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Sample records for positive frequency-dependent selection

  1. Mutational jackpot events generate effective frequency-dependent selection in adapting populations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hallatschek, Oskar

    The site-frequency spectrum is one the most easily measurable quantities that characterize the genetic diversity of a population. While most neutral models predict that site frequency spectra should decay with increasing frequency, a high-frequency uptick has been reported in many populations. Anomalies in the high-frequency tail are particularly unsettling because the highest frequencies can be measured with greatest accuracy. Here, we show that an uptick in the spectrum of neutral mutations generally arises when mutant frequencies are dominated by rare jackpot events, mutational events with large descendant numbers. This leads to an effective pattern of frequency-dependent selection (or unstable internal equilibrium at one half frequency) that causes an accumulation of high-frequency polymorphic sites. We reproduce the known uptick occurring for recurrent hitchhiking (genetic draft) as well as rapid adaptation, and (in the future) generalize the shape of the high-frequency tail to other scenarios that are dominated by jackpot events, such as frequent range expansions. We also tackle (in the future) the inverse approach to use the high-frequency uptick for learning about the tail of the offspring number distribution. Positively selected alleles need to surpass, typically, an u NSF Career Award (PoLS), NIH NIGMS R01, Simons Foundation.

  2. On Strong Positive Frequency Dependencies of Quality Factors in Local-Earthquake Seismic Studies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morozov, Igor B.; Jhajhria, Atul; Deng, Wubing

    2018-03-01

    Many observations of seismic waves from local earthquakes are interpreted in terms of the frequency-dependent quality factor Q( f ) = Q0 f^{η } , where η is often close to or exceeds one. However, such steep positive frequency dependencies of Q require careful analysis with regard to their physical consistency. In particular, the case of η = 1 corresponds to frequency-independent (elastic) amplitude decays with time and consequently requires no Q-type attenuation mechanisms. For η > 1, several problems with physical meanings of such Q-factors occur. First, contrary to the key premise of seismic attenuation, high-frequency parts of the wavefield are enhanced with increasing propagation times relative to the low-frequency ones. Second, such attenuation cannot be implemented by mechanical models of wave-propagating media. Third, with η > 1, the velocity dispersion associated with such Q(f) occurs over unrealistically short frequency range and has an unexpected oscillatory shape. Cases η = 1 and η > 1 are usually attributed to scattering; however, this scattering must exhibit fortuitous tuning into the observation frequency band, which appears unlikely. The reason for the above problems is that the inferred Q values are affected by the conventional single-station measurement procedure. Both parameters Q 0 and are apparent, i.e., dependent on the selected parameterization and inversion method, and they should not be directly attributed to the subsurface. For η ≈ 1, parameter Q 0 actually describes the frequency-independent amplitude decay in access of some assumed geometric spreading t -α , where α is usually taken equal one. The case η > 1 is not allowed physically and could serve as an indicator of problematic interpretations. Although the case 0 < η < 1 is possible, its parameters Q 0 and may also be biased by the measurement procedure. To avoid such difficulties of Q-based approaches, we recommend measuring and interpreting the amplitude-decay rates

  3. Human Commercial Models' Eye Colour Shows Negative Frequency-Dependent Selection.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Isabela Rodrigues Nogueira Forti

    Full Text Available In this study we investigated the eye colour of human commercial models registered in the UK (400 female and 400 male and Brazil (400 female and 400 male to test the hypothesis that model eye colour frequency was the result of negative frequency-dependent selection. The eye colours of the models were classified as: blue, brown or intermediate. Chi-square analyses of data for countries separated by sex showed that in the United Kingdom brown eyes and intermediate colours were significantly more frequent than expected in comparison to the general United Kingdom population (P<0.001. In Brazil, the most frequent eye colour brown was significantly less frequent than expected in comparison to the general Brazilian population. These results support the hypothesis that model eye colour is the result of negative frequency-dependent selection. This could be the result of people using eye colour as a marker of genetic diversity and finding rarer eye colours more attractive because of the potential advantage more genetically diverse offspring that could result from such a choice. Eye colour may be important because in comparison to many other physical traits (e.g., hair colour it is hard to modify, hide or disguise, and it is highly polymorphic.

  4. Dependence of excitation frequency of resonant circuit on RF irradiation position of MRI equipment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shimizu, Masato; Yamada, Tsutomu; Takemura, Yasushi; Niwa, Touru; Inoue, Tomio

    2010-01-01

    Hyperthermia using implants is a cancer treatment in which cancer tissue is heated to over 42.5 deg C to selectively kill the cancer cells. In this study, a resonant circuit was used as an implant, and a weak magnetic field of radiofrequency (RF) pulses from a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) device was used as an excitation source. We report here how the temperature of the resonant circuit was controlled by changing the excitation frequency of the MRI. As a result, the temperature rise of the resonant circuit was successfully found to depend on its position in the MRI device. This significant result indicates that the temperature of the resonant circuit can be controlled only by adjusting the excitation position. Accurate temperature control is therefore expected to be possible by combining this control technique with the temperature measurement function of MRI equipment. (author)

  5. The long-term evolution of multilocus traits under frequency-dependent disruptive selection

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Van Doorn, G. Sander; Dieckmann, Ulf

    Frequency-dependent disruptive selection is widely recognized as an important source of genetic variation. Its evolutionary consequences have been extensively studied using phenotypic evolutionary models, based on quantitative genetics, game theory, or adaptive dynamics. However, the genetic

  6. Negative frequency-dependent selection between Pasteuria penetrans and its host Meloidogyne arenaria

    Science.gov (United States)

    In negative frequency-dependant selection (NFDS), parasite genotypes capable of infecting the numerically dominant host genotype are favored, while host genotypes resistant to the dominant parasite genotype are favored, creating a cyclical pattern of resistant genotypes in the host population and, a...

  7. Ecological genetics of the Bromus tectorum (Poaceae) - Ustilago Bullata (Ustilaginaceae): A role for frequency dependent selection?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Susan E. Meyer; David L. Nelson; Suzette Clement; Alisa Ramakrishnan

    2010-01-01

    Evolutionary processes that maintain genetic diversity in plants are likely to include selection imposed by pathogens. Negative frequency-dependent selection is a mechanism for maintenance of resistance polymorphism in plant - pathogen interactions. We explored whether such selection operates in the Bromus tectorum - Ustilago bullata pathosystem. Gene-for-gene...

  8. Positive Selection on Loci Associated with Drug and Alcohol Dependence.

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    Brooke Sadler

    Full Text Available Much of the evolution of human behavior remains a mystery, including how certain disadvantageous behaviors are so prevalent. Nicotine addiction is one such phenotype. Several loci have been implicated in nicotine related phenotypes including the nicotinic receptor gene clusters (CHRNs on chromosomes 8 and 15. Here we use 1000 Genomes sequence data from 3 populations (Africans, Asians and Europeans to examine whether natural selection has occurred at these loci. We used Tajima's D and the integrated haplotype score (iHS to test for evidence of natural selection. Our results provide evidence for strong selection in the nicotinic receptor gene cluster on chromosome 8, previously found to be significantly associated with both nicotine and cocaine dependence, as well as evidence selection acting on the region containing the CHRNA5 nicotinic receptor gene on chromosome 15, that is genome wide significant for risk for nicotine dependence. To examine the possibility that this selection is related to memory and learning, we utilized genetic data from the Collaborative Studies on the Genetics of Alcoholism (COGA to test variants within these regions with three tests of memory and learning, the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS Block Design, WAIS Digit Symbol and WAIS Information tests. Of the 17 SNPs genotyped in COGA in this region, we find one significantly associated with WAIS digit symbol test results. This test captures aspects of reaction time and memory, suggesting that a phenotype relating to memory and learning may have been the driving force behind selection at these loci. This study could begin to explain why these seemingly deleterious SNPs are present at their current frequencies.

  9. Signatures of positive selection: from selective sweeps at individual loci to subtle allele frequency changes in polygenic adaptation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stephan, Wolfgang

    2016-01-01

    In the past 15 years, numerous methods have been developed to detect selective sweeps underlying adaptations. These methods are based on relatively simple population genetic models, including one or two loci at which positive directional selection occurs, and one or two marker loci at which the impact of selection on linked neutral variation is quantified. Information about the phenotype under selection is not included in these models (except for fitness). In contrast, in the quantitative genetic models of adaptation, selection acts on one or more phenotypic traits, such that a genotype-phenotype map is required to bridge the gap to population genetics theory. Here I describe the range of population genetic models from selective sweeps in a panmictic population of constant size to evolutionary traffic when simultaneous sweeps at multiple loci interfere, and I also consider the case of polygenic selection characterized by subtle allele frequency shifts at many loci. Furthermore, I present an overview of the statistical tests that have been proposed based on these population genetics models to detect evidence for positive selection in the genome. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  10. Similar patterns of frequency-dependent selection on animal personalities emerge in three species of social spiders.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lichtenstein, J L L; Pruitt, J N

    2015-06-01

    Frequency-dependent selection is thought to be a major contributor to the maintenance of phenotypic variation. We tested for frequency-dependent selection on contrasting behavioural strategies, termed here 'personalities', in three species of social spiders, each thought to represent an independent evolutionary origin of sociality. The evolution of sociality in the spider genus Anelosimus is consistently met with the emergence of two temporally stable discrete personality types: an 'aggressive' or 'docile' form. We assessed how the foraging success of each phenotype changes as a function of its representation within a colony. We did this by creating experimental colonies of various compositions (six aggressives, three aggressives and three dociles, one aggressive and five dociles, six dociles), maintaining them in a common garden for 3 weeks, and tracking the mass gained by individuals of either phenotype. We found that both the docile and aggressive phenotypes experienced their greatest mass gain in mixed colonies of mostly docile individuals. However, the performance of both phenotypes decreased as the frequency of the aggressive phenotype increased. Nearly identical patterns of phenotype-specific frequency dependence were recovered in all three species. Naturally occurring colonies of these spiders exhibit mixtures dominated by the docile phenotype, suggesting that these spiders may have evolved mechanisms to maintain the compositions that maximize the success of the colony without compromising the expected reproductive output of either phenotype. © 2015 European Society For Evolutionary Biology. Journal of Evolutionary Biology © 2015 European Society For Evolutionary Biology.

  11. Trade-offs between microbial growth phases lead to frequency-dependent and non-transitive selection.

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    Manhart, Michael; Adkar, Bharat V; Shakhnovich, Eugene I

    2018-02-14

    Mutations in a microbial population can increase the frequency of a genotype not only by increasing its exponential growth rate, but also by decreasing its lag time or adjusting the yield (resource efficiency). The contribution of multiple life-history traits to selection is a critical question for evolutionary biology as we seek to predict the evolutionary fates of mutations. Here we use a model of microbial growth to show that there are two distinct components of selection corresponding to the growth and lag phases, while the yield modulates their relative importance. The model predicts rich population dynamics when there are trade-offs between phases: multiple strains can coexist or exhibit bistability due to frequency-dependent selection, and strains can engage in rock-paper-scissors interactions due to non-transitive selection. We characterize the environmental conditions and patterns of traits necessary to realize these phenomena, which we show to be readily accessible to experiments. Our results provide a theoretical framework for analysing high-throughput measurements of microbial growth traits, especially interpreting the pleiotropy and correlations between traits across mutants. This work also highlights the need for more comprehensive measurements of selection in simple microbial systems, where the concept of an ordinary fitness landscape breaks down. © 2018 The Author(s).

  12. How does male–male competition generate negative frequency-dependent selection and disruptive selection during speciation?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Border, Shana E

    2018-01-01

    Abstract Natural selection has been shown to drive population differentiation and speciation. The role of sexual selection in this process is controversial; however, most of the work has centered on mate choice while the role of male–male competition in speciation is relatively understudied. Here, we outline how male–male competition can be a source of diversifying selection on male competitive phenotypes, and how this can contribute to the evolution of reproductive isolation. We highlight how negative frequency-dependent selection (advantage of rare phenotype arising from stronger male–male competition between similar male phenotypes compared with dissimilar male phenotypes) and disruptive selection (advantage of extreme phenotypes) drives the evolution of diversity in competitive traits such as weapon size, nuptial coloration, or aggressiveness. We underscore that male–male competition interacts with other life-history functions and that variable male competitive phenotypes may represent alternative adaptive options. In addition to competition for mates, aggressive interference competition for ecological resources can exert selection on competitor signals. We call for a better integration of male–male competition with ecological interference competition since both can influence the process of speciation via comparable but distinct mechanisms. Altogether, we present a more comprehensive framework for studying the role of male–male competition in speciation, and emphasize the need for better integration of insights gained from other fields studying the evolutionary, behavioral, and physiological consequences of agonistic interactions. PMID:29492042

  13. Is the colour dimorphism in Dactylorhiza sambucina maintained by differential seed viability instead of frequency-dependent selection?

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Jersáková, Jana; Kindlmann, Pavel; Renner, S.S.

    2006-01-01

    Roč. 41, - (2006), s. 61-76 ISSN 0015-5551 R&D Projects: GA AV ČR(CZ) KJB6141302 Keywords : Dactylorhiza * flower colour polymorphism * frequency-dependent selection * pollinator discrimination * rewardless flowers * seed viability Subject RIV: EF - Botanics Impact factor: 1.033, year: 2005

  14. Strings on a Violin: Location Dependence of Frequency Tuning in Active Dendrites.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Das, Anindita; Rathour, Rahul K; Narayanan, Rishikesh

    2017-01-01

    Strings on a violin are tuned to generate distinct sound frequencies in a manner that is firmly dependent on finger location along the fingerboard. Sound frequencies emerging from different violins could be very different based on their architecture, the nature of strings and their tuning. Analogously, active neuronal dendrites, dendrites endowed with active channel conductances, are tuned to distinct input frequencies in a manner that is dependent on the dendritic location of the synaptic inputs. Further, disparate channel expression profiles and differences in morphological characteristics could result in dendrites on different neurons of the same subtype tuned to distinct frequency ranges. Alternately, similar location-dependence along dendritic structures could be achieved through disparate combinations of channel profiles and morphological characteristics, leading to degeneracy in active dendritic spectral tuning. Akin to strings on a violin being tuned to different frequencies than those on a viola or a cello, different neuronal subtypes exhibit distinct channel profiles and disparate morphological characteristics endowing each neuronal subtype with unique location-dependent frequency selectivity. Finally, similar to the tunability of musical instruments to elicit distinct location-dependent sounds, neuronal frequency selectivity and its location-dependence are tunable through activity-dependent plasticity of ion channels and morphology. In this morceau, we explore the origins of neuronal frequency selectivity, and survey the literature on the mechanisms behind the emergence of location-dependence in distinct forms of frequency tuning. As a coda to this composition, we present some future directions for this exciting convergence of biophysical mechanisms that endow a neuron with frequency multiplexing capabilities.

  15. Detecting positive quadrant dependence and positive function dependence

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Janic-Wróblewska, A.; Kallenberg, W.C.M.; Ledwina, T.

    2004-01-01

    There is a lot of interest in positive dependence going beyond linear correlation. In this paper three new rank tests for testing independence against positive dependence are introduced. The first one is directed on positive quadrant dependence, the second and third one concentrate on positive

  16. Detecting positive quadrant dependence and positive function dependence

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Janic-Wróblewska, A.; Kallenberg, W.C.M.; Ledwina, T.

    2003-01-01

    There is a lot of interest in positive dependence going beyond linear correlation. In this paper three new rank tests for testing independence against positive dependence are introduced. The first one is directed on positive quadrant dependence, the second and third one concentrate on positive

  17. A General Model of Negative Frequency Dependent Selection Explains Global Patterns of Human ABO Polymorphism.

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    Fernando A Villanea

    Full Text Available The ABO locus in humans is characterized by elevated heterozygosity and very similar allele frequencies among populations scattered across the globe. Using knowledge of ABO protein function, we generated a simple model of asymmetric negative frequency dependent selection and genetic drift to explain the maintenance of ABO polymorphism and its loss in human populations. In our models, regardless of the strength of selection, models with large effective population sizes result in ABO allele frequencies that closely match those observed in most continental populations. Populations must be moderately small to fall out of equilibrium and lose either the A or B allele (N(e ≤ 50 and much smaller (N(e ≤ 25 for the complete loss of diversity, which nearly always involved the fixation of the O allele. A pattern of low heterozygosity at the ABO locus where loss of polymorphism occurs in our model is consistent with small populations, such as Native American populations. This study provides a general evolutionary model to explain the observed global patterns of polymorphism at the ABO locus and the pattern of allele loss in small populations. Moreover, these results inform the range of population sizes associated with the recent human colonization of the Americas.

  18. Spatial heterogeneity, frequency-dependent selection and polymorphism in host-parasite interactions

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    Tellier Aurélien

    2011-11-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Genomic and pathology analysis has revealed enormous diversity in genes involved in disease, including those encoding host resistance and parasite effectors (also known in plant pathology as avirulence genes. It has been proposed that such variation may persist when an organism exists in a spatially structured metapopulation, following the geographic mosaic of coevolution. Here, we study gene-for-gene relationships governing the outcome of plant-parasite interactions in a spatially structured system and, in particular, investigate the population genetic processes which maintain balanced polymorphism in both species. Results Following previous theory on the effect of heterogeneous environments on maintenance of polymorphism, we analysed a model with two demes in which the demes have different environments and are coupled by gene flow. Environmental variation is manifested by different coefficients of natural selection, the costs to the host of resistance and to the parasite of virulence, the cost to the host of being diseased and the cost to an avirulent parasite of unsuccessfully attacking a resistant host. We show that migration generates negative direct frequency-dependent selection, a condition for maintenance of stable polymorphism in each deme. Balanced polymorphism occurs preferentially if there is heterogeneity for costs of resistance and virulence alleles among populations and to a lesser extent if there is variation in the cost to the host of being diseased. We show that the four fitness costs control the natural frequency of oscillation of host resistance and parasite avirulence alleles. If demes have different costs, their frequencies of oscillation differ and when coupled by gene flow, there is amplitude death of the oscillations in each deme. Numerical simulations show that for a multiple deme island model, costs of resistance and virulence need not to be present in each deme for stable polymorphism to occur

  19. Frequency-Selective Attention in Auditory Scenes Recruits Frequency Representations Throughout Human Superior Temporal Cortex.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Riecke, Lars; Peters, Judith C; Valente, Giancarlo; Kemper, Valentin G; Formisano, Elia; Sorger, Bettina

    2017-05-01

    A sound of interest may be tracked amid other salient sounds by focusing attention on its characteristic features including its frequency. Functional magnetic resonance imaging findings have indicated that frequency representations in human primary auditory cortex (AC) contribute to this feat. However, attentional modulations were examined at relatively low spatial and spectral resolutions, and frequency-selective contributions outside the primary AC could not be established. To address these issues, we compared blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) responses in the superior temporal cortex of human listeners while they identified single frequencies versus listened selectively for various frequencies within a multifrequency scene. Using best-frequency mapping, we observed that the detailed spatial layout of attention-induced BOLD response enhancements in primary AC follows the tonotopy of stimulus-driven frequency representations-analogous to the "spotlight" of attention enhancing visuospatial representations in retinotopic visual cortex. Moreover, using an algorithm trained to discriminate stimulus-driven frequency representations, we could successfully decode the focus of frequency-selective attention from listeners' BOLD response patterns in nonprimary AC. Our results indicate that the human brain facilitates selective listening to a frequency of interest in a scene by reinforcing the fine-grained activity pattern throughout the entire superior temporal cortex that would be evoked if that frequency was present alone. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  20. Positive selection within the Schizophrenia-associated GABA(A receptor beta(2 gene.

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    Wing-Sze Lo

    Full Text Available The gamma-aminobutyric acid type-A (GABA(A receptor plays a major role in inhibitory neurotransmissions. Intronic SNPs and haplotypes in GABRB2, the gene for GABA(A receptor beta(2 subunit, are associated with schizophrenia and correlated with the expression of two alternatively spliced beta(2 isoforms. In the present study, using chimpanzee as an ancestral reference, high frequencies were observed for the derived (D alleles of the four SNPs rs6556547, rs187269, rs1816071 and rs1816072 in GABRB2, suggesting the occurrence of positive selection for these derived alleles. Coalescence-based simulation showed that the population frequency spectra and the frequencies of H56, the haplotype having all four D alleles, significantly deviated from neutral-evolution expectation in various demographic models. Haplotypes containing the derived allele of rs1816072 displayed significantly less diversity compared to haplotypes containing its ancestral allele, further supporting positive selection. The variations in DD-genotype frequencies in five human populations provided a snapshot of the evolutionary history, which suggested that the positive selections of the D alleles are recent and likely ongoing. The divergence between the DD-genotype profiles of schizophrenic and control samples pointed to the schizophrenia-relevance of positive selections, with the schizophrenic samples showing weakened selections compared to the controls. These DD-genotypes were previously found to increase the expression of beta(2, especially its long isoform. Electrophysiological analysis showed that this long beta(2 isoform favored by the positive selections is more sensitive than the short isoform to the inhibition of GABA(A receptor function by energy depletion. These findings represent the first demonstration of positive selection in a schizophrenia-associated gene.

  1. Frequency-dependent ultrasound-induced transformation in E. coli.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Deeks, Jeremy; Windmill, James; Agbeze-Onuma, Maduka; Kalin, Robert M; Argondizza, Peter; Knapp, Charles W

    2014-12-01

    Ultrasound-enhanced gene transfer (UEGT) is continuing to gain interest across many disciplines; however, very few studies investigate UEGT efficiency across a range of frequencies. Using a variable frequency generator, UEGT was tested in E. coli at six ultrasonic frequencies. Results indicate frequency can significantly influence UEGT efficiency positively and negatively. A frequency of 61 kHz improved UEGT efficiency by ~70 % higher, but 99 kHz impeded UEGT to an extent worse than no ultrasound exposure. The other four frequencies (26, 133, 174, and 190 kHz) enhanced transformation compared to no ultrasound, but efficiencies did not vary. The influence of frequency on UEGT efficiency was observed across a range of operating frequencies. It is plausible that frequency-dependent dynamics of mechanical and chemical energies released during cavitational-bubble collapse (CBC) are responsible for observed UEGT efficiencies.

  2. Sibling genes as environment: Sibling dopamine genotypes and adolescent health support frequency dependent selection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rauscher, Emily; Conley, Dalton; Siegal, Mark L

    2015-11-01

    While research consistently suggests siblings matter for individual outcomes, it remains unclear why. At the same time, studies of genetic effects on health typically correlate variants of a gene with the average level of behavioral or health measures, ignoring more complicated genetic dynamics. Using National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health data, we investigate whether sibling genes moderate individual genetic expression. We compare twin variation in health-related absences and self-rated health by genetic differences at three locations related to dopamine regulation and transport to test sibship-level cross-person gene-gene interactions. Results suggest effects of variation at these genetic locations are moderated by sibling genes. Although the mechanism remains unclear, this evidence is consistent with frequency dependent selection and suggests much genetic research may violate the stable unit treatment value assumption. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. Global Application of TaiWan Ionospheric Model to Single-Frequency GPS Positioning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Macalalad, E.; Tsai, L. C.; Wu, J.

    2012-04-01

    Ionospheric delay is one the major sources of error in GPS positioning and navigation. This error in both pseudorange and phase ranges vary depending on the location of observation, local time, season, solar cycle and geomagnetic activity. For single-frequency receivers, this delay is usually removed using ionospheric models. Two of them are the Klobuchar, or broadcast, model and the global ionosphere map (GIM) provided by the International GNSS Service (IGS). In this paper, a three dimensional ionospheric electron (ne) density model derived from FormoSat3/COSMIC GPS Radio Occultation measurements, called the TaiWan Ionosphere Model, is used. It was used to calculate the slant total electron content (STEC) between receiver and GPS satellites to correct the pseudorange single-frequency observations. The corrected pseudorange for every epoch was used to determine a more accurate position of the receiver. Observations were made in July 2, 2011(Kp index = 0-2) in five randomly selected sites across the globe, four of which are IGS stations (station ID: cnmr, coso, irkj and morp) while the other is a low-cost single-frequency receiver located in Chungli City, Taiwan (ID: isls). It was illustrated that TEC maps generated using TWIM exhibited a detailed structure of the ionosphere, whereas Klobuchar and GIM only provided the basic diurnal and geographic features of the ionosphere. Also, it was shown that for single-frequency static point positioning TWIM provides more accurate and more precise positioning than the Klobuchar and GIM models for all stations. The average %error of the corrections made by Klobuchar, GIM and TWIM in DRMS are 3.88%, 0.78% and 17.45%, respectively. While the average %error in VRMS for Klobuchar, GIM and TWIM are 53.55%, 62.09%, 66.02%, respectively. This shows the capability of TWIM to provide a good global 3-dimensional ionospheric model.

  4. Beam position dependence of a wall-current monitor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tamiya, K.; Asami, A.; Suwada, T.; Urano, T.; Kobayashi, H.

    1995-01-01

    It was pointed out recently that there exists an appreciable beam position dependence in the wall-current monitor widely used in electron accelerators. Detailed study of this dependence is performed on a test bench varying the pulse width and the frequency of the input signal simulating the beam. The results of experiments show that when the pulse width becomes shorter more appreciable becomes the dependence, and it approaches to that of calculated from the method of images. A unified analysis is under way. (author)

  5. A new possibility for production of sub-picosecond x-ray pulses using a time dependent radio frequency orbit deflection

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zholents, A.

    2015-10-21

    It is shown that two radio frequency deflecting cavities with slightly different frequencies can be used to produce time-dependent orbit deflection to a few special electron bunches circulating in a synchrotron without affecting the majority of the electron bunches. These special bunches produce an x-ray pulse in which transverse position or angle, or both, are correlated with time. The x-ray pulse is then shortened, either with an asymmetrically cut crystal that acts as a pulse compressor, or with an angular aperture such as a narrow slit positioned downstream. The implementation of this technique creates a highly flexible environment for synchrotrons in which users of most beamlines will be able to easily select between the x-rays originated by the standard electron bunches and the short x-ray pulses originated by the special electron bunches carrying a time-dependent transverse correlation.

  6. A New Possibility for Production of Sub-picosecond X-ray Pulses using a Time Dependent Radio Frequency Orbit Deflection

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zholents, A. A. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)

    2015-05-01

    It is shown that two radio frequency deflecting cavities with slightly different frequencies can be used to produce time-dependent orbit deflection to a few special electron bunches while keeping the majority of the electron bunches unaffected. These special bunches produce an x-ray pulse in which transverse position or angle, or both, are correlated with time. The x-ray pulses are then shortened, either with an asymmetrically cut crystal that acts as a pulse compressor, or with an angular aperture such as a narrow slit positioned downstream. The implementation of this technique creates a highly flexible environment for synchrotrons in which users of most beamlines will be able to easily select between the x-rays originated by the standard electron bunches and the short x-ray pulses originated by the special electron bunches carrying a time-dependent transverse correlation.

  7. Frequency dependent changes in NMDAR-dependent synaptic plasticity

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    Arvind eKumar

    2011-09-01

    Full Text Available The NMDAR-dependent synaptic plasticity is thought to mediate several forms of learning, and can be induced by spike trains containing a small number of spikes occurring with varying rates and timing, as well as with oscillations. We computed the influence of these variables on the plasticity induced at a single NMDAR containing synapse using a reduced model that was analytically tractable, and these findings were confirmed using detailed, multi-compartment model. In addition to explaining diverse experimental results about the rate and timing dependence of synaptic plasticity, the model made several novel and testable predictions. We found that there was a preferred frequency for inducing long-term potentiation (LTP such that higher frequency stimuli induced lesser LTP, decreasing as 1/f when the number of spikes in the stimulus was kept fixed. Among other things, the preferred frequency for inducing LTP varied as a function of the distance of the synapse from the soma. In fact, same stimulation frequencies could induce LTP or LTD depending on the dendritic location of the synapse. Next, we found that rhythmic stimuli induced greater plasticity then irregular stimuli. Furthermore, brief bursts of spikes significantly expanded the timing dependence of plasticity. Finally, we found that in the ~5-15Hz frequency range both rate- and timing-dependent plasticity mechanisms work synergistically to render the synaptic plasticity most sensitive to spike-timing. These findings provide computational evidence that oscillations can have a profound influence on the plasticity of an NMDAR-dependent synapse, and show a novel role for the dendritic morphology in this process.

  8. The signature of positive selection at randomly chosen loci.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Przeworski, Molly

    2002-03-01

    In Drosophila and humans, there are accumulating examples of loci with a significant excess of high-frequency-derived alleles or high levels of linkage disequilibrium, relative to a neutral model of a random-mating population of constant size. These are features expected after a recent selective sweep. Their prevalence suggests that positive directional selection may be widespread in both species. However, as I show here, these features do not persist long after the sweep ends: The high-frequency alleles drift to fixation and no longer contribute to polymorphism, while linkage disequilibrium is broken down by recombination. As a result, loci chosen without independent evidence of recent selection are not expected to exhibit either of these features, even if they have been affected by numerous sweeps in their genealogical history. How then can we explain the patterns in the data? One possibility is population structure, with unequal sampling from different subpopulations. Alternatively, positive selection may not operate as is commonly modeled. In particular, the rate of fixation of advantageous mutations may have increased in the recent past.

  9. Temperature dependency of cupular mechanics and hair cell frequency selectivity in the fish canal lateral line organ

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Wiersinga-Post, JEC; van Netten, SM

    2000-01-01

    The mechanical frequency selectivity of the cupula located in the supraorbital lateral line canal and the frequency selectivity of the hair cells driven by the cupula were measured simultaneously in vivo. Laser interferometry was used to measure cupular mechanics and extracellular receptor

  10. Frequency dependence of p-mode frequency shifts induced by magnetic activity in Kepler solar-like stars

    Science.gov (United States)

    Salabert, D.; Régulo, C.; Pérez Hernández, F.; García, R. A.

    2018-04-01

    The variations of the frequencies of the low-degree acoustic oscillations in the Sun induced by magnetic activity show a dependence on radial order. The frequency shifts are observed to increase towards higher-order modes to reach a maximum of about 0.8 μHz over the 11-yr solar cycle. A comparable frequency dependence is also measured in two other main sequence solar-like stars, the F-star HD 49933, and the young 1 Gyr-old solar analog KIC 10644253, although with different amplitudes of the shifts of about 2 μHz and 0.5 μHz, respectively. Our objective here is to extend this analysis to stars with different masses, metallicities, and evolutionary stages. From an initial set of 87 Kepler solar-like oscillating stars with known individual p-mode frequencies, we identify five stars showing frequency shifts that can be considered reliable using selection criteria based on Monte Carlo simulations and on the photospheric magnetic activity proxy Sph. The frequency dependence of the frequency shifts of four of these stars could be measured for the l = 0 and l = 1 modes individually. Given the quality of the data, the results could indicate that a physical source of perturbation different from that in the Sun is dominating in this sample of solar-like stars.

  11. Frequencies of inaudible high-frequency sounds differentially affect brain activity: positive and negative hypersonic effects.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ariko Fukushima

    Full Text Available The hypersonic effect is a phenomenon in which sounds containing significant quantities of non-stationary high-frequency components (HFCs above the human audible range (max. 20 kHz activate the midbrain and diencephalon and evoke various physiological, psychological and behavioral responses. Yet important issues remain unverified, especially the relationship existing between the frequency of HFCs and the emergence of the hypersonic effect. In this study, to investigate the relationship between the hypersonic effect and HFC frequencies, we divided an HFC (above 16 kHz of recorded gamelan music into 12 band components and applied them to subjects along with an audible component (below 16 kHz to observe changes in the alpha2 frequency component (10-13 Hz of spontaneous EEGs measured from centro-parieto-occipital regions (Alpha-2 EEG, which we previously reported as an index of the hypersonic effect. Our results showed reciprocal directional changes in Alpha-2 EEGs depending on the frequency of the HFCs presented with audible low-frequency component (LFC. When an HFC above approximately 32 kHz was applied, Alpha-2 EEG increased significantly compared to when only audible sound was applied (positive hypersonic effect, while, when an HFC below approximately 32 kHz was applied, the Alpha-2 EEG decreased (negative hypersonic effect. These findings suggest that the emergence of the hypersonic effect depends on the frequencies of inaudible HFC.

  12. Frequencies of inaudible high-frequency sounds differentially affect brain activity: positive and negative hypersonic effects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fukushima, Ariko; Yagi, Reiko; Kawai, Norie; Honda, Manabu; Nishina, Emi; Oohashi, Tsutomu

    2014-01-01

    The hypersonic effect is a phenomenon in which sounds containing significant quantities of non-stationary high-frequency components (HFCs) above the human audible range (max. 20 kHz) activate the midbrain and diencephalon and evoke various physiological, psychological and behavioral responses. Yet important issues remain unverified, especially the relationship existing between the frequency of HFCs and the emergence of the hypersonic effect. In this study, to investigate the relationship between the hypersonic effect and HFC frequencies, we divided an HFC (above 16 kHz) of recorded gamelan music into 12 band components and applied them to subjects along with an audible component (below 16 kHz) to observe changes in the alpha2 frequency component (10-13 Hz) of spontaneous EEGs measured from centro-parieto-occipital regions (Alpha-2 EEG), which we previously reported as an index of the hypersonic effect. Our results showed reciprocal directional changes in Alpha-2 EEGs depending on the frequency of the HFCs presented with audible low-frequency component (LFC). When an HFC above approximately 32 kHz was applied, Alpha-2 EEG increased significantly compared to when only audible sound was applied (positive hypersonic effect), while, when an HFC below approximately 32 kHz was applied, the Alpha-2 EEG decreased (negative hypersonic effect). These findings suggest that the emergence of the hypersonic effect depends on the frequencies of inaudible HFC.

  13. Frequency selectivity at very low centre frequencies

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Orellana, Carlos Andrés Jurado; Pedersen, Christian Sejer; Marquardt, Torsten

    2010-01-01

    measurements based on OAE suppression techniques and notched-noise masking data psychophysically measured for centre frequencies in the range 50-125 Hz, this study examines how individual differences in frequency selectivity, as well as in masking, may occur at very low CFs due to individual differences...

  14. IDENTIFYING ANTHROPOGENIC METALLIC POLLUTANTS USING FREQUENCY DEPENDENT MAGNETIC SUSCEPTIBILITY MEASUREMENTS IN ABUJA METROPOLIS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jatto S. Solomon

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available Soil formed from lithological and weathering processes of parent rocks generally exhibit paramagnetic properties due to some minerals contained in the rocks and thus have significant value of magnetic susceptibility. This susceptibility arising from the influence of the parent rocks tend to mask anthropogenic grains pollutants released into the environment by human activities. Hence, it becomes difficult to identify the effect of the lithological and anthropogenic magnetic susceptibility in complex soil found in urban areas. The superparamagnetic effect of lithological soil, a single state domain and multi-domain state of anthropogenic grains can easily be investigated by frequency dependent measurements where readings between 0-2.0% indicates the absence of lithological influence, 2.0-8.0% indicates multi-domain grains or mixture of both single stage and multi-domian grains and 8.0-12% indicates the superparamagntic (SP grain from lithological origin. In this work frequency dependent measurements were carried out along 5 selected road networks within the 5 districts of Abuja phase 1. Measurements were also carried out in 379 random points at the surface and depth of 40.0cm to investigate the distribution of anthropogenic grains in Abuja metropolis using the Bartington susceptibility meter. Frequency dependent measurements along the selected road networks indicate0-3.0% immediately after the roads pavement to a distance of about 3.0m from the road, indicating that the magnetic susceptibility arise mostly form anthropogenic influence rather than lithological processes. At the distance of 3.0-8.0m, frequency dependent values of about 3.0-8.0% were recorded, indicating mixture of both superparamagnetic and multi-domain grains. Beyond the distance of 8.0m, the frequency dependent values are mostly above 8.0.0%, indicating virtually all SP grains. The spatial distribution frequency dependent surface map shows the presence of anthropogenic grains in

  15. Frequency Selection for Multi-frequency Acoustic Measurement of Suspended Sediment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, X.; HO, H.; Fu, X.

    2017-12-01

    Multi-frequency acoustic measurement of suspended sediment has found successful applications in marine and fluvial environments. Difficult challenges remain in regard to improving its effectiveness and efficiency when applied to high concentrations and wide size distributions in rivers. We performed a multi-frequency acoustic scattering experiment in a cylindrical tank with a suspension of natural sands. The sands range from 50 to 600 μm in diameter with a lognormal size distribution. The bulk concentration of suspended sediment varied from 1.0 to 12.0 g/L. We found that the commonly used linear relationship between the intensity of acoustic backscatter and suspended sediment concentration holds only at sufficiently low concentrations, for instance below 3.0 g/L. It fails at a critical value of concentration that depends on measurement frequency and the distance between the transducer and the target point. Instead, an exponential relationship was found to work satisfactorily throughout the entire range of concentration. The coefficient and exponent of the exponential function changed, however, with the measuring frequency and distance. Considering the increased complexity of inverting the concentration values when an exponential relationship prevails, we further analyzed the relationship between measurement error and measuring frequency. It was also found that the inversion error may be effectively controlled within 5% if the frequency is properly set. Compared with concentration, grain size was found to heavily affect the selection of optimum frequency. A regression relationship for optimum frequency versus grain size was developed based on the experimental results.

  16. Frequency dependent polarization in blazars

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bjoernsson, C.I.

    1984-10-01

    It is argued that the intrinsic frequency dependent polarization in blazars finds its most straightforward explanations in terms of a single rather than a multicomponent sourcemodel. In order to reproduce the observations, under the assumption that the emission mechanism is optically thin synchrotron radiation, both a well ordered magnetic field and an electron distribution with a sharp break or cuttoff are necessary. Non-uniform pitch angle distribution and/or environments where synchrotron losses are important are both conducive to producing strong frequency dependent polarization. Reasons are put forth as to why such conditions ar expected to occur in blazars. Two specific models are discussed in detail and it is shown that they are both able to produce strong frequency dependent polarization, even when the spectral index changes by a small amount only. (orig.)

  17. Positive selection of deleterious alleles through interaction with a sex-ratio suppressor gene in African Buffalo: a plausible new mechanism for a high frequency anomaly.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pim van Hooft

    Full Text Available Although generally rare, deleterious alleles can become common through genetic drift, hitchhiking or reductions in selective constraints. Here we present a possible new mechanism that explains the attainment of high frequencies of deleterious alleles in the African buffalo (Syncerus caffer population of Kruger National Park, through positive selection of these alleles that is ultimately driven by a sex-ratio suppressor. We have previously shown that one in four Kruger buffalo has a Y-chromosome profile that, despite being associated with low body condition, appears to impart a relative reproductive advantage, and which is stably maintained through a sex-ratio suppressor. Apparently, this sex-ratio suppressor prevents fertility reduction that generally accompanies sex-ratio distortion. We hypothesize that this body-condition-associated reproductive advantage increases the fitness of alleles that negatively affect male body condition, causing genome-wide positive selection of these alleles. To investigate this we genotyped 459 buffalo using 17 autosomal microsatellites. By correlating heterozygosity with body condition (heterozygosity-fitness correlations, we found that most microsatellites were associated with one of two gene types: one with elevated frequencies of deleterious alleles that have a negative effect on body condition, irrespective of sex; the other with elevated frequencies of sexually antagonistic alleles that are negative for male body condition but positive for female body condition. Positive selection and a direct association with a Y-chromosomal sex-ratio suppressor are indicated, respectively, by allele clines and by relatively high numbers of homozygous deleterious alleles among sex-ratio suppressor carriers. This study, which employs novel statistical techniques to analyse heterozygosity-fitness correlations, is the first to demonstrate the abundance of sexually-antagonistic genes in a natural mammal population. It also has

  18. The impact of the microphone position on the frequency analysis of snoring sounds.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Herzog, Michael; Kühnel, Thomas; Bremert, Thomas; Herzog, Beatrice; Hosemann, Werner; Kaftan, Holger

    2009-08-01

    Frequency analysis of snoring sounds has been reported as a diagnostic tool to differentiate between different sources of snoring. Several studies have been published presenting diverging results of the frequency analyses of snoring sounds. Depending on the position of the used microphones, the results of the frequency analysis of snoring sounds vary. The present study investigated the influence of different microphone positions on the outcome of the frequency analysis of snoring sounds. Nocturnal snoring was recorded simultaneously at six positions (air-coupled: 30 cm middle, 100 cm middle, 30 cm lateral to both sides of the patients' head; body contact: neck and parasternal) in five patients. The used microphones had a flat frequency response and a similar frequency range (10/40 Hz-18 kHz). Frequency analysis was performed by fast Fourier transformation and frequency bands as well as peak intensities (Peaks 1-5) were detected. Air-coupled microphones presented a wider frequency range (60 Hz-10 kHz) compared to contact microphones. The contact microphone at cervical position presented a cut off at frequencies above 300 Hz, whereas the contact microphone at parasternal position revealed a cut off above 100 Hz. On an exemplary base, the study demonstrates that frequencies above 1,000 Hz do appear in complex snoring patterns, and it is emphasised that high frequencies are imported for the interpretation of snoring sounds with respect to the identification of the source of snoring. Contact microphones might be used in screening devices, but for a natural analysis of snoring sounds the use of air-coupled microphones is indispensable.

  19. Binaural frequency selectivity in humans.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Verhey, Jesko L; van de Par, Steven

    2018-01-23

    Several behavioural studies in humans have shown that listening to sounds with two ears that is binaural hearing, provides the human auditory system with extra information on the sound source that is not available when sounds are only perceived through one ear that is monaurally. Binaural processing involves the analysis of phase and level differences between the two ear signals. As monaural cochlea processing (in each ear) precedes the neural stages responsible for binaural processing properties it is reasonable to assume that properties of the cochlea may also be observed in binaural processing. A main characteristic of cochlea processing is its frequency selectivity. In psychoacoustics, there is an ongoing discussion on the frequency selectivity of the binaural auditory system. While some psychoacoustic experiments seem to indicate poorer frequency selectivity of the binaural system than that of the monaural processing others seem to indicate the same frequency selectivity for monaural and binaural processing. This study provides an overview of these seemingly controversial results and the different explanations that were provided to account for the different results. © 2018 Federation of European Neuroscience Societies and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  20. ANALYTICAL CALCULATION OF THE BASIC ELECTROMAGNETIC LOSSES OF THE ENERGY OF THE FREQUENCY-REGULATED ASYNCHRONOUS ENGINE IN POSITIONING

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    V. O. Volkov

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available Purpose. Obtaining analytical dependencies for the calculation of the main electromagnetic energy losses of a frequency-controlled induction motor in positioning modes with small displacements for various types (linear, parabolic and quasi-optimal of its velocity variation. Methodology. Similarity methods, differential and integral calculus, analytical interpolation, mathematical analysis. Findings. Analytical dependencies for calculation of current electromagnetic power losses and basic electromagnetic energy losses of a frequency-controlled asynchronous motor in the modes of positioning with small displacements for various types (linear, parabolic and quasi-optimal of its velocity are obtained. A universal form of the analytical dependence for calculating the optimal acceleration and deceleration times for a frequency-controlled asynchronous motor for positioning with small displacements, corresponding to minimization of the main electromagnetic energy losses of this engine with the indicated positioning for various species (linear, parabolic and quasi-optimal, is obtained. A comparative quantitative assessment of the change is made: the optimum values of the main electromagnetic energy losses of the frequency-controlled asynchronous engine and the corresponding maximum speed and optimal acceleration and deceleration times, in the function of the set prescribed small displacements for the various engine speed trajectories under consideration. Originality. For the first time, analytical dependencies for the calculation of the main electromagnetic energy losses of a frequency-controlled asynchronous motor are obtained for positioning with small displacements as a function of the set values of the movement of the motor shaft and the set values of its acceleration and deceleration times for the specified specified displacements. For the first time, dependences are obtained for a quantitative estimate of the minimum fundamental electromagnetic

  1. Frequency Dependence of Damping and Compliance in Loudspeaker Suspensions

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Thorborg, Knud; Tinggaard, Carsten; Agerkvist, Finn T.

    2010-01-01

    ]. It is an empirical model mathematically describing the effects of visco-elasticity in loudspeaker suspensions. The evaluation is to a high degree based on test loudspeakers with rubber surrounds with a high content of plasticizer combining high compliance and high damping. This is very effective to reduce rim...... resonances, but less used in high quality loudspeakers today – where “Low Loss Rubber Surround” is currently seen as a marketing feature, as it is expected to have positive impact on sound quality. The plasticized type of surround shows significant creep, followed by compliance and damping increasing towards...... - with the additives normally used to adjust stiffness and damping - neither frequency dependency of compliance nor creep are significant problems. Despite this, experience shows that frequency dependent mechanical damping nevertheless might be present. In this paper some modifications to the LOG-model are proposed...

  2. The signature of positive selection at randomly chosen loci.

    OpenAIRE

    Przeworski, Molly

    2002-01-01

    In Drosophila and humans, there are accumulating examples of loci with a significant excess of high-frequency-derived alleles or high levels of linkage disequilibrium, relative to a neutral model of a random-mating population of constant size. These are features expected after a recent selective sweep. Their prevalence suggests that positive directional selection may be widespread in both species. However, as I show here, these features do not persist long after the sweep ends: The high-frequ...

  3. Engineering frequency-dependent superfluidity in Bose-Fermi mixtures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arzamasovs, Maksims; Liu, Bo

    2018-04-01

    Unconventional superconductivity and superfluidity are among the most exciting and fascinating quantum phenomena in condensed-matter physics. Usually such states are characterized by nontrivial spin or spatial symmetry of the pairing order parameter, such as "spin triplet" or "p wave." However, besides spin and spatial dependence the order parameter may have unconventional frequency dependence which is also permitted by Fermi-Dirac statistics. Odd-frequency fermionic pairing is an exciting paradigm when discussing exotic superfluidity or superconductivity and is yet to be realized in experiments. In this paper we propose a symmetry-based method of controlling frequency dependence of the pairing order parameter via manipulating the inversion symmetry of the system. First, a toy model is introduced to illustrate that frequency dependence of the order parameter can be achieved through our proposed approach. Second, by taking advantage of recent rapid developments in producing spin-orbit-coupled dispersions in ultracold gases, we propose a Bose-Fermi mixture to realize such frequency-dependent superfluid. The key idea is introducing the frequency-dependent attraction between fermions mediated by Bogoliubov phonons with asymmetric dispersion. Our proposal should pave an alternative way for exploring frequency-dependent superfluids with cold atoms.

  4. Selective injection locking of a multi-mode semiconductor laser to a multi-frequency reference beam

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pramod, Mysore Srinivas; Yang, Tao; Pandey, Kanhaiya; Giudici, Massimo; Wilkowski, David

    2014-07-01

    Injection locking is a well known and commonly used method for coherent light amplification. Usually injection locking is obtained on a single-mode laser injected by a single-frequency seeding beam. In this work we show that selective injection locking of a single-frequency may also be achieved on a multi-mode semiconductor laser injected by a multi-frequency seeding beam, if the slave laser provides sufficient frequency filtering. This selective injection locking condition depends critically on the frequency detuning between the free-running slave emission frequency and each injected frequency component. Stable selective injection locking to a set of three seeding components separated by 1.2 GHz is obtained. This system provides an amplification up to 37 dB of each component. This result suggests that, using distinct slave lasers for each frequency line, a set of mutually coherent high-power radiation modes can be tuned in the GHz frequency domain.

  5. Evidence for Very Recent Positive Selection in Mongolians.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nakayama, Kazuhiro; Ohashi, Jun; Watanabe, Kazuhisa; Munkhtulga, Lkagvasuren; Iwamoto, Sadahiko

    2017-08-01

    Mongols, the founders of the largest continental empire in history, successfully adapted to the harsh environments of Inner Asia through nomadic pastoralism. Considerable interest exists in ascertaining whether genetic adaptation also contributed to the Mongols' success, and dissecting the genome diversity of present-day populations in Mongolia can help address this question. To this end, we determined the genotypes of nearly 2.4 million single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of 96 unrelated Mongolian individuals in Ulaanbaatar city, and performed genome-wide scans for population-specific positive selection. We discovered signatures of Mongolian-specific positive selection at the chromosomal region 3p12.1, in which hits in genome-wide association studies were reported for medical and biological traits related to energy metabolism and reproduction. The top SNP, rs117799927, showed a distinctive geographic distribution: the frequency of the derived allele, rs117799927 G, was extremely low among worldwide populations (0.005) but exceptionally high in Mongolians (0.247). Approximate Bayesian computation-based age estimation showed that the rs117799927 G allele emerged or positive selection began to operate 50 generations before the present, near the age of the climate anomaly named Late Antique Little Ice Age. Furthermore, rs117799927 showed significant associations with multiple adiposity-related traits in Mongolians and allelic difference in enhancer activity in cells of adipocyte lineage, suggesting that positive selection at 3p12.1 might be related to adaptation in the energy metabolism system. These findings provide novel evidence for a very recent positive-selection event in Homo sapiens and offer insights into the roles of genes in 3p12.1 in the adaptive evolution of our species. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  6. Rapid Evaluation for Position-Dependent Dynamics of a 3-DOF PKM Module

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hai-wei Luo

    2014-08-01

    Full Text Available Based on the substructure synthesis and modal reduction technique, a computationally efficient elastodynamic model for a fully flexible 3-RPS parallel kinematic machine (PKM tool is proposed, in which the frequency response function (FRF at the end of the tool can be obtained at any given position throughout its workspace. In the proposed elastodynamic model, the whole system is divided into a moving platform subsystem and three identical RPS limb subsystems, in which all joint compliances are included. The spherical joint and the revolute joint are treated as lumped virtual springs with equal stiffness; the platform is treated as a rigid body and the RPS limbs are modelled with modal reduction techniques. With the compatibility conditions at interfaces between the limbs and the platform, an analytical system governing differential equation is derived. Based on the derived model, the position-dependent dynamic characteristics such as natural frequencies, mode shapes, and FRFs of the 3-RPS PKM are simulated. The simulation results indicate that the distributions of natural frequencies throughout the workspace are strongly dependant on mechanism's configurations and demonstrate an axial-symmetric tendency. The following finite element analysis and modal tests both validate the analytical results of natural frequencies, mode shapes, and the FRFs.

  7. Homology Requirements for Efficient, Footprintless Gene Editing at the CFTR Locus in Human iPSCs with Helper-dependent Adenoviral Vectors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Donna J Palmer

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Helper-dependent adenoviral vectors mediate high efficiency gene editing in induced pluripotent stem cells without needing a designer nuclease thereby avoiding off-target cleavage. Because of their large cloning capacity of 37 kb, helper-dependent adenoviral vectors with long homology arms are used for gene editing. However, this makes vector construction and recombinant analysis difficult. Conversely, insufficient homology may compromise targeting efficiency. Thus, we investigated the effect of homology length on helper-dependent adenoviral vector targeting efficiency at the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator locus in induced pluripotent stem cells and found a positive correlation. With 23.8 and 21.4 kb of homology, the frequencies of targeted recombinants were 50–64.6% after positive selection for vector integration, and 97.4–100% after negative selection against random integrations. With 14.8 kb, the frequencies were 26.9–57.1% after positive selection and 87.5–100% after negative selection. With 9.6 kb, the frequencies were 21.4 and 75% after positive and negative selection, respectively. With only 5.6 kb, the frequencies were 5.6–16.7% after positive selection and 50% after negative selection, but these were more than high enough for efficient identification and isolation of targeted clones. Furthermore, we demonstrate helper-dependent adenoviral vector-mediated footprintless correction of cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator mutations through piggyBac excision of the selectable marker. However, low frequencies (≤ 1 × 10−3 necessitated negative selection for piggyBac-excision product isolation.

  8. A scan for positively selected genes in the genomes of humans and chimpanzees.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rasmus Nielsen

    2005-06-01

    Full Text Available Since the divergence of humans and chimpanzees about 5 million years ago, these species have undergone a remarkable evolution with drastic divergence in anatomy and cognitive abilities. At the molecular level, despite the small overall magnitude of DNA sequence divergence, we might expect such evolutionary changes to leave a noticeable signature throughout the genome. We here compare 13,731 annotated genes from humans to their chimpanzee orthologs to identify genes that show evidence of positive selection. Many of the genes that present a signature of positive selection tend to be involved in sensory perception or immune defenses. However, the group of genes that show the strongest evidence for positive selection also includes a surprising number of genes involved in tumor suppression and apoptosis, and of genes involved in spermatogenesis. We hypothesize that positive selection in some of these genes may be driven by genomic conflict due to apoptosis during spermatogenesis. Genes with maximal expression in the brain show little or no evidence for positive selection, while genes with maximal expression in the testis tend to be enriched with positively selected genes. Genes on the X chromosome also tend to show an elevated tendency for positive selection. We also present polymorphism data from 20 Caucasian Americans and 19 African Americans for the 50 annotated genes showing the strongest evidence for positive selection. The polymorphism analysis further supports the presence of positive selection in these genes by showing an excess of high-frequency derived nonsynonymous mutations.

  9. Mercury Trapped Ion Frequency Standard for Ultra-Stable Reference Applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Burt, Eric A. (Inventor); Hamell, Robert L. (Inventor); Tucker, Blake C. (Inventor); Larsen, Kameron (Inventor); Tjoelker, Robert L. (Inventor)

    2017-01-01

    An atomic clock including an ion trap assembly, a C-field coil positioned for generating a first magnetic field in the interrogation region of the ion trap assembly, a compensation coil positioned for generating a second magnetic field in the interrogation region, wherein the combination of the first and second magnetic fields produces an ion number-dependent second order Zeeman shift (Zeeman shift) in the resonance frequency that is opposite in sign to an ion number-dependent second order Doppler shift (Doppler shift) in the resonance frequency, the C-field coil has a radius selected using data indicating how changes in the radius affect an ion-number-dependent shift in the resonance frequency, such that a difference in magnitude between the Doppler shift and the Zeeman shift is controlled or reduced, and the resonance frequency, including the adjustment by the Zeeman shift, is used to obtain the frequency standard.

  10. Frequency-Dependent Properties of Magnetic Nanoparticle Crystals

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Majetich, Sara [Carnegie Mellon Univ., Pittsburgh, PA (United States)

    2016-05-17

    In the proposed research program we will investigate the time- and frequency-dependent behavior of ordered nanoparticle assemblies, or nanoparticle crystals. Magnetostatic interactions are long-range and anisotropic, and this leads to complex behavior in nanoparticle assemblies, particularly in the time- and frequency-dependent properties. We hypothesize that the high frequency performance of composite materials has been limited because of the range of relaxation times; if a composite is a dipolar ferromagnet at a particular frequency, it should have the advantages of a single phase material, but without significant eddy current power losses. Arrays of surfactant-coated monodomain magnetic nanoparticles can exhibit long-range magnetic order that is stable over time. The magnetic domain size and location of domain walls is governed not by structural grain boundaries but by the shape of the array, due to the local interaction field. Pores or gaps within an assembly pin domain walls and limit the domain size. Measurements of the magnetic order parameter as a function of temperature showed that domains can exist at high temoerature, and that there is a collective phase transition, just as in an exchange-coupled ferromagnet. Dipolar ferromagnets are not merely of fundamental interest; they provide an interesting alternative to exchange-based ferromagnets. Dipolar ferromagnets made with high moment metallic particles in an insulating matrix could have high permeability without large eddy current losses. Such nanocomposites could someday replace the ferrites now used in phase shifters, isolators, circulators, and filters in microwave communications and radar applications. We will investigate the time- and frequency-dependent behavior of nanoparticle crystals with different magnetic core sizes and different interparticle barrier resistances, and will measure the magnetic and electrical properties in the DC, low frequency (0.1 Hz - 1 kHz), moderate frequency (10 Hz - 500

  11. Frequency-Dependent Tidal Triggering of Low Frequency Earthquakes Near Parkfield, California

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xue, L.; Burgmann, R.; Shelly, D. R.

    2017-12-01

    The effect of small periodic stress perturbations on earthquake generation is not clear, however, the rate of low-frequency earthquakes (LFEs) near Parkfield, California has been found to be strongly correlated with solid earth tides. Laboratory experiments and theoretical analyses show that the period of imposed forcing and source properties affect the sensitivity to triggering and the phase relation of the peak seismicity rate and the periodic stress, but frequency-dependent triggering has not been quantitatively explored in the field. Tidal forcing acts over a wide range of frequencies, therefore the sensitivity to tidal triggering of LFEs provides a good probe to the physical mechanisms affecting earthquake generation. In this study, we consider the tidal triggering of LFEs near Parkfield, California since 2001. We find the LFEs rate is correlated with tidal shear stress, normal stress rate and shear stress rate. The occurrence of LFEs can also be independently modulated by groups of tidal constituents at semi-diurnal, diurnal and fortnightly frequencies. The strength of the response of LFEs to the different tidal constituents varies between LFE families. Each LFE family has an optimal triggering frequency, which does not appear to be depth dependent or systematically related to other known properties. This suggests the period of the applied forcing plays an important role in the triggering process, and the interaction of periods of loading history and source region properties, such as friction, effective normal stress and pore fluid pressure, produces the observed frequency-dependent tidal triggering of LFEs.

  12. Evolution of frequency-dependent mate choice: keeping up with fashion trends.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kokko, Hanna; Jennions, Michael D; Houde, Anne

    2007-05-22

    The diversity of sexual traits favoured by females is enormous and, curiously, includes preferences for males with rare or novel phenotypes. We modelled the evolution of a preference for rarity that yielded two surprising results. First, a Fisherian 'sexy son' effect can boost female preferences to a frequency well above that predicted by mutation-selection balance, even if there are significant mortality costs for females. Preferences do not reach fixation, however, as they are subject to frequency-dependent selection: if choosy females are too common, then rare genotypes in one generation become common, and thus unattractive, in the offspring generation. Nevertheless, even at relatively low frequency, preferences maintain polymorphism in male traits. The second unexpected result is that the preferences can evolve to much higher frequencies if choice is hindered, such that females cannot always express their preferences. Our results emphasize the need to consider feedback where preferences determine the dynamics of male genotypes and vice versa. They also highlight the similarity between the arbitrariness of behavioural norms in models of social evolution with punishment (the so-called 'folk theorem') and the diversity of sexual traits that can be preferred simply because deviating from the norm produces unattractive offspring and is, in this sense, 'punished'.

  13. Application of TaiWan Ionosphere Model to Single-Frequency Ionospheric Delay Correction for GPS Static Position Positioning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Macalalad, E. P.; Tsai, L.; Wu, J.

    2011-12-01

    Ionospheric delay is one of the major sources of error in GPS positioning and navigation. This error in both pseudorange and phase ranges can vary depending on the location of observation, local time, season, solar cycle and geomagnetic activity. This effect can be practically removed using dual-frequency receivers. However, these types of receivers are very expensive and thus, impractical for most users. Therefore, for single-frequency receivers, ionosphere is usually modeled to attempt to remove this effect analytically. Numerous ionosphere models have been introduced in the past. Some of which are the Klobuchar (or broadcast) model and the global ionosphere map (GIM) provided by the International GNSS Service (IGS). In this paper, another model, called the TaiWan Ionosphere Model (TWIM) was used to correct this effect. TWIM is a three dimensional ionospheric electron (ne) density model derived from FormoSat3/COSMIC GPS Radio Occultation measurements, was used to calculate ionospheric delay for GPS single-frequency positioning. The ne profiles were used to calculate the slant TEC (STEC) between a receiver and each GPS satellite and correct the pseudorange single-frequency observations. The corrected pseudorange for every epoch was used to calculate the position of the receiver. Observations were made in a low-latitude location near one of the peaks of the equatorial anomaly. It was shown that TEC maps generated using TWIM exhibited detailed structure of the ionosphere, whereas Klobuchar and GIM only provided the basic diurnal and geographic features of the ionosphere. Also, it was shown that for static point positioning TWIM provides more accurate and more precise positioning than the Klobuchar and GIM models. That is, on the average, the horizontal accuracy, represented by the circular error probable (CEP), distance RMS (DRMS) and twice the DRMS (2DRMS), were better by 15-18% as compared with the CEP, DRMS and 2DRMS of uncorrected, Klobuchar and GIM. Moreover

  14. Real-time multi-GNSS single-frequency precise point positioning

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    de Bakker, P.F.; Tiberius, C.C.J.M.

    2017-01-01

    Precise Point Positioning (PPP) is a popular Global Positioning System (GPS) processing strategy, thanks to its high precision without requiring additional GPS infrastructure. Single-Frequency PPP (SF-PPP) takes this one step further by no longer relying on expensive dual-frequency GPS receivers,

  15. Mixed Stimulus-Induced Mode Selection in Neural Activity Driven by High and Low Frequency Current under Electromagnetic Radiation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lulu Lu

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available The electrical activities of neurons are dependent on the complex electrophysiological condition in neuronal system, the three-variable Hindmarsh-Rose (HR neuron model is improved to describe the dynamical behaviors of neuronal activities with electromagnetic induction being considered, and the mode transition of electrical activities in neuron is detected when external electromagnetic radiation is imposed on the neuron. In this paper, different types of electrical stimulus impended with a high-low frequency current are imposed on new HR neuron model, and mixed stimulus-induced mode selection in neural activity is discussed in detail. It is found that mode selection of electrical activities stimulated by high-low frequency current, which also changes the excitability of neuron, can be triggered owing to adding the Gaussian white noise. Meanwhile, the mode selection of the neuron electrical activity is much dependent on the amplitude B of the high frequency current under the same noise intensity, and the high frequency response is selected preferentially by applying appropriate parameters and noise intensity. Our results provide insights into the transmission of complex signals in nerve system, which is valuable in engineering prospective applications such as information encoding.

  16. International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: meal frequency

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stout Jeffrey R

    2011-03-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Position Statement: Admittedly, research to date examining the physiological effects of meal frequency in humans is somewhat limited. More specifically, data that has specifically examined the impact of meal frequency on body composition, training adaptations, and performance in physically active individuals and athletes is scant. Until more research is available in the physically active and athletic populations, definitive conclusions cannot be made. However, within the confines of the current scientific literature, we assert that: 1. Increasing meal frequency does not appear to favorably change body composition in sedentary populations. 2. If protein levels are adequate, increasing meal frequency during periods of hypoenergetic dieting may preserve lean body mass in athletic populations. 3. Increased meal frequency appears to have a positive effect on various blood markers of health, particularly LDL cholesterol, total cholesterol, and insulin. 4. Increased meal frequency does not appear to significantly enhance diet induced thermogenesis, total energy expenditure or resting metabolic rate. 5. Increasing meal frequency appears to help decrease hunger and improve appetite control. The following literature review has been prepared by the authors in support of the aforementioned position statement.

  17. Intercohort density dependence drives brown trout habitat selection

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ayllón, Daniel; Nicola, Graciela G.; Parra, Irene; Elvira, Benigno; Almodóvar, Ana

    2013-01-01

    Habitat selection can be viewed as an emergent property of the quality and availability of habitat but also of the number of individuals and the way they compete for its use. Consequently, habitat selection can change across years due to fluctuating resources or to changes in population numbers. However, habitat selection predictive models often do not account for ecological dynamics, especially density dependent processes. In stage-structured population, the strength of density dependent interactions between individuals of different age classes can exert a profound influence on population trajectories and evolutionary processes. In this study, we aimed to assess the effects of fluctuating densities of both older and younger competing life stages on the habitat selection patterns (described as univariate and multivariate resource selection functions) of young-of-the-year, juvenile and adult brown trout Salmo trutta. We observed all age classes were selective in habitat choice but changed their selection patterns across years consistently with variations in the densities of older but not of younger age classes. Trout of an age increased selectivity for positions highly selected by older individuals when their density decreased, but this pattern did not hold when the density of younger age classes varied. It suggests that younger individuals are dominated by older ones but can expand their range of selected habitats when density of competitors decreases, while older trout do not seem to consider the density of younger individuals when distributing themselves even though they can negatively affect their final performance. Since these results may entail critical implications for conservation and management practices based on habitat selection models, further research should involve a wider range of river typologies and/or longer time frames to fully understand the patterns of and the mechanisms underlying the operation of density dependence on brown trout habitat

  18. Frequency-dependence of the slow force response.

    Science.gov (United States)

    von Lewinski, Dirk; Zhu, Danan; Khafaga, Mounir; Kockskamper, Jens; Maier, Lars S; Hasenfuss, Gerd; Pieske, Burkert

    2008-05-01

    Stretch induces biphasic inotropic effects in mammalian myocardium. A delayed component (slow force response, SFR) has been demonstrated in various species, however, experimental conditions varied and the underlying mechanisms are controversial. The physiological relevance of the SFR is poorly understood. Experiments were performed in ventricular muscle strips from failing human hearts and non-failing rabbit hearts. Upon stretch, twitch force was assessed at basal conditions (1 Hz, 37 degrees C) and after changing stimulation frequency with and without blockade of the Na+/H+-exchanger-1 (NHE1) or reverse-mode Na+/Ca2+-exchange (NCX). Action potential duration (APD) was assessed using floating electrodes. Low stimulation rates (0.2 Hz) potentiated and higher stimulation rates (2 and 3 Hz) reduced the SFR. The extent of SFR inhibition by NHE1 or NCX inhibition was not affected by stimulation rate. APD decreased at 0.2 Hz but was not altered at higher stimulation rates. The data demonstrate frequency-dependence of the SFR with greater positive inotropic effects at lower stimulation rates. Subcellular mechanisms underlying the SFR are not fundamentally affected by stimulation rate. The SFR may have more pronounced physiological effects at lower heart rates.

  19. Discrete diffusion Monte Carlo for frequency-dependent radiative transfer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Densmore, Jeffery D.; Thompson, Kelly G.; Urbatsch, Todd J.

    2011-01-01

    Discrete Diffusion Monte Carlo (DDMC) is a technique for increasing the efficiency of Implicit Monte Carlo radiative-transfer simulations. In this paper, we develop an extension of DDMC for frequency-dependent radiative transfer. We base our new DDMC method on a frequency integrated diffusion equation for frequencies below a specified threshold. Above this threshold we employ standard Monte Carlo. With a frequency-dependent test problem, we confirm the increased efficiency of our new DDMC technique. (author)

  20. Exploring Moho sharpness in Northeastern North China Craton with frequency-dependence analysis of Ps receiver function

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, P.; Yao, H.; Chen, L.; WANG, X.; Fang, L.

    2017-12-01

    The North China Craton (NCC), one of the oldest cratons in the world, has attracted wide attention in Earth Science for decades because of the unusual Mesozoic destruction of its cratonic lithosphere. Understanding the deep processes and mechanism of this craton destruction demands detailed knowledge about the deep structure of this region. In this study, we calculate P-wave receiver functions (RFs) with two-year teleseismic records from the North China Seismic Array ( 200 stations) deployed in the northeastern NCC. We observe both diffused and concentered PpPs signals from the Moho in RF waveforms, which indicates heterogeneous Moho sharpness variations in the study region. Synthetic Ps phases generated from broad positive velocity gradients at the depth of the Moho (referred as Pms) show a clear frequency dependence nature, which in turn is required to constrain the sharpness of the velocity gradient. Practically, characterizing such a frequency dependence feature in real data is challenging, because of low signal-to-noise ratio, contaminations by multiples generated from shallow structure, distorted signal stacking especially in double-peak Pms signals, etc. We attempt to address these issues by, firstly, utilizing a high-resolution Moho depth model of this region to predict theoretical delay times of Pms that facilitate more accurate Pms identifications. The Moho depth model is derived by wave-equation based poststack depth migration on both Ps phase and surface-reflected multiples in RFs in our previous study (Zhang et al., submitted to JGR). Second, we select data from a major back azimuth range of 100° - 220° that includes 70% teleseismic events due to the uneven data coverage and to avoid azimuthal influence as well. Finally, we apply an adaptive cross-correlation stacking of Pms signals in RFs for each station within different frequency bands. High-quality Pms signals at different frequencies will be selected after careful visual inspection and adaptive

  1. Triple-Frequency GPS Precise Point Positioning Ambiguity Resolution Using Dual-Frequency Based IGS Precise Clock Products

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fei Liu

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available With the availability of the third civil signal in the Global Positioning System, triple-frequency Precise Point Positioning ambiguity resolution methods have drawn increasing attention due to significantly reduced convergence time. However, the corresponding triple-frequency based precise clock products are not widely available and adopted by applications. Currently, most precise products are generated based on ionosphere-free combination of dual-frequency L1/L2 signals, which however are not consistent with the triple-frequency ionosphere-free carrier-phase measurements, resulting in inaccurate positioning and unstable float ambiguities. In this study, a GPS triple-frequency PPP ambiguity resolution method is developed using the widely used dual-frequency based clock products. In this method, the interfrequency clock biases between the triple-frequency and dual-frequency ionosphere-free carrier-phase measurements are first estimated and then applied to triple-frequency ionosphere-free carrier-phase measurements to obtain stable float ambiguities. After this, the wide-lane L2/L5 and wide-lane L1/L2 integer property of ambiguities are recovered by estimating the satellite fractional cycle biases. A test using a sparse network is conducted to verify the effectiveness of the method. The results show that the ambiguity resolution can be achieved in minutes even tens of seconds and the positioning accuracy is in decimeter level.

  2. Individual Alpha Peak Frequency Predicts 10 Hz Flicker Effects on Selective Attention.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gulbinaite, Rasa; van Viegen, Tara; Wieling, Martijn; Cohen, Michael X; VanRullen, Rufin

    2017-10-18

    Rhythmic visual stimulation ("flicker") is primarily used to "tag" processing of low-level visual and high-level cognitive phenomena. However, preliminary evidence suggests that flicker may also entrain endogenous brain oscillations, thereby modulating cognitive processes supported by those brain rhythms. Here we tested the interaction between 10 Hz flicker and endogenous alpha-band (∼10 Hz) oscillations during a selective visuospatial attention task. We recorded EEG from human participants (both genders) while they performed a modified Eriksen flanker task in which distractors and targets flickered within (10 Hz) or outside (7.5 or 15 Hz) the alpha band. By using a combination of EEG source separation, time-frequency, and single-trial linear mixed-effects modeling, we demonstrate that 10 Hz flicker interfered with stimulus processing more on incongruent than congruent trials (high vs low selective attention demands). Crucially, the effect of 10 Hz flicker on task performance was predicted by the distance between 10 Hz and individual alpha peak frequency (estimated during the task). Finally, the flicker effect on task performance was more strongly predicted by EEG flicker responses during stimulus processing than during preparation for the upcoming stimulus, suggesting that 10 Hz flicker interfered more with reactive than proactive selective attention. These findings are consistent with our hypothesis that visual flicker entrained endogenous alpha-band networks, which in turn impaired task performance. Our findings also provide novel evidence for frequency-dependent exogenous modulation of cognition that is determined by the correspondence between the exogenous flicker frequency and the endogenous brain rhythms. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Here we provide novel evidence that the interaction between exogenous rhythmic visual stimulation and endogenous brain rhythms can have frequency-specific behavioral effects. We show that alpha-band (10 Hz) flicker impairs stimulus

  3. Frequency selective bolometers

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kowitt, M.S.; Fixsen, D.J.; Goldin, A.

    1996-01-01

    We propose a concept for radiometry in the millimeter, the submillimeter, and the far-IR spectral regions, the frequency selective bolometer (FSB). This system uses a bolometer as a coupled element of a tuned quasi-optical interference filter in which the absorption, the transmission......-dimensional transmission-line model. Instruments based on FSB technology should have several advantages over current multiband bolometric radiometers including smaller and more compact cryogenic optics; reduced demands on cryostat size and weight, high coupling efficiency, minimum constraints on the geometry in the focal...

  4. Fluctuation-dissipation theorem for frequency-dependent specific heat

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dyre, Jeppe; Nielsen, Johannes K.

    1996-01-01

    A derivation of the fluctuation-dissipation (FD) theorem for the frequency-dependent specific heat of a system described by a master equation is presented. The FD theorem is illustrated by a number of simple examples, including a system described by a linear Langevin equation, a two-level system......, and a system described by the energy master equation. It is shown that for two quite different models with low-energy cutoffs—a collection of two-level systems and a system described by the energy master equation—the frequency-dependent specific heat in dimensionless units becomes universal at low temperatures......, i.e., independent of both energy distribution and temperature. These two models give almost the same universal frequency-dependent specific heat, which compares favorably to experiments on supercooled alcohols....

  5. How can we model selectively neutral density dependence in evolutionary games.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Argasinski, Krzysztof; Kozłowski, Jan

    2008-03-01

    The problem of density dependence appears in all approaches to the modelling of population dynamics. It is pertinent to classic models (i.e., Lotka-Volterra's), and also population genetics and game theoretical models related to the replicator dynamics. There is no density dependence in the classic formulation of replicator dynamics, which means that population size may grow to infinity. Therefore the question arises: How is unlimited population growth suppressed in frequency-dependent models? Two categories of solutions can be found in the literature. In the first, replicator dynamics is independent of background fitness. In the second type of solution, a multiplicative suppression coefficient is used, as in a logistic equation. Both approaches have disadvantages. The first one is incompatible with the methods of life history theory and basic probabilistic intuitions. The logistic type of suppression of per capita growth rate stops trajectories of selection when population size reaches the maximal value (carrying capacity); hence this method does not satisfy selective neutrality. To overcome these difficulties, we must explicitly consider turn-over of individuals dependent on mortality rate. This new approach leads to two interesting predictions. First, the equilibrium value of population size is lower than carrying capacity and depends on the mortality rate. Second, although the phase portrait of selection trajectories is the same as in density-independent replicator dynamics, pace of selection slows down when population size approaches equilibrium, and then remains constant and dependent on the rate of turn-over of individuals.

  6. Frequency-difference-dependent stochastic resonance in neural systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guo, Daqing; Perc, Matjaž; Zhang, Yangsong; Xu, Peng; Yao, Dezhong

    2017-08-01

    Biological neurons receive multiple noisy oscillatory signals, and their dynamical response to the superposition of these signals is of fundamental importance for information processing in the brain. Here we study the response of neural systems to the weak envelope modulation signal, which is superimposed by two periodic signals with different frequencies. We show that stochastic resonance occurs at the beat frequency in neural systems at the single-neuron as well as the population level. The performance of this frequency-difference-dependent stochastic resonance is influenced by both the beat frequency and the two forcing frequencies. Compared to a single neuron, a population of neurons is more efficient in detecting the information carried by the weak envelope modulation signal at the beat frequency. Furthermore, an appropriate fine-tuning of the excitation-inhibition balance can further optimize the response of a neural ensemble to the superimposed signal. Our results thus introduce and provide insights into the generation and modulation mechanism of the frequency-difference-dependent stochastic resonance in neural systems.

  7. Selectively catalytic activity of metal–organic frameworks depending on the N-position within the pyridine ring of their building blocks

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Xu, Haitao, E-mail: xuhaitao@ecust.edu.cn [School of Chemical Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237 (China); Gou, Yongxia; Ye, Jing; Xu, Zhen-liang [School of Chemical Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237 (China); Wang, Zixuan [School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237 (China)

    2016-05-15

    Iron metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) [Fe(L){sub 2}(SCN){sub 2}]{sub ∝} (L1: 4-bpdh=2,5-bis(4-pyridyl)-3,4-diaza-2,4-hexadiene for 1Fe; and L2: 3-bpdh=2,5-bis(3-pyridyl)-3,4-diaza-2,4-hexadiene for 2Fe) were assembled in a MeOH–H{sub 2}O solvent system. 1Fe exhibits a two-dimensional extended-grid network, whereas 2Fe exhibits a stair-like double-chain; the N-position within the pyridine ring of the complexes was observed to regulate the MOF structure as layers or chains. Furthermore, selectively catalytic activity was observed for the layered MOF but not the chain-structured MOF; micro/nanoparticles of the layered MOF were therefore investigated for new potential applications of micro/nano MOFs. - Graphical abstract: Iron metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) [Fe(L){sub 2}(SCN){sub 2}]{sub ∝} (L1: 4-bpdh=2,5-bis(4-pyridyl)-3,4-diaza-2,4-hexadiene for 1Fe; and L2: 3-bpdh=2,5-bis(3-pyridyl)-3,4-diaza-2,4-hexadiene for 2Fe) were assembled in a MeOH–H{sub 2}O solvent system. The N-position within the pyridine ring of the complexes was observed to regulate the MOF structure as layers or chains. Selectively catalytic activity was observed for the layered MOF but not the chain-structured MOF. - Highlights: • Synthesis and structure of metal–organic framework [Fe(L){sub 2}(SCN){sub 2}]{sub ∝}. • Selectively catalytic activity depending on the N-position within the pyridine ring. • The degradation and conversion of methyl orange.

  8. Selectively catalytic activity of metal–organic frameworks depending on the N-position within the pyridine ring of their building blocks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xu, Haitao; Gou, Yongxia; Ye, Jing; Xu, Zhen-liang; Wang, Zixuan

    2016-01-01

    Iron metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) [Fe(L) 2 (SCN) 2 ] ∝ (L1: 4-bpdh=2,5-bis(4-pyridyl)-3,4-diaza-2,4-hexadiene for 1Fe; and L2: 3-bpdh=2,5-bis(3-pyridyl)-3,4-diaza-2,4-hexadiene for 2Fe) were assembled in a MeOH–H 2 O solvent system. 1Fe exhibits a two-dimensional extended-grid network, whereas 2Fe exhibits a stair-like double-chain; the N-position within the pyridine ring of the complexes was observed to regulate the MOF structure as layers or chains. Furthermore, selectively catalytic activity was observed for the layered MOF but not the chain-structured MOF; micro/nanoparticles of the layered MOF were therefore investigated for new potential applications of micro/nano MOFs. - Graphical abstract: Iron metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) [Fe(L) 2 (SCN) 2 ] ∝ (L1: 4-bpdh=2,5-bis(4-pyridyl)-3,4-diaza-2,4-hexadiene for 1Fe; and L2: 3-bpdh=2,5-bis(3-pyridyl)-3,4-diaza-2,4-hexadiene for 2Fe) were assembled in a MeOH–H 2 O solvent system. The N-position within the pyridine ring of the complexes was observed to regulate the MOF structure as layers or chains. Selectively catalytic activity was observed for the layered MOF but not the chain-structured MOF. - Highlights: • Synthesis and structure of metal–organic framework [Fe(L) 2 (SCN) 2 ] ∝ . • Selectively catalytic activity depending on the N-position within the pyridine ring. • The degradation and conversion of methyl orange.

  9. Frequency-dependent effects of background noise on subcortical response timing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tierney, A; Parbery-Clark, A; Skoe, E; Kraus, N

    2011-12-01

    The addition of background noise to an auditory signal delays brainstem response timing. This effect has been extensively documented using manual peak selection. Peak picking, however, is impractical for large-scale studies of spectrotemporally complex stimuli, and leaves open the question of whether noise-induced delays are frequency-dependent or occur across the frequency spectrum. Here we use an automated, objective method to examine phase shifts between auditory brainstem responses to a speech sound (/da/) presented with and without background noise. We predicted that shifts in neural response timing would also be reflected in frequency-specific phase shifts. Our results indicate that the addition of background noise causes phase shifts across the subcortical response spectrum (70-1000 Hz). However, this noise-induced delay is not uniform such that some frequency bands show greater shifts than others: low-frequency phase shifts (300-500 Hz) are largest during the response to the consonant-vowel formant transition (/d/), while high-frequency shifts (720-1000 Hz) predominate during the response to the steady-state vowel (/a/). Most importantly, phase shifts occurring in specific frequency bands correlate strongly with shifts in the latencies of the predominant peaks in the auditory brainstem response, while phase shifts in other frequency bands do not. This finding confirms the validity of phase shift detection as an objective measure of timing differences and reveals that this method detects noise-induced shifts in timing that may not be captured by traditional peak latency measurements. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  10. Positive Selection and Centrality in the Yeast and Fly Protein-Protein Interaction Networks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sandip Chakraborty

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Proteins within a molecular network are expected to be subject to different selective pressures depending on their relative hierarchical positions. However, it is not obvious what genes within a network should be more likely to evolve under positive selection. On one hand, only mutations at genes with a relatively high degree of control over adaptive phenotypes (such as those encoding highly connected proteins are expected to be “seen” by natural selection. On the other hand, a high degree of pleiotropy at these genes is expected to hinder adaptation. Previous analyses of the human protein-protein interaction network have shown that genes under long-term, recurrent positive selection (as inferred from interspecific comparisons tend to act at the periphery of the network. It is unknown, however, whether these trends apply to other organisms. Here, we show that long-term positive selection has preferentially targeted the periphery of the yeast interactome. Conversely, in flies, genes under positive selection encode significantly more connected and central proteins. These observations are not due to covariation of genes’ adaptability and centrality with confounding factors. Therefore, the distribution of proteins encoded by genes under recurrent positive selection across protein-protein interaction networks varies from one species to another.

  11. Frequency dependent magneto-transport in charge transfer Co(II) complex

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shaw, Bikash Kumar; Saha, Shyamal K., E-mail: cnssks@iacs.res.in

    2014-09-01

    A charge transfer chelated system containing ferromagnetic metal centers is the ideal system to investigate the magneto-transport and magneto-dielectric effects due to the presence of both electronic as well as magnetic properties and their coupling. Magneto-transport properties in materials are usually studied through dc charge transport under magnetic field. As frequency dependent conductivity is an essential tool to understand the nature of carrier wave, its spatial extension and their mutual interaction, in the present work, we have investigated frequency dependent magneto-transport along with magnetization behavior in [Co{sub 2}(II)-(5-(4-PhMe)-1,3,4-oxadiazole-H{sup +}-2-thiolate){sub 5}](OAc){sub 4} metal complex to elucidate the nature of above quantities and their response under magnetic field in the transport property. We have used the existing model for ac conduction incorporating the field dependence to explain the frequency dependent magneto-transport. It is seen that the frequency dependent magneto-transport could be well explained using the existing model for ac conduction. -Highlights: • Chelated Co(II) complex is synthesized for magneto-transport applications. • Frequency dependent magneto-transport and magnetization behavior are studied. • Nature of carrier wave, its spatial extension is investigated under magnetic field. • Existing model for ac conduction is used with magnetic field dependence.

  12. Velocity form of the Kohn-Sham frequency-dependent polarizability equations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bartolotti, L.J.

    1987-01-01

    A single equation is derived for the determination of the first-order correction to the frequency-dependent density, due to the perturbation of a time-varying electric field. This new expression for the first-order correction to the frequency-dependent Kohn-Sham amplitudes depends explicitly upon the velocity form of the dipole-moment operator and the square of the Kohn-Sham Hamiltonian

  13. Dual-band frequency selective surface with large band separation and stable performance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, Hang; Qu, Shao-Bo; Peng, Wei-Dong; Lin, Bao-Qin; Wang, Jia-Fu; Ma, Hua; Zhang, Jie-Qiu; Bai, Peng; Wang, Xu-Hua; Xu, Zhuo

    2012-05-01

    A new technique of designing a dual-band frequency selective surface with large band separation is presented. This technique is based on a delicately designed topology of L- and Ku-band microwave filters. The two band-pass responses are generated by a capacitively-loaded square-loop frequency selective surface and an aperture-coupled frequency selective surface, respectively. A Faraday cage is located between the two frequency selective surface structures to eliminate undesired couplings. Based on this technique, a dual-band frequency selective surface with large band separation is designed, which possesses large band separation, high selectivity, and stable performance under various incident angles and different polarizations.

  14. Action Potential Broadening in Capsaicin-Sensitive DRG Neurons from Frequency-Dependent Reduction of Kv3 Current.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Pin W; Blair, Nathaniel T; Bean, Bruce P

    2017-10-04

    Action potential (AP) shape is a key determinant of cellular electrophysiological behavior. We found that in small-diameter, capsaicin-sensitive dorsal root ganglia neurons corresponding to nociceptors (from rats of either sex), stimulation at frequencies as low as 1 Hz produced progressive broadening of the APs. Stimulation at 10 Hz for 3 s resulted in an increase in AP width by an average of 76 ± 7% at 22°C and by 38 ± 3% at 35°C. AP clamp experiments showed that spike broadening results from frequency-dependent reduction of potassium current during spike repolarization. The major current responsible for frequency-dependent reduction of overall spike-repolarizing potassium current was identified as Kv3 current by its sensitivity to low concentrations of 4-aminopyridine (IC 50 action potentials of small-diameter rat DRG neurons showed spike broadening at frequencies as low as 1 Hz and that spike broadening resulted predominantly from frequency-dependent inactivation of Kv3 channels. Spike width helps to control transmitter release, conduction velocity, and firing patterns and understanding the role of particular potassium channels can help to guide new pharmacological strategies for targeting pain-sensing neurons selectively. Copyright © 2017 the authors 0270-6474/17/379705-10$15.00/0.

  15. Channel and delay estimation for base-station–based cooperative communications in frequency-selective fading channels

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hongjun Xu

    2011-07-01

    Full Text Available A channel and delay estimation algorithm for both positive and negative delay, based on the distributed Alamouti scheme, has been recently discussed for base-station–based asynchronous cooperative systems in frequency-flat fading channels. This paper extends the algorithm, the maximum likelihood estimator, to work in frequency-selective fading channels. The minimum mean square error (MMSE performance of channel estimation for both packet schemes and normal schemes is discussed in this paper. The symbol error rate (SER performance of equalisation and detection for both time-reversal space-time block code (STBC and single-carrier STBC is also discussed in this paper. The MMSE simulation results demonstrated the superior performance of the packet scheme over the normal scheme with an improvement in performance of up to 6 dB when feedback was used in the frequency-selective channel at a MSE of 3 x 10–2. The SER simulation results showed that, although both the normal and packet schemes achieved similar diversity orders, the packet scheme demonstrated a 1 dB coding gain over the normal scheme at a SER of 10–5. Finally, the SER simulations showed that the frequency-selective fading system outperformed the frequency-flat fading system.

  16. The evolution of social learning rules: payoff-biased and frequency-dependent biased transmission.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kendal, Jeremy; Giraldeau, Luc-Alain; Laland, Kevin

    2009-09-21

    Humans and other animals do not use social learning indiscriminately, rather, natural selection has favoured the evolution of social learning rules that make selective use of social learning to acquire relevant information in a changing environment. We present a gene-culture coevolutionary analysis of a small selection of such rules (unbiased social learning, payoff-biased social learning and frequency-dependent biased social learning, including conformism and anti-conformism) in a population of asocial learners where the environment is subject to a constant probability of change to a novel state. We define conditions under which each rule evolves to a genetically polymorphic equilibrium. We find that payoff-biased social learning may evolve under high levels of environmental variation if the fitness benefit associated with the acquired behaviour is either high or low but not of intermediate value. In contrast, both conformist and anti-conformist biases can become fixed when environment variation is low, whereupon the mean fitness in the population is higher than for a population of asocial learners. Our examination of the population dynamics reveals stable limit cycles under conformist and anti-conformist biases and some highly complex dynamics including chaos. Anti-conformists can out-compete conformists when conditions favour a low equilibrium frequency of the learned behaviour. We conclude that evolution, punctuated by the repeated successful invasion of different social learning rules, should continuously favour a reduction in the equilibrium frequency of asocial learning, and propose that, among competing social learning rules, the dominant rule will be the one that can persist with the lowest frequency of asocial learning.

  17. Dual-band frequency selective surface with large band separation and stable performance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhou Hang; Qu Shao-Bo; Lin Bao-Qin; Wang Jia-Fu; Ma Hua; Zhang Jie-Qiu; Peng Wei-Dong; Bai Peng; Wang Xu-Hua; Xu Zhuo

    2012-01-01

    A new technique of designing a dual-band frequency selective surface with large band separation is presented. This technique is based on a delicately designed topology of L- and Ku-band microwave filters. The two band-pass responses are generated by a capacitively-loaded square-loop frequency selective surface and an aperture-coupled frequency selective surface, respectively. A Faraday cage is located between the two frequency selective surface structures to eliminate undesired couplings. Based on this technique, a dual-band frequency selective surface with large band separation is designed, which possesses large band separation, high selectivity, and stable performance under various incident angles and different polarizations. (electromagnetism, optics, acoustics, heat transfer, classical mechanics, and fluid dynamics)

  18. Quantitative interpretation of the magnetic susceptibility frequency dependence

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ustra, Andrea; Mendonça, Carlos A.; Leite, Aruã; Jovane, Luigi; Trindade, Ricardo I. F.

    2018-05-01

    Low-field mass-specific magnetic susceptibility (MS) measurements using multifrequency alternating fields are commonly used to evaluate concentration of ferrimagnetic particles in the transition of superparamagnetic (SP) to stable single domain (SSD). In classical palaeomagnetic analyses, this measurement serves as a preliminary assessment of rock samples providing rapid, non-destructive, economical and easy information of magnetic properties. The SP-SSD transition is relevant in environmental studies because it has been associated with several geological and biogeochemical processes affecting magnetic mineralogy. MS is a complex function of mineral-type and grain-size distribution, as well as measuring parameters such as external field magnitude and frequency. In this work, we propose a new technique to obtain quantitative information on grain-size variations of magnetic particles in the SP-SSD transition by inverting frequency-dependent susceptibility. We introduce a descriptive parameter named as `limiting frequency effect' that provides an accurate estimation of MS loss with frequency. Numerical simulations show the methodology capability in providing data fitting and model parameters in many practical situations. Real-data applications with magnetite nanoparticles and core samples from sediments of Poggio le Guaine section of Umbria-Marche Basin (Italy) provide additional information not clearly recognized when interpreting cruder MS data. Caution is needed when interpreting frequency dependence in terms of single relaxation processes, which are not universally applicable and depend upon the nature of magnetic mineral in the material. Nevertheless, the proposed technique is a promising tool for SP-SSD content analyses.

  19. Frequency dependence of polarization phase difference

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rao, K.S.; Rao, Y.S.; Wang, J.R.

    1993-09-01

    Polarimetric AIRSAR data of July 13, 1990 acquired over Mahatango watershed area was processed for the identification of corn fields an forested areas. Polarization Phase Difference (PPD) values were computed for the corn fields at P-, L- and C- bands and studied as a function of frequency. The results compare well with the model calculations at 24 deg. incidence angle where as the locations of corn fields were computed to be at 35 deg. incidence angle. The discrepancy is attributed to lack of accurate ground truth and the undulating topography of the corn fields. Another study reported here deals with the usefulness of Polarization Index (PI) for the study of vegetation. PI was found to be dependent on frequency for corn fields where as for forest trees no such dependence was noticed. PI HH,HV is more useful parameter compared to PI HH,VV even for the study of corn fields. (author). 19 refs, 7 figs

  20. Frequency-dependent hopping conductivity in a static electric field in a random one-dimensional lattice

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lyo, S.K.

    1986-01-01

    The frequency-dependent electrical conductivity is studied in a nearest-neighbor-hopping linear lattice with disordered site energies and barrier heights in the presence of a uniform static electric field, allowing for detailed balance between random rates. Exact expressions are obtained for the conductivity for both high and low frequencies. The results reduce to those obtained by previous authors in the absence of site-energy disorder. However, the latter is found to alter the character of the frequency dependence of the conductivity significantly at low frequencies. In this case the conductivity is expanded as sigma(ω) = sigma 0 +isigma 1 ω-sigma 2 ω 2 -isigma 3 ω 3 +.... We find that sigma 1 is nonvanishing only if both site energies and barrier heights are disordered and that sigma 2 is positive when the fluctuations in site energies are small compared with the thermal energy but becomes negative in the opposite regime. The ac response is found to vanish [i.e., sigma(ω) = 0 for ωnot =0] in the absence of disorder in barrier heights

  1. Exactly solvable position dependent mass schroedinger equation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Koc, R.; Tuetuencueler, H.; Koercuek, E.

    2002-01-01

    Exact solution of the Schrodinger equation with a variable mass is presented. We have derived general expressions for the eigenstates and eigenvalues of the position dependent mass systems. We provide supersymmetric and Lie algebraic methods to discuss the position dependent mass systems

  2. Frequency selective tunable spin wave channeling in the magnonic network

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sadovnikov, A. V., E-mail: sadovnikovav@gmail.com; Nikitov, S. A. [Laboratory “Metamaterials,” Saratov State University, Saratov 410012 (Russian Federation); Kotel' nikov Institute of Radioengineering and Electronics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow 125009 (Russian Federation); Beginin, E. N.; Odincov, S. A.; Sheshukova, S. E.; Sharaevskii, Yu. P. [Laboratory “Metamaterials,” Saratov State University, Saratov 410012 (Russian Federation); Stognij, A. I. [Scientific-Practical Materials Research Center, National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, 220072 Minsk (Belarus)

    2016-04-25

    Using the space-resolved Brillouin light scattering spectroscopy, we study the frequency and wavenumber selective spin-wave channeling. We demonstrate the frequency selective collimation of spin-wave in an array of magnonic waveguides, formed between the adjacent magnonic crystals on the surface of yttrium iron garnet film. We show the control over spin-wave propagation length by the orientation of an in-plane bias magnetic field. Fabricated array of magnonic crystal can be used as a magnonic platform for multidirectional frequency selective signal processing applications in magnonic networks.

  3. Frequency-dependent micromechanics of cellularized biopolymer networks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jones, Chris; Kim, Jihan; McIntyre, David; Sun, Bo

    Mechanical interactions between cells and the extracellular matrix (ECM) influence many cellular behaviors such as growth, differentiation, and migration. These are dynamic processes in which the cells actively remodel the ECM. Reconstituted collagen gel is a common model ECM for studying cell-ECM interactions in vitro because collagen is the most abundant component of mammalian ECM and gives the ECM its material stiffness. We embed micron-sized particles in collagen and use holographic optical tweezers to apply forces to the particles in multiple directions and over a range of frequencies up to 10 Hz. We calculate the local compliance and show that it is dependent on both the direction and frequency of the applied force. Performing the same measurement on many particles allows us to characterize the spatial inhomogeneity of the mechanical properties and shows that the compliance decreases at higher frequencies. Performing these measurements on cell-populated collagen gels shows that cellular remodeling of the ECM changes the mechanical properties of the collagen and we investigate whether this change is dependent on the local strain and distance from nearby cells.

  4. Radio-Frequency-Based NH₃-Selective Catalytic Reduction Catalyst Control: Studies on Temperature Dependency and Humidity Influences.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dietrich, Markus; Hagen, Gunter; Reitmeier, Willibald; Burger, Katharina; Hien, Markus; Grass, Philippe; Kubinski, David; Visser, Jaco; Moos, Ralf

    2017-07-12

    The upcoming more stringent automotive emission legislations and current developments have promoted new technologies for more precise and reliable catalyst control. For this purpose, radio-frequency-based (RF) catalyst state determination offers the only approach for directly measuring the NH₃ loading on selective catalytic reduction (SCR) catalysts and the state of other catalysts and filter systems. Recently, the ability of this technique to directly control the urea dosing on a current NH₃ storing zeolite catalyst has been demonstrated on an engine dynamometer for the first time and this paper continues that work. Therefore, a well-known serial-type and zeolite-based SCR catalyst (Cu-SSZ-13) was investigated under deliberately chosen high space velocities. At first, the full functionality of the RF system with Cu-SSZ-13 as sample was tested successfully. By direct RF-based NH₃ storage control, the influence of the storage degree on the catalyst performance, i.e., on NO x conversion and NH₃ slip, was investigated in a temperature range between 250 and 400 °C. For each operation point, an ideal and a critical NH₃ storage degree was found and analyzed in the whole temperature range. Based on the data of all experimental runs, temperature dependent calibration functions were developed as a basis for upcoming tests under transient conditions. Additionally, the influence of exhaust humidity was observed with special focus on cold start water and its effects to the RF signals.

  5. Selective visual scaling of time-scale processes facilitates broadband learning of isometric force frequency tracking.

    Science.gov (United States)

    King, Adam C; Newell, Karl M

    2015-10-01

    The experiment investigated the effect of selectively augmenting faster time scales of visual feedback information on the learning and transfer of continuous isometric force tracking tasks to test the generality of the self-organization of 1/f properties of force output. Three experimental groups tracked an irregular target pattern either under a standard fixed gain condition or with selectively enhancement in the visual feedback display of intermediate (4-8 Hz) or high (8-12 Hz) frequency components of the force output. All groups reduced tracking error over practice, with the error lowest in the intermediate scaling condition followed by the high scaling and fixed gain conditions, respectively. Selective visual scaling induced persistent changes across the frequency spectrum, with the strongest effect in the intermediate scaling condition and positive transfer to novel feedback displays. The findings reveal an interdependence of the timescales in the learning and transfer of isometric force output frequency structures consistent with 1/f process models of the time scales of motor output variability.

  6. Selective spleen scintigraphy to evaluate frequency of splenosis after posttraumatic splenectomy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Loew, A.; Tischler, E.; Mahlstedt, J.; Wolf, F.; Meier, H.

    1981-01-01

    In 60 patients having had posttraumatic splenectomy between 9 months and 12 years ago frequency of splenosis was investigated in comparison to immunological and hematological parameters. Selective spleen scintigraphy was performed with sup(99m)-Tc-labelled heat-damaged auto-erythrocytes. In 46,7% of the patients splenosis was found without age dependence. Between patients with and without splenosis no significant differences concerning the immunological and hematological parameters were seen. Therefore, the lack of pathological manifestations after posttraumatic splenectomy is not to be related to autotransplantation of splenic tissue. (orig.) [de

  7. Comment on “Frequency-dependent dispersion in porous media”

    KAUST Repository

    Davit, Yohan

    2012-07-10

    In a recent paper, Valdès-Parada and Alvarez-Ramirez used the technique of volume averaging to derive a "frequency-dependent" dispersion tensor, Dγ*, the goal of which is to describe solute transport in porous media undergoing periodic processes. We describe two issues related to this dispersion tensor. First, we demonstrate that the definition of Dγ* is erroneous and derive a corrected version, Dγ*c. With this modification, the approach of Valdès-Parada and Alvarez-Ramirez becomes strictly equivalent to the one devised by Moyne. Second, we show that the term "frequency-dependent dispersion" is misleading because Dγ* and Dγ*c do not depend on the process operating frequency, χ. The study carried out by Valdès-Parada and Alvarez-Ramirez represents a spectral analysis of the relaxation of Dγ* towards its steady-state, independent of any periodic operation or excitation. © 2012 American Physical Society.

  8. Variation in female morph frequencies and mating frequencies : random, frequency-dependent harassment or male mimicry?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hammers, Martijn; Van Gossum, Hans

    2008-01-01

    Female-limited colour polymorphisms occur in a variety of species, where often one female morph (androchrome) resembles the body coloration of the conspecific male, whereas the other (gynochrome) does not. We tested predictions of two frequency-dependent hypotheses that are commonly invoked to

  9. Frequency selective surfaces integrated with phased array antennas

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Monni, S.

    2005-01-01

    Frequency Selective Surfaces (FSS's) are periodic arrays of patches and/or slots etched on a metal plate, having frequency and angular ??ltering properties. The FSS response to an excitation (for example a plane wave) is characterized in terms of its re ection and transmission coe??cient, and

  10. Spatial-frequency dependent binocular imbalance in amblyopia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kwon, MiYoung; Wiecek, Emily; Dakin, Steven C; Bex, Peter J

    2015-11-25

    While amblyopia involves both binocular imbalance and deficits in processing high spatial frequency information, little is known about the spatial-frequency dependence of binocular imbalance. Here we examined binocular imbalance as a function of spatial frequency in amblyopia using a novel computer-based method. Binocular imbalance at four spatial frequencies was measured with a novel dichoptic letter chart in individuals with amblyopia, or normal vision. Our dichoptic letter chart was composed of band-pass filtered letters arranged in a layout similar to the ETDRS acuity chart. A different chart was presented to each eye of the observer via stereo-shutter glasses. The relative contrast of the corresponding letter in each eye was adjusted by a computer staircase to determine a binocular Balance Point at which the observer reports the letter presented to either eye with equal probability. Amblyopes showed pronounced binocular imbalance across all spatial frequencies, with greater imbalance at high compared to low spatial frequencies (an average increase of 19%, p imbalance may be useful for diagnosing amblyopia and as an outcome measure for recovery of binocular vision following therapy.

  11. Enhancing the accuracy of GPS point positioning by converting the single frequency data to dual frequency data

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aly M. El-naggar

    2011-09-01

    Full Text Available The global positioning system (GPS has been used to support a wide variety of applications, such as high-accuracy positioning and navigation. Differential GPS techniques can largely eliminate common-mode errors between the reference and the rover GPS stations resulting from ionospheric and tropospheric refraction and delays, satellite and receiver clock biases, and orbital errors [1]. The ionospheric delay in the propagation of global positioning system (GPS signals is one of the main sources of error in GPS precise positioning and navigation. A dual-frequency GPS receiver can eliminate (to the first order the ionospheric delay through a linear combination of the L1 and L2 observations [2]. The most significant effect of ionospheric delay appear in case of using single frequency data. In this paper the single frequency data of concerned station are converted to dual frequency data by employing dual frequency data from 11 regional GPS stations distributed around it. Total electron content (TEC was calculated at every GPS station to produce the mathematical model of TEC which is a function of latitude (Φ and longitude (λ. By using this mathematical model the values of TEC and L2 can be predicted at the single frequency GPS station for each satellite, after that the comparison between predicted and observation values of TEC and L2 was performed. The estimation method and test results of the proposed method indicates that the difference between predicted and observation values is very small.

  12. Genes under positive selection in Escherichia coli

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Petersen, Lise; Bollback, Jonathan P; Dimmic, Matt

    2007-01-01

    We used a comparative genomics approach to identify genes that are under positive selection in six strains of Escherichia coli and Shigella flexneri, including five strains that are human pathogens. We find that positive selection targets a wide range of different functions in the E. coli genome......, including cell surface proteins such as beta barrel porins, presumably because of the involvement of these genes in evolutionary arms races with other bacteria, phages, and/or the host immune system. Structural mapping of positively selected sites on trans-membrane beta barrel porins reveals...... that the residues under positive selection occur almost exclusively in the extracellular region of the proteins that are enriched with sites known to be targets of phages, colicins, or the host immune system. More surprisingly, we also find a number of other categories of genes that show very strong evidence...

  13. Frequency-dependent changes in the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations in patients with Wilson's disease: a resting-state fMRI study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hu, Xiaopeng; Chen, Siyi; Huang, Chang-Bing; Qian, Yinfeng; Yu, Yongqiang

    2017-06-01

    To investigate the frequency-dependent changes in the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF) in patients with Wilson's disease (WD). Resting-state function magnetic resonance imaging (R-fMRI) were employed to measure the amplitude of ALFF in 28 patients with WD and 27 matched normal controls. Slow-5 (0.01-0.027 Hz) and slow-4 (0.027-0.073 Hz) frequency bands were analyzed. Apart from the observation of atrophy in the cerebellum, basal ganglia, occipital gyrus, frontal gyrus, precentral gyrus, and paracentral lobule, we also found widespread differences in ALFF of the two bands in the medial frontal gyrus, inferior temporal gyrus, insula, basal ganglia, hippocampus/parahippocampal gyrus, and thalamus bilaterally. Compared to normal controls, WD patients had increased ALFF in the posterior lobe of the cerebellum, inferior temporal gyrus, brain stem, basal ganglia, and decreased ALFF in the anterior lobe of the cerebellum and medial frontal gyrus. Specifically, we observed that the ALFF abnormalities in the cerebellum and middle frontal gyrus were greater in the slow-5 than in the slow-4 band. Correlation analysis showed consistently positive correlations between urinary copper excretion (Cu), serum ceruloplasmin (CP) and ALFFs in the cerebellum. Our study suggests the accumulation of copper profoundly impaired intrinsic brain activity and the impairments seem to be frequency-dependent. These results provide further insights into the understanding of the pathophysiology of WD.

  14. Characteristics of spectro-temporal modulation frequency selectivity in humans.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oetjen, Arne; Verhey, Jesko L

    2017-03-01

    There is increasing evidence that the auditory system shows frequency selectivity for spectro-temporal modulations. A recent study of the authors has shown spectro-temporal modulation masking patterns that were in agreement with the hypothesis of spectro-temporal modulation filters in the human auditory system [Oetjen and Verhey (2015). J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 137(2), 714-723]. In the present study, that experimental data and additional data were used to model this spectro-temporal frequency selectivity. The additional data were collected to investigate to what extent the spectro-temporal modulation-frequency selectivity results from a combination of a purely temporal amplitude-modulation filter and a purely spectral amplitude-modulation filter. In contrast to the previous study, thresholds were measured for masker and target modulations with opposite directions, i.e., an upward pointing target modulation and a downward pointing masker modulation. The comparison of this data set with previous corresponding data with the same direction from target and masker modulations indicate that a specific spectro-temporal modulation filter is required to simulate all aspects of spectro-temporal modulation frequency selectivity. A model using a modified Gabor filter with a purely temporal and a purely spectral filter predicts the spectro-temporal modulation masking data.

  15. Characterization of frequency-dependent glass transition temperature by Vogel-Fulcher relationship

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bai Yu; Jin Li

    2008-01-01

    The complex mechanical modulus of polymer and polymer based composite materials showed a frequency-dependent behaviour during glass transition relaxation, which was historically modelled by the Arrhenius equation. However, this might not be true in a broad frequency domain based on the experience from the frequency dependence of the complex dielectric permittivity, which resulted from the same glass transition relaxation as for the complex mechanical modulus. Considering a good correspondence between dielectric and mechanical relaxation during glass transition, the Vogel-Fulcher relationship, previously proposed for the frequency dependence of dielectric permittivity, is introduced for that of the mechanical modulus; and the corresponding static glass transition temperature (T f ) was first determined for polymer and polymer based composite materials. (fast track communication)

  16. The research of characteristic difference of selected frequency luminescence for desert sand

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu Chao; Wei Mingjian; Li Huhou

    2011-01-01

    The characters of selected frequency luminescence of four groups of samples from Badain Jaran desert are measured by BG2003 luminescence spectrograph. The measurement subjects include selected frequency optical stimulate luminescence spectrum, selected frequency thermoluminescence spectrum and the dose response curve. A double-peak map is obtained by the result from all groups of data and spectrum. The difference is emerged between each group. The optical stimulate luminescence and thermoluminescence is applied in the measurement process. The dispersion of photon count on every response wavelength is analyzed. Based on the analysis, a better result can be gained by selected frequency thermoluminescence. (authors)

  17. 47 CFR 90.723 - Selection and assignment of frequencies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 220-222 MHz Band § 90.723 Selection and assignment of frequencies. (a) Phase II applications for frequencies in the 220-222 MHz band shall specify whether their intended use is for 10-channel nationwide... medical use. Phase II applicants for frequencies for public safety/mutual aid use or emergency medical use...

  18. Multisource full waveform inversion of marine streamer data with frequency selection

    KAUST Repository

    Huang, Yunsong; Schuster, Gerard T.

    2013-01-01

    Multisource migration with frequency selection is now extended to multisource full waveform inversion (FWI) of supergathers for marine streamer data. There are three advantages of this approach compared to conventional FWI for marine streamer data. 1. The multisource FWI method with frequency selection is computationally more efficient than conventional FWI. 2. A supergather requires more than an order of magnitude less storage than the the original data. 3. Frequency selection overcomes the acquisition mismatch between the observed data and the simulated multisource supergathers for marine data. This mismatch problem has prevented the efficient application of FWI to marine geometries in the space-time domain. Preliminary result of applying multisource FWI with frequency selection to a synthetic marine data set suggests it is at least four times more efficient than standard FWI.

  19. Emotional bias of sleep-dependent processing shifts from negative to positive with aging.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jones, Bethany J; Schultz, Kurt S; Adams, Sydney; Baran, Bengi; Spencer, Rebecca M C

    2016-09-01

    Age-related memory decline has been proposed to result partially from impairments in memory consolidation over sleep. However, such decline may reflect a shift toward selective processing of positive information with age rather than impaired sleep-related mechanisms. In the present study, young and older adults viewed negative and neutral pictures or positive and neutral pictures and underwent a recognition test after sleep or wake. Subjective emotional reactivity and affect were also measured. Compared with waking, sleep preserved valence ratings and memory for positive but not negative pictures in older adults and negative but not positive pictures in young adults. In older adults, memory for positive pictures was associated with slow wave sleep. Furthermore, slow wave sleep predicted positive affect in older adults but was inversely related to positive affect in young adults. These relationships were strongest for older adults with high memory for positive pictures and young adults with high memory for negative pictures. Collectively, these results indicate preserved but selective sleep-dependent memory processing with healthy aging that may be biased to enhance emotional well-being. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. Cortical drive of low-frequency oscillations in the human nucleus accumbens during action selection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stenner, Max-Philipp; Litvak, Vladimir; Rutledge, Robb B; Zaehle, Tino; Schmitt, Friedhelm C; Voges, Jürgen; Heinze, Hans-Jochen; Dolan, Raymond J

    2015-07-01

    The nucleus accumbens is thought to contribute to action selection by integrating behaviorally relevant information from multiple regions, including prefrontal cortex. Studies in rodents suggest that information flow to the nucleus accumbens may be regulated via task-dependent oscillatory coupling between regions. During instrumental behavior, local field potentials (LFP) in the rat nucleus accumbens and prefrontal cortex are coupled at delta frequencies (Gruber AJ, Hussain RJ, O'Donnell P. PLoS One 4: e5062, 2009), possibly mediating suppression of afferent input from other areas and thereby supporting cortical control (Calhoon GG, O'Donnell P. Neuron 78: 181-190, 2013). In this report, we demonstrate low-frequency cortico-accumbens coupling in humans, both at rest and during a decision-making task. We recorded LFP from the nucleus accumbens in six epilepsy patients who underwent implantation of deep brain stimulation electrodes. All patients showed significant coherence and phase-synchronization between LFP and surface EEG at delta and low theta frequencies. Although the direction of this coupling as indexed by Granger causality varied between subjects in the resting-state data, all patients showed a cortical drive of the nucleus accumbens during action selection in a decision-making task. In three patients this was accompanied by a significant coherence increase over baseline. Our results suggest that low-frequency cortico-accumbens coupling represents a highly conserved regulatory mechanism for action selection. Copyright © 2015 the American Physiological Society.

  1. Time-domain analysis of frequency dependent inertial wave forces on cylinders

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Krenk, Steen

    2013-01-01

    a simple time-domain procedure for the inertial force, in which the frequency dependence is represented via a simple explicit time filter on the wave particle acceleration or velocity. The frequency dependence of the inertia coefficient is known analytically as a function of the wave......-number, and the relevant range of waves shorter than about six times the diameter typically corresponds to deep water waves. This permits a universal non-dimensional frequency representation, that is converted to rational form to provide the relevant filter equation. Simple time-domain simulations demonstrate...... the reduction of the resonant part of the response for natural structural frequencies above the dominating wave frequency....

  2. Application of high Tc superconductors as frequency selective surfaces: Experiment and theory

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dawei Zhang; Yahya Rahmat-Samii; Fetterman, H.R.

    1993-01-01

    YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-x and Tl 2 CaBa 2 Cu 2 O 8 high temperature superconducting thin films were utilized to fabricate frequency selective surfaces (FSS) at millimeter-wave frequencies (75--110 GHz). An analytical/numerical model was applied, using a Floquet expansion and the Method of Moments, to analyze bandstop superconducting frequency selective surfaces. Experimental results were compared with the model, and showed a good agreement with resonant frequency prediction with an accuracy of better than 1%. The use of the superconducting frequency selective surfaces as quasi-optical millimeter-wave bandpass filters was also demonstrated

  3. PSP: rapid identification of orthologous coding genes under positive selection across multiple closely related prokaryotic genomes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Su, Fei; Ou, Hong-Yu; Tao, Fei; Tang, Hongzhi; Xu, Ping

    2013-12-27

    With genomic sequences of many closely related bacterial strains made available by deep sequencing, it is now possible to investigate trends in prokaryotic microevolution. Positive selection is a sub-process of microevolution, in which a particular mutation is favored, causing the allele frequency to continuously shift in one direction. Wide scanning of prokaryotic genomes has shown that positive selection at the molecular level is much more frequent than expected. Genes with significant positive selection may play key roles in bacterial adaption to different environmental pressures. However, selection pressure analyses are computationally intensive and awkward to configure. Here we describe an open access web server, which is designated as PSP (Positive Selection analysis for Prokaryotic genomes) for performing evolutionary analysis on orthologous coding genes, specially designed for rapid comparison of dozens of closely related prokaryotic genomes. Remarkably, PSP facilitates functional exploration at the multiple levels by assignments and enrichments of KO, GO or COG terms. To illustrate this user-friendly tool, we analyzed Escherichia coli and Bacillus cereus genomes and found that several genes, which play key roles in human infection and antibiotic resistance, show significant evidence of positive selection. PSP is freely available to all users without any login requirement at: http://db-mml.sjtu.edu.cn/PSP/. PSP ultimately allows researchers to do genome-scale analysis for evolutionary selection across multiple prokaryotic genomes rapidly and easily, and identify the genes undergoing positive selection, which may play key roles in the interactions of host-pathogen and/or environmental adaptation.

  4. Frequency-dependent selection predicts patterns of radiations and biodiversity

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Melian, Carlos J.; Alonso, David; Vazquez, Diego P.; Regetz, James; Allesina, Stefano

    2010-01-01

    Most empirical studies support a decline in speciation rates through time, although evidence for constant speciation rates also exists. Declining rates have been explained by invoking pre-existing niches, whereas constant rates have been attributed to non-adaptive processes such as sexual selection

  5. Extended exergy concept to facilitate designing and optimization of frequency-dependent direct energy conversion systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wijewardane, S.; Goswami, Yogi

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • Proved exergy method is not adequate to optimize frequency-dependent energy conversion. • Exergy concept is modified to facilitate the thermoeconomic optimization of photocell. • The exergy of arbitrary radiation is used for a practical purpose. • The utility of the concept is illustrated using pragmatic examples. - Abstract: Providing the radiation within the acceptable (responsive) frequency range(s) is a common method to increase the efficiency of the frequency-dependent energy conversion systems, such as photovoltaic and nano-scale rectenna. Appropriately designed auxiliary items such as spectrally selective thermal emitters, optical filters, and lenses are used for this purpose. However any energy conversion method that utilizes auxiliary components to increase the efficiency of a system has to justify the potential cost incurred by those auxiliary components through the economic gain emerging from the increased system efficiency. Therefore much effort should be devoted to design innovative systems, effectively integrating the auxiliary items and to optimize the system with economic considerations. Exergy is the widely used method to design and optimize conventional energy conversion systems. Although the exergy concept is used to analyze photovoltaic systems, it has not been used effectively to design and optimize such systems. In this manuscript, we present a modified exergy method in order to effectively design and economically optimize frequency-dependent energy conversion systems. Also, we illustrate the utility of this concept using examples of thermophotovoltaic, Photovoltaic/Thermal and concentrated solar photovoltaic

  6. Frequency dependence of the active impedance component of silicon thin-film resistors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Belogurov, S.V.; Gostilo, V.V.; Yurov, A.S.

    1987-01-01

    A high-resistant resistor on the silicon thin-film substrate considerably superior in noise and frequency performance than commercial resistors is described. The frequency dependence of the active impedance component is tested for determining noise and frequency dependences of silicon thin-film resistors. The obtained results permit to calculate the energy equivalent of resistor noise in nuclear radiation detection units at any temperature according to its frequency characteristic at room temperature

  7. Allele frequency changes due to hitch-hiking in genomic selection programs

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Liu, Huiming; Sørensen, Anders Christian; Meuwissen, Theo H E

    2014-01-01

    of inbreeding due to changes in allele frequencies and hitch-hiking. This study aimed at understanding the impact of using long-term genomic selection on changes in allele frequencies, genetic variation and the level of inbreeding. Methods Selection was performed in simulated scenarios with a population of 400......-BLUP, Genomic BLUP and Bayesian Lasso. Changes in allele frequencies at QTL, markers and linked neutral loci were investigated for the different selection criteria and different scenarios, along with the loss of favourable alleles and the rate of inbreeding measured by pedigree and runs of homozygosity. Results...

  8. Temperature dependence of the resonance frequency of thermogravimetric devices

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Iervolino, E.; Riccio, M.; Van Herwaarden, A.W.; Irace, A.; Breglio, G.; Van der Vlist, W.; Sarro, P.M.

    2010-01-01

    This paper investigates the temperature dependence of the resonance frequency of thermogravimetric (TG) devices for tip heating over the temperature range of View the MathML source 25–600?C. The resonance frequency of a fabricated TG device shows to be temperature independent for tip heating up to

  9. Radio-Frequency-Based NH3-Selective Catalytic Reduction Catalyst Control: Studies on Temperature Dependency and Humidity Influences

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Markus Dietrich

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available The upcoming more stringent automotive emission legislations and current developments have promoted new technologies for more precise and reliable catalyst control. For this purpose, radio-frequency-based (RF catalyst state determination offers the only approach for directly measuring the NH3 loading on selective catalytic reduction (SCR catalysts and the state of other catalysts and filter systems. Recently, the ability of this technique to directly control the urea dosing on a current NH3 storing zeolite catalyst has been demonstrated on an engine dynamometer for the first time and this paper continues that work. Therefore, a well-known serial-type and zeolite-based SCR catalyst (Cu-SSZ-13 was investigated under deliberately chosen high space velocities. At first, the full functionality of the RF system with Cu-SSZ-13 as sample was tested successfully. By direct RF-based NH3 storage control, the influence of the storage degree on the catalyst performance, i.e., on NOx conversion and NH3 slip, was investigated in a temperature range between 250 and 400 °C. For each operation point, an ideal and a critical NH3 storage degree was found and analyzed in the whole temperature range. Based on the data of all experimental runs, temperature dependent calibration functions were developed as a basis for upcoming tests under transient conditions. Additionally, the influence of exhaust humidity was observed with special focus on cold start water and its effects to the RF signals.

  10. Radio-Frequency-Based NH3-Selective Catalytic Reduction Catalyst Control: Studies on Temperature Dependency and Humidity Influences

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dietrich, Markus; Hagen, Gunter; Reitmeier, Willibald; Burger, Katharina; Hien, Markus; Grass, Philippe; Kubinski, David; Visser, Jaco; Moos, Ralf

    2017-01-01

    The upcoming more stringent automotive emission legislations and current developments have promoted new technologies for more precise and reliable catalyst control. For this purpose, radio-frequency-based (RF) catalyst state determination offers the only approach for directly measuring the NH3 loading on selective catalytic reduction (SCR) catalysts and the state of other catalysts and filter systems. Recently, the ability of this technique to directly control the urea dosing on a current NH3 storing zeolite catalyst has been demonstrated on an engine dynamometer for the first time and this paper continues that work. Therefore, a well-known serial-type and zeolite-based SCR catalyst (Cu-SSZ-13) was investigated under deliberately chosen high space velocities. At first, the full functionality of the RF system with Cu-SSZ-13 as sample was tested successfully. By direct RF-based NH3 storage control, the influence of the storage degree on the catalyst performance, i.e., on NOx conversion and NH3 slip, was investigated in a temperature range between 250 and 400 °C. For each operation point, an ideal and a critical NH3 storage degree was found and analyzed in the whole temperature range. Based on the data of all experimental runs, temperature dependent calibration functions were developed as a basis for upcoming tests under transient conditions. Additionally, the influence of exhaust humidity was observed with special focus on cold start water and its effects to the RF signals. PMID:28704929

  11. Thymic commitment of regulatory T cells is a pathway of TCR-dependent selection that isolates repertoires undergoing positive or negative selection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Coutinho, A; Caramalho, I; Seixas, E; Demengeot, J

    2005-01-01

    The seminal work of Le Douarin and colleagues (Ohki et al. 1987; Ohki et al. 1988; Salaun et al. 1990; Coutinho et al. 1993) first demonstrated that peripheral tissue-specific tolerance is centrally established in the thymus, by epithelial stromal cells (TEC). Subsequent experiments have shown that TEC-tolerance is dominant and mediated by CD4 regulatory T cells (Treg) that are generated intrathymically by recognition of antigens expressed on TECs (Modigliani et al. 1995; Modigliani et al. 1996a). From these and other observations, in 1996 Modigliani and colleagues derived a general model for the establishment and maintenance of natural tolerance (MM96) (Modigliani et al. 1996b), with two central propositions: (1) T cell receptor (TCR)-dependent sorting of emergent repertoires generates TEC-specific Treg displaying the highest TCR self-affinities below deletion thresholds, thus isolating repertoires undergoing positive and negative selection; (2) Treg are intrathymically committed (and activated) for a unique differentiative pathway with regulatory effector functions. The model explained the embryonic/perinatal time window of natural tolerance acquisition, by developmental programs determining (1) TCR multireactivity, (2) the cellular composition in the thymic stroma (relative abundance of epithelial vs hemopoietic cells), and (3) the dynamics of peripheral lymphocyte pools, built by accumulation of recent thymic emigrants (RTE) that remain recruitable to regulatory functions. We discuss here the MM96 in the light of recent results demonstrating the promiscuous expression of tissue-specific antigens by medullary TECs (Derbinski et al. 2001; Anderson et al. 2002; Gotter et al. 2004) and indicating that Treg represent a unique differentiative pathway (Fontenot et al. 2003; Hori et al. 2003; Khattri et al. 2003), which is adopted by CD4 T cells with high avidity for TEC-antigens (Bensinger et al. 2001; Jordan et al. 2001; Apostolou et al. 2002). In the likelihood that

  12. Positive selection neighboring functionally essential sites and disease-implicated regions of mammalian reproductive proteins.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Morgan, Claire C

    2010-01-01

    ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Reproductive proteins are central to the continuation of all mammalian species. The evolution of these proteins has been greatly influenced by environmental pressures induced by pathogens, rival sperm, sexual selection and sexual conflict. Positive selection has been demonstrated in many of these proteins with particular focus on primate lineages. However, the mammalia are a diverse group in terms of mating habits, population sizes and germ line generation times. We have examined the selective pressures at work on a number of novel reproductive proteins across a wide variety of mammalia. RESULTS: We show that selective pressures on reproductive proteins are highly varied. Of the 10 genes analyzed in detail, all contain signatures of positive selection either across specific sites or in specific lineages or a combination of both. Our analysis of SP56 and Col1a1 are entirely novel and the results show positively selected sites present in each gene. Our findings for the Col1a1 gene are suggestive of a link between positive selection and severe disease type. We find evidence in our dataset to suggest that interacting proteins are evolving in symphony: most likely to maintain interacting functionality. CONCLUSION: Our in silico analyses show positively selected sites are occurring near catalytically important regions suggesting selective pressure to maximize efficient fertilization. In those cases where a mechanism of protein function is not fully understood, the sites presented here represent ideal candidates for mutational study. This work has highlighted the widespread rate heterogeneity in mutational rates across the mammalia and specifically has shown that the evolution of reproductive proteins is highly varied depending on the species and interacting partners. We have shown that positive selection and disease are closely linked in the Col1a1 gene.

  13. Cooperative Orthogonal Space-Time-Frequency Block Codes over a MIMO-OFDM Frequency Selective Channel

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. Rezaei

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, a cooperative algorithm to improve the orthogonal space-timefrequency block codes (OSTFBC in frequency selective channels for 2*1, 2*2, 4*1, 4*2 MIMO-OFDM systems, is presented. The algorithm of three node, a source node, a relay node and a destination node is formed, and is implemented in two stages. During the first stage, the destination and the relay antennas receive the symbols sent by the source antennas. The destination node and the relay node obtain the decision variables employing time-space-frequency decoding process by the received signals. During the second stage, the relay node transmits decision variables to the destination node. Due to the increasing diversity in the proposed algorithm, decision variables in the destination node are increased to improve system performance. The bit error rate of the proposed algorithm at high SNR is estimated by considering the BPSK modulation. The simulation results show that cooperative orthogonal space-time-frequency block coding, improves system performance and reduces the BER in a frequency selective channel.

  14. Reproducibility of frequency-dependent low frequency fluctuations in reaction time over time and across tasks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Zan-Zan; Qu, Hui-Jie; Tian, Zhuo-Ling; Han, Meng-Jian; Fan, Yi; Ge, Lie-Zhong; Zang, Yu-Feng; Zhang, Hang

    2017-01-01

    Increased levels of reaction time variability (RTV) are characteristics of sustained attention deficits. The clinical significance of RTV has been widely recognized. However, the reliability of RTV measurements has not been widely studied. The present study aimed to assess the test-retest reliability of RTV conventional measurements, e.g., the standard deviation (SD), the coefficient of variation (CV), and a new measurement called the amplitude of low frequency fluctuation (ALFF) of RT. In addition, we aimed to assess differences and similarities of these measurements between different tasks. Thirty-seven healthy college students participated in 2 tasks, i.e., an Eriksen flanker task (EFT) and a simple reaction task (SRT), twice over a mean interval of 56 days. Conventional measurements of RTV including RT-SD and RT-CV were assessed first. Then the RT time series were converted into frequency domains, and RT-ALFF was further calculated for the whole frequency band (0.0023-0.167 Hz) and for a few sub-frequency bands including Slow-6 (frequency bands (Slow-3), but SRT RT-ALFF values showed slightly higher ICC values than EFT values in lower frequency bands (Slow-5 and Slow-4). 2) RT-ALFF magnitudes in each sub-frequency band were greater for the SRT than those for the EFT. 3) The RT-ALFF in the Slow-4 of the EFT was found to be correlated with the RT-ALFF in the Slow-5 of the SRT for both two visits, but no consistently significant correlation was found between the same frequency bands. These findings reveal good test-retest reliability for conventional measurements and for the RT-ALFF of RTV. The RT-ALFF presented frequency-dependent similarities across tasks. All of our results reveal the presence of different frequency structures between the two tasks, and thus the frequency-dependent characteristics of different tasks deserve more attention in future studies.

  15. Frequency-dependent Dispersion Measures and Implications for Pulsar Timing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cordes, J. M.; Shannon, R. M.; Stinebring, D. R.

    2016-01-01

    The dispersion measure (DM), the column density of free electrons to a pulsar, is shown to be frequency dependent because of multipath scattering from small-scale electron-density fluctuations. DMs vary between propagation paths whose transverse extent varies strongly with frequency, yielding arrival times that deviate from the high-frequency scaling expected for a cold, uniform, unmagnetized plasma (1/frequency2). Scaling laws for thin phase screens are verified with simulations; extended media are also analyzed. The rms DM difference across an octave band near 1.5 GHz is ˜ 4 × 10-5 pc cm-3 for pulsars at ˜1 kpc distance. The corresponding arrival-time variations are a few to hundreds of nanoseconds for DM ≲ 30 pc cm-3 but increase rapidly to microseconds or more for larger DMs and wider frequency ranges. Chromatic DMs introduce correlated noise into timing residuals with a power spectrum of “low pass” form. The correlation time is roughly the geometric mean of the refraction times for the highest and lowest radio frequencies used, ranging from days to years, depending on the pulsar. We discuss implications for methodologies that use large frequency separations or wide bandwidth receivers for timing measurements. Chromatic DMs are partially mitigable by including an additional chromatic term in arrival time models. Without mitigation, an additional term in the noise model for pulsar timing is implied. In combination with measurement errors from radiometer noise, an arbitrarily large increase in total frequency range (or bandwidth) will yield diminishing benefits and may be detrimental to overall timing precision.

  16. Three-frequency BDS precise point positioning ambiguity resolution based on raw observables

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Pan; Zhang, Xiaohong; Ge, Maorong; Schuh, Harald

    2018-02-01

    All BeiDou navigation satellite system (BDS) satellites are transmitting signals on three frequencies, which brings new opportunity and challenges for high-accuracy precise point positioning (PPP) with ambiguity resolution (AR). This paper proposes an effective uncalibrated phase delay (UPD) estimation and AR strategy which is based on a raw PPP model. First, triple-frequency raw PPP models are developed. The observation model and stochastic model are designed and extended to accommodate the third frequency. Then, the UPD is parameterized in raw frequency form while estimating with the high-precision and low-noise integer linear combination of float ambiguity which are derived by ambiguity decorrelation. Third, with UPD corrected, the LAMBDA method is used for resolving full or partial ambiguities which can be fixed. This method can be easily and flexibly extended for dual-, triple- or even more frequency. To verify the effectiveness and performance of triple-frequency PPP AR, tests with real BDS data from 90 stations lasting for 21 days were performed in static mode. Data were processed with three strategies: BDS triple-frequency ambiguity-float PPP, BDS triple-frequency PPP with dual-frequency (B1/B2) and three-frequency AR, respectively. Numerous experiment results showed that compared with the ambiguity-float solution, the performance in terms of convergence time and positioning biases can be significantly improved by AR. Among three groups of solutions, the triple-frequency PPP AR achieved the best performance. Compared with dual-frequency AR, additional the third frequency could apparently improve the position estimations during the initialization phase and under constraint environments when the dual-frequency PPP AR is limited by few satellite numbers.

  17. Anomalous frequency-dependent ionic conductivity of lesion-laden human-brain tissue

    Science.gov (United States)

    Emin, David; Akhtari, Massoud; Fallah, Aria; Vinters, Harry V.; Mathern, Gary W.

    2017-10-01

    We study the effect of lesions on our four-electrode measurements of the ionic conductivity of (˜1 cm3) samples of human brain excised from patients undergoing pediatric epilepsy surgery. For most (˜94%) samples, the low-frequency ionic conductivity rises upon increasing the applied frequency. We attributed this behavior to the long-range (˜0.4 mm) diffusion of solvated sodium cations before encountering intrinsic impenetrable blockages such as cell membranes, blood vessels, and cell walls. By contrast, the low-frequency ionic conductivity of some (˜6%) brain-tissue samples falls with increasing applied frequency. We attribute this unusual frequency-dependence to the electric-field induced liberation of sodium cations from traps introduced by the unusually severe pathology observed in samples from these patients. Thus, the anomalous frequency-dependence of the ionic conductivity indicates trap-producing brain lesions.

  18. density-dependent selection revisited

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Unknown

    is a more useful way of looking at density-dependent selection, and then go on ... these models was that the condition for maintenance of ... In a way, their formulation may be viewed as ... different than competition among species, and typical.

  19. Frequency Dependent Nudging of Hydrographic Data Into a Numerical Model of the North Atlantic

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thompson, K. R.; Wright, D. G.

    2002-12-01

    Nudging is one of the simplest ways of assimilating data into ocean models and it has been used for many years in studies of large-scale ocean circulation. One of its drawbacks is the suppression of eddies when nudging an eddy-permitting ocean model strongly toward an observed seasonal climatology. We propose a straightforward extension of nudging in which the model's climatology, rather than its instantaneous state, is nudged toward the observed seasonal climatology. In effect we propose nudging in specific frequency bands that are centered on the discrete frequencies evident in the observed climatology (e.g. 0, 1/12 and 1/6 cycles per month). This extension of conventional nudging allows the difference between the observed and modeled climatologies arbitrarily to be made small while allowing variations outside the selected frequency bands to evolve freely. We show how the method can be implemented efficiently in complex models using a Kalman filter and also discuss the benefits of spatially smoothing the nudges. We conclude with a demonstration of frequency dependent nudging using a 1/3 degree model of the North Atlantic.

  20. Sound frequency and aural selectivity in sound-contingent visual motion aftereffect.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maori Kobayashi

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: One possible strategy to evaluate whether signals in different modalities originate from a common external event or object is to form associations between inputs from different senses. This strategy would be quite effective because signals in different modalities from a common external event would then be aligned spatially and temporally. Indeed, it has been demonstrated that after adaptation to visual apparent motion paired with alternating auditory tones, the tones begin to trigger illusory motion perception to a static visual stimulus, where the perceived direction of visual lateral motion depends on the order in which the tones are replayed. The mechanisms underlying this phenomenon remain unclear. One important approach to understanding the mechanisms is to examine whether the effect has some selectivity in auditory processing. However, it has not yet been determined whether this aftereffect can be transferred across sound frequencies and between ears. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Two circles placed side by side were presented in alternation, producing apparent motion perception, and each onset was accompanied by a tone burst of a specific and unique frequency. After exposure to this visual apparent motion with tones for a few minutes, the tones became drivers for illusory motion perception. However, the aftereffect was observed only when the adapter and test tones were presented at the same frequency and to the same ear. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: These findings suggest that the auditory processing underlying the establishment of novel audiovisual associations is selective, potentially but not necessarily indicating that this processing occurs at an early stage.

  1. Staurosporine Inhibits Frequency-Dependent Myofilament Desensitization in Intact Rabbit Cardiac Trabeculae

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kenneth D. Varian

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Myofilament calcium sensitivity decreases with frequency in intact healthy rabbit trabeculae and associates with Troponin I and Myosin light chain-2 phosphorylation. We here tested whether serine-threonine kinase activity is primarily responsible for this frequency-dependent modulations of myofilament calcium sensitivity. Right ventricular trabeculae were isolated from New Zealand White rabbit hearts and iontophoretically loaded with bis-fura-2. Twitch force-calcium relationships and steady state force-calcium relationships were measured at frequencies of 1 and 4 Hz at 37 °C. Staurosporine (100 nM, a nonspecific serine-threonine kinase inhibitor, or vehicle (DMSO was included in the superfusion solution before and during the contractures. Staurosporine had no frequency-dependent effect on force development, kinetics, calcium transient amplitude, or rate of calcium transient decline. The shift in the pCa50 of the force-calcium relationship was significant from 6.05±0.04 at 1 Hz versus 5.88±0.06 at 4 Hz under control conditions (vehicle, P<0.001 but not in presence of staurosporine (5.89±0.08 at 1 Hz versus 5.94±0.07 at 4 Hz, P=NS. Phosphoprotein analysis (Pro-Q Diamond stain confirmed that staurosporine significantly blunted the frequency-dependent phosphorylation at Troponin I and Myosin light chain-2. We conclude that frequency-dependent modulation of calcium sensitivity is mediated through a kinase-specific effect involving phosphorylation of myofilament proteins.

  2. Frequency-Wavenumber (FK)-Based Data Selection in High-Frequency Passive Surface Wave Survey

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheng, Feng; Xia, Jianghai; Xu, Zongbo; Hu, Yue; Mi, Binbin

    2018-04-01

    Passive surface wave methods have gained much attention from geophysical and civil engineering communities because of the limited application of traditional seismic surveys in highly populated urban areas. Considering that they can provide high-frequency phase velocity information up to several tens of Hz, the active surface wave survey would be omitted and the amount of field work could be dramatically reduced. However, the measured dispersion energy image in the passive surface wave survey would usually be polluted by a type of "crossed" artifacts at high frequencies. It is common in the bidirectional noise distribution case with a linear receiver array deployed along roads or railways. We review several frequently used passive surface wave methods and derive the underlying physics for the existence of the "crossed" artifacts. We prove that the "crossed" artifacts would cross the true surface wave energy at fixed points in the f-v domain and propose a FK-based data selection technique to attenuate the artifacts in order to retrieve the high-frequency information. Numerical tests further demonstrate the existence of the "crossed" artifacts and indicate that the well-known wave field separation method, FK filter, does not work for the selection of directional noise data. Real-world applications manifest the feasibility of the proposed FK-based technique to improve passive surface wave methods by a priori data selection. Finally, we discuss the applicability of our approach.

  3. Frequency-Wavenumber (FK)-Based Data Selection in High-Frequency Passive Surface Wave Survey

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheng, Feng; Xia, Jianghai; Xu, Zongbo; Hu, Yue; Mi, Binbin

    2018-07-01

    Passive surface wave methods have gained much attention from geophysical and civil engineering communities because of the limited application of traditional seismic surveys in highly populated urban areas. Considering that they can provide high-frequency phase velocity information up to several tens of Hz, the active surface wave survey would be omitted and the amount of field work could be dramatically reduced. However, the measured dispersion energy image in the passive surface wave survey would usually be polluted by a type of "crossed" artifacts at high frequencies. It is common in the bidirectional noise distribution case with a linear receiver array deployed along roads or railways. We review several frequently used passive surface wave methods and derive the underlying physics for the existence of the "crossed" artifacts. We prove that the "crossed" artifacts would cross the true surface wave energy at fixed points in the f- v domain and propose a FK-based data selection technique to attenuate the artifacts in order to retrieve the high-frequency information. Numerical tests further demonstrate the existence of the "crossed" artifacts and indicate that the well-known wave field separation method, FK filter, does not work for the selection of directional noise data. Real-world applications manifest the feasibility of the proposed FK-based technique to improve passive surface wave methods by a priori data selection. Finally, we discuss the applicability of our approach.

  4. Low-frequency (0.7-7.4 mHz geomagnetic field fluctuations at high latitude: frequency dependence of the polarization pattern

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    L. Cafarella

    2001-06-01

    Full Text Available A statistical analysis of the polarization pattern of low-frequency geomagnetic field fluctuations (0.7-7.4 mHz covering the entire 24-h interval was performed at the Antarctic station Terra Nova Bay (80.0°S geomagnetic latitude throughout 1997 and 1998. The results show that the polarization pattern exhibits a frequency dependence, as can be expected from the frequency dependence of the latitude where the coupling between the magnetospheric compressional mode and the field line resonance takes place. The polarization analysis of single pulsation events shows that wave packets with different polarization sense, depending on frequency, can be simultaneously observed.

  5. An asymptotic preserving unified gas kinetic scheme for frequency-dependent radiative transfer equations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sun, Wenjun, E-mail: sun_wenjun@iapcm.ac.cn [Institute of Applied Physics and Computational Mathematics, P.O. Box 8009, Beijing 100088 (China); Jiang, Song, E-mail: jiang@iapcm.ac.cn [Institute of Applied Physics and Computational Mathematics, P.O. Box 8009, Beijing 100088 (China); Xu, Kun, E-mail: makxu@ust.hk [Department of Mathematics and Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong (China); Li, Shu, E-mail: li_shu@iapcm.ac.cn [Institute of Applied Physics and Computational Mathematics, P.O. Box 8009, Beijing 100088 (China)

    2015-12-01

    This paper presents an extension of previous work (Sun et al., 2015 [22]) of the unified gas kinetic scheme (UGKS) for the gray radiative transfer equations to the frequency-dependent (multi-group) radiative transfer system. Different from the gray radiative transfer equations, where the optical opacity is only a function of local material temperature, the simulation of frequency-dependent radiative transfer is associated with additional difficulties from the frequency-dependent opacity. For the multiple frequency radiation, the opacity depends on both the spatial location and the frequency. For example, the opacity is typically a decreasing function of frequency. At the same spatial region the transport physics can be optically thick for the low frequency photons, and optically thin for high frequency ones. Therefore, the optical thickness is not a simple function of space location. In this paper, the UGKS for frequency-dependent radiative system is developed. The UGKS is a finite volume method and the transport physics is modeled according to the ratio of the cell size to the photon's frequency-dependent mean free path. When the cell size is much larger than the photon's mean free path, a diffusion solution for such a frequency radiation will be obtained. On the other hand, when the cell size is much smaller than the photon's mean free path, a free transport mechanism will be recovered. In the regime between the above two limits, with the variation of the ratio between the local cell size and photon's mean free path, the UGKS provides a smooth transition in the physical and frequency space to capture the corresponding transport physics accurately. The seemingly straightforward extension of the UGKS from the gray to multiple frequency radiation system is due to its intrinsic consistent multiple scale transport modeling, but it still involves lots of work to properly discretize the multiple groups in order to design an asymptotic preserving (AP

  6. Spectro-temporal modulation masking patterns reveal frequency selectivity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oetjen, Arne; Verhey, Jesko L

    2015-02-01

    The present study investigated the possibility that the human auditory system demonstrates frequency selectivity to spectro-temporal amplitude modulations. Threshold modulation depth for detecting sinusoidal spectro-temporal modulations was measured using a generalized masked threshold pattern paradigm with narrowband masker modulations. Four target spectro-temporal modulations were examined, differing in their temporal and spectral modulation frequencies: a temporal modulation of -8, 8, or 16 Hz combined with a spectral modulation of 1 cycle/octave and a temporal modulation of 4 Hz combined with a spectral modulation of 0.5 cycles/octave. The temporal center frequencies of the masker modulation ranged from 0.25 to 4 times the target temporal modulation. The spectral masker-modulation center-frequencies were 0, 0.5, 1, 1.5, and 2 times the target spectral modulation. For all target modulations, the pattern of average thresholds for the eight normal-hearing listeners was consistent with the hypothesis of a spectro-temporal modulation filter. Such a pattern of modulation-frequency sensitivity was predicted on the basis of psychoacoustical data for purely temporal amplitude modulations and purely spectral amplitude modulations. An analysis of separability indicates that, for the present data set, selectivity in the spectro-temporal modulation domain can be described by a combination of a purely spectral and a purely temporal modulation filter function.

  7. FREQUENCY-DEPENDENT DISPERSION MEASURES AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PULSAR TIMING

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cordes, J. M. [Astronomy Department, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853 (United States); Shannon, R. M. [CSIRO Astronomy and Space Science, Box 76, Epping, NSW 1710 (Australia); Stinebring, D. R., E-mail: cordes@astro.cornell.edu, E-mail: ryan.shannon@csiro.au, E-mail: dan.stinebring@oberlin.edu [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Oberlin College, Oberlin, OH 44074 (United States)

    2016-01-20

    The dispersion measure (DM), the column density of free electrons to a pulsar, is shown to be frequency dependent because of multipath scattering from small-scale electron-density fluctuations. DMs vary between propagation paths whose transverse extent varies strongly with frequency, yielding arrival times that deviate from the high-frequency scaling expected for a cold, uniform, unmagnetized plasma (1/frequency{sup 2}). Scaling laws for thin phase screens are verified with simulations; extended media are also analyzed. The rms DM difference across an octave band near 1.5 GHz is ∼ 4 × 10{sup −5} pc cm{sup −3} for pulsars at ∼1 kpc distance. The corresponding arrival-time variations are a few to hundreds of nanoseconds for DM ≲ 30 pc cm{sup −3} but increase rapidly to microseconds or more for larger DMs and wider frequency ranges. Chromatic DMs introduce correlated noise into timing residuals with a power spectrum of “low pass” form. The correlation time is roughly the geometric mean of the refraction times for the highest and lowest radio frequencies used, ranging from days to years, depending on the pulsar. We discuss implications for methodologies that use large frequency separations or wide bandwidth receivers for timing measurements. Chromatic DMs are partially mitigable by including an additional chromatic term in arrival time models. Without mitigation, an additional term in the noise model for pulsar timing is implied. In combination with measurement errors from radiometer noise, an arbitrarily large increase in total frequency range (or bandwidth) will yield diminishing benefits and may be detrimental to overall timing precision.

  8. Delay selection by spike-timing-dependent plasticity in recurrent networks of spiking neurons receiving oscillatory inputs.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Robert R Kerr

    Full Text Available Learning rules, such as spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP, change the structure of networks of neurons based on the firing activity. A network level understanding of these mechanisms can help infer how the brain learns patterns and processes information. Previous studies have shown that STDP selectively potentiates feed-forward connections that have specific axonal delays, and that this underlies behavioral functions such as sound localization in the auditory brainstem of the barn owl. In this study, we investigate how STDP leads to the selective potentiation of recurrent connections with different axonal and dendritic delays during oscillatory activity. We develop analytical models of learning with additive STDP in recurrent networks driven by oscillatory inputs, and support the results using simulations with leaky integrate-and-fire neurons. Our results show selective potentiation of connections with specific axonal delays, which depended on the input frequency. In addition, we demonstrate how this can lead to a network becoming selective in the amplitude of its oscillatory response to this frequency. We extend this model of axonal delay selection within a single recurrent network in two ways. First, we show the selective potentiation of connections with a range of both axonal and dendritic delays. Second, we show axonal delay selection between multiple groups receiving out-of-phase, oscillatory inputs. We discuss the application of these models to the formation and activation of neuronal ensembles or cell assemblies in the cortex, and also to missing fundamental pitch perception in the auditory brainstem.

  9. Frequency driven inversion of tunnel magnetoimpedance and observation of positive tunnel magnetocapacitance in magnetic tunnel junctions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Parui, Subir; Ribeiro, Mário; Atxabal, Ainhoa; Llopis, Roger; Bedoya-Pinto, Amilcar; Sun, Xiangnan; Casanova, Fèlix; Hueso, Luis E.

    2016-01-01

    The relevance for modern computation of non-volatile high-frequency memories makes ac-transport measurements of magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) crucial for exploring this regime. Here, we demonstrate a frequency-mediated effect in which the tunnel magnetoimpedance reverses its sign in a classical Co/Al 2 O 3 /NiFe MTJ, whereas we only observe a gradual decrease in the tunnel magnetophase. Such effects are explained by the capacitive coupling of a parallel resistor and capacitor in the equivalent circuit model of the MTJ. Furthermore, we report a positive tunnel magnetocapacitance effect, suggesting the presence of a spin-capacitance at the two ferromagnet/tunnel-barrier interfaces. Our results are important for understanding spin transport phenomena at the high frequency regime in which the spin-polarized charge accumulation due to spin-dependent penetration depth at the two interfaces plays a crucial role.

  10. Frequency driven inversion of tunnel magnetoimpedance and observation of positive tunnel magnetocapacitance in magnetic tunnel junctions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Parui, Subir, E-mail: s.parui@nanogune.eu, E-mail: l.hueso@nanogune.eu; Ribeiro, Mário; Atxabal, Ainhoa; Llopis, Roger [CIC nanoGUNE, 20018 Donostia-San Sebastian (Spain); Bedoya-Pinto, Amilcar [CIC nanoGUNE, 20018 Donostia-San Sebastian (Spain); Max Planck Institute of Microstructure Physics, D-06120 Halle (Germany); Sun, Xiangnan [CIC nanoGUNE, 20018 Donostia-San Sebastian (Spain); National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, 100190 Beijing (China); Casanova, Fèlix; Hueso, Luis E., E-mail: s.parui@nanogune.eu, E-mail: l.hueso@nanogune.eu [CIC nanoGUNE, 20018 Donostia-San Sebastian (Spain); IKERBASQUE, Basque Foundation for Science, 48011 Bilbao (Spain)

    2016-08-01

    The relevance for modern computation of non-volatile high-frequency memories makes ac-transport measurements of magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) crucial for exploring this regime. Here, we demonstrate a frequency-mediated effect in which the tunnel magnetoimpedance reverses its sign in a classical Co/Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}/NiFe MTJ, whereas we only observe a gradual decrease in the tunnel magnetophase. Such effects are explained by the capacitive coupling of a parallel resistor and capacitor in the equivalent circuit model of the MTJ. Furthermore, we report a positive tunnel magnetocapacitance effect, suggesting the presence of a spin-capacitance at the two ferromagnet/tunnel-barrier interfaces. Our results are important for understanding spin transport phenomena at the high frequency regime in which the spin-polarized charge accumulation due to spin-dependent penetration depth at the two interfaces plays a crucial role.

  11. Anisotropy of the apparent frequency dependence of backscatter in formalin fixed human myocardium.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hall, C S; Verdonk, E D; Wickline, S A; Perez, J E; Miller, J G

    1997-01-01

    Measurements of the frequency dependence of ultrasonic backscatter are presented for specific angles of insonification for regions of infarcted and noninfarcted human myocardium. A 5-MHz transducer was used to insonify cylindrical cores taken from 7 noninfarcted regions and 12 infarcted regions of the left ventricular free wall of 6 formalin-fixed human hearts explanted because of ischemic cardiomyopathy. The dependence of apparent (uncompensated for diffraction effects and attenuation) backscatter on frequency was approximated by a power-law dependence, magnitude of B(f)2 = afn. Under ideal conditions in a lossless medium, the effect of not compensating for the effects of diffraction and attenuation leads to the value of n to be 2.0 for Rayleigh scatterers while the frequency dependence of the fully compensated backscatter coefficient would be f4. The value of n was determined over the frequency range, 3-7 MHz. Both nonifarcted and infarcted myocardium exhibited anisotropy of the frequency dependence of backscatter, with maxima occurring at angles that were perpendicular to the predominant myofiber direction and minima when parallel to the fibers. Perpendicular insonification yielded results for n of 1.8 +/- 0.1 for noninfarcted myocardium and 1.2 +/- 0.1 for infarcted myocardium while parallel insonification yielded results of 0.4 +/- 0.1 for noninfarcted and 0.0 +/- 0.1 for infarcted myocardium. The functional form of the angle-dependent backscatter is similar for both noninfarcted and infarcted myocardium, although the frequency dependence is clearly different for both tissue states for all angles of insonification. The results of this study indicate that the anisotropy of the frequency dependence of backscatter may play a significant role in ultrasonic imaging and is an important consideration for ultrasonic tissue characterization in myocardium.

  12. Frequency dependence of coherently amplified two-photon emission from hydrogen molecules

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hara, Hideaki; Miyamoto, Yuki; Hiraki, Takahiro; Masuda, Takahiko; Sasao, Noboru; Uetake, Satoshi; Yoshimi, Akihiro; Yoshimura, Koji; Yoshimura, Motohiko

    2017-12-01

    We investigate how the efficiency of coherently amplified two-photon emission depends on the frequency of one of the two emitted photons, namely the signal photon. This is done over the wavelength range of 5.048-10.21 μ m by using the vibrational transition of parahydrogen. The efficiency increases with the frequency of the signal photon. Considering experimental errors, our results are consistent with the theoretical prediction for the present experimental conditions. This study is an experimental demonstration of the frequency dependence of coherently amplified two-photon emission, and also presents its potential as a light source.

  13. Dependence of sound characteristics on the bowing position in a violin

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roh, YuJi; Kim, Young H.

    2014-12-01

    A quantitative analysis of violin sounds produced for different bowing positions over the full length of a violin string has been carried out. An automated bowing machine was employed in order to keep the bowing parameters constant. A 3-dimensional profile of the frequency spectrum was introduced in order to characterize the violin's sound. We found that the fundamental frequency did not change for different bowing positions, whereas the frequencies of the higher harmonics were different. Bowing the string at 30 mm from the bridge produced musical sounds. The middle of the string was confirmed to be a dead zone, as reported in previous works. In addition, the quarter position was also found to be a dead zone. Bowing the string 90 mm from the bridge dominantly produces a fundamental frequency of 864 Hz and its harmonics.

  14. Tidal dissipation in the Moon. Learning from the "incorrect" frequency dependence measured by the LLR

    Science.gov (United States)

    Efroimsky, M.

    2012-09-01

    It was demonstrated back in 2001 that fitting of the LLR data results in the quality factor Q of the Moon scaling as the frequency ξ to a negative power [8]: Q ˜ ξp , where p = -0.19 . (1) At the same time, numerous measurements by various seismological teams agree on the exponent being positive, not negative [4]. The positive sign of the exponent stems also from geodetic measurements [1], and it finds its explanation within the theory of friction in minerals [5]. On all these grounds, the aforementioned finding by the LLR team appears to be implausible and to disagree with the conventional wisdom of solid state mechanics and seismology. A later reexamination in [9] rendered a less upsetting value, p = -0.09 , which was still negative and still seemed to contradict our knowledge of microphysical processes in solids. The authors later wrote [10]: "There is a weak dependence of tidal specific dissipation Q on period. The Q increases from ˜ 30 at a month to ˜ 35 at one year. Q for rock is expected to have a weak dependence on tidal period, but it is expected to decrease with period rather than increase. The frequency dependence of Q deserves further attention and should be improved." A possible explanation of this paradox comes from the observation that the LLR measurements provided information on the tidal and not seismic dissipation. The difference between these two processes comes from self-gravitation of the celestial body. To address the problem accurately, one has to calculate the tidal factors kl sin ɛl showing up in the Darwin-Kaula expansion for the tidal torque or force. Here kl is the degree-l Love number, while ɛl is the appropriate tidal lag. Sometimes sin ɛl is denoted with 1/Q , which is not recommended, because this notation does not distinguish between the tidal reaction appropriate to harmonics of different degree. This notation also puts one at risk of confusing the tidal damping with the seismic damping, two process that have much in common

  15. The role of character positional frequency on Chinese word learning during natural reading.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Feifei Liang

    Full Text Available Readers' eye movements were recorded to examine the role of character positional frequency on Chinese lexical acquisition during reading and its possible modulation by word spacing. In Experiment 1, three types of pseudowords were constructed based on each character's positional frequency, providing congruent, incongruent, and no positional word segmentation information. Each pseudoword was embedded into two sets of sentences, for the learning and the test phases. In the learning phase, half the participants read sentences in word-spaced format, and half in unspaced format. In the test phase, all participants read sentences in unspaced format. The results showed an inhibitory effect of character positional frequency upon the efficiency of word learning when processing incongruent pseudowords both in the learning and test phase, and also showed facilitatory effect of word spacing in the learning phase, but not at test. Most importantly, these two characteristics exerted independent influences on word segmentation. In Experiment 2, three analogous types of pseudowords were created whilst controlling for orthographic neighborhood size. The results of the two experiments were consistent, except that the effect of character positional frequency was absent in the test phase in Experiment 2. We argue that the positional frequency of a word's constituent characters may influence the character-to-word assignment in a process that likely incorporates both lexical segmentation and identification.

  16. Prediction of Genes Related to Positive Selection Using Whole-Genome Resequencing in Three Commercial Pig Breeds

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    HyoYoung Kim

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Selective sweep can cause genetic differentiation across populations, which allows for the identification of possible causative regions/genes underlying important traits. The pig has experienced a long history of allele frequency changes through artificial selection in the domestication process. We obtained an average of 329,482,871 sequence reads for 24 pigs from three pig breeds: Yorkshire (n = 5, Landrace (n = 13, and Duroc (n = 6. An average read depth of 11.7 was obtained using whole-genome resequencing on an Illumina HiSeq2000 platform. In this study, cross-population extended haplotype homozygosity and cross-population composite likelihood ratio tests were implemented to detect genes experiencing positive selection for the genome-wide resequencing data generated from three commercial pig breeds. In our results, 26, 7, and 14 genes from Yorkshire, Landrace, and Duroc, respectively were detected by two kinds of statistical tests. Significant evidence for positive selection was identified on genes ST6GALNAC2 and EPHX1 in Yorkshire, PARK2 in Landrace, and BMP6, SLA-DQA1, and PRKG1 in Duroc.These genes are reportedly relevant to lactation, reproduction, meat quality, and growth traits. To understand how these single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs related positive selection affect protein function, we analyzed the effect of non-synonymous SNPs. Three SNPs (rs324509622, rs80931851, and rs80937718 in the SLA-DQA1 gene were significant in the enrichment tests, indicating strong evidence for positive selection in Duroc. Our analyses identified genes under positive selection for lactation, reproduction, and meat-quality and growth traits in Yorkshire, Landrace, and Duroc, respectively.

  17. Frequency and Therapeutic Outcomes of Culture Positive Invasive ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    From May 2012 to July 2013, all cases from consults sent to the clinical microbiologists for review and patients with positive samples were identified from the mycology laboratory registers. Hospital based frequency of Invasive Fungal Infections was 42.5%. Patients' ages ranged from 5 days to 71 years with a median of 29 ...

  18. The infrared Hall effect in YBCO: Temperature and frequency dependence of Hall scattering

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Grayson, M.; Cerne, J.; Drew, H.D.; Schmadel, D.C.; Hughes, R.; Preston, J.S.; Kung, P.J.; Vale, L.

    1999-01-01

    The authors measure the Hall angle, θ H , in YBCO films in the far- and mid-infrared to determine the temperature and frequency dependence of the Hall scattering. Using novel modulation techniques they measure both the Faraday rotation and ellipticity induced by these films in high magnetic fields to deduce the complex conductivity tensor. They observe a strong temperature dependence of the mid-infrared Hall conductivity in sharp contrast to the weak dependence of the longitudinal conductivity. By fitting the frequency dependent normal state Hall angle to a Lorentzian θ H (ω) = ω H /(γ H minus iω) they find the Hall frequency, ω H , is nearly independent of temperature. The Hall scattering rate, γ H , is consistent with γ H ∼ T 2 up to 200 K and is remarkably independent of IR frequency suggesting non-Fermi liquid behavior

  19. Spatial Tuning of a RF Frequency Selective Surface through Origami (Postprint)

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-05-12

    computational tools to systematically predict optimal folds. 15. SUBJECT TERMS origami, frequency selective surface, tuning, radio frequency 16...experimental study and motivates the development of computational tools to systematically predict optimal fold patterns for targeted frequency response...folding motions. The precise mapping of origami presents a novel method to spatially tune radio frequency (RF) devices, including adaptive antennas

  20. Feedforward and feedback frequency-dependent interactions in a large-scale laminar network of the primate cortex.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mejias, Jorge F; Murray, John D; Kennedy, Henry; Wang, Xiao-Jing

    2016-11-01

    Interactions between top-down and bottom-up processes in the cerebral cortex hold the key to understanding attentional processes, predictive coding, executive control, and a gamut of other brain functions. However, the underlying circuit mechanism remains poorly understood and represents a major challenge in neuroscience. We approached this problem using a large-scale computational model of the primate cortex constrained by new directed and weighted connectivity data. In our model, the interplay between feedforward and feedback signaling depends on the cortical laminar structure and involves complex dynamics across multiple (intralaminar, interlaminar, interareal, and whole cortex) scales. The model was tested by reproducing, as well as providing insights into, a wide range of neurophysiological findings about frequency-dependent interactions between visual cortical areas, including the observation that feedforward pathways are associated with enhanced gamma (30 to 70 Hz) oscillations, whereas feedback projections selectively modulate alpha/low-beta (8 to 15 Hz) oscillations. Furthermore, the model reproduces a functional hierarchy based on frequency-dependent Granger causality analysis of interareal signaling, as reported in recent monkey and human experiments, and suggests a mechanism for the observed context-dependent hierarchy dynamics. Together, this work highlights the necessity of multiscale approaches and provides a modeling platform for studies of large-scale brain circuit dynamics and functions.

  1. A new rate-dependent model for high-frequency tracking performance enhancement of piezoactuator system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tian, Lizhi; Xiong, Zhenhua; Wu, Jianhua; Ding, Han

    2017-05-01

    Feedforward-feedback control is widely used in motion control of piezoactuator systems. Due to the phase lag caused by incomplete dynamics compensation, the performance of the composite controller is greatly limited at high frequency. This paper proposes a new rate-dependent model to improve the high-frequency tracking performance by reducing dynamics compensation error. The rate-dependent model is designed as a function of the input and input variation rate to describe the input-output relationship of the residual system dynamics which mainly performs as phase lag in a wide frequency band. Then the direct inversion of the proposed rate-dependent model is used to compensate the residual system dynamics. Using the proposed rate-dependent model as feedforward term, the open loop performance can be improved significantly at medium-high frequency. Then, combining the with feedback controller, the composite controller can provide enhanced close loop performance from low frequency to high frequency. At the frequency of 1 Hz, the proposed controller presents the same performance as previous methods. However, at the frequency of 900 Hz, the tracking error is reduced to be 30.7% of the decoupled approach.

  2. The vestibular implant: Frequency-dependency of the electrically evoked Vestibulo-Ocular Reflex in humans

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Raymond eVan De Berg

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available The Vestibulo-Ocular Reflex (VOR shows frequency-dependent behavior. This study investigated whether the characteristics of the electrically evoked VOR (eVOR elicited by a vestibular implant, showed the same frequency-dependency.Twelve vestibular electrodes implanted in 7 patients with bilateral vestibular hypofunction were tested. Stimuli consisted of amplitude-modulated electrical stimulation with a sinusoidal profile at frequencies of 0.5Hz, 1Hz, and 2Hz. The main characteristics of the eVOR were evaluated and compared to the natural VOR characteristics measured in a group of age-matched healthy volunteers who were subjected to horizontal whole body rotations with equivalent sinusoidal velocity profiles at the same frequencies.A strong and significant effect of frequency was observed in the total peak eye velocity of the eVOR. This effect was similar to that observed in the natural VOR. Other characteristics of the (eVOR (angle, habituation-index, and asymmetry showed no significant frequency-dependent effect. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that, at least at the specific (limited frequency range tested, responses elicited by a vestibular implant closely mimic the frequency-dependency of the normal vestibular system.

  3. Positive selection in the chromosome 16 VKORC1 genomic region has contributed to the variability of anticoagulant response in humans.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Blandine Patillon

    Full Text Available VKORC1 (vitamin K epoxide reductase complex subunit 1, 16p11.2 is the main genetic determinant of human response to oral anticoagulants of antivitamin K type (AVK. This gene was recently suggested to be a putative target of positive selection in East Asian populations. In this study, we genotyped the HGDP-CEPH Panel for six VKORC1 SNPs and downloaded chromosome 16 genotypes from the HGDP-CEPH database in order to characterize the geographic distribution of footprints of positive selection within and around this locus. A unique VKORC1 haplotype carrying the promoter mutation associated with AVK sensitivity showed especially high frequencies in all the 17 HGDP-CEPH East Asian population samples. VKORC1 and 24 neighboring genes were found to lie in a 505 kb region of strong linkage disequilibrium in these populations. Patterns of allele frequency differentiation and haplotype structure suggest that this genomic region has been submitted to a near complete selective sweep in all East Asian populations and only in this geographic area. The most extreme scores of the different selection tests are found within a smaller 45 kb region that contains VKORC1 and three other genes (BCKDK, MYST1 (KAT8, and PRSS8 with different functions. Because of the strong linkage disequilibrium, it is not possible to determine if VKORC1 or one of the three other genes is the target of this strong positive selection that could explain present-day differences among human populations in AVK dose requirement. Our results show that the extended region surrounding a presumable single target of positive selection should be analyzed for genetic variation in a wide range of genetically diverse populations in order to account for other neighboring and confounding selective events and the hitchhiking effect.

  4. Frequency and voltage dependent electrical responses of poly(triarylamine) thin film-based organic Schottky diode

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anuar Mohamad, Khairul; Tak Hoh, Hang; Alias, Afishah; Ghosh, Bablu Kumar; Fukuda, Hisashi

    2017-11-01

    A metal-organic-metal (MOM) type Schottky diode based on poly (triarylamine) (PTAA) thin films has been fabricated by using the spin coating method. Investigation of the frequency dependent conductance-voltage (G-V-f) and capacitance-voltage (C-V-f) characteristics of the ITO/PTAA/Al MOM type diode were carried out in the frequency range from 12 Hz to 100 kHz using an LCR meter at room temperature. The frequency and bias voltage dependent electrical response were determined by admittance-based measured method in terms of an equivalent circuit model of the parallel combination of resistance and capacitance (RC circuit). Investigation revealed that the conductance is frequency and a bias voltage dependent in which conductance continuous increase as the increasing frequency, respectively. Meanwhile, the capacitance is dependent on frequency up to a certain value of frequency (100 Hz) but decreases at high frequency (1 - 10 kHz). The interface state density in the Schottky diode was determined from G-V and C-V characteristics. The interface state density has values almost constant of 2.8 x 1012 eV-1cm-2 with slightly decrease by increasing frequencies. Consequently, both series resistance and interface trap density were found to decrease with increasing frequency. The frequency dependence of the electrical responses is attributed the distribution density of interface states that could follow the alternating current (AC) signal.

  5. Assessing the utility of frequency dependent nudging for reducing biases in biogeochemical models

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lagman, Karl B.; Fennel, Katja; Thompson, Keith R.; Bianucci, Laura

    2014-09-01

    Bias errors, resulting from inaccurate boundary and forcing conditions, incorrect model parameterization, etc. are a common problem in environmental models including biogeochemical ocean models. While it is important to correct bias errors wherever possible, it is unlikely that any environmental model will ever be entirely free of such errors. Hence, methods for bias reduction are necessary. A widely used technique for online bias reduction is nudging, where simulated fields are continuously forced toward observations or a climatology. Nudging is robust and easy to implement, but suppresses high-frequency variability and introduces artificial phase shifts. As a solution to this problem Thompson et al. (2006) introduced frequency dependent nudging where nudging occurs only in prescribed frequency bands, typically centered on the mean and the annual cycle. They showed this method to be effective for eddy resolving ocean circulation models. Here we add a stability term to the previous form of frequency dependent nudging which makes the method more robust for non-linear biological models. Then we assess the utility of frequency dependent nudging for biological models by first applying the method to a simple predator-prey model and then to a 1D ocean biogeochemical model. In both cases we only nudge in two frequency bands centered on the mean and the annual cycle, and then assess how well the variability in higher frequency bands is recovered. We evaluate the effectiveness of frequency dependent nudging in comparison to conventional nudging and find significant improvements with the former.

  6. Evolutionary Graphs with Frequency Dependent Fitness

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nie, Pu-Yan; Zhang, Pei-Ai

    Evolutionary graph theory was recently proposed by Lieberman et al. in 2005. In the previous papers about evolutionary graphs (EGs), the fitness of the residents in the EGs is in general assumed to be unity, and the fitness of a mutant is assumed to be a constant r. We aim to extend EG to general cases in this paper, namely, the fitness of a mutant is heavily dependent upon frequency. The corresponding properties for these new EGs are analyzed, and the fixation probability is obtained for large population.

  7. Cavity-soliton laser with frequency-selective feedback

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Scroggie, A. J.; Firth, W. J.; Oppo, G.-L.

    2009-01-01

    We present a coupled-cavity model of a laser with frequency-selective feedback, and use it to analyze and explain the existence of stationary and dynamic spatial solitons in the device. Particular features of soliton addressing in this system are discussed. We demonstrate the advantages of our model with respect to the common Lang-Kobayashi approximation.

  8. High-frequency spin-dependent tunnelling in magnetic nanocomposites: Magnetorefractive effect and magnetoimpedance

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Granovsky, Alexander [Faculty of Physics, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow 119992 (Russian Federation)]. E-mail: granov@magn.ru; Kozlov, Andrey [Faculty of Physics, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow 119992 (Russian Federation); Nedukh, Sergey [Institute of Radiophysics and Electronics NAS of Ukraine, Kharkov 61085 (Ukraine); Tarapov, Sergey [Institute of Radiophysics and Electronics NAS of Ukraine, Kharkov 61085 (Ukraine)

    2005-07-15

    Since the dielectric permittivity is linear with frequency-dependent conductivity, high-frequency properties for any kind of magnetic materials with the high magnetoresistance depend on magnetization. It manifests as magnetorefractive effect (MRE) in the infrared region of spectrum and as magnetoimpedance (MI) in the frequency range between radio and microwaves. The main mechanism of both MRE and MI in nanocomposites with tunnel-type magnetoresistance is high-frequency spin-dependent tunnelling. We report on recent results of theoretical and experimental investigations of MRE and MI in nanocomposites Co{sub 51.5}Al{sub 19.5}O{sub 29}, Co{sub 50.2}Ti{sub 9.1}O{sub 40.7}, Co{sub 52.3}Si{sub 12.2}O{sub 35.5} and (Co{sub 0,4}Fe{sub 0,6}){sub 48}(MgF){sub 52}. Most of the obtained experimental data for MRE and MI are consistent with the theory based on considering the tunnel junction between adjacent granules in percolation cluster as a capacitor.

  9. Drive frequency dependent phase imaging in piezoresponse force microscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bo Huifeng; Kan Yi; Lu Xiaomei; Liu Yunfei; Peng Song; Wang Xiaofei; Cai Wei; Xue Ruoshi; Zhu Jinsong

    2010-01-01

    The drive frequency dependent piezoresponse (PR) phase signal in near-stoichiometric lithium niobate crystals is studied by piezoresponse force microscopy. It is clearly shown that the local and nonlocal electrostatic forces have a great contribution to the PR phase signal. The significant PR phase difference of the antiparallel domains are observed at the contact resonances, which is related to the electrostatic dominated electromechanical interactions of the cantilever and tip-sample system. Moreover, the modulation voltage induced frequency shift at higher eigenmodes could be attributed to the change of indention force depending on the modulation amplitude with a piezoelectric origin. The PR phase of the silicon wafer is also measured for comparison. It is certificated that the electrostatic interactions are universal in voltage modulated scanning probe microscopy and could be extended to other phase imaging techniques.

  10. Frequency selectivity in pulse responses of Pt/poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl/polyethylene oxide +Li+/Pt hetero-junction.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fei Zeng

    Full Text Available Pt/poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl/polyethylene oxide + Li+/Pt hetero junctions were fabricated, and their pulse responses were studied. The direct current characteristics were not symmetric in the sweeping range of ±2 V. Negative differential resistance appeared in the input range of 0 to 2 V because of de-doping (or reduction in the side with the semiconductor layer. The device responded stably to a train of pulses with a fixed frequency. The inverse current after a pulse was related to the back-migrated ions. Importantly, the weight calculated based on the inverse current strength, was depressed during low-frequency stimulations but was potentiated during high-frequency stimulations when pulses were positive. Therefore, frequency selectivity was first observed in a semiconducting polymer/electrolyte hetero junction. Detailed analysis of the pulse response showed that the input frequency could modulate the timing of ion doping, de-doping, and re-doping at the semiconducting polymer/electrolyte interface, which then resulted in the frequency selectivity. Our study suggests that the simple redox process in semiconducting polymers can be modulated and used in signal handling or the simulation of bio-learning.

  11. Secured Communication over Frequency-Selective Fading Channels: A Practical Vandermonde Precoding

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Debbah Mérouane

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available We study the frequency-selective broadcast channel with confidential messages (BCC where the transmitter sends a confidential message to receiver 1 and a common message to receivers 1 and 2. In the case of a block transmission of symbols followed by a guard interval of symbols, the frequency-selective channel can be modeled as a Toeplitz matrix. For this special type of multiple-input multiple-output channels, we propose a practical Vandermonde precoding that projects the confidential messages in the null space of the channel seen by receiver 2 while superposing the common message. For this scheme, we provide the achievable rate region and characterize the optimal covariance for some special cases of interest. Interestingly, the proposed scheme can be applied to other multiuser scenarios such as the -user frequency-selective BCC with confidential messages and the two-user frequency-selective BCC with two confidential messages. For each scenario, we provide the secrecy degree of freedom (s.d.o.f. region of the corresponding channel and prove the optimality of the Vandermonde precoding. One of the appealing features of the proposed scheme is that it does not require any specific secrecy encoding technique but can be applied on top of any existing powerful encoding schemes.

  12. Selective optical transmission in anisotropic multilayers structure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ouchani, N.; Bria, D.; Nougaoui, A.; Merad, A.E.

    2007-08-01

    We developed a Green's function method to study theoretically a single-defect photonic crystal composed of anisotropic dielectric materials. This structure can trap light of a given frequency range and filter only a certain frequency light with a very high quality. It is shown that the defect modes appear as peaks in the transmission spectrum. Their intensities and frequency positions depend on the incidence angle and the orientation of the principal axes of layers consisting of the superlattice and the layer defect. Our structure offers a great variety of possibilities for creating and controlling the number and transmitted intensities of defect modes. It can be a good candidate for realizing a selective electromagnetic filter. In addition to this filtration process, the defective anisotropic photonic crystal can be used to switch the modes when appropriate geometry is selected. (author)

  13. Patterns of positive selection in six Mammalian genomes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kosiol, Carolin; Vinar, Tomás; da Fonseca, Rute R

    2008-01-01

    Genome-wide scans for positively selected genes (PSGs) in mammals have provided insight into the dynamics of genome evolution, the genetic basis of differences between species, and the functions of individual genes. However, previous scans have been limited in power and accuracy owing to small...... several new lineage- and clade-specific tests to be applied. Of approximately 16,500 human genes with high-confidence orthologs in at least two other species, 400 genes showed significant evidence of positive selection (FDR... showed evidence of positive selection on particular lineages or clades. As in previous studies, the identified PSGs were enriched for roles in defense/immunity, chemosensory perception, and reproduction, but enrichments were also evident for more specific functions, such as complement-mediated immunity...

  14. Full Waveform Inversion with Multisource Frequency Selection of Marine Streamer Data

    KAUST Repository

    Huang, Yunsong

    2017-10-27

    The theory and practice of multisource full waveform inversion of marine supergathers are described with a frequency-selection strategy. The key enabling property of frequency selection is that it eliminates the crosstalk among sources, thus overcoming the aperture mismatch of marine multisource inversion. Tests on multisource full waveform inversion of synthetic marine data and Gulf of Mexico data show speedups of 4× and 8×, respectively, compared to conventional full waveform inversion.

  15. Full Waveform Inversion with Multisource Frequency Selection of Marine Streamer Data

    KAUST Repository

    Huang, Yunsong; Schuster, Gerard T.

    2017-01-01

    The theory and practice of multisource full waveform inversion of marine supergathers are described with a frequency-selection strategy. The key enabling property of frequency selection is that it eliminates the crosstalk among sources, thus overcoming the aperture mismatch of marine multisource inversion. Tests on multisource full waveform inversion of synthetic marine data and Gulf of Mexico data show speedups of 4× and 8×, respectively, compared to conventional full waveform inversion.

  16. Studies of frequency dependent C-V characteristics of neutron irradiated p+-n silicon detectors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, Zheng; Kraner, H.W.

    1990-10-01

    Frequency-dependent capacitance-voltage fluence (C-V) characteristics of neutron irradiated high resistivity silicon p + -n detectors have been observed up to a fluence of 8.0 x 10 12 n/cm 2 . It has been found that frequency dependence of the deviation of the C-V characteristic (from its normal V -1/2 dependence), is strongly dependent on the ratio of the defect density and the effective doping density N t /N' d . As the defect density approaches the effective dopant density, or N t /N' d → 1, the junction capacitance eventually assumes the value of the detector geometry capacitance at high frequencies (f ≤ 10 5 Hz), independent of voltage. A two-trap-level model using the concept of quasi-fermi levels has been developed, which predicts both the effects of C-V frequency dependence and dopant compensation observed in this study

  17. Frequency and voltage dependent electrical responses of poly(triarylamine thin film-based organic Schottky diode

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohamad Khairul Anuar

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available A metal-organic-metal (MOM type Schottky diode based on poly (triarylamine (PTAA thin films has been fabricated by using the spin coating method. Investigation of the frequency dependent conductance-voltage (G-V-f and capacitance-voltage (C-V-f characteristics of the ITO/PTAA/Al MOM type diode were carried out in the frequency range from 12 Hz to 100 kHz using an LCR meter at room temperature. The frequency and bias voltage dependent electrical response were determined by admittance-based measured method in terms of an equivalent circuit model of the parallel combination of resistance and capacitance (RC circuit. Investigation revealed that the conductance is frequency and a bias voltage dependent in which conductance continuous increase as the increasing frequency, respectively. Meanwhile, the capacitance is dependent on frequency up to a certain value of frequency (100 Hz but decreases at high frequency (1 – 10 kHz. The interface state density in the Schottky diode was determined from G-V and C-V characteristics. The interface state density has values almost constant of 2.8 x 1012 eV−1cm−2 with slightly decrease by increasing frequencies. Consequently, both series resistance and interface trap density were found to decrease with increasing frequency. The frequency dependence of the electrical responses is attributed the distribution density of interface states that could follow the alternating current (AC signal.

  18. Least-squares reverse time migration of marine data with frequency-selection encoding

    KAUST Repository

    Dai, Wei

    2013-08-20

    The phase-encoding technique can sometimes increase the efficiency of the least-squares reverse time migration (LSRTM) by more than one order of magnitude. However, traditional random encoding functions require all the encoded shots to share the same receiver locations, thus limiting the usage to seismic surveys with a fixed spread geometry. We implement a frequency-selection encoding strategy that accommodates data with a marine streamer geometry. The encoding functions are delta functions in the frequency domain, so that all the en- coded shots have unique non-overlapping frequency content, and the receivers can distinguish the wavefield from each shot with a unique frequency band. Since the encoding functions are orthogonal to each other, there will be no crosstalk between different shots during modeling and migration. With the frequency-selection encoding method, the computational efficiency of LSRTM is increased so that its cost is compara- ble to conventional RTM for both the Marmousi2 model and a marine data set recorded in the Gulf of Mexico. With more iterations, the LSRTM image quality is further improved. We conclude that LSRTM with frequency-selection is an efficient migration method that can sometimes produce more focused images than conventional RTM.

  19. Mechanical stress-controlled tunable active frequency-selective surface

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Bo-Cin; Hong, Jian-Wei; Lo, Cheng-Yao

    2017-01-01

    This study proposes a tunable active frequency-selective surface (AFSS) realized by mechanically expanding or contracting a split-ring resonator (SRR) array. The proposed AFSS transfers mechanical stress from its elastic substrate to the top of the SRR, thereby achieving electromagnetic (EM) modulation without the need for an additional external power supply, meeting the requirements for the target application: the invisibility cloak. The operating mechanism of the proposed AFSS differs from those of other AFSSs, supporting modulations in arbitrary frequencies in the target range. The proposed stress-controlled or strain-induced EM modulation proves the existence of an identical and linear relationship between the strain gradient and the frequency shift, implying its suitability for other EM modulation ranges and applications.

  20. Position dependent spin wave spectrum in nanostrip magnonic waveguides

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, Qi; Zhang, Huaiwu; Ma, Guokun; Liao, Yulong; Zhong, Zhiyong; Zheng, Yun

    2014-01-01

    The dispersion curves of propagating spin wave along different positions in nanostrip magnonic waveguides were studied by micromagnetic simulation. The results show that the modes of spin wave in the nanostrip magnonic waveguide are dependent on the position and the weak even modes of spin wave are excited even by symmetric excitation fields in a nanostrip magnonic waveguide. The reasons of the position dependent dispersion curve are explained by associating with geometrical confinement in the nanostrip magnonic waveguide

  1. Visuomotor Entrainment and the Frequency-Dependent Response of Walking Balance to Perturbations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Franz, Jason R; Francis, Carrie; Allen, Matt; Thelen, Darryl G

    2016-08-26

    Visuomotor entrainment, or the synchronization of motor responses to visual stimuli, is a naturally emergent phenomenon in human standing. Our purpose was to investigate the prevalence and resolution of visuomotor entrainment in walking and the frequency-dependent response of walking balance to perturbations. We used a virtual reality environment to manipulate optical flow in ten healthy young adults during treadmill walking. A motion capture system recorded trunk, sacrum, and heel marker trajectories during a series of 3-min conditions in which we perturbed a virtual hallway mediolaterally with systematic changes in the driving frequencies of perceived motion. We quantified visuomotor entrainment using spectral analyses and balance deficits using trunk sway, gait variability, and detrended fluctuation analyses (DFA). ML kinematics were highly sensitive to visual perturbations, and instinctively synchronized (i.e., entrained) to a broad range of driving frequencies of perceived ML motion. However, the influence of visual perturbations on metrics of walking balance was frequency-dependent and governed by their proximity to stride frequency. Specifically, we found that a driving frequency nearest to subjects' average stride frequency uniquely compromised trunk sway, gait variability, and step-to-step correlations. We conclude that visuomotor entrainment is a robust and naturally emerging phenomenon during human walking, involving coordinated and frequency-dependent adjustments in trunk sway and foot placement to maintain balance at the whole-body level. These findings provide mechanistic insight into how the visuomotor control of walking balance is disrupted by visual perturbations and important reference values for the emergence of balance deficits due to age, injury, or disease.

  2. A Kind of Single-frequency Precise Point Positioning Algorithm Based on the Raw Observations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    WANG Li

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available A kind of single-frequency precise point positioning (PPP algorithm based on the raw observations is presented in this paper. By this algorithm, the ionospheric delays were corrected efficiently by means of adding the ionospheric delay prior information and the virtual observation equations with the spatial and temporal constraints, and they were estimated as the unknown parameters simultaneously with other positioning parameters. Then, a dataset of 178 International GNSS Service (IGS stations at day 72 in 2012 was used to evaluate the convergence speed, the positioning accuracy and the accuracy of the retrieved ionospheric VTEC. The series of results have shown that the convergence speed and stability of the new algorithm are much better than the traditional PPP algorithm, and the positioning accuracy of about 2-3 cm and 2-3 dm can be achieved respectively for static and kinematic positioning with the single-frequency observations' daily solution. The average bias of ionospheric total electron content retrieved by the single-frequency PPP and dual-frequency PPP is less than 5 TECU. So the ionospheric total electron content can be used as a kind of auxiliary products in GPS positioning.

  3. Positive and purifying selection influence the evolution of doublesex in the Anastrepha fraterculus species group.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Iderval S Sobrinho

    Full Text Available The gene doublesex (dsx is considered to be under strong selective constraint along its evolutionary history because of its central role in somatic sex differentiation in insects. However, previous studies of dsx used global estimates of evolutionary rates to investigate its molecular evolution, which potentially miss signals of adaptive changes in generally conserved genes. In this work, we investigated the molecular evolution of dsx in the Anastrepha fraterculus species group (Diptera, Tephritidae, and test the hypothesis that this gene evolved solely by purifying selection using divergence-based and population-based methods. In the first approach, we compared sequences from Anastrepha and other Tephritidae with other Muscomorpha species, analyzed variation in nonsynonymous to synonymous rate ratios (dN/dS in the Tephritidae, and investigated radical and conservative changes in amino acid physicochemical properties. We show a general selective constraint on dsx, but with signs of positive selection mainly in the common region. Such changes were localized in alpha-helices previously reported to be involved in dimer formation in the OD2 domain and near the C-terminal of the OD1 domain. In the population-based approach, we amplified a region of 540 bp that spanned almost all of the region common to both sexes from 32 different sites in Brazil. We investigated patterns of selection using neutrality tests based on the frequency spectrum and locations of synonymous and nonsynonymous mutations in a haplotype network. As in the divergence-based approach, these analyses showed that dsx has evolved under an overall selective constraint, but with some events of positive selection. In contrast to previous studies, our analyses indicate that even though dsx has indeed evolved as a conserved gene, the common region of dsx has also experienced bouts of positive selection, perhaps driven by sexual selection, during its evolution.

  4. Time-domain representation of frequency-dependent foundation impedance functions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Safak, E.

    2006-01-01

    Foundation impedance functions provide a simple means to account for soil-structure interaction (SSI) when studying seismic response of structures. Impedance functions represent the dynamic stiffness of the soil media surrounding the foundation. The fact that impedance functions are frequency dependent makes it difficult to incorporate SSI in standard time-history analysis software. This paper introduces a simple method to convert frequency-dependent impedance functions into time-domain filters. The method is based on the least-squares approximation of impedance functions by ratios of two complex polynomials. Such ratios are equivalent, in the time-domain, to discrete-time recursive filters, which are simple finite-difference equations giving the relationship between foundation forces and displacements. These filters can easily be incorporated into standard time-history analysis programs. Three examples are presented to show the applications of the method.

  5. Frequency-dependent hydrodynamic interaction between two solid spheres

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jung, Gerhard; Schmid, Friederike

    2017-12-01

    Hydrodynamic interactions play an important role in many areas of soft matter science. In simulations with implicit solvent, various techniques such as Brownian or Stokesian dynamics explicitly include hydrodynamic interactions a posteriori by using hydrodynamic diffusion tensors derived from the Stokes equation. However, this equation assumes the interaction to be instantaneous which is an idealized approximation and only valid on long time scales. In the present paper, we go one step further and analyze the time-dependence of hydrodynamic interactions between finite-sized particles in a compressible fluid on the basis of the linearized Navier-Stokes equation. The theoretical results show that at high frequencies, the compressibility of the fluid has a significant impact on the frequency-dependent pair interactions. The predictions of hydrodynamic theory are compared to molecular dynamics simulations of two nanocolloids in a Lennard-Jones fluid. For this system, we reconstruct memory functions by extending the inverse Volterra technique. The simulation data agree very well with the theory, therefore, the theory can be used to implement dynamically consistent hydrodynamic interactions in the increasingly popular field of non-Markovian modeling.

  6. Reference satellite selection method for GNSS high-precision relative positioning

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xiao Gao

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available Selecting the optimal reference satellite is an important component of high-precision relative positioning because the reference satellite directly influences the strength of the normal equation. The reference satellite selection methods based on elevation and positional dilution of precision (PDOP value were compared. Results show that all the above methods cannot select the optimal reference satellite. We introduce condition number of the design matrix in the reference satellite selection method to improve structure of the normal equation, because condition number can indicate the ill condition of the normal equation. The experimental results show that the new method can improve positioning accuracy and reliability in precise relative positioning.

  7. Analysis of the rebalancing frequency in log-optimal portfolio selection

    OpenAIRE

    Kuhn, Daniel; Luenberger, David G.

    2010-01-01

    In a dynamic investment situation, the right timing of portfolio revisions and adjustments is essential to sustain long-term growth. A high rebalancing frequency reduces the portfolio performance in the presence of transaction costs, whereas a low rebalancing frequency entails a static investment strategy that hardly reacts to changing market conditions. This article studies a family of portfolio problems in a Black-Scholes type economy which depend parametrically on the rebalancing frequency...

  8. Mathematical modelling of frequency-dependent hysteresis and energy loss of FeBSiC amorphous alloy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Koprivica, Branko; Milovanovic, Alenka; Mitrovic, Nebojsa

    2017-01-01

    The aim of this paper is to present a novel mathematical model of frequency-dependent magnetic hysteresis. The major hysteresis loop in this model is represented by the ascending and descending curve over an arctangent function. The parameters of the hysteresis model have been calculated from a measured hysteresis loop of the FeBSiC amorphous alloy sample. A number of measurements have been performed with this sample at different frequencies of the sinusoidal excitation magnetic field. A variation of the coercive magnetic field with the frequency has been observed and used in the modelling of frequency-dependent hysteresis with the proposed model. A comparison between measured and modelled hysteresis loops has been presented. Additionally, the areas of the obtained hysteresis loops, representing the energy loss per unit volume, have been calculated and the dependence of the energy loss on the frequency is shown. Furthermore, two models of the frequency dependence of the coercivity and two models of the energy loss separation have been used for fitting the experimental and simulation results. The relations between these models and their parameters have been observed and analysed. Also, the relations between parameters of the hysteresis model and the parameters of the energy loss separation models have been analysed and discussed. - Highlights: • A mathematical model of frequency-dependent hysteresis is proposed. • Dependence of coercivity and energy loss per unit volume on frequency is modelled. • Equivalence between models and relation between model parameters are presented.

  9. Consequences of peripheral frequency selectivity for nonsimultaneous masking

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Duifhuis, H.

    1973-01-01

    The frequency selectivity of the peripheral ear (e.g., at the VIIIth nerve level) is so acute that onset and offset transients in responses to short signals produce a nonnegligible extension of the signal duration. Thus, peripheral excitation patterns produced by signals which were separated in time

  10. Secured Communication over Frequency-Selective Fading Channels: A Practical Vandermonde Precoding

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mari Kobayashi

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available We study the frequency-selective broadcast channel with confidential messages (BCC where the transmitter sends a confidential message to receiver 1 and a common message to receivers 1 and 2. In the case of a block transmission of N symbols followed by a guard interval of L symbols, the frequency-selective channel can be modeled as a N×(N+L Toeplitz matrix. For this special type of multiple-input multiple-output channels, we propose a practical Vandermonde precoding that projects the confidential messages in the null space of the channel seen by receiver 2 while superposing the common message. For this scheme, we provide the achievable rate region and characterize the optimal covariance for some special cases of interest. Interestingly, the proposed scheme can be applied to other multiuser scenarios such as the K+1-user frequency-selective BCC with K confidential messages and the two-user frequency-selective BCC with two confidential messages. For each scenario, we provide the secrecy degree of freedom (s.d.o.f. region of the corresponding channel and prove the optimality of the Vandermonde precoding. One of the appealing features of the proposed scheme is that it does not require any specific secrecy encoding technique but can be applied on top of any existing powerful encoding schemes.

  11. Position-dependent friction in quantum mechanics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Srokowski, T.

    1985-01-01

    The quantum description of motion of a particle subjected to position-dependent frictional forces is presented. The two cases are taken into account: a motion without external forces and in the harmonic oscillator field. As an example, a frictional barrier penetration is considered. 16 refs. (author)

  12. Peculiarities of frequency dependence of type 3 solar radio bursts duration

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tsybko, Ya.G.

    1989-01-01

    From the averaged data of type 3 bursts at the fixed frequencies in the range 12.5-25 MHz and out of this limit it is concluded that there exist two branges of the burst duration dependence on the frequency. This splitting allows to distinguish bursts occurring at the fundamental and the second harmonics of the plasma frequency decreasing with height in the solar corona. The type 3b radiation is characterized by a separate diagram of the mean duration versus frequency of the stria-bursts at the fundamental harmonic

  13. Least-squares reverse time migration of marine data with frequency-selection encoding

    KAUST Repository

    Dai, Wei

    2013-06-24

    The phase-encoding technique can sometimes increase the efficiency of the least-squares reverse time migration (LSRTM) by more than one order of magnitude. However, traditional random encoding functions require all the encoded shots to share the same receiver locations, thus limiting the usage to seismic surveys with a fixed spread geometry. We implement a frequency-selection encoding strategy that accommodates data with a marine streamer geometry. The encoding functions are delta functions in the frequency domain, so that all the encoded shots have unique nonoverlapping frequency content, and the receivers can distinguish the wavefield from each shot with a unique frequency band. Because the encoding functions are orthogonal to each other, there will be no crosstalk between different shots during modeling and migration. With the frequency-selection encoding method, the computational efficiency of LSRTM is increased so that its cost is comparable to conventional RTM for the Marmousi2 model and a marine data set recorded in the Gulf of Mexico. With more iterations, the LSRTM image quality is further improved by suppressing migration artifacts, balancing reflector amplitudes, and enhancing the spatial resolution. We conclude that LSRTM with frequency-selection is an efficient migration method that can sometimes produce more focused images than conventional RTM. © 2013 Society of Exploration Geophysicists.

  14. Mapping of Residues Forming the Voltage Sensor of the Voltage-Dependent Anion-Selective Channel

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thomas, Lorie; Blachly-Dyson, Elizabeth; Colombini, Marco; Forte, Michael

    1993-06-01

    Voltage-gated ion-channel proteins contain "voltage-sensing" domains that drive the conformational transitions between open and closed states in response to changes in transmembrane voltage. We have used site-directed mutagenesis to identify residues affecting the voltage sensitivity of a mitochondrial channel, the voltage-dependent anion-selective channel (VDAC). Although charge changes at many sites had no effect, at other sites substitutions that increased positive charge also increased the steepness of voltage dependance and substitutions that decreased positive charge decreased voltage dependance by an appropriate amount. In contrast to the plasma membrane K^+ and Na^+ channels, these residues are distributed over large parts of the VDAC protein. These results have been used to define the conformational transitions that accompany voltage gating of an ion channel. This gating mechanism requires the movement of large portions of the VDAC protein through the membrane.

  15. Tuning of Human Modulation Filters Is Carrier-Frequency Dependent

    Science.gov (United States)

    Simpson, Andrew J. R.; Reiss, Joshua D.; McAlpine, David

    2013-01-01

    Recent studies employing speech stimuli to investigate ‘cocktail-party’ listening have focused on entrainment of cortical activity to modulations at syllabic (5 Hz) and phonemic (20 Hz) rates. The data suggest that cortical modulation filters (CMFs) are dependent on the sound-frequency channel in which modulations are conveyed, potentially underpinning a strategy for separating speech from background noise. Here, we characterize modulation filters in human listeners using a novel behavioral method. Within an ‘inverted’ adaptive forced-choice increment detection task, listening level was varied whilst contrast was held constant for ramped increments with effective modulation rates between 0.5 and 33 Hz. Our data suggest that modulation filters are tonotopically organized (i.e., vary along the primary, frequency-organized, dimension). This suggests that the human auditory system is optimized to track rapid (phonemic) modulations at high sound-frequencies and slow (prosodic/syllabic) modulations at low frequencies. PMID:24009759

  16. Frequency and Magnetic Field Dependence of the Skin Depth in Co-rich Soft Magnetic Microwires

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. Zhukov

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available We studied giant magnetoimpedance (GMI effect in magnetically soft amorphous Co-rich microwires in the extended frequency range. From obtained experimentally dependences of GMI ratio on magnetic field and different frequencies we estimated the penetration depth and its dependence on applied magnetic field and frequency

  17. Tuning In to Sound: Frequency-Selective Attentional Filter in Human Primary Auditory Cortex

    Science.gov (United States)

    Da Costa, Sandra; van der Zwaag, Wietske; Miller, Lee M.; Clarke, Stephanie

    2013-01-01

    Cocktail parties, busy streets, and other noisy environments pose a difficult challenge to the auditory system: how to focus attention on selected sounds while ignoring others? Neurons of primary auditory cortex, many of which are sharply tuned to sound frequency, could help solve this problem by filtering selected sound information based on frequency-content. To investigate whether this occurs, we used high-resolution fMRI at 7 tesla to map the fine-scale frequency-tuning (1.5 mm isotropic resolution) of primary auditory areas A1 and R in six human participants. Then, in a selective attention experiment, participants heard low (250 Hz)- and high (4000 Hz)-frequency streams of tones presented at the same time (dual-stream) and were instructed to focus attention onto one stream versus the other, switching back and forth every 30 s. Attention to low-frequency tones enhanced neural responses within low-frequency-tuned voxels relative to high, and when attention switched the pattern quickly reversed. Thus, like a radio, human primary auditory cortex is able to tune into attended frequency channels and can switch channels on demand. PMID:23365225

  18. Selective control of attention supports the positivity effect in aging.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sasse, Laura K; Gamer, Matthias; Büchel, Christian; Brassen, Stefanie

    2014-01-01

    There is emerging evidence for a positivity effect in healthy aging, which describes an age-specific increased focus on positive compared to negative information. Life-span researchers have attributed this effect to the selective allocation of cognitive resources in the service of prioritized emotional goals. We explored the basic principles of this assumption by assessing selective attention and memory for visual stimuli, differing in emotional content and self-relevance, in young and old participants. To specifically address the impact of cognitive control, voluntary attentional selection during the presentation of multiple-item displays was analyzed and linked to participants' general ability of cognitive control. Results revealed a positivity effect in older adults' selective attention and memory, which was particularly pronounced for self-relevant stimuli. Focusing on positive and ignoring negative information was most evident in older participants with a generally higher ability to exert top-down control during visual search. Our findings highlight the role of controlled selectivity in the occurrence of a positivity effect in aging. Since the effect has been related to well-being in later life, we suggest that the ability to selectively allocate top-down control might represent a resilience factor for emotional health in aging.

  19. A hybrid transport-diffusion Monte Carlo method for frequency-dependent radiative-transfer simulations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Densmore, Jeffery D.; Thompson, Kelly G.; Urbatsch, Todd J.

    2012-01-01

    Discrete Diffusion Monte Carlo (DDMC) is a technique for increasing the efficiency of Implicit Monte Carlo radiative-transfer simulations in optically thick media. In DDMC, particles take discrete steps between spatial cells according to a discretized diffusion equation. Each discrete step replaces many smaller Monte Carlo steps, thus improving the efficiency of the simulation. In this paper, we present an extension of DDMC for frequency-dependent radiative transfer. We base our new DDMC method on a frequency-integrated diffusion equation for frequencies below a specified threshold, as optical thickness is typically a decreasing function of frequency. Above this threshold we employ standard Monte Carlo, which results in a hybrid transport-diffusion scheme. With a set of frequency-dependent test problems, we confirm the accuracy and increased efficiency of our new DDMC method.

  20. Frequency and temperature dependence behaviour of impedance, modulus and conductivity of BaBi4Ti4O15 Aurivillius ceramic

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tanmaya Badapanda

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available In this work, we report the dielectric, impedance, modulus and conductivity study of BaBi4Ti4O15 ceramic synthesized by solid state reaction. X-ray diffraction (XRD pattern showed orthorhombic structure with space group A21am confirming it to be an m = 4 member of the Aurivillius oxide. The frequency dependence dielectric study shows that the value of dielectric constant is high at lower frequencies and decreases with increase in frequency. Impedance spectroscopy analyses reveal a non-Debye relaxation phenomenon since relaxation frequency moves towards the positive side with increase in temperature. The shift in impedance peaks towards higher frequency side indicates conduction in material and favouring of the long rangemotion of mobile charge carriers. The Nyquist plot from complex impedance spectrum shows only one semicircular arc representing the grain effect in the electrical conduction. The modulus mechanism indicates the non-Debye type of conductivity relaxation in the material, which is supported by impedance data. Relaxation times extracted using imaginary part of complex impedance (Z′′ and modulus (M′′ were also found to follow Arrhenius law. The frequency dependent AC conductivity at different temperatures indicates that the conduction process is thermally activated. The variation of DC conductivity exhibits a negative temperature coefficient of resistance behaviour.

  1. Frequency and temperature dependence of ferromagnetic linewidth in exchange biased Permalloy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lubitz, P.; Rubinstein, M.; Krebs, J. J.; Cheng, S.-F.

    2001-01-01

    Ferromagnetic resonance linewidths were measured at 9.5 and 35 GHz and in the temperature range from 77 to 350 K for thin Permalloy (Py) films exchange biased by adjacent layers of NiO, CoO, or IrMn. Compared to unoxidized Py alone, for which the linewidth is nearly temperature independent in this range and scales linearly with frequency, exchange biased Py has broader lines with distinctive temperature dependences for each bias material at 9.5 GHz. Different temperature dependences were observed at 35 GHz. Our results are consistent with relaxation related to thermally driven reversal of the antiferromagnetic grains. Intrinsic damping and inhomogeneities also add to the widths. The qualitative features of the temperature and frequency dependences of the linewidths can be described with the usual expression for the slow relaxation linewidth mechanism. The temperature dependence of the relaxation time is taken from Neel's expression for the reversal time using appropriate rate prefactors and activation energies. [copyright] 2001 American Institute of Physics

  2. Selective maintenance of multi-state systems with structural dependence

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dao, Cuong D.; Zuo, Ming J.

    2017-01-01

    This paper studies the selective maintenance problem for multi-state systems with structural dependence. Each component can be in one of multiple working levels and several maintenance actions are possible to a component in a maintenance break. The components structurally form multiple hierarchical levels and dependence groups. A directed graph is used to represent the precedence relations of components in the system. A selective maintenance optimization model is developed to maximize the system reliability in the next mission under time and cost constraints. A backward search algorithm is used to determine the assembly sequence for a selective maintenance scenario. The maintenance model helps maintenance managers in determining the best combination of maintenance activities to maximize the probability of successfully completing the next mission. Examples showing the use of the proposed method are presented. - Highlights: • A selective maintenance model for multi-state systems is proposed considering both economic and structural dependence. • Structural dependence is modeled as precedence relationship when disassembling components for maintenance. • Resources for disassembly and maintenance are evaluated using a backward search algorithm. • Maintenance strategies with and without structural dependence are analyzed. • Ignoring structural dependence may lead to over-estimation of system reliability.

  3. Population genetic evidence for positive and purifying selection acting at the human IFN-γ locus in Africa.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Campbell, Michael C; Smith, Lunden T; Harvey, Jayla

    2018-03-29

    Despite its critical role in the defense against microbial infection and tumor development, little is known about the range of nucleotide and haplotype variation at IFN-γ, or the evolutionary forces that have shaped patterns of diversity at this locus. To address this gap in knowledge, we examined sequence data from the IFN-γ gene in 1461 individuals from 15 worldwide populations. Our analyses uncovered novel patterns of variation in distinct African populations, including an excess of high frequency-derived alleles, unusually long haplotype structure surrounding the IFN-γ gene, and a "star-like" genealogy of African-specific haplotypes carrying variants previously associated with infectious disease. We also inferred a deep time to coalescence of variation at IFN-γ (~ 0.8 million years ago) and ancient ages for common polymorphisms predating the evolution of modern humans. Taken together, these results are congruent with a model of positive selection on standing variation in African populations. Furthermore, we inferred that common variants in intron 3 of IFN-γ are the likely targets of selection. In addition, we observed a paucity of non-synonymous substitutions relative to synonymous changes in the exons of IFN-γ in African and non-African populations, suggestive of strong purifying selection. Therefore, we contend that positive and purifying selection have influenced levels of diversity in different regions of IFN-γ, implying that these distinct genic regions are, or have been, functionally important. Overall, this study provides additional insights into the evolutionary events that have contributed to the frequency and distribution of alleles having a role in human health and disease.

  4. Classification of radiological errors in chest radiographs, using support vector machine on the spatial frequency features of false- negative and false-positive regions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pietrzyk, Mariusz W.; Donovan, Tim; Brennan, Patrick C.; Dix, Alan; Manning, David J.

    2011-03-01

    Aim: To optimize automated classification of radiological errors during lung nodule detection from chest radiographs (CxR) using a support vector machine (SVM) run on the spatial frequency features extracted from the local background of selected regions. Background: The majority of the unreported pulmonary nodules are visually detected but not recognized; shown by the prolonged dwell time values at false-negative regions. Similarly, overestimated nodule locations are capturing substantial amounts of foveal attention. Spatial frequency properties of selected local backgrounds are correlated with human observer responses either in terms of accuracy in indicating abnormality position or in the precision of visual sampling the medical images. Methods: Seven radiologists participated in the eye tracking experiments conducted under conditions of pulmonary nodule detection from a set of 20 postero-anterior CxR. The most dwelled locations have been identified and subjected to spatial frequency (SF) analysis. The image-based features of selected ROI were extracted with un-decimated Wavelet Packet Transform. An analysis of variance was run to select SF features and a SVM schema was implemented to classify False-Negative and False-Positive from all ROI. Results: A relative high overall accuracy was obtained for each individually developed Wavelet-SVM algorithm, with over 90% average correct ratio for errors recognition from all prolonged dwell locations. Conclusion: The preliminary results show that combined eye-tracking and image-based features can be used for automated detection of radiological error with SVM. The work is still in progress and not all analytical procedures have been completed, which might have an effect on the specificity of the algorithm.

  5. The yule approximation for the site frequency spectrum after a selective sweep.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sebastian Bossert

    Full Text Available In the area of evolutionary theory, a key question is which portions of the genome of a species are targets of natural selection. Genetic hitchhiking is a theoretical concept that has helped to identify various such targets in natural populations. In the presence of recombination, a severe reduction in sequence diversity is expected around a strongly beneficial allele. The site frequency spectrum is an important tool in genome scans for selection and is composed of the numbers S(1,...,S(n-1, where S(k is the number of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs present in k from n individuals. Previous work has shown that both the number of low- and high-frequency variants are elevated relative to neutral evolution when a strongly beneficial allele fixes. Here, we follow a recent investigation of genetic hitchhiking using a marked Yule process to obtain an analytical prediction of the site frequency spectrum in a panmictic population at the time of fixation of a highly beneficial mutation. We combine standard results from the neutral case with the effects of a selective sweep. As simulations show, the resulting formula produces predictions that are more accurate than previous approaches for the whole frequency spectrum. In particular, the formula correctly predicts the elevation of low- and high-frequency variants and is significantly more accurate than previously derived formulas for intermediate frequency variants.

  6. Concept of frequency separation in life prediction for time-dependent fatigue

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Coffin, L.F.

    1976-01-01

    Two methods are described to improve the predictive capability of the frequency-modified fatigue equations for time-dependent fatigue. These built-on the earlier approach and are applicable to severely unbalanced hysteresis loops. Comparisons made with various wave-shape investigations show favorable results. A new form of hysteresis loop is introduced utilizing frequency separation concepts. 4 tables, 11 fig

  7. The Frequency Spectral Properties of Electrode-Skin Contact Impedance on Human Head and Its Frequency-Dependent Effects on Frequency-Difference EIT in Stroke Detection from 10Hz to 1MHz.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lin Yang

    Full Text Available Frequency-difference electrical impedance tomography (fdEIT reconstructs frequency-dependent changes of a complex impedance distribution. It has a potential application in acute stroke detection because there are significant differences in impedance spectra between stroke lesions and normal brain tissues. However, fdEIT suffers from the influences of electrode-skin contact impedance since contact impedance varies greatly with frequency. When using fdEIT to detect stroke, it is critical to know the degree of measurement errors or image artifacts caused by contact impedance. To our knowledge, no study has systematically investigated the frequency spectral properties of electrode-skin contact impedance on human head and its frequency-dependent effects on fdEIT used in stroke detection within a wide frequency band (10 Hz-1 MHz. In this study, we first measured and analyzed the frequency spectral properties of electrode-skin contact impedance on 47 human subjects' heads within 10 Hz-1 MHz. Then, we quantified the frequency-dependent effects of contact impedance on fdEIT in stroke detection in terms of the current distribution beneath the electrodes and the contact impedance imbalance between two measuring electrodes. The results showed that the contact impedance at high frequencies (>100 kHz significantly changed the current distribution beneath the electrode, leading to nonnegligible errors in boundary voltages and artifacts in reconstructed images. The contact impedance imbalance at low frequencies (<1 kHz also caused significant measurement errors. We conclude that the contact impedance has critical frequency-dependent influences on fdEIT and further studies on reducing such influences are necessary to improve the application of fdEIT in stroke detection.

  8. The Frequency Spectral Properties of Electrode-Skin Contact Impedance on Human Head and Its Frequency-Dependent Effects on Frequency-Difference EIT in Stroke Detection from 10Hz to 1MHz.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Lin; Dai, Meng; Xu, Canhua; Zhang, Ge; Li, Weichen; Fu, Feng; Shi, Xuetao; Dong, Xiuzhen

    2017-01-01

    Frequency-difference electrical impedance tomography (fdEIT) reconstructs frequency-dependent changes of a complex impedance distribution. It has a potential application in acute stroke detection because there are significant differences in impedance spectra between stroke lesions and normal brain tissues. However, fdEIT suffers from the influences of electrode-skin contact impedance since contact impedance varies greatly with frequency. When using fdEIT to detect stroke, it is critical to know the degree of measurement errors or image artifacts caused by contact impedance. To our knowledge, no study has systematically investigated the frequency spectral properties of electrode-skin contact impedance on human head and its frequency-dependent effects on fdEIT used in stroke detection within a wide frequency band (10 Hz-1 MHz). In this study, we first measured and analyzed the frequency spectral properties of electrode-skin contact impedance on 47 human subjects' heads within 10 Hz-1 MHz. Then, we quantified the frequency-dependent effects of contact impedance on fdEIT in stroke detection in terms of the current distribution beneath the electrodes and the contact impedance imbalance between two measuring electrodes. The results showed that the contact impedance at high frequencies (>100 kHz) significantly changed the current distribution beneath the electrode, leading to nonnegligible errors in boundary voltages and artifacts in reconstructed images. The contact impedance imbalance at low frequencies (<1 kHz) also caused significant measurement errors. We conclude that the contact impedance has critical frequency-dependent influences on fdEIT and further studies on reducing such influences are necessary to improve the application of fdEIT in stroke detection.

  9. Directional Positive Selection on an Allele of Arbitrary Dominance

    OpenAIRE

    Teshima, Kosuke M.; Przeworski, Molly

    2006-01-01

    Most models of positive directional selection assume codominance of the beneficial allele. We examine the importance of this assumption by implementing a coalescent model of positive directional selection with arbitrary dominance. We find that, for a given mean fixation time, a beneficial allele has a much weaker effect on diversity at linked neutral sites when the allele is recessive.

  10. Frequency dependence of quantum path interference in non-collinear high-order harmonic generation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhong Shi-Yang; He Xin-Kui; Teng Hao; Ye Peng; Wang Li-Feng; He Peng; Wei Zhi-Yi

    2016-01-01

    High-order harmonic generation (HHG) driven by two non-collinear beams including a fundamental and its weak second harmonic is numerically studied. The interference of harmonics from adjacent electron quantum paths is found to be dependent on the relative delay of the driving pulse, and the dependences are different for different harmonic orders. This frequency dependence of the interference is attributed to the spatial frequency chirp in the HHG beam resulting from the harmonic dipole phase, which in turn provides a potential way to gain an insight into the generation of high-order harmonics. As an example, the intensity dependent dipole phase coefficient α is retrieved from the interference fringe. (paper)

  11. Selection of the wavelet function for the frequencies estimation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Garcia R, A.

    2007-01-01

    At the moment the signals are used to diagnose the state of the systems, by means of the extraction of their more important characteristics such as the frequencies, tendencies, changes and temporary evolutions. This characteristics are detected by means of diverse analysis techniques, as Autoregressive methods, Fourier Transformation, Fourier transformation in short time, Wavelet transformation, among others. The present work uses the one Wavelet transformation because it allows to analyze stationary, quasi-stationary and transitory signals in the time-frequency plane. It also describes a methodology to select the scales and the Wavelet function to be applied the one Wavelet transformation with the objective of detecting to the dominant system frequencies. (Author)

  12. Selective control of attention supports the positivity effect in aging.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Laura K Sasse

    Full Text Available There is emerging evidence for a positivity effect in healthy aging, which describes an age-specific increased focus on positive compared to negative information. Life-span researchers have attributed this effect to the selective allocation of cognitive resources in the service of prioritized emotional goals. We explored the basic principles of this assumption by assessing selective attention and memory for visual stimuli, differing in emotional content and self-relevance, in young and old participants. To specifically address the impact of cognitive control, voluntary attentional selection during the presentation of multiple-item displays was analyzed and linked to participants' general ability of cognitive control. Results revealed a positivity effect in older adults' selective attention and memory, which was particularly pronounced for self-relevant stimuli. Focusing on positive and ignoring negative information was most evident in older participants with a generally higher ability to exert top-down control during visual search. Our findings highlight the role of controlled selectivity in the occurrence of a positivity effect in aging. Since the effect has been related to well-being in later life, we suggest that the ability to selectively allocate top-down control might represent a resilience factor for emotional health in aging.

  13. Hydrogen-enhanced fatigue crack growth in steels and its frequency dependence.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Matsunaga, Hisao; Takakuwa, Osamu; Yamabe, Junichiro; Matsuoka, Saburo

    2017-07-28

    In the context of the fatigue life design of components, particularly those destined for use in hydrogen refuelling stations and fuel cell vehicles, it is important to understand the hydrogen-induced, fatigue crack growth (FCG) acceleration in steels. As such, the mechanisms for acceleration and its influencing factors are reviewed and discussed in this paper, with a special focus on the peculiar frequency dependence of the hydrogen-induced FCG acceleration. Further, this frequency dependence is debated by introducing some potentially responsible elements, along with new experimental data obtained by the authors.This article is part of the themed issue 'The challenges of hydrogen and metals'. © 2017 The Author(s).

  14. Integral criterion for selecting nonlinear crystals for frequency conversion

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Grechin, Sergei G

    2009-01-01

    An integral criterion, which takes into account all parameters determining the conversion efficiency, is offered for selecting nonlinear crystals for frequency conversion. The angular phase-matching width is shown to be related to the beam walk-off angle. (nonlinear optical phenomena)

  15. A Smartphone Application for Customized Frequency Table Selection in Cochlear Implants.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jethanamest, Daniel; Azadpour, Mahan; Zeman, Annette M; Sagi, Elad; Svirsky, Mario A

    2017-09-01

    A novel smartphone-based software application can facilitate self-selection of frequency allocation tables (FAT) in postlingually deaf cochlear implant (CI) users. CIs use FATs to represent the tonotopic organization of a normal cochlea. Current CI fitting methods typically use a standard FAT for all patients regardless of individual differences in cochlear size and electrode location. In postlingually deaf patients, different amounts of mismatch can result between the frequency-place function they experienced when they had normal hearing and the frequency-place function that results from the standard FAT. For some CI users, an alternative FAT may enhance sound quality or speech perception. Currently, no widely available tools exist to aid real-time selection of different FATs. This study aims to develop a new smartphone tool for this purpose and to evaluate speech perception and sound quality measures in a pilot study of CI subjects using this application. A smartphone application for a widely available mobile platform (iOS) was developed to serve as a preprocessor of auditory input to a clinical CI speech processor and enable interactive real-time selection of FATs. The application's output was validated by measuring electrodograms for various inputs. A pilot study was conducted in six CI subjects. Speech perception was evaluated using word recognition tests. All subjects successfully used the portable application with their clinical speech processors to experience different FATs while listening to running speech. The users were all able to select one table that they judged provided the best sound quality. All subjects chose a FAT different from the standard FAT in their everyday clinical processor. Using the smartphone application, the mean consonant-nucleus-consonant score with the default FAT selection was 28.5% (SD 16.8) and 29.5% (SD 16.4) when using a self-selected FAT. A portable smartphone application enables CI users to self-select frequency allocation

  16. Ferrite Film Loaded Frequency Selective Metamaterials for Sub-GHz Applications

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bo Gao

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Electromagnetic metamaterials are constructed with sub-wavelength structures that exhibit particular electromagnetic properties under a certain frequency range. Because the form-factor of the substructures has to be comparable to the wavelength of the operating frequency, few papers have discussed the metamaterials under GHz frequency. In this paper, we developed an innovative method to reduce the resonant frequency of metamaterals. By integrating the meta-structures with ferrite materials of higher permeability, the cell size of the meta-structure can be scaled down. This paper describes the methodology, design, and development of low-profile GHz ferrite loaded metamaterials. A ferrite film with a permeability of 20 could reduce the resonant frequency of metamaterials by up to 50%. A prototype has been fabricated and the measurement data align well with the simulation results. Because of the lowered operational frequency, the proposed ferrite loaded metamaterials offer more flexibility for various sub-GHz microwave applications, such as cloaks, absorbers, and frequency selective surfaces.

  17. Spatial resolution dependence on spectral frequency in human speech cortex electrocorticography

    Science.gov (United States)

    Muller, Leah; Hamilton, Liberty S.; Edwards, Erik; Bouchard, Kristofer E.; Chang, Edward F.

    2016-10-01

    Objective. Electrocorticography (ECoG) has become an important tool in human neuroscience and has tremendous potential for emerging applications in neural interface technology. Electrode array design parameters are outstanding issues for both research and clinical applications, and these parameters depend critically on the nature of the neural signals to be recorded. Here, we investigate the functional spatial resolution of neural signals recorded at the human cortical surface. We empirically derive spatial spread functions to quantify the shared neural activity for each frequency band of the electrocorticogram. Approach. Five subjects with high-density (4 mm center-to-center spacing) ECoG grid implants participated in speech perception and production tasks while neural activity was recorded from the speech cortex, including superior temporal gyrus, precentral gyrus, and postcentral gyrus. The cortical surface field potential was decomposed into traditional EEG frequency bands. Signal similarity between electrode pairs for each frequency band was quantified using a Pearson correlation coefficient. Main results. The correlation of neural activity between electrode pairs was inversely related to the distance between the electrodes; this relationship was used to quantify spatial falloff functions for cortical subdomains. As expected, lower frequencies remained correlated over larger distances than higher frequencies. However, both the envelope and phase of gamma and high gamma frequencies (30-150 Hz) are largely uncorrelated (<90%) at 4 mm, the smallest spacing of the high-density arrays. Thus, ECoG arrays smaller than 4 mm have significant promise for increasing signal resolution at high frequencies, whereas less additional gain is achieved for lower frequencies. Significance. Our findings quantitatively demonstrate the dependence of ECoG spatial resolution on the neural frequency of interest. We demonstrate that this relationship is consistent across patients and

  18. Frequency, moisture content, and temperature dependent dielectric properties of potato starch related to drying with radio-frequency/microwave energy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Zhuozhuo; Guo, Wenchuan

    2017-08-24

    To develop advanced drying methods using radio-frequency (RF) or microwave (MW) energy, dielectric properties of potato starch were determined using an open-ended coaxial-line probe and network analyzer at frequencies between 20 and 4,500 MHz, moisture contents between 15.1% and 43.1% wet basis (w.b.), and temperatures between 25 and 75 °C. The results showed that both dielectric constant (ε') and loss factor (ε″) were dependent on frequency, moisture content, and temperature. ε' decreased with increasing frequency at a given moisture content or temperature. At low moisture contents (≤25.4% w.b.) or low temperatures (≤45 °C), ε″ increased with increasing frequency. However, ε″ changed from decrease to increase with increasing frequency at high moisture contents or temperatures. At low temperatures (25-35 °C), both ε' and ε″ increased with increasing moisture content. At low moisture contents (15.1-19.5% w.b.), they increased with increasing temperature. The change trends of ε' and ε″ were different and dependent on temperature and moisture content at their high levels. The penetration depth (d p ) decreased with increasing frequency. RF treatments may provide potential large-scale industrial drying application for potato starch. This research offers useful information on dielectric properties of potato starch related to drying with electromagnetic energy.

  19. Frequency dependence and frequency control of microbubble streaming flows

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Cheng; Rallabandi, Bhargav; Hilgenfeldt, Sascha

    2013-02-01

    Steady streaming from oscillating microbubbles is a powerful actuating mechanism in microfluidics, enjoying increased use due to its simplicity of manufacture, ease of integration, low heat generation, and unprecedented control over the flow field and particle transport. As the streaming flow patterns are caused by oscillations of microbubbles in contact with walls of the set-up, an understanding of the bubble dynamics is crucial. Here we experimentally characterize the oscillation modes and the frequency response spectrum of such cylindrical bubbles, driven by a pressure variation resulting from ultrasound in the range of 1 kHz raisebox {-.9ex{stackrel{textstyle <}{˜ }} }f raisebox {-.9ex{stackrel{textstyle <}{˜ }} } 100 kHz. We find that (i) the appearance of 2D streaming flow patterns is governed by the relative amplitudes of bubble azimuthal surface modes (normalized by the volume response), (ii) distinct, robust resonance patterns occur independent of details of the set-up, and (iii) the position and width of the resonance peaks can be understood using an asymptotic theory approach. This theory describes, for the first time, the shape oscillations of a pinned cylindrical bubble at a wall and gives insight into necessary mode couplings that shape the response spectrum. Having thus correlated relative mode strengths and observed flow patterns, we demonstrate that the performance of a bubble micromixer can be optimized by making use of such flow variations when modulating the driving frequency.

  20. Polymorphism at a mimicry supergene maintained by opposing frequency-dependent selection pressures

    OpenAIRE

    Chouteau, Mathieu; Llaurens, Violaine; Piron-Prunier, Florence; Joron, Mathieu

    2017-01-01

    Although biological diversity is being lost at an alarming rate, a mimetic butterfly from the Amazon reveals a selective mechanism that can lead to rich adaptive diversity. In these toxic and vividly colored butterflies, several forms are maintained within populations, accurately mimicking distinct local butterflies, and controlled by differentiated alleles of a supergene. Such diversity is not expected because selection by predators promotes the fixation of a single morph. We show that the m...

  1. Frequency-dependent complex modulus of the uterus: preliminary results

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kiss, Miklos Z [Department of Medical Physics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706 (United States); Hobson, Maritza A [Department of Medical Physics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706 (United States); Varghese, Tomy [Department of Medical Physics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706 (United States); Harter, Josephine [Department of Surgical Pathology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706 (United States); Kliewer, Mark A [Department of Radiology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706 (United States); Hartenbach, Ellen M [Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706 (United States); Zagzebski, James A [Department of Medical Physics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706 (United States)

    2006-08-07

    The frequency-dependent complex moduli of human uterine tissue have been characterized. Quantification of the modulus is required for developing uterine ultrasound elastography as a viable imaging modality for diagnosing and monitoring causes for abnormal uterine bleeding and enlargement, as well assessing the integrity of uterine and cervical tissue. The complex modulus was measured in samples from hysterectomies of 24 patients ranging in age from 31 to 79 years. Measurements were done under small compressions of either 1 or 2%, at low pre-compression values (either 1 or 2%), and over a frequency range of 0.1-100 Hz. Modulus values of cervical tissue monotonically increased from approximately 30-90 kPa over the frequency range. Normal uterine tissue possessed modulus values over the same range, while leiomyomas, or uterine fibroids, exhibited values ranging from approximately 60-220 kPa.

  2. Frequency-dependent complex modulus of the uterus: preliminary results

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kiss, Miklos Z; Hobson, Maritza A; Varghese, Tomy; Harter, Josephine; Kliewer, Mark A; Hartenbach, Ellen M; Zagzebski, James A

    2006-01-01

    The frequency-dependent complex moduli of human uterine tissue have been characterized. Quantification of the modulus is required for developing uterine ultrasound elastography as a viable imaging modality for diagnosing and monitoring causes for abnormal uterine bleeding and enlargement, as well assessing the integrity of uterine and cervical tissue. The complex modulus was measured in samples from hysterectomies of 24 patients ranging in age from 31 to 79 years. Measurements were done under small compressions of either 1 or 2%, at low pre-compression values (either 1 or 2%), and over a frequency range of 0.1-100 Hz. Modulus values of cervical tissue monotonically increased from approximately 30-90 kPa over the frequency range. Normal uterine tissue possessed modulus values over the same range, while leiomyomas, or uterine fibroids, exhibited values ranging from approximately 60-220 kPa

  3. Tuning of gravity-dependent and gravity-independent vertical angular VOR gain changes by frequency of adaptation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yakushin, Sergei B

    2012-06-01

    The gain of the vertical angular vestibulo-ocular reflex (aVOR) was adaptively increased and decreased in a side-down head orientation for 4 h in two cynomolgus monkeys. Adaptation was performed at 0.25, 1, 2, or 4 Hz. The gravity-dependent and -independent gain changes were determined over a range of head orientations from left-side-down to right-side-down at frequencies from 0.25 to 10 Hz, before and after adaptation. Gain changes vs. frequency data were fit with a Gaussian to determine the frequency at which the peak gain change occurred, as well as the tuning width. The frequency at which the peak gravity-dependent gain change occurred was approximately equal to the frequency of adaptation, and the width increased monotonically with increases in the frequency of adaptation. The gravity-independent component was tuned to the adaptive frequency of 0.25 Hz but was uniformly distributed over all frequencies when the adaptation frequency was 1-4 Hz. The amplitude of the gravity-independent gain changes was larger after the aVOR gain decrease than after the gain increase across all tested frequencies. For the aVOR gain decrease, the phase lagged about 4° for frequencies below the adaptation frequency and led for frequencies above the adaptation frequency. For gain increases, the phase relationship as a function of frequency was inverted. This study demonstrates that the previously described dependence of aVOR gain adaptation on frequency is a property of the gravity-dependent component of the aVOR only. The gravity-independent component of the aVOR had a substantial tuning curve only at an adaptation frequency of 0.25 Hz.

  4. Frequency selective bolometer development at Argonne National Laboratory

    Science.gov (United States)

    Datesman, Aaron; Pearson, John; Wang, Gensheng; Yefremenko, Volodymyr; Divan, Ralu; Downes, Thomas; Chang, Clarence; McMahon, Jeff; Meyer, Stephan; Carlstrom, John; Logan, Daniel; Perera, Thushara; Wilson, Grant; Novosad, Valentyn

    2008-07-01

    We discuss the development, at Argonne National Laboratory, of a four-pixel camera suitable for photometry of distant dusty galaxies located by Spitzer and SCUBA, and for study of other millimeter-wave sources such as ultra-luminous infrared galaxies, the Sunyaev-Zeldovich (SZ) effect in clusters, and galactic dust. Utilizing Frequency Selective Bolometers (FSBs) with superconducting Transition-Edge Sensors (TESs), each of the camera's four pixels is sensitive to four colors, with frequency bands centered approximately at 150, 220, 270, and 360 GHz. The current generation of these devices utilizes proximity effect superconducting bilayers of Mo/Au or Ti/Au for TESs, along with frequency selective circuitry on membranes of silicon nitride 1 cm across and 1 micron thick. The operational properties of these devices are determined by this circuitry, along with thermal control structures etched into the membranes. These etched structures do not perforate the membrane, so that the device is both comparatively robust mechanically and carefully tailored in terms of its thermal transport properties. In this paper, we report on development of the superconducting bilayer TES technology and characterization of the FSB stacks. This includes the use of new materials, the design and testing of thermal control structures, the introduction of desirable thermal properties using buried layers of crystalline silicon underneath the membrane, detector stability control, and optical and thermal test results. The scientific motivation, FSB design, FSB fabrication, and measurement results are discussed.

  5. Positive selection on the killer whale mitogenome

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Foote, Andrew David; Morin, Phillip A.; Durban, John W.

    2011-01-01

    Mitochondria produce up to 95 per cent of the eukaryotic cell's energy. The coding genes of the mitochondrial DNA may therefore evolve under selection owing to metabolic requirements. The killer whale, Orcinus orca, is polymorphic, has a global distribution and occupies a range of ecological niches....... It is therefore a suitable organism for testing this hypothesis. We compared a global dataset of the complete mitochondrial genomes of 139 individuals for amino acid changes that were associated with radical physico-chemical property changes and were influenced by positive selection. Two such selected non...

  6. Positive selection on a bacterial oncoprotein associated with gastric cancer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Delgado-Rosado Gisela

    2011-11-01

    Full Text Available Background Helicobacter pylori is a vertically inherited gut commensal that is carcinogenic if it possesses the cag pathogenicity island (cag PaI; infection with H.pylori is the major risk factor for gastric cancer, the second leading cause of death from cancer worldwide (WHO. The cag PaI locus encodes the cagA gene, whose protein product is injected into stomach epithelial cells via a Type IV secretion system, also encoded by the cag PaI. Once there, the cagA protein binds to various cellular proteins, resulting in dysregulation of cell division and carcinogenesis. For this reason, cagA may be described as an oncoprotein. A clear understanding of the mechanism of action of cagA and its benefit to the bacteria is lacking. Results Here, we reveal that the cagA gene displays strong signatures of positive selection in bacteria isolated from amerindian populations, using the Ka/Ks ratio. Weaker signatures are also detected in the gene from bacteria isolated from asian populations, using the Ka/Ks ratio and the more sensitive branches-sites model of the PAML package. When the cagA gene isolated from amerindian populations was examined in more detail it was found that the region under positive selection contains the EPIYA domains, which are known to modulate the carcinogenicity of the gene. This means that the carcinogenicity modulating region of the gene is undergoing adaptation. The results are discussed in relation to the high incidences of stomach cancer in some latin american and asian populations. Conclusion Positive selection on cagA indicates antagonistic coevolution between host and bacteria, which appears paradoxical given that cagA is detrimental to the human host upon which the bacteria depends. This suggests several non-exclusive possibilities; that gastric cancer has not been a major selective pressure on human populations, that cagA has an undetermined benefit to the human host, or that horizontal transmission of H.pylori between hosts

  7. Multi-frequency Defect Selective Imaging via Nonlinear Ultrasound

    Science.gov (United States)

    Solodov, Igor; Busse, Gerd

    The concept of defect-selective ultrasonic nonlinear imaging is based on visualization of strongly nonlinear inclusions in the form of localized cracked defects. For intense excitation, the ultrasonic response of defects is affected by mechanical constraint between their fragments that makes their vibrations extremely nonlinear. The cracked flaws, therefore, efficiently generate multiple new frequencies, which can be used as a nonlinear "tag" to detect and image them. In this paper, the methodologies of nonlinear scanning laser vibrometry (NSLV) and nonlinear air-coupled emission (NACE) are applied for nonlinear imaging of various defects in hi-tech and constructional materials. A broad database obtained demonstrates evident advantages of the nonlinear approach over its linear counterpart. The higher-order nonlinear frequencies provide increase in signal-to-noise ratio and enhance the contrast of imaging. Unlike conventional ultrasonic instruments, the nonlinear approach yields abundant multi-frequency information on defect location. The application of image recognition and processing algorithms is described and shown to improve reliability and quality of ultrasonic imaging.

  8. Conditional Selection of Genomic Alterations Dictates Cancer Evolution and Oncogenic Dependencies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mina, Marco; Raynaud, Franck; Tavernari, Daniele; Battistello, Elena; Sungalee, Stephanie; Saghafinia, Sadegh; Laessle, Titouan; Sanchez-Vega, Francisco; Schultz, Nikolaus; Oricchio, Elisa; Ciriello, Giovanni

    2017-08-14

    Cancer evolves through the emergence and selection of molecular alterations. Cancer genome profiling has revealed that specific events are more or less likely to be co-selected, suggesting that the selection of one event depends on the others. However, the nature of these evolutionary dependencies and their impact remain unclear. Here, we designed SELECT, an algorithmic approach to systematically identify evolutionary dependencies from alteration patterns. By analyzing 6,456 genomes from multiple tumor types, we constructed a map of oncogenic dependencies associated with cellular pathways, transcriptional readouts, and therapeutic response. Finally, modeling of cancer evolution shows that alteration dependencies emerge only under conditional selection. These results provide a framework for the design of strategies to predict cancer progression and therapeutic response. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. Optically transparent frequency selective surfaces on flexible thin plastic substrates

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dewani, Aliya A., E-mail: a.ashraf@griffith.edu.au; O’Keefe, Steven G.; Thiel, David V.; Galehdar, Amir [School Of Electrical Engineering, Griffith University, Brisbane, 4111 (Australia)

    2015-02-15

    A novel 2D simple low cost frequency selective surface was screen printed on thin (0.21 mm), flexible transparent plastic substrate (relative permittivity 3.2). It was designed, fabricated and tested in the frequency range 10-20 GHz. The plane wave transmission and reflection coefficients agreed with numerical modelling. The effective permittivity and thickness of the backing sheet has a significant effect on the frequency characteristics. The stop band frequency reduced from 15GHz (no backing) to 12.5GHz with polycarbonate. The plastic substrate thickness beyond 1.8mm has minimal effect on the resonant frequency. While the inner element spacing controls the stop-band frequency, the substrate thickness controls the bandwidth. The screen printing technique provided a simple, low cost FSS fabrication method to produce flexible, conformal, optically transparent and bio-degradable FSS structures which can find their use in electromagnetic shielding and filtering applications in radomes, reflector antennas, beam splitters and polarizers.

  10. Optically transparent frequency selective surfaces on flexible thin plastic substrates

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aliya A. Dewani

    2015-02-01

    Full Text Available A novel 2D simple low cost frequency selective surface was screen printed on thin (0.21 mm, flexible transparent plastic substrate (relative permittivity 3.2. It was designed, fabricated and tested in the frequency range 10-20 GHz. The plane wave transmission and reflection coefficients agreed with numerical modelling. The effective permittivity and thickness of the backing sheet has a significant effect on the frequency characteristics. The stop band frequency reduced from 15GHz (no backing to 12.5GHz with polycarbonate. The plastic substrate thickness beyond 1.8mm has minimal effect on the resonant frequency. While the inner element spacing controls the stop-band frequency, the substrate thickness controls the bandwidth. The screen printing technique provided a simple, low cost FSS fabrication method to produce flexible, conformal, optically transparent and bio-degradable FSS structures which can find their use in electromagnetic shielding and filtering applications in radomes, reflector antennas, beam splitters and polarizers.

  11. Optically transparent frequency selective surfaces on flexible thin plastic substrates

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dewani, Aliya A.; O'Keefe, Steven G.; Thiel, David V.; Galehdar, Amir

    2015-02-01

    A novel 2D simple low cost frequency selective surface was screen printed on thin (0.21 mm), flexible transparent plastic substrate (relative permittivity 3.2). It was designed, fabricated and tested in the frequency range 10-20 GHz. The plane wave transmission and reflection coefficients agreed with numerical modelling. The effective permittivity and thickness of the backing sheet has a significant effect on the frequency characteristics. The stop band frequency reduced from 15GHz (no backing) to 12.5GHz with polycarbonate. The plastic substrate thickness beyond 1.8mm has minimal effect on the resonant frequency. While the inner element spacing controls the stop-band frequency, the substrate thickness controls the bandwidth. The screen printing technique provided a simple, low cost FSS fabrication method to produce flexible, conformal, optically transparent and bio-degradable FSS structures which can find their use in electromagnetic shielding and filtering applications in radomes, reflector antennas, beam splitters and polarizers.

  12. Positive Selection of Deleterious Alleles through Interaction with a Sex-Ratio Suppressor Gene in African Buffalo: A Plausible New Mechanism for a High Frequency Anomaly

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hooft, van W.F.; Greyling, B.J.; Getz, W.M.; Helden, P.D.; Zwaan, B.J.; Bastos, A.D.S.

    2015-01-01

    Although generally rare, deleterious alleles can become common through genetic drift, hitchhiking or reductions in selective constraints. Here we present a possible new mechanism that explains the attainment of high frequencies of deleterious alleles in the African buffalo (Syncerus caffer)

  13. Positive Selection of Deleterious Alleles through Interaction with a Sex-Ratio Suppressor Gene in African Buffalo: A Plausible New Mechanism for a High Frequency Anomaly

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hooft, van W.F.; Greyling, B.J.; Getz, W.M.; Helden, van P.D.; Zwaan, B.J.; Bastos, A.D.S.

    2014-01-01

    Although generally rare, deleterious alleles can become common through genetic drift, hitchhiking or reductions in selective constraints. Here we present a possible new mechanism that explains the attainment of high frequencies of deleterious alleles in the African buffalo (Syncerus caffer)

  14. Range-separated time-dependent density-functional theory with a frequency-dependent second-order Bethe-Salpeter correlation kernel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rebolini, Elisa, E-mail: elisa.rebolini@kjemi.uio.no; Toulouse, Julien, E-mail: julien.toulouse@upmc.fr [Laboratoire de Chimie Théorique, Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06, CNRS, 4 place Jussieu, F-75005 Paris (France)

    2016-03-07

    We present a range-separated linear-response time-dependent density-functional theory (TDDFT) which combines a density-functional approximation for the short-range response kernel and a frequency-dependent second-order Bethe-Salpeter approximation for the long-range response kernel. This approach goes beyond the adiabatic approximation usually used in linear-response TDDFT and aims at improving the accuracy of calculations of electronic excitation energies of molecular systems. A detailed derivation of the frequency-dependent second-order Bethe-Salpeter correlation kernel is given using many-body Green-function theory. Preliminary tests of this range-separated TDDFT method are presented for the calculation of excitation energies of the He and Be atoms and small molecules (H{sub 2}, N{sub 2}, CO{sub 2}, H{sub 2}CO, and C{sub 2}H{sub 4}). The results suggest that the addition of the long-range second-order Bethe-Salpeter correlation kernel overall slightly improves the excitation energies.

  15. ERP correlates of letter identity and letter position are modulated by lexical frequency

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vergara-Martínez, Marta; Perea, Manuel; Gómez, Pablo; Swaab, Tamara Y.

    2013-01-01

    The encoding of letter position is a key aspect in all recently proposed models of visual-word recognition. We analyzed the impact of lexical frequency on letter position assignment by examining the temporal dynamics of lexical activation induced by pseudowords extracted from words of different frequencies. For each word (e.g., BRIDGE), we created two pseudowords: A transposed-letter (TL: BRIGDE) and a replaced-letter pseudoword (RL: BRITGE). ERPs were recorded while participants read words and pseudowords in two tasks: Semantic categorization (Experiment 1) and lexical decision (Experiment 2). For high-frequency stimuli, similar ERPs were obtained for words and TL-pseudowords, but the N400 component to words was reduced relative to RL-pseudowords, indicating less lexical/semantic activation. In contrast, TL- and RL-pseudowords created from low-frequency stimuli elicited similar ERPs. Behavioral responses in the lexical decision task paralleled this asymmetry. The present findings impose constraints on computational and neural models of visual-word recognition. PMID:23454070

  16. The role of age, gender, mood states and exercise frequency on exercise dependence.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Costa, Sebastiano; Hausenblas, Heather A; Oliva, Patrizia; Cuzzocrea, Francesca; Larcan, Rosalba

    2013-12-01

    The purpose of our study was to explore the prevalence, and the role of mood, exercise frequency, age, and gender differences of exercise dependence. Regular exercisers (N = 409) completed a socio-demographic questionnaire, the Exercise Dependence Scale, and the Profile of Mood States. For data analyses, the participants were stratified for sex and age (age ranges = young adults: 18-24 years, adults: 25-44 years, and middle-aged adults: 45-64 years). We found that: (a) 4.4% of the participants were classified as at-risk for exercise dependence; (b) the men and the two younger groups (i.e., young adults and adults) had higher exercise dependence scores; and (c) age, gender, exercise frequency, and mood state were related to exercise dependence. Our results support previous research on the prevalence of exercise dependence and reveal that adulthood may be the critical age for developing exercise dependence. These findings have practical implication for identifying individuals at-risk for exercise dependence symptoms, and may aid in targeting and guiding the implementation of prevention program for adults.

  17. Vast Volatility Matrix Estimation using High Frequency Data for Portfolio Selection*

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fan, Jianqing; Li, Yingying; Yu, Ke

    2012-01-01

    Portfolio allocation with gross-exposure constraint is an effective method to increase the efficiency and stability of portfolios selection among a vast pool of assets, as demonstrated in Fan et al. (2011). The required high-dimensional volatility matrix can be estimated by using high frequency financial data. This enables us to better adapt to the local volatilities and local correlations among vast number of assets and to increase significantly the sample size for estimating the volatility matrix. This paper studies the volatility matrix estimation using high-dimensional high-frequency data from the perspective of portfolio selection. Specifically, we propose the use of “pairwise-refresh time” and “all-refresh time” methods based on the concept of “refresh time” proposed by Barndorff-Nielsen et al. (2008) for estimation of vast covariance matrix and compare their merits in the portfolio selection. We establish the concentration inequalities of the estimates, which guarantee desirable properties of the estimated volatility matrix in vast asset allocation with gross exposure constraints. Extensive numerical studies are made via carefully designed simulations. Comparing with the methods based on low frequency daily data, our methods can capture the most recent trend of the time varying volatility and correlation, hence provide more accurate guidance for the portfolio allocation in the next time period. The advantage of using high-frequency data is significant in our simulation and empirical studies, which consist of 50 simulated assets and 30 constituent stocks of Dow Jones Industrial Average index. PMID:23264708

  18. Vast Volatility Matrix Estimation using High Frequency Data for Portfolio Selection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fan, Jianqing; Li, Yingying; Yu, Ke

    2012-01-01

    Portfolio allocation with gross-exposure constraint is an effective method to increase the efficiency and stability of portfolios selection among a vast pool of assets, as demonstrated in Fan et al. (2011). The required high-dimensional volatility matrix can be estimated by using high frequency financial data. This enables us to better adapt to the local volatilities and local correlations among vast number of assets and to increase significantly the sample size for estimating the volatility matrix. This paper studies the volatility matrix estimation using high-dimensional high-frequency data from the perspective of portfolio selection. Specifically, we propose the use of "pairwise-refresh time" and "all-refresh time" methods based on the concept of "refresh time" proposed by Barndorff-Nielsen et al. (2008) for estimation of vast covariance matrix and compare their merits in the portfolio selection. We establish the concentration inequalities of the estimates, which guarantee desirable properties of the estimated volatility matrix in vast asset allocation with gross exposure constraints. Extensive numerical studies are made via carefully designed simulations. Comparing with the methods based on low frequency daily data, our methods can capture the most recent trend of the time varying volatility and correlation, hence provide more accurate guidance for the portfolio allocation in the next time period. The advantage of using high-frequency data is significant in our simulation and empirical studies, which consist of 50 simulated assets and 30 constituent stocks of Dow Jones Industrial Average index.

  19. Distinct effects of protracted withdrawal on affect, craving, selective attention and executive functions among alcohol-dependent patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cordovil De Sousa Uva, Mariana; Luminet, Olivier; Cortesi, Marie; Constant, Eric; Derely, Marc; De Timary, Philippe

    2010-01-01

    The present study examined the effects of protracted alcohol withdrawal on affectivity, craving, selective attention and executive functions (EFs) in alcohol-dependent patients. Selective attention (The D2 Cancellation Test), flexibility (Trail Making Test), inhibition (Stroop Task), decision making (Iowa Gambling Task), craving (Obsessive-Compulsive Drinking Scale) and state affectivity (Positive and Negative Affectivity Schedule) were assessed in alcohol-dependent patients (DSM-IV, n = 35) matched to non-alcohol-dependent participants (n = 22) at the onset (T1: day 1 or 2) and at the end (T2: days 14-18) of protracted withdrawal during rehab. Alcohol-dependent patients' abilities to focus their attention on relevant information, to switch from one pattern to another, to inhibit irrelevant information and to make advantageous choices were lower than those of control participants during both times of a withdrawal cure. No effect of time emerged from analyses for selective attention and EF deficits. Conversely, significant differences between T1 and T2 were observed for craving and affect scores indicating a weakening of alcohol craving and negative affect as well as an improvement of positive affect among patients from onset to the end of cure. Control functions of the Supervisory Attentional System (Norman and Shallice, 1986) were impaired and did not improve during a 3-week withdrawal cure, whereas alcohol craving and negative state affectivity significantly improved in parallel during this period. Implications for understanding the clinical processes of withdrawal are discussed.

  20. Grizzly bear habitat selection is scale dependent.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ciarniello, Lana M; Boyce, Mark S; Seip, Dale R; Heard, Douglas C

    2007-07-01

    The purpose of our study is to show how ecologists' interpretation of habitat selection by grizzly bears (Ursus arctos) is altered by the scale of observation and also how management questions would be best addressed using predetermined scales of analysis. Using resource selection functions (RSF) we examined how variation in the spatial extent of availability affected our interpretation of habitat selection by grizzly bears inhabiting mountain and plateau landscapes. We estimated separate models for females and males using three spatial extents: within the study area, within the home range, and within predetermined movement buffers. We employed two methods for evaluating the effects of scale on our RSF designs. First, we chose a priori six candidate models, estimated at each scale, and ranked them using Akaike Information Criteria. Using this method, results changed among scales for males but not for females. For female bears, models that included the full suite of covariates predicted habitat use best at each scale. For male bears that resided in the mountains, models based on forest successional stages ranked highest at the study-wide and home range extents, whereas models containing covariates based on terrain features ranked highest at the buffer extent. For male bears on the plateau, each scale estimated a different highest-ranked model. Second, we examined differences among model coefficients across the three scales for one candidate model. We found that both the magnitude and direction of coefficients were dependent upon the scale examined; results varied between landscapes, scales, and sexes. Greenness, reflecting lush green vegetation, was a strong predictor of the presence of female bears in both landscapes and males that resided in the mountains. Male bears on the plateau were the only animals to select areas that exposed them to a high risk of mortality by humans. Our results show that grizzly bear habitat selection is scale dependent. Further, the

  1. Frequency Selective Surfaces for extended Bandwidth backing reflector functions

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Pasian, M.; Neto, A.; Monni, S.; Ettorre, M.; Gerini, G.

    2008-01-01

    This paper deals with the use of Frequency Selective Surfaces (FSS) to increase the Efficiency × Bandwidth product in Ultra-Wide Band (UWB) antenna arrays whose efficiency is limited by the front-to-back ratio. If the backing reflector is realized in one metal plane solution its location will be

  2. Mode Selection Rules for a Two-Delay System with Positive and Negative Feedback Loops

    Science.gov (United States)

    Takahashi, Kin'ya; Kobayashi, Taizo

    2018-04-01

    The mode selection rules for a two-delay system, which has negative feedback with a short delay time t1 and positive feedback with a long delay time t2, are studied numerically and theoretically. We find two types of mode selection rules depending on the strength of the negative feedback. When the strength of the negative feedback |α1| (α1 0), 2m + 1-th harmonic oscillation is well sustained in a neighborhood of t1/t2 = even/odd, i.e., relevant condition. In a neighborhood of the irrelevant condition given by t1/t2 = odd/even or t1/t2 = odd/odd, higher harmonic oscillations are observed. However, if |α1| is slightly less than α2, a different mode selection rule works, where the condition t1/t2 = odd/even is relevant and the conditions t1/t2 = odd/odd and t1/t2 = even/odd are irrelevant. These mode selection rules are different from the mode selection rule of the normal two-delay system with two positive feedback loops, where t1/t2 = odd/odd is relevant and the others are irrelevant. The two types of mode selection rules are induced by individually different mechanisms controlling the Hopf bifurcation, i.e., the Hopf bifurcation controlled by the "boosted bifurcation process" and by the "anomalous bifurcation process", which occur for |α1| below and above the threshold value αth, respectively.

  3. Noise-driven diamagnetic susceptibility of impurity doped quantum dots: Role of anisotropy, position-dependent effective mass and position-dependent dielectric screening function

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bera, Aindrila; Saha, Surajit; Ganguly, Jayanta; Ghosh, Manas

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • Diamagnetic susceptibility (DMS) of doped quantum dot is studied. • The dot is subjected to Gaussian white noise. • Role of anisotropy, PDEM and PDDSF have been analyzed. • Noise amplifies and suppresses DMS depending on particular condition. • Findings bear significant technological importance. - Abstract: We explore Diamagnetic susceptibility (DMS) of impurity doped quantum dot (QD) in presence of Gaussian white noise introduced to the system additively and multiplicatively. In view of this profiles of DMS have been pursued with variations of geometrical anisotropy and dopant location. We have invoked position-dependent effective mass (PDEM) and position-dependent dielectric screening function (PDDSF) of the system. Presence of noise sometimes suppresses and sometimes amplifies DMS from that of noise-free condition and the extent of suppression/amplification depends on mode of application of noise. It is important to mention that the said suppression/amplification exhibits subtle dependence on use of PDEM, PDDSF and geometrical anisotropy. The study reveals that DMS, or more fundamentally, the effective confinement of LDSS, can be tuned by appropriate mingling of geometrical anisotropy/effective mass/dielectric constant of the system with noise and also on the pathway of application of latter.

  4. The Frequency-dependent Damping of Slow Magnetoacoustic Waves in a Sunspot Umbral Atmosphere

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Prasad, S. Krishna; Jess, D. B. [Astrophysics Research Centre, School of Mathematics and Physics, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast, BT7 1NN (United Kingdom); Doorsselaere, T. Van [Centre for mathematical Plasma Astrophysics, Mathematics Department, KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200B bus 2400, B-3001 Leuven (Belgium); Verth, G. [School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Sheffield, Hicks Building, Hounsfield Road, Sheffield, S3 7RH (United Kingdom); Morton, R. J. [Department of Mathematics, Physics and Electrical Engineering, Northumbria University, Ellison Building, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 8ST (United Kingdom); Fedun, V. [Department of Automatic Control and Systems Engineering, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S1 3JD (United Kingdom); Erdélyi, R. [Solar Physics and Space Plasma Research Centre (SP2RC), School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S3 7RH (United Kingdom); Christian, D. J., E-mail: krishna.prasad@qub.ac.uk [Department of Physics and Astronomy, California State University Northridge, Northridge, CA 91330 (United States)

    2017-09-20

    High spatial and temporal resolution images of a sunspot, obtained simultaneously in multiple optical and UV wavelengths, are employed to study the propagation and damping characteristics of slow magnetoacoustic waves up to transition region heights. Power spectra are generated from intensity oscillations in sunspot umbra, across multiple atmospheric heights, for frequencies up to a few hundred mHz. It is observed that the power spectra display a power-law dependence over the entire frequency range, with a significant enhancement around 5.5 mHz found for the chromospheric channels. The phase difference spectra reveal a cutoff frequency near 3 mHz, up to which the oscillations are evanescent, while those with higher frequencies propagate upward. The power-law index appears to increase with atmospheric height. Also, shorter damping lengths are observed for oscillations with higher frequencies suggesting frequency-dependent damping. Using the relative amplitudes of the 5.5 mHz (3 minute) oscillations, we estimate the energy flux at different heights, which seems to decay gradually from the photosphere, in agreement with recent numerical simulations. Furthermore, a comparison of power spectra across the umbral radius highlights an enhancement of high-frequency waves near the umbral center, which does not seem to be related to magnetic field inclination angle effects.

  5. Frequency and Temperature Dependence of Electrical Breakdown at 21, 30, and 39GHz

    Science.gov (United States)

    Braun, H. H.; Döbert, S.; Wilson, I.; Wuensch, W.

    2003-06-01

    A TeV-range e+e- linear collider has emerged as one of the most promising candidates to extend the high energy frontier of experimental elementary particle physics. A high accelerating gradient for such a collider is desirable to limit its overall length. Accelerating gradient is mainly limited by electrical breakdown, and it has been generally assumed that this limit increases with increasing frequency for normal-conducting accelerating structures. Since the choice of frequency has a profound influence on the design of a linear collider, the frequency dependence of breakdown has been measured using six exactly scaled single-cell cavities at 21, 30, and 39GHz. The influence of temperature on breakdown behavior was also investigated. The maximum obtainable surface fields were found to be in the range of 300 to 400 MV/m for copper, with no significant dependence on either frequency or temperature.

  6. Frequency and Temperature Dependence of Electrical Breakdown at 21, 30 and 39 GHz

    CERN Document Server

    Braun, Hans Heinrich; Wilson, Ian H; Wuensch, Walter

    2003-01-01

    A TeV-range e+e- linear collider has emerged as one of the most promising candidates to extend the high energy frontier of experimental elementary particle physics. A high accelerating gradient for such a collider is desirable to limit its overall length. Accelerating gradient is mainly limited by electrical breakdown, and it has been generally assumed that this limit increases with increasing frequency for normal-conducting accelerating structures. Since the choice of frequency has a profound influence on the design of a linear collider, the frequency dependence of breakdown has been measured using six exactly scaled single-cell cavities at 21, 30, and 39 GHz. The influence of temperature on breakdown behavior was also investigated. The maximum obtainable surface fields were found to be in the range of 300 to 400 MV/m for copper, with no significant dependence on either frequency or temperature.

  7. Spin-dependent tunnelling at infrared frequencies: magnetorefractive effect in magnetic nanocomposites

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Granovsky, A.B.; Inoue, Mitsuteru

    2004-01-01

    We present a brief review of recent experimental and theoretical results on magnetorefractive effect in magnetic metal-insulator nanogranular alloys with tunnel-type magnetoresistance focusing on its relation with high-frequency spin-dependent tunnelling

  8. Spin-dependent tunnelling at infrared frequencies: magnetorefractive effect in magnetic nanocomposites

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Granovsky, A.B. E-mail: granov@magn.ru; Inoue, Mitsuteru

    2004-05-01

    We present a brief review of recent experimental and theoretical results on magnetorefractive effect in magnetic metal-insulator nanogranular alloys with tunnel-type magnetoresistance focusing on its relation with high-frequency spin-dependent tunnelling.

  9. Experimental Evaluation of UWB Indoor Positioning for Sport Postures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ridolfi, Matteo; Vandermeeren, Stef; Defraye, Jense; Steendam, Heidi; Gerlo, Joeri; De Clercq, Dirk; Hoebeke, Jeroen; De Poorter, Eli

    2018-01-09

    Radio frequency (RF)-based indoor positioning systems (IPSs) use wireless technologies (including Wi-Fi, Zigbee, Bluetooth, and ultra-wide band (UWB)) to estimate the location of persons in areas where no Global Positioning System (GPS) reception is available, for example in indoor stadiums or sports halls. Of the above-mentioned forms of radio frequency (RF) technology, UWB is considered one of the most accurate approaches because it can provide positioning estimates with centimeter-level accuracy. However, it is not yet known whether UWB can also offer such accurate position estimates during strenuous dynamic activities in which moves are characterized by fast changes in direction and velocity. To answer this question, this paper investigates the capabilities of UWB indoor localization systems for tracking athletes during their complex (and most of the time unpredictable) movements. To this end, we analyze the impact of on-body tag placement locations and human movement patterns on localization accuracy and communication reliability. Moreover, two localization algorithms (particle filter and Kalman filter) with different optimizations (bias removal, non-line-of-sight (NLoS) detection, and path determination) are implemented. It is shown that although the optimal choice of optimization depends on the type of movement patterns, some of the improvements can reduce the localization error by up to 31%. Overall, depending on the selected optimization and on-body tag placement, our algorithms show good results in terms of positioning accuracy, with average errors in position estimates of 20 cm. This makes UWB a suitable approach for tracking dynamic athletic activities.

  10. Experimental Evaluation of UWB Indoor Positioning for Sport Postures

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Matteo Ridolfi

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Radio frequency (RF-based indoor positioning systems (IPSs use wireless technologies (including Wi-Fi, Zigbee, Bluetooth, and ultra-wide band (UWB to estimate the location of persons in areas where no Global Positioning System (GPS reception is available, for example in indoor stadiums or sports halls. Of the above-mentioned forms of radio frequency (RF technology, UWB is considered one of the most accurate approaches because it can provide positioning estimates with centimeter-level accuracy. However, it is not yet known whether UWB can also offer such accurate position estimates during strenuous dynamic activities in which moves are characterized by fast changes in direction and velocity. To answer this question, this paper investigates the capabilities of UWB indoor localization systems for tracking athletes during their complex (and most of the time unpredictable movements. To this end, we analyze the impact of on-body tag placement locations and human movement patterns on localization accuracy and communication reliability. Moreover, two localization algorithms (particle filter and Kalman filter with different optimizations (bias removal, non-line-of-sight (NLoS detection, and path determination are implemented. It is shown that although the optimal choice of optimization depends on the type of movement patterns, some of the improvements can reduce the localization error by up to 31%. Overall, depending on the selected optimization and on-body tag placement, our algorithms show good results in terms of positioning accuracy, with average errors in position estimates of 20 cm. This makes UWB a suitable approach for tracking dynamic athletic activities.

  11. Frequency-dependent transient response of an oscillating electrically actuated droplet

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dash, S; Kumari, N; Garimella, S V

    2012-01-01

    The transient response of a millimeter-sized sessile droplet under electrical actuation is experimentally investigated. Under dc actuation, the droplet spreading rate increases as the applied voltage is increased due to the higher electrical forces induced. At sufficiently high dc voltages, competition between the electrical actuation force, droplet inertia, the retarding surface tension force and contact line friction leads to droplet oscillation. The timescale for the droplet to attain its maximum wetted diameter during step actuation is analyzed. Systematic experiments are conducted over a frequency range of 5–200 Hz and actuation voltages of 40–80 V rms to determine the dependence of droplet oscillation on these parameters. The response of the droplet to different actuation frequencies and voltages is determined in terms of its contact angle and contact radius variation. The frequency of the driving force (equal to twice the frequency of the applied electrical signal) determines the mode of oscillation of the droplet which, together with its resonance characteristics, governs whether the droplet contact angle and contact radius vary in phase or out of phase with each other. In addition to the primary frequency response at the electrical forcing frequency, the droplet oscillation exhibits sub-harmonic oscillation at half of the forcing frequency that is attributed to the parametric nature of the electrical force acting on the triple contact line of the droplet. (paper)

  12. Effect of efferent activation on binaural frequency selectivity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Verhey, Jesko L; Kordus, Monika; Drga, Vit; Yasin, Ifat

    2017-07-01

    Binaural notched-noise experiments indicate a reduced frequency selectivity of the binaural system compared to monaural processing. The present study investigates how auditory efferent activation (via the medial olivocochlear system) affects binaural frequency selectivity in normal-hearing listeners. Thresholds were measured for a 1-kHz signal embedded in a diotic notched-noise masker for various notch widths. The signal was either presented in phase (diotic) or in antiphase (dichotic), gated with the noise. Stimulus duration was 25 ms, in order to avoid efferent activation due to the masker or the signal. A bandpass-filtered noise precursor was presented prior to the masker and signal stimuli to activate the efferent system. The silent interval between the precursor and the masker-signal complex was 50 ms. For comparison, thresholds for detectability of the masked signal were also measured in a baseline condition without the precursor and, in addition, without the masker. On average, the results of the baseline condition indicate an effectively wider binaural filter, as expected. For both signal phases, the addition of the precursor results in effectively wider filters, which is in agreement with the hypothesis that cochlear gain is reduced due to the presence of the precursor. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. A map of recent positive selection in the human genome.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Benjamin F Voight

    2006-03-01

    Full Text Available The identification of signals of very recent positive selection provides information about the adaptation of modern humans to local conditions. We report here on a genome-wide scan for signals of very recent positive selection in favor of variants that have not yet reached fixation. We describe a new analytical method for scanning single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP data for signals of recent selection, and apply this to data from the International HapMap Project. In all three continental groups we find widespread signals of recent positive selection. Most signals are region-specific, though a significant excess are shared across groups. Contrary to some earlier low resolution studies that suggested a paucity of recent selection in sub-Saharan Africans, we find that by some measures our strongest signals of selection are from the Yoruba population. Finally, since these signals indicate the existence of genetic variants that have substantially different fitnesses, they must indicate loci that are the source of significant phenotypic variation. Though the relevant phenotypes are generally not known, such loci should be of particular interest in mapping studies of complex traits. For this purpose we have developed a set of SNPs that can be used to tag the strongest approximately 250 signals of recent selection in each population.

  14. Sub-populations of alcohol-dependent patients: differences in psychological functioning between high- and low-frequency alcohol consumers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hiltunen, A J; Koechling, U M; Voltaire-Carlsson, A; Borg, S

    1996-07-01

    The purpose of the present study was to examine the processes underlying relapse to drinking using objective biological validation of self-reported recent alcohol consumption, using the ratio of 5-hydroxytryptophol to 5-hydroxyindol-3-ylacetic acid (5-HTOL/5-HIAA), a new biological marker to detect single episodes of drinking, in a sample of 38 male alcohol-dependent patients (DSM-III-R) who were assessed prospectively in terms of their clinical symptomatology over a 6-month treatment period. Results showed that nearly all patients obtained positive 5-HTOL/5-HIAA samples during the course of treatment. However, upon closer inspection, results revealed a bimodal distribution for alcohol intake with high and low frequency of consumption episodes. Results showed that high frequency consumers obtained higher ratings of clinical symptoms as measured by the Comprehensive Psychopathological Rating Scale (CPRS) and by the St Göran's Semi-structured Interview (SGSI) compared to low frequency alcohol consumers on symptoms of inner tension, lack of initiative, risk of relapse (as rated by therapists and as rated by patients themselves), dysphoria, negative craving for alcohol, and positive craving for alcohol. The present results provided evidence for the existence of two sub-populations of alcoholics, those who have frequent lapses and those who have low frequency of sporadic lapses. Further, these two sub-populations were shown to differ with respect to overall psychological functioning, and craving for alcohol. In conclusion, the present findings have important treatment implications in that reliable identification of patients' consumption patterns using biological markers would allow for the design of individually tailored treatment needs.

  15. Analysis of Various Frequency Selective Shielding Glass by FDTD method

    OpenAIRE

    笠嶋, 善憲; Kasashima, Yoshinori

    2012-01-01

    A frequency Selective shielding (FSS) glass is a print of many same size antennas on a sheet of glass, and it has high shielding properties for one specific frequency. This time, the author analyzed characteristics of various FSSs whose antenna types are different by FDTD method. The antenna types are cross dipole, circular loop, square loop, circular patch, and square patch. As the result, the FSSs can be composed of the various types of the antennas, and the FSSs have broad-band shielding c...

  16. Frequency-Dependent FDTD Algorithm Using Newmark’s Method

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bing Wei

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available According to the characteristics of the polarizability in frequency domain of three common models of dispersive media, the relation between the polarization vector and electric field intensity is converted into a time domain differential equation of second order with the polarization vector by using the conversion from frequency to time domain. Newmark βγ difference method is employed to solve this equation. The electric field intensity to polarizability recursion is derived, and the electric flux to electric field intensity recursion is obtained by constitutive relation. Then FDTD iterative computation in time domain of electric and magnetic field components in dispersive medium is completed. By analyzing the solution stability of the above differential equation using central difference method, it is proved that this method has more advantages in the selection of time step. Theoretical analyses and numerical results demonstrate that this method is a general algorithm and it has advantages of higher accuracy and stability over the algorithms based on central difference method.

  17. Frequency dependence of the pump-to-signal RIN transfer in fiber optical parametric amplifiers

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pakarzadeh Dezfuli Nezhad, Hassan; Rottwitt, Karsten; Zakery, A.

    2009-01-01

    Using a numerical model, the frequency dependence of the pump-to-signal RIN transfer in FOPAs has been investigated. The model includes fiber loss, pump depletion as well as difference in group velocity among interacting beams.......Using a numerical model, the frequency dependence of the pump-to-signal RIN transfer in FOPAs has been investigated. The model includes fiber loss, pump depletion as well as difference in group velocity among interacting beams....

  18. Frequency and temperature dependence of dielectric properties of chicken meat

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dielectric properties of chicken breast meat were measured with an open-ended coaxial-line probe between 200 MHz and 20 GHz at temperatures ranging from -20 degree C to +25 degree C. At a given temperature, the frequency dependence of the dielectric constant reveals two relaxations while those of th...

  19. Arg279 is the key regulator of coenzyme selectivity in the flavin-dependent ornithine monooxygenase SidA.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Robinson, Reeder; Franceschini, Stefano; Fedkenheuer, Michael; Rodriguez, Pedro J; Ellerbrock, Jacob; Romero, Elvira; Echandi, Maria Paulina; Martin Del Campo, Julia S; Sobrado, Pablo

    2014-04-01

    Siderophore A (SidA) is a flavin-dependent monooxygenase that catalyzes the NAD(P)H- and oxygen-dependent hydroxylation of ornithine in the biosynthesis of siderophores in Aspergillus fumigatus and is essential for virulence. SidA can utilize both NADPH or NADH for activity; however, the enzyme is selective for NADPH. Structural analysis shows that R279 interacts with the 2'-phosphate of NADPH. To probe the role of electrostatic interactions in coenzyme selectivity, R279 was mutated to both an alanine and a glutamate. The mutant proteins were active but highly uncoupled, oxidizing NADPH and producing hydrogen peroxide instead of hydroxylated ornithine. For wtSidA, the catalytic efficiency was 6-fold higher with NADPH as compared to NADH. For the R279A mutant the catalytic efficiency was the same with both coenyzmes, while for the R279E mutant the catalytic efficiency was 5-fold higher with NADH. The effects are mainly due to an increase in the KD values, as no major changes on the kcat or flavin reduction values were observed. Thus, the absence of a positive charge leads to no coenzyme selectivity while introduction of a negative charge leads to preference for NADH. Flavin fluorescence studies suggest altered interaction between the flavin and NADP⁺ in the mutant enzymes. The effects are caused by different binding modes of the coenzyme upon removal of the positive charge at position 279, as no major conformational changes were observed in the structure for R279A. The results indicate that the positive charge at position 279 is critical for tight binding of NADPH and efficient hydroxylation. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. The effect of training frequency on selected physical and ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    They were randomly selected into 3 groups of 20 each. Groups A and B served as the training groups while group C formed the control group which remained sedentary, and followed their normal lifestyle. The experimental groups (A & B) initially trained for 12 weeks at a training frequency of 3 times a week. This was ...

  1. Equilibrium finite-frequency noise of an interacting mesoscopic capacitor studied in time-dependent density functional theory

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dittmann, Niklas; Splettstoesser, Janine; Helbig, Nicole

    2018-03-01

    We calculate the frequency-dependent equilibrium noise of a mesoscopic capacitor in time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT). The capacitor is modeled as a single-level quantum dot with on-site Coulomb interaction and tunnel coupling to a nearby reservoir. The noise spectra are derived from linear-response conductances via the fluctuation-dissipation theorem. Thereby, we analyze the performance of a recently derived exchange-correlation potential with time-nonlocal density dependence in the finite-frequency linear-response regime. We compare our TDDFT noise spectra with real-time perturbation theory and find excellent agreement for noise frequencies below the reservoir temperature.

  2. Nitric oxide donors enhance the frequency dependence of dopamine release in nucleus accumbens.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hartung, Henrike; Threlfell, Sarah; Cragg, Stephanie J

    2011-08-01

    Dopamine (DA) neurotransmission in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) is critically involved in normal as well as maladaptive motivated behaviors including drug addiction. Whether the striatal neuromodulator nitric oxide (NO) influences DA release in NAc is unknown. We investigated whether exogenous NO modulates DA transmission in NAc core and how this interaction varies depending on the frequency of presynaptic activation. We detected DA with cyclic voltammetry at carbon-fiber microelectrodes in mouse NAc in slices following stimuli spanning a full range of DA neuron firing frequencies (1-100 Hz). NO donors 3-morpholinosydnonimine hydrochloride (SIN-1) or z-1-[N-(3-ammoniopropyl)-N-(n-propyl)amino]diazen-1-ium-1,2-diolate (PAPA/NONOate) enhanced DA release with increasing stimulus frequency. This NO-mediated enhancement of frequency sensitivity of DA release was not prevented by inhibition of soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC), DA transporters, or large conductance Ca(2+)-activated K(+) channels, and did not require glutamatergic or GABAergic input. However, experiments to identify whether frequency-dependent NO effects were mediated via changes in powerful acetylcholine-DA interactions revealed multiple components to NO modulation of DA release. In the presence of a nicotinic receptor antagonist (dihydro-β-erythroidine), NO donors increased DA release in a frequency-independent manner. These data suggest that NO in the NAc can modulate DA release through multiple GC-independent neuronal mechanisms whose net outcome varies depending on the activity in DA neurons and accumbal cholinergic interneurons. In the presence of accumbal acetylcholine, NO promotes the sensitivity of DA release to presynaptic activation, but with reduced acetylcholine input, NO will promote DA release in an activity-independent manner through a direct action on dopaminergic terminals.

  3. On the role of minority carriers in the frequency dependence of organic magnetoresistance

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Janssen, Paul; Wagemans, W.; Verhoeven, Wouter; van der Heijden, E.H.M.; Kemerink, M.; Koopmans, B.

    2011-01-01

    In this work we investigate the frequency dependence of organic magnetoresistance (OMAR) both in small molecule-based (Alq3) and polymer (PPV derivative) materials, and investigate its thickness dependence. For all devices, we observed a strong decrease in magnetoconductance (MC) with increasing

  4. Dependence of enhanced asymmetry-induced transport on collision frequency

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eggleston, D. L.

    2014-07-01

    A single-particle code with collisional effects is used to study how asymmetry-induced radial transport in a non-neutral plasma depends on collision frequency. For asymmetries of the form ϕ1(r) cos(kz) cos(ωt-lθ), two sources for the transport have been identified: resonant particles and axially trapped particles. The simulation shows that this latter type, which occurs near the radius where ω matches the azimuthal rotation frequency ωR, is usually dominant at low collision frequency ν but becomes negligible at higher ν. This behavior can be understood by noting that axially trapped particles have a lower trapping frequency than resonant particles. In the low ν (banana) regime, the radial oscillations have amplitude Δr ≈ vr/ωT, so axially trapped particles dominate, and the transport may even exceed the resonant particle plateau regime level. As ν increases, collisions start to interrupt the slower axially trapped particle oscillations, while the resonant particles are still in the banana regime, so the axially trapped particle contribution to the transport decreases. At the largest ν values, axially trapped particle transport is negligible and the observed diffusion coefficient matches that given by plateau regime resonant particle theory. Heuristic models based on these considerations give reasonable agreement with the observed scaling laws for the value of the collision frequency where axially trapped particle transport starts to decrease and for the enhancement of the diffusion coefficient produced by axially trapped particles.

  5. Dependence of enhanced asymmetry-induced transport on collision frequency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Eggleston, D. L.

    2014-01-01

    A single-particle code with collisional effects is used to study how asymmetry-induced radial transport in a non-neutral plasma depends on collision frequency. For asymmetries of the form ϕ 1 (r) cos(kz) cos(ωt−lθ), two sources for the transport have been identified: resonant particles and axially trapped particles. The simulation shows that this latter type, which occurs near the radius where ω matches the azimuthal rotation frequency ω R , is usually dominant at low collision frequency ν but becomes negligible at higher ν. This behavior can be understood by noting that axially trapped particles have a lower trapping frequency than resonant particles. In the low ν (banana) regime, the radial oscillations have amplitude Δr ≈ v r /ω T , so axially trapped particles dominate, and the transport may even exceed the resonant particle plateau regime level. As ν increases, collisions start to interrupt the slower axially trapped particle oscillations, while the resonant particles are still in the banana regime, so the axially trapped particle contribution to the transport decreases. At the largest ν values, axially trapped particle transport is negligible and the observed diffusion coefficient matches that given by plateau regime resonant particle theory. Heuristic models based on these considerations give reasonable agreement with the observed scaling laws for the value of the collision frequency where axially trapped particle transport starts to decrease and for the enhancement of the diffusion coefficient produced by axially trapped particles

  6. Tightly-Coupled Integration of Multi-GNSS Single-Frequency RTK and MEMS-IMU for Enhanced Positioning Performance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Tuan; Zhang, Hongping; Niu, Xiaoji; Gao, Zhouzheng

    2017-10-27

    Dual-frequency Global Positioning System (GPS) Real-time Kinematics (RTK) has been proven in the past few years to be a reliable and efficient technique to obtain high accuracy positioning. However, there are still challenges for GPS single-frequency RTK, such as low reliability and ambiguity resolution (AR) success rate, especially in kinematic environments. Recently, multi-Global Navigation Satellite System (multi-GNSS) has been applied to enhance the RTK performance in terms of availability and reliability of AR. In order to further enhance the multi-GNSS single-frequency RTK performance in terms of reliability, continuity and accuracy, a low-cost micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) inertial measurement unit (IMU) is adopted in this contribution. We tightly integrate the single-frequency GPS/BeiDou/GLONASS and MEMS-IMU through the extended Kalman filter (EKF), which directly fuses the ambiguity-fixed double-differenced (DD) carrier phase observables and IMU data. A field vehicular test was carried out to evaluate the impacts of the multi-GNSS and IMU on the AR and positioning performance in different system configurations. Test results indicate that the empirical success rate of single-epoch AR for the tightly-coupled single-frequency multi-GNSS RTK/INS integration is over 99% even at an elevation cut-off angle of 40°, and the corresponding position time series is much more stable in comparison with the GPS solution. Besides, GNSS outage simulations show that continuous positioning with certain accuracy is possible due to the INS bridging capability when GNSS positioning is not available.

  7. The frequency dependence of friction in experiment, theory, and observations of low frequency earthquakes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thomas, A.; Beeler, N. M.; Burgmann, R.; Shelly, D. R.

    2011-12-01

    Low frequency earthquakes (LFEs) are small amplitude, short duration events composing tectonic tremor, probably generated by shear slip on asperities downdip of the seismogenic zone. In Parkfield, Shelly and Hardebeck [2010] have identified 88 LFE families, or hypocentral locations, that contain over half a million LFEs since 2001 on a 160-km-long section of the San Andreas fault between 16 and 30 km depth. A number of studies have demonstrated the extreme sensitivity of low frequency earthquakes (LFEs) near Parkfield to stress changes ranging from contingent upon the amplitude and frequency content of the applied stress. We attempt to test this framework by comparing observations of LFEs triggered in response to stresses spanning several orders of magnitude in both frequency and amplitude (e.g. tides, teleseismic surface waves, static stress changes, etc.) to the predicted response of a single degree of freedom slider block model with rate and state dependent strength. The sensitivity of failure time in the friction model as developed in previous studies does not distinguish between shear and normal stresses; laboratory experiments show a more complicated sensitivity of failure time to normal stress change than in the published model. Because the shear and normal tidal stresses at Parkfield have different amplitudes and are not in phase, we have modified the model to include the expected sensitivity to normal stress. Our prior investigations of the response of both regular and low frequency earthquakes to tidal stresses [Thomas et al., 2009; Shelly and Johnson, 2011] are qualitatively consistent with the predictions of the friction model , as both the timing and degree (probability) of correlation are in agreement.

  8. Frequency position modulation using multi-spectral projections

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goodman, Joel; Bertoncini, Crystal; Moore, Michael; Nousain, Bryan; Cowart, Gregory

    2012-10-01

    In this paper we present an approach to harness multi-spectral projections (MSPs) to carefully shape and locate tones in the spectrum, enabling a new and robust modulation in which a signal's discrete frequency support is used to represent symbols. This method, called Frequency Position Modulation (FPM), is an innovative extension to MT-FSK and OFDM and can be non-uniformly spread over many GHz of instantaneous bandwidth (IBW), resulting in a communications system that is difficult to intercept and jam. The FPM symbols are recovered using adaptive projections that in part employ an analog polynomial nonlinearity paired with an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) sampling at a rate at that is only a fraction of the IBW of the signal. MSPs also facilitate using commercial of-the-shelf (COTS) ADCs with uniform-sampling, standing in sharp contrast to random linear projections by random sampling, which requires a full Nyquist rate sample-and-hold. Our novel communication system concept provides an order of magnitude improvement in processing gain over conventional LPI/LPD communications (e.g., FH- or DS-CDMA) and facilitates the ability to operate in interference laden environments where conventional compressed sensing receivers would fail. We quantitatively analyze the bit error rate (BER) and processing gain (PG) for a maximum likelihood based FPM demodulator and demonstrate its performance in interference laden conditions.

  9. Microscopic theoretical study of frequency dependent dielectric constant of heavy fermion systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shadangi, Keshab Chandra; Rout, G. C.

    2017-05-01

    The dielectric polarization and the dielectric constant plays a vital role in the deciding the properties of the Heavy Fermion Systems. In the present communication we consider the periodic Anderson's Model which consists of conduction electron kinetic energy, localized f-electron kinetic energy and the hybridization between the conduction and localized electrons, besides the Coulomb correlation energy. We calculate dielectric polarization which involves two particle Green's functions which are calculated by using Zubarev's Green's function technique. Using the equations of motion of the fermion electron operators. Finally, the temperature and frequency dependent dielectric constant is calculated from the dielectric polarization function. The charge susceptibility and dielectric constant are computed numerically for different physical parameters like the position (Ef) of the f-electron level with respect to fermi level, the strength of the hybridization (V) between the conduction and localized f-electrons, Coulomb correlation potential temperature and optical phonon wave vector (q). The results will be discussed in a reference to the experimental observations of the dielectric constants.

  10. Effect of frequency on amplitude-dependent internal friction in niobium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ide, Naoki; Atsumi, Tomohiro; Nishino, Yoichi

    2006-01-01

    Amplitude-dependent internal friction (ADIF) was measured in a polycrystalline niobium using four modes of flexural vibration from the fundamental to the third-order resonance at room temperature. The ADIF was detected in each vibration mode. The internal-friction versus strain-amplitude curve of the ADIF shifted to a larger strain-amplitude range as frequency increased. The stress-strain curves were derived from the ADIF data, and the microplastic flow stress defined as the stress required to produce a plastic strain of 1 x 10 -9 was read from the stress-strain curves. It was found that the microplastic flow stress was proportional to the frequency

  11. Effect of frequency on amplitude-dependent internal friction in niobium

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ide, Naoki [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Nagoya Institute of Technology, Gokiso-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8555 (Japan)]. E-mail: ide@nitech.ac.jp; Atsumi, Tomohiro [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Nagoya Institute of Technology, Gokiso-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8555 (Japan); Nishino, Yoichi [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Nagoya Institute of Technology, Gokiso-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8555 (Japan)

    2006-12-20

    Amplitude-dependent internal friction (ADIF) was measured in a polycrystalline niobium using four modes of flexural vibration from the fundamental to the third-order resonance at room temperature. The ADIF was detected in each vibration mode. The internal-friction versus strain-amplitude curve of the ADIF shifted to a larger strain-amplitude range as frequency increased. The stress-strain curves were derived from the ADIF data, and the microplastic flow stress defined as the stress required to produce a plastic strain of 1 x 10{sup -9} was read from the stress-strain curves. It was found that the microplastic flow stress was proportional to the frequency.

  12. Ground Receiving Station Reference Pair Selection Technique for a Minimum Configuration 3D Emitter Position Estimation Multilateration System

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Abdulmalik Shehu Yaro

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Multilateration estimates aircraft position using the Time Difference Of Arrival (TDOA with a lateration algorithm. The Position Estimation (PE accuracy of the lateration algorithm depends on several factors which are the TDOA estimation error, the lateration algorithm approach, the number of deployed GRSs and the selection of the GRS reference used for the PE process. Using the minimum number of GRSs for 3D emitter PE, a technique based on the condition number calculation is proposed to select the suitable GRS reference pair for improving the accuracy of the PE using the lateration algorithm. Validation of the proposed technique was performed with the GRSs in the square and triangular GRS configuration. For the selected emitter positions, the result shows that the proposed technique can be used to select the suitable GRS reference pair for the PE process. A unity condition number is achieved for GRS pair most suitable for the PE process. Monte Carlo simulation result, in comparison with the fixed GRS reference pair lateration algorithm, shows a reduction in PE error of at least 70% for both GRS in the square and triangular configuration.

  13. Condition-dependence, pleiotropy and the handicap principle of sexual selection in melanin-based colouration.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roulin, Alexandre

    2016-05-01

    The signalling function of melanin-based colouration is debated. Sexual selection theory states that ornaments should be costly to produce, maintain, wear or display to signal quality honestly to potential mates or competitors. An increasing number of studies supports the hypothesis that the degree of melanism covaries with aspects of body condition (e.g. body mass or immunity), which has contributed to change the initial perception that melanin-based colour ornaments entail no costs. Indeed, the expression of many (but not all) melanin-based colour traits is weakly sensitive to the environment but strongly heritable suggesting that these colour traits are relatively cheap to produce and maintain, thus raising the question of how such colour traits could signal quality honestly. Here I review the production, maintenance and wearing/displaying costs that can generate a correlation between melanin-based colouration and body condition, and consider other evolutionary mechanisms that can also lead to covariation between colour and body condition. Because genes controlling melanic traits can affect numerous phenotypic traits, pleiotropy could also explain a linkage between body condition and colouration. Pleiotropy may result in differently coloured individuals signalling different aspects of quality that are maintained by frequency-dependent selection or local adaptation. Colouration may therefore not signal absolute quality to potential mates or competitors (e.g. dark males may not achieve a higher fitness than pale males); otherwise genetic variation would be rapidly depleted by directional selection. As a consequence, selection on heritable melanin-based colouration may not always be directional, but mate choice may be conditional to environmental conditions (i.e. context-dependent sexual selection). Despite the interest of evolutionary biologists in the adaptive value of melanin-based colouration, its actual role in sexual selection is still poorly understood.

  14. On Hamiltonians with position-dependent mass from Kaluza–Klein compactifications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ballesteros, Ángel, E-mail: angelb@ubu.es; Gutiérrez-Sagredo, Iván, E-mail: igsagredo@ubu.es; Naranjo, Pedro, E-mail: pnaranjo@ubu.es

    2017-02-19

    In a recent paper (Morris (2015) ), an inhomogeneous compactification of the extra dimension of a five-dimensional Kaluza–Klein metric has been shown to generate a position-dependent mass (PDM) in the corresponding four-dimensional system. As an application of this dimensional reduction mechanism, a specific static dilatonic scalar field has been connected with a PDM Lagrangian describing a well-known nonlinear PDM oscillator. Here we present more instances of this construction that lead to PDM systems with radial symmetry, and the properties of their corresponding inhomogeneous extra dimensions are compared with the ones in the nonlinear oscillator model. Moreover, it is also shown how the compactification introduced in this type of models can alternatively be interpreted as a novel mechanism for the dynamical generation of curvature. - Highlights: • New position-dependent mass systems arising from inhomogeneous Kaluza–Klein compactifications are presented. • Connections with known integrable position-dependent mass systems are established. • A novel mechanism for the dynamical generation of curvature is proposed.

  15. Frequency-dependent changes in amplitude of low-frequency oscillations in depression: A resting-state fMRI study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Li; Kong, Qingmei; Li, Ke; Su, Yunai; Zeng, Yawei; Zhang, Qinge; Dai, Wenji; Xia, Mingrui; Wang, Gang; Jin, Zhen; Yu, Xin; Si, Tianmei

    2016-02-12

    We conducted this fMRI study to examine whether the alterations in amplitudes of low-frequency oscillation (LFO) of major depressive disorder (MDD) patients were frequency dependent. The LFO amplitudes (as indexed by amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation [ALFF] and fractional ALFF [fALFF]) within 4 narrowly-defined frequency bands (slow-5: 0.01-0.027Hz, slow-4: 0.027-0.073Hz, slow-3: 0.073-0.198Hz, and slow-2: 0.198-0.25Hz) were computed using resting-state fMRI data of 35 MDD patients and 32 healthy subjects. Repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed on ALFF and fALFF both within the low frequency bands of slow-4 and slow-5 and within all of the four bands. We observed significant main effects of group and frequency on ALFF and fALFF in widely distributed brain regions. Importantly, significant group and frequency interaction effects were observed in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, inferior frontal gyrus, precentral gyrus, in a left-sided fashion, the bilateral posterior cingulate and precuneus, during ANOVA both within slow-4 and slow-5 bands and within all the frequency bands. The results suggest that the alterations of LFO amplitudes in specific brain regions in MDD patients could be more sensitively detected in the slow-5 rather than the slow-4 bands. The findings may provide guidance for the frequency choice of future resting-state fMRI studies of MDD. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Damping at positive frequencies in the limit J⊥-->0 in the strongly correlated Hubbard model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mohan, Minette M.

    1992-08-01

    I show damping in the two-dimensional strongly correlated Hubbard model within the retraceable-path approximation, using an expansion around dominant poles for the self-energy. The damping half-width ~J2/3z occurs only at positive frequencies ω>5/2Jz, the excitation energy of a pure ``string'' state of length one, where Jz is the Ising part of the superexchange interaction, and occurs even in the absence of spin-flip terms ~J⊥ in contrast to other theoretical treatments. The dispersion relation for both damped and undamped peaks near the upper band edge is found and is shown to have lost the simple J2/3z dependence characteristic of the peaks near the lower band edge. The position of the first three peaks near the upper band edge agrees well with numerical simulations on the t-J model. The weight of the undamped peaks near the upper band edge is ~J4/3z, contrasting with Jz for the weight near the lower band edge.

  17. Frequency and temperature dependent mobility of a charged carrier and randomly interrupted strand

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kumar, N.; Jayannavar, A.M.

    1981-05-01

    Randomly interrupted strand model of a one-dimensional conductor is considered. Exact analytical expression is obtained for the temperature dependent as mobility for a finite segment drawn at random, taking into account the reflecting barriers at the two open ends. The real part of mobility shows a broad resonance as a function of both frequency and tempeature, and vanishes quadratically in the dc limit. The frequency (temperature) maximum shifts to higher values for higher temperatures (frequencies). (author)

  18. Unusual polarity-dependent patterns in a bent-core nematic liquid crystal under low-frequency ac field.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xiang, Ying; Zhou, Meng-jie; Xu, Ming-Ya; Salamon, Péter; Éber, Nándor; Buka, Ágnes

    2015-04-01

    Electric-field-induced patterns of diverse morphology have been observed over a wide frequency range in a recently synthesized bent-core nematic (BCN) liquid crystal. At low frequencies (up to ∼25 Hz), the BCN exhibited unusual polarity-dependent patterns. When the amplitude of the ac field was enhanced, these two time-asymmetrical patterns turned into time-symmetrical prewavylike stripes. At ac frequencies in the middle-frequency range (∼50-3000 Hz), zigzag patterns were detected whose obliqueness varied with the frequency. Finally, if the frequency was increased above 3 kHz, the zigzag pattern was replaced by another, prewavylike pattern, whose threshold voltage depended on the frequency; however, the wave vector did not. For a more complete characterization, material parameters such as elastic constants, dielectric permittivities, and the anisotropy of the diamagnetic susceptibility were also determined.

  19. Selective attention modulates human auditory brainstem responses: relative contributions of frequency and spatial cues.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alexandre Lehmann

    Full Text Available Selective attention is the mechanism that allows focusing one's attention on a particular stimulus while filtering out a range of other stimuli, for instance, on a single conversation in a noisy room. Attending to one sound source rather than another changes activity in the human auditory cortex, but it is unclear whether attention to different acoustic features, such as voice pitch and speaker location, modulates subcortical activity. Studies using a dichotic listening paradigm indicated that auditory brainstem processing may be modulated by the direction of attention. We investigated whether endogenous selective attention to one of two speech signals affects amplitude and phase locking in auditory brainstem responses when the signals were either discriminable by frequency content alone, or by frequency content and spatial location. Frequency-following responses to the speech sounds were significantly modulated in both conditions. The modulation was specific to the task-relevant frequency band. The effect was stronger when both frequency and spatial information were available. Patterns of response were variable between participants, and were correlated with psychophysical discriminability of the stimuli, suggesting that the modulation was biologically relevant. Our results demonstrate that auditory brainstem responses are susceptible to efferent modulation related to behavioral goals. Furthermore they suggest that mechanisms of selective attention actively shape activity at early subcortical processing stages according to task relevance and based on frequency and spatial cues.

  20. Frequency-Dependent Altered Functional Connections of Default Mode Network in Alzheimer’s Disease

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Youjun Li

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Alzheimer’s disease (AD is a neurodegenerative disorder associated with the progressive dysfunction of cognitive ability. Previous research has indicated that the default mode network (DMN is closely related to cognition and is impaired in Alzheimer’s disease. Because recent studies have shown that different frequency bands represent specific physiological functions, DMN functional connectivity studies of the different frequency bands based on resting state fMRI (RS-fMRI data may provide new insight into AD pathophysiology. In this study, we explored the functional connectivity based on well-defined DMN regions of interest (ROIs from the five frequency bands: slow-5 (0.01–0.027 Hz, slow-4 (0.027–0.073 Hz, slow-3 (0.073–0.198 Hz, slow-2 (0.198–0.25 Hzs and standard low-frequency oscillations (LFO (0.01–0.08 Hz. We found that the altered functional connectivity patterns are mainly in the frequency band of slow-5 and slow-4 and that the decreased connections are long distance, but some relatively short connections are increased. In addition, the altered functional connections of the DMN in AD are frequency dependent and differ between the slow-5 and slow-4 bands. Mini-Mental State Examination scores were significantly correlated with the altered functional connectivity patterns in the slow-5 and slow-4 bands. These results indicate that frequency-dependent functional connectivity changes might provide potential biomarkers for AD pathophysiology.

  1. Frequency-dependent selection on female morphs driven by premating interactions with males

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bots, Jessica; Iserbyt, Arne; Van Gossum, Hans; Hammers, Martijn; Sherratt, Thomas N.

    Species showing color polymorphisms-the presence of two or more genetically determined color morphs within a single population-are excellent systems for studying the selective forces driving the maintenance of genetic diversity. Despite a shortage of empirical evidence, it is often suggested that

  2. Study on Frequency Dependency of ON-Resistance and Pulse-Loss Calculation of MOSFETs for Switch Mode Power Supply

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yamamura, Hideho; Sato, Ryohei; Iwata, Yoshiharu

    Global efforts toward energy conservation, increasing data centers, and the increasing use of IT equipments are leading to a demand in reduced power consumption of equipments, and power efficiency improvement of power supply units is becoming a necessity. MOSFETs are widely used for their low ON-resistances. Power efficiency is designed using time-domain circuit simulators, except for transformer copper-loss, which has frequency dependency which is calculated separately using methods based on skin and proximity effects. As semiconductor technology reduces the ON-resistance of MOSFETs, frequency dependency due to the skin effect or proximity effect is anticipated. In this study, ON-resistance of MOSFETs are measured and frequency dependency is confirmed. Power loss against rectangular current pulse is calculated. The calculation method for transformer copper-loss is expanded to MOSFETs. A frequency function for the resistance model is newly developed and parametric calculation is enabled. Acceleration of calculation is enabled by eliminating summation terms. Using this method, it is shown that the frequency dependent component of the measured MOSFETs increases the dissipation from 11% to 32% at a switching frequency of 100kHz. From above, this paper points out the importance of the frequency dependency of MOSFETs' ON-resistance, provides means of calculating its pulse losses, and improves loss calculation accuracy of SMPSs.

  3. Whole-gene positive selection, elevated synonymous substitution rates, duplication, and indel evolution of the chloroplast clpP1 gene.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Per Erixon

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Synonymous DNA substitution rates in the plant chloroplast genome are generally relatively slow and lineage dependent. Non-synonymous rates are usually even slower due to purifying selection acting on the genes. Positive selection is expected to speed up non-synonymous substitution rates, whereas synonymous rates are expected to be unaffected. Until recently, positive selection has seldom been observed in chloroplast genes, and large-scale structural rearrangements leading to gene duplications are hitherto supposed to be rare. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPLE FINDINGS: We found high substitution rates in the exons of the plastid clpP1 gene in Oenothera (the Evening Primrose family and three separate lineages in the tribe Sileneae (Caryophyllaceae, the Carnation family. Introns have been lost in some of the lineages, but where present, the intron sequences have substitution rates similar to those found in other introns of their genomes. The elevated substitution rates of clpP1 are associated with statistically significant whole-gene positive selection in three branches of the phylogeny. In two of the lineages we found multiple copies of the gene. Neighboring genes present in the duplicated fragments do not show signs of elevated substitution rates or positive selection. Although non-synonymous substitutions account for most of the increase in substitution rates, synonymous rates are also markedly elevated in some lineages. Whereas plant clpP1 genes experiencing negative (purifying selection are characterized by having very conserved lengths, genes under positive selection often have large insertions of more or less repetitive amino acid sequence motifs. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: We found positive selection of the clpP1 gene in various plant lineages to correlated with repeated duplication of the clpP1 gene and surrounding regions, repetitive amino acid sequences, and increase in synonymous substitution rates. The present study sheds light on the

  4. Predicting the impact of selection for scrapie resistance on PRNP genotype frequencies in goats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sacchi, Paola; Rasero, Roberto; Ru, Giuseppe; Aiassa, Eleonora; Colussi, Silvia; Ingravalle, Francesco; Peletto, Simone; Perrotta, Maria Gabriella; Sartore, Stefano; Soglia, Dominga; Acutis, Pierluigi

    2018-03-06

    The European Union has implemented breeding programmes to increase scrapie resistance in sheep. A similar approach can be applied also in goats since the K222 allele provides a level of resistance equivalent to that of ARR in sheep. The European Food Safety Authority stated that breeding for resistance could be offered as an option for Member States to control classical scrapie in goats. We assessed the impact of different breeding strategies on PRNP genotype frequencies using a mathematical model that describes in detail the evolution of K222 in two goat breeds, Chamois Coloured and Saanen. Different patterns of age structure and replacement rate were modelled as factors affecting response to selection. Breeding for scrapie resistance can be implemented in goats, even though the initial K222 frequencies in these breeds are not particularly favourable and the rate at which the resistant animals increase, both breeding and slaughtered for meat production, is slow. If the goal is not to achieve the fixation of resistance allele, it is advisable to carry out selection only until a desired frequency of K222-carriers has been attained. Nucleus selection vs. selection on the overall populations is less expensive but takes longer to reach the desired output. The programme performed on the two goat breeds serves as a model of the response the selection could have in other breeds that show different initial frequencies and population structure. In this respect, the model has a general applicability.

  5. Stimulus-dependent modulation of spontaneous low-frequency oscillations in the rat visual cortex.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Liangming; Liu, Yadong; Gui, Jianjun; Li, Ming; Hu, Dewen

    2014-08-06

    Research on spontaneous low-frequency oscillations is important to reveal underlying regulatory mechanisms in the brain. The mechanism for the stimulus modulation of low-frequency oscillations is not known. Here, we used the intrinsic optical imaging technique to examine stimulus-modulated low-frequency oscillation signals in the rat visual cortex. The stimulation was presented monocularly as a flashing light with different frequencies and intensities. The phases of low-frequency oscillations in different regions tended to be synchronized and the rhythms typically accelerated within a 30-s period after stimulation. These phenomena were confined to visual stimuli with specific flashing frequencies (12.5-17.5 Hz) and intensities (5-10 mA). The acceleration and synchronization induced by the flashing frequency were more marked than those induced by the intensity. These results show that spontaneous low-frequency oscillations can be modulated by parameter-dependent flashing lights and indicate the potential utility of the visual stimulus paradigm in exploring the origin and function of low-frequency oscillations.

  6. Research surface resistance of copper normal and abnormal skin-effects depending on the frequency of electromagnetic field

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kutovyi, V.A.; Komir, A.I.

    2013-01-01

    The results of the frequency dependence of surface resistance of copper in diffuse and specular reflection of electrons from the conductive surface of the high-frequency resonance of the system depending on the frequency of the electromagnetic field in the normal and anomalous skin effect. Found, the surface resistance of copper is reduced by more than 10 times at the temperature of liquid helium, as compared with a surface resistivity at room temperature, at frequencies f ≤ 173 MHz, for diffuse reflection of conduction electrons from the surface of the conductive layer, and the specular reflection - at frequencies f ≤ 346 MHz

  7. Two-Agent Scheduling to Minimize the Maximum Cost with Position-Dependent Jobs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Long Wan

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper investigates a single-machine two-agent scheduling problem to minimize the maximum costs with position-dependent jobs. There are two agents, each with a set of independent jobs, competing to perform their jobs on a common machine. In our scheduling setting, the actual position-dependent processing time of one job is characterized by variable function dependent on the position of the job in the sequence. Each agent wants to fulfil the objective of minimizing the maximum cost of its own jobs. We develop a feasible method to achieve all the Pareto optimal points in polynomial time.

  8. Classical and quantum position-dependent mass harmonic oscillators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cruz y Cruz, S.; Negro, J.; Nieto, L.M.

    2007-01-01

    The position-dependent mass oscillator is studied from both, classical and quantum mechanical points of view, in order to discuss the ambiguity on the operator ordering of the kinetic term in the quantum framework. The results are illustrated by some examples of specific mass functions

  9. Auto-correlation of velocity-fluctuations and frequency-dependent diffusion constant for hot electrons

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Roy, M.D.; Nag, B.R.

    1981-01-01

    A method has been developed for determining the auto-correlation functions of the fluctuations in the transverse and the parallel components of hot carrier-velocity in a semiconductor by Monte Carlo simulation. The functions for electrons in InSb are determined by this method for applied electric fields of 50 V/cm, 75 V/cm, and 100 V/cm. With increasing value of the time interval the transverse auto-correlation function fall nearly exponentially to zero, but the parallel function falls sharply to a negative peak, then rises to positive values and finally becomes zero. The interval beyond which the auto-correlation function is zero and the correlation time are also evaluated. The correlation time is found to be approximately 1.6 times the relaxation time calculated from the chord mobility. The effect of the flight sampling time on the value of variance of the displacement, is investigated in terms of the low frequency diffusion constants, determined from the variation of the correlation functions. It is found that the diffusion constants become independent of the sampling time if it is of the order of one hundred times the relaxation time. The frequency-dependent diffusion constants are calculated from the correlation functions. The transverse diffusion constant falls monotonically with frequency for all the field strengths studied. The parallel diffusion constant has similar variation for the lower fields (50 V/cm and 75 V/cm) but it has a peak at about 44 GHz for the field of 100 V/cm. (orig.)

  10. Instantaneous Real-Time Kinematic Decimeter-Level Positioning with BeiDou Triple-Frequency Signals over Medium Baselines.

    Science.gov (United States)

    He, Xiyang; Zhang, Xiaohong; Tang, Long; Liu, Wanke

    2015-12-22

    Many applications, such as marine navigation, land vehicles location, etc., require real time precise positioning under medium or long baseline conditions. In this contribution, we develop a model of real-time kinematic decimeter-level positioning with BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) triple-frequency signals over medium distances. The ambiguities of two extra-wide-lane (EWL) combinations are fixed first, and then a wide lane (WL) combination is reformed based on the two EWL combinations for positioning. Theoretical analysis and empirical analysis is given of the ambiguity fixing rate and the positioning accuracy of the presented method. The results indicate that the ambiguity fixing rate can be up to more than 98% when using BDS medium baseline observations, which is much higher than that of dual-frequency Hatch-Melbourne-Wübbena (HMW) method. As for positioning accuracy, decimeter level accuracy can be achieved with this method, which is comparable to that of carrier-smoothed code differential positioning method. Signal interruption simulation experiment indicates that the proposed method can realize fast high-precision positioning whereas the carrier-smoothed code differential positioning method needs several hundreds of seconds for obtaining high precision results. We can conclude that a relatively high accuracy and high fixing rate can be achieved for triple-frequency WL method with single-epoch observations, displaying significant advantage comparing to traditional carrier-smoothed code differential positioning method.

  11. Instantaneous Real-Time Kinematic Decimeter-Level Positioning with BeiDou Triple-Frequency Signals over Medium Baselines

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xiyang He

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Many applications, such as marine navigation, land vehicles location, etc., require real time precise positioning under medium or long baseline conditions. In this contribution, we develop a model of real-time kinematic decimeter-level positioning with BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS triple-frequency signals over medium distances. The ambiguities of two extra-wide-lane (EWL combinations are fixed first, and then a wide lane (WL combination is reformed based on the two EWL combinations for positioning. Theoretical analysis and empirical analysis is given of the ambiguity fixing rate and the positioning accuracy of the presented method. The results indicate that the ambiguity fixing rate can be up to more than 98% when using BDS medium baseline observations, which is much higher than that of dual-frequency Hatch-Melbourne-Wübbena (HMW method. As for positioning accuracy, decimeter level accuracy can be achieved with this method, which is comparable to that of carrier-smoothed code differential positioning method. Signal interruption simulation experiment indicates that the proposed method can realize fast high-precision positioning whereas the carrier-smoothed code differential positioning method needs several hundreds of seconds for obtaining high precision results. We can conclude that a relatively high accuracy and high fixing rate can be achieved for triple-frequency WL method with single-epoch observations, displaying significant advantage comparing to traditional carrier-smoothed code differential positioning method.

  12. Influence of Gaussian white noise on the frequency-dependent linear polarizability of doped quantum dot

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ganguly, Jayanta; Ghosh, Manas

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • Linear polarizability of quantum dot has been studied. • Quantum dot is doped with a repulsive impurity. • The polarizabilities are frequency-dependent. • Influence of Gaussian white noise has been monitored. • Noise exploited is of additive and multiplicative nature. - Abstract: We investigate the profiles of diagonal components of frequency-dependent linear (α xx and α yy ) optical response of repulsive impurity doped quantum dots. The dopant impurity potential chosen assumes Gaussian form. The study principally puts emphasis on investigating the role of noise on the polarizability components. In view of this we have exploited Gaussian white noise containing additive and multiplicative characteristics (in Stratonovich sense). The frequency-dependent polarizabilities are studied by exposing the doped dot to a periodically oscillating external electric field of given intensity. The oscillation frequency, confinement potentials, dopant location, and above all, the noise characteristics tune the linear polarizability components in a subtle manner. Whereas the additive noise fails to have any impact on the polarizabilities, the multiplicative noise influences them delicately and gives rise to additional interesting features

  13. Effects of bleomycin and x irradiation on the frequency of chromosomal aberrations in selected connective tissue diseases

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Burkhardt, W.C. Jr.

    1978-01-01

    Whole blood lymphocytes from 28 patients with selected connective tissue disorders (6 progressive systemic sclerosis (PSS), 6 anti-nuclear antibody positive rheumatoid arthritis, 6 anti-nuclear antibody negative rheumatoid arthritis, 6 systemic lupus erythematosus, and 4 mixed connective tissue disease) and 17 controls matched for sex, age, and race were studied to determine the frequency of spontaneous as well as bleomycin and/or x-irradiation induced chromosomal aberrations. The effects of bleomycin on cultured lymphocytes were tested, but differential susceptibilities to this clastogen were not demonstrated among the disease groups and controls investigated. However, the combined effect of bleomycin and x irradiation were found to be additive in control lymphocytes, nearly additive in PSS, RA+, and SLE cultures, but reduced considerably from the expected additive value in Ra- cultures. This study indicated that peripheral blood lymphocytes from patients with connective tissue disease, as a whole, possess greater frequencies of spontaneous chromosomal aberrations than matched controls and that x rays can produce greater frequencies of chromosomal aberrations in whole blood lymphocytes of PSS patients than in suitably matched control individuals

  14. Top down and bottom up selection drives variations in frequency and form of a visual signal.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yeh, Chien-Wei; Blamires, Sean J; Liao, Chen-Pan; Tso, I-Min

    2015-03-30

    The frequency and form of visual signals can be shaped by selection from predators, prey or both. When a signal simultaneously attracts predators and prey selection may favour a strategy that minimizes risks while attracting prey. Accordingly, varying the frequency and form of the silken decorations added to their web may be a way that Argiope spiders minimize predation while attracting prey. Nonetheless, the role of extraneous factors renders the influences of top down and bottom up selection on decoration frequency and form variation difficult to discern. Here we used dummy spiders and decorations to simulate four possible strategies that the spider Argiope aemula may choose and measured the prey and predator attraction consequences for each in the field. The strategy of decorating at a high frequency with a variable form attracted the most prey, while that of decorating at a high frequency with a fixed form attracted the most predators. These results suggest that mitigating the cost of attracting predators while maintaining prey attraction drives the use of variation in decoration form by many Argiope spp. when decorating frequently. Our study highlights the importance of considering top-down and bottom up selection pressure when devising evolutionary ecology experiments.

  15. Effects of aromaticity in cations and their functional groups on the temperature dependence of low-frequency spectrum

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kakinuma, Shohei; Ramati, Sharon; Wishart, James F.; Shirota, Hideaki

    2018-05-01

    In this study, we investigate the temperature dependence of low-frequency spectra in the frequency range of 0.3-200 cm-1 for ionic liquids (ILs) whose cations possess two systematically different cyclic groups, using femtosecond Raman-induced Kerr effect spectroscopy. The target ILs are bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)amide [NTf2]- salts of 1-cyclohexylmethyl-1-methylpyrrolidinium [CHxmMPyrr]+, 1-cyclohexylmethyl-3-methylimidazolium [CHxmMIm]+, N-cyclohexylmethylpyridinium [CHxmPy]+, 1-benzyl-1-methylpyrrolidinium [BzMPyrr]+, 1-benzyl-3-methylimidazolium [BzMIm]+, and N-benzylpyridinium [BzPy]+ cations. The aim of this study is to better understand the effects of aromaticity in the cations' constituent groups on the temperature-dependent low-frequency spectral features of the ILs. The low-frequency spectra of these ILs are temperature dependent, but the temperature-dependent spectrum of [CHxmMPyrr][NTf2] is different from that of other ILs. While [CHxmMPyrr][NTf2] shows spectral changes with temperature in the low-frequency region below 50 cm-1, the other ILs also show spectral changes in the high-frequency region above 80 cm-1 (above 50 cm-1 in the case of [BzMPyrr][NTf2]). We conclude that the spectral change in the low-frequency region is due to both the cation and anion, while the change in the high-frequency region is attributed to the red shift of the aromatic ring librations. On the basis of the plots of the first moment of the spectra vs. temperature, we found that the first moment of the low-frequency spectrum of the IL whose cation does not have an aromatic ring is less temperature dependent than that of the other ILs. However, the intrinsic first moment, the first moment at 0 K, of the low-frequency spectrum is governed by the absence or presence of a charged aromatic group, while a neutral aromatic group does not have much influence on determining the intrinsic first moment.

  16. Input-dependent frequency modulation of cortical gamma oscillations shapes spatial synchronization and enables phase coding.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lowet, Eric; Roberts, Mark; Hadjipapas, Avgis; Peter, Alina; van der Eerden, Jan; De Weerd, Peter

    2015-02-01

    Fine-scale temporal organization of cortical activity in the gamma range (∼25-80Hz) may play a significant role in information processing, for example by neural grouping ('binding') and phase coding. Recent experimental studies have shown that the precise frequency of gamma oscillations varies with input drive (e.g. visual contrast) and that it can differ among nearby cortical locations. This has challenged theories assuming widespread gamma synchronization at a fixed common frequency. In the present study, we investigated which principles govern gamma synchronization in the presence of input-dependent frequency modulations and whether they are detrimental for meaningful input-dependent gamma-mediated temporal organization. To this aim, we constructed a biophysically realistic excitatory-inhibitory network able to express different oscillation frequencies at nearby spatial locations. Similarly to cortical networks, the model was topographically organized with spatially local connectivity and spatially-varying input drive. We analyzed gamma synchronization with respect to phase-locking, phase-relations and frequency differences, and quantified the stimulus-related information represented by gamma phase and frequency. By stepwise simplification of our models, we found that the gamma-mediated temporal organization could be reduced to basic synchronization principles of weakly coupled oscillators, where input drive determines the intrinsic (natural) frequency of oscillators. The gamma phase-locking, the precise phase relation and the emergent (measurable) frequencies were determined by two principal factors: the detuning (intrinsic frequency difference, i.e. local input difference) and the coupling strength. In addition to frequency coding, gamma phase contained complementary stimulus information. Crucially, the phase code reflected input differences, but not the absolute input level. This property of relative input-to-phase conversion, contrasting with latency codes

  17. Analysis of Broad-band Frequency Selective Shielding Glass by FDTD method

    OpenAIRE

    笠嶋, 善憲; Kasashima, Yoshinori

    2010-01-01

    A frequency Selective shielding (FSS) glass is a print of many same size antennas on a sheet of glass, and it has high shielding properties for one specific frequency. In the past, the author analyzed theoretically the characteristics of the FSS, as a large scale array antenna. The FSS has narrow-band shielding characteristics. This time, the author analyzed accurately the characteristics of a FSS glass being a print of many same size dipole antennas on a sheet of glass by FDTD method. As the...

  18. A new method of hybrid frequency hopping signals selection and blind parameter estimation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zeng, Xiaoyu; Jiao, Wencheng; Sun, Huixian

    2018-04-01

    Frequency hopping communication is widely used in military communications at home and abroad. In the case of single-channel reception, it is scarce to process multiple frequency hopping signals both effectively and simultaneously. A method of hybrid FH signals selection and blind parameter estimation is proposed. The method makes use of spectral transformation, spectral entropy calculation and PRI transformation basic theory to realize the sorting and parameter estimation of the components in the hybrid frequency hopping signal. The simulation results show that this method can correctly classify the frequency hopping component signal, and the estimated error of the frequency hopping period is about 5% and the estimated error of the frequency hopping frequency is less than 1% when the SNR is 10dB. However, the performance of this method deteriorates seriously at low SNR.

  19. Real-time correction of tsunami site effect by frequency-dependent tsunami-amplification factor

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tsushima, H.

    2017-12-01

    For tsunami early warning, I developed frequency-dependent tsunami-amplification factor and used it to design a recursive digital filter that can be applicable for real-time correction of tsunami site response. In this study, I assumed that a tsunami waveform at an observing point could be modeled by convolution of source, path and site effects in time domain. Under this assumption, spectral ratio between offshore and the nearby coast can be regarded as site response (i.e. frequency-dependent amplification factor). If the amplification factor can be prepared before tsunamigenic earthquakes, its temporal convolution to offshore tsunami waveform provides tsunami prediction at coast in real time. In this study, tsunami waveforms calculated by tsunami numerical simulations were used to develop frequency-dependent tsunami-amplification factor. Firstly, I performed numerical tsunami simulations based on nonlinear shallow-water theory from many tsuanmigenic earthquake scenarios by varying the seismic magnitudes and locations. The resultant tsunami waveforms at offshore and the nearby coastal observing points were then used in spectral-ratio analysis. An average of the resulted spectral ratios from the tsunamigenic-earthquake scenarios is regarded as frequency-dependent amplification factor. Finally, the estimated amplification factor is used in design of a recursive digital filter that can be applicable in time domain. The above procedure is applied to Miyako bay at the Pacific coast of northeastern Japan. The averaged tsunami-height spectral ratio (i.e. amplification factor) between the location at the center of the bay and the outside show a peak at wave-period of 20 min. A recursive digital filter based on the estimated amplification factor shows good performance in real-time correction of tsunami-height amplification due to the site effect. This study is supported by Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) KAKENHI grant 15K16309.

  20. Recent adaptive events in human brain revealed by meta-analysis of positively selected genes.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yue Huang

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Analysis of positively-selected genes can help us understand how human evolved, especially the evolution of highly developed cognitive functions. However, previous works have reached conflicting conclusions regarding whether human neuronal genes are over-represented among genes under positive selection. METHODS AND RESULTS: We divided positively-selected genes into four groups according to the identification approaches, compiling a comprehensive list from 27 previous studies. We showed that genes that are highly expressed in the central nervous system are enriched in recent positive selection events in human history identified by intra-species genomic scan, especially in brain regions related to cognitive functions. This pattern holds when different datasets, parameters and analysis pipelines were used. Functional category enrichment analysis supported these findings, showing that synapse-related functions are enriched in genes under recent positive selection. In contrast, immune-related functions, for instance, are enriched in genes under ancient positive selection revealed by inter-species coding region comparison. We further demonstrated that most of these patterns still hold even after controlling for genomic characteristics that might bias genome-wide identification of positively-selected genes including gene length, gene density, GC composition, and intensity of negative selection. CONCLUSION: Our rigorous analysis resolved previous conflicting conclusions and revealed recent adaptation of human brain functions.

  1. GABAergic activities control spike timing- and frequency-dependent long-term depression at hippocampal excitatory synapses

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Makoto Nishiyama

    2010-06-01

    Full Text Available GABAergic interneuronal network activities in the hippocampus control a variety of neural functions, including learning and memory, by regulating θ and γ oscillations. How these GABAergic activities at pre- and post-synaptic sites of hippocampal CA1 pyramidal cells differentially contribute to synaptic function and plasticity during their repetitive pre- and post-synaptic spiking at θ and γ oscillations is largely unknown. We show here that activities mediated by postsynaptic GABAARs and presynaptic GABABRs determine, respectively, the spike timing- and frequency-dependence of activity-induced synaptic modifications at Schaffer collateral-CA1 excitatory synapses. We demonstrate that both feedforward and feedback GABAAR-mediated inhibition in the postsynaptic cell controls the spike timing-dependent long-term depression of excitatory inputs (“e-LTD” at the θ frequency. We also show that feedback postsynaptic inhibition specifically causes e-LTD of inputs that induce small postsynaptic currents (<70 pA with LTP timing, thus enforcing the requirement of cooperativity for induction of long-term potentiation at excitatory inputs (“e-LTP”. Furthermore, under spike-timing protocols that induce e-LTP and e-LTD at excitatory synapses, we observed parallel induction of LTP and LTD at inhibitory inputs (“i-LTP” and “i-LTD” to the same postsynaptic cells. Finally, we show that presynaptic GABABR-mediated inhibition plays a major role in the induction of frequency-dependent e-LTD at α and β frequencies. These observations demonstrate the critical influence of GABAergic interneuronal network activities in regulating the spike timing and frequency dependences of long-term synaptic modifications in the hippocampus.

  2. Spatial frequency-dependent feedback of visual cortical area 21a modulating functional orientation column maps in areas 17 and 18 of the cat.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Luoxiu; Chen, Xin; Shou, Tiande

    2004-02-20

    The feedback effect of activity of area 21a on orientation maps of areas 17 and 18 was investigated in cats using intrinsic signal optical imaging. A spatial frequency-dependent decrease in response amplitude of orientation maps to grating stimuli was observed in areas 17 and 18 when area 21a was inactivated by local injection of GABA, or by a lesion induced by liquid nitrogen freezing. The decrease in response amplitude of orientation maps of areas 17 and 18 after the area 21a inactivation paralleled the normal response without the inactivation. Application in area 21a of bicuculline, a GABAa receptor antagonist caused an increase in response amplitude of orientation maps of area 17. The results indicate a positive feedback from high-order visual cortical area 21a to lower-order areas underlying a spatial frequency-dependent mechanism.

  3. Positive muon diffusion in iron and nickel pressure dependence

    CERN Document Server

    Butz, T; Dufresne, J F; Hartmann, O; Karlsson, E; Lindgren, B; Longobardi, R; Norlin, L O; Pezzetti, J P; Yaouanc, A

    1980-01-01

    The hyperfine field B/sub hf/ at positive muon ( mu /sup +/) in iron and nickel was previously found. Exhibits marked deviations from the bulk magnetization as a function of temperature. For substitutional impurities in Fe and Ni matrices the volume dependence of B/sub hf/ has been considered as a possible reason for such deviations. Therefore the authors have measured at CERN the local magnetic field at mu /sup +/, B/sub mu /, in high purity polycrystalline Fe and Ni samples at room temperature and at pressures up to 7 kbar by the positive muon spin rotation ( mu /sup +/ SR) technique. To their knowledge, this is the first mu /sup +/SR experiment performed under hydrostatic pressure. The authors observe a linear pressure dependence for both samples but slopes are of opposite signs. (12 refs).

  4. Switches of stimulus tagging frequencies interact with the conflict-driven control of selective attention, but not with inhibitory control.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Scherbaum, Stefan; Frisch, Simon; Dshemuchadse, Maja

    2016-01-01

    Selective attention and its adaptation by cognitive control processes are considered a core aspect of goal-directed action. Often, selective attention is studied behaviorally with conflict tasks, but an emerging neuroscientific method for the study of selective attention is EEG frequency tagging. It applies different flicker frequencies to the stimuli of interest eliciting steady state visual evoked potentials (SSVEPs) in the EEG. These oscillating SSVEPs in the EEG allow tracing the allocation of selective attention to each tagged stimulus continuously over time. The present behavioral investigation points to an important caveat of using tagging frequencies: The flicker of stimuli not only produces a useful neuroscientific marker of selective attention, but interacts with the adaptation of selective attention itself. Our results indicate that RT patterns of adaptation after response conflict (so-called conflict adaptation) are reversed when flicker frequencies switch at once. However, this effect of frequency switches is specific to the adaptation by conflict-driven control processes, since we find no effects of frequency switches on inhibitory control processes after no-go trials. We discuss the theoretical implications of this finding and propose precautions that should be taken into account when studying conflict adaptation using frequency tagging in order to control for the described confounds. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. Selective ablation of dental calculus with a frequency-doubled Alexandrite laser

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rechmann, Peter; Hennig, Thomas

    1996-01-01

    The aim of the study was the selective removal of dental calculus by means of pulsed lasers. In a first approach the optical characteristics of subgingival calculus were calculated using fluorescence emission spectroscopy (excitation laser: N2-laser, wavelength 337 nm, pulse duration 4 ns). Subgingival calculus seems to absorb highly in the ultraviolet spectral region up to 420 nm. According to these measurements a frequency doubled Alexandrite-laser (wavelength 377 nm, pulse duration 100 ns, repetition rate 110 Hz) was used to irradiate calculus located on enamel, at the cementum enamel junction and on the root surface (located on dentin or on cementum). Irradiation was performed perpendicular to the root surface with a laser fluence of 1 Jcm-2. During the irradiation procedure an effective water cooling-system was engaged. Histological investigations were done on undecalcified sections. As a result, engaging low fluences allows a fast and strictly selective removal of subgingival calculus. Even more the investigations revealed that supragingival calculus can be removed in a strictly selective manner engaging a frequency doubled Alexandrite-laser. No adverse side effects to the surrounding tissues could be found.

  6. Positive Selection on Hemagglutinin and Neuraminidase Genes of H1N1 Influenza Viruses

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Li, Wenfu

    2011-04-21

    Abstract Background Since its emergence in March 2009, the pandemic 2009 H1N1 influenza A virus has posed a serious threat to public health. To trace the evolutionary path of these new pathogens, we performed a selection-pressure analysis of a large number of hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA) gene sequences of H1N1 influenza viruses from different hosts. Results Phylogenetic analysis revealed that both HA and NA genes have evolved into five distinct clusters, with further analyses indicating that the pandemic 2009 strains have experienced the strongest positive selection. We also found evidence of strong selection acting on the seasonal human H1N1 isolates. However, swine viruses from North America and Eurasia were under weak positive selection, while there was no significant evidence of positive selection acting on the avian isolates. A site-by-site analysis revealed that the positively selected sites were located in both of the cleaved products of HA (HA1 and HA2), as well as NA. In addition, the pandemic 2009 strains were subject to differential selection pressures compared to seasonal human, North American swine and Eurasian swine H1N1 viruses. Conclusions Most of these positively and\\/or differentially selected sites were situated in the B-cell and\\/or T-cell antigenic regions, suggesting that selection at these sites might be responsible for the antigenic variation of the viruses. Moreover, some sites were also associated with glycosylation and receptor-binding ability. Thus, selection at these positions might have helped the pandemic 2009 H1N1 viruses to adapt to the new hosts after they were introduced from pigs to humans. Positive selection on position 274 of NA protein, associated with drug resistance, might account for the prevalence of drug-resistant variants of seasonal human H1N1 influenza viruses, but there was no evidence that positive selection was responsible for the spread of the drug resistance of the pandemic H1N1 strains.

  7. Positive Selection Linked with Generation of Novel Mammalian Dentition Patterns.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Machado, João Paulo; Philip, Siby; Maldonado, Emanuel; O'Brien, Stephen J; Johnson, Warren E; Antunes, Agostinho

    2016-09-11

    A diverse group of genes are involved in the tooth development of mammals. Several studies, focused mainly on mice and rats, have provided a detailed depiction of the processes coordinating tooth formation and shape. Here we surveyed 236 tooth-associated genes in 39 mammalian genomes and tested for signatures of selection to assess patterns of molecular adaptation in genes regulating mammalian dentition. Of the 236 genes, 31 (∼13.1%) showed strong signatures of positive selection that may be responsible for the phenotypic diversity observed in mammalian dentition. Mammalian-specific tooth-associated genes had accelerated mutation rates compared with older genes found across all vertebrates. More recently evolved genes had fewer interactions (either genetic or physical), were associated with fewer Gene Ontology terms and had faster evolutionary rates compared with older genes. The introns of these positively selected genes also exhibited accelerated evolutionary rates, which may reflect additional adaptive pressure in the intronic regions that are associated with regulatory processes that influence tooth-gene networks. The positively selected genes were mainly involved in processes like mineralization and structural organization of tooth specific tissues such as enamel and dentin. Of the 236 analyzed genes, 12 mammalian-specific genes (younger genes) provided insights on diversification of mammalian teeth as they have higher evolutionary rates and exhibit different expression profiles compared with older genes. Our results suggest that the evolution and development of mammalian dentition occurred in part through positive selection acting on genes that previously had other functions. © The Author(s) 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution.

  8. Design of Nonuniform Filter Bank Transceivers for Frequency Selective Channels

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yuan-Pei Lin

    2007-01-01

    Full Text Available In recent years, there has been considerable interest in the theory and design of filter bank transceivers due to their superior frequency response. In many applications, it is desired to have transceivers that can support multiple services with different incoming data rates and different quality-of-service requirements. To meet these requirements, we can either do resource allocation or design transceivers with a nonuniform bandwidth partition. In this paper, we propose a method for the design of nonuniform filter bank transceivers for frequency selective channels. Both frequency response and signal-to-interference ratio (SIR can be incorporated in the transceiver design. Moreover, the technique can be extended to the case of nonuniform filter bank transceivers with rational sampling factors. Simulation results show that nonuniform filter bank transceivers with good filter responses as well as high SIR can be obtained by the proposed design method.

  9. Numerical Study of Frequency-dependent Seismoelectric Coupling in Partially-saturated Porous Media

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Djuraev Ulugbek

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available The seismoelectric phenomenon associated with propagation of seismic waves in fluid-saturated porous media has been studied for many decades. The method has a great potential to monitor subsurface fluid saturation changes associated with production of hydrocarbons. Frequency of the seismic source has a significant impact on measurement of the seismoelectric effects. In this paper, the effects of seismic wave frequency and water saturation on the seismoelectric response of a partially-saturated porous media is studied numerically. The conversion of seismic wave to electromagnetic wave was modelled by extending the theoretically developed seismoelectric coupling coefficient equation. We assumed constant values of pore radius and zeta-potential of 80 micrometers and 48 microvolts, respectively. Our calculations of the coupling coefficient were conducted at various water saturation values in the frequency range of 10 kHz to 150 kHz. The results show that the seismoelectric coupling is frequency-dependent and decreases exponentially when frequency increases. Similar trend is seen when water saturation is varied at different frequencies. However, when water saturation is less than about 0.6, the effect of frequency is significant. On the other hand, when the water saturation is greater than 0.6, the coupling coefficient shows monotonous trend when water saturation is increased at constant frequency.

  10. Position paper - peer review and design verification of selected activities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stine, M.D.

    1994-09-01

    Position Paper to develop and document a position on the performance of independent peer reviews on selected design and analysis components of the Title I (preliminary) and Title II (detailed) design phases of the Multi-Function Waste Tank Facility project

  11. Triple-frequency GPS precise point positioning with rapid ambiguity resolution

    Science.gov (United States)

    Geng, Jianghui; Bock, Yehuda

    2013-05-01

    At present, reliable ambiguity resolution in real-time GPS precise point positioning (PPP) can only be achieved after an initial observation period of a few tens of minutes. In this study, we propose a method where the incoming triple-frequency GPS signals are exploited to enable rapid convergences to ambiguity-fixed solutions in real-time PPP. Specifically, extra-wide-lane ambiguity resolution can be first achieved almost instantaneously with the Melbourne-Wübbena combination observable on L2 and L5. Then the resultant unambiguous extra-wide-lane carrier-phase is combined with the wide-lane carrier-phase on L1 and L2 to form an ionosphere-free observable with a wavelength of about 3.4 m. Although the noise of this observable is around 100 times the raw carrier-phase noise, its wide-lane ambiguity can still be resolved very efficiently, and the resultant ambiguity-fixed observable can assist much better than pseudorange in speeding up succeeding narrow-lane ambiguity resolution. To validate this method, we use an advanced hardware simulator to generate triple-frequency signals and a high-grade receiver to collect 1-Hz data. When the carrier-phase precisions on L1, L2 and L5 are as poor as 1.5, 6.3 and 1.5 mm, respectively, wide-lane ambiguity resolution can still reach a correctness rate of over 99 % within 20 s. As a result, the correctness rate of narrow-lane ambiguity resolution achieves 99 % within 65 s, in contrast to only 64 % within 150 s in dual-frequency PPP. In addition, we also simulate a multipath-contaminated data set and introduce new ambiguities for all satellites every 120 s. We find that when multipath effects are strong, ambiguity-fixed solutions are achieved at 78 % of all epochs in triple-frequency PPP whilst almost no ambiguities are resolved in dual-frequency PPP. Therefore, we demonstrate that triple-frequency PPP has the potential to achieve ambiguity-fixed solutions within a few minutes, or even shorter if raw carrier-phase precisions are

  12. Spatial Frequency Selectivity Is Impaired in Dopamine D2 Receptor Knockout Mice

    Science.gov (United States)

    Souza, Bruno Oliveira Ferreira; Abou Rjeili, Mira; Quintana, Clémentine; Beaulieu, Jean M.; Casanova, Christian

    2018-01-01

    Dopamine is a neurotransmitter implicated in several brain functions, including vision. In the present study, we investigated the impacts of the lack of D2 dopamine receptors on the structure and function of the primary visual cortex (V1) of D2-KO mice using optical imaging of intrinsic signals. Retinotopic maps were generated in order to measure anatomo-functional parameters such as V1 shape, cortical magnification factor, scatter, and ocular dominance. Contrast sensitivity and spatial frequency selectivity (SF) functions were computed from responses to drifting gratings. When compared to control mice, none of the parameters of the retinotopic maps were affected by D2 receptor loss of function. While the contrast sensitivity function of D2-KO mice did not differ from their wild-type counterparts, SF selectivity function was significantly affected as the optimal SF and the high cut-off frequency (p D2-KO than in WT mice. These findings show that the lack of function of D2 dopamine receptors had no influence on cortical structure whereas it had a significant impact on the spatial frequency selectivity and high cut-off. Taken together, our results suggest that D2 receptors play a specific role on the processing of spatial features in early visual cortex while they do not seem to participate in its development. PMID:29379422

  13. Differential selection on carotenoid biosynthesis genes as a function of gene position in the metabolic pathway: a study on the carrot and dicots.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jérémy Clotault

    Full Text Available Selection of genes involved in metabolic pathways could target them differently depending on the position of genes in the pathway and on their role in controlling metabolic fluxes. This hypothesis was tested in the carotenoid biosynthesis pathway using population genetics and phylogenetics.Evolutionary rates of seven genes distributed along the carotenoid biosynthesis pathway, IPI, PDS, CRTISO, LCYB, LCYE, CHXE and ZEP, were compared in seven dicot taxa. A survey of deviations from neutrality expectations at these genes was also undertaken in cultivated carrot (Daucus carota subsp. sativus, a species that has been intensely bred for carotenoid pattern diversification in its root during its cultivation history. Parts of sequences of these genes were obtained from 46 individuals representing a wide diversity of cultivated carrots. Downstream genes exhibited higher deviations from neutral expectations than upstream genes. Comparisons of synonymous and nonsynonymous substitution rates between genes among dicots revealed greater constraints on upstream genes than on downstream genes. An excess of intermediate frequency polymorphisms, high nucleotide diversity and/or high differentiation of CRTISO, LCYB1 and LCYE in cultivated carrot suggest that balancing selection may have targeted genes acting centrally in the pathway.Our results are consistent with relaxed constraints on downstream genes and selection targeting the central enzymes of the carotenoid biosynthesis pathway during carrot breeding history.

  14. Algebraic solutions of shape-invariant position-dependent effective mass systems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Amir, Naila, E-mail: naila.amir@live.com, E-mail: naila.amir@seecs.edu.pk [School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences, National University of Sciences and Technology, Islamabad (Pakistan); Iqbal, Shahid, E-mail: sic80@hotmail.com, E-mail: siqbal@sns.nust.edu.pk [School of Natural Sciences, National University of Sciences and Technology, Islamabad (Pakistan)

    2016-06-15

    Keeping in view the ordering ambiguity that arises due to the presence of position-dependent effective mass in the kinetic energy term of the Hamiltonian, a general scheme for obtaining algebraic solutions of quantum mechanical systems with position-dependent effective mass is discussed. We quantize the Hamiltonian of the pertaining system by using symmetric ordering of the operators concerning momentum and the spatially varying mass, initially proposed by von Roos and Lévy-Leblond. The algebraic method, used to obtain the solutions, is based on the concepts of supersymmetric quantum mechanics and shape invariance. In order to exemplify the general formalism a class of non-linear oscillators has been considered. This class includes the particular example of a one-dimensional oscillator with different position-dependent effective mass profiles. Explicit expressions for the eigenenergies and eigenfunctions in terms of generalized Hermite polynomials are presented. Moreover, properties of these modified Hermite polynomials, like existence of generating function and recurrence relations among the polynomials have also been studied. Furthermore, it has been shown that in the harmonic limit, all the results for the linear harmonic oscillator are recovered.

  15. How to Make a Dolphin: Molecular Signature of Positive Selection in Cetacean Genome.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mariana F Nery

    Full Text Available Cetaceans are unique in being the only mammals completely adapted to an aquatic environment. This adaptation has required complex changes and sometimes a complete restructuring of physiology, behavior and morphology. Identifying genes that have been subjected to selection pressure during cetacean evolution would greatly enhance our knowledge of the ways in which genetic variation in this mammalian order has been shaped by natural selection. Here, we performed a genome-wide scan for positive selection in the dolphin lineage. We employed models of codon substitution that account for variation of selective pressure over branches on the tree and across sites in a sequence. We analyzed 7,859 nuclear-coding ortholog genes and using a series of likelihood ratio tests (LRTs, we identified 376 genes (4.8% with molecular signatures of positive selection in the dolphin lineage. We used the cow as the sister group and compared estimates of selection in the cetacean genome to this using the same methods. This allowed us to define which genes have been exclusively under positive selection in the dolphin lineage. The enrichment analysis found that the identified positively selected genes are significantly over-represented for three exclusive functional categories only in the dolphin lineage: segment specification, mesoderm development and system development. Of particular interest for cetacean adaptation to an aquatic life are the following GeneOntology targets under positive selection: genes related to kidney, heart, lung, eye, ear and nervous system development.

  16. Positioning performance improvements with European multiple-frequency satellite navigation - Galileo

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ji, Shengyue

    2008-10-01

    The rapid development of Global Positioning System has demonstrated the advantages of satellite based navigation systems. In near future, there will be a number of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) available, i.e. modernized GPS, Galileo, restored GLONASS, BeiDou and many other regional GNSS augmentation systems. Undoubtedly, the new GNSS systems will significantly improve navigation performance over current GPS, with a better satellite coverage and multiple satellite signal bands. In this dissertation, the positioning performance improvement of new GNSS has been investigated based on both theoretical analysis and numerical study. First of all, the navigation performance of new GNSS systems has been analyzed, particularly for urban applications. The study has demonstrated that Receiver Autonomous Integrity Monitoring (RAIM) performance can be significantly improved with multiple satellite constellations, although the position accuracy improvement is limited. Based on a three-dimensional urban building model in Hong Kong streets, it is found that positioning availability is still very low in high-rising urban areas, even with three GNSS systems. On the other hand, the discontinuity of navigation solutions is significantly reduced with the combined constellations. Therefore, it is possible to use cheap DR systems to bridge the gaps of GNSS positioning, with high accuracy. Secondly, the ambiguity resolution performance has been investigated with Galileo multiple frequency band signals. The ambiguity resolution performance of three different algorithms is compared, including CAR, ILS and improved CAR methods (a new method proposed in this study). For short baselines, with four frequency Galileo data, it is highly possible to achieve reliable single epoch ambiguity resolution, when the carrier phase noise level is reasonably low (i.e. less than 6mm). For long baselines (up to 800 km), the integer ambiguity can be determined within 1 min on average. Ambiguity

  17. Effect of catchment properties and flood generation regime on copula selection for bivariate flood frequency analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Filipova, Valeriya; Lawrence, Deborah; Klempe, Harald

    2018-02-01

    Applying copula-based bivariate flood frequency analysis is advantageous because the results provide information on both the flood peak and volume. More data are, however, required for such an analysis, and it is often the case that only data series with a limited record length are available. To overcome this issue of limited record length, data regarding climatic and geomorphological properties can be used to complement statistical methods. In this paper, we present a study of 27 catchments located throughout Norway, in which we assess whether catchment properties, flood generation processes and flood regime have an effect on the correlation between flood peak and volume and, in turn, on the selection of copulas. To achieve this, the annual maximum flood events were first classified into events generated primarily by rainfall, snowmelt or a combination of these. The catchments were then classified into flood regime, depending on the predominant flood generation process producing the annual maximum flood events. A contingency table and Fisher's exact test were used to determine the factors that affect the selection of copulas in the study area. The results show that the two-parameter copulas BB1 and BB7 are more commonly selected in catchments with high steepness, high mean annual runoff and rainfall flood regime. These findings suggest that in these types of catchments, the dependence structure between flood peak and volume is more complex and cannot be modeled effectively using a one-parameter copula. The results illustrate that by relating copula types to flood regime and catchment properties, additional information can be supplied for selecting copulas in catchments with limited data.

  18. Frequency dependent loss analysis and minimization of system losses in switchmode audio power amplifiers

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Yamauchi, Akira; Knott, Arnold; Jørgensen, Ivan Harald Holger

    2014-01-01

    In this paper, frequency dependent losses in switch-mode audio power amplifiers are analyzed and a loss model is improved by taking the voltage dependence of the parasitic capacitance of MOSFETs into account. The estimated power losses are compared to the measurement and great accuracy is achieved...

  19. Selection, subdivision and extinction and recolonization.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cherry, Joshua L

    2004-02-01

    In a subdivided population, the interaction between natural selection and stochastic change in allele frequency is affected by the occurrence of local extinction and subsequent recolonization. The relative importance of selection can be diminished by this additional source of stochastic change in allele frequency. Results are presented for subdivided populations with extinction and recolonization where there is more than one founding allele after extinction, where these may tend to come from the same source deme, where the number of founding alleles is variable or the founders make unequal contributions, and where there is dominance for fitness or local frequency dependence. The behavior of a selected allele in a subdivided population is in all these situations approximately the same as that of an allele with different selection parameters in an unstructured population with a different size. The magnitude of the quantity N(e)s(e), which determines fixation probability in the case of genic selection, is always decreased by extinction and recolonization, so that deleterious alleles are more likely to fix and advantageous alleles less likely to do so. The importance of dominance or frequency dependence is also altered by extinction and recolonization. Computer simulations confirm that the theoretical predictions of both fixation probabilities and mean times to fixation are good approximations.

  20. Body position-dependent shift in odor percept present only for perithreshold odors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lundström, Johan N; Boyle, Julie A; Jones-Gotman, Marilyn

    2008-01-01

    We recently demonstrated that a supine position causes a decrease in olfactory sensitivity compared with an upright position. We pursued that initial finding in 3 separate experiments in which we explored the extent of, and mechanism underlying, this phenomenon. In Experiment 1, we replicated the decrease in olfactory sensitivity when in a supine compared with an upright position. In Experiment 2, we measured body position-dependent shifts in physiological variables and sniff measures while smelling suprathreshold odorants and performing a perithreshold odor intensity discrimination task. Olfactory performances were reduced while supine. However, no relationships between the shift in olfactory performances and either the physiological variables or sniff measures were found. In Experiment 3, we determined that there were no position-dependent shifts in ability to discriminate or identify suprathreshold odors or rate them for pleasantness, intensity, or familiarity. However, a drop in scores was observed, and performance was slowed, on a cognitive skill while supine. These results demonstrate a body position-dependent shift in olfactory sensitivity only for perithreshold odors that appears to be mediated by cognitive rather than physiological factors. Implications for olfactory imaging studies are discussed.

  1. Equivalence of Linear MMSE Detection in DS-CDMA and MC-CDMA Systems over Time and Frequency Selective Channels

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tamer A. Kadous

    2003-01-01

    Full Text Available The goal of this paper is to compare the performance of the linear minimum mean square error (MMSE detector for a class of code division multiple access (CDMA systems in time and frequency selective channels. Specifically, we consider direct sequence (DS-CDMA, multicarrier (MC-CDMA, and the MC-DS-CDMA systems. Two key tools are used in our development. First, a general time-frequency framework that includes the different CDMA systems as special cases. Second, the duality between time and frequency domains that is used to derive equivalences between the different CDMA systems operating over purely frequency selective and purely time selective channels. We then combine the insights obtained from these special cases to assess the performance of CDMA systems over time and frequency selective channels. We provide sufficient conditions for the codes employed by the CDMA systems for the equivalences to hold. Numerical results are presented to illustrate the results.

  2. Punishment induced behavioural and neurophysiological variability reveals dopamine-dependent selection of kinematic movement parameters

    Science.gov (United States)

    Galea, Joseph M.; Ruge, Diane; Buijink, Arthur; Bestmann, Sven; Rothwell, John C.

    2013-01-01

    Action selection describes the high-level process which selects between competing movements. In animals, behavioural variability is critical for the motor exploration required to select the action which optimizes reward and minimizes cost/punishment, and is guided by dopamine (DA). The aim of this study was to test in humans whether low-level movement parameters are affected by punishment and reward in ways similar to high-level action selection. Moreover, we addressed the proposed dependence of behavioural and neurophysiological variability on DA, and whether this may underpin the exploration of kinematic parameters. Participants performed an out-and-back index finger movement and were instructed that monetary reward and punishment were based on its maximal acceleration (MA). In fact, the feedback was not contingent on the participant’s behaviour but pre-determined. Blocks highly-biased towards punishment were associated with increased MA variability relative to blocks with either reward or without feedback. This increase in behavioural variability was positively correlated with neurophysiological variability, as measured by changes in cortico-spinal excitability with transcranial magnetic stimulation over the primary motor cortex. Following the administration of a DA-antagonist, the variability associated with punishment diminished and the correlation between behavioural and neurophysiological variability no longer existed. Similar changes in variability were not observed when participants executed a pre-determined MA, nor did DA influence resting neurophysiological variability. Thus, under conditions of punishment, DA-dependent processes influence the selection of low-level movement parameters. We propose that the enhanced behavioural variability reflects the exploration of kinematic parameters for less punishing, or conversely more rewarding, outcomes. PMID:23447607

  3. On the profile of frequency and voltage dependent interface states and series resistance in MIS structures

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Doekme, Ilbilge [Science Education Department, Faculty of Kirsehir Education, Gazi University, Kirsehir (Turkey)]. E-mail: ilbilgedokme@gazi.edu.tr; Altindal, Semsettin [Physics Department, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Gazi University, 06500, Teknikokullar, Ankara (Turkey)

    2007-04-30

    The variation in the capacitance-voltage (C-V) and conductance-voltage (G/{omega}-V) characteristics of Au/SiO{sub 2}/n-Si metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) structure have been systematically investigated as a function of frequencies in the frequency range 0.5 kHz-10 MHz at room temperature. In addition, the forward and reverse bias current-voltage (I-V) characteristics of this structure were measured at room temperature. The high value of ideality factor was attributed to the high density of interface states localized at Si/SiO{sub 2} interface and interfacial oxide layer. The density of interface states (N{sub ss}) and the series resistance (R{sub ss}) were calculated from I-V and C-V measurements using different methods and the effect of them on C-V and G/{omega}-V characteristics were deeply researched. At the same energy position near the top of valance band, the calculated N{sub ss} values, obtained without taking into account the series resistance of the devices almost one order of magnitude larger than N{sub ss} values obtained by taking into account R{sub ss} values. It is found that the C-V and G/{omega}-V curves exhibit a peak at low frequencies and the peak values of C and G/{omega} decrease with increasing frequency. Also, the plots of R {sub s} as a function of bias give two peaks in the certain voltage range at low frequencies. These observations indicate that at low frequencies, the charges at interface states can easily follow an AC signal and the number of them increases with decreasing frequency. The I-V, C-V and G/{omega}-V characteristics of the MIS structure are affected not only with R {sub s} but also N {sub ss}. Experimental results show that both the R{sub s} and C{sub o} values should be taken into account in determining frequency-dependent electrical characteristics.

  4. Analytical expression for position sensitivity of linear response beam position monitor having inter-electrode cross talk

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kumar, Mukesh, E-mail: mukeshk@rrcat.gov.in [Beam Diagnostics Section, Indus Operations, Beam Dynamics & Diagnostics Division, Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology, Indore, 452013 MP (India); Homi Bhabha National Institute, Training School Complex, Anushakti Nagar, Mumbai 400 094 (India); Ojha, A.; Garg, A.D.; Puntambekar, T.A. [Beam Diagnostics Section, Indus Operations, Beam Dynamics & Diagnostics Division, Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology, Indore, 452013 MP (India); Senecha, V.K. [Homi Bhabha National Institute, Training School Complex, Anushakti Nagar, Mumbai 400 094 (India); Ion Source Lab., Proton Linac & Superconducting Cavities Division, Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology, Indore, 452013 MP (India)

    2017-02-01

    According to the quasi electrostatic model of linear response capacitive beam position monitor (BPM), the position sensitivity of the device depends only on the aperture of the device and it is independent of processing frequency and load impedance. In practice, however, due to the inter-electrode capacitive coupling (cross talk), the actual position sensitivity of the device decreases with increasing frequency and load impedance. We have taken into account the inter-electrode capacitance to derive and propose a new analytical expression for the position sensitivity as a function of frequency and load impedance. The sensitivity of a linear response shoe-box type BPM has been obtained through simulation using CST Studio Suite to verify and confirm the validity of the new analytical equation. Good agreement between the simulation results and the new analytical expression suggest that this method can be exploited for proper designing of BPM.

  5. A guinea pig model of selective severe high-frequency hearing loss.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Havenith, Sarah; Klis, Sjaak F L; Versnel, Huib; Grolman, Wilko

    2013-10-01

    Using an appropriate dose of an aminoglycoside antibiotic cotreated with a loop diuretic a guinea pig model of high-frequency loss can be obtained mimicking cochlear implant candidates with low-frequency residual hearing. We examined the stability of this model over time. A well-established method to create an animal model for profound deafness is cotreatment with an aminoglycoside antibiotic and a loop diuretic. Recent data indicated that reduction of the aminoglycoside dose might yield selective high-frequency hearing loss. Such a model is relevant for studies related to hybrid cochlear implant devices, for example, with respect to preservation of residual hearing. Guinea pigs received an electrode for chronic recording of compound action potentials to tones to assess thresholds. They were treated with a coadministration of kanamycin (200 mg/kg) and furosemide (100 mg/kg), after which, the animals were sacrificed for histologic analysis at 2, 4, or 7 weeks. After 2 to 7 weeks threshold shifts were greater than 50 dB for 8 to 16 kHz in 15 of 17 animals, whereas threshold shifts at 2 kHz or lower were less than 50 dB in 13 animals. Major threshold shifts occurred the first 2 to 4 days; subsequently, some spontaneous recovery occurred and, after 2-3 weeks thresholds, remained stable. Inner hair cell loss still progressed between 2 and 4 weeks in the most basal cochlear region; thereafter, hair cell loss was stable. An appropriate animal model for selective severe high-frequency hearing loss was obtained, which is stable at 4 weeks after ototoxic treatment.

  6. Relaxation oscillations induced by amplitude-dependent frequency in dissipative trapped electron mode turbulence

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Terry, P.W.; Ware, A.S.; Newman, D.E.

    1994-01-01

    A nonlinear frequency shift in dissipative trapped electron mode turbulence is shown to give rise to a relaxation oscillation in the saturated power density spectrum. A simple non-Markovian closure for the coupled evolution of ion momentum and electron density response is developed to describe the oscillations. From solutions of a nonlinear oscillator model based on the closure, it is found that the oscillation is driven by the growth rate, as modified by the amplitude-dependent frequency shift, with inertia provided by the memory of the growth rate of prior amplitudes. This memory arises from time-history integrals common to statistical closures. The memory associated with a finite time of energy transfer between coupled spectrum components does not sustain the oscillation in the simple model. Solutions of the model agree qualitatively with the time-dependent numerical solutions of the original dissipative trapped electron model, yielding oscillations with the proper phase relationship between the fluctuation energy and the frequency shift, the proper evolution of the wave number spectrum shape and particle flux, and a realistic period

  7. Genome-wide analysis of positively selected genes in seasonal and non-seasonal breeding species.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yuhuan Meng

    Full Text Available Some mammals breed throughout the year, while others breed only at certain times of year. These differences in reproductive behavior can be explained by evolution. We identified positively-selected genes in two sets of species with different degrees of relatedness including seasonal and non-seasonal breeding species, using branch-site models. After stringent filtering by sum of pairs scoring, we revealed that more genes underwent positive selection in seasonal compared with non-seasonal breeding species. Positively-selected genes were verified by cDNA mapping of the positive sites with the corresponding cDNA sequences. The design of the evolutionary analysis can effectively lower the false-positive rate and thus identify valid positive genes. Validated, positively-selected genes, including CGA, DNAH1, INVS, and CD151, were related to reproductive behaviors such as spermatogenesis and cell proliferation in non-seasonal breeding species. Genes in seasonal breeding species, including THRAP3, TH1L, and CMTM6, may be related to the evolution of sperm and the circadian rhythm system. Identification of these positively-selected genes might help to identify the molecular mechanisms underlying seasonal and non-seasonal reproductive behaviors.

  8. Evolution of frequency-dependent mate choice: keeping up with fashion trends

    OpenAIRE

    Kokko, Hanna; Jennions, Michael D; Houde, Anne

    2007-01-01

    The diversity of sexual traits favoured by females is enormous and, curiously, includes preferences for males with rare or novel phenotypes. We modelled the evolution of a preference for rarity that yielded two surprising results. First, a Fisherian ‘sexy son’ effect can boost female preferences to a frequency well above that predicted by mutation–selection balance, even if there...

  9. Frequency-feedback cavity enhanced spectrometer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hovde, David Christian; Gomez, Anthony

    2015-08-18

    A spectrometer comprising an optical cavity, a light source capable of producing light at one or more wavelengths transmitted by the cavity and with the light directed at the cavity, a detector and optics positioned to collect light transmitted by the cavity, feedback electronics causing oscillation of amplitude of the optical signal on the detector at a frequency that depends on cavity losses, and a sensor measuring the oscillation frequency to determine the cavity losses.

  10. Scale-Dependent Habitat Selection and Size-Based Dominance in Adult Male American Alligators.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bradley A Strickland

    Full Text Available Habitat selection is an active behavioral process that may vary across spatial and temporal scales. Animals choose an area of primary utilization (i.e., home range then make decisions focused on resource needs within patches. Dominance may affect the spatial distribution of conspecifics and concomitant habitat selection. Size-dependent social dominance hierarchies have been documented in captive alligators, but evidence is lacking from wild populations. We studied habitat selection for adult male American alligators (Alligator mississippiensis; n = 17 on the Pearl River in central Mississippi, USA, to test whether habitat selection was scale-dependent and individual resource selectivity was a function of conspecific body size. We used K-select analysis to quantify selection at the home range scale and patches within the home range to determine selection congruency and important habitat variables. In addition, we used linear models to determine if body size was related to selection patterns and strengths. Our results indicated habitat selection of adult male alligators was a scale-dependent process. Alligators demonstrated greater overall selection for habitat variables at the patch level and less at the home range level, suggesting resources may not be limited when selecting a home range for animals in our study area. Further, diurnal habitat selection patterns may depend on thermoregulatory needs. There was no relationship between resource selection or home range size and body size, suggesting size-dependent dominance hierarchies may not have influenced alligator resource selection or space use in our sample. Though apparent habitat suitability and low alligator density did not manifest in an observed dominance hierarchy, we hypothesize that a change in either could increase intraspecific interactions, facilitating a dominance hierarchy. Due to the broad and diverse ecological roles of alligators, understanding the factors that influence their

  11. Scale-dependent habitat selection and size-based dominance in adult male American alligators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Strickland, Bradley A.; Vilella, Francisco; Belant, Jerrold L.

    2016-01-01

    Habitat selection is an active behavioral process that may vary across spatial and temporal scales. Animals choose an area of primary utilization (i.e., home range) then make decisions focused on resource needs within patches. Dominance may affect the spatial distribution of conspecifics and concomitant habitat selection. Size-dependent social dominance hierarchies have been documented in captive alligators, but evidence is lacking from wild populations. We studied habitat selection for adult male American alligators (Alligator mississippiensis; n = 17) on the Pearl River in central Mississippi, USA, to test whether habitat selection was scale-dependent and individual resource selectivity was a function of conspecific body size. We used K-select analysis to quantify selection at the home range scale and patches within the home range to determine selection congruency and important habitat variables. In addition, we used linear models to determine if body size was related to selection patterns and strengths. Our results indicated habitat selection of adult male alligators was a scale-dependent process. Alligators demonstrated greater overall selection for habitat variables at the patch level and less at the home range level, suggesting resources may not be limited when selecting a home range for animals in our study area. Further, diurnal habitat selection patterns may depend on thermoregulatory needs. There was no relationship between resource selection or home range size and body size, suggesting size-dependent dominance hierarchies may not have influenced alligator resource selection or space use in our sample. Though apparent habitat suitability and low alligator density did not manifest in an observed dominance hierarchy, we hypothesize that a change in either could increase intraspecific interactions, facilitating a dominance hierarchy. Due to the broad and diverse ecological roles of alligators, understanding the factors that influence their social dominance

  12. Simulation of Probe Position-Dependent Electron Energy-Loss Fine Structure

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Oxley, M. P.; Kapetanakis, M. D.; Prange, Micah P.; Varela, M.; Pennycook, Stephen J.; Pantelides, Sokrates T.

    2014-03-31

    We present a theoretical framework for calculating probe-position-dependent electron energy-loss near-edge structure for the scanning transmission electron microscope by combining density functional theory with dynamical scattering theory. We show how simpler approaches to calculating near-edge structure fail to include the fundamental physics needed to understand the evolution of near-edge structure as a function of probe position and investigate the dependence of near-edge structure on probe size. It is within this framework that density functional theory should be presented, in order to ensure that variations of near-edge structure are truly due to local electronic structure and how much from the diffraction and focusing of the electron beam.

  13. The driving frequency effects on the atmospheric pressure corona jet plasmas from low frequency to radio frequency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Dan Bee; Jung, H.; Gweon, B.; Rhee, J. K.; Choe, W.; Moon, S. Y.

    2011-01-01

    Lately, the atmospheric pressure jet type corona plasma, which has been typically driven by dc to low frequency (LF: several tens of kHz), is often generated by using radio frequency of 13.56 MHz. Yet, the relationship between the plasma and its driving frequency has seldom been investigated. Hence, in this study, dependence of the atmospheric pressure corona plasma characteristics on the driving frequency was explored experimentally from LF to rf (5 kHz-13.56 MHz). The plasmas generated by the driving frequency under 2 MHz were cylindrical shape of several tens of millimeters long while the 13.56 MHz plasma is spherical and a few millimeters long. As the driving frequency was increased, the plasma length became shortened. At the lower driving frequencies (below 2 MHz), the plasmas existed as positive streamer and negative glow for each half period of the applied voltage, but the discharge was more continuous in time for the 13.56 MHz plasma. It was inferred from the measured I-V curves that the higher driving frequency induced higher discharge currents, and the gas temperature was increased as the driving frequency was increased.

  14. Single Machine Scheduling and Due Date Assignment with Past-Sequence-Dependent Setup Time and Position-Dependent Processing Time

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chuan-Li Zhao

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper considers single machine scheduling and due date assignment with setup time. The setup time is proportional to the length of the already processed jobs; that is, the setup time is past-sequence-dependent (p-s-d. It is assumed that a job's processing time depends on its position in a sequence. The objective functions include total earliness, the weighted number of tardy jobs, and the cost of due date assignment. We analyze these problems with two different due date assignment methods. We first consider the model with job-dependent position effects. For each case, by converting the problem to a series of assignment problems, we proved that the problems can be solved in On4 time. For the model with job-independent position effects, we proved that the problems can be solved in On3 time by providing a dynamic programming algorithm.

  15. New evidence for positive selection helps explain the paternal age effect observed in achondroplasia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shinde, Deepali N.; Elmer, Dominik P.; Calabrese, Peter; Boulanger, Jérôme; Arnheim, Norman; Tiemann-Boege, Irene

    2013-01-01

    There are certain de novo germline mutations associated with genetic disorders whose mutation rates per generation are orders of magnitude higher than the genome average. Moreover, these mutations occur exclusively in the male germ line and older men have a higher probability of having an affected child than younger ones, known as the paternal age effect (PAE). The classic example of a genetic disorder exhibiting a PAE is achondroplasia, caused predominantly by a single-nucleotide substitution (c.1138G>A) in FGFR3. To elucidate what mechanisms might be driving the high frequency of this mutation in the male germline, we examined the spatial distribution of the c.1138G>A substitution in a testis from an 80-year-old unaffected man. Using a technology based on bead-emulsion amplification, we were able to measure mutation frequencies in 192 individual pieces of the dissected testis with a false-positive rate lower than 2.7 × 10−6. We observed that most mutations are clustered in a few pieces with 95% of all mutations occurring in 27% of the total testis. Using computational simulations, we rejected the model proposing an elevated mutation rate per cell division at this nucleotide site. Instead, we determined that the observed mutation distribution fits a germline selection model, where mutant spermatogonial stem cells have a proliferative advantage over unmutated cells. Combined with data on several other PAE mutations, our results support the idea that the PAE, associated with a number of Mendelian disorders, may be explained primarily by a selective mechanism. PMID:23740942

  16. Genome-wide detection and characterization of positive selection in human populations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sabeti, Pardis C; Varilly, Patrick; Fry, Ben; Lohmueller, Jason; Hostetter, Elizabeth; Cotsapas, Chris; Xie, Xiaohui; Byrne, Elizabeth H; McCarroll, Steven A; Gaudet, Rachelle; Schaffner, Stephen F; Lander, Eric S; Frazer, Kelly A; Ballinger, Dennis G; Cox, David R; Hinds, David A; Stuve, Laura L; Gibbs, Richard A; Belmont, John W; Boudreau, Andrew; Hardenbol, Paul; Leal, Suzanne M; Pasternak, Shiran; Wheeler, David A; Willis, Thomas D; Yu, Fuli; Yang, Huanming; Zeng, Changqing; Gao, Yang; Hu, Haoran; Hu, Weitao; Li, Chaohua; Lin, Wei; Liu, Siqi; Pan, Hao; Tang, Xiaoli; Wang, Jian; Wang, Wei; Yu, Jun; Zhang, Bo; Zhang, Qingrun; Zhao, Hongbin; Zhao, Hui; Zhou, Jun; Gabriel, Stacey B; Barry, Rachel; Blumenstiel, Brendan; Camargo, Amy; Defelice, Matthew; Faggart, Maura; Goyette, Mary; Gupta, Supriya; Moore, Jamie; Nguyen, Huy; Onofrio, Robert C; Parkin, Melissa; Roy, Jessica; Stahl, Erich; Winchester, Ellen; Ziaugra, Liuda; Altshuler, David; Shen, Yan; Yao, Zhijian; Huang, Wei; Chu, Xun; He, Yungang; Jin, Li; Liu, Yangfan; Shen, Yayun; Sun, Weiwei; Wang, Haifeng; Wang, Yi; Wang, Ying; Xiong, Xiaoyan; Xu, Liang; Waye, Mary M Y; Tsui, Stephen K W; Xue, Hong; Wong, J Tze-Fei; Galver, Luana M; Fan, Jian-Bing; Gunderson, Kevin; Murray, Sarah S; Oliphant, Arnold R; Chee, Mark S; Montpetit, Alexandre; Chagnon, Fanny; Ferretti, Vincent; Leboeuf, Martin; Olivier, Jean-François; Phillips, Michael S; Roumy, Stéphanie; Sallée, Clémentine; Verner, Andrei; Hudson, Thomas J; Kwok, Pui-Yan; Cai, Dongmei; Koboldt, Daniel C; Miller, Raymond D; Pawlikowska, Ludmila; Taillon-Miller, Patricia; Xiao, Ming; Tsui, Lap-Chee; Mak, William; Song, You Qiang; Tam, Paul K H; Nakamura, Yusuke; Kawaguchi, Takahisa; Kitamoto, Takuya; Morizono, Takashi; Nagashima, Atsushi; Ohnishi, Yozo; Sekine, Akihiro; Tanaka, Toshihiro; Tsunoda, Tatsuhiko; Deloukas, Panos; Bird, Christine P; Delgado, Marcos; Dermitzakis, Emmanouil T; Gwilliam, Rhian; Hunt, Sarah; Morrison, Jonathan; Powell, Don; Stranger, Barbara E; Whittaker, Pamela; Bentley, David R; Daly, Mark J; de Bakker, Paul I W; Barrett, Jeff; Chretien, Yves R; Maller, Julian; McCarroll, Steve; Patterson, Nick; Pe'er, Itsik; Price, Alkes; Purcell, Shaun; Richter, Daniel J; Sabeti, Pardis; Saxena, Richa; Schaffner, Stephen F; Sham, Pak C; Varilly, Patrick; Altshuler, David; Stein, Lincoln D; Krishnan, Lalitha; Smith, Albert Vernon; Tello-Ruiz, Marcela K; Thorisson, Gudmundur A; Chakravarti, Aravinda; Chen, Peter E; Cutler, David J; Kashuk, Carl S; Lin, Shin; Abecasis, Gonçalo R; Guan, Weihua; Li, Yun; Munro, Heather M; Qin, Zhaohui Steve; Thomas, Daryl J; McVean, Gilean; Auton, Adam; Bottolo, Leonardo; Cardin, Niall; Eyheramendy, Susana; Freeman, Colin; Marchini, Jonathan; Myers, Simon; Spencer, Chris; Stephens, Matthew; Donnelly, Peter; Cardon, Lon R; Clarke, Geraldine; Evans, David M; Morris, Andrew P; Weir, Bruce S; Tsunoda, Tatsuhiko; Johnson, Todd A; Mullikin, James C; Sherry, Stephen T; Feolo, Michael; Skol, Andrew; Zhang, Houcan; Zeng, Changqing; Zhao, Hui; Matsuda, Ichiro; Fukushima, Yoshimitsu; Macer, Darryl R; Suda, Eiko; Rotimi, Charles N; Adebamowo, Clement A; Ajayi, Ike; Aniagwu, Toyin; Marshall, Patricia A; Nkwodimmah, Chibuzor; Royal, Charmaine D M; Leppert, Mark F; Dixon, Missy; Peiffer, Andy; Qiu, Renzong; Kent, Alastair; Kato, Kazuto; Niikawa, Norio; Adewole, Isaac F; Knoppers, Bartha M; Foster, Morris W; Clayton, Ellen Wright; Watkin, Jessica; Gibbs, Richard A; Belmont, John W; Muzny, Donna; Nazareth, Lynne; Sodergren, Erica; Weinstock, George M; Wheeler, David A; Yakub, Imtaz; Gabriel, Stacey B; Onofrio, Robert C; Richter, Daniel J; Ziaugra, Liuda; Birren, Bruce W; Daly, Mark J; Altshuler, David; Wilson, Richard K; Fulton, Lucinda L; Rogers, Jane; Burton, John; Carter, Nigel P; Clee, Christopher M; Griffiths, Mark; Jones, Matthew C; McLay, Kirsten; Plumb, Robert W; Ross, Mark T; Sims, Sarah K; Willey, David L; Chen, Zhu; Han, Hua; Kang, Le; Godbout, Martin; Wallenburg, John C; L'Archevêque, Paul; Bellemare, Guy; Saeki, Koji; Wang, Hongguang; An, Daochang; Fu, Hongbo; Li, Qing; Wang, Zhen; Wang, Renwu; Holden, Arthur L; Brooks, Lisa D; McEwen, Jean E; Guyer, Mark S; Wang, Vivian Ota; Peterson, Jane L; Shi, Michael; Spiegel, Jack; Sung, Lawrence M; Zacharia, Lynn F; Collins, Francis S; Kennedy, Karen; Jamieson, Ruth; Stewart, John

    2007-10-18

    With the advent of dense maps of human genetic variation, it is now possible to detect positive natural selection across the human genome. Here we report an analysis of over 3 million polymorphisms from the International HapMap Project Phase 2 (HapMap2). We used 'long-range haplotype' methods, which were developed to identify alleles segregating in a population that have undergone recent selection, and we also developed new methods that are based on cross-population comparisons to discover alleles that have swept to near-fixation within a population. The analysis reveals more than 300 strong candidate regions. Focusing on the strongest 22 regions, we develop a heuristic for scrutinizing these regions to identify candidate targets of selection. In a complementary analysis, we identify 26 non-synonymous, coding, single nucleotide polymorphisms showing regional evidence of positive selection. Examination of these candidates highlights three cases in which two genes in a common biological process have apparently undergone positive selection in the same population:LARGE and DMD, both related to infection by the Lassa virus, in West Africa;SLC24A5 and SLC45A2, both involved in skin pigmentation, in Europe; and EDAR and EDA2R, both involved in development of hair follicles, in Asia.

  17. Uniform deposition of size-selected clusters using Lissajous scanning

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Beniya, Atsushi; Watanabe, Yoshihide; Hirata, Hirohito

    2016-01-01

    Size-selected clusters can be deposited on the surface using size-selected cluster ion beams. However, because of the cross-sectional intensity distribution of the ion beam, it is difficult to define the coverage of the deposited clusters. The aggregation probability of the cluster depends on coverage, whereas cluster size on the surface depends on the position, despite the size-selected clusters are deposited. It is crucial, therefore, to deposit clusters uniformly on the surface. In this study, size-selected clusters were deposited uniformly on surfaces by scanning the cluster ions in the form of Lissajous pattern. Two sets of deflector electrodes set in orthogonal directions were placed in front of the sample surface. Triangular waves were applied to the electrodes with an irrational frequency ratio to ensure that the ion trajectory filled the sample surface. The advantages of this method are simplicity and low cost of setup compared with raster scanning method. The authors further investigated CO adsorption on size-selected Pt n (n = 7, 15, 20) clusters uniformly deposited on the Al 2 O 3 /NiAl(110) surface and demonstrated the importance of uniform deposition.

  18. Uniform deposition of size-selected clusters using Lissajous scanning

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Beniya, Atsushi; Watanabe, Yoshihide, E-mail: e0827@mosk.tytlabs.co.jp [Toyota Central R& D Labs., Inc., 41-1 Yokomichi, Nagakute, Aichi 480-1192 (Japan); Hirata, Hirohito [Toyota Motor Corporation, 1200 Mishuku, Susono, Shizuoka 410-1193 (Japan)

    2016-05-15

    Size-selected clusters can be deposited on the surface using size-selected cluster ion beams. However, because of the cross-sectional intensity distribution of the ion beam, it is difficult to define the coverage of the deposited clusters. The aggregation probability of the cluster depends on coverage, whereas cluster size on the surface depends on the position, despite the size-selected clusters are deposited. It is crucial, therefore, to deposit clusters uniformly on the surface. In this study, size-selected clusters were deposited uniformly on surfaces by scanning the cluster ions in the form of Lissajous pattern. Two sets of deflector electrodes set in orthogonal directions were placed in front of the sample surface. Triangular waves were applied to the electrodes with an irrational frequency ratio to ensure that the ion trajectory filled the sample surface. The advantages of this method are simplicity and low cost of setup compared with raster scanning method. The authors further investigated CO adsorption on size-selected Pt{sub n} (n = 7, 15, 20) clusters uniformly deposited on the Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}/NiAl(110) surface and demonstrated the importance of uniform deposition.

  19. Frequency-dependant homogenized properties of composite using spectral analysis method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ben Amor, M; Ben Ghozlen, M H; Lanceleur, P

    2010-01-01

    An inverse procedure is proposed to determine the material constants of multilayered composites using a spectral analysis homogenization method. Recursive process gives interfacial displacement perpendicular to layers in term of deepness. A fast-Fourier transform (FFT) procedure has been used in order to extract the wave numbers propagating in the multilayer. The upper frequency bound of this homogenization domain is estimated. Inside the homogenization domain, we discover a maximum of three planes waves susceptible to propagate in the medium. A consistent algorithm is adopted to develop an inverse procedure for the determination of the materials constants of multidirectional composite. The extracted wave numbers are used as the inputs for the procedure. The outputs are the elastic constants of multidirectional composite. Using this method, the frequency dependent effective elastic constants are obtained and example for [0/90] composites is given.

  20. Genome-scale detection of positive selection in nine primates predicts human-virus evolutionary conflicts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    van der Lee, Robin; Wiel, Laurens; van Dam, Teunis J P; Huynen, Martijn A

    2017-10-13

    Hotspots of rapid genome evolution hold clues about human adaptation. We present a comparative analysis of nine whole-genome sequenced primates to identify high-confidence targets of positive selection. We find strong statistical evidence for positive selection in 331 protein-coding genes (3%), pinpointing 934 adaptively evolving codons (0.014%). Our new procedure is stringent and reveals substantial artefacts (20% of initial predictions) that have inflated previous estimates. The final 331 positively selected genes (PSG) are strongly enriched for innate and adaptive immunity, secreted and cell membrane proteins (e.g. pattern recognition, complement, cytokines, immune receptors, MHC, Siglecs). We also find evidence for positive selection in reproduction and chromosome segregation (e.g. centromere-associated CENPO, CENPT), apolipoproteins, smell/taste receptors and mitochondrial proteins. Focusing on the virus-host interaction, we retrieve most evolutionary conflicts known to influence antiviral activity (e.g. TRIM5, MAVS, SAMHD1, tetherin) and predict 70 novel cases through integration with virus-human interaction data. Protein structure analysis further identifies positive selection in the interaction interfaces between viruses and their cellular receptors (CD4-HIV; CD46-measles, adenoviruses; CD55-picornaviruses). Finally, primate PSG consistently show high sequence variation in human exomes, suggesting ongoing evolution. Our curated dataset of positive selection is a rich source for studying the genetics underlying human (antiviral) phenotypes. Procedures and data are available at https://github.com/robinvanderlee/positive-selection. © The Author(s) 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.

  1. Mechanical frequency selectivity of an artificial basilar membrane using a beam array with narrow supports

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Sangwon; Jang, Jongmoon; Choi, Hongsoo; Song, Won Joon; Jang, Jeong Hun

    2013-01-01

    The study presented in this paper assessed the frequency selectivity of an artificial basilar membrane (ABM) constructed using a piezoelectric beam array with narrow supports. Three ABM samples were constructed. Each ABM contained 16 beams with various lengths in a one-dimensional array. To experimentally assess the frequency selectivity of the ABM, mechanical vibration induced either by an electrical or an acoustic stimulus was measured with a scanning laser-Doppler vibrometer. The electro-mechanical and acousto-mechanical transfer functions were defined for the same purpose. The tonotopy of each beam array was visualized by post-processing the experimental results. Finite element analyses were conducted to numerically compute the resonance frequencies, identify the associated vibrational modes, and evaluate the harmonic responses of the beams. The influence of the residual stresses existing in the beams was reflected in the geometric models by introducing three different levels of arc-shaped lateral deformations in the beams. The harmonic analyses revealed that each beam of the ABM samples presented independent band-pass characteristics. The experiments and simulations commonly showed a frequency selectivity of the fabricated ABMs in the range of 2–20 kHz. Therefore, the device is suitable for development of a totally implantable artificial cochlea, implementing a mechanical frequency analyzer. This work is part of research to develop a prototype of a totally implantable artificial cochlea. (paper)

  2. Estimation of the frequency and magnetic field dependence of the skin depth in Co-rich magnetic microwires from GMI experiments

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Arcady Zhukov

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available We studied giant magnetoimpedance (GMI effect in magnetically soft amorphous Co-rich microwires in the extended frequency range. From obtained experimentally dependences of the GMI ratio on magnetic field at different frequencies we estimated the penetration depth and its dependence on applied magnetic field and frequency.

  3. Positive diversifying selection is a pervasive adaptive force throughout the Drosophila radiation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Cicconardi, Francesco; Marcatili, Paolo; Arthofer, Wolfgang

    2017-01-01

    The growing genomic information on non-model organisms eases exploring the evolutionary history of biodiversity. This is particularly true for Drosophila flies, in which the number of sequenced species doubled recently. Because of its outstanding diversity of species, Drosophila has become one....... grimshawi, a strong putative signal of positive diversifying selection was found related to cell, morphological, neuronal, and sensorial development and function. A recurrent signal of positive diversifying selection was found on genes related to aging and lifespan, suggesting that selection had shaped...

  4. SU-E-T-195: Gantry Angle Dependency of MLC Leaf Position Error

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ju, S; Hong, C; Kim, M; Chung, K; Kim, J; Han, Y; Ahn, S; Chung, S; Shin, E; Shin, J; Kim, H; Kim, D; Choi, D [Department of Radiation Oncology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    2014-06-01

    Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the gantry angle dependency of the multileaf collimator (MLC) leaf position error. Methods: An automatic MLC quality assurance system (AutoMLCQA) was developed to evaluate the gantry angle dependency of the MLC leaf position error using an electronic portal imaging device (EPID). To eliminate the EPID position error due to gantry rotation, we designed a reference maker (RM) that could be inserted into the wedge mount. After setting up the EPID, a reference image was taken of the RM using an open field. Next, an EPID-based picket-fence test (PFT) was performed without the RM. These procedures were repeated at every 45° intervals of the gantry angle. A total of eight reference images and PFT image sets were analyzed using in-house software. The average MLC leaf position error was calculated at five pickets (-10, -5, 0, 5, and 10 cm) in accordance with general PFT guidelines using in-house software. This test was carried out for four linear accelerators. Results: The average MLC leaf position errors were within the set criterion of <1 mm (actual errors ranged from -0.7 to 0.8 mm) for all gantry angles, but significant gantry angle dependency was observed in all machines. The error was smaller at a gantry angle of 0° but increased toward the positive direction with gantry angle increments in the clockwise direction. The error reached a maximum value at a gantry angle of 90° and then gradually decreased until 180°. In the counter-clockwise rotation of the gantry, the same pattern of error was observed but the error increased in the negative direction. Conclusion: The AutoMLCQA system was useful to evaluate the MLC leaf position error for various gantry angles without the EPID position error. The Gantry angle dependency should be considered during MLC leaf position error analysis.

  5. Turbulence growth and its dependency of wake vortices on excitation frequency by local body-force around two-dimensional hump

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yakeno, Aiko; Abe, Yoshiaki; Nonomura, Taku; Kawai, Soshi; Fujii, Kozo

    2017-11-01

    We investigated details of wake vortex dynamics to cause turbulence increase and early flow-reattachment under excitation forcing by a plasma actuator setting around a 2D hump numerically. The local body-force was homogeneous in the spanwise direction and bursting temporally. That actuation generates two-dimensional roll vortices and other turbulence motions such like three-dimensional rib structure in downstream. These dynamics depended on the excitation frequency. We tried to discuss multi-scaled vortices separately with considering the temporal phaseaveraged statistics of the excitation frequency and others, those are related to roll vortices and others with rib structure between rolls. It was found that the maximum value of non-periodic fluctuation in downstream correlated with flow-reattachment performance more than that of periodic fluctuation of roll vortices. The amplitude becomes large around separation position in early reattachment cases. The spacial growth rates of peak values in the wall-normal direction are same for high frequency cases, K-H instability modes, however not true for low frequency cases. In high frequency cases, amplitude in the early state of separation plays a significant rule to increase it in downstream. Strategic Programs for Innovative Research of the High Performance Computing Initiative (No. hp120296,hp130001,hp140207, hp150219) Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research(B) (No. 15K21677) by the MEXT.

  6. Symmetries and invariants of the oscillator and envelope equations with time-dependent frequency

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hong Qin

    2006-05-01

    Full Text Available The single-particle dynamics in a time-dependent focusing field is examined. The existence of the Courant-Snyder invariant, a fundamental concept in accelerator physics, is fundamentally a result of the corresponding symmetry admitted by the harmonic oscillator equation with linear time-dependent frequency. It is demonstrated that the Lie algebra of the symmetry group for the oscillator equation with time-dependent frequency is eight dimensional, and is composed of four independent subalgebras. A detailed analysis of the admitted symmetries reveals a deeper connection between the nonlinear envelope equation and the oscillator equation. A general theorem regarding the symmetries and invariants of the envelope equation, which includes the existence of the Courant-Snyder invariant as a special case, is demonstrated. As an application to accelerator physics, the symmetries of the envelope equation enable a fast numerical algorithm for finding matched solutions without using the conventional iterative Newton’s method, where the envelope equation needs to be numerically integrated once for every iteration, and the Jacobi matrix needs to be calculated for the envelope perturbation.

  7. Creaming enhancement in a liter scale ultrasonic reactor at selected transducer configurations and frequencies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Juliano, Pablo; Temmel, Sandra; Rout, Manoj; Swiergon, Piotr; Mawson, Raymond; Knoerzer, Kai

    2013-01-01

    Recent research has shown that high frequency ultrasound (0.4-3 MHz), can enhance milkfat separation in small scale systems able to treat only a few milliliters of sample. In this work, the effect of ultrasonic standing waves on milkfat creaming was studied in a 6L reactor and the influence of different frequencies and transducer configurations in direct contact with the fluid was investigated. A recombined coarse milk emulsion with fat globules stained with oil-red-O dye was selected for the separation trials. Runs were performed with one or two transducers placed in vertical (parallel or perpendicular) and horizontal positions (at the reactor base) at 0.4, 1 and/or 2 MHz (specific energy 8.5 ± 0.6 kJ/kg per transducer). Creaming behavior was assessed by measuring the thickness of the separated cream layer. Other methods supporting this assessment included the measurement of fat content, backscattering, particle size distribution, and microscopy of samples taken at the bottom and top of the reactor. Most efficient creaming was found after treatment at 0.4 MHz in single and double vertical transducer configurations. Among these configurations, a higher separation rate was obtained when sonicating at 0.4 MHz in a vertical perpendicular double transducer setup. The horizontal transducer configuration promoted creaming at 2 MHz only. Fat globule size increase was observed when creaming occurred. This research highlights the potential for enhanced separation of milkfat in larger scale systems from selected transducer configurations in contact with a dairy emulsion, or emulsion splitting in general. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  8. A hybrid polarization-selective atomic sensor for radio-frequency field detection with a passive resonant-cavity field amplifier

    OpenAIRE

    Anderson, David A.; Paradis, Eric G.; Raithel, Georg

    2018-01-01

    We present a hybrid atomic sensor that realizes radio-frequency electric field detection with intrinsic field amplification and polarization selectivity for robust high-sensitivity field measurement. The hybrid sensor incorporates a passive resonator element integrated with an atomic vapor cell that provides amplification and polarization selectivity for detection of incident radio-frequency fields. The amplified intra-cavity radio-frequency field is measured by atoms using a quantum-optical ...

  9. Comparison between conventional protective mechanical ventilation and high-frequency oscillatory ventilation associated with the prone position.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fioretto, José Roberto; Klefens, Susiane Oliveira; Pires, Rafaelle Fernandes; Kurokawa, Cilmery Suemi; Carpi, Mario Ferreira; Bonatto, Rossano César; Moraes, Marcos Aurélio; Ronchi, Carlos Fernando

    2017-01-01

    To compare the effects of high-frequency oscillatory ventilation and conventional protective mechanical ventilation associated with the prone position on oxygenation, histology and pulmonary oxidative damage in an experimental model of acute lung injury. Forty-five rabbits with tracheostomy and vascular access were underwent mechanical ventilation. Acute lung injury was induced by tracheal infusion of warm saline. Three experimental groups were formed: healthy animals + conventional protective mechanical ventilation, supine position (Control Group; n = 15); animals with acute lung injury + conventional protective mechanical ventilation, prone position (CMVG; n = 15); and animals with acute lung injury + high-frequency oscillatory ventilation, prone position (HFOG; n = 15). Ten minutes after the beginning of the specific ventilation of each group, arterial gasometry was collected, with this timepoint being called time zero, after which the animal was placed in prone position and remained in this position for 4 hours. Oxidative stress was evaluated by the total antioxidant performance assay. Pulmonary tissue injury was determined by histopathological score. The level of significance was 5%. Both groups with acute lung injury showed worsening of oxygenation after induction of injury compared with the Control Group. After 4 hours, there was a significant improvement in oxygenation in the HFOG group compared with CMVG. Analysis of total antioxidant performance in plasma showed greater protection in HFOG. HFOG had a lower histopathological lesion score in lung tissue than CMVG. High-frequency oscillatory ventilation, associated with prone position, improves oxygenation and attenuates oxidative damage and histopathological lung injury compared with conventional protective mechanical ventilation.

  10. Generation of radio vortex beams with designable polarization using anisotropic frequency selective surface

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Jin; Zhang, Cheng; Ma, Hui Feng; Zhao, Jie; Dai, Jun Yan; Yuan, Wei; Yang, Liu Xi; Cheng, Qiang; Cui, Tie Jun

    2018-05-01

    We propose a strategy to convert a linearly polarized wave from a single point source to an orbital angular momentum (OAM) wave by arbitrary polarization via an anisotropic frequency selective surface (FSS) in the microwave frequency. By tailoring the geometries of FSS elements, reflection-phases in x and y polarizations are engineered and encoded independently, which allows us to design the eventual polarization state of the generated OAM vortex beam by elaborately selecting individual coding sequences for each polarization. Two types of FSSs are designed and experimentally characterized to demonstrate the capability of OAM generation with circular and linear polarizations, respectively, showing excellent performance in a wide bandwidth from 14 to 16 GHz. This method provides opportunities for polarization multiplexing in microwave OAM communication systems.

  11. Design, Fabrication and Characterization of MIM Diodes and Frequency Selective Thermal Emitters for Solar Energy Harvesting and Detection Devices

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sharma, Saumya

    could be achieved in this case. These long chain polymeric molecules exhibit a two-dimensional molecular assembly thereby reducing the tunneling distance between the metal electrodes on either side of the insulating layer. Rectification ratios as high as 450:1 at +/-200mV were obtained for an MIM diode configuration of Ni-LB films of Arachidic Acid films-(Au/Pd). The bandwidth of the incident radiation that can be used by this rectenna assembly is limited to 9.5% of 30THz or +/-1.5THz from the center frequency based on the antenna designs which were proposed for this research. This bandwidth constraint has led to research in the field of frequency selective emitters capable of providing a narrowband emission around 30THz. Several grating structures were fabricated in the form of Ni-Si periodic arrays, in a cleanroom environment using photolithography, sputtering and deep reactive ion etching. These frequency selective samples were characterized with the help of focusing optics, monochromators and HgCdTe detectors. The results obtained from the emission spectra were utilized to calibrate a simulation model with Computer Simulation Technology (CST) which uses numerous robust solving techniques, such as the finite element method, in order to obtain the optical parameters for the model. Thereafter, a thorough analysis of the different dimensional and material parameters was performed, to understand their dependence on the emissivity of the selective emitter. Further research on the frequency selectivity of the periodic nano-disk or nano-hole array led to the temperature dependence of the simulated spectra, because the material parameters, such as refractive index or drude model collision frequency, vary with temperature. Thus, the design of frequency selective absorbers/emitters was found to be significantly affected with temperature range of operation of these structures.

  12. Strings from position-dependent noncommutativity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fring, Andreas; Gouba, Laure; Scholtz, Frederik G

    2010-01-01

    We introduce a new set of noncommutative spacetime commutation relations in two space dimensions. The space-space commutation relations are deformations of the standard flat noncommutative spacetime relations taken here to have position-dependent structure constants. Some of the new variables are non-Hermitian in the most natural choice. We construct their Hermitian counterparts by means of a Dyson map, which also serves to introduce a new metric operator. We propose PT-like symmetries, i.e. antilinear involutory maps, respected by these deformations. We compute minimal lengths and momenta arising in this space from generalized versions of Heisenberg's uncertainty relations and find that any object in this two-dimensional space is string like, i.e. having a fundamental length in one direction beyond which a resolution is impossible. Subsequently, we formulate and partly solve some simple models in these new variables, the free particle, its PT-symmetric deformations and the harmonic oscillator.

  13. Complete FDTD analysis of microwave heating processes in frequency-dependent and temperature dependent media

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Torres, F.; Jecko, B. [Univ. de Limoges (France). Inst. de Recherche en Communications Optiques et Microondes

    1997-01-01

    It is well known that the temperature rise in a material modifies its physical properties and, particularly, its dielectric permittivity. The dissipated electromagnetic power involved in microwave heating processes depending on {var_epsilon}({omega}), the electrical characteristics of the heated media must vary with the temperature to achieve realistic simulations. In this paper, the authors present a fast and accurate algorithm allowing, through a combined electromagnetic and thermal procedure, to take into account the influence of the temperature on the electrical properties of materials. First, the temperature dependence of the complex permittivity ruled by a Debye relaxation equation is investigated, and a realistic model is proposed and validated. Then, a frequency-dependent finite-differences time-domain ((FD){sup 2}TD) method is used to assess the instantaneous electromagnetic power lost by dielectric hysteresis. Within the same iteration, a time-scaled form of the heat transfer equation allows one to calculate the temperature distribution in the heated medium and then to correct the dielectric properties of the material using the proposed model. These new characteristics will be taken into account by the EM solver at the next iteration. This combined algorithm allows a significant reduction of computation time. An application to a microwave oven is proposed.

  14. Influence of Gaussian white noise on the frequency-dependent first nonlinear polarizability of doped quantum dot

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ganguly, Jayanta [Department of Chemistry, Brahmankhanda Basapara High School, Basapara, Birbhum 731215, West Bengal (India); Ghosh, Manas, E-mail: pcmg77@rediffmail.com [Department of Chemistry, Physical Chemistry Section, Visva Bharati University, Santiniketan, Birbhum 731 235, West Bengal (India)

    2014-05-07

    We investigate the profiles of diagonal components of frequency-dependent first nonlinear (β{sub xxx} and β{sub yyy}) optical response of repulsive impurity doped quantum dots. We have assumed a Gaussian function to represent the dopant impurity potential. This study primarily addresses the role of noise on the polarizability components. We have invoked Gaussian white noise consisting of additive and multiplicative characteristics (in Stratonovich sense). The doped system has been subjected to an oscillating electric field of given intensity, and the frequency-dependent first nonlinear polarizabilities are computed. The noise characteristics are manifested in an interesting way in the nonlinear polarizability components. In case of additive noise, the noise strength remains practically ineffective in influencing the optical responses. The situation completely changes with the replacement of additive noise by its multiplicative analog. The replacement enhances the nonlinear optical response dramatically and also causes their maximization at some typical value of noise strength that depends on oscillation frequency.

  15. Optimized Irregular Low-Density Parity-Check Codes for Multicarrier Modulations over Frequency-Selective Channels

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Valérian Mannoni

    2004-09-01

    Full Text Available This paper deals with optimized channel coding for OFDM transmissions (COFDM over frequency-selective channels using irregular low-density parity-check (LDPC codes. Firstly, we introduce a new characterization of the LDPC code irregularity called “irregularity profile.” Then, using this parameterization, we derive a new criterion based on the minimization of the transmission bit error probability to design an irregular LDPC code suited to the frequency selectivity of the channel. The optimization of this criterion is done using the Gaussian approximation technique. Simulations illustrate the good performance of our approach for different transmission channels.

  16. Effectiveness of Positive Group Psychotherapy on Resiliency, Happiness and General Health on Women with a Substance Dependence Spouses

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    F sohrabi

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of positive group psychotherapy on resiliency, happiness and general health in Women with substance dependent spouse. The research design was quasi - experimental with pre-test, post-test and one-month follow - up with the control group. The sample was comprised of women whom their spouse were referred to addiction clinic. Twenty - four women were selected and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. Both groups were assessed by Davidson Resilience Scale, Peterson happiness directions questionnaires and General Health Questionnaire (GHQ. Positive group psychotherapy was conducted on the experimental group for 14 sessions, each session lasting 90- minutes. The data was analyzed with ANCOVA. The findings indicated that the mean scores of post-test in the experimental groups on resilience, happiness, and public health, was significantly higher than the mean scores of post-test in control group. Benferroni test was indicating the stable effect of therapy. According to the findings, it can be said that group positive psychotherapy was effective in promoting resiliency, happiness, and general health of women with the dependent drug spouses.

  17. Contribution of inner shell electrons to position-dependent stopping powers of a crystal surface

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Narumi, Kazumasa; Fujii, Yoshikazu; Kishine, Keiji; Kurakake, Hiroshi; Kimura, Kenji; Mannami, Michi-hiko

    1994-01-01

    Position-dependent stopping powers of the (001) surface of SnTe single crystal for specularly reflected 15 - 200 keV H + ions are studied. The position dependence of the experimental stopping powers varies with the energy of ions. From the comparison with the theoretical stopping powers based on both the single ion-electron collision and the collective excitation of the valence electrons, it is concluded that the observed change in the position-dependent stopping powers with energy of H + is due to the variation of contribution of inner shell electrons to stopping. (author)

  18. Fermionic particles with position-dependent mass in the presence of ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    2013-02-01

    Feb 1, 2013 ... Quantum mechanical systems with position-dependent mass are proved ... The relativistic energy eigenvalues of the Dirac equation with ... the exact eigenfunctions can be derived from the following wave function generator:.

  19. Soft sweeps III: the signature of positive selection from recurrent mutation.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pleuni S Pennings

    2006-12-01

    Full Text Available Polymorphism data can be used to identify loci at which a beneficial allele has recently gone to fixation, given that an accurate description of the signature of selection is available. In the classical model that is used, a favored allele derives from a single mutational origin. This ignores the fact that beneficial alleles can enter a population recurrently by mutation during the selective phase. In this study, we present a combination of analytical and simulation results to demonstrate the effect of adaptation from recurrent mutation on summary statistics for polymorphism data from a linked neutral locus. We also analyze the power of standard neutrality tests based on the frequency spectrum or on linkage disequilibrium (LD under this scenario. For recurrent beneficial mutation at biologically realistic rates, we find substantial deviations from the classical pattern of a selective sweep from a single new mutation. Deviations from neutrality in the level of polymorphism and in the frequency spectrum are much less pronounced than in the classical sweep pattern. In contrast, for levels of LD, the signature is even stronger if recurrent beneficial mutation plays a role. We suggest a variant of existing LD tests that increases their power to detect this signature.

  20. Temporal mode selectivity by frequency conversion in second-order nonlinear optical waveguides

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Reddy, D. V.; Raymer, M. G.; McKinstrie, C. J.

    2013-01-01

    in a transparent optical network using temporally orthogonal waveforms to encode different channels. We model the process using coupled-mode equations appropriate for wave mixing in a uniform second-order nonlinear optical medium pumped by a strong laser pulse. We find Green functions describing the process...... in this optimal regime. We also find an operating regime in which high-efficiency frequency conversion without temporal-shape selectivity can be achieved while preserving the shapes of a wide class of input pulses. The results are applicable to both classical and quantum frequency conversion....

  1. Phantom position dependence

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Thorson, M.R.; Endres, G.W.R.

    1981-01-01

    Sensitivity of the Hanford dosimeter response to its position relative to the phantom and the neutron source has always been recognized. A thorough investigation was performed to quantify dosimeter response according to: (a) dosimeter position on phantom, (b) dosimeter distance from phantom, and (c) angular relationship of dosimeter relative to neutron source and phantom. Results were obtained for neutron irradiation at several different energies

  2. Fatigue level estimation of monetary bills based on frequency band acoustic signals with feature selection by supervised SOM

    Science.gov (United States)

    Teranishi, Masaru; Omatu, Sigeru; Kosaka, Toshihisa

    Fatigued monetary bills adversely affect the daily operation of automated teller machines (ATMs). In order to make the classification of fatigued bills more efficient, the development of an automatic fatigued monetary bill classification method is desirable. We propose a new method by which to estimate the fatigue level of monetary bills from the feature-selected frequency band acoustic energy pattern of banking machines. By using a supervised self-organizing map (SOM), we effectively estimate the fatigue level using only the feature-selected frequency band acoustic energy pattern. Furthermore, the feature-selected frequency band acoustic energy pattern improves the estimation accuracy of the fatigue level of monetary bills by adding frequency domain information to the acoustic energy pattern. The experimental results with real monetary bill samples reveal the effectiveness of the proposed method.

  3. Frequency Dependencies of the Exchange Spin Wave Reflection Coefficient on a One-Dimensional Magnon Crystal with Complex Interfaces

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Serhii O. Reshetniak

    2017-09-01

    Conclusions. It is shown that the frequency dependencies are periodic, points of full transmission and areas, full of reflection. Decreasing exchange parameter value in interface causes the increase of reflectance coefficient. Changing the material parameters we get the necessary intensity value of the reflection coefficient depending on the frequency at a constant value of the external magnetic field.

  4. Signatures of positive selection in Toll-like receptor (TLR genes in mammals

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Areal Helena

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Toll-like receptors (TLRs are a major class of pattern recognition receptors (PRRs expressed in the cell surface or membrane compartments of immune and non-immune cells. TLRs are encoded by a multigene family and represent the first line of defense against pathogens by detecting foreigner microbial molecular motifs, the pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs. TLRs are also important by triggering the adaptive immunity in vertebrates. They are characterized by the presence of leucine-rich repeats (LRRs in the ectodomain, which are associated with the PAMPs recognition. The direct recognition of different pathogens by TLRs might result in different evolutionary adaptations important to understand the dynamics of the host-pathogen interplay. Ten mammal TLR genes, viral (TLR3, 7, 8, 9 and non-viral (TLR1-6, 10, were selected to identify signatures of positive selection that might have been imposed by interacting pathogens and to clarify if viral and non-viral TLRs might display different patterns of molecular evolution. Results By using Maximum Likelihood approaches, evidence of positive selection was found in all the TLRs studied. The number of positively selected codons (PSC ranged between 2-26 codons (0.25%-2.65% with the non-viral TLR4 as the receptor with higher percentage of positively selected codons (2.65%, followed by the viral TLR8 (2.50%. The results indicated that viral and non-viral TLRs are similarly under positive selection. Almost all TLRs have at least one PSC located in the LRR ectodomain which underlies the importance of the pathogen recognition by this region. Conclusions Our results are not in line with previous studies on primates and birds that identified more codons under positive selection in non-viral TLRs. This might be explained by the fact that both primates and birds are homogeneous groups probably being affected by only a restricted number of related viruses with equivalent motifs to be

  5. Frequency of head-impact-related outcomes by position in NCAA division I collegiate football players.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baugh, Christine M; Kiernan, Patrick T; Kroshus, Emily; Daneshvar, Daniel H; Montenigro, Philip H; McKee, Ann C; Stern, Robert A

    2015-03-01

    Concussions and subconcussive impacts sustained in American football have been associated with short- and long-term neurological impairment, but differences in head impact outcomes across playing positions are not well understood. The American Medical Society for Sports Medicine has identified playing position as a key risk factor for concussion in football and one for which additional research is needed. This study examined variation in head impact outcomes across primary football playing positions in a group of 730 National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Championship Series athletes, using a self-report questionnaire. Although there were no significant differences between position groups in the number of diagnosed concussions during the 2012 football season, there were significant differences between groups in undiagnosed concussions (p=0.008) and "dings" (pfootball season, with offensive linemen reporting significantly more symptoms compared to most other groups. There were also positional differences in frequency of returning to play while symptomatic (p<0.001) and frequency of participating in full-contact practice (p<0.001). Offensive linemen reported having returned to play while experiencing symptoms more frequently and participating in more full-contact practices than other groups. These findings suggest that offensive linemen, a position group that experiences frequent, but low-magnitude, head impacts, develop more postimpact symptoms than other playing positions, but do not report these symptoms as a concussion.

  6. Frequency of Head-Impact–Related Outcomes by Position in NCAA Division I Collegiate Football Players

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kiernan, Patrick T.; Kroshus, Emily; Daneshvar, Daniel H.; Montenigro, Philip H.; McKee, Ann C.; Stern, Robert A.

    2015-01-01

    Abstract Concussions and subconcussive impacts sustained in American football have been associated with short- and long-term neurological impairment, but differences in head impact outcomes across playing positions are not well understood. The American Medical Society for Sports Medicine has identified playing position as a key risk factor for concussion in football and one for which additional research is needed. This study examined variation in head impact outcomes across primary football playing positions in a group of 730 National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Championship Series athletes, using a self-report questionnaire. Although there were no significant differences between position groups in the number of diagnosed concussions during the 2012 football season, there were significant differences between groups in undiagnosed concussions (p=0.008) and “dings” (pfootball season, with offensive linemen reporting significantly more symptoms compared to most other groups. There were also positional differences in frequency of returning to play while symptomatic (p<0.001) and frequency of participating in full-contact practice (p<0.001). Offensive linemen reported having returned to play while experiencing symptoms more frequently and participating in more full-contact practices than other groups. These findings suggest that offensive linemen, a position group that experiences frequent, but low-magnitude, head impacts, develop more postimpact symptoms than other playing positions, but do not report these symptoms as a concussion. PMID:25155288

  7. Recruitment and selection for the packer position in a supermarket network

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lucila Moraes Cardoso

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available The method of personnel recruitment and selection is a common practice to hire people in organizations. The goal of this study is to report and to reflect about this process in a supermarket chain, which operates in food and non-food retail in the state of Sao Paulo. The purpose of the present intervention was to facilitate the recruitment and selection process for the packer position. After the intervention, we noticed an improvement on the hiring process, on the working conditions and a turnover reduction in this position.

  8. GPS satellite clock determination in case of inter-frequency clock biases for triple-frequency precise point positioning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guo, Jiang; Geng, Jianghui

    2017-12-01

    Significant time-varying inter-frequency clock biases (IFCBs) within GPS observations prevent the application of the legacy L1/L2 ionosphere-free clock products on L5 signals. Conventional approaches overcoming this problem are to estimate L1/L5 ionosphere-free clocks in addition to their L1/L2 counterparts or to compute IFCBs between the L1/L2 and L1/L5 clocks which are later modeled through a harmonic analysis. In contrast, we start from the undifferenced uncombined GNSS model and propose an alternative approach where a second satellite clock parameter dedicated to the L5 signals is estimated along with the legacy L1/L2 clock. In this manner, we do not need to rely on the correlated L1/L2 and L1/L5 ionosphere-free observables which complicates triple-frequency GPS stochastic models, or account for the unfavorable time-varying hardware biases in undifferenced GPS functional models since they can be absorbed by the L5 clocks. An extra advantage over the ionosphere-free model is that external ionosphere constraints can potentially be introduced to improve PPP. With 27 days of triple-frequency GPS data from globally distributed stations, we find that the RMS of the positioning differences between our GPS model and all conventional models is below 1 mm for all east, north and up components, demonstrating the effectiveness of our model in addressing triple-frequency observations and time-varying IFCBs. Moreover, we can combine the L1/L2 and L5 clocks derived from our model to calculate precisely the L1/L5 clocks which in practice only depart from their legacy counterparts by less than 0.006 ns in RMS. Our triple-frequency GPS model proves convenient and efficient in combating time-varying IFCBs and can be generalized to more than three frequency signals for satellite clock determination.

  9. Lineage-specific positive selection at the merozoite surface protein 1 (msp1 locus of Plasmodium vivax and related simian malaria parasites

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kawai Satoru

    2010-02-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The 200 kDa merozoite surface protein 1 (MSP-1 of malaria parasites, a strong vaccine candidate, plays a key role during erythrocyte invasion and is a target of host protective immune response. Plasmodium vivax, the most widespread human malaria parasite, is closely related to parasites that infect Asian Old World monkeys, and has been considered to have become a parasite of man by host switch from a macaque malaria parasite. Several Asian monkey parasites have a range of natural hosts. The same parasite species shows different disease manifestations among host species. This suggests that host immune responses to P. vivax-related malaria parasites greatly differ among host species (albeit other factors. It is thus tempting to invoke that a major immune target parasite protein such as MSP-1 underwent unique evolution, depending on parasite species that exhibit difference in host range and host specificity. Results We performed comparative phylogenetic and population genetic analyses of the gene encoding MSP-1 (msp1 from P. vivax and nine P. vivax-related simian malaria parasites. The inferred phylogenetic tree of msp1 significantly differed from that of the mitochondrial genome, with a striking displacement of P. vivax from a position close to P. cynomolgi in the mitochondrial genome tree to an outlier of Asian monkey parasites. Importantly, positive selection was inferred for two ancestral branches, one leading to P. inui and P. hylobati and the other leading to P. vivax, P. fieldi and P. cynomolgi. This ancestral positive selection was estimated to have occurred three to six million years ago, coinciding with the period of radiation of Asian macaques. Comparisons of msp1 polymorphisms between P. vivax, P. inui and P. cynomolgi revealed that while some positively selected amino acid sites or regions are shared by these parasites, amino acid changes greatly differ, suggesting that diversifying selection is acting species

  10. Top down and bottom up selection drives variations in frequency and form of a visual signal

    OpenAIRE

    Yeh, Chien-Wei; Blamires, Sean J.; Liao, Chen-Pan; Tso, I.-Min

    2015-01-01

    The frequency and form of visual signals can be shaped by selection from predators, prey or both. When a signal simultaneously attracts predators and prey, selection may favour a strategy that minimizes risks while attracting prey. Accordingly, varying the frequency and form of the silken decorations added to their web may be a way that Argiope spiders minimize predation while attracting prey. Nonetheless, the role of extraneous factors renders the influences of top down and bottom up selecti...

  11. Frequency-dependent springs in the seismic analysis of structures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tyapin, A.G.

    2005-01-01

    This paper presents a two-step algorithm for the seismic analysis of structure resting on the rigid embedded basement. Frequency-domain analysis of SSI is carried out on the second step for a platform model with special 'soil spring' which is complex, frequency-dependent, wave-dependent and non-balanced. Theory is presented to obtain the parameters of the soil spring on the first step of the analysis, performed without structure (only geometry of the basement is used) using well-known SASSI code (Lysmer et al, 1981) or in some other ways. On the second step in the SASSI analysis the soil spring is included in the model as a special finite element. Thus, the first step enables to save the computer resources on structure, the second step-to save resources on soil. Soil spring is the most general form for a SSI linear analysis: conventional springs and dashpots can be easily represented in such a format. Thus, the presented approach enables to study the impact of various factors (such as the embedment depth and soil-structure separation, the off-diagonal stiffness, various formulas for stiffness and damping, etc.) on the soil spring parameters. These parameters can be studied separately from the structure itself. As an example, the study of the horizontal soil mesh size is presented. Lumped soil spring may be used on the second step to obtain structural response spectra. To get stresses complex stiffness may be distributed over the basement slab and embedded walls. The proposed approach may be considered to be the alternative to the impedance method (see ASCE4-98). (authors)

  12. First positive reactions to cannabis constitute a priority risk factor for cannabis dependence.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Le Strat, Yann; Ramoz, Nicolas; Horwood, John; Falissard, Bruno; Hassler, Christine; Romo, Lucia; Choquet, Marie; Fergusson, David; Gorwood, Philip

    2009-10-01

    To assess the association between first reactions to cannabis and the risk of cannabis dependence. A cross-sectional population-based assessment in 2007. A campus in a French region (Champagne-Ardennes). A total of 1472 participants aged 18-21 years who reported at least one life-time cannabis consumption, of 3056 students who were screened initially [the Susceptibility Addiction Gene Environment (SAGE) study]. Positive and negative effects of first cannabis consumptions, present cannabis dependence and related risk factors were assessed through questionnaires.   The effects of first cannabis consumptions were associated dose-dependently with cannabis dependence at age 18-21 years, both according to the transversal approach of the SAGE study and to the prospective cohort of the Christchurch Health and Development Study (CHDS) assessed at the age of 25 years. Participants of the SAGE study who reported five positive effects of their first cannabis consumption had odds of life-time cannabis dependence that were 28.7 (95% confidence interval: 14.6-56.5) higher than those who reported no positive effects. This association remains significant after controlling for potentially confounding factors, including individual and familial variables. This study suggests an association between positive reactions to first cannabis uses and risk of life-time cannabis dependence, this variable having a central role among, and through, other risk factors. © 2009 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2009 Society for the Study of Addiction.

  13. DPOAE generation dependence on primary frequencies ratio

    Science.gov (United States)

    Botti, Teresa; Sisto, Renata; Moleti, Arturo; D'Amato, Luisa; Sanjust, Filippo

    2015-12-01

    Two different mechanisms are responsible for the DPOAE generation. The nonlinear distortion wave-fixed mechanism generates the DPOAE Zero-Latency (ZL) component, as a backward traveling wave from the "overlap" region. Linear reflection of the forward DP wave (IDP) generates the DPOAE Long-Latency (LL) component through a place-fixed mechanism. ZL and LL components add up vectorially to generate the DPOAE recorded in the ear canal. The 2f1 - f2 and 2f2 - f1 DPOAE intensity depends on the stimulus level and on the primary frequency ratio r = f2/f1, where f1 and f2 are the primary stimuli frequencies. Here we study the behavior of the ZL and LL DPOAE components as a function of r by both numerical and laboratory experiments, measuring DPAOEs with an equal primary levels (L1 = L2) paradigm in the range [35, 75] dB SPL, with r ranging in [1.1, 1.45]. Numerical simulations of a nonlocal nonlinear model have been performed without cochlear roughness, to suppress the linear reflection mechanism. In this way the model solution at the base represents the DPOAE ZL component, and the solution at the corresponding DPOAE tonotopic place corresponds to the IDP. This technique has been not effectual to study the 2f2 - f1 DPOAE, as a consequence of its generation mechanism. While the 2f1 - f2 generation place is known to be the tonotopic place x(f2), the 2f2 - f1 DPOAE one has to be assumed basal to its corresponding reflection place. That is because ZL components generated in x(f2) cannot significantly pass through their resonant place. Moreover increasing the ratio r, 2f2 - f1 ZL and LL generation place approach each other, because the overlap region of primary tones decreases. Consequently, the distinction between the two places becomes complicated. DPOAEs have been measured in six young normal-hearing subjects. DPOAE ZL and LL components have been separated by a time-frequency filtering method based on the wavelet transform 1. due to their different phase gradient delay

  14. Modeling of frequency-dependent negative differential capacitance in InGaAs/InP photodiode

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Yidong; Chen, Jun; Xu, Jintong; Li, Xiangyang

    2018-03-01

    The negative differential capacitance (NDC) of p-i-n InGaAs/InP photodetector has been clearly observed, and the small signal model of frequency-dependent NDC is established, based on the accumulation and emission of electrons at the p-InP/i-InGaAs interface. The NDC phenomenon is contributed by the additional capacitance (CT), which is caused by the charging-discharging process in the p-InP/i-InGaAs interface. It is found that the NDC becomes more obvious with decreasing frequency, which is consistent with the conclusion of the experiment. It is proved that the probability of electron capture/escape in the p-i interface is affected by frequency. Therefore, the smaller frequency applied, the higher additional capacitance is obtained.

  15. Frequency-dependent electrodeformation of giant phospholipid vesicles in AC electric field

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    A model of vesicle electrodeformation is described which obtains a parametrized vesicle shape by minimizing the sum of the membrane bending energy and the energy due to the electric field. Both the vesicle membrane and the aqueous media inside and outside the vesicle are treated as leaky dielectrics, and the vesicle itself is modeled as a nearly spherical shape enclosed within a thin membrane. It is demonstrated (a) that the model achieves a good quantitative agreement with the experimentally determined prolate-to-oblate transition frequencies in the kilohertz range and (b) that the model can explain a phase diagram of shapes of giant phospholipid vesicles with respect to two parameters: the frequency of the applied alternating current electric field and the ratio of the electrical conductivities of the aqueous media inside and outside the vesicle, explored in a recent paper (S. Aranda et al., Biophys J 95:L19–L21, 2008). A possible use of the frequency-dependent shape transitions of phospholipid vesicles in conductometry of microliter samples is discussed. PMID:21886342

  16. Age-Dependent Positivity-Bias in Children’s Processing of Emotion Terms

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bahn, Daniela; Vesker, Michael; García Alanis, José C.; Schwarzer, Gudrun; Kauschke, Christina

    2017-01-01

    Emotions play an important role in human communication, and the daily-life interactions of young children often include situations that require the verbalization of emotional states with verbal means, e.g., with emotion terms. Through them, one can express own emotional states and those of others. Thus, the acquisition of emotion terms allows children to participate more intensively in social contexts – a basic requirement for learning new words and for elaborating socio-emotional skills. However, little is known about how children acquire and process this specific word category, which is positioned between concrete and abstract words. In particular, the influence of valence on emotion word processing during childhood has not been sufficiently investigated. Previous research points to an advantage of positive words over negative and neutral words in word processing. While previous studies found valence effects to be influenced by factors such as arousal, frequency, concreteness, and task, it is still unclear if and how valence effects are also modified by age. The present study compares the performance of children aged from 5 to 12 years and adults in two experimental tasks: lexical decision (word or pseudoword) and emotional categorization (positive or negative). Stimuli consisted of 48 German emotion terms (24 positive and 24 negative) matched for arousal, concreteness, age of acquisition, word class, word length, morphological complexity, frequency, and neighborhood density. Results from both tasks reveal two developmental trends: First, with increasing age children responded faster and more correctly, suggesting that emotion vocabulary gradually becomes more stable and differentiated during middle childhood. Second, the influence of valence varied with age: younger children (5- and 6-year-olds) showed significantly higher performance levels for positive emotion terms compared to negative emotion terms, whereas older children and adults did not. This age

  17. Evaluation of an Improved Branch-Site Likelihood Method for Detecting Positive Selection at the Molecular Level

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zhang, Jianzhi; Nielsen, Rasmus; Yang, Ziheng

    2005-01-01

    of interest, while test 2 had acceptable false-positive rates and appeared robust against violations of model assumptions. As test 2 is a direct test of positive selection on the lineages of interest, it is referred to as the branch-site test of positive selection and is recommended for use in real data......Detecting positive Darwinian selection at the DNA sequence level has been a subject of considerable interest. However, positive selection is difficult to detect because it often operates episodically on a few amino acid sites, and the signal may be masked by negative selection. Several methods have...... been developed to test positive selection that acts on given branches (branch methods) or on a subset of sites (site methods). Recently, Yang, Z., and R. Nielsen (2002. Codon-substitution models for detecting molecular adaptation at individual sites along specific lineages. Mol. Biol. Evol. 19...

  18. Complexity of low-frequency blood oxygen level-dependent fluctuations covaries with local connectivity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anderson, Jeffrey S; Zielinski, Brandon A; Nielsen, Jared A; Ferguson, Michael A

    2014-04-01

    Very low-frequency blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) fluctuations have emerged as a valuable tool for describing brain anatomy, neuropathology, and development. Such fluctuations exhibit power law frequency dynamics, with largest amplitude at lowest frequencies. The biophysical mechanisms generating such fluctuations are poorly understood. Using publicly available data from 1,019 subjects of age 7-30, we show that BOLD fluctuations exhibit temporal complexity that is linearly related to local connectivity (regional homogeneity), consistently and significantly covarying across subjects and across gray matter regions. This relationship persisted independently of covariance with gray matter density or standard deviation of BOLD signal. During late neurodevelopment, BOLD fluctuations were unchanged with age in association cortex while becoming more random throughout the rest of the brain. These data suggest that local interconnectivity may play a key role in establishing the complexity of low-frequency BOLD fluctuations underlying functional magnetic resonance imaging connectivity. Stable low-frequency power dynamics may emerge through segmentation and integration of connectivity during development of distributed large-scale brain networks. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  19. Genetic signature of strong recent positive selection at interleukin-32 gene in goat

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Akhtar Rasool Asif

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available Objective Identification of the candidate genes that play key roles in phenotypic variations can provide new information about evolution and positive selection. Interleukin (IL-32 is involved in many biological processes, however, its role for the immune response against various diseases in mammals is poorly understood. Therefore, the current investigation was performed for the better understanding of the molecular evolution and the positive selection of single nucleotide polymorphisms in IL-32 gene. Methods By using fixation index (FST based method, IL-32 (9375 gene was found to be outlier and under significant positive selection with the provisional combined allocation of mean heterozygosity and FST. Using nucleotide sequences of 11 mammalian species from National Center for Biotechnology Information database, the evolutionary selection of IL-32 gene was determined using Maximum likelihood model method, through four models (M1a, M2a, M7, and M8 in Codeml program of phylogenetic analysis by maximum liklihood. Results IL-32 is detected under positive selection using the FST simulations method. The phylogenetic tree revealed that goat IL-32 was in close resemblance with sheep IL-32. The coding nucleotide sequences were compared among 11 species and it was found that the goat IL-32 gene shared identity with sheep (96.54%, bison (91.97%, camel (58.39%, cat (56.59%, buffalo (56.50%, human (56.13%, dog (50.97%, horse (54.04%, and rabbit (53.41% respectively. Conclusion This study provides evidence for IL-32 gene as under significant positive selection in goat.

  20. Frequency-dependent heat capacity

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Behrens, Claus Flensted

    The frequency–dependent heat capacity of super-cooled glycerol near the glass transition is measured using the 3w detection technique. An electrical conducting thin film with a temperature–dependent electrical resistance is deposited on a substrate. The thin film is used simultaneously as a heater...

  1. Contact area affects frequency-dependent responses to vibration in the peripheral vascular and sensorineural systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krajnak, Kristine; Miller, G R; Waugh, Stacey

    2018-01-01

    Repetitive exposure to hand-transmitted vibration is associated with development of peripheral vascular and sensorineural dysfunctions. These disorders and symptoms associated with it are referred to as hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS). Although the symptoms of the disorder have been well characterized, the etiology and contribution of various exposure factors to development of the dysfunctions are not well understood. Previous studies performed using a rat-tail model of vibration demonstrated that vascular and peripheral nervous system adverse effects of vibration are frequency-dependent, with vibration frequencies at or near the resonant frequency producing the most severe injury. However, in these investigations, the amplitude of the exposed tissue was greater than amplitude typically noted in human fingers. To determine how contact with vibrating source and amplitude of the biodynamic response of the tissue affects the risk of injury occurring, this study compared the influence of frequency using different levels of restraint to assess how maintaining contact of the tail with vibrating source affects the transmission of vibration. Data demonstrated that for the most part, increasing the contact of the tail with the platform by restraining it with additional straps resulted in an enhancement in transmission of vibration signal and elevation in factors associated with vascular and peripheral nerve injury. In addition, there were also frequency-dependent effects, with exposure at 250 Hz generating greater effects than vibration at 62.5 Hz. These observations are consistent with studies in humans demonstrating that greater contact and exposure to frequencies near the resonant frequency pose the highest risk for generating peripheral vascular and sensorineural dysfunction.

  2. A position-dependent mass harmonic oscillator and deformed space

    Science.gov (United States)

    da Costa, Bruno G.; Borges, Ernesto P.

    2018-04-01

    We consider canonically conjugated generalized space and linear momentum operators x^ q and p^ q in quantum mechanics, associated with a generalized translation operator which produces infinitesimal deformed displacements controlled by a deformation parameter q. A canonical transformation (x ^ ,p ^ ) →(x^ q,p^ q ) leads the Hamiltonian of a position-dependent mass particle in usual space to another Hamiltonian of a particle with constant mass in a conservative force field of the deformed space. The equation of motion for the classical phase space (x, p) may be expressed in terms of the deformed (dual) q-derivative. We revisit the problem of a q-deformed oscillator in both classical and quantum formalisms. Particularly, this canonical transformation leads a particle with position-dependent mass in a harmonic potential to a particle with constant mass in a Morse potential. The trajectories in phase spaces (x, p) and (xq, pq) are analyzed for different values of the deformation parameter. Finally, we compare the results of the problem in classical and quantum formalisms through the principle of correspondence and the WKB approximation.

  3. Broadband Reflectionless Metasheets: Frequency-Selective Transmission and Perfect Absorption

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    V. S. Asadchy

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available Energy of propagating electromagnetic waves can be fully absorbed in a thin lossy layer, but only in a narrow frequency band, as follows from the causality principle. On the other hand, it appears that there are no fundamental limitations on broadband matching of thin resonant absorbing layers. However, known thin absorbers produce significant reflections outside of the resonant absorption band. In this paper, we explore possibilities to realize a thin absorbing layer that produces no reflected waves in a very wide frequency range, while the transmission coefficient has a narrow peak of full absorption. Here we show, both theoretically and experimentally, that a thin resonant absorber, invisible in reflection in a very wide frequency range, can be realized if one and the same resonant mode of the absorbing array unit cells is utilized to create both electric and magnetic responses. We test this concept using chiral particles in each unit cell, arranged in a periodic planar racemic array, utilizing chirality coupling in each unit cell but compensating the field coupling at the macroscopic level. We prove that the concept and the proposed realization approach also can be used to create nonreflecting layers for full control of transmitted fields. Our results can have a broad range of potential applications over the entire electromagnetic spectrum including, for example, perfect ultracompact wave filters and selective multifrequency sensors.

  4. Position-Dependent Dynamics Explain Pore-Averaged Diffusion in Strongly Attractive Adsorptive Systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krekelberg, William P; Siderius, Daniel W; Shen, Vincent K; Truskett, Thomas M; Errington, Jeffrey R

    2017-12-12

    Using molecular simulations, we investigate the relationship between the pore-averaged and position-dependent self-diffusivity of a fluid adsorbed in a strongly attractive pore as a function of loading. Previous work (Krekelberg, W. P.; Siderius, D. W.; Shen, V. K.; Truskett, T. M.; Errington, J. R. Connection between thermodynamics and dynamics of simple fluids in highly attractive pores. Langmuir 2013, 29, 14527-14535, doi: 10.1021/la4037327) established that pore-averaged self-diffusivity in the multilayer adsorption regime, where the fluid exhibits a dense film at the pore surface and a lower density interior pore region, is nearly constant as a function of loading. Here we show that this puzzling behavior can be understood in terms of how loading affects the fraction of particles that reside in the film and interior pore regions as well as their distinct dynamics. Specifically, the insensitivity of pore-averaged diffusivity to loading arises from the approximate cancellation of two factors: an increase in the fraction of particles in the higher diffusivity interior pore region with loading and a corresponding decrease in the particle diffusivity in that region. We also find that the position-dependent self-diffusivities scale with the position-dependent density. We present a model for predicting the pore-average self-diffusivity based on the position-dependent self-diffusivity, which captures the unusual characteristics of pore-averaged self-diffusivity in strongly attractive pores over several orders of magnitude.

  5. A genome scan for positive selection in thoroughbred horses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gu, Jingjing; Orr, Nick; Park, Stephen D; Katz, Lisa M; Sulimova, Galina; MacHugh, David E; Hill, Emmeline W

    2009-06-02

    Thoroughbred horses have been selected for exceptional racing performance resulting in system-wide structural and functional adaptations contributing to elite athletic phenotypes. Because selection has been recent and intense in a closed population that stems from a small number of founder animals Thoroughbreds represent a unique population within which to identify genomic contributions to exercise-related traits. Employing a population genetics-based hitchhiking mapping approach we performed a genome scan using 394 autosomal and X chromosome microsatellite loci and identified positively selected loci in the extreme tail-ends of the empirical distributions for (1) deviations from expected heterozygosity (Ewens-Watterson test) in Thoroughbred (n = 112) and (2) global differentiation among four geographically diverse horse populations (F(ST)). We found positively selected genomic regions in Thoroughbred enriched for phosphoinositide-mediated signalling (3.2-fold enrichment; PThoroughbred athletic phenotype. We report for the first time candidate athletic-performance genes within regions targeted by selection in Thoroughbred horses that are principally responsible for fatty acid oxidation, increased insulin sensitivity and muscle strength: ACSS1 (acyl-CoA synthetase short-chain family member 1), ACTA1 (actin, alpha 1, skeletal muscle), ACTN2 (actinin, alpha 2), ADHFE1 (alcohol dehydrogenase, iron containing, 1), MTFR1 (mitochondrial fission regulator 1), PDK4 (pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase, isozyme 4) and TNC (tenascin C). Understanding the genetic basis for exercise adaptation will be crucial for the identification of genes within the complex molecular networks underlying obesity and its consequential pathologies, such as type 2 diabetes. Therefore, we propose Thoroughbred as a novel in vivo large animal model for understanding molecular protection against metabolic disease.

  6. Precise position control of a helical magnetic robot in pulsatile flow using the rotating frequency of the external magnetic field

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jongyul Kim

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available We propose a position control method for a helical magnetic robot (HMR that uses the rotating frequency of the external rotating magnetic field (ERMF to minimize the position fluctuation of the HMR caused by pulsatile flow in human blood vessels. We prototyped the HMR and conducted several experiments in pseudo blood vessel environments with a peristaltic pump. We experimentally obtained the relation between the flow rate and the rotating frequency of the ERMF required to make the HMR stationary in a given pulsatile flow. Then we approximated the pulsatile flow by Fourier series and applied the required ERMF rotating frequency to the HMR in real time. Our proposed position control method drastically reduced the position fluctuation of the HMR under pulsatile flow.

  7. Video error concealment using block matching and frequency selective extrapolation algorithms

    Science.gov (United States)

    P. K., Rajani; Khaparde, Arti

    2017-06-01

    Error Concealment (EC) is a technique at the decoder side to hide the transmission errors. It is done by analyzing the spatial or temporal information from available video frames. It is very important to recover distorted video because they are used for various applications such as video-telephone, video-conference, TV, DVD, internet video streaming, video games etc .Retransmission-based and resilient-based methods, are also used for error removal. But these methods add delay and redundant data. So error concealment is the best option for error hiding. In this paper, the error concealment methods such as Block Matching error concealment algorithm is compared with Frequency Selective Extrapolation algorithm. Both the works are based on concealment of manually error video frames as input. The parameter used for objective quality measurement was PSNR (Peak Signal to Noise Ratio) and SSIM(Structural Similarity Index). The original video frames along with error video frames are compared with both the Error concealment algorithms. According to simulation results, Frequency Selective Extrapolation is showing better quality measures such as 48% improved PSNR and 94% increased SSIM than Block Matching Algorithm.

  8. Flatland Position-Dependent-Mass: Polar Coordinates, Separability and Exact Solvability

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Omar Mustafa

    2010-10-01

    Full Text Available The kinetic energy operator with position-dependent-mass in plane polar coordinates is obtained. The separability of the corresponding Schrödinger equation is discussed. A hypothetical toy model is reported and two exactly solvable examples are studied.

  9. Response to Comment on "Positive Selection of Tyrosine Loss in Metazoan Evolution"

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Tan, Chris Soon Heng; Schoof, Erwin; Creixell, Pau

    2011-01-01

    Su et al. claim guanine-cytosine (GC) content variation can largely explain the observed tyrosine frequency variation, independent of adaptive evolution of cell-signaling complexity. We found that GC content variation, in the absence of selection for amino acid changes, can only maximally account...

  10. A modified Janus cassette (Sweet Janus to improve allelic replacement efficiency by high-stringency negative selection in Streptococcus pneumoniae.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yuan Li

    Full Text Available The Janus cassette permits marker-free allelic replacement or knockout in streptomycin-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus through sequential positive and negative selection. Spontaneous revertants of Janus can lead to high level of false-positives during negative selection, which necessitate a time-consuming post-selection screening process. We hypothesized that an additional counter-selectable marker in Janus would decrease the revertant frequency and reduce false-positives, since simultaneous reversion of both counter-selectable makers is much less likely. Here we report a modified cassette, Sweet Janus (SJ, in which the sacB gene from Bacillus subtilis conferring sucrose sensitivity is added to Janus. By using streptomycin and sucrose simultaneously as selective agents, the frequency of SJ double revertants was about 105-fold lower than the frequency of Janus revertants. Accordingly, the frequency of false-positives in the SJ-mediated negative selection was about 100-fold lower than what was seen for Janus. Thus, SJ enhances negative selection stringency and can accelerate allelic replacement in pneumococcus, especially when transformation frequency is low due to strain background or suboptimal transformation conditions. Results also suggested the sacB gene alone can function as a counter-selectable marker in the Gram-positive pneumococcus, which will have the advantage of not requiring a streptomycin-resistant strain for allelic replacement.

  11. Frequency dependence of magnetic ac loss in a Roebel cable made of YBCO on a Ni-W substrate

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lakshmi, L. S.; Staines, M. P.; Badcock, R. A.; Long, N. J.; Majoros, M.; Collings, E. W.; Sumption, M. D.

    2010-08-01

    We have investigated the frequency dependent contributions to the magnetic ac loss in a 10 strand Roebel cable with 2 mm wide non-insulated strands and a transposition length of 90 mm. This cable is made from 40 mm wide YBCO coated conductor tape manufactured by AMSC and stabilized by electroplating 25 µm thick copper on either side prior to the mechanical punching of the cable strands. The measurements were carried out in both perpendicular and parallel field orientation, at frequencies in the range of 30-200 Hz. While the loss in the perpendicular orientation is predominantly hysteretic in nature, we observe some frequency dependence of the loss when the cable approaches full flux penetration at high field amplitudes. The magnitude is consistent with eddy current losses in the copper stabilization layer. This supports the fact that the inter-strand coupling loss is not significant in this frequency range. In the parallel field orientation, the hysteresis loss in the Ni-W alloy substrate dominates, but we see an unusually strong frequency dependent contribution to the loss which we attribute to intra-strand current loops.

  12. How to include frequency dependent complex permeability Into SPICE models to improve EMI filters design?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sixdenier, Fabien; Yade, Ousseynou; Martin, Christian; Bréard, Arnaud; Vollaire, Christian

    2018-05-01

    Electromagnetic interference (EMI) filters design is a rather difficult task where engineers have to choose adequate magnetic materials, design the magnetic circuit and choose the size and number of turns. The final design must achieve the attenuation requirements (constraints) and has to be as compact as possible (goal). Alternating current (AC) analysis is a powerful tool to predict global impedance or attenuation of any filter. However, AC analysis are generally performed without taking into account the frequency-dependent complex permeability behaviour of soft magnetic materials. That's why, we developed two frequency-dependent complex permeability models able to be included into SPICE models. After an identification process, the performances of each model are compared to measurements made on a realistic EMI filter prototype in common mode (CM) and differential mode (DM) to see the benefit of the approach. Simulation results are in good agreement with the measured ones especially in the middle frequency range.

  13. Frequency-Dependent Amplitude Panning for the Stereophonic Image Enhancement of Audio Recorded Using Two Closely Spaced Microphones

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chan Jun Chun

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, we propose a new frequency-dependent amplitude panning method for stereophonic image enhancement applied to a sound source recorded using two closely spaced omni-directional microphones. The ability to detect the direction of such a sound source is limited due to weak spatial information, such as the inter-channel time difference (ICTD and inter-channel level difference (ICLD. Moreover, when sound sources are recorded in a convolutive or a real room environment, the detection of sources is affected by reverberation effects. Thus, the proposed method first tries to estimate the source direction depending on the frequency using azimuth-frequency analysis. Then, a frequency-dependent amplitude panning technique is proposed to enhance the stereophonic image by modifying the stereophonic law of sines. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method, we compare its performance with that of a conventional method based on the beamforming technique in terms of directivity pattern, perceived direction, and quality degradation under three different recording conditions (anechoic, convolutive, and real reverberant. The comparison shows that the proposed method gives us better stereophonic images in a stereo loudspeaker reproduction than the conventional method without any annoying effects.

  14. Frequency dependence of magnetic shielding performance of HTS plates in mixed states

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kamitani, Atsushi; Yokono, Takafumi; Yokono, Takafumi

    2000-01-01

    The magnetic shielding performance of the high-Tc superconducting (HTS) plate is investigated numerically. The behavior of the shielding current density in the HTS plate is expressed as the integral-differential equation with a normal component of the current vector potential as a dependent variable. The numerical code for solving the equation has been developed by using the combination of the Newton-Raphson method and the successive substitution method and, by use of the code, damping coefficients and shielding factors are evaluated for the various values of the frequency ω. The results of computations show that the HTS plate has a possibility of shielding the high-frequency magnetic field with ω > or approx. 1 kHz. (author)

  15. Frequency dependence of magnetic shielding performance of HTS plates in mixed states

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kamitani, Atsushi; Yokono, Takafumi [Yamagata Univ., Yonezawa (Japan). Faculty of Engineering; Yokono, Takafumi [Tsukuba Univ., Ibaraki (Japan). Inst. of Information Sciences and Electronics

    2000-06-01

    The magnetic shielding performance of the high-Tc superconducting (HTS) plate is investigated numerically. The behavior of the shielding current density in the HTS plate is expressed as the integral-differential equation with a normal component of the current vector potential as a dependent variable. The numerical code for solving the equation has been developed by using the combination of the Newton-Raphson method and the successive substitution method and, by use of the code, damping coefficients and shielding factors are evaluated for the various values of the frequency {omega}. The results of computations show that the HTS plate has a possibility of shielding the high-frequency magnetic field with {omega} > or approx. 1 kHz. (author)

  16. Novel strategies in feedforward adaptation to a position-dependent perturbation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hinder, Mark R; Milner, Theodore E

    2005-08-01

    To investigate the control mechanisms used in adapting to position-dependent forces, subjects performed 150 horizontal reaching movements over 25 cm in the presence of a position-dependent parabolic force field (PF). The PF acted only over the first 10 cm of the movement. On every fifth trial, a virtual mechanical guide (double wall) constrained subjects to move along a straight-line path between the start and target positions. Its purpose was to register lateral force to track formation of an internal model of the force field, and to look for evidence of possible alternative adaptive strategies. The force field produced a force to the right, which initially caused subjects to deviate in that direction. They reacted by producing deviations to the left, "into" the force field, as early as the second trial. Further adaptation resulted in rapid exponential reduction of kinematic error in the latter portion of the movement, where the greatest perturbation to the handpath was initially observed, whereas there was little modification of the handpath in the region where the PF was active. Significant force directed to counteract the PF was measured on the first guided trial, and was modified during the first half of the learning set. The total force impulse in the region of the PF increased throughout the learning trials, but it always remained less than that produced by the PF. The force profile did not resemble a mirror image of the PF in that it tended to be more trapezoidal than parabolic in shape. As in previous studies of force-field adaptation, we found that changes in muscle activation involved a general increase in the activity of all muscles, which increased arm stiffness, and selectively-greater increases in the activation of muscles which counteracted the PF. With training, activation was exponentially reduced, albeit more slowly than kinematic error. Progressive changes in kinematics and EMG occurred predominantly in the region of the workspace beyond the

  17. Objective selection of EEG late potentials through residual dependence estimation of independent components

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Milanesi, M; James, C J; Martini, N; Menicucci, D; Gemignani, A; Ghelarducci, B; Landini, L

    2009-01-01

    This paper presents a novel method to objectively select electroencephalographic (EEG) cortical sources estimated by independent component analysis (ICA) in event-related potential (ERP) studies. A proximity measure based on mutual information is employed to estimate residual dependences of the components that are then hierarchically clustered based on these residual dependences. Next, the properties of each group of components are evaluated at each level of the hierarchical tree by two indices that aim to assess both cluster tightness and physiological reliability through a template matching process. These two indices are combined in three different approaches to bring to light the hierarchical structure of the cluster organizations. Our method is tested on a set of experiments with the purpose of enhancing late positive ERPs elicited by emotional picture stimuli. Results suggest that the best way to look for physiologically plausible late positive potential (LPP) sources is to explore in depth the tightness of those clusters that, taken together, best resemble the template. According to our results, after brain sources clustering, LPPs are always identified more accurately than from ensemble-averaged raw data. Since the late components of an ERP involve the same associative areas, regardless of the modality of stimulation or specific tasks administered, the proposed method can be simply adapted to other ERP studies, and extended from psychophysiological studies to pathological or sport training evaluation support

  18. Analytical Solution for Elliptical Cloaks Based on The Frequency Selective Surface

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    E. Ghasemi Mizuji

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available In this paper the elliptical dielectric cylinder which is covered with FSS cloak is considered. Frequency selective surface cloak which Alu named it mantle cloak is one of the recent techniques for cloaking. In this method an appropriate FSS can act as cloaking device for suppressing  the scattering of object  in the desired frequency. With using this method the dimension of the cloaks is extremely reduced. By this proposed structure, the RCS of elliptical cylinder  is reduced about 10-20 dB and designed cloak has an appropriate performance.  The analytical solution for the wave in each layer is presented and with using simulation, the electric field and the scattering pattern has been drawn.

  19. Frequency dependence of anomalous transport in field theory and holography⋆,⋆⋆

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Megías Eugenio

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available We study the frequency dependence of anomalous transport coefficients for a relativistic gas of free chiral fermions and for a strongly coupled conformal field theory with holographic dual. We perform the computation by using the Kubo formulae for- malism, and compare with a hydrodynamic calculation of two point functions. Some implications for heavy ion physics are discussed.

  20. Frequency dependence and passive drains in fish-eye lenses

    Science.gov (United States)

    Quevedo-Teruel, O.; Mitchell-Thomas, R. C.; Hao, Y.

    2012-11-01

    The Maxwell fish eye lens has previously been reported as being capable of the much sought after phenomenon of subwavelength imaging. The inclusion of a drain in this system is considered crucial to the imaging ability, although its role is the topic of much debate. This paper provides a numerical investigation into a practical implementation of a drain in such systems, and analyzes the strong frequency dependence of both the Maxwell fish eye lens and an alternative, the Miñano lens. The imaging capability of these types of lens is questioned, and it is supported by simulations involving various configurations of drain arrays. Finally, a discussion of the near-field and evanescent wave contribution is given.

  1. On the frequency dependence of the otoacoustic emission latency in hypoacoustic and normal ears

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sisto, R.; Moleti, A.

    2002-01-01

    Experimental measurements of the otoacoustic emission (OAE) latency of adult subjects have been obtained, as a function of frequency, by means of wavelet time-frequency analysis based on the iterative application of filter banks. The results are in agreement with previous OAE latency measurements by Tognola et al. [Hear. Res. 106, 112-122 (1997)], as regards both the latency values and the frequency dependence, and seem to be incompatible with the steep 1/f law that is predicted by scale-invariant full cochlear models. The latency-frequency relationship has been best fitted to a linear function of the cochlear physical distance, using the Greenwood map, and to an exponential function of the cochlear distance, for comparison with derived band ABR latency measurements. Two sets of ears [94 audiometrically normal and 42 impaired with high-frequency (f>3 kHz) hearing loss] have been separately analyzed. Significantly larger average latencies were found in the impaired ears in the mid-frequency range. Theoretical implications of these findings on the transmission of the traveling wave are discussed.

  2. 38 CFR 3.30 - Frequency of payment of improved pension and parents' dependency and indemnity compensation (DIC).

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... improved pension and parents' dependency and indemnity compensation (DIC). 3.30 Section 3.30 Pensions... Dependency and Indemnity Compensation General § 3.30 Frequency of payment of improved pension and parents' dependency and indemnity compensation (DIC). Payment shall be made as shown in paragraphs (a), (b), (c), (d...

  3. Enteric Micromotor Can Selectively Position and Spontaneously Propel in the Gastrointestinal Tract.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Jinxing; Thamphiwatana, Soracha; Liu, Wenjuan; Esteban-Fernández de Ávila, Berta; Angsantikul, Pavimol; Sandraz, Elodie; Wang, Jianxing; Xu, Tailin; Soto, Fernando; Ramez, Valentin; Wang, Xiaolei; Gao, Weiwei; Zhang, Liangfang; Wang, Joseph

    2016-09-22

    The gastrointestinal (GI) tract, which hosts hundreds of bacteria species, becomes the most exciting organ for the emerging microbiome research. Some of these GI microbes are hostile and cause a variety of diseases. These bacteria colonize in different segments of the GI tract dependent on the local physicochemical and biological factors. Therefore, selectively locating therapeutic or imaging agents to specific GI segments is of significant importance for studying gut microbiome and treating various GI-related diseases. Herein, we demonstrate an enteric micromotor system capable of precise positioning and controllable retention in desired segments of the GI tract. These motors, consisting of magnesium-based tubular micromotors coated with an enteric polymer layer, act as a robust nanobiotechnology tool for site-specific GI delivery. The micromotors can deliver payload to a particular location via dissolution of their enteric coating to activate their propulsion at the target site toward localized tissue penetration and retention.

  4. Widespread signatures of positive selection in common risk alleles associated to autism spectrum disorder.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Renato Polimanti

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available The human brain is the outcome of innumerable evolutionary processes; the systems genetics of psychiatric disorders could bear their signatures. On this basis, we analyzed five psychiatric disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorder (ASD, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, and schizophrenia (SCZ, using GWAS summary statistics from the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium. Machine learning-derived scores were used to investigate two natural-selection scenarios: complete selection (loci where a selected allele reached fixation and incomplete selection (loci where a selected allele has not yet reached fixation. ASD GWAS results positively correlated with incomplete-selection (p = 3.53*10-4. Variants with ASD GWAS p<0.1 were shown to have a 19%-increased probability to be in the top-5% for incomplete-selection score (OR = 1.19, 95%CI = 1.11-1.8, p = 9.56*10-7. Investigating the effect directions of minor alleles, we observed an enrichment for positive associations in SNPs with ASD GWAS p<0.1 and top-5% incomplete-selection score (permutation p<10-4. Considering the set of these ASD-positive-associated variants, we observed gene-expression enrichments for brain and pituitary tissues (p = 2.3*10-5 and p = 3*10-5, respectively and 53 gene ontology (GO enrichments, such as nervous system development (GO:0007399, p = 7.57*10-12, synapse organization (GO:0050808, p = 8.29*10-7, and axon guidance (GO:0007411, p = 1.81*10-7. Previous genetic studies demonstrated that ASD positively correlates with childhood intelligence, college completion, and years of schooling. Accordingly, we hypothesize that certain ASD risk alleles were under positive selection during human evolution due to their involvement in neurogenesis and cognitive ability.

  5. Fermionic particles with position-dependent mass in the presence of ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Approximate solutions of the Dirac equation with position-dependent mass are presented for the inversely quadratic Yukawa potential and Coulomb-like tensor interaction by using the asymptotic iteration method. The energy eigenvalues and the corresponding normalized eigenfunctions are obtained in the case of ...

  6. Dependence of the colored frequency noise in spin torque oscillators on current and magnetic field

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eklund, Anders; Bonetti, Stefano; Sani, Sohrab R.; Majid Mohseni, S.; Persson, Johan; Chung, Sunjae; Amir Hossein Banuazizi, S.; Iacocca, Ezio; Östling, Mikael; Åkerman, Johan; Gunnar Malm, B.

    2014-03-01

    The nano-scale spin torque oscillator (STO) is a compelling device for on-chip, highly tunable microwave frequency signal generation. Currently, one of the most important challenges for the STO is to increase its longer-time frequency stability by decreasing the 1/f frequency noise, but its high level makes even its measurement impossible using the phase noise mode of spectrum analyzers. Here, we present a custom made time-domain measurement system with 150 MHz measurement bandwidth making possible the investigation of the variation of the 1/f as well as the white frequency noise in a STO over a large set of operating points covering 18-25 GHz. The 1/f level is found to be highly dependent on the oscillation amplitude-frequency non-linearity and the vicinity of unexcited oscillation modes. These findings elucidate the need for a quantitative theoretical treatment of the low-frequency, colored frequency noise in STOs. Based on the results, we suggest that the 1/f frequency noise possibly can be decreased by improving the microstructural quality of the metallic thin films.

  7. Dependence of the colored frequency noise in spin torque oscillators on current and magnetic field

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Eklund, Anders; Sani, Sohrab R.; Chung, Sunjae; Amir Hossein Banuazizi, S.; Östling, Mikael; Gunnar Malm, B.; Bonetti, Stefano; Majid Mohseni, S.; Persson, Johan; Iacocca, Ezio; Åkerman, Johan

    2014-01-01

    The nano-scale spin torque oscillator (STO) is a compelling device for on-chip, highly tunable microwave frequency signal generation. Currently, one of the most important challenges for the STO is to increase its longer-time frequency stability by decreasing the 1/f frequency noise, but its high level makes even its measurement impossible using the phase noise mode of spectrum analyzers. Here, we present a custom made time-domain measurement system with 150 MHz measurement bandwidth making possible the investigation of the variation of the 1/f as well as the white frequency noise in a STO over a large set of operating points covering 18–25 GHz. The 1/f level is found to be highly dependent on the oscillation amplitude-frequency non-linearity and the vicinity of unexcited oscillation modes. These findings elucidate the need for a quantitative theoretical treatment of the low-frequency, colored frequency noise in STOs. Based on the results, we suggest that the 1/f frequency noise possibly can be decreased by improving the microstructural quality of the metallic thin films

  8. Frequency dependent power fluctuations: a feature of the ESR system or physical?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Y. Ogawa

    Full Text Available The k-dependence of the received power in high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR conditions, occurring for naturally enhanced ion-acoustic lines (NEIALs and for real satellites, is investigated by using the EISCAT Svalbard Radar (ESR, where the data are recorded in eight separate channels using different frequencies. For the real satellites we find large variations of the relative powers from event to event, which is probably due to a different number of pulses catching the satellite over the integration period. However, the large power difference remains unexpected in one case. Over short time scale (< 10 s the relative power difference seems to be highly stable. For most NEIAL events the differences between channels are within noise level. In a few cases variations of the relative power well above both the estimated and expected 1-sigma level occur over a signal preintegrated profile. We thus suggest that the frequency dependence of the power in NEIAL events has its origin in the scattering medium itself as the most plausible explanation.

    Key words: Ionosphere (auroral ionosphere; plasma waves and instabilities; instruments and techniques

  9. Frequency dependent power fluctuations: a feature of the ESR system or physical?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Y. Ogawa

    2000-09-01

    Full Text Available The k-dependence of the received power in high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR conditions, occurring for naturally enhanced ion-acoustic lines (NEIALs and for real satellites, is investigated by using the EISCAT Svalbard Radar (ESR, where the data are recorded in eight separate channels using different frequencies. For the real satellites we find large variations of the relative powers from event to event, which is probably due to a different number of pulses catching the satellite over the integration period. However, the large power difference remains unexpected in one case. Over short time scale (< 10 s the relative power difference seems to be highly stable. For most NEIAL events the differences between channels are within noise level. In a few cases variations of the relative power well above both the estimated and expected 1-sigma level occur over a signal preintegrated profile. We thus suggest that the frequency dependence of the power in NEIAL events has its origin in the scattering medium itself as the most plausible explanation.Key words: Ionosphere (auroral ionosphere; plasma waves and instabilities; instruments and techniques

  10. Dose-dependent EEG effects of zolpidem provide evidence for GABA(A) receptor subtype selectivity in vivo.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Visser, S A G; Wolters, F L C; van der Graaf, P H; Peletier, L A; Danhof, M

    2003-03-01

    Zolpidem is a nonbenzodiazepine GABA(A) receptor modulator that binds in vitro with high affinity to GABA(A) receptors expressing alpha(1) subunits but with relatively low affinity to receptors expressing alpha(2), alpha(3), and alpha(5) subunits. In the present study, it was investigated whether this subtype selectivity could be detected and quantified in vivo. Three doses (1.25, 5, and 25 mg) of zolpidem were administered to rats in an intravenous infusion over 5 min. The time course of the plasma concentrations was determined in conjunction with the change in the beta-frequency range of the EEG as pharmacodynamic endpoint. The concentration-effect relationship of the three doses showed a dose-dependent maximum effect and a dose-dependent potency. The data were analyzed for one- or two-site binding using two pharmacodynamic models based on 1) the descriptive model and 2) a novel mechanism-based pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) model for GABA(A) receptor modulators that aims to separates drug- and system-specific properties, thereby allowing the estimation of in vivo affinity and efficacy. The application of two-site models significantly improved the fits compared with one-site models. Furthermore, in contrast to the descriptive model, the mechanism-based PK/PD model yielded dose-independent estimates for affinity (97 +/- 40 and 33,100 +/- 14,800 ng x ml(-1)). In conclusion, the mechanism-based PK/PD model is able to describe and explain the observed dose-dependent EEG effects of zolpidem and suggests the subtype selectivity of zolpidem in vivo.

  11. Autobiographical Memory Performance in Alzheimer's Disease Depends on Retrieval Frequency.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Müller, Stephan; Mychajliw, Christian; Reichert, Carolin; Melcher, Tobias; Leyhe, Thomas

    2016-04-18

    Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by memory disturbances primarily caused by pathogenic mechanisms affecting medial temporal lobe structures. As proposed by current theories of memory formation, this decrease is mediated by the age of the acquired knowledge. However, they cannot fully explain specific patterns of retrograde amnesia in AD. In the current study we examined an alternative approach and investigated whether the extent and severity of retrograde amnesia in AD is mediated by the frequency of memory retrieval or whether it depends on the mere age of knowledge. We compared recall of autobiographical incidents from three life periods in patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI), patients with early dementia of Alzheimer type (eDAT), and healthy control (HC) individuals using the Autobiographical Memory Interview. Retrieval frequency was operationalized by a paired comparison analysis. In contrast to HC individuals, recall of autobiographical incidents was impaired in patients with aMCI and eDAT following Ribot's gradient, with a reduced memory loss for remote compared to more recent life events. However, there was a strong effect of retrieval frequency on memory performance with frequently retrieved incidents memorized in more detail than less frequently retrieved episodes. Remote memories were recalled more often than recent ones. These findings suggest that more frequently retrieved autobiographical memories generally become more independent of the hippocampal complex and might thus be better protected against early hippocampal damage related to AD. Hence, the extent of retrograde amnesia in AD appears mainly mediated by the frequency of memory retrieval, which could plausibly explain why cognitive activity can effectively delay the onset of memory decline in AD.

  12. Selective maintenance for multi-state series–parallel systems under economic dependence

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dao, Cuong D.; Zuo, Ming J.; Pandey, Mayank

    2014-01-01

    This paper presents a study on selective maintenance for multi-state series–parallel systems with economically dependent components. In the selective maintenance problem, the maintenance manager has to decide which components should receive maintenance activities within a finite break between missions. All the system reliabilities in the next operating mission, the available budget and the maintenance time for each component from its current state to a higher state are taken into account in the optimization models. In addition, the components in series–parallel systems are considered to be economically dependent. Time and cost savings will be achieved when several components are simultaneously repaired in a selective maintenance strategy. As the number of repaired components increases, the saved time and cost will also increase due to the share of setting up between components and another additional reduction amount resulting from the repair of multiple identical components. Different optimization models are derived to find the best maintenance strategy for multi-state series–parallel systems. A genetic algorithm is used to solve the optimization models. The decision makers may select different components to be repaired to different working states based on the maintenance objective, resource availabilities and how dependent the repair time and cost of each component are

  13. GENERAL APROACH TO MODELING NONLINEAR AMPLITUDE AND FREQUENCY DEPENDENT HYSTERESIS EFFECTS BASED ON EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Christopher Heine

    2014-08-01

    Full Text Available A detailed description of the rubber parts’ properties is gaining in importance in the current simulation models of multi-body simulation. One application example is a multi-body simulation of the washing machine movement. Inside the washing machine, there are different force transmission elements, which consist completely or partly of rubber. Rubber parts or, generally, elastomers usually have amplitude-dependant and frequency-dependent force transmission properties. Rheological models are used to describe these properties. A method for characterization of the amplitude and frequency dependence of such a rheological model is presented within this paper. Within this method, the used rheological model can be reduced or expanded in order to illustrate various non-linear effects. An original result is given with the automated parameter identification. It is fully implemented in Matlab. Such identified rheological models are intended for subsequent implementation in a multi-body model. This allows a significant enhancement of the overall model quality.

  14. Evidence for positive selection in putative virulence factors within the Paracoccidioides brasiliensis species complex.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Daniel R Matute

    Full Text Available Paracoccidioides brasiliensis is a dimorphic fungus that is the causative agent of paracoccidioidomycosis, the most important prevalent systemic mycosis in Latin America. Recently, the existence of three genetically isolated groups in P. brasiliensis was demonstrated, enabling comparative studies of molecular evolution among P. brasiliensis lineages. Thirty-two gene sequences coding for putative virulence factors were analyzed to determine whether they were under positive selection. Our maximum likelihood-based approach yielded evidence for selection in 12 genes that are involved in different cellular processes. An in-depth analysis of four of these genes showed them to be either antigenic or involved in pathogenesis. Here, we present evidence indicating that several replacement mutations in gp43 are under positive balancing selection. The other three genes (fks, cdc42 and p27 show very little variation among the P. brasiliensis lineages and appear to be under positive directional selection. Our results are consistent with the more general observations that selective constraints are variable across the genome, and that even in the genes under positive selection, only a few sites are altered. We present our results within an evolutionary framework that may be applicable for studying adaptation and pathogenesis in P. brasiliensis and other pathogenic fungi.

  15. Filter frequency response of time dependent signal using Laplace transform

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shestakov, Aleksei I. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

    2018-01-16

    We analyze the effect a filter has on a time dependent signal x(t). If X(s) is the Laplace transform of x and H (s) is the filter Transfer function, the response in frequency space is X (s) H (s). Consequently, in real space, the response is the convolution (x*h) (t), where hi is the Laplace inverse of H. Effects are analyzed and analytically for functions such as (t/tc)2 e-t/t$_c$, where tc = const. We consider lowpass, highpass and bandpass filters.

  16. Diversity Techniques for Single-Carrier Packet Retransmissions over Frequency-Selective Channels

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Assimi Abdel-Nasser

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available In data packet communication systems over multipath frequency-selective channels, hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ protocols are usually used in order to ensure data reliability. For single-carrier packet transmission in slow fading environment, an identical retransmission of the same packet, due to a decoding failure, does not fully exploit the available time diversity in retransmission-based HARQ protocols. In this paper, we compare two transmit diversity techniques, namely, cyclic frequency-shift diversity and bit-interleaving diversity. Both techniques can be integrated in the HARQ scheme in order to improve the performance of the joint detector. Their performance in terms of pairwise error probability is investigated using maximum likelihood detection and decoding. The impact of the channel memory and the modulation order on the performance gain is emphasized. In practice, we use low complexity linear filter-based equalization which can be efficiently implemented in the frequency domain. The use of iterative equalization and decoding is also considered. The performance gain in terms of frame error rate and data throughput is evaluated by numerical simulations.

  17. Frequency-Dependent Disease Transmission and the Dynamics of the Silene-Ustilago Host-Pathogen System

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Thrall, P.H.; Biere, A.; Uyenoyama, M.K.

    1995-01-01

    Models incorporating density-dependent disease transmission functions generally provide a good fit for airborne and directly transmitted bacterial or viral diseases. However, the transmission dynamics of sexually transmitted and vector-borne diseases are likely to be frequency- rather than density-

  18. Movement reveals scale dependence in habitat selection of a large ungulate

    Science.gov (United States)

    Northrup, Joseph; Anderson, Charles R.; Hooten, Mevin B.; Wittemyer, George

    2016-01-01

    Ecological processes operate across temporal and spatial scales. Anthropogenic disturbances impact these processes, but examinations of scale dependence in impacts are infrequent. Such examinations can provide important insight to wildlife–human interactions and guide management efforts to reduce impacts. We assessed spatiotemporal scale dependence in habitat selection of mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) in the Piceance Basin of Colorado, USA, an area of ongoing natural gas development. We employed a newly developed animal movement method to assess habitat selection across scales defined using animal-centric spatiotemporal definitions ranging from the local (defined from five hour movements) to the broad (defined from weekly movements). We extended our analysis to examine variation in scale dependence between night and day and assess functional responses in habitat selection patterns relative to the density of anthropogenic features. Mule deer displayed scale invariance in the direction of their response to energy development features, avoiding well pads and the areas closest to roads at all scales, though with increasing strength of avoidance at coarser scales. Deer displayed scale-dependent responses to most other habitat features, including land cover type and habitat edges. Selection differed between night and day at the finest scales, but homogenized as scale increased. Deer displayed functional responses to development, with deer inhabiting the least developed ranges more strongly avoiding development relative to those with more development in their ranges. Energy development was a primary driver of habitat selection patterns in mule deer, structuring their behaviors across all scales examined. Stronger avoidance at coarser scales suggests that deer behaviorally mediated their interaction with development, but only to a degree. At higher development densities than seen in this area, such mediation may not be possible and thus maintenance of sufficient

  19. A multidimensional multigroup diffusion model for the determination of the frequency-dependent field of view of a neutron detector

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    van der Hagen, T.H.J.J.; Hoogenboom, J.E.; van Dam, H.

    1992-01-01

    This paper reports on the sensitivity of a neutron detector to parametric fluctuations in the core of a reactor which depends on the position and the frequency of the perturbation. The basic neutron diffusion model for the calculation of this so-called field of view (FOV) of the detector is extended with respect to the dimensionality of the problem and the number of energy groups involved. The physical meaning of the FOV concept is illustrated by means of some simple examples, which can be handled analytically. The possibility of calculating the FOV by a conventional neutron diffusion code is demonstrated. In that case, the calculation in n neutron energy groups leads to 2n modified neutron diffusion equations

  20. Examination of Signatures of Recent Positive Selection on Genes Involved in Human Sialic Acid Biology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moon, Jiyun M; Aronoff, David M; Capra, John A; Abbot, Patrick; Rokas, Antonis

    2018-03-28

    Sialic acids are nine carbon sugars ubiquitously found on the surfaces of vertebrate cells and are involved in various immune response-related processes. In humans, at least 58 genes spanning diverse functions, from biosynthesis and activation to recycling and degradation, are involved in sialic acid biology. Because of their role in immunity, sialic acid biology genes have been hypothesized to exhibit elevated rates of evolutionary change. Consistent with this hypothesis, several genes involved in sialic acid biology have experienced higher rates of non-synonymous substitutions in the human lineage than their counterparts in other great apes, perhaps in response to ancient pathogens that infected hominins millions of years ago (paleopathogens). To test whether sialic acid biology genes have also experienced more recent positive selection during the evolution of the modern human lineage, reflecting adaptation to contemporary cosmopolitan or geographically-restricted pathogens, we examined whether their protein-coding regions showed evidence of recent hard and soft selective sweeps. This examination involved the calculation of four measures that quantify changes in allele frequency spectra, extent of population differentiation, and haplotype homozygosity caused by recent hard and soft selective sweeps for 55 sialic acid biology genes using publicly available whole genome sequencing data from 1,668 humans from three ethnic groups. To disentangle evidence for selection from confounding demographic effects, we compared the observed patterns in sialic acid biology genes to simulated sequences of the same length under a model of neutral evolution that takes into account human demographic history. We found that the patterns of genetic variation of most sialic acid biology genes did not significantly deviate from neutral expectations and were not significantly different among genes belonging to different functional categories. Those few sialic acid biology genes that

  1. Age-Dependent Positivity-Bias in Children’s Processing of Emotion Terms

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Daniela Bahn

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available Emotions play an important role in human communication, and the daily-life interactions of young children often include situations that require the verbalization of emotional states with verbal means, e.g., with emotion terms. Through them, one can express own emotional states and those of others. Thus, the acquisition of emotion terms allows children to participate more intensively in social contexts – a basic requirement for learning new words and for elaborating socio-emotional skills. However, little is known about how children acquire and process this specific word category, which is positioned between concrete and abstract words. In particular, the influence of valence on emotion word processing during childhood has not been sufficiently investigated. Previous research points to an advantage of positive words over negative and neutral words in word processing. While previous studies found valence effects to be influenced by factors such as arousal, frequency, concreteness, and task, it is still unclear if and how valence effects are also modified by age. The present study compares the performance of children aged from 5 to 12 years and adults in two experimental tasks: lexical decision (word or pseudoword and emotional categorization (positive or negative. Stimuli consisted of 48 German emotion terms (24 positive and 24 negative matched for arousal, concreteness, age of acquisition, word class, word length, morphological complexity, frequency, and neighborhood density. Results from both tasks reveal two developmental trends: First, with increasing age children responded faster and more correctly, suggesting that emotion vocabulary gradually becomes more stable and differentiated during middle childhood. Second, the influence of valence varied with age: younger children (5- and 6-year-olds showed significantly higher performance levels for positive emotion terms compared to negative emotion terms, whereas older children and adults did not

  2. Frequency-dependent squeeze-amplitude attenuation and squeeze-angle rotation by electromagnetically induced transparency for gravitational-wave interferometers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mikhailov, Eugeniy E.; Goda, Keisuke; Corbitt, Thomas; Mavalvala, Nergis

    2006-01-01

    We study the effects of frequency-dependent squeeze-amplitude attenuation and squeeze-angle rotation by electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) on gravitational-wave (GW) interferometers. We propose the use of low-pass, bandpass, and high-pass EIT filters, an S-shaped EIT filter, and an intracavity EIT filter to generate frequency-dependent squeezing for injection into the antisymmetric port of GW interferometers. We find that the EIT filters have several advantages over the previous filter designs with regard to optical losses, compactness, and the tunability of the filter linewidth

  3. Dependence of the transference of a reduced eye on frequency of light*

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    T. Evans

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available In Gaussian optics the transference is a matrix that is a complete representation of the effects of the system on a ray traversing it. Almost all of the familiar optical properties of the system, such asrefractive error and power of the system, can be calculated from the transference. Because of the central importance of the transference it is useful to have some idea of how it depends on the frequencyof light. This paper examines the simplest model eye, the reduced eye. The dependence of the transference is calculated in terms of both frequency andwavelength of light and both dependencies are displayed graphically. The principal matrix logarithms are also calculated and displayed graphically. Chromatic difference in refractive compensation, power and ametropia are obtained for the reduced eye from the transferences.  (S Afr Optom 2011 70(4 149-155

  4. Monitoring cure of composite resins using frequency dependent electromagnetic sensing techniques

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kranbuehl, D. E.; Hoff, M. S.; Loos, A. C.; Freeman, W. T., Jr.; Eichinger, D. A.

    1988-01-01

    A nondestructive in situ measurement technique has been developed for monitoring and measuring the cure processing properties of composite resins. Frequency dependent electromagnetic sensors (FDEMS) were used to directly measure resin viscosity during cure. The effects of the cure cycle and resin aging on the viscosity during cure were investigated using the sensor. Viscosity measurements obtained using the sensor are compared with the viscosities calculated by the Loos-Springer cure process model. Good overall agreement was obtained except for the aged resin samples.

  5. Probing the Jet Turnover Frequency Dependence on Mass and Mass Accretion Rate

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hammerstein, Erica; Gültekin, Kayhan; King, Ashley

    2018-01-01

    We have examined a sample of 15 sub-Eddington supermassive black holes (SMBHs) in a variety of galaxy classifications to further understand the proposed fundamental plane of black hole activity and scaling relations between black hole masses and their radio and X-ray luminosities. This plane describes black holes from stellar-mass to supermassive. The physics probed by these sub-Eddington systems is thought to be a radiatively inefficient, jet-dominated accretion flow. By studying black holes in this regime, we can learn important information on the disk-jet connection for accreting black holes.A key factor in studying the fundamental plane is the turnover frequency — the frequency at which emission transitions from optically thick at lower frequencies to optically thin at higher frequencies. This turnover point can be measured by observing the source in both radio and X-ray. Our project aims to test the dependence of the turnover frequency on mass and mass accretion rate.Radio observations of the sample were obtained using the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) in the range of 5-40 GHz across four different frequency bands in A configuration to give the highest spatial resolution to focus on the core emission. Our carefully chosen sample of SMBHs with dynamically measured masses consists of two sub-samples: those with approximately constant mass accretion rate (LX/LEdd ~ 10‑7) and those with approximately constant mass (MBH ~ 108 Msun). X-ray data were obtained from archival Chandra observations. To find the turnover frequency, we used Markov Chain Monte Carlo methods to fit two power laws to the radio data and the archival X-ray data. The intersection of the radio and X-ray fits is the turnover frequency.We present the results for both subsamples of SMBHs and their relationship between the turnover frequency and X-ray luminosity, which we take to scale with mass accretion rate, and jet power derived from both radio and X-ray properties.

  6. Advances in high frequency ultrasound separation of particulates from biomass.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Juliano, Pablo; Augustin, Mary Ann; Xu, Xin-Qing; Mawson, Raymond; Knoerzer, Kai

    2017-03-01

    In recent years the use of high frequency ultrasound standing waves (megasonics) for droplet or cell separation from biomass has emerged beyond the microfluidics scale into the litre to industrial scale applications. The principle for this separation technology relies on the differential positioning of individual droplets or particles across an ultrasonic standing wave field within the reactor and subsequent biomass material predisposition for separation via rapid droplet agglomeration or coalescence into larger entities. Large scale transducers have been characterised with sonochemiluminescence and hydrophones to enable better reactor designs. High frequency enhanced separation technology has been demonstrated at industrial scale for oil recovery in the palm oil industry and at litre scale to assist olive oil, coconut oil and milk fat separation. Other applications include algal cell dewatering and milk fat globule fractionation. Frequency selection depends on the material properties and structure in the biomass mixture. Higher frequencies (1 and 2MHz) have proven preferable for better separation of materials with smaller sized droplets such as milk fat globules. For palm oil and olive oil, separation has been demonstrated within the 400-600kHz region, which has high radical production, without detectable impact on product quality. Crown Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  7. Frequency-selective near-field radiative heat transfer between photonic crystal slabs: a computational approach for arbitrary geometries and materials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rodriguez, Alejandro W; Ilic, Ognjen; Bermel, Peter; Celanovic, Ivan; Joannopoulos, John D; Soljačić, Marin; Johnson, Steven G

    2011-09-09

    We demonstrate the possibility of achieving enhanced frequency-selective near-field radiative heat transfer between patterned (photonic-crystal) slabs at designable frequencies and separations, exploiting a general numerical approach for computing heat transfer in arbitrary geometries and materials based on the finite-difference time-domain method. Our simulations reveal a tradeoff between selectivity and near-field enhancement as the slab-slab separation decreases, with the patterned heat transfer eventually reducing to the unpatterned result multiplied by a fill factor (described by a standard proximity approximation). We also find that heat transfer can be further enhanced at selective frequencies when the slabs are brought into a glide-symmetric configuration, a consequence of the degeneracies associated with the nonsymmorphic symmetry group.

  8. Importance of frequency dependent magnetoresistance measurements in analysing the intrinsicality of magnetodielectric effect: A case study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rai, Hari Mohan; Saxena, Shailendra K.; Mishra, Vikash; Kumar, Rajesh; Sagdeo, P. R.

    2017-08-01

    Magnetodielectric (MD) materials have attracted considerable attention due to their intriguing physics and potential future applications. However, the intrinsicality of the MD effect is always a major concern in such materials as the MD effect may arise also due to the MR (magnetoresistance) effect. In the present case study, we report an experimental approach to analyse and separate the intrinsic and MR dominated contributions of the MD phenomenon. For this purpose, polycrystalline samples of LaGa1-xAxO3 (A = Mn/Fe) have been prepared by solid state reaction method. The purity of their structural phase (orthorhombic) has been validated by refining the X-ray diffraction data. The RTMD (room temperature MD) response has been recorded over a frequency range of 20 Hz to 10 MHz. In order to analyse the intrinsicality of the MD effect, FDMR (frequency dependent MR) by means of IS (impedance spectroscopy) and dc MR measurements in four probe geometry have been carried out at RT. A significant RTMD effect has been observed in selected Mn/Fe doped LaGaO3 (LGO) compositions. The mechanism of MR free/intrinsic MD effect, observed in Mn/Fe doped LGO, has been understood speculatively in terms of modified cell volume associated with the reorientation/retransformation of spin-coupled Mn/Fe orbitals due to the application of magnetic field. The present analysis suggests that in order to justify the intrinsic/resistive origin of the MD phenomenon, FDMR measurements are more useful than measuring only dc MR or analysing the trends of magnetic field dependent change in the dielectric constant and tanδ. On the basis of the present case study, we propose that IS (FDMR) alone can be used as an effective experimental tool to detect and analyse the resistive and intrinsic parts contributing to the MD phenomenon.

  9. Microwave frequency dependence of the properties of the ion beam extracted from a CAPRICE type ECRIS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Maimone, F.; Tinschert, K.; Spaedtke, P.; Maeder, J.; Rossbach, J.; Lang, R.; Celona, L.

    2012-01-01

    In order to improve the quality of ion beams extracted from ECR ion sources it is mandatory to better understand the relations between the plasma conditions and the beam properties. The present investigations concentrate on the analysis of different beam properties under the influence of various applications of frequency tuning and of multiple frequency heating. The changes in the microwave frequency feeding the plasma affect the electromagnetic field distribution and the dimension and position of the ECR surface inside the plasma chamber. This in turn has an influence on the generation of the extracted ion beam in terms of intensity, shape and emittance. In order to analyze the corresponding effects, measurements have been performed with the CAPRICE-Type ECRIS installed at the ECR Injector Setup (EIS) of GSI. The experimental setup uses a microwave sweep generator which feeds a TWTA (Traveling Wave Tube Amplifier) covering a wide frequency range from 12.5 to 16.5 GHz. This arrangement provides a precise determination of the frequencies and of the reflection coefficient along with the beam properties and it confirms again how the frequency and the corresponding electromagnetic field feeding the plasma affects the ECRIS performances. A sequence of viewing targets positioned inside the beam line monitors the beam shape evolution. The paper is followed by the associated poster

  10. Selective decentralized underfrequency protection. Load shedding depending on underfrequency; Selektiver dezentraler Unterfrequenzschutz. Unterfrequenzabhaengiger Lastabwurf

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Worgull, Alexander; Horenkamp, Willi; Kaliwoda, Michael; Rehtanz, Christian [Technische Univ. Dortmund (Germany). Inst. fuer Energiesysteme, Energieeffizienz und Energiewirtschaft

    2013-03-11

    In the case of major disruptions, the underfrequency depending load shedding serves to restore the performance balance between generation and consumption. If a switching off of electrical consumers due to an actual underfrequency event is required, individual grid areas are separated from the residual power grid by means of a frequency relay. Normally, the disconnection from the mains takes place at the medium voltage level of the 110 kV transformer. In addition to consumers, also decentralized energy transformation plants are disconnected. Thus, the performance deficit will be enhanced, if necessary. Thus, a procedure considering the actual load situation and feed-in situation is absolutely essential in the future. The Institute of Energy Systems, Energy Efficiency and Energy Economics at the Dortmund Technical University (Dortmund, Federal Republic of Germany) develops which realizes a future-oriented selective underfrequency protection by means of smart metering systems.

  11. Frequency and temperature dependent dielectric properties of TiO2-V2O5 nanocomposites

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ray, Apurba; Roy, Atanu; De, Sayan; Chatterjee, Souvik; Das, Sachindranath

    2018-03-01

    In this manuscript, we have reported the crystal structure, dielectric response, and transport phenomenon of TiO2-V2O5 nanocomposites. The nanocomposites were synthesized using a sol-gel technique having different molar ratios of Ti:V (10:10, 10:15, and 10:20). The phase composition and the morphology have been studied using X-ray diffraction and field emission scanning electron microscope, respectively. The impedance spectroscopy studies of the three samples over a wide range of temperature (50 K-300 K) have been extensively described using the internal barrier layer capacitor model. It is based on the contribution of domain and domain boundary, relaxations of the materials, which are the main crucial factors for the enhancement of the dielectric response. The frequency dependent ac conductivity of the ceramics strongly obeys the well-known Jonscher's power law, and it has been clearly explained using the theory of jump relaxation model. The temperature dependent bulk conductivity is fairly recognized to the variable-range hopping of localized polarons. The co-existence of mixed valence state of Ti ions (Ti3+ and Ti4+) in the sample significantly contributes to the change of dielectric property. The overall study of dielectric response explains that the dielectric constant and the dielectric loss are strongly dependent on temperature and frequency and decrease with an increase of frequency as well as temperature.

  12. Frequency-Selective Signal Sensing with Sub-Nyquist Uniform Sampling Scheme

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pierzchlewski, Jacek; Arildsen, Thomas

    2015-01-01

    In this paper the authors discuss a problem of acquisition and reconstruction of a signal polluted by adjacent- channel interference. The authors propose a method to find a sub-Nyquist uniform sampling pattern which allows for correct reconstruction of selected frequencies. The method is inspired...... by the Restricted Isometry Property, which is known from the field of compressed sensing. Then, compressed sensing is used to successfully reconstruct a wanted signal even if some of the uniform samples were randomly lost, e. g. due to ADC saturation. An experiment which tests the proposed method in practice...

  13. Effect of neutron flux on the frequency dependencies of electrical conductivity of silicon nanoparticles

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Huseynov, E.; Garibli, A., E-mail: elchin.huse@yahoo.com [National Nuclear Research Center, Department of Nanotechnology and Radiation Material Science, 1073, Inshaatchilar pr. 4, Baku (Azerbaijan)

    2016-11-01

    It has been reviewed the frequency dependencies of electrical conductivity of nanoparticles affected by neutron flux at different times and initial state, at various constant temperatures such as 100, 200, 300 and 400 K. Measurements have been carried out at each temperature at the different 97 values of frequency in the 1 Hz - 1 MHz range. From interdependence between real and imaginary parts of electrical conductivity it has been determined the type of conductivity. Moreover, in the work it is given the mechanism of electrical conductivity according to the obtained results. (Author)

  14. Tracing evolutionary relicts of positive selection on eight malaria-related immune genes in mammals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Bing-Hong; Liao, Pei-Chun

    2015-07-01

    Plasmodium-induced malaria widely infects primates and other mammals. Multiple past studies have revealed that positive selection could be the main evolutionary force triggering the genetic diversity of anti-malaria resistance-associated genes in human or primates. However, researchers focused most of their attention on the infra-generic and intra-specific genome evolution rather than analyzing the complete evolutionary history of mammals. Here we extend previous research by testing the evolutionary link of natural selection on eight candidate genes associated with malaria resistance in mammals. Three of the eight genes were detected to be affected by recombination, including TNF-α, iNOS and DARC. Positive selection was detected in the rest five immunogenes multiple times in different ancestral lineages of extant species throughout the mammalian evolution. Signals of positive selection were exposed in four malaria-related immunogenes in primates: CCL2, IL-10, HO1 and CD36. However, selection signals of G6PD have only been detected in non-primate eutherians. Significantly higher evolutionary rates and more radical amino acid replacement were also detected in primate CD36, suggesting its functional divergence from other eutherians. Prevalent positive selection throughout the evolutionary trajectory of mammalian malaria-related genes supports the arms race evolutionary hypothesis of host genetic response of mammalian immunogenes to infectious pathogens. © The Author(s) 2014 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav.

  15. Plasma position control device

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Takase, Haruhiko.

    1987-01-01

    Purpose: To conduct position control stably to various plasmas and reduce the burden on the control coil power source. Constitution: Among the proportional, integration and differentiation controls, a proportional-differentiation control section and an integration control section are connected in parallel. Then, a signal switching circuit is disposed to the control signal input section for the proportional-differentiation control section such that either a present position of plasmas or deviation between the present plasma position and an aimed value can be selected as a control signal depending on the control procedures or the state of the plasmas. For instance, if a rapid response is required for the control, the deviation between the present plasma position and the aimed value is selected as the input signal to conduct proportional, integration and differentiation controls. While on the other hand, if it is intended to reduce the burden on the control coil power source, it is adapted such that the control signal inputted to the proportional-differentiation control section itself can select the present plasma position. (Yoshihara, H.)

  16. On the frequency dependence of the magnetic permeability of FeHfO thin films

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bloemen, P.J.H.; Rulkens, B.

    1998-01-01

    The frequency dependence of the magnetic permeability as well as of the electrical impedance have been investigated for soft-magnetic granular FeHfO thin films. The impedance measurements indicate that capacitive effects resulting from the inhomogeneous structure of the layers are of no importance

  17. Relevance feature selection of modal frequency-ambient condition pattern recognition in structural health assessment for reinforced concrete buildings

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    He-Qing Mu

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available Modal frequency is an important indicator for structural health assessment. Previous studies have shown that this indicator is substantially affected by the fluctuation of ambient conditions, such as temperature and humidity. Therefore, recognizing the pattern between modal frequency and ambient conditions is necessary for reliable long-term structural health assessment. In this article, a novel machine-learning algorithm is proposed to automatically select relevance features in modal frequency-ambient condition pattern recognition based on structural dynamic response and ambient condition measurement. In contrast to the traditional feature selection approaches by examining a large number of combinations of extracted features, the proposed algorithm conducts continuous relevance feature selection by introducing a sophisticated hyperparameterization on the weight parameter vector controlling the relevancy of different features in the prediction model. The proposed algorithm is then utilized for structural health assessment for a reinforced concrete building based on 1-year daily measurements. It turns out that the optimal model class including the relevance features for each vibrational mode is capable to capture the pattern between the corresponding modal frequency and the ambient conditions.

  18. Frequency-dependent local field factors in dielectric liquids by a polarizable force field and molecular dynamics simulations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Davari, Nazanin; Haghdani, Shokouh; Åstrand, Per-Olof

    2015-01-01

    A force field model for calculating local field factors, i.e. the linear response of the local electric field for example at a nucleus in a molecule with respect to an applied electric field, is discussed. It is based on a combined charge-transfer and point-dipole interaction model for the polarizability, and thereby it includes two physically distinct terms for describing electronic polarization: changes in atomic charges arising from transfer of charge between the atoms and atomic induced dipole moments. A time dependence is included both for the atomic charges and the atomic dipole moments and if they are assumed to oscillate with the same frequency as the applied electric field, a model for frequency-dependent properties are obtained. Furthermore, if a life-time of excited states are included, a model for the complex frequency-dependent polariability is obtained including also information about excited states and the absorption spectrum. We thus present a model for the frequency-dependent local field factors through the first molecular excitation energy. It is combined with molecular dynamics simulations of liquids where a large set of configurations are sampled and for which local field factors are calculated. We are normally not interested in the average of the local field factor but rather in configurations where it is as high as possible. In electrical insulation, we would like to avoid high local field factors to reduce the risk for electrical breakdown, whereas for example in surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy, high local field factors are desired to give dramatically increased intensities

  19. The role of positive selection in determining the molecular cause of species differences in disease

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Foord Steven M

    2008-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Related species, such as humans and chimpanzees, often experience the same disease with varying degrees of pathology, as seen in the cases of Alzheimer's disease, or differing symptomatology as in AIDS. Furthermore, certain diseases such as schizophrenia, epithelial cancers and autoimmune disorders are far more frequent in humans than in other species for reasons not associated with lifestyle. Genes that have undergone positive selection during species evolution are indicative of functional adaptations that drive species differences. Thus we investigate whether biomedical disease differences between species can be attributed to positively selected genes. Results We identified genes that putatively underwent positive selection during the evolution of humans and four mammals which are often used to model human diseases (mouse, rat, chimpanzee and dog. We show that genes predicted to have been subject to positive selection pressure during human evolution are implicated in diseases such as epithelial cancers, schizophrenia, autoimmune diseases and Alzheimer's disease, all of which differ in prevalence and symptomatology between humans and their mammalian relatives. In agreement with previous studies, the chimpanzee lineage was found to have more genes under positive selection than any of the other lineages. In addition, we found new evidence to support the hypothesis that genes that have undergone positive selection tend to interact with each other. This is the first such evidence to be detected widely among mammalian genes and may be important in identifying molecular pathways causative of species differences. Conclusion Our dataset of genes predicted to have been subject to positive selection in five species serves as an informative resource that can be consulted prior to selecting appropriate animal models during drug target validation. We conclude that studying the evolution of functional and biomedical disease differences

  20. Wave-packet revival for the Schroedinger equation with position-dependent mass

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schmidt, Alexandre G.M.

    2006-01-01

    We study the temporal evolution of solutions of 1D Schroedinger equation with position-dependent mass inside an infinite well. Revival of wave-packet is shown to exist and partial revivals are different from the usual ones

  1. Frequency-dependent tACS modulation of BOLD signal during rhythmic visual stimulation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chai, Yuhui; Sheng, Jingwei; Bandettini, Peter A; Gao, Jia-Hong

    2018-05-01

    Transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) has emerged as a promising tool for modulating cortical oscillations. In previous electroencephalogram (EEG) studies, tACS has been found to modulate brain oscillatory activity in a frequency-specific manner. However, the spatial distribution and hemodynamic response for this modulation remains poorly understood. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has the advantage of measuring neuronal activity in regions not only below the tACS electrodes but also across the whole brain with high spatial resolution. Here, we measured fMRI signal while applying tACS to modulate rhythmic visual activity. During fMRI acquisition, tACS at different frequencies (4, 8, 16, and 32 Hz) was applied along with visual flicker stimulation at 8 and 16 Hz. We analyzed the blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) signal difference between tACS-ON vs tACS-OFF, and different frequency combinations (e.g., 4 Hz tACS, 8 Hz flicker vs 8 Hz tACS, 8 Hz flicker). We observed significant tACS modulation effects on BOLD responses when the tACS frequency matched the visual flicker frequency or the second harmonic frequency. The main effects were predominantly seen in regions that were activated by the visual task and targeted by the tACS current distribution. These findings bridge different scientific domains of tACS research and demonstrate that fMRI could localize the tACS effect on stimulus-induced brain rhythms, which could lead to a new approach for understanding the high-level cognitive process shaped by the ongoing oscillatory signal. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  2. Two-photon direct frequency comb spectroscopy of alkali atoms

    Science.gov (United States)

    Palm, Christopher; Pradhananga, Trinity; Nguyen, Khoa; Montcrieffe, Caitlin; Kimball, Derek

    2012-11-01

    We have studied transition frequencies and excited state hyperfine structure in rubidium using 2-photon transitions excited directly with the frequency-doubled output of a erbium fiber optical frequency comb. The frequency comb output is directed in two counterpropagating directions through a vapor cell containing the rubidium vapor. A pair of optical filters is used to select teeth of the comb in order to identify the transition wavelengths. A photomultiplier tube (PMT) measures fluorescence from a decay channel wavelength selected with another optical filter. Using different combinations of filters enables a wide range of transitions to be investigated. By scanning the repetition rate, a Doppler-free spectrum can be obtained enabling kHz-resolution spectral measurements. An interesting dependence of the 2-photon spectrum on the energy of the intermediate state of the 2-photon transition is discussed. Our investigations are laying the groundwork for a long-term research program to use direct frequency comb spectroscopy to understand the complex spectra of rare-earth atoms.

  3. Temperature dependence of frequency dispersion in III–V metal-oxide-semiconductor C-V and the capture/emission process of border traps

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Vais, Abhitosh, E-mail: Abhitosh.Vais@imec.be; Martens, Koen; DeMeyer, Kristin [Department of Electrical Engineering, KU Leuven, B-3000 Leuven (Belgium); IMEC, Kapeldreef 75, B-3001 Leuven (Belgium); Lin, Han-Chung; Ivanov, Tsvetan; Collaert, Nadine; Thean, Aaron [IMEC, Kapeldreef 75, B-3001 Leuven (Belgium); Dou, Chunmeng [Frontier Research Center, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama 226-8502 (Japan); Xie, Qi; Maes, Jan [ASM International, B-3001 Leuven (Belgium); Tang, Fu; Givens, Michael [ASM International, Phoenix, Arizona 85034-7200 (United States); Raskin, Jean-Pierre [Institute of Information and Communication Technologies, Electronics and Applied Mathematics, Universiteé Catholique de Louvain, B-1348 Louvain-la-Neuve (Belgium)

    2015-08-03

    This paper presents a detailed investigation of the temperature dependence of frequency dispersion observed in capacitance-voltage (C-V) measurements of III-V metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) devices. The dispersion in the accumulation region of the capacitance data is found to change from 4%–9% (per decade frequency) to ∼0% when the temperature is reduced from 300 K to 4 K in a wide range of MOS capacitors with different gate dielectrics and III-V substrates. We show that such significant temperature dependence of C-V frequency dispersion cannot be due to the temperature dependence of channel electrostatics, i.e., carrier density and surface potential. We also show that the temperature dependence of frequency dispersion, and hence, the capture/emission process of border traps can be modeled by a combination of tunneling and a “temperature-activated” process described by a non-radiative multi-phonon model, instead of a widely believed single-step elastic tunneling process.

  4. Radio frequency selective addressing of localized atoms in a periodic potential

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ott, H.; De Mirandes, E.; Ferlaino, F.; Roati, G.; Tuerck, V.; Modugno, G.; Inguscio, M.

    2004-01-01

    We study the localization and addressability of ultracold atoms in a combined parabolic and periodic potential. Such a potential supports the existence of localized stationary states and we show that applying a radio frequency field allows us to selectively address atoms in these states. This method is used to measure the energy and momentum distribution of the atoms in the localized states. We also discuss possible extensions of this scheme to address and manipulate atoms in single lattice sites

  5. Klein-Gordon oscillator with position-dependent mass in the rotating cosmic string spacetime

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Bing-Qian; Long, Zheng-Wen; Long, Chao-Yun; Wu, Shu-Rui

    2018-02-01

    A spinless particle coupled covariantly to a uniform magnetic field parallel to the string in the background of the rotating cosmic string is studied. The energy levels of the electrically charged particle subject to the Klein-Gordon oscillator are analyzed. Afterwards, we consider the case of the position-dependent mass and show how these energy levels depend on the parameters in the problem. Remarkably, it shows that for the special case, the Klein-Gordon oscillator coupled covariantly to a homogeneous magnetic field with the position-dependent mass in the rotating cosmic string background has the similar behaviors to the Klein-Gordon equation with a Coulomb-type configuration in a rotating cosmic string background in the presence of an external magnetic field.

  6. A genome scan for positive selection in thoroughbred horses.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jingjing Gu

    2009-06-01

    Full Text Available Thoroughbred horses have been selected for exceptional racing performance resulting in system-wide structural and functional adaptations contributing to elite athletic phenotypes. Because selection has been recent and intense in a closed population that stems from a small number of founder animals Thoroughbreds represent a unique population within which to identify genomic contributions to exercise-related traits. Employing a population genetics-based hitchhiking mapping approach we performed a genome scan using 394 autosomal and X chromosome microsatellite loci and identified positively selected loci in the extreme tail-ends of the empirical distributions for (1 deviations from expected heterozygosity (Ewens-Watterson test in Thoroughbred (n = 112 and (2 global differentiation among four geographically diverse horse populations (F(ST. We found positively selected genomic regions in Thoroughbred enriched for phosphoinositide-mediated signalling (3.2-fold enrichment; P<0.01, insulin receptor signalling (5.0-fold enrichment; P<0.01 and lipid transport (2.2-fold enrichment; P<0.05 genes. We found a significant overrepresentation of sarcoglycan complex (11.1-fold enrichment; P<0.05 and focal adhesion pathway (1.9-fold enrichment; P<0.01 genes highlighting the role for muscle strength and integrity in the Thoroughbred athletic phenotype. We report for the first time candidate athletic-performance genes within regions targeted by selection in Thoroughbred horses that are principally responsible for fatty acid oxidation, increased insulin sensitivity and muscle strength: ACSS1 (acyl-CoA synthetase short-chain family member 1, ACTA1 (actin, alpha 1, skeletal muscle, ACTN2 (actinin, alpha 2, ADHFE1 (alcohol dehydrogenase, iron containing, 1, MTFR1 (mitochondrial fission regulator 1, PDK4 (pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase, isozyme 4 and TNC (tenascin C. Understanding the genetic basis for exercise adaptation will be crucial for the identification of genes

  7. A Demonstration of Regression False Positive Selection in Data Mining

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pinder, Jonathan P.

    2014-01-01

    Business analytics courses, such as marketing research, data mining, forecasting, and advanced financial modeling, have substantial predictive modeling components. The predictive modeling in these courses requires students to estimate and test many linear regressions. As a result, false positive variable selection ("type I errors") is…

  8. Robust frequency diversity based algorithm for clutter noise reduction of ultrasonic signals using multiple sub-spectrum phase coherence

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gongzhang, R.; Xiao, B.; Lardner, T.; Gachagan, A. [Centre for Ultrasonic Engineering, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, G1 1XW (United Kingdom); Li, M. [School of Engineering, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8QQ (United Kingdom)

    2014-02-18

    This paper presents a robust frequency diversity based algorithm for clutter reduction in ultrasonic A-scan waveforms. The performance of conventional spectral-temporal techniques like Split Spectrum Processing (SSP) is highly dependent on the parameter selection, especially when the signal to noise ratio (SNR) is low. Although spatial beamforming offers noise reduction with less sensitivity to parameter variation, phased array techniques are not always available. The proposed algorithm first selects an ascending series of frequency bands. A signal is reconstructed for each selected band in which a defect is present when all frequency components are in uniform sign. Combining all reconstructed signals through averaging gives a probability profile of potential defect position. To facilitate data collection and validate the proposed algorithm, Full Matrix Capture is applied on the austenitic steel and high nickel alloy (HNA) samples with 5MHz transducer arrays. When processing A-scan signals with unrefined parameters, the proposed algorithm enhances SNR by 20dB for both samples and consequently, defects are more visible in B-scan images created from the large amount of A-scan traces. Importantly, the proposed algorithm is considered robust, while SSP is shown to fail on the austenitic steel data and achieves less SNR enhancement on the HNA data.

  9. GENERAL APROACH TO MODELING NONLINEAR AMPLITUDE AND FREQUENCY DEPENDENT HYSTERESIS EFFECTS BASED ON EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS

    OpenAIRE

    Christopher Heine; Markus Plagemann

    2014-01-01

    A detailed description of the rubber parts’ properties is gaining in importance in the current simulation models of multi-body simulation. One application example is a multi-body simulation of the washing machine movement. Inside the washing machine, there are different force transmission elements, which consist completely or partly of rubber. Rubber parts or, generally, elastomers usually have amplitude-dependant and frequency-dependent force transmission properties. Rheological models are u...

  10. Positive selection for unpreferred codon usage in eukaryotic genomes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Galagan James E

    2007-07-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Natural selection has traditionally been understood as a force responsible for pushing genes to states of higher translational efficiency, whereas lower translational efficiency has been explained by neutral mutation and genetic drift. We looked for evidence of directional selection resulting in increased unpreferred codon usage (and presumably reduced translational efficiency in three divergent clusters of eukaryotic genomes using a simple optimal-codon-based metric (Kp/Ku. Results Here we show that for some genes natural selection is indeed responsible for causing accelerated unpreferred codon substitution, and document the scope of this selection. In Cryptococcus and to a lesser extent Drosophila, we find many genes showing a statistically significant signal of selection for unpreferred codon usage in one or more lineages. We did not find evidence for this type of selection in Saccharomyces. The signal of positive selection observed from unpreferred synonymous codon substitutions is coincident in Cryptococcus and Drosophila with the distribution of upstream open reading frames (uORFs, another genic feature known to reduce translational efficiency. Functional enrichment analysis of genes exhibiting low Kp/Ku ratios reveals that genes in regulatory roles are particularly subject to this type of selection. Conclusion Through genome-wide scans, we find recent selection for unpreferred codon usage at approximately 1% of genetic loci in a Cryptococcus and several genes in Drosophila. Unpreferred codons can impede translation efficiency, and we find that genes with translation-impeding uORFs are enriched for this selection signal. We find that regulatory genes are particularly likely to be subject to selection for unpreferred codon usage. Given that expression noise can propagate through regulatory cascades, and that low translational efficiency can reduce expression noise, this finding supports the hypothesis that translational

  11. A new method for selectively enhancing hemisphere processing: voice frequency amplification influences the strength of attribute framing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McCormick, Michael; Seta, John J

    2012-01-01

    An attribute framing effect occurs when positive or negative associations produced by positive or negative frames are mapped onto evaluations resulting in a more favourable evaluation for the positively framed attribute. We used a new voice frequency manipulation to differentially enhance right versus left hemisphere processing. In doing so we found a strong attribute framing effect when a speaker with a low-frequency voice enhanced the contextual processing style of the right hemisphere. However, a framing effect was not obtained when a speaker with a high-frequency voice enhanced the inferential/analytical processing style of the left hemisphere. At the theoretical level our results provide evidence that the contextual processing style of the right hemisphere is especially susceptible to associative implications, such as those found in attribute framing manipulations. At the applied level we provide a simple method for altering the effectiveness of persuasion messages.

  12. Frequency-dependent glycinergic inhibition modulates plasticity in hippocampus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Keck, Tara; Lillis, Kyle P; Zhou, Yu-Dong; White, John A

    2008-07-16

    Previous studies have demonstrated the presence of functional glycine receptors (GlyRs) in hippocampus. In this work, we examine the baseline activity and activity-dependent modulation of GlyRs in region CA1. We find that strychnine-sensitive GlyRs are open in the resting CA1 pyramidal cell, creating a state of tonic inhibition that "shunts" the magnitude of EPSPs evoked by electrical stimulation of the Schaffer collateral inputs. This GlyR-mediated shunting conductance is independent of the presynaptic stimulation rate; however, pairs of presynaptic and postsynaptic action potentials, repeated at frequencies above 5 Hz, reduce the GlyR-mediated conductance and increase peak EPSP magnitudes to levels at least 20% larger than those seen with presynaptic stimulation alone. We refer to this phenomenon as rate-dependent efficacy (RDE). Exogenous GlyR agonists (glycine, taurine) block RDE by preventing the closure of postsynaptic GlyRs. The GlyR antagonist strychnine blocks postsynaptic GlyRs under all conditions, occluding RDE. During RDE, GlyRs are less responsive to local glycine application, suggesting that a reduction in the number or sensitivity of membrane-inserted GlyRs underlies RDE. By extending the RDE induction protocol to include 500 paired presynaptic and postsynaptic spikes, we can induce long-term synaptic depression (LTD). Manipulations that lead to reduced functionality of GlyRs, either pharmacologically or through RDE, also lead to increased LTD. This result suggests that RDE contributes to long-term synaptic plasticity in the hippocampus.

  13. Positive selection on gene expression in the human brain

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Khaitovich, Philipp; Tang, Kun; Franz, Henriette

    2006-01-01

    Recent work has shown that the expression levels of genes transcribed in the brains of humans and chimpanzees have changed less than those of genes transcribed in other tissues [1] . However, when gene expression changes are mapped onto the evolutionary lineage in which they occurred, the brain...... shows more changes than other tissues in the human lineage compared to the chimpanzee lineage [1] , [2] and [3] . There are two possible explanations for this: either positive selection drove more gene expression changes to fixation in the human brain than in the chimpanzee brain, or genes expressed...... in the brain experienced less purifying selection in humans than in chimpanzees, i.e. gene expression in the human brain is functionally less constrained. The first scenario would be supported if genes that changed their expression in the brain in the human lineage showed more selective sweeps than other genes...

  14. Explanation for the temperature dependence of plasma frequencies in SrTiO3 using mixed-polaron theory

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Eagles, D.M.; Georgiev, M.; Petrova, P.C.

    1996-01-01

    A theory of mixed polarons is used to interpret the published experimental results of Gervais et al. on temperature-dependent plasma frequencies in Nb-doped SrTiO 3 . For given polaron masses before mixing, the appropriate average mixed-polaron mass at any temperature T depends on two quantities, δ and b, which are measures of the separation between the bottoms of large and nearly small polaron bands before mixing and of a mixing matrix element; δ and b are assumed to have arbitrary linear dependences on T, probably related to a T dependence of the bare mass, and a term quadratic in T is included in δ, determined from the T dependence of large-polaron binding energies. Including a constraint on the ratio δ/|b| at low T from known masses from specific-heat data, satisfactory agreement is obtained with masses determined from plasma frequencies. This gives further support for the theory of mixed polarons in SrTiO 3 in addition to that already published. copyright 1996 The American Physical Society

  15. Mode-Selective Photon Counting Via Quantum Frequency Conversion Using Spectrally-Engineered Pump Pulses

    Science.gov (United States)

    Manurkar, Paritosh

    Most of the existing protocols for quantum communication operate in a two-dimensional Hilbert space where their manipulation and measurement have been routinely investigated. Moving to higher-dimensional Hilbert spaces is desirable because of advantages in terms of longer distance communication capabilities, higher channel capacity and better information security. We can exploit the spatio-temporal degrees of freedom for the quantum optical signals to provide the higher-dimensional signals. But this necessitates the need for measurement and manipulation of multidimensional quantum states. To that end, there have been significant theoretical studies based on quantum frequency conversion (QFC) in recent years even though the experimental progress has been limited. QFC is a process that allows preservation of the quantum information while changing the frequency of the input quantum state. It has deservedly garnered a lot of attention because it serves as the connecting bridge between the communications band (C-band near 1550 nm) where the fiber-optic infrastructure is already established and the visible spectrum where high efficiency single-photon detectors and optical memories have been demonstrated. In this experimental work, we demonstrate mode-selective frequency conversion as a means to measure and manipulate photonic signals occupying d -dimensional Hilbert spaces where d=2 and 4. In the d=2 case, we demonstrate mode contrast between two temporal modes (TMs) which serves as the proof-of-concept demonstration. In the d=4 version, we employ six different TMs for our detailed experimental study. These TMs also include superposition modes which are a crucial component in many quantum key distribution protocols. Our method is based on producing pump pulses which allow us to upconvert the TM of interest while ideally preserving the other modes. We use MATLAB simulations to determine the pump pulse shapes which are subsequently produced by controlling the amplitude and

  16. Use of positive and negative words in scientific PubMed abstracts between 1974 and 2014: retrospective analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vinkers, Christiaan H; Tijdink, Joeri K; Otte, Willem M

    2015-12-14

    To investigate whether language used in science abstracts can skew towards the use of strikingly positive and negative words over time. Retrospective analysis of all scientific abstracts in PubMed between 1974 and 2014. The yearly frequencies of positive, negative, and neutral words (25 preselected words in each category), plus 100 randomly selected words were normalised for the total number of abstracts. Subanalyses included pattern quantification of individual words, specificity for selected high impact journals, and comparison between author affiliations within or outside countries with English as the official majority language. Frequency patterns were compared with 4% of all books ever printed and digitised by use of Google Books Ngram Viewer. Frequencies of positive and negative words in abstracts compared with frequencies of words with a neutral and random connotation, expressed as relative change since 1980. The absolute frequency of positive words increased from 2.0% (1974-80) to 17.5% (2014), a relative increase of 880% over four decades. All 25 individual positive words contributed to the increase, particularly the words "robust," "novel," "innovative," and "unprecedented," which increased in relative frequency up to 15,000%. Comparable but less pronounced results were obtained when restricting the analysis to selected journals with high impact factors. Authors affiliated to an institute in a non-English speaking country used significantly more positive words. Negative word frequencies increased from 1.3% (1974-80) to 3.2% (2014), a relative increase of 257%. Over the same time period, no apparent increase was found in neutral or random word use, or in the frequency of positive word use in published books. Our lexicographic analysis indicates that scientific abstracts are currently written with more positive and negative words, and provides an insight into the evolution of scientific writing. Apparently scientists look on the bright side of research

  17. Positively selected sites in cetacean myoglobins contribute to protein stability

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dasmeh, Pouria; Serohijos, Adrian W R; Kepp, Kasper P

    2013-01-01

    Since divergence ∼50 Ma ago from their terrestrial ancestors, cetaceans underwent a series of adaptations such as a ∼10-20 fold increase in myoglobin (Mb) concentration in skeletal muscle, critical for increasing oxygen storage capacity and prolonging dive time. Whereas the O2-binding affinity...... between Mb folding stability and protein abundance, suggesting that a selection pressure for stability acts proportionally to higher expression. We also identify a major divergence event leading to the common ancestor of whales, during which major stabilization occurred. Most of the positively selected...

  18. Frequency Selective Surface for Structural Health Monitoring

    Science.gov (United States)

    Norlyana Azemi, Saidatul; Mustaffa, Farzana Hazira Wan; Faizal Jamlos, Mohd; Abdullah Al-Hadi, Azremi; Soh, Ping Jack

    2018-03-01

    Structural health monitoring (SHM) technologies have attained attention to monitor civil structures. SHM sensor systems have been used in various civil structures such as bridges, buildings, tunnels and so on. However the previous sensor for SHM is wired and encounter with problem to cover large areas. Therefore, wireless sensor was introduced for SHM to reduce network connecting problem. Wireless sensors for Structural Health monitoring are new technology and have many advantages to overcome the drawback of conventional and wired sensor. This project proposed passive wireless SHM sensor using frequency selective surface (FSS) as an alternative to conventional sensors. The electromagnetic wave characteristic of FSS will change by geometrical changes of FSS due to mechanical strain or structural failure. The changes feature is used as a sensing function without any connecting wires. Two type of design which are circular ring and square loop along with the transmission and reflection characteristics of SHM using FSS were discussed in this project. A simulation process has shown that incident angle characteristics can be use as a data for SHM application.

  19. Continental-scale footprint of balancing and positive selection in a small rodent (Microtus arvalis.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Martin C Fischer

    Full Text Available Genetic adaptation to different environmental conditions is expected to lead to large differences between populations at selected loci, thus providing a signature of positive selection. Whereas balancing selection can maintain polymorphisms over long evolutionary periods and even geographic scale, thus leads to low levels of divergence between populations at selected loci. However, little is known about the relative importance of these two selective forces in shaping genomic diversity, partly due to difficulties in recognizing balancing selection in species showing low levels of differentiation. Here we address this problem by studying genomic diversity in the European common vole (Microtus arvalis presenting high levels of differentiation between populations (average F ST = 0.31. We studied 3,839 Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism (AFLP markers genotyped in 444 individuals from 21 populations distributed across the European continent and hence over different environmental conditions. Our statistical approach to detect markers under selection is based on a Bayesian method specifically developed for AFLP markers, which treats AFLPs as a nearly codominant marker system, and therefore has increased power to detect selection. The high number of screened populations allowed us to detect the signature of balancing selection across a large geographic area. We detected 33 markers potentially under balancing selection, hence strong evidence of stabilizing selection in 21 populations across Europe. However, our analyses identified four-times more markers (138 being under positive selection, and geographical patterns suggest that some of these markers are probably associated with alpine regions, which seem to have environmental conditions that favour adaptation. We conclude that despite favourable conditions in this study for the detection of balancing selection, this evolutionary force seems to play a relatively minor role in shaping the genomic

  20. Pathogen-mediated selection for MHC variability in wild zebrafish

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Smith, C.; Ondračková, Markéta; Spence, R.; Adams, S.; Betts, D. S.; Mallon, E.

    2011-01-01

    Roč. 13, č. 6 (2011), s. 589-605 ISSN 1522-0613 Institutional support: RVO:68081766 Keywords : digenean * frequency-dependent selection * heterozygote advantage * major histocompatibility complex * metazoan parasite * pathogen-driven selection Subject RIV: EG - Zoology Impact factor: 1.029, year: 2011

  1. Frequency-dependent viscoelastic parameters of mouse brain tissue estimated by MR elastography

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Clayton, E H; Bayly, P V [Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, Washington University in St Louis, 1 Brookings Drive, Campus Box 1185, Saint Louis, MO 63130 (United States); Garbow, J R, E-mail: clayton@wustl.edu, E-mail: garbow@wustl.edu, E-mail: pvb@wustl.edu [Biomedical Magnetic Resonance Laboratory, Department of Radiology, Washington University in St Louis, 4525 Scott Avenue, Campus Box 8227, Saint Louis, MO 63110 (United States)

    2011-04-21

    Viscoelastic properties of mouse brain tissue were estimated non-invasively, in vivo, using magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) at 4.7 T to measure the dispersive properties of induced shear waves. Key features of this study include (i) the development and application of a novel MR-compatible actuation system which transmits vibratory motion into the brain through an incisor bar, and (ii) the investigation of the mechanical properties of brain tissue over a 1200 Hz bandwidth from 600-1800 Hz. Displacement fields due to propagating shear waves were measured during continuous, harmonic excitation of the skull. This protocol enabled characterization of the true steady-state patterns of shear wave propagation. Analysis of displacement fields obtained at different frequencies indicates that the viscoelastic properties of mouse brain tissue depend strongly on frequency. The average storage modulus (G') increased from approximately 1.6 to 8 kPa over this range; average loss modulus (G'') increased from approximately 1 to 3 kPa. Both moduli were well approximated by a power-law relationship over this frequency range. MRE may be a valuable addition to studies of disease in murine models, and to pre-clinical evaluations of therapies. Quantitative measurements of the viscoelastic parameters of brain tissue at high frequencies are also valuable for modeling and simulation of traumatic brain injury.

  2. Thermal conductivity of nanocrystalline silicon: importance of grain size and frequency-dependent mean free paths.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Zhaojie; Alaniz, Joseph E; Jang, Wanyoung; Garay, Javier E; Dames, Chris

    2011-06-08

    The thermal conductivity reduction due to grain boundary scattering is widely interpreted using a scattering length assumed equal to the grain size and independent of the phonon frequency (gray). To assess these assumptions and decouple the contributions of porosity and grain size, five samples of undoped nanocrystalline silicon have been measured with average grain sizes ranging from 550 to 64 nm and porosities from 17% to less than 1%, at temperatures from 310 to 16 K. The samples were prepared using current activated, pressure assisted densification (CAPAD). At low temperature the thermal conductivities of all samples show a T(2) dependence which cannot be explained by any traditional gray model. The measurements are explained over the entire temperature range by a new frequency-dependent model in which the mean free path for grain boundary scattering is inversely proportional to the phonon frequency, which is shown to be consistent with asymptotic analysis of atomistic simulations from the literature. In all cases the recommended boundary scattering length is smaller than the average grain size. These results should prove useful for the integration of nanocrystalline materials in devices such as advanced thermoelectrics.

  3. Pulse frequency dependency of photobiomodulation on the bioenergetic functions of human dental pulp stem cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Hong Bae; Baik, Ku Youn; Choung, Pill-Hoon; Chung, Jong Hoon

    2017-11-21

    Photobiomodulation (PBM) therapy contributes to pain relief, wound healing, and tissue regeneration. The pulsed wave (PW) mode has been reported to be more effective than the continuous wave (CW) mode when applying PBM to many biological systems. However, the reason for the higher effectiveness of PW-PBM is poorly understood. Herein, we suggest using delayed luminescence (DL) as a reporter of mitochondrial activity after PBM treatment. DL originates mainly from mitochondrial electron transport chain systems, which produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) and adenosine triphosphate (ATP). The decay time of DL depends on the pulse frequencies of applied light, which correlate with the biological responses of human dental pulp stem cells (hDPSCs). Using a low-power light whose wavelength is 810 nm and energy density is 38 mJ/cm 2 , we find that a 300-Hz pulse frequency prolonged the DL pattern and enhanced alkaline phosphatase activity. In addition, we analyze mitochondrial morphological changes and their volume density and find evidence supporting mitochondrial physiological changes from PBM treatment. Our data suggest a new methodology for determining the effectiveness of PBM and the specific pulse frequency dependency of PBM in the differentiation of hDPSCs.

  4. CaMKII effects on inotropic but not lusitropic force frequency responses require phospholamban

    OpenAIRE

    Wu, Yiming; Luczak, Elizabeth D; Lee, Eun-Jeong; Hidalgo, Carlos; Yang, Jinying; Gao, Zhan; Li, Jingdong; Wehrens, Xander; Granzier, Henk; Anderson, Mark E

    2012-01-01

    Increasing heart rate enhances cardiac contractility (force frequency relationship, FFR) and accelerates cardiac relaxation (frequency-dependent acceleration of relaxation, FDAR). The positive FFR together with FDAR promotes rapid filling and ejection of blood from the left ventricle (LV) at higher heart rates. Recent studies indicate that the multifunctional Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) is involved in regulating FFR and FDAR. We used isolated perfused mouse hearts to ...

  5. Dependence of synchronization frequency of Kuramoto oscillators ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Kuramoto oscillators have been proposed earlier as a model for interacting systems that exhibit synchronization. In this article, we study the difference between networks with symmetric and asymmetric distribution of natural frequencies. We first indicate that synchronization frequency of oscillators in a completely connected ...

  6. Positive selection on D-lactate dehydrogenases of Lactobacillus delbrueckii subspecies bulgaricus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Jifeng; Gong, Guangyu; Wang, Xiao; Zhang, Hao; Tian, Weidong

    2015-08-01

    Lactobacillus delbrueckii has been widely used for yogurt fermentation. It has genes encoding both D- and L-type lactate dehydrogenases (LDHs) that catalyse the production of L(+) or D(-) stereoisomer of lactic acid. D-lactic acid is the primary lactate product by L. delbrueckii, yet it cannot be metabolised by human intestine. Since it has been domesticated for long time, an interesting question arises regarding to whether the selection pressure has affected the evolution of both L-LDH and D-LDH genes in the genome. To answer this question, in this study the authors first investigated the evolution of these two genes by constructing phylogenetic trees. They found that D-LDH-based phylogenetic tree could better represent the phylogenetic relationship in the acidophilus complex than L-LDH-based tree. They next investigated the evolutions of LDH genes of L. delbrueckii at amino acid level, and found that D-LDH gene in L. delbrueckii is positively selected, possibly a consequence of long-term domestication. They further identified four amino acids that are under positive selection. One of them, V261, is located at the centre of three catalytic active sites, indicating likely functional effects on the enzyme activity. The selection from the domestication process thus provides direction for future engineering of D-LDH.

  7. Frequency dependent capacitance and conductance properties of Schottky diode based on rubrene organic semiconductor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barış, Behzad

    2013-01-01

    Al/rubrene/p-Si Schottky diode has been fabricated by forming a rubrene layer on p type Si by using the spin coating method. The frequency dependent capacitance–voltage (C–V–f) and conductance–voltage (G–V–f) characteristics of Al/rubrene/p-Si Schottky diyotes has been investigated in the frequency range of 5 kHz–500 kHz at room temperature. The C–V plots show a peak for each frequency. The capacitance of the device decreased with increasing frequency. The decrease in capacitance results from the presence of interface states. The plots of series resistance–voltage (R s −V) gave a peak in the depletion region at all frequencies. The density of interface states (N ss ) and relaxation time (τ) distribution profiles as a function of applied voltage bias have been determined from the C–V and G–V measurements. The values of the N ss and τ have been calculated in the ranges of 8.37×10 11 –4.85×10 11 eV −1 cm −2 and 5.17×10 −6 –1.02×10 −5 s, respectively

  8. The frequency of hypothyroidism and its relationship with HCV positivity in patients with thalassemia major in southern Iran.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haghpanah, Sezaneh; Jelodari, Shohreh; Karamifar, Hammdollah; Saki, Forough; Rahimi, Rahil; De Sanctis, Vincenzo; Dehbozorgian, Javad; Karimi, Mehran

    2018-03-27

    Hypothyroidism is one the most complication due to iron overload in patients with β-thalassemia major (TM). On the other hand these patients are prone to Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection that can cause  thyroid dysfunction by itself or as the side effect of treatment with interferon (INF) or IFN plus ribavirin. The aim of this study is to evaluate the association of hypothyroidism with HCV positivity and serum ferritin levels in patients with TM. In this cross-sectional study, 201 randomly selected patients with TM who were registered at the Thalassemia Clinic of a tertiary hospital in Shiraz, southern Iran were investigated. Thyroid function tests and serologic screening assays for HCV seropositivity (HCV Ab and HCV-RNA) were conducted for all patients. Frequency of hypothyroidism was 22.9% including 19.9% subclinical hypothyroidism, 2% primary overt hypothyroidism and 1% central hypothyroidism. Eighty six patients (42.8%) were HCV Ab positive and 60 patients (29.9%) were HCV RNA positive. No significant relationship was found between hypothyroidism and HCV positivity or receiving IFN-α (P>0.05). Hypothyroidism showed a borderline significant association with high serum ferritin levels in TM patients (P=0.055). Our results showed no significant association between hypothyroidism and HCV infection in TM patients. It seems that the main mechanism of hypothyroidism in our patients is iron overload; however, for better evaluation a larger multicenter study is recommended.  Also due to the importance of consequences of HCV infection, more careful pre-transfusional screening of blood should be considered in TM patients.

  9. Analytical determination of size-dependent natural frequencies of fully clamped rectangular microplates based on the modified couple stress theory

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Askari, Amir R.; Tahani, Masoud [Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

    2015-05-15

    This paper presents an analytical and size-dependent model for vibrational analysis of fully clamped rectangular microplates. Modified couple stress theory (MCST) and the Kirchhoff plate model are considered, and Hamilton's principle is employed to derive the size dependent equation of motion that accounts for the effect of residual stresses. The natural frequencies of the microplate are extracted analytically by extended Kantorovich method. The present findings are validated with the available results in the literature, and an excellent agreement is observed between them. In addition, a parametric study is conducted to demonstrate the significant effects of couple stress components on the natural frequencies of fully clamped microplates. The ratio of MCST natural frequencies to those obtained with classical theory depends only on the Poisson's ratio of the plate and is independent of the aspect ratio of the plate for cases with no residual stresses.

  10. Analytical determination of size-dependent natural frequencies of fully clamped rectangular microplates based on the modified couple stress theory

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Askari, Amir R.; Tahani, Masoud

    2015-01-01

    This paper presents an analytical and size-dependent model for vibrational analysis of fully clamped rectangular microplates. Modified couple stress theory (MCST) and the Kirchhoff plate model are considered, and Hamilton's principle is employed to derive the size dependent equation of motion that accounts for the effect of residual stresses. The natural frequencies of the microplate are extracted analytically by extended Kantorovich method. The present findings are validated with the available results in the literature, and an excellent agreement is observed between them. In addition, a parametric study is conducted to demonstrate the significant effects of couple stress components on the natural frequencies of fully clamped microplates. The ratio of MCST natural frequencies to those obtained with classical theory depends only on the Poisson's ratio of the plate and is independent of the aspect ratio of the plate for cases with no residual stresses.

  11. Position-dependent Effects of Polylysine on Sec Protein Transport*

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liang, Fu-Cheng; Bageshwar, Umesh K.; Musser, Siegfried M.

    2012-01-01

    The bacterial Sec protein translocation system catalyzes the transport of unfolded precursor proteins across the cytoplasmic membrane. Using a recently developed real time fluorescence-based transport assay, the effects of the number and distribution of positive charges on the transport time and transport efficiency of proOmpA were examined. As expected, an increase in the number of lysine residues generally increased transport time and decreased transport efficiency. However, the observed effects were highly dependent on the polylysine position in the mature domain. In addition, a string of consecutive positive charges generally had a more significant effect on transport time and efficiency than separating the charges into two or more charged segments. Thirty positive charges distributed throughout the mature domain resulted in effects similar to 10 consecutive charges near the N terminus of the mature domain. These data support a model in which the local effects of positive charge on the translocation kinetics dominate over total thermodynamic constraints. The rapid translocation kinetics of some highly charged proOmpA mutants suggest that the charge is partially shielded from the electric field gradient during transport, possibly by the co-migration of counter ions. The transport times of precursors with multiple positively charged sequences, or “pause sites,” were fairly well predicted by a local effect model. However, the kinetic profile predicted by this local effect model was not observed. Instead, the transport kinetics observed for precursors with multiple polylysine segments support a model in which translocation through the SecYEG pore is not the rate-limiting step of transport. PMID:22367204

  12. Position-dependent effects of polylysine on Sec protein transport.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liang, Fu-Cheng; Bageshwar, Umesh K; Musser, Siegfried M

    2012-04-13

    The bacterial Sec protein translocation system catalyzes the transport of unfolded precursor proteins across the cytoplasmic membrane. Using a recently developed real time fluorescence-based transport assay, the effects of the number and distribution of positive charges on the transport time and transport efficiency of proOmpA were examined. As expected, an increase in the number of lysine residues generally increased transport time and decreased transport efficiency. However, the observed effects were highly dependent on the polylysine position in the mature domain. In addition, a string of consecutive positive charges generally had a more significant effect on transport time and efficiency than separating the charges into two or more charged segments. Thirty positive charges distributed throughout the mature domain resulted in effects similar to 10 consecutive charges near the N terminus of the mature domain. These data support a model in which the local effects of positive charge on the translocation kinetics dominate over total thermodynamic constraints. The rapid translocation kinetics of some highly charged proOmpA mutants suggest that the charge is partially shielded from the electric field gradient during transport, possibly by the co-migration of counter ions. The transport times of precursors with multiple positively charged sequences, or "pause sites," were fairly well predicted by a local effect model. However, the kinetic profile predicted by this local effect model was not observed. Instead, the transport kinetics observed for precursors with multiple polylysine segments support a model in which translocation through the SecYEG pore is not the rate-limiting step of transport.

  13. Mathematical Optimization Algorithm for Minimizing the Cost Function of GHG Emission in AS/RS Using Positive Selection Based Clonal Selection Principle

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mahalakshmi; Murugesan, R.

    2018-04-01

    This paper regards with the minimization of total cost of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) efficiency in Automated Storage and Retrieval System (AS/RS). A mathematical model is constructed based on tax cost, penalty cost and discount cost of GHG emission of AS/RS. A two stage algorithm namely positive selection based clonal selection principle (PSBCSP) is used to find the optimal solution of the constructed model. In the first stage positive selection principle is used to reduce the search space of the optimal solution by fixing a threshold value. In the later stage clonal selection principle is used to generate best solutions. The obtained results are compared with other existing algorithms in the literature, which shows that the proposed algorithm yields a better result compared to others.

  14. Tunable antenna radome based on graphene frequency selective surface

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qu, Meijun; Rao, Menglou; Li, Shufang; Deng, Li

    2017-09-01

    In this paper, a graphene-based frequency selective surface (FSS) is proposed. The proposed FSS exhibits a tunable bandpass filtering characteristic due to the alterable conductivity of the graphene strips which is controlled by chemical potential. Based on the reconfigurable bandpass property of the proposed FSS, a cylindrical antenna radome is designed using the FSS unit cells. A conventional omnidirectional dipole can realize a two-beam directional pattern when it is placed into the proposed antenna radome. Forward and backward endfire radiations of the dipole loaded with the radome is realized by properly adjusting the chemical potential. The proposed antenna radome is extremely promising for beam-scanning in terahertz and mid-infrared plasmonic devices and systems when the gain of a conventional antenna needs to be enhanced.

  15. Frequency Selective Properties of Coaxial Transmission Lines Loaded with Combined Artificial Inclusions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Francisco Falcone

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available The properties of a modified coaxial transmission line by periodic inclusions will be discussed. The introduction of split ring resonators, conductor stubs, air gaps, and combination of these gives rise to new frequency selective properties, such as stopband or passband behavior, observable in planar as well as volumetric metamaterial structures. These results envisage new potential applications and implementation of devices in coaxial transmission line technology.

  16. Positivity of time-frequency distribution functions

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Janssen, A.J.E.M.

    1988-01-01

    This paper deals with the question how various 'natural' conditions posed on time-frequency distribution functions prevent them to be nonnegative everywhere for all signals. The attention is restricted mainly to distribution functions that involve the signal bilinearly. This paper summarizes and

  17. Frequency Dependence of Helioseismic Measurements of the Center-to-Limb Effect and Flow-induced Travel-time Shifts

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Ruizhu; Zhao, Junwei

    2018-02-01

    Time–distance helioseismology measures acoustic travel times to infer the structure and flow field of the solar interior; however, both the mean travel times and the travel-time shifts suffer systematic center-to-limb variations, which complicate the interpretation and inversions of the time–distance measurements. In particular, the center-to-limb variation in travel-time shifts (CtoL effect) has a significant impact on the inference of the Sun’s meridional circulation, and needs to be removed from the helioseismic measurements, although the observational properties and the physical cause of the CtoL effect have yet to be investigated. In this study, we measure the CtoL effect in the frequency domain using Doppler-velocity data from the Solar Dynamics Observatory/Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager, and study its properties as a function of disk-centric distance, travel distance, and frequency of acoustic waves. It is found that the CtoL effect has a significant frequency dependence—it reverses sign at a frequency around 5.4 mHz and reaches maximum at around 4.0 mHz before the sign reversal. The tendency of frequency dependence varies with disk-centric distance in a way that both the sign-reversal frequency and the maximum-value frequency decrease closer to the limb. The variation tendency does not change with travel distance, but the variation magnitude is approximately proportional to travel distance. For comparison, the flow-induced travel-time shifts show little frequency dependence. These observational properties provide more clues on the nature of the CtoL effect, and also possibly lead to new ways of effect-removal for a more robust determination of the deep meridional flow.

  18. Evidence for positive selection on the leptin gene in Cetacea and Pinnipedia.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Li Yu

    Full Text Available The leptin gene has received intensive attention and scientific investigation for its importance in energy homeostasis and reproductive regulation in mammals. Furthermore, study of the leptin gene is of crucial importance for public health, particularly for its role in obesity, as well as for other numerous physiological roles that it plays in mammals. In the present work, we report the identification of novel leptin genes in 4 species of Cetacea, and a comparison with 55 publicly available leptin sequences from mammalian genome assemblies and previous studies. Our study provides evidence for positive selection in the suborder Odontoceti (toothed whales of the Cetacea and the family Phocidae (earless seals of the Pinnipedia. We also detected positive selection in several leptin gene residues in these two lineages. To test whether leptin and its receptor evolved in a coordinated manner, we analyzed 24 leptin receptor gene (LPR sequences from available mammalian genome assemblies and other published data. Unlike the case of leptin, our analyses did not find evidence of positive selection for LPR across the Cetacea and Pinnipedia lineages. In line with this, positively selected sites identified in the leptin genes of these two lineages were located outside of leptin receptor binding sites, which at least partially explains why co-evolution of leptin and its receptor was not observed in the present study. Our study provides interesting insights into current understanding of the evolution of mammalian leptin genes in response to selective pressures from life in an aquatic environment, and leads to a hypothesis that new tissue specificity or novel physiologic functions of leptin genes may have arisen in both odontocetes and phocids. Additional data from other species encompassing varying life histories and functional tests of the adaptive role of the amino acid changes identified in this study will help determine the factors that promote the adaptive

  19. Temporal dependence of the selectivity property of SES stations in western Greece

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    E. Dologlou

    2009-06-01

    Full Text Available The selectivity property of the SES stations, IOA, PIR and PAT in western Greece, based on reported precursory SES signals and associated large earthquakes (Mw≥5.4 that occurred from 1983 to the end of 2008, has been examined. Interesting temporal dependence of the sensitive ability of these stations has been unveiled. Physical mechanisms for the observed changes in selectivity might be related with tectonic and geodynamic events. For instance, selectivity for IOA exhibits a time dependence, for PAT probably is related to the activation of Wadati-Benioff zone while for PIR seems to be related to the specific tectonics of two confined areas such as the Cephalonia Transform Faulting zone in Ionian Sea and the southwestern part of the Hellenic Trench.

  20. A Scan for Positively Selected Genes in the Genomes of Humans and Chimpanzees

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, Rasmus; Bustamente, Carlos; Clark, Andrew G.

    2005-01-01

    Since the divergence of humans and chimpanzees about 5 million years ago, these species have undergone a remarkable evolution with drastic divergence in anatomy and cognitive abilities. At the molecular level, despite the small overall magnitude of DNA sequence divergence, we might expect...... such evolutionary changes to leave a noticeable signature throughout the genome. We here compare 13,731 annotated genes from humans to their chimpanzee orthologs to identify genes that show evidence of positive selection. Many of the genes that present a signature of positive selection tend to be involved...

  1. Detection of optic nerve lesions in optic neuritis using frequency-selective fat-saturation sequences

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Miller, D.H.; MacManus, D.G.; Bartlett, P.A.; Kapoor, R.; Morrissey, S.P.; Moseley, I.F.

    1993-01-01

    MRI was performed on seven patients with acute optic neuritis, using two sequences which suppress the signal from orbital fat: frequency-selective fat-saturation and inversion recovery with a short inversion time. Lesions were seen on both sequences in all the symptomatic optic nerves studied. (orig.)

  2. Frequency and amplitude dependences of molding accuracy in ultrasonic nanoimprint technology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mekaru, Harutaka; Takahashi, Masaharu

    2009-01-01

    We use neither a heater nor ultraviolet lights, and are researching and developing an ultrasonic nanoimprint as a new nano-patterning technology. In our ultrasonic nanoimprint technology, ultrasonic vibration is not used as a heat generator instead of the heater. A mold is connected with an ultrasonic generator, and mold patterns are pushed down and pulled up at a high speed into a thermoplastic. Frictional heat is generated by ultrasonic vibration between mold patterns and thermoplastic patterns formed by an initial contact force. However, because frictional heat occurs locally, the whole mold is not heated. Therefore, a molding material can be comprehensively processed at room temperature. A magnetostriction actuator was built into our ultrasonic nanoimprint system as an ultrasonic generator, and the frequency and amplitude can be changed between dc–10 kHz and 0–4 µm, respectively. First, the ultrasonic nanoimprint was experimented by using this system on polyethylene terephthalate (PET, T g = 69 °C), whose the glass transition temperature (T g ) is comparatively low in engineering plastics, and it was ascertained that the most suitable elastic material for this technique was an ethyl urethane rubber. In addition, we used a changeable frequency of the magnetostriction actuator, and nano-patterns in an electroformed-Ni mold were transferred to a 0.5 mm thick sheet of PET, polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) and polycarbonate (PC), which are typical engineering plastics, under variable molding conditions. The frequency and amplitude dependence of ultrasonic vibration to the molding accuracy were investigated by measuring depth and width of imprinted patterns. As a result, regardless of the molding material, the imprinted depth was changed drastically when the frequency exceeded 5 kHz. On the other hand, when the amplitude of ultrasonic vibration grew, the imprinted depth gradually deepened. Influence of the frequency and amplitude of ultrasonic vibration was not

  3. Calculation and applications of the frequency dependent neutron detector response functions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Van Dam, H.; Van Hagen, T.H.J.J. der; Hoogenboom, J.E.; Keijzer, J.

    1994-01-01

    The theoretical basis is presented for the evaluation of the frequency dependent function that enables to calculate the response of a neutron detector to parametric fluctuations ('noise') or oscillations in reactor core. This function describes the 'field view' of a detector and can be calculated with a static transport code under certain conditions which are discussed. Two applications are presented: the response of an ex-core detector to void fraction fluctuations in a BWR and of both in and ex-core detectors to a rotating neutron absorber near or inside a research reactor core. (authors). 7 refs., 4 figs

  4. The development of small-scale mechanization means positioning algorithm using radio frequency identification technology in industrial plants

    Science.gov (United States)

    Astafiev, A.; Orlov, A.; Privezencev, D.

    2018-01-01

    The article is devoted to the development of technology and software for the construction of positioning and control systems for small mechanization in industrial plants based on radio frequency identification methods, which will be the basis for creating highly efficient intelligent systems for controlling the product movement in industrial enterprises. The main standards that are applied in the field of product movement control automation and radio frequency identification are considered. The article reviews modern publications and automation systems for the control of product movement developed by domestic and foreign manufacturers. It describes the developed algorithm for positioning of small-scale mechanization means in an industrial enterprise. Experimental studies in laboratory and production conditions have been conducted and described in the article.

  5. The linear variable differential transformer (LVDT) position sensor for gravitational wave interferometer low-frequency controls

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tariq, Hareem E-mail: htariq@ligo.caltech.edu; Takamori, Akiteru; Vetrano, Flavio; Wang Chenyang; Bertolini, Alessandro; Calamai, Giovanni; DeSalvo, Riccardo; Gennai, Alberto; Holloway, Lee; Losurdo, Giovanni; Marka, Szabolcs; Mazzoni, Massimo; Paoletti, Federico; Passuello, Diego; Sannibale, Virginio; Stanga, Ruggero

    2002-08-21

    Low-power, ultra-high-vacuum compatible, non-contacting position sensors with nanometer resolution and centimeter dynamic range have been developed, built and tested. They have been designed at Virgo as the sensors for low-frequency modal damping of Seismic Attenuation System chains in Gravitational Wave interferometers and sub-micron absolute mirror positioning. One type of these linear variable differential transformers (LVDTs) has been designed to be also insensitive to transversal displacement thus allowing 3D movement of the sensor head while still precisely reading its position along the sensitivity axis. A second LVDT geometry has been designed to measure the displacement of the vertical seismic attenuation filters from their nominal position. Unlike the commercial LVDTs, mostly based on magnetic cores, the LVDTs described here exert no force on the measured structure.

  6. Studies on frequency dependent electrical and dielectric properties of sintered zinc oxide pellets: effects of Al-doping

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tewari, S.; Ghosh, A.; Bhattacharjee, A.

    2016-11-01

    Sintered pellets of zinc oxide (ZnO), both undoped and Al-doped are prepared through a chemical process. Dopant concentration of Aluminium in ZnO [Al/Zn in weight percentage (wt%)] is varied from 0 to 3 wt%. After synthesis structural characterisation of the samples are performed with XRD and SEM-EDAX which confirm that all the samples are of ZnO having polycrystalline nature with particle size from 108.6 to 116 nm. Frequency dependent properties like a.c. conductivity, capacitance, impedance and phase angle are measured in the frequency range 10 Hz to 100 kHz as a function of temperature (in the range 25-150 °C). Nature of a.c. conductivity in these samples indicates hopping type of conduction arising from localised defect states. The frequency and temperature dependent properties under study are found to be as per correlated barrier hoping model. Dielectric and impedance properties studied in the samples indicate distributed relaxation, showing decrease of relaxation time with temperature.

  7. Distributive estimation of frequency selective channels for massive MIMO systems

    KAUST Repository

    Zaib, Alam

    2015-12-28

    We consider frequency selective channel estimation in the uplink of massive MIMO-OFDM systems, where our major concern is complexity. A low complexity distributed LMMSE algorithm is proposed that attains near optimal channel impulse response (CIR) estimates from noisy observations at receive antenna array. In proposed method, every antenna estimates the CIRs of its neighborhood followed by recursive sharing of estimates with immediate neighbors. At each step, every antenna calculates the weighted average of shared estimates which converges to near optimal LMMSE solution. The simulation results validate the near optimal performance of proposed algorithm in terms of mean square error (MSE). © 2015 EURASIP.

  8. Frequency and voltage dependence dielectric properties, ac electrical conductivity and electric modulus profiles in Al/Co{sub 3}O{sub 4}-PVA/p-Si structures

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bilkan, Çiğdem, E-mail: cigdembilkan@gmail.com [Department of Physics, Faculty of Sciences, The University of Çankırı Karatekin, 18100 Çankırı (Turkey); Azizian-Kalandaragh, Yashar [Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, The University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Altındal, Şemsettin [Department of Physics, Faculty of Sciences, The University of Gazi, 06500 Ankara (Turkey); Shokrani-Havigh, Roya [Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, The University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

    2016-11-01

    In this research a simple microwave-assisted method have been used for preparation of cobalt oxide nanostructures. The as-prepared sample has been investigated by UV–vis spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM). On the other hand, frequency and voltage dependence of both the real and imaginary parts of dielectric constants (ε′, ε″) and electric modulus (M′ and M″), loss tangent (tanδ), and ac electrical conductivity (σ{sub ac}) values of Al/Co{sub 3}O{sub 4}-PVA/p-Si structures were obtained in the wide range of frequency and voltage using capacitance (C) and conductance (G/ω) data at room temperature. The values of ε′, ε″ and tanδ were found to decrease with increasing frequency almost for each applied bias voltage, but the changes in these parameters become more effective in the depletion region at low frequencies due to the charges at surface states and their relaxation time and polarization effect. While the value of σ is almost constant at low frequency, increases almost as exponentially at high frequency which are corresponding to σ{sub dc} and σ{sub ac}, respectively. The M′ and M″ have low values at low frequencies region and then an increase with frequency due to short-range mobility of charge carriers. While the value of M′ increase with increasing frequency, the value of M″ shows two peak and the peaks positions shifts to higher frequency with increasing applied voltage due to the decrease of the polarization and N{sub ss} effects with increasing frequency.

  9. Transfer matrix in 1D Schroedinger problems with constant and position-dependent mass

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Perez-Alvarez, R.; Rodriguez-Coppola, H.

    1987-10-01

    We consider the transfer matrix method for obtaining properties of standard wells and barriers in one-dimensional Schroedinger problems with constant and position-dependent mass. We report the formulae for the energy levels of a well and the transmission coefficient of a barrier. We demonstrate the continuity between virtual bound states and bound states in a well of position-dependent mass and the relation between the zero energy gap states of a periodic potential problem with the corresponding energies of the non-periodic ones with transmission coefficient equal to one. The calculations were carried out for a wide class of potential profiles. (author). 30 refs, 2 figs

  10. An analysis of boundary-effects in obtaining the frequency dependent specific heat by effusivity measurements

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Christensen, Tage Emil; Behrens, Claus

    The frequency dependent specific heat is a significant response function characterizing the glass transition. Contrary to the dielectric response it is not easily measured over many decades. The introduction of the 3-omega method, where the temperature oscillations at a planar oscillatoric heat g...

  11. A singular position-dependent mass particle in an infinite potential well

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mustafa, Omar; Mazharimousavi, S. Habib

    2009-01-01

    An unusual singular position-dependent-mass particle in an infinite potential well is considered. The corresponding Hamiltonian is mapped through a point-canonical-transformation and an explicit correspondence between the target Hamiltonian and a Poeschl-Teller type reference Hamiltonian is obtained. New ordering ambiguity parametric setting are suggested

  12. Positive allometry and the prehistory of sexual selection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tomkins, Joseph L; LeBas, Natasha R; Witton, Mark P; Martill, David M; Humphries, Stuart

    2010-08-01

    The function of the exaggerated structures that adorn many fossil vertebrates remains largely unresolved. One recurrent hypothesis is that these elaborated traits had a role in thermoregulation. This orthodoxy persists despite the observation that traits exaggerated to the point of impracticality in extant organisms are almost invariably sexually selected. We use allometric scaling to investigate the role of sexual selection and thermoregulation in the evolution of exaggerated traits of the crested pterosaur Pteranodon longiceps and the sail-backed eupelycosaurs Dimetrodon and Edaphosaurus. The extraordinarily steep positive allometry of the head crest of Pteranodon rules out all of the current hypotheses for this trait's main function other than sexual signaling. We also find interspecific patterns of allometry and sexual dimorphism in the sails of Dimetrodon and patterns of elaboration in Edaphosaurus consistent with a sexually selected function. Furthermore, small ancestral, sail-backed pelycosaurs would have been too small to need adaptations to thermoregulation. Our results question the popular view that the elaborated structures of these fossil species evolved as thermoregulatory organs and provide evidence in support of the hypothesis that Pteranodon crests and eupelycosaur sails are among the earliest and most extreme examples of elaborate sexual signals in the evolution of terrestrial vertebrates.

  13. On positivity of time-frequency distributions.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Janssen, A.J.E.M.; Claasen, T.A.C.M.

    1985-01-01

    Consideration is given to the problem of how to regard the fundamental impossibility with time-frequency energy distributions of Cohen's class always to be nonnegative and, at the same time, to have correct marginal distributions. It is shown that the Wigner distribution is the only member of a

  14. Time-dependent ion selectivity in capacitive charging of porous electrodes

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Zhao, R.; Soestbergen, M.; Rijnaarts, H.H.M.; Wal, van der A.F.; Bazant, M.Z.; Biesheuvel, P.M.

    2012-01-01

    In a combined experimental and theoretical study, we show that capacitive charging of porous electrodes in multicomponent electrolytes may lead to the phenomenon of time-dependent ion selectivity of the electrical double layers (EDLs) in the electrodes. This effect is found in experiments on

  15. Low frequency temperature forcing of chemical oscillations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Novak, Jan; Thompson, Barnaby W; Wilson, Mark C T; Taylor, Annette F; Britton, Melanie M

    2011-07-14

    The low frequency forcing of chemical oscillations by temperature is investigated experimentally in the Belousov-Zhabotinsky (BZ) reaction and in simulations of the Oregonator model with Arrhenius temperature dependence of the rate constants. Forcing with temperature leads to modulation of the chemical frequency. The number of response cycles per forcing cycle is given by the ratio of the natural frequency to the forcing frequency and phase locking is only observed in simulations when this ratio is a whole number and the forcing amplitude is small. The global temperature forcing of flow-distributed oscillations in a tubular reactor is also investigated and synchronisation is observed in the variation of band position with the external signal, reflecting the periodic modulation of chemical oscillations by temperature.

  16. Natural Selection in Virulence Genes of Francisella tularensis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gunnell, Mark K; Robison, Richard A; Adams, Byron J

    2016-06-01

    A fundamental tenet of evolution is that alleles that are under negative selection are often deleterious and confer no evolutionary advantage. Negatively selected alleles are removed from the gene pool and are eventually extinguished from the population. Conversely, alleles under positive selection do confer an evolutionary advantage and lead to an increase in the overall fitness of the organism. These alleles increase in frequency until they eventually become fixed in the population. Francisella tularensis is a zoonotic pathogen and a potential biothreat agent. The most virulent type of F. tularensis, Type A, is distributed across North America with Type A.I occurring mainly in the east and Type A.II appearing mainly in the west. F. tularensis is thought to be a genome in decay (losing genes) because of the relatively large number of pseudogenes present in its genome. We hypothesized that the observed frequency of gene loss/pseudogenes may be an artifact of evolution in response to a changing environment, and that genes involved in virulence should be under strong positive selection. To test this hypothesis, we sequenced and compared whole genomes of Type A.I and A.II isolates. We analyzed a subset of virulence and housekeeping genes from several F. tularensis subspecies genomes to ascertain the presence and extent of positive selection. Eleven previously identified virulence genes were screened for positive selection along with 10 housekeeping genes. Analyses of selection yielded one housekeeping gene and 7 virulence genes which showed significant evidence of positive selection at loci implicated in cell surface structures and membrane proteins, metabolism and biosynthesis, transcription, translation and cell separation, and substrate binding and transport. Our results suggest that while the loss of functional genes through disuse could be accelerated by negative selection, the genome decay in Francisella could also be the byproduct of adaptive evolution

  17. Dependence and withdrawal reactions to benzodiazepines and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. How did the health authorities react?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nielsen, Margrethe; Hansen, Ebba Holme; Gøtzsche, Peter C

    2013-01-01

    Our objective was to explore communications from drug agencies about benzodiazepine dependence and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) withdrawal reactions over time. Documentary study. We searched the web-sites of the European Medicines Agency and the drug agencies in USA, UK, and Denmark for documents mentioning benzodiazepines or SSRIs. We supplemented with other relevant literature that could contribute to our study. The searches were performed in 2009 in PubMed, Google, BMJ and JAMA. It took many years before the drug regulators acknowledged benzodiazepine dependence and SSRI withdrawal reactions and before the prescribers and the public were informed. Drug regulators relied mainly on the definitions of dependence and withdrawal reactions from the diagnostic psychiatric manuals, which contributed to the idea that SSRIs do not cause dependence, although it is difficult for many patients to stop treatment. In the perspective of a precautionary principle, drug agencies have failed to acknowledge that SSRIs can cause dependence and have minimised the problem with regard to its frequency and severity. In the perspective of a risk management principle, the drug agencies have reacted in concordance with the slowly growing knowledge of adverse drug reactions and have sharpened the information to the prescribers and the public over time. However, solely relying on spontaneous reporting of adverse effects leads to underestimation and delayed information about the problems. Given the experience with the benzodiazepines, we believe the regulatory bodies should have required studies from the manufacturers that could have elucidated the dependence potential of the SSRIs before marketing authorization was granted.

  18. Stabilised frequency of extreme positive Indian Ocean Dipole under 1.5 °C warming.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cai, Wenju; Wang, Guojian; Gan, Bolan; Wu, Lixin; Santoso, Agus; Lin, Xiaopei; Chen, Zhaohui; Jia, Fan; Yamagata, Toshio

    2018-04-12

    Extreme positive Indian Ocean Dipole (pIOD) affects weather, agriculture, ecosystems, and public health worldwide, particularly when exacerbated by an extreme El Niño. The Paris Agreement aims to limit warming below 2 °C and ideally below 1.5 °C in global mean temperature (GMT), but how extreme pIOD will respond to this target is unclear. Here we show that the frequency increases linearly as the warming proceeds, and doubles at 1.5 °C warming from the pre-industrial level (statistically significant above the 90% confidence level), underscored by a strong intermodel agreement with 11 out of 13 models producing an increase. However, in sharp contrast to a continuous increase in extreme El Niño frequency long after GMT stabilisation, the extreme pIOD frequency peaks as the GMT stabilises. The contrasting response corresponds to a 50% reduction in frequency of an extreme El Niño preceded by an extreme pIOD from that projected under a business-as-usual scenario.

  19. Natural selection affects multiple aspects of genetic variation at putatively neutral sites across the human genome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lohmueller, Kirk E; Albrechtsen, Anders; Li, Yingrui; Kim, Su Yeon; Korneliussen, Thorfinn; Vinckenbosch, Nicolas; Tian, Geng; Huerta-Sanchez, Emilia; Feder, Alison F; Grarup, Niels; Jørgensen, Torben; Jiang, Tao; Witte, Daniel R; Sandbæk, Annelli; Hellmann, Ines; Lauritzen, Torsten; Hansen, Torben; Pedersen, Oluf; Wang, Jun; Nielsen, Rasmus

    2011-10-01

    A major question in evolutionary biology is how natural selection has shaped patterns of genetic variation across the human genome. Previous work has documented a reduction in genetic diversity in regions of the genome with low recombination rates. However, it is unclear whether other summaries of genetic variation, like allele frequencies, are also correlated with recombination rate and whether these correlations can be explained solely by negative selection against deleterious mutations or whether positive selection acting on favorable alleles is also required. Here we attempt to address these questions by analyzing three different genome-wide resequencing datasets from European individuals. We document several significant correlations between different genomic features. In particular, we find that average minor allele frequency and diversity are reduced in regions of low recombination and that human diversity, human-chimp divergence, and average minor allele frequency are reduced near genes. Population genetic simulations show that either positive natural selection acting on favorable mutations or negative natural selection acting against deleterious mutations can explain these correlations. However, models with strong positive selection on nonsynonymous mutations and little negative selection predict a stronger negative correlation between neutral diversity and nonsynonymous divergence than observed in the actual data, supporting the importance of negative, rather than positive, selection throughout the genome. Further, we show that the widespread presence of weakly deleterious alleles, rather than a small number of strongly positively selected mutations, is responsible for the correlation between neutral genetic diversity and recombination rate. This work suggests that natural selection has affected multiple aspects of linked neutral variation throughout the human genome and that positive selection is not required to explain these observations.

  20. Frequency selective surfaces based high performance microstrip antenna

    CERN Document Server

    Narayan, Shiv; Jha, Rakesh Mohan

    2016-01-01

    This book focuses on performance enhancement of printed antennas using frequency selective surfaces (FSS) technology. The growing demand of stealth technology in strategic areas requires high-performance low-RCS (radar cross section) antennas. Such requirements may be accomplished by incorporating FSS into the antenna structure either in its ground plane or as the superstrate, due to the filter characteristics of FSS structure. In view of this, a novel approach based on FSS technology is presented in this book to enhance the performance of printed antennas including out-of-band structural RCS reduction. In this endeavor, the EM design of microstrip patch antennas (MPA) loaded with FSS-based (i) high impedance surface (HIS) ground plane, and (ii) the superstrates are discussed in detail. The EM analysis of proposed FSS-based antenna structures have been carried out using transmission line analogy, in combination with the reciprocity theorem. Further, various types of novel FSS structures are considered in desi...

  1. Frequency dependent capacitance and conductance properties of Schottky diode based on rubrene organic semiconductor

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Barış, Behzad, E-mail: behzadbaris@gmail.com

    2013-10-01

    Al/rubrene/p-Si Schottky diode has been fabricated by forming a rubrene layer on p type Si by using the spin coating method. The frequency dependent capacitance–voltage (C–V–f) and conductance–voltage (G–V–f) characteristics of Al/rubrene/p-Si Schottky diyotes has been investigated in the frequency range of 5 kHz–500 kHz at room temperature. The C–V plots show a peak for each frequency. The capacitance of the device decreased with increasing frequency. The decrease in capacitance results from the presence of interface states. The plots of series resistance–voltage (R{sub s}−V) gave a peak in the depletion region at all frequencies. The density of interface states (N{sub ss}) and relaxation time (τ) distribution profiles as a function of applied voltage bias have been determined from the C–V and G–V measurements. The values of the N{sub ss} and τ have been calculated in the ranges of 8.37×10{sup 11}–4.85×10{sup 11} eV{sup −1} cm{sup −2} and 5.17×10{sup −6}–1.02×10{sup −5} s, respectively.

  2. Density-dependent effects of ants on selection for bumble bee pollination in Polemonium viscosum.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Galen, Candace; Geib, Jennifer C

    2007-05-01

    Mutualisms are commonly exploited by cheater species that usurp rewards without providing reciprocal benefits. Yet most studies of selection between mutualist partners ignore interactions with third species and consequently overlook the impact of cheaters on evolution in the mutualism. Here, we explicitly investigate how the abundance of nectar-thieving ants (cheaters) influences selection in a pollination mutualism between bumble bees and the alpine skypilot, Polemonium viscosum. As suggested in past work with this species, bumble bees accounted for most of the seed production (78% +/- 6% [mean +/- SE]) in our high tundra study population and, in the absence of ants, exerted strong selection for large flowers. We tested for indirect effects of ant abundance on seed set through bumble bee pollination services (pollen delivery and pollen export) and a direct effect through flower damage. Ants reduced seed set per flower by 20% via flower damage. As ant density increased within experimental patches, the rate of flower damage rose, but pollen delivery and export did not vary significantly, showing that indirect effects of increased cheater abundance on pollinator service are negligible in this system. To address how ants affect selection for plant participation in the pollination mutualism we tested the impact of ant abundance on selection for bumble bee-mediated pollination. Results show that the impact of ants on fitness (seed set) accruing under bumble bee pollination is density dependent in P. viscosum. Selection for bumble bee pollination declined with increasing ant abundance in experimental patches, as predicted if cheaters constrain fitness returns of mutualist partner services. We also examined how ant abundance influences selection on flower size, a key component of plant investment in bumble bee pollination. We predicted that direct effects of ants would constrain bumble bee selection for large flowers. However, selection on flower size was significantly

  3. Frequency Dependence of C-V Characteristics of MOS Capacitors Containing Nanosized High-κ Ta2O5 Dielectrics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nenad Novkovski

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Capacitance of metal–insulator–Si structures containing high permittivity dielectric exhibits complicated behaviour when voltage and frequency dependencies are studied. From our study on metal (Al, Au, W–Ta2O5/SiO2–Si structures, we identify serial C-R measurement mode to be more convenient for use than the parallel one usually used in characterization of similar structures. Strong frequency dependence that is not due to real variations in the dielectric permittivity of the layers is observed. Very high capacitance at low frequencies is due to the leakage in Ta2O5 layer. We found that the above observation is mainly due to different leakage current mechanisms in the two different layers composing the stack. The effect is highly dependent on the applied voltage, since the leakage currents are strongly nonlinear functions of the electric field in the layers. Additionally, at low frequencies, transition currents influence the measured value of the capacitance. From the capacitance measurements several parameters are extracted, such as capacitance in accumulation, effective dielectric constant, and oxide charges. Extracting parameters of the studied structures by standard methods in the case of high-κ/interfacial layer stacks can lead to substantial errors. Some cases demonstrating these deficiencies of the methods are presented and solutions for obtaining better results are proposed.

  4. Frequency-dependent spatiotemporal profiles of visual responses recorded with subdural ECoG electrodes in awake monkeys: Differences between high- and low-frequency activity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Takaura, Kana; Tsuchiya, Naotsugu; Fujii, Naotaka

    2016-01-01

    Electrocorticography (ECoG) constitutes a powerful and promising neural recording modality in humans and animals. ECoG signals are often decomposed into several frequency bands, among which the so-called high-gamma band (80-250Hz) has been proposed to reflect local cortical functions near the cortical surface below the ECoG electrodes. It is typically assumed that the lower the frequency bands, the lower the spatial resolution of the signals; thus, there is not much to gain by analyzing the event-related changes of the ECoG signals in the lower-frequency bands. However, differences across frequency bands have not been systematically investigated. To address this issue, we recorded ECoG activity from two awake monkeys performing a retinotopic mapping task. We characterized the spatiotemporal profiles of the visual responses in the time-frequency domain. We defined the preferred spatial position, receptive field (RF), and response latencies of band-limited power (BLP) (i.e., alpha [3.9-11.7Hz], beta [15.6-23.4Hz], low [30-80Hz] and high [80-250Hz] gamma) for each electrode and compared them across bands and time-domain visual evoked potentials (VEPs). At the population level, we found that the spatial preferences were comparable across bands and VEPs. The high-gamma power showed a smaller RF than the other bands and VEPs. The response latencies for the alpha band were always longer than the latencies for the other bands and fastest in VEPs. Comparing the response profiles in both space and time for each cortical region (V1, V4+, and TEO/TE) revealed regional idiosyncrasies. Although the latencies of visual responses in the beta, low-, and high-gamma bands were almost identical in V1 and V4+, beta and low-gamma BLP occurred about 17ms earlier than high-gamma power in TEO/TE. Furthermore, TEO/TE exhibited a unique pattern in the spatial response profile: the alpha and high-gamma responses tended to prefer the foveal regions, whereas the beta and low-gamma responses

  5. The role of positive selection in hepatitis C virus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cuevas, José M; Gonzalez, Michael; Torres-Puente, Manuela; Jiménez-Hernández, Nuria; Bracho, María A; García-Robles, Inmaculada; González-Candelas, Fernando; Moya, Andrés

    2009-09-01

    Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a major health problem worldwide, infecting an estimated 170 million people. In this study, we have employed a large data set of sequences (14,654 sequences from between 25 and 100 clone sequences per analyzed region and per patient) from 67 patients infected with HCV genotype 1 (23 subtype 1a and 44 subtype 1b). For all patients, a sample prior to combined therapy with alpha interferon plus ribavirin was available, whereas for some patients additional samples after 6 or 12 months of treatment were also available. Twenty-seven patients responded to treatment (12 subtype 1a and 15 subtype 1b) and forty patients did not respond to treatment (11 subtype 1a vs. 29 subtype 1b). Two regions of the HCV genome were analyzed, one compressing the hypervariable regions (HVR1, HVR2 and HVR3) of the envelope 2 glycoprotein and another one including the interferon sensitive determining region (ISDR) and the V3 domain of the NS5A protein. Previously (Cuevas, J.M., Torres-Puente, M., Jiménez-Hernández, N., Bracho, M.A., García-Robles, I., Wrobel, B., Carnicer, F., del Olmo, J., Ortega, E., Moya, A., González-Candelas, F., 2008b. Genetic variability of hepatitis C virus before and after combined therapy of interferon plus ribavirin. Plos One 3 (8), e3058), several amino acid positions in both regions analyzed were detected to be under positive selection. Here, we have compared the amino acid composition of each positively selected position between responder and non-responder patients for both subtypes. If we exclude some non-conclusive cases, no clear differences were detected in any case. In conclusion, identifying specific positions as completely discriminatory of treatment response seems to be a difficult task. Our results, in concordance with previous studies, suggest that HCV evasion strategies are more likely based on a global increased variability, which would yield combinations of mutations with an increased resistance, than on the fixation of

  6. Temperature dependence of low-frequency polarized Raman scattering spectra in TlInS{sub 2}

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Paucar, Raul; Wakita, Kazuki [Electronics and Computer Engineering, Chiba Institute of Technology, Chiba (Japan); Shim, YongGu; Mimura, Kojiro [Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka Prefecture University, Osaka (Japan); Alekperov, Oktay; Mamedov, Nazim [Institute of Physics, Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences, Baku (Azerbaijan)

    2017-06-15

    In this work, we examined phase transitions in the layered ternary thallium chalcogenide TlInS{sub 2} by studying the temperature dependence of polarized Raman spectra with the aid of the Raman confocal microscope system. The Raman spectra were measured over the temperature range of 77-320 K (which includes the range of successive phase transitions) in the low-frequency region of 35-180 cm{sup -1}. The optical phonons that showed strong temperature dependence were identified as interlayer vibrations related to phase transitions, while the phonons that showed weak temperature dependence were identified as intralayer vibrations. (copyright 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

  7. Frequency-dependent electrostatic actuation in microfluidic MEMS.

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zavadil, Kevin Robert; Michalske, Terry A.; Sounart, Thomas L.

    2003-09-01

    Electrostatic actuators exhibit fast response times and are easily integrated into microsystems because they can be fabricated with standard IC micromachining processes and materials. Although electrostatic actuators have been used extensively in 'dry' MEMS, they have received less attention in microfluidic systems probably because of challenges such as electrolysis, anodization, and electrode polarization. Here we demonstrate that ac drive signals can be used to prevent electrode polarization, and thus enable electrostatic actuation in many liquids, at potentials low enough to avoid electrochemistry. We measure the frequency response of an interdigitated silicon comb-drive actuator in liquids spanning a decade of dielectric permittivities and four decades of conductivity, and present a simple theory that predicts the characteristic actuation frequency. The analysis demonstrates the importance of the native oxide on silicon actuator response, and suggests that the actuation frequency can be shifted by controlling the thickness of the oxide. For native silicon devices, actuation is predicted at frequencies less than 10 MHz, in electrolytes of ionic strength up to 100 mmol/L, and thus electrostatic actuation may be feasible in many bioMEMS and other microfluidic applications.

  8. Mitigating artifacts in back-projection source imaging with implications for frequency-dependent properties of the Tohoku-Oki earthquake

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meng, Lingsen; Ampuero, Jean-Paul; Luo, Yingdi; Wu, Wenbo; Ni, Sidao

    2012-12-01

    Comparing teleseismic array back-projection source images of the 2011 Tohoku-Oki earthquake with results from static and kinematic finite source inversions has revealed little overlap between the regions of high- and low-frequency slip. Motivated by this interesting observation, back-projection studies extended to intermediate frequencies, down to about 0.1 Hz, have suggested that a progressive transition of rupture properties as a function of frequency is observable. Here, by adapting the concept of array response function to non-stationary signals, we demonstrate that the "swimming artifact", a systematic drift resulting from signal non-stationarity, induces significant bias on beamforming back-projection at low frequencies. We introduce a "reference window strategy" into the multitaper-MUSIC back-projection technique and significantly mitigate the "swimming artifact" at high frequencies (1 s to 4 s). At lower frequencies, this modification yields notable, but significantly smaller, artifacts than time-domain stacking. We perform extensive synthetic tests that include a 3D regional velocity model for Japan. We analyze the recordings of the Tohoku-Oki earthquake at the USArray and at the European array at periods from 1 s to 16 s. The migration of the source location as a function of period, regardless of the back-projection methods, has characteristics that are consistent with the expected effect of the "swimming artifact". In particular, the apparent up-dip migration as a function of frequency obtained with the USArray can be explained by the "swimming artifact". This indicates that the most substantial frequency-dependence of the Tohoku-Oki earthquake source occurs at periods longer than 16 s. Thus, low-frequency back-projection needs to be further tested and validated in order to contribute to the characterization of frequency-dependent rupture properties.

  9. Positive regulation of raphe serotonin neurons by serotonin 2B receptors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Belmer, Arnauld; Quentin, Emily; Diaz, Silvina L; Guiard, Bruno P; Fernandez, Sebastian P; Doly, Stéphane; Banas, Sophie M; Pitychoutis, Pothitos M; Moutkine, Imane; Muzerelle, Aude; Tchenio, Anna; Roumier, Anne; Mameli, Manuel; Maroteaux, Luc

    2018-06-01

    Serotonin is a neurotransmitter involved in many psychiatric diseases. In humans, a lack of 5-HT 2B receptors is associated with serotonin-dependent phenotypes, including impulsivity and suicidality. A lack of 5-HT 2B receptors in mice eliminates the effects of molecules that directly target serotonergic neurons including amphetamine derivative serotonin releasers, and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor antidepressants. In this work, we tested the hypothesis that 5-HT 2B receptors directly and positively regulate raphe serotonin neuron activity. By ex vivo electrophysiological recordings, we report that stimulation by the 5-HT 2B receptor agonist, BW723C86, increased the firing frequency of serotonin Pet1-positive neurons. Viral overexpression of 5-HT 2B receptors in these neurons increased their excitability. Furthermore, in vivo 5-HT 2B -receptor stimulation by BW723C86 counteracted 5-HT 1A autoreceptor-dependent reduction in firing rate and hypothermic response in wild-type mice. By a conditional genetic ablation that eliminates 5-HT 2B receptor expression specifically and exclusively from Pet1-positive serotonin neurons (Htr2b 5-HTKO mice), we demonstrated that behavioral and sensitizing effects of MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine), as well as acute behavioral and chronic neurogenic effects of the antidepressant fluoxetine, require 5-HT 2B receptor expression in serotonergic neurons. In Htr2b 5-HTKO mice, dorsal raphe serotonin neurons displayed a lower firing frequency compared to control Htr2b lox/lox mice as assessed by in vivo extracellular recordings and a stronger hypothermic effect of 5-HT 1A -autoreceptor stimulation was observed. The increase in head-twitch response to DOI (2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodoamphetamine) further confirmed the lower serotonergic tone resulting from the absence of 5-HT 2B receptors in serotonin neurons. Together, these observations indicate that the 5-HT 2B receptor acts as a direct positive modulator of serotonin Pet1

  10. Modeling the frequency-dependent detective quantum efficiency of photon-counting x-ray detectors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stierstorfer, Karl

    2018-01-01

    To find a simple model for the frequency-dependent detective quantum efficiency (DQE) of photon-counting detectors in the low flux limit. Formula for the spatial cross-talk, the noise power spectrum and the DQE of a photon-counting detector working at a given threshold are derived. Parameters are probabilities for types of events like single counts in the central pixel, double counts in the central pixel and a neighboring pixel or single count in a neighboring pixel only. These probabilities can be derived in a simple model by extensive use of Monte Carlo techniques: The Monte Carlo x-ray propagation program MOCASSIM is used to simulate the energy deposition from the x-rays in the detector material. A simple charge cloud model using Gaussian clouds of fixed width is used for the propagation of the electric charge generated by the primary interactions. Both stages are combined in a Monte Carlo simulation randomizing the location of impact which finally produces the required probabilities. The parameters of the charge cloud model are fitted to the spectral response to a polychromatic spectrum measured with our prototype detector. Based on the Monte Carlo model, the DQE of photon-counting detectors as a function of spatial frequency is calculated for various pixel sizes, photon energies, and thresholds. The frequency-dependent DQE of a photon-counting detector in the low flux limit can be described with an equation containing only a small set of probabilities as input. Estimates for the probabilities can be derived from a simple model of the detector physics. © 2017 American Association of Physicists in Medicine.

  11. Student's Second-Language Grade May Depend on Classroom Listening Position.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hurtig, Anders; Sörqvist, Patrik; Ljung, Robert; Hygge, Staffan; Rönnberg, Jerker

    2016-01-01

    The purpose of this experiment was to explore whether listening positions (close or distant location from the sound source) in the classroom, and classroom reverberation, influence students' score on a test for second-language (L2) listening comprehension (i.e., comprehension of English in Swedish speaking participants). The listening comprehension test administered was part of a standardized national test of English used in the Swedish school system. A total of 125 high school pupils, 15 years old, participated. Listening position was manipulated within subjects, classroom reverberation between subjects. The results showed that L2 listening comprehension decreased as distance from the sound source increased. The effect of reverberation was qualified by the participants' baseline L2 proficiency. A shorter reverberation was beneficial to participants with high L2 proficiency, while the opposite pattern was found among the participants with low L2 proficiency. The results indicate that listening comprehension scores-and hence students' grade in English-may depend on students' classroom listening position.

  12. Positive selection on MHC class II DRB and DQB genes in the bank vole (Myodes glareolus).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Scherman, Kristin; Råberg, Lars; Westerdahl, Helena

    2014-05-01

    The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class IIB genes show considerable sequence similarity between loci. The MHC class II DQB and DRB genes are known to exhibit a high level of polymorphism, most likely maintained by parasite-mediated selection. Studies of the MHC in wild rodents have focused on DRB, whilst DQB has been given much less attention. Here, we characterised DQB genes in Swedish bank voles Myodes glareolus, using full-length transcripts. We then designed primers that specifically amplify exon 2 from DRB (202 bp) and DQB (205 bp) and investigated molecular signatures of natural selection on DRB and DQB alleles. The presence of two separate gene clusters was confirmed using BLASTN and phylogenetic analysis, where our seven transcripts clustered according to either DQB or DRB homologues. These gene clusters were again confirmed on exon 2 data from 454-amplicon sequencing. Our DRB primers amplify a similar number of alleles per individual as previously published DRB primers, though our reads are longer. Traditional d N/d S analyses of DRB sequences in the bank vole have not found a conclusive signal of positive selection. Using a more advanced substitution model (the Kumar method) we found positive selection in the peptide binding region (PBR) of both DRB and DQB genes. Maximum likelihood models of codon substitutions detected positively selected sites located in the PBR of both DQB and DRB. Interestingly, these analyses detected at least twice as many positively selected sites in DQB than DRB, suggesting that DQB has been under stronger positive selection than DRB over evolutionary time.

  13. Flexible selection process based on skills applied to the communication manager position

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rita Jácome López

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available The Communication Manager position is relevant to the reputation of an organization, because it influences through its own personal image and reputation; therefore, the selection of this manager has to be painstaking. In this paper we propose a flexible selection process based on fuzzy logic, to fit the skills of candidates for the job and to support decision making. We present two techniques:one that selects the best applicant and another one that compares candidates with an ideal constructed with information provided by Spanish managers.

  14. On the application of frequency selective common mode feedback for multifrequency EIT.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Langlois, Peter J; Wu, Yu; Bayford, Richard H; Demosthenous, Andreas

    2015-06-01

    Common mode voltages are frequently a problem in electrical impedance tomography (EIT) and other bioimpedance applications. To reduce their amplitude common mode feedback is employed. Formalised analyses of both current and voltage feedback is presented in this paper for current drives. Common mode effects due to imbalances caused by the current drives, the electrode connections to the body load and the introduction of the body impedance to ground are considered. Frequency selective narrowband common mode feedback previously proposed to provide feedback stability is examined. As a step towards multifrequency applications the use of narrowband feedback is experimentally demonstrated for two simultaneous current drives. Measured results using standard available components show a reduction of 62 dB for current feedback and 31 dB for voltage feedback. Frequencies ranged from 50 kHz to 1 MHz.

  15. Linking subordinate political skill to supervisor dependence and reward recommendations: a moderated mediation model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shi, Junqi; Johnson, Russell E; Liu, Yihao; Wang, Mo

    2013-03-01

    In this study, we examined the relations of subordinate political skill with supervisor's dependence on the subordinate and supervisor reward recommendation, as well as mediating (interaction frequency with supervisor) and moderating (supervisor political behavior) variables of these relations. Our theoretical model was tested using data collected from employees in a company that specialized in construction management. Analyses of multisource and lagged data from 53 construction management team supervisors and 296 subordinates indicated that subordinate political skill was positively related to supervisor reward recommendation via subordinate's interaction frequency with supervisor. Although interaction frequency with a supervisor was also positively related to the supervisor's dependence on the subordinate, the indirect effect of subordinate political skill on dependence was not significant. Further, both the relationship between subordinate political skill and interaction frequency with a supervisor and the indirect relationships between subordinate political skill and supervisor reward recommendation were stronger when supervisors exhibited more political behavior.

  16. Multi-frequency excitation

    KAUST Repository

    Younis, Mohammad I.

    2016-03-10

    Embodiments of multi-frequency excitation are described. In various embodiments, a natural frequency of a device may be determined. In turn, a first voltage amplitude and first fixed frequency of a first source of excitation can be selected for the device based on the natural frequency. Additionally, a second voltage amplitude of a second source of excitation can be selected for the device, and the first and second sources of excitation can be applied to the device. After applying the first and second sources of excitation, a frequency of the second source of excitation can be swept. Using the methods of multi- frequency excitation described herein, new operating frequencies, operating frequency ranges, resonance frequencies, resonance frequency ranges, and/or resonance responses can be achieved for devices and systems.

  17. Dependence of synchronization frequency of Kuramoto oscillators on symmetry of intrinsic frequency in ring network

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saha, Arindam; Amritkar, R. E.

    2014-12-01

    Kuramoto oscillators have been proposed earlier as a model for interacting systems that exhibit synchronisation. In this article we study the difference between networks with symmetric and asymmetric distribution of natural frequencies. We first indicate that the synchronisation frequency of the oscillators is independent of the natural frequency distribution for a completely connected network. Further we analyse the case of oscillators in a directed ring-network where asymmetry in the natural frequency distribution is seen to shift the synchronisation frequency of the network. We also present an estimate of the shift in the frequencies for slightly asymmetric distributions.

  18. A prospective observational study of ICU patient position and frequency of turning.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goldhill, D R; Badacsonyi, A; Goldhill, A A; Waldmann, C

    2008-05-01

    Positioning and turning critically ill patients may be beneficial but there are little data on current practice. We prospectively recorded patient position every hour over two separate days in 40 British intensive care units and analysed 393 sets of observation. Five patients were prone at any time and 3.8% (day 1) and 5% (day 2) were on rotating beds. Patients were on their back for 46.1% of observations, turned left for 28.4% and right for 25.5%, and head up for 97.4%. A turn was defined as a change between on back, turned left or turned right. The average time (SD) between turns was 4.85 (3.3) h. There was no significant association between the average time between turns and age, weight, height, gender, respiratory diagnosis, intubated and ventilated, sedation score, day of week or nurse:patient ratio. There was a significant difference between hospitals in the frequency with which patients were turned.

  19. Circularly polarized harmonic generation by intense bicircular laser pulses: electron recollision dynamics and frequency dependent helicity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bandrauk, André D.; Mauger, François; Yuan, Kai-Jun

    2016-12-01

    Numerical solutions of time-dependent Schrödinger equations for one and two electron cyclic molecules {{{H}}}nq+ exposed to intense bichromatic circularly polarized laser pulses of frequencies {ω }1 and {ω }2, such that {ω }1/{ω }2={n}1/{n}2 (integer) produce circularly polarized high order harmonics with a cut-off recollision maximum energy at and greater than the linear polarization law (in atomic units) {N}m{ω }1={I}p+3.17{U}p, where I p is the ionization potential and {U}p={(2{E}0)}2/4{ω }2 is the ponderomotive energy defined by the field E 0 (intensity I={{cE}}02/8π ) from each pulse and mean frequency ω =({ω }1+{ω }2)/2 . An electron recollision model in a rotating frame at rotating frequency {{Δ }}ω =({ω }1-{ω }2)/2 predicts this simple result as a result of recollision dynamics in a combination of bichromatic circularly polarized pulses. The harmonic helicities and their intensities are shown to depend on compatible symmetries of the net pulse electric fields with that of the molecules.

  20. Adaptive evolution of the spike gene of SARS coronavirus: changes in positively selected sites in different epidemic groups

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    He Shao-Heng

    2006-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background It is believed that animal-to-human transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS coronavirus (CoV is the cause of the SARS outbreak worldwide. The spike (S protein is one of the best characterized proteins of SARS-CoV, which plays a key role in SARS-CoV overcoming species barrier and accomplishing interspecies transmission from animals to humans, suggesting that it may be the major target of selective pressure. However, the process of adaptive evolution of S protein and the exact positively selected sites associated with this process remain unknown. Results By investigating the adaptive evolution of S protein, we identified twelve amino acid sites (75, 239, 244, 311, 479, 609, 613, 743, 765, 778, 1148, and 1163 in the S protein under positive selective pressure. Based on phylogenetic tree and epidemiological investigation, SARS outbreak was divided into three epidemic groups: 02–04 interspecies, 03-early-mid, and 03-late epidemic groups in the present study. Positive selection was detected in the first two groups, which represent the course of SARS-CoV interspecies transmission and of viral adaptation to human host, respectively. In contrast, purifying selection was detected in 03-late group. These indicate that S protein experiences variable positive selective pressures before reaching stabilization. A total of 25 sites in 02–04 interspecies epidemic group and 16 sites in 03-early-mid epidemic group were identified under positive selection. The identified sites were different between these two groups except for site 239, which suggests that positively selected sites are changeable between groups. Moreover, it was showed that a larger proportion (24% of positively selected sites was located in receptor-binding domain (RBD than in heptad repeat (HR1-HR2 region in 02–04 interspecies epidemic group (p = 0.0208, and a greater percentage (25% of these sites occurred in HR1–HR2 region than in RBD in 03-early