18,147 research outputs found
Unsupervised Classification of Intrusive Igneous Rock Thin Section Images using Edge Detection and Colour Analysis
Classification of rocks is one of the fundamental tasks in a geological
study. The process requires a human expert to examine sampled thin section
images under a microscope. In this study, we propose a method that uses
microscope automation, digital image acquisition, edge detection and colour
analysis (histogram). We collected 60 digital images from 20 standard thin
sections using a digital camera mounted on a conventional microscope. Each
image is partitioned into a finite number of cells that form a grid structure.
Edge and colour profile of pixels inside each cell determine its
classification. The individual cells then determine the thin section image
classification via a majority voting scheme. Our method yielded successful
results as high as 90% to 100% precision.Comment: To appear in 2017 IEEE International Conference On Signal and Image
Processing Application
Sensing electric and magnetic fields with Bose-Einstein Condensates
We discuss the application of Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) as sensors for
magnetic and electric fields. In an experimental demonstration we have brought
one-dimensional BECs close to micro-fabricated wires on an atom chip and
thereby reached a sensitivity to potential variations of ~10e-14eV at 3 micron
spatial resolution. We demonstrate the versatility of this sensor by measuring
a two-dimensional magnetic field map 10 micron above a 100-micron-wide wire. We
show how the transverse current-density component inside the wire can be
reconstructed from such maps. The field sensitivity in dependence on the
spatial resolution is discussed and further improvements utilizing Feshbach
resonances are outlined.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
Posterior Cervical Spine Crisscross Fixation: Biomechanical Evaluation
Background Biomechanical/anatomic limitations may limit the successful implantation, maintenance, and risk acceptance of posterior cervical plate/rod fixation for one stage decompression-fusion. A method of posterior fixation (crisscross) that resolves biomechanical deficiencies of previous facet wiring techniques and not reliant upon screw implantation has been devised. The biomechanical performance of the new method of facet fixation was compared to the traditional lateral mass plate/screw fixation method. Methods Thirteen human cadaver spine segments (C2-T1) were tested under flexion-compression loading and four were evaluated additionally under pure-moment load. Preparations were evaluated in a sequence of surgical alterations with intact, laminectomy, lateral mass plate/screw fixation, and crisscross facet fixation using forces, displacements and kinematics. Findings Combined loading demonstrated significantly lower bending stiffness (p \u3c 0.05) between laminectomy compared to crisscross and lateral mass plate/screw preparations. Crisscross fixation showed a comparative tendency for increased stiffness. The increased overall motion induced by laminectomy was resolved by both fixation techniques, with crisscross fixation demonstrating a comparatively more uniform change in segmental motions. Interpretation The crisscross technique of facet fixation offers immediate mechanical stability with resolution of increased flexural rotations induced by multi-level laminectomy. Many of the anatomic limitations and potentially deleterious variables that may be associated with multi-level screw fixation are not associated with facet wire passage, and the subsequent fixation using a pattern of wire connection crossing each facet joint exhibits a comparatively more uniform load distribution. Crisscross wire fixation is a valuable addition to the surgical armamentarium for extensive posterior cervical single-stage decompression-fixation
Multi-layer atom chips for versatile atom micro manipulation
We employ a combination of optical UV- and electron-beam-lithography to
create an atom chip combining sub-micron wire structures with larger
conventional wires on a single substrate. The new multi-layer fabrication
enables crossed wire configurations, greatly enhancing the flexibility in
designing potentials for ultra cold quantum gases and Bose-Einstein
condensates. Large current densities of >6 x 10^7 A/cm^2 and high voltages of
up to 65 V across 0.3 micron gaps are supported by even the smallest wire
structures. We experimentally demonstrate the flexibility of the next
generation atom chip by producing Bose-Einstein condensates in magnetic traps
created by a combination of wires involving all different fabrication methods
and structure sizes.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure
Atom Chips: Fabrication and Thermal Properties
Neutral atoms can be trapped and manipulated with surface mounted microscopic
current carrying and charged structures. We present a lithographic fabrication
process for such atom chips based on evaporated metal films. The size limit of
this process is below 1m. At room temperature, thin wires can carry more
than 10A/cm current density and voltages of more than 500V. Extensive
test measurements for different substrates and metal thicknesses (up to 5
m) are compared to models for the heating characteristics of the
microscopic wires. Among the materials tested, we find that Si is the best
suited substrate for atom chips
Infrared images of merging galaxies
Infrared imaging of interacting galaxies is especially interesting because their optical appearance is often so chaotic due to extinction by dust and emission from star formation regions, that it is impossible to locate the nuclei or determine the true stellar distribution. However, at near-infrared wavelengths extinction is considerably reduced, and most of the flux from galaxies originates from red giant stars that comprise the dominant stellar component by mass. Thus near infrared images offer the opportunity to study directly components of galactic structure which are otherwise inaccessible. Such images may ultimately provide the framework in which to understand the activity taking place in many of the mergers with high Infrared Astronomy Satellite (IRAS) luminosities. Infrared images have been useful in identifying double structures in the nuclei of interacting galaxies which have not even been hinted at by optical observations. A striking example of this is given by the K images of Arp 220. Graham et al. (1990) have used high resolution imaging to show that it has a double nucleus coincident with the radio sources in the middle of the dust lane. The results suggest that caution should be applied in the identification of optical bright spots as multiple nuclei in the absence of other evidence. They also illustrate the advantages of using infrared imaging to study the underlying structure in merging galaxies. The authors have begun a program to take near infrared images of galaxies which are believed to be mergers of disk galaxies because they have tidal tails and filaments. In many of these the merger is thought to have induced exceptionally luminous infrared emission (cf. Joseph and Wright 1985, Sanders et al. 1988). Although the optical images of the galaxies show spectacular dust lanes and filaments, the K images all have a very smooth distribution of light with an apparently single nucleus
Which Way Was I Going? Contextual Retrieval Supports the Disambiguation of Well Learned Overlapping Navigational Routes
Groundbreaking research in animals has demonstrated that the hippocampus contains neurons that distinguish betweenoverlapping navigational trajectories. These hippocampal neurons respond selectively to the context of specific episodes despite interference from overlapping memory representations. The present study used functional magnetic resonanceimaging in humans to examine the role of the hippocampus and related structures when participants need to retrievecontextual information to navigate well learned spatial sequences that share common elements. Participants were trained outside the scanner to navigate through 12 virtual mazes from a ground-level first-person perspective. Six of the 12 mazes shared overlapping components. Overlapping mazes began and ended at distinct locations, but converged in the middle to share some hallways with another maze. Non-overlapping mazes did not share any hallways with any other maze. Successful navigation through the overlapping hallways required the retrieval of contextual information relevant to thecurrent navigational episode. Results revealed greater activation during the successful navigation of the overlapping mazes compared with the non-overlapping mazes in regions typically associated with spatial and episodic memory, including thehippocampus, parahippocampal cortex, and orbitofrontal cortex. When combined with previous research, the current findings suggest that an anatomically integrated system including the hippocampus, parahippocampal cortex, and orbitofrontal cortexis critical for the contextually dependent retrieval of well learned overlapping navigational routes
Spherical Code Key Distribution Protocols for Qubits
Recently spherical codes were introduced as potentially more capable
ensembles for quantum key distribution. Here we develop specific key creation
protocols for the two qubit-based spherical codes, the trine and tetrahedron,
and analyze them in the context of a suitably-tailored intercept/resend attack,
both in standard form, and a ``gentler'' version whose back-action on the
quantum state is weaker. When compared to the standard unbiased basis
protocols, BB84 and six-state, two distinct advantages are found. First, they
offer improved tolerance of eavesdropping, the trine besting its counterpart
BB84 and the tetrahedron the six-state protocol. Second, the key error rate may
be computed from the sift rate of the protocol itself, removing the need to
sacrifice key bits for this purpose. This simplifies the protocol and improves
the overall key rate.Comment: 4 pages revtex, 2 figures; clarified security analysis. Final version
for publicatio
Thermal Duality and Hagedorn Transition from p-adic Strings
We develop the finite temperature theory of p-adic string models. We find
that the thermal properties of these non-local field theories can be
interpreted either as contributions of standard thermal modes with energies
proportional to the temperature, or inverse thermal modes with energies
proportional to the inverse of the temperature, leading to a "thermal duality"
at leading order (genus one) analogous to the well known T-duality of string
theory. The p-adic strings also recover the asymptotic limits (high and low
temperature) for arbitrary genus that purely stringy calculations have yielded.
We also discuss our findings surrounding the nature of the Hagedorn transition.Comment: 4 pages and 4 figure
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