1,314 research outputs found
Probing Dark Energy with the Kunlun Dark Universe Survey Telescope
Dark energy is an important science driver of many upcoming large-scale
surveys. With small, stable seeing and low thermal infrared background, Dome A,
Antarctica, offers a unique opportunity for shedding light on fundamental
questions about the universe. We show that a deep, high-resolution imaging
survey of 10,000 square degrees in \emph{ugrizyJH} bands can provide
competitive constraints on dark energy equation of state parameters using type
Ia supernovae, baryon acoustic oscillations, and weak lensing techniques. Such
a survey may be partially achieved with a coordinated effort of the Kunlun Dark
Universe Survey Telescope (KDUST) in \emph{yJH} bands over 5000--10,000 deg
and the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope in \emph{ugrizy} bands over the same
area. Moreover, the joint survey can take advantage of the high-resolution
imaging at Dome A to further tighten the constraints on dark energy and to
measure dark matter properties with strong lensing as well as galaxy--galaxy
weak lensing.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figure
Outdoor Air Pollution and Arterial Hypertension
Air pollution is a major environmental risk factor. There is accumulating evidence that air pollution could induce elevated blood pressure and potentiate hypertension. Acute elevations in the outdoor air pollution levels can trigger immediate or shortly delayed increases in arterial blood pressure. Moreover, few studies suggest that short-term increases in the levels of particulate and gaseous pollutants could lead to an acute onset of hypertension. Prolonged exposure to outdoor air pollution is associated with elevated blood pressure. Furthermore, some longitudinal studies have linked long-term exposure to air pollution with the incidence of hypertension. Various components of air pollution, such as inhalable particulate matter (PM2.5, PM10), nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, and ozone, have shown associations with blood pressure in some studies. The hypothesized underlying mechanisms include inflammatory reactions and oxidative stress in lungs and in systemic circulation, imbalance of autonomous nervous system, and pathologic changes in vascular endothelium. In addition to âtraditionalâ susceptible groups such as elderly individuals or patients with chronic diseases, children and pregnant women could be especially susceptible to the adverse effects of air pollution. The interplay of air pollution with the related environmental exposures, such as traffic noise and climate change, should be investigated further
Foot Bone in Vivo: Its Center of Mass and Centroid of Shape
This paper studies foot bone geometrical shape and its mass distribution and
establishes an assessment method of bone strength. Using spiral CT scanning,
with an accuracy of sub-millimeter, we analyze the data of 384 pieces of foot
bones in vivo and investigate the relationship between the bone's external
shape and internal structure. This analysis is explored on the bases of the
bone's center of mass and its centroid of shape. We observe the phenomenon of
superposition of center of mass and centroid of shape fairly precisely,
indicating a possible appearance of biomechanical organism. We investigate two
aspects of the geometrical shape, (i) distance between compact bone's centroid
of shape and that of the bone and (ii) the mean radius of the same density bone
issue relative to the bone's centroid of shape. These quantities are used to
interpret the influence of different physical exercises imposed on bone
strength, thereby contributing to an alternate assessment technique to bone
strength.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figure
The role of the particle aspect ratio in the discharge of a narrow silo
The time evolution of silo discharge is investigated for different granular materials made of spherical or elongated grains in laboratory experiments and with discrete element model (DEM) calculations. For spherical grains, we confirm the widely known typical behavior with constant discharge rate (except for initial and final transients). For elongated particles with aspect ratios between 2 < L/d < 6.1, we find a peculiar flow rate increase for larger orifices before the end of the discharge process. While the flow field is practically homogeneous for spherical grains, it has strong gradients for elongated particles with a fast-flowing region in the middle of the silo surrounded by a stagnant zone. For large enough orifice sizes, the flow rate increase is connected with a suppression of the stagnant zone, resulting in an increase in both the packing fraction and flow velocity near the silo outlet within a certain parameter range
The role of the particle aspect ratio in the discharge of a narrow silo
The time evolution of silo discharge is investigated for different granular materials made of spherical or elongated grains in laboratory experiments and with discrete element model (DEM) calculations. For spherical grains, we confirm the widely known typical behavior with constant discharge rate (except for initial and final transients). For elongated particles with aspect ratios between 2 < L/d < 6.1, we find a peculiar flow rate increase for larger orifices before the end of the discharge process. While the flow field is practically homogeneous for spherical grains, it has strong gradients for elongated particles with a fast-flowing region in the middle of the silo surrounded by a stagnant zone. For large enough orifice sizes, the flow rate increase is connected with a suppression of the stagnant zone, resulting in an increase in both the packing fraction and flow velocity near the silo outlet within a certain parameter range
The First Release of the CSTAR Point Source Catalog from Dome A, Antarctica
In 2008 January the 24th Chinese expedition team successfully deployed the
Chinese Small Telescope ARray (CSTAR) to DomeA, the highest point on the
Antarctic plateau. CSTAR consists of four 14.5cm optical telescopes, each with
a different filter (g, r, i and open) and has a 4.5degree x 4.5degree field of
view (FOV). It operates robotically as part of the Plateau Observatory, PLATO,
with each telescope taking an image every 30 seconds throughout the year
whenever it is dark. During 2008, CSTAR #1 performed almost flawlessly,
acquiring more than 0.3 million i-band images for a total integration time of
1728 hours during 158 days of observations. For each image taken under good sky
conditions, more than 10,000 sources down to 16 mag could be detected. We
performed aperture photometry on all the sources in the field to create the
catalog described herein. Since CSTAR has a fixed pointing centered on the
South Celestial Pole (Dec =-90 degree), all the sources within the FOV of CSTAR
were monitored continuously for several months. The photometric catalog can be
used for studying any variability in these sources, and for the discovery of
transient sources such as supernovae, gamma-ray bursts and minor planets.Comment: 1 latex file and 9 figures The paper is accepted by PAS
Two band gap field-dependent thermal conductivity of
The thermal conductivity of the new superconductor was
studied as a function of the temperature and a magnetic field. No anomaly in
the thermal conductivity is observed around the superconducting
transition in absence or presence of magnetic fields up to 14 Tesla; upon that
field the superconductivity of persisted. The thermal conductivity in
zero-field shows a -linear increase up to 50K. The thermal conductivity is
found to increase with increasing field at high fields. We interpret the
findings as if there are two subsystems of quasiparticles with different
field-dependent characters in a two ( and )-band superconductor reacting
differently with the vortex structure. The unusual enhancement of at low temperature but higher than a () critical field
is interpreted as a result of the overlap of the low energy states outside the
vortex cores in the -band.Comment: 6 pages,3 figure
Flexible Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell Based on Vertical ZnO Nanowire Arrays
Flexible dye-sensitized solar cells are fabricated using vertically aligned ZnO nanowire arrays that are transferred onto ITO-coated poly(ethylene terephthalate) substrates using a simple peel-off process. The solar cells demonstrate an energy conversion efficiency of 0.44% with good bending tolerance. This technique paves a new route for building large-scale cost-effective flexible photovoltaic and optoelectronic devices
A study on the sharp knee and fine structures of cosmic ray spectra
The paper investigates the overall and detailed features of cosmic ray (CR)
spectra in the knee region using the scenario of nuclei-photon interactions
around the acceleration sources. Young supernova remnants can be the physical
realities of such kind of CR acceleration sites. The results show that the
model can well explain the following problems simultaneously with one set of
source parameters: the knee of CR spectra and the sharpness of the knee, the
detailed irregular structures of CR spectra, the so-called "component B" of
Galactic CRs, and the electron/positron excesses reported by recent
observations. The coherent explanation serves as evidence that at least a
portion of CRs might be accelerated at the sources similar to young supernova
remnants, and one set of source parameters indicates that this portion mainly
comes from standard sources or from a single source.Comment: 13 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in SCIENCE CHINA
Physics, Mechanics & Astronomy
Ultrasonic reflection coefficient and surface roughness index of OA articular cartilage: relation to pathological assessment
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Early diagnosis of Osteoarthritis (OA) is essential for preventing further cartilage destruction and decreasing severe complications. The aims of this study are to explore the relationship between OA pathological grades and quantitative acoustic parameters and to provide more objective criteria for ultrasonic microscopic evaluation of the OA cartilage.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Articular cartilage samples were prepared from rabbit knees and scanned using ultrasound biomicroscopy (UBM). Three quantitative parameters, including the roughness index of the cartilage surface (URI), the reflection coefficients from the cartilage surface (R) and from the cartilage-bone interface (R<sub>bone</sub>) were extracted. The osteoarthritis grades of these cartilage samples were qualitatively assessed by histology according to the grading standards of International Osteoarthritis Institute (OARSI). The relationship between these quantitative parameters and the osteoarthritis grades was explored.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The results showed that URI increased with the OA grade. URI of the normal cartilage samples was significantly lower than the one of the OA cartilage samples. There was no significant difference in URI between the grade 1 cartilage samples and the grade 2 cartilage samples. The reflection coefficient of the cartilage surface reduced significantly with the development of OA (p < 0.05), while the reflection coefficient of the cartilage-bone interface increased with the increase of grade.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>High frequency ultrasound measurements can reflect the changes in the surface roughness index and the ultrasound reflection coefficients of the cartilage samples with different OA grades. This study may provide useful information for the quantitative ultrasonic diagnosis of early OA.</p
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