10,071 research outputs found
The StarScan plate measuring machine: overview and calibrations
The StarScan machine at the U.S. Naval Observatory (USNO) completed measuring
photographic astrograph plates to allow determination of proper motions for the
USNO CCD Astrograph Catalog (UCAC) program. All applicable 1940 AGK2 plates,
about 2200 Hamburg Zone Astrograph plates, 900 Black Birch (USNO Twin
Astrograph) plates, and 300 Lick Astrograph plates have been measured. StarScan
comprises of a CCD camera, telecentric lens, air-bearing granite table, stepper
motor screws, and Heidenhain scales to operate in a step-stare mode. The
repeatability of StarScan measures is about 0.2 micrometer. The CCD mapping as
well as the global table coordinate system has been calibrated using a special
dot calibration plate and the overall accuracy of StarScan x,y data is derived
to be 0.5 micrometer. Application to real photographic plate data shows that
position information of at least 0.65 micrometer accuracy can be extracted from
course grain 103a-type emulsion astrometric plates. Transformations between
"direct" and "reverse" measures of fine grain emulsion plate measures are
obtained on the 0.3 micrometer level per well exposed stellar image and
coordinate, which is at the limit of the StarScan machine.Comment: 24 pages, 8 figures, accepted for PAS
Group Leaders Optimization Algorithm
We present a new global optimization algorithm in which the influence of the
leaders in social groups is used as an inspiration for the evolutionary
technique which is designed into a group architecture. To demonstrate the
efficiency of the method, a standard suite of single and multidimensional
optimization functions along with the energies and the geometric structures of
Lennard-Jones clusters are given as well as the application of the algorithm on
quantum circuit design problems. We show that as an improvement over previous
methods, the algorithm scales as N^2.5 for the Lennard-Jones clusters of
N-particles. In addition, an efficient circuit design is shown for two qubit
Grover search algorithm which is a quantum algorithm providing quadratic
speed-up over the classical counterpart
Navigating the path home:Pioneering hospital-to-home transitions for children with medical complexity
status: Published onlin
Neuropilin-1 Controls Endothelial Homeostasis by Regulating Mitochondrial Function and Iron-Dependent Oxidative Stress.
The transmembrane protein neuropilin-1 (NRP1) promotes vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and extracellular matrix signaling in endothelial cells (ECs). Although it is established that NRP1 is essential for angiogenesis, little is known about its role in EC homeostasis. Here, we report that NRP1 promotes mitochondrial function in ECs by preventing iron accumulation and iron-induced oxidative stress through a VEGF-independent mechanism in non-angiogenic ECs. Furthermore, NRP1-deficient ECs have reduced growth and show the hallmarks of cellular senescence. We show that a subcellular pool of NRP1 localizes in mitochondria and interacts with the mitochondrial transporter ATP-binding cassette B8 (ABCB8). NRP1 loss reduces ABCB8 levels, resulting in iron accumulation, iron-induced mitochondrial superoxide production, and iron-dependent EC senescence. Treatment of NRP1-deficient ECs with the mitochondria-targeted antioxidant compound mitoTEMPO or with the iron chelator deferoxamine restores mitochondrial activity, inhibits superoxide production, and protects from cellular senescence. This finding identifies an unexpected role of NRP1 in EC homeostasis
High power impulse magnetron sputtering discharges: Instabilities and plasma self-organization
We report on instabilities in high power impulse magnetron sputtering plasmas which are likely to be of the generalized drift wave type. They are characterized by well defined regions of high and low plasma emissivity along the racetrack of the magnetron and cause periodic shifts in floating potential. The azimuthal mode number m depends on plasma current, plasma density, and gas pressure. The structures rotate in Ă direction at velocities of âŒ10âkm sâ1 and frequencies up to 200 kHz. Collisions with residual gas atoms slow down the rotating wave, whereas increasing ionization degree of the gas and plasma conductivity speeds it up
Unambiguous determination of spin dephasing times in ZnO
Time-resolved magneto-optics is a well-established optical pump probe
technique to generate and to probe spin coherence in semiconductors. By this
method, spin dephasing times T_2^* can easily be determined if their values are
comparable to the available pump-probe-delays. If T_2^* exceeds the laser
repetition time, however, resonant spin amplification (RSA) can equally be used
to extract T_2^*. We demonstrate that in ZnO these techniques have several
tripping hazards resulting in deceptive values for T_2^* and show how to avoid
them. We show that the temperature dependence of the amplitude ratio of two
separate spin species can easily be misinterpreted as a strongly temperature
dependent T_2^* of a single spin ensemble, while the two spin species have
T_2^* values which are nearly independent of temperature. Additionally,
consecutive pump pulses can significantly diminish the spin polarization, which
remains from previous pump pulses. While this barely affects T_2^* values
extracted from delay line scans, it results in seemingly shorter T_2^* values
in RSA.Comment: 11 pages, 10 figure
Optimizing sampling strategies in high-resolution paleoclimate records
The aim of paleoclimate studies resolving climate variability from noisy
proxy records can in essence be reduced to a statistical problem. The
challenge is to extract meaningful information about climate variability
from these records by reducing measurement uncertainty through combining
measurements for proxies while retaining the temporal resolution needed to
assess the timing and duration of variations in climate parameters. In this
study, we explore the limits of this compromise by testing different methods
for combining proxy data (smoothing, binning, and sample size optimization)
on a particularly challenging paleoclimate problem: resolving seasonal
variability in stable isotope records. We test and evaluate the effects of
changes in the seasonal temperature and the hydrological cycle as well as
changes in the accretion rate of the archive and parameters such as sampling
resolution and age model uncertainty in the reliability of seasonality
reconstructions based on clumped and oxygen isotope analyses in 33 real and
virtual datasets. Our results show that strategic combinations of clumped
isotope analyses can significantly improve the accuracy of seasonality
reconstructions compared to conventional stable oxygen isotope analyses,
especially in settings in which the isotopic composition of the water is poorly
constrained. Smoothing data using a moving average often leads to an
apparent dampening of the seasonal cycle, significantly reducing the
accuracy of reconstructions. A statistical sample size optimization protocol
yields more precise results than smoothing. However, the most accurate
results are obtained through monthly binning of proxy data, especially in
cases in which growth rate or water composition cycles obscure the seasonal
temperature cycle. Our analysis of a wide range of natural situations
reveals that the effect of temperature seasonality on oxygen isotope records
almost invariably exceeds that of changes in water composition. Thus, in
most cases, oxygen isotope records allow reliable identification of growth
seasonality as a basis for age modeling in the absence of independent
chronological markers in the record. These specific findings allow us to
formulate general recommendations for sampling and combining data in
paleoclimate research and have implications beyond the reconstruction of
seasonality. We briefly discuss the implications of our results for solving
common problems in paleoclimatology and stratigraphy.</p
Clinical applications of population pharmacokinetic models of antibiotics: Challenges and perspectives
Because of increasing antimicrobial resistance and the shortage of new antibiotics, there is a growing need to optimize the use of old and new antibiotics. Modelling of the pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) characteristics of antibiotics can support the optimization of dosing regimens. Antimicrobial efficacy is determined by susceptibility of the drug to the microorganism and exposure to the drug, which relies on the PK and the dose. Population PK models describe relationships between patients characteristics and drug exposure. This article highlights three clinical applications of these models applied to antibiotics: 1) dosing evaluation of old antibiotics, 2) setting clinical breakpoints and 3) dosing individualization using therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM). For each clinical application, challenges regarding interpretation are discussed. An important challenge is to improve the understanding of the interpretation of modelling results for good implementation of the dosing recommendations, clinical breakpoints and TDM advices. Therefore, also background information on PK/PD principles and approaches to analyse PK/PD data are provided
Neutrino tomography - Learning about the Earth's interior using the propagation of neutrinos
Because the propagation of neutrinos is affected by the presence of Earth
matter, it opens new possibilities to probe the Earth's interior. Different
approaches range from techniques based upon the interaction of high energy
(above TeV) neutrinos with Earth matter, to methods using the MSW effect on the
neutrino oscillations of low energy (MeV to GeV) neutrinos. In principle,
neutrinos from many different sources (sun, atmosphere, supernovae, beams etc.)
can be used. In this talk, we summarize and compare different approaches with
an emphasis on more recent developments. In addition, we point out other
geophysical aspects relevant for neutrino oscillations.Comment: 22 pages, 9 figures. Proceedings of ``Neutrino sciences 2005:
Neutrino geophysics'', December 14-16, 2005, Honolulu, USA. Minor changes,
some references added. Final version to appear in Earth, Moon, and Planet
Optical Scattering Lengths in Large Liquid-Scintillator Neutrino Detectors
For liquid-scintillator neutrino detectors of kiloton scale, the transparency
of the organic solvent is of central importance. The present paper reports on
laboratory measurements of the optical scattering lengths of the organic
solvents PXE, LAB, and Dodecane which are under discussion for next-generation
experiments like SNO+, Hanohano, or LENA. Results comprise the wavelength range
from 415 to 440nm. The contributions from Rayleigh and Mie scattering as well
as from absorption/re-emission processes are discussed. Based on the present
results, LAB seems to be the preferred solvent for a large-volume detector.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication by Rev. Scient. Instr
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