4,980 research outputs found
Determination of complex dielectric functions of ion implanted and implantedâannealed amorphous silicon by spectroscopic ellipsometry
Measuring with a spectroscopic ellipsometer (SE) in the 1.8â4.5 eV photon energy region we determined the complex dielectric function (Ï” = Ï”1 + iÏ”2) of different kinds of amorphous silicon prepared by selfâimplantation and thermal relaxation (500â°C, 3 h). These measurements show that the complex dielectric function (and thus the complex refractive index) of implanted aâSi (iâaâSi) differs from that of relaxed (annealed) aâSi (râaâSi). Moreover, its Ï” differs from the Ï” of evaporated aâSi (eâaâSi) found in the handbooks as Ï” for aâSi. If we use this Ï” to evaluate SE measurements of ion implanted silicon then the fit is very poor. We deduced the optical band gap of these materials using the DavisâMott plot based on the relation: (Ï”2E2)1/3 ⌠(Eâ Eg). The results are: 0.85 eV (iâaâSi), 1.12 eV (eâaâSi), 1.30 eV (râaâSi). We attribute the optical change to annihilation of point defects
Funktionsdiagnostik - State of the Art 2011: Vom Syndrom zur pathophysiologisch basierten Differenzialdiagnose
Funktionelle Magnetresonanzbildgebung des Verdauungstrakts: Klinische Anwendungsmöglichkeiten?
Zusammenfassung: Die Magnetresonanztomographie (MRT) stellt eine vielseitige bildgebende Methode in der Medizin dar, fĂŒr welche ein Spektrum neuer diagnostischer Optionen entwickelt wurde. Neben der in der klinischen Praxis etablierten Darstellung von Organstrukturen, wird die MRT zunehmend zur Bildgebung humaner Organfunktionen wie zum Beispiel des Herzen und des zentralen Nervensystems herangezogen. Der Einsatz zur funktionellen Bildgebung des Verdauungstrakts ist neuartig und erfolgt an wenigen Zentren im Bereich der Grundlagen- und klinischen Forschung. Die hochauflösende kontrastreiche schnelle Bildgebung, die fehlende Belastung durch ionisierende Strahlung und die UntersucherunabhĂ€ngigkeit in der Bildakquisition und Analyse machen die MRT zu einer idealen Methode der Funktionsdiagnostik des Verdauungstrakts. In dieser Ăbersicht werden gegenwĂ€rtige Anwendungen der MRT in der gastroenterolgischen Funktionsdiagnostik vorgestellt und mit herkömmlichen diagnostischen Methoden vergliche
Bayesian photon counting with electron-multiplying charge coupled devices (EMCCDs)
The EMCCD is a CCD type that delivers fast readout and negligible detector
noise, making it an ideal detector for high frame rate applications. Because of
the very low detector noise, this detector can potentially count single
photons. Considering that an EMCCD has a limited dynamical range and negligible
detector noise, one would typically apply an EMCCD in such a way that multiple
images of the same object are available, for instance, in so called lucky
imaging. The problem of counting photons can then conveniently be viewed as
statistical inference of flux or photon rates, based on a stack of images. A
simple probabilistic model for the output of an EMCCD is developed. Based on
this model and the prior knowledge that photons are Poisson distributed, we
derive two methods for estimating the most probable flux per pixel, one based
on thresholding, and another based on full Bayesian inference. We find that it
is indeed possible to derive such expressions, and tests of these methods show
that estimating fluxes with only shot noise is possible, up to fluxes of about
one photon per pixel per readout.Comment: Fixed a few typos compared to the published versio
Nonlocal spectral properties of disordered alloys
A general method is proposed for calculating a fully k-dependent, continuous,
and causal spectral function A(k,E) within the recently introduced nonlocal
version of the coherent-potential approximation (NLCPA). The method involves
the combination of both periodic and anti-periodic solutions to the associated
cluster problem and also leads to correct bulk quantities for small cluster
sizes. We illustrate the method by investigating the Fermi surface of a
two-dimensional alloy. Dramatically, we find a smeared electronic topological
transition not predicted by the conventional CPA.Comment: 17 pages, 5 figures, Submitted to: J. Phys.: Condens. Matter
Editorial receipt 25 May 200
The Double Quasar Q2138-431: Lensing by a Dark Galaxy?
We report the discovery of a new gravitational lens candidate Q2138-431AB,
comprising two quasar images at a redshift of 1.641 separated by 4.5 arcsecs.
The spectra of the two images are very similar, and the redshifts agree to
better than 115 km.sec. The two images have magnitudes and
, and in spite of a deep search and image subtraction procedure, no
lensing galaxy has been found with . Modelling of the system
configuration implies that the mass-to-light ratio of any lensing galaxy is
likely to be around , with an absolute lower limit of
for an Einstein-de Sitter universe. We conclude that
the most likely explanation of the observations is gravitational lensing by a
dark galaxy, although it is possible we are seeing a binary quasar.Comment: 17 pages (Latex), 8 postscript figures included, accepted by MNRA
The optically-powerful quasar E1821+643 is associated with a 300-kpc scale FRI radio structure
We present a deep image of the optically-powerful quasar E1821+643 at 18cm
made with the Very Large Array (VLA). This image reveals radio emission, over
280 kpc in extent, elongated way beyond the quasar's host galaxy. Its radio
structure has decreasing surface brightness with increasing distance from the
bright core, characteristic of FRI sources (Fanaroff & Riley 1974). Its radio
luminosity at 5GHz falls in the classification for `radio-quiet' quasars (it is
only 10^23.9 W/Hz/sr; see e.g. Kellermann et al 1994). Its radio luminosity at
151MHz (which is 10^25.3 W/Hz/sr) is at the transition luminosity observed to
separate FRIs and FRIIs. Hitherto, no optically-powerful quasar had been found
to have a conventional FRI radio structure. For searches at low-frequency this
is unsurprising given current sensitivity and plausible radio spectral indices
for radio-quiet quasars. We demonstrate the inevitability of the extent of any
FRqI radio structures being seriously under-estimated by existing targetted
follow-up observations of other optically-selected quasars, which are typically
short exposures of z > 0.3 objects, and discuss the implications for the
purported radio bimodality in quasars.
The nature of the inner arcsec-scale jet in E1821+643, together with its
large-scale radio structure, suggest that the jet-axis in this quasar is
precessing (cf. Galactic jet sources such as SS433). A possible explanation for
this is that its central engine is a binary whose black holes have yet to
coalesce. The ubiquity of precession in `radio-quiet' quasars, perhaps as a
means of reducing the observable radio luminosity expected in highly-accreting
systems, remains to be established.Comment: Accepted by ApJ Letters; higher quality versions of figures available
at http://www-astro.physics.ox.ac.uk/~km
American Gastroenterological Association Institute Clinical Practice UpdateâExpert Review: Care of Patients Who Have Achieved a Sustained Virologic Response After Antiviral Therapy for Chronic Hepatitis C Infection
Chronic hepatitis C virus infection is well-recognized as a common blood-borne infection with global public health impact affecting 3 to 5 million persons in the United States and more than 170 million persons worldwide. Chronic hepatitis C virus infection is associated with significant morbidity and mortality due to complications of liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Current therapies with all-oral direct-acting antiviral agents are associated with high rates of sustained virologic response (SVR), generally exceeding 90%. SVR is associated with a reduced risk of liver cirrhosis, hepatic decompensation, need for liver transplantation, and both liver-related and all-cause mortality. However, a subset of patients who achieve SVR will remain at long-term risk for progression to cirrhosis, liver failure, hepatocellular carcinoma, and liver-related mortality. Limited evidence is available to guide clinicians on which post-SVR patients should be monitored vs discharged, how to monitor and with which tests, how frequently should monitoring occur, and for how long. In this clinical practice update, available evidence and expert opinion are used to generate best practice recommendations on the care of patients with chronic hepatitis C virus who have achieved SVR
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