2,062 research outputs found
Cumulant expansion for phonon contributions to the electron spectral function
We describe an approach for calculations of phonon contributions to the
electron spectral function, including both quasiparticle properties and
satellites. The method is based on a cumulant expansion for the retarded
one-electron Green's function and a many-pole model for the electron
self-energy. The electron-phonon couplings are calculated from the Eliashberg
functions, and the phonon density of states is obtained from a Lanczos
representation of the phonon Green's function. Our calculations incorporate ab
initio dynamical matrices and electron-phonon couplings from the density
functional theory code ABINIT. Illustrative results are presented for several
elemental metals and for Einstein and Debye models with a range of coupling
constants. These are compared with experiment and other theoretical models.
Estimates of corrections to Migdal's theorem are obtained by comparing with
leading order contributions to the self-energy, and are found to be significant
only for large electron-phonon couplings at low temperatures
South Pole Telescope Software Systems: Control, Monitoring, and Data Acquisition
We present the software system used to control and operate the South Pole Telescope. The South Pole Telescope is a 10-meter millimeter-wavelength telescope designed to measure anisotropies in the cosmic microwave background (CMB) at arcminute angular resolution. In the austral summer of 2011/12, the SPT was equipped with a new polarization-sensitive camera, which consists of 1536 transition-edge sensor bolometers. The bolometers are read out using 36 independent digital frequency multiplexing (DfMux) readout boards, each with its own embedded processors. These autonomous boards control and read out data from the focal plane with on-board software and firmware. An overall control software system running on a separate control computer controls the DfMux boards, the cryostat and all other aspects of telescope operation. This control software collects and monitors data in real-time, and stores the data to disk for transfer to the United States for analysis
Suppression of carrier induced ferromagnetism by composition and spin fluctuations in diluted magnetic semiconductors
We suggest an approach to account for spatial (composition) and thermal
fluctuations in "disordered" magnetic models (e.g. Heisenberg, Ising) with
given spatial dependence of magnetic spin-spin interaction. Our approach is
based on introduction of fluctuating molecular field (rather than mean field)
acting between the spins. The distribution function of the above field is
derived self-consistently. In general case this function is not Gaussian,
latter asymptotics occurs only at sufficiently large spins (magnetic ions)
concentrations . Our approach permits to derive the equation for a
critical temperature of ferromagnetic phase transition with respect to
the above fluctuations. We apply our theory to the analysis of influence of
composition fluctuations on in diluted magnetic semiconductors (DMS) with
RKKY indirect spin-spin interaction.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figure
Missed opportunities for ovarian salvage in children: an 8-year review of surgically managed ovarian lesions at a tertiary pediatric surgery centre
INTRODUCTION: The aetiology and management of ovarian pathology in children differs between antenatal and postnatal lesions. However, all lesions may present acutely due to adnexal torsion. In this setting, opportunities to preserve fertility with ovary-sparing surgery (OSS) may be missed. Some studies suggest that pediatric and adolescent gynaecology (PAG) input in care is associated with OSS. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study of children undergoing surgery for ovarian pathology at a tertiary pediatric surgery centre over an 8-year period (2011-2018). Patient factors, lesion characteristics and PAG involvement were examined for association with OSS using multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS: Thirty-five patients with ovarian pathology managed surgically were included. Ten were infants with lesions detected antenatally; all were managed by pediatric surgeons (PS) alone at median age 2Â weeks (1Â day-25Â weeks). Twenty-five patients presented postnatally at median age 11 (0.75-15)Â years. In total, there were 16 cases of adnexal torsion, each managed primarily by PS. Twelve underwent oophorectomy and six (50%) of these cases had viable ovarian tissue on histology. Furthermore, two infants with large simple cysts were similarly managed by unnecessary oophorectomy based on histology. Overall rate of OSS was 46% and PAG involvement was the only factor associated with ovarian salvage. CONCLUSION: Differences in surgical management between PAGs and PS may be attributable to the different patient populations they serve. We recommend improving the knowledge of PS trainees in OSS approaches for adnexal torsion and large benign lesions
A Measurement of the Cosmic Microwave Background Damping Tail from the 2500-Square-Degree SPT-SZ Survey
We present a measurement of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) temperature power spectrum using data from the recently completed South Pole Telescope Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SPT-SZ) survey. This measurement is made from observations of 2540 deg^2 of sky with arcminute resolution at 150 GHz, and improves upon previous measurements using the SPT by tripling the sky area. We report CMB temperature anisotropy power over the multipole range 650 < ℓ < 3000. We fit the SPT bandpowers, combined with the 7 yr Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP7) data, with a six-parameter ΛCDM cosmological model and find that the two datasets are consistent and well fit by the model. Adding SPT measurements significantly improves ΛCDM parameter constraints; in particular, the constraint on θ_s tightens by a factor of 2.7. The impact of gravitational lensing is detected at 8.1σ, the most significant detection to date. This sensitivity of the SPT+WMAP7 data to lensing by large-scale structure at low redshifts allows us to constrain the mean curvature of the observable universe with CMB data alone to be Ω_k=-0.003^(+0.014)_(-0.018). Using the SPT+WMAP7 data, we measure the spectral index of scalar fluctuations to be n_s = 0.9623 ± 0.0097 in the ΛCDM model, a 3.9σ preference for a scale-dependent spectrum with n_s < 1. The SPT measurement of the CMB damping tail helps break the degeneracy that exists between the tensor-to-scalar ratio r and n_s in large-scale CMB measurements, leading to an upper limit of r < 0.18 (95% C.L.) in the ΛCDM+r model. Adding low-redshift measurements of the Hubble constant (H_0) and the baryon acoustic oscillation (BAO) feature to the SPT+WMAP7 data leads to further improvements. The combination of SPT+WMAP7+H_0+BAO constrains n_s = 0.9538 ± 0.0081 in the ΛCDM model, a 5.7σ detection of n_s < 1, and places an upper limit of r < 0.11 (95% C.L.) in the ΛCDM+r model. These new constraints on n_s and r have significant implications for our understanding of inflation, which we discuss in the context of selected single-field inflation models
Determining Human Development Competency Training Needs of FCS Extension Professionals
Extension agents with Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) programmatic responsibilities come from a variety of backgrounds but are expected to implement educational programs across FCS knowledge areas. This study examined [state] University Extension personnel’s perceived importance of and perceived ability related to human development competencies. There was a significant difference between how specialists (state-level) and agents (county-level) perceived the importance of three of the five human development concepts. Most agents’ perceived their ability across the human development competencies to be average or just above average. Using the perceived importance and perceived ability data from the agents, next steps include piloting a novel rank-order method which will yield data concerning the relative need for training and the percent of agents needing training in each competency. This information can be used to provide targeted professional development to agents
Assessment of sweep net and suction sampling for evaluating pest insect populations in hay alfalfa
Insect populations in alfalfa grown for hay can be sampled using several methods. However, in a pest management program a relatively easy, quick, and reliable method of sampling is essential for making effective pest control decisions. A study was conducted to determine if two different sampling methods, sweepnet sampling and suction sampling, led to similar pest control decisions. Differences between sweepnet and D-Vac insect population estimates varied over sampling dates and years and were dependent on the insect species, their developmental stages, and abiotic factors. Our results indicate that, for many sampling dates, decisions on control of some pest insects would be similar for the two sampling methods.Keywords: Insecta; Medicago sativa; alfalfa weevil; pea aph
Population synthesis of radio and gamma-ray millisecond pulsars from the Galactic disk
We present results of a population synthesis of millisecond pulsars from the
Galactic disk. Excluding globular clusters, we model the spatial distribution
of millisecond pulsars by assuming their birth in the Galactic disk with a
random kick velocity and evolve them to the present within the Galactic
potential. We assume that normal and millisecond pulsars are standard candles
described with a common radio luminosity model that invokes a new relationship
between radio core and cone emission suggested by recent studies. In modeling
the radio emission beams, we explore the relativistic effects of time delay,
aberration and sweepback of the open field lines. While these effects are
essential in understanding pulse profiles, the phase-averaged flux is
adequately described without a relativistic model. We use a polar cap
acceleration model for the gamma-ray emission. We present the preliminary
results of our recent study and the implications for observing millisecond
pulsars with GLAST and AGILE.Comment: 38 pages, 10 figures, accepted in ApJ - new versio
Ac Stark Effects and Harmonic Generation in Periodic Potentials
The ac Stark effect can shift initially nonresonant minibands in
semiconductor superlattices into multiphoton resonances. This effect can result
in strongly enhanced generation of a particular desired harmonic of the driving
laser frequency, at isolated values of the amplitude.Comment: RevTeX, 10 pages (4 figures available on request), Preprint
UCSBTH-93-2
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