324 research outputs found
A phase-locked frequency divide-by-3 optical parametric oscillator
Accurate phase-locked 3:1 division of an optical frequency was achieved, by
using a continuous-wave (cw) doubly resonant optical parametric oscillator. A
fractional frequency stability of 2*10^(-17) of the division process has been
achieved for 100s integration time. The technique developed in this work can be
generalized to the accurate phase and frequency control of any cw optical
parametric oscillator.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures in a postscript file. To appear in a special issue
of IEEE Trans. Instr. & Meas., paper FRIA-2 presented at CPEM'2000
conference, Sydney, May 200
Observation of longitudinal and transverse self-injections in laser-plasma accelerators
Laser-plasma accelerators can produce high quality electron beams, up to
giga-electronvolts in energy, from a centimeter scale device. The properties of
the electron beams and the accelerator stability are largely determined by the
injection stage of electrons into the accelerator. The simplest mechanism of
injection is self-injection, in which the wakefield is strong enough to trap
cold plasma electrons into the laser wake. The main drawback of this method is
its lack of shot-to-shot stability. Here we present experimental and numerical
results that demonstrate the existence of two different self-injection
mechanisms. Transverse self-injection is shown to lead to low stability and
poor quality electron beams, because of a strong dependence on the intensity
profile of the laser pulse. In contrast, longitudinal injection, which is
unambiguously observed for the first time, is shown to lead to much more stable
acceleration and higher quality electron beams.Comment: 7 pages, 7 figure
Two-photon absorption in potassium niobate
We report measurements of thermal self-locking of a Fabry-Perot cavity
containing a potassium niobate (KNbO3) crystal. We develop a method to
determine linear and nonlinear optical absorption coefficients in intracavity
crystals by detailed analysis of the transmission lineshapes. These lineshapes
are typical of optical bistability in thermally loaded cavities. For our
crystal, we determine the one-photon absorption coefficient at 846 nm to be
(0.0034 \pm 0.0022) per m and the two-photon absorption coefficient at 846 nm
to be (3.2 \pm 0.5) \times 10^{-11} m/W and the one-photon absorption
coefficient at 423 nm to be (13 \pm 2) per m. We also address the issue of
blue-light-induced-infrared-absorption (BLIIRA), and determine a coefficient
for this excited state absorption process. Our method is particularly well
suited to bulk absorption measurements where absorption is small compared to
scattering. We also report new measurements of the temperature dependence of
the index of refraction at 846 nm, and compare to values in the literature.Comment: 8 pages. To appear in J. Opt. Soc. Am.
Structure of an active volcano associated with a resurgent block inferred from thermal mapping: The Yasur–Yenkahe volcanic complex (Vanuatu)
International audienceSubsurface thermal measurements provide a valuable tool to map hydrothermal-fluid release zones in active volcanic areas. On the Yasur–Yenkahe volcanic complex (Tanna Island, Vanuatu archipelago), fumaroles and hot springs abound, signs of upraising heat fluxes associated to a well-developed hydrothermal activity. Combination of high resolution mapping of ground thermal anomalies with geomorphological analysis allows the characterization of the structural relationships between the active Yasur volcano and the Yenkahe resurgent block.A complex system of heat release and hydrothermal fluid circulation below the Yasur–Yenkahe complex is evidenced. Circulation, though propagating vertically as a whole, is funneled by stratification. Thus, the main thermal fluid released is almost exclusively concentrated along structural limits that break the seals induced by the stratified nature of the ground. Three types of medium/high temperature anomalies have been evidenced: (1) broad hydrothermalized areas linked with planar stratification that favor lateral spreading, (2) linear segments that represent active faults, and (3) arcuate segments related to paleo-crater rims. The limit between the Yasur volcano and the Yenkahe resurgent block is characterized by an active fault system accommodating both the rapid uplift of the Yenkahe block and the overloading induced by the volcano weight. In such a setting, faults converge below the cone of Yasur, which acts as a focus for the faults. Evidence of such structures, sometimes hidden in the landscape but detected by thermal measurements, is critical for risk assessment of flank landslides
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Beneficial effects of bacteria on the culture of larvae of the Pacific oyster crassostrea gigas (Thunberg)
Stability of the self-phase-locked pump-enhanced singly resonant parametric oscillator
Steady-state and dynamics of the self-phase-locked (3\omega ==> 2\omega,
\omega) subharmonic optical parametric oscillator are analyzed in the
pump-and-signal resonant configuration, using an approximate analytical model
and a full propagation model. The upper branch solutions are found always
stable, regardless of the degree of pump enhancement. The domain of existence
of stationary states is found to critically depend on the phase-mismatch of the
competing second-harmonic process.Comment: LateX2e/RevteX4, 4 pages, 5 figures. Submitted to Phys. Rev. A
(accepted on Jan. 17, 2003
From glacial erosion to basin overfill: a 240 m-thick overdeepening–fill sequence in Bern, Switzerland
We drilled a 210 m-thick succession of Quaternary sediments and extended it 30 m upsection with information that we collected from an adjacent outcrop. In the 240 m-thick succession we identified 12 different lithofacies, grouped them into five facies assemblages, and distinguished two major sedimentary sequences. A sharp contact at 103 m depth cuts off cross-beds in sequence A and separates them from the overlying horizontal beds in sequence B. Although the lowermost facies assemblage of each sequence includes a till deposited during a period of ice cover, the two tills differ from each other. In particular, the till at the base of sequence A is dominated by large clasts derived from the underlying Molasse bedrock, whereas the till at the base of sequence B has no such Molasse components. Furthermore, the till in sequence A bears evidence of glaciotectonic deformation. Both tills are overlain by thick assemblages of subaqueous, most likely glaciolacustrine and lacustrine facies elements. The cross-bedded and steeply inclined sand, gravel, and diamictic beds of sequence A are interpreted as deposits of density currents in a subaqueous ice-contact fan system within a proglacial lake. In contrast, the lacustrine sediments in sequence B are considered to record a less energetic environment where the material was most likely deposited in a prodelta setting that gradually developed into a delta plain. Towards the top, sequence B evolves into a fluvial system recorded in sequence C, when large sediment fluxes of a possibly advancing glacier resulted in a widespread cover of the region by a thick gravel unit. Feldspar luminescence dating on two samples from a sand layer at the top of sequence B provided uncorrected ages of 250.3 ± 80.2 and 251.3 ± 59.8 ka. The combination of these ages with lithostratigraphic correlations of sedimentary sequences encountered in neighboring scientific drillings suggests that sequence B was deposited between Marine Isotope Stage 8 (MIS 8; 300–243 ka) and MIS 7 (243–191 ka). This depositional age marks the end of one stage of overdeepening–fill in the perialpine Aare Valley near Bern
Nitrogen deficiency increases basal branching and modifies visual quality of the rose bushes
Rosebush architecture resulting from the spatial organisation of the plant axes induces plant shape and consequently within ornamental horticulture context, its visual quality and commercial value. This architecture can be modulated by environmental conditions, particularly in the horticulture context in which the possibilities to control growing conditions are numerous. The objectives of the study were to determine, in young rose bushes, (1) whether short periods of nitrogen deficiency affect branching and (2) whether this effect is sufficient to modify the visual quality of the plant in a sustainable manner. Between vegetative bud burst and the petal colour visible stage of the generated primary branch, young rooted cuttings of bush rose (cv Radrazz) were subjected to one of three nitrogen regimes: (1) no nitrogen deficiency, (2) continuous nitrogen deficiency, i.e. 35 days of N deficiency, and (3) nitrogen deficiency restricted to the flowering stages, i.e. 18 days of N deficiency. After the petal colour visible stage, all three groups of plants were supplied continuously with nitrogen. We observed the morphology of the axes and the kinetics of axillary bud burst. Twelve weeks after the petal colour visible stage, the visual quality of the rose bushes was evaluated by an expert jury. We found that nitrogen deficiencies (1) increased bud burst ratios in the medial and basal zones of the primary branch, (2) delayed the bud burst in the apical zone of the primary branch and (3) had long-term effects on plant visual quality. The continuous nitrogen deficiency regime produced flatter, more asymmetric and less vigorous rose bushes than the no nitrogen deficiency regime. By contrast, nitrogen deficiency during the flowering stages only resulted in more symmetric, taller and more vigorous rose bushes than the no nitrogen deficiency regime. Based on these results, the role of nitrogen on bud burst was discussed and candidate processes at the origin of the visual quality modification were suggested. This new approach combining ecophysiology and sensory assessment of ornamental plants enabled the identification of some early architecture components to be correlated with later visual quality characteristics and then to better target the physiological processes of interest
Thromboembolic risk stratification by TRiP(cast) score to rationalise thromboprophylaxis in patients with lower leg trauma requiring immobilisation: a study protocol of the casting stepped-wedge cluster randomised trial.
Patients with lower limb trauma requiring orthopaedic immobilisation may be at risk of venous thromboembolism but opinions differ about who may benefit from thromboprophylactic anticoagulant treatment.The aim of this CASTING study is to demonstrate the safety of thromboprophylaxis based on the Thrombosis Risk Prediction for patients with cast immobilisation (TRiP(cast) score with regards to the 3-month incidence of symptomatic venous thromboembolism events in low-risk patients not receiving thromboprophylaxis, as well as the usefulness of this strategy on the rate of patients receiving anticoagulant treatment in comparison to current practice.
CASTING will be a stepped-wedge cluster randomised controlled clinical trial, performed in 15 emergency departments in France and Belgium. With their informed consent, outpatients admitted to one of the participating emergency departments for a lower limb trauma requiring orthopaedic immobilisation without surgery will be included. All centres will begin the trial with the 'observational period' and, every 2 weeks, 1 centre will be randomly assigned to switch to the 'interventional period' and to apply the TRiP(cast) score, in which only patients with a score ≥7 will receive thromboprophylactic anticoagulant treatment. The primary endpoint is the rate of clinical thromboembolic events within 90 days following the inclusion of low-risk patients not receiving thromboprophylaxis.
The protocol has been approved by the Comité de Protection des Personnes Sud I (Ethics Review ID-RCB: 2019-A01829-48) for France and the Comité d'éthique hôpital-facultaire Saint Luc (N° B403201941338) for Belgium. It is carried out in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki and Good Clinical Practice guidelines. The findings of this study will be disseminated in peer-reviewed journals and at scientific conferences.
NCT04064489
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