1,362 research outputs found
High precision and high throughput surface structuring by synchronizing mechanical axes with an ultra short pulsed laser system in MOPA arrangement
A measurement of the attenuation of radiation from F-18 by a PET/MR scanner
This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Wendt, R.E., III, Ai, H.A., Meier, J.G., Lopez, B.P., Fahrenholtz, S.J. and Mawlawi, O.R. (2018), A measurement of the attenuation of radiation from F-18 by a PET/MR scanner. J Appl Clin Med Phys, 19: 336-340. , which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1002/acm2.12479. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions. This article may not be enhanced, enriched or otherwise transformed into a derivative work, without express permission from Wiley or by statutory rights under applicable legislation. Copyright notices must not be removed, obscured or modified. The article must be linked to Wiley’s version of record on Wiley Online Library and any embedding, framing or otherwise making available the article or pages thereof by third parties from platforms, services and websites other than Wiley Online Library must be prohibited.https://openworks.mdanderson.org/mdacc_imgphys_pubs/1004/thumbnail.jp
Spin relaxation in low-dimensional systems
We review some of the newest findings on the spin dynamics of carriers and
excitons in GaAs/GaAlAs quantum wells. In intrinsic wells, where the optical
properties are dominated by excitonic effects, we show that exciton-exciton
interaction produces a breaking of the spin degeneracy in two-dimensional
semiconductors. In doped wells, the two spin components of an optically created
two-dimensional electron gas are well described by Fermi-Dirac distributions
with a common temperature but different chemical potentials. The rate of the
spin depolarization of the electron gas is found to be independent of the mean
electron kinetic energy but accelerated by thermal spreading of the carriers.Comment: 1 PDF file, 13 eps figures, Proceedings of the 1998 International
Workshop on Nanophysics and Electronics (NPE-98)- Lecce (Italy
Organic farming provides reliable environmental benefits but increases variability in crop yields: a global meta-analysis
To promote food security and sustainability, ecologically intensive farming systems should reliably produce adequate yields of high-quality food, enhance the environment, be profitable, and promote social wellbeing. Yet, while many studies address the mean effects of ecologically intensive farming systems on sustainability metrics, few have considered variability. This represents a knowledge gap because producers depend on reliable provisioning of yields, profits, and environmental services to enhance the sustainability of their production systems over time. Further, stable crop yields are necessary to ensure reliable access to nutritious foods. Here we address this by conducting a global meta-analysis to assess the average magnitude and variability of seven sustainability metrics in organic compared to conventional systems. Specifically, we explored the effects of these systems on (i) biotic abundance, (ii) biotic richness, (iii) soil organic carbon, (iv) soil carbon stocks, (v) crop yield, (vi) total production costs, and (vii) profitability. Organic farms promoted biotic abundance, biotic richness, soil carbon, and profitability, but conventional farms produced higher yields. Compared to conventional farms, organic farms had lower variability in abundance and richness but greater yield variability. Organic farms thus provided a “win-win” (high means and low variability) for environmental sustainability, while conventional farms provided a “win-win” for production by promoting high crop yields with low variability. Despite lower yields, and greater yield variability, organic systems had similar costs to conventional systems and were more profitable due to organic premiums. Our results suggest certification guidelines for organic farms successfully promote reliable environmental benefits, but greater reliance on ecological processes may reduce predictability of crop production
Fireside Corrosion in Oxy-Fuel Combustion of Coal
Oxy-fuel combustion is based on burning fossil fuels in a mixture of recirculated flue gas and oxygen, rather than in air. An optimized oxy-combustion power plant will have ultra-low emissions since the flue gas that results from oxy-fuel combustion consists almost entirely of CO2 and water vapor. Once the water vapor is condensed, it is relatively easy to sequester the CO2 so that it does not escape into the atmosphere. A variety of laboratory tests comparing air-firing to oxy-firing conditions, and tests examining specific simpler combinations of oxidants, were conducted at 650-700 C. Alloys studied included model Fe-Cr and Ni-Cr alloys, commercial ferritic steels, austenitic steels, and nickel base superalloys. The observed corrosion behavior shows accelerated corrosion even with sulfate additions that remain solid at the tested temperatures, encapsulation of ash components in outer iron oxide scales, and a differentiation between oxy-fuel combustion flue gas recirculation choices
Dangerous Skyrmions in Little Higgs Models
Skyrmions are present in many models of electroweak symmetry breaking where
the Higgs is a pseudo-Goldstone boson of some strongly interacting sector. They
are stable, composite objects whose mass lies in the range 10-100 TeV and can
be naturally abundant in the universe due to their small annihilation
cross-section. They represent therefore good dark matter candidates. We show
however in this work that the lightest skyrmion states are electrically charged
in most of the popular little Higgs models, and hence should have been directly
or indirectly observed in nature already. The charge of the skyrmion under the
electroweak gauge group is computed in a model-independent way and is related
to the presence of anomalies in the underlying theory via the
Wess-Zumino-Witten term.Comment: 31 pages, 4 figures; v2: minor changes, one reference added, version
to appear in JHEP; v3: erratum added, conclusions unchange
Gas and Dust Associated with the Strange, Isolated, Star BP Piscium
We have carried out a multiwavelength observational campaign demonstrating
some of the remarkable properties of the infrared-bright variable star BP Psc.
Surrounded by a compact dusty, gaseous disk, this little-studied late-G (or
early-K) type star emits about 75% of its detected energy flux at infrared
wavelengths. Evidence for accretion of gas in conjunction with narrow bi-polar
jets and Herbig-Haro objects is apparently consistent with classification of BP
Psc as a pre-main sequence star, as postulated in most previous studies. If
young, then BP Psc would be one of the nearest and oldest known classical T
Tauri stars. However, such an evolutionary classification encounters various
problems that are absent or much less severe if BP Psc is instead a luminosity
class III post-main sequence star. In this case, it would be the first known
example of a first ascent giant surrounded by a massive molecular disk with
accompanying rapid gas accretion and prominent jets and HH objects. In this
model, the genesis of the massive dusty gaseous disk could be a consequence of
the envelopment of a low mass companion star. Properties in the disk may be
conducive to the current formation of planets, a gigayear or more after the
formation of BP Psc itself.Comment: Accepted for Astrophysical Journal New version with minor changes:
includes fixing a typo on the 3rd line of the paragraph that follows Equa 4
and adding a new reference (Nordhaus and Blackman 2006
Taking the Measure of the Universe: Precision Astrometry with SIM PlanetQuest
Precision astrometry at microarcsecond accuracy has application to a wide
range of astrophysical problems. This paper is a study of the science questions
that can be addressed using an instrument that delivers parallaxes at about 4
microarcsec on targets as faint as V = 20, differential accuracy of 0.6
microarcsec on bright targets, and with flexible scheduling. The science topics
are drawn primarily from the Team Key Projects, selected in 2000, for the Space
Interferometry Mission PlanetQuest (SIM PlanetQuest). We use the capabilities
of this mission to illustrate the importance of the next level of astrometric
precision in modern astrophysics. SIM PlanetQuest is currently in the detailed
design phase, having completed all of the enabling technologies needed for the
flight instrument in 2005. It will be the first space-based long baseline
Michelson interferometer designed for precision astrometry. SIM will contribute
strongly to many astronomical fields including stellar and galactic
astrophysics, planetary systems around nearby stars, and the study of quasar
and AGN nuclei. SIM will search for planets with masses as small as an Earth
orbiting in the `habitable zone' around the nearest stars using differential
astrometry, and could discover many dozen if Earth-like planets are common. It
will be the most capable instrument for detecting planets around young stars,
thereby providing insights into how planetary systems are born and how they
evolve with time. SIM will observe significant numbers of very high- and
low-mass stars, providing stellar masses to 1%, the accuracy needed to
challenge physical models. Using precision proper motion measurements, SIM will
probe the galactic mass distribution and the formation and evolution of the
Galactic halo. (abridged)Comment: 54 pages, 28 figures, uses emulateapj. Submitted to PAS
Genomic selection using regularized linear regression models: ridge regression, lasso, elastic net and their extensions
The IceCube Neutrino Observatory: Instrumentation and Online Systems
The IceCube Neutrino Observatory is a cubic-kilometer-scale high-energy
neutrino detector built into the ice at the South Pole. Construction of
IceCube, the largest neutrino detector built to date, was completed in 2011 and
enabled the discovery of high-energy astrophysical neutrinos. We describe here
the design, production, and calibration of the IceCube digital optical module
(DOM), the cable systems, computing hardware, and our methodology for drilling
and deployment. We also describe the online triggering and data filtering
systems that select candidate neutrino and cosmic ray events for analysis. Due
to a rigorous pre-deployment protocol, 98.4% of the DOMs in the deep ice are
operating and collecting data. IceCube routinely achieves a detector uptime of
99% by emphasizing software stability and monitoring. Detector operations have
been stable since construction was completed, and the detector is expected to
operate at least until the end of the next decade.Comment: 83 pages, 50 figures; updated with minor changes from journal review
and proofin
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