2,334 research outputs found
A new view of the Lindemann criterion
The Lindemann criterion is reformulated in terms of the average shear modulus
of the melting crystal, indicating a critical melting shear strain which
is necessary to form the many different inherent states of the liquid. In glass
formers with covalent bonds, one has to distinguish between soft and hard
degrees of freedom to reach agreement. The temperature dependence of the
picosecond mean square displacements of liquid and crystal shows that there are
two separate contributions to the divergence of the viscosity with decreasing
temperature: the anharmonic increase of the shear modulus and a diverging
correlation length .Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
TARGET: A Digitizing And Trigger ASIC For The Cherenkov Telescope Array
The future ground-based gamma-ray observatory Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA)
will feature multiple types of imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes, each
with thousands of pixels. To be affordable, camera concepts for these
telescopes have to feature low cost per channel and at the same time meet the
requirements for CTA in order to achieve the desired scientific goals. We
present the concept of the TeV Array Readout Electronics with GSa/s sampling
and Event Trigger (TARGET) Application Specific Circuit (ASIC), envisaged to be
used in the cameras of various CTA telescopes, e.g. the Gamma-ray Cherenkov
Telescope (GCT), a proposed 2-Mirror Small-Sized Telescope, and the
Schwarzschild-Couder Telescope (SCT), a proposed Medium-Sized Telescope. In the
latest version of this readout concept the sampling and trigger parts are split
into dedicated ASICs, TARGET C and T5TEA, both providing 16 parallel input
channels. TARGET C features a tunable sampling rate (usually 1 GSa/s), a 16k
sample deep buffer for each channel and on-demand digitization and transmission
of waveforms with typical spans of ~100 ns. The trigger ASIC, T5TEA, provides 4
low voltage differential signal (LVDS) trigger outputs and can generate a
pedestal voltage independently for each channel. Trigger signals are generated
by T5TEA based on the analog sum of the input in four independent groups of
four adjacent channels and compared to a threshold set by the user. Thus, T5TEA
generates four LVDS trigger outputs, as well as 16 pedestal voltages fed to
TARGET C independently for each channel. We show preliminary results of the
characterization and testing of TARGET C and T5TEA.Comment: 6 pages, 8 figures, Proceedings of the 6th International Symposium on
High-Energy Gamma-Ray Astronomy (Gamma2016
Testing the neutrality of matter by acoustic means in a spherical resonator
New measurements to test the neutrality of matter by acoustic means are
reported. The apparatus is based on a spherical capacitor filled with gaseous
SF excited by an oscillating electric field. The apparatus has been
calibrated measuring the electric polarizability. Assuming charge conservation
in the decay of the neutron, the experiment gives a limit of
for the electron-proton charge
difference, the same limit holding for the charge of the neutron. Previous
measurements are critically reviewed and found incorrect: the present result is
the best limit obtained with this technique
A Rapidly Stabilizing Water-Gated Field-Effect Transistor Based on Printed Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes for Biosensing Applications
Biosensors are expected to revolutionize disease management through provision of low-cost diagnostic platforms for molecular and pathogenic detection with high sensitivity and short response time. In this context, there has been an ever-increasing interest in using electrolyte-gated field-effect transistors (EG-FETs) for biosensing applications owing to their expanding potential of being employed for label-free detection of a broad range of biomarkers with high selectivity and sensitivity while operating at sub-volt working potentials. Although organic semiconductors have been widely utilized as the channel in EGFETs, primarily due to their compatibility with cost-effective low-temperature solution-processing fabrication techniques, alternative carbon-based platforms have the potential to provide similar advantages with improved electronic performances. Here, we propose the use of inkjet-printed polymer-wrapped monochiral singlewalled carbon nanotubes (s-SWCNTs) for the channel of EG-FETs in an aqueous environment. In particular, we show that our EG-CNTFETs require only an hour of stabilization before producing a highly stable response suitable for biosensing, with a drastic time reduction with respect to the most exploited organic semiconductor for biosensors. As a proof-of-principle, we successfully employed our water-gated device to detect the well-known biotin-streptavidin binding event
Prolonged FGF signaling is necessary for lung and liver induction in Xenopus
BACKGROUND: FGF signaling plays numerous roles during organogenesis of the embryonic gut tube. Mouse explant studies suggest that different thresholds of FGF signaling from the cardiogenic mesoderm induce lung, liver, and pancreas lineages from the ventral foregut progenitor cells. The mechanisms that regulate FGF dose in vivo are unknown. Here we use Xenopus embryos to examine the hypothesis that a prolonged duration of FGF signaling from the mesoderm is required to induce foregut organs. RESULTS: We show that both mesoderm and FGF signaling are required for liver and lung development in Xenopus; formally demonstrating that this important step in organ induction is conserved with other vertebrate species. Prolonged contact with the mesoderm and persistent FGF signaling through both MEK and PI3K over an extended period of time are required for liver and lung specification. Inhibition of FGF signaling results in reduced liver and lung development, with a modest expansion of the pancreas/duodenum progenitor domain. Hyper-activation of FGF signaling has the opposite effect expanding liver and lung gene expression and repressing pancreatic markers. We show that FGF signaling is cell autonomously required in the endoderm and that a dominant negative FGF receptor decreases the ability of ventral foregut progenitor cells to contribute to the lung and liver buds. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that the liver and lungs are specified at progressively later times in development requiring mesoderm contact for different lengths of time. Our data suggest that this is achieved at least in part through prolonged FGF signaling. In addition to providing a foundation for further mechanistic studies on foregut organogenesis using the experimental advantages of the Xenopus system, these data have implications for the directed differentiation of stem cells into foregut lineages
Exchange Monte Carlo Method and Application to Spin Glass Simulations
We propose an efficient Monte Carlo algorithm for simulating a
``hardly-relaxing" system, in which many replicas with different temperatures
are simultaneously simulated and a virtual process exchanging configurations of
these replica is introduced. This exchange process is expected to let the
system at low temperatures escape from a local minimum. By using this algorithm
the three-dimensional Ising spin glass model is studied. The ergodicity
time in this method is found much smaller than that of the multi-canonical
method. In particular the time correlation function almost follows an
exponential decay whose relaxation time is comparable to the ergodicity time at
low temperatures. It suggests that the system relaxes very rapidly through the
exchange process even in the low temperature phase.Comment: 10 pages + uuencoded 5 Postscript figures, REVTe
Developing User‐Friendly Habitat Suitability Tools from Regional Stream Fish Survey Data
We developed user‐friendly fish habitat suitability tools (plots) for fishery managers in Michigan; these tools are based on driving habitat variables and fish population estimates for several hundred stream sites throughout the state. We generated contour plots to show patterns in fish biomass for over 60 common species (and for 120 species grouped at the family level) in relation to axes of catchment area and low‐flow yield (90% exceedance flow divided by catchment area) and also in relation to axes of mean and weekly range of July temperatures. The plots showed distinct patterns in fish habitat suitability at each level of biological organization studied and were useful for quantitatively comparing river sites. We demonstrate how these plots can be used to support stream management, and we provide examples pertaining to resource assessment, trout stocking, angling regulations, chemical reclamation of marginal trout streams, indicator species, instream flow protection, and habitat restoration. These straightforward and effective tools are electronically available so that managers can easily access and incorporate them into decision protocols and presentations.Received April 9, 2010; accepted November 8, 2010Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/141005/1/nafm0041.pd
Normal table of Xenopus development: a new graphical resource
© The Author(s), 2022. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Zahn, N., James-Zorn, C., Ponferrada, V. G., Adams, D. S., Grzymkowski, J., Buchholz, D. R., Nascone-Yoder, N. M., Horb, M., Moody, S. A., Vize, P. D., & Zorn, A. M. Normal table of Xenopus development: a new graphical resource. Development, 149(14), (2022): dev200356, https://doi.org/10.1242/dev.200356.Normal tables of development are essential for studies of embryogenesis, serving as an important resource for model organisms, including the frog Xenopus laevis. Xenopus has long been used to study developmental and cell biology, and is an increasingly important model for human birth defects and disease, genomics, proteomics and toxicology. Scientists utilize Nieuwkoop and Faber's classic ‘Normal Table of Xenopus laevis (Daudin)’ and accompanying illustrations to enable experimental reproducibility and reuse the illustrations in new publications and teaching. However, it is no longer possible to obtain permission for these copyrighted illustrations. We present 133 new, high-quality illustrations of X. laevis development from fertilization to metamorphosis, with additional views that were not available in the original collection. All the images are available on Xenbase, the Xenopus knowledgebase (http://www.xenbase.org/entry/zahn.do), for download and reuse under an attributable, non-commercial creative commons license. Additionally, we have compiled a ‘Landmarks Table’ of key morphological features and marker gene expression that can be used to distinguish stages quickly and reliably (https://www.xenbase.org/entry/landmarks-table.do). This new open-access resource will facilitate Xenopus research and teaching in the decades to come.This work was supported by grants from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development [P41 HD064556 to A.M.Z. and P.D.V. (Xenbase)] and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development [P40-OD010997 and R24-OD030008 to M.H. (National Xenopus Resource)]. Open Access funding provided by Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. Deposited in PMC for immediate release
Comparison between Suitable Priors for Additive Bayesian Networks
Additive Bayesian networks are types of graphical models that extend the
usual Bayesian generalized linear model to multiple dependent variables through
the factorisation of the joint probability distribution of the underlying
variables. When fitting an ABN model, the choice of the prior of the parameters
is of crucial importance. If an inadequate prior - like a too weakly
informative one - is used, data separation and data sparsity lead to issues in
the model selection process. In this work a simulation study between two weakly
and a strongly informative priors is presented. As weakly informative prior we
use a zero mean Gaussian prior with a large variance, currently implemented in
the R-package abn. The second prior belongs to the Student's t-distribution,
specifically designed for logistic regressions and, finally, the strongly
informative prior is again Gaussian with mean equal to true parameter value and
a small variance. We compare the impact of these priors on the accuracy of the
learned additive Bayesian network in function of different parameters. We
create a simulation study to illustrate Lindley's paradox based on the prior
choice. We then conclude by highlighting the good performance of the
informative Student's t-prior and the limited impact of the Lindley's paradox.
Finally, suggestions for further developments are provided.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figure
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