First Electromagnetic Pulse Associated with a Gravitational-wave Event: Profile, Duration, and Delay

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Da-Bin; Liu, Tong; Lin, Jie; Wang, Xiang-Gao; Gu, Wei-Min; Liang, En-Wei

2018-04-01

We study the first electromagnetic (EM) pulse after the gravitational-wave (GW) chirp signal, focusing on its profile and duration. It is found that the light curve, especially the steep decay (SD) phase, can be very different by adopting different viewing angles θ view of the jet shell. For an on-axis jet with a power-law radiation spectrum, the observed flux in the SD is proportional to {t}obs}-2-β with β being the spectral index and t obs being the observer time. Here, t obs = 0 is set at the time we observe the jet being ejected from the central engine. The SD may become steep by increasing θ view. We also study the bolometric luminosity L from a jet shell with a non-power-law radiation spectrum. For an on-axis jet, L ∝ t obs ‑3 is found in the SD. However, the SD is steeper than L\\propto {t}obs}-3 for radiation from an off-axis jet. The higher value of the θ view is, the steeper SD would be. Then, we suggest that the SD phase can be used to discriminate an off-axis jet from an on-axis jet. The reason for the above behaviors is discussed. In addition, we find that the duration of first EM pulse is close to its peak time, especially for θ view ∼ 20°. This result is consistent with that found in GW 170817/GRB 170817A. Thus, the jet corresponding to the prompt emission of GRB 170817A should be ejected immediately after the merger. Our results also reveal that the duration of the first EM pulse can provide information on the time to search for GWs.

Globally coherent short duration magnetic field transients and their effect on ground based gravitational-wave detectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kowalska-Leszczynska, Izabela; Bulik, Tomasz; Bizouard, Marie-Anne; Robinet, Florent; Christensen, Nelson; Rohde, Maximilian; Coughlin, Michael; Gołkowski, Mark; Kubisz, Jerzy; Kulak, Andrzej; Mlynarczyk, Janusz

2017-01-01

It has been recognized that the magnetic fields from the Schumann resonances could affect the search for a stochastic gravitational-wave background by LIGO and Virgo. Presented here are the observations of short duration magnetic field transients that are coincident in the magnetometers at the LIGO and Virgo sites. Data from low-noise magnetometers in Poland and Colorado, USA, are also used and show short duration magnetic transients of global extent. We measure at least 2.3 coincident (between Poland and Colorado) magnetic transient events per day where one of the pulses exceeds 200 pT. Given the recently measured values of the magnetic coupling to differential arm motion for Advanced LIGO, there would be a few events per day that would appear simultaneously at the gravitational-wave detector sites and could move the test masses of order 10 −18 m. We confirm that in the advanced detector era short duration transient gravitational-wave searches must account for correlated magnetic field noise in the global detector network. (paper)

All-sky search for long-duration gravitational wave transients with initial LIGO

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Abbott, B. P.; Abbott, R.; Abbott, T. D.; Abernathy, M. R.; Acernese, F.; Ackley, K.; Adams, C.; Phythian-Adams, A.T.; Addesso, P.; Adhikari, R. X.; Adya, V. B.; Affeldt, C.; Agathos, M.; Agatsuma, K.; Aggarwal, N.T.; Aguiar, O. D.; Ain, A.; Ajith, P.; Allen, B.; Allocca, A.; Amariutei, D. V.; Anderson, S. B.; Anderson, W. G.; Arai, K.; Araya, M. C.; Arceneaux, C. C.; Areeda, J. S.; Arnaud, N.; Arun, K. G.; Ashton, G.; Ast, M.; Aston, S. M.; Astone, P.; Aufmuth, P.; Aulbert, C.; Babak, S.; Baker, P. T.; Baldaccini, F.; Ballardin, G.; Ballmer, S. W.; Barayoga, J. C.; Barclay, S. E.; Barish, B. C.; Barker, R.D.; Barone, F.; Barr, B.; Barsotti, L.; Barsuglia, M.; Barta, D.; Bartlett, J.; Bartos, I.; Bassiri, R.; Basti, A.; Batch, J. C.; Baune, C.; Bavigadda, V.; Bazzan, M.; Behnke, B.; Bejger, M.; Belczynski, C.; Bell, A. S.; Bell, J.; Berger, B. K.; Bergman, J.; Bergmann, G.; Berry, C. P. L.; Bersanetti, D.; Bertolini, A.; Betzwieser, J.; Bhagwat, S.; Bhandare, R.; Bilenko, I. A.; Billingsley, G.; Birch, M.J.; Birney, R.; Biscans, S.; Bisht, A.; Bitossi, M.; Biwer, C.; Bizouard, M. A.; Blackburn, J. K.; Blair, C. D.; Blair, C. D.; Blair, R. M.; Bloemen, A.L.S.; Bock, O.; Bodiya, T. P.; Boer, M.; Bogaert, J.G.; Bogan, C.; Bohe, A.; Bojtos, P.; Bond, T.C; Bondu, F.; Bonnand, R.; Bork, R.; Boschi, V.; Bose, S.; Bozzi, A.; Bradaschia, C.; Brady, P. R.; Braginsky, V. B.; Branchesi, M.; Brau, J. E.; Briant, T.; Brillet, A.; Brinkmann, M.; Brisson, V.; Brockill, P.; Brooks, A. F.; Brown, A.D.; Brown, D.; Brown, D.; Brown, N. M.; Buchanan, C. C.; Buikema, A.; Bulik, T.; Bulten, H. J.; Buonanno, A.; Buskulic, D.; Buy, C.; Byer, R. L.; Cadonati, L.; Cagnoli, G.; Cahillane, C.; Calderon Bustillo, J.; Callister, T. A.; Calloni, E.; Camp, J. B.; Cannon, K. C.; Cao, J.; Capano, C. D.; Capocasa, E.; Carbognani, F.; Caride, S.; Diaz, J. Casanueva; Casentini, C.; Caudill, S.; Cavaglia, M.; Cavalier, F.; Cavalieri, R.; Cella, G.; Cepeda, C. B.; Baiardi, L. Cerboni; Cerretani, G.; Cesarini, E.; Chakraborty, R.; Chalermsongsak, T.; Chamberlin, S. J.; Chan, M.; Chao, D. S.; Charlton, P.; Chassande-Mottin, E.; Chen, H. Y.; Chen, Y; Cheng, C.; Chincarini, A.; Chiummo, A.; Cho, H. S.; Cho, M.; Chow, J. H.; Christensen, N.; Chu, Qian; Chua, S. E.; Chung, E.S.; Ciani, G.; Clara, F.; Clark, J. A.; Cleva, F.; Coccia, E.; Cohadon, P. -F.; Colla, A.; Collette, C. G.; Constancio, M., Jr.; Conte, A.; Conti, L.; Cook, D.; Corbitt, T. R.; Cornish, N.; Corsi, A.; Cortese, S.; Costa, A.C.; Coughlin, M. W.; Coughlin, S. B.; Coulon, J. -P.; Countryman, S. T.; Couvares, P.; Coward, D. M.; Cowart, M. J.; Coyne, D. C.; Coyne, R.; Craig, K.; Creighton, J. D. E.; Cripe, J.; Crowder, S. G.; Cumming, A.; Cunningham, A.L.; Cuoco, E.; Dal Canton, T.; Danilishin, S. L.; D'Antonio, S.; Danzmann, K.; Darman, N. S.; Dattilo, V.; Dave, I.; Daveloza, H. P.; Davier, M.; Davies, G. S.; Daw, E. J.; Day, R.; Debra, D.; Debreczeni, G.; Degallaix, J.; De laurentis, M.; Deleglise, S.; Del Pozzo, W.; Denker, T.; Dent, T.; Dereli, H.; Dergachev, V.A.; DeRosa, R. T.; Rosa, R.; DeSalvo, R.; Dhurandhar, S.; Diaz, M. C.; Di Fiore, L.; Giovanni, M.G.; Di Lieto, A.; Di Palma, I.; Di Virgilio, A.; Dojcinoski, G.; Dolique, V.; Donovan, F.; Dooley, K. L.; Doravari, S.; Douglas, R.; Downes, T. P.; Drago, M.; Drever, R. W. P.; Driggers, J. C.; Du, Z.; Ducrot, M.; Dwyer, S. E.; Edo, T. B.; Edwards, M. C.; Effler, A.; Eggenstein, H. -B.; Ehrens, P.; Eichholz, J. M.; Eikenberry, S. S.; Engels, W.; Essick, R. C.; Etzel, T.; Evans, T. M.; Evans, T. M.; Everett, R.; Factourovich, M.; Fafone, V.; Fair, H.; Fairhurst, S.; Fan, X.M.; Fang, Q.; Farinon, S.; Farr, B.; Farr, W. M.; Favata, M.; Fays, M.; Fehrmann, H.; Fejer, M. M.; Ferrante, I.; Ferreira, E. C.; Ferrini, F.; Fidecaro, F.; Fiori, I.; Fisher, R. P.; Flaminio, R.; Fletcher, M; Fournier, J. -D.; Franco, S; Frasca, S.; Frasconi, F.; Frei, Z.; Freise, A.; Frey, R.; Frey, V.; Fricke, T. T.; Fritschel, P.; Frolov, V. V.; Fulda, P.; Fyffe, M.; Gabbard, H. A. G.; Gair, J. R.; Gammaitoni, L.; Gaonkar, S. G.; Garufi, F.; Gatto, A.; Gaur, G.; Gehrels, N.; Gemme, G.; Gendre, B.; Genin, E.; Gennai, A.; George, J.; Gergely, L.; Germain, V.; Ghosh, A.; Ghosh, S.; Giaime, J. A.; Giardina, K. D.; Giazotto, A.; Gill, K.P.; Glaefke, A.; Goetz, E.; Goetz, R.; Gondan, L.; Gonzalez, Idelmis G.; Castro, J. M. Gonzalez; Gopakumar, A.; Gordon, N. A.; Gorodetsky, M. L.; Gossan, S. E.; Lee-Gosselin, M.; Gouaty, R.; Graef, C.; Graff, P. B.; Granata, M.; Grant, A.; Gras, S.; Gray, C.M.; Greco, G.; Green, A. C.; Groot, P.; Grote, H.; Grunwald, S.; Guidi, G. M.; Guo, X.; Gupta, A.; Gupta, M. K.; Gushwa, K. E.; Gustafson, E. K.; Gustafson, R.; Hacker, J. J.; Buffoni-Hall, R.; Hall, E. D.; Hammond, G.L.; Haney, M.; Hanke, M. M.; Hanks, J.; Hanna, C.; Hannam, M. D.; Hanson, P.J.; Hardwick, T.; Harms, J.; Harry, G. M.; Harry, I. W.; Hart, M. J.; Hartman, M. T.; Haster, C. -J.; Haughian, K.; Heidmann, A.; Heintze, M. C.; Heitmann, H.; Hello, P.; Hemming, G.; Hendry, M.; Heng, I. S.; Hennig, J.; Heptonstall, A. W.; Heurs, M.; Hild, S.; Hoak, D.; Hodge, K. A.; Hofman, D.; Hollitt, S. E.; Holt, K.; Holz, D. E.; Hopkins, P.; Hosken, D. J.; Hough, J.; Houston, E. A.; Howell, J.; Hu, Y. M.; Huang, S.; Huerta, E. A.; Huet, D.; Hughey, B.; Husa, S.; Huttner, S. H.; Huynh-Dinh, T.; Idrisy, A.; Indik, N.; Ingram, D. R.; Inta, R.; Isa, H. N.; Isac, J. -M.; Isi, M.; Islas, G.; Isogai, T.; Iyer, B. R.; Izumi, K.; Jacqmin, T.; Jang, D.H.; Jani, K.; Jaranowski, P.; Jawahar, S.; Jimenez-Forteza, F.; Johnson, W.; Jones, I.; Jones, R.; Jonker, R. J. G.; Ju, L.; Haris, K.; Kalaghatgi, C. V.; Kalogera, V.; Kandhasamy, S.; Kang, G.H.; Kanner, J. B.; Karki, S.; Kasprzack, M.; Katsavounidis, E.; Katzman, W.; Kaufer, S.; Kaur, T.; Kawabe, K.; Kawazoe, F.; Kefelian, F.; Kehl, M. S.; Keitel, D.; Kelley, D. B.; Kells, W.; Kennedy, R.E.; Key, J. S.; Khalaidovski, A.; Khalili, F. Y.; Khan., S.; Khan, Z.; Khazanov, E. A.; Kijbunchoo, N.; Kim, C.; Kim, J.; Kim, K.; Kim, Namjun; Kim, Namjun; Kim, Y.M.; King, E. J.; King, P. J.; Kinzel, D. L.; Kissel, J. S.; Kleybolte, L.; Klimenko, S.; Koehlenbeck, S. M.; Kokeyama, K.; Koley, S.; Kondrashov, V.; Kontos, A.; Korobko, M.; Korth, W. Z.; Kowalska, I.; Kozak, D. B.; Kringel, V.; Krishnan, B.; Krolak, A.; Krueger, C.; Kuehn, G.; Kumar, P.; Kuo, L.; Kutynia, A.; Lackey, B. D.; Landry, M.; Lange, J.; Lantz, B.; Lasky, P. D.; Lazzarini, A.; Lazzaro, C.; Leaci, P.; Leavey, S.; Lebigot, E. O.; Lee, C.H.; Lee, K.H.; Lee, M.H.; Lee, K.; Leonardi, M.; Leong, J. R.; Leroy, N.; Letendre, N.; Levin, Y.; Levine, B. M.; Li, T. G. F.; Libson, A.; Littenberg, T. B.; Lockerbie, N. A.; Logue, J.; Lombardi, A. L.; Lord, J. E.; Lorenzini, M.; Loriette, V.; Lormand, M.; Losurdo, G.; Lough, J. D.; Lueck, H.; Lundgren, A. P.; Luo, J.; Lynch, R.; Ma, Y.; MacDonald, T.T.; Machenschalk, B.; MacInnis, M.; Macleod, D. M.; Magana-Sandoval, F.; Magee, R. M.; Mageswaran, M.; Majorana, E.; Maksimovic, I.; Malvezzi, V.; Man, N.; Mandel, I.; Mandic, V.; Mangano, V.; Mansell, G. L.; Manske, M.; Mantovani, M.; Marchesoni, F.; Marion, F.; Marka, S.; Marka, Z.; Markosyan, A. S.; Maros, E.; Martelli, F.; Martellini, L.; Martin, I. W.; Martin, R.M.; Martynov, D. V.; Marx, J. N.; Mason, K.; Masserot, A.; Massinger, T. J.; Masso-Reid, M.; Matichard, F.; Matone, L.; Mavalvala, N.; Mazumder, N.; Mazzolo, G.; McCarthy, R.; McClelland, D. E.; McCormick, S.; McGuire, S. C.; McIntyre, G.; McIver, J.; McWilliams, S. T.; Meacher, D.; Meadors, G. D.; Meidam, J.; Melatos, A.; Mendell, G.; Mendoza-Gandara, D.; Mercer, R. A.; Merzougui, M.; Meshkov, S.; Messenger, C.; Messick, C.; Meyers, P. M.; Mezzani, F.; Miao, H.; Michel, C.; Middleton, H.; Mikhailov, E. E.; Milano, L.; Miller, J.; Millhouse, M.; Minenkov, Y.; Ming, J.; Mirshekari, S.; Mishra, C.; Mitra, S.; Mitrofanov, V. P.; Mitselmakher, G.; Mittleman, R.; Moggi, A.; Mohapatra, S. R. P.; Montani, M.; Moore, B.C.; Moore, J.C.; Moraru, D.; Gutierrez Moreno, M.; Morriss, S. R.; Mossavi, K.; Mours, B.; Mow-Lowry, C. M.; Mueller, C. L.; Mueller, G.; Muir, A. W.; Mukherjee, Arunava; Mukherjee, S.D.; Mukherjee, S.; Mullavey, A.; Munch, J.; Murphy, D. J.; Murray, P.G.; Mytidis, A.; Nardecchia, I.; Naticchioni, L.; Nayak, R. K.; Necula, V.; Nedkova, K.; Nelemans, G.; Gutierrez-Neri, M.; Neunzert, A.; Newton-Howes, G.; Nguyen, T. T.; Nielsen, A. B.; Nissanke, S.; Nitz, A.; Nocera, F.; Nolting, D.; Normandin, M. E. N.; Nuttall, L. K.; Oberling, J.; Ochsner, E.; O'Dell, J.; Oelker, E.; Ogin, G. H.; Oh, J.; Oh, S. H.; Ohme, F.; Oliver, M. B.; Oppermann, P.; Oram, Richard J.; O'Reilly, B.; O'Shaughnessy, R.; Ott, C. D.; Ottaway, D. J.; Ottens, R. S.; Overmier, H.; Owen, B. J.; Pai, A.; Pai, S. A.; Palamos, J. R.; Palashov, O.; Palomba, C.; Pal-Singh, A.; Pan, H.; Pankow, C.; Pannarale, F.; Pant, B. C.; Paoletti, F.; Paoli, A.; Papa, M. A.; Paris, H. R.; Parker, W.S; Pascucci, D.; Pasqualetti, A.; Passaquieti, R.; Passuello, D.; Patrick, Z.; Pearlstone, B. L.; Pedraza, M.; Pedurand, R.; Pekowsky, L.; Pele, A.; Penn, S.; Pereira, R.R.; Perreca, A.; Phelps, M.; Piccinni, O. J.; Pichot, M.; Piergiovanni, F.; Pierro, V.; Pillant, G.; Pinard, L.; Pinto, M.; Pitkin, M.; Poggiani, R.; Post, A.; Powell, J.; Prasad, J.; Predoi, V.; Premachandra, S. S.; Prestegard, T.; Price, L. R.; Prijatelj, M.; Principe, M.; Privitera, S.; Prodi, G. A.; Prokhorov, L. G.; Punturo, M.; Puppo, P.; Puerrer, M.; Qi, H.; Qin, J.; Quetschke, V.; Quintero, E. A.; Quitzow-James, R.; Raab, F. J.; Rabeling, D. S.; Radkins, H.; Raffai, P.; Raja, S.; Rakhmanov, M.; Rapagnani, P.; Raymond, V.; Razzano, M.; Re, V.; Read, J.; Reed, C. M.; Regimbau, T.; Rei, L.; Reid, S.; Reitze, D. H.; Rew, H.; Ricci, F.; Riles, K.; Robertson, N. A.; Robie, R.; Robinet, F.; Rocchi, A.; Rolland, L.; Rollins, J. G.; Roma, V. J.; Romano, J. D.; Romano, R.; Romanov, G.; Romie, J. H.; Rosinska, D.; Rowan, S.; Ruediger, A.; Ruggi, P.; Ryan, K.A.; Sachdev, P.S.; Sadecki, T.; Sadeghian, L.; Saleem, M.; Salemi, F.; Samajdar, A.; Sammut, L.; Sanchez, E. J.; Sandberg, V.; Sandeen, B.; Sanders, J. R.; Sassolas, B.; Saulson, P. R.; Sauter, O.; Savage, R. L.; Sawadsky, A.; Schale, P.; Schilling, R.; Schmidt, J; Schmidt, P.; Schnabel, R.B.; Schofield, R. M. S.; Schoenbeck, A.; Schreiber, K.E.C.; Schuette, D.; Schutz, B. F.; Scott, J.; Scott, M.S.; Sellers, D.; Sentenac, D.; Sequino, V.; Sergeev, A.; Serna, G.; Setyawati, Y.; Sevigny, A.; Shaddock, D. A.; Shah, S.; Shahriar, M. S.; Shaltev, M.; Shao, Z.M.; Shapiro, B.; Shawhan, P.; Sheperd, A.; Shoemaker, D. H.; Shoemaker, D. M.; Siellez, K.; Siemens, X.; Sigg, D.; Silva, António Dias da; Simakov, D.; Singer, A; Singer, L. P.; Singh, A.; Singh, R.; Sintes, A. M.; Slagmolen, B. J. J.; Smith, R. J. E.; Smith, N.D.; Smith, R. J. E.; Son, E. J.; Sorazu, B.; Sorrentino, F.; Souradeep, T.; Srivastava, A. K.; Staley, A.; Steinke, M.; Steinlechner, J.; Steinlechner, S.; Steinmeyer, D.; Stephens, B. C.; Stone, J.R.; Strain, K. A.; Straniero, N.; Stratta, G.; Strauss, N. A.; Strigin, S. E.; Sturani, R.; Stuver, A. L.; Summerscales, T. Z.; Sun, L.; Sutton, P. J.; Swinkels, B. L.; Szczepanczyk, M. J.; Tacca, M.D.; Talukder, D.; Tanner, D. B.; Tapai, M.; Tarabrin, S. P.; Taracchini, A.; Taylor, W.R.; Theeg, T.; Thirugnanasambandam, M. P.; Thomas, E. G.; Thomas, M.; Thomas, P.; Thorne, K. A.; Thorne, K. S.; Thrane, E.; Tiwari, S.; Tiwari, V.; Tomlinson, C.; Tonelli, M.; Torres, C. V.; Torrie, C. I.; Toeyrae, D.; Travasso, F.; Traylor, G.; Trifiro, D.; Tringali, M. C.; Trozzo, L.; Tse, M.; Turconi, M.; Tuyenbayev, D.; Ugolini, D.; Unnikrishnan, C. S.; Urban, A. L.; Usman, S. A.; Vahlbruch, H.; Vajente, G.; Valdes, G.; van Bakel, N.; Van Beuzekom, Martin; van den Brand, J. F. J.; Van Den Broeck, C.F.F.; van der Schaaf, L.; van der Sluys, M. V.; van Heijningen, J. V.; van Veggel, A. A.; Vardaro, M.; Vass, S.; Vasuth, M.; Vaulin, R.; Vecchio, A.; Vedovato, G.; Veitch, J.; Veitch, J.; Venkateswara, K.; Verkindt, D.; Vetrano, F.; Vicere, A.; Vinciguerra, S.; Vinet, J. -Y.; Vitale, S.; Vo, T.; Vocca, H.; Vorvick, C.; Vousden, W. D.; Vyatchanin, S. P.; Wade, A. R.; Wade, L. E.; Wade, MT; Walker, M.; Wallace, L.; Walsh, S.; Wang, G.; Wang, H.; Wang, M.; Wang, X.; Wang, Y.; Ward, R. L.; Warner, J.; Was, M.; Weaver, B.; Wei, L. -W.; Weinert, M.; Weinstein, A. J.; Weiss, R.; Welborn, T.; Wen, L.M.; Wessels, P.; Westphal, T.; Wette, K.; Whelan, J. T.; White, D. J.; Whiting, B. F.; Williams, D.R.; Williamson, R.; Willis, J. L.; Willke, B.; Wimmer, M. H.; Winkler, W.; Wipf, C. C.; Wittel, H.; Woan, G.; Worden, J.; Wright, J.L.; Wu, G.; Yablon, J.; Yam, W.; Yamamoto, H.; Yancey, C. C.; Yu, H.; Yvert, M.; Zadrozny, A.; Zangrando, L.; Zanolin, M.; Zendri, J. -P.; Zevin, M.; Zhang, F.; Zhang, L.; Zhang, M.; Zhang, Y.; Zhao, C.; Zhou, M.; Zhou, Z.; Zhu, X. J.; Zucker, M. E.; Zuraw, S. E.; Zweizig, J.

2016-01-01

We present the results of a search for long-duration gravitational wave transients in two sets of data collected by the LIGO Hanford and LIGO Livingston detectors between November 5, 2005 and September 30, 2007, and July 7, 2009 and October 20, 2010, with a total observational time of 283.0 days and

Gradient-index phononic crystal lens-based enhancement of elastic wave energy harvesting

Science.gov (United States)

Tol, S.; Degertekin, F. L.; Erturk, A.

2016-08-01

We explore the enhancement of structure-borne elastic wave energy harvesting, both numerically and experimentally, by exploiting a Gradient-Index Phononic Crystal Lens (GRIN-PCL) structure. The proposed GRIN-PCL is formed by an array of blind holes with different diameters on an aluminum plate, where the blind hole distribution is tailored to obtain a hyperbolic secant gradient profile of refractive index guided by finite-element simulations of the lowest asymmetric mode Lamb wave band diagrams. Under plane wave excitation from a line source, experimentally measured wave field validates the numerical simulation of wave focusing within the GRIN-PCL domain. A piezoelectric energy harvester disk located at the first focus of the GRIN-PCL yields an order of magnitude larger power output as compared to the baseline case of energy harvesting without the GRIN-PCL on the uniform plate counterpart.

F wave index: A diagnostic tool for peripheral neuropathy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

G R Sathya

2017-01-01

Interpretation & conclusions: Our results showed that F wave index in upper limb was significantly lower in patients with peripheral neuropathy than the healthy controls, and could be used for early detection of peripheral neuropathy.

Prolonged signal-averaged P wave duration as a prognostic marker for morbidity and mortality in patients with congestive heart failure

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dixen, Ulrik; Wallevik, Laura; Hansen, Maja

2003-01-01

To evaluate the prognostic roles of prolonged signal-averaged P wave duration (SAPWD), raised levels of natriuretic peptides, and clinical characteristics in patients with stable congestive heart failure (CHF).......To evaluate the prognostic roles of prolonged signal-averaged P wave duration (SAPWD), raised levels of natriuretic peptides, and clinical characteristics in patients with stable congestive heart failure (CHF)....

Refractive index modulation in LiNbO3: MgO slab through Lamb wave

Science.gov (United States)

Prakash, Suraj; Sharma, Gaurav; Yadav, Gulab Chand; Singh, Vivek

2018-05-01

Present theoretical analysis deals with inducing refractive index contrast in Y-Z LiNbO3:MgO plate via GHz Lamb wave perturbation for photonic applications. Dispersion curves for Lamb wave in plate are plotted by employing displacement potential technique. Selecting wave parameters from dispersion curve, fundamental symmetric Lamb mode (S0) is excited in slab for 6GHz frequency. Produced displacement field by propagating S0 mode and thus developed strain is estimated to calculate refractive index modulation by applying photo-elastic relations. Modulated refractive index is of sinusoidal nature with period of modulation dependence on Lamb's wavelength. This plate having periodically modulated refractive index can be used as photonic crystal for different applications with acoustically tunable photonic band gap.

The partial duration series method in regional index-flood modeling

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Madsen, Henrik; Rosbjerg, Dan

1997-01-01

A regional index-flood method based on the partial duration series model is introduced. The model comprises the assumptions of a Poisson-distributed number of threshold exceedances and generalized Pareto (GP) distributed peak magnitudes. The regional T-year event estimator is based on a regional...... estimator is superior to the at-site estimator even in extremely heterogenous regions, the performance of the regional estimator being relatively better in regions with a negative shape parameter. When the record length increases, the relative performance of the regional estimator decreases, but it is still...

Gravitational waves from pulsars with measured braking index

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Araujo, Jose C.N. de; Coelho, Jaziel G.; Costa, Cesar A. [Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais, Divisao de Astrofisica, Sao Jose dos Campos, SP (Brazil)

2016-09-15

We study the putative emission of gravitational waves (GWs) in particular for pulsars with measured braking index. We show that the appropriate combination of both GW emission and magnetic dipole brakes can naturally explain the measured braking index, when the surface magnetic field and the angle between the magnetic dipole and rotation axes are time dependent. Then we discuss the detectability of these very pulsars by aLIGO and the Einstein Telescope. We call attention to the realistic possibility that aLIGO can detect the GWs generated by at least some of these pulsars, such as Vela, for example. (orig.)

Analyzing the Impact of Increasing Mechanical Index and Energy Deposition on Shear Wave Speed Reconstruction in Human Liver.

Science.gov (United States)

Deng, Yufeng; Palmeri, Mark L; Rouze, Ned C; Rosenzweig, Stephen J; Abdelmalek, Manal F; Nightingale, Kathryn R

2015-07-01

Shear wave elasticity imaging (SWEI) has found success in liver fibrosis staging. This work evaluates hepatic SWEI measurement success as a function of push pulse energy using two mechanical index (MI) values (1.6 and 2.2) over a range of pulse durations. Shear wave speed (SWS) was measured in the livers of 26 study subjects with known or potential chronic liver diseases. Each measurement consisted of eight SWEI sequences, each with different push energy configurations. The rate of successful SWS estimation was linearly proportional to the push energy. SWEI measurements with higher push energy were successful in patients for whom standard push energy levels failed. The findings also suggest that liver capsule depth could be used prospectively to identify patients who would benefit from elevated output. We conclude that there is clinical benefit to using elevated acoustic output for hepatic SWS measurement in patients with deeper livers. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Search for Transient Gravitational Waves in Coincidence with Short-Duration Radio Transients During 2007-2013

Science.gov (United States)

Abbott, B. P.; Hughey, Brennan; Zanolin, Michele; Szczepanczyk, Marek; Gill, Kiranjyot; Abbott, R.; Abbott, T. D.; Abernathy, M. R.; Acernese, F.; Ackley, K.;

Search for gravitational waves on short duration in TAMA300 data: stellar core collapse and black hole

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Honda, R; Kanda, N; Akutsu, T; Ando, M; Tsunesada, Y

2008-01-01

We present in the results of TAMA300 data analysis for short duration gravitational waves. The excess power filter, alternative linear filter (ALF) and TF(time-frequency) clustering methods have been employed for burst gravitational waves from stellar-core collapse, and matched filtering method used for the ringdown gravitational waves from black hole quasi-normal oscillations. The observational range of TAMA for the burst gravitational waves is roughly ∼ 1 kpc, and the range for black hole ringdown covers most of our galaxy. We have been developed new method 'time-frequency (TF) clustering' to find the burst waves. This is a TF clustering method on spectrogram (sonogram). Using this method, we can efficiently identify some predicted gravitational wave forms and can exclude typical unstable spike like noises

The cause of high-intensity long-duration continuous AE activity (HILDCAAS): interplanetary Alfven wave trains

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tsurutani, B.T.; Gonzalez, W.D.

1987-01-01

It is shown that high intensity (AE > 1,000 nT), long duration (T > 2 d) continuous auroral activity (HILDCAA) events are caused by outward (from the sun) propagating interplanetary Alfven wave trains. The Alfven waves are often (but not always) detected several days after major interplanetary events, such as shocks and solar wind density enhancements. Presumably magnetic reconnection between the southward components of the Alfven wave magnetic fields and magnetospheric fields is the mechanism for transfer of solar wind energy to the magnetosphere. If the stringent requirements for HILDCAA events are relaxed, there are many more AE events of this type. A brief inspection indicates that these are also related to interplanetary Alfvenic fluctuations. We therefore suggest that most auroral activity may be caused by reconnection associated with Alfven waves in the interplanetary medium. (author)

Optical waves in a gradient negative-index lens of a half-infinite length.

Science.gov (United States)

Ding, Yi S; Chan, C T; Wang, R P

2013-10-16

Materials with negative permittivity and permeability can overcome the diffraction limit, thereby making the sub-wavelength imaging possible. In this study, we analyze the effects of gradient index on a half-infinite perfect lens. We assume that the sharp interface between the vacuum and the negative-index material is replaced by a smooth transition profile such that the index gradually changing from positive to negative. Interestingly, we find that if the graded index profile is modeled by a tanh function, we can have closed-form analytical solutions for this problem, which is a distinct advantage as numerical solutions are not accurate for evanescent waves with large transverse wave vectors. By analyzing the analytical formulas we confirm that a nonzero total absorption can occur even for a near-zero absorption coefficient in the steady-state limit and the image plane contains multiple sub-wavelength images of an object.

Radial shock wave treatment alone is less efficient than radial shock wave treatment combined with tissue-specific plantar fascia-stretching in patients with chronic plantar heel pain.

Science.gov (United States)

Rompe, Jan D; Furia, John; Cacchio, Angelo; Schmitz, Christoph; Maffulli, Nicola

2015-12-01

Whether shock wave therapy or shock wave therapy combined with plantar fascia-specific stretching is more efficient in treating chronic plantar heel pain remains unclear. The aim of the study was to test the null hypothesis of no difference of these two forms of management for patients who had unilateral plantar fasciopathy for a minimum duration of twelve months and which had failed at least three other forms of treatment. One hundred and fifty-two patients with chronic plantar fasciopathy were assigned to receive repetitive low-energy radial shock-wave therapy without local anesthesia, administered weekly for three weeks (Group 1, n = 73) or to receive the identical shock wave treatment and to perform an eight-week plantar fascia-specific stretching program (Group 2, n = 79). All patients completed the nine-item pain subscale of the validated Foot Function Index and a subject-relevant outcome questionnaire. Patients were evaluated at baseline, and at two, four, and twenty-four months after baseline. The primary outcome measures were a mean change in the Foot Function Index sum score at two months after baseline, a mean change in item 2 (pain during the first steps of walking in the morning) on this Index, and satisfaction with treatment. No difference in mean age, sex, weight or duration of symptoms was found between the groups at baseline. At two months after baseline, the Foot Function Index sum score showed significantly greater changes for the patients managed with shock-wave therapy plus plantar fascia-specific stretching than those managed with shock-wave therapy alone (p plantar fascia in combination with repetitive low-energy radial shock-wave therapy is more efficient than repetitive low-energy radial shock-wave therapy alone for the treatment of chronic symptoms of proximal plantar fasciopathy. Copyright © 2015 IJS Publishing Group Limited. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

P Wave Duration And Dispersion In Patients With Hyperthyroidism And The Short-term Effects Of Antithyroid Treatment

OpenAIRE

Unal Guntekin; Yilmaz Gunes; Hakki Simsek; Mustafa Tuncer; Sevket Arslan

2009-01-01

Background: Prolonged P wave duration and P wave dispersion (PWD) have been associated with an increased risk for atrial fibrillation (AF). Hyperthytodism is a frequent cause of atrial fibrillation (AF). Methods: Forty-two patients with newly diagnosed overt hyperthyroidism and 20 healthy people were enrolled in the study. Transthoracic echocardiography, 12 lead surface ECG and thyroid hormone levels were studied at the time of enrollment and after achievement of euthyroid state with propylth...

P Wave Duration And Dispersion In Patients With Hyperthyroidism And The Short-term Effects Of Antithyroid Treatment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Unal Guntekin

2009-09-01

Full Text Available Background: Prolonged P wave duration and P wave dispersion (PWD have been associated with an increased risk for atrial fibrillation (AF. Hyperthytodism is a frequent cause of atrial fibrillation (AF. Methods: Forty-two patients with newly diagnosed overt hyperthyroidism and 20 healthy people were enrolled in the study. Transthoracic echocardiography, 12 lead surface ECG and thyroid hormone levels were studied at the time of enrollment and after achievement of euthyroid state with propylthiouracil treatment. Results: Maximum P wave duration (Pmax (97.4±14.6 vs. 84.2±9.5 msec, p<0.001, PWD (42.9±10.7 vs. 31.0±6.2 msec, p<0.001, deceleration (DT (190.7±22.6 vs. 177.0±10.2 msec, p=0.013 and isovolumetric relaxation times (IVRT (90.9±11.2 vs. 79.6±10.5 msec, p<0.001 were significantly higher in hyperthyroid patients compared to control group. Pmax and PWD were significantly correlated with the presence of hyperthyroidism. Pmax (97.4±14.6 to 84.3±8.6 msec, p<0,001 Pmin (54.1±8.6 to 48.1±8.5 msec, p=0.002, PWD (42.9±10.7 to 35.9±8.1 msec, p=0.002 and DT (190.7±22.6 to 185.5±18.3, p=0.036 were significantly decreased after achievement of euthyroid state in patients with hyperthyroidism. Diastolic dyfunction was seen in 5 patients at hyperthroid state but only in one patient at euthyroid state. Conclusions: Hyperthyroidism is associated with prolonged P wave duration and dispersion. Achievement of euthyroid state with propylthiouracil treatment results in shortening of P wave variables. Diastolic function may have a partial effect for the increased Pmax and PWD. Shortening of Pmax and PWD may be a marker for the prevention of AF with the anti-thyroid treatment.

Sleep duration and cancer risk: time to use a "sleep-years" index?

Science.gov (United States)

Erren, Thomas C

2012-09-01

With a focus on melatonin, a recent paper in the Journal investigated the hypothesis that endometrial cancer might be associated with the duration, and ultimately, amount of sleep. The authors found that "[s]elf-reported sleep duration may not adequately represent melatonin levels." The authors also concluded that there was "weak evidence of an association between sleep duration and endometrial cancer risk." Overall, these are interesting observations because primarily experimental and mechanistic research from many angles supports the study's notion that inappropriate sleep may be a determinant of cancer risk. To find out whether this is so in man, rather than assigning study individuals to fixed or average "baseline sleep categories" i.e., ≤5, 6, 7, 8, ≥9 h of habitual sleep in the present study, the accumulated amount of sleep over decades should be reconstructed in retrospective or constructed in prospective studies. To achieve this end, future epidemiological studies may want to use a sleep-years index [SYI]. This simple exposure parameter promises to be a sensible, feasible, and affordable way to approximate cumulative time spent at sleep in critical time windows over many years which we should expect to be relevant for the development of cancer. The SYI could be tested and used in observational studies which promise to be comparable and can be merged. This commentary provides roots of the index and explains why and how it should be used and how it could be interpreted in rigorous studies of biologically plausible links between sleep, on the one hand, and the development of internal cancers, on the other. This commentary also points out limitations of interpreting the SYI. It is emphasized that, where possible, the SYI should be assessed independently of (a) other sleep facets--such as quality--and of (b) known or suspected cancer risk factors. The respective contribution of (a) and (b) to risk must then be assessed during the analyses. Overall, the

Late Sleeping Affects Sleep Duration and Body Mass Index in Adolescents

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rajesh G.Kathrotia1,

2010-03-01

Full Text Available During adolescence, there is a tendency to sleep late andsleep less because of altered psychosocial and life-stylechanges. Recent studies have demonstrated the link betweensleeping less and gaining weight in children, adolescents, andadults. We studied the effect of late sleeping and sleepingless on body mass index (BMI in medical college freshmen.All participants were adolescents (104 male and 38 femaleadolescents, mean age 17.77±0.79 years. After obtaininginformed consent, they filled out a questionnaire about theirsleeping habits. Height and weight were measured after abrief history taking and clinical examination. BMI increasedsignificantly with decrease in total sleep duration and withdelayed bedtime. Late sleeping individuals (after midnighthad significantly less sleep duration (6.78 hours v 7.74 hours,P<0.001, more day time sleepiness (85.2% v 69.3%,P=0.033 and more gap between dinner time and going tosleep (234.16 min v 155.45 min, P<0.001. Increased BMI inlate sleepers may be explained by low physical activity duringthe day caused by excess sleepiness and increased calorieintake with a gap of 5-6 hours between dinner and sleep.Sleep habits of late sleeping and sleeping less contribute toincrease BMI in adolescents.

Susceptibility to mortality related to temperature and heat and cold wave duration in the population of Stockholm County, Sweden

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Joacim Rocklöv

2014-03-01

Full Text Available Background: Ambient temperatures can cause an increase in mortality. A better understanding is needed of how health status and other factors modify the risk associated with high and low temperatures, to improve the basis of preventive measures. Differences in susceptibility to temperature and to heat and cold wave duration are relatively unexplored. Objectives: We studied the associations between mortality and temperature and heat and cold wave duration, stratified by age and individual and medical factors. Methods: Deaths among all residents of Stockholm County between 1990 and 2002 were linked to discharge diagnosis data from hospital admissions, and associations were examined using the time stratified case-crossover design. Analyses were stratified by gender, age, pre-existing disease, country of origin, and municipality level wealth, and adjusted for potential confounding factors. Results: The effect on mortality by heat wave duration was higher for lower ages, in areas with lower wealth, for hospitalized patients younger than age 65. Odds were elevated among females younger than age 65, in groups with a previous hospital admission for mental disorders, and in persons with previous cardiovascular disease. Gradual increases in summer temperatures were associated with mortality in people older than 80 years, and with mortality in groups with a previous myocardial infarction and with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD in the population younger than 65 years. During winter, mortality was associated with a decrease in temperature particularly in men and with the duration of cold spells for the population older than 80. A history of hospitalization for myocardial infarction increased the odds associated with cold temperatures among the population older than 65. Previous mental disease or substance abuse increased the odds of death among the population younger than 65. Conclusion: To increase effectiveness, we suggest preventive efforts

Are chronotype, social jetlag and sleep duration associated with health measured by Work Ability Index?

Science.gov (United States)

Yong, Mei; Fischer, Dorothee; Germann, Christina; Lang, Stefan; Vetter, Céline; Oberlinner, Christoph

The present study investigates the impact of chronotype, social jetlag and sleep duration on self-perceived health, measured by Work Ability Index (WAI), within an industrial setting. Between 2011 and 2013, 2474 day and shift workers participated in a health check offered by an occupational health promotion program and filled out the Munich ChronoType Questionnaire (adapted to the rotational 12-h schedule for shift workers) and the WAI. We computed sleep duration on work and free days, chronotype, and social jetlag. We used linear regression models to examine chronotype, sleep duration and social jetlag for association with the WAI sum score, and proportional odds models to estimate the combined effect of social jetlag and sleep duration. Participants reported an average daily sleep duration of 7.35 h (SD: 1.2 h), had an average chronotype of 3:08 a.m. (SD: 1 h), and the average social jetlag corresponded to 1.96 h (SD: 2.05 h). Increasing social jetlag and shorter sleep duration were independently associated with a decreasing WAI, while chronotype per se was not associated with WAI. Short sleep duration combined with high social jetlag significantly increased the risk of poor WAI (OR = 1.36; 95% CI: 1.09-1.72), while long sleep duration and high social jetlag were not associated with poor WAI (OR = 1.09; 95% CI: 0.88-1.35). Our results add to a growing body of literature, suggesting that circadian misalignment, but not chronotype per se, may be critical for health. Our results indicate that longer sleep may override the adverse effects of social jetlag on WAI.

Duration of Tsunami Generation Longer than Duration of Seismic Wave Generation in the 2011 Mw 9.0 Tohoku-Oki Earthquake

Science.gov (United States)

Fujihara, S.; Korenaga, M.; Kawaji, K.; Akiyama, S.

2013-12-01

., 2011; Ide at al., 2011; Yagi and Fukahata, 2011; Suzuki et al., 2011). The comparison of two type of moment rate functions, inferred from finite source imaging of tsunami waveforms and seismic waveforms, suggested that there was the time period common to both seismic wave generation and tsunami generation followed by the time period unique to tsunami generation. At this point, we think that comparison of the absolute values of moment rates is not so meaningful between tsunami waveform inversion and seismic waveform inversion, because of general ambiguity of rigidity values of each subfault in the fault region (assuming the rigidity value of 30 GPa of Yoshida et al (2011)). Considering this, the normalized value of moment rate function was also evaluated and it does not change the general feature of two moment rate functions in terms of duration property. Furthermore, the results suggested that tsunami generation process apparently took more time than seismic wave generation process did. Tsunami can be generated even by "extra" motions resulting from many suggested abnormal mechanisms. These extra motions may be attribute to the relatively larger-scale tsunami generation than expected from the magnitude level from seismic ground motion, and attribute to the longer duration of tsunami generation process.

[P wave dispersion increased in childhood depending on blood pressure, weight, height, and cardiac structure and function].

Science.gov (United States)

Chávez-González, Elibet; González-Rodríguez, Emilio; Llanes-Camacho, María Del Carmen; Garí-Llanes, Merlin; García-Nóbrega, Yosvany; García-Sáez, Julieta

2014-01-01

Increased P wave dispersion are identified as a predictor of atrial fibrillation. There are associations between hypertension, P wave dispersion, constitutional and echocardiographic variables. These relationships have been scarcely studied in pediatrics. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between P wave dispersion, blood pressure, echocardiographic and constitutional variables, and determine the most influential variables on P wave dispersion increases in pediatrics. In the frame of the PROCDEC II project, children from 8 to 11 years old, without known heart conditions were studied. Arterial blood pressure was measured in all the children; a 12-lead surface electrocardiogram and an echocardiogram were done as well. Left ventricular mass index mean values for normotensive (25.91±5.96g/m(2.7)) and hypertensive (30.34±8.48g/m(2.7)) showed significant differences P=.000. When we add prehypertensive and hypertensive there are 50.38% with normal left ventricular mass index and P wave dispersion was increased versus 13.36% of normotensive. Multiple regression demonstrated that the mean blood pressure, duration of A wave of mitral inflow, weight and height have a value of r=0.88 as related to P wave dispersion. P wave dispersion is increased in pre- and hypertensive children compared to normotensive. There are pre- and hypertensive patients with normal left ventricular mass index and increased P wave dispersion. Mean arterial pressure, duration of the A wave of mitral inflow, weight and height are the variables with the highest influence on increased P wave dispersion. Copyright © 2013 Instituto Nacional de Cardiología Ignacio Chávez. Published by Masson Doyma México S.A. All rights reserved.

Sleep Duration and Area-Level Deprivation in Twins.

Science.gov (United States)

Watson, Nathaniel F; Horn, Erin; Duncan, Glen E; Buchwald, Dedra; Vitiello, Michael V; Turkheimer, Eric

2016-01-01

We used quantitative genetic models to assess whether area-level deprivation as indicated by the Singh Index predicts shorter sleep duration and modifies its underlying genetic and environmental contributions. Participants were 4,218 adult twin pairs (2,377 monozygotic and 1,841 dizygotic) from the University of Washington Twin Registry. Participants self-reported habitual sleep duration. The Singh Index was determined by linking geocoding addresses to 17 indicators at the census-tract level using data from Census of Washington State and Census Tract Cartographic Boundary Files from 2000 and 2010. Data were analyzed using univariate and bivariate genetic decomposition and quantitative genetic interaction models that assessed A (additive genetics), C (common environment), and E (unique environment) main effects of the Singh Index on sleep duration and allowed the magnitude of residual ACE variance components in sleep duration to vary with the Index. The sample had a mean age of 38.2 y (standard deviation [SD] = 18), and was predominantly female (62%) and Caucasian (91%). Mean sleep duration was 7.38 h (SD = 1.20) and the mean Singh Index score was 0.00 (SD = 0.89). The heritability of sleep duration was 39% and the Singh Index was 12%. The uncontrolled phenotypic regression of sleep duration on the Singh Index showed a significant negative relationship between area-level deprivation and sleep length (b = -0.080, P sleep duration. For the quasi-causal bivariate model, there was a significant main effect of E (b(0E) = -0.063; standard error [SE] = 0.30; P sleep duration were significant for both A (b(0Au) = 0.734; SE = 0.020; P deprivation has a quasi-causal association with sleep duration, with greater deprivation being related to shorter sleep. As area-level deprivation increases, unique genetic and nonshared environmental residual variance in sleep duration increases. © 2016 Associated Professional Sleep Societies, LLC.

Electromagnetic Wave Chaos in Gradient Refractive Index Optical Cavities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wilkinson, P. B.; Fromhold, T. M.; Taylor, R. P.; Micolich, A. P.

2001-01-01

Electromagnetic wave chaos is investigated using two-dimensional optical cavities formed in a cylindrical gradient refractive index lens with reflective surfaces. When the planar ends of the lens are cut at an angle to its axis, the geometrical ray paths are chaotic. In this regime, the electromagnetic mode spectrum of the cavity is modulated by both real and ghost periodic ray paths, which also 'scar' the electric field intensity distributions of many modes. When the cavity is coupled to waveguides, the eigenmodes generate complex series of resonant peaks in the electromagnetic transmission spectrum

Dependence of synergy current driven by lower hybrid wave and electron cyclotron wave on the frequency and parallel refractive index of electron cyclotron wave for Tokamaks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huang, J.; Chen, S. Y.; Tang, C. J.

2014-01-01

The physical mechanism of the synergy current driven by lower hybrid wave (LHW) and electron cyclotron wave (ECW) in tokamaks is investigated using theoretical analysis and simulation methods in the present paper. Research shows that the synergy relationship between the two waves in velocity space strongly depends on the frequency ω and parallel refractive index N // of ECW. For a given spectrum of LHW, the parameter range of ECW, in which the synergy current exists, can be predicted by theoretical analysis, and these results are consistent with the simulation results. It is shown that the synergy effect is mainly caused by the electrons accelerated by both ECW and LHW, and the acceleration of these electrons requires that there is overlap of the resonance regions of the two waves in velocity space

Sleep Duration and Area-Level Deprivation in Twins

Science.gov (United States)

Watson, Nathaniel F.; Horn, Erin; Duncan, Glen E.; Buchwald, Dedra; Vitiello, Michael V.; Turkheimer, Eric

2016-01-01

Study Objectives: We used quantitative genetic models to assess whether area-level deprivation as indicated by the Singh Index predicts shorter sleep duration and modifies its underlying genetic and environmental contributions. Methods: Participants were 4,218 adult twin pairs (2,377 monozygotic and 1,841 dizygotic) from the University of Washington Twin Registry. Participants self-reported habitual sleep duration. The Singh Index was determined by linking geocoding addresses to 17 indicators at the census-tract level using data from Census of Washington State and Census Tract Cartographic Boundary Files from 2000 and 2010. Data were analyzed using univariate and bivariate genetic decomposition and quantitative genetic interaction models that assessed A (additive genetics), C (common environment), and E (unique environment) main effects of the Singh Index on sleep duration and allowed the magnitude of residual ACE variance components in sleep duration to vary with the Index. Results: The sample had a mean age of 38.2 y (standard deviation [SD] = 18), and was predominantly female (62%) and Caucasian (91%). Mean sleep duration was 7.38 h (SD = 1.20) and the mean Singh Index score was 0.00 (SD = 0.89). The heritability of sleep duration was 39% and the Singh Index was 12%. The uncontrolled phenotypic regression of sleep duration on the Singh Index showed a significant negative relationship between area-level deprivation and sleep length (b = −0.080, P sleep duration. For the quasi-causal bivariate model, there was a significant main effect of E (b0E = −0.063; standard error [SE] = 0.30; P sleep duration were significant for both A (b0Au = 0.734; SE = 0.020; P sleep duration, with greater deprivation being related to shorter sleep. As area-level deprivation increases, unique genetic and nonshared environmental residual variance in sleep duration increases. Citation: Watson NF, Horn E, Duncan GE, Buchwald D, Vitiello MV, Turkheimer E. Sleep duration and area

Projection of heat waves variation over a warming climate in China

Science.gov (United States)

Yue, X.; Wu, S.; Pan, T.

2016-12-01

Heat waves (HW) have adverse impacts on economies, human health, societies and environment, which have been observed around the world and are expected to increase in a warming climate. However, the variations of HW under climate change over China are not clear yet. Using the HadGEM2-ES RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 daily maximum temperature and humidity dataset, variation of heat waves in China for 2021-2050 comparing to 1991-2000 as baseline were analyzed. The CMA-HI (Heat Index standardized by China Meteorological Administration) index was used to calculate the frequency and intensity of head waves. This paper classified the HW into three intensity levels including mild HW, moderate HW and severe HW , and defined a heat wave event (HWE) as that CMA-HI are all above or equal to 2.8 and keep at a intensity level more than five consecutive days. Results show that during 2021to 2050, the distribution area, frequency and duration of each intensity level have an increasing trend over China, and those of severe HW will increase mostly. The distribution area of mild, moderate and severe HW will increase 18%, 22%, 35% respectively. Average HWE frequency of each level will concentrate on 0.5-1instead of 0-0.3 in baseline period. Maximum frequency of each intensity can reach to almost 3 times a year. During 1991-2000, the average frequency of mild HW, moderate HW and severe HW kept a downward sequence. But it will change to increase in the future, and the shift occurs during 2031-2040. In addition, only severe HW duration will increase in the future. Its average value will increase from 9days to 13days, and keep a maximum duration of 42days.While the average duration of mild HW and moderate HW just keep almost 6 days and 8 days as usual. Regionally, both the frequency and duration will keep high value in the region of eastern China, central China, southern China and central Xinjiang autonomous region in the future. And only severe HW has a great change in distribution. Under RCP 8

Heat waves in the United States: mortality risk during heat waves and effect modification by heat wave characteristics in 43 U.S. communities.

Science.gov (United States)

Anderson, G Brooke; Bell, Michelle L

2011-02-01

Devastating health effects from recent heat waves, and projected increases in frequency, duration, and severity of heat waves from climate change, highlight the importance of understanding health consequences of heat waves. We analyzed mortality risk for heat waves in 43 U.S. cities (1987-2005) and investigated how effects relate to heat waves' intensity, duration, or timing in season. Heat waves were defined as ≥ 2 days with temperature ≥ 95th percentile for the community for 1 May through 30 September. Heat waves were characterized by their intensity, duration, and timing in season. Within each community, we estimated mortality risk during each heat wave compared with non-heat wave days, controlling for potential confounders. We combined individual heat wave effect estimates using Bayesian hierarchical modeling to generate overall effects at the community, regional, and national levels. We estimated how heat wave mortality effects were modified by heat wave characteristics (intensity, duration, timing in season). Nationally, mortality increased 3.74% [95% posterior interval (PI), 2.29-5.22%] during heat waves compared with non-heat wave days. Heat wave mortality risk increased 2.49% for every 1°F increase in heat wave intensity and 0.38% for every 1-day increase in heat wave duration. Mortality increased 5.04% (95% PI, 3.06-7.06%) during the first heat wave of the summer versus 2.65% (95% PI, 1.14-4.18%) during later heat waves, compared with non-heat wave days. Heat wave mortality impacts and effect modification by heat wave characteristics were more pronounced in the Northeast and Midwest compared with the South. We found higher mortality risk from heat waves that were more intense or longer, or those occurring earlier in summer. These findings have implications for decision makers and researchers estimating health effects from climate change.

Elliott wave principle and the corresponding fractional Brownian motion in stock markets: Evidence from Nikkei 225 index

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ilalan, Deniz

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Hausdorff dimension of the Elliott Wave trajectories is computed. • Linkage between Elliott Wave principle and fractional Brownian motion is proposed. • Log-normality of stock returns is discussed from a fractal point of view. - Abstract: This paper examines one of the vital technical analysis indicators known as the Elliott wave principle. Since these waves have a fractal nature with patterns that are not exact, we first determine the dimension of them. Our second aim is to find a linkage between Elliott wave principle and fractional Brownian motion via comparing their Hausdorff dimensions. Thirdly, we consider the Nikkei 225 index during Japan asset price bubble, which is a perfect example of an Elliott wave.

Blood urea level and diabetes duration are independently associated with ankle-brachial index in type 2 diabetic patients.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bosevski, M.; Soedamah-Muthu, S.S.

2012-01-01

Aim

The purpose of the study was to determine factors of ankle-brachial index (ABI) in a population of patients with type 2 diabetes and coronary artery disease.

Material and methods

370 patients (mean age 60.3 ± 8.3 years and diabetes duration 8.6 ± 6.2 years) with type 2

Generalized least squares and empirical Bayes estimation in regional partial duration series index-flood modeling

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Madsen, Henrik; Rosbjerg, Dan

1997-01-01

parameters is inferred from regional data using generalized least squares (GLS) regression. Two different Bayesian T-year event estimators are introduced: a linear estimator that requires only some moments of the prior distributions to be specified and a parametric estimator that is based on specified......A regional estimation procedure that combines the index-flood concept with an empirical Bayes method for inferring regional information is introduced. The model is based on the partial duration series approach with generalized Pareto (GP) distributed exceedances. The prior information of the model...

Diagnostic accuracy of electrocardiographic P wave related parameters in the assessment of left atrial size in dogs with degenerative mitral valve disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Soto-Bustos, Ángel; Caro-Vadillo, Alicia; Martínez-DE-Merlo, Elena; Alonso-Alegre, Elisa González

2017-10-07

The purpose of this research was to compare the accuracy of newly described P wave-related parameters (P wave area, Macruz index and mean electrical axis) with classical P wave-related parameters (voltage and duration of P wave) for the assessment of left atrial (LA) size in dogs with degenerative mitral valve disease. One hundred forty-six dogs (37 healthy control dogs and 109 dogs with degenerative mitral valve disease) were prospectively studied. Two-dimensional echocardiography examinations and a 6-lead ECG were performed prospectively in all dogs. Echocardiography parameters, including determination of the ratios LA diameter/aortic root diameter and LA area/aortic root area, were compared to P wave-related parameters: P wave area, Macruz index, mean electrical axis voltage and duration of P wave. The results showed that P wave-related parameters (classical and newly described) had low sensitivity (range=52.3 to 77%; median=60%) and low to moderate specificity (range=47.2 to 82.5%; median 56.3%) for the prediction of left atrial enlargement. The areas under the curve of P wave-related parameters were moderate to low due to poor sensitivity. In conclusion, newly P wave-related parameters do not increase the diagnostic capacity of ECG as a predictor of left atrial enlargement in dogs with degenerative mitral valve disease.

Plantar fascia-specific stretching versus radial shock-wave therapy as initial treatment of plantar fasciopathy.

Science.gov (United States)

Rompe, Jan D; Cacchio, Angelo; Weil, Lowell; Furia, John P; Haist, Joachim; Reiners, Volker; Schmitz, Christoph; Maffulli, Nicola

2010-11-03

Whether plantar fascia-specific stretching or shock-wave therapy is effective as an initial treatment for proximal plantar fasciopathy remains unclear. The aim of this study was to test the null hypothesis of no difference in the effectiveness of these two forms of treatment for patients who had unilateral plantar fasciopathy for a maximum duration of six weeks and which had not been treated previously. One hundred and two patients with acute plantar fasciopathy were randomly assigned to perform an eight-week plantar fascia-specific stretching program (Group I, n = 54) or to receive repetitive low-energy radial shock-wave therapy without local anesthesia, administered weekly for three weeks (Group II, n = 48). All patients completed the seven-item pain subscale of the validated Foot Function Index and a patient-relevant outcome questionnaire. Patients were evaluated at baseline and at two, four, and fifteen months after baseline. The primary outcome measures were a mean change in the Foot Function Index sum score at two months after baseline, a mean change in item 2 (pain during the first few steps of walking in the morning) on this index, and satisfaction with treatment. No difference in mean age, sex, weight, or duration of symptoms was found between the groups at baseline. At two months after baseline, the Foot Function Index sum score showed significantly greater changes for the patients managed with plantar fascia-specific stretching than for those managed with shock-wave therapy (p plantar fascia is superior to repetitive low-energy radial shock-wave therapy for the treatment of acute symptoms of proximal plantar fasciopathy.

Pitfalls in the ankle-brachial index and brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ato D

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Dai Ato Gakujutsu Shien Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan Background: The ankle-brachial index (ABI and pulse wave velocity (PWV are indices of atherosclerosis and arterial stiffness. The Japan-made measuring devices of those indices have spread widely because of their convenience and the significance of the parameters. However, studies that comprehensively discuss the various pitfalls in using these indices are not available.Methods: This study presents several representative pitfalls in using the ABI and brachial-ankle PWV (baPWV by showing the result sheets of the device, “the Vascular Profiler”. Furthermore, some considerations when utilizing these indices in the future are also discussed.Results: Several diseases such as arteriosclerosis obliterans (ASO, arterial calcification in the lower limb, arterial stenosis in the right upper-limb, aortic valve diseases, arterial stenosis in the upper-limb of the contralateral side of the hemodialysis access, are the representative pitfalls when evaluating ABI and baPWV. Moreover, a measurement error is found to actually exist. Furthermore, same phenomena are considered most likely to occur when using other similar indices and devices.Conclusion: The ABI and baPWV are the useful and significant biomarkers. Nevertheless, caution is sometimes necessary when interpreting them. Moreover, rigorous patient exclusion criteria should be considered when using those indices in the severely conditioned patient population. And the results of this study can be applied to enhance the literacy using other indices, such as the cardio-ankle vascular index and other similar devices. Keywords: ankle-brachial index, pulse wave velocity, peripheral arterial disease, aortic valve disease, hemodialysis

Arterial wave intensity and ventricular-arterial coupling by vascular ultrasound: rationale and methods for the automated analysis of forwards and backwards running waves.

Science.gov (United States)

Rakebrandt, F; Palombo, C; Swampillai, J; Schön, F; Donald, A; Kozàkovà, M; Kato, K; Fraser, A G

2009-02-01

Wave intensity (WI) in the circulation is estimated noninvasively as the product of instantaneous changes in pressure and velocity. We recorded diameter as a surrogate for pressure, and velocity in the right common carotid artery using an Aloka SSD-5500 ultrasound scanner. We developed automated software, applying the water hammer equation to obtain local wave speed from the slope of a pressure/velocity loop during early systole to separate net WI into individual forwards and backwards-running waves. A quality index was developed to test for noisy data. The timing, duration, peak amplitude and net energy of separated WI components were measured in healthy subjects with a wide age range. Age and arterial stiffness were independent predictors of local wave speed, whereas backwards-travelling waves correlated more strongly with ventricular systolic function than with age-related changes in arterial stiffness. Separated WI offers detailed insight into ventricular-arterial interactions that may be useful for assessing the relative contributions of ventricular and vascular function to wave travel.

Effects of body mass index on gastric slow wave: a magnetogastrographic study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Somarajan, S; Cassilly, S; Obioha, C; Bradshaw, L A; Richards, W O

2014-01-01

We measured gastric slow wave activity simultaneously with magnetogastrogram (MGG), mucosal electromyogram (EMG) and electrogastrogram (EGG) in human subjects with varying body mass index (BMI) before and after a meal. In order to investigate the effect of BMI on gastric slow wave parameters, each subject's BMI was calculated and divided into two groups: subjects with BMI ≤ 27 and BMI > 27. Signals were processed with Fourier spectral analysis and second-order blind identification (SOBI) techniques. Our results showed that increased BMI does not affect signal characteristics such as frequency and amplitude of EMG and MGG. Comparison of the postprandial EGG power, on the other hand, showed a statistically significant reduction in subjects with BMI > 27 compared with BMI ≤ 27. In addition to the frequency and amplitude, the use of SOBI-computed propagation maps from MGG data allowed us to visualize the propagating slow wave and compute the propagation velocity in both BMI groups. No significant change in velocity with increasing BMI or meal was observed in our study. In conclusion, multichannel MGG provides an assessment of frequency, amplitude and propagation velocity of the slow wave in subjects with differing BMI categories and was observed to be independent of BMI. (paper)

Development of an Indexing Media Filtration System for Long Duration Space Missions

Science.gov (United States)

Agui, Juan H.; Vijayakumar, R.

2013-01-01

The effective maintenance of air quality aboard spacecraft cabins will be vital to future human exploration missions. A key component will be the air cleaning filtration system which will need to remove a broad size range of particles derived from multiple biological and material sources. In addition, during surface missions any extraterrestrial planetary dust, including dust generated by near-by ISRU equipment, which is tracked into the habitat will also need to be managed by the filtration system inside the pressurized habitat compartments. An indexing media filter system is being developed to meet the demand for long-duration missions that will result in dramatic increases in filter service life and loading capacity, and will require minimal crew involvement. The filtration system consists of three stages: an inertial impactor stage, an indexing media stage, and a high-efficiency filter stage, packaged in a stacked modular cartridge configuration. Each stage will target a specific range of particle sizes that optimize the filtration and regeneration performance of the system. An 1/8th scale and full-scale prototype of the filter system have been fabricated and have been tested in the laboratory and reduced gravity environments that simulate conditions on spacecrafts, landers and habitats. Results from recent laboratory and reduce-gravity flight tests data will be presented. The features of the new filter system may also benefit other closed systems, such as submarines, and remote location terrestrial installations where servicing and replacement of filter units is not practical.

Stimulated Brillouin scattering continuous wave phase conjugation in step-index fiber optics.

Science.gov (United States)

Massey, Steven M; Spring, Justin B; Russell, Timothy H

2008-07-21

Continuous wave (CW) stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) phase conjugation in step-index optical fibers was studied experimentally and modeled as a function of fiber length. A phase conjugate fidelity over 80% was measured from SBS in a 40 m fiber using a pinhole technique. Fidelity decreases with fiber length, and a fiber with a numerical aperture (NA) of 0.06 was found to generate good phase conjugation fidelity over longer lengths than a fiber with 0.13 NA. Modeling and experiment support previous work showing the maximum interaction length which yields a high fidelity phase conjugate beam is inversely proportional to the fiber NA(2), but find that fidelity remains high over much longer fiber lengths than previous models calculated. Conditions for SBS beam cleanup in step-index fibers are discussed.

A novel damage index for damage identification using guided waves with application in laminated composites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Torkamani, Shahab; Roy, Samit; Barkey, Mark E; Sazonov, Edward; Burkett, Susan; Kotru, Sushma

2014-01-01

In the current investigation, an innovative time-domain damage index is introduced for the first time which is based on local statistical features of the waveform. This damage index is called the ‘normalized correlation moment’ (NCM) and is composed of the nth moment of the cross-correlation of the baseline and comparison waves. The performance of this novel damage index is compared for some synthetic signals with that of an existing damage index based on the Pearson correlation coefficient (signal difference coefficient, SDC). The proposed damage index is shown to have significant advantages over the SDC, including sensitivity to the attenuation of the signal and lower sensitivity to the signal’s noise level. Numerical simulations using Abaqus finite element (FE) software show that this novel damage index is not only capable of detecting the delamination type of damage, but also exhibits a good ability in the assessment of this type of damage in laminated composite structures. The NCM damage index is also validated using experimental data for identification of delamination in composites. (paper)

KPG Index versus OPG Measurements: A Comparison between 3D and 2D Methods in Predicting Treatment Duration and Difficulty Level for Patients with Impacted Maxillary Canines

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Domenico Dalessandri

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Aim. The aim of this study was to test the agreement between orthopantomography (OPG based 2D measurements and the KPG index, a new index based on 3D Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT images, in predicting orthodontic treatment duration and difficulty level of impacted maxillary canines. Materials and Methods. OPG and CBCT images of 105 impacted canines were independently scored by three orthodontists at t0 and after 1 month (t1, using the KPG index and the following 2D methods: distance from cusp tip and occlusal plane, cusp tip position in relation to the lateral incisor, and canine inclination. Pearson’s coefficients were used to evaluate the degree of agreement and the χ2 with Yates correction test was used to assess the independence between them. Results. Inter- and intrarater reliability were higher with KPG compared to 2D methods. Pearson’s coefficients showed a statistically significant association between all the indexes, while the χ2 with Yates correction test resulted in a statistically significant rejection of independency only for one 2D index. Conclusions. 2D indexes for predicting impacted maxillary canines treatment duration and difficulty sometimes are discordant; a 3D index like the KPG index could be useful in solving these conflicts.

Comparison of P-wave dispersion in healthy dogs, dogs with chronic valvular disease and dogs with disturbances of supraventricular conduction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nicpoń Józef

2011-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background P-wave dispersion (Pd is a new ECG index used in human cardiology and veterinary medicine. It is defined as the difference between the maximum and the minimum P-wave duration recorded from multiple different ECG leads. So far no studies were performed assessing the importance of P-wave dispersion in dogs. Methods The current study was aimed at determining proper value of Pd in healthy dogs (group I, dogs with chronic valvular disease (group II and dogs with disturbances of supraventricular conduction (group III. The tests were carried out in 53 healthy dogs, 23 dogs with chronic valvular disease and 12 dogs with disturbances of supraventricular conduction of various breeds, sexes and body weight from 1,5 to 80 kg, aged between 0,5 and 17 years, submitted to the ECG examination. ECG was acquired in dogs in a standing position with BTL SD-8 electrocardiographic device and analyzed once the recording was enlarged. P-wave duration was calculated in 9 ECG leads (I, II, III, aVR, aVL, aVF, V1, V2, V4 from 5 cardiac cycles. Results The proper P-wave dispersion in healthy dogs was determined at up to 24 ms. P-wave dispersion was statistically significant increased (p Conclusions The P-wave dispersion is a constant index in healthy dogs, that is why it can be used for evaluating P wave change in dogs with chronic valvular disease and in dogs with disturbances of supraventricular conduction.

Role of the P-wave high frequency energy and duration as noninvasive cardiovascular predictors of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation.

Science.gov (United States)

Alcaraz, Raúl; Martínez, Arturo; Rieta, José J

2015-04-01

A normal cardiac activation starts in the sinoatrial node and then spreads throughout the atrial myocardium, thus defining the P-wave of the electrocardiogram. However, when the onset of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF) approximates, a highly disturbed electrical activity occurs within the atria, thus provoking fragmented and eventually longer P-waves. Although this altered atrial conduction has been successfully quantified just before PAF onset from the signal-averaged P-wave spectral analysis, its evolution during the hours preceding the arrhythmia has not been assessed yet. This work focuses on quantifying the P-wave spectral content variability over the 2h preceding PAF onset with the aim of anticipating as much as possible the arrhythmic episode envision. For that purpose, the time course of several metrics estimating absolute energy and ratios of high- to low-frequency power in different bands between 20 and 200Hz has been computed from the P-wave autoregressive spectral estimation. All the analyzed metrics showed an increasing variability trend as PAF onset approximated, providing the P-wave high-frequency energy (between 80 and 150Hz) a diagnostic accuracy around 80% to discern between healthy subjects, patients far from PAF and patients less than 1h close to a PAF episode. This discriminant power was similar to that provided by the most classical time-domain approach, i.e., the P-wave duration. Furthermore, the linear combination of both metrics improved the diagnostic accuracy up to 88.07%, thus constituting a reliable noninvasive harbinger of PAF onset with a reasonable anticipation. The information provided by this methodology could be very useful in clinical practice either to optimize the antiarrhythmic treatment in patients at high-risk of PAF onset and to limit drug administration in low risk patients. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Selecting optimum locations for co-located wave and wind energy farms. Part I: The Co-Location Feasibility index

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Astariz, S.; Iglesias, G.

2016-01-01

Highlights: • New approach to identifying suitable sites for co-located wave and wind farms. • A new tool, the Co-Location Feasibility (CLF) index, is defined. • Its application is analysed by means of a case study off the Danish coast. • Hindcast and measured wave and wind data from 2005 to 2015 are used. • Third-generation models of winds and waves (WAsP and SWAN) are used. - Abstract: Marine energy is poised to play a fundamental role in meeting renewable energy and carbon emission targets thanks to the abundant, and still largely untapped, wave and tidal resources. However, it is often considered difficult and uneconomical – as is usually the case of nascent technologies. Combining various renewables, such as wave and offshore wind energy, has emerged as a solution to improve their competitiveness and in the process overcome other challenges that hinder their development. The objective of this paper is to develop a new approach to identifying suitable sites for co-located wave and wind farms based on the assessment of the available resources and technical constraints, and to illustrate its application by means of a case study off the Danish coast – an area of interest for combining wave and wind energy. The method is based on an ad hoc tool, the Co-Location Feasibility (CLF) index, and is based on a joint characterisation of the wave and wind resources, which takes into account not only the available power but also the correlation between both resources and the power variability. The analysis is carried out based on hindcast data and observations from 2005 to 2015, and using third-generation models of winds and waves – WAsP and SWAN, respectively. Upon selection and ranking, it is found that a number of sites in the study region are indeed suited to realising the synergies between wave and offshore wind energy. The approach developed in this work can be applied elsewhere.

A simulation of T-wave alternans vectocardiographic representation performed by changing the ventricular heart cells action potential duration.

Science.gov (United States)

Janusek, D; Kania, M; Zaczek, R; Zavala-Fernandez, H; Maniewski, R

2014-04-01

The presence of T wave alternans (TWA) in the surface ECG signals has been recognized as a marker of electrical instability, and is hypothesized to be related to patients at increased risk for ventricular arrhythmias. In this paper we present a TWA simulation study. The TWA phenomenon was simulated by changing the duration of the ventricular heart cells action potential. The magnitude was calculated in the surface ECG with the use of the time domain method. The spatially concordant TWA, where during one heart beat all ventricular cells display a short-duration action potential and during the next beat they exhibit a long-duration action potential, as well as the discordant TWA, where at least one region is out of phase, was simulated. The vectocardiographic representation was employed. The obtained results showed a high level of T-loop pattern and location disturbances connected to the discordant TWA simulation in contrast to the concordant one. This result may be explained by the spatial heterogeneity of the ventricular repolarization process, which could be higher for the discordant TWA than for the concordant TWA. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Duration of U.S. stay and body mass index among Latino and Asian immigrants: A test of theoretical pathways.

Science.gov (United States)

Ro, Annie; Bostean, Georgiana

2015-11-01

Studies find that longer-term immigrants have higher body mass index (BMI) than their more recently arrived counterparts. Most interpretations of these health patterns by duration of U.S. residence rely on theories of immigrant integration; they posit that with increasing time in the United States, immigrants incorporate economically, socially, and culturally into aspects of U.S. society, and that these changes impact health. Few studies empirically examine whether these aspects of integration are indeed mediators of the association between duration of U.S. stay and BMI, and if their patterns differ across immigrant subgroups. This study examines data from the National Latino and Asian American Survey, using path analytic methods to simultaneously test six hypothesized mediators between duration and BMI: household income, English language ability, ethnic identity, family cohesion, acculturative stress and discrimination for both Latino and Asian immigrants, stratified by gender. We find little evidence for an association between duration and BMI for either Latino or Asian men. For women, duration and BMI have a significant and positive relationship, although the pathways differ between the two ethnic groups. For Latina women, household income and acculturative stress are significant indirect pathways, although they work in opposing directions. For Asian women, English proficiency and discrimination are significant indirect pathways. Our findings reveal complex pathways between duration and BMI that vary by ethnicity and gender and highlight limitations in the negative acculturation theory, which suggests that exposure to the United States should have a net negative impact on health. In contrast, our findings suggest that not all groups show declining health with longer duration, as measured by BMI, and that integration processes do not always translate into health differences in the expected directions. Future research on duration patterns may need to consider

The association between body mass index and duration spent on electronic devices in children and adolescents in Western Saudi Arabia

OpenAIRE

Al-Agha, Abdulmoein E.; Nizar, F. Sarah; Nahhas, Anwar M.

2016-01-01

Objectives: To evaluate the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and the duration spent on electronic devices, and to assess the factors that can cause obesity among children. Methods: A cross-sectional study including 541 participants. Data was collected from March to June 2015 via ambulatory pediatric clinics in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The BMI standard deviation was calculated based on Center of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) standards. Results: The mean age of...

Browse Title Index

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Items 101 - 150 of 985 ... Journal Home > Advanced Search > Browse Title Index ... Vol 17 (2010), Alternating Direction Implicit Finite Difference Time Domain Acoustic Wave Algorithm, Abstract. E Ikata .... Vol 17 (2010), Analytic derivation of the wave profile and phase speed of sixth order Stokes waves in deep water, Abstract.

Association between subjective actual sleep duration, subjective sleep need, age, body mass index, and gender in a large sample of young adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Kalak, Nadeem; Brand, Serge; Beck, Johannes; Holsboer-Trachsler, Edith; Wollmer, M Axel

2015-01-01

Poor sleep is a major health concern, and there is evidence that young adults are at increased risk of suffering from poor sleep. There is also evidence that sleep duration can vary as a function of gender and body mass index (BMI). We sought to replicate these findings in a large sample of young adults, and also tested the hypothesis that a smaller gap between subjective sleep duration and subjective sleep need is associated with a greater feeling of being restored. A total of 2,929 university students (mean age 23.24±3.13 years, 69.1% female) took part in an Internet-based survey. They answered questions related to demographics and subjective sleep patterns. We found no gender differences in subjective sleep duration, subjective sleep need, BMI, age, or feeling of being restored. Nonlinear associations were observed between subjective sleep duration, BMI, and feeling of being restored. Moreover, a larger discrepancy between subjective actual sleep duration and subjective sleep need was associated with a lower feeling of being restored. The present pattern of results from a large sample of young adults suggests that males and females do not differ with respect to subjective sleep duration, BMI, or feeling of being restored. Moreover, nonlinear correlations seemed to provide a more accurate reflection of the relationship between subjective sleep and demographic variables.

Impacts of air pollution wave on years of life lost: A crucial way to communicate the health risks of air pollution to the public.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Jing; Pan, Xiaochuan; Guo, Xinbiao; Li, Guoxing

2018-04-01

Limited studies have explored the impacts of exposure to sustained high levels of air pollution (air pollution wave) on mortality. Given that the frequency, intensity and duration of air pollution wave has been increasing in highly polluted regions recently, understanding the impacts of air pollution wave is crucial. In this study, air pollution wave was defined as 2 or more consecutive days with air pollution index (API) > 100. The impacts of air pollution wave on years of life lost (YLL) due to non-accidental, cardiovascular and respiratory deaths were evaluated by considering both consecutive days with high levels of air pollution and daily air pollution levels in Tianjin, China, from 2006 to 2011. The results showed the durational effect of consecutive days with high levels of air pollution was substantial in addition to the effect of daily air pollution. For instance, the durational effect was related to an increase in YLL of 116.6 (95% CI: 4.8, 228.5) years from non-accidental deaths when the air pollution wave was sustained for 4 days, while the corresponding daily air pollution's effect was 121.2 (95% CI: 55.2, 187.1) years. A better interpretation of the health risks of air pollution wave is crucial for air pollution control policy making and public health interventions. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Type III Radio Burst Duration and SEP Events

Science.gov (United States)

Gopalswamy, N.; Makela, P.; Xie, H.

2010-01-01

Long-duration (>15 min), low-frequency (25 MeV. The 1-MHz duration of the type III burst (28 rein) is near the median value of type III durations found for gradual SEP events and ground level enhancement (GLE) events. Yet, there was no sign of SEP events. On the other hand, two other type III bursts from the same active region had similar duration but accompanied by WAVES type 11 bursts; these bursts were also accompanied by SEP events detected by SOHO/ERNE. This study suggests that the type III burst duration may not be a good indicator of an SEP event, consistent with the statistical study of Cliver and Ling (2009, ApJ ).

Brewster-angle 50%-50% beam splitter for p-polarized infrared light using a high-index quarter-wave layer deposited on a low-index prism.

Science.gov (United States)

Azzam, R M A

2017-08-10

A quarter-wave layer (QWL) of high refractive index, which is deposited on a transparent prism of low refractive index, can be designed to split an incident p-polarized light beam at the Brewster angle (BA) of the air-substrate interface into p-polarized reflected and transmitted beams of equal intensity (50% each) that travel in orthogonal directions. For reflection of p-polarized light at the BA, the supported QWL functions as a free-standing (unsupported) pellicle. An exemplary design is presented that uses Si x Ge 1-x QWL deposited on an IRTRAN1 prism for applications (such as Michelson and Mach-Zehnder interferometry) with a variable compositional fraction x in the 2-6 μm mid-IR spectral range.

"Is there an Association Between Self-Reported Sleep Duration, Body Mass Index and Waist-Hip Ratio in Young Adults? A Cross-Sectional Pilot Study".

Science.gov (United States)

Kamath, M Ganesh; Prakash, Jay; Dash, Sambit; Chowdhury, Sudipta; Ahmed, Zuhilmi Bin; Yusof, Muhammad Zaim Zharif Bin Mohd

2014-09-01

Sleep is vital for mental and physical health of an individual. Duration of sleep influences the metabolism and regulates body weight. To assess the cross-sectional association of sleep duration with body mass index (BMI) and waist-hip ratio in Malaysian students. Eighty-nine Malaysian students of both genders, and with a mean (standard deviation) age of 21.2 (0.9) years were included. Institutional Ethics Committee clearance was obtained prior to the start of study. The subjects were interviewed regarding the average hours of sleep/day, their self-reported sleep duration was categorized as 7hour/day. Their height (in meters), weight (in kilograms), waist and hip circumference (in centimetre) were measured. BMI and waist-hip ratio were calculated using appropriate formulas and expressed as mean (standard deviation). The duration of sleep was compared with BMI and waist-hip ratio using one way ANOVA. No statistical significance was observed when sleep duration was associated with BMI (p=0.65) and waist-hip ratio (p=0.95). Duration of sleep did not affect BMI and waist hip ratio in the Malaysian students in our study. The age and healthy lifestyle of the subjects in this study may have been a reason for no significant influence of short sleep duration on the BMI and waist-hip ratio. No association was found between sleep duration with BMI and waist hip ratio in the Malaysian students.

Assessing the performance of wave breaking parameterizations in shallow waters in spectral wave models

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Shangfei; Sheng, Jinyu

2017-12-01

Depth-induced wave breaking is the primary dissipation mechanism for ocean surface waves in shallow waters. Different parametrizations were developed for parameterizing depth-induced wave breaking process in ocean surface wave models. The performance of six commonly-used parameterizations in simulating significant wave heights (SWHs) is assessed in this study. The main differences between these six parameterizations are representations of the breaker index and the fraction of breaking waves. Laboratory and field observations consisting of 882 cases from 14 sources of published observational data are used in the assessment. We demonstrate that the six parameterizations have reasonable performance in parameterizing depth-induced wave breaking in shallow waters, but with their own limitations and drawbacks. The widely-used parameterization suggested by Battjes and Janssen (1978, BJ78) has a drawback of underpredicting the SWHs in the locally-generated wave conditions and overpredicting in the remotely-generated wave conditions over flat bottoms. The drawback of BJ78 was addressed by a parameterization suggested by Salmon et al. (2015, SA15). But SA15 had relatively larger errors in SWHs over sloping bottoms than BJ78. We follow SA15 and propose a new parameterization with a dependence of the breaker index on the normalized water depth in deep waters similar to SA15. In shallow waters, the breaker index of the new parameterization has a nonlinear dependence on the local bottom slope rather than the linear dependence used in SA15. Overall, this new parameterization has the best performance with an average scatter index of ∼8.2% in comparison with the three best performing existing parameterizations with the average scatter index between 9.2% and 13.6%.

Unveiling the Progenitors of Short-duration Gamma-ray Bursts

Science.gov (United States)

Fong, Wen-Fai

2016-03-01

Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are relativistic explosions which originate at cosmological distances, and are among the most luminous transients in the universe. Following the prompt gamma-ray emission, a fading synchrotron ``afterglow'' is detectable at lower energies. While long-duration GRBs (duration >2 sec) are linked to the deaths of massive stars, the progenitors of short-duration GRBs (duration black hole. Such merging systems are also important to understand because they are premier candidates for gravitational wave detections with current facilities and are likely sites of heavy element nucleosynthesis. The launch of NASA's Swift satellite in 2004, with its rapid multi-wavelength monitoring and localization capabilities, led to the first discoveries of short GRB afterglows and therefore robust associations to host galaxies. At a detection rate of roughly 10 events per year, the growing number of well-localized short GRBs has enabled comprehensive population studies of their afterglows and environments for the first time. In this talk, I describe my multi-wavelength observational campaign to address testable predictions for the progenitors of short GRBs. My work comprises several lines of independent evidence to demonstrate that short GRBs originate from the mergers of two compact objects, and also provides the first constraints on the explosion properties for a large sample of events. With the direct detection of gravitational waves from compact object mergers on the horizon, these studies provide necessary inputs to inform the next decade of joint electromagnetic-gravitational wave search strategies.

Evaluations on the R Wave in asymptomatic subjects: a preliminary ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This preliminary cross-sectional survey on the R wave of the 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) was undertaken to evaluate the normal R wave duration and amplitude of the young adult Nigerian from Jos; to ascertain significant correlation coefficients for R wave duration and amplitude, age and anthropometric ...

Pulse wave velocity as a diagnostic index: The effect of wall thickness

Science.gov (United States)

Hodis, Simona

2018-06-01

Vascular compliance is a major determinant of wave propagation within the vascular system, and hence the measurement of pulse wave velocity (PWV) is commonly used clinically as a method of detecting vascular stiffening. The accuracy of that assessment is important because vascular stiffening is a major risk factor for hypertension. PWV is usually measured by timing a pressure wave as it travels from the carotid artery to the femoral or radial artery and estimating the distance that it traveled in each case to obtain the required velocity. A major assumption on which this technique is based is that the vessel wall thickness h is negligibly small compared with the vessel radius a . The extent to which this assumption is satisfied in the cardiovascular system is not known because the ratio h /a varies widely across different regions of the vascular tree and under different pathological conditions. Using the PWV as a diagnostic test without knowing the effect of wall thickness on the measurement could lead to error when interpreting the PWV value as an index of vessel wall compliance. The aim of the present study was to extend the validity of the current practice of assessing wall stiffness by developing a method of analysis that goes beyond the assumption of a thin wall. We analyzed PWVs calculated with different wall models, depending on the ratio of wall thickness to vessel radius and the results showed that PWV is not reliable when it is estimated with the classic thin wall theory if the vessel wall is not around 25% of vessel radius. If the arterial wall is thicker than 25% of vessel radius, then the wave velocity calculated with the thin wall theory could be overestimated and in the clinical setting, this could lead to a false positive. For thicker walls, a thick wall model presented here should be considered to account for the stresses within the wall thickness that become dominant compared with the wall inertia.

Plasma waves

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Swanson, D. G

1989-01-01

... Swanson, D.G. (Donald Gary), D a t e - Plasma waves. Bibliography: p. Includes index. 1. Plasma waves. QC718.5.W3S43 1989 ISBN 0-12-678955-X I. Title. 530.4'4 88-34388 Printed in the United Sta...

Coronal Seismology of Flare-Excited Standing Slow-Mode Waves Observed by SDO/AIA

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Tongjiang; Ofman, Leon; Davila, Joseph M.

2016-05-01

Flare-excited longitudinal intensity oscillations in hot flaring loops have been recently detected by SDO/AIA in 94 and 131 Å bandpasses. Based on the interpretation in terms of a slow-mode wave, quantitative evidence of thermal conduction suppression in hot (>9 MK) loops has been obtained for the first time from measurements of the polytropic index and phase shift between the temperature and density perturbations (Wang et al. 2015, ApJL, 811, L13). This result has significant implications in two aspects. One is that the thermal conduction suppression suggests the need of greatly enhanced compressive viscosity to interpret the observed strong wave damping. The other is that the conduction suppression provides a reasonable mechanism for explaining the long-duration events where the thermal plasma is sustained well beyond the duration of impulsive hard X-ray bursts in many flares, for a time much longer than expected by the classical Spitzer conductive cooling. In this study, we model the observed standing slow-mode wave in Wang et al. (2015) using a 1D nonlinear MHD code. With the seismology-derived transport coefficients for thermal conduction and compressive viscosity, we successfully simulate the oscillation period and damping time of the observed waves. Based on the parametric study of the effect of thermal conduction suppression and viscosity enhancement on the observables, we discuss the inversion scheme for determining the energy transport coefficients by coronal seismology.

Novel optical solitary waves and modulation instability analysis for the coupled nonlinear Schrödinger equation in monomode step-index optical fibers

Science.gov (United States)

Inc, Mustafa; Aliyu, Aliyu Isa; Yusuf, Abdullahi; Baleanu, Dumitru

2018-01-01

This paper addresses the coupled nonlinear Schrödinger equation (CNLSE) in monomode step-index in optical fibers which describes the nonlinear modulations of two monochromatic waves, whose group velocities are almost equal. A class of dark, bright, dark-bright and dark-singular optical solitary wave solutions of the model are constructed using the complex envelope function ansatz. Singular solitary waves are also retrieved as bye products of the in integration scheme. This naturally lead to some constraint conditions placed on the solitary wave parameters which must hold for the solitary waves to exist. The modulation instability (MI) analysis of the model is studied based on the standard linear-stability analysis. Numerical simulation and physical interpretations of the obtained results are demonstrated. It is hoped that the results reported in this paper can enrich the nonlinear dynamical behaviors of the CNLSE.

Rogue Waves for a (2+1)-Dimensional Coupled Nonlinear Schrödinger System with Variable Coefficients in a Graded-Index Waveguide

Science.gov (United States)

Du, Zhong; Tian, Bo; Wu, Xiao-Yu; Yuan, Yu-Qiang

2018-05-01

Studied in this paper is a (2+1)-dimensional coupled nonlinear Schrödinger system with variable coefficients, which describes the propagation of an optical beam inside the two-dimensional graded-index waveguide amplifier with the polarization effects. According to the similarity transformation, we derive the type-I and type-II rogue-wave solutions. We graphically present two types of the rouge wave and discuss the influence of the diffraction parameter on the rogue waves. When the diffraction parameters are exponentially-growing-periodic, exponential, linear and quadratic parameters, we obtain the periodic rogue wave and composite rogue waves respectively. Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant Nos. 11772017, 11272023, and 11471050, by the Fund of State Key Laboratory of Information Photonics and Optical Communications (Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications), China (IPOC: 2017ZZ05) and by the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities of China under Grant No. 2011BUPTYB02.

Effects of the shock duration on the response of CFRP composite laminates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gay, Elise; Berthe, Laurent; Boustie, Michel; Arrigoni, Michel; Buzaud, Eric

2014-01-01

Shock loads induce a local tensile stress within a sample. The location and amplitude of this high strain rate stress can be monitored respectively by the duration and intensity of the shock. The process is applied to carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites, involved in aeronautic or defense industry. This paper describes the response of CFRP laminates of different thicknesses to a shock load normal to the fibres direction. The effects of the shock duration on the wave propagation are key issues of this work. Experiments have been performed on high power laser facilities and on a high power pulsed generator to get a wide range of pulse duration from fs to µs. Numerical simulation provides a comprehensive approach of the wave propagation and tensile stress generation within these complex materials. The main result concerns the relation between the load duration, the tensile stress and the induced delamination within 1, 4 and 8 ply composite laminates. (paper)

Measurement of the topological charge and index of vortex vector optical fields with a space-variant half-wave plate.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Gui-Geng; Wang, Ke; Lee, Yun-Han; Wang, Dan; Li, Ping-Ping; Gou, Fangwang; Li, Yongnan; Tu, Chenghou; Wu, Shin-Tson; Wang, Hui-Tian

2018-02-15

Vortex vector optical fields (VVOFs) refer to a kind of vector optical field with an azimuth-variant polarization and a helical phase, simultaneously. Such a VVOF is defined by the topological index of the polarization singularity and the topological charge of the phase vortex. We present a simple method to measure the topological charge and index of VVOFs by using a space-variant half-wave plate (SV-HWP). The geometric phase grating of the SV-HWP diffracts a VVOF into ±1 orders with orthogonally left- and right-handed circular polarizations. By inserting a polarizer behind the SV-HWP, the two circular polarization states project into the linear polarization and then interfere with each other to form the interference pattern, which enables the direct measurement of the topological charge and index of VVOFs.

The wave equation: From eikonal to anti-eikonal approximation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luis Vázquez

2016-06-01

Full Text Available When the refractive index changes very slowly compared to the wave-length we may use the eikonal approximation to the wave equation. In the opposite case, when the refractive index highly variates over the distance of one wave-length, we have what can be termed as the anti-eikonal limit. This situation is addressed in this work. The anti-eikonal limit seems to be a relevant tool in the modelling and design of new optical media. Besides, it describes a basic universal behaviour, independent of the actual values of the refractive index and, thus, of the media, for the components of a wave with wave-length much greater than the characteristic scale of the refractive index.

P-wave dispersion and its relationship to aortic stiffness in patients with acute myocardial infarction after cardiac rehabilitation

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Rezzan Deniz Acar

2014-07-01

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: The aim of our study was to investigate the P-wave dispersion from standard electrocardiograms (ECGs in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI after cardiac rehabilitation (CR and determine its relation to arterial stiffness. METHODS: This is a prospective study included 33 patients with AMI and successfully re-vascularized by percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI underwent CR. Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF was measured by biplane Simpson’s method. Left atrium (LA volume was calculated. The maximum and minimum durations of P-waves (Pmax and Pmin, respectively were detected, and the difference between Pmax and Pmin was defined as P-wave dispersion (Pd = Pmax–Pmin. Aortic elasticity parameters were measured. RESULTS: LVEF was better after CR. The systolic and diastolic blood pressures decreased after CR, these differences were statistically significant. With exercise training, LA volume decreased significantly. Pmax and Pd values were significantly shorter after the CR program. The maximum and minimum P-waves and P-wave dispersion after CR were 97 ± 6 ms, 53 ± 5 ms, and 44 ± 5 ms, respectively. Aortic strain and distensibility increased and aortic stiffness index was decreased significantly. Aortic stiffness index was 0.4 ± 0.2 versus 0.3 ± 0.2, P = 0.001. Aortic stiffness and left atrial volume showed a moderate positive correlation with P-wave dispersion (r = 0.52, P = 0.005; r = 0.64, P = 0.000, respectively. CONCLUSION: This study showed decreased arterial stiffness indexes in AMI patient’s participated CR, with a significant relationship between the electromechanical properties of the LA that may raise a question of the preventive effect of CR from atrial fibrillation and stroke in patients with acute myocardial infarction.   Keywords: Cardiac Rehabilitation, P-Wave Dispersion, Aortic Stiffness, Acute Myocardial Infarction 

Analysis of the effect of diabetes type 2 duration on beta cell secretory function and insulin resistance

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Popović Ljiljana

2006-01-01

Full Text Available Diabetes type 2 is a chronic metabolic disorder. Pathogenesis of diabetes type 2 results from the impaired insulin secretion, impaired insulin action and increased endogenous glucose production. Diabetes evolves through several phases characterized by qualitative and quantitative changes of beta cell secretory function. The aim of our study was to analyze the impact of diabetes duration on beta cell secretory function and insulin resistance. The results indicated significant negative correlation of diabetes duration and fasting insulinemia, as well as beta cell secretory function assessed by HOMA β index. Our study also found significant negative correlation of diabetes duration and insulin resistance assessed by HOMA IR index. Significant positive correlation was established between beta cell secretory capacity (fasting insulinemia and HOMA β and insulin resistance assessed by HOMA IR index, independently of diabetes duration. These results indicate that: beta cell secretory capacity, assessed by HOMA β index, significantly decreases with diabetes duration. In parallel with decrease of fasting insulinemia, reduction of insulin resistance assessed by HOMA IR index was found as well.

Statistical Study in the mid-altitude cusp region: wave and particle data comparison using a normalized cusp crossing duration

Science.gov (United States)

Grison, B.; Escoubet, C. P.; Pitout, F.; Cornilleau-Wehrlin, N.; Dandouras, I.; Lucek, E.

2009-04-01

In the mid altitude cusp region the DC magnetic field presents a diamagnetic cavity due to intense ion earthward flux coming from the magnetosheath. A strong ultra low frequency (ULF) magnetic activity is also commonly observed in this region. Most of the mid altitude cusp statistical studies have focused on the location of the cusp and its dependence and response to solar wind, interplanetary magnetic field, dipole tilt angle parameters. In our study we use the database build by Pitout et al. (2006) in order to study the link of wave power in the ULF range (0.35-10Hz) measured by STAFF SC instrument with the ion plasma properties as measured by CIS (and CODIF) instrument as well as the diamagnetic cavity in the mid-altitude cusp region with FGM data. To compare the different crossings we don`t use the cusp position and dynamics but we use a normalized cusp crossing duration that permits to easily average the properties over a large number of crossings. As usual in the cusp, it is particularly relevant to sort the crossings by the corresponding interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) orientation in order to analyse the results. In particular we try to find out what is the most relevant parameter to link the strong wave activity with. The global statistic confirms previous single case observations that have noticed a simultaneity between ion injections and wave activity enhancements. We will also present results concerning other ion parameters and the diamagnetic cavity observed in the mid altitude cusp region.

Wave Forces on Crown Walls

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, Jan; Burcharth, H. F.

1993-01-01

This paper presents some of the results from a large parametric laboratory study including more than 200 long-duration model tests. The study addresses both the wave forces imposed on the breakwater crown wall as well as the performance of the structure in reducing the wave overtopping. The testing...

Persistence of the planetary wave type oscillations in foF2 over Europe

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J. Laštovička

2003-07-01

Full Text Available Planetary waves are oscillations of very predominantly tropospheric origin with typical periods of about 2–30 days. Their dominant zonal wave numbers are 1, 2 and 3, i.e. the waves are of large-scale (global character. The planetary wave type oscillations have been observed in the lower and middle atmosphere but also in the ionosphere, including the ionospheric F2-layer. Here, we deal only with the oscillations analyzed for four European stations over a solar cycle with the use of the Meyer and Morlet wavelet transforms. Waves with periods near 5, 10 and 16 days are studied. Only events with a duration of three wave-cycles and more are considered. The 5-day period wave events display a typical duration of 4 cycles, while 10- and 16-day wave events are less persistent, with a typical duration of about 3.5 cycles and 3 cycles, respectively. The persistence pattern in terms of number of cycles and in terms of number of days is different. In terms of number of cycles, the typical persistence of oscillations decreases with increasing period. On the other hand, in terms of number of days the typical persistence evidently increases with increasing period. The spectral distribution of event duration is too broad to allow for a reasonable prediction of event duration. Thus, the predictability of the planetary wave type oscillations in foF2 seems to be very questionable.Key words. Ionosphere (ionosphere-atmosphere interaction, mid-latitude ionosphere, ionospheric disturbances – Meteorology and atmospheric dynamics (waves and tides

Sleep Duration and Breast Cancer Phenotype

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khawaja, A.; Rao, S.

2013-01-01

Emerging evidence suggests that short sleep is associated with an increased risk of cancer; however, little has been done to study the role of sleep on tumor characteristics. In this study, we evaluated the relationship between sleep duration and tumor phenotype in 972 breast cancer patients. Sleep duration was inversely associated with tumor grade (univariate P= 0.032), particularly in postmenopausal women (univariate P= 0.018). This association did not reach statistical significance after adjustments for age, race, body mass index, hormone replacement therapy use, alcohol consumption, smoking, and physical activity in the entire study sample (P= 0.052), but it remained statistically significant (P= 0.049) among post-menopausal patients. We did not observe a statistically significant association between sleep duration and stage at diagnosis, ER, or HER2 receptor status. These results present a modest association between short duration of sleep and higher grade breast cancer in post-menopausal women. Further work needs to be done to validate these findings.

Waves of El Nino-southern Oscillation and Influenza Pandemics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Olusegun Steven Ayodele Oluwole

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Influenza pandemics have occurred at irregular intervals for over 500 years, unlike seasonal influenza epidemics which occur annually. Although the risk factors are known, the basis for the timing of influenza pandemic waves are unknown. Coherence of peaks of El Niño and influenza pandemic in 2009–2010, however, suggests that both waves are coupled. This study was done to determine the relation of influenza pandemics to the peaks and waveforms of El Niño southern oscillation (ENSO. ENSO cycles from 1871–2015 which had El Niño phases were windowed from Multivariate El Niño Index. Influenza pandemic peaks were mapped to ENSO monthly time series. ENSO waveforms were compared graphically, and fitted to nonstationary cosinor models. Second order polynomial regression model was fitted to the peak and duration of El Niño. Agglomerative hierarchical cluster of ENSO waveforms was performed. All influenza pandemic peaks mapped to El Niño peaks, with lags of 0–5 months. ENSO waveforms during influenza pandemics share parameters of oscillation. Nonstationary cosinor models showed that ENSO cycles are complex waves. There was second order polynomial relationship between peak and duration of El Niños, p < 0.0001. ENSO waveforms clustered into four distinct groups. ENSO waveforms during influenza pandemics of 1889–1900, 1957–1958, and 1968–1969 linked closely. ENSO indices were significantly high from 7–16 months after onset of cycles, p < 0.0001. Surveillance for El Niño events to forecast periods of maximal transmission and survival of influenza A viruses is, therefore, crucial for public health control strategies.

Two Types of Long-duration Quasi-static Evolution of Solar Filaments

Science.gov (United States)

Xing, C.; Li, H. C.; Jiang, B.; Cheng, X.; Ding, M. D.

2018-04-01

In this Letter, we investigate the long-duration quasi-static evolution of 12 pre-eruptive filaments (four active region (AR) and eight quiescent filaments), mainly focusing on the evolution of the filament height in 3D and the decay index of the background magnetic field. The filament height in 3D is derived through two-perspective observations of Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) and Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory (STEREO). The coronal magnetic field is reconstructed using the potential field source surface model. A new finding is that the filaments we studied show two types of long-duration evolution: one type comprises a long-duration static phase and a short, slow rise phase with a duration of less than 12 hr and a speed of 0.1–0.7 km s‑1, while the other one only presents a slow rise phase but with an extremely long duration of more than 60 hr and a smaller speed of 0.01–0.2 km s‑1. At the moment approaching the eruption, the decay index of the background magnetic field at the filament height is similar for both AR and quiescent filaments. The average value and upper limit are ∼0.9 and ∼1.4, close to the critical index of torus instability. Moreover, the filament height and background magnetic field strength are also found to be linearly and exponentially related with the filament length, respectively.

Gravitational Wave Speed: Undefined. Experiments Proposed

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Daniel Russell

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Since changes in all 4 dimensions of spacetime are components of displacement for gravitational waves, a theoretical result is presented that their speed is undefined, and that the Theory of Relativity is not reliable to predict their speed. Astrophysical experiments are proposed with objectives to directly measure gravitational wave speed, and to verify these theoretical results. From the circumference of two merging black hole's final orbit, it is proposed to make an estimate of a total duration of the last ten orbits, before gravitational collapse, for comparison with durations of reported gravitational wave signals. It is proposed to open a new field of engineering of spacetime wave modulation with an objective of faster and better data transmission and communication through the Earth, the Sun, and deep space. If experiments verify that gravitational waves have infinite speed, it is concluded that a catastrophic gravitational collapse, such as a merger of quasars, today, would re-define the geometry and curvature of spacetime on Earth, instantly, without optical observations of this merger visible, until billions of years in the future.

Acceleration rate of mitral inflow E wave: a novel transmitral doppler index for assessing diastolic function.

Science.gov (United States)

Badkoubeh, Roya Sattarzadeh; Tavoosi, Anahita; Jabbari, Mostafa; Parsa, Amir Farhang Zand; Geraeli, Babak; Saadat, Mohammad; Larti, Farnoosh; Meysamie, Ali Pasha; Salehi, Mehrdad

2016-06-10

We performed comprehensive transmitral and pulmonary venous Doppler echocardiographic studies to devise a novel index of diastolic function. This is the first study to assess the utility of the acceleration rate (AR) of the E wave of mitral inflow as a primary diagnostic modality for assessing diastolic function. Study group consisted of 84 patients (53 + 11 years) with left ventricle (LV) diastolic dysfunction and 34 healthy people (35 ± 9 years) as control group, who were referred for clinically indicated two-dimensional transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE) during 2012 and 2013 to Imam Hospital. Normal controls were defined as patients without clinical evidence of cardiac disease and had normal TTE. LV diastolic function was determined according to standardized protocol of American Society of Echocardiography (ASE). As our new parameter, AR of E wave of mitral inflow was also measured in all patients. It was represented by the slope of the line between onset of E wave and peak of it. Correlation between AR of E wave and LV diastolic function grade was measured using the Spearman correlation coefficient. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to determine the sensitivity and specificity of AR of E wave in diagnosing LV diastolic dysfunction in randomly selected two-thirds of population then its derived cutoff was evaluated in rest of the population. The institutional review board of the hospital approved the study protocol. All participants gave written informed consent. This investigation was in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. The mean value of AR was 1010 ± 420 cm/s(2) in patients whereas the mean value for the normal controls was 701 ± 210 cm/s(2). There was a strong and graded relation between AR of E wave of mitral inflow and LV diastolic function grade (Spearman P ≤0.0001, rs =0.69). ROC curve analysis revealed that AR of E wave of mitral inflow =750 cm/s(2) predicted moderate or severe LV diastolic

Multivariate Hybrid Modelling of Future Wave-Storms at the Northwestern Black Sea

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jue Lin-Ye

2018-02-01

Full Text Available The characterization of future wave-storms and their relationship to large-scale climate can provide useful information for environmental or urban planning at coastal areas. A hybrid methodology (process-based and statistical was used to characterize the extreme wave-climate at the northwestern Black Sea. The Simulating WAve Nearshore spectral wave-model was employed to produce wave-climate projections, forced with wind-fields projections for two climate change scenarios: Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs 4.5 and 8.5. A non-stationary multivariate statistical model was built, considering significant wave-height and peak-wave-period at the peak of the wave-storm, as well as storm total energy and storm-duration. The climate indices of the North Atlantic Oscillation, East Atlantic Pattern, and Scandinavian Pattern have been used as covariates to link to storminess, wave-storm threshold, and wave-storm components in the statistical model. The results show that, first, under both RCP scenarios, the mean values of significant wave-height and peak-wave-period at the peak of the wave-storm remain fairly constant over the 21st century. Second, the mean value of storm total energy is more markedly increasing in the RCP4.5 scenario than in the RCP8.5 scenario. Third, the mean value of storm-duration is increasing in the RCP4.5 scenario, as opposed to the constant trend in the RCP8.5 scenario. The variance of each wave-storm component increases when the corresponding mean value increases under both RCP scenarios. During the 21st century, the East Atlantic Pattern and changes in its pattern have a special influence on wave-storm conditions. Apart from the individual characteristics of each wave-storm component, wave-storms with both extreme energy and duration can be expected in the 21st century. The dependence between all the wave-storm components is moderate, but grows with time and, in general, the severe emission scenario of RCP8.5 presents

Interplanetary shocks, Plasma waves and turbulence, Kinetic waves and instabilities, STEREO spacecraft

Science.gov (United States)

Cohen, Z.; Breneman, A. W.; Cattell, C. A.; Davis, L.; Grul, P.; Kersten, K.; Wilson, L. B., III

2017-12-01

Determining the role of plasma waves in providing energy dissipation at shock waves is of long-standing interest. Interplanetary (IP) shocks serve as a large database of low Mach number shocks. We examine electric field waveforms captured by the Time Domain Sampler (TDS) on the STEREO spacecraft during the ramps of IP shocks, with emphasis on captures lasting 2.1 seconds. Previous work has used captures of shorter duration (66 and 131 ms on STEREO, and 17 ms on WIND), which allowed for observation of waves with maximum (minimum) frequencies of 125 kHz (15 Hz), 62.5 kHz (8 Hz), and 60 kHz (59 Hz), respectively. The maximum frequencies are comparable to 2-8 times the plasma frequency in the solar wind, enabling observation of Langmuir waves, ion acoustic, and some whistler-mode waves. The 2 second captures resolve lower frequencies ( few Hz), which allows us to analyze packet structure of the whistler-mode waves and some ion acoustic waves. The longer capture time also improves the resolvability of simultaneous wave modes and of waves with frequencies on the order of 10s of Hz. Langmuir waves, however, cannot be identified at this sampling rate, since the plasma frequency is usually higher than 3.9 kHz. IP shocks are identified from multiple databases (Helsinki heliospheric shock database at http://ipshocks.fi, and the STEREO level 3 shock database at ftp://stereoftp.nascom.nasa.gov/pub/ins_data/impact/level3/). Our analysis focuses on TDS captures in shock ramp regions, with ramp durations determined from magnetic field data taken at 8 Hz. Software is used to identify multiple wave modes in any given capture and classify waves as Langmuir, ion acoustic, whistler, lower hybrid, electron cyclotron drift instability, or electrostatic solitary waves. Relevant frequencies are determined from density and magnetic field data collected in situ. Preliminary results suggest that large amplitude (∼ 5 mV/m) ion acoustic waves are most prevalent in the ramp, in agreement with

Zero refractive index in time-Floquet acoustic metamaterials

Science.gov (United States)

Koutserimpas, Theodoros T.; Fleury, Romain

2018-03-01

New scientific investigations of artificially structured materials and experiments have exhibited wave manipulation to the extreme. In particular, zero refractive index metamaterials have been on the front line of wave physics research for their unique wave manipulation properties and application potentials. Remarkably, in such exotic materials, time-harmonic fields have an infinite wavelength and do not exhibit any spatial variations in their phase distribution. This unique feature can be achieved by forcing a Dirac cone to the center of the Brillouin zone ( Γ point), as previously predicted and experimentally demonstrated in time-invariant metamaterials by means of accidental degeneracy between three different modes. In this article, we propose a different approach that enables true conical dispersion at Γ with twofold degeneracy and generates zero index properties. We break time-reversal symmetry and exploit a time-Floquet modulation scheme to demonstrate a time-Floquet acoustic metamaterial with zero refractive index. This behavior, predicted using stroboscopic analysis, is confirmed by full-wave finite element simulations. Our results establish the relevance of time-Floquet metamaterials as a novel reconfigurable platform for wave control.

Stress wave focusing transducers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Visuri, S.R., LLNL

1998-05-15

Conversion of laser radiation to mechanical energy is the fundamental process behind many medical laser procedures, particularly those involving tissue destruction and removal. Stress waves can be generated with laser radiation in several ways: creation of a plasma and subsequent launch of a shock wave, thermoelastic expansion of the target tissue, vapor bubble collapse, and ablation recoil. Thermoelastic generation of stress waves generally requires short laser pulse durations and high energy density. Thermoelastic stress waves can be formed when the laser pulse duration is shorter than the acoustic transit time of the material: {tau}{sub c} = d/c{sub s} where d = absorption depth or spot diameter, whichever is smaller, and c{sub s} = sound speed in the material. The stress wave due to thermoelastic expansion travels at the sound speed (approximately 1500 m/s in tissue) and leaves the site of irradiation well before subsequent thermal events can be initiated. These stress waves, often evolving into shock waves, can be used to disrupt tissue. Shock waves are used in ophthalmology to perform intraocular microsurgery and photodisruptive procedures as well as in lithotripsy to fragment stones. We have explored a variety of transducers that can efficiently convert optical to mechanical energy. One such class of transducers allows a shock wave to be focused within a material such that the stress magnitude can be greatly increased compared to conventional geometries. Some transducer tips could be made to operate regardless of the absorption properties of the ambient media. The size and nature of the devices enable easy delivery, potentially minimally-invasive procedures, and precise tissue- targeting while limiting thermal loading. The transducer tips may have applications in lithotripsy, ophthalmology, drug delivery, and cardiology.

Bond portfolio's duration and investment term-structure management problem

OpenAIRE

Liu, Daobai

2006-01-01

In the considered bond market, there are N zero-coupon bonds transacted continuously, which will mature at equally spaced dates. A duration of bond portfolios under stochastic interest rate model is introduced, which provides a measurement for the interest rate risk. Then we consider an optimal bond investment term-structure management problem using this duration as a performance index, and with the short-term interest rate process satisfying some stochastic differential ...

Associations of electrocardiographic P-wave characteristics with left atrial function, and diffuse left ventricular fibrosis defined by cardiac magnetic resonance: The PRIMERI Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Tiffany Win, Theingi; Ambale Venkatesh, Bharath; Volpe, Gustavo J; Mewton, Nathan; Rizzi, Patricia; Sharma, Ravi K; Strauss, David G; Lima, Joao A; Tereshchenko, Larisa G

2015-01-01

Abnormal P-terminal force in lead V1 (PTFV1) is associated with an increased risk of heart failure, stroke, atrial fibrillation, and death. Our goal was to explore associations of left ventricular (LV) diffuse fibrosis with left atrial (LA) function and electrocardiographic (ECG) measures of LA electrical activity. Patients without atrial fibrillation (n = 91; mean age 59.5 years; 61.5% men; 65.9% white) with structural heart disease (spatial QRS-T angle ≥105° and/or Selvester QRS score ≥5 on ECG) but LV ejection fraction >35% underwent clinical evaluation, cardiac magnetic resonance, and resting ECG. LA function indices were obtained by multimodality tissue tracking using 2- and 4-chamber long-axis images. T1 mapping and late gadolinium enhancement were used to assess diffuse LV fibrosis and presence of scar. P-prime in V1 amplitude (PPaV1) and duration (PPdV1), averaged P-wave-duration, PR interval, and P-wave axis were automatically measured using 12 SLTM algorithm. PTFV1 was calculated as a product of PPaV1 and PPdV1. In linear regression after adjustment for demographic characteristics, body mass index, maximum LA volume index, presence of scar, and LV mass index, each decile increase in LV interstitial fibrosis was associated with 0.76 mV*ms increase in negative abnormal PTFV1 (95% confidence interval [CI] -1.42 to -0.09; P = .025), 15.3 ms prolongation of PPdV1 (95% CI 6.9 to 23.8; P = .001) and 5.4 ms prolongation of averaged P-duration (95% CI 0.9-10.0; P = .020). LV fibrosis did not affect LA function. PPaV1 and PTFV1 were associated with an increase in LA volumes and decrease in LA emptying fraction and LA reservoir function. LV interstitial fibrosis is associated with abnormal PTFV1, prolonged PPdV1, and P-duration, but does not affect LA function. Copyright © 2015 Heart Rhythm Society. All rights reserved.

Strong motion duration and earthquake magnitude relationships

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Salmon, M.W.; Short, S.A.; Kennedy, R.P.

1992-06-01

Earthquake duration is the total time of ground shaking from the arrival of seismic waves until the return to ambient conditions. Much of this time is at relatively low shaking levels which have little effect on seismic structural response and on earthquake damage potential. As a result, a parameter termed ''strong motion duration'' has been defined by a number of investigators to be used for the purpose of evaluating seismic response and assessing the potential for structural damage due to earthquakes. This report presents methods for determining strong motion duration and a time history envelope function appropriate for various evaluation purposes, for earthquake magnitude and distance, and for site soil properties. There are numerous definitions of strong motion duration. For most of these definitions, empirical studies have been completed which relate duration to earthquake magnitude and distance and to site soil properties. Each of these definitions recognizes that only the portion of an earthquake record which has sufficiently high acceleration amplitude, energy content, or some other parameters significantly affects seismic response. Studies have been performed which indicate that the portion of an earthquake record in which the power (average rate of energy input) is maximum correlates most closely with potential damage to stiff nuclear power plant structures. Hence, this report will concentrate on energy based strong motion duration definitions

Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) syndrome: the detection of delta wave in an electrocardiogram (ECG).

Science.gov (United States)

Mahamat, Hassan Adam; Jacquir, Sabir; Khalil, Cliff; Laurent, Gabriel; Binczak, Stephane

2016-08-01

The delta wave remains an important indicator to diagnose the WPW syndrome. In this paper, a new method of detection of delta wave in an ECG signal is proposed. Firstly, using the continuous wavelet transform, the P wave, the QRS complex and the T wave are detected, then their durations are computed after determination of the boundary location (onsets and offsets of the P, QRS and T waves). Secondly, the PR duration, the QRS duration and the upstroke of the QRS complex are used to determine the presence or absence of the delta wave. This algorithm has been tested on the Physionel database (ptbdb) in order to evaluate its robustness. It has been applied to clinical signals from patients affected by WPW syndrome. This method can provide assistance to practitioners in order to detect the WPW syndrome.

Relic gravitational waves with a running spectral index and its constraints at high frequencies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tong, M. L.; Zhang, Y.

2009-01-01

We study the impact of a running index α t on the spectrum of relic gravitational waves (RGWs) over the whole range of frequency (10 -18 ∼10 10 ) Hz and reveal its implications in RGWs detections and in cosmology. Analytical calculations show that, although the spectrum of RGWs on low frequencies is less affected by α t ≠0, on high frequencies, the spectrum is modified substantially. Investigations are made toward potential detections of the α t -modified RGWs for several kinds of current and planned detectors. The Advanced LIGO will likely be able to detect RGWs with α t ≥0 for inflationary models with the inflation index β=-1.956 and the tensor-scalar ratio r=0.55. The future LISA can detect RGWs for a much broader range of (α t ,β,r), and will have a better chance to break a degeneracy between them. Constraints on α t are estimated from several detections and cosmological observations. Among them, the most stringent one is from the bound of the big bang nucleosynthesis, and requires α t s to be of the same magnitude as α t , if both RGWs and scalar perturbations are generated by the same scalar inflation.

New approach of determinations of earthquake moment magnitude using near earthquake source duration and maximum displacement amplitude of high frequency energy radiation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gunawan, H.; Puspito, N. T.; Ibrahim, G.; Harjadi, P. J. P. [ITB, Faculty of Earth Sciences and Tecnology (Indonesia); BMKG (Indonesia)

2012-06-20

The new approach method to determine the magnitude by using amplitude displacement relationship (A), epicenter distance ({Delta}) and duration of high frequency radiation (t) has been investigated for Tasikmalaya earthquake, on September 2, 2009, and their aftershock. Moment magnitude scale commonly used seismic surface waves with the teleseismic range of the period is greater than 200 seconds or a moment magnitude of the P wave using teleseismic seismogram data and the range of 10-60 seconds. In this research techniques have been developed a new approach to determine the displacement amplitude and duration of high frequency radiation using near earthquake. Determination of the duration of high frequency using half of period of P waves on the seismograms displacement. This is due tothe very complex rupture process in the near earthquake. Seismic data of the P wave mixing with other wave (S wave) before the duration runs out, so it is difficult to separate or determined the final of P-wave. Application of the 68 earthquakes recorded by station of CISI, Garut West Java, the following relationship is obtained: Mw = 0.78 log (A) + 0.83 log {Delta}+ 0.69 log (t) + 6.46 with: A (m), d (km) and t (second). Moment magnitude of this new approach is quite reliable, time processing faster so useful for early warning.

New approach of determinations of earthquake moment magnitude using near earthquake source duration and maximum displacement amplitude of high frequency energy radiation

Science.gov (United States)

Gunawan, H.; Puspito, N. T.; Ibrahim, G.; Harjadi, P. J. P.

2012-06-01

The new approach method to determine the magnitude by using amplitude displacement relationship (A), epicenter distance (Δ) and duration of high frequency radiation (t) has been investigated for Tasikmalaya earthquake, on September 2, 2009, and their aftershock. Moment magnitude scale commonly used seismic surface waves with the teleseismic range of the period is greater than 200 seconds or a moment magnitude of the P wave using teleseismic seismogram data and the range of 10-60 seconds. In this research techniques have been developed a new approach to determine the displacement amplitude and duration of high frequency radiation using near earthquake. Determination of the duration of high frequency using half of period of P waves on the seismograms displacement. This is due tothe very complex rupture process in the near earthquake. Seismic data of the P wave mixing with other wave (S wave) before the duration runs out, so it is difficult to separate or determined the final of P-wave. Application of the 68 earthquakes recorded by station of CISI, Garut West Java, the following relationship is obtained: Mw = 0.78 log (A) + 0.83 log Δ + 0.69 log (t) + 6.46 with: A (m), d (km) and t (second). Moment magnitude of this new approach is quite reliable, time processing faster so useful for early warning.

New approach of determinations of earthquake moment magnitude using near earthquake source duration and maximum displacement amplitude of high frequency energy radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gunawan, H.; Puspito, N. T.; Ibrahim, G.; Harjadi, P. J. P.

2012-01-01

The new approach method to determine the magnitude by using amplitude displacement relationship (A), epicenter distance (Δ) and duration of high frequency radiation (t) has been investigated for Tasikmalaya earthquake, on September 2, 2009, and their aftershock. Moment magnitude scale commonly used seismic surface waves with the teleseismic range of the period is greater than 200 seconds or a moment magnitude of the P wave using teleseismic seismogram data and the range of 10-60 seconds. In this research techniques have been developed a new approach to determine the displacement amplitude and duration of high frequency radiation using near earthquake. Determination of the duration of high frequency using half of period of P waves on the seismograms displacement. This is due tothe very complex rupture process in the near earthquake. Seismic data of the P wave mixing with other wave (S wave) before the duration runs out, so it is difficult to separate or determined the final of P-wave. Application of the 68 earthquakes recorded by station of CISI, Garut West Java, the following relationship is obtained: Mw = 0.78 log (A) + 0.83 log Δ+ 0.69 log (t) + 6.46 with: A (m), d (km) and t (second). Moment magnitude of this new approach is quite reliable, time processing faster so useful for early warning.

Browse Title Index

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Items 401 - 450 of 985 ... Vol 17 (2010), Flood Frequency Analysis of Ikpoba River ... and the corresponding Refractive Index in Uniaxial Crystals, Abstract ... Vol 8 (2004), Further on stokes expansions for the finite amplitude water waves, Abstract.

Association between QRS duration and obstructive sleep apnea.

Science.gov (United States)

Gupta, Shuchita; Cepeda-Valery, Beatriz; Romero-Corral, Abel; Shamsuzzaman, Abu; Somers, Virend K; Pressman, Gregg S

2012-12-15

Both obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and prolonged QRS duration are associated with hypertension, heart failure, and sudden cardiac death. However, possible links between QRS duration and OSA have not been explored. Cross-sectional study of 221 patients who underwent polysomnography at our center. Demographics, cardiovascular risk factors and ECG were collected to explore a relationship between OSA and QRS duration. The apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) was positively correlated with QRS duration (r = 0.141, p = 0.03). Patients were divided into 3 groups: AHI 30 (55). The mean QRS duration prolonged significantly as OSA worsened (AHI 30, 95 ± 19.9 ms, p = 0.001). QRS ≥ 100 ms was present in 12.7% of patients with severe OSA compared with 0% in the rest of the sample (p < 0.0001). After adjustment for age, race, and cardiovascular risk factors, this association remained significant in women but not in men. QRS duration and OSA were significantly associated. Severity of OSA independently predicted prolonged QRS in women but not men. Nevertheless, prolongation of QRS duration in either sex may potentiate arrhythmic risks associated with OSA.

Trend analysis of the wave storminess: the wave direction

Science.gov (United States)

Casas Prat, M.; Sierra, J. P.; Mösso, C.; Sánchez-Arcilla, A.

2009-09-01

Climate change has an important role in the current scientific research because of its possible future negative consequences. Concerning the climate change in the coastal engineering field, the apparent sea level rise is one of the key parameters as well as the wave height and the wave direction temporal variations. According to the IPCC (2007), during the last century the sea level has been increasing with a mean rate of 1.7 ± 0.5 mm/yr. However, at local/regional scale the tendency significantly differs from the global trend since the local pressure and wind field variations become more relevant. This appears to be particularly significant in semi-enclosed areas in the Mediterranean Sea (Cushman-Roisin et al., 2001). Even though the existing unsolved questions related to the sea level rise, the uncertainty concerning the wave height is even larger, in which stormy conditions are especially important because they are closely related to processes such as coastal erosion, flooding, etc. Therefore, it is necessary to identify possible existing tendencies of storm related parameters. In many studies, only the maximum wave height and storm duration are analysed, remaining the wave direction in a second term. Note that a possible rotation of the mean wave direction may involve severe consequences since most beach and harbour defence structures have been designed assuming a constant predominant wave incidence. Liste et al. (2004) illustrated this fact with an example in which a rotation of only 2 degrees of the mean energy flux vector could produce a beach retreat of 20 m. Another possible consequence would be a decrease of the harbour operability: increased frequency of storms in the same direction as the harbour entrance orientation would influence the navigability. The present study, which focuses in the Catalan coast (NW Mediterranean Sea), aims to improve the present knowledge of the wave storminess variations at regional scale, specially focusing on the wave

Do Physical Activity, Body Mass Index, and Sleep Duration Predict Clustered Cardiovascular Disease Risk in Children?- A Part of the OPUS Study

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hjorth, Mads F.; Damsgaard, Camilla T.; Dalskov, Stine-Mathilde

Objective To investigate the single and combined associations of physical activity (PA), body mass index (BMI), and sleep duration with clustering of cardiovascular disease risk markers in healthy children. Methods We did a cross-sectional pilot-study of 74 Danish school children aged 8-11 years...... BMI was 17.1 (range 13.4-25.4) kg/m2, with 10.8% classified as overweight using isoBMI. Controlled for age and sex, P A was negatively associated with cMET-score (Standardised beta coefficients (sBeta)=-0.32); n=74; P=0.016) and BMI was positively associated with cMETscore (sBeta=0.49; n=74; P...

Shock wave generation in laser ablation studied using pulsed digital holographic interferometry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Amer, Eynas; Gren, Per; Sjoedahl, Mikael [Division of Experimental Mechanics, Luleaa University of Technology, SE-971 87 Luleaa (Sweden)], E-mail: eynas.amer@ltu.se, E-mail: per.gren@ltu.se, E-mail: mikael.sjodahl@ltu.se

2008-11-07

Pulsed digital holographic interferometry has been used to study the shock wave induced by a Q-switched Nd-YAG laser ({lambda} = 1064 nm and pulse duration 12 ns) on a polycrystalline boron nitride (PCBN) ceramic target under atmospheric air pressure. A special setup based on using two synchronized wavelengths from the same laser for processing and measurement simultaneously has been introduced. Collimated laser light ({lambda} = 532 nm) passed through the volume along the target and digital holograms were recorded for different time delays after processing starts. Numerical data of the integrated refractive index field were calculated and presented as phase maps showing the propagation of the shock wave generated by the process. The location of the induced shock wave front was observed for different focusing and time delays. The amount of released energy, i.e. the part of the incident energy of the laser pulse that is eventually converted to a shock wave has been estimated using the point explosion model. The released energy is normalized by the incident laser pulse energy and the energy conversion efficiency between the laser pulse and PCBN target has been calculated at different power densities. The results show that the energy conversion efficiency seems to be constant around 80% at high power densities.

P-wave dispersion: relationship to left ventricular function in sickle cell anaemia.

Science.gov (United States)

Oguanobi, N I; Onwubere, B J; Ike, S O; Anisiuba, B C; Ejim, E C; Ibegbulam, O G

2011-01-01

The prognostic implications of P-wave dispersion in patients with a variety of cardiac disease conditions are increasingly being recognised. The relationship between P-wave dispersion and left ventricular function in sickle cell anaemia is unknown. This study was aimed at evaluating the relationship between P-wave dispersion and left ventricular function in adult Nigerian sickle cell anaemia patients. Between February and August 2007, a total of 62 sickle cell anaemia patients (aged 18-44 years; mean 28.27 ± 5.58) enrolled in the study. These were drawn from patients attending the adult sickle cell clinic of the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Ituku-Ozalla, Enugu. An equal number of age- and gender-matched normal subjects served as controls. All the participants were evaluated with electrocardiography and echocardiography. P-wave dispersion was defined as the difference between the maximum and minimum P-wave duration measured in a 12-lead electrocardiogram. P-wave duration and P-wave dispersion were significantly higher in patients than in controls. Significant correlation was demonstrated between P-wave dispersion and age in the patients (r = 0.387; p = 0.031). A comparison of subsets of sickle cell anaemia patients and controls with comparable haematocrit values (30-35%) showed significantly higher P-wave duration and P-wave dispersion in the patients than in the controls. The P-wave duration in patients and controls, respectively, was 111.10 ± 14.53 ms and 89.14 ± 16.45 ms (t = 3.141; p = 0.006). P-wave dispersion was 64.44 ± 15.86 ms in the patients and 36.43 ± 10.35 ms in the controls (t = 2.752; p = 0.013). Significant negative correlation was found between P-wave dispersion and left ventricular transmitral E/A ratio (r = -0.289; p = 0.023). These findings suggest that P-wave dispersion could be useful in the evaluation of sickle cell patients with left ventricular diastolic dysfunction. Further prospective studies are recommended to evaluate

The Relativistic Transformation for an Electromagnetic Plane Wave with General Time Dependence

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Glenn S.

2012-01-01

In special relativity, the transformation between inertial frames for an electromagnetic plane wave is usually derived for the time-harmonic case (the field is a sinusoid of infinite duration), even though all practical waves are of finite duration and may not even contain a dominant sinusoid. This paper presents an alternative derivation in which…

Geological formation characterisation by acoustic waves

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mari, J.L.; Gaudiani, P.; Delay, J.

2010-01-01

Document available in extended abstract form only. For many years, the transmission of a sonic wave through formations has been used for drilling measurements. The tools used are of monopole or dipole type. Monopole-type tools are the most commonly used. Sources and receivers are multidirectional. In the fluid, sources generate a compression wave which creates in the formation a compression wave (P wave) and a shear wave (S wave) at the refraction limit angles. In a vertical well, such tools permit the recording of five propagation modes: the refracted compression wave, the refracted shear wave (only in fast formations), the fluid wave, two dispersive guided modes which are the pseudo Rayleigh waves (only in fast formations) and the Stoneley waves. Full waveform acoustic measurements are represented as constant-offset sections or as common source point gathers, similar to those used in seismic operations. For the different modes, the acoustic parameters which are usually measured are: picked time, amplitude and frequency. The acoustic parameters allow one to determine the propagation velocities of the various modes and some petro-physical parameters and to obtain lithologic and mechanical information if the shear velocity of the formation has been measured. Usually the picking of the refracted S wave is difficult due to the interferences of different wave trains such as leaky modes associated with the refracted P waves and the pseudo Rayleigh. To compute a continuous log of shear velocity, we propose an hybrid method based on the local measurement of the shear velocity (picking of the arrival time of the refracted S wave) and on the analysis of the dispersion curve of the Stoneley modes ( Biot 1956, White 1965). We also show the benefit of using a shape index parameter named Ic, computed from the amplitudes (A1, A2 and A3) of the first refracted P wave to detect acoustic anomalies specially in fractured formation. The Ic parameter is independent of the energy of

The association between body mass index and duration spent on electronic devices in children and adolescents in Western Saudi Arabia.

Science.gov (United States)

Al-Agha, Abdulmoein E; Nizar, F Sarah; Nahhas, Anwar M

2016-04-01

To evaluate the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and the duration spent on electronic devices, and to assess the factors that can cause obesity among children. A cross-sectional study including 541 participants. Data was collected from March to June 2015 via ambulatory pediatric clinics in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The BMI standard deviation was calculated based on Center of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) standards. The mean age of the participants was 10.1 years. Children who spent ≥2 hours daily on electronic devices showed an increased BMI, and made up 68.4% of the sample. An increased BMI was more common among children who spent ≥2 hours daily on electronic devices. The relationship between BMI, reduced physical activity, and eating during television viewing was determined.

Quantification of Wave Model Uncertainties Used for Probabilistic Reliability Assessments of Wave Energy Converters

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ambühl, Simon; Kofoed, Jens Peter; Sørensen, John Dalsgaard

2015-01-01

Wave models used for site assessments are subjected to model uncertainties, which need to be quantified when using wave model results for probabilistic reliability assessments. This paper focuses on determination of wave model uncertainties. Four different wave models are considered, and validation...... data are collected from published scientific research. The bias and the root-mean-square error, as well as the scatter index, are considered for the significant wave height as well as the mean zero-crossing wave period. Based on an illustrative generic example, this paper presents how the quantified...... uncertainties can be implemented in probabilistic reliability assessments....

Determination of Wave Model Uncertainties used for Probabilistic Reliability Assessments of Wave Energy Devices

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ambühl, Simon; Kofoed, Jens Peter; Sørensen, John Dalsgaard

2014-01-01

Wave models used for site assessments are subject to model uncertainties, which need to be quantified when using wave model results for probabilistic reliability assessments. This paper focuses on determination of wave model uncertainties. Considered are four different wave models and validation...... data is collected from published scientific research. The bias, the root-mean-square error as well as the scatter index are considered for the significant wave height as well as the mean zero-crossing wave period. Based on an illustrative generic example it is shown how the estimated uncertainties can...... be implemented in probabilistic reliability assessments....

The effect of lower-hybrid waves on the propagation of hydromagnetic waves

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hamabata, Hiromitsu; Namikawa, Tomikazu; Mori, Kazuhiro

1988-01-01

Propagation characteristics of hydromagnetic waves in a magnetic plasma are investigated using the two-plasma fluid equations including the effect of lower-hybrid waves propagating perpendicularly to the magnetic field. The effect of lower-hybrid waves on the propagation of hydromagnetic waves is analysed in terms of phase speed, growth rate, refractive index, polarization and the amplitude relation between the density perturbation and the magnetic-field perturbation for the cases when hydromagnetic waves propagate in the plane whose normal is perpendicular to both the magnetic field and the propagation direction of lower-hybrid waves and in the plane perpendicular to the propagation direction of lower-hybrid waves. It is shown that hydromagnetic waves propagating at small angles to the propagation direction of lower-hybrid waves can be excited by the effect of lower-hybrid waves and the energy of excited waves propagates nearly parallel to the propagation direction of lower-hybrid waves. (author)

Breastfeeding Duration and Authoritative Feeding Practices in First-Time Mothers.

Science.gov (United States)

Jansen, Elena; Mallan, Kimberley M; Byrne, Rebecca; Daniels, Lynne A; Nicholson, Jan M

2016-08-01

Longer breastfeeding duration appears to have a protective effect against childhood obesity. This effect may be partially mediated by maternal feeding practices during the first years of life. However, the few studies that have examined links between breastfeeding duration and subsequent feeding practices have yielded conflicting results. Using a large sample of first-time mothers and a newly validated, comprehensive measure of maternal feeding (the Feeding Practices and Structure Questionnaire), this study examined associations between breastfeeding duration and maternal feeding practices at child age 24 months. Mothers (n = 458) enrolled in the NOURISH trial provided data on breastfeeding at child age 4, 14, and 24 months, and on feeding practices at 24 months. Structural equation modeling was used to examine associations between breastfeeding duration and 5 nonresponsive and 4 structure-related "authoritative" feeding practices, adjusting for a range of maternal and child characteristics. The model showed acceptable fit (χ(2)/df = 1.68; root mean square error of approximation = .04, comparative fit index = .91, and Tucker-Lewis index = .89) and longer breastfeeding duration was negatively associated with 4 out of 5 nonresponsive feeding practices and positively associated with 3 out of 4 structure-related feeding practices. Overall, these results suggest that mothers who breastfeed longer reported using more appropriate feeding practices. These data demonstrate an association between longer breastfeeding duration and authoritative feeding practices characterized by responsiveness and structure, which may partly account for the apparent protective effect of breastfeeding on childhood obesity. © The Author(s) 2015.

Wave number determination of Pc 1-2 mantle waves considering He++ ions: A Cluster study

Science.gov (United States)

Grison, B.; Escoubet, C. P.; Santolík, O.; Cornilleau-Wehrlin, N.; Khotyaintsev, Y.

2014-09-01

The present case study concerns narrowband electromagnetic emission detected in the distant cusp region simultaneously with upgoing plasma flows. The wave properties match the usual properties of the Pc 1-2 mantle waves: small angle between the wave vector and the magnetic field line, left-hand polarization, and propagation toward the ionosphere. We report here the first direct wave vector measurement of these waves (about 1.2 × 10- 2 rad/km) through multi spacecraft analysis using the three magnetic components and, at the same time, through single spacecraft analysis based on the refractive index analysis using the three magnetic components and two electric components. The refractive index analysis offers a simple way to estimate wave numbers in this frequency range. Numerical calculations are performed under the observed plasma conditions. The obtained results show that the ion distribution functions are unstable to ion cyclotron instability at the observed wave vector value, due to the large ion temperature anisotropy. We thus show that these electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves are amplified in the distant cusp region. The Poynting flux of the waves is counterstreaming with respect to the plasma flow. This sense of propagation is consistent with the time necessary to amplify the emissions to the observed level. We point out the role of the wave damping at the He++ gyrofrequency to explain that such waves cannot be observed from the ground at the cusp foot print location.

On the joint distribution of excursion duration and amplitude of a narrow-band Gaussian process

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ghane, Mahdi; Gao, Zhen; Blanke, Mogens

2018-01-01

of amplitude and period are limited to excursion through a mean-level or to describe the asymptotic behavior of high level excursions. This paper extends the knowledge by presenting a theoretical derivation of probability of wave exceedance amplitude and duration, for a narrow-band Gaussian process......The probability density of crest amplitude and of duration of exceeding a given level are used in many theoretical and practical problems in engineering. The joint density is essential for design of constructions that are subjected to waves and wind. The presently available joint distributions...... distribution, as expected, and that the marginal distribution of excursion duration works both for asymptotic and non-asymptotic cases. The suggested model is found to be a good replacement for the empirical distributions that are widely used. Results from simulations of narrow-band Gaussian processes, real...

Traffic background level and signal duration effects on aircraft noise judgment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Johnston, G W; Haasz, A A

1977-04-22

The effects of background traffic noise level and signal duration on perceived aircraft noise levels during a flyover event are investigated. Tapes of traffic noise at different levels on which aircraft flyover noise events of different durations were superimposed were played to groups of observers in a room simulating indoor conditions. It is found that the presence of steady background traffic noise reduces the perceived noisiness of aircraft flyovers provided that the duration of the flyover event is sufficiently short in relation to flyover time. For a given event level, a reduction of 21 dB(A) in background noise level leads to the perception of a 5.5 dB(A) increase in peak event level. Regressions of observer response with the noise pollution index show a lower correlation than those with variables based on background noise level and peak signal level, although the data are found to exhibit a number of significant trends associated with noise pollution index variations.

Associations between insomnia, sleep duration and poor work ability.

Science.gov (United States)

Lian, Yulong; Xiao, Jing; Liu, Yan; Ning, Li; Guan, Suzhen; Ge, Hua; Li, Fuye; Liu, Jiwen

2015-01-01

The aim of this study was to examine the independent and joint effect of insomnia and objective sleep duration on poor work ability. In this cross-sectional study, a total of 2820 Chinese manufacturing workers were categorized as insomnia patients and individuals with normal sleeping pattern by interview according to DSM-IV criteria. Sleep duration was classified into four categories: ≥7h, 6-7h, 5-6h, and Work ability was assessed using the Chinese Work Ability Index (WAI) questionnaire. Regression analysis examined the independent and joint association of sleep duration and insomnia with poor work ability, after adjusting for various confounding factors. Insomnia and objective short sleep duration were both independently associated with poor work ability. Compared with the normal sleeping and ≥7h sleep duration group, the highest risk of poor work ability was in the insomnia patients with work ability. Objective sleep duration should be taken into consideration when assessing the work ability of people with insomnia. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The light wave flow effect in a plane-parallel layer with a quasi-zero refractive index under the action of bounded light beams

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gadomsky, O. N.; Shchukarev, I. A.

2016-01-01

It is shown that external optical radiation in the 450–1200 nm range can be efficiently transformed under the action of bounded light beams to a surface wave that propagates along the external and internal boundaries of a plane-parallel layer with a quasi-zero refractive index. Reflection regimes with complex and real angles of refraction in the layer are considered. The layer with a quasi-zero refractive index in this boundary problem is located on a highly reflective metal substrate; it is shown that the uniform low reflection of light is achieved in the wavelength range under study.

The Duration of Motor Responses Evoked with Intracortical Microstimulation in Rats Is Primarily Modulated by Stimulus Amplitude and Train Duration.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Meghan Watson

Full Text Available Microstimulation of brain tissue plays a key role in a variety of sensory prosthetics, clinical therapies and research applications, however the effects of stimulation parameters on the responses they evoke remain widely unknown. In particular, the effects of parameters when delivered in the form of a stimulus train as opposed to a single pulse are not well understood despite the prevalence of stimulus train use. We aimed to investigate the contribution of each parameter of a stimulus train to the duration of the motor responses they evoke in forelimb muscles. We used constant-current, biphasic, square wave pulse trains in acute terminal experiments under ketamine anaesthesia. Stimulation parameters were systematically tested in a pair-wise fashion in the caudal forelimb region of the motor cortex in 7 Sprague-Dawley rats while motor evoked potential (MEP recordings from the forelimb were used to quantify the influence of each parameter in the train. Stimulus amplitude and train duration were shown to be the dominant parameters responsible for increasing the total duration of the MEP, while interphase interval had no effect. Increasing stimulus frequency from 100-200 Hz or pulse duration from 0.18-0.34 ms were also effective methods of extending response durations. Response duration was strongly correlated with peak time and amplitude. Our findings suggest that motor cortex intracortical microstimulations are often conducted at a higher frequency rate and longer train duration than necessary to evoke maximal response duration. We demonstrated that the temporal properties of the evoked response can be both predicted by certain response metrics and modulated via alterations to the stimulation signal parameters.

The association between body mass index and duration spent on electronic devices in children and adolescents in Western Saudi Arabia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abdulmoein E. Al-Agha

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Objectives: To evaluate the relationship between body mass index (BMI and the duration spent on electronic devices, and to assess the factors that can cause obesity among children. Methods: A cross-sectional study including 541 participants. Data was collected from March to June 2015 via ambulatory pediatric clinics in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The BMI standard deviation was calculated based on Center of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC standards. Results: The mean age of the participants was 10.1 years. Children who spent ≥2 hours daily on electronic devices showed an increased BMI, and made up 68.4% of the sample. Conclusion: An increased BMI was more common among children who spent ≥2 hours daily on electronic devices. The relationship between BMI, reduced physical activity, and eating during television viewing was determined.

Signal-averaged P wave duration and the long-term risk of permanent atrial fibrillation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dixen, Ulrik; Larsen, Mette Vang; Ravn, Lasse Steen

2008-01-01

of permanent AF. The risk of permanent AF after 3 years follow-up was 0.72 with an SAPWD equal to 180 ms versus 0.39 with a normal SAPWD (130 ms). We found no prognostic effect of age, gender, dilated left atrium, long duration of AF history, or long duration of the most recent episode of AF. Co...

Sleep During Pregnancy: The nuMoM2b Pregnancy and Sleep Duration and Continuity Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Reid, Kathryn J; Facco, Francesca L; Grobman, William A; Parker, Corette B; Herbas, Marcos; Hunter, Shannon; Silver, Robert M; Basner, Robert C; Saade, George R; Pien, Grace W; Manchanda, Shalini; Louis, Judette M; Nhan-Chang, Chia-Lang; Chung, Judith H; Wing, Deborah A; Simhan, Hyagriv N; Haas, David M; Iams, Jay; Parry, Samuel; Zee, Phyllis C

2017-05-01

To characterize sleep duration, timing and continuity measures in pregnancy and their association with key demographic variables. Multisite prospective cohort study. Women enrolled in the nuMoM2b study (nulliparous women with a singleton gestation) were recruited at the second study visit (16-21 weeks of gestation) to participate in the Sleep Duration and Continuity substudy. Women sleep log for 7 consecutive days. Time in bed, sleep duration, fragmentation index, sleep efficiency, wake after sleep onset, and sleep midpoint were averaged across valid primary sleep periods for each participant. Valid data were available from 782 women with mean age of 27.3 (5.5) years. Median sleep duration was 7.4 hours. Approximately 27.9% of women had a sleep duration of sleep duration of >9 hours. In multivariable models including age, race/ethnicity, body mass index, insurance status, and recent smoking history, sleep duration was significantly associated with race/ethnicity and insurance status, while time in bed was only associated with insurance status. Sleep continuity measures and sleep midpoint were significantly associated with all covariates in the model, with the exception of age for fragmentation index and smoking for wake after sleep onset. Our results demonstrate the relationship between sleep and important demographic characteristics during pregnancy. © Sleep Research Society 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Sleep Research Society. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail journals.permissions@oup.com.

Observing gravitational-wave transient GW150914 with minimal assumptions

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Abbott, B. P.; Abbott, R.; Abbott, T. D.; Abernathy, M. R.; Acernese, F.; Ackley, K.; Adams, C.; Phythian-Adams, A.T.; Addesso, P.; Adhikari, R. X.; Adya, V. B.; Affeldt, C.; Agathos, M.; Agatsuma, K.; Aggarwa, N.; Aguiar, O. D.; Aiello, L.; Ain, A.; Ajith, P.; Allen, B.; Allocca, A.; Altin, P. A.; Anderson, S. B.; Anderson, W. C.; Arai, K.; Araya, M. C.; Arceneaux, C. C.; Areeda, J. S.; Arnaud, N.; Arun, K. G.; Ascenzi, S.; Ashton, G.; Ast, M.; Aston, S. M.; Astone, P.; Aufmuth, P.; Aulbert, C.; Babak, S.; Bacon, P.; Bader, M. K. M.; Baker, P. T.; Baldaccini, F.; Ballardin, G.; Ballmer, S. W.; Barayoga, J. C.; Barclay, S. E.; Barish, B. C.; Barker, R.D.; Barone, F.; Barr, B.; Barsotti, L.; Barsuglia, M.; Barta, D.; Bartlett, J.; Bartos, I.; Bassiri, R.; Basti, A.; Batch, J. C.; Baune, C.; Bavigadda, V.; Bazzan, M.; Behnke, B.; Bejger, M.; Bell, A. S.; Bell, C. J.; Berger, B. K.; Bergman, J.; Bergmann, G.; Berry, C. P. L.; Bersanetti, D.; Bertolini, A.; Betzwieser, J.; Bhagwat, S.; Bhandare, R.; Bilenko, I. A.; Billingsley, G.; Birch, M.J.; Birney, R.; Biscans, S.; Bisht, A.; Bitossi, M.; Biwer, C.; Bizouard, M. A.; Blackburn, J. K.; Blackburn, L.; Blair, C. D.; Blair, D. G.; Blair, R. M.; Bloemen, A.L.S.; Bock, O.; Bodiya, T. P.; Boer, M.; Bogaert, J.G.; Bogan, C.; Bohe, A.; Bojtos, P.; Bond, T.C; Bondu, F.; Bonnand, R.; Boom, B. A.; Bork, R.; Boschi, V.; Bose, S.; Bouffanais, Y.; Bozzi, A.; Bradaschia, C.; Brady, P. R.; Braginsky, V. B.; Branchesi, M.; Brau, J. E.; Briant, T.; Brillet, A.; Brinkmann, M.; Brisson, V.; Brocki, P.; Brooks, A. F.; Brown, A.D.; Brown, D.; Brown, N. M.; Buchanan, C. C.; Buikema, A.; Bulik, T.; Bulten, H. J.; Buonanno, A.; Buskulic, D.; Buy, C.; Byer, R. L.; Cadonati, L.; Cagnoli, G.; Cahillane, C.; Calderon Bustillo, J.; Callister, T. A.; Calloni, E.; Camp, J. B.; Cannon, K. C.; Cao, J.; Capano, C. D.; Capocasa, E.; Carbognani, F.; Caride, S.; Diaz, J. Casanueva; Casentini, C.; Caudill, S.; Cavaglia, M.; Cavalier, F.; Cavalieri, R.; Cella, G.; Cepeda, C. B.; Baiardi, L. Cerboni; Cerretani, G.; Cesarini, E.; Chakraborty, R.; Chatterji, S.; Chalermsongsak, T.; Chamberlin, S. J.; Chan, M.; Chao, D. S.; Charlton, P.; Chassande-Mottin, E.; Chen, H. Y.; Chen, Y; Cheng, C.; Chincarini, A.; Chiummo, A.; Cho, H. S.; Cho, M.; Chow, J. H.; Christensen, N.; Chu, Qian; Chua, S. E.; Chung, E.S.; Ciani, G.; Clara, F.; Clark, J. A.; Clark, M.; Cleva, F.; Coccia, E.; Cohadon, P. -F.; Colla, A.; Collette, C. G.; Cominsky, L.; Constancio, M., Jr.; Conte, A.; Conti, L.; Cook, D.; Corbitt, T. R.; Cornish, N.; Corsi, A.; Cortese, S.; Costa, A.C.; Coughlin, M. W.; Coughlin, S. B.; Coulon, J. -P.; Countryman, S. T.; Couvares, P.; Cowan, E. E.; Coward, D. M.; Cowart, M. J.; Coyne, D. C.; Coyne, R.; Craig, K.; Creighton, J. D. E.; Cripe, J.; Crowder, S. G.; Cumming, A.; Cunningham, A.L.; Cuoco, E.; Dal Canton, T.; Danilishin, S. L.; D'Antonio, S.; Danzmann, K.; Darman, N. S.; Dattilo, V.; Dave, I.; Daveloza, H. P.; Davier, M.; Davies, G. S.; Daw, E. J.; Day, R.; Debra, D.; Debreczeni, G.; Degallaix, J.; De laurentis, M.; Deleglise, S.; Del Pozzo, W.; Denker, T.; Dent, T.; Dereli, H.; Dergachev, V.A.; DeRosa, R. T.; Rosa, R.; DeSalvo, R.; Dhurandhar, S.; Diaz, M. C.; Di Fiore, L.; Giovanni, M.G.; Di Lieto, A.; Di Pace, S.; Di Palma, I.; Di Virgilio, A.; Dojcinoski, G.; Dolique, V.; Donovan, F.; Dooley, K. L.; Doravari, S.; Douglas, R.; Downes, T. P.; Drago, M.; Drever, R. W. P.; Driggers, J. C.; Du, Z.; Ducrot, M.; Dwyer, S. E.; Edo, T. B.; Edwards, M. C.; Effler, A.; Eggenstein, H. -B.; Ehrens, P.; Eichholz, J.; Eikenberry, S. S.; Engels, W.; Essick, R. C.; Etzel, T.; Evans, T. M.; Evans, T. M.; Everett, R.; Factourovich, M.; Fafone, V.; Fair, H.; Fairhurst, S.; Fan, X.M.; Fang, Q.; Farinon, S.; Farr, B.; Farr, W. M.; Favata, M.; Fays, M.; Fehrmann, H.; Fejer, M. M.; Ferrante, I.; Ferreira, E. C.; Ferrini, F.; Fidecaro, F.; Fiori, I.; Fiorucci, D.; Fisher, R. R.; Flaminio, R.; Fletcher, M; Fournier, J. -D.; Franco, S; Frasca, S.; Frasconi, F.; Frei, Z.; Freise, A.; Frey, R.; Frey, V.; Fricke, T. T.; Fritsche, P.; Frolov, V. V.; Fulda, P.; Fyffe, M.; Gabbard, H. A. G.; Gair, J. R.; Gammaitoni, L.; Gaonkar, S. G.; Garufi, F.; Gatto, A.; Gaur, G.; Gehrels, N.; Gemme, G.; Gendre, B.; Genin, E.; Gennai, A.; George, J.; Gergely, L.; Germain, V.; Ghosh, Archisman; Ghosh, S.; Giaime, J. A.; Giardina, K. D.; Giazotto, A.; Gill, K.P.; Glaefke, A.; Goetz, E.; Goetz, R.; Gondan, L.; Gonzalez, Idelmis G.; Castro, J. M. Gonzalez; Gopakumar, A.; Gordon, N. A.; Gorodetsky, M. L.; Gossan, S. E.; Lee-Gosselin, M.; Gouaty, R.; Graef, C.; Graff, P. B.; Granata, M.; Grant, A.; Gras, S.; Gray, C.M.; Greco, G.; Green, A. C.; Groot, P.; Grote, H.; Grunewald, S.; Guidi, G. M.; Guo, X.; Gupta, A.; Gupta, M. K.; Gushwa, K. E.; Gustafson, E. K.; Gustafson, R.; de Haas, R.; Hacker, J. J.; Buffoni-Hall, R.; Hall, E. D.; Hammond, G.L.; Haney, M.; Hanke, M. M.; Hanks, J.; Hanna, C.; Hannam, M. D.; Hanson, P.J.; Hardwick, T.; Harms, J.; Harry, G. M.; Harry, I. W.; Hart, M. J.; Hartman, M. T.; Haster, C. -J.; Haughian, K.; Healy, J.; Heidmann, A.; Heintze, M. C.; Heitmann, H.; Hello, P.; Hemming, G.; Hendry, M.; Heng, I. S.; Hennig, J.; Heptonstall, A. W.; Heurs, M.; Hild, S.; Hinder, I.; Hoak, D.; Hodge, K. A.; Hofman, D.; Hollitt, S. E.; Holt, K.; Holz, D. E.; Hopkins, P.; Hosken, D. J.; Hough, J.; Houston, E. A.; Howell, E. J.; Hu, Y. M.; Huang, S.; Huerta, E. A.; Huet, D.; Hughey, B.; Husa, S.; Huttner, S. H.; Huynh-Dinh, T.; Idrisy, A.; Indik, N.; Ingram, D. R.; Inta, R.; Isa, H. N.; Isac, J. -M.; Isi, M.; Islas, G.; Isogai, T.; Iyer, B. R.; Izumi, K.; Jacqmin, T.; Jang, D.H.; Jani, K.; Jaranowski, P.; Jawahar, S.; Jimenez-Forteza, F.; Johnson, W.; Jones, I.D.; Jones, R.; Jonker, R. J. G.; Ju, L.; Haris, K.; Kalaghatgi, C. V.; Kalogera, V.; Kandhasamy, S.; Kang, G.H.; Kanner, J. B.; Karki, S.; Kasprzack, M.; Katsavounidis, E.; Katzman, W.; Kaufer, S.; Kaur, T.; Kawabe, K.; Kawazoe, F.; Kefelian, F.; Kehl, M. S.; Keitel, D.; Kelley, D. B.; Kells, W.; Kennedy, R.E.; Key, J. S.; Khalaidovski, A.; Khalili, F. Y.; Khan, I.; Khan., S.; Khan, Z.; Khazanov, E. A.; Kijhunchoo, N.; Kim, C.; Kim, J.; Kim, K.; Kim, Nam-Gyu; Kim, Namjun; Kim, Y.M.; King, E. J.; King, P. J.; Kinsey, M.; Kinzel, D. L.; Kissel, J. S.; Kleybolte, L.; Klimenko, S.; Koehlenbeck, S. M.; Kokeyama, K.; Koley, S.; Kondrashov, V.; Kontos, A.; Korobko, M.; Korth, W. Z.; Kowalska, I.; Kozak, D. B.; Kringel, V.; Krolak, A.; Krueger, C.; Kuehn, G.; Kumar, P.; Kuo, L.; Kutynia, A.; Lackey, B. D.; Laguna, P.; Landry, M.; Lange, J.; Lantz, B.; Lasky, P. D.; Lazzarini, A.; Lazzaro, C.; Leaci, R.; Leavey, S.; Lebigot, E. O.; Lee, C.H.; Lee, K.H.; Lee, M.H.; Lee, K.; Lenon, A.; Leonardi, M.; Leong, J. R.; Leroy, N.; Letendre, N.; Levin, Y.; Levine, B. M.; Li, T. G. F.; Libson, A.; Littenberg, T. B.; Lockerbie, N. A.; Logue, J.; Lombardi, A. L.; Lord, J. E.; Lorenzini, M.; Loriette, V.; Lormand, M.; Losurdo, G.; Lough, J. D.; Lueck, H.; Lundgren, A. P.; Luo, J.; Lynch, R.; Ma, Y.; MacDonald, T.T.; Machenschalk, B.; MacInnis, M.; Macleod, D. M.; Magana-Sandoval, F.; Magee, R. M.; Mageswaran, M.; Majorana, E.; Maksimovic, I.; Malvezzi, V.; Man, N.; Mandel, I.; Mandic, V.; Mangano, V.; Mansell, G. L.; Manske, M.; Mantovani, M.; Marchesoni, F.; Marion, F.; Marka, S.; Marka, Z.; Markosyan, A. S.; Maros, E.; Martelli, F.; Martellini, L.; Martin, I. W.; Martin, R.M.; Martynov, D. V.; Marx, J. N.; Mason, K.; Masserot, A.; Massinger, T. J.; Masso-Reid, M.; Matichard, F.; Matone, L.; Mavalvala, N.; Mazumder, N.; Mazzolo, G.; McCarthy, R.; McClelland, D. E.; McCormick, S.; McGuire, S. C.; McIntyre, G.; McIver, J.; McManus, D. J.; McWilliams, S. T.; Meacher, D.; Meadors, G. D.; Meidam, J.; Melatos, A.; Mende, G.; Mendoza-Gandara, D.; Mercer, R. A.; Merilh, E. L.; Merzougui, M.; Meshkov, S.; Messenger, C.; Messick, C.; Meyers, P. M.; Mezzani, F.; Miao, H.; Michel, C.; Middleton, H.; Mikhailov, E. E.; Milano, L.; Miller, J.; Millhouse, M.; Minenkov, Y.; Ming, J.; Mirshekari, S.; Mishra, C.; Mitra, S.; Mitrofanov, V. P.; Mitselmakher, G.; Mittleman, R.; Moggi, A.; Mohan, M.; Mohapatra, S. R. P.; Montani, M.; Moore, B.C.; Moore, J.C.; Moraru, D.; Gutierrez Moreno, M.; Morriss, S. R.; Mossavi, K.; Mours, B.; Mow-Lowry, C. M.; Mueller, C. L.; Mueller, G.; Muir, A. W.; Mukherjee, Arunava; Mukherjee, S.D.; Mukherjee, S.; Mukund, N.; Mullavey, A.; Munch, J.; Murphy, D. J.; Murray, P.G.; Mytidis, A.; Nardecchia, I.; Naticchioni, L.; Nayak, R. K.; Necula, V.; Nedkova, K.; Nelemans, G.; Gutierrez-Neri, M.; Neunzert, A.; Newton-Howes, G.; Nguyen, T. T.; Nielsen, A. B.; Nissanke, S.; Nitz, A.; Nocera, F.; Nolting, D.; Normandin, M. E. N.; Nuttall, L. K.; Oberling, J.; Ochsner, E.; O'Dell, J.; Oelker, E.; Ogin, G. H.; Oh, J.; Oh, S. H.; Ohme, F.; Oliver, M. B.; Oppermann, P.; Oram, Richard J.; O'Reilly, B.; O'Shaughnessy, R.; Ottaway, D. J.; Ottens, R. S.; Overmier, H.; Owen, B. J.; Pai, A.; Pai, S. A.; Palamos, J. R.; Palashov, O.; Palomba, C.; Pal-Singh, A.; Pan, H.; Pankow, C.; Pannarale, F.; Pant, B. C.; Paoletti, F.; Paoli, A.; Papa, M. A.; Page, J.; Paris, H. R.; Parker, W.S; Pascucci, D.; Pasqualetti, A.; Passaquieti, R.; Passuello, D.; Patricelli, B.; Patrick, Z.; Pearlstone, B. L.; Pedraza, M.; Pedurand, R.; Pekowsky, L.; Pele, A.; Penn, S.; Perreca, A.; Phelps, M.; Piccinni, O. J.; Pichot, M.; Piergiovanni, F.; Pierro, V.; Pillant, G.; Pinard, L.; Pinto, I. M.; Pitkin, M.; Poggiani, R.; Popolizio, P.; Post, A.; Powell, J.; Prasad, J.; Predoi, V.; Premachandra, S. S.; Prestegard, T.; Price, L. R.; Prijatelj, M.; Principe, M.; Privitera, S.; Prodi, G. A.; Prolchorov, L.; Puncken, O.; Punturo, M.; Puppo, P.; Puerrer, M.; Qi, H.; Qin, J.; Quetschke, V.; Quintero, E. A.; Quitzow-James, R.; Raab, F. J.; Rabeling, D. S.; Radkins, H.; Raffai, P.; Raja, S.; Rakhmanov, M.; Rapagnani, P.; Raymond, V.; Razzano, M.; Re, V.; Read, J.; Reed, C. M.; Regimbau, T.; Rei, L.; Reid, S.; Reitze, D. H.; Rew, H.; Reyes, S. D.; Ricci, F.; Riles, K.; Robertson, N. A.; Robie, R.; Robinet, F.; Rocchi, A.; Rolland, L.; Rollins, J. G.; Roma, V. J.; Romano, R.; Romanov, G.; Romie, J. H.; Rosinska, D.; Rowan, S.; Ruediger, A.; Ruggi, P.; Ryan, K.A.; Sachdev, P.S.; Sadecki, T.; Sadeghian, L.; Salconi, L.; Saleem, M.; Salemi, F.; Samajdar, A.; Sammut, L.; Sanchez, E. J.; Sandberg, V.; Sandeen, B.; Sanders, J. R.; Sassolas, B.; Sathyaprakash, B. S.; Saulson, P. R.; Sauter, O.; Savage, R. L.; Sawadsky, A.; Schale, P.; Schilling, R.; Schmidt, J; Schmidt, P.; Schnabel, R.B.; Schofield, R. M. S.; Schoenbeck, A.; Schreiber, K.E.C.; Schuette, D.; Schutz, B. F.; Scott, J.; Scott, M.S.; Sellers, D.; Sengupta, A. S.; Sentenac, D.; Sequino, V.; Sergeev, A.; Serna, G.; Setyawati, Y.; Sevigny, A.; Shaddock, D. A.; Shah, S.; Shithriar, M. S.; Shaltev, M.; Shao, Z.M.; Shapiro, B.; Shawhan, P.; Sheperd, A.; Shoemaker, D. H.; Shoemaker, D. M.; Siellez, K.; Siemens, X.; Sigg, D.; Silva, António Dias da; Simakov, D.; Singer, A; Singer, L. P.; Singh, A.; Singh, R.; Singhal, A.; Sintes, A. M.; Slagmolen, B. J. J.; Smith, R. J. E.; Smith, N.D.; Smith, R. J. E.; Son, E. J.; Sorazu, B.; Sorrentino, F.; Souradeep, T.; Srivastava, A. K.; Staley, A.; Steinke, M.; Steinlechner, J.; Steinlechner, S.; Steinmeyer, D.; Stephens, B. C.; Stone, J.R.; Strain, K. A.; Straniero, N.; Stratta, G.; Strauss, N. A.; Strigin, S. E.; Sturani, R.; Stuver, A. L.; Summerscales, T. Z.; Sun, L.; Sutton, P. J.; Swinkels, B. L.; Szczepanczyk, M. J.; Tacca, M.D.; Talukder, D.; Tanner, D. B.; Tapai, M.; Tarabrin, S. P.; Taracchini, A.; Taylor, W.R.; Theeg, T.; Thirugnanasambandam, M. P.; Thomas, E. G.; Thomas, M.; Thomas, P.; Thorne, K. A.; Thorne, K. S.; Thrane, E.; Tiwari, S.; Tiwari, V.; Tokmakov, K. V.; Tomlinson, C.; Tonelli, M.; Torres, C. V.; Torrie, C. I.; Toyra, D.; Travasso, F.; Traylor, G.; Trifiro, D.; Tringali, M. C.; Trozzo, L.; Tse, M.; Turconi, M.; Tuyenbayev, D.; Ugolini, D.; Unnikrishnan, C. S.; Urban, A. L.; Usman, S. A.; Vahlhruch, H.; Vajente, G.; Valdes, G.; Van Bakel, N.; Van Beuzekom, Martin; Van den Brand, J. F. J.; Van Den Broeck, C.F.F.; Vander-Hyde, D. C.; van der Schaaf, L.; van Heijningen, J. V.; van Veggel, A. A.; Vardaro, M.; Vass, S.; Vasuth, M.; Vaulin, R.; Vecchio, A.; Vedovato, G.; Veitch, J.; Veitch, R. J.; Venkateswara, K.; Verkindt, D.; Vetrano, F.; Vicere, A.; Vinciguerra, S.; Vine, D. J.; Vinet, J. -Y.; Vitale, S.; Vo, T.; Vocca, H.; Vorvick, C.; Voss, D. V.; Vousden, W. D.; Vyatchanin, S. P.; Wade, A. R.; Wade, L. E.; Wade, MT; Walker, M.; Wallace, L.; Walsh, S.; Wang, G.; Wang, H.; Wang, M.; Wang, X.; Wang, Y.; Ward, R. L.; Warner, J.; Was, M.; Weaver, B.; Wei, L. -W.; Weinert, M.; Weinstein, A. J.; Weiss, R.; Welborn, T.; Wen, L.M.; Wessels, P.; Westphal, T.; Wette, K.; Whelan, J. T.; White, D. J.; Whiting, B. F.; Williams, D.; Williams, D.R.; Williamson, A. R.; Willis, J. L.; Willke, B.; Wimmer, M. H.; Winkler, W.; Wipf, C. C.; Wittel, H.; Woan, G.; Worden, J.; Wright, J.L.; Wu, G.; Yablon, J.; Yam, W.; Yamamoto, H.; Yancey, C. C.; Yap, M. J.; Yu, H.; Yvert, M.; Zadrozny, A.; Zangrando, L.; Zanolin, M.; Zendri, J. -P.; Zevin, M.; Zhang, F.; Zhang, L.; Zhang, M.; Zhang, Y.; Zhao, C.; Zhou, M.; Zhou, Z.; Zhu, X. J.; Zucker, M. E.; Zuraw, S. E.; Zweizig, J.

2016-01-01

The gravitational-wave signal GW150914 was first identified on September 14, 2015, by searches for short-duration gravitational-wave transients. These searches identify time-correlated transients in multiple detectors with minimal assumptions about the signal morphology, allowing them to be

The pulse duration of electrical stimulation influences H-reflexes but not corticospinal excitability for tibialis anterior.

Science.gov (United States)

Hindle, Alyssa R; Lou, Jenny W H; Collins, David F

2014-10-01

The afferent volley generated by neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) influences corticospinal (CS) excitability and frequent NMES sessions can strengthen CS pathways, resulting in long-term improvements in function. This afferent volley can be altered by manipulating NMES parameters. Presently, we manipulated one such parameter, pulse duration, during NMES over the common peroneal nerve and assessed the influence on H-reflexes and CS excitability. We hypothesized that compared with shorter pulse durations, longer pulses would (i) shift the H-reflex recruitment curve to the left, relative to the M-wave curve; and (ii) increase CS excitability more. Using 3 pulse durations (50, 200, 1000 μs), M-wave and H-reflex recruitment curves were collected and, in separate experiments, CS excitability was assessed by comparing motor evoked potentials elicited before and after 30 min of NMES. Despite finding a leftward shift in the H-reflex recruitment curve when using the 1000 μs pulse duration, consistent with a larger afferent volley for a given efferent volley, the increases in CS excitability were not influenced by pulse duration. Hence, although manipulating pulse duration can alter the relative recruitment of afferents and efferents in the common peroneal nerve, under the present experimental conditions it is ineffective for maximizing CS excitability for rehabilitation.

Horas de sono e índice de massa corporal em pré-escolares do sul do Brasil Sleep duration and body mass index among southern Brazilian preschoolers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maria Laura da Costa Louzada

2012-12-01

Full Text Available A prevenção e o tratamento do excesso de peso são particularmente complexos, reforçando a importância de estudos que visem esclarecer sua rede de causas e efeitos. Assim, o objetivo desse estudo foi avaliar a relação entre horas de sono noturnas e medidas antropométricas. Realizou-se uma análise transversal realizada a partir de dados de 348 crianças de 3 e 4 anos da cidade de São Leopoldo/ RS. As horas de sono noturnas foram relatadas pelas mães e as medidas de índice de massa corporal, circunferência da cintura e dobras cutâneas foram medidas de acordo com protocolo padrão. As análises foram ajustadas para consumo energético e horas de televisão assistidas. As crianças com excesso de peso apresentaram, em média, 0,39 horas a menos de sono em relação àquelas com peso adequado (9,77 ± 1,44 versus 10,17 ± 1,34; IC95% 0,03-0,76. Observou-se associação inversa entre horas de sono noturnas e valores de escore z de índice de massa corporal para idade (B = -0,12 IC95% -0,22--0,02. A circunferência da cintura e as dobras cutâneas apresentaram relação inversa com as horas de sono, porém sem diferença estatística. Em pré-escolares do sul do Brasil, menos horas de sono noturnas foram associadas com maiores valores de índice de massa corporal.Prevention and treatment of overweight are particularly complex, reinforcing the importance of studies aimed at clarifying their range of causes and effects. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate the relationship between night sleep duration and anthropometric measurements. A cross-sectional analysis was performed from data from 348 children aged 3 and 4 years in São Leopoldo/RS. Night sleep duration was reported by their mothers and body mass index, waist circumference and skinfold thickness were measured according to standard protocol. The analyses were adjusted for energy intake and hours of television watching. Overweight children had, on average, 0.39 hours less

Cardiometabolic factors and disease duration in patients with Parkinson's disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Cassani, Erica; Cereda, Emanuele; Barichella, Michela; Madio, Carmen; Cancello, Raffaella; Caccialanza, Riccardo; Zini, Michela; Cilia, Roberto; Pezzoli, Gianni

2013-01-01

Previous studies have reported that patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) have a favorable cardiometabolic risk profile. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between cardiometabolic risk factors and the duration of disease. One hundred and fifty patients with PD (56.7% men) were studied, measuring body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), body fat percentage (BF%) by impedance, fasting glucose, serum lipids, and transaminases. In sex- and age-adjusted correlation models, duration of PD was inversely related to BMI (r = -0.20; P HDL) levels were positively correlated with disease duration (P HDL-cholesterol ratio was also inversely associated with duration of PD (P HDL levels and total HDL-cholesterol ratio were favorably associated with duration of PD. This factor may contribute to cardiometabolic protection in PD. The mechanisms underlying this association deserve further investigation. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Cold and heat waves in the United States.

Science.gov (United States)

Barnett, A G; Hajat, S; Gasparrini, A; Rocklöv, J

2012-01-01

Extreme cold and heat waves, characterized by a number of cold or hot days in succession, place a strain on people's cardiovascular and respiratory systems. The increase in deaths due to these waves may be greater than that predicted by extreme temperatures alone. We examined cold and heat waves in 99 US cities for 14 years (1987-2000) and investigated how the risk of death depended on the temperature threshold used to define a wave, and a wave's timing, duration and intensity. We defined cold and heat waves using temperatures above and below cold and heat thresholds for two or more days. We tried five cold thresholds using the first to fifth percentiles of temperature, and five heat thresholds using the 95-99 percentiles. The extra wave effects were estimated using a two-stage model to ensure that their effects were estimated after removing the general effects of temperature. The increases in deaths associated with cold waves were generally small and not statistically significant, and there was even evidence of a decreased risk during the coldest waves. Heat waves generally increased the risk of death, particularly for the hottest heat threshold. Cold waves of a colder intensity or longer duration were not more dangerous. Cold waves earlier in the cool season were more dangerous, as were heat waves earlier in the warm season. In general there was no increased risk of death during cold waves above the known increased risk associated with cold temperatures. Cold or heat waves earlier in the cool or warm season may be more dangerous because of a build up in the susceptible pool or a lack of preparedness for extreme temperatures. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Graded-index fibers, Wigner-distribution functions, and the fractional Fourier transform.

Science.gov (United States)

Mendlovic, D; Ozaktas, H M; Lohmann, A W

1994-09-10

Two definitions of a fractional Fourier transform have been proposed previously. One is based on the propagation of a wave field through a graded-index medium, and the other is based on rotating a function's Wigner distribution. It is shown that both definitions are equivalent. An important result of this equivalency is that the Wigner distribution of a wave field rotates as the wave field propagates through a quadratic graded-index medium. The relation with ray-optics phase space is discussed.

Propagation of a femtosecond laser pulse with duration of several optical oscillation periods in a medium with a quadratic nonlinearity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Akopyan, A A; Oganesyan, D L

1998-01-01

It is shown that the wave equation can be solved by the method of unidirectional waves for a pulse with a duration of several oscillation periods in a medium with a quadratic nonlinearity, such as a group-3m crystal. The wave equation reduces to a system of two equations for waves with different polarisations. (laser applications and other topics in quantum electronics)

Statistical Study of Low-Frequency Electromagnetic Cyclotron Waves in the Solar Wind at 1 AU

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, G. Q.; Feng, H. Q.; Wu, D. J.; Liu, Q.; Zhao, Y.; Zhao, A.; Huang, J.

2018-03-01

Electromagnetic cyclotron waves (ECWs) near the proton cyclotron frequency are common wave activities in the solar wind and have attracted much attention in recent years. This paper investigates 82,809 ECWs based on magnetic field data from the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory-A mission between 2007 and 2013. Results show that ECWs may last for just a few seconds or incessantly for several tens of minutes. The time fraction of ECW storms among all solar wind is about 0.9%; the storms are obtained with the duration threshold of 10 min, amplitude criterion of 0.032 nT, and time separation limit of 3 min for combination of intermittent ECWs. Most of ECWs have their amplitudes less than 1 nT, while some ECWs have large amplitudes comparable to the ambient magnetic field. The distributions of the durations and amplitudes of these ECWs are characterized by power law spectra, respectively, with spectrum indexes around 4. Statistically, there seems to be a tendency that ECWs with a longer duration will have a larger amplitude. Observed ECW properties are time dependent, and the median frequency of left-hand ECWs can be lower than that of right-hand ECWs in some months in the spacecraft frame. The percentage of left-hand ECWs varies in a large range with respect to months; it is much low (26%) in a month, though it frequently exceeds 50% in other months. Characteristics of ECWs with concurrent polarizations are also researched. The present study should be of importance for a more complete picture of ECWs in the solar wind.

P wave analysis indices in young healthy men: data from the digital electrocardiographic study in Hellenic Air Force Servicemen (DEHAS).

Science.gov (United States)

Gialafos, Elias J; Dilaveris, Polychronis E; Synetos, Andreas G; Tsolakidis, George F; Papaioannou, Theodoros G; Andrikopoulos, George K; Richter, Dimitris J; Triposkiadis, Filippos; Gialafos, John E

2003-01-01

P wave analysis from the 12-lead ECG is a recent contribution of noninvasive electrocardiology. P wave analysis indices (maximum and minimum P wave duration, P wave dispersion [Pdis = Pmax-Pmin], adjusted P wave dispersion [APdis = Pdis/square root of measured leads], summated P wave duration [Psum], standard deviation of P wave duration [Psd], mean P wave duration [Pmean]) can predict atrial arrhythmias. However, the definitions of all these indices are based on few studies. The aim of this analysis was to define normal values of these indices and the examine possible associations between P wave indices and clinical variables. The study included 1,353 healthy men, 24 +/- 3 years of age, who answered a questionnaire and underwent a detailed physical examination and a digitized 12-lead surface ECG. All P wave indices were analyzed by two independent investigators. Mean values of the ECG indices were: Pmax: 96 +/- 11 ms, Pmin: 57 +/- 9 ms, Pdis: 38 +/- 10 ms, Psum: 924 +/- 96 ms, Psd: 12 +/- 3, APdis: 11 +/- 3 ms, and Pmean: 77 +/- 8 ms. Age was significantly related with Pmax (r = 0.277, P < 0.01), Pmin (r = 0.255, P < 0.001), Psum (r = 0.074, P < 0.01), and Pmean (r = 0.074, P < 0.01). All ECG indices were significantly associated with the R-R interval, and among each other. This study defined normal indices of wave duration and correlations among them. These markers may play an important predictive role in patients with atrial conduction abnormalities.

Direct measurement technique for shock wave velocity with irradiation drive

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Feng; Peng Xiaoshi; Liu Shenye; Jiang Xiaohua; Ding Yongkun

2011-01-01

According to the ionization mechanism of transparent material under super high pressure, the direct diagnosis method of shock wave has been analyzed. With the Drude free electron model, the reflectivity difference of shock wave front under different pressures was analyzed. The blank effect in the detector was studied, which is caused by the X-ray ionization of transparent material, after analyzing the reflectivity data in space-time scale. The experiment shows that the beginning point and duration of blank effect are consistent with the start point and duration of laser pulse, respectively. And the reflectivity of shock wave front is about 35% when the shock velocity is 32 km/s. The reason and solution for blank effect was presented. The formula to calculate the shock wave velocity in transparent material was also deduced and verified. (authors)

Identification of earthquakes that generate tsunamis in Java and Nusa Tenggara using rupture duration analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pribadi, S., E-mail: sugengpribadimsc@gmail.com [Tsunami Warning Information Division, Indonesian Meteorological Climatological and Geophysical Agency (BMKG), Jalan Angkasa I No. 2, Jakarta13920 and Graduate Student of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Earth Sciences and Technology, Bandung Institute of T (Indonesia); Puspito, N. T.; Yudistira, T.; Afnimar,; Ibrahim, G. [Global Geophysics Research Group, Faculty of Mining and Petroleum Engineering, Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), Jalan Ganesha 10, Bandung 40132 (Indonesia); Laksono, B. I. [Database Maintenance Division, Indonesian Meteorological Climatological and Geophysical Agency (BMKG), Jalan Angkasa I No.2, Jakarta 13920 (Indonesia); Adnan, Z. [Database Maintenance Division, Indonesian Meteorological Climatological and Geophysical Agency (BMKG), Jalan Angkasa I No. 2, Jakarta 13920 and Graduate Student of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Earth Sciences and Technology, Bandung Institute of Technol (Indonesia)

2014-09-25

Java and Nusa Tenggara are the tectonically active of Sunda arc. This study discuss the rupture duration as a manifestation of the power of earthquake-generated tsunami. We use the teleseismic (30° - 90°) body waves with high-frequency energy Seismometer is from IRIS network as amount 206 broadband units. We applied the Butterworth high bandpass (1 - 2 Hz) filtered. The arrival and travel times started from wave phase of P - PP which based on Jeffrey Bullens table with TauP program. The results are that the June 2, 1994 Banyuwangi and the July 17, 2006 Pangandaran earthquakes identified as tsunami earthquakes with long rupture duration (To > 100 second), medium magnitude (7.6 < Mw < 7.9) and located near the trench. The others are 4 tsunamigenic earthquakes and 3 inland earthquakes with short rupture duration start from To > 50 second which depend on its magnitude. Those events are located far from the trench.

Continuous daily hydrograph simulation using duration curves of a precipitation index

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Smakhtin, VY

2000-04-01

Full Text Available precipitation index reflects the current catchment wetness and is defined as a continuous function of precipitation, which accumulates on rainy days and exponentially decays during the periods of no rainfall. The process of rainfall-to-runoff conversion is based...

Eating disorder severity and functional impairment: moderating effects of illness duration in a clinical sample.

Science.gov (United States)

Davidsen, Annika Helgadóttir; Hoyt, William T; Poulsen, Stig; Waaddegaard, Mette; Lau, Marianne

2017-09-01

The aim was to examine duration of illness and body mass index as possible moderators of the relationship between eating disorder severity and functional impairment, as well as psychological distress as a possible mediator of this relationship. The study included 159 patients diagnosed with bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder or eating disorder not otherwise specified. Regression analysis was applied to assess the effect of the hypothesized moderators and mediators. Eating disorder severity was measured with the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire, functional impairment was measured with the Sheehan Disability Scale, and psychological distress was measured with the Symptom Check List-90-R. Duration of illness and body mass index were assessed clinically. Duration of illness significantly moderated the relationship between eating disorder severity and functional impairment; the relationship was strongest for patients with a shorter duration of illness. Psychological distress partly mediated the relationship between eating disorder severity and functional impairment. Duration of illness significantly moderated the relationship between psychological distress and functional impairment; the strongest relationship was seen for patients with a shorter duration of illness. Body mass index was not a significant moderator of the relationship between ED severity and functional impairment. Overall, this study established a link between ED severity, psychological distress and functional impairment indicating that both eating disorder severity and psychological distress are more strongly related to impaired role functioning for patients with more recent onset of an eating disorder. More research in the complex relationship between ED severity and functional impairment is needed.

Nonlinear Refractive Index Measurement in Semiconductor-Doped Glasses

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. t. Tavassoli

1997-04-01

self focusing or defocusing induced by pump beam. The curvature of diffracted wave is deduced from the measurement of the radii of circular fringes for different pump intensities and this leads to the evaluation of non-linear refractive index. It is shown that an accuracy of π/10  in measuring the phase of the diffracted spherical wave front, leads to an accuracy of 5% in measurement of nonlinear retractive index.  Bout techniques have been carried out using the second harmonic of a Nd,YAG laser with 8ns pulse duration, and the samples were Schotts OG550 filters of 1mm thickness. The exeperimental results of both techniques are in agreement with each other and with the results of the other reports.

Sleep Duration, Sleep Quality, Body Mass Index, and Waist Circumference among Young Adults from 24 Low- and Middle-Income and Two High-Income Countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Peltzer, Karl; Pengpid, Supa

2017-05-26

Obesity and its comorbidities have emerged as a leading public health concern. The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC) and sleep patterns, including duration and disturbances. A cross-sectional questionnaire survey and anthropometric measurements were conducted with undergraduate university students that were randomly recruited in 26 universities in 24 low- and middle-income and two high-income countries. The sample included 18,211 (42.1% male and 57.9% female, mean age 21.0 in male and 20.7 years in female students) undergraduate university students. The overall BMI was a mean of 22.5 kg/m² for men and 22.0 kg/m² for women, and the mean WC was 78.4 cm for men and 73.8 cm for women. More than 39% of the students reported short sleep duration (≤6 h/day) and over 30% reported moderate to extreme sleep problems. In a linear multivariable regression, adjusted for sociodemographic and lifestyle factors, short sleep duration was positively associated with BMI in both men and women, and was positively associated with WC among women but not among men. Sleep quality or problems among men were not associated with BMI, while among women mild sleep problems were inversely associated with BMI, and poor sleep quality or problems were positively associated with WC both among men and women. The study confirmed an association between short sleep duration and increased BMI and, among women, increased WC, and an association between poor sleep quality and increased WC but not BMI. Further, differences in the association between sleep characteristics and BMI and WC were found by region and country income.

Browse Title Index

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Items 201 - 250 of 661 ... Journal Home > Advanced Search > Browse Title Index. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads. .... A El-Mahdy, B Bolduc, J Upadhyay, R Shoukr, A Khoury. Vol 19, No 1 (2013), Factors affecting lower calyceal stone clearance after Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy, Abstract PDF.

Optical rogue waves generation in a nonlinear metamaterial

Science.gov (United States)

Onana Essama, Bedel Giscard; Atangana, Jacques; Biya-Motto, Frederick; Mokhtari, Bouchra; Cherkaoui Eddeqaqi, Noureddine; Kofane, Timoleon Crepin

2014-11-01

We investigate the behavior of electromagnetic wave which propagates in a metamaterial for negative index regime. The optical pulse propagation is described by the nonlinear Schrödinger equation with cubic-quintic nonlinearities, second- and third-order dispersion effects. The behavior obtained for negative index regime is compared to that observed for positive index regime. The characterization of electromagnetic wave uses some pulse parameters obtained analytically and called collective coordinates such as amplitude, temporal position, width, chirp, frequency shift and phase. Six frequency ranges have been pointed out where a numerical evolution of collective coordinates and their stability are studied under a typical example to verify our analysis. It appears that a robust soliton due to a perfect compensation process between second-order dispersion and cubic-nonlinearity is presented at each frequency range for both negative and positive index regimes. Thereafter, the stability of the soliton pulse and physical conditions leading to optical rogue waves generation are discussed at each frequency range for both regimes, when third-order dispersion and quintic-nonlinearity come into play. We have demonstrated that collective coordinates give much useful information on external and internal behavior of rogue events. Firstly, we determine at what distance begins the internal excitation leading to rogue waves. Secondly, what kind of internal modification and how it modifies the system in order to build-up rogue events. These results lead to a best comprehension of the mechanism of rogue waves generation. So, it clearly appears that the rogue wave behavior strongly depends on nonlinearity strength of distortion, frequency and regime considered.

Unusual plasticity and strength of metals at ultra-short load durations

Science.gov (United States)

Kanel, G. I.; Zaretsky, E. B.; Razorenov, S. V.; Ashitkov, S. I.; Fortov, V. E.

2017-08-01

This paper briefly reviews recent experimental results on the temperature-rate dependences of flow and fracture stresses in metals under high strain rate conditions for pulsed shock-wave loads with durations from tens of picoseconds up to microseconds. In the experiments, ultimate (‘ideal’) values of the shear and tensile strengths have been approached and anomalous growth of the yield stress with temperature at high strain rates has been confirmed for some metals. New evidence is obtained for the intense dislocation multiplication immediately originating in the elastic precursor of a compression shock wave. It is found that under these conditions inclusions and other strengthening factors may have a softening effect. Novel and unexpected features are observed in the evolution of elastoplastic compression shock waves.

Simulation and Optimization of Surface Acoustic Wave Devises

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dühring, Maria Bayard

2007-01-01

In this paper a method to model the interaction of the mechanical field from a surface acoustic wave and the optical field in the waveguides of a Mach-Zehnder interferometer is presented. The surface acoustic waves are generated by interdigital transducers using a plane strain model...... in effective refractive index introduced in the Mach-Zehnder interferometer arms by the stresses from the surface acoustic wave is calculated. It is shown that the effective refractive index of the fundamental optical mode increases at a surface acoustic wave crest and decreases at a trough. The height...... of a piezoelectric, inhomogeneous material and reflections from the boundaries are avoided by applying perfectly matched layers. The optical modes in the waveguides are modeled by the time-harmonic wave equation for the magnetic field. The two models are coupled using the stress-optical relation and the change...

Analysis of the high water wave volume for the Sava River near Zagreb

Science.gov (United States)

Trninic, Dusan

2010-05-01

The paper analyses volumes of the Sava River high water waves near Zagreb during the period: 1926-2008 (N = 83 years), which is needed for more efficient control of high and flood waters. The primary Sava flood control structures in the City of Zagreb are dikes built on both riverbanks, and the Odra Relief Canal with lateral spillway upstream from the City of Zagreb. Intensive morphological changes in the greater Sava area near Zagreb, and anthropological and climate variations and changes at the Sava catchment up to the Zagreb area require detailed analysis of the water wave characteristics. In one analysis, maximum annual volumes are calculated for high water waves with constant duration of: 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 and 60 days. Such calculations encompass total quantity of water (basic and surface runoff). The log Pearson III distribution is adapted for this series of maximum annual volumes. Based on the results obtained, the interrelations are established between the wave volume as function of duration and occurrence probability. In addition to the analysis of maximum volumes of constant duration, it is interesting to carry out the analyses of maximum volume in excess of the reference discharge since it is very important for the flood control. To determine the reference discharges, a discharge of specific duration is used from an average discharge duration curve. The adopted reference discharges have durations of 50, 40, 30, 20 and 10%. Like in the previous case, log Pearson III distribution is adapted to the maximum wave data series. For reference discharge Q = 604 m3/s (duration 10%), a linear trend is calculated of maximum annual volumes exceeding the reference discharge for the Sava near Zagreb during the analyzed period. The analysis results show a significant decrease trend. A similar analysis is carried out for the following three reference discharges: regular flood control measures at the Sava near Zagreb, which are proclaimed when the water level is 350 cm

Energy Transfer Using Gradient Index Metamaterial

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Boopalan Ganapathy

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The gradient refractive index structure in this paper is used to increase the quantum of energy transfer. This is done by improving the directive gain of the pyramidal horn antenna at a frequency of 10 GHz. A three-dimensional array of closed square rings is placed in front of the horn antenna aperture to form a gradient refractive index structure. This structure increases the directive gain by 1.6 dB as compared to that of the conventional horn antenna. The structure nearly doubles the wireless power transfer quantum between the transmitter and the receiver when placed at both ends. The increase in the directivity is achieved by converting the spherical wave emanating from the horn to a plane wave once it passes through the structure. This transformation is realized by the gradient refractive index structure being placed perpendicular to the direction of propagation. The gradient refractive index is constructed by changing the dimensions of a closed square ring placed in the unit cell of the array. The change in the refractive index gives rise to an improvement of the half power beam width and side lobe level compared to that of the normal horn. The design and simulation were done using CST Studio software.

Ultrahigh energy neutrino afterglows of nearby long duration gamma-ray bursts

Science.gov (United States)

Thomas, Jessymol K.; Moharana, Reetanjali; Razzaque, Soebur

2017-11-01

Detection of ultrahigh energy (UHE, ≳1 PeV ) neutrinos from astrophysical sources will be a major advancement in identifying and understanding the sources of UHE cosmic rays (CRs) in nature. Long duration gamma-ray burst (GRB) blast waves have been considered as potential acceleration sites of UHECRs. These CRs are expected to interact with GRB afterglow photons, which are synchrotron radiation from relativistic electrons coaccelerated with CRs in the blast wave, and naturally produce UHE neutrinos. Fluxes of these neutrinos are uncertain, however, and crucially depend on the observed afterglow modeling. We have selected a sample of 23 long duration GRBs within redshift 0.5 for which adequate electromagnetic afterglow data are available and which could produce high flux of UHE afterglow neutrinos, being nearby. We fit optical, x-ray, and γ -ray afterglow data with an adiabatic blast wave model in a constant density interstellar medium and in a wind environment where the density of the wind decreases as the inverse square of the radius from the center of the GRB. The blast wave model parameters extracted from these fits are then used for calculating UHECR acceleration and p γ interactions to produce UHE neutrino fluxes from these GRBs. We have also explored the detectability of these neutrinos by currently running and upcoming large area neutrino detectors, such as the Pierre Auger Observatory, IceCube Gen-2, and KM3NeT observatories. We find that our realistic flux models from nearby GRBs will be unconstrained in the foreseeable future.

Performing derivative and integral operations for optical waves with optical metamaterials

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dai, Cun-Li [College of Engineering, Nanjing Agriculture University, Nanjing Jiangsu, 210031 (China); College of Science, Nanjing Agriculture University, Nanjing Jiangsu, 210095 (China); Zhao, Zhi-Gang; Li, Xiao-Lin [College of Engineering, Nanjing Agriculture University, Nanjing Jiangsu, 210031 (China); Yang, Hong-Wei, E-mail: phd_hwyang@njau.edu.cn [College of Science, Nanjing Agriculture University, Nanjing Jiangsu, 210095 (China)

2016-12-01

The graded refractive index waveguides can perform Fourier transform for an optical wave. According to this characteristic, simpler optical metamaterials with three waveguides are theoretically proposed, in which all of the waveguides are materials with a positive refractive index. By selecting the appropriate refractive index and structure size, the theory and simulations demonstrated that these metamaterials can perform mathematical operations for the outline of incident optical waves, including the first-order derivative, second-order derivative and the integral. - Highlights: • The derivative and integral operations of optical waves are achieved with a simpler model. • Both negative and positive refractive index boast the same functions. • The mathematical operations can be implemented only by changing the refractive index of the intermediate material. • The results will greatly expand the possible applications, including photon computers, picture processing, video displays and data storage.

The Relationship of the Post-reflux Swallow-induced Peristaltic Wave Index and Esophageal Baseline Impedance with Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease Symptoms

Science.gov (United States)

Cho, Young Kyu; Lee, Joon Seong; Lee, Tae Hee; Hong, Su Jin; Park, Sang Joon; Jeon, Seong Ran; Kim, Hyun Gun; Kim, Jin-Oh

2017-01-01

Background/Aims The post-reflux swallow-induced peristaltic wave (PSPW) index and esophageal baseline impedance (BI) are novel impedance parameters used to evaluate esophageal chemical clearance and mucosal integrity. However, their relationship with reflux symptoms is not known. We aim to evaluate the correlations of PSPW index and esophageal BI with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) symptoms. Methods We performed a retrospective review of multichannel intraluminal impedance and pH (MII-pH) tracings in patients with suspected GERD. Reflux symptoms were also analyzed from checklists using ordinal scales. The PSPW index and esophageal BIs in 6 spots (z1–z6) were measured. Bivariate (Spearman) correlation was used to analyze the relationship between the PSPW index or esophageal BI, and the degree of GERD symptoms measured. Results The MII-pH records of 143 patients were analyzed. The PSPW index was significantly lower in patients who had heartburn and negatively correlated with the degree of heartburn (r = −0.186, P < 0.05). On the contrary, the PSPW index was not significantly correlated with the degree of dysphagia (r = −0.013, P = 0.874). Distal esophageal BI was not significantly correlated with heartburn, but negatively correlated with the degree of dysphagia (z3: r = −0.328, z4: r = −0.361, z5: r = −0.316, z6: r = −0.273; P < 0.05). Conclusions These findings suggest that delayed chemical clearance of the esophagus may induce heartburn, but that it is not related to dysphagia. However, a lack of esophageal mucosal integrity may be related to dysphagia. PMID:28044052

Freaque waves during Typhoon Krosa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

P. C. Liu

2009-07-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a subjective search for North Sea Draupner-like freaque waves from wave measurement data available in the northeastern coastal waters of Taiwan during Typhoon Krosa, October 2007. Not knowing what to expect, we found rather astonishingly that there were more Draupner-like freaque wave types during the build-up of the storm than we ever anticipated. As the conventional approach of defining freaque waves as H_max/H_s>2 is ineffective to discern all the conspicuous cases we found, we also tentatively proposed two new indices based on different empirical wave grouping approaches which hopefully can be used for further development of effective indexing toward identifying freaque waves objectively.

Estimating Source Duration for Moderate and Large Earthquakes in Taiwan

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Wen-Yen; Hwang, Ruey-Der; Ho, Chien-Yin; Lin, Tzu-Wei

2017-04-01

Estimating Source Duration for Moderate and Large Earthquakes in Taiwan Wen-Yen Chang1, Ruey-Der Hwang2, Chien-Yin Ho3 and Tzu-Wei Lin4 1 Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Studies, National Dong Hwa University, Hualien, Taiwan, ROC 2Department of Geology, Chinese Culture University, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC 3Department of Earth Sciences, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan, ROC 4Seismology Center, Central Weather Bureau, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC ABSTRACT To construct a relationship between seismic moment (M0) and source duration (t) was important for seismic hazard in Taiwan, where earthquakes were quite active. In this study, we used a proposed inversion process using teleseismic P-waves to derive the M0-t relationship in the Taiwan region for the first time. Fifteen earthquakes with MW 5.5-7.1 and focal depths of less than 40 km were adopted. The inversion process could simultaneously determine source duration, focal depth, and pseudo radiation patterns of direct P-wave and two depth phases, by which M0 and fault plane solutions were estimated. Results showed that the estimated t ranging from 2.7 to 24.9 sec varied with one-third power of M0. That is, M0 is proportional to t**3, and then the relationship between both of them was M0=0.76*10**23(t)**3 , where M0 in dyne-cm and t in second. The M0-t relationship derived from this study was very close to those determined from global moderate to large earthquakes. For further understanding the validity in the derived relationship, through the constructed relationship of M0-, we inferred the source duration of the 1999 Chi-Chi (Taiwan) earthquake with M0=2-5*10**27 dyne-cm (corresponding to Mw = 7.5-7.7) to be approximately 29-40 sec, in agreement with many previous studies for source duration (28-42 sec).

Observations of EMIC Waves in the Exterior Cusp Region and in the Nearby Magnetosheath

Science.gov (United States)

Grison, B.; Escoubet, C. P.; Santolik, O.; Lavraud, B.; Cornilleau-Wehrlin, N.

2014-12-01

In the early years (2000-2004) of the mission, Cluster crossed the most distant part of the polar cusps. On 05/01/2002, Cluster enters the distant cusp region on the duskside of the southern hemisphere (inbound). The spacecraft are successively crossing the magnetopause between 19:50 UT (SC4) and 20:15 UT (SC3). The interplanetary conditions during the crossing were stable with a dominant negative By. The magnetometer (FGM) data indicates that the entry into the cusp takes place in a region where the magnetic field lines in the magnetosheath are anti-parallel with the field lines in the magnetosphere. Despite this clear picture, the global encounter is rather complex: one can notice partial magnetopause crossings, magnetic null points, and intense monochromatic waves on both sides of the magnetopause.We investigate electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves observed in the cusp and in the nearby magnetosheath, just before the magnetopause crossing by the spacecraft. Left-handed monochromatic waves observed in the cusp display different duration and frequency (below and above the local proton gyrofrequency) on each spacecraft. Both the Poynting flux of these emissions and the simultaneously recorded ion flows propagate in the same direction - toward the Earth. The wavenumber are determined in two ways: considering the Doppler shift and from direct measurements of the refractive index. We analyze these wave parameters and the local plasma conditions to explain the wave generation process on each side of the magnetopause.

Atherogenic index of plasma as useful predictor of cardiovascular ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

as the duration of menopause increased. Conclusion: Menopause, no doubt alters lipid profile. A triglyceride based index (AIP) can significantly add value when assessing the risk of developing atherosclerosis in Nigeria. Key Words: Lipid profile, atherogenic index of plasma (AIP), postmenopausal women, dyslipidaemia, ...

Physics of negative refractive index materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ramakrishna, S Anantha

2005-01-01

In the past few years, new developments in structured electromagnetic materials have given rise to negative refractive index materials which have both negative dielectric permittivity and negative magnetic permeability in some frequency ranges. The idea of a negative refractive index opens up new conceptual frontiers in photonics. One much-debated example is the concept of a perfect lens that enables imaging with sub-wavelength image resolution. Here we review the fundamental concepts and ideas of negative refractive index materials. First we present the ideas of structured materials or meta-materials that enable the design of new materials with a negative dielectric permittivity, negative magnetic permeability and negative refractive index. We discuss how a variety of resonance phenomena can be utilized to obtain these materials in various frequency ranges over the electromagnetic spectrum. The choice of the wave-vector in negative refractive index materials and the issues of dispersion, causality and energy transport are analysed. Various issues of wave propagation including nonlinear effects and surface modes in negative refractive materials (NRMs) are discussed. In the latter part of the review, we discuss the concept of a perfect lens consisting of a slab of a NRM. This perfect lens can image the far-field radiative components as well as the near-field evanescent components, and is not subject to the traditional diffraction limit. Different aspects of this lens such as the surface modes acting as the mechanism for the imaging of the evanescent waves, the limitations imposed by dissipation and dispersion in the negative refractive media, the generalization of this lens to optically complementary media and the possibility of magnification of the near-field images are discussed. Recent experimental developments verifying these ideas are briefly covered

Climate Change Effects on Heat Waves and Future Heat Wave-Associated IHD Mortality in Germany

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stefan Zacharias

2014-12-01

Full Text Available The influence of future climate change on the occurrence of heat waves and its implications for heat wave-related mortality due to ischemic heart diseases (IHD in Germany is studied. Simulations of 19 regional climate models with a spatial resolution of 0.25° × 0.25° forced by the moderate climate change scenario A1B are analyzed. Three model time periods of 30 years are evaluated, representing present climate (1971–2000, near future climate (2021–2050, and remote future climate (2069–2098. Heat waves are defined as periods of at least three consecutive days with daily mean air temperature above the 97.5th percentile of the all-season temperature distribution. Based on the model simulations, future heat waves in Germany will be significantly more frequent, longer lasting and more intense. By the end of the 21st century, the number of heat waves will be tripled compared to present climate. Additionally, the average duration of heat waves will increase by 25%, accompanied by an increase of the average temperature during heat waves by about 1 K. Regional analyses show that stronger than average climate change effects are observed particularly in the southern regions of Germany. Furthermore, we investigated climate change impacts on IHD mortality in Germany applying temperature projections from 19 regional climate models to heat wave mortality relationships identified in a previous study. Future IHD excess deaths were calculated both in the absence and presence of some acclimatization (i.e., that people are able to physiologically acclimatize to enhanced temperature levels in the future time periods by 0% and 50%, respectively. In addition to changes in heat wave frequency, we incorporated also changes in heat wave intensity and duration into the future mortality evaluations. The results indicate that by the end of the 21st century the annual number of IHD excess deaths in Germany attributable to heat waves is expected to rise by factor 2

Search for transient gravitational waves in coincidence with short-duration radio transients during 2007-2013

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Abbott, B. P.; Abbott, R.; Abbott, T. D.; Abernathy, M. R.; Acernese, F.; Ackley, K.; Adams, C.; Phythian-Adams, A.T.; Addesso, P.; Adhikari, R. X.; Adya, V. B.; Affeldt, C.; Agathos, M.; Agatsuma, K.; Aggarwal, N.T.; Aguiar, O. D.; Aiello, L.; Ain, A.; Ajith, P.; Allen, B.; Allocca, A.; Altin, P. A.; Anderson, S. B.; Anderson, W. G.; Arai, K.; Araya, M. C.; Arceneaux, C. C.; Areeda, J. S.; Arnaud, N.; Arun, K. G.; Ascenzi, S.; Ashton, G.; Ast, M.; Aston, S. M.; Astone, P.; Aufmuth, P.; Aulbert, C.; Babak, S.; Bacon, P.; Bader, M. K. M.; Baker, P. T.; Baldaccini, F.; Ballardin, G.; Ballmer, S. W.; Barayoga, J. C.; Barclay, S. E.; Barish, B. C.; Barker, R.D.; Barone, F.; Barr, B.; Barsotti, L.; Barsuglia, M.; Barta, D.; Bartlett, J.; Bartos, I.; Bassiri, R.; Basti, A.; Batch, J. C.; Baune, C.; Bavigadda, V.; Bazzan, M.; Behnke, B.; Bejger, M.; Bell, A. S.; Bell, C. J.; Berger, B. K.; Bergman, J.; Bergmann, G.; Berry, C. P. L.; Bersanetti, D.; Bertolini, A.; Betzwieser, J.; Bhagwat, S.; Bhandare, R.; Bilenko, I. A.; Billingsley, G.; Birch, M.J.; Birney, R.; Biscans, S.; Bisht, A.; Bitossi, M.; Biwer, C.; Bizouard, M. A.; Blackburn, J. K.; Blair, C. D.; Blair, D. G.; Blair, R. M.; Bloemen, A.L.S.; Bock, O.; Bodiya, T. P.; Boer, M.; Bogaert, J.G.; Bogan, C.; Bohe, A.; Bojtos, P.; Bond, T.C; Bondu, F.; Bonnand, R.; Boom, B. A.; Bork, R.; Boschi, V.; Bose, S.; Bouffanais, Y.; Bozzi, A.; Bradaschia, C.; Brady, P. R.; Braginsky, V. B.; Branchesi, M.; Brau, J. E.; Briant, T.; Brillet, A.; Brinkmann, M.; Brisson, V.; Brockill, P.; Brooks, A. F.; Brown, A.D.; Brown, D.; Brown, N. M.; Buchanan, C. C.; Buikema, A.; Bulik, T.; Bulten, H. J.; Buonanno, A.; Buskulic, D.; Buy, C.; Byer, R. L.; Cadonati, L.; Cagnoli, G.; Cahillane, C.; Calderon Bustillo, J.; Callister, T. A.; Calloni, E.; Camp, J. B.; Cannon, K. C.; Cao, J.; Capano, C. D.; Capocasa, E.; Carbognani, F.; Caride, S.; Diaz, J. Casanueva; Casentini, C.; Caudill, S.; Cavaglia, M.; Cavalier, F.; Cavalieri, R.; Cella, G.; Cepeda, C. B.; Baiardi, L. Cerboni; Cerretani, G.; Cesarini, E.; Chakraborty, R.; Chalermsongsak, T.; Chamberlin, S. J.; Chan, M.; Chao, D. S.; Charlton, P.; Chassande-Mottin, E.; Chen, H. Y.; Chen, Y; Cheng, C.; Chincarini, A.; Chiummo, A.; Cho, H. S.; Cho, M.; Chow, J. H.; Christensen, N.; Chu, Qian; Chua, S. E.; Chung, E.S.; Ciani, G.; Clara, F.; Clark, J. A.; Cleva, F.; Coccia, E.; Cohadon, P. -F.; Colla, A.; Collette, C. G.; Cominsky, L.; Constancio, M., Jr.; Conte, A.; Conti, L.; Cook, D.; Corbitt, T. R.; Cornish, N.; Corsi, A.; Cortese, S.; Costa, A.C.; Coughlin, M. W.; Coughlin, S. B.; Coulon, J. -P.; Countryman, S. T.; Couvares, P.; Coward, D. M.; Cowart, M. J.; Coyne, D. C.; Coyne, R.; Craig, K.; Creighton, J. D. E.; Cripe, J.; Crowder, S. G.; Cumming, A.; Cunningham, A.L.; Cuoco, E.; Dal Canton, T.; Danilishin, S. L.; D'Antonio, S.; Danzmann, K.; Darman, N. S.; Dattilo, V.; Dave, I.; Daveloza, H. P.; Davier, M.; Davies, G. S.; Daw, E. J.; Day, R.; Debra, D.; Debreczeni, G.; Degallaix, J.; De laurentis, M.; Deleglise, S.; Del Pozzo, W.; Denker, T.; Dent, T.; Dergachev, V.A.; Rosa, R.; DeRosa, R. T.; DeSalvo, R.; Dhurandhar, S.; Diaz, M. C.; Di Fiore, L.; Giovanni, M.G.; Di Girolamo, T.; Di Lieto, A.; Di Pace, S.; Di Palma, I.; Di Virgilio, A.; Dojcinoski, G.; Dolique, V.; Donovan, F.; Dooley, K. L.; Doravari, S.; Douglas, R.; Downes, T. P.; Drago, M.; Drever, R. W. P.; Driggers, J. C.; Du, Z.; Ducrot, M.; Dwyer, S. E.; Edo, T. B.; Edwards, M. C.; Effler, A.; Eggenstein, H. -B.; Ehrens, P.; Eichholz, J.; Eikenberry, S. S.; Engels, W.; Essick, R. C.; Etzel, T.; Evans, T. M.; Evans, T. M.; Everett, R.; Factourovich, M.; Fafone, V.; Fair, H.; Fairhurst, S.; Fan, X.M.; Fang, Q.; Farinon, S.; Farr, B.; Farr, W. M.; Favata, M.; Fays, M.; Fehrmann, H.; Fejer, M. M.; Ferrante, I.; Ferreira, E. C.; Ferrini, F.; Fidecaro, F.; Fiori, I.; Fiorucci, D.; Fisher, R. P.; Flaminio, R.; Fletcher, M; Fournier, J. -D.; Frasca, S.; Frasconi, F.; Frei, Z.; Freise, A.; Frey, R.; Frey, V.; Fricke, T. T.; Fritschel, P.; Frolov, V. V.; Fulda, P.; Fyffe, M.; Gabbard, H. A. G.; Gair, J. R.; Gammaitoni, L.; Gaonkar, S. G.; Garufi, F.; Gaur, G.; Gehrels, N.; Gemme, G.; Genin, E.; Gennai, A.; George, J.; Gergely, L.; Germain, V.; Ghosh, Archisman; Ghosh, S.; Giaime, J. A.; Giardina, K. D.; Giazotto, A.; Gill, K.P.; Glaefke, A.; Goetz, E.; Goetz, R.; Gondan, L.; Gonzalez, Idelmis G.; Castro, J. M. Gonzalez; Gopakumar, A.; Gordon, N. A.; Gorodetsky, M. L.; Gossan, S. E.; Lee-Gosselin, M.; Gouaty, R.; Grado, A.; Graef, C.; Graff, P. B.; Granata, M.; Grant, A.; Gras, S.; Gray, C.M.; Greco, G.; Green, A. C.; Groot, P.; Grote, H.; Grunewald, S.; Guidi, G. M.; Guo, X.; Gupta, A.; Gupta, M. K.; Gushwa, K. E.; Gustafson, E. K.; Gustafson, R.; Hacker, J. J.; Buffoni-Hall, R.; Hall, E. D.; Hammond, G.L.; Haney, M.; Hanke, M. M.; Hanks, J.; Hanna, C.; Hannam, M. D.; Hanson, P.J.; Hardwick, T.; Harms, J.; Harry, G. M.; Harry, I. W.; Hart, M. J.; Hartman, M. T.; Haster, C. -J.; Haughian, K.; Heidmann, A.; Heintze, M. C.; Heitmann, H.; Hello, P.; Hemming, G.; Hendry, M.; Heng, I. S.; Hennig, J.; Heptonstall, A. W.; Heurs, M.; Hild, S.; Hoak, D.; Hodge, K. A.; Hofman, D.; Hollitt, S. E.; Holt, K.; Holz, D. E.; Hopkins, P.; Hosken, D. J.; Hough, J.; Houston, E. A.; Howell, E. J.; Hu, Y. M.; Huang, S.; Huerta, E. A.; Huet, D.; Hughey, B.; Husa, S.; Huttner, S. H.; Huynh-Dinh, T.; Idrisy, A.; Indik, N.; Ingram, D. R.; Inta, R.; Isa, H. N.; Isac, J. -M.; Isi, M.; Islas, G.; Isogai, T.; Iyer, B. R.; Izumi, K.; Jacqmin, T.; Jang, D.H.; Jani, K.; Jaranowski, P.; Jawahar, S.; Jimenez-Forteza, F.; Johnson, W.; Jones, I.D.; Jones, R.; Jonker, R. J. G.; Ju, L.; Haris, K.; Kalaghatgi, C. V.; Kalogera, V.; Kandhasamy, S.; Kang, G.H.; Kanner, J. B.; Karki, S.; Kasprzack, M.; Katsavounidis, E.; Katzman, W.; Kaufer, S.; Kaur, T.; Kawabe, K.; Kawazoe, F.; Kefelian, F.; Kehl, M. S.; Keitel, D.; Kelley, D. B.; Kells, W.; Kennedy, R.E.; Key, J. S.; Khalaidovski, A.; Khalili, F. Y.; Khan, I.; Khan., S.; Khan, Z.; Khazanov, E. A.; Kijbunchoo, N.; Kim, Chunglee; Kim, J.; Kim, K.; Kim, Nam-Gyu; Kim, Namjun; Kim, Y.M.; King, E. J.; King, P. J.; Kinzel, D. L.; Kissel, J. S.; Kleybolte, L.; Klimenko, S.; Koehlenbeck, S. M.; Kokeyama, K.; Koley, S.; Kondrashov, V.; Kontos, A.; Korobko, M.; Korth, W. Z.; Kowalska, I.; Kozak, D. B.; Kringel, V.; Krolak, A.; Krueger, C.; Kuehn, G.; Kumar, P.; Kuo, L.; Kutynia, A.; Lackey, B. D.; Landry, M.; Lange, J.; Lantz, B.; Lasky, P. D.; Lazzarini, A.; Lazzaro, C.; Leaci, P.; Leavey, S.; Lebigot, E. O.; Lee, C.H.; Lee, K.H.; Lee, M.H.; Lee, K.; Lenon, A.; Leonardi, M.; Leong, J. R.; Leroy, N.; Letendre, N.; Levin, Y.; Levine, B. M.; Li, T. G. F.; Libson, A.; Littenberg, T. B.; Lockerbie, N. A.; Logue, J.; Lombardi, A. L.; Lord, J. E.; Lorenzini, M.; Loriette, V.; Lormand, M.; Losurdo, G.; Lough, J. D.; Lueck, H.; Lundgren, A. P.; Luo, J.; Lynch, R.; Ma, Y.; MacDonald, T.T.; Machenschalk, B.; MacInnis, M.; Macleod, D. M.; Magana-Sandoval, F.; Magee, R. M.; Mageswaran, M.; Majorana, E.; Maksimovic, I.; Malvezzi, V.; Man, N.; Mandic, V.; Mangano, V.; Mansell, G. L.; Manske, M.; Mantovani, M.; Marchesoni, F.; Marion, F.; Marka, S.; Marka, Z.; Markosyan, A. S.; Maros, E.; Martelli, F.; Martellini, L.; Martin, I. W.; Martin, R.M.; Martynov, D. V.; Marx, J. N.; Mason, K.; Masserot, A.; Massinger, T. J.; Masso-Reid, M.; Mastrogiovanni, S.; Matichard, F.; Matone, L.; Mavalvala, N.; Mazumder, N.; Mazzolo, G.; McCarthy, R.; McClelland, D. E.; McCormick, S.; McGuire, S. C.; McIntyre, G.; McIver, J.; McManus, D. J.; McWilliams, S. T.; Meacher, D.; Meadors, G. D.; Meidam, J.; Melatos, A.; Mendell, G.; Mendoza-Gandara, D.; Mercer, R. A.; Merilh, E. L.; Merzougui, M.; Meshkov, S.; Messenger, C.; Messick, C.; Metzdorff, R.; Meyers, P. M.; Mezzani, F.; Miao, H.; Michel, C.; Middleton, H.; Mikhailov, E. E.; Milano, L.; Miller, A. L.; Miller, J.; Millhouse, M.; Minenkov, Y.; Ming, J.; Mirshekari, S.; Mishra, C.; Mitra, S.; Mitrofanov, V. P.; Mitselmakher, G.; Mittleman, R.; Moggi, A.; Mohan, M.; Mohapatra, S. R. P.; Montani, M.; Moore, B.C.; Moore, J.C.; Moraru, D.; Gutierrez Moreno, M.; Morriss, S. R.; Mossavi, K.; Mours, B.; Mow-Lowry, C. M.; Mueller, C. L.; Mueller, G.; Muir, A. W.; Mukherjee, Arunava; Mukherjee, S.D.; Mukherjee, S.; Mukund, K. N.; Mullavey, A.; Munch, J.; Murphy, D. J.; Murray, P.G.; Mytidis, A.; Nardecchia, I.; Naticchioni, L.; Nayak, R. K.; Necula, V.; Nedkova, K.; Nelemans, G.; Gutierrez-Neri, M.; Neunzert, A.; Newton-Howes, G.; Nguyen, T. T.; Nielsen, A. B.; Nissanke, S.; Nitz, A.; Nocera, F.; Nolting, D.; Normandin, M. E. N.; Nuttall, L. K.; Oberling, J.; Ochsner, E.; O'Dell, J.; Oelker, E.; Ogin, G. H.; Oh, J.; Oh, S. H.; Ohme, F.; Oliver, M. B.; Oppermann, P.; Oram, Richard J.; O'Reilly, B.; O'Shaughnessy, R.; Ott, C. D.; Ottaway, D. J.; Ottens, R. S.; Overmier, H.; Owen, B. J.; Pai, A.; Pai, S. A.; Palamos, J. R.; Palashov, O.; Palomba, C.; Pal-Singh, A.; Pan, H.; Pankow, C.; Pannarale, F.; Pant, B. C.; Paoletti, F.; Paoli, A.; Papa, M. A.; Paris, H. R.; Parker, W.S; Pascucci, D.; Pasqualetti, A.; Passaquieti, R.; Passuello, D.; Patricelli, B.; Patrick, Z.; Pearlstone, B. L.; Pedraza, M.; Pedurand, R.; Pekowsky, L.; Pele, A.; Penn, S.; Pereira, R.R.; Perreca, A.; Phelps, M.; Piccinni, O. J.; Pichot, M.; Piergiovanni, F.; Pierro, V.; Pillant, G.; Pinard, L.; Pinto, I. M.; Pitkin, M.; Pletsch, H. J.; Poggiani, R.; Popolizio, P.; Post, A.; Powell, J.; Prasad, J.; Predoi, V.; Premachandra, S. S.; Prestegard, T.; Price, L. R.; Prijatelj, M.; Principe, M.; Privitera, S.; Prodi, G. A.; Prokhorov, L. G.; Puncken, O.; Punturo, M.; Puppo, P.; Purrer, M.; Qi, H.; Qin, J.; Quetschke, V.; Quintero, E. A.; Quitzow-James, R.; Raab, F. J.; Rabeling, D. S.; Radkins, H.; Raffai, P.; Raja, S.; Rakhmanov, M.; Rapagnani, P.; Raymond, V.; Razzano, M.; Re, V.; Read, J.; Reed, C. M.; Regimbau, T.; Rei, L.; Reid, S.; Reitze, D. H.; Rew, H.; Ricci, F.; Riles, K.; Robertson, N. A.; Robie, R.; Robinet, F.; Rocchi, A.; Rolland, L.; Rollins, J. G.; Roma, V. J.; Romano, J. D.; Romano, R.; Romanov, G.; Romie, J. H.; Rosinska, D.; Rowan, S.; Ruediger, A.; Ruggi, P.; Ryan, K.A.; Sachdev, P.S.; Sadecki, T.; Sadeghian, L.; Salconi, L.; Saleem, M.; Salemi, F.; Samajdar, A.; Sammut, L.; Sanchez, E. J.; Sandberg, V.; Sandeen, B.; Sanders, J. R.; Sassolas, B.; Sathyaprakash, B. S.; Saulson, P. R.; Sauter, O. E. S.; Savage, R. L.; Sawadsky, A.; Schale, P.; Schilling, R.; Schmidt, J; Schmidt, P.; Schnabel, R.B.; Schofield, R. M. S.; Schoenbeck, A.; Schreiber, K.E.C.; Schuette, D.; Schutz, B. F.; Scott, J.; Scott, M.S.; Sellers, D.; Sentenac, D.; Sequino, V.; Sergeev, A.; Serna, G.; Setyawati, Y.; Sevigny, A.; Shaddock, D. A.; Shahriar, M. S.; Shaltev, M.; Shao, Z.M.; Shapiro, B.; Shawhan, P.; Sheperd, A.; Shoemaker, D. H.; Shoemaker, D. M.; Siellez, K.; Siemens, X.; Sieniawska, M.; Sigg, D.; Silva, António Dias da; Simakov, D.; Singer, A; Singer, L. P.; Singh, A.; Singh, R.; Singhal, A.; Sintes, A. M.; Slagmolen, B. J. J.; Smith, R. J. E.; Smith, N.D.; Smith, R. J. E.; Son, E. J.; Sorazu, B.; Sorrentino, F.; Souradeep, T.; Srivastava, A. K.; Staley, A.; Steinke, M.; Steinlechner, J.; Steinlechner, S.; Steinmeyer, D.; Stephens, B. C.; Stiles, C.D.; Stone, J.R.; Strain, K. A.; Straniero, N.; Stratta, G.; Strauss, N. A.; Strigin, S. E.; Sturani, R.; Stuver, A. L.; Summerscales, T. Z.; Sun, L.; Sutton, P. J.; Swinkels, B. L.; Szczepanczyk, M. J.; Tacca, M.D.; Talukder, D.; Tanner, D. B.; Tapai, M.; Tarabrin, S. P.; Taracchini, A.; Taylor, W.R.; Theeg, T.; Thirugnanasambandam, M. P.; Thomas, E. G.; Thomas, M.; Thomas, P.; Thorne, K. A.; Thrane, E.; Tiwari, S.; Tiwari, V.; Tokmakov, K. V.; Tomlinson, C.; Tonelli, M.; Torres, C. V.; Torrie, C. I.; Toyra, D.; Travasso, F.; Traylor, G.; Trifiro, D.; Tringali, M. C.; Trozzo, L.; Tse, M.; Turconi, M.; Tuyenbayev, D.; Ugolini, D.; Unnikrishnan, C. S.; Urban, A. L.; Usman, S. A.; Vahlbruch, H.; Vajente, G.; Valdes, G.; van Bakel, N.; Van Beuzekom, Martin; van den Brand, J. F. J.; Van Den Broeck, C.F.F.; Vander-Hyde, D. C.; van der Schaaf, L.; van Heijningen, J. V.; van Veggel, A. A.; Vardaro, M.; Vass, S.; Vasuth, M.; Vaulin, R.; Vecchio, A.; Vedovato, G.; Veitch, J.; Veitch, P.J.; Venkateswara, K.; Verkindt, D.; Vetrano, F.; Vicere, A.; Vinciguerra, S.; Vine, D. J.; Vinet, J. -Y.; Vitale, S.; Vo, T.; Vocca, H.; Vorvick, C.; Voss, D. V.; Vousden, W. D.; Vyatchanin, S. P.; Wade, A. R.; Wade, L. E.; Wade, MT; Walker, M.; Wallace, L.; Walsh, S.; Wang, G.; Wang, H.; Wang, M.; Wang, X.; Wang, Y.; Ward, R. L.; Warner, J.; Was, M.; Weaver, B.; Wei, L. -W.; Weinert, M.; Weinstein, A. J.; Weiss, R.; Welborn, T.; Wen, L.M.; Wessels, P.; Westphal, T.; Wette, K.; Whelan, J. T.; Whitcomb, S. E.; White, D. J.; Whiting, B. F.; Williams, D.R.; Williamson, A. R.; Willis, J. L.; Willke, B.; Wimmer, M. H.; Winkler, W.; Wipf, C. C.; Wittel, H.; Woan, G.; Worden, J.; Wright, J.L.; Wu, G.; Yablon, J.; Yam, W.; Yamamoto, H.; Yancey, C. C.; Yap, M. J.; Yu, H.; Yvert, M.; Zadrozny, A.; Zangrando, L.; Zanolin, M.; Zendri, J. -P.; Zevin, M.; Zhang, F.; Zhang, L.; Zhang, M.; Zhang, Y.; Zhao, C.; Zhou, M.; Zhou, Z.; Zhu, X. J.; Zucker, M. E.; Zuraw, S. E.; Zweizig, J.; Archibald, A. M.; Banaszak, S.; Berndsen, A.; Boyles, J.; Cardoso, R. F.; Chawla, P.; Cherry, A.; Dartez, L. P.; Day-Lewis, F.D.; Epstein, C. R.; Ford, A. J.; Flanigan, J.; Garcia, A.; Hessels, J. W. T.; Hinojosa, J; Jenet, F. A.; Karako-Argaman, C.; Kaspi, V. M.; Keane, E. F.; Kondratiev, V. I.; Kramer, M.; Leake, S.; Lorimer, D.; Lunsford, G.; Lynch, R. S.; Martinez, J. G.; Mata, A.; McLaughlin, M. A.; McPhee, C. A.; Penucci, T.; Ransom, S.; Roberts, M. S. E.; Rohr, M. D. W.; Stairs, I. H.; Stovall, K.; van Leeuwen, J.; Walker, A. N.; Wells, B. L.

2016-01-01

We present an archival search for transient gravitational-wave bursts in coincidence with 27 single-pulse triggers from Green Bank Telescope pulsar surveys, using the LIGO, Virgo, and GEO interferometer network. We also discuss a check for gravitational-wave signals in coincidence with Parkes fast

Creating Materials with Negative Refraction Index using Topology Optimization

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christiansen, Rasmus Ellebæk; Sigmund, Ole

is used for regularizationand a projection step applied to obtain clean 0/1 designs. A continuation scheme is used to avoidstagnation in the optimization. Metamaterials with negative refraction index designed using this method are presented. The angular dependence of the refraction index......We apply topology optimization along with full modeling of the electromagnetic (acoustic) field to create metamaterials with negative refraction index. We believe that our approach can be used in the design of metamaterials with specific effective permittivity and permeability e.g. by adapting....... The direction of propagation for the prescribed wave is chosen to match the angle of incidence of the incoming plane wave and its position isused to select the refraction index for the slab. We introducing a continuous design field and apply The Method of Moving Asymptotes to perform the optimization. A filter...

Diagnostic thresholds for quantitative REM sleep phasic burst duration, phasic and tonic muscle activity, and REM atonia index in REM sleep behavior disorder with and without comorbid obstructive sleep apnea.

Science.gov (United States)

McCarter, Stuart J; St Louis, Erik K; Duwell, Ethan J; Timm, Paul C; Sandness, David J; Boeve, Bradley F; Silber, Michael H

2014-10-01

We aimed to determine whether phasic burst duration and conventional REM sleep without atonia (RSWA) methods could accurately diagnose REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) patients with comorbid OSA. We visually analyzed RSWA phasic burst durations, phasic, "any," and tonic muscle activity by 3-s mini-epochs, phasic activity by 30-s (AASM rules) epochs, and conducted automated REM atonia index (RAI) analysis. Group RSWA metrics were analyzed and regression models fit, with receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves determining the best diagnostic cutoff thresholds for RBD. Both split-night and full-night polysomnographic studies were analyzed. N/A. Parkinson disease (PD)-RBD (n = 20) and matched controls with (n = 20) and without (n = 20) OSA. N/A. All mean RSWA phasic burst durations and muscle activities were higher in PD-RBD patients than controls (P sleep without atonia diagnostic thresholds applicable in Parkinson disease-REM sleep behavior disorder (PD-RBD) patient populations with comorbid OSA that may be useful toward distinguishing PD-RBD in typical outpatient populations. © 2014 Associated Professional Sleep Societies, LLC.

Grain-filling duration and grain yield relationships in wheat mutants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Larik, A.S.

1987-01-01

Nine stable mutants of bread wheat along with their mother cultivars were investigated for grain-filling characteristics in relation to grain yield. Significant differences among mutants for grain-filling duration and grain-filling index were observed. Inspite of the consistent differences in grain-filling duration there was no significant association between grain-filling duration and grain yield in C-591 and Nayab mutants. Failure to detect an yield advantage due to differences in grain-filling duration in these genotypes suggests that any advantage derived from alteration of grain-filling period may have been outweighed by the coincident changes in length of the vegetative period. Other factors such as synchrony of anthesis may have limited out ability to find an association between grainfilling duration and grain yield. On the contrary, significant association between grain-filling duration and grain yield displayed by indus-66 indus-66 mutants derived from gamma rays, shows the ability of gamma rays to induce functional alternations in the pattern of gene arrangements controlling these traits. Thus, the vaability observed in these physiological traits suggests that selection for these traits could be useful in improving grain yield. (author)

Gradient index metamaterials realized by drilling hole arrays

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mei Zhonglei; Cui Tiejun; Bai Jing

2010-01-01

Gradient index metamaterials have wide applications in the microwave and optical fields. Based on the quasi-static theory, such materials at the microwave band have been realized by drilling hole arrays on ordinary dielectric materials. As applications of the gradient index metamaterials, novel devices including a 45 0 dielectric wave-bending structure, a 16 0 wave-steering lens and a microwave focusing lens are designed and fabricated. Field mapping measurements validate the proposed gradient index metamaterials and the device designs. The method can be directly and easily extended to the design of cloaks, various lenses, beam shifters and beam-steering devices. It can also be applied in the optical band as long as quasi-static conditions are satisfied. The method and the devices may find applications in integrated circuit systems.

Wave propagation through a dielectric layer containing densely packed fibers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Siu-Chun

2011-01-01

This paper presents the theoretical formulation for the propagation of electromagnetic wave through a dielectric layer containing a random dense distribution of fibers. The diameter of the fibers is comparable to the inter-fiber spacing and wavelength of the incident radiation, but is much smaller than the thickness of the layer. Discontinuity of refractive index across the boundaries of the dielectric layer resulted in multiple internal reflection of both the primary source wave and the scattered waves. As a result the incident waves on the fibers consist of the multiply-reflected primary waves, scattered waves from other fibers, and scattered-reflected waves from the boundaries. The effective propagation constant of the dielectric fiber layer was developed by utilizing the Effective field-Quasicrystalline approximation. The influence of the refractive index of the dielectric medium on the radiative properties of a dense fiber layer was examined by means of numerical analyses.

Particle nature of light waves in dielectric media

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tan, C.Z.

2009-01-01

Wave-particle duality is a foundation for modern science. The speed of light waves in dielectric media is less than c. The corresponding particles thus have mass. Combining wave-particle duality with the theory of relativity, an exactly solvable problem was proposed, concerning the transition from photons in vacuum to particles in dielectric media. The rest mass, the momentum, and the total energy of material particles are shown to be the functions of the refractive index of the medium and the wavelength of the incident light. The proposed relationships were applied to study the wavelength-dependent index of refraction of dielectrics and the correlation of the refractive indices of anisotropic crystals, which were confirmed by the experimental results. Variation of the refractive index with wavelength is found to obey the proposed relation. The refractive indices of anisotropic crystals are shown to be the correlated quantities.

Identification of earthquakes that generate tsunamis in Java and Nusa Tenggara using rupture duration analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pribadi, S.; Puspito, N. T.; Yudistira, T.; Afnimar,; Ibrahim, G.; Laksono, B. I.; Adnan, Z.

2014-01-01

Java and Nusa Tenggara are the tectonically active of Sunda arc. This study discuss the rupture duration as a manifestation of the power of earthquake-generated tsunami. We use the teleseismic (30° - 90°) body waves with high-frequency energy Seismometer is from IRIS network as amount 206 broadband units. We applied the Butterworth high bandpass (1 - 2 Hz) filtered. The arrival and travel times started from wave phase of P - PP which based on Jeffrey Bullens table with TauP program. The results are that the June 2, 1994 Banyuwangi and the July 17, 2006 Pangandaran earthquakes identified as tsunami earthquakes with long rupture duration (To > 100 second), medium magnitude (7.6 50 second which depend on its magnitude. Those events are located far from the trench

Duration of Thyroid Dysfunction Correlates with All-Cause Mortality

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Laulund, Anne Sofie; Nybo, Mads; Brix, Thomas Heiberg

2014-01-01

INTRODUCTION AND AIM: The association between thyroid dysfunction and mortality is controversial. Moreover, the impact of duration of thyroid dysfunction is unclarified. Our aim was to investigate the correlation between biochemically assessed thyroid function as well as dysfunction duration...... and Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) was used as comorbidity score. RESULTS: Hazard ratios (HR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) for mortality with decreased (elevated (>4.0 mIU/L) levels of TSH were 2.22; 2.14-2.30; P..., gender, CCI and diagnostic setting attenuated the risk estimates (HR 1.23; 95% CI: 1.19-1.28; Pelevated values of TSH, respectively. Mortality risk increased by a factor 1...

Short-term statistics of waves measured off Ratnagiri, eastern Arabian Sea

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Amrutha, M.M.; SanilKumar, V.

coast of India have been analyzed to study the short-term statistics of waves covering full one year period. The study indicates that the values of the observed maximum wave height as a function of duration are not consistent with the theoretical...

A general theory of two-wave mixing in nonlinear media

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Chi, Mingjun; Huignard, Jean-Pierre; Petersen, Paul Michael

2009-01-01

A general theory of two-wave mixing in nonlinear media is presented. Assuming a gain (or absorption) grating and a refractive index grating are generated because of the nonlinear process in a nonlinear medium, the coupled-wave equations of two-wave mixing are derived based on the Maxwell’s wave e...

The reflection of an electromagnetic wave from the self-produced plasma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mirzaie, M.; Shokri, B.; Rukhadze, A. A.

2010-01-01

The dynamic behavior of a high power microwave beam propagating through a gaseous medium, which is ionized in the wave field is investigated. By solving the wave equation, the reflection index of the produced plasma is obtained. It is shown that the cut off condition is different from that of the steady state approximation. The reflection index is less than unity when the plasma density reaches the critical value estimated in the steady state approximation. So, the wave can still propagate through the plasma. By comparing the reflection indexes in the presence and absence of the time delay of the ionization process at different points of the medium, it is shown that it becomes unity much later in the first case. Therefore, the wave propagation takes much more time and consequently the medium is ionized much more.

Sleep quality, sleep duration and physical activity in obese adolescents: effects of exercise training.

Science.gov (United States)

Mendelson, M; Borowik, A; Michallet, A-S; Perrin, C; Monneret, D; Faure, P; Levy, P; Pépin, J-L; Wuyam, B; Flore, P

2016-02-01

Decreased sleep duration and altered sleep quality are risk factors for obesity in youth. Structured exercise training has been shown to increase sleep duration and improve sleep quality. This study aimed at evaluating the impact of exercise training for improving sleep duration, sleep quality and physical activity in obese adolescents (OB). Twenty OB (age: 14.5 ± 1.5 years; body mass index: 34.0 ± 4.7 kg m(-2) ) and 20 healthy-weight adolescents (HW) completed an overnight polysomnography and wore an accelerometer (SenseWear Bodymedia) for 7 days. OB participated in a 12-week supervised exercise-training programme consisting of 180 min of exercise weekly. Exercise training was a combination of aerobic exercise and resistance training. Sleep duration was greater in HW compared with OB (P < 0.05). OB presented higher apnoea-hypopnoea index than HW (P < 0.05). Physical activity (average daily metabolic equivalent of tasks [METs]) by accelerometer was lower in OB (P < 0.05). After exercise training, obese adolescents increased their sleep duration (+64.4 min; effect size: 0.88; P = 0.025) and sleep efficiency (+7.6%; effect size: 0.76; P = 0.028). Physical activity levels were increased in OB as evidenced by increased steps per day and average daily METs (P < 0.05). Improved sleep duration was associated with improved average daily METs (r = 0.48, P = 0.04). The present study confirms altered sleep duration and quality in OB. Exercise training improves sleep duration, sleep quality and physical activity. © 2015 World Obesity.

Properties of waves in an ion-beam plasma system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zank, G.P.; McKenzie, J.F.

1988-01-01

A multi-fluid approach is used to describe electrostatic interactions in an ion-beam plasma system. The structure of the wave equation governing the system exhibits the anisotropic and dispersive nature of the waves, whose properties are analysed in terms of the dispersion relation. The main purpose is to classify the different waves that can arise in an ion-beam plasma system in a systematic fashion. The classification is facilitated by introducing a three-parameter CMA diagram that illustrates the topological changes in not only the wavenumber, or refractive-index, surface but also the ray-velocity surface. Furthermore, an analytic expression governing wave amplification in an ion beam plasma is incorporated within the framework of a generalized CMA diagram. Such a description provides a simple interpretation for the onset of wave amplification in terms of a topological change in the refractive-index surface. It is hoped that by collating the wave properties in a unified form, many of the complicated wave features observed in an experiment may be interpreted more easily. (author)

Field of infrasound wave on the earth from blast wave, produced by supersonic flight of a rocket

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Drobzheva, Ya.V.; Krasnov, V.M.

2006-01-01

It was developed a physical model, which allowed calculating a field of infrasound wave on the earth from blast wave, produced by supersonic flight of a rocket. For space launching site Baikonur it is shown that the nearest horizontal distance from launching site of rocket up to which arrive infrasound waves, produced by supersonic flight of a rocket, is 56 km. Amplitude of acoustic impulse decreases in 5 times on distance of 600 km. Duration of acoustic impulse increases from 1.5 to 3 s on the same distance. Values of acoustic field parameters on the earth surface, practically, do not depend from season of launching of rocket. (author)

Improving the wave forecast in the Catalan Coast

Science.gov (United States)

Pallares, Elena; Sanchez-Arcilla, Agustin; Espino, Manuel

2014-05-01

This study has been motivated by the limited accuracy of wave models under short-duration, fetch-limited conditions. This applies particularly to the wave period, and can be illustrated by the case of semi-enclosed domains with highly variable wind patterns such as the Catalan coast in the Spanish Mediterranean. The wave model SWAN version 40.91A is used here in three nested grids covering all the North-western Mediterranean Sea with resolution from 9 to 1 km, forced with high resolution wind patterns from BSC (Barcelona Supercomputing Center) for two study periods, the winter 2010 and the spring 2011. The results are validated in eight locations with different types of instrumentation. In order to improve the results, a modification of the whitecapping well-known formulation of Hasselmann (1974) has been considered. The delta coefficient is increased to adapt the dissipation to the growth rates actually observed in the region. This correction introduces a dependence on the squared wave number, improving the prediction of the energy spectra at lower frequencies. However, one may note that an over-prediction will occur for waves with longer fetch and/or duration. The results obtained show a clear improvement of the mean and peak wave periods for the study area, decreasing considerably the negative bias observed previously, while almost no change is observed in wave height due to the proposed modifications. These results can be generalized to the Spanish Mediterranean coast and could be exported to similar environments, characterized by young/moderate sea wave conditions due to limited fetch and transient wind driving. References: - Hasselmann, K., 1974. On the spectral dissipation of ocean waves due to whitecapping. Boundary-layer Meteorology,6,107-127.

Sleep Duration and School Readiness of Chinese Preschool Children.

Science.gov (United States)

Tso, Winnie; Rao, Nirmala; Jiang, Fan; Li, Albert Martin; Lee, So-Lun; Ho, Frederick Ka-Wing; Li, Sophia Ling; Ip, Patrick

2016-02-01

To examine the average sleep duration in Chinese preschoolers and to investigate the association between sleep duration and school readiness. This is a cross-sectional study that included 553 Chinese children (mean age = 5.46 years) from 20 preschools in 2 districts of Hong Kong. Average daily sleep duration in the last week was reported by parents and school readiness as measured by the teacher-rated Chinese Early Development Instrument (CEDI). Most Chinese preschoolers had 9-10 hours of sleep per day. Only 11% of preschoolers had the recommended 11-12 hours of sleep per day. This group was associated with more "very ready" CEDI domains. Sleep deprivation (≤7 hours per day) was associated with a lower CEDI total score, lower scores in the emotional maturity and language/cognitive domain, and prosocial behaviors subdomain but a greater score in the hyperactivity/inattention subdomain. Children with a lower family socioeconomic index, lower maternal education level, infrequent parent-child interactions, and who used electronic devices for more than 3 hours per day had shortened sleep durations. Optimal sleep duration was associated with better school readiness in preschool children, whereas sleep deprivation was associated with lower school readiness, more hyperactivity and inattention, and less prosocial behavior. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Storm-wave trends in Mexican waters of the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

E. Ojeda

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Thirty-year time series of hindcast wave data were analysed for 10 coastal locations along the eastern Mexican coast to obtain information about storm events occurring in the region, with the goal of examining the possible presence of interannual trends in the number of storm-wave events and their main features (wave height, duration and energy content. The storms were defined according to their significant wave height and duration, and the events were classified as related to either tropical cyclones or Norte events. The occurrence and characteristics of both types of events were analysed independently. There is no statistically significant change in the number of storm-wave events related to Nortes or their characteristics during the study period. However, there is a subtle increase in the number of events related to tropical cyclones in the western Caribbean region and a more evident increase in wave height and energy content of these events.

Optical negative refraction by four-wave mixing in thin metallic nanostructures.

Science.gov (United States)

Palomba, Stefano; Zhang, Shuang; Park, Yongshik; Bartal, Guy; Yin, Xiaobo; Zhang, Xiang

2011-10-30

The law of refraction first derived by Snellius and later introduced as the Huygens-Fermat principle, states that the incidence and refracted angles of a light wave at the interface of two different materials are related to the ratio of the refractive indices in each medium. Whereas all natural materials have a positive refractive index and therefore exhibit refraction in the positive direction, artificially engineered negative index metamaterials have been shown capable of bending light waves negatively. Such a negative refractive index is the key to achieving a perfect lens that is capable of imaging well below the diffraction limit. However, negative index metamaterials are typically lossy, narrow band, and require complicated fabrication processes. Recently, an alternative approach to obtain negative refraction from a very thin nonlinear film has been proposed and experimentally demonstrated in the microwave region. However, such approaches use phase conjugation, which makes optical implementations difficult. Here, we report a simple but different scheme to demonstrate experimentally nonlinear negative refraction at optical frequencies using four-wave mixing in nanostructured metal films. The refractive index can be designed at will by simply tuning the wavelengths of the interacting waves, which could have potential impact on many important applications, such as superlens imaging.

CIMI simulations with newly developed multiparameter chorus and plasmaspheric hiss wave models

Science.gov (United States)

Aryan, Homayon; Sibeck, David G.; Kang, Suk-Bin; Balikhin, Michael A.; Fok, Mei-Ching; Agapitov, Oleksiy; Komar, Colin M.; Kanekal, Shrikanth G.; Nagai, Tsugunobu

2017-09-01

Numerical simulation studies of the Earth's radiation belts are important to understand the acceleration and loss of energetic electrons. The Comprehensive Inner Magnetosphere-Ionosphere (CIMI) model considers the effects of the ring current and plasmasphere on the radiation belts to obtain plausible results. The CIMI model incorporates pitch angle, energy, and cross diffusion of electrons, due to chorus and plasmaspheric hiss waves. These parameters are calculated using statistical wave distribution models of chorus and plasmaspheric hiss amplitudes. However, currently, these wave distribution models are based only on a single-parameter, geomagnetic index (AE) and could potentially underestimate the wave amplitudes. Here we incorporate recently developed multiparameter chorus and plasmaspheric hiss wave models based on geomagnetic index and solar wind parameters. We then perform CIMI simulations for two geomagnetic storms and compare the flux enhancement of MeV electrons with data from the Van Allen Probes and Akebono satellites. We show that the relativistic electron fluxes calculated with multiparameter wave models resemble the observations more accurately than the relativistic electron fluxes calculated with single-parameter wave models. This indicates that wave models based on a combination of geomagnetic index and solar wind parameters are more effective as inputs to radiation belt models.

Experiments on second-sound shock waves in superfluid helium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cummings, J.C.; Schmidt, D.W.; Wagner, W.J.

1978-01-01

The waveform and velocity of second-sound waves in superfluid helium have been studied experimentally using superconducting, thin-film probes. The second-sound waves were generated with electrical pulses through a resistive film. Variations in pulse power, pulse duration, and bath temperature were examined. As predicted theoretically, the formation of a shock was observed at the leading or trailing edge of the waves depending on bath temperature. Breakdown of the theoretical model was observed for large pulse powers. Accurate data for the acoustic second-sound speed were derived from the measurements of shock-wave velocities and are compared with previous results

Data quality studies of enhanced interferometric gravitational wave detectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McIver, Jessica

2012-01-01

Data quality assessment plays an essential role in the quest to detect gravitational wave signals in data from the LIGO and Virgo interferometric gravitational wave detectors. Interferometer data contain a high rate of noise transients from the environment, the detector hardware and the detector control systems. These transients severely limit the statistical significance of gravitational wave candidates of short duration and/or poorly modeled waveforms. This paper describes the data quality studies that have been performed in recent LIGO and Virgo observing runs to mitigate the impact of transient detector artifacts on the gravitational wave searches. (paper)

The Effect of Different Recovery Duration on Repeated Anaerobic Performance in Elite Cyclists

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Harbili Sultan

2015-12-01

Full Text Available This study investigated the effect of recovery duration on repeated anaerobic performance in elite cyclists. The study followed a cross-over design protocol. Twelve elite male cyclists were randomly assigned to three groups (with recovery duration of 1, 2 and 3 min, respectively. All the subjects performed 4 repeated Wingate tests (4 × 30 s WT at 48 h intervals for three different recovery periods. No significant interaction was observed between the effects of recovery duration and repetition (p>0.05, whereas there was a significant main effect of repetition on peak power, mean power, and a fatigue index (p0.05. In contrast, mean power decreased significantly in repeated WTs with 1, 2 and 3 min recovery duration (p0.05. In a 4 × 30 s WT, peak power decreased in cycles with 1 and 2 min recovery duration, but remained unchanged with 3 min recovery duration, whereas mean power decreased in all recovery duration procedures. The WT with 1 min recovery duration caused greater fatigue. Although recovery duration affected both peak power and mean power, the effect on peak power was greater.

Effects of SWS deprivation on subsequent EEG power density and spontaneous sleep duration

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dijk, Derk Jan; Beersma, Domien G.M.

In order to test predictions of the 2-process model of sleep regulation, the effects of slow wave sleep (SWS) deprivation by acoustic stimulation during the first part of the sleep period on EEG power density and sleep duration were investigated in 2 experiments. In the first experiment, 8 subjects

Nonlinear propagation of electromagnetic waves in negative-refraction-index composite materials.

Science.gov (United States)

Kourakis, I; Shukla, P K

2005-07-01

We investigate the nonlinear propagation of electromagnetic waves in left-handed materials. For this purpose, we consider a set of coupled nonlinear Schrödinger (CNLS) equations, which govern the dynamics of coupled electric and magnetic field envelopes. The CNLS equations are used to obtain a nonlinear dispersion, which depicts the modulational stability profile of the coupled plane-wave solutions in left-handed materials. An exact (in)stability criterion for modulational interactions is derived, and analytical expressions for the instability growth rate are obtained.

Optical wave microphone measurement during laser ablation of Si

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mitsugi, Fumiaki, E-mail: mitsugi@cs.kumamoto-u.ac.jp [Graduate School of Science and Technology, Kumamoto University, 2-39-1 Kurokami, Kumamoto, 860-8555 (Japan); Ide, Ryota; Ikegami, Tomoaki [Graduate School of Science and Technology, Kumamoto University, 2-39-1 Kurokami, Kumamoto, 860-8555 (Japan); Nakamiya, Toshiyuki; Sonoda, Yoshito [Graduate School of Industrial Engineering, Tokai University, 9-1-1 Toroku, Kumamoto, 862-8652 (Japan)

2012-10-30

Pulsed laser irradiation is used for surface treatment of a solid and ablation for particle formation in gas, liquid or supercritical phase media. When a pulsed laser is used to irradiate a solid, spatial refractive index variations (including photothermal expansion, shockwaves and particles) occur, which vary depending on the energy density of the pulsed laser. We focused on this phenomenon and applied an unique method for detection of refractive index variation using an optical wave microphone based on Fraunhofer diffraction. In this research, we analyzed the waveforms and frequencies of refractive index variations caused by pulsed laser irradiation of silicon in air and measured with an optical wave microphone.

Post-exercise effects on aortic wave reflection derived from wave separation analysis in young- to middle-aged pre-hypertensives and hypertensives.

Science.gov (United States)

Millen, Aletta M E; Woodiwiss, Angela J; Norton, Gavin R

2016-07-01

Decreases in brachial blood pressure (BP) may occur for several hours following a bout of exercise. Although aortic backward waves predict cardiovascular damage independent of brachial BP, whether decreases in aortic backward waves also occur post-exercise in young-to-middle-aged hypertensives, the extent to which these changes exceed brachial BP changes, and the best method of identifying these changes is uncertain. We examined aortic function at baseline and 15-min post-exercise in 20 pre-hypertensive or hypertensive men and women (age 45 ± 7 years). Central aortic pressure, forward (Pf) and backward (Pb) wave pressures, the reflection index (RI) and augmentation pressure (AP) and index (AIx) were determined using applanation tonometry, and SphygmoCor software. Decreases in central aortic (p exercise. In addition, decreases in post-exercise (baseline versus post-exercise) Pb (19 ± 4 vs 13 ± 3 mm Hg p aged pre-hypertensive and hypertensive individuals, aortic backward waves decrease post-exercise; this change is not reflected in brachial BP measurements and is poorly indexed by measures of pressure augmentation.

Plaque Index in Multi-Bracket Fixed Appliances

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rahim, Z.H.; Shaikh, S.; Razak, F.A.

2014-01-01

To compare the plaque index in patients receiving multi-bracket fixed orthodontic treatment for various factors like age, gender, socio-economic status, brushing practices, meal habits, types of brackets, types of ligations, use of mouthwash and duration of treatment. Study Design: Cross-sectional analytical study. Place and Duration of Study: Orthodontics Clinic, The Aga Khan University Hospital, from September to November 2011. Methodology: Socio-demographic and clinical modalities were defined and recorded for 131 patients having multi-bracket fixed appliances. The plaque index of subjects were recorded according to the Silness and Loe plaque index method. Independent sample t-test was used to see difference in plaque index in factors having two variables. One way ANOVA and Post-Hoc Tukey tests were used to see difference in plaque index in factors having three variables. Kappa statistics was used to assess inter examiner reliability. P-value 0.05 was taken to be significant. Results: The sample comprised of 37% males (n = 48) and 63% females (n = 83). The plaque index had statistically significant association with practice of brushing i.e., timing of brushing (p=0.001), method of brushing (p=0.08), type of ligatures (p=0.05) and frequency of visits (p=0.01). Conclusion: The plaque accumulation is significantly decreased in subjects who brush the teeth twice or more than twice a day and those who brush their teeth after breakfast. The use of interdental brush and stainless steel ligatures had significantly low plaque. Subjects presenting with more frequent appointments of short-period had significantly less plaque. (author)

The Limited Impact of Exposure Duration on Holistic Word Processing.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Changming; Abbasi, Najam Ul Hasan; Song, Shuang; Chen, Jie; Li, Hong

2016-01-01

The current study explored the impact of stimuli exposure duration on holistic word processing measured by the complete composite paradigm (CPc paradigm). The participants were asked to match the cued target parts of two characters which were presented for either a long (600 ms) or a short duration (170 ms). They were also tested by two popular versions of the CPc paradigm: the "early-fixed" task where the attention cue was visible from the beginning of each trial at a fixed position, and the "delayed-random" task where the cue showed up after the study character at random locations. The holistic word effect, as indexed by the alignment × congruency interaction, was identified in both tasks and was unaffected by the stimuli duration in both tasks. Meanwhile, the "delayed-random" task did not bring about larger holistic word effect than the "early-fixed" task. These results suggest the exposure duration (from around 150 to 600 ms) has a limited impact on the holistic word effect, and have methodological implications for experiment designs in this field.

Blast wave protection of aqueous foams

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Britan, Alexander; Ben-Dor, M. Liverts G. [Shock tube Laboratory of Protective Technologies R and D Center, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering Sciences, Ben Gurion University, Beer-Sheva (Israel)

2011-07-01

The primary intention of the present study is to present new contribution of shock tube tests to the problem of particle related stabilization and enhanced mitigation action of the wet particulate foams. The experiments reported were designed to examine (i) the reflection of a shock wave from an air/foam face, (ii) the transmission of the shock wave through the air/foam face and (iii) propagation and dispersion of the transmitted shock wave inside the foam column. Because wet aqueous foam of desired specification is difficult to reproduce, handle and quantitatively characterize the fact that experiments on all the above aspects were conducted in a single facility is a potentially important consideration. Moreover vertical position of shock tube simplified the issues since the gradient of the liquid fraction in draining foam coincides with the shock wave propagation. Under these, much simplified test conditions resulted flows could be treated as one-dimensional and the shock wave mitigation depends on three parameters: the intensity of the incident shock wave, s M , the duration of the foam decay, ∆t and on the particle concentration, n.

Mechanics, Waves and Thermodynamics

Science.gov (United States)

Ranjan Jain, Sudhir

2016-05-01

Figures; Preface; Acknowledgement; 1. Energy, mass, momentum; 2. Kinematics, Newton's laws of motion; 3. Circular motion; 4. The principle of least action; 5. Work and energy; 6. Mechanics of a system of particles; 7. Friction; 8. Impulse and collisions; 9. Central forces; 10. Dimensional analysis; 11. Oscillations; 12. Waves; 13. Sound of music; 14. Fluid mechanics; 15. Water waves; 16. The kinetic theory of gases; 17. Concepts and laws of thermodynamics; 18. Some applications of thermodynamics; 19. Basic ideas of statistical mechanics; Bibliography; Index.

A novel structural risk index for primary spontaneous pneumothorax: Ankara Numune Risk Index.

Science.gov (United States)

Akkas, Yucel; Peri, Neslihan Gulay; Kocer, Bulent; Kaplan, Tevfik; Alhan, Aslihan

2017-07-01

In this study, we aimed to reveal a novel risk index as a structural risk marker for primary spontanoeus pneumothorax using body mass index and chest height, structural risk factors for pneumothorax development. Records of 86 cases admitted between February 2014 and January 2015 with or without primary spontaneous pneumothorax were analysed retrospectively. The patients were allocated to two groups as Group I and Group II. The patients were evaluated with regard to age, gender, pneumothorax side, duration of hospital stay, treatment type, recurrence, chest height and transverse diameter on posteroanterior chest graphy and body mass index. Body mass index ratio per cm of chest height was calculated by dividing body mass index with chest height. We named this risk index ratio which is defined first as 'Ankara Numune Risk Index'. Diagnostic value of Ankara Numune Risk Index value for prediction of primary spontaneous pneumothorax development was analysed with Receiver Operating Characteristics curver. Of 86 patients, 69 (80.2%) were male and 17 (19.8%) were female. Each group was composed of 43 (50%) patients. When Receiver Operating Characteristics curve analysis was done for optimal limit value 0.74 of Ankara Numune Risk Index determined for prediction of pneumothorax development risk, area under the curve was 0.925 (95% Cl, 0.872-0.977, p pneumothorax development however it is insufficient for determining recurrence. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Taiwan.

Naturally occurring circadian rhythm and sleep duration are related to executive functions in early adulthood.

Science.gov (United States)

Kuula, Liisa; Pesonen, Anu-Katriina; Heinonen, Kati; Kajantie, Eero; Eriksson, Johan Gunnar; Andersson, Sture; Lano, Aulikki; Lahti, Jari; Wolke, Dieter; Räikkönen, Katri

2018-02-01

Experimental sleep deprivation studies suggest that insufficient sleep and circadian misalignment associates with poorer executive function. It is not known whether this association translates to naturally occurring sleep patterns. A total of 512 of full-term-born members of the Arvo Ylppö Longitudinal Study [mean age = 25.3, standard deviation (SD) = 0.65] (44.3% men) wore actigraphs to define sleep duration, its irregularity and circadian rhythm (sleep mid-point) during a 1-week period (mean 6.9 nights, SD = 1.7). Performance-based executive function was assessed with the Trail-Making Test, Conners' Continuous Performance Test and Stroop. The self-rated adult version of Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function was used to assess trait-like executive function. We found that performance-based and self-reported trait-like executive function correlated only modestly (all correlations ≤0.17). Shorter sleep duration associated with more commission errors. Later circadian rhythm associated with poorer trait-like executive function, as indicated by the Brief Metacognitive Index and the Behavior Regulation Index. Those belonging to the group with the most irregular sleep duration performed slower than others in the Trail-Making Test Part A. All associations were adjusted for sex, age, socioeconomic status and body mass index. In conclusion, naturally occurring insufficient sleep and later circadian rhythm showed modest associations with poorer executive function. Shorter habitual sleep duration was associated with lower scores of performance-based tests of executive function, and later circadian rhythm was associated mainly with poorer trait-like executive function characteristics. Our findings suggest additionally that sleep duration and circadian rhythm associate with different domains of executive function, and there are no additive effects between the two. © 2017 European Sleep Research Society.

Heat exposure and socio-economic vulnerability as synergistic factors in heat-wave-related mortality

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rey, Gregoire; Fouillet, Anne; Bessemoulin, Pierre; Frayssinet, Philippe; Dufour, Anne; Jougla, Eric; Hemon, Denis

2009-01-01

Heat waves may become a serious threat to the health and safety of people who currently live in temperate climates. It was therefore of interest to investigate whether more deprived populations are more vulnerable to heat waves. In order to address the question on a fine geographical scale, the spatial heterogeneity of the excess mortality in France associated with the European heat wave of August 2003 was analysed. A deprivation index and a heat exposure index were used jointly to describe the heterogeneity on the Canton scale (3,706 spatial units). During the heat wave period, the heat exposure index explained 68% of the extra-Poisson spatial variability of the heat wave mortality ratios. The heat exposure index was greater in the most urbanized areas. For the three upper quintiles of heat exposure in the densely populated Paris area, excess mortality rates were twofold higher in the most deprived Cantons (about 20 excess deaths/100,000 people/day) than in the least deprived Cantons (about 10 excess deaths/100,000 people/day). No such interaction was observed for the rest of France, which was less exposed to heat and less heterogeneous in terms of deprivation. Although a marked increase in mortality was associated with heat wave exposure for all degrees of deprivation, deprivation appears to be a vulnerability factor with respect to heat-wave-associated mortality.

A 'kilonova' associated with the short-duration γ-ray burst GRB 130603B

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tanvir, N. R.; Levan, A. J.; Fruchter, A. S.

2013-01-01

Short-duration γ-ray bursts are intense flashes of cosmic γ-rays, lasting less than about two seconds, whose origin is unclear. The favoured hypothesis is that they are produced by a relativistic jet created by the merger of two compact stellar objects (specifically two neutron stars or a neutron...... detection of gravitational waves....

The influence of ALN-Al gradient material gradient index on ballistic performance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Youcong; Liu Qiwen; Li Yao; Shen Qiang

2013-01-01

Ballistic performance of the gradient material is superior to laminated material, and gradient materials have different gradient types. Using ls-dyna to simulate the ballistic performance of ALN-AL gradient target plates which contain three gradient index (b = 1, b = 0.5, b = 2). Through Hopkinson bar numerical simulation to the target plate materials, we obtained the reflection stress wave and transmission stress wave state of gradient material to get the best gradient index. The internal stress state of gradient material is simulated by amplification processing of the target plate model. When the gradient index b is equal to 1, the gradient target plate is best of all.

Self-reflection of intense electromagnetic waves in plasmas

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tewari, D P; Kumar, A; Sharma, J K [Indian Inst. of Tech., New Delhi. Dept. of Physics

1977-10-01

A uniform electromagnetic wave of high power density, propagating in a collisional plasma gives rise to a modification in temperature-dependent collision frequency and in turn induces a gradient in the complex refractive index of the medium. A WKB solution of the problem predicts a backward propagating wave on account of the self-induced inhomogeneity. The amplitude of the backward (i.e. reflected) wave increases with increasing power density of the wave. This is a volume nonlinear effect and is appreciable for usually employed power densities.

Estimation of viscoelastic parameters in Prony series from shear wave propagation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jung, Jae-Wook; Hong, Jung-Wuk, E-mail: j.hong@kaist.ac.kr, E-mail: jwhong@alum.mit.edu [Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, KAIST, 291 Deahak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 305-701 (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Hyoung-Ki; Choi, Kiwan [Health and Medical Equipment, Samsung Electronics, 1003 Daechi-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul 135-280 (Korea, Republic of)

2016-06-21

When acquiring accurate ultrasonic images, we must precisely estimate the mechanical properties of the soft tissue. This study investigates and estimates the viscoelastic properties of the tissue by analyzing shear waves generated through an acoustic radiation force. The shear waves are sourced from a localized pushing force acting for a certain duration, and the generated waves travel horizontally. The wave velocities depend on the mechanical properties of the tissue such as the shear modulus and viscoelastic properties; therefore, we can inversely calculate the properties of the tissue through parametric studies.

Sleep duration and sleep quality are associated differently with alterations of glucose homeostasis.

Science.gov (United States)

Byberg, S; Hansen, A-L S; Christensen, D L; Vistisen, D; Aadahl, M; Linneberg, A; Witte, D R

2012-09-01

Studies suggest that inadequate sleep duration and poor sleep quality increase the risk of impaired glucose regulation and diabetes. However, associations with specific markers of glucose homeostasis are less well explained. The objective of this study was to explore possible associations of sleep duration and sleep quality with markers of glucose homeostasis and glucose tolerance status in a healthy population-based study sample. The study comprised 771 participants from the Danish, population-based cross-sectional 'Health2008' study. Sleep duration and sleep quality were measured by self-report. Markers of glucose homeostasis were derived from a 3-point oral glucose tolerance test and included fasting plasma glucose, 2-h plasma glucose, HbA(1c), two measures of insulin sensitivity (the insulin sensitivity index(0,120) and homeostasis model assessment of insulin sensitivity), the homeostasis model assessment of β-cell function and glucose tolerance status. Associations of sleep duration and sleep quality with markers of glucose homeostasis and tolerance were analysed by multiple linear and logistic regression. A 1-h increment in sleep duration was associated with a 0.3 mmol/mol (0.3%) decrement in HbA(1c) and a 25% reduction in the risk of having impaired glucose regulation. Further, a 1-point increment in sleep quality was associated with a 2% increase in both the insulin sensitivity index(0,120) and homeostasis model assessment of insulin sensitivity, as well as a 1% decrease in homeostasis model assessment of β-cell function. In the present study, shorter sleep duration was mainly associated with later alterations in glucose homeostasis, whereas poorer sleep quality was mainly associated with earlier alterations in glucose homeostasis. Thus, adopting healthy sleep habits may benefit glucose metabolism in healthy populations. © 2012 The Authors. Diabetic Medicine © 2012 Diabetes UK.

Dynamic ultraslow optical-matter wave analog of an event horizon.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, C J; Deng, L; Hagley, E W; Ge, Mo-Lin

2014-08-29

We investigate theoretically the effects of a dynamically increasing medium index on optical-wave propagation in a rubidium condensate. A long pulsed pump laser coupling a D2 line transition produces a rapidly growing internally generated field. This results in a significant optical self-focusing effect and creates a dynamically growing medium index anomaly that propagates ultraslowly with the internally generated field. When a fast probe pulse injected after a delay catches up with the dynamically increasing index anomaly, it is forced to slow down and is prohibited from crossing the anomaly, thereby realizing an ultraslow optical-matter wave analog of a dynamic white-hole event horizon.

Estimating Drilling Cost and Duration Using Copulas Dependencies Models

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Al Kindi

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Estimation of drilling budget and duration is a high-level challenge for oil and gas industry. This is due to the many uncertain activities in the drilling procedure such as material prices, overhead cost, inflation, oil prices, well type, and depth of drilling. Therefore, it is essential to consider all these uncertain variables and the nature of relationships between them. This eventually leads into the minimization of the level of uncertainty and yet makes a "good" estimation points for budget and duration given the well type. In this paper, the copula probability theory is used in order to model the dependencies between cost/duration and MRI (mechanical risk index. The MRI is a mathematical computation, which relates various drilling factors such as: water depth, measured depth, true vertical depth in addition to mud weight and horizontal displacement. In general, the value of MRI is utilized as an input for the drilling cost and duration estimations. Therefore, modeling the uncertain dependencies between MRI and both cost and duration using copulas is important. The cost and duration estimates for each well were extracted from the copula dependency model where research study simulate over 10,000 scenarios. These new estimates were later compared to the actual data in order to validate the performance of the procedure. Most of the wells show moderate - weak relationship of MRI dependence, which means that the variation in these wells can be related to MRI but to the extent that it is not the primary source.

Gingival enlargement in orthodontic patients: Effect of treatment duration.

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Pinto, Alice Souza; Alves, Luana Severo; Zenkner, Júlio Eduardo do Amaral; Zanatta, Fabrício Batistin; Maltz, Marisa

2017-10-01

In this study, we aimed to assess the effect of the duration of fixed orthodontic treatment on gingival enlargement (GE) in adolescents and young adults. The sample consisted of 260 subjects (ages, 10-30 years) divided into 4 groups: patients with no fixed orthodontic appliances (G0) and patients undergoing orthodontic treatment for 1 year (G1), 2 years (G2), or 3 years (G3). Participants completed a structured questionnaire on sociodemographic characteristics and oral hygiene habits. Clinical examinations were conducted by a calibrated examiner and included the plaque index, the gingival index, and the Seymour index. Poisson regression models were used to assess the association between group and GE. We observed increasing means of plaque, gingivitis, and GE in G0, G1, and G2. No significant differences were observed between G2 and G3. Adjusted Poisson regression analysis showed that patients undergoing orthodontic treatment had a 20 to 28-fold increased risk for GE than did those without orthodontic appliances (G1, rate ratio [RR] = 20.2, 95% CI = 9.0-45.3; G2, RR = 27.0, 95% CI = 12.1-60.3; G3 = 28.1; 95% CI = 12.6-62.5). The duration of orthodontic treatment significantly influenced the occurrence of GE. Oral hygiene instructions and motivational activities should target adolescents and young adults undergoing orthodontic treatment. Copyright © 2017 American Association of Orthodontists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Rogue wave train generation in a metamaterial induced by cubic-quintic nonlinearities and second-order dispersion

Science.gov (United States)

Essama, Bedel Giscard Onana; Atangana, Jacques; Frederick, Biya Motto; Mokhtari, Bouchra; Eddeqaqi, Noureddine Cherkaoui; Kofane, Timoleon Crepin

2014-09-01

We investigate the behavior of the electromagnetic wave that propagates in a metamaterial for negative index regime. Second-order dispersion and cubic-quintic nonlinearities are taken into account. The behavior obtained for negative index regime is compared to that observed for absorption regime. The collective coordinates technique is used to characterize the light pulse intensity profile at some frequency ranges. Five frequency ranges have been pointed out. The perfect combination of second-order dispersion and cubic nonlinearity leads to a robust soliton at each frequency range for negative index regime. The soliton peak power progressively decreases for absorption regime. Further, this peak power also decreases with frequency. We show that absorption regime can induce rogue wave trains generation at a specific frequency range. However, this rogue wave trains generation is maintained when the quintic nonlinearity comes into play for negative index regime and amplified for absorption regime at a specific frequency range. It clearly appears that rogue wave behavior strongly depends on the frequency and the regime considered. Furthermore, the stability conditions of the electromagnetic wave have also been discussed at frequency ranges considered for both negative index and absorption regimes.

The impact of heat waves on mortality in 9 European cities: results from the EuroHEAT project.

Science.gov (United States)

D'Ippoliti, Daniela; Michelozzi, Paola; Marino, Claudia; de'Donato, Francesca; Menne, Bettina; Katsouyanni, Klea; Kirchmayer, Ursula; Analitis, Antonis; Medina-Ramón, Mercedes; Paldy, Anna; Atkinson, Richard; Kovats, Sari; Bisanti, Luigi; Schneider, Alexandra; Lefranc, Agnès; Iñiguez, Carmen; Perucci, Carlo A

2010-07-16

The present study aimed at developing a standardized heat wave definition to estimate and compare the impact on mortality by gender, age and death causes in Europe during summers 1990-2004 and 2003, separately, accounting for heat wave duration and intensity. Heat waves were defined considering both maximum apparent temperature and minimum temperature and classified by intensity, duration and timing during summer. The effect was estimated as percent increase in daily mortality during heat wave days compared to non heat wave days in people over 65 years. City specific and pooled estimates by gender, age and cause of death were calculated. The effect of heat waves showed great geographical heterogeneity among cities. Considering all years, except 2003, the increase in mortality during heat wave days ranged from + 7.6% in Munich to + 33.6% in Milan. The increase was up to 3-times greater during episodes of long duration and high intensity. Pooled results showed a greater impact in Mediterranean (+ 21.8% for total mortality) than in North Continental (+ 12.4%) cities. The highest effect was observed for respiratory diseases and among women aged 75-84 years. In 2003 the highest impact was observed in cities where heat wave episode was characterized by unusual meteorological conditions. Climate change scenarios indicate that extreme events are expected to increase in the future even in regions where heat waves are not frequent. Considering our results prevention programs should specifically target the elderly, women and those suffering from chronic respiratory disorders, thus reducing the impact on mortality.

The impact of heat waves on mortality in 9 European cities: results from the EuroHEAT project

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bisanti Luigi

2010-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The present study aimed at developing a standardized heat wave definition to estimate and compare the impact on mortality by gender, age and death causes in Europe during summers 1990-2004 and 2003, separately, accounting for heat wave duration and intensity. Methods Heat waves were defined considering both maximum apparent temperature and minimum temperature and classified by intensity, duration and timing during summer. The effect was estimated as percent increase in daily mortality during heat wave days compared to non heat wave days in people over 65 years. City specific and pooled estimates by gender, age and cause of death were calculated. Results The effect of heat waves showed great geographical heterogeneity among cities. Considering all years, except 2003, the increase in mortality during heat wave days ranged from + 7.6% in Munich to + 33.6% in Milan. The increase was up to 3-times greater during episodes of long duration and high intensity. Pooled results showed a greater impact in Mediterranean (+ 21.8% for total mortality than in North Continental (+ 12.4% cities. The highest effect was observed for respiratory diseases and among women aged 75-84 years. In 2003 the highest impact was observed in cities where heat wave episode was characterized by unusual meteorological conditions. Conclusions Climate change scenarios indicate that extreme events are expected to increase in the future even in regions where heat waves are not frequent. Considering our results prevention programs should specifically target the elderly, women and those suffering from chronic respiratory disorders, thus reducing the impact on mortality.

Military jet pilots have higher p-wave dispersions compared to the transport aircraft aircrew

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mustafa Çakar

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Objectives: For the purpose of flight safety military aircrew must be healthy. P-wave dispersion (PWD is the p-wave length difference in an electrocardiographic (ECG examination and represents the risk of developing atrial fibrillation. In the study we aimed at investigating PWD in healthy military aircrew who reported for periodical examinations. Material and Methods: Seventy-five asymptomatic military aircrew were enrolled in the study. All the subjects underwent physical, radiologic and biochemical examinations, and a 12-lead electrocardiography. P-wave dispersions were calculated. Results: The mean age of the study participants was 36.15±8.97 years and the mean p-wave duration was 100.8±12 ms in the whole group. Forty-seven subjects were non-pilot aircrew, and 28 were pilots. Thirteen study subjects were serving in jets, 49 in helicopters, and 13 were transport aircraft pilots. Thirty-six of the helicopter and 11 of the transport aircraft aircrew were non-pilot aircrew. P-wave dispersion was the lowest in the transport aircraft aircrew, and the highest in jet pilots. P-wave dispersions were similar in the pilots and non-pilot aircrew. Twenty-three study subjects were overweight, 19 had thyroiditis, 26 had hepatosteatosis, 4 had hyperbilirubinemia, 2 had hypertension, and 5 had hyperlipidemia. The PWD was significantly associated with thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH levels. Serum uric acid levels were associated with p-wave durations. Serum TSH levels were the most important predictor of PWD. Conclusions: When TSH levels were associated with PWD, uric acid levels were associated with p-wave duration in the military aircrew. The jet pilots had higher PWDs. These findings reveal that military jet pilots may have a higher risk of developing atrial fibrillation, and PWD should be recorded during periodical examinations.

Identification of long-duration noise transients in LIGO and Virgo

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Coughlin, Michael W

2011-01-01

The LIGO and Virgo detectors are sensitive to a variety of noise sources, such as instrumental artifacts and environmental disturbances. The Stochastic Transient Analysis Multi-detector Pipeline has been developed to search for long-duration (t ≥ 1 s) gravitational-wave (GW) signals. This pipeline can also be used to identify environmental noise transients. Here, we present an algorithm to determine when long-duration noise sources couple into the interferometers, as well as identify what these noise sources are. We analyze the cross-power between a GW strain channel and an environmental sensor, using pattern recognition tools to identify statistically significant structure in cross-power time-frequency maps. We identify interferometer noise from airplanes, helicopters, thunderstorms and other sources. Examples from LIGO's sixth science run, S6, and Virgo's third scientific run, VSR3, are presented. (paper)

Diagnosis of Fibrosis and Activity by a Combined Use of Strain and Shear Wave Imaging in Patients with Liver Disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Yada, Norihisa; Tamaki, Nobuhura; Koizumi, Yohei; Hirooka, Masashi; Nakashima, Osamu; Hiasa, Yoichi; Izumi, Namiki; Kudo, Masatoshi

2017-01-01

Performing shear wave imaging is simple, but can be difficult when inflammation, jaundice, and congestion are present. Therefore, the correct diagnosis of liver fibrosis using shear wave imaging alone might be difficult in mild-to-moderate fibrosis cases. Strain imaging can diagnose liver fibrosis without the influence of inflammation. Therefore, the combined use of strain and shear wave imaging (combinational elastography) for cases without jaundice and congestion might be useful for evaluating fibrosis and inflammation. We enrolled consecutive patients with liver disease, without jaundice or liver congestion. Strain and shear wave imaging, blood tests, and liver biopsy were performed on the same day. The liver fibrosis index (LF index) was calculated by strain imaging; real-time tissue elastography, and the shear wave velocity (Vs) was calculated by shear wave imaging. Fibrosis index (F index) and activity index (A index) were calculated as a multiple regression equation for determining hepatic fibrosis and inflammation using histopathological diagnosis as the gold standard. The diagnostic ability of F index for fibrosis and A index for inflammation were compared using LF index and Vs. The total number of enrolled cases was 388. The area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) was 0.87, 0.80, 0.83, and 0.80, at diagnosis of fibrosis stage with an F index of F1 or higher, F2 or higher, F3 or higher, and F4, respectively. The AUROC was 0.94, 0.74, and 0.76 at diagnosis of activity grade with an A index of A1 or higher, A2 or higher, and A3, respectively. The diagnostic ability of F index for liver fibrosis and A index for inflammation was higher than for other conventional diagnostic values. The combined use of strain and shear wave imaging (combinational elastography) might increase the positive diagnosis of liver fibrosis and inflammation. © 2017 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Manipulating Electromagnetic Waves in Magnetized Plasmas: Compression, Frequency Shifting, and Release

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Avitzour, Yoav; Shvets, Gennady

2008-01-01

A new approach to manipulating the duration and frequency of microwave pulses using magnetized plasmas is demonstrated. The plasma accomplishes two functions: (i) slowing down and spatially compressing the incident wave, and (ii) modifying the propagation properties (group velocity and frequency) of the wave in the plasma during a uniform in space adiabatic in time variation of the magnitude and/or direction of the magnetic field. The increase in the group velocity results in the shortening of the temporal pulse duration. Depending on the plasma parameters, the frequency of the outgoing compressed pulse can either change or remain unchanged. Such dynamic manipulation of radiation in plasma opens new avenues for manipulating high power microwave pulses

Observation of gravity waves during the extreme tornado outbreak of 3 April 1974

Science.gov (United States)

Hung, R. J.; Phan, T.; Smith, R. E.

1978-01-01

A continuous wave-spectrum high-frequency radiowave Doppler sounder array was used to observe upper-atmospheric disturbances during an extreme tornado outbreak. The observations indicated that gravity waves with two harmonic wave periods were detected at the F-region ionospheric height. Using a group ray path computational technique, the observed gravity waves were traced in order to locate potential sources. The signals were apparently excited 1-3 hours before tornado touchdown. Reverse ray tracing indicated that the wave source was located at the aurora zone with a Kp index of 6 at the time of wave excitation. The summation of the 24-hour Kp index for the day was 36. The results agree with existing theories (Testud, 1970; Titheridge, 1971; Kato, 1976) for the excitation of large-scale traveling ionospheric disturbances associated with geomagnetic activity in the aurora zone.

Spectrum of harmonic emission by inhomogeneous plasma in intense electromagnetic wave

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kovalev, V.F.; Pustovalov, V.V.

1989-01-01

The spectrum and angular distribution of the harmonics of arbitrary index emitted by a cold, inhomogeneous electron plasma subjected to a p-polarized electromagnetic wave have been studied analytically. The results are shown in graphical form. The intensity of the wave was varied over a wide range. At energy flux densities of the electromagnetic wave at which the inverse effect of the higher harmonics on the lower harmonics becomes appreciable, it becomes possible to observe a decay of the absolute value of the complex amplitude of a harmonic with increasing harmonic index in vacuum which is substantially slower than that predicted by the theory for a weak nonlinearity

Gravitational waves from inflation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guzzetti, M.C.; Bartolo, N.; Liguori, M.; Matarrese, S.

2016-01-01

The production of a stochastic background of gravitational waves is a fundamental prediction of any cosmological inflationary model. The features of such a signal encode unique information about the physics of the Early Universe and beyond, thus representing an exciting, powerful window on the origin and evolution of the Universe. We review the main mechanisms of gravitational-wave production, ranging from quantum fluctuations of the gravitational field to other mechanisms that can take place during or after inflation. These include e.g. gravitational waves generated as a consequence of extra particle production during inflation, or during the (p)reheating phase. Gravitational waves produced in inflation scenarios based on modified gravity theories and second-order gravitational waves are also considered. For each analyzed case, the expected power spectrum is given. We discuss the discriminating power among different models, associated with the validity/violation of the standard consistency relation between tensor-to-scalar ratio r and tensor spectral index ηT. In light of the prospects for (directly/indirectly) detecting primordial gravitational waves, we give the expected present-day gravitational radiation spectral energy-density, highlighting the main characteristics imprinted by the cosmic thermal history, and we outline the signatures left by gravitational waves on the Cosmic Microwave Background and some imprints in the Large-Scale Structure of the Universe. Finally, current bounds and prospects of detection for inflationary gravitational waves are summarized.

The impact of heat waves on mortality in seven major cities in Korea.

Science.gov (United States)

Son, Ji-Young; Lee, Jong-Tae; Anderson, G Brooke; Bell, Michelle L

2012-04-01

Understanding the health impacts of heat waves is important, especially given anticipated increases in the frequency, duration, and intensity of heat waves due to climate change. We examined mortality from heat waves in seven major Korean cities for 2000 through 2007 and investigated effect modification by individual characteristics and heat wave characteristics (intensity, duration, and timing in season). Heat waves were defined as ≥ 2 consecutive days with daily mean temperature at or above the 98th percentile for the warm season in each city. We compared mortality during heat-wave days and non-heat-wave days using city-specific generalized linear models. We used Bayesian hierarchical models to estimate overall effects within and across all cities. In addition, we estimated effects of heat wave characteristics and effects according to cause of death and examined effect modification by individual characteristics for Seoul. Overall, total mortality increased 4.1% [95% confidence interval (CI): -6.1%, 15.4%] during heat waves compared with non-heat-wave days, with an 8.4% increase (95% CI: 0.1%, 17.3%) estimated for Seoul. Estimated mortality was higher for heat waves that were more intense, longer, or earlier in summer, although effects were not statistically significant. Estimated risks were higher for women versus men, older versus younger residents, those with no education versus some education, and deaths that occurred out of hospitals in Seoul, although differences among strata of individual characteristics were not statistically significant. Our findings support evidence of mortality impacts from heat waves and have implications for efforts to reduce the public health burden of heat waves.

Relationships of Sleep Duration With Weight-Related Behaviors of U.S. College Students.

Science.gov (United States)

Quick, Virginia; Byrd-Bredbenner, Carol; Shoff, Suzanne; White, Adrienne A; Lohse, Barbara; Horacek, Tanya; Colby, Sarah; Brown, Onikia; Kidd, Tandalayo; Greene, Geoffrey

2016-01-01

This study describes sleep behaviors of U.S. college students (N = 1,252; 18-24 years old; 59% female) and examines associations of sleep duration with weight-related behaviors. More than one quarter of participants slept Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) scores indicating poor sleep quality. There were significant differences for all PSQI scales among sleep duration categories, sleep/night. Compared to those who slept ≥ 8 hr, those who slept health care professionals to evaluate sleep behaviors of college students during office visits and promote good sleep behaviors.

Classification of Nortes in the Gulf of Mexico derived from wave energy maps

Science.gov (United States)

Appendini, C. M.; Hernández-Lasheras, J.

2016-02-01

Extreme wave climate in the Gulf of Mexico is determined by tropical cyclones and winds from the Central American Cold Surges, locally referred to as Nortes. While hurricanes can have catastrophic effects, extreme waves and storm surge from Nortes occur several times a year, and thus have greater impacts on human activities along the Mexican coast of the Gulf of Mexico. Despite the constant impacts from Nortes, there is no available classification that relates their characteristics (e.g. pressure gradients, wind speed), to the associated coastal impacts. This work presents a first approximation to characterize and classify Nortes, which is based on the assumption that the derived wave energy synthetizes information (i.e. wind intensity, direction and duration) of individual Norte events as they pass through the Gulf of Mexico. First, we developed an index to identify Nortes based on surface pressure differences of two locations. To validate the methodology we compared the events identified with other studies and available Nortes logs. Afterwards, we detected Nortes from the 1986/1987, 2008/2009 and 2009/2010 seasons and used their corresponding wind fields to derive the wave energy maps using a numerical wave model. We used the energy maps to classify the events into groups using manual (visual) and automatic classifications (principal component analysis and k-means). The manual classification identified 3 types of Nortes and the automatic classification identified 5, although 3 of them had a high degree of similarity. The principal component analysis indicated that all events have similar characteristics, as few components are necessary to explain almost all of the variance. The classification from the k-means indicated that 81% of analyzed Nortes affect the southeastern Gulf of Mexico, while a smaller percentage affects the northern Gulf of Mexico and even less affect the western Caribbean.

Influence of laser-supported detonation waves on metal drilling with pulsed CO2 lasers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stuermer, E.; von Allmen, M.

1978-01-01

Drilling of highly reflective metals in an ambient atmosphere with single TEA-CO 2 -laser pulses of fluences between 300 and 6000 J/cm 2 is reported. The drilling process was investigated by measuring the time-resolved laser power reflected specularly from the targets during the interaction and by analyzing the craters produced. Experiments were performed in ambient air, argon, and helium. Target damage was found to be strongly influenced by a laser-supported detonation (LSD) wave in the ambient gas. If the laser fluence exceeded a material-dependent damage threshold (copper: 300 J/cm 2 ), drilling occurred, but the efficiency was inversely related to the duration of the LSD wave. Efficient material removal is possible if the LSD wave can be dissipated within a small fraction of the laser pulse duration. This was achieved by small-F-number focusing of TEM 00 laser pulses of 5-μs duration. Replacing the ambient air at the target by a gas of lower density results in a further significant reduction of LSD-wave lifetime, and a correlated increase of the drilling yield. On copper targets a maximum drilling yield of 10 -5 cm 3 /J was observed in ambient helium at a laser fluence of 1 kJ/cm 2

Generation of surface electromagnetic waves in terahertz spectral range by free-electron laser radiation and their refractive index determination

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bogomolov, G.D.; Jeong, Uk Young; Zhizhin, G.N.; Nikitin, A.K.; Zavyalov, V.V.; Kazakevich, G.M.; Lee, Byung Cheol

2005-01-01

First experiments for observation of surface electromagnetic waves (SEW) in the terahertz spectral range generated on dense aluminum films covering the optical quality glass plates are presented in this paper. Coherent radiation of the new free-electron laser covering the frequency range from 30 to 100cm -1 was used. The interference technique employing SEW propagation in the part of one shoulder of the asymmetric interferometer was applied. From the interference pattern the real part of SEW's effective refractive index ae ' was determined for the two laser emission wavelengths: at λ=150μm-ae ' =1+5x10 -5 , at λ=110μm-ae ' =1+8x10 -4 . High sensitivity of the interference patterns to overlayers made of Ge and Si with thickness of 100nm was demonstrated as well

Maternal prepregnant body mass index, duration of breastfeeding, and timing of complementary food introduction are associated with infant weight gain

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Baker, Jennifer Lyn; Michaelsen, Kim F; Rasmussen, Kathleen M

2004-01-01

). In this sample, prepregnant obesity (BMI > or = 30.0), short durations of breastfeeding, and earlier introduction of complementary food were associated with 0.7 kg of additional weight gain during infancy. CONCLUSIONS: Infant weight gain is associated with maternal prepregnant BMI and with an interaction between...... these associations among 3768 mother-infant dyads from the Danish National Birth Cohort. RESULTS: In multiple regression analyses, increasing maternal prepregnant BMI, decreasing durations of breastfeeding, and earlier complementary food introduction were associated with increased infant weight gain. An interaction...... was identified for short durations of breastfeeding (food introduction (associated with greater infant weight gain; however, the timing of complementary food introduction did not increase infant weight gain at longer durations of breastfeeding (> or =20 wk...

Waves in periodic medium. Atomic matter waves in light crystals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oberthaler, M. K.

1997-07-01

This work deals with the propagation of matter waves inside a periodic potential. In analogy to photon optics a potential can be described by a refractive index for matter waves. A real potential leads to a refractive spatial structure while an imaginary potential leads to an absorptive structure. A general theoretical description is given in the framework of Floquet theory. The equivalent approach of dynamical diffraction theory will be treated in detail. The analytic solution for weak potentials are given in a general form so that they are applicable for every kind of wave and medium. For our experiments an open two level atom (metastable Argon) propagating inside a standing light wave was used. Detuning the frequency of the light wave from the atomic resonance leads to a real (refractive) periodic potential. Tuning the laser exact on resonance gives rise to a pure imaginary (absorptive) periodic potential. In analogy to solid state crystals in X-ray and neutron optics we call a standing light wave a light crystal. Tuning the standing light field on resonance we demonstrated experimentally the Borrmann effect. This effect describes the increase of the total transmission through a crystal for Bragg incidence. Furthermore, we confirmed that this effect is coherent and that a sinusoidal wave field is formed inside the crystal. The nodes of the wave field were found to coincide with the maxima of absorption. For a detuned standing light field a refractive crystal was realized, for which the expected Pendelloesung effect was demonstrated. In this case the maximum of the wave field inside the crystal was found at the steepest gradient of the potential as predicted by dynamical diffraction theory. Superposing an absorptive and a refractive light crystal a complex light crystal was realized. With such a crystal the violation of Friedel's law was demonstrated in a very clear way. (author)

White coat hypertension is more risky than prehypertension: important role of arterial wave reflections.

Science.gov (United States)

Sung, Shih-Hsien; Cheng, Hao-Min; Wang, Kang-Ling; Yu, Wen-Chung; Chuang, Shao-Yuan; Ting, Chih-Tai; Lakatta, Edward G; Yin, Frank C P; Chou, Pesus; Chen, Chen-Huan

2013-06-01

Arterial aging may link cardiovascular risk to white coat hypertension (WCH). The aims of the present study were to investigate the role of arterial aging in the white coat effect, defined as the difference between office and 24-hour ambulatory systolic blood pressures, and to compare WCH with prehypertension (PH) with respect to target organ damage and long-term cardiovascular mortality. A total of 1257 never-been-treated volunteer subjects from a community-based survey were studied. WCH and PH were defined by office and 24-hour ambulatory blood pressures. Left ventricular mass index, carotid intima-media thickness, estimated glomerular filtration rate, carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity, carotid augmentation index, amplitude of the reflection pressure wave, and 15-year cardiovascular mortality were determined. Subjects with WCH were significantly older and had greater body mass index, blood pressure values, intima-media thickness, carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity, augmentation index, amplitude of the backward pressure wave, and a lower estimated glomerular filtration rate than PH. Amplitude of the backward pressure wave was the most important independent correlate of the white coat effect in multivariate analysis (model r(2)=0.451; partial r(2)/model r(2)=90.5%). WCH had significantly greater cardiovascular mortality than PH (hazard ratio, 2.94; 95% confidence interval, 1.09-7.91), after accounting for age, sex, body mass index, smoking, fasting plasma glucose, and total cholesterol/high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol ratio. Further adjustment of the model for amplitude of the backward pressure wave eliminated the statistical significance of the WCH effect. In conclusion, the white coat effect is mainly caused by arterial aging. WCH carries higher risk for cardiovascular mortality than PH, probably via enhanced wave reflections that accompany arterial aging.

Altered Venous Function during Long-Duration Spaceflights

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jacques-Olivier Fortrat

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Aims: Venous adaptation to microgravity, associated with cardiovascular deconditioning, may contribute to orthostatic intolerance following spaceflight. The aim of this study was to analyze the main parameters of venous hemodynamics with long-duration spaceflight.Methods: Venous plethysmography was performed on 24 cosmonauts before, during, and after spaceflights aboard the International Space Station. Venous plethysmography assessed venous filling and emptying functions as well as microvascular filtration, in response to different levels of venous occlusion pressure. Calf volume was assessed using calf circumference measurements.Results: Calf volume decreased during spaceflight from 2.3 ± 0.3 to 1.7 ± 0.2 L (p < 0.001, and recovered after it (2.3 ± 0.3 L. Venous compliance, determined as the relationship between occlusion pressure and the change in venous volume, increased during spaceflight from 0.090 ± 0.005 to 0.120 ± 0.007 (p < 0.01 and recovered 8 days after landing (0.071 ± 0.005, arbitrary units. The index of venous emptying rate decreased during spaceflight from −0.004 ± 0.022 to −0.212 ± 0.033 (p < 0.001, arbitrary units. The index of vascular microfiltration increased during spaceflight from 6.1 ± 1.8 to 10.6 ± 7.9 (p < 0.05, arbitrary units.Conclusion: This study demonstrated that overall venous function is changed during spaceflight. In future, venous function should be considered when developing countermeasures to prevent cardiovascular deconditioning and orthostatic intolerance with long-duration spaceflight.

The impact of tissue Doppler index E/e' ratio on instantaneous wave-free ratio.

Science.gov (United States)

Arashi, Hiroyuki; Yamaguchi, Junichi; Ri, Tonre; Otsuki, Hisao; Nakao, Masashi; Kamishima, Kazuho; Jujo, Kentaro; Minami, Yuichiro; Ogawa, Hiroshi; Hagiwara, Nobuhisa

2018-03-01

The instantaneous wave-free ratio (iFR) is a vasodilator-free, invasive pressure wire index of the functional severity of coronary stenosis and is calculated under resting conditions. In a recent study, iFR was found to be more closely linked to coronary flow reserve (CFR) than fractional flow reserve (FFR). E/e' is a surrogate marker of left ventricular (LV) filling pressure and LV diastolic dysfunction. Coronary resting flow was found to be increased in patients with elevated E/e', and higher coronary resting flow was associated with lower CFR. Higher baseline coronary flow induces a greater loss of translesional pressure and may affect iFR. However, no reports have examined the impact of E/e' on iFR. The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between iFR and E/e' compared with FFR. We retrospectively examined 103 consecutive patients (142 with stenosis) whose iFR, FFR, and E/e' were measured simultaneously. The mean age, LV mass index, and systolic blood pressure of patients with elevated E/e' were higher than those of patients with normal E/e'. Although no significant differences were observed in mean FFR values and % diameter stenosis, the mean iFR value in patients with elevated E/e' was significantly lower than that in patients with normal E/e'. The iFR was negatively correlated with E/e', while there was no correlation between FFR and E/e'. Multivariate analysis showed that E/e' and % diameter stenosis were independent determinants of iFR. E/e' ratio affects iFR values. Our results suggest that FFR mainly reflects the functional severity of the epicardial stenosis whereas iFR could potentially be influenced by not only epicardial stenosis but also other factors related to LV filling pressure or LV diastolic dysfunction. Further research is needed to understand the underlying mechanisms that influence the evaluation of iFR in patients with elevated E/e'. Copyright © 2017 Japanese College of Cardiology. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights

Reflection from a flat dielectric film with negative refractive index

OpenAIRE

Hillion, Pierre

2007-01-01

We analyse the reflection of a TM electromagnetic field first on a flat dielectric film and second on a Veselago film with negative refractive index, both films being deposited on a metallic substrat acting as a mirror. An incident harmonic plane wave generates inside a conventional dielectric film a refracted propagating wave and an evanescent wave that does not contribute to reflection on the metallic substrat so that part of the information conveyed by the incident field is lost. At the op...

Identification of wind fields for wave modeling near Qatar

Science.gov (United States)

Nayak, Sashikant; Balan Sobhana, Sandeepan; Panchang, Vijay

2016-04-01

Due to the development of coastal and offshore infrastructure in and around the Arabian Gulf, a large semi-enclosed sea, knowledge of met-ocean factors like prevailing wind systems, wind generated waves, and currents etc. are of great importance. Primarily it is important to identify the wind fields that are used as forcing functions for wave and circulation models for hindcasting and forecasting purposes. The present study investigates the effects of using two sources of wind-fields on the modeling of wind-waves in the Arabian Gulf, in particular near the coastal regions of Qatar. Two wind sources are considered here, those obtained from ECMWF and those generated by us using the WRF model. The wave model SWAN was first forced with the 6 hourly ERA Interim daily winds (from ECMWF) having spatial resolution of 0.125°. For the second option, wind fields were generated by us using the mesoscale wind model (WRF) with a high spatial resolution (0.1°) at every 30 minute intervals. The simulations were carried out for a period of two months (7th October-7th December, 2015) during which measurements were available from two moored buoys (deployed and operated by the Qatar Meteorological Department), one in the north of Qatar ("Qatar North", in water depth of 58.7 m) and other in the south ("Shiraouh Island", in water depth of 16.64 m). This period included a high-sea event on 11-12th of October, recorded by the two buoys where the significant wave heights (Hs) reached as high as 2.9 m (i.e. max wave height H ~ 5.22 m) and 1.9 (max wave height H ~ 3.4 m) respectively. Model results were compared with the data for this period. The scatter index (SI) of the Hs simulated using the WRF wind fields and the observed Hs was found to be about 30% and 32% for the two buoys (total period). The observed Hs were generally reproduced but there was consistent underestimation. (Maximum 27% for the high-sea event). For the Hs obtained with ERA interim wind fields, the underestimation was

Nonlinear diffuse scattering of the random-phased wave

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kato, Yoshiaki; Arinaga, Shinji; Mima, Kunioki.

1983-01-01

First experimental observation of the nonlinear diffuse scattering is reported. This new effect was observed in the propagation of the random-phased wave through a nonlinear dielectric medium. This effect is ascribed to the diffusion of the wavevector of the electro-magnetic wave to the lateral direction due to the randomly distributed nonlinear increase in the refractive index. (author)

Controlling graphene plasmons with a zero-index metasurface.

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Lihui; Lu, Yanxin; Yuan, Mengmeng; Shi, Fenghua; Xu, Haixia; Chen, Yihang

2017-11-30

Graphene plasmons, owing to their diverse applications including electro-optical modulation, optical sensing, spectral photometry and tunable lighting at the nanoscale, have recently attracted much attention. One key challenge in advancing this field is to precisely control the propagation of graphene plasmons. Here, we propose an on-chip integrated platform to engineer the wave front of the graphene plasmons through a metasurface with a refractive index of zero. We demonstrate that a well-designed graphene/photonic-crystal metasurface can possess conical plasmonic dispersion at the Brillouin zone center with a triply degenerate state at the Dirac frequency, giving rise to the zero-effective-index of graphene plasmons. Plane-wave-emission and focusing effects of the graphene plasmons are achieved by tailoring such a zero-index metasurface. In addition to the tunable Dirac point frequency enabled by the electrical tuning of the graphene Fermi level, our highly integrated system also provides stable performance even when defects exist. This actively controllable on-chip platform can potentially be useful for integrated photonic circuits and devices.

Search for gravitational waves associated with GRB 050915a using the Virgo detector

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Acernese, F.; Bauer, T.; Russo, G.; van den Brand, J.F.J.

2008-01-01

In the framework of the expected association between gamma-ray bursts and gravitational waves, we present results of an analysis aimed to search for a burst of gravitational waves in coincidence with gamma-ray burst 050915a. This was a long duration gamma-ray burst detected by Swift during September

Association between sleep duration and obesity is modified by dietary macronutrients intake in Korean.

Science.gov (United States)

Doo, Miae; Kim, Yangha

2016-01-01

Short sleep duration has been reported to be inversely associated with risk of obesity. The effects of sleep duration on obesity-related variables and the interaction of sleep duration and dietary macronutrients consumption on risk of obesity were analysed in 14,111 subjects aged 20-79 from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Sleep restriction to less than 7h per day resulted in higher body mass index, plasma triglyceride level, and obesity prevalence for women, but not for men. Protein intake was significantly lower in subjects with lower sleep duration for both men and women. The subjects with short sleep duration were significantly higher fat consumption for men, whereas carbohydrate consumption for women. Among subjects whose carbohydrate consumption was above the median, subjects with sleep duration of less than 7h per day increased their odds of being obese (OR=1.255, 95% CI: 1.073-1.476, Pmacronutrients consumption in women subjects. Copyright © 2015 Asia Oceania Association for the Study of Obesity. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Spatial dispersion of index components required for building invisibility cloak medium from photonic crystals

Science.gov (United States)

Jamilan, Saeid; Semouchkin, George; Gandji, Navid P.; Semouchkina, Elena

2018-04-01

The opportunities to use dielectric photonic crystals (PhCs) as the media of cylindrical invisibility cloaks, designed using transformation optics (TO) concepts, are investigated. It is shown that TO-based prescriptions for radial index dispersion, responsible for turning waves around hidden objects, can be dropped if the PhC media support self-collimation of waves in bent crystals. Otherwise, to provide prescribed anisotropy of index dispersion, it is possible to employ PhCs with rectangular lattices. It is found, however, that at acceptable cloak thicknesses, modifications of crystal parameters do not allow for achieving the prescribed level of index anisotropy. This problem is solved by finding the reduced spatial dispersion law for the radial index component, which is characterized by decreased against TO-prescriptions values near the target and increased values in outer layers of the cloak. The cloak utilizing reduced prescriptions for indices is shown to perform almost as efficiently as a TO-based cloak, in terms of both wave front restoration behind the target and reducing the total scattering cross-width of the target.

Epicardial fat thickness correlates with P-wave duration, left atrial size and decreased left ventricular systolic function in morbid obesity.

Science.gov (United States)

Fernandes-Cardoso, A; Santos-Furtado, M; Grindler, J; Ferreira, L A; Andrade, J L; Santo, M A

2017-08-01

Epicardial fat (EF) is increased in obesity and has important interactions with atrial and ventricular myocardium. Most of the evidence in this scenario can be confused by the presence of comorbidities such as hypertension, diabetes and dyslipidemia, which are very common in this population. The influence of EF on atrial remodeling and cardiac function demands further investigation on morbidly obese without these comorbidities. We prospectively recruited 20 metabolically healthy morbidly obese and 20 normo-weights controls. The maximum P-wave duration (PWD) was analyzed by 12-lead electrocardiogram. Left atrial diameter (LAD), left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and EF thickness (EFT) were evaluated by two-dimensional echocardiography. The mean of maximum PWD and LAD were significantly larger in the obese group as compared to the control group: 109.55 ± 11.52 ms × 89.38 ± 11.19 ms and 36.12 ± 3.46 mm × 31.45 ± 2.64 mm, (p function. Copyright © 2017 The Italian Society of Diabetology, the Italian Society for the Study of Atherosclerosis, the Italian Society of Human Nutrition, and the Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, Federico II University. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Changes in Sleep Duration During Transition to Statutory Retirement: A Longitudinal Cohort Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Myllyntausta, Saana; Salo, Paula; Kronholm, Erkki; Aalto, Ville; Kivimäki, Mika; Vahtera, Jussi; Stenholm, Sari

2017-07-01

This study examined whether sleep duration changes during the transition from full-time work to statutory retirement and, if this were the case, which preretirement factors, including sociodemographic, work, lifestyle, and health factors, predict these changes. Data from repeated surveys of the Finnish Public Sector study, linked to records of retirement, were used. The study population consisted of 5785 participants who retired on a statutory basis in 2000-2011 and who had responded to surveys on sleep duration at least once immediately before and after their retirement (mean number of repeat study waves 3.6). Linear regression analyses with generalized estimating equations were used to examine changes in sleep duration around retirement. Before retirement there was a slight decrease in sleep duration. During the 4-year retirement transition, sleep duration increased from 7 hours 0 minutes (95% confidence interval [CI] 6 hours 54 minutes to 7 hours 6 minutes) to 7 hours and 22 minutes (95% CI 7 hours 16 minutes to 7 hours 27 minutes); thus, mean increase being 22 minutes. Increase in sleep duration was greatest in those who were short sleepers, heavy drinkers, or had sleep difficulties. After the retirement transition, sleep duration remained at approximately the same level, as no significant changes were observed. This longitudinal study suggests that transition from full-time work to statutory retirement is associated with an increase in sleep duration. © Sleep Research Society 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Sleep Research Society. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail journals.permissions@oup.com.

Gravitational waves generated from the cosmological QCD phase transition within AdS/QCD

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Ahmadvand

2017-09-01

Full Text Available We study the gravitational waves produced by the collision of the bubbles as a probe for the cosmological first order QCD phase transition, considering heavy static quarks. Using AdS/QCD and the correspondence between a first order Hawking–Page phase transition and confinement–deconfinement phase transition, we find the spectrum and the strain amplitude of the gravitational wave within the hard and soft wall models. We postulate the duration of the phase transition corresponds to the evaporation time of the black hole in the five dimensional dual gravity space, and thereby obtain a bound on the string length in the space and correspondingly on the duration of the QCD phase transition. We also show that IPTA and SKA detectors will be able to detect these gravitational waves, which can be an evidence for the first order deconfinement transition.

Test particle modeling of wave-induced energetic electron precipitation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chang, H.C.; Inan, U.S.

1985-01-01

A test particle computer model of the precipitation of radiation belt electrons is extended to compute the dynamic energy spectrum of transient electron fluxes induced by short-duration VLF wave packets traveling along the geomagnetic field lines. The model is adapted to estimate the count rate and associated spectrum of precipitated electrons that would be observed by satellite-based particle detectors with given geometric factor and orientation with respect to the magnetic field. A constant-frequency wave pulse and a lightning-induced whistler wave packet are used as examples of the stimulating wave signals. The effects of asymmetry of particle mirror heights in the two hemispheres and the atmospheric backscatter of loss cone particles on the computed precipitated fluxes are discussed

Wave number determination of Pc 1–2 mantle waves considering He++ ions: A Cluster study

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Grison, Benjamin; Escoubet, C. P.; Santolík, Ondřej; Cornilleau-Wehrlin, N.; Khotyaintsev, Y.

2014-01-01

Roč. 119, č. 9 (2014), s. 7601-7614 ISSN 2169-9380 R&D Projects: GA MŠk 7E12026; GA ČR(CZ) GPP209/11/P848; GA MŠk LH12231 Institutional support: RVO:68378289 Keywords : EMIC * refractive index * wave number * k-filtering * Pc 1–2 mantle wave * distant cusp Subject RIV: BL - Plasma and Gas Discharge Physics Impact factor: 3.426, year: 2014 http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/2013JA019719/abstract

The pulsatility index and the resistive index in renal arteries. Associations with long-term progression in chronic renal failure

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Petersen, L J; Petersen, J R; Talleruphuus, U

1997-01-01

The pulsatility index (PI) and the resistive index (RI) are used as pulsed-wave Doppler measurements of downstream renal artery resistance. PI and RI have been found to correlate with renal vascular resistance, filtration fraction and effective renal plasma flow in chronic renal failure. The aim...... of the present study was to evaluate the potential relationship between these indices and the rate of decline in renal function, as reflected by changes in different parameters of renal function in patients with chronic renal failure....

Internal wave focusing revisited; a reanalysis and new theoretical links

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lam, Frans-Peter A; Maas, Leo R M

2008-01-01

An experiment which discussed the appearance of an internal wave attractor in a uniformly stratified, free-surface fluid [Maas, L.R.M., Benielli, D., Sommeria, J., Lam, F.-P.A., 1997. Observation of an internal wave attractor in a confined, stably stratified fluid. Nature 388(6642), 557-561] is revisited. This is done in order to give a more detailed and more accurate description of the underlying focusing process. Evolution of the attractor can now be quantified. For the tank with one sloping sidewall, and for the parameter regime (density stratification, forcing frequency) studied, the inverse exponential growth rate determined at several locations in the fluid turns out to be 122 s always. Only the start and duration of the growth differed: away from the attractor region it appeared later and of shorter duration. Here, these features are interpreted by employing a new theoretical basis that incorporates an external forcing via a surface boundary condition (an infinitesimal barotropic seiche) and that describes the solution in terms of propagating waves.

Modeling Volcanic Eruption Parameters by Near-Source Internal Gravity Waves.

Science.gov (United States)

Ripepe, M; Barfucci, G; De Angelis, S; Delle Donne, D; Lacanna, G; Marchetti, E

2016-11-10

Volcanic explosions release large amounts of hot gas and ash into the atmosphere to form plumes rising several kilometers above eruptive vents, which can pose serious risk on human health and aviation also at several thousands of kilometers from the volcanic source. However the most sophisticate atmospheric models and eruptive plume dynamics require input parameters such as duration of the ejection phase and total mass erupted to constrain the quantity of ash dispersed in the atmosphere and to efficiently evaluate the related hazard. The sudden ejection of this large quantity of ash can perturb the equilibrium of the whole atmosphere triggering oscillations well below the frequencies of acoustic waves, down to much longer periods typical of gravity waves. We show that atmospheric gravity oscillations induced by volcanic eruptions and recorded by pressure sensors can be modeled as a compact source representing the rate of erupted volcanic mass. We demonstrate the feasibility of using gravity waves to derive eruption source parameters such as duration of the injection and total erupted mass with direct application in constraining plume and ash dispersal models.

Independent effects of sleep duration and body mass index on the risk of a work-related injury: evidence from the US National Health Interview Survey (2004-2010).

Science.gov (United States)

Lombardi, David A; Wirtz, Anna; Willetts, Joanna L; Folkard, Simon

2012-06-01

Fatigue has been linked to adverse safety outcomes, and poor quality or decreased sleep has been associated with obesity (higher body mass index, BMI). Additionally, higher BMI is related to an increased risk for injury; however, it is unclear whether BMI modifies the effect of short sleep or has an independent effect on work-related injury risk. To answer this question, the authors examined the risk of a work-related injury as a function of total daily sleep time and BMI using the US National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). The NHIS is an in-person household survey using a multistage, stratified, clustered sample design representing the US civilian population. Data were pooled for the 7-yr survey period from 2004 to 2010 for 101 891 "employed" adult subjects (51.7%; 41.1 ± yrs of age [mean ± SEM]) with data on both sleep and BMI. Weighted annualized work-related injury rates were estimated across a priori defined categories of BMI: healthy weight (BMI: work-related injury. The initial model examined the interaction among daily sleep duration and BMI, controlling for weekly working hours, age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, type of pay, industry, and occupation. No significant interaction was found between usual daily sleep duration and BMI (p = .72); thus, the interaction term of the final logistic model included these two variables as independent predictors of injury, along with the aforementioned covariates. Statistically significant covariates (p ≤ .05) included age, sex, weekly work hours, occupation, and if the worker was paid hourly. The lowest categories of usual sleep duration (7-8 h did not significantly elevate risk. The adjusted injury risk odds ratio (OR) for a worker with a usual daily sleep of work-related injury risk for reduced sleep regardless of worker's body mass. However, being an overweight worker also increases work-injury risk regardless of usual daily sleep duration. The independent additive risk of these factors on work

Low-index discontinuity terahertz waveguides

Science.gov (United States)

Nagel, Michael; Marchewka, Astrid; Kurz, Heinrich

2006-10-01

A new type of dielectric THz waveguide based on recent approaches in the field of integrated optics is presented with theoretical and experimental results. Although the guiding mechanism of the low-index discontinuity (LID) THz waveguide is total internal reflection, the THz wave is predominantly confined in the virtually lossless low-index air gap within a high-index dielectric waveguide due to the continuity of electric flux density at the dielectric interface. Attenuation, dispersion and single-mode confinement properties of two LID structures are discussed and compared with other THz waveguide solutions. The new approach provides an outstanding combination of high mode confinement and low transmission losses currently not realizable with any other metal-based or photonic crystal approach. These exceptional properties might enable the breakthrough of novel integrated THz systems or endoscopy applications with sub-wavelength resolution.

Sleep duration and its correlates in middle-aged and elderly Chinese women: the Shanghai Women's Health Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Tu, Xiangdong; Cai, Hui; Gao, Yu-Tang; Wu, Xiaoyan; Ji, Bu-Tian; Yang, Gong; Li, Honglan; Zheng, Wei; Shu, Xiao Ou

2012-10-01

Abnormal sleep duration, either long or short, is associated with disease risk and mortality. Little information is available on sleep duration and its correlates among Chinese women. Using information collected from 68,832 women who participated in the Shanghai Women's Health Study (SWHS), we evaluated sleep duration and its correlations with sociodemographic and lifestyle factors, health status, and anthropometric measurements and their indexes using polynomial logistic regression. The mean age of the study population was 59.6 years (SD=9.0; range: 44.6-79.9 years) at time of sleep duration assessment. Approximately 80% of women reported sleeping 6-8 h/day, 11.5% slept 5h or less, and 8.7% slept 9h or more. As expected, age was the strongest predictor for sleep duration and was negatively correlated with sleep duration. In general, sleep duration was positively associated with energy intake, intakes of total meat and fruits, body mass index (BMI), waist-hip ratio (WHR), and waist circumference (WC) after adjustment for age and other factors. Both short and long sleep duration were negatively associated with education level, family income, and leisure-time physical activity and positively associated with number of live births, history of night shift work, and certain chronic diseases, compared to sleep duration around 7 h/day (6.5-7.4h/day). Short sleep duration was related to tea consumption and passive smoking. Long sleep duration was related to menopausal status and marital status. In this large, population-based study, we found that sleep duration among middle-aged and elderly Chinese women was associated with several sociodemographic and lifestyle factors and with disease status. The main limitation of the study is the cross-sectional design that does not allow us to draw any causal inference. However, this study provides information for future investigation into the nature of these associations so that recommendations can be developed to reduce sleep

Measurements of Waves in a Wind-wave Tank Under Steady and Time-varying Wind Forcing.

Science.gov (United States)

Zavadsky, Andrey; Shemer, Lev

2018-02-13

This manuscript describes an experimental procedure that allows obtaining diverse quantitative information on temporal and spatial evolution of water waves excited by time-dependent and steady wind forcing. Capacitance-type wave gauge and Laser Slope Gauge (LSG) are used to measure instantaneous water surface elevation and two components of the instantaneous surface slope at a number of locations along the test section of a wind-wave facility. The computer-controlled blower provides airflow over the water in the tank whose rate can vary in time. In the present experiments, the wind speed in the test section initially increases quickly from rest to the set value. It is then kept constant for the prescribed duration; finally, the airflow is shut down. At the beginning of each experimental run, the water surface is calm and there is no wind. Operation of the blower is initiated simultaneously with the acquisition of data provided by all sensors by a computer; data acquisition continues until the waves in the tank fully decay. Multiple independent runs performed under identical forcing conditions allow determining statistically reliable ensemble-averaged characteristic parameters that quantitatively describe wind-waves' variation in time for the initial development stage as a function of fetch. The procedure also allows characterizing the spatial evolution of the wave field under steady wind forcing, as well as decay of waves in time, once the wind is shut down, as a function of fetch.

A study of a long duration B9 flare-CME event and associated shock

Science.gov (United States)

Chandra, R.; Chen, P. F.; Fulara, A.; Srivastava, A. K.; Uddin, W.

2018-01-01

We present and discuss here the observations of a small long duration GOES B-class flare associated with a quiescent filament eruption, a global EUV wave and a CME on 2011 May 11. The event was well observed by the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), GONG H α , STEREO and Culgoora spectrograph. As the filament erupted, ahead of the filament we observed the propagation of EIT wave fronts, as well as two flare ribbons on both sides of the polarity inversion line (PIL) on the solar surface. The observations show the co-existence of two types of EUV waves, i.e., a fast and a slow one. A type II radio burst with up to the third harmonic component was also associated with this event. The evolution of photospheric magnetic field showed flux emergence and cancellation at the filament site before its eruption.

Maternal obesity and its effect on labour duration in nulliparous women

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ellekjaer, Karen Louise; Bergholt, Thomas; Løkkegaard, Ellen

2017-01-01

BACKGROUND: Obesity is increasing among primipara women. We aimed to describe the association between body mass index (BMI) during early-pregnancy and duration of labour in nulliparous women. METHODS: Retrospective observational cohort study of 1885 nulliparous women with a single cephalic......), overweight (BMI 25-29.9 kg/m2), and obese (BMI ≥30 kg/m2) women. Proportional hazards and multiple logistic regression models were applied. RESULTS: Early pregnancy BMI classified 1246 (66.1%) women as normal weight, 350 (18.6%) as overweight and 203 (10.8%) as obese. No difference in the duration of total...... or first stage of active labour was found for overweight (adjusted HR = 1.01, 95% CI 0.88-1.16) or obese (adjusted HR = 1.07, 95% CI 0.90-1.28) compared to normal weight women. Median active labour duration was 5.83 h for normal weight, 6.08 h for overweight and 5.90 h for obese women. The risk...

P-wave dispersion in endogenous and exogenous subclinical hyperthyroidism.

Science.gov (United States)

Gen, R; Akbay, E; Camsari, A; Ozcan, T

2010-02-01

The aim of this study was to measure maximum P wave duration (Pmax) and P wave dispersion (PWD), which can be indicators for the risk of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation when increased, and to reveal their relationship with thyroid hormone levels in patients with endogenous and exogenous subclinical hyperthyroidism. Seventy-one patients with sublinical thyrotoxicosis (34 endogenous, 37 exogenous) and 69 healthy individuals were enrolled in the study. Pmax and minimum P wave duration (Pmin) on electrocardiogram recordings were measured and PWD was calculated as Pmax-Pmin. Pmax (pendogenous subclinical hyperthyroidism compared with the control group. Pmax (pexogenous subclinical thyrotoxicosis compared with the control group. Pmax (p=0.710) and PWD (p=0.127) were not significantly different in patients with endogenous subclinical hyperthyroidism compared with exogenous subclinical hyperthyroid patients. Pmax and PWD negatively associated with TSH in endogenous and exogenous subclinical hyperthyroidism. In the present study, we observed that Pmax and PWD were longer in patients with endogenous and exogenous subclinical hyperthyroidism. Lack of a difference in Pmax and PWD between patients with endogenous and exogenous subclinical hyperthyroidism seems to support the idea that hormone levels rather than the etiology of thyrotoxicosis affect the heart.

Stability of post-fertilization traveling waves

Science.gov (United States)

Flores, Gilberto; Plaza, Ramón G.

This paper studies the stability of a family of traveling wave solutions to the system proposed by Lane et al. [D.C. Lane, J.D. Murray, V.S. Manoranjan, Analysis of wave phenomena in a morphogenetic mechanochemical model and an application to post-fertilization waves on eggs, IMA J. Math. Appl. Med. Biol. 4 (4) (1987) 309-331], to model a pair of mechanochemical phenomena known as post-fertilization waves on eggs. The waves consist of an elastic deformation pulse on the egg's surface, and a free calcium concentration front. The family is indexed by a coupling parameter measuring contraction stress effects on the calcium concentration. This work establishes the spectral, linear and nonlinear orbital stability of these post-fertilization waves for small values of the coupling parameter. The usual methods for the spectral and evolution equations cannot be applied because of the presence of mixed partial derivatives in the elastic equation. Nonetheless, exponential decay of the directly constructed semigroup on the complement of the zero eigenspace is established. We show that small perturbations of the waves yield solutions to the nonlinear equations decaying exponentially to a phase-modulated traveling wave.

The pulsatility index and the resistive index in renal arteries in patients with hypertension and chronic renal failure

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Petersen, L J; Petersen, J R; Ladefoged, S D

1995-01-01

The pulsatility index (PI) and the resistive index (RI) are used as pulsed-wave Doppler measurement of downstream renal artery resistance. Little information is available on their value in chronic renal failure and their correlation to parameters of renal function and haemodynamics. The aim...... was to compare PI and RI of renal arteries in healthy volunteers and in patients with hypertension and chronic renal failure, and furthermore to study the correlation of these indices to measurements of renal haemodynamics and function by standard methods in patients with renal failure and hypertension....

Enhancement of wave growth for warm plasmas with a high-energy tail distribution

Science.gov (United States)

Thorne, Richard M.; Summers, Danny

1991-01-01

The classical linear theory of electromagnetic wave growth in a warm plasma is considered for waves propagating parallel to a uniform ambient magnetic field. Wave-growth rates are calculated for ion-driven right-hand mode waves for Kappa and Maxwellian particle distribution functions and for various values of the spectral index, the temperature anisotropy, and the ratio of plasma pressure to magnetic pressure appropriate to the solar wind. When the anisotropy is low the wave growth is limited to frequencies below the proton gyrofrequency and the growth rate increases dramatically as the spectral index is reduced. The growth rate for any Kappa distribution greatly exceeds that for a Maxwellian with the same bulk properties. For large thermal anisotropy the growth rate from either distribution is greatly enhanced. The growth rates from a Kappa distribution are generally larger than for a Maxwellian distribution, and significant wave growth occurs over a broader range of frequencies.

Detailed phase matching characterization of inter-modal four-wave mixing in a two-mode fiber

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Friis, Søren Michael Mørk; Jung, Y.; Begleris, I.

2016-01-01

We experimentally characterize the phase matching properties of two inter-modal four-wave mixing processes in a graded index fiber guiding the LP01 and LP11 mode-groups.......We experimentally characterize the phase matching properties of two inter-modal four-wave mixing processes in a graded index fiber guiding the LP01 and LP11 mode-groups....

DeRisk - Accurate prediction of ULS wave loads. Outlook and first results

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bredmose, Henrik; Dixen, Martin; Ghadirian, Amin

2016-01-01

Loads from extreme waves can be dimensioning for the substructures of offshore wind turbines. The DeRisk project (2015-2019) aims at an improved load evaluation procedure for extreme waves through application of advanced wave models, laboratory tests of load effects, development of hydrodynamic...... load models, aero-elastic response calculations and statistical analysis. This first paper from the project outlines the content and philosophy behind DeRisk. Next, the first results from laboratory tests with irregular waves are presented, including results for 2D and 3D focused wave groups....... The results of focused wave group tests and a 6-hour (full scale duration) test are reproduced numerically by re-application of the wave paddle signal in a fully nonlinear potential flow wave model. A good match for the free surface elevation and associated exceedance probability curve is obtained. Finally...

Electrostatic lower hybrid waves excited by electromagnetic whistler mode waves scattering from planar magnetic-field-aligned plasma density irregularities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bell, T.F.; Ngo, H.D.

1990-01-01

Recent satellite observations demonstrate that high amplitude, short wavelength (5 m ≤ λ ≤ 100 m) electrostatic waves are commonly excited by electromagnetic whistler mode waves propagating in regions of the magnetosphere and topside ionosphere where small-scale magnetic-field-aligned plasma density irregularities are thought to exist. A new theoretical model of this phenomenon is presented, based upon passive linear scattering in a cold magnetoplasma. In this model the electrostatic waves are excited by linear mode coupling as the incident electromagnetic whistler mode waves scatter from the magnetic-field-aligned plasma density irregularities. The excited short wavelength waves are quasi-electrostatic whistler mode waves, a type of lower hybrid wave, whose wave normal lies near the whistler mode resonance cone where the wave refractive index becomes very large. The amplitude of the excited electrostatic lower hybrid waves is calculated for a wide range of values of input electromagnetic wave frequency, wave normal direction, electron plasma frequency, gyrofrequency, ion composition, and irregularity scale and density enhancement. Results indicate that high amplitude lower hybrid waves can be excited over a wide range of parameters for irregularity density enhancements as low as 5% whenever the scale of the irregularity is of the same order as the lower hybrid wavelength

Effect of parallel electric fields on the whistler mode wave propagation in the magnetosphere

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gupta, G.P.; Singh, R.N.

1975-01-01

The effect of parallel electric fields on whistler mode wave propagation has been studied. To account for the parallel electric fields, the dispersion equation has been analyzed, and refractive index surfaces for magnetospheric plasma have been constructed. The presence of parallel electric fields deforms the refractive index surfaces which diffuse the energy flow and produce defocusing of the whistler mode waves. The parallel electric field induces an instability in the whistler mode waves propagating through the magnetosphere. The growth or decay of whistler mode instability depends on the direction of parallel electric fields. It is concluded that the analyses of whistler wave records received on the ground should account for the role of parallel electric fields

Effect of surface plasmon polaritons on the sensitivity of refractive index measurement using total internal reflection method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roshan Entezar, S.

2015-01-01

The phase difference between two p-polarized and s-polarized plane waves which are reflected under total internal reflection from the base of a prism with a thin metal coating is studied. Typically such a quantity can be used to measure the refractive index of a test material using the total internal reflection method. It is shown that due to the excitation of surface plasmon polaritons at the interface between the tested dielectric material and the thin metal layer, the p-polarized light experiences a large phase shift which enlarges the phase difference between the p-polarized and the s-polarized waves. As a result, the sensitivity of refractive index measurement increases and the error in determining the refractive index decreases. - Highlights: • Phase difference of totally internally reflected p and s polarized beams is studied. • Excitation of the surface wave increases the phase shift of the p-polarized light. • The sensitivity of refractive index measurement increases by using a coated prism. • The error in determining the refractive index decreases using the coated prism

Dirac equation and optical wave propagation in one dimension

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gonzalez, Gabriel [Catedras CONACYT, Universidad Autonoma de San Luis Potosi (Mexico); Coordinacion para la Innovacion y la Aplicacion de la Ciencia y la Tecnologia, Universidad Autonoma de San Luis Potosi (Mexico)

2018-02-15

We show that the propagation of transverse electric (TE) polarized waves in one-dimensional inhomogeneous settings can be written in the form of the Dirac equation in one space dimension with a Lorentz scalar potential, and consequently perform photonic simulations of the Dirac equation in optical structures. In particular, we propose how the zero energy state of the Jackiw-Rebbi model can be generated in an optical set-up by controlling the refractive index landscape, where TE-polarized waves mimic the Dirac particles and the soliton field can be tuned by adjusting the refractive index. (copyright 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Sleep duration and age-related changes in brain structure and cognitive performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Lo, June C; Loh, Kep Kee; Zheng, Hui; Sim, Sam K Y; Chee, Michael W L

2014-07-01

To investigate the contribution of sleep duration and quality to age-related changes in brain structure and cognitive performance in relatively healthy older adults. Community-based longitudinal brain and cognitive aging study using a convenience sample. Participants were studied in a research laboratory. Relatively healthy adults aged 55 y and older at study commencement. N/A. Participants underwent magnetic resonance imaging and neuropsychological assessment every 2 y. Subjective assessments of sleep duration and quality and blood samples were obtained. Each hour of reduced sleep duration at baseline augmented the annual expansion rate of the ventricles by 0.59% (P = 0.007) and the annual decline rate in global cognitive performance by 0.67% (P = 0.050) in the subsequent 2 y after controlling for the effects of age, sex, education, and body mass index. In contrast, global sleep quality at baseline did not modulate either brain or cognitive aging. High-sensitivity C-reactive protein, a marker of systemic inflammation, showed no correlation with baseline sleep duration, brain structure, or cognitive performance. In healthy older adults, short sleep duration is associated with greater age-related brain atrophy and cognitive decline. These associations are not associated with elevated inflammatory responses among short sleepers. Lo JC, Loh KK, Zheng H, Sim SK, Chee MW. Sleep duration and age-related changes in brain structure and cognitive performance.

Resistive index on doppler ultrasound after renal transplantation as renal function predictor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khan, S.; Baloch, S.

2015-01-01

To determine the correlation between doppler resistive index and serum creatinine levels in renal transplant recipients. Study Design: Cross sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Radiology, Military Hospital Rawalpindi from Oct 2009 to Oct 2010. Patients and Method: A total of 82 outdoor and admitted patients of both genders, within age group of 18-60 years, were included in the study. These patients were referred from Nephrology department Military Hospital, Rwp and Armed Forces Institute of Urology after renal transplant. Written informed consent was taken along with history of any co-morbid disease like dabetes or hypertension and for post transplant duration. Gray scale ultrasound was performed first, followed by doppler ultrasound of transplanted kidney and resistive index was calculated. The presence of any post transplant complications were also recorded. The values of resistive index were then correlated with the serum creatinine levels. Results: Doppler ultrasound was performed on 82 patients included in the study and resistive index was calculated. A strong correlation between resistive index (RI) and serum creatinine level was found as calculated through Pearson's equation i-e 0.89. Thus making resistive index a strong predictor of transplanted kidney function and survival. Patients with RI>0.8 were older with mean age of 45.56, had raised serum creatinine level with mean value of 276.69 meu mol/l and had longer post transplant duration (mean 21.63 weeks). These patients also had other co-morbid diseases like diabetes mellitus and hypertension. The commonest post transplant complication was raised parenchymal echogenicity (30.5%), followed by perinephric collections (18.3%). Conclusion: RI on doppler ultrasound in renal transplant patients shows a strong correlation with serum creatinine levels. Renal transplant patients with elevated serum creatinine levels had raised resistive indices. (author)

Anomalous Surface Wave Launching by Handedness Phase Control

KAUST Repository

Zhang, Xueqian

2015-10-09

Anomalous launch of a surface wave with different handedness phase control is achieved in a terahertz metasurface based on phase discontinuities. The polarity of the phase profile of the surface waves is found to be strongly correlated to the polarization handedness, promising polarization-controllable wavefront shaping, polarization sensing, and environmental refractive-index sensing. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Anomalous Surface Wave Launching by Handedness Phase Control

KAUST Repository

Zhang, Xueqian; Xu, Yuehong; Yue, Weisheng; Tian, Zhen; Gu, Jianqiang; Li, Yanfeng; Singh, Ranjan; Zhang, Shuang; Han, Jiaguang; Zhang, Weili

2015-01-01

Anomalous launch of a surface wave with different handedness phase control is achieved in a terahertz metasurface based on phase discontinuities. The polarity of the phase profile of the surface waves is found to be strongly correlated to the polarization handedness, promising polarization-controllable wavefront shaping, polarization sensing, and environmental refractive-index sensing. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

STEREO Observations of Waves in the Ramp Regions of Interplanetary Shocks

Science.gov (United States)

Cohen, Z.; Breneman, A. W.; Cattell, C. A.; Davis, L.; Grul, P.; Kersten, K.; Wilson, L. B., III

2017-12-01

Determining the role of plasma waves in providing energy dissipation at shock waves is of long-standing interest. Interplanetary (IP) shocks serve as a large database of low Mach number shocks. We examine electric field waveforms captured by the Time Domain Sampler (TDS) on the STEREO spacecraft during the ramps of IP shocks, with emphasis on captures lasting 2.1 seconds. Previous work has used captures of shorter duration (66 and 131 ms on STEREO, and 17 ms on WIND), which allowed for observation of waves with maximum (minimum) frequencies of 125 kHz (15 Hz), 62.5 kHz (8 Hz), and 60 kHz (59 Hz), respectively. The maximum frequencies are comparable to 2-8 times the plasma frequency in the solar wind, enabling observation of Langmuir waves, ion acoustic, and some whistler-mode waves. The 2 second captures resolve lower frequencies ( few Hz), which allows us to analyze packet structure of the whistler-mode waves and some ion acoustic waves. The longer capture time also improves the resolvability of simultaneous wave modes and of waves with frequencies on the order of 10s of Hz. Langmuir waves, however, cannot be identified at this sampling rate, since the plasma frequency is usually higher than 3.9 kHz. IP shocks are identified from multiple databases (Helsinki heliospheric shock database at http://ipshocks.fi, and the STEREO level 3 shock database at ftp://stereoftp.nascom.nasa.gov/pub/ins_data/impact/level3/). Our analysis focuses on TDS captures in shock ramp regions, with ramp durations determined from magnetic field data taken at 8 Hz. Software is used to identify multiple wave modes in any given capture and classify waves as Langmuir, ion acoustic, whistler, lower hybrid, electron cyclotron drift instability, or electrostatic solitary waves. Relevant frequencies are determined from density and magnetic field data collected in situ. Preliminary results suggest that large amplitude (≥ 5 mV/m) ion acoustic waves are most prevalent in the ramp, in agreement with

Predicting Pollicipes pollicipes (Crustacea: Cirripedia abundance on intertidal rocky shores of SW Portugal: a multi-scale approach based on a simple fetch-based wave exposure index

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David Jacinto

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Understanding and predicting patterns of distribution and abundance of marine resources is important for conservation and management purposes in small-scale artisanal fisheries and industrial fisheries worldwide. The goose barnacle (Pollicipes pollicipes is an important shellfish resource and its distribution is closely related to wave exposure at different spatial scales. We modelled the abundance (percent coverage of P. pollicipes as a function of a simple wave exposure index based on fetch estimates from digitized coastlines at different spatial scales. The model accounted for 47.5% of the explained deviance and indicated that barnacle abundance increases non-linearly with wave exposure at both the smallest (metres and largest (kilometres spatial scales considered in this study. Distribution maps were predicted for the study region in SW Portugal. Our study suggests that the relationship between fetch-based exposure indices and P. pollicipes percent cover may be used as a simple tool for providing stakeholders with information on barnacle distribution patterns. This information may improve assessment of harvesting grounds and the dimension of exploitable areas, aiding management plans and supporting decision making on conservation, harvesting pressure and surveillance strategies for this highly appreciated and socio-economically important marine resource.

Sleep duration is associated with sperm chromatin integrity among young men in Chongqing, China.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Xiaogang; Chen, Qing; Zou, Peng; Liu, Taixiu; Mo, Min; Yang, Huan; Zhou, Niya; Sun, Lei; Chen, Hongqiang; Ling, Xi; Peng, Kaige; Ao, Lin; Yang, Huifang; Cao, Jia; Cui, Zhihong

2017-10-09

This study explores whether sleep duration is associated with sperm chromatin integrity. To do so, we conducted a three-phase panel study of 796 male volunteers from colleges in Chongqing (China) from 2013 to 2015. Sleep duration was measured using a modified Munich Chronotype Questionnaire. Sperm DNA integrity was examined via Sperm Chromatin Structure Assay and Comet assay. Setting 7-7.5 h day -1 of sleep duration as a reference, either longer or shorter sleep duration was associated negatively with high DNA stainability (HDS) (P = 0.009), which reflected the immaturity of sperm chromatin. The volunteers with > 9.0 h day -1 sleep and those with ≤ 6.5 h day -1 sleep had 40.7 and 30.3% lower HDS than did volunteers with 7-7.5 h day -1 sleep. No association was found between sleep duration and DNA fragmentation index or Comet assay parameters. This study suggests that sleep duration is associated with sperm chromatin integrity. Further studies are required to validate these findings and investigate the mechanism underlying this association. © 2017 European Sleep Research Society.

An analysis of beam parameters on proton-acoustic waves through an analytic approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Kipergil, Esra Aytac; Erkol, Hakan; Kaya, Serhat; Gulsen, Gultekin; Unlu, Mehmet Burcin

2017-06-21

It has been reported that acoustic waves are generated when a high-energy pulsed proton beam is deposited in a small volume within tissue. One possible application of proton-induced acoustics is to get real-time feedback for intra-treatment adjustments by monitoring such acoustic waves. A high spatial resolution in ultrasound imaging may reduce proton range uncertainty. Thus, it is crucial to understand the dependence of the acoustic waves on the proton beam characteristics. In this manuscript, firstly, an analytic solution for the proton-induced acoustic wave is presented to reveal the dependence of the signal on the beam parameters; then it is combined with an analytic approximation of the Bragg curve. The influence of the beam energy, pulse duration and beam diameter variation on the acoustic waveform are investigated. Further analysis is performed regarding the Fourier decomposition of the proton-acoustic signals. Our results show that the smaller spill time of the proton beam upsurges the amplitude of the acoustic wave for a constant number of protons, which is hence beneficial for dose monitoring. The increase in the energy of each individual proton in the beam leads to the spatial broadening of the Bragg curve, which also yields acoustic waves of greater amplitude. The pulse duration and the beam width of the proton beam do not affect the central frequency of the acoustic wave, but they change the amplitude of the spectral components.

Incorporating information from source simulations into searches for gravitational-wave bursts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brady, Patrick R; Ray-Majumder, Saikat

2004-01-01

The detection of gravitational waves from astrophysical sources of gravitational waves is a realistic goal for the current generation of interferometric gravitational-wave detectors. Short duration bursts of gravitational waves from core-collapse supernovae or mergers of binary black holes may bring a wealth of astronomical and astrophysical information. The weakness of the waves and the rarity of the events urges the development of optimal methods to detect the waves. The waves from these sources are not generally known well enough to use matched filtering however; this drives the need to develop new ways to exploit source simulation information in both detection and information extraction. We present an algorithmic approach to using catalogues of gravitational-wave signals developed through numerical simulation, or otherwise, to enhance our ability to detect these waves. As more detailed simulations become available, it is straightforward to incorporate the new information into the search method. This approach may also be useful when trying to extract information from a gravitational-wave observation by allowing direct comparison between the observation and simulations

Control of Wave Propagation and Effect of Kerr Nonlinearity on Group Index

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hazrat, Ali; Iftikhar, Ahmed; Ziauddin

2013-01-01

We use four-level atomic system and control the wave propagation via forbidden decay rate. The Raman gain process becomes dominant on electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) medium by increasing the forbidden decay rate via increasing the number of atoms [G.S. Agarwal and T.N. Dey, Phys. Rev. A 74 (2006) 043805 and K. Harada, T. Kanbashi, and M. Mitsunaga, Phys. Rev. A 73 (2006) 013803]. The behavior of wave propagation is dramatically changed from normal (subluminal) to anomalous (superluminal) dispersion by increasing the forbidden decay rate. The system can also give a control over the group velocity of the light propagating through the medium via Kerr field. (electromagnetism, optics, acoustics, heat transfer, classical mechanics, and fluid dynamics)

Arterial stiffness is associated to cardiorespiratory fitness and body mass index in young Swedish adults: The Lifestyle, Biomarkers, and Atherosclerosis study.

Science.gov (United States)

Fernberg, Ulrika; Fernström, Maria; Hurtig-Wennlöf, Anita

2017-11-01

Background Early changes in the large muscular arteries are already associated with risk factors as hypertension and obesity in adolescence and young adulthood. The present study examines the association between arterial stiffness measurements, pulse wave velocity and augmentation index and lifestyle-related factors, body composition and cardiorespiratory fitness, in young, healthy, Swedish adults. Design This study used a population-based cross-sectional sample. Methods The 834 participants in the study were self-reported healthy, non-smoking, age 18-25 years. Augmentation index and pulse wave velocity were measured with applanation tonometry. Cardiorespiratory fitness was measured by ergometer bike test to estimate maximal oxygen uptake. Body mass index (kg/m 2 ) was calculated and categorised according to classification by the World Health Organisation. Results Young Swedish adults with obesity and low cardiorespiratory fitness have significantly higher pulse wave velocity and augmentation index than non-obese young adults with medium or high cardiorespiratory fitness. The observed U-shaped association between pulse wave velocity and body mass index categories in women indicates that it might be more beneficial to be normal weight than underweight when assessing the arterial stiffness with pulse wave velocity. The highest mean pulse wave velocity was found in overweight/obese individuals with low cardiorespiratory fitness. The lowest mean pulse wave velocity was found in normal weight individuals with high cardiorespiratory fitness. Cardiorespiratory fitness had a stronger effect than body mass index on arterial stiffness in multiple regression analyses. Conclusions The inverse association between cardiorespiratory fitness and arterial stiffness is observed already in young adults. The study result highlights the importance of high cardiorespiratory fitness, but also that underweight individuals may be a possible risk group that needs to be further studied.

Excitation of plasma waves by nonlinear currents induced by a high-frequency electromagnetic pulse

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Grishkov, V. E.; Uryupin, S. A., E-mail: uryupin@sci.lebedev.ru [Russian Academy of Sciences, Lebedev Physical Institute (Russian Federation)

2017-03-15

Excitation of plasma waves by nonlinear currents induced by a high-frequency electromagnetic pulse is analyzed within the kinetic approach. It is shown that the most efficient source of plasma waves is the nonlinear current arising due to the gradient of the energy density of the high-frequency field. Generation of plasma waves by the drag current is usually less efficient but not negligibly small at relatively high frequencies of electron–ion collisions. The influence of electron collisions on the excitation of plasma waves by pulses of different duration is described quantitatively.

Sleep duration and sleep quality are associated differently with alterations of glucose homeostasis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Byberg, Stine; Hansen, Anne-Louise Smidt; Christensen, Dirk Lund

2012-01-01

Abstract Aims  Studies suggest that inadequate sleep duration and poor sleep quality increase the risk of impaired glucose regulation and diabetes. However, associations with specific markers of glucose homeostasis are less well explained. The objective of this study was to explore possible...... associations of sleep duration and sleep quality with markers of glucose homeostasis and glucose tolerance status in a healthy population-based study sample. Methods  The study comprised 771 participants from the Danish, population-based cross-sectional ‘Health2008’ study. Sleep duration and sleep quality were...... measured by self-report. Markers of glucose homeostasis were derived from a 3-point oral glucose tolerance test and included fasting plasma glucose, 2-h plasma glucose, HbA1c, two measures of insulin sensitivity (the insulin sensitivity index0,120 and homeostasis model assessment of insulin sensitivity...

Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Distributions of the Ankle-Brachial Index among Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Badaruddoza Doza

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Background. The aim of present study is to observe the association between the levels of ankle-brachial index (ABI and cardiovascular risk factors among people with type 2 diabetes mellitus in north India. A cross-sectional study was carried out at a centre for heart and diabetic clinic in the state of Punjab on 1121 subjects (671 males and 450 females with type 2 diabetes mellitus. History of symptoms related to cardiovascular diseases was noted, and blood pressure and anthropometric measurements were recorded. Ankle-brachial index (ABI was measured using ultrasonic Doppler flow detector. Subjects with ABI ≤0.9 and ≥1.30 were classified as having low and high ABI, respectively. Females had a higher BMI and brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (<0.001. Whereas, males had higher diastolic blood pressure and duration of type 2 diabetes mellitus. The differences of systolic blood pressure and ankle-brachial index were not found significant between the sexes. The prevalence of low ABI (<0.9 was 4.47% in men and 4.67% in women and high ABI (≥1.30 was prevalent in 14% of men and 10.45% of women. Age, BMI, baPWV, and blood pressures were significantly associated with ABI value in both sexes. The results suggested that the ABI might be used as a strong indicator for cardiovascular risk factors in type 2 diabetic subjects.

Pulse duration discriminator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kosakovskij, L.F.

1980-01-01

Basic circuits of a discriminator for discrimination of pulses with the duration greater than the preset one, and of a multifunctional discriminator allowing to discriminate pulses with the duration greater (tsub(p)>tsub(s)) and lesser (tsub(p) tsub(s) and with the duration tsub(p) [ru

Evaluation of QT and P wave dispersion and mean platelet volume among inflammatory bowel disease patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Dogan, Yuksel; Soylu, Aliye; Eren, Gulay A; Poturoglu, Sule; Dolapcioglu, Can; Sonmez, Kenan; Duman, Habibe; Sevindir, Isa

2011-01-01

In inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) number of thromboembolic events are increased due to hypercoagulupathy and platelet activation. Increases in mean platelet volume (MPV) can lead to platelet activation, this leads to thromboembolic events and can cause acute coronary syndromes. In IBD patients, QT-dispersion and P-wave dispersion are predictors of ventricular arrhythmias and atrial fibrilation; MPV is accepted as a risk factor for acute coronary syndromes, we aimed at evaluating the correlations of these with the duration of disease, its localization and activity. The study group consisted of 69 IBD (Ulcerative colitis n: 54, Crohn's Disease n: 15) patients and the control group included 38 healthy individuals. Disease activity was evaluated both endoscopically and clinically. Patients with existing cardiac conditions, those using QT prolonging medications and having systemic diseases, anemia and electrolyte imbalances were excluded from the study. QT-dispersion, P-wave dispersion and MPV values of both groups were compared with disease activity, its localization, duration of disease and the antibiotics used. The P-wave dispersion values of the study group were significantly higher than those of the control group. Duration of the disease was not associated with QT-dispersion, and MPV levels. QT-dispersion, P-wave dispersion, MPV and platelet count levels were similar between the active and in mild ulcerative colitis patients. QT-dispersion levels were similar between IBD patients and the control group. No difference was observed between P-wave dispersion, QT-dispersion and MPV values; with regards to disease duration, disease activity, and localization in the study group (p>0.05). P-wave dispersion which is accepted as a risk factor for the development of atrial fibirilation was found to be high in our IBD patients. This demonstrates us that the risk of developing atrial fibrillation may be high in patients with IBD. No significant difference was found in the QT

Brain waves-based index for workload estimation and mental effort engagement recognition

Science.gov (United States)

Zammouri, A.; Chraa-Mesbahi, S.; Ait Moussa, A.; Zerouali, S.; Sahnoun, M.; Tairi, H.; Mahraz, A. M.

2017-10-01

The advent of the communication systems and considering the complexity that some impose in their use, it is necessary to incorporate and equip these systems with a certain intelligence which takes into account the cognitive and mental capacities of the human operator. In this work, we address the issue of estimating the mental effort of an operator according to the cognitive tasks difficulty levels. Based on the Electroencephalogram (EEG) measurements, the proposed approach analyzes the user’s brain activity from different brain regions while performing cognitive tasks with several levels of difficulty. At a first time, we propose a variances comparison-based classifier (VCC) that makes use of the Power Spectral Density (PSD) of the EEG signal. The aim of using such a classifier is to highlight the brain regions that enter into interaction according to the cognitive task difficulty. In a second time, we present and describe a new EEG-based index for the estimation of mental efforts. The designed index is based on information recorded from two EEG channels. Results from the VCC demonstrate that powers of the Theta [4-7 Hz] (θ) and Alpha [8-12 Hz] (α) oscillations decrease while increasing the cognitive task difficulty. These decreases are mainly located in parietal and temporal brain regions. Based on the Kappa coefficients, decisions of the introduced index are compared to those obtained from an existing index. This performance assessment method revealed strong agreements. Hence the efficiency of the introduced index.

Relationship between Self-Reported Dietary Nutrient Intake and Self-Reported Sleep Duration among Japanese Adults

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yoko Komada

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Several studies have reported that short sleep duration is a risk factor for obesity and metabolic disease. Moreover, both sleep duration and sleep timing might independently be associated with dietary nutrient intake. In this study, we investigated the associations between self-reported sleep duration and dietary nutrient intake, with and without adjustments for variations in sleep timing (i.e., the midpoint of sleep. We conducted a questionnaire survey, comprising a validated brief self-administered diet history questionnaire (BDHQ and the Japanese version of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI among 1902 healthy Japanese adults and found that the dietary intakes of several nutrients correlated with sleep duration among men regardless of adjustment for the midpoint of sleep. Particularly, (1 small but significant correlations were observed between sleep duration and the percentage of energy from protein, regardless of adjustment for the midpoint of sleep; (2 energy-adjusted intakes of sodium, vitamin D, and vitamin B12 also significantly correlated with sleep duration; and (3 intakes of bread, pulses, and fish and shellfish correlated with sleep duration. In contrast, no significant correlations were observed between sleep duration and dietary intakes among women. This study revealed that after controlling for the midpoint of sleep, sleep duration correlated significantly with the dietary intake of specific nutrients and foods in a population of Japanese men.

Electromagnetic Wave Propagation in Random Media

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pécseli, Hans

1984-01-01

The propagation of a narrow frequency band beam of electromagnetic waves in a medium with randomly varying index of refraction is considered. A novel formulation of the governing equation is proposed. An equation for the average Green function (or transition probability) can then be derived...

Ulysses radio and plasma wave observations at high southern heliographic latitudes.

Science.gov (United States)

Stone, R G; Macdowall, R J; Fainberg, J; Kaiser, M L; Desch, M D; Goldstein, M L; Hoang, S; Bougeret, J L; Harvey, C C; Manning, R; Steinberg, J L; Kellogg, P J; Lin, N; Goetz, K; Osherovich, V A; Reiner, M J; Canu, P; Cornilleau-Wehrlin, N; Lengyel-Frey, D; Thejappa, G

1995-05-19

Ulysses spacecraft radio and plasma wave observations indicate that some variations in the intensity and occurrence rate of electric and magnetic wave events are functions of heliographic latitude, distance from the sun, and phase of the solar cycle. At high heliographic latitudes, solartype Ill radio emissions did not descend to the local plasma frequency, in contrast to the emission frequencies of some bursts observed in the ecliptic. Short-duration bursts of electrostatic and electromagnetic waves were often found in association with depressions in magnetic field amplitude, known as magnetic holes. Extensive wave activity observed in magnetic clouds may exist because of unusually large electron-ion temperature ratios. The lower number of intense in situ wave events at high latitudes was likely due to the decreased variability of the high- latitude solar wind.

Effect of Wave Accessibility on Lower Hybrid Wave Current Drive in Experimental Advanced Superconductor Tokamak with H-Mode Operation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Xin-Xia; Xiang Nong; Gan Chun-Yun

2015-01-01

The effect of the wave accessibility condition on the lower hybrid current drive in the experimental advanced superconductor Tokamak (EAST) plasma with H-mode operation is studied. Based on a simplified model, a mode conversion layer of the lower hybrid wave between the fast wave branch and the slow wave branch is proved to exist in the plasma periphery for typical EAST H-mode parameters. Under the framework of the lower hybrid wave simulation code (LSC), the wave ray trajectory and the associated current drive are calculated numerically. The results show that the wave accessibility condition plays an important role on the lower hybrid current drive in EAST plasma. For wave rays with parallel refractive index n ‖ = 2.1 or n ‖ = 2.5 launched from the outside midplane, the wave rays may penetrate the core plasma due to the toroidal geometry effect, while numerous reflections of the wave ray trajectories in the plasma periphery occur. However, low current drive efficiency is obtained. Meanwhile, the wave accessibility condition is improved if a higher confined magnetic field is applied. The simulation results show that for plasma parameters under present EAST H-mode operation, a significant lower hybrid wave current drive could be obtained for the wave spectrum with peak value n ‖ = 2.1 if a toroidal magnetic field B T = 2.5 T is applied. (paper)

Size and duration of the high-frequency radiator in the source of the December 26, 2004 Sumatra earthquake

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gusev, A A [Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskii (Russian Federation); [Kamchatka Branch, Geophysical Survey, Russian Academy of Sciences, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskii (Russian Federation)]. E-mail: gusev@emsd.iks.ru; Guseva, E M [Kamchatka Branch, Geophysical Survey, Russian Academy of Sciences, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskii (Russian Federation); Panza, G F [University of Trieste, Department of Earth Sciences, Trieste (Italy); [Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics, SAND Group, Trieste (Italy)

2006-04-15

We recover the gross space-time characteristics of high-frequency (HF) radiator of the great Sumatra-Andaman islands earthquake of Dec. 26, 2004, (M{sub w}=9.0-9.3) using the inversion of parameters describing the time histories of the power of radiated HF P waves. To determine these time histories we process teleseismic P waves at 37 BB stations, using, in sequence: (1) band filtering in the bands 0.4-1.2, 1.2-2, 2-3 and 3-4 Hz; (2) calculation of squared attenuation-corrected acceleration wave amplitudes, making 'power signal'; (3) elimination of distortion related to scattering and expressed as P coda. In step (3) we employ, as an empirical Green function, the power signal determined from an aftershock, from which we construct an inverse filter, and apply it to the recorded power signal. We thus recover the source time function for HF power, with a definite end and no coda. Three parameters are extracted from such signals: full ('100%') duration, temporal centroid, and 99% duration. Through linear inversion, station full durations deliver estimates of the rupture stopping point and stopping time. Similarly, signal temporal centroids and 99% durations can be inverted to obtain the position of the space-time centroid of HF energy radiator and of the point corresponding to the discharge of 99% of the energy. Inversion was successful for the three lower-frequency bands and resulted in the following joint estimates: source length of 1100{+-}220 km (100%) and 800{+-}200 km (99%), source duration of 690 s (100%) and 550 s (99%). The stopping point differs insignificantly from the northern extremity of the aftershock zone. Spatial HF radiation centroid is located at the distance of about 400 km at the azimuth N327W from the epicenter. Rupture propagation velocity estimates are 1.4-1.7 km/s for the entire rupture and 2.3 km/s for its southern, more powerful part. An interesting detail of the source is that the northernmost 300 km of the rupture radiated only 1% of the

Size and duration of the high-frequency radiator in the source of the December 26, 2004 Sumatra earthquake

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gusev, A.A.; Guseva, E.M.; Panza, G.F.

2006-04-01

We recover the gross space-time characteristics of high-frequency (HF) radiator of the great Sumatra-Andaman islands earthquake of Dec. 26, 2004, (M w =9.0-9.3) using the inversion of parameters describing the time histories of the power of radiated HF P waves. To determine these time histories we process teleseismic P waves at 37 BB stations, using, in sequence: (1) band filtering in the bands 0.4-1.2, 1.2-2, 2-3 and 3-4 Hz; (2) calculation of squared attenuation-corrected acceleration wave amplitudes, making 'power signal'; (3) elimination of distortion related to scattering and expressed as P coda. In step (3) we employ, as an empirical Green function, the power signal determined from an aftershock, from which we construct an inverse filter, and apply it to the recorded power signal. We thus recover the source time function for HF power, with a definite end and no coda. Three parameters are extracted from such signals: full ('100%') duration, temporal centroid, and 99% duration. Through linear inversion, station full durations deliver estimates of the rupture stopping point and stopping time. Similarly, signal temporal centroids and 99% durations can be inverted to obtain the position of the space-time centroid of HF energy radiator and of the point corresponding to the discharge of 99% of the energy. Inversion was successful for the three lower-frequency bands and resulted in the following joint estimates: source length of 1100±220 km (100%) and 800±200 km (99%), source duration of 690 s (100%) and 550 s (99%). The stopping point differs insignificantly from the northern extremity of the aftershock zone. Spatial HF radiation centroid is located at the distance of about 400 km at the azimuth N327W from the epicenter. Rupture propagation velocity estimates are 1.4-1.7 km/s for the entire rupture and 2.3 km/s for its southern, more powerful part. An interesting detail of the source is that the northernmost 300 km of the rupture radiated only 1% of the total HF

Start-up of plasma current by electron Bernstein wave

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maekawa, Takashi; Tanaka, Hitoshi; Uehide, Masaki

2009-01-01

Electron cyclotron current drive by electron Bernstein (EB) waves for the start-up and ramp-up of toroidal plasma current with no central solenoid in tokamaks is discussed. It is shown that high N// EB waves have ability to ramp-up the current against the counter voltage from self-induction, where N// is the parallel refractive index to the magnetic field, and they are especially suitable for initial current start-up phase where the bulk electron temperature is low enough to ensure high N// EB waves. (author)

Surfing wave climate variability

Science.gov (United States)

Espejo, Antonio; Losada, Iñigo J.; Méndez, Fernando J.

2014-10-01

International surfing destinations are highly dependent on specific combinations of wind-wave formation, thermal conditions and local bathymetry. Surf quality depends on a vast number of geophysical variables, and analyses of surf quality require the consideration of the seasonal, interannual and long-term variability of surf conditions on a global scale. A multivariable standardized index based on expert judgment is proposed for this purpose. This index makes it possible to analyze surf conditions objectively over a global domain. A summary of global surf resources based on a new index integrating existing wave, wind, tides and sea surface temperature databases is presented. According to general atmospheric circulation and swell propagation patterns, results show that west-facing low to middle-latitude coasts are more suitable for surfing, especially those in the Southern Hemisphere. Month-to-month analysis reveals strong seasonal variations in the occurrence of surfable events, enhancing the frequency of such events in the North Atlantic and the North Pacific. Interannual variability was investigated by comparing occurrence values with global and regional modes of low-frequency climate variability such as El Niño and the North Atlantic Oscillation, revealing their strong influence at both the global and the regional scale. Results of the long-term trends demonstrate an increase in the probability of surfable events on west-facing coasts around the world in recent years. The resulting maps provide useful information for surfers, the surf tourism industry and surf-related coastal planners and stakeholders.

Wind waves in the Black Sea: results of a hindcast study

Science.gov (United States)

Arkhipkin, V. S.; Gippius, F. N.; Koltermann, K. P.; Surkova, G. V.

2014-11-01

In this study we describe the wind wave fields in the Black Sea. The general aims of the work were the estimation of statistical wave parameters and the assessment of interannual and seasonal wave parameter variability. The domain of this study was the entire Black Sea. Wave parameters were calculated by means of the SWAN wave model on a 5 × 5 km rectangular grid. Initial conditions (wind speed and direction) for the period between 1949 and 2010 were derived from the NCEP/NCAR reanalysis. According to our calculations the average significant wave height on the Black Sea does not exceed 0.7 m. Areas of most significant heavy sea are the southwestern and the northeastern parts of the sea as expressed in the spatial distribution of significant wave heights, wave lengths and periods. Besides, long-term annual variations of wave parameters were estimated. Thus, linear trends of the annual total duration of storms and of their quantity are nearly stable over the hindcast period. However, an intensification of storm activity is observed in the 1960s-1970s.

Laser Induced Shock Waves and Vaporization in Biological System and Material Science

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Gerstman, Bernard S

2008-01-01

.... We have developed a computational model that allows the calculation of damage resulting from a laser pulse of any duration or energy due to temperature rise, explosive bubble formation, and shock wave production...

Sleep duration and insulin resistance in healthy black and white adolescents.

Science.gov (United States)

Matthews, Karen A; Dahl, Ronald E; Owens, Jane F; Lee, Laisze; Hall, Martica

2012-10-01

Poor sleep may play a role in insulin resistance and diabetes risk. Yet few studies of sleep and insulin resistance have focused on the important developmental period of adolescence. To address this gap, we examined the association of sleep and insulin resistance in healthy adolescents. Cross-sectional. Community setting in one high school. 245 (137 African Americans, 116 males) high school students. Participants provided a fasting blood draw and kept a sleep log and wore a wrist actigraph for one week during the school year. Participants' families were from low to middle class based on family Hollingshead scores. Total sleep time across the week averaged 7.4 h by diary and 6.4 h by actigraph; homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance ([HOMA-IR] unadjusted) averaged 4.13. Linear regression analyses adjusted for age, race, gender, body mass index, and waist circumference showed that the shorter the sleep, the higher the HOMA-IR, primarily due to sleep duration during the week. No evidence was found for long sleep being associated with elevated HOMA-IR. Fragmented sleep was not associated with HOMA-IR but was associated with glucose levels. Reduced sleep duration is associated with HOMA-IR in adolescence. Long sleep duration is not associated. Interventions to extend sleep duration may reduce diabetes risk in youth.

Toward tsunami early warning system in Indonesia by using rapid rupture durations estimation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Madlazim

2012-01-01

Indonesia has Indonesian Tsunami Early Warning System (Ina-TEWS) since 2008. The Ina-TEWS has used automatic processing on hypocenter; Mwp, Mw (mB) and Mj. If earthquake occurred in Ocean, depth 7, then Ina-TEWS announce early warning that the earthquake can generate tsunami. However, the announcement of the Ina-TEWS is still not accuracy. Purposes of this research are to estimate earthquake rupture duration of large Indonesia earthquakes that occurred in Indian Ocean, Java, Timor sea, Banda sea, Arafura sea and Pasific ocean. We analyzed at least 330 vertical seismogram recorded by IRIS-DMC network using a direct procedure for rapid assessment of earthquake tsunami potential using simple measures on P-wave vertical seismograms on the velocity records, and the likelihood that the high-frequency, apparent rupture duration, T dur . T dur can be related to the critical parameters rupture length (L), depth (z), and shear modulus (μ) while T dur may be related to wide (W), slip (D), z or μ. Our analysis shows that the rupture duration has a stronger influence to generate tsunami than Mw and depth. The rupture duration gives more information on tsunami impact, Mo/μ, depth and size than Mw and other currently used discriminants. We show more information which known from the rupture durations. The longer rupture duration, the shallower source of the earthquake. For rupture duration greater than 50 s, the depth less than 50 km, Mw greater than 7, the longer rupture length, because T dur is proportional L and greater Mo/μ. Because Mo/μ is proportional L. So, with rupture duration information can be known information of the four parameters. We also suggest that tsunami potential is not directly related to the faulting type of source and for events that have rupture duration greater than 50 s, the earthquakes generated tsunami. With available real-time seismogram data, rapid calculation, rupture duration discriminant can be completed within 4–5 min after an earthquake

Scaling observations of surface waves in the Beaufort Sea

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Madison Smith

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract The rapidly changing Arctic sea ice cover affects surface wave growth across all scales. Here, in situ measurements of waves, observed from freely-drifting buoys during the 2014 open water season, are interpreted using open water distances determined from satellite ice products and wind forcing time series measured in situ with the buoys. A significant portion of the wave observations were found to be limited by open water distance (fetch when the wind duration was sufficient for the conditions to be considered stationary. The scaling of wave energy and frequency with open water distance demonstrated the indirect effects of ice cover on regional wave evolution. Waves in partial ice cover could be similarly categorized as distance-limited by applying the same open water scaling to determine an ‘effective fetch’. The process of local wave generation in ice appeared to be a strong function of the ice concentration, wherein the ice cover severely reduces the effective fetch. The wave field in the Beaufort Sea is thus a function of the sea ice both locally, where wave growth primarily occurs in the open water between floes, and regionally, where the ice edge may provide a more classic fetch limitation. Observations of waves in recent years may be indicative of an emerging trend in the Arctic Ocean, where we will observe increasing wave energy with decreasing sea ice extent.

Wave propagation in photonic crystals and metamaterials: Surface waves, nonlinearity and chirality

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Bingnan [Iowa State Univ., Ames, IA (United States)

2009-01-01

nonlinear SRRs are built and modeled to study the nonlinearity in magnetic metamaterials and the results will be presented in Chapter 3. Negative refractive index n is one of the major target in the research of metamaterials. Negative n can be obtained with a metamaterial with both ϵ and μ negative. As an alternative, negative index for one of the circularly polarized waves could be achieved with metamaterials having a strong chirality ?. In this case neither ϵ} nor μ negative is required. My work on chiral metamaterials will be presented in Chapter 4.

Lamb Wave Assessment of Fatigue and Thermal Damage in Composites

Science.gov (United States)

Seale, Michael D.; Smith, Barry T.; Prosser, W. H.

2004-01-01

Among the various techniques available, ultrasonic Lamb waves offer a convenient method of evaluating composite materials. Since the Lamb wave velocity depends on the elastic properties of a structure, an effective tool exists to monitor damage in composites by measuring the velocity of these waves. Lamb wave measurements can propagate over long distances and are sensitive to the desired in-plane elastic properties of the material. This paper describes two studies which monitor fatigue damage and two studies which monitor thermal damage in composites using Lamb waves. In the fatigue studies, the Lamb wave velocity is compared to modulus measurements obtained using strain gage measurements in the first experiment and the velocity is monitored along with the crack density in the second. In the thermal damage studies, one examines samples which were exposed to varying temperatures for a three minute duration and the second includes rapid thermal damage in composites by intense laser beams. In all studies, the Lamb wave velocity is demonstrated to be an excellent method to monitor damage in composites.

Myocardial preload alters central pressure augmentation through changes in the forward wave

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van de Velde, Lennart; Eeftinck Schattenkerk, Daan W.; Venema, Pascale A. H. T.; Best, Hendrik J.; van den Bogaard, Bas; Stok, Wim J.; Westerhof, Berend E.; van den Born, Bert Jan H.

2018-01-01

Augmentation index (AIx) is often used to quantify the contribution of wave reflection to central pulse pressure. Recent studies have challenged this view by showing how contractility-induced changes in the forward pressure wave can markedly impact AIx. We hypothesized that changes in preload will

Myocardial preload alters central pressure augmentation through changes in the forward wave

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Van De Velde, Lennart; Eeftinck Schattenkerk, Daan W.; Venema, Pascale A.H.T.; Best, Hendrik J.; Van Den Bogaard, Bas; Stok, Wim J.; Westerhof, Berend E.; Van Den Born, Bert Jan H.

2018-01-01

Objective: Augmentation index (AIx) is often used to quantify the contribution of wave reflection to central pulse pressure. Recent studies have challenged this view by showing how contractility-induced changes in the forward pressure wave can markedly impact AIx. We hypothesized that changes in

[Interaction between quality and duration of sleep on the prevalence of type 2 diabetes].

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Pan; Lou, Peian; Chang, Guiqiu; Zhang, Lei; Chen, Peipei; Li, Ting; Qiao, Cheng; Dong, Zongmei

2014-09-01

To explore the effects related to quality and duration of sleep and their interactions on the prevalence of type-2 diabetes (T2DM). 9 622 people aged 18 years and over were recruited for our cross-sectional study during March 2013 to May 2013. Unconditional logistic regression was used to analyze the relationship between quality and duration of sleep on T2DM. Bootstrap was used to calculate the relative excess risk of interaction (RERI), the attributable proportion (AP) of interaction and the synergy index (SI). 95% confidence intervals (CI) of RERI, AP and SI were estimated. Concerning the comparison between cases and controls on both individual and total scores, other scores were all significantly different (P quality was higher than that in volunteers with good sleeping quality (P quality and short duration (OR = 4.78, 95% CI:3.32-6.99; P quality and 6-8 h sleep duration. The risk of T2DM still increased in people who had poor sleep or long duration (OR = 1.92, 95% CI:1.18-3.31; P interaction between poor sleep quality and short sleep duration, while 0.33 (-0.12-1.13), 0.17 (-0.03-0.51), 1.56 (0.76-2.74) for the interaction between good sleep quality and long sleep duration. Our results suggested that there were additive interactions between poor quality and shorter duration of sleep.

Heat wave propagation in a thin film irradiated by ultra-short laser pulses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoo, Jae Gwon; Kim, Cheol Jung; Lim, C. H.

2004-01-01

A thermal wave solution of a hyperbolic heat conduction equation in a thin film is developed on the basis of the Green's function formalism. Numerical computations are carried out to investigate the temperature response and the propagation of the thermal wave inside a thin film due to a heat pulse generated by ultra-short laser pulses with various laser pulse durations and thickness of the film

Characterization of tsunamigenic earthquake in Java region based on seismic wave calculation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pribadi, Sugeng, E-mail: sugengpribadimsc@gmail.com [Badan Meteorologi Klimatologi Geofisika, Jl Angkasa I No. 2 Jakarta (Indonesia); Afnimar,; Puspito, Nanang T.; Ibrahim, Gunawan [Institut Teknologi Bandung, Jl. Ganesha 10, Bandung 40132 (Indonesia)

2014-03-24

This study is to characterize the source mechanism of tsunamigenic earthquake based on seismic wave calculation. The source parameter used are the ratio (Θ) between the radiated seismic energy (E) and seismic moment (M{sub o}), moment magnitude (M{sub W}), rupture duration (T{sub o}) and focal mechanism. These determine the types of tsunamigenic earthquake and tsunami earthquake. We calculate the formula using the teleseismic wave signal processing with the initial phase of P wave with bandpass filter 0.001 Hz to 5 Hz. The amount of station is 84 broadband seismometer with far distance of 30° to 90°. The 2 June 1994 Banyuwangi earthquake with M{sub W}=7.8 and the 17 July 2006 Pangandaran earthquake with M{sub W}=7.7 include the criteria as a tsunami earthquake which distributed about ratio Θ=−6.1, long rupture duration To>100 s and high tsunami H>7 m. The 2 September 2009 Tasikmalaya earthquake with M{sub W}=7.2, Θ=−5.1 and To=27 s which characterized as a small tsunamigenic earthquake.

Characterization of tsunamigenic earthquake in Java region based on seismic wave calculation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pribadi, Sugeng; Afnimar,; Puspito, Nanang T.; Ibrahim, Gunawan

2014-01-01

This study is to characterize the source mechanism of tsunamigenic earthquake based on seismic wave calculation. The source parameter used are the ratio (Θ) between the radiated seismic energy (E) and seismic moment (M o ), moment magnitude (M W ), rupture duration (T o ) and focal mechanism. These determine the types of tsunamigenic earthquake and tsunami earthquake. We calculate the formula using the teleseismic wave signal processing with the initial phase of P wave with bandpass filter 0.001 Hz to 5 Hz. The amount of station is 84 broadband seismometer with far distance of 30° to 90°. The 2 June 1994 Banyuwangi earthquake with M W =7.8 and the 17 July 2006 Pangandaran earthquake with M W =7.7 include the criteria as a tsunami earthquake which distributed about ratio Θ=−6.1, long rupture duration To>100 s and high tsunami H>7 m. The 2 September 2009 Tasikmalaya earthquake with M W =7.2, Θ=−5.1 and To=27 s which characterized as a small tsunamigenic earthquake

Evaluating the cardiac function of duchenne muscular dystrophy with Doppler Tei index

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yao Fengjuan; Zheng Ju; Lu Kun; Liu Donghong; Wu Miaoling; Lin Hong; Zhang Cheng; Yu Hongkui

2007-01-01

Objective: To evaluate the cardiac function of early Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) by left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and pulse Doppler Tei index. Methods: Twenty-eight DMD patients and fifteen normal people were studied. LVEF, E/A and Tei index were measured and calculated by M-mode and Pulse wave Doppler respectively. Results: Compared with control group, Tei index and IRT were significantly high, and there were not significant difference in LVEF(%) and E/A. Conclusion: Tei index was valuable in assessing cardiac function of early DMD. (authors)

Accessibility for lower hybrid waves in PBX-M

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takahashi, H.; Bell, R.; Bernabei, S.; Chance, M.; Chu, T.K.; Gettelfinger, G.; Greenough, N.; Hatcher, R.; Ignat, D.; Jardin, S.; Kaita, R.; Kaye, S.; Kugel, H.; LeBlanc, B.; Manickam, J.; Okabayashi, M.; Ono, M.; Paul, S.; Perkins, F.; Sauthoff, N.; Sesnic, S.; Sun, Y.; Tighe, W.; Valeo, E.; von Goeler, S.; Dunlap, J.; England, A.; Harris, J.; Hirshman, S.; Isler, R.; Post-Zwicker, A.; Jones, S.; Kesner, J.; Luckhardt, S.; Paoletti, F.; Schmitz, L.; Tynan, G.

1993-07-01

Understanding the wave damping mechanism in the presence of a 'spectral gap' is an important issue for the current profile control using Lower Hybrid Current Drive (LHCD). The authors examine a traditional explanation based upon upshifting of the wave parallel refractive index (n parallel ) and find that there can be an upper bound in the n parallel upshift. The amount of upshift is not sufficient to bridge the spectral gap completely under some PBX-M LHCD conditions. There is experimental evidence, however, that current was driven even under such conditions. Another mechanism is also considered, based upon the 2-D velocity space dynamics coupled with a compound wave spectrum, here consisting of forward- and backward-running waves. The runaway critical speed relative to the phase speeds of these waves plays an important role in this model

Self-reported sleep duration and weight-control strategies among U.S. high school students.

Science.gov (United States)

Wheaton, Anne G; Perry, Geraldine S; Chapman, Daniel P; Croft, Janet B

2013-08-01

To determine if self-reported sleep duration was associated with weight-control behaviors among US high school students. National Youth Risk Behavior Survey. United States, 2007. US high school students (N = 12,087). Students were asked if they had engaged in several weight-control behaviors during the 30 days before the survey to lose or maintain weight. Self-reported sleep duration categories included very short (≤ 5 h), short (6 or 7 h), referent moderate (8 or 9 h), and long (≥ 10 h). Sex-specific logistic regression analyses with race/ethnicity, grade, and body mass index category as covariates were conducted using SUDAAN to account for complex study design. Approximately half the students reported short sleep duration (51.8% of males and 54.3% of females), whereas very short sleep durations were reported by another 14.8% of males and 16.9% of females. Among males, very short sleepers were significantly (P sleep duration was associated with dieting and three unhealthy weight-control behaviors in this population. If our findings are confirmed, intervention studies should be conducted to examine the effect of educational interventions.

Association between duration of playing video games and bone mineral density in Chinese adolescents.

Science.gov (United States)

Shao, Haiyu; Xu, Shaonan; Zhang, Jun; Zheng, Jiayin; Chen, Jinping; Huang, Yazeng; Ru, Bin; Jin, Yongming; Zhang, Qi; Ying, Qifeng

2015-01-01

The aim of the study was to investigate the association between duration of playing video games and bone mineral density (BMD) in Chinese adolescents. Three hundred eighty-four Chinese adolescents aged 14-18 yr (148 males and 236 females) were analyzed. Anthropometric measurements were obtained using standard procedures. Total body and regional BMD were measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Duration of playing video games, defined as hours per day, was measured by a self-report questionnaire. We examined the association between duration of playing video games and BMD using multiple linear regression analysis. After adjustment for age, sex, pubertal stage, parental education, body mass index, adolescents with longer video game duration were more likely to have lower legs, trunk, pelvic, spine, and total BMD (p video game was negatively associated with BMD in Chinese adolescents. These findings provide support for reducing duration of playing video games as a possible means to increase BMD in adolescents. Future research is needed to elucidate the underlined mechanisms linking playing video games and osteoporosis. Copyright © 2015 The International Society for Clinical Densitometry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The effect of cellular aging on the dynamics of spiral waves

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deng Min-Yi; Chen Xi-Qiong; Tang Guo-Ning

2014-01-01

Cellular aging can result in deterioration of electrical coupling, the extension of the action potential duration, and lower excitability of the cell. Those factors are introduced into the Greenberg—Hastings cellular automaton model and the effects of the cellular aging on the dynamics of spiral waves are studied. The numerical results show that a 50% reduction of the coupling strength of aging cells has a little influence on spiral waves. If the coupling strength of aging cells equals zero, the ability for the medium to maintain spiral waves will be reduced by approximately 50% when the aging cell ratio increases from 0 to 0.5, where the reduction of cell excitability plays a major role in inducing disappearance of spiral waves. When the relevant parameters are properly chosen, the cellular aging can lead to the meandering of spiral waves, the emergence of the binary spiral waves, and even the disappearance of spiral waves via the stopping rotation or shrinkage of wave. Physical mechanisms of the above phenomena are analyzed briefly. (general)

Habitual sleep duration is associated with BMI and macronutrient intake and may be modified by CLOCK genetic variants

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dashti, Hassan S; Follis, Jack L; Smith, Caren E

2015-01-01

examined associations between habitual sleep duration, body mass index (BMI), and macronutrient intake and assessed whether CLOCK variants modify these associations. DESIGN: We conducted inverse-variance weighted, fixed-effect meta-analyses of results of adjusted associations of sleep duration and BMI...... and macronutrient intake as percentages of total energy as well as interactions with CLOCK variants from 9 cohort studies including up to 14,906 participants of European descent from the Cohorts for Heart and Aging Research in Genomic Epidemiology Consortium. RESULTS: We observed a significant association between...... sleep duration and lower BMI (β ± SE = 0.16 ± 0.04, P macronutrient intake were evident in age- and sex-stratified analyses only. We observed a significant association between sleep duration and lower saturated...

Comparison of QRS Duration and Associated Cardiovascular Events in American Indian Men Versus Women (The Strong Heart Study).

Science.gov (United States)

Deen, Jason F; Rhoades, Dorothy A; Noonan, Carolyn; Best, Lyle G; Okin, Peter M; Devereux, Richard B; Umans, Jason G

2017-06-01

Electrocardiographic QRS duration at rest is associated with sudden cardiac death and death from coronary heart disease in the general population. However, its relation to cardiovascular events in American Indians, a population with persistently high cardiovascular disease mortality, is unknown. The relation of QRS duration to incident cardiovascular disease during 17.2 years of follow-up was assessed in 1,851 male and female Strong Heart Study participants aged 45 to 74 years without known cardiovascular disease at baseline. Cox regression with robust standard error estimates was used to determine the association between quintiles of QRS duration and incident cardiovascular disease in gender-stratified analyses, adjusted for age, systolic blood pressure, hypertension, antihypertensive medication use, body mass index, current smoking, diabetes, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and albuminuria. In women only, QRS duration in the highest quintile (≥105 ms) conferred significantly higher risk of cardiovascular disease than QRS duration in the lowest quintile (64 to 84 ms) (hazard ratio 1.6, 95% CI 1.1 to 2.4) likely because of higher risks of coronary heart disease (hazard ratio 1.8, 95% CI 1.1 to 3.1) and myocardial infarction (hazard ratio 2.1, 95% CI 1.0 to 4.7). Furthermore, when added to the Strong Heart Study Coronary Heart Disease Risk Calculator, QRS duration significantly improved prediction of future coronary heart disease events in women (Net Reclassification Index 0.17, 95% CI 0.06 to 0.47). In conclusion, QRS duration is an independent predictor of cardiovascular disease in women in the Strong Heart Study cohort and may have value in estimating risk in populations with similar risk profiles and a high lifetime incidence of cardiovascular disease. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effect of Fitness Qigong-Wuqinxi exercise on some physiological indexes of female college students

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

PAN Guojian

2016-02-01

Full Text Available To know the reaction and adaption of human body after taking Fitness Qigong-Wuqinxi exercise and promote the popularity of Fitness Qigong-Wuqinxi exercise in universities,especially in female college students who do not major in sports,we observed their gas metabolism indexes and heart rates and contrast body shape and some physical quality indexes before and after the regular exercise for 16 weeks.The results showed that the indexes of waist,BMI,back force,grip force,and proneness when sitting improved obviously.Although height,weight,abdominal skinfold thickness,body fate percentage didn′t have significant change,the development trend is toward the direction of health.After exercise for 16 weeks,the three indexes of lung ventilation (VE、VO2、VCO2 showed wave shape.It is obvious that Fitness Qigong-Wuqinxi exercise can obviously improve the body shape,physical quality,and the function of heart and lung.Also,the wave feature of the indexes of lung ventilation can adjust the cardiopulmonary function,so Fitness Qigong-Wuqinxi exercise is a new safe and reliable fitness program.

Effects of methylprednisolone on the duration of rocuronium-induced neuromuscular block

Science.gov (United States)

Geng, Weilian; Nie, Yuyan; Huang, Shaoqiang

2017-01-01

Abstract Background: We aim to investigate whether intraoperative use of methylprednisolone could affect the duration of rocuronium-induced neuromuscular blockade. Methods: A double blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial was conducted. A total of 136 patients underwent gynecologic laparoscopic surgery were randomly divided into 3 groups: pregroup, receiving intravenous injection of methylprednisolone (40 mg) 30 minutes before induction of anesthesia; postgroup, receiving intravenous injection of methylprednisolone (40 mg) immediately after induction of anesthesia and intubation; and control group, receiving intravenous injection of normal saline. Patients were intravenously administrated with rocuronium 0.6 mg/kg, and changes in adductor policies evoked twitch responses were measured by ulnar nerve stimulator. Results: We found that all patients achieved maximum blockade effects, and there was no difference in onset time among the 2 groups. For time required to achieve train-of-four ratio (TOFR) 90%, pregroup (64.50 ± 10.52 minutes) and postgroup (65.29 ± 11.64 minutes) were significantly shorter than that of the control group (71.04 ± 10.55 minutes, P = .027), whereas clinical duration and total duration were significantly shorter in the 2 groups received methylprednisolone than the control group. However, there was no significant difference between the 2 treatment groups either in clinical duration and total duration of muscle relaxants, or time required to achieve TOFR 90%. No significant difference was found in recovery index among the 3 groups. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that a single intravenous injection of methylprednisolone, no matter preoperatively or intraoperatively, could shorten the duration of rocuronium-induced neuromuscular blockade. PMID:28953616

Gravity waves from quantum stress tensor fluctuations in inflation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu, Chun-Hsien; Hsiang, Jen-Tsung; Ford, L. H.; Ng, Kin-Wang

2011-01-01

We consider the effects of the quantum stress tensor fluctuations of a conformal field in generating gravity waves in inflationary models. We find a nonscale invariant, non-Gaussian contribution which depends upon the total expansion factor between an initial time and the end of inflation. This spectrum of gravity wave perturbations is an illustration of a negative power spectrum, which is possible in quantum field theory. We discuss possible choices for the initial conditions. If the initial time is taken to be sufficiently early, the fluctuating gravity waves are potentially observable both in the CMB radiation and in gravity wave detectors, and could offer a probe of trans-Planckian physics. The fact that they have not yet been observed might be used to constrain the duration and energy scale of inflation. However, this conclusion is contingent upon including the contribution of modes which were trans-Planckian at the beginning of inflation.

Gravity waves from quantum stress tensor fluctuations in inflation

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Chun-Hsien; Hsiang, Jen-Tsung; Ford, L. H.; Ng, Kin-Wang

2011-11-01

We consider the effects of the quantum stress tensor fluctuations of a conformal field in generating gravity waves in inflationary models. We find a nonscale invariant, non-Gaussian contribution which depends upon the total expansion factor between an initial time and the end of inflation. This spectrum of gravity wave perturbations is an illustration of a negative power spectrum, which is possible in quantum field theory. We discuss possible choices for the initial conditions. If the initial time is taken to be sufficiently early, the fluctuating gravity waves are potentially observable both in the CMB radiation and in gravity wave detectors, and could offer a probe of trans-Planckian physics. The fact that they have not yet been observed might be used to constrain the duration and energy scale of inflation. However, this conclusion is contingent upon including the contribution of modes which were trans-Planckian at the beginning of inflation.

Application of multi-parameter chorus and plasmaspheric hiss wave models in radiation belt modeling

Science.gov (United States)

Aryan, H.; Kang, S. B.; Balikhin, M. A.; Fok, M. C. H.; Agapitov, O. V.; Komar, C. M.; Kanekal, S. G.; Nagai, T.; Sibeck, D. G.

2017-12-01

Numerical simulation studies of the Earth's radiation belts are important to understand the acceleration and loss of energetic electrons. The Comprehensive Inner Magnetosphere-Ionosphere (CIMI) model along with many other radiation belt models require inputs for pitch angle, energy, and cross diffusion of electrons, due to chorus and plasmaspheric hiss waves. These parameters are calculated using statistical wave distribution models of chorus and plasmaspheric hiss amplitudes. In this study we incorporate recently developed multi-parameter chorus and plasmaspheric hiss wave models based on geomagnetic index and solar wind parameters. We perform CIMI simulations for two geomagnetic storms and compare the flux enhancement of MeV electrons with data from the Van Allen Probes and Akebono satellites. We show that the relativistic electron fluxes calculated with multi-parameter wave models resembles the observations more accurately than the relativistic electron fluxes calculated with single-parameter wave models. This indicates that wave models based on a combination of geomagnetic index and solar wind parameters are more effective as inputs to radiation belt models.

Experimental investigation of shock wave - bubble interaction

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Alizadeh, Mohsen

2010-04-09

In this work, the dynamics of laser-generated single cavitation bubbles exposed to lithotripter shock waves has been investigated experimentally. The energy of the impinging shock wave is varied in several steps. High-speed photography and pressure field measurements simultaneously with image acquisition provide the possibility of capturing the fast bubble dynamics under the effect of the shock wave impact. The pressure measurement is performed using a fiber optic probe hydrophone (FOPH) which operates based on optical diagnostics of the shock wave propagating medium. After a short introduction in chapter 1 an overview of the previous studies in chapter 2 is presented. The reported literatures include theoretical and experimental investigations of several configurations of physical problems in the field of bubble dynamics. In chapter 3 a theoretical description of propagation of a shock wave in a liquid like water has been discussed. Different kinds of reflection of a shock wave at an interface are taken into account. Undisturbed bubble dynamics as well as interaction between a planar shock wave and an initially spherical bubble are explored theoretically. Some physical parameters which are important in this issue such as the velocity of the shock-induced liquid jet, Kelvin impulse and kinetic energy are explained. The shock waves are generated in a water filled container by a focusing piezoelectric generator. The shock wave profile has a positive part with pulse duration of ∼1 μs followed by a longer tension tail (i.e. ∼3 μs). In chapter 4 high-speed images depict the propagation of a shock wave in the water filled tank. The maximum pressure is also derived for different intensity levels of the shock wave generator. The measurement is performed in the free field (i.e. in the absence of laser-generated single bubbles). In chapter 5 the interaction between lithotripter shock waves and laserinduced single cavitation bubbles is investigated experimentally. An

HIGH IMPACT HEAT WAVES OVER THE EURO-MEDITERRANEAN REGION AND TURKEY - IN CONCERT WITH ATMOSPHERIC BLOCKING AND LARGE DYNAMICAL AND PHYSICAL ANOMALIES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Meral Demirtaş

2017-03-01

Full Text Available The increase in high impact heat waves in the Euro-Mediterranean region and Turkey is related to a number of concurring factors that include the persistent anticyclonic weather regimes. The present study investigates the June-July-August (JJA of 2000, 2007 and 2010 heat wave events in concert with some meteorological anomalies (the 500 hPa geopotential height, 850 hPa temperature, sea surface temperature and soil wetness and blocking anticyclones, focusing on heat wave occurrences on a grid point base. Detection methods for atmospheric blocking and heat wave are introduced and applied for the mentioned years. During the 2000 JJA very high temperatures were recorded over the Balkan Peninsula and in Turkey where 42 cities had breaking all time highest temperature records for June, but the duration of heat wave was the shortest. The 2007 summer was also abnormally hot for the region and record breaking temperatures were observed in Greece, Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey where 34 cities had highest temperature records for June and July, and the highest total heat wave duration was 60-70 days. The 2010 JJA period was extremely hot over Russia and nearby countries including Turkey where 9 cities had highest temperature records for August. The 2010 case was marked for; large anomalies, the longest heat wave duration and the highest heat wave intensity. In all cases, heat wave occurrences found to be particularly high over the western part of Turkey. The abnormally hot summers of 2000, 2007 and 2010 could reflect summers to come. The results indicate that summer climate might experience a pronounced increase in year-to-year variability. Increase in variability might be able to explain the high impact heat waves, and would strongly affect their incidence in the future. The results may also contribute to a better understanding of heat waves in context of climate variability.

The effects of core-reflected waves on finite fault inversions with teleseismic body wave data

Science.gov (United States)

Qian, Yunyi; Ni, Sidao; Wei, Shengji; Almeida, Rafael; Zhang, Han

2017-11-01

Teleseismic body waves are essential for imaging rupture processes of large earthquakes. Earthquake source parameters are usually characterized by waveform analyses such as finite fault inversions using only turning (direct) P and SH waves without considering the reflected phases from the core-mantle boundary (CMB). However, core-reflected waves such as ScS usually have amplitudes comparable to direct S waves due to the total reflection from the CMB and might interfere with the S waves used for inversion, especially at large epicentral distances for long duration earthquakes. In order to understand how core-reflected waves affect teleseismic body wave inversion results, we develop a procedure named Multitel3 to compute Green's functions that contain turning waves (direct P, pP, sP, direct S, sS and reverberations in the crust) and core-reflected waves (PcP, pPcP, sPcP, ScS, sScS and associated reflected phases from the CMB). This ray-based method can efficiently generate synthetic seismograms for turning and core-reflected waves independently, with the flexibility to take into account the 3-D Earth structure effect on the timing between these phases. The performance of this approach is assessed through a series of numerical inversion tests on synthetic waveforms of the 2008 Mw7.9 Wenchuan earthquake and the 2015 Mw7.8 Nepal earthquake. We also compare this improved method with the turning-wave only inversions and explore the stability of the new procedure when there are uncertainties in a priori information (such as fault geometry and epicentre location) or arrival time of core-reflected phases. Finally, a finite fault inversion of the 2005 Mw8.7 Nias-Simeulue earthquake is carried out using the improved Green's functions. Using enhanced Green's functions yields better inversion results as expected. While the finite source inversion with conventional P and SH waves is able to recover large-scale characteristics of the earthquake source, by adding PcP and ScS phases

P-polarized surface waves in a slab waveguide with left-handed material for sensing applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Taya, Sofyan A.

2015-01-01

In this paper, surface waves excited at the interface between left-handed and right-handed materials are employed for sensing applications. The propagation of p-polarized (TM) surface waves in a three-layer slab waveguide structure with air core layer as an analyte and anisotropic left-handed materials as claddings is investigated for detection of any changes in the refractive index of the analyte. The dispersion equations and the sensitivity of the effective refractive index to any change in the air layer index are derived, plotted, and discussed in details. The field profile is also explored. It is found that the sensitivity of the proposed surface wave sensor is almost independent of the wavelength of the propagating wave. A considerable sensitivity improvement can be obtained with the increase of transverse components of the left-handed material permittivity. - Highlights: • P-polarized surface waves in a three-layer slab waveguide are employed for sensing applications. • The structure contains air core layer as an analyte and anisotropic left-handed material in the claddings. • The sensitivity is found to be almost independent of the wavelength of the propagating wave. • Unusual sensitivity enhancement is observed as the transverse components of the LHM permittivity increase. • The asymmetric waveguide structure exhibits much higher sensitivity compared to the symmetric one

Detailed study of electron plasma waves upstream of the earth's bow shock

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Etcheto, J.; Faucheux, M.

1984-01-01

A detailed study of electron plasma waves observed upstream of the earth's bow shock and of their relationships to the position of the satellite in the foreshock and to the electron measurements has been carried out. The wave characteristics depend on the position in the electron foreshock: a narrow-bnd (a few percent) and intense (a few millivolts per meter) noise is observed at the plasma frequency at the edge of the foreshock while the spectrum widens (Δf/fapprox. =0.3) at the same time as the power decreases (hundreds of microvolts per meter) deeper (a few earth radii) inside the foreshock. Signals below the plasma frequency are also observed. These waves are polarized along the magnetic field, with long wavelengths below and at the plasma frequency and short wavelengths above it. They appear as short bursts, the duration of which depends on the frequency: longer close to the plasma frequency (50 ms), they shorten with increasing separation from the plasma frequency, the usual duration being 15 ms. While the correlation of the wave characteristics with the reflected electrons is good as the satellite moves inside the foreshock, no evolution is found with the distance to the bow shock, neither for the noise nor for the particles. These results are discussed in the frame of various mechanisms which have been proposed to explain these upstream waves but no satisfactory agreement is found with any of them

Nonlinear Brillouin amplification of finite-duration seeds in the strong coupling regime

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lehmann, G.; Spatschek, K. H.

2013-01-01

Parametric plasma processes received renewed interest in the context of generating ultra-intense and ultra-short laser pulses up to the exawatt-zetawatt regime. Both Raman as well as Brillouin amplifications of seed pulses were proposed. Here, we investigate Brillouin processes in the one-dimensional (1D) backscattering geometry with the help of numerical simulations. For optimal seed amplification, Brillouin scattering is considered in the so called strong coupling (sc) regime. Special emphasis lies on the dependence of the amplification process on the finite duration of the initial seed pulses. First, the standard plane-wave instability predictions are generalized to pulse models, and the changes of initial seed pulse forms due to parametric instabilities are investigated. Three-wave-interaction results are compared to predictions by a new (kinetic) Vlasov code. The calculations are then extended to the nonlinear region with pump depletion. Generation of different seed layers is interpreted by self-similar solutions of the three-wave interaction model. Similar to Raman amplification, shadowing of the rear layers by the leading layers of the seed occurs. The shadowing is more pronounced for initially broad seed pulses. The effect is quantified for Brillouin amplification. Kinetic Vlasov simulations agree with the three-wave interaction predictions and thereby affirm the universal validity of self-similar layer formation during Brillouin seed amplification in the strong coupling regime

Propagation of electromagnetic radiation in a random field of gravitational waves and space radio interferometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Braginsky, V.B.; Kardashev, N.S.; Polnarev, A.G.; Novikov, I.D.

1989-12-01

Propagation of an electromagnetic wave in the field of gravitational waves is considered. Attention is given to the principal difference between the electromagnetic wave propagation in the field of random gravitational waves and the electromagnetic wave propagation in a medium with a randomly-inhomogeneous refraction index. It is shown that in the case of the gravitation wave field the phase shift of an electromagnetic wave does not increase with distance. The capability of space radio interferometry to detect relic gravitational waves as well as gravitational wave bursts of non cosmological origin are analyzed. (author). 64 refs, 2 figs

Projections of Heat Waves Events in the Intra-Americas Region Using Multimodel Ensemble

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Moises Angeles-Malaspina

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Significant accelerated warming of the Sea Surface Temperature of 0.15°C per decade (1982–2012 was recently detected, which motivated the research for the present consequences and future projections on the heat index and heat waves in the intra-Americas region. Present records every six hours are retrieved from NCEP reanalysis (1948–2015 to calculate heat waves changes. Heat index intensification has been detected in the region since 1998 and driven by surface pressure changes, sinking air enhancement, and warm/weaker cold advection. This regional warmer atmosphere leads to heat waves intensification with changes in both frequency and maximum amplitude distribution. Future projections using a multimodel ensemble mean for five global circulation models were used to project heat waves in the future under two scenarios: RCP4.5 and RCP8.5. Massive heat waves events were projected at the end of the 21st century, particularly in the RCP8.5 scenario. Consequently, the regional climate change in the current time and in the future will require special attention to mitigate the more intense and frequent heat waves impacts on human health, countries’ economies, and energy demands in the IAR.

Two markers in predicting the cardiovascular events in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome: increased P-wave and QT dispersion.

Science.gov (United States)

Akdag, S; Cim, N; Yildizhan, R; Akyol, A; Ozturk, F; Babat, N

2015-09-01

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a prevalent disease with many potential long-term cardiovascular risks. P-wave dispersion (Pdis) and QT dispersion (QTdis) have been shown to be noninvasive electrocardiographic predictors for development of cardiac arrhythmias. In this study we aimed to search Pdis and QTdis parameters in patients with PCOS. The study included 82 patients with PCOS and 74 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Baseline 12-lead electrocardiographic and transthoracic echocardiographic measurements were evaluated. P-wave maximum duration (Pmax), P-wave minimum duration (Pmin), Pdis, QT interval, heart rate-corrected QT dispersion and QTdis were calculated by two cardiologists. Patients wirh PCOS had significantly higher QT dispersion (49.5 ± 14.1 vs. 37.9 ± 12.6 ms, p PCOS patients.

Arterial wave reflection and subclinical left ventricular systolic dysfunction.

Science.gov (United States)

Russo, Cesare; Jin, Zhezhen; Takei, Yasuyoshi; Hasegawa, Takuya; Koshaka, Shun; Palmieri, Vittorio; Elkind, Mitchell Sv; Homma, Shunichi; Sacco, Ralph L; Di Tullio, Marco R

2011-03-01

Increased arterial wave reflection is a predictor of cardiovascular events and has been hypothesized to be a cofactor in the pathophysiology of heart failure. Whether increased wave reflection is inversely associated with left-ventricular (LV) systolic function in individuals without heart failure is not clear. Arterial wave reflection and LV systolic function were assessed in 301 participants from the Cardiovascular Abnormalities and Brain Lesions (CABL) study using two-dimensional echocardiography and applanation tonometry of the radial artery to derive central arterial waveform by a validated transfer function. Aortic augmentation index (AIx) and wasted energy index (WEi) were used as indices of wave reflection. LV systolic function was measured by LV ejection fraction (LVEF) and tissue Doppler imaging (TDI). Mitral annulus peak systolic velocity (Sm), peak longitudinal strain and strain rate were measured. Participants with history of coronary artery disease, atrial fibrillation, LVEF less than 50% or wall motion abnormalities were excluded. Mean age of the study population was 68.3 ± 10.2 years (64.1% women, 65% hypertensive). LV systolic function by TDI was lower with increasing wave reflection, whereas LVEF was not. In multivariate analysis, TDI parameters of LV longitudinal systolic function were significantly and inversely correlated to AIx and WEi (P values from 0.05 to 0.002). In a community cohort without heart failure and with normal LVEF, an increased arterial wave reflection was associated with subclinical reduction in LV systolic function assessed by novel TDI techniques. Further studies are needed to investigate the prognostic implications of this relationship.

Remediation of Diesel Fuel Contaminated Sandy Soil using Ultrasonic Waves

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wulandari P.S.

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Ultrasonic cleaning has been used in industry for some time, but the application of ultrasonic cleaning in contaminated soil is just recently received considerable attention, it is a very new technique, especially in Indonesia. An ultrasonic cleaner works mostly by energy released from the collapse of millions of microscopic cavitations near the dirty surface. This paper investigates the use of ultrasonic wave to enhance remediation of diesel fuel contaminated sandy soil considering the ultrasonic power, soil particle size, soil density, water flow rate, and duration of ultrasonic waves application.

Biological effects of laser-induced stress waves

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Doukas, A.; Lee, S.; McAuliffe, D.

1995-01-01

Laser-induced stress waves can be generated by one of the following mechanisms: Optical breakdown, ablation or rapid heating of an absorbing medium. These three modes of laser interaction with matter allow the investigation of cellular and tissue responses to stress waves with different characteristics and under different conditions. The most widely studied phenomena are those of the collateral damage seen in photodisruption in the eye and in 193 run ablation of cornea and skin. On the other hand, the therapeutic application of laser-induced stress waves has been limited to the disruption of noncellular material such as renal stones, atheromatous plaque and vitreous strands. The effects of stress waves to cells and tissues can be quite disparate. Stress waves can fracture tissue, damage cells, and increase the permeability of the plasma membrane. The viability of cell cultures exposed to stress waves increases with the peak stress and the number of pulses applied. The rise time of the stress wave also influences the degree of cell injury. In fact, cell viability, as measured by thymidine incorporation, correlates better with the stress gradient than peak stress. Recent studies have also established that stress waves induce a transient increase of the permeability of the plasma membrane in vitro. In addition, if the stress gradient is below the damage threshhold, the cells remain viable. Thus, stress waves can be useful as a means of drug delivery, increasing the intracellular drug concentration and allowing the use of drugs which are impermeable to the cell membrane. The present studies show that it is important to create controllable stress waves. The wavelength tunability and the micropulse structure of the free electron laser is ideal for generating stress waves with independently adjustable parameters, such as rise time, duration and peak stress

Discounted Duration Calculus

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ody, Heinrich; Fränzle, Martin; Hansen, Michael Reichhardt

2016-01-01

To formally reason about the temporal quality of systems discounting was introduced to CTL and LTL. However, these logic are discrete and they cannot express duration properties. In this work we introduce discounting for a variant of Duration Calculus. We prove decidability of model checking...... for a useful fragment of discounted Duration Calculus formulas on timed automata under mild assumptions. Further, we provide an extensive example to show the usefulness of the fragment....

Impacts of leaf age and heat stress duration on photosynthetic gas exchange and foliar nonstructural carbohydrates in Coffea arabica

Science.gov (United States)

Danielle E. Marias; Frederick C. Meinzer; Christopher Still

2017-01-01

Given future climate predictions of increased temperature, and frequency and intensity of heat waves in the tropics, suitable habitat to grow ecologically, economically, and socially valuable Coffea arabica is severely threatened. We investigated how leaf age and heat stress duration impact recovery from heat stress in C. arabica...

Electron detector with a traVelling wave

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goncharov, A.S.; Kazakov, V.M.; Kozlov, O.V.

1979-01-01

Basic principles of operation of a travelling-wave detector designed to measure the shapes of nanosecond electron pulses are discussed. Propagation of electrons through the input window into the detector results in spreading of TEM waves to both sides. The energy of the wave propagating towards resistor R is absorbed by the latter, while the wave propagating in the opposite direction hits a register. Thus good matching of all the detector elements results in the absence of reflection and standing waves which provides extremely high time resolution and minimum distortion of the electron pulse shape. The detector constitutes a piece of a cylindrical coaxial line whose impedance is equal to the impedance of a transmission line. On one side the detector is loaded onto resistor R equal to the wave resistance of the detector. On the other side the detector is loaded onto the transmission line which connects the detector with a wide-range register. The design and calculation of a detector having a time resolution of about 0.1 ns are presented. The results of testing the coaxial detector When measuring electron pulses with a duration of 60 ns and frequency of 1818 MHz have shown that the developed detector (external diameter being 63 mm, internal diameter 18 mm, length 400 mm) provides the 0.2 ns time resolution

Elementary wave optics

CERN Document Server

Webb, Robert H

2005-01-01

This undergraduate textbook presents thorough coverage of the standard topics of classical optics and optical instrument design; it also offers significant details regarding the concepts of modern optics. Its survey of the mathematical tools of optics grants students insights into the physical principles of quantum mechanics.Two principal concepts occur throughout: a treatment of scattering from real scatterers (leading to Huygens' principles, diffraction theory, the index of refraction, and related topics); and the difference between coherent and noncoherent wave phenomena. Examinations of su

Association between genetic variants of the clock gene and obesity and sleep duration.

Science.gov (United States)

Valladares, Macarena; Obregón, Ana María; Chaput, Jean-Philippe

2015-12-01

Obesity is a multifactorial disease caused by the interaction of genetic and environmental factors related to lifestyle aspects. It has been shown that reduced sleep is associated with increased body mass index (BMI). Circadian Locomotor Output Cycles Kaput (CLOCK) gene variants have also been associated with obesity. The objective of this mini-review was to discuss the available literature related to CLOCK gene variants associated with adiposity and sleep duration in humans. In total, 16 articles complied with the terms of the search that reported CLOCK variants associated with sleep duration, energy intake, and BMI. Overall, six CLOCK single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been associated with sleep duration, and three variants have been associated with energy intake variables. Overall, the most studied area has been the association of CLOCK gene with obesity; close to eight common variants have been associated with obesity. The most studied CLOCK SNP in different populations is rs1801260, and most of these populations correspond to European populations. Collectively, identifying at risk CLOCK genotypes is a new area of research that may help identify individuals who are more susceptible to overeating and gaining weight when exposed to short sleep durations.

Wind waves on the Black Sea: results of a hindcast study

Science.gov (United States)

Arkhipkin, V. S.; Gippius, F. N.; Koltermann, K. P.; Surkova, G. V.

2014-02-01

In this study we describe the wind waves fields on the Black Sea. The general aims of the work were the estimation of statistical wave parameters and the assessment of interannual and seasonal storm variability. The domain of this study was the entire Black Sea. Wave parameters were calculated by means of the SWAN wave model on a 5 km × 5 km rectangular grid. Initial conditions (wind speed and direction) for the period between 1948 and 2010 were derived from the NCEP/NCAR reanalysis. In our calculations the average significant wave height on the Black Sea does not exceed 0.7 m. Areas of most significant storminess are the south-western and the north-eastern corners as expressed in the spatial distribution of wave heights, wave lengths and periods. Besides that, long-term annual variations of storminess were estimated. Thus, linear trends of the annual total duration of storms and of their quantity are nearly stable over the reanalysis period. However, an intensification of storm activity is observed in the 1960s-1970s.

Time development of drift wave with loss-cone in an inhomogeneous low β plasma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pandey, R.P.; Sharan, R.R.; Prasad, Ramesh; Mishra, S.P.; Tiwari, M.S.

1995-01-01

Using particle aspect analysis, a generalized dispersion relation for the time-dependent electrostatic drift waves propagating through inhomogeneous low β magnetoplasma (β being the ratio of plasma pressure to the magnetic pressure) has been derived in the presence of the loss-cone distribution index (J). The dispersion characteristics and time-dependent growth/damping rates of the wave have been computed. The distribution index seems to modify the dispersion characteristics and hence the growth rate. The computed growth rate is time-dependent, increasing with the increase of time, while the growth rate decreases with the increase of the loss-cone distribution index. In the case when growth rate increasing sufficiently with time, becomes comparable to the real frequency of the wave, the present linear theory loses its validity. The applicability of the result for the space plasma has been indicated particularly for the parameters suited to plasmapause region. (author). 30 refs., 5 figs

Electromagnetic forces in negative-refractive-index metamaterials: A first-principles study

Science.gov (United States)

Yannopapas, Vassilios; Galiatsatos, Pavlos G.

2008-04-01

According to the theory of Veselago, when a particle immersed within a metamaterial with negative refractive index is illuminated by plane wave, it experiences a reversed radiation force due to the antiparallel directions of the phase velocity and energy flow. By employing an ab initio method, we show that, in the limit of zero losses, the effect of reversed radiation pressure is generally true only for the specular beam. Waves generated by diffraction of the incident light at the surface of the slab of the metamaterial can produce a total force which is parallel to the radiation flow. However, when the actual losses of the materials are taken into account, the phenomenon of reversed radiation force is evident within the whole range of a negative refractive index band.

Light channeling in medium with periodical change in a refractive index

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Konstantinov, O.V.; Shmulevich, I.A.

1982-01-01

It is shown that light field localization in regions with an increased value of refractive index occurs during light propagation along layers of a volume phase lattice. The effect is analogous to fast electron channeling in monocrystals. The localization is investigated both numeri. cally and by means of an approximated analytical solution of the wave equation representing the generalization of the Raman-Nut known solution (there is no localization within the framework of the Raman-Nut approximation). The localization is effective only in case when light wave length lambda is considerably lesser than lattice spacing d, namely lambda 1 /2, where u 1 - the amplitude of sine modulation of the refractory index. Existence of strong focusing at a distance f=d/4√u 1 is predicted. Common channeling mode arises at distances exceeding f

The insomnia with short sleep duration phenotype: an update on it's importance for health and prevention.

Science.gov (United States)

Fernandez-Mendoza, Julio

2017-01-01

It was first proposed in the late 1990s that objective markers of sleep disturbance could serve as an index of the biological severity of insomnia. In 2013, a heuristic model of two insomnia phenotypes based on objective sleep duration was proposed. Herein, we review the studies conducted in the past 3 years on the insomnia with short sleep duration phenotype and its implications for a clinical research agenda. Studies have shown that insomnia with objective short sleep duration is associated with physiologic hyperarousal and cardiometabolic and neurocognitive morbidity, whereas insomnia with normal sleep duration is not. Both insomnia phenotypes are associated with psychiatric morbidity albeit through different psychobiological mechanisms. Novel recent studies have included occupational outcomes, developmental approaches, at-home objective sleep testing, diagnostic accuracy measures, and response to cognitive-behavioral treatment. Accumulating evidence in the past years has continued to support that insomnia with short sleep duration is a more severe phenotype of the disorder associated with physiologic changes, significant morbidity and mortality and, potentially, a differential response to treatment.

Relative Contribution of Obesity, Sedentary Behaviors and Dietary Habits to Sleep Duration Among Kuwaiti Adolescents.

Science.gov (United States)

Al-Haifi, Ahmad A; AlMajed, Hana Th; Al-Hazzaa, Hazzaa M; Musaiger, Abdulrahman O; Arab, Mariam A; Hasan, Rasha A

2015-05-17

The aim of this study was to investigate whether body mass index (BMI), eating habits and sedentary behaviours were associated with sleep duration among Kuwaiti adolescents. The study is part of the Arab Teens Lifestyle Study (ATLS), which is a school-based cross-sectional multi-center collaborative study. A sample of 906 adolescents (boys and girls) aged 14-19 years was randomly selected from 6 Kuwaiti Governances using a multistage stratified cluster sampling technique. The findings revealed that the prevalence of overweight and obesity was 50.5% in boys and 46.5% in girls. The majority of boys (76%) and of girls (74%) fell into the short sleep duration category (6 hours/day or less). Sleep duration were found to be negatively associated with BMI (girls only). Watching television (boys and girls) and working on computers (boys only) were also negatively associated with sleep duration. While the consumption of breakfast (both genders) and milk (boys only) was positively associated with sleep duration (pgenders), sugar-sweetened drinks and sweets (boys only) potatoes (girls only) were negatively associated with sleep duration (peating habits and more sedentary behaviors. The findings also suggest gender differences in these associations. Therefore, adequate sleep is an important modifiable risk factor to prevent obesity and was positively associated with some unhealthy lifestyle habits.

Wave propagation method as an accurate technique for effective refractive index retrieving

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andryieuski, Andrei; Malureanu, Radu; Lavrinenko, Andrei

2009-01-01

An effective parameters retrieval method based on the wave propagation simulation is proposed and compared with the standard S-parameter procedure. The method is free from possible mistakes originated by the multiple branching of solutions in the S-parameter procedure and shows high accuracy. The...

Relative Wave Energy based Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System model for the Estimation of Depth of Anaesthesia.

Science.gov (United States)

Benzy, V K; Jasmin, E A; Koshy, Rachel Cherian; Amal, Frank; Indiradevi, K P

2018-01-01

The advancement in medical research and intelligent modeling techniques has lead to the developments in anaesthesia management. The present study is targeted to estimate the depth of anaesthesia using cognitive signal processing and intelligent modeling techniques. The neurophysiological signal that reflects cognitive state of anaesthetic drugs is the electroencephalogram signal. The information available on electroencephalogram signals during anaesthesia are drawn by extracting relative wave energy features from the anaesthetic electroencephalogram signals. Discrete wavelet transform is used to decomposes the electroencephalogram signals into four levels and then relative wave energy is computed from approximate and detail coefficients of sub-band signals. Relative wave energy is extracted to find out the degree of importance of different electroencephalogram frequency bands associated with different anaesthetic phases awake, induction, maintenance and recovery. The Kruskal-Wallis statistical test is applied on the relative wave energy features to check the discriminating capability of relative wave energy features as awake, light anaesthesia, moderate anaesthesia and deep anaesthesia. A novel depth of anaesthesia index is generated by implementing a Adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system based fuzzy c-means clustering algorithm which uses relative wave energy features as inputs. Finally, the generated depth of anaesthesia index is compared with a commercially available depth of anaesthesia monitor Bispectral index.

The Risk of Being Obese According to Short Sleep Duration Is Modulated after Menopause in Korean Women.

Science.gov (United States)

Doo, Miae; Kim, Yangha

2017-02-27

We previously reported that women with short sleep duration consumed more dietary carbohydrate and showed an increased risk for obesity compared to those who slept adequately, but not for men. Using a cross-sectional study of 17,841 Korean women, we investigated the influence of sleep duration on obesity-related variables and consumption of dietary carbohydrate-rich foods in relation to menopausal status. Premenopausal women with short sleep duration had significantly greater body weight ( p = 0.007), body mass index ( p = 0.003), systolic and diastolic blood pressures ( p = 0.028 and p = 0.024, respectively), prevalence of obesity ( p foods such as staple foods ( p = 0.026) and simple sugar-rich foods ( p = 0.044) than those with adequate sleep duration after adjustment for covariates. Premenopausal women with short sleep duration were more obese by 1.171 times compared to subjects adequate sleep duration (95% confidence interval = 1.030-1.330). However, obesity-related variables, dietary consumption, and odds of being obese did not differ according to sleep duration for postmenopausal women. The findings suggest that the increased risk for obesity and consumption of dietary carbohydrate-rich foods with short sleep duration appeared to disappear after menopause in Korean women.

The Risk of Being Obese According to Short Sleep Duration Is Modulated after Menopause in Korean Women

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Miae Doo

2017-02-01

Full Text Available We previously reported that women with short sleep duration consumed more dietary carbohydrate and showed an increased risk for obesity compared to those who slept adequately, but not for men. Using a cross-sectional study of 17,841 Korean women, we investigated the influence of sleep duration on obesity-related variables and consumption of dietary carbohydrate-rich foods in relation to menopausal status. Premenopausal women with short sleep duration had significantly greater body weight (p = 0.007, body mass index (p = 0.003, systolic and diastolic blood pressures (p = 0.028 and p = 0.024, respectively, prevalence of obesity (p < 0.016, and consumption of more carbohydrate-rich foods such as staple foods (p = 0.026 and simple sugar-rich foods (p = 0.044 than those with adequate sleep duration after adjustment for covariates. Premenopausal women with short sleep duration were more obese by 1.171 times compared to subjects adequate sleep duration (95% confidence interval = 1.030–1.330. However, obesity-related variables, dietary consumption, and odds of being obese did not differ according to sleep duration for postmenopausal women. The findings suggest that the increased risk for obesity and consumption of dietary carbohydrate-rich foods with short sleep duration appeared to disappear after menopause in Korean women.

Wave refraction and backward magnon-plasmon polaritons in left-handed antiferromagnet/semiconductor superlattices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tarkhanyan, R.H.; Niarchos, D.G.

2007-01-01

Characteristics of the bulk electromagnetic waves in teraHertz frequency region are examined in a left-handed superlattice (SL) which consists of alternating layers of nonmagnetic semiconductor and nonconducting antiferromagnetic materials. General problem on the sign of the refractive index for anisotropic media is considered. It is shown that the phase refraction index is always positive while the group refractive index can be negative when some general conditions are fulfilled. Effective permittivity and permeability tensors of the SL are derived for perpendicular and parallel orientation of the magnetic anisotropy axis with respect to the plane of the layers. Problem of anomalous refraction for transverse electric and transverse magnetic-type polarized waves is examined in such media. Analytical expressions for both the phase and group refractive indices are obtained for various propagated modes. It is shown that, in general, three different types of the refracted waves with different relative orientation of the phase and group velocity vectors are possible in left-handed media. Unusual peculiarities of the backward modes corresponding to the coupled magnon-plasmon polaritons are considered. It is shown, in particular, that the number of the backward modes depends on the free charge carrier's density in semiconductor layers, variation of which allows to create different frequency regions for the wave propagation

Acoustic cloaking by a near-zero-index phononic crystal

KAUST Repository

Zheng, Li-Yang

2014-04-21

Zero-refractive-index materials may lead to promising applications in various fields. Here, we design and fabricate a near Zero-Refractive-Index (ZRI) material using a phononic crystal (PC) composed of a square array of densely packed square iron rods in air. The dispersion relation exhibits a nearly flat band across the Brillouin zone at the reduced frequency f  = 0.5443c/a, which is due to Fabry-Perot (FP) resonance. By using a retrieval method, we find that both the effective mass density and the reciprocal of the effective bulk modulus are close to zero at frequencies near the flat band. We also propose an equivalent tube network model to explain the mechanisms of the near ZRI effect. This FP-resonance-induced near ZRI material offers intriguing wave manipulation properties. We demonstrate both numerically and experimentally its ability to shield a scattering obstacle and guide acoustic waves through a bent structure.

Interaction of sleep quality and sleep duration on impaired fasting glucose: a population-based cross-sectional survey in China.

Science.gov (United States)

Lou, Peian; Chen, Peipei; Zhang, Lei; Zhang, Pan; Chang, Guiqiu; Zhang, Ning; Li, Ting; Qiao, Cheng

2014-03-13

To explore the interactions of sleep quality and sleep duration and their effects on impaired fasting glucose (IFG) in Chinese adults. Cross-sectional survey. Community-based investigation in Xuzhou, China. 15 145 Chinese men and women aged 18-75 years old who fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index was used to produce sleep quality categories of good, common and poor. Fasting blood glucose levels were assessed for IFG. Sleep duration was measured by average hours of sleep per night, with categories of 8 h. The products of sleep and family history of diabetes, obesity and age were added to the logistic regression model to evaluate the addictive interaction and relative excess risk of interaction (RERI) on IFG. The attributable proportion (AP) of the interaction and the synergy index (S) were applied to evaluate the additive interaction of two factors. Bootstrap measures were used to calculate 95% CI of RERI, AP and S. The prevalence of IFG was greatest in those with poor sleep quality and short sleep duration (OR 6.37, 95% CI 4.66 to 8.67; pquality and 6-8 h sleep duration, after adjusting for confounders. After adjusting for potential confounders RERI, AP and S values (and their 95% CI) were 1.69 (0.31 to 3.76), 0.42 (0.15 to 0.61) and 2.85 (2.14 to 3.92), respectively, for the interaction between poor sleep quality and short sleep duration, and 0.78 (0.12 to 1.43), 0.61 (0.26 to 0.87) and -65 (-0.94 to -0.27) for the interaction between good sleep quality and long sleep duration. The results suggest that there are additive interactions between poor sleep quality and short sleep duration.

Ultrasonic Waves and Strength Reduction Indexes for the Assessment of the Advancement of Deterioration Processes in Travertines from Pamukkale and Hierapolis (Turkey

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Bobrowska Alicja

2015-09-01

Full Text Available In constructions, the usefulness of modern technical diagnostics of stone as a raw material requires predicting the effects of long-term environmental impact of its qualities and geomechanical properties. The paper presents geomechanical research enabling presentation of the factors for strength loss of the stone and forecasting the rate of development of destructive phenomena on the stone structure on a long-time basis. As research material Turkish travertines were selected from the Denizli-Kaklık Basin (Pamukkale and Hierapolis quarries, which have been commonly used for centuries in global architecture. The rock material was subjected to testing of the impact of various environmental factors, as well as European standards recommended by the author of the research program. Their resistance to the crystallization of salts from aqueous solutions and the effects of SO2, as well as the effect of frost and high temperatures are presented. The studies allowed establishing the following quantitative indicators: the ultrasonic waves index (IVp and the strength reduction index (IRc. Reflections on the assessment of deterioration effects indicate that the most active factors decreasing travertine resistance in the aging process include frost and sulphur dioxide (SO2. Their negative influence is particularly intense when the stone material is already strongly weathered.

A Proton-Cyclotron Wave Storm Generated by Unstable Proton Distribution Functions in the Solar Wind

Science.gov (United States)

Wicks, R. T.; Alexander, R. L.; Stevens, M.; Wilson, L. B., III; Moya, P. S.; Vinas, A.; Jian, L. K.; Roberts, D. A.; O’Modhrain, S.; Gilbert, J. A.;

Nonlinear low-frequency wave aspect of foreshock density holes

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N. Lin

2008-11-01

Full Text Available Recent observations have uncovered short-duration density holes in the Earth's foreshock region. There is evidence that the formation of density holes involves non-linear growth of fluctuations in the magnetic field and plasma density, which results in shock-like boundaries followed by a decrease in both density and magnetic field. In this study we examine in detail a few such events focusing on their low frequency wave characteristics. The propagation properties of the waves are studied using Cluster's four point observations. We found that while these density hole-structures were convected with the solar wind, in the plasma rest frame they propagated obliquely and mostly sunward. The wave amplitude grows non-linearly in the process, and the waves are circularly or elliptically polarized in the left hand sense. The phase velocities calculated from four spacecraft timing analysis are compared with the velocity estimated from δE/δB. Their agreement justifies the plane electromagnetic wave nature of the structures. Plasma conditions are found to favor firehose instabilities. Oblique Alfvén firehose instability is suggested as a possible energy source for the wave growth. Resonant interaction between ions at certain energy and the waves could reduce the ion temperature anisotropy and thus the free energy, thereby playing a stabilizing role.

Rainfall Characteristic on the Slopes of Mount Merapi Region (Empirical Formula, Duration, Distribution, And Critical Line Woro River

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Pudak Juni Laksana

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Debris flow on the slopes of Mount Merapi area became a serious natural disasters because it has great destructive force and velocity. Rainfall with a certain intensity and duration is one component triggering debris flow. Rainfall has variability of the temporal and spatial characteristics influenced by various factors, such as topography and climate. Dharma (2012 suggested to define the characteristics of the intensity of rainfall using rainfall data with a shorter duration with statistical tests to establish the best empirical IDF formula.  This research was using of 30 minutes rainfall data for short duration (<3 hours and a spreadsheet software representing duration and distribution of the rainfall. The most appropriate rainfall intensity formula was done by the empirical IDF formula, i.e. Sherman, Kimijima, Hasper and Mononobe. Rainfall intensity analysis applied Frequency Analysis Software (based on Microsoft Excel. Debris flow occurrence was analyzed using MLIT for method A to establish standard rainfall index.  Sherman formula performed the best fit to the IDF characteristics of rainfall in the region of the slopes of Mount Merapi. Rainfall distribution pattern showed high intensity rainfall in the first hour and then decreased in the next hour which means distribution for the duration of 3 hours, 12%, 28%, 25%, 16%, 12%, and 7%, respectively with an interval of 30 minutes. Based on critical line, 5 mm of standard rainfall index was gained in the case of warning (R1 and 28 mm in the case of evacuation (R2.

Arterial wave reflection and aortic valve calcification in an elderly community-based cohort.

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Sera, Fusako; Russo, Cesare; Iwata, Shinichi; Jin, Zhezhen; Rundek, Tatjana; Elkind, Mitchell S V; Homma, Shunichi; Sacco, Ralph L; Di Tullio, Marco R

2015-04-01

Aortic valve calcification (AVC) without stenosis is common in the elderly, is associated with cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, and may progress to aortic valve stenosis. Arterial stiffness and pulse-wave reflection are important components of proximal aortic hemodynamics, but their relationship with AVC is not established. To investigate the relationship of arterial wave reflection and stiffness with AVC, pulse wave analysis and AVC evaluation by echocardiography were performed in 867 participants from the Cardiovascular Abnormalities and Brain Lesions study. Participants were divided into four categories on the basis of the severity and extent of AVC: (1) none or mild focal AVC, (2) mild diffuse AVC, (3) moderate to severe focal AVC, and (4) moderate to severe diffuse AVC. Central blood pressures and pulse pressure, total arterial compliance, augmentation index, and time to wave reflection were assessed using applanation tonometry. Indicators of arterial stiffness and wave reflection were significantly associated with AVC severity, except for central systolic and diastolic pressures and time to reflection. After adjustment for pertinent covariates (age, sex, race/ethnicity, and estimated glomerular filtration rate), only augmentation pressure (P = .02) and augmentation index (P = .002) were associated with the severity of AVC. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that augmentation pressure (odds ratio per mm Hg, 1.14; 95% confidence interval, 1.02-1.27; P = .02) and augmentation index (odds ratio per percentage point, 1.07; 95% confidence interval, 1.01-1.13; P = .02) were associated with an increased risk for moderate to severe diffuse AVC, even when central blood pressure value was included in the same model. Arterial wave reflection is associated with AVC severity, independent of blood pressure values. Increased contribution of wave reflection to central blood pressure could be involved in the process leading to AVC. Copyright © 2015

Four-Wave Mixing of Gigawatt Power, Long-Wave Infrared Radiation in Gases and Semiconductors

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Pigeon, Jeremy James

The nonlinear optics of gigawatt power, 10 microm, 3 and 200 ps long pulses propagating in gases and semiconductors has been studied experimentally and numerically. In this work, the development of a high-repetition rate, picosecond, CO2 laser system has enabled experiments using peak intensities in the range of 1-10 GW/cm2, approximately one thousand times greater than previous nonlinear optics experiments in the long-wave infrared (LWIR) spectral region. The first measurements of the nonlinear refractive index of the atomic and molecular gases Kr, Xe, N2, O2 and the air at a wavelength near 10 microm were accomplished by studying the four-wave mixing (FWM) of dual-wavelength, 200 ps CO2 laser pulses. These measurements indicate that the nonlinearities of the diatomic molecules N2, O2 and the air are dominated by the molecular contribution to the nonlinear refractive index. Supercontinuum (SC) generation covering the infrared spectral range, from 2-20 microm, was realized by propagating 3 ps, 10 microm pulses in an approximately 7 cm long, Cr-doped GaAs crystal. Temporal measurements of the SC radiation show that pulse splitting accompanies the generation of such broadband light in GaAs. The propagation of 3 ps, 10 microm pulses in GaAs was studied numerically by solving the Generalized Nonlinear Schrodinger Equation (GNLSE). These simulations, combined with analytic estimates, were used to determine that stimulated Raman scattering combined with a modulational instability caused by the propagation of intense LWIR radiation in the negative group velocity dispersion region of GaAs are responsible for the SC generation process. The multiple FWM of a 106 GHz, 200 ps CO2 laser beat-wave propagating in GaAs was used to generate a broadband FWM spectrum that was compressed by the negative group velocity dispersion of GaAs and NaCl crystals to form trains of high-power, picosecond pulses at a wavelength near 10 microm. Experimental FWM spectra obtained using 165 and 882

Gender Differences in the Association between Sleep Duration and Body Composition: The Cardia Study

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Marie-Pierre St-Onge

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Sleep duration has been inversely associated with body mass index (BMI. We examined the relationship between self-reported sleep duration and BMI, waist circumference, and percent body fat in Black and White individuals from the CARDIA study. Box-Tidwell regression models were adjusted for age and race (Model 1, additional lifestyle and demographic variables (Model 2, and physical activity (Model 3. There were significant interactions between sleep and gender for the main outcome variables. In men, there was a trend for an inverse relationship between reported sleep duration and BMI in Model 2  (β=−0.20,P=.053 but not model 3  (β=−0.139,P=.191. In women, inverse relationships were observed between sleep duration and BMI (β=−0.294,P=.005 and waist circumference (β=−0.442,P=.059, in Model 2. These associations became nonsignificant in model 3 (BMI: β=−0.172,P=.084; waist circumference: β=−0.161,P=.474. Our results are consistent with previous findings that sleep is associated with BMI and other body composition variables. However, the relationship between self-reported sleep duration and body composition may be stronger in women than in men.

Survey of h-index for neurosurgeons in Saudi Arabia.

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Jamjoom, Abdulhakim B

2015-10-01

To calculate the h-index for neurosurgeons in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), and to assess its association with a number of features relating to neurosurgical practice in KSA. The h-index for 84 neurosurgeons that worked in KSA during 1990-2013 was evaluated using Google Scholar during the period September to October 2014. The correlation between the h-index and a number of neurosurgeon and neurosurgical center characteristics was determined and examined statistically. The median h-index was 2.5 (range 0-33) and the mean was 5.04. The h-index was significantly higher for neurosurgeons who obtained their certification before 2001 and those working at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital, Riyadh, KSA. The h-index was also higher, but without reaching significance, for non-Saudi neurosurgeons, those with international certification and those working at the university hospitals. Additionally, the h-index was significantly lower for neurosurgeons working in the Ministry of Health hospitals. Application of the h-index to KSA neurosurgeons revealed a significant correlation with the duration after certification and with certain centers. Evaluation of the h-index should be included in the consideration for academic positions in KSA. Saudi neurosurgeons should be encouraged to publish in journals with high impact factor.

Higher P-Wave Dispersion in Migraine Patients with Higher Number of Attacks

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A. Koçer

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Objective and Aim. An imbalance of the sympathetic system may explain many of the clinical manifestations of the migraine. We aimed to evaluate P-waves as a reveal of sympathetic system function in migraine patients and healthy controls. Materials and Methods. Thirty-five episodic type of migraine patients (complained of migraine during 5 years or more, BMI < 30 kg/m2 and 30 controls were included in our study. We measured P-wave durations (minimum, maximum, and dispersion from 12-lead ECG recording during pain-free periods. ECGs were transferred to a personal computer via a scanner and then used for magnification of x400 by Adobe Photoshop software. Results. P-wave durations were found to be similar between migraine patients and controls. Although P WD (P-wave dispersion was similar, the mean value was higher in migraine subjects. P WD was positively correlated with P max (P<0.01. Attacks number per month and male gender were the factors related to the P WD (P<0.01. Conclusions. Many previous studies suggested that increased sympathetic activity may cause an increase in P WD. We found that P WD of migraine patients was higher than controls, and P WD was related to attacks number per month and male gender. Further studies are needed to explain the chronic effects of migraine.

Neural dynamics during anoxia and the "wave of death"

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Zandt, Bas-Jan; Zandt, B.; ten Haken, Bernard; van Dijk, J. Gert; van Putten, Michel Johannes Antonius Maria

2011-01-01

Recent experiments in rats have shown the occurrence of a high amplitude slow brain wave in the EEG approximately 1 minute after decapitation, with a duration of 5–15 s (van Rijn et al, PLoS One 6, e16514, 2011) that was presumed to signify the death of brain neurons. We present a computational

Radiation phenomena of plasma waves, 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ohnuma, Toshiro.

1978-06-01

The fundamental radiation theories on radiation phenomena of plasma waves are presented. As the fundamental concepts of propagating waves, phase, group and ray velocities are explained, and phase velocity surface, group velocity surface, ray velocity surface and refractive index surface are considered. These concepts are important in anisotropic plasma. Fundamental equations for electron plasma waves in a fluid model and fundamental equations for ion plasma waves can be expressed with the above mentioned concepts. Kuehl derived the formulas for general radiation fields of electromagnetic and electrostatic waves which are radiated from an arbitrary current source. Fundamental equations for kinetic model are the Vlasov equation and Maxwell equations. By investigating electromagnetic radiation in cold anisotropic plasma, Kuehl found the important behavior that the fields radiated from a source become very large in certain directions for some ranges of plasma parameters. The fact is the so-called high frequency resonance cone. A fundamental formula for quasi-static radiation from an oscillating point source in warm anisotropic plasma includes the near field of electromagnetic mode and the field of electrostatic mode, which are radiated from the source. This paper presents the formula in a generalized form. (Kato, T.)

The response of the southwest Western Australian wave climate to Indian Ocean climate variability

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Wandres, Moritz; Pattiaratchi, Charitha; Hetzel, Yasha; Wijeratne, E. M. S.

2018-03-01

Knowledge of regional wave climates is critical for coastal planning, management, and protection. In order to develop a regional wave climate, it is important to understand the atmospheric systems responsible for wave generation. This study examines the variability of the southwest Western Australian (SWWA) shelf and nearshore wind wave climate and its relationship to southern hemisphere climate variability represented by various atmospheric indices: the southern oscillation index (SOI), the Southern Annular Mode (SAM), the Indian Ocean Dipole Mode Index (DMI), the Indian Ocean Subtropical Dipole (IOSD), the latitudinal position of the subtropical high-pressure ridge (STRP), and the corresponding intensity of the subtropical ridge (STRI). A 21-year wave hindcast (1994-2014) of the SWWA continental shelf was created using the third generation wave model Simulating WAves Nearshore (SWAN), to analyse the seasonal and inter-annual wave climate variability and its relationship to the atmospheric regime. Strong relationships between wave heights and the STRP and the STRI, a moderate correlation between the wave climate and the SAM, and no significant correlation between SOI, DMI, and IOSD and the wave climate were found. Strong spatial, seasonal, and inter-annual variability, as well as seasonal longer-term trends in the mean wave climate were studied and linked to the latitudinal changes in the subtropical high-pressure ridge and the Southern Ocean storm belt. As the Southern Ocean storm belt and the subtropical high-pressure ridge shifted southward (northward) wave heights on the SWWA shelf region decreased (increased). The wave height anomalies appear to be driven by the same atmospheric conditions that influence rainfall variability in SWWA.

Slow [Na+]i dynamics impacts arrhythmogenesis and spiral wave reentry in cardiac myocyte ionic model.

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Krogh-Madsen, Trine; Christini, David J

2017-09-01

Accumulation of intracellular Na + is gaining recognition as an important regulator of cardiac myocyte electrophysiology. The intracellular Na + concentration can be an important determinant of the cardiac action potential duration, can modulate the tissue-level conduction of excitation waves, and can alter vulnerability to arrhythmias. Mathematical models of cardiac electrophysiology often incorporate a dynamic intracellular Na + concentration, which changes much more slowly than the remaining variables. We investigated the dependence of several arrhythmogenesis-related factors on [Na + ] i in a mathematical model of the human atrial action potential. In cell simulations, we found that [Na + ] i accumulation stabilizes the action potential duration to variations in several conductances and that the slow dynamics of [Na + ] i impacts bifurcations to pro-arrhythmic afterdepolarizations, causing intermittency between different rhythms. In long-lasting tissue simulations of spiral wave reentry, [Na + ] i becomes spatially heterogeneous with a decreased area around the spiral wave rotation center. This heterogeneous region forms a functional anchor, resulting in diminished meandering of the spiral wave. Our findings suggest that slow, physiological, rate-dependent variations in [Na + ] i may play complex roles in cellular and tissue-level cardiac dynamics.

Propagation of symmetric and anti-symmetric surface waves in aself-gravitating magnetized dusty plasma layer with generalized (r, q) distribution

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Myoung-Jae; Jung, Young-Dae

2018-05-01

The dispersion properties of surface dust ion-acoustic waves in a self-gravitating magnetized dusty plasma layer with the (r, q) distribution are investigated. The result shows that the wave frequency of the symmetric mode in the plasma layer decreases with an increase in the wave number. It is also shown that the wave frequency of the symmetric mode decreases with an increase in the spectral index r. However, the wave frequency of the anti-symmetric mode increases with an increase in the wave number. It is also found that the anti-symmetric mode wave frequency increases with an increase in the spectral index r. In addition, it is found that the influence of the self-gravitation on the symmetric mode wave frequency decreases with increasing scaled Jeans frequency. Moreover, it is found that the wave frequency of the symmetric mode increases with an increase in the dust charge; however, the anti-symmetric mode shows opposite behavior.

Photogrammetric measurement of two-dimensional small-amplitude waves; Hakuso suiryu no nijigen bisho shinpukuha no shashin sokuryoho ni yoru sokutei

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yoshino, F. [Tottori University, Tottori (Japan). Faculty of Engineering; Urata, K. [Hitachi Zosen Corp., Osaka (Japan); Kishi, H.

1996-01-25

A photogrammetric measurement method for two-dimensional small-amplitude waves were proposed where a diffuse reflection spot is used as an index point. An equation used to obtain the still water depth was introduced. This equation was confirmed experimentally by using a laser displacement sensor which is equivalent to a camera-index-point system in principle. To confirm the applicability of this method to waves form measurement, numerical simulations of measurement by this method were carried out for sinusoidal waves and a composed wave. The results of these simulations show that the small-amplitude waves can be measured with sufficient accuracy when the water surface inclination is small. 4 refs., 14 figs., 1 tab.

Nonlinear wave breaking in self-gravitating viscoelastic quantum fluid

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mitra, Aniruddha, E-mail: anibabun@gmail.com [Center for Plasma Studies, Department of Instrumentation Science, Jadavpur University, Kolkata, 700 032 (India); Roychoudhury, Rajkumar, E-mail: rajdaju@rediffmail.com [Advanced Centre for Nonlinear and Complex Phenomena, 1175 Survey Park, Kolkata 700075 (India); Department of Mathematics, Bethune College, Kolkata 700006 (India); Bhar, Radhaballav [Center for Plasma Studies, Department of Instrumentation Science, Jadavpur University, Kolkata, 700 032 (India); Khan, Manoranjan, E-mail: mkhan.ju@gmail.com [Center for Plasma Studies, Department of Instrumentation Science, Jadavpur University, Kolkata, 700 032 (India)

2017-02-12

The stability of a viscoelastic self-gravitating quantum fluid has been studied. Symmetry breaking instability of solitary wave has been observed through ‘viscosity modified Ostrovsky equation’ in weak gravity limit. In presence of strong gravitational field, the solitary wave breaks into shock waves. Response to a Gaussian perturbation, the system produces quasi-periodic short waves, which in terns predicts the existence of gravito-acoustic quasi-periodic short waves in lower solar corona region. Stability analysis of this dynamical system predicts gravity has the most prominent effect on the phase portraits, therefore, on the stability of the system. The non-existence of chaotic solution has also been observed at long wavelength perturbation through index value theorem. - Highlights: • In weak gravitational field, viscoelastic quantum fluid exhibits symmetry breaking instability. • Gaussian perturbation produces quasi-periodic gravito-acoustic waves into the system. • There exists no chaotic state of the system against long wavelength perturbations.

Insomnia in patients on hemodialysis for a short versus long duration

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tomita T

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Tetsu Tomita,1 Norio Yasui-Furukori,1 Masaki Oka,1 Takaaki Shimizu,2 Aya Nagashima,2 Kento Mitsuhashi,2 Hisao Saito,3 Kazuhiko Nakamura1 1Department of Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, 2School of Medicine, Hirosaki University, 3Department of Urology, Oyokyo Kidney Research Institute, Hirosaki, Japan Background: Many studies have investigated insomnia and the factors associated with this condition in hemodialysis (HD patients, although the influence of HD duration has not been thoroughly investigated. In the present study, we investigated the factors, especially the duration of HD, associated with insomnia in HD patients.Patients and methods: A total of 138 patients undergoing HD were recruited, and the Japanese version of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI was used to assess the quality of sleep. Subjects with a total PSQI score up to 4 and those with a score of at least 5 were identified as normal subjects and subjects with insomnia, respectively. Additionally, we assessed restless legs syndrome, depression using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, and health-related quality of life (QOL using the Short Form 8 Health Survey. We divided the subjects into two groups according to the median HD duration.Results: The prevalence rate of insomnia was 54.3% among all the subjects. Twenty-one subjects (15.2% had depression, 26 (18.8% had restless legs syndrome, and 75 (54.3% had insomnia. The median HD duration was 4 years. The scores of components 1 and 4 of the PSQI, subjective sleep quality and habitual sleep efficiency, did not show a significant difference between the normal and insomnia groups. The score of component 7, daytime dysfunction, showed a significant difference between the short and long HD duration groups. In multiple regression analysis, the score of the Short Form 8 Health Survey showed a significant association with the PSQI score in the long HD duration group, but no variable showed a

The "Pulse Time Index of Norm" highly correlates with the left ventricular mass index in patients with arterial hypertension.

Science.gov (United States)

Posokhov, Igor N; Kulikova, Natalya N; Starchenkova, Irina V; Grigoricheva, Elena A; Evdokimov, Vitaly V; Orlov, Artemy V; Rogoza, Anatoly N

2014-01-01

Arterial stiffness, as measured by the pulse wave velocity (PWV), is recommended for routine use in clinical practice as an important parameter for the evaluation of cardiovascular risk.1 New 24-hour monitors (eg, with Vasotens technology; Petr Telegin Company, Nizhny Novgorod, Russian Federation) provide single PWV measurements as well as several PWV measurements over a period of 24 hours.2 Such 24-hour pulse wave analysis led to the development of the novel Pulse Time Index of Norm (PTIN), which is defined as the percentage of a 24-hour period during which the PWV does not exceed the 10 m/second PWV threshold. The aim of this study is to test the new PTIN for correlation with the left ventricular mass index (LVMI). Oscillometrically generated waveform files (n=137) used for clinical research studies were reanalyzed using the new 2013 version of the Vasotens technology program, which enables PTIN calculations. A good correlation (r=-0.72) between the PTIN and the LVMI was shown, which was significantly above the blood pressure load (r=0.41). The PTIN generated by the Vasotens technology can be recommended as an indicator of end organ damage via hypertension.

Work-family conflict, cardiometabolic risk and sleep duration in nursing employees

Science.gov (United States)

Berkman, Lisa F.; Liu, Sze Yan; Hammer, Leslie; Moen, Phyllis; Klein, Laura Cousino; Kelly, Erin; Fay, Martha; Davis, Kelly; Durham, Mary; Karuntzos, Georgia; Buxton, Orfeu M.

2015-01-01

The study investigates the associations of work-family conflict and other work and family conditions with objectively-measured outcomes cardiometabolic risk and sleep duration in a study of employees in nursing homes. Multilevel analyses are used to assess cross-sectional associations between employee and job characteristics and health in analyses of 1,524 employees in 30 extended care facilities in a single company. We examine work and family conditions in relation to two major study health outcomes: 1) a validated, Framingham cardiometabolic risk score based on measured blood pressure, cholesterol, glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), body mass index (BMI), and self-reported tobacco consumption, and 2) wrist actigraphy-based measures of sleep duration. In fully-adjusted multi-level models, Work-To-Family conflict, but not Family-to-Work conflict was positively associated with cardiometabolic risk. Having a lower-level occupation (nursing assistants vs. nurses) was also associated with increased cardiometabolic risk, while being married and having younger children at home was protective. A significant age by Work-To-Family conflict interaction revealed that higher Work-To-Family conflict was more strongly associated with increased cardiometabolic risk in younger employees. With regard to sleep duration, high Family-To-Work Conflict was significantly associated with shorter sleep duration. In addition, working long hours and having younger children at home were both independently associated with shorter sleep duration. High Work-To-Family Conflict was associated with longer sleep duration. These results indicate that different dimensions of work-family conflict (i.e., Work-To-Family Conflict and Family-To-Work Conflict) may both pose threats to cardiometabolic risk and sleep duration for employees. This study contributes to the research on work- family conflict suggesting that Work-To-Family and Family-To-Work conflict are associated with specific outcomes. Translating

Comparison of the effect of root canal preparation by using WaveOne and ProTaper on postoperative pain: a randomized clinical trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Nekoofar, Mohammad H; Sheykhrezae, Mohammad S; Meraji, Naghmeh; Jamee, Azad; Shirvani, Armin; Jamee, Javid; Dummer, Paul M H

2015-05-01

WaveOne is a single-file reciprocating instrumentation system with the benefits of M-Wire alloy that has increased flexibility and improved resistance to cyclic fatigue over the conventional alloy. Root canal preparation techniques may cause postoperative pain. The goal of the present study was to compare the intensity and duration of postoperative pain when using WaveOne or ProTaper Universal systems for instrumentation of root canals. Forty-two patients who fulfilled specific inclusion criteria were assigned to 2 groups according to the root canal instrumentation technique used, WaveOne or ProTaper Universal. Root canal treatment was carried out in 2 appointments, and the severity of postoperative pain was assessed by numerical rating scale (NRS) score after each session until complete pain relief was achieved. Analgesic consumption, duration of pain, and root canal preparation time were also recorded. The mean NRS score and duration of pain after both appointments were significantly higher in the WaveOne group (P < .05); however, the mean analgesic consumption was only significantly higher in the WaveOne group after the first appointment (P < .05). In all groups the highest mean NRS score was seen 6 hours after each therapeutic appointment. Canal preparation time was significantly shorter in the WaveOne group (P < .001). Postoperative pain was significantly lower in patients undergoing canal instrumentation with ProTaper Universal rotary instruments compared with the WaveOne reciprocating single-file technique. Copyright © 2015 American Association of Endodontists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Two-wave generator of subnanosecond radiation pulses on an yttrium-aluminium garnet

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Babikov, Yu.I.; Ir, K.S.; Mironov, V.E.

1988-01-01

Great attention is paid to the electron accelerator based on the mechanism of electron accelerator in the field of plasma wave, excited by laser radiation. The laser system master generator based on serial LTIPC-8 laser is described. The system is intended for investigating the plasma excitation processes initiated by two-frequency laser radiation beats. Pulse duration is ≤1 ns at 3-4 pulse train. Radiation on 1.0615 and 1.0641 μm wave length is generated. 5 refs.; 3 figs

Duration judgements over multiple elements

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Inci eAyhan

2012-11-01

Full Text Available We investigated the limits of the number of events observers can simultaneously time. For single targets occurring in one of eight positions sensitivity to duration was improved for spatially pre-cued items as compared to post-cued items indicating that exogenous driven attention can improve duration discrimination. Sensitivity to duration for pre-cued items was also marginally better for single items as compared to eight items indicating that even after the allocation of focal attention, distracter items can interfere with the encoding of duration. For an eight item array discrimination was worse for post-cued locations as compared to pre-cued locations indicating both that attention can improve duration discrimination performance and that it was not possible to access a perfect memory trace of the duration of eight elements. The interference from the distracters in the pre-cued eight item array may reflect some mandatory averaging of target and distracter events. To further explore duration averaging we asked subjects to explicitly compare average durations of multiple item arrays against a single item standard duration. Duration discrimination thresholds were significantly lower for single elements as compared to multiple elements, showing that averaging, either automatically or intentionally, impairs duration discrimination. There was no set size effect. Performance was the same for averages of two and eight items, but performance with even an average of two items was worse than for one item. This was also true for sequential presentation indicating poor performance was not due to limits on the division of attention across items. Rather performance appears to be limited by an inability to remember or aggregate duration information from two or more items. Although it is possible to manipulate perceived duration locally, there appears to be no perceptual mechanisms for aggregating local durations across space.

Technology-Assisted Behavioral Intervention to Extend Sleep Duration: Development and Design of the Sleep Bunny Mobile App.

Science.gov (United States)

Baron, Kelly Glazer; Duffecy, Jennifer; Reid, Kathryn; Begale, Mark; Caccamo, Lauren

2018-01-10

Despite the high prevalence of short sleep duration (29.2% of adults sleep popularity of wearable sleep trackers provides an opportunity to engage users in interventions. The objective of this study was to outline the theoretical foundation and iterative process of designing the "Sleep Bunny," a technology-assisted sleep extension intervention including a mobile phone app, wearable sleep tracker, and brief telephone coaching. We conducted a two-step process in the development of this intervention, which was as follows: (1) user testing of the app and (2) a field trial that was completed by 2 participants with short sleep duration and a cardiovascular disease risk factor linked to short sleep duration (body mass index [BMI] >25). All participants had habitual sleep duration consequences of sleep loss. ©Kelly Glazer Baron, Jennifer Duffecy, Kathryn Reid, Mark Begale, Lauren Caccamo. Originally published in JMIR Mental Health (http://mental.jmir.org), 10.01.2018.

Input reduction for long-term morphodynamic simulations in wave-dominated coastal settings

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Walstra, D.J.R.; Hoekstra, R.; Tonnon, P.K.; Ruessink, B.G.

2013-01-01

Input reduction is imperative to long-term (> years) morphodynamic simulations to avoid excessive computation times. Here, we introduce an input-reduction framework for wave-dominated coastal settings. Our framework comprises 4 steps, viz. (1) the selection of the duration of the original (full)

Nonlinear surface waves at ferrite-metamaterial waveguide structure

Science.gov (United States)

Hissi, Nour El Houda; Mokhtari, Bouchra; Eddeqaqi, Noureddine Cherkaoui; Shabat, Mohammed Musa; Atangana, Jacques

2016-09-01

A new ferrite slab made of a metamaterial (MTM), surrounded by a nonlinear cover cladding and a ferrite substrate, was shown to support unusual types of electromagnetic surface waves. We impose the boundary conditions to derive the dispersion relation and others necessary to formulate the proposed structure. We analyse the dispersion properties of the nonlinear surface waves and we calculate the associated propagation index and the film-cover interface nonlinearity. In the calculation, several sets of the permeability of the MTM are considered. Results show that the waves behaviour depends on the values of the permeability of the MTM, the thickness of the waveguide and the film-cover interface nonlinearity. It is also shown that the use of the singular solutions to the electric field equation allows to identify several new properties of surface waves which do not exist in conventional waveguide.

Total reflection and cloaking by zero index metamaterials loaded with rectangular dielectric defects

KAUST Repository

Wu, Ying

2013-05-06

In this work, we investigate wave transmission property through a zero index metamaterial (ZIM) waveguide embedded with rectangular dielectric defects. We show that total reflection and total transmission (cloaking) can be achieved by adjusting the geometric sizes and/or permittivities of the defects. Our work provides another possibility of manipulating wave propagation through ZIM in addition to the widely studied dielectric defects with cylindrical geometries.

Total reflection and cloaking by zero index metamaterials loaded with rectangular dielectric defects

KAUST Repository

Wu, Ying; Li, Jichun

2013-01-01

In this work, we investigate wave transmission property through a zero index metamaterial (ZIM) waveguide embedded with rectangular dielectric defects. We show that total reflection and total transmission (cloaking) can be achieved by adjusting the geometric sizes and/or permittivities of the defects. Our work provides another possibility of manipulating wave propagation through ZIM in addition to the widely studied dielectric defects with cylindrical geometries.

Association between Visual Impairment and Low Vision and Sleep Duration and Quality among Older Adults in South Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

Peltzer, Karl; Phaswana-Mafuya, Nancy

2017-07-19

This study aims to estimate the association between visual impairment and low vision and sleep duration and poor sleep quality in a national sample of older adults in South Africa. A national population-based cross-sectional Study of Global Ageing and Adults Health (SAGE) wave 1 was conducted in 2008 with a sample of 3840 individuals aged 50 years or older in South Africa. The interviewer-administered questionnaire assessed socio-demographic characteristics, health variables, sleep duration, quality, visual impairment, and vision. Results indicate that 10.0% of the sample reported short sleep duration (≤5 h), 46.6% long sleep (≥9 h), 9.3% poor sleep quality, 8.4% self-reported and visual impairment (near and/or far vision); and 43.2% measured low vision (near and/or far vision) (0.01-0.25 decimal) and 7.5% low vision (0.01-0.125 decimal). In fully adjusted logistic regression models, self-reported visual impairment was associated with short sleep duration and poor sleep quality, separately and together. Low vision was only associated with long sleep duration and poor sleep quality in unadjusted models. Self-reported visual impairment was related to both short sleep duration and poor sleep quality. Population data on sleep patterns may want to include visual impairment measures.

New descriptors of T-wave morphology are independent of heart rate

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Mads Peter; Xue, Joel Q; Graff, Claus

2008-01-01

from daytime Holter recordings. Duration parameters (QT, ToTe, TpTe, and others), a number of basic T-wave morphology parameters (amplitude, area, and others) as well as advanced morphology descriptors (asymmetry, flatness, and others) were measured automatically. Heart rate dependence was examined...... by means of analysis of covariance. The results showed clear heart rate dependence for the QT interval (R(2) = 0.53-0.57) and a moderate degree of heart rate dependence for the basic morphology parameters (amplitude, area, and others) (R(2) = 0.17-0.42). Both the advanced T-wave descriptors (asymmetry......T-wave morphology descriptors are sensitive to drug-induced changes and may be a useful addition to the QT interval in cardiac safety trials. Intrasubject heart rate dependence of T-wave morphology was investigated in a sample of 39 healthy individuals. Ten-second electrocardiograms were obtained...

RELATIVISTIC (E > 0.6, > 2.0, AND > 4.0 MeV) ELECTRON ACCELERATION AT GEOSYNCHRONOUS ORBIT DURING HIGH-INTENSITY, LONG-DURATION, CONTINUOUS AE ACTIVITY (HILDCAA) EVENTS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hajra, Rajkumar; Echer, Ezequiel; Gonzalez, Walter D.; Tsurutani, Bruce T.; Santolik, Ondrej

2015-01-01

Radiation-belt relativistic (E > 0.6, > 2.0, and > 4.0 MeV) electron acceleration is studied for solar cycle 23 (1995-2008). High-intensity, long-duration, continuous AE activity (HILDCAA) events are considered as the basis of the analyses. All of the 35 HILDCAA events under study were found to be characterized by flux enhancements of magnetospheric relativistic electrons of all three energies compared to the pre-event flux levels. For the E > 2.0 MeV electron fluxes, enhancement of >50% occurred during 100% of HILDCAAs. Cluster-4 passes were examined for electromagnetic chorus waves in the 5 < L < 10 and 0 < MLT < 12 region when wave data were available. Fully 100% of these HILDCAA cases were associated with enhanced whistler-mode chorus waves. The enhancements of E > 0.6, > 2.0, and > 4.0 MeV electrons occurred ∼1.0 day, ∼1.5 days, and ∼2.5 days after the statistical HILDCAA onset, respectively. The statistical acceleration rates for the three energy ranges were ∼1.8 × 10 5 , 2.2 × 10 3 , and 1.0 × 10 1 cm –2 s –1 sr –1 d –1 , respectively. The relativistic electron-decay timescales were determined to be ∼7.7, 5.5, and 4.0 days for the three energy ranges, respectively. The HILDCAAs were divided into short-duration (D ≤ 3 days) and long-duration (D > 3 days) events to study the dependence of relativistic electron variation on HILDCAA duration. For long-duration events, the flux enhancements during HILDCAAs with respect to pre-event fluxes were ∼290%, 520%, and 82% for E > 0.6, > 2.0, and > 4.0 MeV electrons, respectively. The enhancements were ∼250%, 400%, and 27% respectively, for short-duration events. The results are discussed with respect to the current understanding of radiation-belt dynamics

R Wave in aVL Lead is a Robust Index of Left Ventricular Hypertrophy: A Cardiac MRI Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Courand, Pierre-Yves; Grandjean, Adrien; Charles, Paul; Paget, Vinciane; Khettab, Fouad; Bricca, Giampiero; Boussel, Loïc; Lantelme, Pierre; Harbaoui, Brahim

2015-08-01

In patients free from overt cardiac disease, R wave in aVL lead (RaVL) is strongly correlated with left ventricular mass index (LVMI) assessed by transthoracic echocardiography. The aim of the present study was to extend this finding to other settings (cardiomyopathy or conduction disorders), by comparing ECG criteria of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) to cardiac MRI (CMR). In 501 patients, CMR and ECG were performed within a median-period of 5 days. CMR LVH cut-offs used were 83 g/m2 in men and 67 g/m2 in women. RaVL was independently correlated with LVMI in patients with or without myocardial infarction (MI) (N = 300 and N = 201, respectively). SV3 was independently correlated with LVMI and LV enlargement only in patients without MI. In the whole cohort, RaVL had area under receiver-operating characteristic curve of 0.729 (specificity 98.3%, sensitivity 19.6%, optimal cut-off 1.1 mV). The performance of RaVL was remarkable in women, in Caucasians, and in the presence of right bundle branch block. It decreased in case of MI. Overall, it is proposed that below 0.5 mV and above 1.0 mV, RaVL is sufficient to exclude or establish LVH. Between 0.5 and 1 mV, composite indices (Cornell voltage or product) should be used. Using this algorithm allowed classifying appropriately 85% of the patients. Our results showed that RaVL is a good index of LVH with a univocal threshold of 1.0 mV in various clinical conditions. SV3 may be combined to RaVL in some conditions, namely LV enlargement to increase its performance. © American Journal of Hypertension, Ltd 2015. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Multi-scale phenomena of rotation-modified mode-2 internal waves

Science.gov (United States)

Deepwell, David; Stastna, Marek; Coutino, Aaron

2018-03-01

We present high-resolution, three-dimensional simulations of rotation-modified mode-2 internal solitary waves at various rotation rates and Schmidt numbers. Rotation is seen to change the internal solitary-like waves observed in the absence of rotation into a leading Kelvin wave followed by Poincaré waves. Mass and energy is found to be advected towards the right-most side wall (for a Northern Hemisphere rotation), leading to increased amplitude of the leading Kelvin wave and the formation of Kelvin-Helmholtz (K-H) instabilities on the upper and lower edges of the deformed pycnocline. These fundamentally three-dimensional instabilities are localized within a region near the side wall and intensify in vigour with increasing rotation rate. Secondary Kelvin waves form further behind the wave from either resonance with radiating Poincaré waves or the remnants of the K-H instability. The first of these mechanisms is in accord with published work on mode-1 Kelvin waves; the second is, to the best of our knowledge, novel to the present study. Both types of secondary Kelvin waves form on the same side of the channel as the leading Kelvin wave. Comparisons of equivalent cases with different Schmidt numbers indicate that while adopting a numerically advantageous low Schmidt number results in the correct general characteristics of the Kelvin waves, excessive diffusion of the pycnocline and various density features precludes accurate representation of both the trailing Poincaré wave field and the intensity and duration of the Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities.

Design and Fabrication of Large Diameter Gradient-Index Lenses for Dual-Band Visible to Short-Wave Infrared Imaging Applications

Science.gov (United States)

Visconti, Anthony Joseph

The fabrication of gradient-index (GRIN) optical elements is quite challenging, which has traditionally restricted their use in many imaging systems; consequently, commercial-level GRIN components usually exist in one particular market or niche application space. One such fabrication technique, ion exchange, is a well-known process used in the chemical strengthening of glass, the fabrication of waveguide devices, and the production of small diameter GRIN optical relay systems. However, the manufacturing of large diameter ion-exchanged GRIN elements has historically been limited by long diffusion times. For example, the diffusion time for a 20 mm diameter radial GRIN lens in commercially available ion exchange glass for small diameter relays, is on the order of a year. The diffusion time can be dramatically reduced by addressing three key ion exchange process parameters; the composition of the glass, the diffusion temperature, and the composition of the salt bath. Experimental work throughout this thesis aims to (1) scale up the ion exchange diffusion process to 20 mm diameters for a fast-diffusing titania silicate glass family in both (2) sodium ion for lithium ion (Na+ for Li+) and lithium ion for sodium ion (Li+ for Na+) exchange directions, while (3) utilizing manufacturing friendly salt bath compositions. In addition, optical design studies have demonstrated that an important benefit of gradient-index elements in imaging systems is the added degree of freedom introduced with a gradient's optical power. However, these studies have not investigated the potential usefulness of GRIN materials in dual-band visible to short-wave infrared (vis-SWIR) imaging systems. The unique chromatic properties of the titania silicate ion exchange glass become a significant degree of freedom in the design process for these color-limited, broadband imaging applications. A single GRIN element can replace a cemented doublet or even a cemented triplet, without loss in overall system

Early diagnostics and incidence of diabetic nephropathy depending on type 1 diabetes mellitus duration

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V.A. Maslianko

2017-03-01

Full Text Available The objective — to establish the incidence of diabetic nephropathy (DN depending on duration of type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM, and also the content of cystatin С as a marker of early kidney damage. Materials and methods. Twenty eight patients with type 1 DM were enrolled in prospective study (11 men and 17 women aged 34.8 ± 7.2 years. Clinical and functional examination included the standard evaluation of renal function, and also the study of serum level of cystatin С. Results. In 17 out of 28 patients, the indexes of glomerular filtration rate calculated using the formulas of CKD-ЕРIcreat and CKD-ЕРIcys, indicated the different stages of chronic kidneys disease. Conclusions. Determination of cystatin C level and calculation of glomerular filtration rate using this index allows diagnosing the preclinical stages of kidney dysfunction in patients with type 1 DM in the normal creatinine level in the blood and without decline in glomerular filtration rate calculated using creatinine value. According to a retrospective study, the incidence and severity of DN in patients with type 1 DM increases with disease duration of more than 10 years.

Work-family conflict, cardiometabolic risk, and sleep duration in nursing employees.

Science.gov (United States)

Berkman, Lisa F; Liu, Sze Yan; Hammer, Leslie; Moen, Phyllis; Klein, Laura Cousino; Kelly, Erin; Fay, Martha; Davis, Kelly; Durham, Mary; Karuntzos, Georgia; Buxton, Orfeu M

2015-10-01

We investigated associations of work-family conflict and work and family conditions with objectively measured cardiometabolic risk and sleep. Multilevel analyses assessed cross-sectional associations between employee and job characteristics and health in analyses of 1,524 employees in 30 extended-care facilities in a single company. We examined work and family conditions in relation to: (a) validated, cardiometabolic risk score based on measured blood pressure, cholesterol, glycosylated hemoglobin, body mass index, and self-reported tobacco consumption and (b) wrist actigraphy-based sleep duration. In fully adjusted multilevel models, work-to-family conflict but not family-to-work conflict was positively associated with cardiometabolic risk. Having a lower level occupation (nursing assistant vs. nurse) was associated with increased cardiometabolic risk, whereas being married and having younger children at home was protective. A significant Age × Work-to-Family Conflict interaction revealed that higher work-to-family conflict was more strongly associated with increased cardiometabolic risk in younger employees. High family-to-work conflict was significantly associated with shorter sleep duration. Working long hours and having children at home were both independently associated with shorter sleep duration. High work-to-family conflict was associated with longer sleep duration. These results indicate that different dimensions of work-family conflict may pose threats to cardiometabolic health and sleep duration for employees. This study contributes to the research on work-family conflict, suggesting that work-to-family and family-to-work conflict are associated with specific health outcomes. Translating theory and findings to preventive interventions entails recognition of the dimensionality of work and family dynamics and the need to target specific work and family conditions. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Education Attainment and Parity Explain the Relationship Between Maternal Age and Breastfeeding Duration in U.S. Mothers.

Science.gov (United States)

Whipps, Mackenzie D M

2017-02-01

Prior research in high-income countries finds that young mothers tend to breastfeed their infants for shorter durations than older mothers; however, there are gaps in our understanding of the processes by which age influences breastfeeding. Research aim: The primary objective of this study was to test the mediating effects of parity and education attainment on the association between maternal age and two breastfeeding outcomes: total duration and duration of exclusive breastfeeding. This study was a secondary data analysis of the IFPS II, a prospective, longitudinal study of ~ 4,900 American mothers. Robust and bias-corrected regression analyses tested the direct effect of age and the indirect effects of age through parity and education for each outcome of interest. Parity and education attainment together explain nearly all of the association between maternal age and both measures of breastfeeding duration. The mediating role of education is significantly larger than parity for both outcomes. These findings indicate that maternal age primarily indexes parity and education but contributes minimally to breastfeeding duration via a direct effect. The findings have implications for intervention development and targeting strategies.

Phase and group refractive index curves for electromagnet waves moving in an ionised medium (1962); Courbes des indices de phase et de groupe d'ondes electromagnetiques se propageant dans un milieu ionise (1962)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Consoli, T [Commissariat a l' Energie Atomique, Saclay (France). Centre d' Etudes Nucleaires

1962-07-01

The family of curves presented in this table give the phase and group refractive indexes of plane electromagnetic waves propagating along and across a static magnetic field in a plasma. (author) [French] Les courbes presentees sous formes de reseaux donnent les indices de phase et de groupe d'ondes electromagnetiques planes se propageant longitudinalement ou transversalement dans un plasma en presence d'un champ magnetique statique. (auteur)

Attosecond Electron Wave Packet Dynamics in Strong Laser Fields

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Johnsson, P.; Remetter, T.; Varju, K.; L'Huillier, A.; Lopez-Martens, R.; Valentin, C.; Balcou, Ph.; Kazamias, S.; Mauritsson, J.; Gaarde, M. B.; Schafer, K. J.; Mairesse, Y.; Wabnitz, H.; Salieres, P.

2005-01-01

We use a train of sub-200 attosecond extreme ultraviolet (XUV) pulses with energies just above the ionization threshold in argon to create a train of temporally localized electron wave packets. We study the energy transfer from a strong infrared (IR) laser field to the ionized electrons as a function of the delay between the XUV and IR fields. When the wave packets are born at the zero crossings of the IR field, a significant amount of energy (∼20 eV) is transferred from the field to the electrons. This results in dramatically enhanced above-threshold ionization in conditions where the IR field alone does not induce any significant ionization. Because both the energy and duration of the wave packets can be varied independently of the IR laser, they are valuable tools for studying and controlling strong-field processes

MESSENGER Observations of ULF Waves in Mercury's Foreshock Region

Science.gov (United States)

Le, Guan; Chi, Peter J.; Bardsen, Scott; Blanco-Cano, Xochitl; Slavin, James A.; Korth, Haje

2012-01-01

The region upstream from a planetary bow shock is a natural plasma laboratory containing a variety of wave particle phenomena. The study of foreshocks other than the Earth s is important for extending our understanding of collisionless shocks and foreshock physics since the bow shock strength varies with heliocentric distance from the Sun, and the sizes of the bow shocks are different at different planets. The Mercury s bow shock is unique in our solar system as it is produced by low Mach number solar wind blowing over a small magnetized body with a predominately radial interplanetary magnetic field. Previous observations of Mercury upstream ultra-low frequency (ULF) waves came exclusively from two Mercury flybys of Mariner 10. The MESSENGER orbiter data enable us to study of upstream waves in the Mercury s foreshock in depth. This paper reports an overview of upstream ULF waves in the Mercury s foreshock using high-time resolution magnetic field data, 20 samples per second, from the MESSENGER spacecraft. The most common foreshock waves have frequencies near 2 Hz, with properties similar to the 1-Hz waves in the Earth s foreshock. They are present in both the flyby data and in every orbit of the orbital data we have surveyed. The most common wave phenomenon in the Earth s foreshock is the large-amplitude 30-s waves, but similar waves at Mercury have frequencies at 0.1 Hz and occur only sporadically with short durations (a few wave cycles). Superposed on the "30-s" waves, there are spectral peaks at 0.6 Hz, not reported previously in Mariner 10 data. We will discuss wave properties and their occurrence characteristics in this paper.

[A study on vowel duration and word length of adductor spasmodic dysphonia].

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Zhipeng; Ge, Pingjiang

2016-03-01

To understand the vowel duration and statement reading of the adductor spasmodic dysphonia (ADSD) patients compared with their normal controls, and provide ideas for clinical diagnosis and treatment. Twenty-nine ADSD patients were included in the research, with 31 normal controls. All subjects filled in form voice handicap index (VHI) by themselves. Maximum phonetic time (MPT) and maximum loudness phonetic time(MLPT) were tested on /a/ sound for all patients. Also, all the patients were required to read aloud a standard mandarin assay named , duration were measured with Praat5. 0 software after sounds were collected. A one-way t-test was performed to compare spasmodic group with control group on VHI, MPT, MLPT and duration for reading standard sentences. Pearson/Spearman correlation was tested. Result: The VHI of the 29 ADSD patients is 89±12, and their normal controls 15±16, indicating that the VHI in ADSD group is significantly higher than in the control group(P<0. 01). The MPT of the ADSD group is(16. 9±9. 8 s), and the control group is (25. 3±10.0)s, indicating that MPT in the ADSD group is significantly shorter than the control group(P<0. 01). The MLPT of the ADSD group is (15.7±7. 6)s, and the control group is (26. 5±11. 4)s, indicating that MLPT in the ADSD group is significantly shorter than the control group (P<0. 01). The duration of standard sentence reading of the ADSD group is (55.0±14. 2)s, and the control group is (37. 8±4. 8)s, indicating that the duration of standard sentence reading in the ADSD group is significantly longer than the control group (P<0. 01). Correlation analysis showed that MPT and MLPT are related within the ADSD group(r=0. 697,P< 0.01), other indexes being tested have no significant correlations. The voice disorder condition of the ADSD patients is significantly worse than normal people. Their pronunciations on continuous vowels are not lasting compared with normal people. In the meantime, their ability to read sentences

Projection of Heat Waves over China under Different Global Warming Targets

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, Xiaojun; Luo, Yong; Huang, Jianbin; Zhao, Zongci

2015-04-01

Global warming targets, which are determined in terms of global mean temperature increases relative to pre-industrial temperature levels, have been one of the heated issues recently. And the climate change (especially climate extremes) and its impacts under different targets have been paid extensive concerns. In this study, evaluation and projection of heat waves in China were carried out by five CMIP5 global climate models (GCMs) with a 0.5°×0.5° horizontal resolution which were derived from EU WATCH project. A new daily observed gridded dataset CN05.1 (0.5°×0.5°) was also used to evaluate the GCMs. And four indices (heat waves frequency, longest heat waves duration, heat waves days and high temperature days) were adopted to analyze the heat waves. Compared with the observations, the five GCMs and its Multi-Model Ensemble (MME) have a remarkable capacity of reproducing the spatial and temporal characteristic of heat waves. The time correlation coefficients between MME and the observation results can all reach 0.05 significant levels. Based on the projection data of five GCMs, both the median year of crossing 1.5°C, 2°C, 2.5°, 3°C, 3.5°C, 4°C, 4.5°C and 5°C global warming targets and the corresponding climate change over China were analyzed under RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5 scenarios, respectively. The results show that when the global mean surface air temperature rise to different targets with respect to the pre-industrial times (1861-1880), the frequency and intensity of heat waves will increase dramatically. To take the high emission scenario RCP8.5 as an example, under the RCP8.5 scenario, the warming rate over China is stronger than that over the globe, the temperature rise(median year) over China projected by MME are 1.77°C(2025), 2.63°C(2039), 3.39°C(2050), 3.97°C(2060), 4.82°C(2070), 5.47°C(2079) and 6.2°C(2089) under 1.5°C, 2°C, 2.5°C, 3°C, 3.5°C, 4°C and 4.5°C global warming targets, respectively. With the increase of the global

The relationship between insomnia with short sleep duration is associated with hypercholesterolemia: a cross-sectional study.

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Chia-Ling; Tsai, Yu-Hsia; Yeh, Mei Chang

2016-02-01

To examine the association between insomnia with short sleep duration and hypercholesterolemia in Taiwanese adults. Previous studies mostly focused on the association between sleep duration and hyperlipidemia, but the results were not consistent. Besides, very few studies extensively examined the association between insomnia and hypercholesterolemia. This study hypothesized that insomnia with short sleep duration is associated with hypercholesterolemia. Secondary data analysis. This study analysed the latest database of the cross-sectional Nutrition and Health Survey in Taiwan which was released on 2011 (data collected between 2005-2008) and collected data using stratified three-staged probability sampling design. This study analysed 1533 participants aged between 19-64 (733 males and 800 females) and used logistic regression model to calculate the odds ratio and the 95% confidence interval of insomnia with short sleep duration to hypercholesterolemia. Controlled confounders included age, gender, sample weight, body mass index, waist circumference, fasting plasma glucose, hypertension and diabetes. Insomnia with 5-6 hours of sleep duration was significantly associated with hypercholesterolemia. The odds ratio of mild insomnia or moderate/severe insomnia with 5-6 hours of sleep duration to hypercholesterolemia was higher, compared with the reference group (without insomnia and >6 hours of sleep duration). Insomnia with short sleep duration was associated with increased odds of hypercholesterolemia. Caregivers in clinical practice should watch out for the effect brought by this novel factor. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Wave propagation in structured materials as a platform for effective parameters retrieving

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andryieuski, Andrei; Ha, S.; Sukhorukov, A. A.

MM slab can be considered as a semi-infinite medium. Modelling the one-directional (forward) propagation of the wave inside a metamaterial slab thick enough to avoid transition layers effects and reflection from the rear interface we are able to restore complex refractive index3. Getting the input...... established yet. In this contribution, we present an overview of our activity in EPs retrieving based on observation of wave propagation phenomena in thick (multilayer) MMs. We put a goal to develop a method which is unambiguous, but at the same time simple and straightforward. The idea is that thick enough...... utilization of the Bloch-mode analysis5. The idea is to perform the Bloch mode expansion6 of the field inside the metamaterial slab when it is illuminated with a plane wave incident from vacuum. Then we determine the effective refractive index from the propagation constant of the dominating (fundamental...

Optimal index related to the shoreline dynamics during a storm: the case of Jesolo beach

Science.gov (United States)

Archetti, Renata; Paci, Agnese; Carniel, Sandro; Bonaldo, Davide

2016-05-01

The paper presents an application of shoreline monitoring aimed at understanding the response of a beach to single storms and at identifying its typical behaviour, in order to be able to predict shoreline changes and to properly plan the defence of the shore zone. On the study area, in Jesolo beach (northern Adriatic Sea, Italy), a video monitoring station and an acoustic wave and current profiler were installed in spring 2013, recording, respectively, images and hydrodynamic data. The site lacks previous detailed hydrodynamic and morphodynamic data. Variations in the shoreline were quantified in combination with available near-shore wave conditions, making it possible to analyse the relationship between the shoreline displacement and the wave features. Results denote characteristic patterns of beach response to storm events, and highlight the importance of improving beach protection in this zone, notwithstanding the many interventions experimented in the last decades. A total of 31 independent storm events were selected during the period October 2013-October 2014, and for each of them synthetic indexes based on storm duration, energy and maximum wave height were developed and estimated. It was found that the net shoreline displacements during a storm are well correlated with the total wave energy associated to the considered storm by an empirical power law equation. A sub-selection of storms in the presence of an artificial dune protecting the beach (in the winter season) was examined in detail, allowing to conclude that the adoption of this coastal defence strategy in the study area can reduce shoreline retreat during a storm. This type of intervention can sometimes contribute to prolonging overall stability not only in the replenished zone but also in downdrift areas. The implemented methodology, which confirms to be economically attractive if compared to more traditional monitoring systems, proves to be a valuable system to monitor beach erosive processes and

Monitoring and understanding changes in heat waves, cold waves, floods, and droughts in the United States: State of knowledge

Science.gov (United States)

Peterson, Thomas C.; Heim, Richard R.; Hirsch, Robert M.; Kaiser, Dale P.; Brooks, Harold; Diffenbaugh, Noah S.; Dole, Randall M.; Giovannettone, Jason P.; Guirguis, Kristen; Karl, Thomas R.; Katz, Richard W.; Kunkel, Kenneth E.; Lettenmaier, Dennis P.; McCabe, Gregory J.; Paciorek, Christopher J.; Ryberg, Karen R.; K Wolter, BS Silva; Schubert, Siegfried; Silva, Viviane B. S.; Stewart, Brooke C.; Vecchia, Aldo V.; Villarini, Gabriele; Vose, Russell S.; Walsh, John; Wehner, Michael; Wolock, David; Wolter, Klaus; Woodhouse, Connie A.; Wuebbles, Donald

2013-01-01

Weather and climate extremes have been varying and changing on many different time scales. In recent decades, heat waves have generally become more frequent across the United States, while cold waves have been decreasing. While this is in keeping with expectations in a warming climate, it turns out that decadal variations in the number of U.S. heat and cold waves do not correlate well with the observed U.S. warming during the last century. Annual peak flow data reveal that river flooding trends on the century scale do not show uniform changes across the country. While flood magnitudes in the Southwest have been decreasing, flood magnitudes in the Northeast and north-central United States have been increasing. Confounding the analysis of trends in river flooding is multiyear and even multidecadal variability likely caused by both large-scale atmospheric circulation changes and basin-scale “memory” in the form of soil moisture. Droughts also have long-term trends as well as multiyear and decadal variability. Instrumental data indicate that the Dust Bowl of the 1930s and the drought in the 1950s were the most significant twentieth-century droughts in the United States, while tree ring data indicate that the megadroughts over the twelfth century exceeded anything in the twentieth century in both spatial extent and duration. The state of knowledge of the factors that cause heat waves, cold waves, floods, and drought to change is fairly good with heat waves being the best understood.

Maternal obesity and breastfeeding intention, initiation, intensity and duration: a systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Turcksin, Rivka; Bel, Sarah; Galjaard, Sander; Devlieger, Roland

2014-04-01

This systematic review investigates the relationship between maternal obesity and breastfeeding intention, initiation, intensity, duration and milk supply. A comprehensive search was performed through three major databases, including Medline, Cochrane Library and Cumulative Index For Nursing and Allied Health Literature, and by screening reference lists of the relevant publications. Selection criteria were: report of original research, studies on low-risk obese mothers and the comparison with normal weight mothers which met at least two of the following primary outcomes: breastfeeding intention; initiation; intensity; duration and/or milk supply. Furthermore, the included reports had to contain a clear definition of pre-pregnant obesity, use compensation mechanisms for potential confounding factors, have a prospective cohort design and had to have been published between 1997 and 2011 and in English, French or Dutch. Effects of obesity on breastfeeding intention, initiation, intensity, duration and milk supply were analysed, tabulated and summarised in this review. Studies have found that obese women are less likely to intend to breastfeed and that maternal obesity seems to be associated with a decreased initiation of breastfeeding, a shortened duration of breastfeeding, a less adequate milk supply and delayed onset of lactogenesis II, compared with their normal weight counterparts. This systematic review indicates therefore that maternal obesity is an adverse determinant for breastfeeding success. © 2012 JohnWiley & Sons Ltd.

Effect of relaxation on working memory and the Bispectral Index of the EEG.

Science.gov (United States)

Hudetz, Judith A; Hudetz, Anthony G; Reddy, Diane M

2004-08-01

Beneficial effects of relaxation on cardiovascular and immune functions and on memory has been implied but an empirical relationship between task performance and anxiety reduction has not been reported. In this study, we investigated whether guided imagery of relatively short duration would decrease S-Anxiety and electroencephalogram Bispectral Index and improve working memory. 42 participants (age: M=39, SD=11, 14 men, 28 women, university students and VA Medical Center employees, recruited by their professor or by fellow employees) underwent relaxation by 16-min. guided imagery or no treatment (control). Spielberger's State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and the WAIS-III Letter-Number Sequencing Test were administered before and after relaxation. S-Anxiety and BIS Index decreased and the Letter-Number test score increased by 30% after relaxation but not in the control group. This score was higher for participants with low anxiety and BIS Index. There was no significant difference between the groups before treatment. The results suggest that guided imagery of short duration produces relaxation as measured by psychological and neurophysiological indices and improves working memory performance.

Lossless acoustic half-bipolar cylindrical cloak with negative-index metamaterial

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Yong Y.; Ahn, Doyeol

2018-05-01

A lossless acoustic half-bipolar cylindrical cloak that has an exposed bottom is considered. Here, we show that a cloak that includes a complementary region including a negative-index medium inside of the cloaking shell works in the illumination direction independently even in the presence of the exposed bottom of the structure. This is due to the fact that the phase velocity of the wave in the normal direction can be cancelled in the presence of a boundary containing a negative-index medium that reduces scattering significantly.

Nonlinear low-frequency wave aspect of foreshock density holes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

N. Lin

2008-11-01

Full Text Available Recent observations have uncovered short-duration density holes in the Earth's foreshock region. There is evidence that the formation of density holes involves non-linear growth of fluctuations in the magnetic field and plasma density, which results in shock-like boundaries followed by a decrease in both density and magnetic field. In this study we examine in detail a few such events focusing on their low frequency wave characteristics. The propagation properties of the waves are studied using Cluster's four point observations. We found that while these density hole-structures were convected with the solar wind, in the plasma rest frame they propagated obliquely and mostly sunward. The wave amplitude grows non-linearly in the process, and the waves are circularly or elliptically polarized in the left hand sense. The phase velocities calculated from four spacecraft timing analysis are compared with the velocity estimated from δE/δB. Their agreement justifies the plane electromagnetic wave nature of the structures. Plasma conditions are found to favor firehose instabilities. Oblique Alfvén firehose instability is suggested as a possible energy source for the wave growth. Resonant interaction between ions at certain energy and the waves could reduce the ion temperature anisotropy and thus the free energy, thereby playing a stabilizing role.

LANGMUIR WAVE DECAY IN INHOMOGENEOUS SOLAR WIND PLASMAS: SIMULATION RESULTS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Krafft, C. [Laboratoire de Physique des Plasmas, Ecole Polytechnique, F-91128 Palaiseau Cedex (France); Volokitin, A. S. [IZMIRAN, Troitsk, 142190, Moscow (Russian Federation); Krasnoselskikh, V. V., E-mail: catherine.krafft@u-psud.fr [Laboratoire de Physique et Chimie de l’Environnement et de l’Espace, 3A Av. de la Recherche Scientifique, F-45071 Orléans Cedex 2 (France)

2015-08-20

Langmuir turbulence excited by electron flows in solar wind plasmas is studied on the basis of numerical simulations. In particular, nonlinear wave decay processes involving ion-sound (IS) waves are considered in order to understand their dependence on external long-wavelength plasma density fluctuations. In the presence of inhomogeneities, it is shown that the decay processes are localized in space and, due to the differences between the group velocities of Langmuir and IS waves, their duration is limited so that a full nonlinear saturation cannot be achieved. The reflection and the scattering of Langmuir wave packets on the ambient and randomly varying density fluctuations lead to crucial effects impacting the development of the IS wave spectrum. Notably, beatings between forward propagating Langmuir waves and reflected ones result in the parametric generation of waves of noticeable amplitudes and in the amplification of IS waves. These processes, repeated at different space locations, form a series of cascades of wave energy transfer, similar to those studied in the frame of weak turbulence theory. The dynamics of such a cascading mechanism and its influence on the acceleration of the most energetic part of the electron beam are studied. Finally, the role of the decay processes in the shaping of the profiles of the Langmuir wave packets is discussed, and the waveforms calculated are compared with those observed recently on board the spacecraft Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory and WIND.

The Relationship Between Aging and P Wave Dispersion

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İrfan Barutçu

2009-12-01

Full Text Available Objective: Atrial fibrillation (AF, commonly observed in advanced ages, displays striking age dependent increase and increased P wave dispersion (PWD has been shown to be a predictor of AF. In this studywe sought to determine whether P wave duration and PWD increase with aging. Method and Results: Eighty-three elderly subjects (group-I mean age 75±8 years and 40 healthy young subjects (group-II, mean age 37±6 years participated in this study. 12-lead ECG recorded at a paper speed of 50mm/s was obtained from each participant. Maximum (Pmax and minimum P wave duration (Pmin was measured manually with a caliper and the difference between two values was defined asPWD. Pmax and PWD were significantly higher in group-I compared to group-II. (98±8 vs. 93±8 p=0.01, 41±12 vs. 34±13 p=0.002, respectively. Among the elderly population when those with cardiovascular disorders such as hypertension, coronary artery disease and heart failure were excluded, Pmax and PWD were still significantly higher than the young population. (Pmax: 98±7 vs. 93±7, p=0.02 and PWD: 42±11 vs. 34±13, p=0.002. Moreover, on correlation analysis a positive correlation was detected between Pmaxand PWD and aging. (r=0.29, p=0.004; r=0.30, p=0.003 respectively.Conclusion: PWD shows age dependent increase and may be a useful marker for estimation the risk of developing AF seen in advanced ages.

TOWARD INDONESIAN TSUNAMI EARLY WARNING SYSTEM BY USING RAPID RUPTURE DURATIONS CALCULATION

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M. Adlazim

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Indonesia has an Indonesian Tsunami Early Warning System (Ina-TEWS since 2008. The Ina-TEWS has used automatic processing on hypocenter; Mwp, Mw (mB and Mj. If earthquake occurred in Ocean, depth 7, then Ina-TEWS announce early warning that the earthquake can generate tsunami. However, the announcement of the Ina-TEWS is still not accuracy. Purpose of this study is to estimate earthquake rupture duration of large Indonesia earthquakes that occurred in Indian Ocean, Java, Timor Sea, Banda Sea, Arafura Sea and Pacific Ocean using a direct procedure and software developed Lomax and Michelini for rapid assessment of earthquake tsunami potential by deriving two simple measures from vertical component broadband P-wave velocity record. The first is the high-frequency apparent rupture duration, Tdur which may be related to can be related to the critical parameters rupture length (L, depth (z, and shear modulus (μ. The second is a confirmation of the earlier finding by Lomax and Michelini, namely that the rupture duration has a stronger influence to generate tsunami than Mw and Depth. We analyzed at least 510 vertical seismogram recorded by GEOFON-IA and IRIS-DMC networks. Our analysis shows that the seismic potency, LWD, which is more obviously related to capability to generate a tsunami than former. The larger Tdur the larger is the seismic potency LWD because Tdur is proportional to L/vr (with vr – rupture velocity. We also suggest that tsunami potential is not directly related to the faulting type of source and for events that have rupture duration greater than 50 s, the earthquakes generated tsunami. With available real-time seismogram data, rapid calculation, rupture duration discriminant can be completed within 3 to 8 min after the P-onset.

Temporal Compounding of Heat Waves in the Present and Projected Future

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Baldwin, J. W.; Dessy, J.; Vecchi, G. A.; Oppenheimer, M.

2017-12-01

The hazard of heat waves is projected to increase significantly with global warming, motivating much recent research characterizing various aspects of these extreme events. One less examined aspect of heat waves is their temporal structure. Here we first modify existing heat wave duration definitions to flexibly account for a variety of possible heat wave temporal structures (sequences of hot and cooler days). We then examine past heat waves associated with high mortality using observational reanalysis data, and note that many past heat waves might be better described as series of hot days compounded together with short breaks of cooler days in between. We employ Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL) global climate model (GCM) simulations to compare the frequency of these compound heat waves in the present and projected future with higher levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide. Our results indicate that temporally compound heatwaves will constitute a greater proportion of heat wave risk with global warming. Via examining synthetic autoregressive model data, we propose that this phenomenon is expected when shifting the mean of a time series with some memory and noise. Notably, an increased proportion of compound events implies that vulnerability from prior hot days will play an increasingly large role in heat wave risk, with possible implications for both heat wave-related policy and preparedness.

Teaching the Common Aspects in Mechanical, Electromagnetic and Quantum Waves at Interfaces and Waveguides

Science.gov (United States)

Rojas, R.; Robles, P.

2011-01-01

We discuss common features in mechanical, electromagnetic and quantum systems, supporting identical results for the transmission and reflection coefficients of waves arriving perpendicularly at a plane interface. Also, we briefly discuss the origin of special notions such as refractive index in quantum mechanics, massive photons in wave guides and…

Propagation and application of waves in the ionosphere.

Science.gov (United States)

Yeh, K. C.; Liu, C. H.

1972-01-01

This review deals with the propagation of waves, especially radio waves in the ionosphere. In the macroscopic electromagnetic theory, the mathematical structure of wave propagation problems depends entirely on the properties of the dielectric operator in a magnetically nonpermeable medium. These properties can be deduced from general discussions of symmetry and considerations of physical principles. When the medium is specifically the ionosphere, various physical phenomena may occur. Because of a large number of parameters, it is desirable to define a parameter space. A point in the parameter space corresponds to a specific plasma. The parameter space is subdivided into regions whose boundaries correspond to conditions of resonance and cutoff. As the point crosses these boundaries, the refractive index surface transforms continuously.

Characteristics of storms driving wave-induced seafloor mobility on the U.S. East Coast continental shelf

Science.gov (United States)

Dalyander, P. Soupy; Butman, Bradford

2015-01-01

This study investigates the relationship between spatial and temporal patterns of wave-driven sediment mobility events on the U.S. East Coast continental shelf and the characteristics of the storms responsible for them. Mobility events, defined as seafloor wave stress exceedance of the critical stress of 0.35 mm diameter sand (0.2160 Pa) for 12 or more hours, were identified from surface wave observations at National Data Buoy Center buoys in the Middle Atlantic Bight (MAB) and South Atlantic Bight (SAB) over the period of 1997-2007. In water depths ranging from 36-48 m, there were 4-9 mobility events/year of 1-2 days duration. Integrated wave stress during events (IWAVES) was used as a combined metric of wave-driven mobility intensity and duration. In the MAB, over 67% of IWAVES was caused by extratropical storms, while in the SAB, greater than 66% of IWAVES was caused by tropical storms. On average, mobility events were caused by waves generated by storms located 800+ km away. Far-field hurricanes generated swell 2-4 days before the waves caused mobility on the shelf. Throughout most of the SAB, mobility events were driven by storms to the south, east, and west. In the MAB and near Cape Hatteras, winds from more northerly storms and low-pressure extratropical systems in the mid-western U.S. also drove mobility events. Waves generated by storms off the SAB generated mobility events along the entire U.S. East Coast shelf north to Cape Cod, while Cape Hatteras shielded the SAB area from swell originating to the north offshore of the MAB.

Sleep duration and the risk of obesity – a cross-sectional study

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Edyta Suliga

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Introduction: So far, the association between a longer sleep duration, state of health, and the risk of obesity and the influence of gender on the association between sleep duration and the risk of obesity has not been fully explained. Aim of the research: To examine the relationships between self-reported sleep duration, body mass index (BMI, and body fat percentage (%BF, and also to determine whether such associations are the same in men and in women. Material and methods : This study included 10,367 participants aged 37 to 66 years. Logistic regression was applied for risk assessment of the prevalence of abnormal BMI values and %BF in groups of sleep duration. Sleep of 7–8 h per night was adopted as a reference level. Results: In men, the risk of obesity was significantly greater only in the group sleeping ≤ 6 h (OR = 1.18, 95% CI: 1.08–1.28; p < 0.05; however, in women, only among those sleeping ≥ 9 h (OR = 1.14, 95% CI: 1.02–1.26; p < 0.05. The risk of obesity, determined on the basis of %BF, was higher only in individuals sleeping ≥ 9 h. In the adjusted model, it turned out to be significant in the general study population (OR = 1.28, 95% CI: 1.07–1.53; p < 0.05 and in women (OR = 1.14, 95% CI: 1.03–1.27; p < 0.05. Conclusions: In women, a greater risk of obesity was related to a longer sleep duration (≥ 9 h, whereas in men, the tendency of obesity occurrence along with shorter sleep (≤ 6 h. Thus, the physiological consequences of sleep duration may be different in women than in men.

Real-Time Detection of Rupture Development: Earthquake Early Warning Using P Waves From Growing Ruptures

Science.gov (United States)

Kodera, Yuki

2018-01-01

Large earthquakes with long rupture durations emit P wave energy throughout the rupture period. Incorporating late-onset P waves into earthquake early warning (EEW) algorithms could contribute to robust predictions of strong ground motion. Here I describe a technique to detect in real time P waves from growing ruptures to improve the timeliness of an EEW algorithm based on seismic wavefield estimation. The proposed P wave detector, which employs a simple polarization analysis, successfully detected P waves from strong motion generation areas of the 2011 Mw 9.0 Tohoku-oki earthquake rupture. An analysis using 23 large (M ≥ 7) events from Japan confirmed that seismic intensity predictions based on the P wave detector significantly increased lead times without appreciably decreasing the prediction accuracy. P waves from growing ruptures, being one of the fastest carriers of information on ongoing rupture development, have the potential to improve the performance of EEW systems.

Index of Theta/Alpha Ratio of the Quantitative Electroencephalogram in Alzheimer's Disease: A Case-Control Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Fahimi, Golshan; Tabatabaei, Seyed Mahmoud; Fahimi, Elnaz; Rajebi, Hamid

2017-08-01

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a devastating neurodegenerative disorder in human beings associated with cognitive, behavioral and motor impairments. The main symptom of AD is dementia, which causes difficulties in carrying out daily practices. Brain waves are altered in people with AD. Relative indices of brain waves can be beneficial in the diagnosis of AD. In this case-control study, 50 patients with AD and 50 matched healthy individuals were enrolled in case and control groups respectively. With recording and analyzing of brain waves with the utilization of quantitative electroencephalogram (QEEG), index of theta/alpha ratio was assessed in both groups. The index of theta/alpha ratio was significantly higher in patients with AD in comparison to healthy individuals (Pratio obtained by QEEG provides a non-invasive diagnostic marker of AD, which may be helpful in identification of non-advanced disease in susceptible individuals.

Interference Imaging of Refractive Index Distribution in Thin Samples

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Ivan Turek

2004-01-01

Full Text Available There are three versions of interference imaging of refractive index distribution in thin samples suggested in this contribution. These are based on imaging of interference field created by waves reflected from the front and the back sample surface or imaging of interference field of Michelson or Mach-Zehnder interferometer with the sample put in one of the interferometers arm. The work discusses the advantages and disadvantages of these techniques and presents the results of imaging of refrective index distribution in photorefractive record of a quasi-harmonic optical field in thin LiNbO3 crystal sample.

A new miniaturized negative-index meta-atom for tri-band applications

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Hossain Mohammad Jakir

2017-07-01

Full Text Available In this paper, a miniature negative index meta-atom was designed; simulated, fabricated and measured based on parallel incidence of electromagnetic wave that can maintain a tri-band applications in microwave spectra. Compare to the other multi-band conventional metamaterial, the proposed meta-atom structure allows miniaturization factor and follows better effective medium ratio (EMR. Finite-integration technique (FIT based computer simulation technology (CST electromagnetic simulator was adopted to examine the design of the meta-atom. It exhibits tri-band response in conjunction with backward wave property over a certain frequency band in the microwave regime. Furthermore, the effective medium ratio is considerably improved compared to previously reported metamaterial. Moreover, few parametric analyses were done with the meta-atom. The size, scattering parameters and effective medium parameters of the proposed negative index miniaturized meta-atom is appropriate for tri-band applications.

A two-dimensional uniplanar transmission-line metamaterial with a negative index of refraction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Elek, Francis; Eleftheriades, George V

2005-01-01

A uniplanar transmission-line (TL) network has been loaded with lumped elements (chip or printed), enabling one to achieve a two-dimensional (2D) uniplanar negative-refractive-index (NRI) metamaterial. The metamaterial consists of a 2D array of unit cells, composed of TL sections connected in series and loaded in a specified manner. The unit cell dimensions can be designed to be much smaller than the operating wavelength, enabling one to identify the structure as an effective medium, with a negative index of refraction. This NRI metamaterial supports transverse electric (TE) waves, as opposed to related previous work on NRI-TL media that supported transverse magnetic (TM) waves. The dispersion characteristics are calculated using a simple, fast 2D loaded TL model with periodic (Bloch) boundary conditions. Subsequently the dispersion relation is simplified in the homogeneous limit, thus allowing one to identify effective permittivities and permeabilities, which are shown to be simultaneously negative. Simulations demonstrating the negative refraction of a plane wave on an interface between such a NRI uniplanar metamaterial and a commensurate positive-refractive-index (PRI) metamaterial verify the validity of the proposed concept and theory. A fully printed unit cell is presented at microwave frequencies (∼10 GHz) along with a prescription for synthesizing an isotropic 3D transmission line NRI metamaterial based on this unit cell

Spatio-temporal evolution of magnetosonic wave in the laser plasma interaction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sharma, R. P.; Singh, Ram Kishor; Sharma, Swati; Tiwary, Prem Pyari; Modi, K. V.; Satsangi, V. R.

2015-01-01

This paper presents a theoretical model for the transient response of nonlinear coupling between magnetosonic wave and ion acoustic wave in the overdense plasma. Filamentation of magnetosonic wave has been considered to be responsible for magnetic turbulence during the laser plasma interaction. The ion acoustic wave gets excited due to the ponderomotive force exerted by magnetosonic wave and this ion acoustic wave in turn generates perturbation in the background density in the form of spatial density harmonics. Numerical simulation has been carried out for dimensionless coupled equations of magnetosonic wave and ion acoustic wave; and the results show quite complex localized structures that grow with time. The power spectrum has also been studied which shows that the spectral index follows an approximate scaling of the order of ∼k −2.4 at smaller scales. The data obtained from numerical simulation are used in semi analytical model to better understand the mechanism of nonlinear evolution of magnetosonic wave. The results indicate considerable randomness in the spatial structure of the magnetic field profile which gives sufficient indication of turbulence

Spatio-temporal evolution of magnetosonic wave in the laser plasma interaction

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sharma, R. P., E-mail: rpsharma@ces.iitd.ac.in; Singh, Ram Kishor, E-mail: ram007kishor@gmail.com; Sharma, Swati, E-mail: swati.sharma704@gmail.com [Centre for Energy Studies, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, Delhi 110016 (India); Tiwary, Prem Pyari, E-mail: prempyari@gmail.com [Centre for Energy Studies, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, Delhi 110016 (India); Department of Physics and Computer Science, Dayal Bagh Educational Institute(Deemed University), DayalBagh, Agra 282005 (India); Modi, K. V., E-mail: kvmodi.iitd@gmail.com [Centre for Energy Studies, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, Delhi 110016 (India); Mechanical Engineering Department, Government Engineering College Valsad, Gujarat 396001 (India); Satsangi, V. R. [Department of Physics and Computer Science, Dayal Bagh Educational Institute(Deemed University), DayalBagh, Agra 282005 (India)

2015-05-15

This paper presents a theoretical model for the transient response of nonlinear coupling between magnetosonic wave and ion acoustic wave in the overdense plasma. Filamentation of magnetosonic wave has been considered to be responsible for magnetic turbulence during the laser plasma interaction. The ion acoustic wave gets excited due to the ponderomotive force exerted by magnetosonic wave and this ion acoustic wave in turn generates perturbation in the background density in the form of spatial density harmonics. Numerical simulation has been carried out for dimensionless coupled equations of magnetosonic wave and ion acoustic wave; and the results show quite complex localized structures that grow with time. The power spectrum has also been studied which shows that the spectral index follows an approximate scaling of the order of ∼k{sup −2.4} at smaller scales. The data obtained from numerical simulation are used in semi analytical model to better understand the mechanism of nonlinear evolution of magnetosonic wave. The results indicate considerable randomness in the spatial structure of the magnetic field profile which gives sufficient indication of turbulence.

The greenscape shapes surfing of resource waves in a large migratory herbivore.

Science.gov (United States)

Aikens, Ellen O; Kauffman, Matthew J; Merkle, Jerod A; Dwinnell, Samantha P H; Fralick, Gary L; Monteith, Kevin L

2017-06-01

The Green Wave Hypothesis posits that herbivore migration manifests in response to waves of spring green-up (i.e. green-wave surfing). Nonetheless, empirical support for the Green Wave Hypothesis is mixed, and a framework for understanding variation in surfing is lacking. In a population of migratory mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus), 31% surfed plant phenology in spring as well as a theoretically perfect surfer, and 98% surfed better than random. Green-wave surfing varied among individuals and was unrelated to age or energetic state. Instead, the greenscape, which we define as the order, rate and duration of green-up along migratory routes, was the primary factor influencing surfing. Our results indicate that migratory routes are more than a link between seasonal ranges, and they provide an important, but often overlooked, foraging habitat. In addition, the spatiotemporal configuration of forage resources that propagate along migratory routes shape animal movement and presumably, energy gains during migration. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd/CNRS.

Interaction of Sleep Duration and Sleep Quality on Hypertension Prevalence in Adult Chinese Males.

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Kai; Chen, Jia; Wu, Shouling; Chen, Ji; Hu, Dayi

2015-01-01

Previous studies demonstrated conflicting results about the association of sleep duration and hypertension. Given the potential relationship between sleep quality and hypertension, this study aimed to investigate the interaction of self-reported sleep duration and sleep quality on hypertension prevalence in adult Chinese males. We undertook a cross-sectional analysis of 4144 male subjects. Sleep duration were measured by self-reported average sleep time during the past month. Sleep quality was evaluated using the standard Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Hypertension was defined as blood pressure level ≥140/90 mm Hg or current antihypertensive treatment. The association between hypertension prevalence, sleep duration, and sleep quality was analyzed using logistic regression after adjusting for basic cardiovascular characteristics. Sleep duration shorter than 8 hours was found to be associated with increased hypertension, with odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of 1.25 (95% CI, 1.03-1.52) for 7 hours, 1.41 (95% CI, 1.14-1.73) for 6 hours, and 2.38 (95% CI, 1.81-3.11) for quality as the reference, good, poor, and very poor sleep quality were associated with hypertension, with odds ratios of 1.20 (95% CI, 1.01-1.42), 1.67 (95% CI, 1.32-2.11), and 2.32 (95% CI, 1.67-3.21), respectively. More importantly, further investigation of the association of different combinations of sleep duration and quality in relation to hypertension indicated an additive interaction. There is an additive interaction of poor sleep quality and short sleep duration on hypertension prevalence. More comprehensive measurement of sleep should be performed in future studies.

Focusing of Acoustic Waves through Acoustic Materials with Subwavelength Structures

KAUST Repository

Xiao, Bingmu

2013-01-01

-domain (FDTD) method for the two-dimensional acoustic wave equation. The theory provides the effective impedance and refractive index functions for the equivalent medium, which can reproduce the transmission and reflection spectral responses of the original

Unusual behaviour of usual materials in shock waves

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kanel, G I

2014-01-01

Exotic results of investigations of inelastic deformation and fracture under shock wave loading are presented and briefly discussed. Temperature effects on the flow stress at high strain rate may differ even in sign from those we observe at low and moderate strain rates. Investigations of the temperature-rate dependence of the yield stress at shock compression demonstrate intense multiplication of dislocations. At the highest strain rates, so-called ideal (ultimate) shear and tensile strength is reached in experiments with picosecond durations of shock loading. Although grain boundaries, in general, reduce resistance to fracture as compared to single crystals, the spall strength of ultra-fine-grained metals usually slightly exceeds that of coarse-grain samples. Failure wave phenomena have been observed in shock-compressed glasses.

Relic gravitational waves from light primordial black holes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dolgov, Alexander D.; Ejlli, Damian

2011-01-01

The energy density of relic gravitational waves (GWs) emitted by primordial black holes (PBHs) is calculated. We estimate the intensity of GWs produced at quantum and classical scattering of PBHs, the classical graviton emission from the PBH binaries in the early Universe, and the graviton emission due to PBH evaporation. If nonrelativistic PBHs dominated the cosmological energy density prior to their evaporation, the probability of formation of dense clusters of PBHs and their binaries in such clusters would be significant and the energy density of the generated gravitational waves in the present-day universe could exceed that produced by other known mechanisms. The intensity of these gravitational waves would be maximal in the GHz frequency band of the spectrum or higher and makes their observation very difficult by present detectors but also gives a rather good possibility to investigate it by present and future high-frequency gravitational waves electromagnetic detectors. However, the low-frequency part of the spectrum in the range f∼0.1-10 Hz may be detectable by the planned space interferometers DECIGO/BBO. For sufficiently long duration of the PBH matter-dominated stage, the cosmological energy fraction of GWs from inflation would be noticeably diluted.

Correlating P-wave Velocity with the Physico-Mechanical Properties of Different Rocks

Science.gov (United States)

Khandelwal, Manoj

2013-04-01

In mining and civil engineering projects, physico-mechanical properties of the rock affect both the project design and the construction operation. Determination of various physico-mechanical properties of rocks is expensive and time consuming, and sometimes it is very difficult to get cores to perform direct tests to evaluate the rock mass. The purpose of this work is to investigate the relationships between the different physico-mechanical properties of the various rock types with the P-wave velocity. Measurement of P-wave velocity is relatively cheap, non-destructive and easy to carry out. In this study, representative rock mass samples of igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks were collected from the different locations of India to obtain an empirical relation between P-wave velocity and uniaxial compressive strength, tensile strength, punch shear, density, slake durability index, Young's modulus, Poisson's ratio, impact strength index and Schmidt hammer rebound number. A very strong correlation was found between the P-wave velocity and different physico-mechanical properties of various rock types with very high coefficients of determination. To check the sensitivity of the empirical equations, Students t test was also performed, which confirmed the validity of the proposed correlations.

Influence of ambient air pressure on impact pressure caused by breaking waves

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Moutzouris, C.

1979-01-01

Engineers are interested in the dynamics of the interface waterstructure. In case of breaking of water waves on a structure high positive and sometimes negative pressures of very short duration occur. Not only the maxima and minima of the pressures on the structure are important to a designing

Supersonic wave detection method and supersonic detection device

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Machida, Koichi; Seto, Takehiro; Ishizaki, Hideaki; Asano, Rin-ichi.

1996-01-01

The present invention provides a method of and device for a detection suitable to a channel box which is used while covering a fuel assembly of a BWR type reactor. Namely, a probe for transmitting/receiving supersonic waves scans on the surface of the channel box. A data processing device determines an index showing a selective orientation degree of crystal direction of the channel box based on the signals received by the probe. A judging device compares the determined index with a previously determined allowable range to judge whether the channel box is satisfactory or not based on the result of the comparison. The judgement are on the basis that (1) the bending of the channel box is caused by the difference of elongation of opposed surfaces, (2) the elongation due to irradiation is caused by the selective orientation of crystal direction, and (3) the bending of the channel box can be suppressed within a predetermined range by suppressing the index determined by the measurement of supersonic waves having a correlation with the selective orientation of the crystal direction. As a result, the performance of the channel box capable of enduring high burnup region can be confirmed in a nondestructive manner. (I.S.)

Association between poor clinical prognosis and sleep duration among breast cancer patients

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thalyta Cristina Mansano-Schlosser

Full Text Available ABSTRACT Objective: to investigate the association between clinical progression and the quality and duration of sleep in women with breast cancer. Method: longitudinal study, with 114 participants, conducted in a hospital in Brazil. The instruments used were: questionnaire for sociodemographic and clinical characterization, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index; Beck Depression Inventory and Herth Hope Scale. Data were analyzed through descriptive statistics and survival analyses (outcome: poor clinical progression, using the Kaplan-Meier curve, Log-rank test and Cox proportional model. Results: a higher probability of poor clinical progression was verified in women with sleep durations of less than six hours or nine hours and over (p=.0173. Conclusion: the results suggest the importance of further studies that seek to verify whether the quantitative management of sleep disorders would have an impact on the progression of breast cancer. Women should be encouraged to report sleep problems to nurses.

Interannual and Decadal Variations of Planetary Wave Activity, Stratospheric Cooling, and Northern Hemisphere Annular Mode.

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Yongyun; Kit Tung, Ka

2002-07-01

Using NCEP-NCAR 51-yr reanalysis data, the interannual and decadal variations of planetary wave activity and its relationship to stratospheric cooling, and the Northern Hemisphere Annular mode (NAM), are studied. It is found that winter stratospheric polar temperature is highly correlated on a year-to-year basis with the Eliassen-Palm (E-P) wave flux from the troposphere, implying a dynamical control of the former by the latter, as often suggested. Greater (lower) wave activity from the troposphere implies larger (smaller) poleward heat flux into the polar region, which leads to warmer (colder) polar temperature. A similar highly correlated antiphase relationship holds for E-P flux divergence and the strength of the polar vortex in the stratosphere. It is tempting to extrapolate these relationships found for interannual timescales to explain the recent stratospheric polar cooling trend in the past few decades as caused by decreased wave activity in the polar region. This speculation is not supported by the data. On timescales of decades the cooling trend is not correlated with the trend in planetary wave activity. In fact, it is found that planetary wave amplitude, E-P flux, and E-P flux convergence all show little statistical evidence of decrease in the past 51 yr, while the stratosphere is experiencing a cooling trend and the NAM index has a positive trend during the past 30 yr. This suggests that the trends in the winter polar temperature and the NAM index can reasonably be attributed to the radiative cooling of the stratosphere, due possibly to increasing greenhouse gases and ozone depletion. It is further shown that the positive trend of the NAM index in the past few decades is not through the inhibition of upward planetary wave propagation from the troposphere to the stratosphere, as previously suggested.

Impact of night sleep duration on glycemic and triglyceride levels in Chinese with different glycemic status.

Science.gov (United States)

Zheng, Yu; Wang, Anping; Pan, Changyu; Lu, Juming; Dou, Jingtao; Lu, Zhaohui; Ba, Jianming; Wang, Baoan; Mu, Yiming

2015-01-01

The aim of the present study was to assess the relationship between night sleep duration and glycemic and triglyceride (TG) levels among people with different glycemic status. In all, 18,121 subjects aged ≥40 years were enrolled in this cross-sectional study, including 4318 with impaired glucose regulation (IGR), 4225 with diabetes, and 9578 with normal glucose regulation (NGR). The IGR + diabetes and NGR groups were divided into three subgroups according to self-reported night sleep duration as follows: (i) 9 h. The associations of sleep duration with HbA1c, fasting plasma glucose (FPG), 2-h post-load plasma glucose (PPG), and TG levels were examined. Long night sleep duration (>9 h) was associated with higher HbA1c, FPG, PPG, and TG levels compared with sleep duration of 6-9 h (P index and depressive symptoms, and remained significant even after adjusting for snoring. A significant interaction between sleep duration and TG or snoring was observed for HbA1c levels, which attenuated the sleep-HbA1c association in the IGR + diabetes group. However, no significant association was observed between short night sleep duration and HbA1c levels. Long night sleep duration is associated with higher HbA1c, FPG, PPG, and TG levels in IGR and diabetes patients, independent of potential confounders. This may be important in clinical management of IGR and diabetes patients. © 2014 Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine and Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

Wave-Number Spectra and Intermittency in the Terrestrial Foreshock Region

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Narita, Y.; Glassmeier, K.-H.; Treumann, R. A.

2006-01-01

Wave-number spectra of magnetic field fluctuations are directly determined in the terrestrial foreshock region (upstream of a quasiparallel collisionless shock wave) using four-point Cluster spacecraft measurements. The spectral curve is characterized by three ranges reminiscent of turbulence: energy injection, inertial, and dissipation range. The spectral index for the inertial range spectrum is close to Kolmogorov's slope, -5/3. On the other hand, the fluctuations are highly anisotropic and intermittent perpendicular to the mean magnetic field direction. These results suggest that the foreshock is in a weakly turbulent and intermittent state in which parallel propagating Alfven waves interact with one another, resulting in the phase coherence or the intermittency

Self-reported napping and duration and quality of sleep in the lifestyle interventions and independence for elders pilot study.

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Picarsic, Jennifer L; Glynn, Nancy W; Taylor, Christopher A; Katula, Jeffrey A; Goldman, Suzanne E; Studenski, Stephanie A; Newman, Anne B

2008-09-01

To determine the prevalence of self-reported napping and its association with subjective nighttime sleep duration and quality, as measured according to sleep-onset latency and sleep efficiency. Cross-sectional study. Lifestyle Interventions and Independence for Elders Pilot Study. Community-dwelling older adults (N=414) aged 70 to 89. Self-report questionnaire on napping and sleep derived from the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) scale. Fifty-four percent of participants reported napping, with mean nap duration of 55.0+/-41.2 minutes. Nappers were more likely to be male (37.3% vs 23.8%, P=.003) and African American (20.4% vs 14.4%, P=.06) and to have diabetes mellitus (28% vs 14.3%, P=.007) than non-nappers. Nappers and non-nappers had similar nighttime sleep duration and quality, but nappers spent approximately 10% of their 24-hour sleep occupied in napping. In a multivariate model, the odds of napping were higher for subjects with diabetes mellitus (odds ratio (OR)=1.9, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.2-3.0) and men (OR=1.9, 95% CI=1.2-3.0). In nappers, diabetes mellitus (beta=12.3 minutes, P=.005), male sex (beta=9.0 minutes, P=.04), higher body mass index (beta=0.8 minutes, P=.02), and lower Mini-Mental State Examination score (beta=2.2 minutes, P=.03) were independently associated with longer nap duration. Napping was a common practice in community-dwelling older adults and did not detract from nighttime sleep duration or quality. Given its high prevalence and association with diabetes mellitus, napping behavior should be assessed as part of sleep behavior in future research and in clinical practice.

Arterial stiffness and wave reflection: sex differences and relationship with left ventricular diastolic function.

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Russo, Cesare; Jin, Zhezhen; Palmieri, Vittorio; Homma, Shunichi; Rundek, Tatjana; Elkind, Mitchell S V; Sacco, Ralph L; Di Tullio, Marco R

2012-08-01

Increased arterial stiffness and wave reflection have been reported in heart failure with normal ejection fraction (HFNEF) and in asymptomatic left ventricular (LV) diastolic dysfunction, a precursor of HFNEF. It is unclear whether women, who have higher frequency of HFNEF, are more vulnerable than men to the deleterious effects of arterial stiffness on LV diastolic function. We investigated, in a large community-based cohort, whether sex differences exist in the relationship among arterial stiffness, wave reflection, and LV diastolic function. Arterial stiffness and wave reflection were assessed in 983 participants from the Cardiovascular Abnormalities and Brain Lesions study using applanation tonometry. The central pulse pressure/stroke volume index, total arterial compliance, pulse pressure amplification, and augmentation index were used as parameters of arterial stiffness and wave reflection. LV diastolic function was evaluated by 2-dimensional echocardiography and tissue-Doppler imaging. Arterial stiffness and wave reflection were greater in women compared with men, independent of body size and heart rate (all Pfunction in both sexes. Further adjustment for cardiovascular risk factors attenuated these relationships; however, a higher central pulse pressure/stroke volume index predicted LV diastolic dysfunction in women (odds ratio, 1.54; 95% confidence intervals, 1.03 to 2.30) and men (odds ratio, 2.09; 95% confidence interval, 1.30 to 3.39), independent of other risk factors. In conclusion, in our community-based cohort study, higher arterial stiffness was associated with worse LV diastolic function in men and women. Women's higher arterial stiffness, independent of body size, may contribute to their greater susceptibility to develop HFNEF.

[De-noising and measurement of pulse wave velocity of the wavelet].

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Baohua; Zhu, Honglian; Ren, Xiaohua

2011-02-01

Pulse wave velocity (PWV) is a vital index of the cardiovascular pathology, so that the accurate measurement of PWV can be of benefit for prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases. The noise in the measure system of pulse wave signal, rounding error and selection of the recording site all cause errors in the measure result. In this paper, with wavelet transformation to eliminate the noise and to raise the precision, and with the choice of the point whose slope was maximum as the recording site of the reconstructing pulse wave, the measuring system accuracy was improved.

Pulsed lower-hybrid wave penetration in reactor plasmas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cohen, R.H.; Bonoli, P.T.; Porkolab, M.; Rognlien, T.D.

1989-01-01

Providing lower-hybrid power in short, intense (GW) pulses allows enhanced wave penetration in reactor-grade plasmas. We examine nonlinear absorption, ray propagation, and parametric instability of the intense pulses. We find that simultaneously achieving good penetration while avoiding parametric instabilities is possible, but imposes restrictions on the peak power density, pulse duration, and/or r.f. spot shape. In particular, power launched in narrow strips, elongated along the field direction, is desired

Optimization of torque on an optically driven micromotor by manipulation of the index of refraction

Science.gov (United States)

Wing, Frank M., III; Mahajan, Satish; Collett, Walter

2004-12-01

Since the 1970"s, the focused laser beam has become a familiar tool to manipulate neutral, dielectric micro-objects. A number of authors, including Higurashi and Gauthier, have described the effects of radiation pressure from laser light on microrotors. Collett, et al. developed a wave, rather than a ray optic, approach in the calculation of such forces on a microrotor for the first time. This paper describes a modification to the design of a laser driven, radiation pressure microrotor, intended to improve the optically generated torque. Employing the wave approach, the electric and magnetic fields in the vicinity of the rotor are calculated using the finite difference time domain (FDTD) method, which takes into account the wave nature of the incident light. Forces are calculated from the application of Maxwell"s stress tensor over the surfaces of the rotor. Results indicate a significant increase in torque when the index of refraction of the microrotor is changed from a single value to an inhomogeneous profile. The optical fiber industry has successfully employed a variation in the index of refraction across the cross section of a fiber for the purpose of increasing the efficiency of light transmission. Therefore, it is hoped that various fabrication methods can be utilized for causing desired changes in the index of refraction of an optically driven microrotor. Various profiles of the index of refraction inside a microrotor are considered for optimization of torque. Simulation methodology and results of torque on a microrotor for various profiles of the index of refraction are presented. Guidelines for improvised fabrication of efficient microrotors may then be obtained from these profiles.

Beating the Spin-Down Limit on Gravitational Wave Emission from the Crab Pulsar

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abbott, B.; Babak, S.; Abbott, R.; Adhikari, R.; Anderson, S. B.; Araya, M.; Armandula, H.; Ballmer, S.; Ajith, P.; Allen, B.; Aulbert, C.; Allen, G.; Amin, R.; Anderson, W. G.; Armor, P.; Arain, M. A.; Aso, Y.; Aston, S.; Aufmuth, P.; Bantilan, H.

2008-01-01

We present direct upper limits on gravitational wave emission from the Crab pulsar using data from the first 9 months of the fifth science run of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO). These limits are based on two searches. In the first we assume that the gravitational wave emission follows the observed radio timing, giving an upper limit on gravitational wave emission that beats indirect limits inferred from the spin-down and braking index of the pulsar and the energetics of the nebula. In the second we allow for a small mismatch between the gravitational and radio signal frequencies and interpret our results in the context of two possible gravitational wave emission mechanisms.

Sociality Affects REM Sleep Episode Duration Under Controlled Laboratory Conditions in the Rock Hyrax, Procavia capensis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nadine Gravett

2017-11-01

Full Text Available The rock hyrax, Procavia capensis, is a highly social, diurnal mammal. In the current study several physiologically measurable parameters of sleep, as well as the accompanying behavior, were recorded continuously from five rock hyraxes, for 72 h under solitary (experimental animal alone in the recording chamber, and social conditions (experimental animal with 1 or 2 additional, non-implanted animals in the recording chamber. The results revealed no significant differences between solitary and social conditions for total sleep times, number of episodes, episode duration or slow wave activity (SWA for all states examined. The only significant difference observed between social and solitary conditions was the average duration of rapid eye movement (REM sleep episodes. REM sleep episode duration was on average 20 s and 40 s longer under social conditions daily and during the dark period, respectively. It is hypothesized that the increase in REM sleep episode duration under social conditions could possibly be attributed to improved thermoregulation strategies, however considering the limited sample size and design of the current study further investigations are needed to confirm this finding. Whether the conclusions and the observations made in this study can be generalized to all naturally socially sleeping mammals remains an open question.

Wired at a young age: the effect of caffeine and technology on sleep duration and body mass index in school-aged children.

Science.gov (United States)

Calamaro, Christina J; Yang, Kyeongra; Ratcliffe, Sarah; Chasens, Eileen R

2012-01-01

Two problems affecting school-aged children in the United States are inadequate sleep and an increased prevalence of obesity. The purpose of this study was to quantify media-related technology use and caffeine consumption in order to assess their potential effects on sleep duration and body mass index (BMI) in children. The study was a secondary analysis of children 6 to 10 years of age (N = 625) from the National Sleep Foundation's Sleep in America Poll. Regression analysis was used to assess the relationship between caffeine and technology use, sleep variables, and BMI, adjusting for age, race, gender, and general health. Almost 30% (29.5%) of the children consumed a daily caffeinated beverage, and 42.4% had a television in the bedroom. Children who drank caffeinated beverages had 15 fewer minutes of sleep per night than did children who did not drink such beverages (b = -0.27, p = .002). Children with three technology items in their bedroom received 45 fewer minutes of sleep than did children without these items in their bedroom (b = -0.75, p = .010). Having adjusted for variables, only drinking caffeinated beverages was associated with a BMI z score. The complex relationships between caffeine intake and the use of technology with shortened periods of sleep and increased BMI need further study. Future research should explore how these risk factors for shortened periods of sleep can be modified in this young population. Copyright © 2012. Published by Mosby, Inc.

Wave dispersion characteristics of axially loaded magneto-electro-elastic nanobeams

Science.gov (United States)

Ebrahimi, Farzad; Barati, Mohammad Reza; Dabbagh, Ali

2016-11-01

The analysis of wave propagation behavior of a magneto-electro-elastic functionally graded (MEE-FG) nanobeam is performed in the framework of classical beam theory. To capture small-scale effects, the nonlocal elasticity theory of Eringen is applied. Furthermore, the material properties of nanobeam are assumed to vary gradually through the thickness based on power-law form. Nonlocal governing equations of MEE-FG nanobeam have been derived employing Hamilton's principle. The results of present research have been validated by comparing with those of previous investigations. An analytical solution of governing equations is utilized to obtain wave frequencies, phase velocities and escape frequencies. Effects of various parameters such as wave number, nonlocal parameter, gradient index, axial load, magnetic potential and electric voltage on wave dispersion characteristics of MEE-FG nanoscale beams are studied in detail.

Sleep Apnea, Sleep Duration and Brain MRI Markers of Cerebral Vascular Disease and Alzheimer's Disease: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study (ARIC).

Science.gov (United States)

Lutsey, Pamela L; Norby, Faye L; Gottesman, Rebecca F; Mosley, Thomas; MacLehose, Richard F; Punjabi, Naresh M; Shahar, Eyal; Jack, Clifford R; Alonso, Alvaro

2016-01-01

A growing body of literature has suggested that obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and habitual short sleep duration are linked to poor cognitive function. Neuroimaging studies may provide insight into this relation. We tested the hypotheses that OSA and habitual short sleep duration, measured at ages 54-73 years, would be associated with adverse brain morphology at ages 67-89 years. Included in this analysis are 312 ARIC study participants who underwent in-home overnight polysomnography in 1996-1998 and brain MRI scans about 15 years later (2012-2013). Sleep apnea was quantified by the apnea-hypopnea index and categorized as moderate/severe (≥15.0 events/hour), mild (5.0-14.9 events/hour), or normal (sleep duration was categorized, in hours, as sleep study participants were 61.7 (SD: 5.0) years old and 54% female; 19% had moderate/severe sleep apnea. MRI imaging took place 14.8 (SD: 1.0) years later, when participants were 76.5 (SD: 5.2) years old. In multivariable models which accounted for body mass index, neither OSA nor abnormal sleep duration were statistically significantly associated with odds of cerebral infarcts, WMH brain volumes or regional brain volumes. In this community-based sample, mid-life OSA and habitually short sleep duration were not associated with later-life cerebral markers of vascular dementia and Alzheimer's disease. However, selection bias may have influenced our results and the modest sample size led to relatively imprecise associations.

A two-channel wave analyser for sounding rockets and satellites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brondz, E.

1989-04-01

Studies of low frequency electromagnetic waves, produced originally by lightning discharges penetrating the ionosphere, provide an important source of valuable information about the earth's surrounding plasma. Use of rockets and satellites supported by ground-based observations implies, unique opportunity for measuring in situ a number of parameters simultaneously in order to correlate data from various measurements. However, every rocket experiment has to be designed bearing in mind telemetry limitations and/or short flight duration. Typical flight duration for Norwegian rockets launched from Andoeya Rocket Range is 500 to 600 s. Therefore, the most desired way to use a rocket or satellite is to carry out data analyses on board in real time. Recent achievements in Digital Signal Processing (DSP) technology have made it possible to undertake very complex on board data manipulation. As a part of rocket instrumentation, a DSP based unit able to carry out on board analyses of low frequency electromagnetic waves in the ionosphere has been designed. The unit can be seen as a general purpose computer built on the basis of a fixed-point 16 bit signal processor. The unit is supplied with a program code in order to perform wave analyses on two independent channels simultaneously. The analyser is able to perform 256 point complex fast fourier transformations, and it produce a spectral power desity estimate on both channels every 85 ms. The design and construction of the DSP based unit is described and results from the tests are presented