9,692 research outputs found
The Casimir Energy for a Hyperboloid Facing a Plate in the Optical Approximation
We study the Casimir energy of a massless scalar field that obeys Dirichlet
boundary conditions on a hyperboloid facing a plate. We use the optical
approximation including the first six reflections and compare the results with
the predictions of the proximity force approximation and the semi-classical
method. We also consider finite size effects by contrasting the infinite with a
finite plate. We find sizable and qualitative differences between the new
optical method and the more traditional approaches.Comment: v2: 14 pages, 11 eps figures; typo in eq. (21) removed, clarification
added, fig. 10 improved; version published in Phys. Rev.
Investigation of Normalization Methods using Plasma Parameters for Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) under simulated Martian Conditions
Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy data need to be normalized, especially in the field of planetary exploration We investigated plasma parameters as temperature and electron density for this purpose
Influence of the Coulomb Interaction on the Chemical Equilibrium of Nuclear Systems at Break-Up
The importance of a Coulomb correction to the formalism proposed by Albergo
et al. for determining the temperatures of nuclear systems at break-up and the
ensities of free nucleon gases is discussed. While the proposed correction has
no effect on the temperatures extracted based on double isotope ratios, it
becomes non-negligible when such temperatures or densities of free nucleon
gases are extracted based on multiplicities of heavier fragments of different
atomic numbers
3-D unrestricted TDHF fusion calculations using the full Skyrme interaction
We present a study of fusion cross sections using a new generation
Time-Dependent Hartree-Fock (TDHF) code which contains no approximations
regarding collision geometry and uses the full Skyrme interaction, including
all of the time-odd terms. In addition, the code uses the Basis-Spline
collocation method for improved numerical accuracy. A comparative study of
fusion cross sections for is made with the older TDHF
results and experiments. We present results using the modern Skyrme forces and
discuss the influence of the new terms present in the interaction.Comment: 7 pages, 10 figure
Liquid-Drop Model and Quantum Resistance Against Noncompact Nuclear Geometries
The importance of quantum effects for exotic nuclear shapes is demonstrated.
Based on the example of a sheet of nuclear matter of infinite lateral
dimensions but finite thickness, it is shown that the quantization of states in
momentum space, resulting from the confinement of the nucleonic motion in the
conjugate geometrical space, generates a strong resistance against such a
confinement and generates restoring forces driving the system towards compact
geometries. In the liquid-drop model, these quantum effects are implicitly
included in the surface energy term, via a choice of interaction parameters, an
approximation that has been found valid for compact shapes, but has not yet
been scrutinized for exotic shapes.Comment: 9 pages with 3 figure
Epidemiological evidence of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia without the presence of human papillomavirus.
The aim of this paper was to provide epidemiological evidence to support the notion that cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) without human papillomavirus (HPV) is a true entity. If a diagnosis of HPV-negative cervical neoplasia is erroneous, one would not expect there to be any differences in risk factors between HPV-positive and HPV-negative patients. Patients at a gynaecological outpatient clinic of a university hospital [a total of 265 consecutive women with dyskaryotic cervical smears who were subsequently diagnosed with CIN I (n=37), CIN II (n=48) or CIN III (n=180)] completed a structured questionnaire regarding smoking habits and sexual history. Analysis of an endocervical swab for Chlamydia trachomatis, analysis of a cervical scrape for HPV, and morphological examination of cervical biopsy specimens were also performed. HPV was found in 205 (77.4%) out of the 265 women. Univariate analysis showed that current age (P=0.02), current smoking behaviour (P=0.002) and the number of sexual partners (P=0.02) were significantly associated with the presence of HPV. Age at first sexual intercourse, a past history of venereal disease or genital warts, and current infection with Chlamydia trachomatis were not associated with the presence of HPV. Using multivariate logistic regression analysis, the number of sexual partners and current smoking behaviour showed an independent significant association with HPV. HPV-negative and HPV-positive CIN patients differ with respect to the risk factors for HPV. These findings suggest that HPV-negative CIN is a separate true entity
The shape and erosion of pebbles
The shapes of flat pebbles may be characterized in terms of the statistical
distribution of curvatures measured along their contours. We illustrate this
new method for clay pebbles eroded in a controlled laboratory apparatus, and
also for naturally-occurring rip-up clasts formed and eroded in the Mont
St.-Michel bay. We find that the curvature distribution allows finer
discrimination than traditional measures of aspect ratios. Furthermore, it
connects to the microscopic action of erosion processes that are typically
faster at protruding regions of high curvature. We discuss in detail how the
curvature may be reliable deduced from digital photographs.Comment: 10 pages, 11 figure
Spectral, mineralogical, and geochemical variations across Home Plate, Gusev Crater, Mars indicate high and low temperature alteration
Over the last ~ 3 years in Gusev Crater, Mars, the Spirit rover observed coherent variations in color, mineralogy, and geochemistry across Home Plate, an ~ 80 m-diameter outcrop of basaltic tephra. Observations of Home Plate from orbit and from the summit of Husband Hill reveal clear differences in visible/near-infrared (VNIR) colors between its eastern and western regions that are consistent with mineralogical compositions indicated by Mössbauer spectrometer (MB) and by Miniature Thermal Emission Spectrometer (Mini-TES). Pyroxene and magnetite dominate the east side, while olivine, nanophase Fe oxide (npOx) and glass are more abundant on the western side. Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS) observations reveal that eastern Home Plate has higher Si/Mg, Al, Zn, Ni, and K, while Cl and Br are higher in the west. We propose that these variations are the result of two distinct alteration regimes that may or may not be temporally related: a localized, higher temperature recrystallization and alteration of the east side of Home Plate and lower temperature alteration of the western side that produced npOx
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