514 research outputs found
The Scattered Disk as the source of the Jupiter Family comets
The short period Jupiter family comets (JFCs) are thought to originate in the
Kuiper Belt; specifically, a dynamical subclass of the Kuiper Belt known as the
`scattered disk' is argued to be the dominant source of JFCs. However, the best
estimates from observational surveys indicate that this source may fall short
by more than two orders of magnitude the estimates obtained from theoretical
models of the dynamical evolution of Kuiper belt objects into JFCs. We
re-examine the scattered disk as a source of the JFCs and make a rigorous
estimate of the discrepancy. We find that the uncertainties in the dynamical
models combined with a change in the size distribution function of the
scattered disk at faint magnitudes (small sizes) beyond the current
observational limit offer a possible but problematic resolution to the
discrepancy. We discuss several other possibilities: that the present
population of JFCs is a large fluctuation above their long term average, that
larger scattered disk objects tidally break-up into multiple fragments during
close planetary encounters as their orbits evolve from the trans-Neptune zone
to near Jupiter, or that there are alternative source populations that
contribute significantly to the JFCs. Well-characterized observational
investigations of the Centaurs, objects that are transitioning between the
trans-Neptune Kuiper belt region and the inner solar system, can test the
predictions of the non-steady state and the tidal break-up hypotheses. The
classical and resonant classes of the Kuiper belt are worth re-consideration as
significant additional or alternate sources of the JFCs.Comment: 33 pages, 6 figures. Revised Content. To be published in The
Astrophysical Journa
Evaluation of Natural Technological Interfaces for Children with Psychomotor Disabilities
population with disabilities, there is a group that has intellectual, sensory, motor disabilities, or a combination of them. The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) defines disability as an umbrella term for impairments, activity limitations and participation restrictions. It is estimated that over 15 % of the worldÂŽs population is afflicted by disability in some form. In Argentina this prevalence reaches 7.1%. When these people want to use any technological device, usually find that its physical interfaces are not accessible. Often they need adaptations, raising costs but accessibility is not totally guaranteed. Current technologies allow "more natural" interfaces, where the feedback is immediate. The application of appropriate technology with natural or intuitive interfaces, allow greater accessibility than adaptations commonly used for the overall development of students with psychomotor disorders. The objective of this work is to facilitate the comprehensive development of students with senso psychomotor disorders attending the Special School Beatriz Martinez A. Allio, through the incorporation and implementation of natural interfaces for working with computers in education, offering teaching a complementary tool for the development of their daily activities. The interfaces of hardware and software implementation are proposed to achieve the overall goal. It is intended to make at least a touch screen and at least one interface with the Kinect camera game console Xbox 360.Fil: Beltramone, D. A. Universidad Nacional de CĂłrdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, FĂsicas y Naturales. IngenierĂa BiomĂ©dica; Argentina.Fil: Tula, S. M. Ministerio de EducaciĂłn de la Provincia de CĂłrdoba. Escuela Especial B. A. MartĂnez Allio; Argentina.Fil: Rivarola, M. F. Universidad Nacional de CĂłrdoba. Facultad de Ciencias MĂ©dicas. Escuela KinesiologĂa y Fisioterapia; Argentina.Fil: Hidalgo, M. B. Universidad Nacional de CĂłrdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, FĂsicas y Naturales. IngenierĂa BiomĂ©dica; Argentina.Fil: Tancredi, P. D. Universidad Nacional de CĂłrdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, FĂsicas y Naturales. IngenierĂa BiomĂ©dica; Argentina.Fil: Quinteros Quintana, M. L. Universidad Nacional de CĂłrdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, FĂsicas y Naturales. IngenierĂa BiomĂ©dica; Argentina.Fil: Diaz, J. M. Universidad Nacional de CĂłrdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, FĂsicas y Naturales. IngenierĂa BiomĂ©dica; Argentina.Fil: Marcotti, A. Universidad Nacional de CĂłrdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, FĂsicas y Naturales. IngenierĂa BiomĂ©dica; Argentina.Fil: Atea, J. J. Universidad Nacional de CĂłrdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, FĂsicas y Naturales. Departamento de ElectrĂłnica; Argentina.IngenierĂa MĂ©dic
The structure of Chariklo's rings from stellar occultations
Two narrow and dense rings (called C1R and C2R) were discovered around the
Centaur object (10199) Chariklo during a stellar occultation observed on 2013
June 3. Following this discovery, we planned observations of several
occultations by Chariklo's system in order to better characterize the physical
properties of the ring and main body. Here, we use 12 successful occulations by
Chariklo observed between 2014 and 2016. They provide ring profiles (physical
width, opacity, edge structure) and constraints on the radii and pole position.
Our new observations are currently consistent with the circular ring solution
and pole position, to within the km formal uncertainty for the ring
radii derived by Braga-Ribas et al. The six resolved C1R profiles reveal
significant width variations from to 7.5 km. The width of the fainter
ring C2R is less constrained, and may vary between 0.1 and 1 km. The inner and
outer edges of C1R are consistent with infinitely sharp boundaries, with
typical upper limits of one kilometer for the transition zone between the ring
and empty space. No constraint on the sharpness of C2R's edges is available. A
1 upper limit of m is derived for the equivalent width of
narrow (physical width <4 km) rings up to distances of 12,000 km, counted in
the ring plane
Linguistics
Contains table of contents for Section 4, an introduction and abstracts of nine doctoral dissertations
Easily retrievable objects among the NEO population
Asteroids and comets are of strategic importance for science in an effort to understand the formation, evolution and composition of the Solar System. Near-Earth Objects (NEOs) are of particular interest because of their accessibility from Earth, but also because of their speculated wealth of material resources. The exploitation of these resources has long been discussed as a means to lower the cost of future space endeavours. In this paper, we consider the currently known NEO population and define a family of so-called Easily Retrievable Objects (EROs), objects that can be transported from accessible heliocentric orbits into the Earthâs neighbourhood at affordable costs. The asteroid retrieval transfers are sought from the continuum of low energy transfers enabled by the dynamics of invariant manifolds; specifically, the retrieval transfers target planar, vertical Lyapunov and halo orbit families associated with the collinear equilibrium points of the Sun-Earth Circular Restricted Three Body problem. The judicious use of these dynamical features provides the best opportunity to find extremely low energy Earth transfers for asteroid material. A catalogue of asteroid retrieval candidates is then presented. Despite the highly incomplete census of very small asteroids, the ERO catalogue can already be populated with 12 different objects retrievable with less than 500 m/s of Îv. Moreover, the approach proposed represents a robust search and ranking methodology for future retrieval candidates that can be automatically applied to the growing survey of NEOs
A posteriori inclusion of parton density functions in NLO QCD final-state calculations at hadron colliders: The APPLGRID Project
A method to facilitate the consistent inclusion of cross-section measurements
based on complex final-states from HERA, TEVATRON and the LHC in proton parton
density function (PDF) fits has been developed. This can be used to increase
the sensitivity of LHC data to deviations from Standard Model predictions. The
method stores perturbative coefficients of NLO QCD calculations of final-state
observables measured in hadron colliders in look-up tables. This allows the
posteriori inclusion of parton density functions (PDFs), and of the strong
coupling, as well as the a posteriori variation of the renormalisation and
factorisation scales in cross-section calculations.
The main novelties in comparison to original work on the subject are the use
of higher-order interpolation, which substantially improves the trade-off
between accuracy and memory use, and a CPU and computer memory optimised way to
construct and store the look-up table using modern software tools.
It is demonstrated that a sufficient accuracy on the cross-section
calculation can be achieved with reasonably small look-up table size by using
the examples of jet production and electro-weak boson (Z, W) production in
proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 14 TeV at the LHC.
The use of this technique in PDF fitting is demonstrated in a PDF-fit to HERA
data and simulated LHC jet cross-sections as well as in a study of the jet
cross-section uncertainties at various centre-of-mass energies
Internal structure of virtual communications in communities of inquiry in higher education: Phases, evolution and participantsâ satisfaction
This study investigates the phases of development of synchronous and asynchronous virtual communication produced in a community of inquiry (CoI) by analyzing the internal structure of each intervention in the forum and each chat session to determine the evolution of their social, cognitive and teaching character. It also analyzes the participating higher education studentsâ satisfaction with the activities, with the professorsâ actions, and with themselves. We use a mixed methodology that includes content analysis of the virtual communications by crossing two categorization systems: (1) type of communication according to the model adopted from Garrison, Anderson and Archer (social, cognitive and teaching presence) and (2) phases in the evolution of the communication (initiation, proposal, development, opinion/closing and good-byes). The data are relevant to the studentsâ satisfaction and grades earned. The results suggest differences in the quantity and content of the communication in each phase and an evolution from social to cognitive elements, ending with social contributions. The students are satisfied with the virtual communications related to both the activities and the professors and evaluate themselves positively
4-Aminopyridine-induced epileptogenesis depends on activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase ERK
Extracellular signal-regulated kinases such as ERK1 [p44
mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK)] and ERK2 (p42
MAPK) are activated in the CNS under physiological and
pathological conditions such as ischemia and epilepsy. Here,
we studied the activation state of ERK1/2 in rat hippocampal
slices during application of the K+ channel blocker 4-aminopyridine
(4AP, 50 lM), a procedure that enhances synaptic
transmission and leads to the appearance of epileptiform
activity. Hippocampal slices superfused with 4AP-containing
medium exhibited a marked activation of ERK1/2 phosphorylation
that peaked within about 20 min. These effects
were not accompanied by changes in the activation state of
c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), another member of the MAP
kinase superfamily. 4AP-induced ERK1/2 activation
was inhibited by the voltage-gated Na+ channel blocker
tetrodotoxin (1 lM). We also found that application of the ERK
pathway inhibitors U0126 (50 lM) or PD98059 (100 lM)
markedly reduced 4AP-induced epileptiform synchronization,
thus abolishing ictal discharges in the CA3 area. The effects
induced by U0126 or PD98059 were not associated with
changes in the amplitude and latency of the field potentials
recorded in the CA3 area following electrical stimuli delivered
in the dentate hylus. These data demonstrate that activation of
ERK1/2 accompanies the appearance of epileptiform activity
induced by 4AP and suggest a cause-effect relationship
between the ERK pathway and epileptiform synchronization
Dopamine Agonists and their risk to induce psychotic episodes in Parkinson's disease: a case-control study
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Psychosis is rare in untreated patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) but the prevalence rises to 40% during dopaminergic treatment. So far, no systematic comparison of the psychogenic potential of different dopaminergic drugs had been performed.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Eighty PD patients with psychotic episodes were compared to an age-matched control group of PD patients without psychotic episodes (n = 120) in a cross-sectional retrospective study.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We found a positive correlation between psychotic episodes and dementia, number of concomitant medication, and pergolide intake. Odds ratio calculation confirmed the association with dementia. With respect to dopaminergic treatment, pergolide showed the highest odds ratio, levodopa the lowest. An adjusted logistic regression model confirmed the strong association with psychotic episodes and pergolide and no association with levodopa (adjusted odds ratio 2.01 and 0.11, respectively).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The analysis indicates that dementia and concomitant medication are factors in PD associated with psychotic symptoms. Furthermore, different dopaminergic drugs showed markedly different associations with psychotic symptoms</p
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