan); Naito, Sawa; Ohsugi, Tadanori; Yatagai, Chieko; Sumi, Hiroyuki [Kurashiki University of Science and the Arts, 2640 Nishinoura, Tsurajima-cho, Kurashiki, Okayama 712-8505 (Japan); Kawaguchi, Akio [Kyoto University, Asashironishi 2, Kumatori, Osaka 590-0494 (Japan); Chiba-Kamosida, Kaori [Nippon Advanced Technology Co. Ltd, J-PARC, 2-4 Shirane Shirakata, Tokai, Ibaraki 319-1195 (Japan); Ogawa, Megumi; Adachi, Tatsumi [Chiba Institute of Science, 15-8 Shiomi-cho, Cho-shi, Chiba 288-025 (Japan); Morimoto, Yukio [Kyoto University, Asashironishi 2, Kumatori, Osaka 590-0494 (Japan)

2013-11-01

X-ray structure determination and deuteration of nattokinase were performed to facilitate neutron crystallographic analysis. Nattokinase (NK) is a strong fibrinolytic enzyme, which is produced in abundance by Bacillus subtilis natto. Although NK is a member of the subtilisin family, it displays different substrate specificity when compared with other subtilisins. The results of molecular simulations predict that hydrogen arrangements around Ser221 at the active site probably account for the substrate specificity of NK. Therefore, neutron crystallographic analysis should provide valuable information that reveals the enzymatic mechanism of NK. In this report, the X-ray structure of the non-hydrogen form of undeuterated NK was determined, and the preparation of deuterated NK was successfully achieved. The non-hydrogen NK structure was determined at 1.74 Å resolution. The three-dimensional structures of NK and subtilisin E from Bacillus subtilis DB104 are near identical. Deuteration of NK was carried out by cultivating Bacillus subtilis natto in deuterated medium. The D{sub 2}O resistant strain of Bacillus subtilis natto was obtained by successive cultivation rounds, in which the concentration of D{sub 2}O in the medium was gradually increased. NK was purified from the culture medium and its activity was confirmed by the fibrin plate method. The results lay the framework for neutron protein crystallography analysis.

Large-scale determinants of diversity across Spanish forest habitats: accounting for model uncertainty in compositional and structural indicators

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Martin-Quller, E.; Torras, O.; Alberdi, I.; Solana, J.; Saura, S.

2011-07-01

An integral understanding of forest biodiversity requires the exploration of the many aspects it comprises and of the numerous potential determinants of their distribution. The landscape ecological approach provides a necessary complement to conventional local studies that focus on individual plots or forest ownerships. However, most previous landscape studies used equally-sized cells as units of analysis to identify the factors affecting forest biodiversity distribution. Stratification of the analysis by habitats with a relatively homogeneous forest composition might be more adequate to capture the underlying patterns associated to the formation and development of a particular ensemble of interacting forest species. Here we used a landscape perspective in order to improve our understanding on the influence of large-scale explanatory factors on forest biodiversity indicators in Spanish habitats, covering a wide latitudinal and attitudinal range. We considered six forest biodiversity indicators estimated from more than 30,000 field plots in the Spanish national forest inventory, distributed in 213 forest habitats over 16 Spanish provinces. We explored biodiversity response to various environmental (climate and topography) and landscape configuration (fragmentation and shape complexity) variables through multiple linear regression models (built and assessed through the Akaike Information Criterion). In particular, we took into account the inherent model uncertainty when dealing with a complex and large set of variables, and considered different plausible models and their probability of being the best candidate for the observed data. Our results showed that compositional indicators (species richness and diversity) were mostly explained by environmental factors. Models for structural indicators (standing deadwood and stand complexity) had the worst fits and selection uncertainties, but did show significant associations with some configuration metrics. In general

Bacterial communities in full-scale wastewater treatment systems

OpenAIRE

Cydzik-Kwiatkowska, Agnieszka; Zieli?ska, Magdalena

2016-01-01

Bacterial metabolism determines the effectiveness of biological treatment of wastewater. Therefore, it is important to define the relations between the species structure and the performance of full-scale installations. Although there is much laboratory data on microbial consortia, our understanding of dependencies between the microbial structure and operational parameters of full-scale wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) is limited. This mini-review presents the types of microbial consortia in...

Scaling relations between structure and rheology of ageing casein particle gels

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Mellema, M.

2000-01-01

Mellema, M. (Michel), Scaling relations between structure and rheology of ageing casein particle gels , PhD Thesis, Wageningen University, 150 + 10 pages, references by chapter, English and Dutch summaries (2000).

The relation between (colloidal)

BIRTHDAY CAKE ACTIVITY STRUCTURED ARRANGEMENT FOR HELPING CHILDREN DETERMINING QUANTITIES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Neni Mariana

2010-07-01

Full Text Available Few researches have been concerned about relation between children’s spatialthinking and number sense. Narrowing for this small research, we focused onone component of spatial thinking, that is structuring objects, and onecomponent of number senses, that is cardinality by determining quantities. Thisstudy focused on a design research that was conducted in Indonesia in which weinvestigated pre-school children’s (between 2 and 3.5 years old ability inmaking structured arrangement and their ability to determine the quantities bylooking at the arrangements. The result shows us that some of the children wereable to make such arrangement. However, the children found difficulties eitherto determine quantities from those arrangements or to compare some structuresto easily recognize number of objects.Keywords: structures, structured arrangement, cardinality DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.22342/jme.1.1.790.53-70

The linearly scaling 3D fragment method for large scale electronic structure calculations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhao Zhengji [National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center (NERSC) (United States); Meza, Juan; Shan Hongzhang; Strohmaier, Erich; Bailey, David; Wang Linwang [Computational Research Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (United States); Lee, Byounghak, E-mail: ZZhao@lbl.go [Physics Department, Texas State University (United States)

2009-07-01

The linearly scaling three-dimensional fragment (LS3DF) method is an O(N) ab initio electronic structure method for large-scale nano material simulations. It is a divide-and-conquer approach with a novel patching scheme that effectively cancels out the artificial boundary effects, which exist in all divide-and-conquer schemes. This method has made ab initio simulations of thousand-atom nanosystems feasible in a couple of hours, while retaining essentially the same accuracy as the direct calculation methods. The LS3DF method won the 2008 ACM Gordon Bell Prize for algorithm innovation. Our code has reached 442 Tflop/s running on 147,456 processors on the Cray XT5 (Jaguar) at OLCF, and has been run on 163,840 processors on the Blue Gene/P (Intrepid) at ALCF, and has been applied to a system containing 36,000 atoms. In this paper, we will present the recent parallel performance results of this code, and will apply the method to asymmetric CdSe/CdS core/shell nanorods, which have potential applications in electronic devices and solar cells.

Divergence of perturbation theory in large scale structures

Science.gov (United States)

Pajer, Enrico; van der Woude, Drian

2018-05-01

We make progress towards an analytical understanding of the regime of validity of perturbation theory for large scale structures and the nature of some non-perturbative corrections. We restrict ourselves to 1D gravitational collapse, for which exact solutions before shell crossing are known. We review the convergence of perturbation theory for the power spectrum, recently proven by McQuinn and White [1], and extend it to non-Gaussian initial conditions and the bispectrum. In contrast, we prove that perturbation theory diverges for the real space two-point correlation function and for the probability density function (PDF) of the density averaged in cells and all the cumulants derived from it. We attribute these divergences to the statistical averaging intrinsic to cosmological observables, which, even on very large and "perturbative" scales, gives non-vanishing weight to all extreme fluctuations. Finally, we discuss some general properties of non-perturbative effects in real space and Fourier space.

Data fusion of multi-scale representations for structural damage detection

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, Tian; Xu, Zili

2018-01-01

Despite extensive researches into structural health monitoring (SHM) in the past decades, there are few methods that can detect multiple slight damage in noisy environments. Here, we introduce a new hybrid method that utilizes multi-scale space theory and data fusion approach for multiple damage detection in beams and plates. A cascade filtering approach provides multi-scale space for noisy mode shapes and filters the fluctuations caused by measurement noise. In multi-scale space, a series of amplification and data fusion algorithms are utilized to search the damage features across all possible scales. We verify the effectiveness of the method by numerical simulation using damaged beams and plates with various types of boundary conditions. Monte Carlo simulations are conducted to illustrate the effectiveness and noise immunity of the proposed method. The applicability is further validated via laboratory cases studies focusing on different damage scenarios. Both results demonstrate that the proposed method has a superior noise tolerant ability, as well as damage sensitivity, without knowing material properties or boundary conditions.

Measuring health workers' motivation composition: validation of a scale based on Self-Determination Theory in Burkina Faso.

Science.gov (United States)

Lohmann, Julia; Souares, Aurélia; Tiendrebéogo, Justin; Houlfort, Nathalie; Robyn, Paul Jacob; Somda, Serge M A; De Allegri, Manuela

2017-05-22

Although motivation of health workers in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) has become a topic of increasing interest by policy makers and researchers in recent years, many aspects are not well understood to date. This is partly due to a lack of appropriate measurement instruments. This article presents evidence on the construct validity of a psychometric scale developed to measure motivation composition, i.e., the extent to which motivation of different origin within and outside of a person contributes to their overall work motivation. It is theoretically grounded in Self-Determination Theory (SDT). We conducted a cross-sectional survey of 1142 nurses in 522 government health facilities in 24 districts of Burkina Faso. We assessed the scale's validity in a confirmatory factor analysis framework, investigating whether the scale measures what it was intended to measure (content, structural, and convergent/discriminant validity) and whether it does so equally well across health worker subgroups (measurement invariance). Our results show that the scale measures a slightly modified version of the SDT continuum of motivation well. Measurements were overall comparable between subgroups, but results indicate that caution is warranted if a comparison of motivation scores between groups is the focus of analysis. The scale is a valuable addition to the repository of measurement tools for health worker motivation in LMICs. We expect it to prove useful in the quest for a more comprehensive understanding of motivation as well as of the effects and potential side effects of interventions intended to enhance motivation.

Dispersal capacity and genetic structure of Arapaima gigas on different geographic scales using microsatellite markers.

Science.gov (United States)

Araripe, Juliana; do Rêgo, Péricles Sena; Queiroz, Helder; Sampaio, Iracilda; Schneider, Horacio

2013-01-01

Despite the ecological and economic importance of the Arapaima gigas (Cuvier 1817), few data about its dispersal capacity are available. The present study was based on the analysis of microsatellite markers in order to estimate the dispersal capacity of the species on fine, meso, and large geographic scales. For this, 561 specimens obtained from stocks separated by distances of up to 25 km (fine scale), 100 km (meso scale), and 1300-2300 km (large scale) were analyzed. The fine scale analysis indicated a marked genetic similarity between lakes, with low genetic differentiation, and significant differences between only a few pairs of sites. Low to moderate genetic differentiation was observed between pairs of sites on a meso scale (100 km), which could be explained by the distances between sites. By contrast, major genetic differentiation was recorded in the large scale analysis, that is, between stocks separated by distances of over 1300 km, with the analysis indicating that differentiation was not related solely to distance. The genetic structuring analysis indicated the presence of two stocks, one represented by the arapaimas of the Mamirauá Reserve, and the other by those of Santarém and Tucuruí. The dispersal of arapaimas over short distances indicates a process of lateral migration within the várzea floodplains, which may be the principal factor determining the considerable homogeneity observed among the várzea lakes. The populations separated by distances of approximately 100 km were characterized by reduced genetic differentiation, which was associated with the geographic distances between sites. Populations separated by distances of over 1300 km were characterized by a high degree of genetic differentiation, which may be related primarily to historical bottlenecks in population size and the sedentary behavior of the species. Evidence was found of asymmetric gene flow, resulting in increasing genetic variability in the population of the Mamirau

The natural armors of fish: A comparison of the lamination pattern and structure of scales.

Science.gov (United States)

Murcia, Sandra; Lavoie, Ellen; Linley, Tim; Devaraj, Arun; Ossa, E Alex; Arola, D

2017-09-01

Fish scales exhibit a unique balance of flexibility, strength and toughness, which is essential to provide protection without encumbering locomotion. Although the mechanical behavior and structure of this natural armor are of recent interest, a comparison of these qualities from scales of different fish species has not been reported. In this investigation the armor of fish with different locomotion, size and protection needs were analyzed. Scales from the Arapaima gigas, the tarpon (Megalops atlanticus) and the carp (Cyprinus carpio) were compared in terms of the stacking sequence of individual plies and their microstructure. The scales were also compared with respect to anatomical position to distinguish site-specific functional differences. Results show that the lamination sequence of plies for the carp and tarpon exhibit a Bouligand structure with relative rotation of 75° between consecutive plies. The arapaima scales exhibit a cross-ply structure, with 90° rotation between adjacent plies. In addition, results indicate that the volume fraction of reinforcement, the number of plies and the variations in thickness with anatomical position are unique amongst the three fish. These characteristics should be considered in evaluations focused on the mechanical behavior. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The natural armors of fish: A comparison of the lamination pattern and structure of scales

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Murcia, Sandra; Lavoie, Ellen; Linley, Tim; Devaraj, Arun; Ossa, E. Alex; Arola, D.

2017-09-01

Fish scales exhibit a unique balance of flexibility, strength and toughness, which is essential to provide protection without encumbering locomotion. Although the mechanical behavior and structure of this natural armor are of recent interest, a comparison of these qualities from scales of different fish species has not been reported. In this investigation the armor of fish with different locomotion, size and protection needs were analyzed. Scales from the Arapaima gigas, the tarpon (Megalops atlanticus) and the carp (Cyprinus carpio) were compared in terms of the stacking sequence of individual plies and their microstructure. The scales were also compared with respect to anatomical position to distinguish site-specific functional differences. Results show that the lamination sequence of plies for the carp and tarpon exhibit a Bouligand structure with relative rotation of 75° between consecutive plies. The arapaima scales exhibit a cross-ply structure, with 90° rotation between adjacent plies. In addition, results indicate that the volume fraction of reinforcement, the number of plies and the variations in thickness with anatomical position are unique amongst the three fish. These characteristics should be considered in evaluations focused on the mechanical behavior.

STRUCTURE AND VALIDATION OF A CONTEXTUAL QUALITY OF LIFE SCALE FOR PEOPLE WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES IN SOCIAL SERVICES: AN ORGANIZATION-ORIENTED MEASURE FROM AN EXTERNAL PERSPECTIVE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carolina Moliner

2013-09-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study is to develop and validate a scale on the Quality of Life (QoL of people with intellectual disabilities as assessed by family members (external perspective. The instrument measures improvement in QoL due to actions by organizations delivering services to individuals with intellectual disabilities (organization-oriented measure. In order to design the items for the scale, focus groups were set up with professionals dedicated to attending to individuals with intellectual disabilities. An initial scale of 20 items was constructed by consensus. A total of 1195 family members answered the questionnaire. In order to assess the structure of the scale, EFA recommended deleting 3 overlapping items. The final scale consisted of 17 items (α=95 and was composed of four main dimensions: self-determination (SD, social inclusion (SI, rights (RI and overall improvement (OI, which explained 74.83% of the variance. Finally, the consistency and validity were assessed. Convergent validity and discriminant validity were satisfactory. Moreover, CFA confirmed the structure of the scale. Main conclusions, limitations and practical implications are discussed.

Nucleic acid helix structure determination from NMR proton chemical shifts

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Werf, Ramon M. van der; Tessari, Marco; Wijmenga, Sybren S., E-mail: S.Wijmenga@science.ru.nl [Radboud University Nijmegen, Department of Biophysical Chemistry, Institute of Molecules and Materials (Netherlands)

2013-06-15

We present a method for de novo derivation of the three-dimensional helix structure of nucleic acids using non-exchangeable proton chemical shifts as sole source of experimental restraints. The method is called chemical shift de novo structure derivation protocol employing singular value decomposition (CHEOPS) and uses iterative singular value decomposition to optimize the structure in helix parameter space. The correct performance of CHEOPS and its range of application are established via an extensive set of structure derivations using either simulated or experimental chemical shifts as input. The simulated input data are used to assess in a defined manner the effect of errors or limitations in the input data on the derived structures. We find that the RNA helix parameters can be determined with high accuracy. We finally demonstrate via three deposited RNA structures that experimental proton chemical shifts suffice to derive RNA helix structures with high precision and accuracy. CHEOPS provides, subject to further development, new directions for high-resolution NMR structure determination of nucleic acids.

Dipolar modulation of Large-Scale Structure

Science.gov (United States)

Yoon, Mijin

For the last two decades, we have seen a drastic development of modern cosmology based on various observations such as the cosmic microwave background (CMB), type Ia supernovae, and baryonic acoustic oscillations (BAO). These observational evidences have led us to a great deal of consensus on the cosmological model so-called LambdaCDM and tight constraints on cosmological parameters consisting the model. On the other hand, the advancement in cosmology relies on the cosmological principle: the universe is isotropic and homogeneous on large scales. Testing these fundamental assumptions is crucial and will soon become possible given the planned observations ahead. Dipolar modulation is the largest angular anisotropy of the sky, which is quantified by its direction and amplitude. We measured a huge dipolar modulation in CMB, which mainly originated from our solar system's motion relative to CMB rest frame. However, we have not yet acquired consistent measurements of dipolar modulations in large-scale structure (LSS), as they require large sky coverage and a number of well-identified objects. In this thesis, we explore measurement of dipolar modulation in number counts of LSS objects as a test of statistical isotropy. This thesis is based on two papers that were published in peer-reviewed journals. In Chapter 2 [Yoon et al., 2014], we measured a dipolar modulation in number counts of WISE matched with 2MASS sources. In Chapter 3 [Yoon & Huterer, 2015], we investigated requirements for detection of kinematic dipole in future surveys.

Grid sensitivity capability for large scale structures

Science.gov (United States)

Nagendra, Gopal K.; Wallerstein, David V.

1989-01-01

The considerations and the resultant approach used to implement design sensitivity capability for grids into a large scale, general purpose finite element system (MSC/NASTRAN) are presented. The design variables are grid perturbations with a rather general linking capability. Moreover, shape and sizing variables may be linked together. The design is general enough to facilitate geometric modeling techniques for generating design variable linking schemes in an easy and straightforward manner. Test cases have been run and validated by comparison with the overall finite difference method. The linking of a design sensitivity capability for shape variables in MSC/NASTRAN with an optimizer would give designers a powerful, automated tool to carry out practical optimization design of real life, complicated structures.

Measuring the topology of large-scale structure in the universe

Science.gov (United States)

Gott, J. Richard, III

1988-11-01

An algorithm for quantitatively measuring the topology of large-scale structure has now been applied to a large number of observational data sets. The present paper summarizes and provides an overview of some of these observational results. On scales significantly larger than the correlation length, larger than about 1200 km/s, the cluster and galaxy data are fully consistent with a sponge-like random phase topology. At a smoothing length of about 600 km/s, however, the observed genus curves show a small shift in the direction of a meatball topology. Cold dark matter (CDM) models show similar shifts at these scales but not generally as large as those seen in the data. Bubble models, with voids completely surrounded on all sides by wall of galaxies, show shifts in the opposite direction. The CDM model is overall the most successful in explaining the data.

Measuring the topology of large-scale structure in the universe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gott, J.R. III

1988-01-01

An algorithm for quantitatively measuring the topology of large-scale structure has now been applied to a large number of observational data sets. The present paper summarizes and provides an overview of some of these observational results. On scales significantly larger than the correlation length, larger than about 1200 km/s, the cluster and galaxy data are fully consistent with a sponge-like random phase topology. At a smoothing length of about 600 km/s, however, the observed genus curves show a small shift in the direction of a meatball topology. Cold dark matter (CDM) models show similar shifts at these scales but not generally as large as those seen in the data. Bubble models, with voids completely surrounded on all sides by wall of galaxies, show shifts in the opposite direction. The CDM model is overall the most successful in explaining the data. 45 references

Determining minimally important score differences in scales of the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pejtersen, Jan Hyld; Bjorner, Jakob Bue; Hasle, Peter

2010-01-01

AIM: To determine minimally important differences (MIDs) for scales in the first version of the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire (COPSOQ). METHODS: Data were taken from two separate studies: a national population survey (N = 1062), and an intervention study at 14 workplaces (N = 1505). On th...

Three-dimensional spatial structures of solar wind turbulence from 10 000-km to 100-km scales

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Y. Narita

2011-10-01

Full Text Available Using the four Cluster spacecraft, we have determined the three-dimensional wave-vector spectra of fluctuating magnetic fields in the solar wind. Three different solar wind intervals of Cluster data are investigated for this purpose, representing three different spatial scales: 10 000 km, 1000 km, and 100 km. The spectra are determined using the wave telescope technique (k-filtering technique without assuming the validity of Taylor's frozen-in-flow hypothesis nor are any assumptions made as to the symmetry properties of the fluctuations. We find that the spectra are anisotropic on all the three scales and the power is extended primarily in the directions perpendicular to the mean magnetic field, as might be expected of two-dimensional turbulence, however, the analyzed fluctuations are not axisymmetric. The lack of axisymmetry invalidates some earlier techniques using single spacecraft observations that were used to estimate the percentage of magnetic energy residing in quasi-two-dimensional power. However, the dominance of two-dimensional turbulence is consistent with the relatively long mean free paths of cosmic rays in observed in the heliosphere. On the other hand, the spectra also exhibit secondary extended structures oblique from the mean magnetic field direction. We discuss possible origins of anisotropy and asymmetry of solar wind turbulence spectra.

Modal-pushover-based ground-motion scaling procedure

Science.gov (United States)

Kalkan, Erol; Chopra, Anil K.

2011-01-01

Earthquake engineering is increasingly using nonlinear response history analysis (RHA) to demonstrate the performance of structures. This rigorous method of analysis requires selection and scaling of ground motions appropriate to design hazard levels. This paper presents a modal-pushover-based scaling (MPS) procedure to scale ground motions for use in a nonlinear RHA of buildings. In the MPS method, the ground motions are scaled to match to a specified tolerance, a target value of the inelastic deformation of the first-mode inelastic single-degree-of-freedom (SDF) system whose properties are determined by the first-mode pushover analysis. Appropriate for first-mode dominated structures, this approach is extended for structures with significant contributions of higher modes by considering elastic deformation of second-mode SDF systems in selecting a subset of the scaled ground motions. Based on results presented for three actual buildings-4, 6, and 13-story-the accuracy and efficiency of the MPS procedure are established and its superiority over the ASCE/SEI 7-05 scaling procedure is demonstrated.

Catchment-scale determinants of nonindigenous minnow richness in the eastern United States

Science.gov (United States)

Peoples, Brandon K.; Midway, Stephen R.; DeWeber, Jefferson T.; Wagner, Tyler

2018-01-01

Understanding the drivers of biological invasions is critical for preserving aquatic biodiversity. Stream fishes make excellent model taxa for examining mechanisms driving species introduction success because their distributions are naturally limited by catchment boundaries. In this study, we compared the relative importance of catchment-scale abiotic and biotic predictors of native and nonindigenous minnow (Cyprinidae) richness in 170 catchments throughout the eastern United States. We compared historic and contemporary cyprinid distributional data to determine catchment-wise native/nonindigenous status for 152 species. Catchment-scale model predictor variables described natural (elevation, precipitation, flow accumulation) and anthropogenic (developed land cover, number of dams) abiotic features, as well as native congener richness. Native congener richness may represent either biotic resistance via interspecific competition, or trait preadaptation according to Darwin's naturalisation hypothesis. We used generalised linear mixed models to examine evidence supporting the relative roles of abiotic and biotic predictors of cyprinid introduction success. Native congener richness was positively correlated with nonindigenous cyprinid richness and was the most important variable predicting nonindigenous cyprinid richness. Mean elevation had a weak positive effect, and effects of other abiotic factors were insignificant and less important. Our results suggest that at this spatial scale, trait preadaptation may be more important than intrageneric competition for determining richness of nonindigenous fishes.

Genetic structuring of northern myotis (Myotis septentrionalis) at multiple spatial scales

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Joshua B.; Roberts, James H.; King, Timothy L.; Edwards, John W.; Ford, W. Mark; Ray, David A.

2014-01-01

Although groups of bats may be genetically distinguishable at large spatial scales, the effects of forest disturbances, particularly permanent land use conversions on fine-scale population structure and gene flow of summer aggregations of philopatric bat species are less clear. We genotyped and analyzed variation at 10 nuclear DNA microsatellite markers in 182 individuals of the forest-dwelling northern myotis (Myotis septentrionalis) at multiple spatial scales, from within first-order watersheds scaling up to larger regional areas in West Virginia and New York. Our results indicate that groups of northern myotis were genetically indistinguishable at any spatial scale we considered, and the collective population maintained high genetic diversity. It is likely that the ability to migrate, exploit small forest patches, and use networks of mating sites located throughout the Appalachian Mountains, Interior Highlands, and elsewhere in the hibernation range have allowed northern myotis to maintain high genetic diversity and gene flow regardless of forest disturbances at local and regional spatial scales. A consequence of maintaining high gene flow might be the potential to minimize genetic founder effects following population declines caused currently by the enzootic White-nose Syndrome.

Observing the temperature of the big bang through large scale structure

Science.gov (United States)

Ferreira, Pedro G.; Magueijo, João

2008-09-01

It is an interesting possibility that the Universe underwent a period of thermal equilibrium at very early times. One expects a residue of this primordial state to be imprinted on the large scale structure of space time. In this paper, we study the morphology of this thermal residue in a universe whose early dynamics is governed by a scalar field. We calculate the amplitude of fluctuations on large scales and compare it with the imprint of vacuum fluctuations. We then use the observed power spectrum of fluctuations on the cosmic microwave background to place a constraint on the temperature of the Universe before and during inflation. We also present an alternative scenario, where the fluctuations are predominantly thermal and near scale-invariant.

Factor Structure, Validity and Reliability of the Revised Version of Skin Picking Scale

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mehdi Rabiei

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Background: The purpose of this study was to examine the factor structure, validity and reliability of the Skin Picking Scale-Revised Version. Materials and Methods: In this descriptive and validation study, participants were 550 (250 male and 300 female of the University of Isfahan were selected randomly from 15000 students. In order to examine the factor structure of the SPS-R we conducted both exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses and Cronbach's alpha. Results: Convergent validity of SPS-R with YBOCS-BDD, OCI-R and DASS 21-item were r=0.45, r=0.51 and r=0.70 (p<0.001. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses revealed two factors, one assessing impairment and the other symptom severity (4 items each. These factors could determine 58.1% of the variance. The Cronbach's alpha for the two factors were above 0.88. Also, results were shown to possess good psychometric properties, as well as discriminant validity and classification accuracy, in both clinical and community populations. Conclusion: It can be concluded that this instrument is a useful measure for assess skin-picking disorder symptoms in clinical assessment.

From bacterial to human dihydrouridine synthase: automated structure determination

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Whelan, Fiona, E-mail: fiona.whelan@york.ac.uk; Jenkins, Huw T., E-mail: fiona.whelan@york.ac.uk [The University of York, Heslington, York YO10 5DD (United Kingdom); Griffiths, Samuel C. [University of Oxford, Headington, Oxford OX3 7BN (United Kingdom); Byrne, Robert T. [Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Feodor-Lynen-Strasse 25, 81377 Munich (Germany); Dodson, Eleanor J.; Antson, Alfred A., E-mail: fiona.whelan@york.ac.uk [The University of York, Heslington, York YO10 5DD (United Kingdom)

2015-06-30

The crystal structure of a human dihydrouridine synthase, an enzyme associated with lung cancer, with 18% sequence identity to a T. maritima enzyme, has been determined at 1.9 Å resolution by molecular replacement after extensive molecular remodelling of the template. The reduction of uridine to dihydrouridine at specific positions in tRNA is catalysed by dihydrouridine synthase (Dus) enzymes. Increased expression of human dihydrouridine synthase 2 (hDus2) has been linked to pulmonary carcinogenesis, while its knockdown decreased cancer cell line viability, suggesting that it may serve as a valuable target for therapeutic intervention. Here, the X-ray crystal structure of a construct of hDus2 encompassing the catalytic and tRNA-recognition domains (residues 1–340) determined at 1.9 Å resolution is presented. It is shown that the structure can be determined automatically by phenix.mr-rosetta starting from a bacterial Dus enzyme with only 18% sequence identity and a significantly divergent structure. The overall fold of the human Dus2 is similar to that of bacterial enzymes, but has a larger recognition domain and a unique three-stranded antiparallel β-sheet insertion into the catalytic domain that packs next to the recognition domain, contributing to domain–domain interactions. The structure may inform the development of novel therapeutic approaches in the fight against lung cancer.

From bacterial to human dihydrouridine synthase: automated structure determination

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Whelan, Fiona; Jenkins, Huw T.; Griffiths, Samuel C.; Byrne, Robert T.; Dodson, Eleanor J.; Antson, Alfred A.

2015-01-01

The crystal structure of a human dihydrouridine synthase, an enzyme associated with lung cancer, with 18% sequence identity to a T. maritima enzyme, has been determined at 1.9 Å resolution by molecular replacement after extensive molecular remodelling of the template. The reduction of uridine to dihydrouridine at specific positions in tRNA is catalysed by dihydrouridine synthase (Dus) enzymes. Increased expression of human dihydrouridine synthase 2 (hDus2) has been linked to pulmonary carcinogenesis, while its knockdown decreased cancer cell line viability, suggesting that it may serve as a valuable target for therapeutic intervention. Here, the X-ray crystal structure of a construct of hDus2 encompassing the catalytic and tRNA-recognition domains (residues 1–340) determined at 1.9 Å resolution is presented. It is shown that the structure can be determined automatically by phenix.mr-rosetta starting from a bacterial Dus enzyme with only 18% sequence identity and a significantly divergent structure. The overall fold of the human Dus2 is similar to that of bacterial enzymes, but has a larger recognition domain and a unique three-stranded antiparallel β-sheet insertion into the catalytic domain that packs next to the recognition domain, contributing to domain–domain interactions. The structure may inform the development of novel therapeutic approaches in the fight against lung cancer

Using photoelectron diffraction to determine complex molecular adsorption structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Woodruff, D P

2010-01-01

Backscattering photoelectron diffraction, particularly in the energy-scan mode, is now an established technique for determining in a quantitative fashion the local structure of adsorbates on surfaces, and has been used successfully for ∼100 adsorbate phases. The elemental and chemical-state specificity afforded by the characteristic core level photoelectron binding energies means that it has particular advantages for molecular adsorbates, as the local geometry of inequivalent atoms in the molecule can be determined in a largely independent fashion. On the other hand, polyatomic molecules present a general problem for all methods of surface structure determination in that a mismatch of intramolecular distances with interatomic distances on the substrate surface means that the atoms in the adsorbed molecule are generally in low-symmetry sites. The quantities measured experimentally then represent an incoherent sum of the properties of each structural domain that is inequivalent with respect to the substrate point group symmetry. This typically leads to greater ambiguity or precision in the structural solutions. The basic principles of the method are described and illustrated with a simple example involving molecule/substrate bonding through only one constituent atom (TiO 2 -(110)/H 2 O). This example demonstrates the importance of obtaining quantitative local structural information. Further examples illustrate both the successes and the problems of this approach when applied to somewhat more complex molecular adsorbates.

A novel strategy for NMR resonance assignment and protein structure determination

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lemak, Alexander; Gutmanas, Aleksandras; Chitayat, Seth; Karra, Murthy; Farès, Christophe; Sunnerhagen, Maria; Arrowsmith, Cheryl H.

2011-01-01

The quality of protein structures determined by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is contingent on the number and quality of experimentally-derived resonance assignments, distance and angular restraints. Two key features of protein NMR data have posed challenges for the routine and automated structure determination of small to medium sized proteins; (1) spectral resolution – especially of crowded nuclear Overhauser effect spectroscopy (NOESY) spectra, and (2) the reliance on a continuous network of weak scalar couplings as part of most common assignment protocols. In order to facilitate NMR structure determination, we developed a semi-automated strategy that utilizes non-uniform sampling (NUS) and multidimensional decomposition (MDD) for optimal data collection and processing of selected, high resolution multidimensional NMR experiments, combined it with an ABACUS protocol for sequential and side chain resonance assignments, and streamlined this procedure to execute structure and refinement calculations in CYANA and CNS, respectively. Two graphical user interfaces (GUIs) were developed to facilitate efficient analysis and compilation of the data and to guide automated structure determination. This integrated method was implemented and refined on over 30 high quality structures of proteins ranging from 5.5 to 16.5 kDa in size.

The singularity structure of scale-invariant rank-2 Coulomb branches

Science.gov (United States)

Argyres, Philip C.; Long, Cody; Martone, Mario

2018-05-01

We compute the spectrum of scaling dimensions of Coulomb branch operators in 4d rank-2 N=2 superconformal field theories. Only a finite rational set of scaling dimensions is allowed. It is determined by using information about the global topology of the locus of metric singularities on the Coulomb branch, the special Kähler geometry near those singularities, and electric-magnetic duality monodromies along orbits of the U(1) R symmetry. A set of novel topological and geometric results are developed which promise to be useful for the study and classification of Coulomb branch geometries at all ranks.

The topology of large-scale structure. III - Analysis of observations. [in universe

Science.gov (United States)

Gott, J. Richard, III; Weinberg, David H.; Miller, John; Thuan, Trinh X.; Schneider, Stephen E.

1989-01-01

A recently developed algorithm for quantitatively measuring the topology of large-scale structures in the universe was applied to a number of important observational data sets. The data sets included an Abell (1958) cluster sample out to Vmax = 22,600 km/sec, the Giovanelli and Haynes (1985) sample out to Vmax = 11,800 km/sec, the CfA sample out to Vmax = 5000 km/sec, the Thuan and Schneider (1988) dwarf sample out to Vmax = 3000 km/sec, and the Tully (1987) sample out to Vmax = 3000 km/sec. It was found that, when the topology is studied on smoothing scales significantly larger than the correlation length (i.e., smoothing length, lambda, not below 1200 km/sec), the topology is spongelike and is consistent with the standard model in which the structure seen today has grown from small fluctuations caused by random noise in the early universe. When the topology is studied on the scale of lambda of about 600 km/sec, a small shift is observed in the genus curve in the direction of a 'meatball' topology.

The scaling structure of the global road network.

Science.gov (United States)

Strano, Emanuele; Giometto, Andrea; Shai, Saray; Bertuzzo, Enrico; Mucha, Peter J; Rinaldo, Andrea

2017-10-01

Because of increasing global urbanization and its immediate consequences, including changes in patterns of food demand, circulation and land use, the next century will witness a major increase in the extent of paved roads built worldwide. To model the effects of this increase, it is crucial to understand whether possible self-organized patterns are inherent in the global road network structure. Here, we use the largest updated database comprising all major roads on the Earth, together with global urban and cropland inventories, to suggest that road length distributions within croplands are indistinguishable from urban ones, once rescaled to account for the difference in mean road length. Such similarity extends to road length distributions within urban or agricultural domains of a given area. We find two distinct regimes for the scaling of the mean road length with the associated area, holding in general at small and at large values of the latter. In suitably large urban and cropland domains, we find that mean and total road lengths increase linearly with their domain area, differently from earlier suggestions. Scaling regimes suggest that simple and universal mechanisms regulate urban and cropland road expansion at the global scale. As such, our findings bear implications for global road infrastructure growth based on land-use change and for planning policies sustaining urban expansions.

Determination of radioactive scales in oil industry using naturally occurring radioactive materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Al-Masri, M. S.

2006-06-01

In the present study, naturally occurring radioactive materials (Radium isotopes) present in produced water and radiation measurements have been used to study the formation of scales, evaluate their age, determination of geological formations and between wells interactions. Produced water samples were collected and analyzed monthly for 5 months from 11 oil wells in three Syrian oil fields. Analysis includes radium isotopes and anions and cations concentrations in addition to radiation measurements at the well heads. The highest mean values of radium 226, Radium 228 and Radium 224 concentration in produced were 41 Bq/1, 57.1 Bq/1 and 1.1 Bq/1, respectively. The values obtained for Radium 226, Radium 228 and the activity ratio were statistically evaluated and the results were presented using the box plot method. The mean value of the activity ration of Radium 226 and Radium 228 was used to determine the age of scales accumulated inside tubulars. (author)

Development of the simulation package 'ELSES' for extra-large-scale electronic structure calculation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hoshi, T [Department of Applied Mathematics and Physics, Tottori University, Tottori 680-8550 (Japan); Fujiwara, T [Core Research for Evolutional Science and Technology, Japan Science and Technology Agency (CREST-JST) (Japan)

2009-02-11

An early-stage version of the simulation package 'ELSES' (extra-large-scale electronic structure calculation) is developed for simulating the electronic structure and dynamics of large systems, particularly nanometer-scale and ten-nanometer-scale systems (see www.elses.jp). Input and output files are written in the extensible markup language (XML) style for general users. Related pre-/post-simulation tools are also available. A practical workflow and an example are described. A test calculation for the GaAs bulk system is shown, to demonstrate that the present code can handle systems with more than one atom species. Several future aspects are also discussed.

NFAP calculation of pressure response of 1/6th scale model containment structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Costantino, C.J.; Pepper, S.; Reich, M.

1988-01-01

The details associated with the NFAP calculation of the pressure response of the 1/6th scale model containment structure are discussed in this paper. Comparisons are presented of some of the primary items of interest with those determined from the experiment. It was found from this comparison that the hoop response of the containment wall was adequately predicted by the NFAP finite element calculation, including the response in the high pressure, high strain range at which cracking of the concrete and yielding of the hoop reinforcement occurred. In the vertical or meridional direction, it was found that the model was significantly softer than predicted by the finite element calculation; that is, the vertical strains in the test were three to four times larger than computed in the NFAP calculation. These differences were noted even at low strain levels at which the concrete would not be expected to be cracked under tensile loadings. Simplified calculations for the containment indicate that the vertical stiffness of the wall is similar to that which would be determined by assuming the concrete fully cracked. Thus, the experiment indicates an anomalous behavior in the vertical direction

Inflationary tensor fossils in large-scale structure

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dimastrogiovanni, Emanuela [School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455 (United States); Fasiello, Matteo [Department of Physics, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106 (United States); Jeong, Donghui [Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802 (United States); Kamionkowski, Marc, E-mail: ema@physics.umn.edu, E-mail: mrf65@case.edu, E-mail: duj13@psu.edu, E-mail: kamion@jhu.edu [Department of Physics and Astronomy, 3400 N. Charles St., Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218 (United States)

2014-12-01

Inflation models make specific predictions for a tensor-scalar-scalar three-point correlation, or bispectrum, between one gravitational-wave (tensor) mode and two density-perturbation (scalar) modes. This tensor-scalar-scalar correlation leads to a local power quadrupole, an apparent departure from statistical isotropy in our Universe, as well as characteristic four-point correlations in the current mass distribution in the Universe. So far, the predictions for these observables have been worked out only for single-clock models in which certain consistency conditions between the tensor-scalar-scalar correlation and tensor and scalar power spectra are satisfied. Here we review the requirements on inflation models for these consistency conditions to be satisfied. We then consider several examples of inflation models, such as non-attractor and solid-inflation models, in which these conditions are put to the test. In solid inflation the simplest consistency conditions are already violated whilst in the non-attractor model we find that, contrary to the standard scenario, the tensor-scalar-scalar correlator probes directly relevant model-dependent information. We work out the predictions for observables in these models. For non-attractor inflation we find an apparent local quadrupolar departure from statistical isotropy in large-scale structure but that this power quadrupole decreases very rapidly at smaller scales. The consistency of the CMB quadrupole with statistical isotropy then constrains the distance scale that corresponds to the transition from the non-attractor to attractor phase of inflation to be larger than the currently observable horizon. Solid inflation predicts clustering fossils signatures in the current galaxy distribution that may be large enough to be detectable with forthcoming, and possibly even current, galaxy surveys.

Birthday Cake Activity Structured Arrangement for Helping Children Determining Quantities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Neni Mariana

2010-07-01

Full Text Available Few researches have been concerned about relation between children’s spatial thinking and number sense. Narrowing for this small research, we focused on one component of spatial thinking, that is structuring objects, and one component of number senses, that is cardinality by determining quantities. This study focused on a design research that was conducted in Indonesia in which we investigated pre-school children’s (between 2 and 3.5 years old ability in making structured arrangement and their ability to determine the quantities by looking at the arrangements. The result shows us that some of the children were able to make such arrangement. However, the children found difficulties either to determine quantities from those arrangements or to compare some structures to easily recognize number of objects.

Overconfidence, Managerial Optimism, and the Determinants of Capital Structure

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alexandre di Miceli da Silveira

2008-12-01

Full Text Available This research examines the determinants of the capital structure of firms introducing a behavioral perspective that has received little attention in corporate finance literature. The following central hypothesis emerges from a set of recently developed theories: firms managed by optimistic and/or overconfident people will choose more levered financing structures than others, ceteris paribus. We propose different proxies for optimism/overconfidence, based on the manager’s status as an entrepreneur or non-entrepreneur, an idea that is supported by theories and solid empirical evidence, as well as on the pattern of ownership of the firm’s shares by its manager. The study also includes potential determinants of capital structure used in earlier research. We use a sample of Brazilian firms listed in the Sao Paulo Stock Exchange (Bovespa in the years 1998 to 2003. The empirical analysis suggests that the proxies for the referred cognitive biases are important determinants of capital structure. We also found as relevant explanatory variables: profitability, size, dividend payment and tangibility, as well as some indicators that capture the firms’ corporate governance standards. These results suggest that behavioral approaches based on human psychology research can offer relevant contributions to the understanding of corporate decision making.

Personality in proportion : A bipolar proportional scale for personality assessments and its consequences for trait structure

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hofstee, W.K.B.; Ten Berge, J.M.F.

2004-01-01

Trait structures resulting from personality assessments on Likert scales are affected by the additive and multiplicative transformations implied in interval scaling and correlational analysis. The effect comes into view on selecting a plausible alternative scale. To this end, we propose a bipolar

Global search in photoelectron diffraction structure determination using genetic algorithms

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Viana, M L [Departamento de Fisica, Icex, UFMG, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais (Brazil); Muino, R Diez [Donostia International Physics Center DIPC, Paseo Manuel de Lardizabal 4, 20018 San Sebastian (Spain); Soares, E A [Departamento de Fisica, Icex, UFMG, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais (Brazil); Hove, M A Van [Department of Physics and Materials Science, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong (China); Carvalho, V E de [Departamento de Fisica, Icex, UFMG, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais (Brazil)

2007-11-07

Photoelectron diffraction (PED) is an experimental technique widely used to perform structural determinations of solid surfaces. Similarly to low-energy electron diffraction (LEED), structural determination by PED requires a fitting procedure between the experimental intensities and theoretical results obtained through simulations. Multiple scattering has been shown to be an effective approach for making such simulations. The quality of the fit can be quantified through the so-called R-factor. Therefore, the fitting procedure is, indeed, an R-factor minimization problem. However, the topography of the R-factor as a function of the structural and non-structural surface parameters to be determined is complex, and the task of finding the global minimum becomes tough, particularly for complex structures in which many parameters have to be adjusted. In this work we investigate the applicability of the genetic algorithm (GA) global optimization method to this problem. The GA is based on the evolution of species, and makes use of concepts such as crossover, elitism and mutation to perform the search. We show results of its application in the structural determination of three different systems: the Cu(111) surface through the use of energy-scanned experimental curves; the Ag(110)-c(2 x 2)-Sb system, in which a theory-theory fit was performed; and the Ag(111) surface for which angle-scanned experimental curves were used. We conclude that the GA is a highly efficient method to search for global minima in the optimization of the parameters that best fit the experimental photoelectron diffraction intensities to the theoretical ones.

MOTIVATION INTERNALIZATION AND SIMPLEX STRUCTURE IN SELF-DETERMINATION THEORY.

Science.gov (United States)

Ünlü, Ali; Dettweiler, Ulrich

2015-12-01

Self-determination theory, as proposed by Deci and Ryan, postulated different types of motivation regulation. As to the introjected and identified regulation of extrinsic motivation, their internalizations were described as "somewhat external" and "somewhat internal" and remained undetermined in the theory. This paper introduces a constrained regression analysis that allows these vaguely expressed motivations to be estimated in an "optimal" manner, in any given empirical context. The approach was even generalized and applied for simplex structure analysis in self-determination theory. The technique was exemplified with an empirical study comparing science teaching in a classical school class versus an expeditionary outdoor program. Based on a sample of 84 German pupils (43 girls, 41 boys, 10 to 12 years old), data were collected using the German version of the Academic Self-Regulation Questionnaire. The science-teaching format was seen to not influence the pupils' internalization of identified regulation. The internalization of introjected regulation differed and shifted more toward the external pole in the outdoor teaching format. The quantification approach supported the simplex structure of self-determination theory, whereas correlations may disconfirm the simplex structure.

On the Soft Limit of the Large Scale Structure Power Spectrum: UV Dependence

CERN Document Server

Garny, Mathias; Porto, Rafael A; Sagunski, Laura

2015-01-01

We derive a non-perturbative equation for the large scale structure power spectrum of long-wavelength modes. Thereby, we use an operator product expansion together with relations between the three-point function and power spectrum in the soft limit. The resulting equation encodes the coupling to ultraviolet (UV) modes in two time-dependent coefficients, which may be obtained from response functions to (anisotropic) parameters, such as spatial curvature, in a modified cosmology. We argue that both depend weakly on fluctuations deep in the UV. As a byproduct, this implies that the renormalized leading order coefficient(s) in the effective field theory (EFT) of large scale structures receive most of their contribution from modes close to the non-linear scale. Consequently, the UV dependence found in explicit computations within standard perturbation theory stems mostly from counter-term(s). We confront a simplified version of our non-perturbative equation against existent numerical simulations, and find good agr...

Quantum dynamics via Planck-scale-stepped action-carrying 'Graph Paths'

CERN Document Server

Chew, Geoffrey Foucar

2003-01-01

A divergence-free, parameter-free, path-based discrete-time quantum dynamics is designed to not only enlarge the achievements of general relativity and the standard particle model, by approximations at spacetime scales far above Planck scale while far below Hubble scale, but to allow tackling of hitherto inaccessible questions. ''Path space'' is larger than and precursor to Hilbert-space basis. The wave-function-propagating paths are action-carrying structured graphs-cubic and quartic structured vertices connected by structured ''fermionic'' or ''bosonic'' ''particle'' and ''nonparticle'' arcs. A Planck-scale path step determines the gravitational constant while controlling all graph structure. The basis of the theory's (zero-rest-mass) elementary-particle Hilbert space (which includes neither gravitons nor scalar bosons) resides in particle arcs. Nonparticle arcs within a path are responsible for energy and rest mass.

Anomalous scaling of structure functions and dynamic constraints on turbulence simulations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yakhot, Victor; Sreenivasan, Katepalli R.

2006-12-01

The connection between anomalous scaling of structure functions (intermittency) and numerical methods for turbulence simulations is discussed. It is argued that the computational work for direct numerical simulations (DNS) of fully developed turbulence increases as Re 4 , and not as Re 3 expected from Kolmogorov's theory, where Re is a large-scale Reynolds number. Various relations for the moments of acceleration and velocity derivatives are derived. An infinite set of exact constraints on dynamically consistent subgrid models for Large Eddy Simulations (LES) is derived from the Navier-Stokes equations, and some problems of principle associated with existing LES models are highlighted. (author)

Determination and Scaling of Thermo Acoustic Characteristics of Premixed Flames

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P. R. Alemela

2010-06-01

Full Text Available The paper investigates the determination and the scaling of thermo acoustical characteristics of lean premixed flames as used in gas turbine combustion systems. In the first part, alternative methods to characterize experimentally the flame dynamics are outlined and are compared on the example of a scaled model of an industrial gas turbine burner. Transfer matrix results from the most general direct method are contrasted with data obtained from the hybrid method, which is based on Rankine-Hugoniot relations and the experimental flame transfer function obtained from OH*-chemiluminescence measurements. Also the new network model based regression method is assessed, which is based on a n – τ – σ dynamic flame model. The results indicate very good consistency between the three techniques, providing a global check of the methods/tools used for analyzing the thermo acoustic mechanisms of flames. In the second part, scaling rules are developed that allow to calculate the dynamic flame characteristics at different operation points. Towards this a geometric flame length model is formulated. Together with the other operational data of the flame it provides the dynamic flame model parameters at these points. The comparison between the measured and modeled flame lengths as well as the n – τ – σ parameters shows an excellent agreement.

Investigations on a nano-scale periodical waveguide structure taking surface plasmon polaritons into consideration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Weihao; Zhong Renbin; Zhou Jun; Zhang Yaxin; Hu Min; Liu Shenggang

2012-01-01

Detailed theoretical analysis and computer simulations on the electromagnetic characteristics of a nano-scale periodical waveguide structure, taking surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) into consideration, are carried out in this paper. The results show that SPPs will significantly influence the electromagnetic characteristics of the structure. When the operation frequency is in a certain band—the ‘radial confinement band’, neither radial surface plasmon waves nor guided waves, which both will lead to radial energy loss, can be excited in the structure. And the electromagnetic waves are completely confined within the longitudinal waveguide and propagate along it with little attenuation. The radial energy loss is then significantly reduced. These results are of great significance not only for increasing the efficiency of the radiation sources based on the nano-scale periodical waveguide structure but also for the development of high-efficiency waveguides and wide-band filters in the infrared and visible light regimes. (paper)

Scaling of the first-passage time of biased diffusion on hierarchical comb structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lin Zhifang; Tao Ruibao.

1989-12-01

Biased diffusion on hierarchical comb structures is studied within an exact renormalization group scheme. The scaling exponents of the moments of the first-passage time for random walks are obtained. It is found that the scaling properties of the diffusion depend only on the direction of bias. In this particular case, the presence of bias may give rise to a new multifractality. (author). 7 refs, 2 figs

Examining the validity of the Academic Motivation Scale by comparing scale construction to self-determination theory.

Science.gov (United States)

Cokley, K O

2000-04-01

This study examined the construct validity of the Academic Motivation Scale. Specifically, subscale correlations were examined to assess whether support for a continuum of self-determination would be provided. The three types of Intrinsic Motivation were significantly and positively correlated with each other .67, .62, and .58, while the three types of Extrinsic Motivation were significantly and positively intercorrelated .50, .49, and .45. The former subscales, however, correlated higher with Introjected Regulation than Identified Regulation, suggesting that Introjected Regulation may be indicative of more self-determined behavior than has previously been believed. Also, the Intrinsic Motivation To Accomplish subscale had a stronger relationship with two of the Extrinsic Motivation subscales, Identified Regulation and Introjected Regulation, than did the Extrinsic Motivation subscales with each other. This suggests that the differences between Extrinsic and Intrinsic Motivation are not as obvious as has been believed. Also, contrary to self-determination theory, Amotivation had a stronger negative correlation with Identified Regulation (r = -.31) than with any of the Intrinsic Motivation subscales (rs = -.27, -.19, and -.11).

Regional-Scale Drivers of Forest Structure and Function in Northwestern Amazonia

Science.gov (United States)

Higgins, Mark A.; Asner, Gregory P.; Anderson, Christopher B.; Martin, Roberta E.; Knapp, David E.; Tupayachi, Raul; Perez, Eneas; Elespuru, Nydia; Alonso, Alfonso

2015-01-01

Field studies in Amazonia have found a relationship at continental scales between soil fertility and broad trends in forest structure and function. Little is known at regional scales, however, about how discrete patterns in forest structure or functional attributes map onto underlying edaphic or geological patterns. We collected airborne LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) data and VSWIR (Visible to Shortwave Infrared) imaging spectroscopy measurements over 600 km2 of northwestern Amazonian lowland forests. We also established 83 inventories of plant species composition and soil properties, distributed between two widespread geological formations. Using these data, we mapped forest structure and canopy reflectance, and compared them to patterns in plant species composition, soils, and underlying geology. We found that variations in soils and species composition explained up to 70% of variation in canopy height, and corresponded to profound changes in forest vertical profiles. We further found that soils and plant species composition explained more than 90% of the variation in canopy reflectance as measured by imaging spectroscopy, indicating edaphic and compositional control of canopy chemical properties. We last found that soils explained between 30% and 70% of the variation in gap frequency in these forests, depending on the height threshold used to define gaps. Our findings indicate that a relatively small number of edaphic and compositional variables, corresponding to underlying geology, may be responsible for variations in canopy structure and chemistry over large expanses of Amazonian forest. PMID:25793602

Regional-scale drivers of forest structure and function in northwestern Amazonia.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mark A Higgins

Full Text Available Field studies in Amazonia have found a relationship at continental scales between soil fertility and broad trends in forest structure and function. Little is known at regional scales, however, about how discrete patterns in forest structure or functional attributes map onto underlying edaphic or geological patterns. We collected airborne LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging data and VSWIR (Visible to Shortwave Infrared imaging spectroscopy measurements over 600 km2 of northwestern Amazonian lowland forests. We also established 83 inventories of plant species composition and soil properties, distributed between two widespread geological formations. Using these data, we mapped forest structure and canopy reflectance, and compared them to patterns in plant species composition, soils, and underlying geology. We found that variations in soils and species composition explained up to 70% of variation in canopy height, and corresponded to profound changes in forest vertical profiles. We further found that soils and plant species composition explained more than 90% of the variation in canopy reflectance as measured by imaging spectroscopy, indicating edaphic and compositional control of canopy chemical properties. We last found that soils explained between 30% and 70% of the variation in gap frequency in these forests, depending on the height threshold used to define gaps. Our findings indicate that a relatively small number of edaphic and compositional variables, corresponding to underlying geology, may be responsible for variations in canopy structure and chemistry over large expanses of Amazonian forest.

Universal divergenceless scaling between structural relaxation and caged dynamics in glass-forming systems.

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Ottochian, A; De Michele, C; Leporini, D

2009-12-14

On approaching the glass transition, the microscopic kinetic unit spends increasing time rattling in the cage of the first neighbors, whereas its average escape time, the structural relaxation time tau(alpha), increases from a few picoseconds up to thousands of seconds. A thorough study of the correlation between tau(alpha) and the rattling amplitude, expressed by the Debye-Waller factor, was carried out. Molecular-dynamics simulations of both a model polymer system and a binary mixture were performed by varying the temperature, the density rho, the potential and the polymer length to consider the structural relaxation as well as both the rotational and the translation diffusion. The present simulations, together with MD studies on other glassformers, evidence the scaling between the structural relaxation and the caged dynamics. An analytic model of the master curve is developed in terms of two characteristic length scales a(2) (1/2) and sigma(a(2) ) (1/2), pertaining to the distance to be covered by the kinetic unit to reach a transition state. The model does not imply tau(alpha) divergences. The comparison with the experiments supports the numerical evidence over a range of relaxation times as wide as about eighteen orders of magnitude. A comparison with other scaling and correlation procedures is presented. In particular, the density scaling of the length scales a(2) (1/2), sigma(a(2) ) (1/2) proportional to rho(-1/3) is shown to be not supported by the present simulations. The study suggests that the equilibrium and the moderately supercooled states of the glassformers possess key information on the huge slowing-down of their relaxation close to the glass transition. The latter, according to the present simulations, exhibits features consistent with the Lindemann melting criterion and the free-volume model.

A Modified Rule of Thumb for Evaluating Scale Reproducibilities Determined by Electronic Computers

Science.gov (United States)

Hofmann, Richard J.

1978-01-01

The Goodenough technique for determining scale error is compared to the Guttman technique and demonstrated to be more conservative than the Guttman technique. Implications with regard to Guttman's evaluative rule of thumb for evaluating a reproducibility are noted. (Author)

Structure determination of helical filaments by solid-state NMR spectroscopy

Science.gov (United States)

Ahmed, Mumdooh; Spehr, Johannes; König, Renate; Lünsdorf, Heinrich; Rand, Ulfert; Lührs, Thorsten; Ritter, Christiane