738 research outputs found
Computer modeling of electrical performance of detonators
An empirical model of detonator electrical performance which describes the resistance of the exploding bridgewire (EBW) or exploding foil initiator (EFI or slapper) as a function of energy, deposition will be described. This model features many parameters that can be adjusted to obtain a close fit to experimental data. This has been demonstrated using recent experimental data taken with the cable discharge system located at Sandia National Laboratories. This paper will be a continuation of the paper entitled ``Cable Discharge System for Fundamental Detonator Studies`` presented at the 2nd NASA/DOD/DOE Pyrotechnic Workshop
Two-magnon Raman scattering in insulating cuprates: Modifications of the effective Raman operator
Calculations of Raman scattering intensities in spin 1/2 square-lattice
Heisenberg model, using the Fleury-Loudon-Elliott theory, have so far been
unable to describe the broad line shape and asymmetry of the two magnon peak
found experimentally in the cuprate materials. Even more notably, the
polarization selection rules are violated with respect to the
Fleury-Loudon-Elliott theory. There is comparable scattering in and
geometries, whereas the theory would predict scattering in only
geometry. We review various suggestions for this discrepency and
suggest that at least part of the problem can be addressed by modifying the
effective Raman Hamiltonian, allowing for two-magnon states with arbitrary
total momentum. Such an approach based on the Sawatzsky-Lorenzana theory of
optical absorption assumes an important role of phonons as momentum sinks. It
leaves the low energy physics of the Heisenberg model unchanged but
substantially alters the Raman line-shape and selection rules, bringing the
results closer to experiments.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figures, revtex. Contains some minor revisions from
previous versio
Spin Excitations in La2CuO4: Consistent Description by Inclusion of Ring-Exchange
We consider the square lattice Heisenberg antiferromagnet with plaquette ring
exchange and a finite interlayer coupling leading to a consistent description
of the spin-wave excitation spectrum in La2CuO4. The values of the in-plane
exchange parameters, including ring-exchange J_{\Box}, are obtained
consistently by an accurate fit to the experimentally observed in-plane
spin-wave dispersion, while the out-of-plane exchange interaction is found from
the temperature dependence of the sublattice magnetization at low temperatures.
The fitted exchange interactions J=151.9 meV and J_{\Box}=0.24 J give values
for the spin stiffness and the Neel temperature in excellent agreement with the
experimental data.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure, RevTe
Why Does Inflation Start at the Top of the Hill?
We show why the universe started in an unstable de Sitter state. The quantum
origin of our universe implies one must take a `top down' approach to the
problem of initial conditions in cosmology, in which the histories that
contribute to the path integral, depend on the observable being measured. Using
the no boundary proposal to specify the class of histories, we study the
quantum cosmological origin of an inflationary universe in theories like trace
anomaly driven inflation in which the effective potential has a local maximum.
We find that an expanding universe is most likely to emerge in an unstable de
Sitter state, by semiclassical tunneling via a Hawking-Moss instanton. Since
the top down view is forced upon us by the quantum nature of the universe, we
argue that the approach developed here should still apply when the framework of
quantum cosmology will be based on M-Theory.Comment: 21 pages, 1 figur
Do carers of adolescents at first episode psychosis have distinctive psychological needs? A pilot exploration
Background:
Carers of patients experiencing first episode psychosis (FEP) are at an increased risk of mental and physical health problems themselves. However, little is known about how the psychological needs of carers may differ between those caring for an adolescent versus an adult who has FEP.
Aims:
This pilot study aimed to explore any differences in the psychological needs of carers caring for adolescents versus adults with FEP.
Methods:
We surveyed 254 carers of 198 FEP patients (34 carers of adolescents of 24 FEP adolescent patients). Carers completed self-report measures of anxiety, depression, burnout, subjective burden, coping, and key illness beliefs. The sample was divided according to whether the patient was under (adolescent) or over (adult) age 18, and analysed using mixed model logistic regressions.
Results:
Compared to the carers of adult patients, carers of adolescents were more than twice as likely (12% vs. 30%) to experience overall burnout syndrome (all three domains), and to develop it much quicker (19.4 vs. 10.1âmonths). They were also more likely to adopt behavioural disengagement avoidance as a form of coping. However, there was no difference between carers in terms of anxiety, depression, beliefs and subjective burden. For carers of adolescents, burnout was independently predicted by: a negative belief about the consequences of psychosis for the adolescent patient and an incoherent understanding of the patientâs mental health.
Conclusions:
If our findings can be replicated in a larger sample, then Rapid-Onset-Burnout-Syndrome (ROBS) is a particular problem in carers of adolescents at FEP, suggesting a need for routine screening and possible prophylactic intervention. Carers of adolescentâs use of behavioural escape coping maybe also require early intervention. Theoretically, consideration could be given to the development of an adolescent sub-branch to the cognitive model of caregiving
Anomalous Self-Energy Effects of the B_1g Phonon in Y_{1-x}(Pr,Ca)_xBa_2Cu_3O_7 Films
In Raman spectra of cuprate superconductors the gap shows up both directly,
via a redistribution of the electronic background, the so-called "2Delta
peaks", and indirectly, e.g. via the renormalization of phononic excitations.
We use a model that allows us to study the redistribution and the related
phonon self-energy effects simultaneously. We apply this model to the B_1g
phonon of Y_{1-x}(Pr,Ca)_xBa_2Cu_3O_7 films, where Pr or Ca substitution
enables us to investigate under- and overdoped samples. While various
self-energy effects can be explained by the strength and energy of the 2\Delta
peaks, anomalies remain. We discuss possible origins of these anomalies.Comment: 6 pages including 4 figure
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Sequencing wild and cultivated cassava and related species reveals extensive interspecific hybridization and genetic diversity
Cassava (Manihot esculenta) provides calories and nutrition for more than half a billion people. It was domesticated by native Amazonian peoples through cultivation of the wild progenitor M. esculenta ssp. flabellifolia and is now grown in tropical regions worldwide. Here we provide a high-quality genome assembly for cassava with improved contiguity, linkage, and completeness; almost 97% of genes are anchored to chromosomes. We find that paleotetraploidy in cassava is shared with the related rubber tree Hevea, providing a resource for comparative studies. We also sequence a global collection of 58 Manihot accessions, including cultivated and wild cassava accessions and related species such as CearĂĄ or India rubber (M. glaziovii), and genotype 268 African cassava varieties. We find widespread interspecific admixture, and detect the genetic signature of past cassava breeding programs. As a clonally propagated crop, cassava is especially vulnerable to pathogens and abiotic stresses. This genomic resource will inform future genome-enabled breeding efforts to improve this staple crop
Effect of left ventricular hypertrophy on long-term survival of patients with coronary artery disease following percutaneous coronary intervention
The impact of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) on survival among patients with established coronary artery disease (CAD) is not well understood. We sought to evaluate the effect of LVH on the survival of patients with CAD following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Three hospitals in New York City contributed prospectively defined data on 4284 consecutive patients undergoing PCI. Allcause mortality at a mean follow-up of three years was the primary endpoint. LVH was present in 383 patients (8.9%). LVH patients had a greater prevalence of hypertension (88% vs. 68%, p<0.001), vascular disease (21% vs. 6.6%, p=0.001), and prior heart failure (10% vs. 5.5%, p<0.001). LVH patients presented less often with one-vessel disease (38% vs. 50%, p=0.040) and more often with two- (34% vs. 29%, p=0.014) or three-vessel (22% vs. 18%, p=0.044) disease. Ejection fractions and angiographic success were similar in both groups. In-hospital mortality did not differ between groups. At three-year follow-up, the survival rate for patients with LVH was 86% vs. 91% in patients without LVH (log-rank p=0.001). However, after adjustment for differences in baseline characteristics using Cox proportional hazards analysis, LVH was found not to be an independent predictor of mortality (hazard ratio, 0.93; 95% confidence interval, 0.68â1.28; p=0.67). We conclude that LVH at the time of PCI is not independently associated with an increase in the hazard of death at three years
Winding down the Chicxulub impact: The transition between impact and normal marine sedimentation near ground zero
The Chicxulub impact led to the formation of a ~ 200-km wide by ~1-km deep crater on MĂ©xico's YucatĂĄn Peninsula. Over a period of hours after the impact the ocean re-entered and covered the impact basin beneath several hundred meters of water. A suite of impactites were deposited across the crater during crater formation, and by the resurge, tsunami and seiche events that followed. International Ocean Discovery Program/International Continental Scientific Drilling Program Expedition 364 drilled into the peak ring of the Chicxulub crater, and recovered ~130 m of impact deposits and a 75-cm thick, fine-grained, carbonate-rich âTransitional Unitâ, above which normal marine sedimentation resumed. Here, we describe the results of analyses of the uppermost impact breccia (suevite) and the Transitional Unit, which suggests a gradual waning of energy recorded by this local K-Pg boundary sequence. The dominant depositional motif in the upper suevite and the Transitional Unit is of rapid sedimentation characterized by graded bedding, local cross bedding, and evidence of oscillatory currents. The lower Transitional Unit records the change from deposition of dominantly sand-sized to mainly silt to clay sized material with impact debris that decreases in both grain size and abundance upward. The middle part of the Transitional Unit is interrupted by a 20 cm thick soft sediment slump overlain by graded and oscillatory current cross-laminated beds. The uppermost Transitional Unit is also soft sediment deformed, contains trace fossils, and an increasing abundance of planktic foraminifer and calcareous nannoplankton survivors. The Transitional Unit, as with similar deposits in other marine target impact craters, records the final phases of impact-related sedimentation prior to resumption of normal marine conditions. Petrographic and stable isotopic analyses of carbon from organic matter provide insight into post-impact processes. ÎŽ13Corg values are between terrestrial and marine end members with fluctuations of 1â3â°. Timing of deposition of the Transitional Unit is complicated to ascertain. The repetitive normally graded laminae, both below and above the soft sediment deformed interval, record rapid deposition from currents driven by tsunami and seiches, processes that likely operated for weeks to potentially years post-impact due to subsequent continental margin collapse events. Highly siderophile element-enrichment at the top of the unit is likely from fine-grained ejecta that circulated in the atmosphere for several years prior to settling. The Transitional Unit is thus an exquisite record of the final phases of impact-related sedimentation related to one of the most consequential events in Earth history
Gender Differences in Public and Private Drinking Contexts: A Multi-Level GENACIS Analysis
This multi-national study hypothesized that higher levels of country-level gender equality would predict smaller differences in the frequency of womenâs compared to menâs drinking in public (like bars and restaurants) settings and possibly private (home or party) settings. GENACIS project survey data with drinking contexts included 22 countries in Europe (8); the Americas (7); Asia (3); Australasia (2), and Africa (2), analyzed using hierarchical linear models (individuals nested within country). Age, gender and marital status were individual predictors; country-level gender equality as well as equality in economic participation, education, and political participation, and reproductive autonomy and context of violence against women measures were country-level variables. In separate models, more reproductive autonomy, economic participation, and educational attainment and less violence against women predicted smaller differences in drinking in public settings. Once controlling for country-level economic status, only equality in economic participation predicted the size of the gender difference. Most country-level variables did not explain the gender difference in frequency of drinking in private settings. Where gender equality predicted this difference, the direction of the findings was opposite from the direction in public settings, with more equality predicting a larger gender difference, although this relationship was no longer significant after controlling for country-level economic status. Findings suggest that country-level gender equality may influence gender differences in drinking. However, the effects of gender equality on drinking may depend on the specific alcohol measure, in this case drinking context, as well as on the aspect of gender equality considered. Similar studies that use only global measures of gender equality may miss key relationships. We consider potential implications for alcohol related consequences, policy and public health
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