3D Magnetic Analysis of the CMS Magnet

The CMS magnetic system consists of a super-conducting solenoid coil, 12.5 m long and 6 m free bore diameter, and of an iron flux-return yoke, which includes the central barrel, two end-caps and the ferromagnetic parts of the hadronic forward calorimeter. The magnetic flux density in the center of the solenoid is 4 T. To carry out the magnetic analysis of the CMS magnetic system, several 3D models were developed to perform magnetic field and force calculations using the Vector Fields code TOSCA. The analysis includes a study of the general field behavior, the calculation of the forces on the coil generated by small axial, radial displacements and angular tilts, the calculation of the forces on the ferromagnetic parts, the calculation of the fringe field outside the magnetic system, and a study of the field level in the chimneys for the current leads and the cryogenic lines. A procedure to reconstruct the field inside a cylindrical volume starting from the values of the magnetic flux density on the cylinder surface is considered. Special TOSCA-GEANT interface tools have being developed to input the calculated magnetic field into the detector simulation package.Comment: 4 pages, 6 figures, 1 equation, 14 reference

Schizotypy and mentalizing: An fMRI study

Introduction: Schizotypy is a personality trait characterized by subclinical schizophrenia symptoms. Individuals with schizophrenia typically display behavioral mentalizing deficits and altered neural correlates during mentalizing. While schizotypy has been inconsistently related to behavioral mentalizing skills, its neural correlates of mentalizing are understudied so far. With this study we tested the association between schizotypy traits in healthy subjects and mentalizing-related neural correlates to provide new insights into neural processes associated with subclinical schizophrenia traits.Methods: Brain activation was measured using fMRI during an interactive mentalizing paradigm (Prisoner's Dilemma Game) in 164 healthy subjects. The Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ-B) was administered to assess the three dimensions of schizotypy, i.e., cognitive-perceptual, interpersonal and disorganized.Results: We found that interpersonal schizotypy was significantly negatively correlated with brain activation in bilateral precunei and right caudate nucleus (among others) during mentalizing. By contrast, disorganized schizotypy was significantly positively correlated with mentalizing-associated neural activation in right precuneus, left middle cingulate cortex and right cerebellar hemisphere. No significant associations for cognitive-perceptual schizotypy and the SPQ-B total score were found.Discussion: Our study showed that interpersonal and disorganized schizotypy are associated with neural correlates of mentalizing in brain regions that are involved in self-processing and mentalizing. These brain regions have also been linked to mentalizing in schizophrenia.</p

Hole-burning experiments within solvable glassy models

We reproduce the results of non-resonant spectral hole-burning experiments with fully-connected (equivalently infinite-dimensional) glassy models that are generalizations of the mode-coupling approach to nonequilibrium situations. We show that an ac-field modifies the integrated linear response and the correlation function in a way that depends on the amplitude and frequency of the pumping field. We study the effect of the waiting and recovery-times and the number of oscillations applied. This calculation will help descriminating which results can and which cannot be attributed to dynamic heterogeneities in real systems.Comment: 4 pages, 8 figures, RevTe

Chiral photoelectron angular distributions from ionization of achiral atomic and molecular species

We show that the combination of two achiral components - atomic or molecular target plus a circularly polarized photon - can yield chirally structured photoelectron angular distributions. For photoionization of CO, the angular distribution of carbon K-shell photoelectrons is chiral when the molecular axis is neither perpendicular nor (anti-)parallel to the light propagation axis. In photo-double-ionization of He, the distribution of one electron is chiral, if the other electron is oriented like the molecular axis in the former case and if the electrons are distinguishable by their energy. In both scenarios, the circularly polarized photon defines a plane with a sense of rotation and an additional axis is defined by the CO molecule or one electron. This is sufficient to establish an unambiguous coordinate frame of well-defined handedness. To produce a chirally structured electron angular distribution, such a coordinate frame is necessary, but not sufficient. We show that additional electron-electron interaction or scattering processes are needed to create the chiral angular distribution

Anisotropic optical properties of single-crystal GdBa2Cu3O7-delta

The optical spectrum of reduced-T(c) GdBa2Cu3O7-delta has been measured for polarizations parallel and perpendicular to the ab plane. The sample was an oxygen-deficient single crystal with a large face containing the c axis. The polarized reflectance from this face was measured from 20-300 K in the spectral region from 30-3000 cm-1, with 300 K data to 30 000 cm-1. Kramers-Kronig analysis was used to determine the spectral dependence of the ab and the c components of the dielectric tensor. The optical properties are strongly anisotropic. The ab-plane response resembles that of other reduced-T(c) materials whereas the c axis, in contrast, shows only the presence of several phonons. There is a complete absence of charge carrier response along c above and below T(c). This observation allows us to set an upper limit to the free-carrier spectral weight for transport perpendicular to the CuO2 planes

Influence of oxygen ordering kinetics on Raman and optical response in YBa_2Cu_3O_{6.4}

Kinetics of the optical and Raman response in YBa_2Cu_3O_{6.4} were studied during room temperature annealing following heat treatment. The superconducting T_c, dc resistivity, and low-energy optical conductivity recover slowly, implying a long relaxation time for the carrier density. Short relaxation times are observed for the B_{1g} Raman scattering -- magnetic, continuum, and phonon -- and the charge transfer band. Monte Carlo simulations suggest that these two relaxation rates are related to two length scales corresponding to local oxygen ordering (fast) and long chain and twin formation (slow).Comment: REVTeX, 3 pages + 4 PostScript (compressed) figure

Urinary and plasma catecholamines and metanephrines in dogs with pheochromocytoma, hypercortisolism, nonadrenal disease and in healthy dogs.

BACKGROUND: Diagnosis of pheochromocytoma (PC) is based on a combination of clinical suspicion, finding an adrenal mass, increased plasma, and urine concentrations of catecholamine metabolites and is finally confirmed with histopathology. In human medicine, it is controversial whether biochemically testing plasma is superior to testing urine. OBJECTIVES: To measure urinary and plasma catecholamines and metanephrines in healthy dogs, dogs with PC, hypercortisolism (HC), and nonadrenal diseases (NAD) and to determine the test with the best diagnostic performance for dogs with PC. ANIMALS: Seven PC dogs, 10 dogs with HC, 14 dogs with NAD, 10 healthy dogs. METHODS: Prospective diagnostic clinical study. Urine and heparin plasma samples were collected and stored at -80°C before analysis using high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled to electrochemical detection or tandem mass spectrometry were performed. Urinary variables were expressed as ratios to urinary creatinine concentration. RESULTS: Dogs with PC had significantly higher urinary normetanephrine and metanephrine : creatinine ratios and significantly higher plasma-total and free normetanephrine and plasma-free metanephrine concentrations compared to the 3 other groups. There were no overlapping results of urinary normetanephrine concentrations between PC and all other groups, and only one PC dog with a plasma normetanephrine concentration in the range of the dogs with HC and NAD disease. Performances of total and free plasma variables were similar. Overlap of epinephrine and norepinephrine results between the groups was large with both urine and plasma. CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Measurement of normetanephrine is the preferred biochemical test for PC and urine was superior to plasma

Unmatched ventilation and perfusion measured by electrical impedance tomography predicts the outcome of ARDS

Background In acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), non-ventilated perfused regions coexist with non-perfused ventilated regions within lungs. The number of unmatched regions might reflect ARDS severity and affect the risk of ventilation-induced lung injury. Despite pathophysiological relevance, unmatched ventilation and perfusion are not routinely assessed at the bedside. The aims of this study were to quantify unmatched ventilation and perfusion at the bedside by electrical impedance tomography (EIT) investigating their association with mortality in patients with ARDS and to explore the effects of positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) on unmatched ventilation and perfusion in subgroups of patients with different ARDS severity based on PaO2/FiO2 and compliance. Methods Prospective observational study in 50 patients with mild (36%), moderate (46%), and severe (18%) ARDS under clinical ventilation settings. EIT was applied to measure the regional distribution of ventilation and perfusion using central venous bolus of saline 5% during end-inspiratory pause. We defined unmatched units as the percentage of only ventilated units plus the percentage of only perfused units. Results Percentage of unmatched units was significantly higher in non-survivors compared to survivors (32[27–47]% vs. 21[17–27]%, p < 0.001). Percentage of unmatched units was an independent predictor of mortality (OR 1.22, 95% CI 1.07–1.39, p = 0.004) with an area under the ROC curve of 0.88 (95% CI 0.79–0.97, p < 0.001). The percentage of ventilation to the ventral region of the lung was higher than the percentage of ventilation to the dorsal region (32 [27–38]% vs. 18 [13–21]%, p < 0.001), while the opposite was true for perfusion (28 [22–38]% vs. 36 [32–44]%, p < 0.001). Higher percentage of only perfused units was correlated with lower dorsal ventilation (r =  − 0.486, p < 0.001) and with lower PaO2/FiO2 ratio (r =  − 0.293, p = 0.039). Conclusions EIT allows bedside assessment of unmatched ventilation and perfusion in mechanically ventilated patients with ARDS. Measurement of unmatched units could identify patients at higher risk of death and could guide personalized treatment