A new technique for infrared scintillation measurements

open7siWe propose a new technique to measure the infrared scintillation light yield of rare earth doped crystals by comparing it to near UV–visible scintillation of a calibrated Pr:(Lu0.75Y0.25)3Al5O12 sample. As an example, we apply this technique to provide the light yield in visible and infrared range up to 1700 nm of this crystal.openChiossi, F; Brylew, K.; Borghesani, A.F.; Braggio, C.; Carugno, G.; Drozdowski, W.; Guarise, M.Chiossi, Federico; Brylew, K.; Borghesani, ARMANDO-FRANCESCO; Braggio, Caterina; Carugno, Giovanni; Drozdowski, W.; Guarise, Marc

Benchmark assessment of automated delamination propagation capabilities in finite element codes for static loading

With the increasing implementation into commercial finite element (FE) codes of capabilities for simulating delamination propagation in composite materials, the need for benchmarking and assessing these capabilities is critical. In this study, the capabilities of the commercial FE code Marc (TM) 2008r1 with implementation of the Virtual Crack Closure Technique (VCCT) was assessed. Benchmark delamination propagation results for several specimen configurations were generated using a numerical approach. Specimens were analyzed with three-dimensional and two-dimensional models, and compared with previous analyses using Abaqus (R) with the VCCT implemented. The results demonstrated that the VCCT implementation in Marc (TM) was capable of accurately replicating the benchmark delamination growth results. The analyses in Marc (TM) were significantly more computationally efficient than previous analyses in Abaqus (R). This was due to a lack of convergence issues, and a solution process that maintained the use of large time increments. The results demonstrated the advantages of numerical over experimental and analytical benchmarks, particularly with regards to comparison of capabilities a cross codes. More broadly, the results illustrated key similarities and differences between two commercial FE codes implementing the same analysis technique, which reinforces the need for rigorous benchmarking and assessment

Determination of phenolic substances of seeds, skins and stems from white grape marc by near-infrared hyperspectral imaging

Background and Aims:Winemaking generates a large quantity of grape marc that causes environmental and economic problems, which could be minimised by exploiting and adding value to these by-products. Marc is composed of seeds, skins and stems that are an important source of phenolic substances, which have antioxidant properties and potential benefits to human health. It is necessary to develop novel methods for assessing the composition of marc because conventional analyses are destructive and require lengthy preparation procedures and chemical reagents. Methods and Results: Near-infrared hyperspectral imaging has been used for evaluating 27 individual phenolic substances in the components of grape marc after freeze-drying, the only sample preparation step. By applying partial least squares regression to the spectral data, values of R2 up to 0.98 were obtained even for estimating some minor compounds. Conclusions: This methodology arises as an attractive alternative to analyse the phenolic composition of grape marc because of its speed and simplicity. Significance of the Study: The use of this technique will allow wine producers to quickly determine the phenolic composition and decide the destination of this by-produc

OPPRESSION AGAINST INTELECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHT IN MARC ABRAHAM’S FLASH OF GENIUS (2008): A MARXIST APPROACH

This research paper is primarily intended to identify how the oppression against intellectual property right is portrayed in Marc Abraham’s Flash of Genius viewed from Marxist’s perspective, and to analyze the movie based on its structural elements. In analyzing the movie, the writer uses qualitative study. The data are collected by using two kinds of techniques: documentation and library research. The technique of data analysis is descriptive analysis. The research significance is to give contribution to the body of knowledge, particularly the literary study on Marc Abraham’s Flash of Genius. The result of analysis confirms as follows. First, based on the structural analysis, Flash of Genius as literary work has inseparable structural elements and they are related to each other and building a good unity. Second, based on the Marxist analysis, it is apparent that in this movie Marc Abraham illustrates the social phenomena of oppression against intellectual property rights. In this movie Marc Abraham criticizes the tendency of using power by the capitalist to oppress the proletariat

Rationale and design of the Clinical Evaluation of Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Coronary heart disease 2 trial (CE-MARC 2): a prospective, multicenter, randomized trial of diagnostic strategies in suspected coronary heart disease

Background: A number of investigative strategies exist for the diagnosis of coronary heart disease (CHD). Despite the widespread availability of noninvasive imaging, invasive angiography is commonly used early in the diagnostic pathway. Consequently, approximately 60% of angiograms reveal no evidence of obstructive coronary disease. Reducing unnecessary angiography has potential financial savings and avoids exposing the patient to unnecessary risk. There are no large-scale comparative effectiveness trials of the different diagnostic strategies recommended in international guidelines and none that have evaluated the safety and efficacy of cardiovascular magnetic resonance.<p></p> Trial Design: CE-MARC 2 is a prospective, multicenter, 3-arm parallel group, randomized controlled trial of patients with suspected CHD (pretest likelihood 10%-90%) requiring further investigation. A total of 1,200 patients will be randomized on a 2:2:1 basis to receive 3.0-T cardiovascular magnetic resonance–guided care, single-photon emission computed tomography–guided care (according to American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association appropriate-use criteria), or National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines–based management. The primary (efficacy) end point is the occurrence of unnecessary angiography as defined by a normal (>0.8) invasive fractional flow reserve. Safety of each strategy will be assessed by 3-year major adverse cardiovascular event rates. Cost-effectiveness and health-related quality-of-life measures will be performed.<p></p> Conclusions: The CE-MARC 2 trial will provide comparative efficacy and safety evidence for 3 different strategies of investigating patients with suspected CHD, with the intension of reducing unnecessary invasive angiography rates. Evaluation of these management strategies has the potential to improve patient care, health-related quality of life, and the cost-effectiveness of CHD investigation

Self-Consistent Theory of Halo Mergers

The rate of merging of dark-matter halos is an absolutely essential ingredient for studies of both structure and galaxy formation. Remarkably, however, our quantitative understanding of the halo merger rate is still quite limited, and current analytic descriptions based upon the extended Press-Schechter formalism are fundamentally flawed. We show that a mathematically self-consistent merger rate must be consistent with the evolution of the halo abundance in the following sense: The merger rate must, when inserted into the Smoluchowski coagulation equation, yield the correct evolution of the halo abundance. We then describe a numerical technique to find merger rates that are consistent with this evolution. We present results from a preliminary study in which we find merger rates that reproduce the evolution of the halo abundance according to Press-Schechter for power-law power spectra. We discuss the limitations of the current approach and outline the questions that must still be answered before we have a fully consistent and correct theory of halo merger rates.Comment: 13 pages, 8 figures, submitted to MNRAS. Version with full resolution figures available at http://www-astro.physics.ox.ac.uk/~abenson/Papers/smoluchow.pd

Nonparametric Hierarchical Clustering of Functional Data

In this paper, we deal with the problem of curves clustering. We propose a nonparametric method which partitions the curves into clusters and discretizes the dimensions of the curve points into intervals. The cross-product of these partitions forms a data-grid which is obtained using a Bayesian model selection approach while making no assumptions regarding the curves. Finally, a post-processing technique, aiming at reducing the number of clusters in order to improve the interpretability of the clustering, is proposed. It consists in optimally merging the clusters step by step, which corresponds to an agglomerative hierarchical classification whose dissimilarity measure is the variation of the criterion. Interestingly this measure is none other than the sum of the Kullback-Leibler divergences between clusters distributions before and after the merges. The practical interest of the approach for functional data exploratory analysis is presented and compared with an alternative approach on an artificial and a real world data set

The pseudoparticle approach for solving path integrals in gauge theories

We present a numerical technique for calculating path integrals in non-compact U(1) and SU(2) gauge theories. The gauge fields are represented by a superposition of pseudoparticles of various types with their amplitudes and color orientations as degrees of freedom. Applied to Maxwell theory this technique results in a potential which is in excellent agreement with the Coulomb potential. For SU(2) Yang-Mills theory the same technique yields clear evidence of confinement. Varying the coupling constant exhibits the same scaling behavior for the string tension, the topological susceptibility and the critical temperature while their dimensionless ratios are similar to those obtained in lattice calculations.Comment: Talk presented at Lattice 2005 (Topology and Confinement), 6 pages, 4 figure