2,994 research outputs found
Isotropic properties of the photonic band gap in quasicrystals with low-index contrast
We report on the formation and development of the photonic band gap in
two-dimensional 8-, 10- and 12-fold symmetry quasicrystalline lattices of low
index contrast. Finite size structures made of dielectric cylindrical rods were
studied and measured in the microwave region, and their properties compared
with a conventional hexagonal crystal. Band gap characteristics were
investigated by changing the direction of propagation of the incident beam
inside the crystal. Various angles of incidence from 0 \degree to 30\degree
were used in order to investigate the isotropic nature of the band gap. The
arbitrarily high rotational symmetry of aperiodically ordered structures could
be practically exploited to manufacture isotropic band gap materials, which are
perfectly suitable for hosting waveguides or cavities.Comment: 16 pages, 7 figures, submitted to PR
Disaggregated Imaging Spacecraft Constellation Optimization with a Genetic Algorithm
This research is an extension of work by Major Robert Thompson, who uses a genetic algorithm to optimize certain parameters of a disaggregated constellation for most cost-effective coverage. This work looks at imaging sensor coverage of a specific target deck assumed to exist in the Middle East. Parameters varied in this optimization affect Walker constellation characteristics, orbital elements, and sensor size. Walker parameter variables are number of planes, number of satellites per plane, true anomaly spread, and RAAN increment. All classical orbital elements are variable, although a circular, low-Earth orbit is assumed. Sensor size is varied dependent upon sensor diameter. These parameters are applied to constellations of small satellites and large satellites. The Unmanned Spacecraft Cost Model (USCM) and the Small Spacecraft Cost Model (SSCM) are used to roughly determine the cost of each proposed mission. The sensor effectiveness is determined by the General Imaging Quality Equation (GIQE)
Probing the formation history of the nuclear star cluster at the Galactic Centre with millisecond pulsars
The origin of the Nuclear Star Cluster in the centre of our Galaxy is still
unknown. One possibility is that it formed after the disruption of stellar
clusters that spiralled into the Galactic Centre due to dynamical friction. We
trace the formation of the Nuclear Star Cluster around the central black hole,
using state-of-the-art N-body simulations, and follow the dynamics of the
neutron stars born in the clusters. We then estimate the number of Millisecond
Pulsars (MSPs) that are released in the Nuclear Star Cluster, during its
formation. The assembly and tidal dismemberment of globular clusters lead to a
population of MSPs distributed over a radius of about 20 pc, with a peak near 3
pc. No clustering is found on the sub-parsec scale. We simulate the
detectability of this population with future radio telescopes like the MeerKAT
radio telescope and SKA1, and find that about of order ten MSPs can be observed
over this large volume, with a paucity of MSPs within the central parsec. This
helps discriminating this scenario from the in-situ formation model for the
Nuclear Star Cluster that would predict an over abundance of MSPs closer to the
black hole. We then discuss the potential contribution of our MSP population to
the gamma-ray excess at the Galactic Centre.Comment: 11 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA
Rediscovering the scientific and didactic value of minor herbarium collections: the seeds and fruits collection by Gustavo Bonaventura
Seeds and fruits collections are very important from a systematic point of view and represent useful references in several disciplines and research fields. The Herbarium of Sapienza University of Rome (RO) hosts a Spermoteque/Carpoteque, which was organized by Gustavo Bonaventura (1902-1976). The purpose of this paper is to describe the heritage of Bonaventura's collection. It consists of 42 wooden boxes, globally hosting 3411 glass tubes containing seeds, fruits, and other materials. The collection was first of all catalogued; then, analysis were conducted regarding taxonomic composition, temporal and geographic coverage, institutions of provenience, collectors, content, and preservation status. The specimens refer to 2740 taxa, belonging to 890 genera and 135 families. Many genera of agricultural interest are present, each one with different cultivars. The collection spans across 130 years (1843-1975) and hosts specimens coming from all over the world. Materials were provided by several herbaria, botanical gardens and agrarian institutes, and by 50 collectors. The Bonaventura's collection is still a useful reference collection, testifying biodiversity over times and thus being useful for diachronic studies; moreover, it documents the interests of collectors and the past network activity between institutions
Photonic band gaps analysis of Thue-Morse multilayers made of porous silicon
Dielectric aperiodic Thue-Morse structures up to 128 layers have
been fabricated by using porous silicon technology. The photonic band gap
properties of Thue-Morse multilayers have been theoretically investigated
by means of the transfer matrix method and the integrated density of states.
The theoretical approach has been compared and discussed with the
reflectivity measurements at variable angles for both the transverse electric
and transverse magnetic polarizations of light. The photonic band gap
regions, wide 70 nm and 90 nm, included between 0 and 30°, have been
observed for the sixth and seventh orders, respectively
PROSPECTIVE UPON MULTI-SOURCE URBAN SCALE DATA FOR 3D DOCUMENTATION AND MONITORING OF URBAN LEGACIES
Abstract. The investigation on the built urban heritage and its current transformations can progressively benefit from the use of geospatial data related to urban environment. This is even more interesting when urban design studies of historical and stratified cities meet the contribution of 4D geospatial data within the urban morphology researches, aiming at quickly and accurately identifying and then measuring with a spatial relationship, both localized transformation (volumes demolitions, addition, etc…) and wide-scale substantial modification resulting from urban zones of diversification spaces that incorporates urban legacies. In this domain, the comparison and analysis of multi-source and multi-scale information belonging to Spatial Data Infrastructures (SDI) organized by Municipality and Region Administration (mainly, orthoimages and DSM and digital mapping) are a crucial support for multi-temporal spatial analysis, especially if compared with new DSMs related to past urban situations. The latter can be generated by new solution of digital image-matching techniques applicable to the available historical aerial images. The goal is to investigate the amount of available data and their effectiveness, to later test different experimental tools and methods for quick detection, localization and quantification of morphological macro-transformation at urban scale. At the same time, it has been examined the opportunity to made available, with up-and-coming Mobile Mapping Systems (MMS) based on image- and range-based techniques, a rapid and effective approach of data gathering, updating and sharing at validated urban scales. The presented research, carried out in the framework of the FULL@Polito research lab, applies to urban legacies and their regeneration, and is conducted on a key redevelopment area in northern Torino, the Parco Dora, that was occupied by steel industries actively working up to 1992. The long-standing steel structures of the Ferriere FIAT lot have been refurbished and incorporated in the new urban park, generating a contemporary space with a new evolving urban fabric, and being integrated in the new updated geo-spatial databases as well.</p
Orographic Precipitation Extremes: An Application of LUME (Linear Upslope Model Extension) over the Alps and Apennines in Italy
Critical hydrometeorological events are generally triggered by heavy precipitation. In complex terrain, precipitation may be perturbed by the upslope raising of the incoming humid airflow, causing in some cases extreme rainfall. In this work, the application of LUME-Linear Upslope Model Extension-to a group of extreme events that occurred across mountainous areas of the Central Alps and Apennines in Italy is presented. Based on the previous version, the model has been "extended" in some aspects, proposing a methodology for physically estimating the time-delay coefficients as a function of precipitation efficiency. The outcomes of LUME are encouraging for the cases studied, revealing the intensification of precipitation due to the orographic effect. A comparison between the reference rain gauge data and the results of the simulations showed good agreement. Since extreme precipitation is expected to increase due to climate change, especially across the Mediterranean region, LUME represents an effective tool to investigate more closely how these extreme phenomena originate and evolve in mountainous areas that are subject to potential hydrometeorological risks
Interleukin-18 mediates cardiac dysfunction induced by western diet independent of obesity and hyperglycemia in the mouse
Obesity and diabetes are independent risk factors for heart failure and are associated with the consumption of diet rich in saturated fat and sugar, Western diet (WD), known to induce cardiac dysfunction in the mouse through incompletely characterized inflammatory mechanisms. We hypothesized that the detrimental cardiac effects of WD are mediated by interleukin-18 (IL-18), pro-inflammatory cytokine linked to cardiac dysfunction. C57BL/6J wild-type male mice and IL-18 knockout male mice were fed high-saturated fat and high-sugar diet for 8 weeks. We measured food intake, body weight and fasting glycemia. We assessed left ventricular (LV) systolic and diastolic function by Doppler echocardiography and cardiac catheterization. In wild-type mice, WD induced a significant increase in isovolumetric relaxation time, myocardial performance index and left ventricular end-diastolic pressure, reflecting an impairment in diastolic function, paired with a mild reduction in LV ejection fraction. IL-18 KO mice had higher food intake and greater increase in body weight without significant differences in hyperglycemia. Despite displaying greater obesity, IL-18 knockout mice fed with WD for 8 weeks had preserved cardiac diastolic function and higher left ventricular ejection fraction. IL-18 mediates diet-induced cardiac dysfunction, independent of food intake and obesity, thus highlighting a disconnect between the metabolic and cardiac effects of IL-18
Radiation and magnetic field effects on new semiconductor power devices for HL-LHC experiments
The radiation hardness of commercial Silicon Carbide and Gallium Nitride
power MOSFETs is presented in this paper, for Total Ionizing Dose effects and
Single Event Effects, under gamma, neutrons, protons and heavy ions. Similar
tests are discussed for commercial DC-DC converters, also tested in operation
under magnetic field
Evolution of the electronic structure across the filling-control and bandwidth-control metal-insulator transitions in pyrochlore-type Ru oxides
We have performed photoemission and soft x-ray absorption studies of
pyrochlore-type Ru oxides, namely, the filling-control system
SmCaRuO and the bandwidth-control system
SmBiRuO, which show insulator-to-metal transition with
increasing Ca and Bi concentration, respectively. Core levels and the O 2
valence band in SmCaRuO show almost the same amount of
monotonous upward energy shifts with Ca concentration, which indicates that the
chemical potential is shifted downward due to hole doping. The Ru 4 band in
SmCaRuO is also shifted toward the Fermi level () with
hole doping and the density of states (DOS) at increases. The core levels
in SmBiRuO, on the other hand, do not show clear energy
shifts except for the Ru 3 core level, whose line shape change also reflects
the increase of metallic screening with Bi concentration. We observe pronounced
spectral weight transfer from the incoherent to the coherent parts of the Ru 4d
band with Bi concentration, which is expected for a bandwidth-control
Mott-Hubbard system. The increase of the DOS at is more abrupt in the
bandwidth-control SmBiRuO than in the filling-control
SmCaRuO, in accordance with a recent theoretical
prediction. Effects of charge transfer between the Bi 6 band and the Ru
4 band are also discussed.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figure
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