1,180 research outputs found
Structured illumination microscopy using micro-pixellated light-emitting diodes
Structured illumination is a flexible and economical method of obtaining optical sectioning in wide-field microscopy [1]. In this technique the illumination system is modified to project a single-spatial frequency grid pattern onto the sample [2, 3]. The pattern can only be resolved in the focal plane and by recording images for different transverse grid positions (or phases) an image of the in-focus parts of the object can be calculated. Light emitting diodes (LEDs) are becoming increasingly popular for lighting and illumination systems due to their low cost, small dimensions, low coherence, uniform illumination, high efficiency and long lifetime. These properties, together with recent developments in high brightness, ultraviolet operation and microstructured emitter design offer great potential for LEDs as light sources for microscopy. In this paper we demonstrate a novel structured illumination microscope using a blue micro-structured light emitting diode as the illumination source. The system is potentially very compact and has no-moving-parts
Non-linear corrections to inflationary power spectrum
We study non-linear contributions to the power spectrum of the curvature
perturbation on super-horizon scales, produced during slow-roll inflation
driven by a canonical single scalar field. We find that on large scales the
linear power spectrum completely dominates and leading non-linear corrections
remain totally negligible, indicating that we can safely rely on linear
perturbation theory to study inflationary power spectrum. We also briefly
comment on the infrared and ultraviolet behaviour of the non-linear
corrections.Comment: (v1) 14 pages, 2 figures; (v2) references added and discussions
expanded, including a new version of Figure 2, to appear in Journal of
Cosmology and Astroparticle Physic
Non-Gaussianity from false vacuum inflation: Old curvaton scenario
We calculate the three-point correlation function of the comoving curvature
perturbation generated during an inflationary epoch driven by false vacuum
energy. We get a novel false vacuum shape bispectrum, which peaks in the
equilateral limit. Using this result, we propose a scenario which we call "old
curvaton". The shape of the resulting bispectrum lies between the local and the
false vacuum shapes. In addition we have a large running of the spectral index.Comment: 13 pages, 3 figures; v2 with minor revison; v3 final version to
appear on JCA
Age-specific diastolic dysfunction improves prediction of symptomatic heart failure by Stage B heart failure
Aims: We investigated whether addition of diastolic dysfunction (DD) and longitudinal strain (LS) to Stage B heart failure (SBHF) criteria (structural or systolic abnormality) improves prediction of symptomatic HF in participants of the SCReening Evaluation of the Evolution of New Heart Failure study, a self-selected population at increased cardiovascular disease risk recruited from members of a health insurance fund in Melbourne and Shepparton, Australia. Both American Society of Echocardiography and European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging (ASE/EACVI) criteria and age-specific Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study criteria, for SBHF and DD, and ARIC criteria for abnormal LS, were examined.
Methods and results: Inclusion criteria were age ≥60 years with one or more of self-reported ischaemic or other heart disease, irregular or rapid heart rhythm, cerebrovascular disease, renal impairment, or treatment for hypertension or diabetes for ≥2 years. Exclusion criteria were known HF, or ejection fraction mild valve abnormality detected on previous echocardiography or other imaging. Echocardiography was performed in 3190 participants who were followed for a median of 3.9 (interquartile range: 3.4, 4.5) years after echocardiography. Symptomatic HF was diagnosed in 139 participants at a median of 3.1 (interquartile range: 2.1, 3.9) years after echocardiography. ARIC structural, systolic, and diastolic abnormalities predicted HF in univariate and multivariable proportional hazards analyses, whereas ASE/EACVI structural and systolic, but not diastolic, abnormalities predicted HF. ARIC and ASE/EACVI SBHF criteria predicted HF with sensitivities of 81% and 55%, specificities of 39% and 76%, and C statistics of 0.60 (95% confidence interval: 0.57, 0.64) and 0.66 (0.61, 0.71), respectively. Adding ARIC DD to SBHF increased sensitivity to 94% with specificity of 24% and C statistic of 0.59 (0.57, 0.61), whereas addition of ASE/EACVI DD to SBHF increased sensitivity to 97% but reduced specificity to 9% and the C statistic to 0.52 (0.50, 0.54, P < 0.0001). Addition of LS to ARIC or ASE/EACVI SBHF criteria had minimal impact on prediction of HF.
Conclusions: Age-specific ARIC DD criteria, but not ASE/EACVI DD criteria, predicted symptomatic HF, and addition of age-specific ARIC DD criteria to ARIC SBHF criteria improved prediction of symptomatic HF in asymptomatic individuals with cardiovascular disease risk factors. Addition of LS to ASE/EACVI or ARIC SBHF criteria did not improve prediction of symptomatic HF
Local Features with Large Spiky non-Gaussianities during Inflation
We provide a dynamical mechanism to generate localized features during
inflation. The local feature is due to a sharp waterfall phase transition which
is coupled to the inflaton field. The key effect is the contributions of
waterfall quantum fluctuations which induce a sharp peak on the curvature
perturbation which can be as large as the background curvature perturbation
from inflaton field. Due to non-Gaussian nature of waterfall quantum
fluctuations a large spike non-Gaussianity is produced which is narrowly peaked
at modes which leave the Hubble radius at the time of phase transition. The
large localized peaks in power spectrum and bispectrum can have interesting
consequences on CMB anisotropies.Comment: 22 pages, 2 figure
Feedback methods for inverse simulation of dynamic models for engineering systems applications
Inverse simulation is a form of inverse modelling in which computer simulation methods are used to find the time histories of input variables that, for a given model, match a set of required output responses. Conventional inverse simulation methods for dynamic models are computationally intensive and can present difficulties for high-speed
applications. This paper includes a review of established methods of inverse simulation,giving some emphasis to iterative techniques that were first developed for aeronautical applications. It goes on to discuss the application of a different approach which is based on feedback principles. This feedback method is suitable for a wide range of linear and nonlinear dynamic models and involves two distinct stages. The first stage involves
design of a feedback loop around the given simulation model and, in the second stage, that closed-loop system is used for inversion of the model. Issues of robustness within
closed-loop systems used in inverse simulation are not significant as there are no plant uncertainties or external disturbances. Thus the process is simpler than that required for the development of a control system of equivalent complexity. Engineering applications
of this feedback approach to inverse simulation are described through case studies that put particular emphasis on nonlinear and multi-input multi-output models
Uniqueness of the gauge invariant action for cosmological perturbations
In second order perturbation theory different definitions are known of gauge
invariant perturbations in single field inflationary models. Consequently the
corresponding gauge invariant cubic actions do not have the same form. Here we
show that the cubic action for one choice of gauge invariant variables is
unique in the following sense: the action for any other, non-linearly related
variable can be brought to the same bulk action, plus additional boundary
terms. These boundary terms correspond to the choice of hypersurface and
generate extra, disconnected contributions to the bispectrum. We also discuss
uniqueness of the action with respect to conformal frames. When expressed in
terms of the gauge invariant curvature perturbation on uniform field
hypersurfaces the action for cosmological perturbations has a unique form,
independent of the original Einstein or Jordan frame. Crucial is that the gauge
invariant comoving curvature perturbation is frame independent, which makes it
extremely helpful in showing the quantum equivalence of the two frames, and
therefore in calculating quantum effects in nonminimally coupled theories such
as Higss inflation.Comment: 27 page
Dynamics of Tachyon and Phantom Field beyond the Inverse Square Potentials
We investigate the cosmological evolution of the tachyon and phantom-tachyon
scalar field by considering the potential parameter () as a function of another potential parameter
(), which correspondingly extends the
analysis of the evolution of our universe from two-dimensional autonomous
dynamical system to the three-dimension. It allows us to investigate the more
general situation where the potential is not restricted to inverse square
potential and .One result is that, apart from the inverse square potential,
there are a large number of potentials which can give the scaling and dominant
solution when the function equals for one or some
values of as well as the parameter satisfies
condition Eq.(18) or Eq.(19). We also find that for a class of different
potentials the dynamics evolution of the universe are actually the same and
therefore undistinguishable.Comment: 8 pages, no figure, accepted by The European Physical Journal
C(2010), online first,
http://www.springerlink.com/content/323417h708gun5g8/?p=dd373adf23b84743b523a3fa249d51c7&pi=
Doping dependence of the resonance peak and incommensuration in high- superconductors
The doping and frequency evolutions of the incommensurate spin response and
the resonance mode are studied based on the scenario of the Fermi surface
topology. We use the slave-boson mean-field approach to the
model and including the antiferromagnetic fluctuation correction in the
random-phase approximation. We find that the equality between the
incommensurability and the hole concentration is reproduced at low frequencies
in the underdoped regime. This equality observed in experiments was explained
{\it only} based on the stripe model before. We also obtain the downward
dispersion for the spin response and predict its doping dependence for further
experimental testing, as well as a proportionality between the low-energy
incommensurability and the resonance energy. Our results suggest a common
origin for the incommensuration and the resonance peak based on the Fermi
surface topology and the d-wave symmetry.Comment: 5 pages, 4 PS figure
On the evaluation of global sea-salt aerosol models at coastal/orographic sites
Sea-salt aerosol global models are typically evaluated against concentration observations at coastal stations that are unaffected by local surf conditions and thus considered representative of open ocean conditions. Despite recent improvements in sea-salt source functions, studies still show significant model errors in specific regions. Using a multiscale model, we investigated the effect of high model resolution (0.1 degrees x 0.1 degrees vs. 1 degrees x 1.4 degrees) upon sea-salt patterns in four stations from the University of Miami Network: Baring Head, Chatam Island, and Invercargill in New Zealand, and Marion Island in the sub-antarctic Indian Ocean. Normalized biases improved from +63.7% to +3.3% and correlation increased from 0.52 to 0.84. The representation of sea/land interfaces, mesoscale circulations, and precipitation with the higher resolution model played a major role in the simulation of annual concentration trends. Our results recommend caution when comparing or constraining global models using surface concentration observations from coastal stations. (C) 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.Postprint (published version
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