1,078 research outputs found
Sonification of autonomic rhythms in the frequency spectrum of heart rate variability
Presented at the 12th International Conference on Auditory Display (ICAD), London, UK, June 20-23, 2006.This poster presents some of the work currently being done at the Paracelsus Clinic in Switzerland on heart rate variability biofeedback with a real time auditory display. Heart rate variability biofeedback is an important diagnostic and therapeutic tool in the work with a wide variety of chronic disorders. We use a proprietary building-block type laboratory computer program that is linked via MIDI to a software sequencer with a VST virtual instrument library. Beyond the sonification of RR intervals as discrete numbers, the development of new techniques became necessary in order to be able to sonify the dynamic, wave-like structure of autonomic rhythms in the frequency spectrum of HRV, what we call ''heartmusic''. The fact that patients can hear their inner autonomic activity as music in real time and so work with elements of their own autonomous rhythmic oscillations, may also add an important new dimension to this field in the future
Multiple cyclotron line-forming regions in GX 301-2
We present two observations of the high-mass X-ray binary GX 301-2 with
NuSTAR, taken at different orbital phases and different luminosities. We find
that the continuum is well described by typical phenomenological models, like a
very strongly absorbed NPEX model. However, for a statistically acceptable
description of the hard X-ray spectrum we require two cyclotron resonant
scattering features (CRSF), one at ~35 keV and the other at ~50 keV. Even
though both features strongly overlap, the good resolution and sensitivity of
NuSTAR allows us to disentangle them at >=99.9% significance. This is the first
time that two CRSFs are seen in GX 301-2. We find that the CRSFs are very
likely independently formed, as their energies are not harmonically related
and, if it were a single line, the deviation from a Gaussian shape would be
very large. We compare our results to archival Suzaku data and find that our
model also provides a good fit to those data. We study the behavior of the
continuum as well as the CRSF parameters as function of pulse phase in seven
phase bins. We find that the energy of the 35 keV CRSF varies smoothly as
function of phase, between 30-38 keV. To explain this variation, we apply a
simple model of the accretion column, taking the altitude of the line-forming
region, the velocity of the in-falling material, and the resulting relativistic
effects into account. We find that in this model the observed energy variation
can be explained simply due to a variation of the projected velocity and
beaming factor of the line forming region towards us.Comment: 18 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication in A&
Sea ice melt and meteoric water distributions in Nares Strait, Baffin Bay, and the Canadian Arctic Archipelago
Sea ice melt (SIM), meteoric water (river runoff net precipitation), and Pacific seawater contributions to the upper waters of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago (CAA), Nares Strait, and Baffin Bay during late summer 1997 and 2003 are estimated from salinity, δ18O, and nutrient data. Salinity-δ18O relationships within the study area suggest that the CAA inherits a net sea-ice formation (brine) signal from the Arctic Ocean. Inherited brine complicates the estimation of local contributions from sea ice melt and glacial runoff, especially where a significant component of the surface water derives from Arctic outflow. Our data are characterized by two linear relationships between salinity and δ18O, reflecting: (1) the mixing of deeper Atlantic seawater with brine-enriched halocline water of shelf origin and (2) mixing of halocline water with shallower waters freshened by meteoric water and local SIM. Inventories of Pacific water, meteoric water, net SIM, and local SIM were computed over the upper 150 m of the water column. Positive local SIM fractions were ubiquitous during late summer, with the largest inventories (\u3e1 m) found on the eastern sides of Baffin Bay, Kennedy Channel, and Davis Strait. In the CAA and Baffin Bay, freshwater inventories were dominated by contributions from meteoric and Pacific water, with little input from local SIM. In Smith Sound, where comparable data were collected in 1997 and 2003, meteoric water inventories of 8–10 m were similar for both years, whereas the Pacific water inventory was substantially lower in 2003 (\u3c80 m) than in 1997 (\u3e100 m), implying that the export of meteoric water from the Arctic Ocean is decoupled from Pacific water outflow
Spectral and Timing Analysis of the accretion-powered pulsar 4U 1626-67 observed with Suzaku and NuSTAR
We present an analysis of the spectral shape and pulse profile of the
accretion-powered pulsar 4U 1626-67 observed with Suzaku and NuSTAR during a
spin-up state. The pulsar, which experienced a torque reversal to spin-up in
2008, has a spin period of 7.7 s. Comparing the phase-averaged spectra obtained
with Suzaku in 2010 and with NuSTAR in 2015, we find that the spectral shape
changed between the two observations: the 3-10 keV flux increased by 5% while
the 30-60 keV flux decreased significantly by 35%. Phase-averaged and
phase-resolved spectral analysis shows that the continuum spectrum observed by
NuSTAR is well described by an empirical NPEX continuum with an added broad
Gaussian emission component around the spectral peak at 20 keV. Taken together
with the observed Pdot value obtained from Fermi/GBM, we conclude that the
spectral change between the Suzaku and NuSTAR observations was likely caused by
an increase of the accretion rate. We also report the possible detection of
asymmetry in the profile of the fundamental cyclotron line. Furthermore, we
present a study of the energy-resolved pulse profiles using a new relativistic
ray tracing code, where we perform a simultaneous fit to the pulse profiles
assuming a two-column geometry with a mixed pencil- and fan-beam emission
pattern. The resulting pulse profile decompositions enable us to obtain
geometrical parameters of accretion columns (inclination, azimuthal and polar
angles) and a fiducial set of beam patterns. This information is important to
validate the theoretical predictions from radiation transfer in a strong
magnetic field.Comment: 19 pages, 14 figures, Accepted for publication in ApJ on May 5, 201
Cyclotron resonant scattering feature simulations. I. Thermally averaged cyclotron scattering cross sections, mean free photon-path tables, and electron momentum sampling
Electron cyclotron resonant scattering features (CRSFs) are observed as
absorption-like lines in the spectra of X-ray pulsars. A significant fraction
of the computing time for Monte Carlo simulations of these quantum mechanical
features is spent on the calculation of the mean free path for each individual
photon before scattering, since it involves a complex numerical integration
over the scattering cross section and the (thermal) velocity distribution of
the scattering electrons.
We aim to numerically calculate interpolation tables which can be used in
CRSF simulations to sample the mean free path of the scattering photon and the
momentum of the scattering electron. The tables also contain all the
information required for sampling the scattering electron's final spin.
The tables were calculated using an adaptive Simpson integration scheme. The
energy and angle grids were refined until a prescribed accuracy is reached. The
tables are used by our simulation code to produce artificial CRSF spectra. The
electron momenta sampled during these simulations were analyzed and justified
using theoretically determined boundaries.
We present a complete set of tables suited for mean free path calculations of
Monte Carlo simulations of the cyclotron scattering process for conditions
expected in typical X-ray pulsar accretion columns (0.01<B/B_{crit}<=0.12,
where B_{crit}=4.413x10^{13} G and 3keV<=kT<15keV). The sampling of the tables
is chosen such that the results have an estimated relative error of at most
1/15 for all points in the grid. The tables are available online at
http://www.sternwarte.uni-erlangen.de/research/cyclo.Comment: A&A, in pres
The adipose tissue production of adiponectin is increased in end-stage renal disease.
Adiponectin has antidiabetic properties, and patients with obesity, diabetes, and insulin resistance have low plasma adiponectin levels. However, although kidney disease is associated with insulin resistance, adiponectin is elevated in end-stage renal disease. Here we determine whether adipose tissue production of adiponectin is increased in renal disease in a case-control study of 36 patients with end-stage renal disease and 23 kidney donors. Blood and tissue samples were obtained at kidney transplantation and donation. The mean plasma adiponectin level was significantly increased to 15.6 mg/ml in cases compared with 8.4 mg/ml in controls. Plasma levels of the inflammatory adipokines tumor necrosis factor α, interleukin 6, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein were significantly higher in cases compared with controls. Adiponectin mRNA and protein expression in visceral and subcutaneous fat were significantly higher in cases than controls, while adiponectin receptor-1 mRNA expression was significantly increased in peripheral blood cells, muscle, and adipose tissue in cases compared with controls. Thus, our study suggests that adipose tissue production of adiponectin contributes to the high plasma levels seen in end-stage renal disease
How European Union Membership Can Undermine the Rule of Law in Emerging Democracies
The European Union views the spread of economic prosperity and rule of law to countries emerging from dictatorship as among its primary goals when considering countries as candidates for membership. Existing literature often suggests that EU membership confers significant benefits on the accession countries, and these countries are willing to undergo costly and difficult reforms to reap these benefits. Through strict membership conditions, member states force accession countries to commit to democracy. Drawing on theoretical work in the fields of law, politics, and economics, this article reassesses the conventional wisdom. It argues that, under certain conditions, the reforms required of would-be members could have the perverse effect of undermining the establishment of legitimate law in transitional democracies. Using an agent-based model, the article elucidates a theory in which placing laws on the books around which no societal consensus exists can create perverse incentives for citizens and government officials and may lead to an erosion of the rule of law
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