9,890 research outputs found
Contamination from Skylab as determined from the solar coronagraph data
The white light solar coronagraph was one of the scientific telescopes flown on Skylab to study the sun. It studied the sun's atmosphere located from 0.5 to 5.0 solar radii above the sun's limb. Such a telescope is so sensitive to contamination around the spacecraft that it caused a major contamination abatement program to be initiated at the conception of Skylab. The coronagraph's data is analyzed showing the successfulness of that abatement program
Spin-dependent properties of a two-dimensional electron gas with ferromagnetic gates
A theoretical prediction of the spin-dependent electron self-energy and
in-plane transport of a two-dimensional electron gas in proximity with a
ferromagnetic gate is presented. The application of the predicted
spin-dependent properties is illustrated by the proposal of a device
configuration with two neighboring ferromagnetic gates which produces a
magnetoresistance effect on the channel current generated by nonmagnetic source
and drain contacts. Specific results are shown for a silicon inversion layer
with iron gates. The gate leakage current is found to be beneficial to the spin
effects.Comment: 3 pages, 2 figures, Replaced with revised versio
Cytokine gene polymorphisms in preterm infants with necrotising enterocolitis: genetic association study
BACKGROUND The inflammatory cytokine cascade is implicated in the pathogenesis of necrotising enterocolitis (NEC). Genetic association studies of cytokine polymorphisms may help to detect molecular mechanisms that are causally related to the disease process. AIM To examine associations between the common genetic variants in candidate inflammatory cytokine genes and NEC in preterm infants. METHODS Multi-centre case-control and genetic association study. DNA samples were collected from 50 preterm infants with NEC and 50 controls matched for gestational age and ethnic group recruited to a multi-centre case-control study. Ten candidate single-nucleotide polymorphisms in cytokines previously associated with infectious or inflammatory diseases were genotyped. The findings were included in random-effects meta-analyses with data from previous genetic association studies. RESULTS All allele distributions were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. None of the studied cytokine polymorphisms was significantly associated with NEC. Four previous genetic association studies of cytokine polymorphisms and NEC in preterm infants were found. Meta-analyses were possible for several single-nucleotide polymorphisms. These increased the precision of the estimates of effect size but did not reveal any significant associations. CONCLUSIONS The available data are not consistent with more than modest associations between these candidate cytokine variant alleles and NEC in preterm infants. Data from future association studies of these polymorphisms may be added to the meta-analyses to obtain more precise estimates of effects sizes.The study was funded by Tenovus (Scotland)
Time Ordering in Kicked Qubits
We examine time ordering effects in strongly, suddenly perturbed two-state
quantum systems (kicked qubits) by comparing results with time ordering to
results without time ordering. Simple analytic expressions are given for state
occupation amplitudes and probabilities for singly and multiply kicked qubits.
We investigate the limit of no time ordering, which can differ in different
representations.Comment: 26 pages, 5 figure
Spin accumulation in forward-biased MnAs/GaAs Schottky diodes
We describe a new means for electrically creating spin polarization in
semiconductors. In contrast to spin injection of electrons by tunneling through
a reverse-biased Schottky barrier, we observe spin accumulation at the
metal/semiconductor interface of forward-biased ferromagnetic Schottky diodes,
which is consistent with a theory of spin-dependent reflection off the
interface. Spatiotemporal Kerr microscopy is used to image the electron spin
and the resulting dynamic nuclear polarization that arises from the non
equilibrium carrier polarization.Comment: 13 pages, 4 figures, submitted for publicatio
High Reynolds number tests of the CAST 10-2/DOA 2 airfoil in the Langley 0.3-meter transonic cryogenic tunnel, phase 1
A wind tunnel investigation of an advanced technology airfoil, the CAST 10-2/DOA 2, was conducted in the Langley 0.3 meter Transonic Cryogenic Tunnel (0.3 m TCT). This was the first of a series of tests conducted in a cooperative National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Deutsche Forschungs- und Versuchsanstalt fur Luft- und Raumfahrt e. V. (DFVLR) airfoil research program. Test temperature was varied from 280 K to 100 K to pressures from slightly above 1 to 5.8 atmospheres. Mach number was varied from 0.60 to 0.80, and the Reynolds number (based on airfoil chord) was varied from 4 x 10 to the 8th power to 45 x 10 to the 6th power. This report presents the experimental aerodynamic data obtained for the airfoil and includes descriptions of the airfoil model, the 0.3 m TCT, the test instrumentation, and the testing procedures
Ferromagnetic imprinting of spin polarization in a semiconductor
We present a theory of the imprinting of the electron spin coherence and
population in an n-doped semiconductor which forms a junction with a
ferromagnet. The reflection of non-equilibrium semiconductor electrons at the
interface provides a mechanism to manipulate the spin polarization vector. In
the case of unpolarized excitation, this ballistic effect produces spontaneous
electron spin coherence and nuclear polarization in the semiconductor, as
recently observed by time-resolved Faraday rotation experiments. We investigate
the dependence of the spin reflection on the Schottky barrier height and the
doping concentration in the semiconductor and suggest control mechanisms for
possible device applications.Comment: 4 pages with 2 figure
Multi-Modal Human-Machine Communication for Instructing Robot Grasping Tasks
A major challenge for the realization of intelligent robots is to supply them
with cognitive abilities in order to allow ordinary users to program them
easily and intuitively. One way of such programming is teaching work tasks by
interactive demonstration. To make this effective and convenient for the user,
the machine must be capable to establish a common focus of attention and be
able to use and integrate spoken instructions, visual perceptions, and
non-verbal clues like gestural commands. We report progress in building a
hybrid architecture that combines statistical methods, neural networks, and
finite state machines into an integrated system for instructing grasping tasks
by man-machine interaction. The system combines the GRAVIS-robot for visual
attention and gestural instruction with an intelligent interface for speech
recognition and linguistic interpretation, and an modality fusion module to
allow multi-modal task-oriented man-machine communication with respect to
dextrous robot manipulation of objects.Comment: 7 pages, 8 figure
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