245 research outputs found
Simulated Diabetes Testing Experiment Using Artificially Manipulated Livestock Blood
Due to the prevalence of diabetes and lack of simple endocrine experiments, a laboratory protocol was developed in order to increase student knowledge of the disease and the diabetic testing process. In this paper, we present the protocol for manipulating the glucose concentration of commercially available bovine blood. The bovine blood was manipulated using Ringer's solution to which glucose was added, and six samples were prepared (pre-prandial and postprandial, normal; pre-prandial and postprandial, pre-diabetic; pre-prandial and postprandial, diabetic). This laboratory exercise provides a physical, hands-on student activity that highlights pancreatic endocrinology and the results of pancreatic malfunction. The laboratory exercise is relatively inexpensive and can be performed in under an hour. Students in Human Anatomy and Physiology II performed the experiment using glucose meters. When tested, the blood samples’ glucose readings were consistently within the desired ranges. The post-laboratory questions were designed to assess student knowledge of diabetes upon completion of the experiment. The students also completed a pre-laboratory and post-laboratory survey, and these results were also recorded and tabulated. Upon completion, the majority of students (164 of 209) reported an increase in knowledge concerning diabetes. An overwhelming majority (190 of 209) of the students enjoyed the laboratory exercise. Bovine blood was used in the experiment to ensure realism, and 194 of the students believed that this
experiment was realistic given the constraints (i.e., using simulated blood). Due to student results and survey answers, it was deduced that this laboratory exercise was successful
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Beam control and diagnostic functions in the NIF transport spatial filter
Beam control and diagnostic systems are required to align the National Ignition Facility (NIF) laser prior to a shot as well as to provide diagnostics on 192 beam lines at shot time. A design that allows each beam`s large spatial filter lenses to also serve as objective lenses for beam control and diagnostic sensor packages helps to accomplish the task at a reasonable cost. However, this approach also causes a high concentration of small optics near the pinhole plane of the transport spatial filter (TSF) at the output of each beam. This paper describes the optomechanical design in and near the central vacuum vessel of the TSF
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An 800-MeV proton radiography facility for dynamic experiments
The capability has been successfully developed at the Los Alamos Nuclear Science Center (LANSCE) to utilize a spatially and temporally prepared 800-MeV proton beam to produce proton radiographs. A series of proton bursts are transmitted through a dynamically varying object and transported, via a unique magnetic lens system, to an image plane. The magnetic lens system permits correcting for the effects of multiple coulomb scattering which would otherwise completely blur the spatially transmitted information at the image plane. The proton radiographs are recorded on either a time integrating film plate or with a recently developed multi-frame electronic imaging camera system. The latter technique permits obtaining a time dependent series of proton radiographs with time intervals (modulo 358 ns) up to many microseconds and variable time intervals between images. One electronically shuttered, intensified, CCD camera is required per image. These cameras can detect single protons interacting with a scintillating fiber optic array in the image plane but also have a dynamic range which permits recording radiographs with better than 5% statistics for observation of detailed density variations in the object. A number of tests have been carried out to characterize the quality of the proton radiography system for absolute mass determination, resolution, and dynamic range. Initial dynamic experiments characterized the temporal and spatial behavior of shock propagation in high explosives with up to six images per experiment. Based on experience with the prototype system, a number of upgrades are being implemented including the anticipated capability for enhanced mass discrimination through differential multiple coulomb scattering radiographs and more images with improved imaging techniques
Global fits to neutrino oscillation data
I summarize the determination of neutrino oscillation parameters within the
three-flavor framework from world neutrino oscillation data with date of May
2006, including the first results from the MINOS long-baseline experiment. It
is illustrated how the determination of the leading "solar" and "atmospheric"
parameters, as well as the bound on emerge from an interplay of
various complementary data sets. Furthermore, I discuss possible implications
of sub-leading three-flavor effects in present atmospheric neutrino data
induced by and for the bound on
and non-maximal values of , emphasizing, however, that these
effects are not statistically significant at present. Finally, in view of the
upcoming MiniBooNE results I briefly comment on the problem to reconcile the
LSND signal.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures, talk presented at the SNOW2006 workshop,
Stockholm, 2-6 May 200
Optimal Image Reconstruction in Radio Interferometry
We introduce a method for analyzing radio interferometry data which produces
maps which are optimal in the Bayesian sense of maximum posterior probability
density, given certain prior assumptions. It is similar to maximum entropy
techniques, but with an exact accounting of the multiplicity instead of the
usual approximation involving Stirling's formula. It also incorporates an Occam
factor, automatically limiting the effective amount of detail in the map to
that justified by the data. We use Gibbs sampling to determine, to any desired
degree of accuracy, the multi-dimensional posterior density distribution. From
this we can construct a mean posterior map and other measures of the posterior
density, including confidence limits on any well-defined function of the
posterior map.Comment: 41 pages, 11 figures. High resolution figures 8 and 9 available at
http://www.astro.uiuc.edu/~bwandelt/SuttonWandelt200
LOTIS Upper Limits and the Prompt OT from GRB 990123
GRB 990123 established the existence of prompt optical emission from
gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). The Livermore Optical Transient Imaging System (LOTIS)
has been conducting a fully automated search for this kind of simultaneous low
energy emission from GRBs since October 1996. Although LOTIS has obtained
simultaneous, or near simultaneous, coverage of the error boxes obtained with
BATSE, IPN, XTE, and BeppoSAX for several GRBs, image analysis resulted in only
upper limits. The unique gamma-ray properties of GRB 990123, such as very large
fluence (top 0.4%) and hard spectrum, complicate comparisons with more typical
bursts. We scale and compare gamma-ray properties, and in some cases afterglow
properties, from the best LOTIS events to those of GRB 990123 in an attempt to
determine whether the prompt optical emission of this event is representative
of all GRBs. Furthermore, using LOTIS upper limits in conjunction with the
relativistic blast wave model, we weakly constrain the GRB and afterglow
parameters such as density of the circumburster medium and bulk Lorentz factor
of the ejecta.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures, To appear in Proceedings of the 5th Huntsville
Gamma-Ray Burst Symposiu
Multi-Frequency Synthesis of VLBI Images Using a Generalized Maximum Entropy Method
A new multi-frequency synthesis algorithm for reconstructing images from
multi-frequency VLBI data is proposed. The algorithm is based on a generalized
maximum-entropy method, and makes it possible to derive an effective spectral
correction for images over a broad frequency bandwidth, while simultaneously
reconstructing the spectral-index distribution over the source. The results of
numerical simulations demonstrating the capabilities of the algorithm are
presented.Comment: 17 pages, 8 figure
Future Precision Neutrino Oscillation Experiments and Theoretical Implications
Future neutrino oscillation experiments will lead to precision measurements
of neutrino mass splittings and mixings. The flavour structure of the lepton
sector will therefore at some point become better known than that of the quark
sector. This article discusses the potential of future oscillation experiments
on the basis of detailed simulations with an emphasis on experiments which can
be done in about ten years. In addition, some theoretical implications for
neutrino mass models will be briefly discussed.Comment: Talk given at Nobel Symposium 2004: Neutrino Physics, Haga Slott,
Enkoping, Sweden, 19-24 Aug 200
LOTIS Search for Early Time Optical Afterglows: GRB 971227
We report on the very early time search for an optical afterglow from GRB
971227 with the Livermore Optical Transient Imaging System (LOTIS). LOTIS began
imaging the `Original' BATSE error box of GRB 971227 approximately 14 s after
the onset of gamma-ray emission. Continuous monitoring of the position
throughout the evening yielded a total of 499 images (10 s integration).
Analysis of these images revealed no steady optical afterglow brighter than
R=12.3 +- 0.2 in any single image. Coaddition of different combinations of the
LOTIS images also failed to uncover transient optical emission. In particular,
assuming a constant early time flux, no optical afterglow brighter than R=14.2
+- 0.2 was present within the first 1200 s and no optical afterglow brighter
than R=15.0 +- 0.2 was present in the first 6.0 h.
Follow up observations by other groups revealed a likely X-ray afterglow and
a possible optical afterglow. Although subsequent deeper observations could not
confirm a fading source, we show that these transients are not inconsistent
with our present knowledge of the characteristics of GRB afterglows. We also
demonstrate that with the upgraded thermoelectrically cooled CCDs, LOTIS is
capable of either detecting very early time optical afterglow or placing
stringent constraints on the relationship between the gamma-ray emission and
the longer wavelength afterglow in relativistic blast wave models.Comment: 17 pages, 3 eps figures, revisions based on reviewers comment
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