548 research outputs found
Charged rho meson production in neutrino-induced reactions at E_nu = 10 GeV
The neutrinoproduction of charged mesons on nuclei and nucleons is
investigated for the first time at moderate energies ( 10
GeV), using the date obtained with SKAT bubble chamber. No strong nuclear
effects are observed in and production. The fractions of
charged and neutral pions originating from decays are obtained and
compared with higher energy data. From analysis of the obtained and available
data on and (892) neutrinoproduction, the strangeness
suppression factor in the quark string fragmentation is extracted: . Estimations are obtained for cross sections of quasiexclusive
single and coherent neutrinoproduction on nuclei. The
estimated coherent cross section = (0.29 cm is compatible with theoretical predictions.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figure
Biomechanical Simulation of Electrode Migration for Deep Brain Stimulation
International audienceDeep Brain Stimulation is a modern surgical technique for treating patients who suffer from affective or motion disorders such as Parkinson's disease. The efficiency of the procedure relies heavily on the accuracy of the placement of a micro-electrode which sends electrical pulses to a specific part of the brain that controls motion and affective symptoms. However, targeting this small anatomical structure is rendered difficult due to a series of brain shifts that take place during and after the procedure. This paper introduces a biomechanical simulation of the intra and postoperative stages of the procedure in order to determine lead deformation and electrode migration due to brain shift. To achieve this goal, we propose a global approach, which accounts for brain deformation but also for the numerous interactions that take place during the procedure (contacts between the brain and the inner part of the skull and falx cerebri, effect of the cerebro-spinal fluid, and biomechanical interactions between the brain and the electrodes and cannula used during the procedure). Preliminary results show a good correlation between our simulations and various results reported in the literature
The Lifelines Cohort Study:a data source available for studying informal caregivers’ experiences and the outcomes of informal caregiving
Background Informal care is taking an increasingly important role in our health care system, and an improvement in our understanding of caregiving experiences and outcomes has become more relevant. The Lifelines informal care add-on study (Lifelines ICAS) was initiated within the Lifelines Cohort Study to cover the large heterogeneity in the caregiver population and to investigate the complex interplay among the characteristics of the caregiver, care recipient, and care situation and positive and negative caregiver outcomes. In this paper, we discuss the study design and data collection procedures of Lifelines ICAS, provide a detailed overview of its measures, and describe the caregiver study population. Methods Lifelines participants who participated in the 2nd Lifelines follow-up questionnaire were asked whether they provided informal care. Subsequently, they were invited to participate in Lifelines ICAS. Descriptive statistics were used to describe all informal caregivers in the 2nd Lifelines follow-up questionnaire and to describe the subsample of informal caregivers participating in Lifelines ICAS. Results A total of 11,651 Lifelines participants were self-identified as an informal caregiver and provided basic information about their care situation. A subsample of 965 informal caregivers participated in Lifelines ICAS and completed a comprehensive questionnaire about their care situation. In this subsample, the average age of caregivers was 53 years (SD 9.8), 75% were female, and 56% cared for a parent (in-law). Care recipients were on average 68 years old (SD 23.5), and 64% were female. Discussion Considering that informal caregivers are a huge resource for our health care system, Lifelines ICAS enables the study of differences among caregivers, care recipients, and care situations, as well as the study of common characteristics and features across caregiver groups. Notably, data from the Lifelines Cohort Study and Lifelines ICAS are available to all researchers on a fee-for-service basis, and Lifelines ICAS data may be enhanced by one or more follow-up measurements or linkages with other data sources
A voxelized immersed boundary (VIB) finite element method for accurate and efficient blood flow simulation
We present an efficient and accurate immersed boundary (IB) finite element
(FE) method for internal flow problems with complex geometries (e.g., blood
flow in the vascular system). In this study, we use a voxelized flow domain
(discretized with hexahedral and tetrahedral elements) instead of a box domain,
which is frequently used in IB methods. The proposed method utilizes the
well-established incremental pressure correction scheme (IPCS) FE solver, and
the boundary condition-enforced IB (BCE-IB) method to numerically solve the
transient, incompressible Navier--Stokes flow equations. We verify the accuracy
of our numerical method using the analytical solution for the Poiseuille flow
in a cylinder, and the available experimental data (laser Doppler velocimetry)
for the flow in a three-dimensional 90{\deg} angle tube bend. We further
examine the accuracy and applicability of the proposed method by considering
flow within complex geometries, such as blood flow in aneurysmal vessels and
the aorta, flow configurations that would otherwise be difficult to solve by
most IB methods. Our method offers high accuracy, as demonstrated by the
verification examples, and high applicability, as demonstrated through the
solution of blood flow within complex geometry. The proposed method is
efficient, since it is as fast as the traditional finite element method used to
solve the Navier--Stokes flow equations, with a small overhead (not more than
5) due to the numerical solution of a linear system formulated for the IB
method.Comment: arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:2007.0208
Simultaneous X-Ray and TeV Gamma-Ray Observations of the TeV Blazar Markarian 421 during February and May 2000
In this paper we present the results of simultaneous observations of the TeV
blazar Markarian 421 (Mrk 421) at X-ray and TeV Gamma-ray energies with the
Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) and the stereoscopic Cherenkov Telescope
system of the HEGRA (High Energy Gamma Ray Astronomy) experiment, respectively.
The source was monitored from February 2nd to February 16th and from May 3rd to
May 8th, 2000. We discuss in detail the temporal and spectral properties of the
source. Remarkably, the TeV observations of February 7th/8th showed
statistically significant evidence for substantial TeV flux variability on 30
min time scale. We show the results of modeling the data with a time dependent
homogeneous Synchrotron Self-Compton (SSC) model. The X-ray and TeV gamma-ray
emission strengths and energy spectra together with the rapid flux variability
strongly suggest that the emission volume is approaching the observer with a
Doppler factor of 50 or higher. The different flux variability time scales
observed at X-rays and TeV Gamma-rays indicate that a more detailed analysis
will require inhomogeneous models with several emission zones.Comment: Accepted for Publication in ApJ, 21 Pages, 5 Figure
Nuclear Attenuation of Fast Hadrons Produced in Charged-Current Neutrino and Antineutrino Interactions in Neon
The production of hadrons in charged-current (anti)neutrino interactions is
studied with the bubble chamber BEBC exposed ot the CERN (anti)neutrino
wide-band beam. Fast-hadron production in a neon target is found to be
attennuated as compared to that in a hydrogen target. This feature is discussed
within the theoretical models based on the idea of a hadron formation length.
The experimental results favour the `constituent' over the `yo-yo' length
concept, and suggest a quark cross-section in the order of 3mb.Comment: 14 pages + 7 figures, ps fil
Rejection of the hypothesis that Markarian 501 TeV photons are pure Bose-Einstein condensates
The energy spectrum of the Blazar type galaxy Markarian 501 (Mrk 501) as
measured by the High-Energy-Gamma-Ray Astronomy (HEGRA) air Cerenkov telescopes
extends beyond 16 TeV and constitutes the most energetic photons observed from
an extragalactic object. A fraction of the emitted spectrum is possibly
absorbed in interactions with low energy photons of the diffuse extragalactic
infrared radiation, which in turn offers the unique possibility to measure the
diffuse infrared radiation density by TeV spectroscopy. The upper limit on the
density of the extragalactic infrared radiation derived from the TeV
observations imposes constraints on models of galaxy formation and stellar
evolution. One of the recently published ideas to overcome severe absorption of
TeV photons is based upon the assumption that sources like Mrk 501 could
produce Bose-Einstein condensates of coherent photons. The condensates would
have a higher survival probability during the transport in the diffuse
radiation field and could mimic TeV air shower events. The powerful
stereoscopic technique of the HEGRA air Cerenkov telescopes allows to test this
hypothesis by reconstructing the penetration depths of TeV air shower events:
Air showers initiated by Bose-Einstein condensates are expected to reach the
maximum of the shower development in the atmosphere earlier than single photon
events. By comparing the energy-dependent penetration depths of TeV photons
from Mrk 501 with those from the TeV standard-candle Crab Nebula and simulated
air shower events, we can reject the hypothesis that TeV photons from Mrk 501
are pure Bose-Einstein condensates.Comment: 9 pages, 2 figures, published by ApJ Letters, revised version
(simulation results added
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