8,271 research outputs found
Illustrating field emission theory by using Lauritsen plots of transmission probability and barrier strength
This technical note relates to the theory of cold field electron emission
(CFE). It starts by suggesting that, to emphasize common properties in relation
to CFE theory, the term 'Lauritsen plot' could be used to describe all
graphical plots made with the reciprocal of barrier field (or the reciprocal of
a quantity proportional to barrier field) on the horizontal axis. It then
argues that Lauritsen plots related to barrier strength (G) and transmission
probability (D) could play a useful role in discussion of CFE theory. Such
plots would supplement conventional Fowler-Nordheim (FN) plots. All these plots
would be regarded as particular types of Lauritsen plot. The Lauritsen plots of
-G and lnD can be used to illustrate how basic aspects of FN tunnelling theory
are influenced by the mathematical form of the tunnelling barrier. These, in
turn, influence local emission current density and emission current.
Illustrative applications used in this note relate to the well-known exact
triangular and Schottky-Nordheim barriers, and to the Coulomb barrier (i.e.,
the electrostatic component of the electron potential energy barrier outside a
model spherical emitter). For the Coulomb barrier, a good analytical series
approximation has been found for the barrier-form correction factor; this can
be used to predict the existence (and to some extent the properties) of related
curvature in FN plots.Comment: Based on a poster presented at the 25th International Vacuum
Nanoelectronics Conference, Jeju, S. Korea, July 2012. Version 3 incorporates
small changes made at proof stag
Validation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease recording in the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD-GOLD)
Objectives: The optimal method of identifying people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) from electronic primary care records is not known. We assessed the accuracy of different approaches using the Clinical Practice Research Datalink, a UK electronic health record database. Setting: 951 participants registered with a CPRD practice in the UK between 1 January 2004 and 31 December 2012. Individuals were selected for ≥1 of 8 algorithms to identify people with COPD. General practitioners were sent a brief questionnaire and additional evidence to support a COPD diagnosis was requested. All information received was reviewed independently by two respiratory physicians whose opinion was taken as the gold standard. Primary outcome measure: The primary measure of accuracy was the positive predictive value (PPV), the proportion of people identified by each algorithm for whom COPD was confirmed. Results: 951 questionnaires were sent and 738 (78%) returned. After quality control, 696 (73.2%) patients were included in the final analysis. All four algorithms including a specific COPD diagnostic code performed well. Using a diagnostic code alone, the PPV was 86.5% (77.5-92.3%) while requiring a diagnosis plus spirometry plus specific medication; the PPV was slightly higher at 89.4% (80.7-94.5%) but reduced case numbers by 10%. Algorithms without specific diagnostic codes had low PPVs (range 12.2-44.4%). Conclusions: Patients with COPD can be accurately identified from UK primary care records using specific diagnostic codes. Requiring spirometry or COPD medications only marginally improved accuracy. The high accuracy applies since the introduction of an incentivised disease register for COPD as part of Quality and Outcomes Framework in 2004
Mirror Map as Generating Function of Intersection Numbers: Toric Manifolds with Two K\"ahler Forms
In this paper, we extend our geometrical derivation of expansion coefficients
of mirror maps by localization computation to the case of toric manifolds with
two K\"ahler forms. Especially, we take Hirzebruch surfaces F_{0}, F_{3} and
Calabi-Yau hypersurface in weighted projective space P(1,1,2,2,2) as examples.
We expect that our results can be easily generalized to arbitrary toric
manifold.Comment: 45 pages, 2 figures, minor errors are corrected, English is refined.
Section 1 and Section 2 are enlarged. Especially in Section 2, confusion
between the notion of resolution and the notion of compactification is
resolved. Computation under non-zero equivariant parameters are added in
Section
Quantum Evaporation from Superfluid Helium at Normal Incidence
We study the scattering of atoms, rotons and phonons at the free surface of
He at normal incidence and calculate the evaporation, condensation and
reflection probabilities. Assuming elastic one-to-one processes and using
general properties of the scattering matrix, such as unitarity and time
reversal, we argue that all nonzero probabilities can be written in terms of a
single energy-dependent parameter. Quantitative predictions are obtained using
linearized time dependent density functional theory.Comment: 12 pages, REVTeX, 2 postscript figures, available also at
http://anubis.science.unitn.it/~dalfovo/papers/papers.htm
Dynamical Evolution of Globular Cluster Systems formed in Galaxy Mergers: Deep HST/ACS Imaging of Old and Intermediate-Age Globular Clusters in NGC 3610
(ABRIDGED) The ACS camera on board the Hubble Space Telescope has been used
to obtain deep images of the giant elliptical galaxy NGC 3610, a
well-established dissipative galaxy merger remnant. These observations
supersede previous WFPC2 images which revealed the presence of a population of
metal-rich globular clusters (GCs) of intermediate age (~1.5-4 Gyr). We detect
a total of 580 GC candidates, 46% more than from the previous WFPC2 images. The
new photometry strengthens the significance of the previously found bimodality
of the color distribution of GCs. Peak colors in V-I are 0.93 +/-0.01 and 1.09
+/- 0.01 for the blue and red subpopulations, respectively. The luminosity
function (LF) of the inner 50% of the metal-rich (`red') population of GCs
differs markedly from that of the outer 50%. In particular, the LF of the inner
50% of the red GCs shows a flattening consistent with a turnover that is about
1.0 mag fainter than the turnover of the blue GC LF. This is consistent with
predictions of recent models of GC disruption for the age range mentioned above
and for metallicities that are consistent with the peak color of the red GCs as
predicted by population synthesis models. We determine the specific frequency
of GCs in NGC 3610 and find a present-day value of S_N = 1.4 +/- 0.6. We
estimate that this value will increase to S_N = 3.8 +/- 1.7 at an age of 10
Gyr, which is consistent with typical S_N values for `normal' ellipticals. Our
findings constitute further evidence in support of the notion that metal-rich
GC populations formed during major mergers involving gas-rich galaxies can
evolve dynamically (through disruption processes) into the red, metal-rich GC
populations that are ubiquitous in `normal' giant ellipticals.Comment: 15 pages, 14 figures, 4 tables. Accepted for publication in The
Astronomical Journal. Figure 6 somewhat degraded to adhere to astro-ph rule
Building a CHS Bathymetric Data Warehouse
The CHS is designing and implementing a Source Database for bathymetric data. To store and manage terabytes of bathymetric information for producing CHS products and providing services to clients requires a fresh approach. The implementation of HHCode (Helical Hyperspatial Code) for storing, analyzing and accessing dense spatial data sets in an Oracle Relational Database Management System (RDBMS) is a key technology used to build the data warehouse. The paper addresses the concepts and applications necessary to manage this data within the data repository. Specific areas addressed are aggregation, attribution, and partitioning of the spatial data. The implementation of an on-line, near-line and off-line model to minimize storage costs is described. The approach used to perform horizontal and vertical datum transformations is discussed
Fostering collaborative research for rare genetic disease: The example of Niemann-Pick type C disease
Rare disease represents one of the most significant issues facing the medical community and health care providers worldwide, yet the majority of these disorders never emerge from their obscurity, drawing little attention from the medical community or the pharmaceutical industry. The challenge therefore is how best to mobilize rare disease stakeholders to enhance basic, translational and clinical research to advance understanding of pathogenesis and accelerate therapy development. Here we describe a rare, fatal brain disorder known as Niemann-Pick type C (NPC) and an innovative research collaborative known as Support of Accelerated Research for NPC (SOAR-NPC) which illustrates one pathway through which knowledge of a rare disease and its possible treatments are being successfully advanced. Use of the “SOAR” mechanism, we believe, offers a blueprint for similar advancement for many other rare disorders
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