16,560 research outputs found
Should One Use the Ray-by-Ray Approximation in Core-Collapse Supernova Simulations?
We perform the first self-consistent, time-dependent, multi-group
calculations in two dimensions (2D) to address the consequences of using the
ray-by-ray+ transport simplification in core-collapse supernova simulations.
Such a dimensional reduction is employed by many researchers to facilitate
their resource-intensive calculations. Our new code (F{\sc{ornax}}) implements
multi-D transport, and can, by zeroing out transverse flux terms, emulate the
ray-by-ray+ scheme. Using the same microphysics, initial models, resolution,
and code, we compare the results of simulating 12-, 15-, 20-, and
25-M progenitor models using these two transport methods. Our
findings call into question the wisdom of the pervasive use of the ray-by-ray+
approach. Employing it leads to maximum post-bounce/pre-explosion shock radii
that are almost universally larger by tens of kilometers than those derived
using the more accurate scheme, typically leaving the post-bounce matter less
bound and artificially more "explodable." In fact, for our 25-M
progenitor, the ray-by-ray+ model explodes, while the corresponding multi-D
transport model does not. Therefore, in two dimensions the combination of
ray-by-ray+ with the axial sloshing hydrodynamics that is a feature of 2D
supernova dynamics can result in quantitatively, and perhaps qualitatively,
incorrect results.Comment: Updated and revised text; 13 pages; 13 figures; Accepted to Ap.
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Skeletal muscle as an experimental model of choice to study tissue aging and rejuvenation.
Skeletal muscle is among the most age-sensitive tissues in mammal organisms. Significant changes in its resident stem cells (i.e., satellite cells, SCs), differentiated cells (i.e., myofibers), and extracellular matrix cause a decline in tissue homeostasis, function, and regenerative capacity. Based on the conservation of aging across tissues and taking advantage of the relatively well-characterization of the myofibers and associated SCs, skeletal muscle emerged as an experimental system to study the decline in function and maintenance of old tissues and to explore rejuvenation strategies. In this review, we summarize the approaches for understanding the aging process and for assaying the success of rejuvenation that use skeletal muscle as the experimental system of choice. We further discuss (and exemplify with studies of skeletal muscle) how conflicting results might be due to variations in the techniques of stem cell isolation, differences in the assays of functional rejuvenation, or deciding on the numbers of replicates and experimental cohorts
Effect of thermal exposure, forming, and welding on high-temperature, dispersion-strengthened aluminum alloy: Al-8Fe-1V-2Si
The feasibility of applying conventional hot forming and welding methods to high temperature aluminum alloy, Al-8Fe-1V-2Si (FVS812), for structural applications and the effect of thermal exposure on mechanical properties were determined. FVS812 (AA8009) sheet exhibited good hot forming and resistance welding characteristics. It was brake formed to 90 deg bends (0.5T bend radius) at temperatures greater than or equal to 390 C (730 F), indicating the feasibility of fabricating basic shapes, such as angles and zees. Hot forming of simple contoured-flanged parts was demonstrated. Resistance spot welds with good static and fatigue strength at room and elevated temperatures were readily produced. Extended vacuum degassing during billet fabrication reduced porosity in fusion and resistance welds. However, electron beam welding was not possible because of extreme degassing during welding, and gas-tungsten-arc welds were not acceptable because of severely degraded mechanical properties. The FVS812 alloy exhibited excellent high temperature strength stability after thermal exposures up to 315 C (600 F) for 1000 h. Extended billet degassing appeared to generally improve tensile ductility, fatigue strength, and notch toughness. But the effects of billet degassing and thermal exposure on properties need to be further clarified. The manufacture of zee-stiffened, riveted, and resistance-spot-welded compression panels was demonstrated
Very High Resolution Solar X-ray Imaging Using Diffractive Optics
This paper describes the development of X-ray diffractive optics for imaging
solar flares with better than 0.1 arcsec angular resolution. X-ray images with
this resolution of the \geq10 MK plasma in solar active regions and solar
flares would allow the cross-sectional area of magnetic loops to be resolved
and the coronal flare energy release region itself to be probed. The objective
of this work is to obtain X-ray images in the iron-line complex at 6.7 keV
observed during solar flares with an angular resolution as fine as 0.1 arcsec -
over an order of magnitude finer than is now possible. This line emission is
from highly ionized iron atoms, primarily Fe xxv, in the hottest flare plasma
at temperatures in excess of \approx10 MK. It provides information on the flare
morphology, the iron abundance, and the distribution of the hot plasma.
Studying how this plasma is heated to such high temperatures in such short
times during solar flares is of critical importance in understanding these
powerful transient events, one of the major objectives of solar physics. We
describe the design, fabrication, and testing of phase zone plate X-ray lenses
with focal lengths of \approx100 m at these energies that would be capable of
achieving these objectives. We show how such lenses could be included on a
two-spacecraft formation-flying mission with the lenses on the spacecraft
closest to the Sun and an X-ray imaging array on the second spacecraft in the
focal plane \approx100 m away. High resolution X-ray images could be obtained
when the two spacecraft are aligned with the region of interest on the Sun.
Requirements and constraints for the control of the two spacecraft are
discussed together with the overall feasibility of such a formation-flying
mission
The problem of shot selection in basketball
In basketball, every time the offense produces a shot opportunity the player
with the ball must decide whether the shot is worth taking. In this paper, I
explore the question of when a team should shoot and when they should pass up
the shot by considering a simple theoretical model of the shot selection
process, in which the quality of shot opportunities generated by the offense is
assumed to fall randomly within a uniform distribution. I derive an answer to
the question "how likely must the shot be to go in before the player should
take it?", and show that this "lower cutoff" for shot quality depends
crucially on the number of shot opportunities remaining (say, before the
shot clock expires), with larger demanding that only higher-quality shots
should be taken. The function is also derived in the presence of a
finite turnover rate and used to predict the shooting rate of an
optimal-shooting team as a function of time. This prediction is compared to
observed shooting rates from the National Basketball Association (NBA), and the
comparison suggests that NBA players tend to wait too long before shooting and
undervalue the probability of committing a turnover.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figures; comparison to NBA data adde
Midwives' decision making about transfers for 'slow' labour in rural New Zealand
© 2015 Elsevier Ltd. Midwives who provided Lead Maternity Care (LMC) to women in rural areas were invited to share their experiences of decision making around transfer in labour.Ethics approval was obtained from the NZ National Ethics Committee. Objective: to explore midwives' decision making processes when making transfer decisions for slow labour progress from rural areas to specialist care. Design: individual and group interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of rural midwives. The recalled decision processes of the midwives were subjected to a content and thematic analysis to expose experiences in common and to highlight aspects of probabilistic (normative), heuristic (behavioural), and group decision making theory within the rural context. Setting: New Zealand. Participants: 15 midwives who provided LMC services to women in their rural areas. Findings: 'making the mind shift', 'sitting on the boundary', 'timing the transfer' and 'the community interest' emerged as key themes. The decision processes were also influenced by the woman[U+05F3]s preferences and the distance and time involved in the transfer. Key conclusions and implications for practice: the findings contribute insights into the challenge of making transfer decisions in rural units; particularly for otherwise well women who were experiencing slow labour progress. Knowledge of the fallibility of our heuristic decision making strategies may encourage the practitioner to step back and take a more deliberative, probabilistic view of the situation. In addition to the clinical picture, this process should include the relational and aspirational aspects for the woman, and any logistical challenges of the particular rural context
Hydrogenic Spin Quantum Computing in Silicon: A Digital Approach
We suggest an architecture for quantum computing with spin-pair encoded
qubits in silicon. Electron-nuclear spin-pairs are controlled by a dc magnetic
field and electrode-switched on and off hyperfine interaction. This digital
processing is insensitive to tuning errors and easy to model. Electron
shuttling between donors enables multi-qubit logic. These hydrogenic spin
qubits are transferable to nuclear spin-pairs, which have long coherence times,
and electron spin-pairs, which are ideally suited for measurement and
initialization. The architecture is scalable to highly parallel operation.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures; refereed and published version with improved
introductio
NICMOS Observations of the Pre-Main-Sequence Planetary Debris System HD 98800
Spectral energy distributions (SEDs) from 0.4 to 4.7 microns are presented
for the two principal stellar components of HD~98800, A and B. The third major
component, an extensive planetary debris system (PDS), emits > 20% of the
luminosity of star B in a blackbody SED at 164 +/- 5K extending from mid-IR to
millimeter-wavelengths. At 0.95 microns a preliminary upper limit of < 0.06 is
obtained for the ratio of reflected light to the total from star B. This result
limits the albedo of the PDS to < 0.3. Values are presented for the
temperature, luminosity, and radius of each major systemic component.
Remarkable similarities are found between the PDS and the interplanetary debris
system around the Sun as it could have appeared a few million years after its
formation.Comment: LaTeX, 9 pages with 1 encapsulated postscript figure and one
specially formatted Table which is rendered as a postscript file and included
as a figure. Accepted for publication in Astrophysical Journal Letter
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