Adiabatic Theorems and Reversible Isothermal Processes

Isothermal processes of a finitely extended, driven quantum system in contact with an infinite heat bath are studied from the point of view of quantum statistical mechanics. Notions like heat flux, work and entropy are defined for trajectories of states close to, but distinct from states of joint thermal equilibrium. A theorem characterizing reversible isothermal processes as quasi-static processes (“isothermal theorem”) is described. Corollaries concerning the changes of entropy and free energy in reversible isothermal processes and on the 0th law of thermodynamics are outlined.*Supported by the Swiss National Foundation.     

Selective preparation of ground state wave-packets: a theoretical analysis of femtosecond pump-dump-probe experiments on the potassium dimer

We present simulations on pump-dump-probe experiments performed on the potassium dimer. The interaction of two time-delayed laser pulses prepares vibrational wave packets in the electronic ground state. The quantum calculations reveal to what extent it is possible to prepare a ground state superposition of states with high versus low vibrational quantum numbers by changing the pump-dump delay time. It is shown that transient signals may exhibit interference effects which are due to characteristics of ground state wave-packets composed of two components showing different vibrational dynamics. In this way the signals are able to yield information about vibrational overtone motion. Received 27 September 2000 and Received in final form 21 November 2000     

Improving robustness of filtered-x least mean p-power algorithm for active attenuation of standard symmetric-α-stable impulsive noise

The paper concerns active control of impulsive noise having peaky distribution with heavy tail. Such impulsive noise can be modeled using non-Gaussian stable process for which second order moments do not exist. The most famous filtered-x least mean square (FxLMS) algorithm for active noise control (ANC) systems is based on the minimization of variance (second order moment) of error signal, and hence, becomes unstable for the impulsive noise. In order to improve the robustness of adaptive algorithms for processes having distributions with heavy tails (i.e. signals with outliers), either (1) a robust optimization criterion may be used to derive the adaptive algorithm or (2) the large amplitude samples may be ignored or replaced by an appropriate threshold value. Among the existing algorithms for ANC of impulsive noise, one is based on the minimizing least mean p-power (LMP) of the error signal, resulting in FxLMP algorithm (approach 1). The other is based on modifying; on the basis of statistical properties; the reference signal in the update equation of the FxLMS algorithm (approach 2). In this paper we propose two solutions to improve the robustness of the FxLMP algorithm. In first proposed algorithm, the reference and the error signals are thresholded before being used in the update equation of FxLMP algorithm. As another solution to improve the performance of FxLMP algorithm, a modified normalized step size is proposed. The computer simulations are carried out, which demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithms.     

Stationary cell size distributions and mean protein chain length distributions of Archaea,Bacteria and Eukaryotes described with an increment model in terms of irreversible thermodynamics

In terms of an increment model irreversible thermodynamics allows to formulate general relations of stationary cell size distributions observed in growing colonies. The treatment is based on the following key postulates: i) The growth dynamics covers a broad spectrum of fast and slow processes. ii) Slow processes are considered to install structural patterns that operate in short periods as temporary stationary states of reference in the sense of irreversible thermodynamics. iii) Distortion during growth is balanced out via the many fast processes until an optimized stationary state is achieved. The relation deduced identifies the numerous different stationary patterns as equivalents, predicting that they should fall on one master curve. Stationary cell size distributions of different cell types, like Hyperphilic archaea, E. coli (Prokaryotes) and S. cerevisiae (Eukaryotes), altogether taken from the literature, are in fact consistently described. As demanded by the model they agree together with the same master curve. Considering the “protein factories” as subsystems of cells the mean protein chain length distributions deduced from completely sequenced genomes should be optimized. In fact, the mean course can be described with analogous relations as used above. Moreover, the master curve fits well to the patterns of different species of Archaea, Bacteria and Eukaryotes. General consequences are discussed.     

Electromagnetic and seismoacoustic signals revealed in karst caves (Central Italy)

Summary Since 1988–89 equipment for detecting electric, magnetic and seismoacoustic signals has been running inside the Amare cave. The Amare cave is placed on the southern slope of the Gran Sasso chain, that is one of the largest karst areas of the Italian Apennines. In 1992, a similar equipment was installed inside the Cervo cave. This cave is located in another karst area of the Central Apennines, at about 50 km southwestwards of the Amare cave. In both these measurements sites, the signals are recorded every ten minutes in a digital form; the equipment is able to record signals, the frequency of which ranges from some hundred Hz to some hundred kHz. The data collected up to now seem to identify two different states that we call ?quiet? and ?perturbed? state. In the quiet state only electric and magnetic signals with the highest frequencies appear. These signals are connected with radio broadcastings and with the general lightnings activity of the Earth. A perturbed state is characterized by the sudden appearance of seismoacoustic signals coupled with electric and magnetic ones. This phenomenology is connected with local processes. Rainfall, atmospheric-pressure variations and some thermal effects are responsible for these local processes. A possible model is proposed to justify the observed phenomenology: micromovements of the limestone blocks that constitute the roof of the caves are invoked for the production of seismoacoustic signals. The electrification generated by these movements is invoked for the production of electric and magnetic signals.     

Spectral and Informational Analysis of Temperature and Chemical Composition of Solfatara Fumaroles (Campi Flegrei,Italy)

Temperature and composition at fumaroles are controlled by several volcanic and exogenous processes that operate on various time-space scales. Here, we analyze fluctuations of temperature and chemical composition recorded at fumarolic vents in Solfatara (Campi Flegrei caldera, Italy) from December 1997 to December 2015, in order to better understand source(s) and driving processes. Applying the singular spectral analysis, we found that the trends explain the great part of the variance of the geochemical series but not of the temperature series. On the other hand, a common source, also shared by other geo-indicators (ground deformation, seismicity, hydrogeological and meteorological data), seems to be linked with the oscillatory structure of the investigated signals. The informational characteristics of temperature and geochemical compositions, analyzed by using the Fisher–Shannon method, appear to be a sort of fingerprint of the different periodic structure. In fact, the oscillatory components were characterized by a wide range of significant periodicities nearly equally powerful that show a higher degree of entropy, indicating that changes are influenced by overlapped processes occurring at different scales with a rather similar intensity. The present study represents an advancement in the understanding of the dominant driving mechanisms of volcanic signals at fumaroles that might be also valid for other volcanic areas.     

Determination of T1-spin-lattice relaxation time in a two-level system by continuous wave multiquantum electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy in a presence of tetrachromatic microwave irradiation

Applicability of continuous wave multiquantum EPR methods to study relaxation times at X-band is examined. Multiquantum transitions excited in a two-level system by tetrachromatic irradiation are used for these studies. The Bloch equation model is applied to simulate lineshapes of the three quantum transitions as a function of frequency difference between exciting fields. The dependence of multiquantum transition signals on relaxation times and microwave amplitude is shown. On this basis a method of deducing relaxation times from these signals is formulated. The case of a homogeneously and inhomogeneously broadened resonance line is considered. Two experimental methods are used to verify the proposed hypothesis: the X-band continuous wave multiquantum EPR with four frequencies microwave field and saturation recovery EPR. The values of T₁ obtained from CW MQ EPR and SR EPR are compared.     

Spatiotemporal receptive field properties of epiretinally recorded spikes and local electroretinograms in cats

Background  

Receptive fields of retinal neural signals of different origin can be determined from extracellular microelectrode recordings at the inner retinal surface. However, locations and types of neural processes generating the different signal components are difficult to separate and identify. We here report epiretinal receptive fields (RFs) from simultaneously recorded spikes and local electroretinograms (LERGs) using a semi-chronic multi-electrode in vivo recording technique in cats. Broadband recordings were filtered to yield LERG and multi unit as well as single unit spike signals. RFs were calculated from responses to multifocal pseudo-random spatiotemporal visual stimuli registered at the retinal surface by a 7-electrode array.     

重力驱动下运动物体在颗粒介质中的最大穿透深度

通过高速摄像的跟踪，研究了重力场中球形下落物体对松散颗粒床进行撞击并进入颗粒床内的运动过程.运用已得到的颗粒体系中运动物体的阻力模型，分析了物体质量对穿透深度的影响.研究表明，当物体与颗粒床撞击的初始速度较小时，物体在颗粒床中的最大穿透深度与物体质量呈近似线性关系. 实验得到的结果与模型符合很好. 关键词： 颗粒体系 阻力 动力学过程     

Stochastic analysis of recurrence plots with applications to the detection of deterministic signals

Recurrence plots have been widely used for a variety of purposes such as analyzing dynamical systems, denoising, as well as detection of deterministic signals embedded in noise. Though it has been postulated previously that recurrence plots contain time correlation information here we make the relationship between unthresholded recurrence plots and the covariance of a random process more precise. Computations using examples from harmonic processes, autoregressive models, and outputs from nonlinear systems are shown to illustrate this relationship. Finally, the use of recurrence plots for detection of deterministic signals in the presence of noise is investigated and compared to traditional signal detection methods based on the likelihood ratio test. Results using simulated data show that detectors based on certain statistics derived from recurrence plots are sub-optimal when compared to well-known detectors based on the likelihood ratio.     

Distributions of time- and distance-headways in the Nagel-Schreckenberg model of vehicular traffic: effects of hindrances

In the Nagel-Schreckenberg model of vehicular traffic on single-lane highways vehicles are modelled as particles which hop forward from one site to another on a one dimensional lattice and the inter-particle interactions mimic the manner in which the real vehicles influence each other's motion. In this model the number of empty lattice sites in front of a particle is taken to be a measure of the corresponding distance-headway (DH). The time-headway (TH) is defined as the time interval between the departures (or arrivals) of two successive particles recorded by a detector placed at a fixed position on the model highway. We investigate the effects of spatial inhomogeneities of the highway (static hindrances) on the DH and TH distributions in the steady-state of this model. Received: 2 March 1988 / Revised: 13 April 1998 / Accepted: 17 April 1998     

Algorithm for optimal filtering of random Markov signals with pulse-disturbance-amplitude estimation

Optimal filtering problem of random Markov signals with simultaneous estimation of pulse disturbance amplitudes is considered. Linear models of stochastic difference equations in discrete time are used to describe signals, observed processes, and pulse disturbances. Pulse disturbances occur at random times with random amplitudes. A real-time calculation procedure is obtained for the joint a posteriori probability density function of random signals and pulse disturbance amplitudes. A quasioptimal filtering algorithm is derived in the case of scalar signals and scalar observed processes by a partition method. Computer simulation results are presented.Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Radiofizika, Vol. 39, No. 4, pp. 496–513, April, 1996.     

Acceleration transforms and statistical kinetic models

For a restricted class of problems a mathematical model of microscopic degradation processes, statistical kinetics, is developed and linked throughacceleration transforms to the information which can be obtained from a system in which the only observable sign of degradation is sudden and catastrophic failure. The acceleration transforms were developed in accelerated life testing applications as a tool for extrapolating from the observable results of an accelerated life test to the dynamics of the underlying degradation processes. A particular concern of a physicist attempting to interpreted the results of an analysis based on acceleration transforms is determining the physical species involved in the degradation process. These species may be (a) relatively abundant or (b) relatively rare. The main results of this paper are a theorem showing that for an important subclass of statistical kinetic models, acceleration transforms cannot be used to distinguish between cases a and b, and an example showing that in some cases falling outside the restrictions of the theorem, cases a and b can be distinguished by their acceleration transforms.     

Reaction-diffusion processes of hard-core particles

We study a 12-parameter stochastic process involving particles with two-site interaction and hard-core repulsion on ad-dimensional lattice. In this model, which includes the asymmetric exclusion process, contact processes, and other processes, the stochastic variables are particle occupation numbers taking valuesn _x=0,1. We show that on a ten-parameter submanifold thek-point equal-time correlation functions n _x1...n _xk satisfy linear differential-difference equations involving no higher correlators. In particular, the average density n _x satisfies an integrable diffusion-type equation. These properties are explained in terms of dual processes and various duality relations are derived. By defining the time evolution of the stochastic process in terms of a quantum HamiltonianH, the model becomes equivalent to a lattice model in thermal equilibrium ind+1 dimensions. We show that the spectrum ofH is identical to the spectrum of the quantum Hamiltonian of ad-dimensional anisotropic, spin-1/2 Heisenberg model. In one dimension our results hint at some new algebraic structure behind the integrability of the system.     

A turbulent data analysis in the Antarctic boundary layer

Summary Data collected by the Institute of Atmospheric Physics of CNR (Italy) during the 1991 Italian Antarctic expedition are used for the development of Earth-air-sea interaction studies. In this paper wind and temperature data obtained by a digitized ultrasonic anemometer-thermometer describe the temporal, statistical and spectral turbulence behaviour in the surface atmospheric boundary layer at different wind conditions and in morphologically different sites. The vertical momentum and thermal fluxes, evaluated through the direct method, are found to be strictly dependent on the local stability condition recorded during the measurements. The examination of the velocities and temperature probability density functions confirms the Lumley and Panofsky hypothesis on the influence of both velocity components on temperature fluctuations. A multichannel spectral analysis confirms the obtained results for the low-frequency range. The authors of this paper have agreed to not receive the proofs for correction.     

基于近红外光谱分析的脊髓损伤后神经细胞活性检测方法

交通意外、高空跌落、机械撞击等事故,可能导致人体脊髓损伤,从而中断了人体神经信号的传输信道,致使部分肢体功能的丧失。由于目前没有脊髓受损部位神经细胞活性检测的方法,而常规的检测仪器如X射线、CT等传统仪器不能提供神经细胞活性的任何信息,医生无法对患者病情有更清晰的了解,这就可能延误最佳的治疗时机,致使患者终生瘫痪。光谱学方法可以检测细胞组织的改变,且近红外光谱技术是一种测量速度快,操作简便的无损测量技术。所以,针对现有医学检测设备的不足,在动物实验的基础上,根据物质在近红外光波段的吸光特性,并结合近红外光谱分析技术的定性判别和定量分析的特性,通过对脊髓损伤后神经细胞活性的检测,采用聚类算法对脊髓损伤部位的神经特异性核蛋白和神经递质进行分类和仿真,并采用偏最小二乘算法计算其含量,实现了脊髓损伤部位神经细胞活性的精确检测。该方法为脊髓损伤后神经细胞活性的检测提供理论依据,给患者带来肢体功能重建和康复的希望,为临床医学提供了一种无创检测神经细胞活性的方法。     

Femtosecond pump-probe fluorescence signals from classical trajectories: comparison with wave-packet calculations

A classical approach to simulate femtosecond pump-probe experiments is presented and compared to the quantum mechanical treatment. We restrict the study to gas-phase systems using the I₂ molecule as a numerical example. Thus, no relaxation processes are included. This allows for a direct comparison between purely quantum mechanical results and those obtained from classical trajectory calculations. The classical theory is derived from the phase-space representation of quantum mechanics. Various approximate quantum mechanical treatments are compared to their classical counterparts. Thereby it is demonstrated that the representation of the radial density as prepared in the pump-process is most crucial to obtain reliable signals within the classical approach. Received 28 March 2001     

Langevin dynamics of financial systems: A second-order analysis

We address the issue of stock market fluctuations within Langevin Dynamics (LD) and the thermodynamics definitions of multifractality in order to study its second-order characterization given by the analogous specific heat C_q, where q is an analogous temperature relating the moments of the generating partition function for the financial data signals. Due to non-linear and additive noise terms within the LD, we found that C_q can display a shoulder to the right of its main peak as also found in the S&P500 historical data which may resemble a classical phase transition at a critical point. Received 6 November 2000 and Received in final form 26 March 2001     

A microscopic mechanism for rejuvenation and memory effects in spin glasses

Aging in spin glasses (and in some other systems) reveals astonishing effects of `rejuvenation and memory' upon temperature changes. In this paper, we propose microscopic mechanisms (at the scale of spin-spin interactions) which can be at the origin of such phenomena. Firstly, we recall that, in a frustrated system, the effective average interaction between two spins may take different values (possibly with opposite signs) at different temperatures. We give simple examples of such situations, which we compute exactly. Such mechanisms can explain why new ordering processes (rejuvenation) seem to take place in spin glasses when the temperature is lowered. Secondly, we emphasize the fact that inhomogeneous interactions do naturally lead to a wide distribution of relaxation times for thermally activated flips. `Memory spots' spontaneously appear, in the sense that the flipping time of some spin clusters becomes extremely long when the temperature is decreased. Such memory spots are capable of keeping the memory of previous ordering at a higher temperature while new ordering processes occur at a lower temperature. After a qualitative discussion of these mechanisms, we show in the numerical simulation of a simplified example that this may indeed work. Our conclusion is that certain chaos-like phenomena may show up spontaneously in any frustrated and inhomogeneous magnetic system, without impeding the occurrence of memory effects. Received 5 February 2001 and Received in final form 27 April 2001     

针刺足三里的脊髓背根神经电信号非线性特征提取

神经系统在外部刺激下会呈现出丰富的放电模式,针刺作为对穴位的机械作用可以等效为对神经系统的一种外部刺激,在针刺刺激下神经系统会产生不规则的电信号.由于神经系统是高度复杂的非线性动力学系统,神经电信号具有很强的非线性,所以本文设计了提插补法、提插泻法、捻转补法、捻转泻法等四种针刺手法的动物实验,获取针刺大鼠足三里穴位的脊髓背根神经束动作电位序列.采用峰峰间期的思想,应用非线性时间序列的方法分析此动作电位序列,通过计算Lyapunov指数、关联维数以及Lempel-Ziv复杂度等参数,提取神经电信号的非线性特征,得到不同针刺手法的神经电信息的编码;并证明了针刺作用下脊髓背根的神经电信号具有明显的混沌特性. 关键词： 针刺 神经电信号 非线性分析 混沌