32,181 research outputs found
Condition sensor system and method
The condition sensor system comprises a condition detector which produces a pulse when a parameter of the monitored condition exceeds a desired threshold. A resettable condition counter counts each pulse. A resettable timer is preset to produce a particular time frame. The counter produces a condition signal when the accumulated number of pulses within the time frame is equal to or greater than a preset count. Control means responsive to the incoming pulses and to the condition signal produce control signals that control utilization devices. After a suitable delay, the last detected pulse simultaneously resets the pulse counter and the timer, and prepares them for sensing another condition occurrence within the time frame. The invention has particular utility in the process of detecting rocking motions of blind people. A controlled, audible, bio-feedback signal is provided which constitutes a warning to the blind person that he is rocking
Production of Millisecond Dips in Sco X-1 Count Rates by Dead Time Effects
Chang et al. (2006) reported millisecond duration dips in the X-ray intensity
of Sco X-1 and attributed them to occultations of the source by small
trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs). We have found multiple lines of evidence that
these dips are not astronomical in origin, but rather the result of high-energy
charged particle events in the RXTE PCA detectors. Our analysis of the RXTE
data indicates that at most 10% of the observed dips in Sco X-1 could be due to
occultations by TNOs, and, furthermore, we find no positive or supporting
evidence for any of them being due to TNOs. We therefore believe that it is a
mistake to conclude that any TNOs have been detected via occultation of Sco
X-1.Comment: Submitted to ApJ; uses emulateapj.cls, 8 pages with 8 figure
Z+jet production at NNLO
We give a brief overview of our calculation of the next-to-next-to-leading
order (NNLO) QCD corrections to Z+jet production in hadronic collisions.
Phenomenological results are presented which comprise various differential
distributions for 8 TeV proton-proton collisions. A significant reduction of
the scale uncertainties is observed throughout as we move from NLO to NNLO. We
further discuss how this calculation can be used to describe the inclusive
Z-boson production at large transverse momentum. To this end, the theory
prediction is compared to the measurements performed by the ATLAS and CMS
collaborations at a centre-of-mass energy of 8 TeV. Here, the inclusion of NNLO
QCD effects are found to result in a substantial improvement in the agreement
between theory and data for the normalised distributions.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures, to appear in the proceedings of Loops and Legs in
Quantum Field Theory, 24-29 April 2016, Leipzig, German
Sealed containers in Z
Physical means of securing information, such as sealed envelopes and scratch cards, can be used to achieve cryptographic objectives. Reasoning about this has so far been informal.
We give a model of distinguishable sealed envelopes in Z, exploring design decisions and further analysis and development of such models
A wider audience: Turning VLBI into a survey instrument
Radio observations using the Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI)
technique typically have fields of view of only a few arcseconds, due to the
computational problems inherent in imaging larger fields. Furthermore,
sensitivity limitations restrict observations to very compact and bright
objects, which are few and far between on the sky. Thus, while most branches of
observational astronomy can carry out sensitive, wide-field surveys, VLBI
observations are limited to targeted observations of carefully selected
objects. However, recent advances in technology have made it possible to carry
out the computations required to target hundreds of sources simultaneously.
Furthermore, sensitivity upgrades have dramatically increased the number of
objects accessible to VLBI observations. The combination of these two
developments have enhanced the survey capabilities of VLBI observations such
that it is now possible to observe (almost) any point in the sky with
milli-arcsecond resolution. In this talk I review the development of wide-field
VLBI, which has made significant progress over the last three years.Comment: Invited review at the General Assembly of the Astronomische
Gesellschaf
Weighing Neutrinos with Galaxy Cluster Surveys
Large future galaxy cluster surveys, combined with cosmic microwave
background observations, can achieve a high sensitivity to the masses of
cosmologically important neutrinos. We show that a weak lensing selected sample
of ~100,000 clusters could tighten the current upper bound on the sum of masses
of neutrino species by an order of magnitude, to a level of 0.03 eV. Since this
statistical sensitivity is below the best existing lower limit on the mass of
at least one neutrino species, a future detection is likely, provided that
systematic errors can be controlled to a similar level.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure, version accepted for publication in PR
Computer-aided communication satellite system analysis and optimization
The capabilities and limitations of the various published computer programs for fixed/broadcast communication satellite system synthesis and optimization are discussed. A satellite Telecommunication analysis and Modeling Program (STAMP) for costing and sensitivity analysis work in application of communication satellites to educational development is given. The modifications made to STAMP include: extension of the six beam capability to eight; addition of generation of multiple beams from a single reflector system with an array of feeds; an improved system costing to reflect the time value of money, growth in earth terminal population with time, and to account for various measures of system reliability; inclusion of a model for scintillation at microwave frequencies in the communication link loss model; and, an updated technological environment
Intravital Multiphoton Microscopy with Fluorescent Bile Salts in Rats as an In Vivo Biomarker for Hepatobiliary Transport Inhibition
The bile salt export pump (BSEP) is expressed at the canalicular domain of hepatocytes, where it mediates the elimination of monovalent bile salts into the bile. Inhibition of BSEP is considered a susceptibility factor for drug-induced liver injury that often goes undetected during nonclinical testing. Although in vitro assays exist for screening BSEP inhibition, a reliable and specific method for confirming Bsep inhibition in vivo would be a valuable follow up to a BSEP screening strategy, helping to put a translatable context around in vitro inhibition data, incorporating processes such as metabolism, protein binding, and other exposure properties that are lacking in most in vitro BSEP models. Here, we describe studies in which methods of quantitative intravital microscopy were used to identify dose-dependent effects of two known BSEP/Bsep inhibitors, 2-[4-[4-(butylcarbamoyl)-2-[(2,4-dichlorophenyl)sulfonylamino]phenoxy]-3-methoxyphenyl]acetic acid (AMG-009) and bosentan, on hepatocellular transport of the fluorescent bile salts cholylglycyl amidofluorescein and cholyl-lysyl-fluorescein in rats. Results of these studies demonstrate that the intravital microscopy approach is capable of detecting Bsep inhibition at drug doses well below those found to increase serum bile acid levels, and also indicate that basolateral efflux transporters play a significant role in preventing cytosolic accumulation of bile acids under conditions of Bsep inhibition in rats. Studies of this kind can both improve our understanding of exposures needed to inhibit Bsep in vivo and provide unique insights into drug effects in ways that can improve our ability interpret animal studies for the prediction of human drug hepatotoxicity
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