9,577 research outputs found
Gravitational lensing effects on sub-millimetre galaxy counts
We study the effects on the number counts of sub-millimetre galaxies due to
gravitational lensing. We explore the effects on the magnification cross
section due to halo density profiles, ellipticity and cosmological parameter
(the power-spectrum normalisation ). We show that the ellipticity
does not strongly affect the magnification cross section in gravitational
lensing while the halo radial profiles do. Since the baryonic cooling effect is
stronger in galaxies than clusters, galactic haloes are more concentrated. In
light of this, a new scenario of two halo population model is explored where
galaxies are modeled as a singular isothermal sphere profile and clusters as a
Navarro, Frenk and White (NFW) profile. We find the transition mass between the
two has modest effects on the lensing probability. The cosmological parameter
alters the abundance of haloes and therefore affects our results.
Compared with other methods, our model is simpler and more realistic. The
conclusions of previous works is confirm that gravitational lensing is a
natural explanation for the number count excess at the bright end.Comment: 10 pages, 10 figures, accepted by MNRA
Node overlap removal by growing a tree
Node overlap removal is a necessary step in many scenarios including laying out a graph, or visualizing a tag cloud. Our contribution is a new overlap removal algorithm that iteratively builds a Minimum Spanning Tree on a Delaunay triangulation of the node centers and removes the node overlaps by ”growing” the tree. The algorithm is simple to implement yet produces high quality layouts. According to our experiments it runs several times faster than the current state-of-the-art methods
Weak lensing goes bananas: What flexion really measures
In weak gravitational lensing, the image distortion caused by shear measures
the projected tidal gravitational field of the deflecting mass distribution. To
lowest order, the shear is proportional to the mean image ellipticity. If the
image sizes are not small compared to the scale over which the shear varies,
higher-order distortions occur, called flexion. For ordinary weak lensing, the
observable quantity is not the shear, but the reduced shear, owing to the
mass-sheet degeneracy. Likewise, the flexion itself is unobservable. Rather,
higher-order image distortions measure the reduced flexion, i.e., derivatives
of the reduced shear. We derive the corresponding lens equation in terms of the
reduced flexion and calculate the resulting relation between brightness moments
of source and image. Assuming an isotropic distribution of source orientations,
estimates for the reduced shear and flexion are obtained; these are then tested
with simulations. In particular, the presence of flexion affects the
determination of the reduced shear. The results of these simulations yield the
amount of bias of the estimators, as a function of the shear and flexion. We
point out and quantify a fundamental limitation of the flexion formalism, in
terms of the product of reduced flexion and source size. If this product
increases above the derived threshold, multiple images of the source are formed
locally, and the formalism breaks down. Finally, we show how a general
(reduced) flexion field can be decomposed into its four components: two of them
are due to a shear field, carrying an E- and B-mode in general. The other two
components do not correspond to a shear field; they can also be split up into
corresponding E- and B-modes.Comment: 17 pages, 6 figures, submitted to A&
Half Metallicity in Hybrid BCN Nanoribbons
We report a first-principles electronic-structure calculation on C and BN
hybrid zigzag nanoribbons. We find that half-metallicity can arise in the
hybrid nanoribbons even though stand-alone C or BN nanoribbon possesses a
finite band gap. This unexpected half-metallicity in the hybrid nanos-tructures
stems from a competition between the charge and spin polarizations, as well as
from the pi orbital hybridization between C and BN. Our results point out a
possibility of making spintronic devices solely based on nanoribbons and a new
way of designing metal-free half metals
Estimate of dark halo ellipticity by lensing flexion
Aims. The predictions of the ellipticity of the dark matter halos from models
of structure formation are notoriously difficult to test with observations. A
direct measurement would give important constraints on the formation of
galaxies, and its effect on the dark matter distribution in their halos. Here
we show that galaxy-galaxy flexion provides a direct and potentially powerful
method for determining the ellipticity of (an ensemble of) elliptical lenses.
Methods. We decompose the spin-1 flexion into a radial and a tangential
component. Using the ratio of tangential-to- radial flexion, which is
independent of the radial mass profile, the mass ellipticity can be estimated.
Results. An estimator for the ellipticity of the mass distribution is derived
and tested with simulations. We show that the estimator is slightly biased. We
quantify this bias, and provide a method to reduce it. Furthermore, a
parametric fitting of the flexion ratio and orientation provides another
estimate for the dark halo ellipticity, which is more accurate for individual
lenses Overall, galaxy-galaxy flexion appears as a powerful tool for
constraining the ellipticity of mass distributions.Comment: 6 pages,5 figures, submitted to AA, comments welcom
Radial Growth of Qilian Juniper on the Northeast Tibetan Plateau and Potential Climate Associations
There is controversy regarding the limiting climatic factor for tree radial growth at the alpine treeline on the northeastern Tibetan Plateau. In this study, we collected 594 increment cores from 331 trees, grouped within four altitude belts spanning the range 3550 to 4020 m.a.s.l. on a single hillside. We have developed four equivalent ring-width chronologies and shown that there are no significant differences in their growth-climate responses during 1956 to 2011 or in their longer-term growth patterns during the period AD 1110–2011. The main climate influence on radial growth is shown to be precipitation variability. Missing ring analysis shows that tree radial growth at the uppermost treeline location is more sensitive to climate variation than that at other elevations, and poor tree radial growth is particularly linked to the occurrence of serious drought events. Hence water limitation, rather than temperature stress, plays the pivotal role in controlling the radial growth of Sabina przewalskii Kom. at the treeline in this region. This finding contradicts any generalisation that tree-ring chronologies from high-elevation treeline environments are mostly indicators of temperature changes
Does using a femoral nerve block for total knee replacement decrease postoperative delirium?
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The effect of peripheral nerve blocks on postoperative delirium in older patients has not been studied. Peripheral nerve blocks may reduce the incidence of postoperative opioid use and its side effects such as delirium via opioid-sparing effect.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A prospective cohort study was conducted in patients who underwent total knee replacement. Baseline cognitive function was assessed using the Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status. Postoperative delirium was measured using the Confusion Assessment Method postoperatively. Incidence of postoperative delirium was compared in two postoperative management groups: femoral nerve block ± patient-controlled analgesia and patient-controlled analgesia only. In addition, pain levels (using numeric rating scales) and opioid use were compared in two groups.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>85 patients were studied. The overall incidence of postoperative delirium either on postoperative day one or day two was 48.1%. Incidence of postoperative delirium in the femoral nerve block group was lower than patient controlled analgesia only group (25% vs. 61%, <it>P </it>= 0.002). However, there was no significant difference between the groups with respect to postoperative pain level or the amount of intravenous opioid use.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Femoral nerve block reduces the incidence of postoperative delirium. These results suggest that a larger randomized control trial is necessary to confirm these preliminary findings.</p
Regression analysis for peak designation in pulsatile pressure signals
Following recent studies, the automatic analysis of intracranial pressure (ICP) pulses appears to be a promising tool for forecasting critical intracranial and cerebrovascular pathophysiological variations during the management of many disorders. A pulse analysis framework has been recently developed to automatically extract morphological features of ICP pulses. The algorithm is able to enhance the quality of ICP signals, to segment ICP pulses, and to designate the locations of the three ICP sub-peaks in a pulse. This paper extends this algorithm by utilizing machine learning techniques to replace Gaussian priors used in the peak designation process with more versatile regression models. The experimental evaluations are conducted on a database of ICP signals built from 700 h of recordings from 64 neurosurgical patients. A comparative analysis of different state-of-the-art regression analysis methods is conducted and the best approach is then compared to the original pulse analysis algorithm. The results demonstrate a significant improvement in terms of accuracy in favor of our regression-based recognition framework. It reaches an average peak designation accuracy of 99% using a kernel spectral regression against 93% for the original algorithm
In situ evidence for the structure of the magnetic null in a 3D reconnection event in the Earth's magnetotail
Magnetic reconnection is one of the most important processes in
astrophysical, space and laboratory plasmas. Identifying the structure around
the point at which the magnetic field lines break and subsequently reform,
known as the magnetic null point, is crucial to improving our understanding
reconnection. But owing to the inherently three-dimensional nature of this
process, magnetic nulls are only detectable through measurements obtained
simultaneously from at least four points in space. Using data collected by the
four spacecraft of the Cluster constellation as they traversed a diffusion
region in the Earth's magnetotail on 15 September, 2001, we report here the
first in situ evidence for the structure of an isolated magnetic null. The
results indicate that it has a positive-spiral structure whose spatial extent
is of the same order as the local ion inertial length scale, suggesting that
the Hall effect could play an important role in 3D reconnection dynamics.Comment: 14 pages, 4 figure
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