9,446 research outputs found
Determination of Gd concentration profile in UO2-Gd2O3 fuel pellets
A transversal mapping of the Gd concentration was measured in UO2-Gd2O3
nuclear fuel pellets by electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy (EPR). The
quantification was made from the comparison with a Gd2O3 reference sample. The
nominal concentration in the pellets is UO2: 7.5 % Gd2O3. A concentration
gradient was found, which indicates that the Gd2O3 amount diminishes towards
the edges of the pellets. The concentration varies from (9.3 +/- 0.5)% in the
center to (5.8 +/- 0.3)% in one of the edges. The method was found to be
particularly suitable for the precise mapping of the distribution of Gd3+ ions
in the UO2 matrix.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figures, 2 tables. Submitted to Journal of Nuclear
Material
Dynamic contour tonometry versus Goldmann applanation tonometry: challenging the gold standard
The accurate measurement of intraocular pressure (IOP) is fundamental to almost any ophthalmic examination. Dynamic contour tonometry (DCT) was introduced 5 years ago as an entirely novel contact tonometry principle designed to measure IOP largely independently of corneal properties. Since then, many studies have compared the performance of this tonometer to the Goldmann applanation tonometer (GAT) and other tonometers in healthy eyes, as well as eyes with glaucoma or corneal diseases, and after corneal surgery. There is now strong evidence that DCT measures IOP very accurately, with very low inter- and intraobserver variability. This article summarizes the findings of these studies and analyzes the role of DCT in challenging GAT as the gold-standard tonometer for IOP measurements
The Drinfel'd Double and Twisting in Stringy Orbifold Theory
This paper exposes the fundamental role that the Drinfel'd double \dkg of
the group ring of a finite group and its twists \dbkg, \beta \in
Z^3(G,\uk) as defined by Dijkgraaf--Pasquier--Roche play in stringy orbifold
theories and their twistings.
The results pertain to three different aspects of the theory. First, we show
that --Frobenius algebras arising in global orbifold cohomology or K-theory
are most naturally defined as elements in the braided category of
\dkg--modules. Secondly, we obtain a geometric realization of the Drinfel'd
double as the global orbifold --theory of global quotient given by the
inertia variety of a point with a action on the one hand and more
stunningly a geometric realization of its representation ring in the braided
category sense as the full --theory of the stack . Finally, we show
how one can use the co-cycles above to twist a) the global orbifold
--theory of the inertia of a global quotient and more importantly b) the
stacky --theory of a global quotient . This corresponds to twistings
with a special type of 2--gerbe.Comment: 35 pages, no figure
Gaussian Effective Potential and the Coleman's normal-ordering Prescription : the Functional Integral Formalism
For a class of system, the potential of whose Bosonic Hamiltonian has a
Fourier representation in the sense of tempered distributions, we calculate the
Gaussian effective potential within the framework of functional integral
formalism. We show that the Coleman's normal-ordering prescription can be
formally generalized to the functional integral formalism.Comment: 6 pages, revtex; With derivation details and an example added. To
appear in J. Phys.
Relationship between hippocampal structure and memory function in elderly humans
With progressing age, the ability to recollect personal events declines, whereas familiarity-based memory remains relatively intact. It has been hypothesized that age-related hippocampal atrophy may contribute to this pattern because of its critical role for recollection in younger humans and after acute injury. Here, we show that hippocampal volume loss in healthy older persons correlates with gray matter loss (estimated with voxel-based morphometry) of the entire limbic system and shows no correlation with an electrophysiological (event-related potential [ERP]) index of recollection. Instead, it covaries with more substantial and less specific electrophysiological changes of stimulus processing. Age-related changes in another complementary structural measure, hippocampal diffusion, on the other hand, seemed to be more regionally selective and showed the expected correlation with the ERP index of recollection. Thus, hippocampal atrophy in older persons accompanies limbic atrophy, and its functional impact on memory is more fundamental than merely affecting recollection
Accretion of gas onto nearby spiral galaxies
We present evidence for cosmological gas accretion onto spiral galaxies in
the local universe. The accretion is seen through its effects on the dynamics
of the extra-planar neutral gas. The accretion rates that we estimate for two
nearby spiral galaxies are of the order of their star formation rates. Our
model shows that most of the extra-planar gas is produced by supernova feedback
(galactic fountain) and only 10-20 % comes from accretion. The accreting
material must have low specific angular momentum about the disc's spin axis,
although the magnitude of the specific angular-momentum vector can be higher.
We also explore the effects of a hot corona on the dynamics of the extra-planar
gas and find that it is unlikely to be responsible for the observed kinematical
pattern and the source of accreted gas. However, the interaction with the
fountain flow should profoundly affect the hydrodynamics of the corona.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA
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