An exactly solvable four transition point model

Heavy particle collisions, in particular low-energy ion-atom collisions, are amenable to semiclassical JWKB phase integral analysis in the complex plane of the internuclear separation. Analytic continuation in this plane requires due attention to the Stokes phenomenon which parametrizes the physical mechanisms of curve crossing, non-crossing, the hybrid Nikitin model, rotational coupling and predissociation. Complex transition points represent adiabatic degeneracies. In the case of two or more such points, the Stokes constants may only be completely determined by resort to the so-called comparison- equation method involving, in particular, parabolic cylinder functions or Whittaker functions and their strong-coupling asymptotics. In particular, the Nikitin model is a two transition-point one-double-pole problem in each half-plane corresponding to either ingoing or outgoing waves. When the four transition points are closely clustered, new techniques are required to determine Stokes constants. However, such investigations remain incomplete, A model problem is therefore solved exactly for scattering along a one-dimensional z-axis. The energy eigenvalue is b(2)-a(2) and the potential comprises -z(2)/2 (parabolic) and -a(2) + b(2)/2z(2) (centrifugal/centripetal) components. The square of the wavenumber has in the complex z-plane, four zeros each a transition point at z = +/-a +/- ib and has a double pole at z = 0. In cases (a) and (b), a and b are real and unitarity obtains. In case (a) the reflection and transition coefficients are parametrized by exponentials when a(2) + b(2) > 1/2. In case (b) they are parametrized by trigonometrics when a(2) + b(2) <1/2 and total reflection is achievable. In case (c) a and b are complex and in general unitarity is not achieved due to loss of flux to a continuum (O'Rourke and Crothers, 1992 Proc. R. Sec. 438 1). Nevertheless, case (c) coefficients reduce to (a) or (b) under appropriate limiting conditions. Setting z = ht, with h a real constant, an attempt is made to model a two-state collision problem modelled by a pair of coupled first-order impact parameter equations and an appropriate (T) over tilde-tau relation, where (T) over tilde is the Stueckelberg variable and tau is the reduced or scaled time. The attempt fails because (T) over tilde is an odd function of tau, which is unphysical in a real collision problem. However, it is pointed out that by applying the Kummer exponential model to each half-plane (O'Rourke and Crothers 1994 J. Phys. B: At. Mel. Opt. Phys. 27 2497) the current model is in effect extended to a collision problem with four transition points and a double pole in each half-plane. Moreover, the attempt in itself is not a complete failure since it is shown that the result is a perfect diabatic inelastic collision for a traceless Hamiltonian matrix, or at least when both diagonal elements are odd and the off-diagonal elements equal and even.

Surface alloying and mixing at the Mn/Fe(001) interface: Real-time photoelectron spectroscopy and modified embedded atom simulations

Structural and magnetic properties of thin Mn films on the Fe(001) surface have been investigated by a combination of photoelectron spectroscopy and computer simulation in the temperature range 300 Kless than or equal toTless than or equal to750 K. Room-temperature as deposited Mn overlayers are found to be ferromagnetic up to 2.5-monolayer (ML) coverage, with a magnetic moment parallel to that of the iron substrate. The Mn atomic moment decreases with increasing coverage, and thicker samples (4-ML and 4.5-ML coverage) are antiferromagnetic. Photoemission measurements performed while the system temperature is rising at constant rate (dT/dtsimilar to0.5 K/s) detect the first signs of Mn-Fe interdiffusion at T=450 K, and reveal a broad temperature range (610 Kless than or equal toTless than or equal to680 K) in which the interface appears to be stable. Interdiffusion resumes at Tgreater than or equal to680 K. Molecular dynamics and Monte Carlo simulations allow us to attribute the stability plateau at 610 Kless than or equal toTless than or equal to680 K to the formation of a single-layer MnFe surface alloy with a 2x2 unit cell and a checkerboard distribution of Mn and Fe atoms. X-ray-absorption spectroscopy and analysis of the dichroic signal show that the alloy has a ferromagnetic spin structure, collinear with that of the substrate. The magnetic moments of Mn and Fe atoms in the alloy are estimated to be 0.8mu(B) and 1.1mu(B), respectively.

Design Methodology for Real-Time FPGA-Based Sound Synthesis

Explicit finite difference (FD) schemes can realise highly realistic physical models of musical instruments but are computationally complex. A design methodology is presented for the creation of FPGA-based micro-architectures for FD schemes which can be applied to a range of applications with varying computational requirements, excitation and output patterns and boundary conditions. It has been applied to membrane and plate-based sound producing models, resulting in faster than real-time performance on a Xilinx XC2VP50 device which is 10 to 35 times faster than general purpose and DSP processors. The models have developed in such a way to allow a wide range of interaction (by a musician) thereby leading to the possibility of creating a highly realistic digital musical instrument.

A prospective clinical trial of a real-time polymerase chain reaction assay for the diagnosis of candidemia in nonneutropenic, critically ill adults

Background. Invasive Candida infection among nonneutropenic, critically ill adults is a clinical problem that has received increasing attention in recent years. Poor performance of extant diagnostic modalities has promoted risk-based, preemptive prescribing in view of the poor outcomes associated with inadequate or delayed antifungal therapy; this risks unnecessary overtreatment. A rapid, reliable diagnostic test could have a substantial impact on therapeutic practice in this patient population.

Methods. Three TaqMan-based real-time polymerase chain reaction assays were developed that are capable of detecting the main medically important Candida species, categorized according to the likelihood of fluconazole susceptibility. Assay 1 detected Candida albicans, Candida parapsilosis, Candida tropicalis, and Candida dubliniensis. Assays 2 and 3 detected Candida glabrata and Candida krusei, respectively. The clinical performance of these assays, applied to serum, was evaluated in a prospective trial of nonneutropenic adults in a single intensive care unit.

Results. In all, 527 specimens were obtained from 157 participants. All 3 assays were run in parallel for each specimen; they could be completed within 1 working day. Of these, 23 specimens were obtained from 23 participants categorized as having proven Candida infection at the time of sampling. If a single episode of Candida famata candidemia was excluded, the estimated clinical sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of the assays in this trial were 90.9%, 100%, 100% and 99.8%, respectively.

Conclusions. These data suggest that the described assays perform well in this population for enhancing the diagnosis of candidemia. The extent to which they may affect clinical outcomes, prescribing practice, and cost-effectiveness of care remains to be ascertained.

Ion-acoustic waves in a plasma consisting of adiabatic warm ions, non-isothermal electrons and a weakly relativistic electron beam: linear and higher-order nonlinear effects

The nonlinear propagation of finite amplitude ion acoustic solitary waves in a plasma consisting of adiabatic warm ions, nonisothermal electrons, and a weakly relativistic electron beam is studied via a two-fluid model. A multiple scales technique is employed to investigate the nonlinear regime. The existence of the electron beam gives rise to four linear ion acoustic modes, which propagate at different phase speeds. The numerical analysis shows that the propagation speed of two of these modes may become complex-valued (i.e., waves cannot occur) under conditions which depend on values of the beam-to-background-electron density ratio , the ion-to-free-electron temperature ratio , and the electron beam velocity v0; the remaining two modes remain real in all cases. The basic set of fluid equations are reduced to a Schamel-type equation and a linear inhomogeneous equation for the first and second-order potential perturbations, respectively. Stationary solutions of the coupled equations are derived using a renormalization method. Higher-order nonlinearity is thus shown to modify the solitary wave amplitude and may also deform its shape, even possibly transforming a simple pulse into a W-type curve for one of the modes. The dependence of the excitation amplitude and of the higher-order nonlinearity potential correction on the parameters , , and v0 is numerically investigated.

Making sustainability ‘real’: using group-enquiry to promote education

Sustainable development is now widely held as a transcendental ideal of town and country planning, yet the way in which it is taught in planning schools remains problematic. This arises from a range of factors, including the all-persuasive nature of sustainability and the lack of solid examples of success through implementation. The issue of how best to promote learning for sustainable development in planning has arguably intensified in the last two years in the case of the Royal Town Planning Institute- sponsored ‘fast track’ one-year Masters, which has reduced the opportunities for students to engage in wider (and perhaps even deeper) concepts, including that of sustainable development. This paper explores this through discussion of a specific project developed at Queen’s University Belfast, facilitated by a grant from the UK Higher Education Academy. Working with a local community, this entailed a group of students working on their Masters thesis collectively addressing issues of sustainable regeneration in a small Irish market town. The design of the project draws heavily on the concepts of enquiry based learning, experiential learning and action competence, whichare seen as being central to improving education for sustainable development (ESD). The paper explores the benefits of such an approach and discusses the ways in which this experience can help enhance student’s experience of ESD.