843 research outputs found
Computerized system for translating a torch head
The system provides a constant travel speed along a contoured workpiece. It has a driven skate characterized by an elongated bed, with a pair of independently pivoted trucks connected to the bed for support. The trucks are mounted on a contoured track of arbitrary configuration in a mutually spaced relation. An axially extensible torch head manipulator arm is mounted on the bed of the carriage and projects perpendicular from the midportion. The torch head is mounted at its distal end. A real-time computerized control drive subsystem is used to advance the skate along the track of a variable rate for maintaining a constant speed for the torch head tip, and to position the torch axis relative to a preset angle to the workpiece
Rapidly driven nanoparticles: Mean first-passage times and relaxation of the magnetic moment
We present an analytical method of calculating the mean first-passage times
(MFPTs) for the magnetic moment of a uniaxial nanoparticle which is driven by a
rapidly rotating, circularly polarized magnetic field and interacts with a heat
bath. The method is based on the solution of the equation for the MFPT derived
from the two-dimensional backward Fokker-Planck equation in the rotating frame.
We solve these equations in the high-frequency limit and perform precise,
numerical simulations which verify the analytical findings. The results are
used for the description of the rates of escape from the metastable domains
which in turn determine the magnetic relaxation dynamics. A main finding is
that the presence of a rotating field can cause a drastic decrease of the
relaxation time and a strong magnetization of the nanoparticle system. The
resulting stationary magnetization along the direction of the easy axis is
compared with the mean magnetization following from the stationary solution of
the Fokker-Planck equation.Comment: 24 pages, 4 figure
Validation and verification of the GeneFinder (TM) COVID-19 Plus RealAmp kit on the ELITe InGenius (R) instrument
Background: Throughout the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, a rapid identification of the virus was essential to quickly recognize positive cases and limit further spread by applying appropriate infection prevention. Many diagnostic laboratories use a multiplex Real-Time PCR assay, as they are not only highly sensitive but also specific. Currently, there are several assays and platforms in the market available which target different SARS-CoV-2 genes. The aim of this study was to validate and verify the GeneFinder (TM) COVID-19 PLUS RealAmp kit on the ELITe InGenius (R) instrument and compare to the national reference method. Methods: GeneFinder (TM) COVID-19 PLUS RealAmp kit was evaluated against the routine WHO in- house RealTime PCR assay, which is also the national reference method in the Netherlands and used in our laboratory. The sensitivity was tested using the analytical panel from Qnostics (Glasgow, United Kingdom) and the specificity was tested with patient material comprising of other seasonal respiratory viruses. In addition, 96 clinical samples initially analyzed by routine Real-Time PCR were tested using the GeneFinder (TM) COVID-19 PLUS RealAmp kit on the ELITe InGenius (R) instrument. Results: The GeneFinder (TM) COVID-19 PLUS RealAmp kit had a similar performance compared to routine in-house testing, with a limit of detection of 500 dC/mL for the RdRp-gene and E gene. Meanwhile, the N gene showed a limit of detection of 50 dC/mL. The SARS-CoV-2 test was highly specific and detected no other respiratory viruses. The results of the clinical samples were comparable between both assays with similar Ct values observed for the in-house Real-Time-PCR and the GeneFinder (TM) COVID-19 PLUS RealAmp kit for the N gene. Conclusion: The GeneFinder (TM) COVID-19 PLUS RealAmp kit on the ELITe InGenius (R) instrument had an appropriate sensitivity and specificity that could be used in small scale laboratories or during night shifts where accurate diagnostics are crucial
Decision and function problems based on boson sampling
Boson sampling is a mathematical problem that is strongly believed to be
intractable for classical computers, whereas passive linear interferometers can
produce samples efficiently. So far, the problem remains a computational
curiosity, and the possible usefulness of boson-sampling devices is mainly
limited to the proof of quantum supremacy. The purpose of this work is to
investigate whether boson sampling can be used as a resource of decision and
function problems that are computationally hard, and may thus have
cryptographic applications. After the definition of a rather general
theoretical framework for the design of such problems, we discuss their
solution by means of a brute-force numerical approach, as well as by means of
non-boson samplers. Moreover, we estimate the sample sizes required for their
solution by passive linear interferometers, and it is shown that they are
independent of the size of the Hilbert space.Comment: Close to the version published in PR
Spin-zero anomaly in the magnetic quantum oscillations of a two-dimensional metal
We report on an anomalous behavior of the spin-splitting zeros in the de
Haas-van Alphen (dHvA) signal of a quasi-two-dimensional organic
superconductor. The zeros as well as the angular dependence of the amplitude of
the second harmonic deviate remarkably from the standard Lifshitz-Kosevich (LK)
prediction. In contrast, the angular dependence of the fundamental dHvA
amplitude as well as the spin-splitting zeros of the Shubnikov-de Haas signal
follow the LK theory. We can explain this behavior by small chemical-potential
oscillations and find a very good agreement between theory and experiment. A
detailed wave-shape analysis of the dHvA signal corroborates the existence of
an oscillating chemical potential
Doing calories: the practices of dieting using calorie counting app MyFitnessPal
The existing literature on fatness has critically discussed meanings and morals associated with body weight and explored peopleâs experiences of weight loss attempts. However, little attention has been paid to the practices of dieting â how it is âdoneâ. Based on an interview study involving 31 participants, who shared their self-tracking experience of using the MyFitnessPal calorie counting app, we focus on the practices of âdoingâ calories. First, we discuss the practices of temporality of logging food, showing that the use of MyFitnessPal not only has to be fitted into daily routines but can also transform them. Then, we look at the practices of precision or usersâ various ways of turning the âmessinessâ of food into precise numbers. Lastly, we explore usersâ practices of adjustments â their attitudes to adherence to their daily calorie goal and ways of dealing with going above it. Based on our findings we suggest calorie counting is not a straightforward data collection, but one that involves constant practical strategies and negotiations, and can both influence and be influenced by other everyday practices
Size Acceptance: A Discursive Analysis of Online Blogs
This document is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis Group in Fat Studies on 25 May 2018, available online at: https://doi.org/10.1080/21604851.2018.1473704. Under embargo until 25 May 2019.Dominant discourses of âfatnessâ and âfat peopleâ have implications for physical and mental health. Although alternative discourses such as âsize acceptanceâ exist, there has been little consideration of the ways in which these alternative arguments (and speakers) may be positioned to be heard. Using a discursive thematic analysis, the authors demonstrate that size acceptance online bloggers have created a community online that enables them to persuasively provide alternative claims to âexpertise,â which positions their views as credible and legitimate alternatives to those of more established authority figuresâsuch as health professionals. This has implications not only for the lived experience of fat people, but also for researchers by emphasizing the importance of exploring not just what is said, but how, if we are to understand how different articulated positions are to be persuasive.Peer reviewe
High field magnetic resonant properties of beta'-(ET)2SF5CF2SO3
A systematic electron spin resonance (ESR) investigation of the low
temperature regime for the (ET)2SF5CF2SO3 system was performed in the frequency
range of ~200-700 GHz, using backward wave oscillator sources, and at fields up
to 25 T. Newly acquired access to the high frequency and fields shows
experimental ESR results in agreement with the nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)
investigation, revealing evidence that the transition seen at 20 K is not of
conventional spin-Peierls order. A significant change of the spin resonance
spectrum in beta'-(ET)2SF5CF2SO3 at low temperatures, indicates a transition
into a three-dimensional-antiferromagnetic (3D AFM) phase.Comment: 4 pages, 7 figures, minor grammatical change
Fucking failures: The future of fat sex
In the context of the obesity âepidemicâ fat peopleâs sex lives are cast as sterile, sexually dysfunctional or just plain non-existent. This article analyzes medical discourses of obesity and sex in order to argue that fat sex is constructed as a type of failure. Using insights from antisocial queer theory, fat sex is further shown to be queer in its failure to adhere to the specifically heteronormative dictates of what Edelman (2004) calls âreproductive futurismâ. The analysis finally engages with Halberstamâs (2011) notion of queer failure to demonstrate how deconstructing notions of success and failure might offer fat political projects new ways to imagine the future of fat sex
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