8,267 research outputs found
Broadband Relaxation-Optimized Polarization Transfer in Magnetic Resonance
Many applications of magnetic resonance are limited by rapid loss of spin
coherence caused by large transverse relaxation rates. In nuclear magnetic
resonance (NMR) of large proteins, increased relaxation losses lead to poor
sensitivity of experiments and increased measurement time. In this paper we
develop broadband relaxation optimized pulse sequences (BB-CROP) which approach
fundamental limits of coherence transfer efficiency in the presence of very
general relaxation mechanisms that include cross-correlated relaxation. These
broadband transfer schemes use new techniques of chemical shift refocusing
(STAR echoes) that are tailored to specific trajectories of coupled spin
evolution. We present simulations and experimental data indicating significant
enhancement in the sensitivity of multi-dimensional NMR experiments of large
molecules by use of these methods
Influence of chemical and magnetic interface properties of Co-Fe-B / MgO / Co-Fe-B tunnel junctions on the annealing temperature dependence of the magnetoresistance
The knowledge of chemical and magnetic conditions at the Co40Fe40B20 / MgO
interface is important to interpret the strong annealing temperature dependence
of tunnel magnetoresistance of Co-Fe-B / MgO / Co-Fe-B magnetic tunnel
junctions, which increases with annealing temperature from 20% after annealing
at 200C up to a maximum value of 112% after annealing at 350C. While the well
defined nearest neighbor ordering indicating crystallinity of the MgO barrier
does not change by the annealing, a small amount of interfacial Fe-O at the
lower Co-Fe-B / MgO interface is found in the as grown samples, which is
completely reduced after annealing at 275C. This is accompanied by a
simultaneous increase of the Fe magnetic moment and the tunnel
magnetoresistance. However, the TMR of the MgO based junctions increases
further for higher annealing temperature which can not be caused by Fe-O
reduction. The occurrence of an x-ray absorption near-edge structure above the
Fe and Co L-edges after annealing at 350C indicates the recrystallization of
the Co-Fe-B electrode. This is prerequisite for coherent tunneling and has been
suggested to be responsible for the further increase of the TMR above 275C.
Simultaneously, the B concentration in the Co-Fe-B decreases with increasing
annealing temperature, at least some of the B diffuses towards or into the MgO
barrier and forms a B2O3 oxide
Passive tracer reconstruction as a least-squares problem with a semi-Lagrangian constraint: An application to fish eggs and larvae
A variational, data assimilation, algorithm was developed for reconstruction of a two-dimensional, nonstationary, passive tracer field in the ocean with open boundaries and a known velocity field. The observations, spatial smoothing terms and passive tracer conservation equation were included as weak constraints. The algorithm was tested with simulated, nonstationary, pseudo-oceanographic data integrated for a 7-day period. Simulations were run to determine the robustness of the algorithm and the effect of theoretical, simulated \u27sampling events,\u27 mimicking the standard oceanographic survey. We explored the sensitivity of the reconstructed tracer fields to the distribution of the pseudo-oceanographic sampling strategy, essentially an antenna problem, and to errors in the velocity field and the observations. The algorithm was applied to observations of silver hake ( Merluccius bilinearis) eggs and larvae obtained in August 1998 on the Scotian Shelf. Finally, the evolution of fish eggs and larvae concentration was found. The corresponding mortality rate of fish eggs and larvae was determined to be 0.28 day-1, with errors of 0.03 day-1. The approach, which is quite general and could be applied to many different problems requiring minimization subject to constraints, allows for error analysis of the results
Evaluation of subcutaneous proleukin (Interleukin-2) in a randomized international trial (ESPRIT): Geographical and gender differences in the baseline characteristics of participants
Background: ESPRIT, is a phase III, open-label, randomized, international clinical trial evaluating the effects of subcutaneous recombinant interleukin-2 (rIL-2) plus antiretroviral therapy (ART) versus ART alone on HIV-disease progression and death in HIV-1-infected individuals with CD4+ T-cells ≥300 cells/μL. Objectives: To describe the baseline characteristics of participants randomized to ESPRIT overall and by geographic location. Method: Baseline characteristics of randomized participants were summarized by region. Results: 4,150 patients were enrolled in ESPRIT from 254 sites in 25 countries. 41%, 27%, 16%, 11%, and 5% were enrolled in Europe, North America, South America, Asia, and Australia, respectively. The median age was 40 years, 81% were men, and 76%, 11%, and 9% were Caucasian, Asian, and African American or African, respectively. 44% of women enrolled (n = 769) were enrolled in Thailand and Argentina. Overall, 55% and 38% of the cohort acquired HIV through male homosexual and heterosexual contact, respectively. 25% had a prior history of AIDS-defining illness; Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia, M. tuberculosis, and esophageal candida were most commonly reported. Median nadir and baseline CD4+ T-cell counts were 199 and 458 cells/μL, respectively. 6% and 13% were hepatitis B or C virus coinfected, respectively. Median duration of antiretroviral therapy (ART) was 4.2 years; the longest median duration was in Australia (5.2 years) and the shortest was in Asia (2.3 years). 17%, 13%, and 69% of participants began ART before 1995, between 1996 and 1997, and from 1998 onward, respectively. 86% used ART from two or more ART classes, with 49% using a protease inhibitor-based regimen and 46% using a nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor-based regimen. 78% had plasma HIV RNA below detection (<500 cp/mL). Conclusion: ESPRIT has enrolled a diverse population of HIV-infected individuals including large populations of women and patients of African-American/African and Asian ethnicity often underrepresented in HIV research. As a consequence, the results of the study may have wide global applicability
Adolescents care but don't feel responsible for farm animal welfare
Adolescents are the next generation of consumers with the potential to raise standards of farm animal welfare—to theirsatisfaction—if their preferences and concerns are translated into accurate market drivers and signals. There are no published data about adolescent views of farm animal welfare to allow meaningful design, implementation, and evaluation of educational strategies to improve consideration of—and behavior toward—farm animals. Knowledge of farm animal welfare, as well as beliefs and attitudes about farm animal welfare and behavioral intention relevant to it were determined in a sample of ukadolescents, using a survey incorporating an extended version of the theory of planned behavior and novel assessment tools. Our results indicate that adolescents have only a limited knowledge of welfare problems for farm animals and welfare-relevant product labels. Intentions to identify welfare standards for the animals from whom their food was derived were weak. Although they cared about farm animal welfare and agreed with fundamental principles—for example, the provision of space and the absence of pain and suffering—like adults they held limited belief in the power and responsibility that they possess through their choices as consumers; responsibility was often shifted to others, such as the government and farmers
Constraining decaying dark energy density models with the CMB temperature-redshift relation
We discuss the thermodynamic and dynamical properties of a variable dark
energy model with density scaling as , z being the
redshift. These models lead to the creation/disruption of matter and radiation,
which affect the cosmic evolution of both matter and radiation components in
the Universe. In particular, we have studied the temperature-redshift relation
of radiation, which has been constrained using a recent collection of cosmic
microwave background (CMB) temperature measurements up to . We find
that, within the uncertainties, the model is indistinguishable from a
cosmological constant which does not exchange any particles with other
components. Future observations, in particular measurements of CMB temperature
at large redshift, will allow to give firmer bounds on the effective equation
of state parameter for such types of dark energy models.Comment: 9 pages, 1 figure, to appear in the Proceedings of the 3rd
Italian-Pakistani Workshop on Relativistic Astrophysics, Lecce 20-22 June
2011, published in Journal of Physics: Conference Series (JPCS
Self-similar solution of a nonsteady problem of nonisothermal vapour condensation on a droplet growing in diffusion regime
This paper presents a mathematically exact self-similar solution to the joint
nonsteady problems of vapour diffusion towards a droplet growing in a
vapour-gas medium and of removal of heat released by a droplet into a
vapour-gas medium during vapour condensation. An equation for the temperature
of the droplet is obtained; and it is only at that temperature that the
self-similar solution exists. This equation requires the constancy of the
droplet temperature and even defines it unambiguously throughout the whole
period of the droplet growth. In the case of strong display of heat effects,
when the droplet growth rate decreases significantly, the equation for the
temperature of the droplet is solved analytically. It is shown that the
obtained temperature fully coincides with the one that settles in the droplet
simultaneously with the settlement of its diffusion regime of growth. At the
obtained temperature of the droplet the interrelated nonsteady vapour
concentration and temperature profiles of the vapour-gas medium around the
droplet are expressed in terms of initial (prior to the nucleation of the
droplet) parameters of the vapour-gas medium. The same parameters are used to
formulate the law in accordance with which the droplet is growing in diffusion
regime, and also to define the time that passes after the nucleation of the
droplet till the settlement of diffusion regime of droplet growth, when the
squared radius of the droplet becomes proportionate to time. For the sake of
completeness the case of weak display of heat effects is been studied.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figure
Return interval distribution of extreme events and long term memory
The distribution of recurrence times or return intervals between extreme
events is important to characterize and understand the behavior of physical
systems and phenomena in many disciplines. It is well known that many physical
processes in nature and society display long range correlations. Hence, in the
last few years, considerable research effort has been directed towards studying
the distribution of return intervals for long range correlated time series.
Based on numerical simulations, it was shown that the return interval
distributions are of stretched exponential type. In this paper, we obtain an
analytical expression for the distribution of return intervals in long range
correlated time series which holds good when the average return intervals are
large. We show that the distribution is actually a product of power law and a
stretched exponential form. We also discuss the regimes of validity and perform
detailed studies on how the return interval distribution depends on the
threshold used to define extreme events.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figure
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