765 research outputs found
Gradient refractive index of the crystalline lens of the Black Oreo Dory (Allocyttus Niger): comparison of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and laser ray-trace methods
AbstractThe gradient refractive index of the crystalline lens in the Black Oreo Dory (Allocyttus Niger) was determined using two methods; an optimisation program based on finite ray-tracing and the path of laser beams through the lens, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and the linear relationship between refractive index and nuclear transverse relaxation rates. The methods showed good agreement in the cortical zone of the lens, but the lack of free water in the core of the lens made MRI measurement impossible in this region. The laser-optimisation method gave mean values of 1.368 and 1.543 for the surface and core refractive indices respectively, with a radial distribution for the gradient refractive index given by n(r)=1.543−0.121r2−0.033r4−0.021r6
The Galois Complexity of Graph Drawing: Why Numerical Solutions are Ubiquitous for Force-Directed, Spectral, and Circle Packing Drawings
Many well-known graph drawing techniques, including force directed drawings,
spectral graph layouts, multidimensional scaling, and circle packings, have
algebraic formulations. However, practical methods for producing such drawings
ubiquitously use iterative numerical approximations rather than constructing
and then solving algebraic expressions representing their exact solutions. To
explain this phenomenon, we use Galois theory to show that many variants of
these problems have solutions that cannot be expressed by nested radicals or
nested roots of low-degree polynomials. Hence, such solutions cannot be
computed exactly even in extended computational models that include such
operations.Comment: Graph Drawing 201
Four methods for determining the composition of trace radioactive surface contamination of low-radioactivity metal
Four methods for determining the composition of low-level uranium- and
thorium-chain surface contamination are presented. One method is the
observation of Cherenkov light production in water. In two additional methods a
position-sensitive proportional counter surrounding the surface is used to make
both a measurement of the energy spectrum of alpha particle emissions and also
coincidence measurements to derive the thorium-chain content based on the
presence of short-lived isotopes in that decay chain. The fourth method is a
radiochemical technique in which the surface is eluted with a weak acid, the
eluate is concentrated, added to liquid scintillator and assayed by recording
beta-alpha coincidences. These methods were used to characterize two `hotspots'
on the outer surface of one of the He-3 proportional counters in the Neutral
Current Detection array of the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory experiment. The
methods have similar sensitivities, of order tens of ng, to both thorium- and
uranium-chain contamination.Comment: 22 pages, 19 figure
T violation and the unidirectionality of time
An increasing number of experiments at the Belle, BNL, CERN, DA{\Phi}NE and
SLAC accelerators are confirming the violation of time reversal invariance (T).
The violation signifies a fundamental asymmetry between the past and future and
calls for a major shift in the way we think about time. Here we show that
processes which violate T symmetry induce destructive interference between
different paths that the universe can take through time. The interference
eliminates all paths except for two that represent continuously forwards and
continuously backwards time evolution. Evidence from the accelerator
experiments indicates which path the universe is effectively following. This
work may provide fresh insight into the long-standing problem of modeling the
dynamics of T violation processes. It suggests that T violation has previously
unknown, large-scale physical effects and that these effects underlie the
origin of the unidirectionality of time. It may have implications for the
Wheeler-DeWitt equation of canonical quantum gravity. Finally it provides a
view of the quantum nature of time itself.Comment: 24 pages, 5 figures. Final version accepted for publishing in
Foundations of Physics. The final publication is available at
http://www.springerlink.com/content/y3h4174jw2w78322
Transpolar arc observation after solar wind entry into the high-latitude magnetosphere
Recently, Cluster observations have revealed the presence of new regions of solar wind plasma entry at the high-latitude magnetospheric lobes tailward of the cusp region, mostly during periods of northward interplanetary magnetic field. In this study, observations from the Global Ultraviolet Imager (GUVI) experiment on board the TIMED spacecraft and Wideband Imaging Camera imager on board the IMAGE satellite are used to investigate a possible link between solar wind entry and the formation of transpolar arcs in the polar cap. We focus on a case when transpolar arc formation was observed twice right after the two solar wind entry events were detected by the Cluster spacecraft. In addition, GUVI and IMAGE observations show a simultaneous occurrence of auroral activity at low and high latitudes after the second entry event, possibly indicating a two-part structure of the continuous band of the transpolar arc
Temperature Dependence of the Dynamics of Portevin-Le Chatelier Effect in Al-2.5%Mg alloy
Tensile tests were carried out by deforming polycrystalline samples of
Al-2.5%Mg alloy at four different temperatures in an intermediate strain rate
regime of 2x10-4s-1 to 2x10-3s-1. The Portevin-Le Chatelier (PLC) effect was
observed throughout the strain rate and temperature region. The mean cumulative
stress drop magnitude and the mean reloading time exhibit an increasing trend
with temperature which is attributed to the enhanced solute diffusion at higher
temperature. The observed stress-time series data were analyzed using the
nonlinear dynamical methods. From the analyses, we could establish the presence
of deterministic chaos in the PLC effect throughout the temperature regime. The
dynamics goes to higher dimension at a sufficiently high temperature of 425K
but the complexity of the dynamics is not affected by the temperature.Comment: 18 pages, 8 figures; accepted in Met. Mater. Trans.
Survey of nucleon electromagnetic form factors
A dressed-quark core contribution to nucleon electromagnetic form factors is
calculated. It is defined by the solution of a Poincare' covariant Faddeev
equation in which dressed-quarks provide the elementary degree of freedom and
correlations between them are expressed via diquarks. The nucleon-photon vertex
involves a single parameter; i.e., a diquark charge radius. It is argued to be
commensurate with the pion's charge radius. A comprehensive analysis and
explanation of the form factors is built upon this foundation. A particular
feature of the study is a separation of form factor contributions into those
from different diagram types and correlation sectors, and subsequently a
flavour separation for each of these. Amongst the extensive body of results
that one could highlight are: r_1^{n,u}>r_1^{n,d}, owing to the presence of
axial-vector quark-quark correlations; and for both the neutron and proton the
ratio of Sachs electric and magnetic form factors possesses a zero.Comment: 43 pages, 17 figures, 12 tables, 5 appendice
Exploring the mechanisms of renoprotection against progressive glomerulosclerosis
In this review, I introduce the strategy developed by our laboratory to explore the mechanisms of renoprotection against progressive glomerulosclerosis leading to renal death. First, I describe the experimental rat model in which disturbances of vascular regeneration and glomerular hemodynamics lead to irreversible glomerulosclerosis. Second, I discuss the possible mechanisms determining the progression of glomerulosclerosis and introduce a new imaging system based on intravital confocal laser scanning microscopy. Third, I provide an in-depth review of the regulatory glomerular hemodynamics at the cellular and molecular levels while focusing on the pivotal role of Ca2+-dependent gap junctional intercellular communication in coordinating the behavior of mesangial cells. Last, I show that local delivery of renoprotective agents, in combination with diagnostic imaging of the renal microvasculature, allows the evaluation of the therapeutic effects of angiotensin II receptor and cyclooxygenase activity local blockade on the progression of glomerulosclerosis, which would otherwise lead to renal death
Dark energy as a mirage
Motivated by the observed cosmic matter distribution, we present the
following conjecture: due to the formation of voids and opaque structures, the
average matter density on the path of the light from the well-observed objects
changes from Omega_M ~ 1 in the homogeneous early universe to Omega_M ~ 0 in
the clumpy late universe, so that the average expansion rate increases along
our line of sight from EdS expansion Ht ~ 2/3 at high redshifts to free
expansion Ht ~ 1 at low redshifts. To calculate the modified observable
distance-redshift relations, we introduce a generalized Dyer-Roeder method that
allows for two crucial physical properties of the universe: inhomogeneities in
the expansion rate and the growth of the nonlinear structures. By treating the
transition redshift to the void-dominated era as a free parameter, we find a
phenomenological fit to the observations from the CMB anisotropy, the position
of the baryon oscillation peak, the magnitude-redshift relations of type Ia
supernovae, the local Hubble flow and the nucleosynthesis, resulting in a
concordant model of the universe with 90% dark matter, 10% baryons, no dark
energy, 15 Gyr as the age of the universe and a natural value for the
transition redshift z_0=0.35. Unlike a large local void, the model respects the
cosmological principle, further offering an explanation for the late onset of
the perceived acceleration as a consequence of the forming nonlinear
structures. Additional tests, such as quantitative predictions for angular
deviations due to an anisotropic void distribution and a theoretical derivation
of the model, can vindicate or falsify the interpretation that light
propagation in voids is responsible for the perceived acceleration.Comment: 33 pages, 2 figs; v2: minor clarifications, results unchanged; v3:
matches the version published in General Relativity and Gravitatio
Microstructural and Chemical Rejuvenation of a Ni-Based Superalloy
This is an open access article published by Springer and distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Licence (CC BY 4.0), http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/The microstructural evolution of the Ni-based superalloy CMSX-4 including the change in gamma prime morphology, size and distribution after high temperature degradation and subsequent rejuvenation heat treatments has been examined using field emission gun scanning electron microscopy (FEGSEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). In this paper it is shown that there are significant differences in the size of the ‘channels’ between gamma prime particles, the degree of rafting and the size of tertiary gamma prime particles in each of the different microstructural conditions studied. Chemical analysis has been carried out to compare rejuvenated and pre-service samples after the same subsequent degradation procedure. The results indicate that although the microstructure of pre-service and rejuvenated samples are similar, chemical differences are more pronounced in the rejuvenated samples, suggesting that chemical segregation from partitioning of the elements was not completely eliminated through the applied rejuvenation heat treatment. A number of modified rejuvenation heat treatment trials were carried out to reduce the chemical segregation prior to creep testing. The creep test results suggest that chemical segregation has an
immeasurable influence on the short-term mechanical properties under the test conditions used here, indicating that further work is required to fully understand the suitability of specific rejuvenation heat treatments and their role in the extension of component life in power plant applications
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