Kaleidoscopic light feedback for television systems

Technique generates special effects for broadcast television to study effects of light feedback on television systems. Signals are produced for tape recording, broadcasting, or displaying on black-and-white or color monitors. The patterns have from three to eight sides and expand, contract, or rotate at various speeds

Instrument for measuring potentials on two dimensional electric field plots Patent

Instrument for measuring potentials on two dimensional electric field plo

A time dependent relation between EUV solar flare light-curves from lines with differing formation temperatures

Extreme ultraviolet (EUV) solar flare emissions evolve in time as the emitting plasma heats and then cools. Although accurately modeling this evolution has been historically difficult, especially for empirical relationships, it is important for understanding processes at the Sun, as well as for their influence on planetary atmospheres. With a goal to improve empirical flare models, a new simple empirical expression is derived to predict how cool emissions will evolve based on the evolution of a hotter emission. This technique is initially developed by studying 12 flares in detail observed by the EUV Variability Experiment (EVE) onboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). Then, over 1100 flares observed by EVE are analyzed to validate these relationships. The Cargill and Enthalpy Based Thermal Evolution of Loops (EBTEL) flare cooling models are used to show that this empirical relationship implies the energy radiated by a population of hotter formed ions is approximately proportional to the energy exciting a population of cooler formed ions emitting when the peak formation temperatures of the two lines are up to 72% of each other and above 2 MK. These results have practical implications for improving flare irradiance empirical modeling and for identifying key emission lines for future monitoring of flares for space weather operations; and also provide insight into the cooling processes of flare plasma.Comment: Final version accepted for publication by the Journal of Space Weather and Space Climate on 23 November 201

Upper limits on the luminosity of the progenitor of type Ia supernova SN2014J

We analysed archival data of Chandra pre-explosion observations of the position of SN2014J in M82. No X-ray source at this position was detected in the data, and we calculated upper limits on the luminosities of the progenitor. These upper limits allow us to firmly rule out an unobscured supersoft X-ray source progenitor with a photospheric radius comparable to the radius of white dwarf near the Chandrasekhar mass (~1.38 M_sun) and mass accretion rate in the interval where stable nuclear burning can occur. However, due to a relatively large hydrogen column density implied by optical observations of the supernova, we cannot exclude a supersoft source with lower temperatures, kT < 80 eV. We find that the supernova is located in the centre of a large structure of soft diffuse emission, about 200 pc across. The mass, ~3x10^4 M_sun and short cooling time of the gas, tau_cool ~ 8 Myrs, suggest that it is a supernova-inflated super-bubble, associated with the region of recent star formation. If SN2014J is indeed located inside the bubble, it likely belongs to the prompt population of type Ia supernovae, with a delay time as short as ~ 50 Myrs. Finally, we analysed the one existing post-supernova Chandra observation and placed upper limit of ~ (1-2) 10^37 erg/s on the X-ray luminosity of the supernova itself.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figure

Exciton lifetime in InAs/GaAs quantum dot molecules

The exciton lifetimes $T_1$ in arrays of InAs/GaAs vertically coupled quantum dot pairs have been measured by time-resolved photoluminescence. A considerable reduction of $T_1$ by up to a factor of $\sim$ 2 has been observed as compared to a quantum dots reference, reflecting the inter-dot coherence. Increase of the molecular coupling strength leads to a systematic decrease of $T_1$ with decreasing barrier width, as for wide barriers a fraction of structures shows reduced coupling while for narrow barriers all molecules appear to be well coupled. The coherent excitons in the molecules gain the oscillator strength of the excitons in the two separate quantum dots halving the exciton lifetime. This superradiance effect contributes to the previously observed increase of the homogeneous exciton linewidth, but is weaker than the reduction of $T_2$. This shows that as compared to the quantum dots reference pure dephasing becomes increasingly important for the molecules

Magnetars' Giant Flares: the case of SGR 1806-20

We first review on the peculiar characteristics of the bursting and flaring activity of the Soft Gamma-ray Repeaters and Anomalous X-ray Pulsars. We then report on the properties of the SGR 1806-20's Giant Flare occurred on 2004 December 27th, with particular interest on the pre and post flare intensity/hardness correlated variability. We show that these findings are consistent with the picture of a twisted internal magnetic field which stresses the star solid crust that finally cracks causing the giant flare (and the observed torsional oscillations). This crustal fracturing is accompanied by a simplification of the external magnetic field with a (partial) untwisting of the magnetosphere.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures; accepted for publication in the Chinese Journal for Astronomy and Astrophysics (Vulcano conference - 2005

Poincar\'e and sl(2) algebras of order 3

In this paper we initiate a general classification for Lie algebras of order 3 and we give all Lie algebras of order 3 based on $\mathfrak{sl}(2,\mathbb C)$ and $\mathfrak{iso}(1,3)$ the Poincar\'e algebra in four-dimensions. We then set the basis of the theory of the deformations (in the Gerstenhaber sense) and contractions for Lie algebras of order 3.Comment: Title and presentation change

Computerized Response Inhibition Training For Children With Trichotillomania

Evidence suggests that trichotillomania is characterized by impairment in response inhibition, which is the ability to suppress pre-potent/dominant but inappropriate responses. This study sought to test the feasibility of computerized response inhibition training for children with trichotillomania. Twenty-two children were randomized to the 8-session response inhibition training (RIT; n = 12) or a waitlisted control (WLT; n = 10). Primary outcomes were assessed by an independent evaluator, using the Clinical Global Impression-Improvement (CGI-I), and the NIMH Trichotillomania Severity (NIMH-TSS) and Impairment scales (NIMH-TIS) at pre, post-training/waiting, and 1-month follow-up. Relative to the WLT group, the RIT group showed a higher response rate (55% vs. 11%) on the CGI-I and a lower level of impairment on the NIMH-TIS, at post-training. Overall symptom reductions rates on the NIMH-TSS were 34% (RIT) vs. 21% (WLT) at post-training. The RIT\u27s therapeutic gains were maintained at 1-month follow-up, as indicated by the CGI-I responder status (= 66%), and a continuing reduction in symptom on the NIMH-TSS. This pattern of findings was also replicated by the 6 waitlisted children who received the same RIT intervention after post-waiting assessment. Results suggest that computerized RIT may be a potentially useful intervention for trichotillomania

Effects of the triaxial deformation and pairing correlation on the proton emitter 145Tm

The ground-state properties of the recent reported proton emitter 145Tm have been studied within the axially or triaxially deformed relativistic mean field (RMF) approaches, in which the pairing correlation is taken into account by the BCS-method with a constant pairing gap. It is found that triaxiality and pairing correlations play important roles in reproducing the experimental one proton separation energy. The single-particle level, the proton emission orbit, the deformation parameters beta = 0.22 and gamma = 28.98 and the corresponding spectroscopic factor for 145Tm in the triaxial RMF calculation are given as well.Comment: 17 pages, 7 figures and 1 table. accepted by Physical Review

Central insulin and macronutrient intake in the rat

When rats are maintained on a standard laboratory diet, the infusion of low doses of insulin into the cerebroventricular system causes a reduction of food intake and body weight. It was recently reported that, if rats are maintained on a high-fat diet (56% calories as fat), they are insensitive to this action of insulin. To investigate further the effect of dietary composition on responsiveness to central insulin, we carried out two experiments. In experiment 1, rats were maintained on one of four equicaloric diets (providing 7, 22, 39, or 54% of calories as fat) before and during a 6-day third-ventricular infusion (i3vt) of insulin (10 mU/day) or saline. Rats consuming 7 or 22% of calories as fat had a significant reduction of both food intake (-17.2 +/- 2.9 and -14.6 +/- 3.3 g, respectively) and body weight (-50 +/- 5 and -41 +/- 5 g, respectively) from baseline over the insulin-infusion period. Rats consuming 39 or 54% calories as fat did not reliably alter food intake (-4.0 +/- 3.9 and -1.9 +/- 3.7 g, respectively) or body weight (-10 +/- 6 and -6 +/- 4 g, respectively) in response to i3vt of insulin. In experiment 2, rats were offered a choice of three macronutrients (carbohydrates, fats, and proteins) in separate jars in their home cages. After they had adapted to the diets, they were infused i3vt with insulin or saline. Insulin caused a significant reduction of body weight relative to saline-infused controls (body wt: -23.1 +/- 4 g) and a reduction in food intake that was selective for dietary fat. These data suggest that the effects of central insulin administration are highly dependent on the macronutrient content of the diet as well as the ability of rats to select their own diets