700 research outputs found
Sensor Concept for Controlled Laser Cleaning via Photodiode
Abstract. In the field of laser cleaning of artworks the effect of âover-cleaningâ is a commonly well known problem. The detection of laser induced plasma is one possibility in order to identify the kind of material just being irradiated by the laser beam. LIBS is a powerful method for the extraction of spectral information. Instead the detection of the plasma intensity contains much less information. However, this can be realised by using a fast photodiode. It has turned out that for several applications in laser cleaning of artworks a reliable identification of layers during the cleaning process is possible. In cooperation with restorers we proved that this low-cost method may be used for online monitoring as well as automated closed loop cleaning.
Marked colour divergence in gliding membranes of a tropical lizard mirror population differences in the colour of falling leaves
Populations of the Bornean gliding lizard, Draco cornutus, differ markedly in the colour of their gliding membranes. They also differ in local vegetation type (mangrove forest versus lowland rainforest) and consequently, the colour of falling leaves (red and brown/black in mangrove versus green, brown and black in rainforest). We show that the gliding membranes of these lizards closely match the colours of freshly fallen leaves in the local habitat as they appear to the visual system of birds (their probable predators). Furthermore, gliding membranes more closely resembled colours of local fallen leaves than standing foliage or fallen leaves in the other populationâs habitat. This suggests that the two populations have diverged in gliding membrane coloration to match the colours of their local falling leaves, and that mimicking falling leaves is an adaptation that functions to
reduce predation by birds
pi-NN Coupling Constants from NN Elastic Data between 210 and 800 Mev
High partial waves for and elastic scattering are examined
critically from 210 to 800 MeV. Non-OPE contributions are compared with
predictions from theory. There are some discrepancies, but sufficient agreement
that values of the coupling constants for exchange
and for charged exchange can be derived. Results are and , where the first error is statistical and the
second is an estimate of the likely systematic error, arising mostly from
uncertainties in the normalisation of total cross sections and
.Comment: 21 pages of LaTeX, UI-NTH-940
The DISCOVER codec: Architecture, Techniques and Evaluation
Distributed Video Coding is becoming more and more popular among the research community, because of its interesting theoretical contributions and because there are still many open problems waiting to be solved. This paper introduces the codec architecture and the associated tools adopted by DISCOVER (DIStributed COding for Video sERvices), a European project which has been devoted to the advancement of Distributed Video Coding for two years. Along with the general description and pointers to references with more detailed information, this paper also presents some of the results obtained with the DISCOVER codec. An extended performance analysis and the codecâs executable file are both publicly available on the projectâs web site www.discoverdvc.org
Fiscal redistribution around elections when democracy is not "the only game in town"
This paper seeks to examine the implications of policy intervention around elections on income inequality and fiscal redistribution. We first develop a simplified theoretical framework that allows us to examine election-cycle fiscal redistribution programs in the presence of a revolutionary threat from some groups of agents, i.e., when democracy is not âthe only game in townâ. According to our theoretical analysis, when democracy is not âthe only game in townâ, incumbents implement redistributive policies not only as a means of improving their reelection prospects, but also in order to signal that âdemocracy worksâ, thereby preventing a reversion to an autocratic status quo ante at a time of the current regimeâs extreme vulnerability. Subsequently, focusing on 65 developed and developing countries over the 1975â2010 period, we report robust empirical evidence of pre-electoral budgetary manipulation in new democracies. Consistent with our theory, this finding is driven by political instability that induces incumbents to redistribute incomeâthrough tax and spending policiesâin a relatively broader coalition of voters with the aim of consolidating the vulnerable newly established democratic regime
A novel role for XIAP in copper homeostasis through regulation of MURR1
Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/102131/1/emboj7600031.pd
Increased concentrations of both NMDA receptor co-agonists D-serine and glycine in global ischemia:A potential novel treatment target for perinatal asphyxia
Worldwide, perinatal asphyxia is an important cause of morbidity and mortality among term-born children. Overactivation of the N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor (NMDAr) plays a central role in the pathogenesis of cerebral hypoxiaâischemia, but the role of both endogenous NMDAr co-agonists d-serine and glycine remains largely elusive. We investigated d-serine and glycine concentration changes in rat glioma cells, subjected to oxygen and glucose deprivation (OGD) and CSF from piglets exposed to hypoxiaâischemia by occlusion of both carotid arteries and hypoxia. We illustrated these findings with analyses of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from human newborns affected by perinatal asphyxia. Extracellular concentrations of glycine and d-serine were markedly increased in rat glioma cells exposed to OGD, presumably through increased synthesis from l-serine. Upon reperfusion glycine concentrations normalized and d-serine concentrations were significantly lowered. The in vivo studies corroborated the finding of initially elevated and then normalizing concentrations of glycine and decreased d-serine concentrations upon reperfusion These significant increases of both endogenous NMDAr co-agonists in combination with elevated glutamate concentrations, as induced by global cerebral ischemia, are bound to lead to massive NMDAr activation, excitotoxicity and neuronal damage. Influencing these NMDAr co-agonist concentrations provides an interesting treatment target for this common, devastating and currently poorly treatable condition
On the pion-nucleon coupling constant
In view of persisting misunderstanding about the determination of the
pion-nucleon coupling constants in the Nijmegen multienergy partial-wave
analyses of pp, np, and pbar-p scattering data, we present additional
information which may clarify several points of discussion. We comment on
several recent papers addressing the issue of the pion-nucleon coupling
constant and criticizing the Nijmegen analyses.Comment: 19 pages, Nijmegen preprint THEF-NYM-92-0
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