4,422 research outputs found
Measurement of the ratio h/e with a photomultiplier tube and a set of LEDs
We propose a laboratory experience aimed at undergraduate physics students to
understand the main features of the photoelectric effect and to perform a
measurement of the ratio h/e, where h is the Planck's constant and e is the
electron charge. The experience is based on the method developed by Millikan
for his measurements on the photoelectric effect in the years from 1912 to
1915. The experimental setup consists of a photomultiplier tube (PMT) equipped
with a voltage divider properly modified to set variable retarding potentials
between the photocathode and the first dynode, and a set of LEDs emitting at
different wavelengths. The photocathode is illuminated with the various LEDs
and, for each wavelength of the incident light, the output anode current is
measured as a function of the retarding potential applied between the cathode
and the first dynode. From each measurement, a value of the stopping potential
for the anode current is derived. Finally, the stopping potentials are plotted
as a function of the frequency of the incident light, and a linear fit is
performed. The slope and the intercept of the line allow respectively to
evaluate the ratio h/e and the ratio W/e, where W is the work function of the
photocathode.Comment: 14 pages, 4 figure
Agnostic cosmology in the CAMEL framework
Cosmological parameter estimation is traditionally performed in the Bayesian
context. By adopting an "agnostic" statistical point of view, we show the
interest of confronting the Bayesian results to a frequentist approach based on
profile-likelihoods. To this purpose, we have developed the Cosmological
Analysis with a Minuit Exploration of the Likelihood ("CAMEL") software.
Written from scratch in pure C++, emphasis was put in building a clean and
carefully-designed project where new data and/or cosmological computations can
be easily included.
CAMEL incorporates the latest cosmological likelihoods and gives access from
the very same input file to several estimation methods: (i) A high quality
Maximum Likelihood Estimate (a.k.a "best fit") using MINUIT ; (ii) profile
likelihoods, (iii) a new implementation of an Adaptive Metropolis MCMC
algorithm that relieves the burden of reconstructing the proposal distribution.
We present here those various statistical techniques and roll out a full
use-case that can then used as a tutorial. We revisit the CDM
parameters determination with the latest Planck data and give results with both
methodologies. Furthermore, by comparing the Bayesian and frequentist
approaches, we discuss a "likelihood volume effect" that affects the optical
reionization depth when analyzing the high multipoles part of the Planck data.
The software, used in several Planck data analyzes, is available from
http://camel.in2p3.fr. Using it does not require advanced C++ skills.Comment: Typeset in Authorea. Online version available at:
https://www.authorea.com/users/90225/articles/104431/_show_articl
Relieving tensions related to the lensing of CMB temperature power spectra
The angular power spectra of the cosmic microwave background (CMB)
temperature anisotropies reconstructed from Planck data seem to present too
much gravitational lensing distortion. This is quantified by the control
parameter that should be compatible with unity for a standard cosmology.
With the Class Boltzmann solver and the profile-likelihood method, for this
parameter we measure a 2.6 shift from 1 using the Planck public
likelihoods. We show that, owing to strong correlations with the reionization
optical depth and the primordial perturbation amplitude , a
tension on also appears between the results obtained with
the low () and high () multipoles
likelihoods. With Hillipop, another high- likelihood built from Planck
data, this difference is lowered to . In this case, the value
is still in disagreement with unity by , suggesting a non-trivial
effect of the correlations between cosmological and nuisance parameters. To
better constrain the nuisance foregrounds parameters, we include the very high
measurements of the Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT) and South Pole
Telescope (SPT) experiments and obtain . The
Hillipop+ACT+SPT likelihood estimate of the optical depth is
which is now fully compatible with the low
likelihood determination. After showing the robustness of our results with
various combinations, we investigate the reasons for this improvement that
results from a better determination of the whole set of foregrounds parameters.
We finally provide estimates of the CDM parameters with our combined
CMB data likelihood.Comment: accepted by A&
Testicular endocrine activity is upregulated by D-Aspartic acid in the green frog Rana esculenta
This study investigated the involvement of D-aspartic acid (D-Asp) in testicular steroidogenesis of the green frog Rana esculenta and its effect on stimulation of thumb pad morphology and glandular activity, a typical testosterone-dependent secondary sexual characteristic in this amphibian species. In the testis, D-Asp concentrations vary significantly during the reproductive cycle: they are low in pre- and post-reproductive periods, but reach peak levels in the reproductive period (140-236 nmol/g wet tissue). Moreover, the concentrations of D-Asp in the testis through the sexual cycle positively match the testosterone levels in the gonad and the plasma. The racemase activity evaluated during the cycle expresses its peak when D-Asp and testosterone levels are highest, that is, during the reproductive period, confirming the synthesis of D-Asp from L-Asp by an aspartate racemase. Short-term in vivo experiments consisting of a single injection of D-Asp (2.0 micro mol/g body weight) demonstrated that this amino acid accumulates significantly in the testis, and after 3 h its uptake is coupled with a testosterone increase in both testis and plasma. Moreover, within 18 h of amino acid administration, the D-Asp concentration in the testis decreased along with the testosterone titer to prestimulation levels. Other amino acids (L-Asp, D-Glu and L-Glu) used instead of D-Asp were ineffective, confirming that the significant increase in testicular testosterone was a specific feature of this amino acid. In long-term experiments, D-Asp had been administered chronically to frogs caught during the three phases of the reproductive cycle, inducing testosterone increase and 17beta-estradiol decrease in the gonad during the pre- and post-reproductive period, and vice versa during the reproductive period
ADS-B/MLAT surveillance system from high altitude platform systems
In this work the potential usage of ADS-Band Wide Area Multilateration(WAM)Surveillance with High Altitude Platform Systems(HAPS)is considered.The paper investigates the possible conïŹguration ofthesystem,thelinkbudget,thege-ometryandthelimitationduetotherandomaccesstothechannelbytheModeSSignals(capacity).ThesurveillanceperformanceoftheproposedarchitectureinaWideAreaMultilaterationcontextisevaluatedbybothsimulationandstatisticalanalysis(CramerRaoLowerBound)
Optical Absorption and Scattering Phenomena in 'Jubileum' Plums in Relation to Their Colour Properties
Absorption and scattering of laser light pulse passing through the fruit determine among others, the optical properties of the product. Efforts have been made in the recent past to utilize innovative techniques such as time-resolved reflectance spectroscopy (TRS) to study the quality aspects of different fruit such as nectarines. These optical properties have been well related to firmness, sugars, acids and other quality attributes. TRS measurements were performed on âJubileumâ plums at two different wavelengths: 670 nm and 758 nm. The fruit were harvested in Norway and brought to Italy under protected conditions. After sorting the fruit by size, TRS measurements were made and the fruit were randomized for different examinations of quality aspects. It was observed that the absorption coefficient (”a) increased for both wavelengths as ripening progressed towards the melting stage of the fruit. The ”a values at 670 nm were higher than those at 758 nm. The higher rate in the ”a was distinguishable from the third day onwards as the fruit ripened. Similarly, it was interesting to note that the internal colour measured after destructing the fruit related well with the TRS absorption coefficient (”a), i.e., a decrease in the CIE L* (towards darker region) and b* (towards blue) value along with an increase in a* (towards red) from third day of storag
The spatio-temporal mapping of epileptic networks: Combination of EEGâfMRI and EEG source imaging
Simultaneous EEGâfMRI acquisitions in patients with epilepsy often reveal distributed patterns of Blood Oxygen Level Dependant (BOLD) change correlated with epileptiform discharges. We investigated if electrical source imaging (ESI) performed on the interictal epileptiform discharges (IED) acquired during fMRI acquisition could be used to study the dynamics of the networks identified by the BOLD effect, thereby avoiding the limitations of combining results from separate recordings.
Nine selected patients (13 IED types identified) with focal epilepsy underwent EEGâfMRI. Statistical analysis was performed using SPM5 to create BOLD maps. ESI was performed on the IED recorded during fMRI acquisition using a realistic head model (SMAC) and a distributed linear inverse solution (LAURA).
ESI could not be performed in one case. In 10/12 remaining studies, ESI at IED onset (ESIo) was anatomically close to one BOLD cluster. Interestingly, ESIo was closest to the positive BOLD cluster with maximal statistical significance in only 4/12 cases and closest to negative BOLD responses in 4/12 cases. Very small BOLD clusters could also have clinical relevance in some cases. ESI at later time frame (ESIp) showed propagation to remote sources co-localised with other BOLD clusters in half of cases. In concordant cases, the distance between maxima of ESI and the closest EEGâfMRI cluster was less than 33 mm, in agreement with previous studies.
We conclude that simultaneous ESI and EEGâfMRI analysis may be able to distinguish areas of BOLD response related to initiation of IED from propagation areas. This combination provides new opportunities for investigating epileptic networks
A Hybrid Screen-Printed Strip for Enhanced Electroanalysis towards Lead and Cadmium in Multi-Matrices
Although heavy metals represent a major treat for ecosystem and human health, reference methods for their monitoring are characterized by time-consuming procedures, skilled personel and sophisticated equipment (e.g. ICP-MS, AAS). The development of portable solutions is required, particularly improving interventions and reducing complexity. To this regards, an electrochemical strip for the determination of lead and cadmium in clinical, environmental and food matrices have been developed. The Bismuth film-based flexible device has been optimized and it has been able to detect cadmium and lead, respectively, down to the detection limit of 1.3 and 2 ppb. The use of Whatman No.1 chromatographic paper has allowed to improve the sensitivity towards the detection of heavy metals, because of the porosity that allowed to pre-concentrate species. This led to an improvement in the sensitivity, with a detection limit of 0.3 and 0.5 ppb, respectively, to cadmium and lead, and offers the possibility to tune the sensitivity according to needs, e.g., improving the number of pre-concentration steps. Subsequently, the application of the electrochemical sensor in drinking water, mussel and blood serum was evaluated, demonstrating how these hybrid polyester-paper electrochemical strips can significantly lower the time and costs for on-site measurements, through analytical methods of simple use. The accuracy has been evaluated by comparison with ICP-MS measurements, giving satisfactory results
Shock wave lithotripsy for a renal stone in a tetraplegic patient as a trigger for life-threatening posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome
Shock wave lithotripsy (SWL) is considered a non-invasive treatment for urinary stones and usually advocated for frail patients with spinal cord injury (SCI). We report a life-threatening complication, called posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES), in a tetraplegic person who underwent SWL for a small renal stone. Based on our experience, we recommend performing SWL with caution in SCI patients and in tertiary referral hospitals that can promptly manage similar severe complications
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