442 research outputs found
Cosmic-ray transparency for a medium-latitude observatory
The access of cosmic-ray particles to a medium-latitude observatory is analysed fromresults coming fromthe numerical solution of the charged-particle motion in the geomagnetic field. Evaluations are performed mainly for the Lomnick´yˇSt´ıt neutron monitor location (LS: 2634 m a.s.l., geographic coordinates 49.20◦ N, 20.22◦ E), but some results for the Antarctic Laboratory for Cosmic Rays (LARC: 40 ma.s.l, 62.20◦ S and 301.04◦ E) are also given. Particular attention is paid to the variability of the magnetospheric screening appearing when the external magnetic field is added to the internal one
Antiproton modulation in the Heliosphere and AMS-02 antiproton over proton ratio prediction
We implemented a quasi time-dependent 2D stochastic model of solar modulation
describing the transport of cosmic rays (CR) in the heliosphere. Our code can
modulate the Local Interstellar Spectrum (LIS) of a generic charged particle
(light cosmic ions and electrons), calculating the spectrum at 1AU. Several
measurements of CR antiparticles have been performed. Here we focused our
attention on the CR antiproton component and the antiproton over proton ratio.
We show that our model, using the same heliospheric parameters for both
particles, fit the observed anti-p/p ratio. We show a good agreement with
BESS-97 and PAMELA data and make a prediction for the AMS-02 experiment
Proton Modulation in the Heliosphere for Different Solar Conditions and Prediction for AMS-02
Spectra of Galactic Cosmic Rays (GCRs) measured at the Earth are the
combination of several processes: sources production and acceleration,
propagation in the interstellar medium and propagation in the heliosphere.
Inside the solar cavity the flux of GCRs is reduced due to the solar
modulation, the interaction which they have with the interplanetary medium. We
realized a 2D stochastic simulation of solar modulation to reproduce CR spectra
at the Earth, and evaluated the importance in our results of the Local
Interstellar Spectrum (LIS) model and its agreement with data at high energy.
We show a good agreement between our model and the data taken by AMS-01 and
BESS experiments during periods with different solar activity conditions.
Furthermore we made a prediction for the flux which will be measured by AMS-02
experiment.Comment: Accepted for publication in the Proceedings of the ICATPP Conference
on Cosmic Rays for Particle and Astroparticle Physics, Villa Olmo (Como,
Italy), 7-8 October, 2010, to be published by World Scientific (Singapore
Latitudinal Dependence of Cosmic Rays Modulation at 1 AU and Interplanetary-Magnetic-Field Polar Correction
The cosmic rays differential intensity inside the heliosphere, for energy
below 30 GeV/nuc, depends on solar activity and interplanetary magnetic field
polarity. This variation, termed solar modulation, is described using a 2-D
(radius and colatitude) Monte Carlo approach for solving the Parker transport
equation that includes diffusion, convection, magnetic drift and adiabatic
energy loss. Since the whole transport is strongly related to the
interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) structure, a better understanding of his
description is needed in order to reproduce the cosmic rays intensity at the
Earth, as well as outside the ecliptic plane. In this work an interplanetary
magnetic field model including the standard description on ecliptic region and
a polar correction is presented. This treatment of the IMF, implemented in the
HelMod Monte Carlo code (version 2.0), was used to determine the effects on the
differential intensity of Proton at 1\,AU and allowed one to investigate how
latitudinal gradients of proton intensities, observed in the inner heliosphere
with the Ulysses spacecraft during 1995, can be affected by the modification of
the IMF in the polar regions.Comment: accepted for publication inAdvances in Astronom
Damage identification in various types of composite plates using guided waves excited by a piezoelectric transducer and measured by a laser vibrometer
Composite materials are widely used in the industry, and the interest of this material is growing rapidly, due to its light weight, strength and various other desired mechanical properties. However, composite materials are prone to production defects and other defects originated during exploitation, which may jeopardize the safety of such a structure. Thus, non-destructive evaluation methods that are material-independent and suitable for a wide range of defects identification are needed. In this paper, a technique for damage characterization in composite plates is proposed. In the presented non-destructive testing method, guided waves are excited by a piezoelectric transducer, attached to tested specimens, and measured by a scanning laser Doppler vibrometer in a dense grid of points. By means of signal processing, irregularities in wavefield images caused by any material defects are extracted and used for damage characterization. The effectiveness of the proposed technique is validated on four different composite panels: Carbon fiber-reinforced polymer, glass fiber-reinforced polymer, composite reinforced by randomly-oriented short glass fibers and aluminum-honeycomb core sandwich composite. Obtained results confirm its versatility and efficacy in damage characterization in various types of composite plates
Baseline Performance of NCAA Athletes on a Concussion Assessment Battery: A Report from the CARE Consortium
Background
Sport-related concussion and repetitive head impact exposure in contact sports continue to receive increased attention in public and medical spheres. The Concussion Assessment, Research and Education (CARE) Consortium, a multicenter cooperative, was established to study the natural history of concussion in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) collegiate student-athletes across 29 colleges and universities in the United States. The purpose of this investigation is to provide normative data from the CARE Consortium and evaluate for differences between sport categories.
Methods
NCAA student-athletes were evaluated annually for general demographics and sport-specific characteristics before the start of the competitive season. We collected demographic and medical history information and evaluated each student-athlete’s neurocognitive function, neurological status, postural stability, and self-reported symptoms. Sports were categorized by the amount of contact typically associated with the sport (i.e., contact, limited contact, non-contact). Comparisons between the three sport categories for the evaluated variables were made using linear or zero inflated negative binomial regression models adjusted for gender, concussion history, and household income.
Results
Over a 2-year period (August 2014–July 2016), 15,681 NCAA athletes completed preseason evaluations. Overall, 53% of the athletes were in the contact sport group, 31% were in the limited contact group and 17% were in the non-contact group. After adjusting for covariates, there were statistically significant differences found between athlete groups, although the differences and effect sizes were small and not clinically significant. The contact sport group had better scores on Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment Testing (ImPACT®) visual and verbal memory, Sport Concussion Assessment Tool (SCAT) symptom checklist, and Brief Symptom Inventory–18 (BSI-18), but slower ImPACT reaction time and worse scores on Standardized Assessment of Concussion (SAC). Further, the data indicate that some ImPACT score distributions were noticeably different from those presented in the technical manual.
Conclusions
In this large, racially and socio-economically diverse cohort of male and female college athletes, we found no evidence that student-athletes participating in contact sports have clinically meaningful deficits in pre-season cognitive and balance testing. They also did not report significantly more symptoms of psychological distress when compared with student-athletes in non-contact or limited contact sports. In addition, the data suggest potential limitations when using published ImPACT norms when evaluating injured athletes
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