615 research outputs found
Tracking ALMA System Temperature with Water Vapor Data at High Frequency
The ALMA observatory is now putting more focus on high-frequency observations
(frequencies from 275-950 GHz). However, high-frequency observations often
suffer from rapid variations in atmospheric opacity that directly affect the
system temperature . Current observations perform discrete atmospheric
calibrations (Atm-cals) every few minutes, with typically 10-20 occurring per
hour for high frequency observation and each taking 30-40 seconds. In order to
obtain more accurate flux measurements and reduce the number of atmospheric
calibrations (Atm-cals), a new method to monitor continuously is
proposed using existing data in the measurement set. In this work, we
demonstrate the viability of using water vapor radiometer (WVR) data to track
the continuously. We find a tight linear correlation between
measured using the traditional method and extrapolated
based on WVR data with scatter of 0.5-3%. Although the exact form of the linear
relation varies among different data sets and spectral windows, we can use a
small number of discrete measurements to fit the linear relation and
use this heuristic relationship to derive every 10 seconds.
Furthermore, we successfully reproduce the observed correlation using
atmospheric transmission at microwave (ATM) modeling and demonstrate the
viability of a more general method to directly derive the from the
modeling. We apply the semi-continuous from heuristic fitting on a
few data sets from Band 7 to Band 10 and compare the flux measured using these
methods. We find the discrete and continuous methods give us
consistent flux measurements with differences up to 5%. Furthermore, this
method has significantly reduced the flux uncertainty due to
variability for one dataset, which has large precipitable water vapor (PWV)
fluctuation, from 10% to 0.7%.Comment: 24 pages, 18 figures, accepted to PAS
Surface-based constraints on target selection and distractor rejection: Evidence from preview search
In preview search when an observer ignores an early appearing set of distractors, there can subsequently be impeded detection of new targets that share the colour of this preview. This “negative carry-over effect” has been attributed to an active inhibitory process targeted against the old items and inadvertently their features. Here we extend negative carry-over effects to the case of stereoscopically defined surfaces of coplanar elements without common features. In Experiment 1 observers previewed distractors in one surface (1000 ms), before being presented with the target and new distractors divided over the old and a new surface either above or below the old one. Participants were slower and less efficient to detect targets in the old surface. In Experiment 2 in both the first and second display the items were divided over two planes in the proportion 66/33% such that no new planes appeared following the preview, and there was no majority of items in any one plane in the final combined display. The results showed that participants were slower to detect the target when it occurred in the old majority surface. Experiment 3 held constant the 2D properties of the stimuli while varying the presence of binocular depth cues. The carry-over effect only occurred in the presence of binocular depth cues, ruling out any account of the results in terms of 2-D cues. The results suggest well formed surfaces in addition to simple features may be targets for inhibition in search
The combined tensile and torsional behavior of irregular fibers
Most fibers are irregular, and they are often subjected to combined loading conditions during processing and end-use. In this paper, polyester and wool fibers under the combined tensile and torsional loads have been studied for the first time, using the finite element method (FEM). The dimensional irregularities of these fibers are simulated with sine waves of different magnitude and frequency. The breaking load and breaking extension of the fibers at different twist or torsion levels are then calculated from the finite element model. The results indicate that twist and level of fiber irregularity have a major impact on the mechanical properties of the fiber and the effect of the frequency of irregularity is relatively small.<br /
A parametrization for the growth index of linear matter perturbations
We propose a parametrization for the growth index of the linear matter
perturbations, . The growth factor of
the perturbations parameterized as is analyzed for both the
CDM model and the DGP model with our proposed form for . We find
that is negative for the CDM model but is positive for the DGP
model. Thus it provides another signature to discriminate them. We demonstrate
that with taking our proposed form approximates
the growth factor very well both at low and high redshfits for both kinds of
models. In fact, the error is below 0.03% for the CDM model and 0.18%
for the DGP model for all redshifts when . Therefore, our
parametrization may be robustly used to constrain the growth index of different
models with the observational data which include points for redshifts ranging
from 0.15 to 3.8, thus providing discriminative signatures for different
models.Comment: 14 pages, 6 figures; Added reference
Birkhoff's theorem in the f(T) gravity
Generalized from the so-called teleparallel gravity which is exactly
equivalent to general relativity, the gravity has been proposed as an
alternative gravity model to account for the dark energy phenomena. In this
letter we prove that the external vacuum gravitational field for a spherically
symmetric distribution of source matter in the gravity framework must be
static and the conclusion is independent of the radial distribution and
spherically symmetric motion of the source matter that is, whether it is in
motion or static. As a consequence, the Birkhoff's theorem is valid in the
general theory. We also discuss its application in the de Sitter
space-time evolution phase as preferred to by the nowadays dark energy
observations.Comment: 5p
Impact of gastroesophageal reflux disease on daily life: the Systematic Investigation of Gastrointestinal Diseases in China (SILC) epidemiological study
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Gastroesophageal reflux disease imposes a significant burden of illness in Western populations. However, data on the impact of reflux symptoms on daily life in Asian populations are scarce. The current study aimed to evaluate the impact of GERD (defined on the basis of symptoms) on health-related quality-of-life (HRQoL) in individuals from five regions in China, as part of the Systematic Investigation of Gastrointestinal Diseases in China (SILC) study.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In total, 18 000 residents were randomly selected from across five regions of China and asked to complete a general information questionnaire and a Chinese version of the Reflux Disease Questionnaire (RDQ). A randomly selected subsample of one-fifth of subjects (20% from each region) completed Chinese versions of the 36-item self-administered (SF-36) questionnaire and Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) questionnaire. Reflux symptoms were defined as the presence of heartburn and/or regurgitation. Symptom-defined GERD was diagnosed as mild heartburn and/or regurgitation ≥2 days per week, or moderate/severe heartburn and/or regurgitation ≥1 day a week, based on the Montreal Definition of GERD for population-based studies.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The response rate was 89.4% for the total sample (16 091/18 000), and for the 20% subsample (3219/3600). Meaningful impairment was observed in all 8 SF-36 dimensions in participants with symptom-defined GERD, in 7 of the 8 SF-36 dimensions in participants with troublesome reflux symptoms, and in 6 of the 8 SF-36 dimensions in participants with reflux symptoms below the threshold for symptom-defined GERD. Meaningful daytime sleepiness was also observed in each of these groups. The proportion of individuals reporting troublesome symptoms increased as reflux symptom frequency and severity approached the threshold for symptom-defined GERD, and this was associated with concomitant decreases in all HRQoL measures. Troublesome symptoms were reported by 68.2% (75/110) of individuals with symptom-defined GERD.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>GERD diagnosed using symptom/frequency criteria (recommended for population-based studies), or based on troublesome reflux symptoms (recommended for the clinic), is associated with significantly impaired HRQoL in Chinese individuals. However, patient groups identified using these definitions do not overlap completely, suggesting that they capture slightly different, though clinically relevant, GERD populations.</p
Extended Birkhoff's Theorem in the f(T) Gravity
The f(T) theory, a generally modified teleparallel gravity, has been proposed
as an alternative gravity model to account for the dark energy phenomena.
Following our previous work [Xin-he Meng and Ying-bin Wang, EPJC(2011),
arXiv:1107.0629v1], we prove that the Birkhoff's theorem holds in a more
general context, specifically with the off diagonal tetrad case, in this
communication letter. Then, we discuss respectively the results of the external
vacuum and internal gravitational field in the f(T) gravity framework, as well
as the extended meaning of this theorem. We also investigate the validity of
the Birkhoff's theorem in the frame of f(T) gravity via conformal
transformation by regarding the Brans-Dicke-like scalar as effective matter,
and study the equivalence between both Einstein frame and Jordan frame.Comment: 7 pages, 1 figure, submitted to EPJ-C. arXiv admin note: substantial
text overlap with arXiv:1107.062
Assay strategies for the discovery and validation of therapeutics targeting <i>Brugia pahangi</i> Hsp90
The chemotherapy of lymphatic filariasis relies upon drugs such as diethylcarbamazine and ivermectin that largely target the microfilarial stages of the parasite, necessitating continued treatment over the long reproductive life span of the adult worm. The identification of compounds that target adult worms has been a long-term goal of WHO. Here we describe a fluorescence polarization assay for the identification of compounds that target Hsp90 in adult filarial worms. The assay was originally developed to identify inhibitors of Hsp90 in tumor cells, and relies upon the ability of small molecules to inhibit the binding of fluorescently labelled geldanamycin to Hsp90. We demonstrate that the assay works well with soluble extracts of Brugia, while extracts of the free-living nematode C. elegans fail to bind the probe, in agreement with data from other experiments. The assay was validated using known inhibitors of Hsp90 that compete with geldanamycin for binding to Hsp90, including members of the synthetic purine-scaffold series of compounds. The efficacy of some of these compounds against adult worms was confirmed in vitro. Moreover, the assay is sufficiently sensitive to differentiate between binding of purine-scaffold compounds to human and Brugia Hsp90. The assay is suitable for high-throughput screening and provides the first example of a format with the potential to identify novel inhibitors of Hsp90 in filarial worms and in other parasitic species where Hsp90 may be a target
Birkhoff's Theorem in f(T) Gravity up to the Perturbative Order
f(T) gravity, a generally modified teleparallel gravity, has become very
popular in recent times as it is able to reproduce the unification of inflation
and late-time acceleration without the need of a dark energy component or an
inflation field. In this present work, we investigate specifically the range of
validity of Birkhoff's theorem with the general tetrad field via perturbative
approach. At zero order, Birkhoff's theorem is valid and the solution is the
well known Schwarzschild-(A)dS metric. Then considering the special case of the
diagonal tetrad field, we present a new spherically symmetric solution in the
frame of f(T) gravity up to the perturbative order. The results with the
diagonal tetrad field satisfy the physical equivalence between the Jordan and
the so-called Einstein frames, which are realized via conformal transformation,
at least up to the first perturbative order.Comment: 8 pages, no figure. Final version, accepted for publication in EPJ
Blimp-1 is essential for allergen-induced asthma and Th2 cell development in the lung
A Th2 immune response is central to allergic airway inflammation, which afflicts millions worldwide. However, the mechanisms that augment GATA3 expression in an antigen-primed developing Th2 cell are not well understood. Here, we describe an unexpected role for Blimp-1, a transcriptional repressor that constrains autoimmunity, as an upstream promoter of GATA3 expression that is critical for Th2 cell development in the lung to inhaled but not systemically delivered allergens but is dispensable for TFH function and IgE production. Mechanistically, Blimp-1 acts through Bcl6, leading to increased GATA3 expression in lung Th2 cells. Surprisingly, the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10, but not the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-6 or IL-21, is required via STAT3 activation to up-regulate Blimp-1 and promote Th2 cell development. These data reveal a hitherto unappreciated role for an IL-10-STAT3-Blimp-1 circuit as an initiator of an inflammatory Th2 response in the lung to allergens. Thus, Blimp-1 in a context-dependent fashion can drive inflammation by promoting rather than terminating effector T cell responses
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