320 research outputs found
Persistent correlation of constrained colloidal motion
We have investigated the motion of a single optically trapped colloidal
particle close to a limiting wall at time scales where the inertia of the
surrounding fluid plays a significant role. The velocity autocorrelation
function exhibits a complex interplay due to the momentum relaxation of the
particle, the vortex diffusion in the fluid, the obstruction of flow close to
the interface, and the harmonic restoring forces due to the optical trap. We
show that already a weak trapping force has a significant impact on the
velocity autocorrelation function C(t)= at times where the
hydrodynamic memory leads to an algebraic decay. The long-time behavior for the
motion parallel and perpendicular to the wall is derived analytically and
compared to numerical results. Then, we discuss the power spectral densities of
the displacement and provide simple interpolation formulas. The theoretical
predictions are finally compared to recent experimental observations.Comment: 12 pages, 6 figure
Signatures of Radiation Reaction in Ultra-Intense Laser Fields
We discuss radiation reaction effects on charges propagating in ultra-intense
laser fields. Our analysis is based on an analytic solution of the
Landau-Lifshitz equation. We suggest to measure radiation reaction in terms of
a symmetry breaking parameter associated with the violation of null translation
invariance in the direction opposite to the laser beam. As the Landau-Lifshitz
equation is nonlinear the energy transfer within the pulse is rather sensitive
to initial conditions. This is elucidated by comparing colliding and fixed
target modes in electron laser collisions.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figure
Mass and Spin Renormalization in Lorentz Electrodynamics
A new, relativistically covariant, massive Lorentz Electrodynamics (LED) is
presented in which the bare particle has a finite positive bare rest mass and
moment of inertia. The particle's electromagnetic self-interaction renormalizes
its mass and spin. Most crucially, the renormalized particle is a soliton:
after any scattering process its rest mass and spin magnitude are dynamically
restored to their pre-scattering values. This guarantees that ``an electron
remains an electron,'' poetically speaking. A renormalization flow study of the
limit of vanishing bare rest mass is conducted for this model. This limit
yields a purely electromagnetic classical field theory with ultra-violet cutoff
at about the electron's Compton wavelength! The renormalized limit model
matches the empirical electron data as orderly as one can hope for at the level
of Lorentz theory. In particular, no superluminal equatorial gyration speeds
occur.Comment: LaTeX, 70 pages, 2 eps figures, submitted; a small computational
blunder in Eq. (10.25)ff of earlier version has been correcte
Critical dynamics of ballistic and Brownian particles in a heterogeneous environment
The dynamic properties of a classical tracer particle in a random, disordered
medium are investigated close to the localization transition. For Lorentz
models obeying Newtonian and diffusive motion at the microscale, we have
performed large-scale computer simulations, demonstrating that universality
holds at long times in the immediate vicinity of the transition. The scaling
function describing the crossover from anomalous transport to diffusive motion
is found to vary extremely slowly and spans at least 5 decades in time. To
extract the scaling function, one has to allow for the leading universal
corrections to scaling. Our findings suggest that apparent power laws with
varying exponents generically occur and dominate experimentally accessible time
windows as soon as the heterogeneities cover a decade in length scale. We
extract the divergent length scales, quantify the spatial heterogeneities in
terms of the non-Gaussian parameter, and corroborate our results by a thorough
finite-size analysis.Comment: 14 page
Humoral immune response after different SARS-CoV-2 vaccination regimens
Results After the first vaccination, the prevalence of IgG directed against the (trimeric) SARS-CoV-2 S-protein and its receptor binding domain (RBD) varied from 55-95% (AZD1222) to 100% (BNT162b2), depending on the vaccine regimen and the SARS-CoV-2 antigen used. The booster vaccination resulted in 100% seroconversion and the occurrence of highly avid IgG, which is directed against the S-protein subunit 1 and the RBD, as well as VNA against VOC B.1.1.7, while anti-NP IgGs were not detected. The results of the three anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG tests showed an excellent correlation to the VNA titres against this VOC. The agreement of cVNT and sVNT results was good. However, the sVNT seems to overestimate non- and weak B.1.1.7-neutralising titres. The anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG concentrations and the B.1.1.7-neutralising titres were significantly higher after heterologous vaccination compared to the homologous AZD1222 scheme. If VOC B.1.617.2 was used as antigen, significantly lower VNA titres were measured in the cVNT, and three (33.3%) vector vaccine recipients had a VNA titre < 1:10. Conclusions Heterologous SARS-CoV-2 vaccination leads to a strong antibody response with anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG concentrations and VNA titres at a level comparable to that of a homologous BNT162b2 vaccination scheme. Irrespective of the chosen immunisation regime, highly avid IgG antibodies can be detected just 2 weeks after the second vaccine dose indicating the development of a robust humoral immunity. The reduction in the VNA titre against VOC B.1.617.2 observed in the subgroup of 26 individuals is remarkable and confirms the immune escape of the delta variant
Development of SARS-CoV-2 Specific IgG and Virus-Neutralizing Antibodies after Infection with Variants of Concern or Vaccination
The humoral immunity after SARS-CoV-2 infection or vaccination was examined. Convalescent sera after infection with variants of concern (VOCs: B.1.1.7, n = 10; B.1.351, n = 1) and sera from 100 vaccinees (Pfizer/BioNTech, BNT162b2, n = 33; Moderna, mRNA-1273, n = 11; AstraZeneca, ChAdOx1 nCoV-19/AZD1222, n = 56) were tested for the presence of immunoglobulin G (IgG) directed against the viral spike (S)-protein, its receptor-binding domain (RBD), the nucleoprotein (N) and for virus-neutralizing antibodies (VNA). For the latter, surrogate assays (sVNT) and a Vero-cell based neutralization test (cVNT) were used. Maturity of IgG was determined by measuring the avidity in an immunoblot (IB). Past VOC infection resulted in a broad reactivity of anti-S IgG (100%), anti-RBD IgG (100%), and anti-N IgG (91%), while latter were absent in 99% of vaccinees. Starting approximately two weeks after the first vaccine dose, anti-S IgG (75-100%) and particularly anti-RBD IgG (98-100%) were detectable. After the second dose, their titers increased and were higher than in the convalescents. The sVNT showed evidence of VNA in 91% of convalescents and in 80-100%/100% after first/second vaccine dose, respectively. After the second dose, an increase in VNA titer and IgGs of high avidity were demonstrated by cVNT and IB, respectively. Re-vaccination contributes to a more robust immune response
Kinetics of Nucleo- and Spike Protein-Specific Immunoglobulin G and of Virus-Neutralizing Antibodies after SARS-CoV-2 Infection
Kinetics of neutralizing antibodies and immunoglobulin G (IgG) against the nucleo (N) or spike (S) proteins of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type2 (SARS-CoV-2) were studied in patients up to 165 days after PCR diagnosis of infection. Two immunoassays were selected out of eight IgG or total antibody tests by comparing their specificities and sensitivities. Sensitivities were calculated with convalescent sera from 26 PCR-confirmed cases, of which 76.9% had neutralizing antibodies (>1:10). Stored sera collected during the summer 2018 (N = 50) and winter seasons 2018/2019 (N = 50) were included to demonstrate the test specificities. IgG kinetics, avidities, and virus-neutralizing capacities were recorded over up to 165 days in eleven patients and five individuals from routine diagnostics. Sensitivities, specificities, and diagnostic accuracies ranged between 80.8-96.3%, 96.0-100%, and 93.7-99.2%, respectively. Nearly all results were confirmed with two different SARS-CoV-2-specific immunoblots. Six (54.4%) patients exhibited stable N-specific IgG indices over 120 days and longer; three of them developed IgG of high avidity. The S-specific IgG response was stable in ten (91.0%) patients, and eight (72.7%) had neutralizing antibodies. However, the titers were relatively low, suggesting that sustained humoral immunity is uncertain, especially after outpatient SARS-CoV-2 infection
Performance of a Point-of-Care Test for the Rapid Detection of SARS-CoV-2 Antigen
The rapid detection of infections caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is necessary in the ongoing pandemic. Antigen-specific point-of-care tests (POCT) may be useful for this purpose. Here, such a POCT (SARS-CoV-2 NADAL® COVID-19 Ag) was compared to a laboratory-developed triplex real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) designed for the detection of viral nucleoprotein gene and two control targets. This RT-PCR served as a reference to investigate POCT sensitivity by re-testing upper respiratory tract (URT) samples (n = 124) exhibiting different SARS-CoV-2 loads in terms of RT-PCR threshold cycle (Ct) values. The optical intensities of the antigen bands were compared to the Ct values of the RT-PCR. The infectivity of various virus loads was estimated by inoculating Vero cells with URT samples (n = 64, Ct 17-34). POCT sensitivity varied from 100% (Ct 30 were negative; among SARS-CoV-2 free samples (n = 10) no false-positives were detected. A head-to-head comparison with another POCT (Abbott, Panbio™ COVID-19 Ag Rapid Test) yielded similar results. Isolation of SARS-CoV-2 in cell-culture was successful up to a Ct value of 29. The POCT reliably detects high SARS-CoV-2 loads and rapidly identifies infectious individuals
Corrosion of Coated and Uncoated Reinforcing Steel in Concrete
Note: the original publication skipped some page numbers (p. 93, 107, 158, 161). These pages aren't missing; it is probably an editorial error.An experimental program designed to investigate the effects of various material properties on the corrosion of reinforcing steel in concrete was
conducted at the University of Minnesota. The test specimens were constructed to promote macrocell corrosion. A total of 96 prism and cracked
slab specimens were subjected to an accelerated corrosion process for periods ranging from 35 to 48 weeks. The impact of the following variables
on the corrosion of reinforcing steel in concrete was monitored in this program: 1) water/cementitious ratio; 2) addition of condensed silica fume; 3) percentage of entrained air in the concrete; 4) type of reinforcing steel and coating; 5) cracked concrete. The corrosion current, specimen resistance, driving potential, and CuCuS04 half-cell potential were monitored regularly to follow the corrosion process. The most significant variables determined in the University of Minnesota experimental program were the concentration levels (7.5% vs. 10%) of condensed silica fume (CSF), the significance of cracked concrete on the corrosion of reinforcing steel, and the lack of any notable corrosion resulting in concrete specimens containing bars with significantly damaged epoxy-coatings, despite high levels of chloride contamination.Center for Transportation Studies; National Science Foundation Research Grant No. BCE-845153
Profiling the real world potential of neural network compression
Abstract—Many real world computer vision applications are required to run on hardware with limited computing power, often referred to as ”edge devices”. The state of the art in computer vision continues towards ever bigger and deeper neural networks with equally rising computational requirements. Model compression methods promise to substantially reduce the computation time and memory demands with little to no impact on the model robustness. However, evaluation of the compression is mostly based on theoretic speedups in terms of required floating-point operations. This work offers a tool to profile the actual speedup offered by several compression algorithms. Our results show a significant discrepancy between the theoretical and actual speedup on various hardware setups. Furthermore, we show the potential of model compressions and highlight the importance of selecting the right compression algorithm for a target task and hardware. The code to reproduce our experiments is available at https://hub.datathings.com/papers/2022-coins
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