1,685 research outputs found
Allostatic load and pain severity in older adults:Results from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing
Pain is common in older adults, is frequently experienced as stressful, and is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Stress regulatory systems are adaptive to challenge and change, allostasis, until demands exceed the adaptive capacity contributing to dysregulation, resulting in a high allostatic load. A high allostatic load is associated with increased risk of morbidity and mortality. Pain severity, based on the average intensity of frequent pain, was hypothesized to be positively associated with AL. Four formulations of AL were investigated. Cross-sectional data from Wave 4 (2008-2009) of the English Longitudinal Study of Aging (ELSA) were analyzed. Covariates in the model included age, sex, education, smoking status, alcohol consumption, activity level, depression and common comorbid health conditions. A total of 5341 individuals were included; mean age 65.3(±9.2) years, 55% female, 62.4% infrequent or no pain, 12.6% mild pain, 19.1% moderate pain, and 5.9% severe pain. Severe pain was associated with greater AL defined by all four formulations. The amount of variance explained by pain severity and the covariates was highest when allostatic load was defined by the high risk quartile (12.9%) and by the clinical value (11.7%). Findings indicate a positive relationship between pain severity and AL. Further investigation is needed to determine if there is a specific AL signature for pain that differs from other health conditions
Radiation hardness of CMS pixel barrel modules
Pixel detectors are used in the innermost part of the multi purpose
experiments at LHC and are therefore exposed to the highest fluences of
ionising radiation, which in this part of the detectors consists mainly of
charged pions. The radiation hardness of all detector components has thoroughly
been tested up to the fluences expected at the LHC. In case of an LHC upgrade,
the fluence will be much higher and it is not yet clear how long the present
pixel modules will stay operative in such a harsh environment. The aim of this
study was to establish such a limit as a benchmark for other possible detector
concepts considered for the upgrade.
As the sensors and the readout chip are the parts most sensitive to radiation
damage, samples consisting of a small pixel sensor bump-bonded to a CMS-readout
chip (PSI46V2.1) have been irradiated with positive 200 MeV pions at PSI up to
6E14 Neq and with 21 GeV protons at CERN up to 5E15 Neq.
After irradiation the response of the system to beta particles from a Sr-90
source was measured to characterise the charge collection efficiency of the
sensor. Radiation induced changes in the readout chip were also measured. The
results show that the present pixel modules can be expected to be still
operational after a fluence of 2.8E15 Neq. Samples irradiated up to 5E15 Neq
still see the beta particles. However, further tests are needed to confirm
whether a stable operation with high particle detection efficiency is possible
after such a high fluence.Comment: Contribution to the 11th European Symposium on Semiconductor
Detectors June 7-11, 2009 Wildbad Kreuth, German
Two mini-band model for self-sustained oscillations of the current through resonant tunneling semiconductor superlattices
A two miniband model for electron transport in semiconductor superlattices
that includes scattering and interminiband tunnelling is proposed. The model is
formulated in terms of Wigner functions in a basis spanned by Pauli matrices,
includes electron-electron scattering in the Hartree approximation and modified
Bhatnagar-Gross-Krook collision tems. For strong applied fields, balance
equations for the electric field and the miniband populations are derived using
a Chapman-Enskog perturbation technique. These equations are then solved
numerically for a dc voltage biased superlattice. Results include
self-sustained current oscillations due to repeated nucleation of electric
field pulses at the injecting contact region and their motion towards the
collector. Numerical reconstruction of the Wigner functions shows that the
miniband with higher energy is empty during most of the oscillation period: it
becomes populated only when the local electric field (corresponding to the
passing pulse) is sufficiently large to trigger resonant tunneling.Comment: 26 pages, 3 figures, to appear in Phys. Rev.
ISOCAM observations of the L1551 star formation region
The results of a deep mid-IR ISOCAM survey of the L1551 dark molecular cloud
are presented. The aim of this survey is a search for new YSO (Young Stellar
Object) candidates, using two broad-band filters centred at 6.7 and 14.3
micron. Although two regions close to the centre of L1551 had to be avoided due
to saturation problems, 96 sources were detected in total (76 sources at 6.7
micron and 44 sources at 14.3 micron). Using the 24 sources detected in both
filters, 14 were found to have intrinsic mid-IR excess at 14.3 micron and were
therefore classified as YSO candidates. Using additional observations in B, V,
I, J, H and K obtained from the ground, most candidates detected at these
wavelengths were confirmed to have mid-IR excess at 6.7 micron as well, and
three additional YSO candidates were found. Prior to this survey only three
YSOs were known in the observed region (avoiding L1551 IRS5/NE and HL/XZ Tau).
This survey reveals 15 new YSO candidates, although several of these are
uncertain due to their extended nature either in the mid-IR or in the
optical/near-IR observations. Two of the sources with mid-IR excess are
previously known YSOs, one is a brown dwarf MHO 5 and the other is the well
known T Tauri star HH30, consisting of an outflow and an optically thick disk
seen edge on.Comment: 14 Pages, 8 Figure
Anisotropic magnetization, critical temperature, and paramagnetic Curie temperature in the highly anisotropic magnetic Heusler compound Rh<sub>2</sub>CoSb
The paramagnetic Curie temperature theta(p) is a concept that describes the magnetic ordering temperature in the well-established Curie-Weiss law. Despite the successful explanations of the magnetic behavior, the anisotropy is not usually considered. Although anisotropic theta(p) has been reported for several layered antiferromagnetic or ferrimagnetic materials owing to the orientation-dependent exchange, in ferromagnetic systems, theta(p) was thought to be almost isotropic for decades, and the occasionally reported small difference has remained unexplained. In this paper, we experimentally report the anisotropic magnetization, critical temperature, and paramagnetic Curie temperature in highly anisotropic magnetic Rh2CoSb caused by a large magnetocrystalline anisotropy. The saturation magnetization along the c axis is 25% larger than that along the a axis. The critical temperature and paramagnetic Curie temperature along the c axis are 6 and 15 K higher than those along the a axis, respectively, as deduced from the Arrott plots and inverse susceptibility. A simple modification of the Curie-Weiss law was made to calculate the anisotropic theta(p), which well explains not only Rh2CoSb, but also many other previously reported ferromagnetic materials
ISOCAM observations of the rho Ophiuchi cloud: Luminosity and mass functions of the pre-main sequence embedded cluster
We present the results of the first extensive mid-infrared (IR) imaging
survey of the rho Ophiuchi embedded cluster, performed with the ISOCAM camera
on board the ISO satellite. The main molecular cloud L1688, as well as L1689N
and L1689S, have been completely surveyed for point sources at 6.7 and 14.3
micron. A total of 425 sources are detected including 16 Class I, 123 Class II,
and 77 Class III young stellar objects (YSOs). Essentially all of the mid-IR
sources coincide with near-IR sources, but a large proportion of them are
recognized for the first time as YSOs. Our dual-wavelength survey allows us to
identify essentially all the YSOs with IR excess in the embedded cluster down
to Fnu ~ 10 - 15 mJy. It more than doubles the known population of Class II
YSOs and represents the most complete census to date of newly formed stars in
the rho Ophiuchi central region. The stellar luminosity function of the
complete sample of Class II YSOs is derived with a good accuracy down to L=
0.03 Lsun. A modeling of this lumino- sity function, using available pre-main
sequence tracks and plausible star for- mation histories, allows us to derive
the mass distribution of the Class II YSOs which arguably reflects the IMF of
the embedded cluster. We estimate that the IMF in rho Ophiuchi is well
described by a two-component power law with a low- mass index of -0.35+/-0.25,
a high-mass index of -1.7 (to be compared with the Salpeter value of -1.35),
and a break occurring at M = 0.55+/-0.25 Msun. This IMF is flat with no
evidence for a low-mass cutoff down to at least 0.06 Msun.Comment: A&A Document Class -- version 5.01, 27 pages, 10 figures v2: typos
added including few changes in source numberin
Aram Chaos: a Long Lived Subsurface Aqueous Environment with Strong Water Resources Potential for Human Missions on Mars
Aram Chaos, Mars is a crater 280 kilometers in diameter with elevations circa. minus 2 to minus 3 kilometers below datum that provides a compelling landing site for future human explorers as it features multiple scientific regions of interest (ROI) paired with a rich extensible Resource ROI that features poly-hydrated sulfates [1]. The geologic history of Aram Chaos suggests several past episodes of groundwater recharge and infilling by liquid water, ice, and other materials [1-3]. The creation of the fractured region with no known terrestrial equivalent may have been caused by melting of deep ice reservoirs that triggered the collapse of terrain followed by catastrophic water outflows over the region. Aram Chaos is of particular scientific interest because it is hypothesized that the chaotic terrain may be the source of water that contributed to the creation of nearby valleys such as Ares Vallis flowing toward Chryse Planitia. The liquid water was likely sourced as groundwater and therefore represents water derived from a protected subsurface environment making it a compelling astrobiological site [2]. The past history of water is also represented by high concentrations of hematite, Fe-oxyhydroxides, mono-hydrated and poly-hydrated sulfates [1, 2]. Poly-hydrated sulfates are likely to contain abundant water that evolves at temperatures below 500 degrees Centigrade thus conferring Aram Chaos a potentially high value for early in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) [4]. The geologic history also calls for future prospecting of deep ice deposits and possibly liquid water via deep drilling. The most recent stratigraphic units in the central part of Aram Chaos are not fractured, and are part of a dome-shaped formation that features bright, poorly-consolidated material that contains both hydrated sulfates and ferric oxides according to OMEGA (Observatoire pour la Minralogie, l'Eau, les Glaces et l'Activit) data [5]. These surface material characteristics are preliminary indications of their potential use in civil engineering activities that involve regolith moving and hauling, while further study is needed to assess traverse-ability challenges. The widespread distribution of sulfates is also of interest as a resource for the use of sulfur as a binding compound in regolith-based concrete for constructions. The terrain depressions caused by the rock fracturing events may challenge surface mobility but also suggest the possibility of using such natural features for additional shielding from space radiation and as emplacement of nuclear surface power reactors for the same reason. The high concentration of hematite (up to 16 percent) in some of the smoother recent terrains of the central part of Aram Chaos [2] is a favorable attribute for metal extraction ISRU to create iron-based feedstock for in-situ fabrication of replacement parts or their repairs. Preliminary data on Aram Chaos indicate that it offers a combination of many critical criteria for human missions to the surface of Mars: equatorial region at low Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA), evidence of hydrated minerals over large areas and at high concentrations tied to historic evidence of liquid water over long periods
Crystal structure and phonon softening in Ca3Ir4Sn13
We investigated the crystal structure and lattice excitations of the ternary
intermetallic stannide Ca3Ir4Sn13 using neutron and x-ray scattering
techniques. For T > T* ~ 38 K the x-ray diffraction data can be satisfactorily
refined using the space group Pm-3n. Below T* the crystal structure is
modulated with a propagation vector of q = (1/2, 1/2, 0). This may arise from a
merohedral twinning in which three tetragonal domains overlap to mimic a higher
symmetry, or from a doubling of the cubic unit cell. Neutron diffraction and
neutron spectroscopy results show that the structural transition at T* is of a
second-order, and that it is well described by mean-field theory. Inelastic
neutron scattering data point towards a displacive structural transition at T*
arising from the softening of a low-energy phonon mode with an energy gap of
Delta(120 K) = 1.05 meV. Using density functional theory the soft phonon mode
is identified as a 'breathing' mode of the Sn12 icosahedra and is consistent
with the thermal ellipsoids of the Sn2 atoms found by single crystal
diffraction data
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