11,340 research outputs found
Radiation therapy calculations using an on-demand virtual cluster via cloud computing
Computer hardware costs are the limiting factor in producing highly accurate
radiation dose calculations on convenient time scales. Because of this,
large-scale, full Monte Carlo simulations and other resource intensive
algorithms are often considered infeasible for clinical settings. The emerging
cloud computing paradigm promises to fundamentally alter the economics of such
calculations by providing relatively cheap, on-demand, pay-as-you-go computing
resources over the Internet. We believe that cloud computing will usher in a
new era, in which very large scale calculations will be routinely performed by
clinics and researchers using cloud-based resources. In this research, several
proof-of-concept radiation therapy calculations were successfully performed on
a cloud-based virtual Monte Carlo cluster. Performance evaluations were made of
a distributed processing framework developed specifically for this project. The
expected 1/n performance was observed with some caveats. The economics of
cloud-based virtual computing clusters versus traditional in-house hardware is
also discussed. For most situations, cloud computing can provide a substantial
cost savings for distributed calculations.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figure
In an expanding universe, what doesn't expand?
The expansion of the universe is often viewed as a uniform stretching of
space that would affect compact objects, atoms and stars, as well as the
separation of galaxies. One usually hears that bound systems do not take part
in the general expansion, but a much more subtle question is whether bound
systems expand partially. In this paper, a very definitive answer is given for
a very simple system: a classical "atom" bound by electrical attraction. With a
mathemical description appropriate for undergraduate physics majors, we show
that this bound system either completely follows the cosmological expansion, or
-- after initial transients -- completely ignores it. This "all or nothing"
behavior can be understood with techniques of junior-level mechanics. Lastly,
the simple description is shown to be a justifiable approximation of the
relativistically correct formulation of the problem.Comment: 8 pages, 9 eps figure
Control of spin relaxation in semiconductor double quantum dots
We propose a scheme to manipulate the spin relaxation in vertically coupled
semiconductor double quantum dots. Up to {\em twelve} orders of magnitude
variation of the spin relaxation time can be achieved by a small gate voltage
applied vertically on the double dot. Different effects such as the dot size,
barrier height, inter-dot distance, and magnetic field on the spin relaxation
are investigated in detail. The condition to achieve a large variation is
discussed.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, to be published in PR
Multimodal Hazard Rate for Relapse in Breast Cancer: Quality of Data and Calibration of Computer Simulation
Much has occurred since our 2010 report in Cancers. In the past few years we published several extensive reviews of our research so a brief review is all that will be provided here. We proposed in the earlier reports that most relapses in breast cancer occur within 5 years of surgery and seem to be associated with some unspecified manner of surgery-induced metastatic initiation. These events can be identified in relapse data and are correlated with clinical data. In the last few years an unexpected mechanism has become apparent. Retrospective analysis of relapse events by a Brussels anesthesiology group reported that a perioperative NSAID analgesic seems to reduce early relapses five-fold. We then proposed that primary surgery produces a transient period of systemic inflammation. This has now been identified by inflammatory markers in serum post mastectomy. That could explain the early relapses. It is possible that an inexpensive and non-toxic NSAID can reduce breast cancer relapses significantly. We want to take this opportunity to discuss database quality issues and our relapse hazard data in some detail. We also present a demonstration that the computer simulation can be calibrated with Adjuvant-on-line, an often used clinical tool for prognosis in breast cancer
Approximate analytical description of the nonaffine response of amorphous solids
An approximation scheme for model disordered solids is proposed that leads to
the fully analytical evaluation of the elastic constants under explicit account
of the inhomogeneity (nonaffinity) of the atomic displacements. The theory is
in quantitative agreement with simulations for central-force systems and
predicts the vanishing of the shear modulus at the isostatic point with the
linear law {\mu} ~ (z - 2d), where z is the coordination number. The vanishing
of rigidity at the isostatic point is shown to be a consequence of the
canceling out of positive affine and negative nonaffine terms
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Long-term predictability of mean daily temperature data
We quantify the long-term predictability of global mean daily temperature data by means of the Rényi entropy of second order K2. We are interested in the yearly amplitude fluctuations of the temperature. Hence, the data are low-pass filtered. The obtained oscillatory signal has a more or less constant frequency, depending on the geographical coordinates, but its amplitude fluctuates irregularly. Our estimate of K2 quantifies the complexity of these amplitude fluctuations. We compare the results obtained for the CRU data set (interpolated measured temperature in the years 1901-2003 with 0.5° resolution, Mitchell et al., 20051) with the ones obtained for the temperature data from a coupled ocean-atmosphere global circulation model (AOGCM, calculated at DKRZ). Furthermore, we compare the results obtained by means of K2 with the linear variance of the temperature data
Long-term predictability of mean daily temperature data
International audienceWe quantify the long-term predictability of global mean daily temperature data by means of the Rényi entropy of second order K2. We are interested in the yearly amplitude fluctuations of the temperature. Hence, the data are low-pass filtered. The obtained oscillatory signal has a more or less constant frequency, depending on the geographical coordinates, but its amplitude fluctuates irregularly. Our estimate of K2 quantifies the complexity of these amplitude fluctuations. We compare the results obtained for the CRU data set (interpolated measured temperature in the years 1901-2003 with 0.5° resolution, Mitchell et al., 2005)with the ones obtained for the temperature data from a coupled ocean-atmosphere global circulation model (AOGCM, calculated at DKRZ). Furthermore, we compare the results obtained by means of K2 with the linear variance of the temperature data
Cognitive impulsivity in animal models: role of response time and reinforcing rate in delay intolerance with two-choice operant tasks
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