328 research outputs found
Effect of interchain separation on the photoinduced absorption spectra of polycarbazolyldiacetylenes
The photoinduced absorption spectra of a novel polycarbazolyldiacetylene with long aliphatic chains on the carbazolyl side groups are measured and compared with those of the unsubstituted polyDCHD. The two polymers in the blue form exhibit very similar electronic absorption spectra and Raman frequencies. This fact indicates that the conjugation length of the polydiacetylene backbone is not too affected by the long substituents. In contrast, the near steady-state photoinduced absorption spectra show that different photogeneration mechanisms are involved in the two polymers. This result can be ascribed to the role played by the interchain distance in the dynamics of the relaxation processes in polydiacetylenes
Band structure and optical properties of opal photonic crystals
A theoretical approach for the interpretation of reflectance spectra of opal
photonic crystals with fcc structure and (111) surface orientation is
presented. It is based on the calculation of photonic bands and density of
states corresponding to a specified angle of incidence in air. The results
yield a clear distinction between diffraction in the direction of light
propagation by (111) family planes (leading to the formation of a stop band)
and diffraction in other directions by higher-order planes (corresponding to
the excitation of photonic modes in the crystal). Reflectance measurements on
artificial opals made of self-assembled polystyrene spheres are analyzed
according to the theoretical scheme and give evidence of diffraction by
higher-order crystalline planes in the photonic structure.Comment: to appear in PR
A SuperLearner-enforced approach for the estimation of treatment effect in pediatric trials
Background: Randomized Clinical Trials (RCT) represent the gold standard among scientific evidence. RCTs are tailored to control selection bias and the confounding effect of baseline characteristics on the effect of treatment. However, trial conduction and enrolment procedures could be challenging, especially for rare diseases and paediatric research. In these research frameworks, the treatment effect estimation could be compromised. A potential countermeasure is to develop predictive models on the probability of the baseline disease based on previously collected observational data. Machine learning (ML) algorithms have recently become attractive in clinical research because of their flexibility and improved performance compared to standard statistical methods in developing predictive models. Objective: This manuscript proposes an ML-enforced treatment effect estimation procedure based on an ensemble SuperLearner (SL) approach, trained on historical observational data, to control the confounding effect. Methods: The REnal SCarring Urinary infEction trial served as a motivating example. Historical observational study data have been simulated through 10,000 Monte Carlo (MC) runs. Hypothetical RCTs have been also simulated, for each MC run, assuming different treatment effects of antibiotics combined with steroids. For each MC simulation, the SL tool has been applied to the simulated observational data. Furthermore, the average treatment effect (ATE), has been estimated on the trial data and adjusted for the SL predicted probability of renal scar. Results: The simulation results revealed an increased power in ATE estimation for the SL-enforced estimation compared to the unadjusted estimates for all the algorithms composing the ensemble SL
NIKEL: Electronics and data acquisition for kilopixels kinetic inductance camera
A prototype of digital frequency multiplexing electronics allowing the real
time monitoring of microwave kinetic inductance detector (MKIDs) arrays for
mm-wave astronomy has been developed. Thanks to the frequency multiplexing, it
can monitor simultaneously 400 pixels over a 500 MHz bandwidth and requires
only two coaxial cables for instrumenting such a large array. The chosen
solution and the performances achieved are presented in this paper.Comment: 21 pages, 14 figure
tuning optical properties of opal photonic crystals by structural defects engineering
We report on the preparation and optical characterization of three dimensional colloidal photonic crystal (PhC) containing an engineered planar defect embedding photoactive push-pull dyes. Free standing polystyrene films having thickness between 0.6 and 3 microns doped with different dipolar chromophores were prepared. These films were sandwiched between two artificial opals creating a PhC structure with planar defect. The system was characterized by reflectance at normal incidence angle (R), variable angle transmittance (T), and photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL). Clear evidence of defect states were observed in T and R spectra, which allow the light to propagate for selected frequencies within the pseudogap (stop band)
A project for polarimetric observations in single dish with Medicina and Noto 32 m antennas
A project with multidisciplinary characteristics, aimed to implement the possibility of polarimetric measurements in single dish at the VLBI stations of Medicina and Noto, is presented. The project will open a new window on many
astrophysical items that may be approached using the already existing instrumentation and facilities of the two Italian radioastronomical stations. We report here some scientific backgrounds, together with some technical evaluations, on which the feasibility of the project is based
Exploring Brown Dwarf Disks in rho Oph
This paper discusses evidence for and properties of disks associated to brown
dwarfs in the star-forming region rho-Oph. We selected nine objects fr om the
ISOCAM survey of Bontemps et al. (2001) that have detections in the two
mid-infrared bands (6.7 and 14.3 um), relatively low extinction and low
luminosity. We present low-resolution near-infrared spectra in the J, H and K
bands, and determine for each source spectral type, extinction, effective
temperature a nd luminosity by comparing the spectra to those of field dwarfs
and to the most recent model stellar atmospheres. The results indicate that
eight objects have spectral types M6-M7.5, effective temperature of 2600-2700
K, one has a later spectral type (M8.5) and lower temperature (about 2400 K).
The derived extinctions range between Av~2 and 8 mag. The location of the
objects on the HR diagram, in spite of the uncertainties of the evolutionary
tracks for young objects of substellar mass, indicates that all the objects are
very young and have masses below about 0.08 Msun. The coolest object in our
sample has mass in the range 8-12 Mjup (0.008-0.012 Msun). In all cases, the
mid-infrared excess is consistent with the predictions of mode ls of disks
irradiated by the central object, showing that circumstellar disks are commonly
associated to young brown dwarfs and plan etary-mass objects. Finally, we
discuss possible variations of the disk geometry among different objects, as
well as the possibility of using these data to discriminate between various f
ormation scenarios.Comment: 15 pages, A&A in press, full resolution color figures for appendix A
and B are available at
http://www.arcetri.astro.it/~lt/preprints/preprints.htm
The TNG Near Infrared Camera Spectrometer
NICS (acronym for Near Infrared Camera Spectrometer) is the near-infrared
cooled camera-spectrometer that has been developed by the Arcetri Infrared
Group at the Arcetri Astrophysical Observatory, in collaboration with the
CAISMI-CNR for the TNG (the Italian National Telescope Galileo at La Palma,
Canary Islands, Spain).
As NICS is in its scientific commissioning phase, we report its observing
capabilities in the near-infrared bands at the TNG, along with the measured
performance and the limiting magnitudes. We also describe some technical
details of the project, such as cryogenics, mechanics, and the system which
executes data acquisition and control, along with the related software.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures, compiled with A&A macros. A&A in pres
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