8,060 research outputs found
Three-dimensional foot shape analysis in children : a pilot analysis using three-dimensional shape descriptors
Existing clinical measures to describe foot morphology are limited in that they are commonly two-dimensional, low in resolution and accuracy, and do not accurately represent the multi-planar and complex changes during development across childhood. Using three-dimensional (3D) scanner technology provides the opportunity to understand more about morphological changes throughout childhood with higher resolution and potentially more relevant 3D shape measures. This is important to advance the prevailing arguments about the typical development of children's feet and inform the development of appropriate clinical measures. 3D shape descriptors derived from 3D scanning can be used to quantify changes in shape at each point of the 3D surface. The aim of this study was to determine whether 3D shape descriptors derived from 3D scanning data can identify differences in foot morphology between children of different ages. Fifteen children were recruited from three age groups (2, 5, and 7 years of age). Both feet were scanned in bipedal stance, using the Artec Eva (Artec Group, Luxembourg, Luxembourg) hand-held scanner. Three dimensional shape descriptors were extracted from the 3D scans of the right foot, to create histograms for each age group and heat maps of representative participants for comparison. There were changes to the dorsal, medial and lateral surfaces of the feet with age. The surfaces became less round along with an increase in indented areas. This is supported by the heat maps which demonstrated that the surfaces of the anatomical landmarks (e.g. the malleoli and navicular tuberosity) became more rounded and protruding, with indented surfaces appearing around these landmarks. On the plantar surface, the concavity of the midfoot was evident and this concavity extended into the midfoot from the medial aspect as age increased. The findings of this study indicated that with increasing age the foot becomes thinner in 3D, with bony architecture emerging, and the medial longitudinal arch (MLA) increases in area and concavity. Three-dimensional shape descriptors have shown good potential for locating and quantifying changes in foot structure across childhood. Three-dimensional shape descriptor data will be beneficial for understanding more about foot development and quantifying changes over time
Positively charged magneto-excitons in a semiconductor quantum well
A variational calculation of the lower singlet and triplet states of
positively charged excitons (trions) confined to a single quantum well and in
the presence of a perpendicular magnetic field is presented. We study the
dependence of the energy levels and of the binding energy on the well width and
on the magnetic field strength. Our results are compared with the available
experimental data and show a good qualitative and quantitative agreement. A
singlet-triplet crossing is found which for a 200 \AA wide GaAs is predicted to
occur for B = 15 T.Comment: 5 figs. Submitted to PR
Information Length and Localization in One Dimension
The scaling properties of the wave functions in finite samples of the one
dimensional Anderson model are analyzed. The states have been characterized
using a new form of the information or entropic length, and compared with
analytical results obtained by assuming an exponential envelope function. A
perfect agreement is obtained already for systems of -- sites over
a very wide range of disorder parameter . Implications for
higher dimensions are also presented.Comment: 11 pages (+3 Figures upon request), Plain TE
Occupation probability of harmonic-oscillator quanta for microscopic cluster-model wave functions
We present a new and simple method of calculating the occupation probability
of the number of total harmonic-oscillator quanta for a microscopic
cluster-model wave function. Examples of applications are given to the recent
calculations including -model for He, -model for
Li, and -model for Be as well as the classical
calculations of -model for Li and -model
for C. The analysis is found to be useful for quantifying the amount of
excitations across the major shell as well as the degree of clustering. The
origin of the antistretching effect is discussed.Comment: 9 page
Determination of the heat transfer coefficient between bulk medium and packed containers in a batch retort
The external heat transfer coefficient in steam retort processing was determined experimentally in a pilot scale retort. The heat
transfer equations were solved applying finite elements and using the actual retort temperature profile as boundary condition. The
instantaneous values of the heat transfer coe cient were determined, to analyse its time-variability along a retort cycle. It was found
that reliable results for the external heat transfer coefficient at time t could be obtained from the derivatives of the average heat
transfer coefficient calculated between time zero and time t. The results showed a sharp increase of the heat transfer coe cient in the
earlier times of heating (up to 4±5 min of processing), followed by a slightly increasing pattern during the remaining heating period.
Using average heat transfer coe cients for the heating phase (and for the cooling phase) also resulted in quite accurate estimates of
the temperature at the geometric centre of a can. The influence of the two average heat transfer coe cients, heating and cooling, on
the lethality was studied by building a response surface. It was concluded that the variability of the coe cient during heating has a
greater impact, especially in the range 150±260 W/m2 K
Optimized generation of spatial qudits by using a pure phase spatial light modulator
We present a method for preparing arbitrary pure states of spatial qudits,
namely, D-dimensional (D > 2) quantum systems carrying information in the
transverse momentum and position of single photons. For this purpose, a set of
D slits with complex transmission are displayed on a spatial light modulator
(SLM). In a recent work we have shown a method that requires a single
phase-only SLM to control independently the complex coefficients which define
the quantum state of dimension D. The amplitude information was codified by
introducing phase gratings inside each slit and the phase value of the complex
transmission was added to the phase gratings. After a spatial filtering process
we obtained in the image plane the desired qudit state. Although this method
has proven to be a good alternative to compact the previously reported
architectures, it presents some features that could be improved. In this paper
we present an alternative scheme to codify the required phase values that
minimizes the effects of temporal phase fluctuations associated to the SLM
where the codification is carried on. In this scheme the amplitudes are set by
appropriate phase gratings addressed at the SLM while the relative phases are
obtained by a lateral displacement of these phase gratings. We show that this
method improves the quality of the prepared state and provides very high
fidelities of preparation for any state. An additional advantage of this scheme
is that a complete 2\pi modulation is obtained by shifting the grating by one
period, and hence the encoding is not limited by the phase modulation range
achieved by the SLM. Numerical simulations, that take into account the phase
fluctuations, show high fidelities for thousands of qubit states covering the
whole Bloch sphere surface. Similar analysis are performed for qudits with D =
3 and D = 7.Comment: 12 pages, 7 figure
Conditional purity and quantum correlation measures in two qubit mixed states
We analyze and show experimental results of the conditional purity, the
quantum discord and other related measures of quantum correlation in mixed
two-qubit states constructed from a pair of photons in identical polarization
states. The considered states are relevant for the description of spin pair
states in interacting spin chains in a transverse magnetic field. We derive
clean analytical expressions for the conditional local purity and other
correlation measures obtained as a result of a remote local projective
measurement, which are fully verified by the experimental results. A simple
exact expression for the quantum discord of these states in terms of the
maximum conditional purity is also derived.Comment: 16 pages, 5 figures, minor changes, to be published in J. Phys.
Lytic and mechanical stability of clots composed of fibrin and blood vessel wall components.
Background
Proteases expressed in atherosclerotic plaque lesions generate collagen fragments, release glycosaminoglycans (chondroitin sulfate [CS] and dermatan sulfate [DS]) and expose extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins (e.g. decorin) at sites of fibrin formation.
Objective
Here we address the effect of these vessel wall components on the lysis of fibrin by the tissue plasminogen activator (tPA)/plasminogen system and on the mechanical stability of clots.
Methods and results
MMP-8-digested collagen fragments, isolated CS, DS, glycosylated decorin and its core protein were used to prepare mixed matrices with fibrin (additives present at a 50-fold lower mass concentration than fibrinogen). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that the presence of ECM components resulted in a coarse fibrin structure, most pronounced for glycosylated decorin causing an increase in the median fiber diameter from 85 to 187 nm. Rheological measurements indicated that these structural alterations were coupled to decreased shear resistance (1.8-fold lower shear stress needed for gel/fluid transition of the clots containing glycosylated decorin) and rigidity (reduction of the storage modulus from 54.3 to 33.2 Pa). The lytic susceptibility of the modified fibrin structures was increased. The time to 50% lysis by plasmin was reduced approximately 2-fold for all investigated ECM components (apart from the core protein of decorin which produced a moderate reduction of the lysis time by 25%), whereas fibrin-dependent plasminogen activation by tPA was inhibited by up to 30%.
Conclusion
ECM components compromise the chemical and mechanical stability of fibrin as a result of changes in its ultrastructure
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