2,036 research outputs found
X-ray Spectrum and Pulsations of the Vela Pulsar
We report the results of the spectral and timing analysis of observations of
the Vela pulsar with the Chandra X-ray Observatory. The spectrum shows no
statistically significant spectral lines in the observed 0.25--8.0 keV band. It
consists of two distinct continuum components. The softer component can be
modeled as either a magnetic hydrogen atmosphere spectrum with kT = 59 +- 3 eV,
R = 15.5 +- 1.5 km, or a standard blackbody with kT = 129 +- 4 eV, R = 2.1 +-
0.2 km (the radii are for a distance of 250 pc). The harder component, modeled
as a power-law spectrum, gives photon indices depending on the model adopted
for the soft component: gamma = 1.5 +- 0.3 for the magnetic atmosphere soft
component, and gamma = 2.7 +- 0.4 for the blackbody soft component. Timing
analysis shows three peaks in the pulse profile, separated by about 0.3 in
phase. Energy-resolved timing provides evidence for pulse profile variation
with energy. The higher energy (E > 1.8 keV) profile shows significantly higher
pulsed fraction.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, To appear in "Neutron Stars in Supernova
Remnants" (ASP Conference Proceedings), eds P. O. Slane and B. M. Gaensler
Corrected TYPO
Particle separation by phase modulated surface acoustic waves
High efficiency isolation of cells or particles from a heterogeneous mixture is a critical processing step in lab-on-a-chip devices. Acoustic techniques offer contactless and label-free manipulation, preserve viability of biological cells, and provide versatility as the applied electrical signal can be adapted to various scenarios. Conventional acoustic separation methods use time-of-flight and achieve separation up to distances of quarter wavelength with limited separation power due to slow gradients in the force. The method proposed here allows separation by half of the wavelength and can be extended by repeating the modulation pattern and can ensure maximum force acting on the particles. In this work, we propose an optimised phase modulation scheme for particle separation in a surface acoustic wave microfluidic device. An expression for the acoustic radiation force arising from the interaction between acoustic waves in the fluid was derived. We demonstrated, for the first time, that the expression of the acoustic radiation force differs in surface acoustic wave and bulk devices, due to the presence of a geometric scaling factor. Two phase modulation schemes are investigated theoretically and experimentally. Theoretical findings were experimentally validated for different mixtures of polystyrene particles confirming that the method offers high selectivity. A Monte-Carlo simulation enabled us to assess performance in real situations, including the effects of particle size variation and non-uniform acoustic field on sorting efficiency and purity, validating the ability to separate particles with high purity and high resolution
Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries in National Football League Athletes From 2010 to 2013: A Descriptive Epidemiology Study.
BACKGROUND: There is a high incidence of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries among National Football League (NFL) athletes; however, the incidence of reinjury in this population is unknown.
PURPOSE: This retrospective epidemiological study analyzed all publicly disclosed ACL tears occurring in NFL players between 2010 and 2013 to characterize injury trends and determine the incidence of reinjury.
STUDY DESIGN: Descriptive epidemiological study.
METHODS: A comprehensive online search identified any NFL player who had suffered an ACL injury from 2010 to 2013. Position, playing surface, activity, and date were recorded. Each player was researched for any history of previous ACL injury. The NFL games database from USA Today was used to determine the incidence of ACL injuries on artificial turf and grass fields. Databases from Pro Football Focus and Pro Football Reference were used to determine the injury rate for each position.
RESULTS: NFL players suffered 219 ACL injuries between 2010 and 2013. Forty players (18.3%) had a history of previous ACL injury, with 27 (12.3%) retears and 16 (7.3%) tears contralateral to a previous ACL injury. Five players (2.28%) suffered their third ACL tear. Receivers (wide receivers and tight ends) and backs (linebackers, fullbacks, and halfbacks) had significantly greater injury risk than the rest of the NFL players, while perimeter linemen (defensive ends and offensive tackles) had significantly lower injury risk than the rest of the players. Interior linemen (offensive guards, centers, and defensive tackles) had significantly greater injury risk compared with perimeter linemen. ACL injury rates per team games played were 0.050 for grass and 0.053 for turf fields (P \u3e .05).
CONCLUSION: In this retrospective epidemiological study of ACL tears in NFL players, retears and ACL tears contralateral to a previously torn ACL constituted a substantial portion (18.3%) of total ACL injuries. The significant majority of ACL injuries in players with a history of previous ACL injury were retears. Skilled offensive players and linebackers had the greatest injury risk, and significantly more ACL tears occurred among interior linemen than perimeter linemen. The month of August had the highest incidence of ACL injuries, probably because of expanded roster sizes at that point in the NFL season
Effect of Negative Pressure Wound Therapy on Wound Complications Post-Pancreatectomy
Surgical site infection (SSI) and incisional hernia are common complications after major pancreatectomy. We investigated the effects of negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) on short- and long-term wound outcomes in patients undergoing pancreatectomy. A randomized controlled trial comparing the effect of NPWT with standard surgical dressing (SSD) on wounds was performed in 265 patients undergoing open gastrointestinal resections from 2012 to 2016. We performed a subset analysis of 73 patients who underwent pancreatectomy. Wound complications in the first 30 days and incisional hernia rates were assessed. There were 33 (45%) female patients in the study and the average BMI was 27.6. The pancreaticoduodectomy rate was 68 per cent, whereas 27 per cent of patients underwent distal or subtotal pancreatectomy, and 4 per cent total pancreatectomy. Incisional hernia rates were 32 per cent and 14 per cent between the SSD and NPWT groups, respectively
Three years of follow-up bone marrow-augmented organ transplant recipients: The impact on donor-specific immune modulation
The effect of realistic equations of state and general relativity on the "snowplow" model for pulsar glitches
Many pulsars are observed to "glitch", i.e. show sudden jumps in their
rotational frequency , some of which can be as large as in a subset of pulsars known as giant
glitchers. Recently Pizzochero (2011) has shown that an analytic model based on
realistic values for the pinning forces in the crust and for the angular
momentum transfer in the star can describe the average properties of giant
glitches, such as the inter-glitch waiting time, the step in frequency and that
in frequency derivative. In this paper we extend the model (originally
developed in Newtonian gravity and for a polytropic equation of state) to
realistic backgrounds obtained by integrating the relativistic equations of
stellar structure and using physically motivated equations of state to describe
matter in the neutron star. We find that this more detailed treatment still
reproduces the main features of giant glitches in the Vela pulsar and allows us
to set constraints on the equation of state. In particular we find that stiffer
equations of state are favoured and that it is unlikely that the Vela pulsar
has a high mass (larger than ).Comment: 15 pages, 8 figures, submitted to MNRA
A Comparison of Polarization Observables in Electron Scattering from the Proton and Deuteron
Recoil proton polarization observables were measured for both the p(,e) and d(,en reactions at two values of Q using a newly commissioned proton
Focal Plane Polarimeter at the M.I.T.-Bates Linear Accelerator Center. The
hydrogen and deuterium spin-dependent observables and
, the induced polarization and the form factor ratio
were measured under identical kinematics. The deuterium and
hydrogen results are in good agreement with each other and with the plane-wave
impulse approximation (PWIA).Comment: 9 pages, 1 figure; accepted by Phys. Rev. Let
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