5,291 research outputs found
Lane formation in a system of dipolar microswimmers
Using Brownian Dynamics (BD) simulations we investigate the non-equilibrium
structure formation of a two-dimensional (2D) binary system of dipolar colloids
propelling in opposite directions. Despite of a pronounced tendency for chain
formation, the system displays a transition towards a laned state reminiscent
of lane formation in systems with isotropic repulsive interactions. However,
the anisotropic dipolar interactions induce novel features: First, the lanes
have themselves a complex internal structure characterized by chains or
clusters. Second, laning occurs only in a window of interaction strengths. We
interprete our findings by a phase separation process and simple force balance
arguments
Generic model for tunable colloidal aggregation in multidirectional fields
Based on Brownian Dynamics computer simulations in two dimensions we
investigate aggregation scenarios of colloidal particles with directional
interactions induced by multiple external fields. To this end we propose a
model which allows continuous change in the particle interactions from
point-dipole-like to patchy-like (with four patches). We show that, as a result
of this change, the non-equilibrium aggregation occurring at low densities and
temperatures transforms from conventional diffusion-limited cluster aggregation
(DLCA) to slippery DLCA involving rotating bonds; this is accompanied by a
pronounced change of the underlying lattice structure of the aggregates from
square-like to hexagonal ordering. Increasing the temperature we find a
transformation to a fluid phase, consistent with results of a simple mean-field
density functional theory
Multidirectional colloidal assembly in concurrent electric and magnetic fields
Dieser Beitrag ist mit Zustimmung des Rechteinhabers aufgrund einer (DFG geförderten) Allianz- bzw. Nationallizenz frei zugänglich.This publication is with permission of the rights owner freely accessible due to an Alliance licence and a national licence (funded by the DFG, German Research Foundation) respectively.Dipolar interactions between nano- and micron sized colloids lead to their assembly into domains with well-defined local order. The particles with a single dipole induced by an external field assemble into linear chains and clusters. However, to achieve the formation of multidirectionally organized nano-or microassemblies with tunable physical characteristics, more sophisticated interaction tools are needed. Here we demonstrate that such complex interactions can be introduced in the form of two independent, non-interacting dipoles (double-dipoles) within a microparticle. We show how this can be achieved by the simultaneous application of alternating current (AC)-electric field and uniform magnetic field to dispersions of superparamagnetic microspheres. Depending on their timing and intensity, concurrent electric and magnetic fields lead to the formation of bidirectional particle chains, colloidal networks, and discrete crystals. We investigate the mechanistic details of the assembly process, and identify and classify the non-equilibrium states formed. The morphologies of different experimental states are in excellent correlation with our theoretical predictions based on Brownian dynamics simulations combined with a structural analysis based on local energy parameters. This novel methodology of introducing and interpreting double-dipolar particle interactions may assist in the assembly of colloidal coatings, dynamically reconfigurable particle networks, and bidirectional active structures.DFG, GRK 1524, Self-Assembled Soft-Matter Nanostructures at Interface
Semi-Dense 3D Reconstruction with a Stereo Event Camera
Event cameras are bio-inspired sensors that offer several advantages, such as
low latency, high-speed and high dynamic range, to tackle challenging scenarios
in computer vision. This paper presents a solution to the problem of 3D
reconstruction from data captured by a stereo event-camera rig moving in a
static scene, such as in the context of stereo Simultaneous Localization and
Mapping. The proposed method consists of the optimization of an energy function
designed to exploit small-baseline spatio-temporal consistency of events
triggered across both stereo image planes. To improve the density of the
reconstruction and to reduce the uncertainty of the estimation, a probabilistic
depth-fusion strategy is also developed. The resulting method has no special
requirements on either the motion of the stereo event-camera rig or on prior
knowledge about the scene. Experiments demonstrate our method can deal with
both texture-rich scenes as well as sparse scenes, outperforming
state-of-the-art stereo methods based on event data image representations.Comment: 19 pages, 8 figures, Video: https://youtu.be/Qrnpj2FD1e
Effects of COVID-19 Lockdown on Melanoma Diagnosis in Switzerland: Increased Tumor Thickness in Elderly Females and Shift towards Stage IV Melanoma during Lockdown.
At the early stages of the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020, Switzerland was among the countries with the highest number of SARS-CoV2-infections per capita in the world. Lockdowns had a remarkable impact on primary care access and resulted in postponed cancer screenings. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of the COVID-19 lockdown on the diagnosis of melanomas and stage of melanomas at diagnosis. In this retrospective, exploratory cohort study, 1240 patients with a new diagnosis of melanoma were analyzed at five tertiary care hospitals in German-speaking Switzerland over a period of two years and three months. We compared the pre-lockdown (01/FEB/19-15/MAR/20, n = 655) with the lockdown (16/MAR/20-22/JUN/20, n = 148) and post-lockdown period (23/JUN/20-30/APR/21, n = 437) by evaluating patients' demographics and prognostic features using Breslow thickness, ulceration, subtype, and stages. We observed a short-term, two-week rise in melanoma diagnoses after the major lift of social lockdown restrictions. The difference of mean Breslow thicknesses was significantly greater in older females during the lockdown compared to the pre-lockdown (1.9 ± 1.3 mm, p = 0.03) and post-lockdown period (1.9 ± 1.3 mm, p = 0.048). Thickness increase was driven by nodular melanomas (2.9 ± 1.3 mm, p = 0.0021; resp. 2.6 ± 1.3 mm, p = 0.008). A proportional rise of advanced melanomas was observed during lockdown (p = 0.047). The findings provide clinically relevant insights into lockdown-related gender- and age-dependent effects on melanoma diagnosis. Our data highlight a stable course in new melanomas with a lower-than-expected increase in the post-lockdown period. The lockdown period led to a greater thickness in elderly women driven by nodular melanomas and a proportional shift towards stage IV melanoma. We intend to raise awareness for individual cancer care in future pandemic management strategies
Double-beta decay of Te to the first 0 excited state of Xe with CUORICINO
The CUORICINO experiment was an array of 62 TeO single-crystal
bolometers with a total Te mass of kg. The experiment finished
in 2008 after more than 3 years of active operating time. Searches for both
and double-beta decay to the first excited state in
Xe were performed by studying different coincidence scenarios. The
analysis was based on data representing a total exposure of
N(Te)t=y. No evidence for a signal was
found. The resulting lower limits on the half lives are y (90% C.L.), and
y (90%
C.L.).Comment: 6 pages, 4 figure
Physics at the e+ e- Linear Collider
A comprehensive review of physics at an e+e- Linear Collider in the energy
range of sqrt{s}=92 GeV--3 TeV is presented in view of recent and expected LHC
results, experiments from low energy as well as astroparticle physics.The
report focuses in particular on Higgs boson, Top quark and electroweak
precision physics, but also discusses several models of beyond the Standard
Model physics such as Supersymmetry, little Higgs models and extra gauge
bosons. The connection to cosmology has been analyzed as well.Comment: 179 pages, plots and references updated, version to be published at
EPJ
- …