574 research outputs found
Humans running in place on water at simulated reduced gravity
On Earth only a few legged species, such as water strider insects, some aquatic birds and lizards, can run on water. For most other species, including humans, this is precluded by body size and proportions, lack of appropriate appendages, and limited muscle power. However, if gravity is reduced to less than Earth's gravity, running on water should require less muscle power. Here we use a hydrodynamic model to predict the gravity levels at which humans should be able to run on water. We test these predictions in the laboratory using a reduced gravity simulator
SiPM technology applied to radiation sensor development
The Silicon Photo-Multiplier (SiPM) being yet in its infancy, a full protocol for the sensor characterization has been developed and implemented at the Physics Department of Universita\u2019 dell\u2019Insubria. Sensors from different producers have been analyzed and compared, in view of the integration in the instruments for radiation detection. Exemplary illustrations are reported here, together with the first results on real-time dosimetry in mammography
Dynamic validation of the Planck/LFI thermal model
The Low Frequency Instrument (LFI) is an array of cryogenically cooled
radiometers on board the Planck satellite, designed to measure the temperature
and polarization anisotropies of the cosmic microwave backgrond (CMB) at 30, 44
and 70 GHz. The thermal requirements of the LFI, and in particular the
stringent limits to acceptable thermal fluctuations in the 20 K focal plane,
are a critical element to achieve the instrument scientific performance.
Thermal tests were carried out as part of the on-ground calibration campaign at
various stages of instrument integration. In this paper we describe the results
and analysis of the tests on the LFI flight model (FM) performed at Thales
Laboratories in Milan (Italy) during 2006, with the purpose of experimentally
sampling the thermal transfer functions and consequently validating the
numerical thermal model describing the dynamic response of the LFI focal plane.
This model has been used extensively to assess the ability of LFI to achieve
its scientific goals: its validation is therefore extremely important in the
context of the Planck mission. Our analysis shows that the measured thermal
properties of the instrument show a thermal damping level better than
predicted, therefore further reducing the expected systematic effect induced in
the LFI maps. We then propose an explanation of the increased damping in terms
of non-ideal thermal contacts.Comment: Planck LFI technical papers published by JINST:
http://www.iop.org/EJ/journal/-page=extra.proc5/1748-022
Imaging the first light: experimental challenges and future perspectives in the observation of the Cosmic Microwave Background Anisotropy
Measurements of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) allow high precision
observation of the Last Scattering Surface at redshift 1100. After the
success of the NASA satellite COBE, that in 1992 provided the first detection
of the CMB anisotropy, results from many ground-based and balloon-borne
experiments have showed a remarkable consistency between different results and
provided quantitative estimates of fundamental cosmological properties. During
2003 the team of the NASA WMAP satellite has released the first improved
full-sky maps of the CMB since COBE, leading to a deeper insight into the
origin and evolution of the Universe. The ESA satellite Planck, scheduled for
launch in 2007, is designed to provide the ultimate measurement of the CMB
temperature anisotropy over the full sky, with an accuracy that will be limited
only by astrophysical foregrounds, and robust detection of polarisation
anisotropy. In this paper we review the experimental challenges in high
precision CMB experiments and discuss the future perspectives opened by second
and third generation space missions like WMAP and Planck.Comment: To be published in "Recent Research Developments in Astronomy &
Astrophysics Astrophysiscs" - Vol I
Impact ionization in GaAs: a screened exchange density functional approach
Results are presented of a fully ab-initio calculation of impact ionization
rates in GaAs within the density functional theory framework, using a
screened-exchange formalism and the highly precise all-electron full-potential
linearized augmented plane wave (FLAPW) method. The calculated impact
ionization rates show a marked orientation dependence in {\bf k} space,
indicating the strong restrictions imposed by the conservation of energy and
momentum. This anisotropy diminishes as the impacting electron energy
increases. A Keldysh type fit performed on the energy-dependent rate shows a
rather soft edge and a threshold energy greater than the direct band gap. The
consistency with available Monte Carlo and empirical pseudopotential
calculations shows the reliability of our approach and paves the way to
ab-initio calculations of pair production rates in new and more complex
materials.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figures, Submitted to Phys. Rev.
The Low Frequency Instrument in the ESA Planck mission
Measurements of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) allow high precision
observation of the cosmic plasma at redshift z~1100. After the success of the
NASA satellite COBE, that in 1992 provided the first detection of the CMB
anisotropy, results from many ground-based and balloon-borne experiments have
showed a remarkable consistency between different results and provided
quantitative estimates of fundamental cosmological properties. During the
current year the team of the NASA WMAP satellite has released the first
improved full-sky maps of the CMB since COBE, leading to a deeper insight in
the origin and evolution of the Universe. The ESA satellite Planck, scheduled
for launch in 2007, is designed to provide the ultimate measurement of the CMB
temperature anisotropy over the full sky, with an accuracy that will be limited
only by astrophysical foregrounds, and robust detection of polarisation
anisotropy. Planck will observe the sky with two instruments over a wide
spectral band (the Low Frequency Instrument, based on coherent radiometers,
from 30 to 70 GHz and the High Frequency Instrument, based on bolometric
detectors, from 100 to 857 GHz). The mission performances will improve
dramatically the scientific return compared to WMAP. Furthermore the LFI
radiometers (as well as some of the HFI bolometers) are intrinsically sensitive
to polarisation so that by combining the data from different receivers it will
be possible to measure accurately the E mode and to detect the B mode of the
polarisation power spectrum. Planck sensitivity will offer also the possibility
to detect the non-Gaussianities imprinted in the CMB.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, to appear in "Proc of International Symposium on
Plasmas in the Laboratory and in the Universe: new insights and new
challenges", September 16-19, 2003, Como, Ital
Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification (LAMP) and SYBR Green qPCR for Fast and Reliable Detection of Geosmithia morbida (Kolařik) in Infected Walnut
Walnut species (Juglans spp.) are multipurpose trees, widely employed in plantation forestry for high-quality timber and nut production, as well as in urban greening as ornamental plants. These species are currently threatened by the thousand cankers disease (TCD) complex, an insect–fungus association which involves the ascomycete Geosmithia morbida (GM) and its vector, the bark beetle Pityophthorus juglandis. While TCD has been studied extensively where it originated in North America, little research has been carried out in Europe, where it was more recently introduced. A key step in research to cope with this new phytosanitary emergency is the development of effective molecular detection tools. In this work, we report two accurate molecular methods for the diagnosis of GM, based on LAMP (real-time and visual) and SYBR Green qPCR, which are complimentary to and integrated with similar recently developed assays. Our protocols detected GM DNA from pure mycelium and from infected woody tissue with high accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity, without cross-reactivity to a large panel of taxonomically related species. The precision and robustness of our tests guarantee high diagnostic standards and could be used to support field diagnostic end-users in TCD monitoring and surveillance campaigns
Development of a loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay for the identification of the invasive wood borer Aromia bungii (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) from frass
The red-necked longhorn beetle Aromia bungii (Faldermann, 1835) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) is native to east Asia, where it is a major pest of cultivated and ornamental species of the genus Prunus. Morphological or molecular discrimination of adults or larval specimens is required to identify this invasive wood borer. However, recovering larval stages of the pest from trunks and branches causes extensive damage to plants and is timewasting. An alternative approach consists in applying non-invasive molecular diagnostic tools to biological traces (i.e., fecal pellets, frass). In this way, infestations in host plants can be detected without destructive methods. This paper presents a protocol based on both real-time and visual loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP), using DNA of A. bungii extracted from fecal particles in larval frass. Laboratory validations demonstrated the robustness of the protocols adopted and their reliability was confirmed performing an inter-lab blind panel. The LAMP assay and the qPCR SYBR Green method using the F3/B3 LAMP external primers were equally sensitive, and both were more sensitive than the conventional PCR (sensitivity > 103 to the same starting matrix). The visual LAMP protocol, due to the relatively easy performance of the method, could be a useful tool to apply in rapid monitoring of A. bungii and in the management of its outbreaks
Effect of Fourier filters in removing periodic systematic effects from CMB data
We consider the application of high-pass Fourier filters to remove periodic
systematic fluctuations from full-sky survey CMB datasets. We compare the
filter performance with destriping codes commonly used to remove the effect of
residual 1/f noise from timelines. As a realistic working case, we use
simulations of the typical Planck scanning strategy and Planck Low Frequency
Instrument noise performance, with spurious periodic fluctuations that mimic a
typical thermal disturbance. We show that the application of Fourier high-pass
filters in chunks always requires subsequent normalisation of induced offsets
by means of destriping. For a complex signal containing all the astrophysical
and instrumental components, the result obtained by applying filter and
destriping in series is comparable to the result obtained by destriping only,
which makes the usefulness of Fourier filters questionable for removing this
kind of effects.Comment: 10 pages, 8 figures, published in Astronomy & Astrophysic
Off-line radiometric analysis of Planck/LFI data
The Planck Low Frequency Instrument (LFI) is an array of 22
pseudo-correlation radiometers on-board the Planck satellite to measure
temperature and polarization anisotropies in the Cosmic Microwave Background
(CMB) in three frequency bands (30, 44 and 70 GHz). To calibrate and verify the
performances of the LFI, a software suite named LIFE has been developed. Its
aims are to provide a common platform to use for analyzing the results of the
tests performed on the single components of the instrument (RCAs, Radiometric
Chain Assemblies) and on the integrated Radiometric Array Assembly (RAA).
Moreover, its analysis tools are designed to be used during the flight as well
to produce periodic reports on the status of the instrument. The LIFE suite has
been developed using a multi-layered, cross-platform approach. It implements a
number of analysis modules written in RSI IDL, each accessing the data through
a portable and heavily optimized library of functions written in C and C++. One
of the most important features of LIFE is its ability to run the same data
analysis codes both using ground test data and real flight data as input. The
LIFE software suite has been successfully used during the RCA/RAA tests and the
Planck Integrated System Tests. Moreover, the software has also passed the
verification for its in-flight use during the System Operations Verification
Tests, held in October 2008.Comment: Planck LFI technical papers published by JINST:
http://www.iop.org/EJ/journal/-page=extra.proc5/1748-022
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