8,091 research outputs found
Imaging a microfocus X-ray focal spot with a thin coded aperture
Imaging of the focal spot size in X-ray generators can be achieved by means of a pinhole in a highly attenuating material, such as gold. For microfocus generators with spot sizes of only around 10 microns or less, the material must be very thin to avoid an impractical aspect ratio. With a 90 kV source, only 11% attenuation is attained with 5 µm gold. For a pinhole that is smaller than the focal spot, the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) may be less than 1. To image the focal spot of a medical X-ray generator, a coded aperture has been used previously to reduce the exposure time required, however the same technique does not appear to have been used to increase the SNR when the attenuation is very low. Such a method is used here, using a no-two-holes-touching variation of a modified uniformly redundant array (MURA). In a prototype sample, with only 5 µm gold having 2.75 µm holes, the focal spot of a microfocus X-ray generator used in a micro-CT system could be clearly visualised and quantified. Directionality of the aberrations made focussing of the X-ray spot more intuitive and reduced the time required to obtain an optimal, quantifiable focus
One Loop Predictions of the Finely Tuned SSM
We study the finely tuned SSM, recently proposed by Arkani-Hamed and
Dimopoulos, at the one loop level. The runnings of the four gaugino Yukawa
couplings, the mu term, the gaugino masses, and the Higgs quartic coupling are
computed. The Higgs mass is found to be 130 - 170 GeV for M_s > 10^6 GeV. If
the Yukawa coupling constants are measured at the 1% level, this can determine
the SUSY breaking scale to within an order of magnitude. Measuring the
relationships between the couplings to this accuracy provides a striking signal
for this model.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures; v2: Minor corrections to anomalous dimensions and
beta functions. Numerical results are not significantly affected. v3: Minor
changes to figures and references, as published in PR
The Impact of Giant Cloud Condensation Nuclei on Drizzle Formation in Stratocumulus: Implications for Cloud Radiative Properties
Bose-Einstein Condensation from a Rotating Thermal Cloud: Vortex Nucleation and Lattice Formation
We develop a stochastic Gross-Pitaveskii theory suitable for the study of
Bose-Einstein condensation in a {\em rotating} dilute Bose gas. The theory is
used to model the dynamical and equilibrium properties of a rapidly rotating
Bose gas quenched through the critical point for condensation, as in the
experiment of Haljan et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett., 87, 21043 (2001)]. In contrast
to stirring a vortex-free condensate, where topological constraints require
that vortices enter from the edge of the condensate, we find that phase defects
in the initial non-condensed cloud are trapped en masse in the emerging
condensate. Bose-stimulated condensate growth proceeds into a disordered vortex
configuration. At sufficiently low temperature the vortices then order into a
regular Abrikosov lattice in thermal equilibrium with the rotating cloud. We
calculate the effect of thermal fluctuations on vortex ordering in the final
gas at different temperatures, and find that the BEC transition is accompanied
by lattice melting associated with diminishing long range correlations between
vortices across the system.Comment: 15 pages, 12 figure
Early respiratory viral infections in infants with cystic fibrosis
This article is made available for unrestricted research re-use and secondary analysis in any form or by any means with acknowledgement of the original source. These permissions are granted for the duration of the World Health Organization (WHO) declaration of COVID-19 as a global pandemic.Background
Viral infections contribute to morbidity in cystic fibrosis (CF), but the impact of respiratory viruses on the development of airway disease is poorly understood.
Methods
Infants with CF identified by newborn screening were enrolled prior to 4 months of age to participate in a prospective observational study at 4 centers. Clinical data were collected at clinic visits and weekly phone calls. Multiplex PCR assays were performed on nasopharyngeal swabs to detect respiratory viruses during routine visits and when symptomatic. Participants underwent bronchoscopy with bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and a subset underwent pulmonary function testing. We present findings through 8.5 months of life.
Results
Seventy infants were enrolled, mean age 3.1 ± 0.8 months. Rhinovirus was the most prevalent virus (66%), followed by parainfluenza (19%), and coronavirus (16%). Participants had a median of 1.5 viral positive swabs (range 0–10). Past viral infection was associated with elevated neutrophil concentrations and bacterial isolates in BAL fluid, including recovery of classic CF bacterial pathogens. When antibiotics were prescribed for respiratory-related indications, viruses were identified in 52% of those instances.
Conclusions
Early viral infections were associated with greater neutrophilic inflammation and bacterial pathogens. Early viral infections appear to contribute to initiation of lower airway inflammation in infants with CF. Antibiotics were commonly prescribed in the setting of a viral infection. Future investigations examining longitudinal relationships between viral infections, airway microbiome, and antibiotic use will allow us to elucidate the interplay between these factors in young children with CF
Supersymmetric Homogeneous Quantum Cosmologies Coupled to a Scalar Field
Recent work on supersymmetric Bianchi type IX cosmologies coupled to a
scalar field is extended to a general treatment of homogeneous quantum
cosmologies with explicitely solvable momentum constraints, i.e. Bianchi types
I, II, VII, VIII besides the Bianchi type IX, and special cases, namely the
Friedmann universes, the Kantowski-Sachs space, and Taub-NUT space. Besides the
earlier explicit solution of the Wheeler DeWitt equation for Bianchi type IX,
describing a virtual wormhole fluctuation, an additional explicit solution is
given and identified with the `no-boundary state'.Comment: 23 PAGE
Colors and K-Band Counts of Extremely Faint Field Galaxies
We combine deep K-band (Keck) with V- and I-band (NTT) observations of two
high-Galactic latitude fields, surveying a total of ~2 sq. arcmin. The K-band
galaxy counts continue to rise above K=22, reaching surface densities of few x
10^5 per sq. degree. The slope for the counts is (d log(N) per mag per sq.
degree) = 0.23 +/- 0.02 between K=18-23, consistent with other deep K surveys.
The numbers of galaxies in each mag bin is about two times greater than the
galaxy counts of Djorgovski et al. (1995).
The optical and near infrared magnitudes of all objects detected in the V+I+K
image are discussed in the context of grids of isochrone synthesis galaxy
evolutionary models (Bruzual & Charlot 1993, 1995). The colors of most of the
observed galaxies are consistent with a population drawn from a broad redshift
distribution. A few galaxies at K=19-20 are red in both colors (V-I>3; I-K>2),
consistent with being early-type galaxies having undergone a burst of star
formation at z>5 and viewed at z~1. At K>20, we find ~8 ``red outlier''
galaxies with I-K>4 and V-I<2.5, whose colors are difficult to mimic by a
single evolving or non-evolving stellar population at any redshift. They are
likely either low-metallicity, dusty dwarf galaxies, or old galaxies at high
redshift (z>1.2). Their surface density is several per square arcminute, which
is so high that they are probably common objects of low luminosity .Comment: 28 pages, 9 Figures (2 Plates), uses aaspp4.sty. The complete paper
(including large figures and the plates) are available via anonymous ftp at
ftp://coma.berkeley.edu/pub/lmoustakas/ . To appear in the Astrophysical
Journal, Feb 1 1997, vol. 47
Recovering historical film footage by processing microtomographic images
1960s film was typically printed on tri-acetate film base. If
not preserved properly, such material breaks down at a chemical level,
which is a non-stoppable process that permanently fuses the film so that
it essentially becomes a lump of solid plastic. Recently, some precious
films, such as the only known copy of the earliest surviving episode of
‘The Morecambe and Wise Show’ have been discovered, but they are
in poor condition. They will eventually turn into a pool of sticky liquid
and be gone forever. In this paper, as proof of concept, we use X-ray
microtomography to provide 3D imaging of a test film of similar vintage,
and propose an automatic method to extract footage from it
Investigation of an amide-pseudo amide hydrogen bonding motif within a series of theophylline:amide cocrystals
The pharmaceutically active compound theophylline (T) was cocrystallised with the amides formamide (1), acetamide (2), N-methylformamide (3), N,N-dimethylformamide (4), benzamide (5) and pyrazinamide (6), with systems T:1, T:5 and T:6 displaying polymorphic behaviour. The cocrystals with formamide (T:1), acetamide (T:2) and benzamide (T:5), and one polymorph of the cocrystal with pyrazinamide (T:6-I), contain an R22(9) hydrogen bonding motif between the amide cocrystal formers and the HN-C-C=O moiety of the theophylline molecule (an amide-pseudo amide synthon). This motif was, however, absent from the other polymorph of the pyrazinamide cocrystal (T:6-II), and also from the N-methylformamide cocrystal (T:3) (and is not possible in the N,N-dimethylformamide cocrystal (T:4)). These observations are rationalised using hydrogen bond propensity calculations, although limitations of using such calculations for predicting cocrystallisation are noted. The amide-pseudo amide synthon is favoured when theophylline cocrystallises with both primary amides and with secondary amides which are locked in a cis configuration. On heating, all cocrystals were found to dissociate before melting due to loss of the amide, making stability to dissociation a more meaningful measure of cocrystal stability than melting point for these systems. On dissociation of the cocrystals, theophylline typically crystallises as the commonly observed polymorph Form II. In the case of the acetamide cocrystal (T:2), however, the rarely observed metastable polymorph, Form V, crystallises concomitantly with Form II suggesting that cocrystal dissociation on heating could be a strategy for generating novel polymorphic forms of compounds
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Mental health in UK Biobank - development, implementation and results from an online questionnaire completed by 157 366 participants: a reanalysis
Background
UK Biobank is a well-characterised cohort of over 500 000 participants including genetics, environmental data and imaging. An online mental health questionnaire was designed for UK Biobank participants to expand its potential.
Aims
Describe the development, implementation and results of this questionnaire.
Method
An expert working group designed the questionnaire, using established measures where possible, and consulting a patient group. Operational criteria were agreed for defining likely disorder and risk states, including lifetime depression, mania/hypomania, generalised anxiety disorder, unusual experiences and self-harm, and current post-traumatic stress and hazardous/harmful alcohol use.
Results
A total of 157 366 completed online questionnaires were available by August 2017. Participants were aged 45–82 (53% were ≥65 years) and 57% women. Comparison of self-reported diagnosed mental disorder with a contemporary study shows a similar prevalence, despite respondents being of higher average socioeconomic status. Lifetime depression was a common finding, with 24% (37 434) of participants meeting criteria and current hazardous/harmful alcohol use criteria were met by 21% (32 602), whereas other criteria were met by less than 8% of the participants. There was extensive comorbidity among the syndromes. Mental disorders were associated with a high neuroticism score, adverse life events and long-term illness; addiction and bipolar affective disorder in particular were associated with measures of deprivation.
Conclusions
The UK Biobank questionnaire represents a very large mental health survey in itself, and the results presented here show high face validity, although caution is needed because of selection bias. Built into UK Biobank, these data intersect with other health data to offer unparalleled potential for crosscutting biomedical research involving mental health
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