897 research outputs found
Stochastic optimization methods for extracting cosmological parameters from CMBR power spectra
The reconstruction of the CMBR power spectrum from a map represents a major
computational challenge to which much effort has been applied. However, once
the power spectrum has been recovered there still remains the problem of
extracting cosmological parameters from it. Doing this involves optimizing a
complicated function in a many dimensional parameter space. Therefore efficient
algorithms are necessary in order to make this feasible. We have tested several
different types of algorithms and found that the technique known as simulated
annealing is very effective for this purpose. It is shown that simulated
annealing is able to extract the correct cosmological parameters from a set of
simulated power spectra, but even with such fast optimization algorithms, a
substantial computational effort is needed.Comment: 7 pages revtex, 3 figures, to appear in PR
Preserving Visual Functions During Gliomas Resection : Feasibility and Efficacy of a Novel Intraoperative Task for Awake Brain Surgery
Objective: The intraoperative identification and preservation of optic radiations (OR) during tumor resection requires the patient to be awake. Different tasks are used. However, they do not grant the maintenance of foveal vision during all testing, limiting the ability to constantly monitor the peripheral vision and to inform about the portion of the peripheral field that is encountered. Although hemianopia can be prevented, quadrantanopia cannot be properly avoided. To overcome these limitations, we developed an intra-operative Visual field Task (iVT) to monitor the foveal vision, alerting about the likelihood of injuring the OR during task administration, and to inform about the portion of the peripheral field that is explored. Data on feasibility and efficacy in preventing visual field deficits are reported, comparing the outcome with the standard available task (Double-Picture-Naming-Task, DPNT).
Methods: Patients with a temporal and/or parietal lobe tumor in close morphological relationship with the OR, or where the resection can involve the OR at any extent, without pre-operative visual-field deficits (Humphrey) were enrolled. Fifty-four patients were submitted to iVT, 38 to DPNT during awake surgery with brain mapping neurophysiological techniques. Feasibility was assessed as ease of administration, training and mapping time, and ability to alert about the loss of foveal vision. Type and location of evoked interferences were registered. Functional outcome was evaluated by manual and Humphrey test; extent of resection was recorded. Tractography was performed in a sample of patients to compare patient anatomy with intraoperative stimulation site(s).
Results: The test was easy to administer and detected the loss of foveal vision in all cases. Stimulation induced visual-field interferences, detected in all patients, classified as detection or discrimination errors. Detection was mostly observed in temporal tumors, discrimination in temporo-parietal ones. Immediate visual disturbances in DPNT group were registered in 84 vs. 24% of iVT group. At 1-month Humphrey evaluation, 26% of iVT vs. 63% of DPNT had quadrantanopia (32% symptomatic); 10% of DPNT had hemianopia. EOR was similar. Detection errors were induced for stimulation of OR; discrimination also for other visual processing tract (ILF).
Conclusion: iVT was feasible and sensitive to preserve the functional integrity of the OR
Colloquium: Mechanical formalisms for tissue dynamics
The understanding of morphogenesis in living organisms has been renewed by
tremendous progressin experimental techniques that provide access to
cell-scale, quantitative information both on theshapes of cells within tissues
and on the genes being expressed. This information suggests that
ourunderstanding of the respective contributions of gene expression and
mechanics, and of their crucialentanglement, will soon leap forward.
Biomechanics increasingly benefits from models, which assistthe design and
interpretation of experiments, point out the main ingredients and assumptions,
andultimately lead to predictions. The newly accessible local information thus
calls for a reflectionon how to select suitable classes of mechanical models.
We review both mechanical ingredientssuggested by the current knowledge of
tissue behaviour, and modelling methods that can helpgenerate a rheological
diagram or a constitutive equation. We distinguish cell scale ("intra-cell")and
tissue scale ("inter-cell") contributions. We recall the mathematical framework
developpedfor continuum materials and explain how to transform a constitutive
equation into a set of partialdifferential equations amenable to numerical
resolution. We show that when plastic behaviour isrelevant, the dissipation
function formalism appears appropriate to generate constitutive equations;its
variational nature facilitates numerical implementation, and we discuss
adaptations needed in thecase of large deformations. The present article
gathers theoretical methods that can readily enhancethe significance of the
data to be extracted from recent or future high throughput
biomechanicalexperiments.Comment: 33 pages, 20 figures. This version (26 Sept. 2015) contains a few
corrections to the published version, all in Appendix D.2 devoted to large
deformation
Measurement of the ttbar Production Cross Section in ppbar Collisions at sqrt{s} = 1.96 TeV using Kinematic Characteristics of Lepton + Jets Events
We present a measurement of the top quark pair ttbar production cross section
in ppbar collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 1.96 TeV using 230 pb**{-1}
of data collected by the DO detector at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider. We
select events with one charged lepton (electron or muon), large missing
transverse energy, and at least four jets, and extract the ttbar content of the
sample based on the kinematic characteristics of the events. For a top quark
mass of 175 GeV, we measure sigma(ttbar) = 6.7 {+1.4-1.3} (stat) {+1.6- 1.1}
(syst) +/-0.4 (lumi) pb, in good agreement with the standard model prediction.Comment: submitted to Phys.Rev.Let
Measurement of the ttbar Production Cross Section in ppbar Collisions at sqrt(s)=1.96 TeV using Lepton + Jets Events with Lifetime b-tagging
We present a measurement of the top quark pair () production cross
section () in collisions at TeV
using 230 pb of data collected by the D0 experiment at the Fermilab
Tevatron Collider. We select events with one charged lepton (electron or muon),
missing transverse energy, and jets in the final state. We employ
lifetime-based b-jet identification techniques to further enhance the
purity of the selected sample. For a top quark mass of 175 GeV, we
measure pb, in
agreement with the standard model expectation.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figures, 3 tables Submitted to Phys.Rev.Let
Search for Higgs bosons decaying to tautau pairs in ppbar collisions at sqrt(s) = 1.96 TeV
We present a search for the production of neutral Higgs bosons decaying into
tautau pairs in ppbar collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 1.96 TeV. The
data, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 5.4 fb-1, were collected by
the D0 experiment at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider. We set upper limits at the
95% C.L. on the product of production cross section and branching ratio for a
scalar resonance decaying into tautau pairs, and we then interpret these limits
as limits on the production of Higgs bosons in the minimal supersymmetric
standard model (MSSM) and as constraints in the MSSM parameter space.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures, submitted to PL
Quantum walks: a comprehensive review
Quantum walks, the quantum mechanical counterpart of classical random walks,
is an advanced tool for building quantum algorithms that has been recently
shown to constitute a universal model of quantum computation. Quantum walks is
now a solid field of research of quantum computation full of exciting open
problems for physicists, computer scientists, mathematicians and engineers.
In this paper we review theoretical advances on the foundations of both
discrete- and continuous-time quantum walks, together with the role that
randomness plays in quantum walks, the connections between the mathematical
models of coined discrete quantum walks and continuous quantum walks, the
quantumness of quantum walks, a summary of papers published on discrete quantum
walks and entanglement as well as a succinct review of experimental proposals
and realizations of discrete-time quantum walks. Furthermore, we have reviewed
several algorithms based on both discrete- and continuous-time quantum walks as
well as a most important result: the computational universality of both
continuous- and discrete- time quantum walks.Comment: Paper accepted for publication in Quantum Information Processing
Journa
Measurement of the photon-jet production differential cross section in collisions at \sqrt{s}=1.96~\TeV
We present measurements of the differential cross section dsigma/dpT_gamma
for the inclusive production of a photon in association with a b-quark jet for
photons with rapidities |y_gamma|< 1.0 and 30<pT_gamma <300 GeV, as well as for
photons with 1.5<|y_gamma|< 2.5 and 30< pT_gamma <200 GeV, where pT_gamma is
the photon transverse momentum. The b-quark jets are required to have pT>15 GeV
and rapidity |y_jet| < 1.5. The results are based on data corresponding to an
integrated luminosity of 8.7 fb^-1, recorded with the D0 detector at the
Fermilab Tevatron Collider at sqrt(s)=1.96 TeV. The measured cross
sections are compared with next-to-leading order perturbative QCD calculations
using different sets of parton distribution functions as well as to predictions
based on the kT-factorization QCD approach, and those from the Sherpa and
Pythia Monte Carlo event generators.Comment: 10 pages, 9 figures, submitted to Phys. Lett.
Limits on anomalous trilinear gauge boson couplings from WW, WZ and Wgamma production in pp-bar collisions at sqrt{s}=1.96 TeV
We present final searches of the anomalous gammaWW and ZWW trilinear gauge
boson couplings from WW and WZ production using lepton plus dijet final states
and a combination with results from Wgamma, WW, and WZ production with leptonic
final states. The analyzed data correspond to up to 8.6/fb of integrated
luminosity collected by the D0 detector in pp-bar collisions at sqrt{s}=1.96
TeV. We set the most stringent limits at a hadron collider to date assuming two
different relations between the anomalous coupling parameters
Delta\kappa_\gamma, lambda, and Delta g_1^Z for a cutoff energy scale Lambda=2
TeV. The combined 68% C.L. limits are -0.057<Delta\kappa_\gamma<0.154,
-0.015<lambda<0.028, and -0.008<Delta g_1^Z<0.054 for the LEP parameterization,
and -0.007<Delta\kappa<0.081 and -0.017<lambda<0.028 for the equal couplings
parameterization. We also present the most stringent limits of the W boson
magnetic dipole and electric quadrupole moments.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figures, submitted to PL
Measurement of the Isolated Photon Cross Section in p-pbar Collisions at sqrt{s}=1.96 TeV
The cross section for the inclusive production of isolated photons has been
measured in p anti-p collisions at sqrt{s}=1.96 TeV with the D0 detector at the
Fermilab Tevatron Collider. The photons span transverse momenta 23 to 300 GeV
and have pseudorapidity |eta|<0.9. The cross section is compared with the
results from two next-to-leading order perturbative QCD calculations. The
theoretical predictions agree with the measurement within uncertainties.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures, submitted to Phys.Lett.
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