5,369 research outputs found
Full-wave electromagnetic modes and hybridization in nanoparticle dimers
The plasmon hybridization theory is based on a quasi-electrostatic approximation of the Maxwell’s equations. It does not take into account magnetic interactions, retardation effects, and radiation losses. Magnetic interactions play a dominant role in the scattering from dielectric nanoparticles. The retardation effects play a fundamental role in the coupling of the modes with the incident radiation and in determining their radiative strength; their exclusion may lead to erroneous predictions of the excited modes and of the scattered power spectra. Radiation losses may lead to a significant broadening of the scattering resonances. We propose a hybridization theory for non-Hermitian composite systems based on the full-Maxwell equations that, overcoming all the limitations of the plasmon hybridization theory, unlocks the description of dielectric dimers. As an example, we decompose the scattered field from silicon and silver dimers, under different excitation conditions and gap-sizes, in terms of dimer modes, pinpointing the hybridizing isolated-sphere modes behind them
Dose of colistin. a work in progress?
We thank Rashid and colleagues [1] and Honoré and colleagues [2] for their comments regarding our article on risk factors for acute kidney injury in pa- tients receiving colistin or other nephrotoxic antimi- crobials [3].
It is correct that we did not specifically report urine output in the text, but it was obviously included in the RIFLE (Risk, Injury, Failure, Loss of kidney function, and End-stage kidney disease) criteria reported in Table two [3]
An Optimistic Perspective on the Proliferation of Human Rights Monitoring Bodies in Africa
Many human rights monitoring bodies coexist in Africa. At a continental level the African Court flanks the African Commission, while at a sub-regional level some jurisdictional organs belonging to the Sub-Regional Economic Communities have progressively extended their competence to human rights disputes. Whether a coordination among these bodies is effectively needed mostly depends on the evaluation of the proliferation of international tribunals from a broader perspective. In this paper, my aim is to contribute to demonstrating that, if one regards the proliferation of international tribunals as a positive phenomenon, the said need decreases or disappears. For these purposes, first of all, I introduce the African Commission and the African Court. Thereafter, I focus on the development of the human rights competence of the three most representative sub-regional jurisdictional organs (the SADC Tribunal, the EAC Court of Justice and the ECOWAS Court of Justice). After ascertaining the lack of provisions governing the relationships between these organs, I dwell on the methods of coordination proposed by some scholars. In the last paragraph, I suggest that such coordination is not actually necessar
Association between one-hour post-load plasma glucose levels and vascular stiffness in essential hypertension
Objectives: Pulse wave velocity (PWV) is a surrogate end-point for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. A plasma glucose
value 155 mg/dl (NGT155 had a worse insulin sensitivity and higher hs-CRP than NGT,155, similar to IGT subjects. In addition, NGT 155 subjects, compared with NGT,155, have higher PWV and its hemodynamic correlates
that increase their cardiovascular risk profile
Structural Damage Assessment of FRP Strengthened Reinforced Concrete Beams under Cyclic Loads
Worldwide, the need for structural retrofit is on the rise and the use of Fibre Reinforced
Polymer (FRP) composite material systems is becoming an accepted method for repairs,
rehabilitations, and strengthening of deficient structures. The great qualities of the FRP
materials, certified in the laboratories and confirmed in the fields have all contributed to
propel the material as a very promising one, though more works need to be done to certify the
fatigue resistance and durability criteria. This research looked at the experimental
investigations of Reinforced Concrete (RC) beams strengthened flexurally with externallyepoxy
bonded FRP laminates under four point cyclic loads. Dynamic tests are used to assess
damages in the FRP-strengthened RC beams under cyclic loads. 6 RC beams of 150 x 200
mm cross-section and length of 2.20m and were reinforced with four 12mm ribbed
longitudinal steel bars. Three types of FRP laminates made of high modulus carbon fibre,
high strength carbon fibre and glass fibre were adopted. The results confirm that dynamicbased
method is an efficient way of assessing damage evolution in RC beams strengthened
with FRP laminates under cyclic loads. The results offered a criterion that can be adopted for
quick assessment of the efficiency of FRP composite systems before applying them to civil
applications
A practical model of convective dynamics for stellar evolution calculations
Turbulent motions in the interior of a star play an important role in its
evolution, since they transport chemical species, thermal energy and angular
momentum. Our overall goal is to construct a practical turbulent closure model
for convective transport that can be used in a multi-dimensional stellar
evolution calculation including the effects of rotation, shear and magnetic
fields. Here, we focus on the first step of this task: capturing the well-known
transition from radiative heat transport to turbulent convection with and
without rotation, as well as the asymptotic relationship between turbulent and
radiative transport in the limit of large Rayleigh number. We extend the
closure model developed by Ogilvie (2003) and Garaud and Ogilvie (2005) to
include heat transport and compare it with experimental results of
Rayleigh-Benard convection.Comment: Conference proceeding for poster at conference "Unsolved problems in
Stellar Physics
Advertising and Promotion Leverage on Arts Sponsorship Effectiveness
Using an experimental approach, the returns achieved by three sponsors of the 1998 Adelaide Festival of the Arts are examined. Using a before-and-after design with a control group, a mail survey measured the change in attitudes to, and awareness of, three particular sponsors and their sponsorship efforts, by members of the audience who attended one of these sponsored events, and corresponding results for a non-attending control group. Results showed conclusively that sponsorship effectiveness is directly related to the degree to which the sponsors are willing to leverage their investment with additional advertising and promotional activities and expenditure.Quester, Pascale G. and Thompson, Beverle
Exoplanet atmospheres with EChO: spectral retrievals using EChOSim
We demonstrate the effectiveness of the Exoplanet Characterisation
Observatory mission concept for constraining the atmospheric properties of hot
and warm gas giants and super Earths. Synthetic primary and secondary transit
spectra for a range of planets are passed through EChOSim (Waldmann & Pascale
2014) to obtain the expected level of noise for different observational
scenarios; these are then used as inputs for the NEMESIS atmospheric retrieval
code and the retrieved atmospheric properties (temperature structure,
composition and cloud properties) compared with the known input values,
following the method of Barstow et al. (2013a). To correctly retrieve the
temperature structure and composition of the atmosphere to within 2 {\sigma},
we find that we require: a single transit or eclipse of a hot Jupiter orbiting
a sun-like (G2) star at 35 pc to constrain the terminator and dayside
atmospheres; 20 transits or eclipses of a warm Jupiter orbiting a similar star;
10 transits/eclipses of a hot Neptune orbiting an M dwarf at 6 pc; and 30
transits or eclipses of a GJ1214b-like planet.Comment: 13 pages, 15 figures, 1 table. Accepted by Experimental Astronomy.
The final publication will shortly be available at Springer via
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10686-014-9397-
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