Big bang nucleosynthesis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boyd, Richard N.

2001-01-01

The precision of measurements in modern cosmology has made huge strides in recent years, with measurements of the cosmic microwave background and the determination of the Hubble constant now rivaling the level of precision of the predictions of big bang nucleosynthesis. However, these results are not necessarily consistent with the predictions of the Standard Model of big bang nucleosynthesis. Reconciling these discrepancies may require extensions of the basic tenets of the model, and possibly of the reaction rates that determine the big bang abundances

Thomas Bang

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Petersen, Anne Ring; Bogh, Mikkel; Troelsen, Anders

Monografi om kunstneren Thomas Bangs malerier, tegninger, skulpturer og installationer der følger hans virke fra de tidligste malerier fra begyndelsen af 1960erne til de seneste års store skupturinstallationer.......Monografi om kunstneren Thomas Bangs malerier, tegninger, skulpturer og installationer der følger hans virke fra de tidligste malerier fra begyndelsen af 1960erne til de seneste års store skupturinstallationer....

Bang-bang Model for Regulation of Local Blood Flow

Science.gov (United States)

Golub, Aleksander S.; Pittman, Roland N.

2013-01-01

The classical model of metabolic regulation of blood flow in muscle tissue implies the maintenance of basal tone in arterioles of resting muscle and their dilation in response to exercise and/or tissue hypoxia via the evoked production of vasodilator metabolites by myocytes. A century-long effort to identify specific metabolites responsible for explaining active and reactive hyperemia has not been successful. Furthermore, the metabolic theory is not compatible with new knowledge on the role of physiological radicals (e.g., nitric oxide, NO, and superoxide anion, O2−) in the regulation of microvascular tone. We propose a model of regulation in which muscle contraction and active hyperemia are considered the physiologically normal state. We employ the “bang-bang” or “on/off” regulatory model which makes use of a threshold and hysteresis; a float valve to control the water level in a tank is a common example of this type of regulation. Active bang-bang regulation comes into effect when the supply of oxygen and glucose exceeds the demand, leading to activation of membrane NADPH oxidase, release of O2− into the interstitial space and subsequent neutralization of the interstitial NO. Switching arterioles on/off when local blood flow crosses the threshold is realized by a local cell circuit with the properties of a bang-bang controller, determined by its threshold, hysteresis and dead-band. This model provides a clear and unambiguous interpretation of the mechanism to balance tissue demand with a sufficient supply of nutrients and oxygen. PMID:23441827

The improved Apriori algorithm based on matrix pruning and weight analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Lang, Zhenhong

2018-04-01

This paper uses the matrix compression algorithm and weight analysis algorithm for reference and proposes an improved matrix pruning and weight analysis Apriori algorithm. After the transactional database is scanned for only once, the algorithm will construct the boolean transaction matrix. Through the calculation of one figure in the rows and columns of the matrix, the infrequent item set is pruned, and a new candidate item set is formed. Then, the item's weight and the transaction's weight as well as the weight support for items are calculated, thus the frequent item sets are gained. The experimental result shows that the improved Apriori algorithm not only reduces the number of repeated scans of the database, but also improves the efficiency of data correlation mining.

Was there a big bang

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Narlikar, J.

1981-01-01

In discussing the viability of the big-bang model of the Universe relative evidence is examined including the discrepancies in the age of the big-bang Universe, the red shifts of quasars, the microwave background radiation, general theory of relativity aspects such as the change of the gravitational constant with time, and quantum theory considerations. It is felt that the arguments considered show that the big-bang picture is not as soundly established, either theoretically or observationally, as it is usually claimed to be, that the cosmological problem is still wide open and alternatives to the standard big-bang picture should be seriously investigated. (U.K.)

The Big Bang Singularity

Science.gov (United States)

Ling, Eric

The big bang theory is a model of the universe which makes the striking prediction that the universe began a finite amount of time in the past at the so called "Big Bang singularity." We explore the physical and mathematical justification of this surprising result. After laying down the framework of the universe as a spacetime manifold, we combine physical observations with global symmetrical assumptions to deduce the FRW cosmological models which predict a big bang singularity. Next we prove a couple theorems due to Stephen Hawking which show that the big bang singularity exists even if one removes the global symmetrical assumptions. Lastly, we investigate the conditions one needs to impose on a spacetime if one wishes to avoid a singularity. The ideas and concepts used here to study spacetimes are similar to those used to study Riemannian manifolds, therefore we compare and contrast the two geometries throughout.

Weighted Flow Algorithms (WFA) for stochastic particle coagulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

DeVille, R.E.L.; Riemer, N.; West, M.

2011-01-01

Stochastic particle-resolved methods are a useful way to compute the time evolution of the multi-dimensional size distribution of atmospheric aerosol particles. An effective approach to improve the efficiency of such models is the use of weighted computational particles. Here we introduce particle weighting functions that are power laws in particle size to the recently-developed particle-resolved model PartMC-MOSAIC and present the mathematical formalism of these Weighted Flow Algorithms (WFA) for particle coagulation and growth. We apply this to an urban plume scenario that simulates a particle population undergoing emission of different particle types, dilution, coagulation and aerosol chemistry along a Lagrangian trajectory. We quantify the performance of the Weighted Flow Algorithm for number and mass-based quantities of relevance for atmospheric sciences applications.

Weighted Flow Algorithms (WFA) for stochastic particle coagulation

Science.gov (United States)

DeVille, R. E. L.; Riemer, N.; West, M.

2011-09-01

Stochastic particle-resolved methods are a useful way to compute the time evolution of the multi-dimensional size distribution of atmospheric aerosol particles. An effective approach to improve the efficiency of such models is the use of weighted computational particles. Here we introduce particle weighting functions that are power laws in particle size to the recently-developed particle-resolved model PartMC-MOSAIC and present the mathematical formalism of these Weighted Flow Algorithms (WFA) for particle coagulation and growth. We apply this to an urban plume scenario that simulates a particle population undergoing emission of different particle types, dilution, coagulation and aerosol chemistry along a Lagrangian trajectory. We quantify the performance of the Weighted Flow Algorithm for number and mass-based quantities of relevance for atmospheric sciences applications.

Head pose estimation algorithm based on deep learning

Science.gov (United States)

Cao, Yuanming; Liu, Yijun

2017-05-01

Head pose estimation has been widely used in the field of artificial intelligence, pattern recognition and intelligent human-computer interaction and so on. Good head pose estimation algorithm should deal with light, noise, identity, shelter and other factors robustly, but so far how to improve the accuracy and robustness of attitude estimation remains a major challenge in the field of computer vision. A method based on deep learning for pose estimation is presented. Deep learning with a strong learning ability, it can extract high-level image features of the input image by through a series of non-linear operation, then classifying the input image using the extracted feature. Such characteristics have greater differences in pose, while they are robust of light, identity, occlusion and other factors. The proposed head pose estimation is evaluated on the CAS-PEAL data set. Experimental results show that this method is effective to improve the accuracy of pose estimation.

3D head pose estimation and tracking using particle filtering and ICP algorithm

KAUST Repository

Ben Ghorbel, Mahdi; Baklouti, Malek; Couvet, Serge

2010-01-01

This paper addresses the issue of 3D head pose estimation and tracking. Existing approaches generally need huge database, training procedure, manual initialization or use face feature extraction manually extracted. We propose a framework for estimating the 3D head pose in its fine level and tracking it continuously across multiple Degrees of Freedom (DOF) based on ICP and particle filtering. We propose to approach the problem, using 3D computational techniques, by aligning a face model to the 3D dense estimation computed by a stereo vision method, and propose a particle filter algorithm to refine and track the posteriori estimate of the position of the face. This work comes with two contributions: the first concerns the alignment part where we propose an extended ICP algorithm using an anisotropic scale transformation. The second contribution concerns the tracking part. We propose the use of the particle filtering algorithm and propose to constrain the search space using ICP algorithm in the propagation step. The results show that the system is able to fit and track the head properly, and keeps accurate the results on new individuals without a manual adaptation or training. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2010.

Big Bang baryosynthesis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Turner, M.S.; Chicago Univ., IL

1983-01-01

In these lectures I briefly review Big Bang baryosynthesis. In the first lecture I discuss the evidence which exists for the BAU, the failure of non-GUT symmetrical cosmologies, the qualitative picture of baryosynthesis, and numerical results of detailed baryosynthesis calculations. In the second lecture I discuss the requisite CP violation in some detail, further the statistical mechanics of baryosynthesis, possible complications to the simplest scenario, and one cosmological implication of Big Bang baryosynthesis. (orig./HSI)

A Quantum Universe Before the Big Bang(s)?

Science.gov (United States)

Veneziano, Gabriele

2017-08-01

The predictions of general relativity have been verified by now in a variety of different situations, setting strong constraints on any alternative theory of gravity. Nonetheless, there are strong indications that general relativity has to be regarded as an approximation of a more complete theory. Indeed theorists have long been looking for ways to connect general relativity, which describes the cosmos and the infinitely large, to quantum physics, which has been remarkably successful in explaining the infinitely small world of elementary particles. These two worlds, however, come closer and closer to each other as we go back in time all the way up to the big bang. Actually, modern cosmology has changed completely the old big bang paradigm: we now have to talk about (at least) two (big?) bangs. If we know quite something about the one closer to us, at the end of inflation, we are much more ignorant about the one that may have preceded inflation and possibly marked the beginning of time. No one doubts that quantum mechanics plays an essential role in answering these questions: unfortunately a unified theory of gravity and quantum mechanics is still under construction. Finding such a synthesis and confirming it experimentally will no doubt be one of the biggest challenges of this century’s physics.

Rate Change Big Bang Theory

Science.gov (United States)

Strickland, Ken

2013-04-01

The Rate Change Big Bang Theory redefines the birth of the universe with a dramatic shift in energy direction and a new vision of the first moments. With rate change graph technology (RCGT) we can look back 13.7 billion years and experience every step of the big bang through geometrical intersection technology. The analysis of the Big Bang includes a visualization of the first objects, their properties, the astounding event that created space and time as well as a solution to the mystery of anti-matter.

Probing the pre-big bang universe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Veneziano, G.

2000-01-01

Superstring theory suggests a new cosmology whereby a long inflationary phase preceded a non singular big bang-like event. After discussing how pre-big bang inflation naturally arises from an almost trivial initial state of the Universe, I will describe how present or near-future experiments can provide sensitive probes of how the Universe behaved in the pre-bang era

Topiramate Responsive Exploding Head Syndrome

OpenAIRE

Palikh, Gaurang M.; Vaughn, Bradley V.

2010-01-01

Exploding head syndrome is a rare phenomenon but can be a significant disruption to quality of life. We describe a 39-year-old female with symptoms of a loud bang and buzz at sleep onset for 3 years. EEG monitoring confirmed these events occurred in transition from stage 1 sleep. This patient reported improvement in intensity of events with topiramate medication. Based on these results, topiramate may be an alternative method to reduce the intensity of events in exploding head syndrome.

Topiramate responsive exploding head syndrome.

Science.gov (United States)

Palikh, Gaurang M; Vaughn, Bradley V

2010-08-15

Exploding head syndrome is a rare phenomenon but can be a significant disruption to quality of life. We describe a 39-year-old female with symptoms of a loud bang and buzz at sleep onset for 3 years. EEG monitoring confirmed these events occurred in transition from stage 1 sleep. This patient reported improvement in intensity of events with topiramate medication. Based on these results, topiramate may be an alternative method to reduce the intensity of events in exploding head syndrome.

Temperature fluctuations in little bang : hydrodynamical approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Basu, Sumit; Chatterjee, Rupa; Nayak, Tapan K.

2015-01-01

The physics of heavy-ion collisions at ultra-relativistic energies, popularly known as little bangs, has often been compared to the Big Bang phenomenon of early universe. The matter produced at extreme conditions of energy density (ε) and temperature (T) in heavy-ion collisions is a Big Bang replica in a tiny scale. In little bangs, the produced fireball goes through a rapid evolution from an early state of partonic quark-gluon plasma (QGP) to a hadronic phase, and finally freezes out within a few tens of fm

A Novel Flexible Inertia Weight Particle Swarm Optimization Algorithm.

Science.gov (United States)

Amoshahy, Mohammad Javad; Shamsi, Mousa; Sedaaghi, Mohammad Hossein

2016-01-01

Particle swarm optimization (PSO) is an evolutionary computing method based on intelligent collective behavior of some animals. It is easy to implement and there are few parameters to adjust. The performance of PSO algorithm depends greatly on the appropriate parameter selection strategies for fine tuning its parameters. Inertia weight (IW) is one of PSO's parameters used to bring about a balance between the exploration and exploitation characteristics of PSO. This paper proposes a new nonlinear strategy for selecting inertia weight which is named Flexible Exponential Inertia Weight (FEIW) strategy because according to each problem we can construct an increasing or decreasing inertia weight strategy with suitable parameters selection. The efficacy and efficiency of PSO algorithm with FEIW strategy (FEPSO) is validated on a suite of benchmark problems with different dimensions. Also FEIW is compared with best time-varying, adaptive, constant and random inertia weights. Experimental results and statistical analysis prove that FEIW improves the search performance in terms of solution quality as well as convergence rate.

SU-E-T-605: Performance Evaluation of MLC Leaf-Sequencing Algorithms in Head-And-Neck IMRT

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jing, J; Lin, H [Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, Anhui (China); Chow, J [Princess Margaret Hospital, Toronto, ON (Canada)

2015-06-15

Purpose: To investigate the efficiency of three multileaf collimator (MLC) leaf-sequencing algorithms proposed by Galvin et al, Chen et al and Siochi et al using external beam treatment plans for head-and-neck intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). Methods: IMRT plans for head-and-neck were created using the CORVUS treatment planning system. The plans were optimized and the fluence maps for all photon beams determined. Three different MLC leaf-sequencing algorithms based on Galvin et al, Chen et al and Siochi et al were used to calculate the final photon segmental fields and their monitor units in delivery. For comparison purpose, the maximum intensity of fluence map was kept constant in different plans. The number of beam segments and total number of monitor units were calculated for the three algorithms. Results: From results of number of beam segments and total number of monitor units, we found that algorithm of Galvin et al had the largest number of monitor unit which was about 70% larger than the other two algorithms. Moreover, both algorithms of Galvin et al and Siochi et al have relatively lower number of beam segment compared to Chen et al. Although values of number of beam segment and total number of monitor unit calculated by different algorithms varied with the head-and-neck plans, it can be seen that algorithms of Galvin et al and Siochi et al performed well with a lower number of beam segment, though algorithm of Galvin et al had a larger total number of monitor units than Siochi et al. Conclusion: Although performance of the leaf-sequencing algorithm varied with different IMRT plans having different fluence maps, an evaluation is possible based on the calculated number of beam segment and monitor unit. In this study, algorithm by Siochi et al was found to be more efficient in the head-and-neck IMRT. The Project Sponsored by the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (J2014HGXJ0094) and the Scientific Research Foundation for the

SU-E-T-605: Performance Evaluation of MLC Leaf-Sequencing Algorithms in Head-And-Neck IMRT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jing, J; Lin, H; Chow, J

2015-01-01

Purpose: To investigate the efficiency of three multileaf collimator (MLC) leaf-sequencing algorithms proposed by Galvin et al, Chen et al and Siochi et al using external beam treatment plans for head-and-neck intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). Methods: IMRT plans for head-and-neck were created using the CORVUS treatment planning system. The plans were optimized and the fluence maps for all photon beams determined. Three different MLC leaf-sequencing algorithms based on Galvin et al, Chen et al and Siochi et al were used to calculate the final photon segmental fields and their monitor units in delivery. For comparison purpose, the maximum intensity of fluence map was kept constant in different plans. The number of beam segments and total number of monitor units were calculated for the three algorithms. Results: From results of number of beam segments and total number of monitor units, we found that algorithm of Galvin et al had the largest number of monitor unit which was about 70% larger than the other two algorithms. Moreover, both algorithms of Galvin et al and Siochi et al have relatively lower number of beam segment compared to Chen et al. Although values of number of beam segment and total number of monitor unit calculated by different algorithms varied with the head-and-neck plans, it can be seen that algorithms of Galvin et al and Siochi et al performed well with a lower number of beam segment, though algorithm of Galvin et al had a larger total number of monitor units than Siochi et al. Conclusion: Although performance of the leaf-sequencing algorithm varied with different IMRT plans having different fluence maps, an evaluation is possible based on the calculated number of beam segment and monitor unit. In this study, algorithm by Siochi et al was found to be more efficient in the head-and-neck IMRT. The Project Sponsored by the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (J2014HGXJ0094) and the Scientific Research Foundation for the

The Big bang and the Quantum

Science.gov (United States)

Ashtekar, Abhay

2010-06-01

General relativity predicts that space-time comes to an end and physics comes to a halt at the big-bang. Recent developments in loop quantum cosmology have shown that these predictions cannot be trusted. Quantum geometry effects can resolve singularities, thereby opening new vistas. Examples are: The big bang is replaced by a quantum bounce; the `horizon problem' disappears; immediately after the big bounce, there is a super-inflationary phase with its own phenomenological ramifications; and, in presence of a standard inflation potential, initial conditions are naturally set for a long, slow roll inflation independently of what happens in the pre-big bang branch. As in my talk at the conference, I will first discuss the foundational issues and then the implications of the new Planck scale physics near the Big Bang.

Bang-bang control of feeding: role of hypothalamic and satiety signals.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

B Silvano Zanutto

2007-05-01

Full Text Available Rats, people, and many other omnivores eat in meals rather than continuously. We show by experimental test that eating in meals is regulated by a simple bang-bang control system, an idea foreshadowed by Le Magnen and many others, shown by us to account for a wide range of behavioral data, but never explicitly tested or tied to neurophysiological facts. The hypothesis is simply that the tendency to eat rises with time at a rate determined by satiety signals. When these signals fall below a set point, eating begins, in on-off fashion. The delayed sequelae of eating increment the satiety signals, which eventually turn eating off. Thus, under free conditions, the organism eats in bouts separated by noneating activities. We report an experiment with rats to test novel predictions about meal patterns that are not explained by existing homeostatic approaches. Access to food was systematically but unpredictably interrupted just as the animal tried to start a new meal. A simple bang-bang model fits the resulting meal-pattern data well, and its elements can be identified with neurophysiological processes. Hypothalamic inputs can provide the set point for longer-term regulation carried out by a comparator in the hindbrain. Delayed gustatory and gastrointestinal aftereffects of eating act via the nucleus of the solitary tract and other hindbrain regions as neural feedback governing short-term regulation. In this way, the model forges real links between a functioning feedback mechanism, neuro-hormonal data, and both short-term (meals and long-term (eating-rate regulation behavioral data.

Was the big bang hot

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wright, E.L.

1983-01-01

The author considers experiments to confirm the substantial deviations from a Planck curve in the Woody and Richards spectrum of the microwave background, and search for conducting needles in our galaxy. Spectral deviations and needle-shaped grains are expected for a cold Big Bang, but are not required by a hot Big Bang. (Auth.)

Passport to the Big Bang

CERN Multimedia

De Melis, Cinzia

2013-01-01

Le 2 juin 2013, le CERN inaugure le projet Passeport Big Bang lors d'un grand événement public. Affiche et programme. On 2 June 2013 CERN launches a scientific tourist trail through the Pays de Gex and the Canton of Geneva known as the Passport to the Big Bang. Poster and Programme.

John C. Mather, the Big Bang, and the COBE

Science.gov (United States)

Bang theory and showing that the Big Bang was complete in the first instants, with only a tiny fraction dropdown arrow Site Map A-Z Index Menu Synopsis John C. Mather, the Big Bang, and the COBE Resources with collaborative work on understanding the Big Bang. Mather and Smoot analyzed data from NASA's Cosmic Background

Exploding Head Syndrome: A Case Report

OpenAIRE

Ganguly, Gautam; Mridha, Banshari; Khan, Asif; Rison, Richard Alan

2013-01-01

Introduction: Exploding head syndrome (EHS) is a rare parasomnia in which affected individuals awaken from sleep with the sensation of a loud bang. The etiology is unknown, but other conditions including primary and secondary headache disorders and nocturnal seizures need to be excluded. Case Presentation: A 57-year-old Indian male presented with four separate episodes of awakening from sleep at night after hearing a flashing sound on the right side of his head over the last 2 years. These ev...

Cool Cosmology: ``WHISPER" better than ``BANG"

Science.gov (United States)

Carr, Paul

2007-10-01

Cosmologist Fred Hoyle coined ``big bang'' as a term of derision for Belgian priest George Lemaitre's prediction that the universe had originated from the expansion of a ``primeval atom'' in space-time. Hoyle referred to Lamaitre's hypothesis sarcastically as ``this big bang idea'' during a program broadcast on March 28, 1949 on the BBC. Hoyle's continuous creation or steady state theory can not explain the microwave background radiation or cosmic whisper discovered by Penzias and Wilson in 1964. The expansion and subsequent cooling of Lemaitre's hot ``primeval atom'' explains the whisper. ``Big bang'' makes no physical sense, as there was no matter (or space) to carry the sound that Hoyle's term implies. The ``big bang'' is a conjecture. New discoveries may be able to predict the observed ``whispering cosmos'' as well as dark matter and the nature of dark energy. The ``whispering universe'' is cooler cosmology than the big bang. Reference: Carr, Paul H. 2006. ``From the 'Music of the Spheres' to the 'Whispering Cosmos.' '' Chapter 3 of Beauty in Science and Spirit. Beech River Books. Center Ossipee, NH, http://www.MirrorOfNature.org.

Weighted expectation maximization reconstruction algorithms with application to gated megavoltage tomography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Jin; Shi Daxin; Anastasio, Mark A; Sillanpaa, Jussi; Chang Jenghwa

2005-01-01

We propose and investigate weighted expectation maximization (EM) algorithms for image reconstruction in x-ray tomography. The development of the algorithms is motivated by the respiratory-gated megavoltage tomography problem, in which the acquired asymmetric cone-beam projections are limited in number and unevenly sampled over view angle. In these cases, images reconstructed by use of the conventional EM algorithm can contain ring- and streak-like artefacts that are attributable to a combination of data inconsistencies and truncation of the projection data. By use of computer-simulated and clinical gated fan-beam megavoltage projection data, we demonstrate that the proposed weighted EM algorithms effectively mitigate such image artefacts. (note)

A Novel Flexible Inertia Weight Particle Swarm Optimization Algorithm

Science.gov (United States)

Shamsi, Mousa; Sedaaghi, Mohammad Hossein

2016-01-01

Particle swarm optimization (PSO) is an evolutionary computing method based on intelligent collective behavior of some animals. It is easy to implement and there are few parameters to adjust. The performance of PSO algorithm depends greatly on the appropriate parameter selection strategies for fine tuning its parameters. Inertia weight (IW) is one of PSO’s parameters used to bring about a balance between the exploration and exploitation characteristics of PSO. This paper proposes a new nonlinear strategy for selecting inertia weight which is named Flexible Exponential Inertia Weight (FEIW) strategy because according to each problem we can construct an increasing or decreasing inertia weight strategy with suitable parameters selection. The efficacy and efficiency of PSO algorithm with FEIW strategy (FEPSO) is validated on a suite of benchmark problems with different dimensions. Also FEIW is compared with best time-varying, adaptive, constant and random inertia weights. Experimental results and statistical analysis prove that FEIW improves the search performance in terms of solution quality as well as convergence rate. PMID:27560945

The Inverted Big-Bang

OpenAIRE

Vaas, Ruediger

2004-01-01

Our universe appears to have been created not out of nothing but from a strange space-time dust. Quantum geometry (loop quantum gravity) makes it possible to avoid the ominous beginning of our universe with its physically unrealistic (i.e. infinite) curvature, extreme temperature, and energy density. This could be the long sought after explanation of the big-bang and perhaps even opens a window into a time before the big-bang: Space itself may have come from an earlier collapsing universe tha...

Von Bertalanffy's dynamics under a polynomial correction: Allee effect and big bang bifurcation

Science.gov (United States)

Leonel Rocha, J.; Taha, A. K.; Fournier-Prunaret, D.

2016-02-01

In this work we consider new one-dimensional populational discrete dynamical systems in which the growth of the population is described by a family of von Bertalanffy's functions, as a dynamical approach to von Bertalanffy's growth equation. The purpose of introducing Allee effect in those models is satisfied under a correction factor of polynomial type. We study classes of von Bertalanffy's functions with different types of Allee effect: strong and weak Allee's functions. Dependent on the variation of four parameters, von Bertalanffy's functions also includes another class of important functions: functions with no Allee effect. The complex bifurcation structures of these von Bertalanffy's functions is investigated in detail. We verified that this family of functions has particular bifurcation structures: the big bang bifurcation of the so-called “box-within-a-box” type. The big bang bifurcation is associated to the asymptotic weight or carrying capacity. This work is a contribution to the study of the big bang bifurcation analysis for continuous maps and their relationship with explosion birth and extinction phenomena.

A new hybrid-FBP inversion algorithm with inverse distance backprojection weight for CT reconstruction

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Narasimhadhan, A.V.; Rajgopal, Kasi

2011-07-01

This paper presents a new hybrid filtered backprojection (FBP) algorithm for fan-beam and cone-beam scan. The hybrid reconstruction kernel is the sum of the ramp and Hilbert filters. We modify the redundancy weighting function to reduce the inverse square distance weighting in the backprojection to inverse distance weight. The modified weight also eliminates the derivative associated with the Hilbert filter kernel. Thus, the proposed reconstruction algorithm has the advantages of the inverse distance weight in the backprojection. We evaluate the performance of the new algorithm in terms of the magnitude level and uniformity in noise for the fan-beam geometry. The computer simulations show that the spatial resolution is nearly identical to the standard fan-beam ramp filtered algorithm while the noise is spatially uniform and the noise variance is reduced. (orig.)

Hot big bang or slow freeze?

Science.gov (United States)

Wetterich, C.

2014-09-01

We confront the big bang for the beginning of the universe with an equivalent picture of a slow freeze - a very cold and slowly evolving universe. In the freeze picture the masses of elementary particles increase and the gravitational constant decreases with cosmic time, while the Newtonian attraction remains unchanged. The freeze and big bang pictures both describe the same observations or physical reality. We present a simple ;crossover model; without a big bang singularity. In the infinite past space-time is flat. Our model is compatible with present observations, describing the generation of primordial density fluctuations during inflation as well as the present transition to a dark energy-dominated universe.

Pre-big bang cosmology and quantum fluctuations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ghosh, A.; Pollifrone, G.; Veneziano, G.

2000-01-01

The quantum fluctuations of a homogeneous, isotropic, open pre-big bang model are discussed. By solving exactly the equations for tensor and scalar perturbations we find that particle production is negligible during the perturbative Pre-Big Bang phase

Hot big bang or slow freeze?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wetterich, C.

2014-09-07

We confront the big bang for the beginning of the universe with an equivalent picture of a slow freeze — a very cold and slowly evolving universe. In the freeze picture the masses of elementary particles increase and the gravitational constant decreases with cosmic time, while the Newtonian attraction remains unchanged. The freeze and big bang pictures both describe the same observations or physical reality. We present a simple “crossover model” without a big bang singularity. In the infinite past space–time is flat. Our model is compatible with present observations, describing the generation of primordial density fluctuations during inflation as well as the present transition to a dark energy-dominated universe.

Hot big bang or slow freeze?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wetterich, C.

2014-01-01

We confront the big bang for the beginning of the universe with an equivalent picture of a slow freeze — a very cold and slowly evolving universe. In the freeze picture the masses of elementary particles increase and the gravitational constant decreases with cosmic time, while the Newtonian attraction remains unchanged. The freeze and big bang pictures both describe the same observations or physical reality. We present a simple “crossover model” without a big bang singularity. In the infinite past space–time is flat. Our model is compatible with present observations, describing the generation of primordial density fluctuations during inflation as well as the present transition to a dark energy-dominated universe

Hot big bang or slow freeze?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

C. Wetterich

2014-09-01

Full Text Available We confront the big bang for the beginning of the universe with an equivalent picture of a slow freeze — a very cold and slowly evolving universe. In the freeze picture the masses of elementary particles increase and the gravitational constant decreases with cosmic time, while the Newtonian attraction remains unchanged. The freeze and big bang pictures both describe the same observations or physical reality. We present a simple “crossover model” without a big bang singularity. In the infinite past space–time is flat. Our model is compatible with present observations, describing the generation of primordial density fluctuations during inflation as well as the present transition to a dark energy-dominated universe.

The effect of height, weight and head circumference on gross motor development in achondroplasia.

Science.gov (United States)

Ireland, Penelope Jane; Ware, Robert S; Donaghey, Samantha; McGill, James; Zankl, Andreas; Pacey, Verity; Ault, Jenny; Savarirayan, Ravi; Sillence, David; Thompson, Elizabeth; Townshend, Sharron; Johnston, Leanne M

2013-02-01

This study aimed to investigate whether height, weight, head circumference and/or relationships between these factors are associated with gross motor milestone acquisition in children with achondroplasia. Population-based data regarding timing of major gross motor milestones up to 5 years were correlated with height, weight and head circumference at birth and 12 months in 48 children with achondroplasia born in Australia and New Zealand between 2000 and 2009. Although as a group children with achondroplasia showed delayed gross motor skill acquisition, within group differences in height, weight or head circumference did not appear to influence timing of gross motor skills before 5 years. The exception was lie to sit transitioning, which appears likely to occur earlier if the child is taller and heavier at 12 months, and later if the child has significant head-to-body disproportion. This is the first study to investigate the relationship between common musculoskeletal impairments associated with achondroplasia and timing of gross motor achievement. Identification of the musculoskeletal factors that exacerbate delays in transitioning from lying to sitting will assist clinicians to provide more proactive assessment, advice and intervention regarding motor skill acquisition for this population. © 2013 The Authors. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health © 2013 Paediatrics and Child Health Division (Royal Australasian College of Physicians).

An embedding for the big bang

Science.gov (United States)

Wesson, Paul S.

1994-01-01

A cosmological model is given that has good physical properties for the early and late universe but is a hypersurface in a flat five-dimensional manifold. The big bang can therefore be regarded as an effect of a choice of coordinates in a truncated higher-dimensional geometry. Thus the big bang is in some sense a geometrical illusion.

Thermal equilibrium control by frequent bang-bang modulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Cheng-Xi; Wang, Xiang-Bin

2010-05-01

In this paper, we investigate the non-Markovian heat transfer between a weakly damped harmonic oscillator (system) and a thermal bath. When the system is initially in a thermal state and not correlated with the environment, the mean energy of the system always first increases, then oscillates, and finally reaches equilibrium with the bath, no matter what the initial temperature of the system is. Moreover, the heat transfer between the system and the bath can be controlled by fast bang-bang modulation. This modulation does work on the system, and temporarily inverts the direction of heat flow. In this case, the common sense that heat always transfers from hot to cold does not hold any more. At the long time scale, a new dynamic equilibrium is established between the system and the bath. At this equilibrium, the energy of the system can be either higher or lower than its normal equilibrium value. A comprehensive analysis of the relationship between the dynamic equilibrium and the parameters of the modulation as well as the environment is presented.

Critical weight loss in head and neck cancer - prevalence and risk factors at diagnosis : an explorative study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jager-Wittenaar, H.; Dijkstra, P.U.; Vissink, A.; van der Laan, B.F.A.M.; van Oort, R.P.; Roodenburg, J.L.N.

Goals of work Critical weight loss (>= 5% in 1 month or >= 10% in 6 months) is a common phenomenon in head and neck cancer patients. It is unknown which complaints are most strongly related to critical weight loss in head and neck cancer patients at the time of diagnosis. The aim of this explorative

A deterministic algorithm for fitting a step function to a weighted point-set

KAUST Repository

Fournier, Hervé

2013-02-01

Given a set of n points in the plane, each point having a positive weight, and an integer k>0, we present an optimal O(nlogn)-time deterministic algorithm to compute a step function with k steps that minimizes the maximum weighted vertical distance to the input points. It matches the expected time bound of the best known randomized algorithm for this problem. Our approach relies on Coles improved parametric searching technique. As a direct application, our result yields the first O(nlogn)-time algorithm for computing a k-center of a set of n weighted points on the real line. © 2012 Elsevier B.V.

Quantum nature of the big bang.

Science.gov (United States)

Ashtekar, Abhay; Pawlowski, Tomasz; Singh, Parampreet

2006-04-14

Some long-standing issues concerning the quantum nature of the big bang are resolved in the context of homogeneous isotropic models with a scalar field. Specifically, the known results on the resolution of the big-bang singularity in loop quantum cosmology are significantly extended as follows: (i) the scalar field is shown to serve as an internal clock, thereby providing a detailed realization of the "emergent time" idea; (ii) the physical Hilbert space, Dirac observables, and semiclassical states are constructed rigorously; (iii) the Hamiltonian constraint is solved numerically to show that the big bang is replaced by a big bounce. Thanks to the nonperturbative, background independent methods, unlike in other approaches the quantum evolution is deterministic across the deep Planck regime.

A curvature-based weighted fuzzy c-means algorithm for point clouds de-noising

Science.gov (United States)

Cui, Xin; Li, Shipeng; Yan, Xiutian; He, Xinhua

2018-04-01

In order to remove the noise of three-dimensional scattered point cloud and smooth the data without damnify the sharp geometric feature simultaneity, a novel algorithm is proposed in this paper. The feature-preserving weight is added to fuzzy c-means algorithm which invented a curvature weighted fuzzy c-means clustering algorithm. Firstly, the large-scale outliers are removed by the statistics of r radius neighboring points. Then, the algorithm estimates the curvature of the point cloud data by using conicoid parabolic fitting method and calculates the curvature feature value. Finally, the proposed clustering algorithm is adapted to calculate the weighted cluster centers. The cluster centers are regarded as the new points. The experimental results show that this approach is efficient to different scale and intensities of noise in point cloud with a high precision, and perform a feature-preserving nature at the same time. Also it is robust enough to different noise model.

A dynamic inertia weight particle swarm optimization algorithm

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jiao Bin; Lian Zhigang; Gu Xingsheng

2008-01-01

Particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm has been developing rapidly and has been applied widely since it was introduced, as it is easily understood and realized. This paper presents an improved particle swarm optimization algorithm (IPSO) to improve the performance of standard PSO, which uses the dynamic inertia weight that decreases according to iterative generation increasing. It is tested with a set of 6 benchmark functions with 30, 50 and 150 different dimensions and compared with standard PSO. Experimental results indicate that the IPSO improves the search performance on the benchmark functions significantly

A mouse model of weight-drop closed head injury: emphasis on cognitive and neurological deficiency

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Igor Khalin

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Traumatic brain injury (TBI is a leading cause of death and disability in individuals worldwide. Producing a clinically relevant TBI model in small-sized animals remains fairly challenging. For good screening of potential therapeutics, which are effective in the treatment of TBI, animal models of TBI should be established and standardized. In this study, we established mouse models of closed head injury using the Shohami weight-drop method with some modifications concerning cognitive deficiency assessment and provided a detailed description of the severe TBI animal model. We found that 250 g falling weight from 2 cm height produced severe closed head injury in C57BL/6 male mice. Cognitive disorders in mice with severe closed head injury could be detected using passive avoidance test on day 7 after injury. Findings from this study indicate that weight-drop injury animal models are suitable for further screening of brain neuroprotectants and potentially are similar to those seen in human TBI.

Deep Mixing of 3He: Reconciling Big Bang and Stellar Nucleosynthesis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eggleton, P P; Dearborn, D P; Lattanzio, J

2006-01-01

Low-mass stars, ∼ 1-2 solar masses, near the Main Sequence are efficient at producing 3 He, which they mix into the convective envelope on the giant branch and should distribute into the Galaxy by way of envelope loss. This process is so efficient that it is difficult to reconcile the low observed cosmic abundance of 3 He with the predictions of both stellar and Big Bang nucleosynthesis. In this paper we find, by modeling a red giant with a fully three-dimensional hydrodynamic code and a full nucleosynthetic network, that mixing arises in the supposedly stable and radiative zone between the hydrogen-burning shell and the base of the convective envelope. This mixing is due to Rayleigh-Taylor instability within a zone just above the hydrogen-burning shell, where a nuclear reaction lowers the mean molecular weight slightly. Thus we are able to remove the threat that 3 He production in low-mass stars poses to the Big Bang nucleosynthesis of 3 He

Deep mixing of 3He: reconciling Big Bang and stellar nucleosynthesis.

Science.gov (United States)

Eggleton, Peter P; Dearborn, David S P; Lattanzio, John C

2006-12-08

Low-mass stars, approximately 1 to 2 solar masses, near the Main Sequence are efficient at producing the helium isotope 3He, which they mix into the convective envelope on the giant branch and should distribute into the Galaxy by way of envelope loss. This process is so efficient that it is difficult to reconcile the low observed cosmic abundance of 3He with the predictions of both stellar and Big Bang nucleosynthesis. Here we find, by modeling a red giant with a fully three-dimensional hydrodynamic code and a full nucleosynthetic network, that mixing arises in the supposedly stable and radiative zone between the hydrogen-burning shell and the base of the convective envelope. This mixing is due to Rayleigh-Taylor instability within a zone just above the hydrogen-burning shell, where a nuclear reaction lowers the mean molecular weight slightly. Thus, we are able to remove the threat that 3He production in low-mass stars poses to the Big Bang nucleosynthesis of 3He.

Baryon symmetric big-bang cosmology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stecker, F.W.

1978-04-01

The framework of baryon-symmetric big-bang cosmology offers the greatest potential for deducing the evolution of the universe as a consequence of physical laws and processes with the minimum number of arbitrary assumptions as to initial conditions in the big-bang. In addition, it offers the possibility of explaining the photon-baryon ratio in the universe and how galaxies and galaxy clusters are formed, and also provides the only acceptable explanation at present for the origin of the cosmic gamma ray background radiation.

Baryon symmetric big-bang cosmology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stecker, F.W.

1978-04-01

The framework of baryon-symmetric big-bang cosmology offers the greatest potential for deducing the evolution of the universe as a consequence of physical laws and processes with the minimum number of arbitrary assumptions as to initial conditions in the big-bang. In addition, it offers the possibility of explaining the photon-baryon ratio in the universe and how galaxies and galaxy clusters are formed, and also provides the only acceptable explanation at present for the origin of the cosmic gamma ray background radiation

Robust head pose estimation via supervised manifold learning.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Chao; Song, Xubo

2014-05-01

Head poses can be automatically estimated using manifold learning algorithms, with the assumption that with the pose being the only variable, the face images should lie in a smooth and low-dimensional manifold. However, this estimation approach is challenging due to other appearance variations related to identity, head location in image, background clutter, facial expression, and illumination. To address the problem, we propose to incorporate supervised information (pose angles of training samples) into the process of manifold learning. The process has three stages: neighborhood construction, graph weight computation and projection learning. For the first two stages, we redefine inter-point distance for neighborhood construction as well as graph weight by constraining them with the pose angle information. For Stage 3, we present a supervised neighborhood-based linear feature transformation algorithm to keep the data points with similar pose angles close together but the data points with dissimilar pose angles far apart. The experimental results show that our method has higher estimation accuracy than the other state-of-art algorithms and is robust to identity and illumination variations. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Baryon symmetric big bang cosmology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stecker, F.W.

1978-01-01

It is stated that the framework of baryon symmetric big bang (BSBB) cosmology offers our greatest potential for deducting the evolution of the Universe because its physical laws and processes have the minimum number of arbitrary assumptions about initial conditions in the big-bang. In addition, it offers the possibility of explaining the photon-baryon ratio in the Universe and how galaxies and galaxy clusters are formed. BSBB cosmology also provides the only acceptable explanation at present for the origin of the cosmic γ-ray background radiation. (author)

Accessibility of the pre-big-bang models to LIGO

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mandic, Vuk; Buonanno, Alessandra

2006-01-01

The recent search for a stochastic background of gravitational waves with LIGO interferometers has produced a new upper bound on the amplitude of this background in the 100 Hz region. We investigate the implications of the current and future LIGO results on pre-big-bang models of the early Universe, determining the exclusion regions in the parameter space of the minimal pre-big-bang scenario. Although the current LIGO reach is still weaker than the indirect bound from big bang nucleosynthesis, future runs by LIGO, in the coming year, and by Advanced LIGO (∼2009) should further constrain the parameter space, and in some parts surpass the Big Bang nucleosynthesis bound. It will be more difficult to constrain the parameter space in nonminimal pre-big bang models, which are characterized by multiple cosmological phases in the yet not well understood stringy phase, and where the higher-order curvature and/or quantum-loop corrections in the string effective action should be included

Pre-big bang cosmology: A long history of time?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Veneziano, G.

1999-01-01

The popular myth according to which the Universe - and time itself - started with/near a big bang singularity is questioned. After claiming that the two main puzzles of standard cosmology allow for two possible logical answers, I will argue that superstring theory strongly favours the the pre-big bang (PBB) alternative. I will then explain why PBB inflation is as generic as classical gravitational collapse, and why, as a result of symmetries in the latter problem, recent fine-tuning objections to the PBB scenario are unfounded. A hot big bang state naturally results from the powerful amplification of vacuum quantum fluctuations before the big bang, a phenomenon whose observable consequences will be briefly summarized. (author)

Algorithm for Optimizing Bipolar Interconnection Weights with Applications in Associative Memories and Multitarget Classification

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Shengjiang; Wong, Kwok-Wo; Zhang, Wenwei; Zhang, Yanxin

1999-08-01

An algorithm for optimizing a bipolar interconnection weight matrix with the Hopfield network is proposed. The effectiveness of this algorithm is demonstrated by computer simulation and optical implementation. In the optical implementation of the neural network the interconnection weights are biased to yield a nonnegative weight matrix. Moreover, a threshold subchannel is added so that the system can realize, in real time, the bipolar weighted summation in a single channel. Preliminary experimental results obtained from the applications in associative memories and multitarget classification with rotation invariance are shown.

Brief Parenteral Nutrition Accelerates Weight Gain, Head Growth Even in Healthy VLBWs

Science.gov (United States)

Morisaki, Naho; Belfort, Mandy B.; McCormick, Marie C.; Mori, Rintaro; Noma, Hisashi; Kusuda, Satoshi; Fujimura, Masanori

2014-01-01

Introduction Whether parenteral nutrition benefits growth of very low birth weight (VLBW) preterm infants in the setting of rapid enteral feeding advancement is unclear. Our aim was to examine this issue using data from Japan, where enteral feeding typically advances at a rapid rate. Methods We studied 4005 hospitalized VLBW, very preterm (23–32 weeks' gestation) infants who reached full enteral feeding (100 ml/kg/day) by day 14, from 75 institutions in the Neonatal Research Network Japan (2003–2007). Main outcomes were weight gain, head growth, and extra-uterine growth restriction (EUGR, measurement parenteral nutrition. Adjusting for maternal, infant, and institutional characteristics, infants who received parenteral nutrition had greater weight gain [0.09 standard deviation (SD), 95% CI: 0.02, 0.16] and head growth (0.16 SD, 95% CI: 0.05, 0.28); lower odds of EUGR by head circumference (OR 0.66, 95% CI: 0.49, 0.88). No statistically significant difference was seen in the proportion of infants with EUGR at discharge. SGA infants and infants who took more than a week until full feeding had larger estimates. Discussion Even in infants who are able to establish enteral nutrition within 2 weeks, deprivation of parenteral nutrition in the first weeks of life could lead to under nutrition, but infants who reached full feeding within one week benefit least. It is important to predict which infants are likely or not likely to advance on enteral feedings within a week and balance enteral and parenteral nutrition for these infants. PMID:24586323

Head injury management algorithm as described in Hippocrates' "peri ton en cephali traumaton".

Science.gov (United States)

Dimopoulos, Vassilios G; Machinis, Theofilos G; Fountas, Kostas N; Robinson, Joe S

2005-12-01

HIPPOCRATIC WORKS LEND themselves still today to the modern physician for further analysis of his approach to the diagnosis and treatment of various pathological conditions. We present an attempt to systematize his methodology regarding the management of head trauma and present it in the format of a modern-era algorithm.

One Second After the Big Bang

CERN Multimedia

CERN. Geneva

2014-01-01

A new experiment called PTOLEMY (Princeton Tritium Observatory for Light, Early-Universe, Massive-Neutrino Yield) is under development at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory with the goal of challenging one of the most fundamental predictions of the Big Bang – the present-day existence of relic neutrinos produced less than one second after the Big Bang. Using a gigantic graphene surface to hold 100 grams of a single-atomic layer of tritium, low noise antennas that sense the radio waves of individual electrons undergoing cyclotron motion, and a massive array of cryogenic sensors that sit at the transition between normal and superconducting states, the PTOLEMY project has the potential to challenge one of the most fundamental predictions of the Big Bang, to potentially uncover new interactions and properties of the neutrinos, and to search for the existence of a species of light dark matter known as sterile neutrinos.

Exploding head syndrome: a case report.

Science.gov (United States)

Ganguly, Gautam; Mridha, Banshari; Khan, Asif; Rison, Richard Alan

2013-01-01

Exploding head syndrome (EHS) is a rare parasomnia in which affected individuals awaken from sleep with the sensation of a loud bang. The etiology is unknown, but other conditions including primary and secondary headache disorders and nocturnal seizures need to be excluded. A 57-year-old Indian male presented with four separate episodes of awakening from sleep at night after hearing a flashing sound on the right side of his head over the last 2 years. These events were described 'as if there are explosions in my head'. A neurologic examination, imaging studies, and a polysomnogram ensued, and the results led to the diagnosis of EHS. EHS is a benign, uncommon, predominately nocturnal disorder that is self-limited. No treatment is generally required. Reassurance to the patient is often all that is needed.

Weight optimization of plane truss using genetic algorithm

Science.gov (United States)

Neeraja, D.; Kamireddy, Thejesh; Santosh Kumar, Potnuru; Simha Reddy, Vijay

2017-11-01

Optimization of structure on basis of weight has many practical benefits in every engineering field. The efficiency is proportionally related to its weight and hence weight optimization gains prime importance. Considering the field of civil engineering, weight optimized structural elements are economical and easier to transport to the site. In this study, genetic optimization algorithm for weight optimization of steel truss considering its shape, size and topology aspects has been developed in MATLAB. Material strength and Buckling stability have been adopted from IS 800-2007 code of construction steel. The constraints considered in the present study are fabrication, basic nodes, displacements, and compatibility. Genetic programming is a natural selection search technique intended to combine good solutions to a problem from many generations to improve the results. All solutions are generated randomly and represented individually by a binary string with similarities of natural chromosomes, and hence it is termed as genetic programming. The outcome of the study is a MATLAB program, which can optimise a steel truss and display the optimised topology along with element shapes, deflections, and stress results.

Passport to the Big Bang moves across the road

CERN Document Server

Corinne Pralavorio

2015-01-01

The ATLAS platform of the Passport to the Big Bang circuit has been relocated in front of the CERN Reception.   The ATLAS platform of the Passport to the Big Bang, outside the CERN Reception building. The Passport to the Big Bang platform of the ATLAS Experiment has been moved in front of the CERN Reception to make it more visible and accessible. It had to be dismantled and moved from its previous location in the garden of the Globe of Science and Innovation due to the major refurbishment work in progress on the Globe, and is now fully operational in its new location on the other side of the road, in the Main Reception car-park. The Passport to the Big Bang circuit, inaugurated in 2013, comprises ten platforms installed in front of ten CERN sites and aims to help local residents and visitors to the region understand CERN's research. Dedicated Passport to the Big Bang flyers, containing all necessary information and riddles for you to solve, are available at the CERN Rec...

American Connections: The Early Works of Thomas Bang

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ring Petersen, Anne

2015-09-01

Full Text Available The Danish artist Thomas Bang spent his early years in the USA. The works he created in this formative period were thus profoundly shaped by the contemporary movements in American art of the 1960s and 1970s when sculpture, or to be more precise, three-dimensional work became a hotbed of expansive experiments. This article traces how Bang made a radical move from painting to sculpture, which was characteristic of that time, and how he developed his artistic idiom by taking an active part in some of the seminal new departures in American art, in particular process art and post-minimalism. By leaping forward to Bang's later works produced after his return to Denmark, the article also demonstrates how the sculptural syntax and working principles developed in the early works still underlie and structure the artist's more allegorical sculptures and installations from the 2000s, thus testifying to the lasting impact of Bang's American period, which remains the key to understanding his works.

Rotational inhomogeneities from pre-big bang?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Giovannini, Massimo

2005-01-01

The evolution of the rotational inhomogeneities is investigated in the specific framework of four-dimensional pre-big bang models. While minimal (dilaton-driven) scenarios do not lead to rotational fluctuations, in the case of non-minimal (string-driven) models, fluid sources are present in the pre-big bang phase. The rotational modes of the geometry, coupled to the divergenceless part of the velocity field, can then be amplified depending upon the value of the barotropic index of the perfect fluids. In the light of a possible production of rotational inhomogeneities, solutions describing the coupled evolution of the dilaton field and of the fluid sources are scrutinized in both the string and Einstein frames. In semi-realistic scenarios, where the curvature divergences are regularized by means of a non-local dilaton potential, the rotational inhomogeneities are amplified during the pre-big bang phase but they decay later on. Similar analyses can also be performed when a contraction occurs directly in the string frame metric

Rotational inhomogeneities from pre-big bang?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Giovannini, Massimo [Department of Physics, Theory Division, CERN, 1211 Geneva 23 (Switzerland)

2005-01-21

The evolution of the rotational inhomogeneities is investigated in the specific framework of four-dimensional pre-big bang models. While minimal (dilaton-driven) scenarios do not lead to rotational fluctuations, in the case of non-minimal (string-driven) models, fluid sources are present in the pre-big bang phase. The rotational modes of the geometry, coupled to the divergenceless part of the velocity field, can then be amplified depending upon the value of the barotropic index of the perfect fluids. In the light of a possible production of rotational inhomogeneities, solutions describing the coupled evolution of the dilaton field and of the fluid sources are scrutinized in both the string and Einstein frames. In semi-realistic scenarios, where the curvature divergences are regularized by means of a non-local dilaton potential, the rotational inhomogeneities are amplified during the pre-big bang phase but they decay later on. Similar analyses can also be performed when a contraction occurs directly in the string frame metric.

A Weight-Aware Recommendation Algorithm for Mobile Multimedia Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pedro M. P. Rosa

2013-01-01

Full Text Available In the last years, information flood is becoming a common reality, and the general user, hit by thousands of possible interesting information, has great difficulties identifying the best ones, that can guide him in his/her daily choices, like concerts, restaurants, sport gatherings, or culture events. The current growth of mobile smartphones and tablets with embedded GPS receiver, Internet access, camera, and accelerometer offer new opportunities to mobile ubiquitous multimedia applications that helps gathering the best information out of an always growing list of possibly good ones. This paper presents a mobile recommendation system for events, based on few weighted context-awareness data-fusion algorithms to combine several multimedia sources. A demonstrative deployment were utilized relevance like location data, user habits and user sharing statistics, and data-fusion algorithms like the classical CombSUM and CombMNZ, simple, and weighted. Still, the developed methodology is generic, and can be extended to other relevance, both direct (background noise volume and indirect (local temperature extrapolated by GPS coordinates in a Web service and other data-fusion techniques. To experiment, demonstrate, and evaluate the performance of different algorithms, the proposed system was created and deployed into a working mobile application providing real time awareness-based information of local events and news.

A Line-Based Adaptive-Weight Matching Algorithm Using Loopy Belief Propagation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hui Li

2015-01-01

Full Text Available In traditional adaptive-weight stereo matching, the rectangular shaped support region requires excess memory consumption and time. We propose a novel line-based stereo matching algorithm for obtaining a more accurate disparity map with low computation complexity. This algorithm can be divided into two steps: disparity map initialization and disparity map refinement. In the initialization step, a new adaptive-weight model based on the linear support region is put forward for cost aggregation. In this model, the neural network is used to evaluate the spatial proximity, and the mean-shift segmentation method is used to improve the accuracy of color similarity; the Birchfield pixel dissimilarity function and the census transform are adopted to establish the dissimilarity measurement function. Then the initial disparity map is obtained by loopy belief propagation. In the refinement step, the disparity map is optimized by iterative left-right consistency checking method and segmentation voting method. The parameter values involved in this algorithm are determined with many simulation experiments to further improve the matching effect. Simulation results indicate that this new matching method performs well on standard stereo benchmarks and running time of our algorithm is remarkably lower than that of algorithm with rectangle-shaped support region.

Fixing the Big Bang Theory's Lithium Problem

Science.gov (United States)

Kohler, Susanna

2017-02-01

How did our universe come into being? The Big Bang theory is a widely accepted and highly successful cosmological model of the universe, but it does introduce one puzzle: the cosmological lithium problem. Have scientists now found a solution?Too Much LithiumIn the Big Bang theory, the universe expanded rapidly from a very high-density and high-temperature state dominated by radiation. This theory has been validated again and again: the discovery of the cosmic microwave background radiation and observations of the large-scale structure of the universe both beautifully support the Big Bang theory, for instance. But one pesky trouble-spot remains: the abundance of lithium.The arrows show the primary reactions involved in Big Bang nucleosynthesis, and their flux ratios, as predicted by the authors model, are given on the right. Synthesizing primordial elements is complicated! [Hou et al. 2017]According to Big Bang nucleosynthesis theory, primordial nucleosynthesis ran wild during the first half hour of the universes existence. This produced most of the universes helium and small amounts of other light nuclides, including deuterium and lithium.But while predictions match the observed primordial deuterium and helium abundances, Big Bang nucleosynthesis theory overpredicts the abundance of primordial lithium by about a factor of three. This inconsistency is known as the cosmological lithium problem and attempts to resolve it using conventional astrophysics and nuclear physics over the past few decades have not been successful.In a recent publicationled by Suqing Hou (Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences) and advisorJianjun He (Institute of Modern Physics National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences), however, a team of scientists has proposed an elegant solution to this problem.Time and temperature evolution of the abundances of primordial light elements during the beginning of the universe. The authors model (dotted lines

Big bang nucleosynthesis - Predictions and uncertainties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krauss, L.M.; Romanelli, P.

1990-01-01

A detailed reexamination is made of primordial big-bang nucleosynthesis (BBN), concentrating on the data for the main nuclear reactions leading to the production of Li-7, He-3 and D, and on the neutron half-life, relevant for He-4 production. The new values for reaction rates and uncertainties are then used as input in a Monte Carlo analysis of big bang nucleosynthesis of light elements. This allows confidence levels for the predictions of the standard BBN model to be high. 70 refs

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: usefulness of diffusion-weighted MR imaging in the prediction of a neoadjuvant therapeutic effect

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kato, Hiroki; Tanaka, Osamu; Hoshi, Hiroaki; Kanematsu, Masayuki; Mizuta, Keisuke; Aoki, Mitsuhiro; Shibata, Toshiyuki; Yamashita, Tomomi; Hirose, Yoshinobu

2009-01-01

The purpose of our study was to evaluate the usefulness of diffusion-weighted imaging in predicting the responses to neoadjuvant therapy for head and neck squamous cell carcinomas. Diffusion-weighted, T2-weighted, and gadolinium-enhanced T1-weighted images were obtained from 28 patients with untreated head and neck squamous cell carcinomas with histological proof. A blinded radiologist evaluated the quantitative and qualitative signal intensities and apparent diffusion coefficients (ADCs) in the lesions on each sequence. All patients were treated by neoadjuvant therapies, and the post-therapeutic tumor regression rate was determined. Both the quantitative and qualitative signal intensities on diffusion-weighted images showed positive correlations (r=0.367 and 0.412, p<.05), and the ADCs showed a weak, inversed correlation (r=-0.384, p<.05) with the tumor regression rates. Diffusion-weighted imaging including an assessment by ADCs may be able to predict tumor response to neoadjuvant therapy for head and neck squamous cell carcinomas. (orig.)

Synchronous Firefly Algorithm for Cluster Head Selection in WSN

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Madhusudhanan Baskaran

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Wireless Sensor Network (WSN consists of small low-cost, low-power multifunctional nodes interconnected to efficiently aggregate and transmit data to sink. Cluster-based approaches use some nodes as Cluster Heads (CHs and organize WSNs efficiently for aggregation of data and energy saving. A CH conveys information gathered by cluster nodes and aggregates/compresses data before transmitting it to a sink. However, this additional responsibility of the node results in a higher energy drain leading to uneven network degradation. Low Energy Adaptive Clustering Hierarchy (LEACH offsets this by probabilistically rotating cluster heads role among nodes with energy above a set threshold. CH selection in WSN is NP-Hard as optimal data aggregation with efficient energy savings cannot be solved in polynomial time. In this work, a modified firefly heuristic, synchronous firefly algorithm, is proposed to improve the network performance. Extensive simulation shows the proposed technique to perform well compared to LEACH and energy-efficient hierarchical clustering. Simulations show the effectiveness of the proposed method in decreasing the packet loss ratio by an average of 9.63% and improving the energy efficiency of the network when compared to LEACH and EEHC.

How quantum is the big bang?

Science.gov (United States)

Bojowald, Martin

2008-06-06

When quantum gravity is used to discuss the big bang singularity, the most important, though rarely addressed, question is what role genuine quantum degrees of freedom play. Here, complete effective equations are derived for isotropic models with an interacting scalar to all orders in the expansions involved. The resulting coupling terms show that quantum fluctuations do not affect the bounce much. Quantum correlations, however, do have an important role and could even eliminate the bounce. How quantum gravity regularizes the big bang depends crucially on properties of the quantum state.

The impact of different algorithms for ideal body weight on screening for hydroxychloroquine retinopathy in women

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Browning DJ

2014-07-01

Full Text Available David J Browning, Chong Lee, David Rotberg Charlotte Eye, Ear, Nose and Throat Associates, Charlotte, North Carolina, NC, USA Purpose: To determine how algorithms for ideal body weight (IBW affect hydroxychloroquine dosing in women.Methods: This was a retrospective study of 520 patients screened for hydroxychloroquine retinopathy. Charts were reviewed for sex, height, weight, and daily dose. The outcome measures were ranges of IBW across algorithms; rates of potentially toxic dosing; height thresholds below which 400 mg/d dosing is potentially toxic; and rates for which actual body weight (ABW was less than IBW.Results: Women made up 474 (91% of the patients. The IBWs for a height varied from 30–34 pounds (13.6–15.5 kg across algorithms. The threshold heights below which toxic dosing occurred varied from 62–70 inches (157.5–177.8 cm. Different algorithms placed 16%–98% of women in the toxic dosing range. The proportion for whom dosing should have been based on ABW rather than IBW ranged from 5%–31% across algorithms. Conclusion: Although hydroxychloroquine dosing should be based on the lesser of ABW and IBW, there is no consensus about the definition of IBW. The Michaelides algorithm is associated with the most frequent need to adjust dosing; the Metropolitan Life Insurance, large frame, mean value table with the least frequent need. No evidence indicates that one algorithm is superior to others. Keywords: hydroxychloroquine, ideal body weight, actual body weight, toxicity, retinopathy, algorithms

Comparison of predictive performance of data mining algorithms in predicting body weight in Mengali rams of Pakistan

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Senol Celik

Full Text Available ABSTRACT The present study aimed at comparing predictive performance of some data mining algorithms (CART, CHAID, Exhaustive CHAID, MARS, MLP, and RBF in biometrical data of Mengali rams. To compare the predictive capability of the algorithms, the biometrical data regarding body (body length, withers height, and heart girth and testicular (testicular length, scrotal length, and scrotal circumference measurements of Mengali rams in predicting live body weight were evaluated by most goodness of fit criteria. In addition, age was considered as a continuous independent variable. In this context, MARS data mining algorithm was used for the first time to predict body weight in two forms, without (MARS_1 and with interaction (MARS_2 terms. The superiority order in the predictive accuracy of the algorithms was found as CART > CHAID ≈ Exhaustive CHAID > MARS_2 > MARS_1 > RBF > MLP. Moreover, all tested algorithms provided a strong predictive accuracy for estimating body weight. However, MARS is the only algorithm that generated a prediction equation for body weight. Therefore, it is hoped that the available results might present a valuable contribution in terms of predicting body weight and describing the relationship between the body weight and body and testicular measurements in revealing breed standards and the conservation of indigenous gene sources for Mengali sheep breeding. Therefore, it will be possible to perform more profitable and productive sheep production. Use of data mining algorithms is useful for revealing the relationship between body weight and testicular traits in describing breed standards of Mengali sheep.

A simple algorithm for computing positively weighted straight skeletons of monotone polygons☆

Science.gov (United States)

Biedl, Therese; Held, Martin; Huber, Stefan; Kaaser, Dominik; Palfrader, Peter

2015-01-01

We study the characteristics of straight skeletons of monotone polygonal chains and use them to devise an algorithm for computing positively weighted straight skeletons of monotone polygons. Our algorithm runs in O(nlog⁡n) time and O(n) space, where n denotes the number of vertices of the polygon. PMID:25648376

A simple algorithm for computing positively weighted straight skeletons of monotone polygons.

Science.gov (United States)

Biedl, Therese; Held, Martin; Huber, Stefan; Kaaser, Dominik; Palfrader, Peter

2015-02-01

We study the characteristics of straight skeletons of monotone polygonal chains and use them to devise an algorithm for computing positively weighted straight skeletons of monotone polygons. Our algorithm runs in [Formula: see text] time and [Formula: see text] space, where n denotes the number of vertices of the polygon.

Pre-big-bang model on the brane

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Foffa, Stefano

2002-01-01

The equations of motion and junction conditions for a gravidilaton brane world scenario are studied in the string frame. It is shown that they allow Kasner-like solutions on the brane, which makes the dynamics of the brane very similar to the low curvature phase of pre-big-bang cosmology. Analogies and differences of this scenario with the Randall-Sundrum one and with the standard bulk pre-big-bang dynamics are also discussed

Big bang nucleosynthesis and the cosmic neutrino background

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cao Yun; Xing Zhizhong

2013-01-01

We present a brief overview of the neutrino decoupling and big bang nucleosynthesis in the early universe. The big bang relic neutrinos formed one of the backgrounds of the universe. A few possible ways to directly detect the cosmic neutrino background are briefly introduced, and particular attention is paid to the relic neutrino capture on b-decaying nuclei. (authors)

A three-dimensional-weighted cone beam filtered backprojection (CB-FBP) algorithm for image reconstruction in volumetric CT-helical scanning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tang Xiangyang; Hsieh Jiang; Nilsen, Roy A; Dutta, Sandeep; Samsonov, Dmitry; Hagiwara, Akira

2006-01-01

Based on the structure of the original helical FDK algorithm, a three-dimensional (3D)-weighted cone beam filtered backprojection (CB-FBP) algorithm is proposed for image reconstruction in volumetric CT under helical source trajectory. In addition to its dependence on view and fan angles, the 3D weighting utilizes the cone angle dependency of a ray to improve reconstruction accuracy. The 3D weighting is ray-dependent and the underlying mechanism is to give a favourable weight to the ray with the smaller cone angle out of a pair of conjugate rays but an unfavourable weight to the ray with the larger cone angle out of the conjugate ray pair. The proposed 3D-weighted helical CB-FBP reconstruction algorithm is implemented in the cone-parallel geometry that can improve noise uniformity and image generation speed significantly. Under the cone-parallel geometry, the filtering is naturally carried out along the tangential direction of the helical source trajectory. By exploring the 3D weighting's dependence on cone angle, the proposed helical 3D-weighted CB-FBP reconstruction algorithm can provide significantly improved reconstruction accuracy at moderate cone angle and high helical pitches. The 3D-weighted CB-FBP algorithm is experimentally evaluated by computer-simulated phantoms and phantoms scanned by a diagnostic volumetric CT system with a detector dimension of 64 x 0.625 mm over various helical pitches. The computer simulation study shows that the 3D weighting enables the proposed algorithm to reach reconstruction accuracy comparable to that of exact CB reconstruction algorithms, such as the Katsevich algorithm, under a moderate cone angle (4 deg.) and various helical pitches. Meanwhile, the experimental evaluation using the phantoms scanned by a volumetric CT system shows that the spatial resolution along the z-direction and noise characteristics of the proposed 3D-weighted helical CB-FBP reconstruction algorithm are maintained very well in comparison to the FDK

Colombian reference growth curves for height, weight, body mass index and head circumference.

Science.gov (United States)

Durán, Paola; Merker, Andrea; Briceño, Germán; Colón, Eugenia; Line, Dionne; Abad, Verónica; Del Toro, Kenny; Chahín, Silvia; Matallana, Audrey Mary; Lema, Adriana; Llano, Mauricio; Céspedes, Jaime; Hagenäs, Lars

2016-03-01

Published Growth studies from Latin America are limited to growth references from Argentina and Venezuela. The aim of this study was to construct reference growth curves for height, weight, body mass index (BMI) and head circumference of Colombian children in a format that is useful for following the growth of the individual child and as a tool for public health. Prospective measurements from 27 209 Colombian children from middle and upper socio-economic level families were processed using the generalised additive models for location, scale and shape (GAMLSS). Descriptive statistics for length and height, weight, BMI and head circumference for age are given as raw and smoothed values. Final height was 172.3 cm for boys and 159.4 cm for girls. Weight at 18 years of age was 64.0 kg for boys and 54 kg for girls. Growth curves are presented in a ± 3 SD format using logarithmic axes. The constructed reference growth curves are a start for following secular trends in Colombia and are also in the presented layout an optimal clinical tool for health care. ©2015 Foundation Acta Paediatrica. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

The universe before the Big Bang cosmology and string theory

CERN Document Server

Gasperini, Maurizio

2008-01-01

Terms such as "expanding Universe", "big bang", and "initial singularity", are nowadays part of our common language. The idea that the Universe we observe today originated from an enormous explosion (big bang) is now well known and widely accepted, at all levels, in modern popular culture. But what happens to the Universe before the big bang? And would it make any sense at all to ask such a question? In fact, recent progress in theoretical physics, and in particular in String Theory, suggests answers to the above questions, providing us with mathematical tools able in principle to reconstruct the history of the Universe even for times before the big bang. In the emerging cosmological scenario the Universe, at the epoch of the big bang, instead of being a "new born baby" was actually a rather "aged" creature in the middle of its possibly infinitely enduring evolution. The aim of this book is to convey this picture in non-technical language accessibile also to non-specialists. The author, himself a leading cosm...

The Big Bang

CERN Multimedia

Moods, Patrick

2006-01-01

How did the Universe begin? The favoured theory is that everything - space, time, matter - came into existence at the same moment, around 13.7 thousand million years ago. This event was scornfully referred to as the "Big Bang" by Sir Fred Hoyle, who did not believe in it and maintained that the Universe had always existed.

What if the big bang didn't happen?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Narlikar, J.

1991-01-01

Although it has wide support amongst cosmologists, the big bang theory of the origin of the Universe is brought into question in this article because of several recent observations. The large red shift observed in quasars does not fit with Hubble's Law which is so successful for galaxies. Some quasars appear to be linked to companion galaxies by filaments and, again, anomalous red shifts have been observed. The cosmic microwave background, or relic radiation, seems to be too uniform to fit with the big bang model. Lastly, the dark matter, necessary to explain the coalescing of galaxies and clusters, has yet to be established experimentally. A new alternative to the big bang model is offered based on recent work on cosmic grains. (UK)

Film Presentation: Big Bang, mes ancêtres et moi

CERN Multimedia

2010-01-01

Big Bang, mes ancêtres et moi, by Franco-German TV producer ARTE (2009)   What do we know about the origins of the world today? This documentary presents a voyage into the mystery of these origins, accompanied by passionate scientists such as paleoanthropologist Pascal Picq, astrophysicist Hubert Reeves, physicist Etienne Klein and quantum gravity theorist Abhay Ashtekar. Organized around three key moments – the birth of the Universe, the appearance of life and the origins of mankind – this investigation takes us to various research areas around the world, including the large underground particle accelerator at CERN. The German version of this film, Big Bang im Labor, will be presented on 1st October. Big Bang, mes ancêtres et moi will be shown on Friday, 24 September from 13:00 to 14:00 in room 222-R-001 Language: French Big Bang im Labor will be shown on Friday, 1 October from 13:00 to 14:00 in the Main Auditorium Language : German   &nbs...

Algorithm for the generation of nuclear spin species and nuclear spin statistical weights

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Balasubramanian, K.

1982-01-01

A set of algorithms for the computer generation of nuclear spin species and nuclear spin statistical weights potentially useful in molecular spectroscopy is developed. These algorithms generate the nuclear spin species from group structures known as generalized character cycle indices (GCCIs). Thus the required input for these algorithms is just the set of all GCCIs for the symmetry group of the molecule which can be computed easily from the character table. The algorithms are executed and illustrated with examples

A magnetic particle time-of-flight (MagPTOF) diagnostic for measurements of shock- and compression-bang time at the NIF (invited)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rinderknecht, H. G., E-mail: hgr@mit.edu; Sio, H.; Frenje, J. A.; Gatu Johnson, M.; Zylstra, A. B.; Sinenian, N.; Rosenberg, M. J.; Li, C. K.; Sèguin, F. H.; Petrasso, R. D. [Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139 (United States); Magoon, J.; Agliata, A.; Shoup, M.; Glebov, V. U.; Hohenberger, M.; Stoeckl, C.; Sangster, T. C. [Laboratory for Laser Energetics, Rochester, New York 14623 (United States); Ayers, S.; Bailey, C. G.; Rygg, J. R. [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California 94550 (United States); and others

2014-11-15

A magnetic particle time-of-flight (MagPTOF) diagnostic has been designed to measure shock- and compression-bang time using D{sup 3}He-fusion protons and DD-fusion neutrons, respectively, at the National Ignition Facility (NIF). This capability, in combination with shock-burn weighted areal density measurements, will significantly constrain the modeling of the implosion dynamics. This design is an upgrade to the existing particle time-of-flight (pTOF) diagnostic, which records bang times using DD or DT neutrons with an accuracy better than ±70 ps [H. G. Rinderknecht et al., Rev. Sci. Instrum. 83, 10D902 (2012)]. The inclusion of a deflecting magnet will increase D{sup 3}He-proton signal-to-background by a factor of 1000, allowing for the first time simultaneous measurements of shock- and compression-bang times in D{sup 3}He-filled surrogate implosions at the NIF.

A magnetic particle time-of-flight (MagPTOF) diagnostic for measurements of shock- and compression-bang time at the NIF (invited).

Science.gov (United States)

Rinderknecht, H G; Sio, H; Frenje, J A; Magoon, J; Agliata, A; Shoup, M; Ayers, S; Bailey, C G; Gatu Johnson, M; Zylstra, A B; Sinenian, N; Rosenberg, M J; Li, C K; Sèguin, F H; Petrasso, R D; Rygg, J R; Kimbrough, J R; Mackinnon, A; Bell, P; Bionta, R; Clancy, T; Zacharias, R; House, A; Döppner, T; Park, H S; LePape, S; Landen, O; Meezan, N; Robey, H; Glebov, V U; Hohenberger, M; Stoeckl, C; Sangster, T C; Li, C; Parat, J; Olson, R; Kline, J; Kilkenny, J

2014-11-01

A magnetic particle time-of-flight (MagPTOF) diagnostic has been designed to measure shock- and compression-bang time using D(3)He-fusion protons and DD-fusion neutrons, respectively, at the National Ignition Facility (NIF). This capability, in combination with shock-burn weighted areal density measurements, will significantly constrain the modeling of the implosion dynamics. This design is an upgrade to the existing particle time-of-flight (pTOF) diagnostic, which records bang times using DD or DT neutrons with an accuracy better than ±70 ps [H. G. Rinderknecht et al., Rev. Sci. Instrum. 83, 10D902 (2012)]. The inclusion of a deflecting magnet will increase D(3)He-proton signal-to-background by a factor of 1000, allowing for the first time simultaneous measurements of shock- and compression-bang times in D(3)He-filled surrogate implosions at the NIF.

Estimating the relative contributions of maternal genetic, paternal genetic and intrauterine factors to offspring birth weight and head circumference.

Science.gov (United States)

Rice, Frances; Thapar, Anita

2010-07-01

Genetic factors and the prenatal environment contribute to birth weight. However, very few types of study design can disentangle their relative contribution. To examine maternal genetic and intrauterine contributions to offspring birth weight and head circumference. To compare the contribution of maternal and paternal genetic effects. Mothers and fathers were either genetically related or unrelated to their offspring who had been conceived by in vitro fertilization. 423 singleton full term offspring, of whom 262 were conceived via homologous IVF (both parents related), 66 via sperm donation (mother only related) and 95 via egg donation (father only related). Maternal weight at antenatal booking, current weight and maternal height. Paternal current weight and height were all predictors. Infant birth weight and head circumference were outcomes. Genetic relatedness was the main contributing factor between measures of parental weight and offspring birth weight as correlations were only significant when the parent was related to the child. However, there was a contribution of the intrauterine environment to the association between maternal height and both infant birth weight and infant head circumference as these were significant even when mothers were unrelated to their child. Both maternal and paternal genes made contributions to infant birth weight. Maternal height appeared to index a contribution of the intrauterine environment to infant growth and gestational age. Results suggested a possible biological interaction between the intrauterine environment and maternal inherited characteristics which suppresses the influence of paternal genes. 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The 13 000 000 000 year bang

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rees, M.

1976-01-01

The new observational techniques which have revealed, in the past 20 years, a great range and richness of cosmic phenomena are reviewed. Especial reference is made to cosmological observations that have helped to firmly establish the Big Bang theory including; radio astronomy, discovery of the 2.7 K microwave background radiation, cosmochemistry, the discovery of quasars, and the evolution of galaxies. Accepting that the Universe exploded from an initial big bang the question whether expansion will continue for ever is discussed. (U.K.)

COBE looks back to the Big Bang

Science.gov (United States)

Mather, John C.

1993-01-01

An overview is presented of NASA-Goddard's Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE), the first NASA satellite designed to observe the primeval explosion of the universe. The spacecraft carries three extremely sensitive IR and microwave instruments designed to measure the faint residual radiation from the Big Bang and to search for the formation of the first galaxies. COBE's far IR absolute spectrophotometer has shown that the Big Bang radiation has a blackbody spectrum, proving that there was no large energy release after the explosion.

Ether-theoretic model of the universe without the ''big bang''

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Podlaha, M.F.

1983-01-01

Authors rejecting singularities in the general theory of relativity still did not find a possibility of avoiding the ''time singularity'' known as the ''big bang''. Of course, mathematics and physics are two different things, and the existence of the ''time singularity'' as the mathematical solutions of the relativistic equations does not yet mean that the ''big bang'' actually happened. The author designs an alternative explanation of the galactic red shift and proposes a model of a universe in which no ''big bang'' exists. (Auth.)

Fast weighted centroid algorithm for single particle localization near the information limit.

Science.gov (United States)

Fish, Jeremie; Scrimgeour, Jan

2015-07-10

A simple weighting scheme that enhances the localization precision of center of mass calculations for radially symmetric intensity distributions is presented. The algorithm effectively removes the biasing that is common in such center of mass calculations. Localization precision compares favorably with other localization algorithms used in super-resolution microscopy and particle tracking, while significantly reducing the processing time and memory usage. We expect that the algorithm presented will be of significant utility when fast computationally lightweight particle localization or tracking is desired.

A numerical simulation of pre-big bang cosmology

CERN Document Server

Maharana, J P; Veneziano, Gabriele

1998-01-01

We analyse numerically the onset of pre-big bang inflation in an inhomogeneous, spherically symmetric Universe. Adding a small dilatonic perturbation to a trivial (Milne) background, we find that suitable regions of space undergo dilaton-driven inflation and quickly become spatially flat ($\\Omega \\to 1$). Numerical calculations are pushed close enough to the big bang singularity to allow cross checks against previously proposed analytic asymptotic solutions.

Big bang photosynthesis and pregalactic nucleosynthesis of light elements

Science.gov (United States)

Audouze, J.; Lindley, D.; Silk, J.

1985-01-01

Two nonstandard scenarios for pregalactic synthesis of the light elements (H-2, He-3, He-4, and Li-7) are developed. Big bang photosynthesis occurs if energetic photons, produced by the decay of massive neutrinos or gravitinos, partially photodisintegrate He-4 (formed in the standard hot big bang) to produce H-2 and He-3. In this case, primordial nucleosynthesis no longer constrains the baryon density of the universe, or the number of neutrino species. Alternatively, one may dispense partially or completely with the hot big bang and produce the light elements by bombardment of primordial gas, provided that He-4 is synthesized by a later generation of massive stars.

Big bang photosynthesis and pregalactic nucleosynthesis of light elements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Audouze, J.; Lindley, D.; Silk, J.; and Laboratoire Rene Bernas, Orsay, France)

1985-01-01

Two nonstandard scenarios for pregalactic synthesis of the light elements ( 2 H, 3 He, 4 He, and 7 Li) are developed. Big bang photosynthesis occurs if energetic photons, produced by the decay of massive neutrinos or gravitinos, partially photodisintegrate 4 He (formed in the standard hot big bang) to produce 2 H and 3 He. In this case, primordial nucleosynthesis no longer constrains the baryon density of the universe, or the number of neutrino species. Alternatively, one may dispense partially or completely with the hot big bang and produce the light elements by bombardment of primordial gas, provided that 4 He is synthesized by a later generation of massive stars

L'universo prima del Big Bang cosmologia e teoria delle stringhe

CERN Document Server

Gasperini, Maurizio

2002-01-01

Termini come "universo in espansione", "big bang", "singolarità iniziale" sono ormai entrati a far parte del linguaggio comune. L'idea che l'universo che oggi osserviamo abbia avuto origine da una grossa esplosione (big bang) è ormai ampiamente diffusa e accettata nella moderna cultura popolare, a tutti i libelli. Ma cosa c'era prima del big bang? E ha senso porsi questo interrogativo in un contesto scientifico? I recenti progressi della fisica teoria, e in particolare della cosiddetta teoria delle stringhe, suggeriscono una risposta a questa domanda, fornendo degli strumenti matematici capaci, in linea di principio, di ricostruire la storia dell'universo spingendosi anche oltre l'istante del big bang. Ne emerge un possibile scenario cosmologico nel quale l'universo, anzichè essere "appena nato" al momento del big bang, era piuttosto nel punto di mezzo della sua evoluzione, di durata probabilmente infinita. In questo libro si cerca di illustrare tale scenario usando un linguaggio non troppo tecnico, rivolt...

Weighted-Bit-Flipping-Based Sequential Scheduling Decoding Algorithms for LDPC Codes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Qing Zhu

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Low-density parity-check (LDPC codes can be applied in a lot of different scenarios such as video broadcasting and satellite communications. LDPC codes are commonly decoded by an iterative algorithm called belief propagation (BP over the corresponding Tanner graph. The original BP updates all the variable-nodes simultaneously, followed by all the check-nodes simultaneously as well. We propose a sequential scheduling algorithm based on weighted bit-flipping (WBF algorithm for the sake of improving the convergence speed. Notoriously, WBF is a low-complexity and simple algorithm. We combine it with BP to obtain advantages of these two algorithms. Flipping function used in WBF is borrowed to determine the priority of scheduling. Simulation results show that it can provide a good tradeoff between FER performance and computation complexity for short-length LDPC codes.

Finding the big bang

CERN Document Server

Page, Lyman A; Partridge, R Bruce

2009-01-01

Cosmology, the study of the universe as a whole, has become a precise physical science, the foundation of which is our understanding of the cosmic microwave background radiation (CMBR) left from the big bang. The story of the discovery and exploration of the CMBR in the 1960s is recalled for the first time in this collection of 44 essays by eminent scientists who pioneered the work. Two introductory chapters put the essays in context, explaining the general ideas behind the expanding universe and fossil remnants from the early stages of the expanding universe. The last chapter describes how the confusion of ideas and measurements in the 1960s grew into the present tight network of tests that demonstrate the accuracy of the big bang theory. This book is valuable to anyone interested in how science is done, and what it has taught us about the large-scale nature of the physical universe.

Big bang nucleosynthesis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fields, Brian D.; Olive, Keith A.

2006-01-01

We present an overview of the standard model of big bang nucleosynthesis (BBN), which describes the production of the light elements in the early universe. The theoretical prediction for the abundances of D, 3 He, 4 He, and 7 Li is discussed. We emphasize the role of key nuclear reactions and the methods by which experimental cross section uncertainties are propagated into uncertainties in the predicted abundances. The observational determination of the light nuclides is also discussed. Particular attention is given to the comparison between the predicted and observed abundances, which yields a measurement of the cosmic baryon content. The spectrum of anisotropies in the cosmic microwave background (CMB) now independently measures the baryon density to high precision; we show how the CMB data test BBN, and find that the CMB and the D and 4 He observations paint a consistent picture. This concordance stands as a major success of the hot big bang. On the other hand, 7 Li remains discrepant with the CMB-preferred baryon density; possible explanations are reviewed. Finally, moving beyond the standard model, primordial nucleosynthesis constraints on early universe and particle physics are also briefly discussed

A deterministic algorithm for fitting a step function to a weighted point-set

KAUST Repository

Fournier, Hervé ; Vigneron, Antoine E.

2013-01-01

Given a set of n points in the plane, each point having a positive weight, and an integer k>0, we present an optimal O(nlogn)-time deterministic algorithm to compute a step function with k steps that minimizes the maximum weighted vertical distance

Performance evaluation of an algorithm for fast optimization of beam weights in anatomy-based intensity modulated radiotherapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ranganathan, Vaitheeswaran; Sathiya Narayanan, V.K.; Bhangle, Janhavi R.; Gupta, Kamlesh K.; Basu, Sumit; Maiya, Vikram; Joseph, Jolly; Nirhali, Amit

2010-01-01

This study aims to evaluate the performance of a new algorithm for optimization of beam weights in anatomy-based intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT). The algorithm uses a numerical technique called Gaussian-Elimination that derives the optimum beam weights in an exact or non-iterative way. The distinct feature of the algorithm is that it takes only fraction of a second to optimize the beam weights, irrespective of the complexity of the given case. The algorithm has been implemented using MATLAB with a Graphical User Interface (GUI) option for convenient specification of dose constraints and penalties to different structures. We have tested the numerical and clinical capabilities of the proposed algorithm in several patient cases in comparison with KonRad inverse planning system. The comparative analysis shows that the algorithm can generate anatomy-based IMRT plans with about 50% reduction in number of MUs and 60% reduction in number of apertures, while producing dose distribution comparable to that of beamlet-based IMRT plans. Hence, it is clearly evident from the study that the proposed algorithm can be effectively used for clinical applications. (author)

New physics and the new big bang

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Davies, P.

1985-01-01

The old concept of the big bang is reviewed, and modifications that have recently occurred in the theory are described. The concept of the false vacuum is explained, and its role in the cosmic inflation scenario is shown. The way inflation solves critical problems of the old big bang scenario is indicated. The potential of supersymmetry and Kaluza-Klein theories for the development of a superunified theory of physical forces is discussed. Superstrings and their possible role in a superunified theory, including their usefulness in solving the problem of infinities, is considered

Big Bang-Like Phenomenon in Multidimensional Data

OpenAIRE

Jiřina, M. (Marcel)

2014-01-01

Notion of the Big Bang in Data was introduced, when it was observed that the quantity of data grows very fast and the speed of this growth rises with time. This is parallel to the Big Bang of the Universe which expands and the speed of the expansion is the larger the farther the object is, and the expansion is isotropic. We observed another expansion in data embedded in metric space. We found that when distances in data space are polynomially expanded with a proper exponent, the space around ...

Geomagnetic matching navigation algorithm based on robust estimation

Science.gov (United States)

Xie, Weinan; Huang, Liping; Qu, Zhenshen; Wang, Zhenhuan

2017-08-01

The outliers in the geomagnetic survey data seriously affect the precision of the geomagnetic matching navigation and badly disrupt its reliability. A novel algorithm which can eliminate the outliers influence is investigated in this paper. First, the weight function is designed and its principle of the robust estimation is introduced. By combining the relation equation between the matching trajectory and the reference trajectory with the Taylor series expansion for geomagnetic information, a mathematical expression of the longitude, latitude and heading errors is acquired. The robust target function is obtained by the weight function and the mathematical expression. Then the geomagnetic matching problem is converted to the solutions of nonlinear equations. Finally, Newton iteration is applied to implement the novel algorithm. Simulation results show that the matching error of the novel algorithm is decreased to 7.75% compared to the conventional mean square difference (MSD) algorithm, and is decreased to 18.39% to the conventional iterative contour matching algorithm when the outlier is 40nT. Meanwhile, the position error of the novel algorithm is 0.017° while the other two algorithms fail to match when the outlier is 400nT.

A novel orthoimage mosaic method using the weighted A* algorithm for UAV imagery

Science.gov (United States)

Zheng, Maoteng; Zhou, Shunping; Xiong, Xiaodong; Zhu, Junfeng

2017-12-01

A weighted A* algorithm is proposed to select optimal seam-lines in orthoimage mosaic for UAV (Unmanned Aircraft Vehicle) imagery. The whole workflow includes four steps: the initial seam-line network is firstly generated by standard Voronoi Diagram algorithm; an edge diagram is then detected based on DSM (Digital Surface Model) data; the vertices (conjunction nodes) of initial network are relocated since some of them are on the high objects (buildings, trees and other artificial structures); and, the initial seam-lines are finally refined using the weighted A* algorithm based on the edge diagram and the relocated vertices. The method was tested with two real UAV datasets. Preliminary results show that the proposed method produces acceptable mosaic images in both the urban and mountainous areas, and is better than the result of the state-of-the-art methods on the datasets.

An algorithmic decomposition of claw-free graphs leading to an O(n^3) algorithm for the weighted stable set problem

OpenAIRE

Faenza, Y.; Oriolo, G.; Stauffer, G.

2011-01-01

We propose an algorithm for solving the maximum weighted stable set problem on claw-free graphs that runs in O(n^3)-time, drastically improving the previous best known complexity bound. This algorithm is based on a novel decomposition theorem for claw-free graphs, which is also intioduced in the present paper. Despite being weaker than the well-known structure result for claw-free graphs given by Chudnovsky and Seymour, our decomposition theorem is, on the other hand, algorithmic, i.e. it is ...

Big Bang 5

CERN Document Server

Apolin, Martin

2007-01-01

Physik soll verständlich sein und Spaß machen! Deshalb beginnt jedes Kapitel in Big Bang mit einem motivierenden Überblick und Fragestellungen und geht dann von den Grundlagen zu den Anwendungen, vom Einfachen zum Komplizierten. Dabei bleibt die Sprache einfach, alltagsorientiert und belletristisch. Der Band 5 RG behandelt die Grundlagen (Maßsystem, Größenordnungen) und die Mechanik (Translation, Rotation, Kraft, Erhaltungssätze).

Big Bang 8

CERN Document Server

Apolin, Martin

2008-01-01

Physik soll verständlich sein und Spaß machen! Deshalb beginnt jedes Kapitel in Big Bang mit einem motivierenden Überblick und Fragestellungen und geht dann von den Grundlagen zu den Anwendungen, vom Einfachen zum Komplizierten. Dabei bleibt die Sprache einfach, alltagsorientiert und belletristisch. Band 8 vermittelt auf verständliche Weise Relativitätstheorie, Kern- und Teilchenphysik (und deren Anwendungen in der Kosmologie und Astrophysik), Nanotechnologie sowie Bionik.

Bang! the complete history of the universe

CERN Document Server

May, Brian; Lintott, Chris

2012-01-01

Bang! Space, time, matter...the Universe was born 13.7 billion years ago. Infinitely small at first, it expanded more rapidly than anyone can contemplate. Brian May, Patrick Moore and Chris Lintott explain how all this came about, from the moment when time and space came into existence, to the formation of the first stars, galaxies and planets, and to the evolution of human beings able to contemplate our own origins and ultimate destiny. Then on towards that destiny in the infinite future, long after the Earth has been consumed by the Red Giant Sun. The story is told in clear, straight forward terms, in the strict order in which the events happened, and uses no mathematics. "Bang!" is an amazing story and this newly revised text brings it "Bang!" up to date. Is it fiction? The authors hope not, since it is based upon lifetimes work by great scientists such as Albert Einstein, Stephen Hawking and hundreds of other brilliant minds. Enjoy, and let your imagination run riot.

What if the big bang didn't happen

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Narlikar, J. (Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pune (India))

1991-03-02

Although it has wide support amongst cosmologists, the big bang theory of the origin of the Universe is brought into question in this article because of several recent observations. The large red shift observed in quasars does not fit with Hubble's Law which is so successful for galaxies. Some quasars appear to be linked to companion galaxies by filaments and, again, anomalous red shifts have been observed. The cosmic microwave background, or relic radiation, seems to be too uniform to fit with the big bang model. Lastly, the dark matter, necessary to explain the coalescing of galaxies and clusters, has yet to be established experimentally. A new alternative to the big bang model is offered based on recent work on cosmic grains. (UK).

MANAJEMEN RISIKO OPERASIONAL DAN PEMELIHARAAN TEMPAT PEMBUANGAN AKHIR (TPA REGIONAL BANGLI DI KABUPATEN BANGLI

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

I W Wedana Yasa

2013-07-01

Full Text Available To obtain the maximum and sustainable advantage it needs to carry out the operational and maintenance (OP activities of TPA. It is necessary to maintain the Bangli Regional TPA so that it will give maximum and sustainable advantages. This study was aimed at identifying various major risks which may interfere with the TPA operating and maintenance so that mitigation can be done and to determine the risk ownership. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive qualitative method through the following stages: the risks were identified, the risks were evaluated, the risks were coped with, and the risk ownership could be identified. The risks identified totaled 72 consisting of: 9 (12.5% risks which were under the unacceptable category, 16 (22.22% risks which were under the acceptable category, and 1 (1.39% risk which was under the negligible category. The major risks amounted to 55 risks (76.39%, included the obstacle to establishing the institution which was fully responsible for the operating and maintenance of the Bangli Regional TPA, the limited amounts of funds allocated by the central government, the provincial government, and the regency governments which were integrated into the Regional TPA, the obstacle to creating an affiliation between the government and the private institutions, and other risks. The risk mitigation was done by avoiding risks, reducing risks, and transferring risks starting from the institutional, regulation and financial aspects, and technical and non technical problems. Most risk ownerships were the responsibility of the Bangli Regional TPA management.

Generating ekpyrotic curvature perturbations before the big bang

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lehners, Jean-Luc; Turok, Neil; McFadden, Paul; Steinhardt, Paul J.

2007-01-01

We analyze a general mechanism for producing a nearly scale-invariant spectrum of cosmological curvature perturbations during a contracting phase preceding a big bang, which can be entirely described using 4D effective field theory. The mechanism, based on first producing entropic perturbations and then converting them to curvature perturbations, can be naturally incorporated in cyclic and ekpyrotic models in which the big bang is modeled as a brane collision, as well as other types of cosmological models with a pre-big bang phase. We show that the correct perturbation amplitude can be obtained and that the spectral tilt n s tends to range from slightly blue to red, with 0.97 s <1.02 for the simplest models, a range compatible with current observations but shifted by a few percent towards the blue compared to the prediction of the simplest, large-field inflationary models

Introduction to big bang nucleosynthesis and modern cosmology

Science.gov (United States)

Mathews, Grant J.; Kusakabe, Motohiko; Kajino, Toshitaka

Primordial nucleosynthesis remains as one of the pillars of modern cosmology. It is the testing ground upon which many cosmological models must ultimately rest. It is our only probe of the universe during the important radiation-dominated epoch in the first few minutes of cosmic expansion. This paper reviews the basic equations of space-time, cosmology, and big bang nucleosynthesis. We also summarize the current state of observational constraints on primordial abundances along with the key nuclear reactions and their uncertainties. We summarize which nuclear measurements are most crucial during the big bang. We also review various cosmological models and their constraints. In particular, we analyze the constraints that big bang nucleosynthesis places upon the possible time variation of fundamental constants, along with constraints on the nature and origin of dark matter and dark energy, long-lived supersymmetric particles, gravity waves, and the primordial magnetic field.

Big Bang Titanic: New Dark Energy (Vacuum Gravity) Cosmic Model Emerges Upon Falsification of The Big Bang By Disproof of Its Central Assumptions

Science.gov (United States)

Gentry, Robert

2011-04-01

Physicists who identify the big bang with the early universe should have first noted from Hawking's A Brief History of Time, p. 42, that he ties Hubble's law to Doppler shifts from galaxy recession from a nearby center, not to bb's unvalidated and thus problematical expansion redshifts. Our PRL submission LJ12135 describes such a model, but in it Hubble's law is due to Doppler and vacuum gravity effects, the 2.73K CBR is vacuum gravity shifted blackbody cavity radiation from an outer galactic shell, and its (1 + z)-1 dilation and (M,z) relations closely fit high-z SNe Ia data; all this strongly implies our model's vacuum energy is the elusive dark energy. We also find GPS operation's GR effects falsify big bang's in-flight expansion redshift paradigm, and hence the big bang, by showing λ changes occur only at emission. Surprisingly we also discover big bang's CBR prediction is T 0, while galactic photons shrink dλ/dt < 0. Contrary to a PRL editor's claim, the above results show LJ12135 fits PRL guidelines for papers that replace established theories. For details see alphacosmos.net.

Difference between T1 and T2 weighted MR images in avascular necrosis of the femoral head

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kokubo, Takashi; Yoshikawa, Koki; Itai, Yuzo; Iio, Masahiro; Takatori, Yoshio; Kamogawa, Morihide; Ninomiya, Setsuo

1990-01-01

T 1 and T 2 weighted MR images were compared in 32 hips with avascular necrosis, and the difference between them was discussed. In 27 of 32 hips, abnormal low intensity area in the affected femoral head is smaller in T 2 weighted images than in T 1 weighted images. The area of low intensity on T 1 weighted image and high on T 2 weighted image might be granuloma in reactive tissue and surrounding hyperemia. The difference between T 1 and T 2 weighted images must be taken into consideration especially in determination of the border of affected bone. (author)

Big Bang 6

CERN Document Server

Apolin, Martin

2008-01-01

Physik soll verständlich sein und Spaß machen! Deshalb beginnt jedes Kapitel in Big Bang mit einem motivierenden Überblick und Fragestellungen und geht dann von den Grundlagen zu den Anwendungen, vom Einfachen zum Komplizierten. Dabei bleibt die Sprache einfach, alltagsorientiert und belletristisch. Der Band 6 RG behandelt die Gravitation, Schwingungen und Wellen, Thermodynamik und eine Einführung in die Elektrizität anhand von Alltagsbeispielen und Querverbindungen zu anderen Disziplinen.

Big Bang 7

CERN Document Server

Apolin, Martin

2008-01-01

Physik soll verständlich sein und Spaß machen! Deshalb beginnt jedes Kapitel in Big Bang mit einem motivierenden Überblick und Fragestellungen und geht dann von den Grundlagen zu den Anwendungen, vom Einfachen zum Komplizierten. Dabei bleibt die Sprache einfach, alltagsorientiert und belletristisch. In Band 7 werden neben einer Einführung auch viele aktuelle Aspekte von Quantenmechanik (z. Beamen) und Elektrodynamik (zB Elektrosmog), sowie die Klimaproblematik und die Chaostheorie behandelt.

Big Bang Darkleosynthesis

OpenAIRE

Krnjaic, Gordan; Sigurdson, Kris

2014-01-01

In a popular class of models, dark matter comprises an asymmetric population of composite particles with short range interactions arising from a confined nonabelian gauge group. We show that coupling this sector to a well-motivated light mediator particle yields efficient darkleosynthesis , a dark-sector version of big-bang nucleosynthesis (BBN), in generic regions of parameter space. Dark matter self-interaction bounds typically require the confinement scale to be above ΛQCD , which generica...

Cosmological analogy between the big bang and a supernova

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sen, S. (Hamburg, Germany, F.R.)

1983-10-01

The author presents an objection to Brown's (1981) analogy between a supernova and the Big Bang. According to Brown an expanding spherical shell is quite similar to an ejected supernova shell. However, the fragmented shell of a supernova moves outward in pre-existing space. The force of repulsion which makes the fragments of the shell drift apart can be regarded as equivalent to the force of attraction of the rest of the universe on the supernova. By definition, such a force of attraction is absent in the case of the Big Bang. Energy is supposed suddenly to appear simultaneously at all points throughout the universe at the time of the Big Bang. As the universe expands, space expands too. In the relativistic cosmology, the universe cannot expand in pre-existing space.

Challenges to the standard model of Big Bang nucleosynthesis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Steigman, G.

1993-01-01

Big Bang nucleosynthesis provides a unique probe of the early evolution of the Universe and a crucial test of the consistency of the standard hot Big Bang cosmological model. Although the primordial abundances of 2 H, 3 He, 4 He, and 7 Li inferred from current observational data are in agreement with those predicted by Big Bang nucleosynthesis, recent analysis has severely restricted the consistent range for the nucleon-to-photon ratio: 3.7 ≤ η 10 ≤ 4.0. Increased accuracy in the estimate of primordial 4 he and observations of Be and B in Pop II stars are offering new challenges to the standard model and suggest that no new light particles may be allowed (N ν BBN ≤ 3.0, where N ν is the number of equivalent light neutrinos). 23 refs

From Big Bang to Eternity?

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

at different distances (that is, at different epochs in the past) to come to this ... that the expansion started billions of years ago from an explosive Big Bang. Recent research sheds new light on the key cosmological question about the distant ...

Did the Big Bang begin?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Levy-Leblond, J.

1990-01-01

It is argued that the age of the universe may well be numerically finite (20 billion years or so) and conceptually infinite. A new and natural time scale is defined on a physical basis using group-theoretical arguments. An additive notion of time is obtained according to which the age of the universe is indeed infinite. In other words, never did the Big Bang begin. This new time scale is not supposed to replace the ordinary cosmic time scale, but to supplement it (in the same way as rapidity has taken a place by the side of velocity in Einsteinian relativity). The question is discussed within the framework of conventional (big-bang) and classical (nonquantum) cosmology, but could easily be extended to more elaborate views, as the purpose is not so much to modify present theories as to reach a deeper understanding of their meaning

Georges et le big bang

CERN Document Server

Hawking, Lucy; Parsons, Gary

2011-01-01

Georges et Annie, sa meilleure amie, sont sur le point d'assister à l'une des plus importantes expériences scientifiques de tous les temps : explorer les premiers instants de l'Univers, le Big Bang ! Grâce à Cosmos, leur super ordinateur, et au Grand Collisionneur de hadrons créé par Éric, le père d'Annie, ils vont enfin pouvoir répondre à cette question essentielle : pourquoi existons nous ? Mais Georges et Annie découvrent qu'un complot diabolique se trame. Pire, c'est toute la recherche scientifique qui est en péril ! Entraîné dans d'incroyables aventures, Georges ira jusqu'aux confins de la galaxie pour sauver ses amis...Une plongée passionnante au coeur du Big Bang. Les toutes dernières théories de Stephen Hawking et des plus grands scientifiques actuels.

Global fluctuation spectra in big-crunch-big-bang string vacua

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Craps, Ben; Ovrut, Burt A.

2004-01-01

We study big-crunch-big-bang cosmologies that correspond to exact world-sheet superconformal field theories of type II strings. The string theory spacetime contains a big crunch and a big bang cosmology, as well as additional 'whisker' asymptotic and intermediate regions. Within the context of free string theory, we compute, unambiguously, the scalar fluctuation spectrum in all regions of spacetime. Generically, the big crunch fluctuation spectrum is altered while passing through the bounce singularity. The change in the spectrum is characterized by a function Δ, which is momentum and time dependent. We compute Δ explicitly and demonstrate that it arises from the whisker regions. The whiskers are also shown to lead to 'entanglement' entropy in the big bang region. Finally, in the Milne orbifold limit of our superconformal vacua, we show that Δ→1 and, hence, the fluctuation spectrum is unaltered by the big-crunch-big-bang singularity. We comment on, but do not attempt to resolve, subtleties related to gravitational back reaction and light winding modes when interactions are taken into account

Big Bang, Blowup, and Modular Curves: Algebraic Geometry in Cosmology

Science.gov (United States)

Manin, Yuri I.; Marcolli, Matilde

2014-07-01

We introduce some algebraic geometric models in cosmology related to the ''boundaries'' of space-time: Big Bang, Mixmaster Universe, Penrose's crossovers between aeons. We suggest to model the kinematics of Big Bang using the algebraic geometric (or analytic) blow up of a point x. This creates a boundary which consists of the projective space of tangent directions to x and possibly of the light cone of x. We argue that time on the boundary undergoes the Wick rotation and becomes purely imaginary. The Mixmaster (Bianchi IX) model of the early history of the universe is neatly explained in this picture by postulating that the reverse Wick rotation follows a hyperbolic geodesic connecting imaginary time axis to the real one. Penrose's idea to see the Big Bang as a sign of crossover from ''the end of previous aeon'' of the expanding and cooling Universe to the ''beginning of the next aeon'' is interpreted as an identification of a natural boundary of Minkowski space at infinity with the Big Bang boundary.

Baryon symmetric big-bang cosmology. [matter-antimatter symmetry

Science.gov (United States)

Stecker, F. W.

1978-01-01

The framework of baryon-symmetric big-bang cosmology offers the greatest potential for deducing the evolution of the universe as a consequence of physical laws and processes with the minimum number of arbitrary assumptions as to initial conditions in the big-bang. In addition, it offers the possibility of explaining the photon-baryon ratio in the universe and how galaxies and galaxy clusters are formed, and also provides the only acceptable explanation at present for the origin of the cosmic gamma ray background radiation.

Nonuniversal scalar-tensor theories and big bang nucleosynthesis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Coc, Alain; Olive, Keith A.; Uzan, Jean-Philippe; Vangioni, Elisabeth

2009-01-01

We investigate the constraints that can be set from big bang nucleosynthesis on two classes of models: extended quintessence and scalar-tensor theories of gravity in which the equivalence principle between standard matter and dark matter is violated. In the latter case, and for a massless dilaton with quadratic couplings, the phase space of theories is investigated. We delineate those theories where attraction toward general relativity occurs. It is shown that big bang nucleosynthesis sets more stringent constraints than those obtained from Solar System tests.

Nonuniversal scalar-tensor theories and big bang nucleosynthesis

Science.gov (United States)

Coc, Alain; Olive, Keith A.; Uzan, Jean-Philippe; Vangioni, Elisabeth

2009-05-01

We investigate the constraints that can be set from big bang nucleosynthesis on two classes of models: extended quintessence and scalar-tensor theories of gravity in which the equivalence principle between standard matter and dark matter is violated. In the latter case, and for a massless dilaton with quadratic couplings, the phase space of theories is investigated. We delineate those theories where attraction toward general relativity occurs. It is shown that big bang nucleosynthesis sets more stringent constraints than those obtained from Solar System tests.

Head-to-head comparison of adaptive statistical and model-based iterative reconstruction algorithms for submillisievert coronary CT angiography.

Science.gov (United States)

Benz, Dominik C; Fuchs, Tobias A; Gräni, Christoph; Studer Bruengger, Annina A; Clerc, Olivier F; Mikulicic, Fran; Messerli, Michael; Stehli, Julia; Possner, Mathias; Pazhenkottil, Aju P; Gaemperli, Oliver; Kaufmann, Philipp A; Buechel, Ronny R

2018-02-01

Iterative reconstruction (IR) algorithms allow for a significant reduction in radiation dose of coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA). We performed a head-to-head comparison of adaptive statistical IR (ASiR) and model-based IR (MBIR) algorithms to assess their impact on quantitative image parameters and diagnostic accuracy for submillisievert CCTA. CCTA datasets of 91 patients were reconstructed using filtered back projection (FBP), increasing contributions of ASiR (20, 40, 60, 80, and 100%), and MBIR. Signal and noise were measured in the aortic root to calculate signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). In a subgroup of 36 patients, diagnostic accuracy of ASiR 40%, ASiR 100%, and MBIR for diagnosis of coronary artery disease (CAD) was compared with invasive coronary angiography. Median radiation dose was 0.21 mSv for CCTA. While increasing levels of ASiR gradually reduced image noise compared with FBP (up to - 48%, P ASiR (-59% compared with ASiR 100%; P ASiR 40% and ASiR 100% resulted in substantially lower diagnostic accuracy to detect CAD as diagnosed by invasive coronary angiography compared with MBIR: sensitivity and specificity were 100 and 37%, 100 and 57%, and 100 and 74% for ASiR 40%, ASiR 100%, and MBIR, respectively. MBIR offers substantial noise reduction with increased SNR, paving the way for implementation of submillisievert CCTA protocols in clinical routine. In contrast, inferior noise reduction by ASiR negatively affects diagnostic accuracy of submillisievert CCTA for CAD detection. Published on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology. All rights reserved. © The Author 2017. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

A novel orthoimage mosaic method using a weighted A∗ algorithm - Implementation and evaluation

Science.gov (United States)

Zheng, Maoteng; Xiong, Xiaodong; Zhu, Junfeng

2018-04-01

The implementation and evaluation of a weighted A∗ algorithm for orthoimage mosaic with UAV (Unmanned Aircraft Vehicle) imagery is proposed. The initial seam-line network is firstly generated by standard Voronoi Diagram algorithm; an edge diagram is generated based on DSM (Digital Surface Model) data; the vertices (conjunction nodes of seam-lines) of the initial network are relocated if they are on high objects (buildings, trees and other artificial structures); and the initial seam-lines are refined using the weighted A∗ algorithm based on the edge diagram and the relocated vertices. Our method was tested with three real UAV datasets. Two quantitative terms are introduced to evaluate the results of the proposed method. Preliminary results show that the method is suitable for regular and irregular aligned UAV images for most terrain types (flat or mountainous areas), and is better than the state-of-the-art method in both quality and efficiency based on the test datasets.

Amniotic Fluid Arginine from Gestational Weeks 13 to 15 Is a Predictor of Birth Weight, Length, and Head Circumference

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Astrid Bjørke-Jenssen

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Arginine is a constituent of proteins and a precursor for polyamines and nitric oxide, and is essential for placentation, angiogenesis, and growth. Maternal plasma arginine concentrations are found to be lower in pregnancies complicated by fetal growth restriction, and arginine supplementation in later pregnancy is reported to increase birth weight. We measured arginine and the metabolites asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA and symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA in the amniotic fluid obtained in pregnancy weeks 13 to 15 from 363 pregnancies with a documented normal outcome and related the concentrations to birth weight, length, and head circumference. Arginine was higher in the amniotic fluid from female (mean 40.8 (SD 10.6 µmol/L compared to male fetuses (37.4 (SD 11.2 µmol/L, p = 0.003. Despite the gender difference, arginine in the amniotic fluid from gestational weeks 13–15 was the strongest predictor for birth weight, length, and head circumference. ADMA was a strong predictor for birth weight and length, SDMA for birth weight, while Arg/ADMA and Arg/SDMA only predicted head circumference in multiple linear regression models. Due to increased arginine demands, pregnancy is considered a state of relative arginine deficiency. Our findings reflect the importance of a good maternal arginine status in early pregnancy, an observation that should be evaluated in an intervention study.

Algorithms for the optimization of RBE-weighted dose in particle therapy.

Science.gov (United States)

Horcicka, M; Meyer, C; Buschbacher, A; Durante, M; Krämer, M

2013-01-21

We report on various algorithms used for the nonlinear optimization of RBE-weighted dose in particle therapy. Concerning the dose calculation carbon ions are considered and biological effects are calculated by the Local Effect Model. Taking biological effects fully into account requires iterative methods to solve the optimization problem. We implemented several additional algorithms into GSI's treatment planning system TRiP98, like the BFGS-algorithm and the method of conjugated gradients, in order to investigate their computational performance. We modified textbook iteration procedures to improve the convergence speed. The performance of the algorithms is presented by convergence in terms of iterations and computation time. We found that the Fletcher-Reeves variant of the method of conjugated gradients is the algorithm with the best computational performance. With this algorithm we could speed up computation times by a factor of 4 compared to the method of steepest descent, which was used before. With our new methods it is possible to optimize complex treatment plans in a few minutes leading to good dose distributions. At the end we discuss future goals concerning dose optimization issues in particle therapy which might benefit from fast optimization solvers.

WE-E-213CD-02: Gaussian Weighted Multi-Atlas Based Segmentation for Head and Neck Radiotherapy Planning.

Science.gov (United States)

Peroni, M; Sharp, G C; Golland, P; Baroni, G

2012-06-01

To develop a multi-atlas segmentation strategy for IMRT head and neck therapy planning. The method was tested on thirty-one head and neck simulation CTs, without demographic or pathology pre-clustering. We compare Fixed Number (FN) and Thresholding (TH) selection (based on normalized mutual information ranking) of the atlases to be included for current patient segmentation. Next step is a pairwise demons Deformable Registration (DR) onto current patient CT. DR was extended to automatically compensate for patient different field of view. Propagated labels are combined according to a Gaussian Weighted (GW) fusion rule, adapted to poor soft tissues contrast. Agreement with manual segmentation was quantified in terms of Dice Similarity Coefficient (DSC). Selection methods, number of atlases used, as well as GW, average and majority voting fusion were discriminated by means of Friedman Test (a=5%). Experimental tuning of the algorithm parameters was performed on five patients, deriving an optimal configuration for each structure. DSC reduction was not significant when ten or more atlases are selected, whereas DSC for single most similar atlas selection is 10% lower in median. DSC of FN selection rule were significantly higher for most structures. Tubular structures may benefit from computing average contour rather than looking at the singular voxel contribution, whereas the best performing strategy for all other structures was GW. When half database is selected, final median DSC were 0.86, 0.80, 0.51, 0.81, 0.69 and 0.79 for mandible, spine, optical nerves, eyes, parotids and brainstem respectively. We developed an efficient algorithm for multiatlas based segmentation of planning CT volumes, based on DR and GW. FN selection of database atlases is foreseen to increase computational efficiency. The absence of clinical pre-clustering and specific imaging protocol on database subjects makes the results closer to real clinical application. "Progetto Roberto Rocca" funded by

The Whole Shebang: How Science Produced the Big Bang Model.

Science.gov (United States)

Ferris, Timothy

2002-01-01

Offers an account of the accumulation of evidence that has led scientists to have confidence in the big bang theory of the creation of the universe. Discusses the early work of Ptolemy, Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo, and Newton, noting the rise of astrophysics, and highlighting the birth of the big bang model (the cosmic microwave background theory…

Light-like big bang singularities in string and matrix theories

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Craps, Ben; Evnin, Oleg

2011-01-01

Important open questions in cosmology require a better understanding of the big bang singularity. In string and matrix theories, light-like analogues of cosmological singularities (singular plane wave backgrounds) turn out to be particularly tractable. We give a status report on the current understanding of such light-like big bang models, presenting both solved and open problems.

[Fatal alveolar haemorrhage following a "bang" of cannabis].

Science.gov (United States)

Grassin, F; André, M; Rallec, B; Combes, E; Vinsonneau, U; Paleiron, N

2011-09-01

The new methods of cannabis consumption (home made water pipe or "bang") may be responsible for fatal respiratory complications. We present a case, with fatal outcome, of a man of 19 years with no previous history other than an addiction to cannabis using "bang". He was admitted to intensive care with acute dyspnoea. A CT scan showed bilateral, diffuse alveolar shadowing. He was anaemic with an Hb of 9.3g/l. Bronchoalveolar lavage revealed massive alveolar haemorrhage. Investigations for infection and immunological disorder were negative and toxicology was negative except for cannabis. Antibiotic treatment was given and favourable progress allowed early discharge. Death occurred 15 days later due to alveolar haemorrhage following a further "bang" of cannabis. Autopsy showed toxic alveolar haemorrhage. The probable mechanism is pulmonary damage due to acid anhydrides released by the incomplete combustion of cannabis in contact with plastic. These acids have a double effect on the lungs: a direct toxicity with severe inflammation of the mucosa leading to alveolar haemorrhage and subsequently the acid anhydrides may lead to the syndrome of intra-alveolar haemorrhage and anaemia described in occupational lung diseases by Herbert in Oxford in 1979. It manifests itself by haemoptysis and intravascular haemolysis. We draw attention to the extremely serious potential consequences of new methods of using cannabis, particularly the use of "bang" in homemade plastic materials. Copyright © 2011 SPLF. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

"Beyond the Big Bang: a new view of cosmology"

CERN Multimedia

CERN. Geneva

2012-01-01

and parameters? Can one conceive of a completion of the scenario which resolves the big bang singularity and explains the dark energy now coming to dominate? Are we forced to resort to anthropic explanations? In this talk, I will develop an alternate picture, in which the big bang singularity is resolved and in which the value of the dark energy might be fixed by physical processes. The key is a resolution of the singularity. Using a combination of arguments,involving M theory and holography as well as analytic continuation in time within the low energy effective theory, I argue that there is a unique way to match cosmic evolution across the big bang singularity. The latter is no longer the beginning of time but is instead the gateway to an eternal, cyclical universe. If time permits, I shall describe new work c...

Resolution of Cosmological Singularity and a Plausible Mechanism of the Big Bang

OpenAIRE

Choudhury, D. C.

2001-01-01

The initial cosmological singularity in the framework of the general theory of relativity is resolved by introducing the effect of the uncertainty principle of quantum theory without violating conventional laws of physics. A plausible account of the mechanism of the big bang, analogous to that of a nuclear explosion, is given and the currently accepted Planck temperature of about 10^(32)K at the beginning of the big bang is predicted. Subj-class: cosmology: theory-pre-big bang; mechanism of t...

Cell-centered particle weighting algorithm for PIC simulations in a non-uniform 2D axisymmetric mesh

Science.gov (United States)

Araki, Samuel J.; Wirz, Richard E.

2014-09-01

Standard area weighting methods for particle-in-cell simulations result in systematic errors on particle densities for a non-uniform mesh in cylindrical coordinates. These errors can be significantly reduced by using weighted cell volumes for density calculations. A detailed description on the corrected volume calculations and cell-centered weighting algorithm in a non-uniform mesh is provided. The simple formulas for the corrected volume can be used for any type of quadrilateral and/or triangular mesh in cylindrical coordinates. Density errors arising from the cell-centered weighting algorithm are computed for radial density profiles of uniform, linearly decreasing, and Bessel function in an adaptive Cartesian mesh and an unstructured mesh. For all the density profiles, it is shown that the weighting algorithm provides a significant improvement for density calculations. However, relatively large density errors may persist at outermost cells for monotonically decreasing density profiles. A further analysis has been performed to investigate the effect of the density errors in potential calculations, and it is shown that the error at the outermost cell does not propagate into the potential solution for the density profiles investigated.

Exploding Head Syndrome:A Case Report

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gautam Ganguly

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Exploding head syndrome (EHS is a rare parasomnia in which affected individuals awaken from sleep with the sensation of a loud bang. The etiology is unknown, but other conditions including primary and secondary headache disorders and nocturnal seizures need to be excluded. Case Presentation: A 57-year-old Indian male presented with four separate episodes of awakening from sleep at night after hearing a flashing sound on the right side of his head over the last 2 years. These events were described ‘as if there are explosions in my head’. A neurologic examination, imaging studies, and a polysomnogram ensued, and the results led to the diagnosis of EHS. Conclusion: EHS is a benign, uncommon, predominately nocturnal disorder that is self-limited. No treatment is generally required. Reassurance to the patient is often all that is needed.

An EPID response calculation algorithm using spatial beam characteristics of primary, head scattered and MLC transmitted radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rosca, Florin; Zygmanski, Piotr

2008-01-01

We have developed an independent algorithm for the prediction of electronic portal imaging device (EPID) response. The algorithm uses a set of images [open beam, closed multileaf collimator (MLC), various fence and modified sweeping gap patterns] to separately characterize the primary and head-scatter contributions to EPID response. It also characterizes the relevant dosimetric properties of the MLC: Transmission, dosimetric gap, MLC scatter [P. Zygmansky et al., J. Appl. Clin. Med. Phys. 8(4) (2007)], inter-leaf leakage, and tongue and groove [F. Lorenz et al., Phys. Med. Biol. 52, 5985-5999 (2007)]. The primary radiation is modeled with a single Gaussian distribution defined at the target position, while the head-scatter radiation is modeled with a triple Gaussian distribution defined downstream of the target. The distances between the target and the head-scatter source, jaws, and MLC are model parameters. The scatter associated with the EPID is implicit in the model. Open beam images are predicted to within 1% of the maximum value across the image. Other MLC test patterns and intensity-modulated radiation therapy fluences are predicted to within 1.5% of the maximum value. The presented method was applied to the Varian aS500 EPID but is designed to work with any planar detector with sufficient spatial resolution

Big Bang Circus

Science.gov (United States)

Ambrosini, C.

2011-06-01

Big Bang Circus is an opera I composed in 2001 and which was premiered at the Venice Biennale Contemporary Music Festival in 2002. A chamber group, four singers and a ringmaster stage the story of the Universe confronting and interweaving two threads: how early man imagined it and how scientists described it. Surprisingly enough fancy, myths and scientific explanations often end up using the same images, metaphors and sometimes even words: a strong tension, a drumskin starting to vibrate, a shout…

A digital combining-weight estimation algorithm for broadband sources with the array feed compensation system

Science.gov (United States)

Vilnrotter, V. A.; Rodemich, E. R.

1994-01-01

An algorithm for estimating the optimum combining weights for the Ka-band (33.7-GHz) array feed compensation system was developed and analyzed. The input signal is assumed to be broadband radiation of thermal origin, generated by a distant radio source. Currently, seven video converters operating in conjunction with the real-time correlator are used to obtain these weight estimates. The algorithm described here requires only simple operations that can be implemented on a PC-based combining system, greatly reducing the amount of hardware. Therefore, system reliability and portability will be improved.

Unwinding the hairball graph: Pruning algorithms for weighted complex networks

Science.gov (United States)

Dianati, Navid

2016-01-01

Empirical networks of weighted dyadic relations often contain "noisy" edges that alter the global characteristics of the network and obfuscate the most important structures therein. Graph pruning is the process of identifying the most significant edges according to a generative null model and extracting the subgraph consisting of those edges. Here, we focus on integer-weighted graphs commonly arising when weights count the occurrences of an "event" relating the nodes. We introduce a simple and intuitive null model related to the configuration model of network generation and derive two significance filters from it: the marginal likelihood filter (MLF) and the global likelihood filter (GLF). The former is a fast algorithm assigning a significance score to each edge based on the marginal distribution of edge weights, whereas the latter is an ensemble approach which takes into account the correlations among edges. We apply these filters to the network of air traffic volume between US airports and recover a geographically faithful representation of the graph. Furthermore, compared with thresholding based on edge weight, we show that our filters extract a larger and significantly sparser giant component.

Big Bang Day : Afternoon Play - Torchwood: Lost Souls

CERN Multimedia

2008-01-01

Martha Jones, ex-time traveller and now working as a doctor for a UN task force, has been called to CERN where they're about to activate the Large Hadron Collider. Once activated, the Collider will fire beams of protons together recreating conditions a billionth of a second after the Big Bang - and potentially allowing the human race a greater insight into what the Universe is made of. But so much could go wrong - it could open a gateway to a parallel dimension, or create a black hole - and now voices from the past are calling out to people and scientists have started to disappear... Where have the missing scientists gone? What is the secret of the glowing man? What is lurking in the underground tunnel? And do the dead ever really stay dead? Lost Souls is a spin-off from the award-winning BBC Wales TV production Torchwood. It stars John Barrowman, Freema Agyeman, Eve Myles, Gareth David-Lloyd, Lucy Montgomery (of Titty Bang Bang) and Stephen Critchlow.

Regularization of the big bang singularity with random perturbations

Science.gov (United States)

Belbruno, Edward; Xue, BingKan

2018-03-01

We show how to regularize the big bang singularity in the presence of random perturbations modeled by Brownian motion using stochastic methods. We prove that the physical variables in a contracting universe dominated by a scalar field can be continuously and uniquely extended through the big bang as a function of time to an expanding universe only for a discrete set of values of the equation of state satisfying special co-prime number conditions. This result significantly generalizes a previous result (Xue and Belbruno 2014 Class. Quantum Grav. 31 165002) that did not model random perturbations. This result implies that the extension from a contracting to an expanding universe for the discrete set of co-prime equation of state is robust, which is a surprising result. Implications for a purely expanding universe are discussed, such as a non-smooth, randomly varying scale factor near the big bang.

Fat-suppressed T2-weighted MRI appearance of subchondral insufficiency fracture of the femoral head

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sonoda, Kazuhiko; Yamamoto, Takuaki; Motomura, Goro; Karasuyama, Kazuyuki; Kubo, Yusuke; Iwamoto, Yukihide [Kyushu University, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka (Japan)

2016-11-15

Our aims were to investigate the imaging appearance of subchondral insufficiency fracture (SIF) of the femoral head based on fat-suppressed T2-weighted MRI, and evaluate its correlation with the clinical outcomes following conservative treatment. We retrospectively evaluated 40 hips in 37 patients with SIF of the femoral head (12 males and 25 females; mean age 55.8 years, range 22-78 years). MRI examinations were performed within 3 months after the onset of hip pain. Using fat-suppressed T2-weighted imaging, we evaluated the hips for the intensity of the subchondral bone (corresponding to the area superior to the low intensity band on T1-weighted images) as well as bone marrow edema, joint effusion, and presence of the band lesion. We then correlated the intensity of the subchondral bone with clinical outcomes. The hips were classified into three types based on subchondral intensity on fat-suppressed T2-weighted images: type 1 (21 hips) showed high intensity, type 2 (eight hips) showed heterogeneous intensity, and type 3 (11 hips) showed low intensity. The mean period between pain onset and MRI examination was significantly longer for type 2 hips than for type 1. Healing rates were 86 % for type 1, 75 % for type 2, and 18 % for type 3. SIF cases were classified into three types based on subchondral intensity on fat-suppressed T2-weighted imaging performed within 3 months after pain onset. Type 3 SIF tended to be intractable to conservative treatment compared to type 1 and type 2. (orig.)

Improved event positioning in a gamma ray detector using an iterative position-weighted centre-of-gravity algorithm.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Chen-Yi; Goertzen, Andrew L

2013-07-21

An iterative position-weighted centre-of-gravity algorithm was developed and tested for positioning events in a silicon photomultiplier (SiPM)-based scintillation detector for positron emission tomography. The algorithm used a Gaussian-based weighting function centred at the current estimate of the event location. The algorithm was applied to the signals from a 4 × 4 array of SiPM detectors that used individual channel readout and a LYSO:Ce scintillator array. Three scintillator array configurations were tested: single layer with 3.17 mm crystal pitch, matched to the SiPM size; single layer with 1.5 mm crystal pitch; and dual layer with 1.67 mm crystal pitch and a ½ crystal offset in the X and Y directions between the two layers. The flood histograms generated by this algorithm were shown to be superior to those generated by the standard centre of gravity. The width of the Gaussian weighting function of the algorithm was optimized for different scintillator array setups. The optimal width of the Gaussian curve was found to depend on the amount of light spread. The algorithm required less than 20 iterations to calculate the position of an event. The rapid convergence of this algorithm will readily allow for implementation on a front-end detector processing field programmable gate array for use in improved real-time event positioning and identification.

An atomic model of the Big Bang

Science.gov (United States)

Lasukov, V. V.

2013-03-01

An atomic model of the Big Bang has been developed on the basis of quantum geometrodynamics with a nonzero Hamiltonian and on the concept of gravitation developed by Logunov asymptotically combined with the Gliner's idea of a material interpretation of the cosmological constant. The Lemaître primordial atom in superpace-time, whose spatial coordinate is the so-called scaling factor of the Logunov metric of the effective Riemann space, acts as the Big Bang model. The primordial atom in superspace-time corresponds to spatialtime structures(spheres, lines, and surfaces of a level) of the Minkowski spacetime real within the Logunov gravitation theory, the foregoing structures being filled with a scalar field with a negative density of potential energy.

A Hybrid Optimized Weighted Minimum Spanning Tree for the Shortest Intrapath Selection in Wireless Sensor Network

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Matheswaran Saravanan

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Wireless sensor network (WSN consists of sensor nodes that need energy efficient routing techniques as they have limited battery power, computing, and storage resources. WSN routing protocols should enable reliable multihop communication with energy constraints. Clustering is an effective way to reduce overheads and when this is aided by effective resource allocation, it results in reduced energy consumption. In this work, a novel hybrid evolutionary algorithm called Bee Algorithm-Simulated Annealing Weighted Minimal Spanning Tree (BASA-WMST routing is proposed in which randomly deployed sensor nodes are split into the best possible number of independent clusters with cluster head and optimal route. The former gathers data from sensors belonging to the cluster, forwarding them to the sink. The shortest intrapath selection for the cluster is selected using Weighted Minimum Spanning Tree (WMST. The proposed algorithm computes the distance-based Minimum Spanning Tree (MST of the weighted graph for the multihop network. The weights are dynamically changed based on the energy level of each sensor during route selection and optimized using the proposed bee algorithm simulated annealing algorithm.

Newton-Gauss Algorithm of Robust Weighted Total Least Squares Model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

WANG Bin

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Based on the Newton-Gauss iterative algorithm of weighted total least squares (WTLS, a robust WTLS (RWTLS model is presented. The model utilizes the standardized residuals to construct the weight factor function and the square root of the variance component estimator with robustness is obtained by introducing the median method. Therefore, the robustness in both the observation and structure spaces can be simultaneously achieved. To obtain standardized residuals, the linearly approximate cofactor propagation law is employed to derive the expression of the cofactor matrix of WTLS residuals. The iterative calculation steps for RWTLS are also described. The experiment indicates that the model proposed in this paper exhibits satisfactory robustness for gross errors handling problem of WTLS, the obtained parameters have no significant difference with the results of WTLS without gross errors. Therefore, it is superior to the robust weighted total least squares model directly constructed with residuals.

The hot big bang and beyond

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Turner, M.S. [Departments of Physics and of Astronomy & Astrophysics, Enrico Fermi Institute, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637-1433 (United States)]|[NASA/Fermilab Astrophysics Center, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, Batavia, Illinois 60510-0500 (United States)

1995-08-01

The hot big-bang cosmology provides a reliable accounting of the Universe from about 10{sup {minus}2} sec after the bang until the present, as well as a robust framework for speculating back to times as early as 10{sup {minus}43} sec. Cosmology faces a number of important challenges; foremost among them are determining the quantity and composition of matter in the Universe and developing a detailed and coherent picture of how structure (galaxies, clusters of galaxies, superclusters, voids, great walls, and so on) developed. At present there is a working hypothesis{emdash}cold dark matter{emdash}which is based upon inflation and which, if correct, would extend the big bang model back to 10{sup {minus}32} sec and cast important light on the unification of the forces. Many experiments and observations, from CBR anisotropy experiments to Hubble Space Telescope observations to experiments at Fermilab and CERN, are now putting the cold dark matter theory to the test. At present it appears that the theory is viable only if the Hubble constant is smaller than current measurements indicate (around 30 km s{sup {minus}1} Mpc{sup {minus}1}), or if the theory is modified slightly, e.g., by the addition of a cosmological constant, a small admixture of hot dark matter (5 eV {open_quote}{open_quote}worth of neutrinos{close_quote}{close_quote}), more relativistic particle or a tilted spectrum of density perturbations.

Matter sources for a null big bang

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bronnikov, K A; Zaslavskii, O B

2008-01-01

We consider the properties of stress-energy tensors compatible with a null big bang, i.e., cosmological evolution starting from a Killing horizon rather than a singularity. For Kantowski-Sachs cosmologies, it is shown that if matter satisfies the null energy condition, then (i) regular cosmological evolution can only start from a Killing horizon, (ii) matter is absent at the horizon and (iii) matter can only appear in the cosmological region due to interaction with vacuum. The latter is understood phenomenologically as a fluid whose stress tensor is insensitive to boosts in a particular direction. We also argue that matter is absent in a static region beyond the horizon. All this generalizes the observations recently obtained for a mixture of dust and a vacuum fluid. If, however, we admit the existence of phantom matter, its certain special kinds (with the parameter w ≤ -3) are consistent with a null big bang without interaction with vacuum (or without vacuum fluid at all). Then in the static region there is matter with w ≥ -1/3. Alternatively, the evolution can begin from a horizon in an infinitely remote past, leading to a scenario combining the features of a null big bang and an emergent universe

Head and neck paragangliomas: A two-decade institutional experience and algorithm for management.

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Joshua D; Harvey, Rachel N; Darr, Owen A; Prince, Mark E; Bradford, Carol R; Wolf, Gregory T; Else, Tobias; Basura, Gregory J

2017-12-01

Paragangliomas of the head and neck and cranial base are typically benign, slow-growing tumors arising within the jugular foramen, middle ear, carotid bifurcation, or vagus nerve proper. The objective of this study was to provide a comprehensive characterization of our institutional experience with clinical management of these tumors and posit an algorithm for diagnostic evaluation and treatment. This was a retrospective cohort study of patients undergoing treatment for paragangliomas of the head and neck and cranial base at our institution from 2000-2017. Data on tumor location, catecholamine levels, and specific imaging modalities employed in diagnostic work-up, pre-treatment cranial nerve palsy, treatment modality, utilization of preoperative angiographic embolization, complications of treatment, tumor control and recurrence, and hereditary status (ie, succinate dehydrogenase mutations) were collected and summarized. The mean (SD) age of our cohort was 51.8 (±16.1) years with 123 (63.4%) female patients and 71 (36.6%) male patients. Catecholamine-secreting lesions were found in nine (4.6%) patients. Fifty-one patients underwent genetic testing, with mutations identified in 43 (20 SDHD , 13 SDHB, 7 SDHD , 1 SDHA, SDHAF2, and NF1 ). Observation with serial imaging, surgical extirpation, radiation, and stereotactic radiosurgery were variably employed as treatment approaches across anatomic subsites. An algorithmic approach to clinical management of these tumors, derived from our longitudinal institutional experience and current empiric evidence, may assist otolaryngologists, radiation oncologists, and geneticists in the care of these complex neoplasms. 4.

Large subgaleal hematoma producing turban head in 10 year boy with cerebral palsy: rare case report with review of literature

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tripathi Praveen Kumar

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Subgaleal hematomas (SGHs are not uncommon. Because the subgaleal space has no anatomical boundaries, SGHs usually involve a large space and are typically limited to the parietal region. Cases of SGHs involving whole of head are relatively rare. In this study we report a rare case of massive enlargement of head after SGH causing severe pain and giving an appearance of turban. A 10 year old, male patient with cerebral palsy presented with progressive enlargement of head attaining a size of turban due to habitual head banging and self-punching overhead. SGH drainage and hematoma aspiration were performed and the patient’s head size was restored.

Identification of Protein Complexes Using Weighted PageRank-Nibble Algorithm and Core-Attachment Structure.

Science.gov (United States)

Peng, Wei; Wang, Jianxin; Zhao, Bihai; Wang, Lusheng

2015-01-01

Protein complexes play a significant role in understanding the underlying mechanism of most cellular functions. Recently, many researchers have explored computational methods to identify protein complexes from protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks. One group of researchers focus on detecting local dense subgraphs which correspond to protein complexes by considering local neighbors. The drawback of this kind of approach is that the global information of the networks is ignored. Some methods such as Markov Clustering algorithm (MCL), PageRank-Nibble are proposed to find protein complexes based on random walk technique which can exploit the global structure of networks. However, these methods ignore the inherent core-attachment structure of protein complexes and treat adjacent node equally. In this paper, we design a weighted PageRank-Nibble algorithm which assigns each adjacent node with different probability, and propose a novel method named WPNCA to detect protein complex from PPI networks by using weighted PageRank-Nibble algorithm and core-attachment structure. Firstly, WPNCA partitions the PPI networks into multiple dense clusters by using weighted PageRank-Nibble algorithm. Then the cores of these clusters are detected and the rest of proteins in the clusters will be selected as attachments to form the final predicted protein complexes. The experiments on yeast data show that WPNCA outperforms the existing methods in terms of both accuracy and p-value. The software for WPNCA is available at "http://netlab.csu.edu.cn/bioinfomatics/weipeng/WPNCA/download.html".

Big bang and big crunch in matrix string theory

OpenAIRE

Bedford, J; Papageorgakis, C; Rodríguez-Gómez, D; Ward, J

2007-01-01

Following the holographic description of linear dilaton null Cosmologies with a Big Bang in terms of Matrix String Theory put forward by Craps, Sethi and Verlinde, we propose an extended background describing a Universe including both Big Bang and Big Crunch singularities. This belongs to a class of exact string backgrounds and is perturbative in the string coupling far away from the singularities, both of which can be resolved using Matrix String Theory. We provide a simple theory capable of...

Inflationary and deflationary branches in extended pre-big-bang cosmology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lidsey, J.E.

1997-01-01

The pre-big-bang cosmological scenario is studied within the context of the Brans-Dicke theory of gravity. An epoch of superinflationary expansion may occur in the pre-big-bang phase of the Universe close-quote s history in a certain region of parameter space. Two models are considered that contain a cosmological constant in the gravitational and matter sectors of the theory, respectively. Classical pre- and post-big-bang solutions are found for both models. The existence of a curvature singularity forbids a classical transition between the two branches. On the other hand, a quantum cosmological approach based on the tunneling boundary condition results in a nonzero transition probability. The transition may be interpreted as a spatial reflection of the wave function in minisuperspace. copyright 1997 The American Physical Society

A cosmological analogy between the big bang and a supernova

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sen, S.

1983-01-01

The author presents an objection to Brown's (1981) analogy between a supernova and the Big Bang. According to Brown an expanding spherical shell is quite similar to an ejected supernova shell. However, the fragmented shell of a supernova moves outward in pre-existing space. The force of repulsion which makes the fragments of the shell drift apart can be regarded as equivalent to the force of attraction of the rest of the universe on the supernova. By definition, such a force of attraction is absent in the case of the Big Bang. Energy is supposed suddenly to appear simultaneously at all points throughout the universe at the time of the Big Bang. As the universe expands, space expands too. In the relativistic cosmology, the universe cannot expand in pre-existing space. (Auth.)

Inflationary and deflationary branches in extended pre-big-bang cosmology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lidsey, J.E. [Astronomy Unit, School of Mathematical Sciences, Queen Mary Westfield, Mile End Road, London, E1 4NS (United Kingdom)

1997-03-01

The pre-big-bang cosmological scenario is studied within the context of the Brans-Dicke theory of gravity. An epoch of superinflationary expansion may occur in the pre-big-bang phase of the Universe{close_quote}s history in a certain region of parameter space. Two models are considered that contain a cosmological constant in the gravitational and matter sectors of the theory, respectively. Classical pre- and post-big-bang solutions are found for both models. The existence of a curvature singularity forbids a classical transition between the two branches. On the other hand, a quantum cosmological approach based on the tunneling boundary condition results in a nonzero transition probability. The transition may be interpreted as a spatial reflection of the wave function in minisuperspace. {copyright} {ital 1997} {ital The American Physical Society}

Can individualized weight monitoring using the HeartPhone algorithm improve sensitivity for clinical deterioration of heart failure?

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Ledwidge, Mark T

2013-04-01

Previous studies have demonstrated poor sensitivity of guideline weight monitoring in predicting clinical deterioration of heart failure (HF). This study aimed to evaluate patterns of remotely transmitted daily weights in a high-risk HF population and also to compare guideline weight monitoring and an individualized weight monitoring algorithm.

Classification of EEG Signals using adaptive weighted distance nearest neighbor algorithm

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

E. Parvinnia

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Electroencephalogram (EEG signals are often used to diagnose diseases such as seizure, alzheimer, and schizophrenia. One main problem with the recorded EEG samples is that they are not equally reliable due to the artifacts at the time of recording. EEG signal classification algorithms should have a mechanism to handle this issue. It seems that using adaptive classifiers can be useful for the biological signals such as EEG. In this paper, a general adaptive method named weighted distance nearest neighbor (WDNN is applied for EEG signal classification to tackle this problem. This classification algorithm assigns a weight to each training sample to control its influence in classifying test samples. The weights of training samples are used to find the nearest neighbor of an input query pattern. To assess the performance of this scheme, EEG signals of thirteen schizophrenic patients and eighteen normal subjects are analyzed for the classification of these two groups. Several features including, fractal dimension, band power and autoregressive (AR model are extracted from EEG signals. The classification results are evaluated using Leave one (subject out cross validation for reliable estimation. The results indicate that combination of WDNN and selected features can significantly outperform the basic nearest-neighbor and the other methods proposed in the past for the classification of these two groups. Therefore, this method can be a complementary tool for specialists to distinguish schizophrenia disorder.

Drosophila Big bang regulates the apical cytocortex and wing growth through junctional tension.

Science.gov (United States)

Tsoumpekos, Giorgos; Nemetschke, Linda; Knust, Elisabeth

2018-03-05

Growth of epithelial tissues is regulated by a plethora of components, including signaling and scaffolding proteins, but also by junctional tension, mediated by the actomyosin cytoskeleton. However, how these players are spatially organized and functionally coordinated is not well understood. Here, we identify the Drosophila melanogaster scaffolding protein Big bang as a novel regulator of growth in epithelial cells of the wing disc by ensuring proper junctional tension. Loss of big bang results in the reduction of the regulatory light chain of nonmuscle myosin, Spaghetti squash. This is associated with an increased apical cell surface, decreased junctional tension, and smaller wings. Strikingly, these phenotypic traits of big bang mutant discs can be rescued by expressing constitutively active Spaghetti squash. Big bang colocalizes with Spaghetti squash in the apical cytocortex and is found in the same protein complex. These results suggest that in epithelial cells of developing wings, the scaffolding protein Big bang controls apical cytocortex organization, which is important for regulating cell shape and tissue growth. © 2018 Tsoumpekos et al.

A collaborative filtering recommendation algorithm based on weighted SimRank and social trust

Science.gov (United States)

Su, Chang; Zhang, Butao

2017-05-01

Collaborative filtering is one of the most widely used recommendation technologies, but the data sparsity and cold start problem of collaborative filtering algorithms are difficult to solve effectively. In order to alleviate the problem of data sparsity in collaborative filtering algorithm, firstly, a weighted improved SimRank algorithm is proposed to compute the rating similarity between users in rating data set. The improved SimRank can find more nearest neighbors for target users according to the transmissibility of rating similarity. Then, we build trust network and introduce the calculation of trust degree in the trust relationship data set. Finally, we combine rating similarity and trust to build a comprehensive similarity in order to find more appropriate nearest neighbors for target user. Experimental results show that the algorithm proposed in this paper improves the recommendation precision of the Collaborative algorithm effectively.

An Algorithm for the Weighted Earliness-Tardiness Unconstrained Project Scheduling Problem

Science.gov (United States)

Afshar Nadjafi, Behrouz; Shadrokh, Shahram

This research considers a project scheduling problem with the object of minimizing weighted earliness-tardiness penalty costs, taking into account a deadline for the project and precedence relations among the activities. An exact recursive method has been proposed for solving the basic form of this problem. We present a new depth-first branch and bound algorithm for extended form of the problem, which time value of money is taken into account by discounting the cash flows. The algorithm is extended with two bounding rules in order to reduce the size of the branch and bound tree. Finally, some test problems are solved and computational results are reported.

Cosmic relics from the big bang

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hall, L.J.

1988-12-01

A brief introduction to the big bang picture of the early universe is given. Dark matter is discussed; particularly its implications for elementary particle physics. A classification scheme for dark matter relics is given. 21 refs., 11 figs., 1 tab

Cosmic relics from the big bang

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hall, L.J.

1988-12-01

A brief introduction to the big bang picture of the early universe is given. Dark matter is discussed; particularly its implications for elementary particle physics. A classification scheme for dark matter relics is given. 21 refs., 11 figs., 1 tab.

Portable Wideband Microwave Imaging System for Intracranial Hemorrhage Detection Using Improved Back-projection Algorithm with Model of Effective Head Permittivity

Science.gov (United States)

Mobashsher, Ahmed Toaha; Mahmoud, A.; Abbosh, A. M.

2016-02-01

Intracranial hemorrhage is a medical emergency that requires rapid detection and medication to restrict any brain damage to minimal. Here, an effective wideband microwave head imaging system for on-the-spot detection of intracranial hemorrhage is presented. The operation of the system relies on the dielectric contrast between healthy brain tissues and a hemorrhage that causes a strong microwave scattering. The system uses a compact sensing antenna, which has an ultra-wideband operation with directional radiation, and a portable, compact microwave transceiver for signal transmission and data acquisition. The collected data is processed to create a clear image of the brain using an improved back projection algorithm, which is based on a novel effective head permittivity model. The system is verified in realistic simulation and experimental environments using anatomically and electrically realistic human head phantoms. Quantitative and qualitative comparisons between the images from the proposed and existing algorithms demonstrate significant improvements in detection and localization accuracy. The radiation and thermal safety of the system are examined and verified. Initial human tests are conducted on healthy subjects with different head sizes. The reconstructed images are statistically analyzed and absence of false positive results indicate the efficacy of the proposed system in future preclinical trials.

Baryon symmetric big bang cosmology

Science.gov (United States)

Stecker, F. W.

1978-01-01

Both the quantum theory and Einsteins theory of special relativity lead to the supposition that matter and antimatter were produced in equal quantities during the big bang. It is noted that local matter/antimatter asymmetries may be reconciled with universal symmetry by assuming (1) a slight imbalance of matter over antimatter in the early universe, annihilation, and a subsequent remainder of matter; (2) localized regions of excess for one or the other type of matter as an initial condition; and (3) an extremely dense, high temperature state with zero net baryon number; i.e., matter/antimatter symmetry. Attention is given to the third assumption, which is the simplest and the most in keeping with current knowledge of the cosmos, especially as pertains the universality of 3 K background radiation. Mechanisms of galaxy formation are discussed, whereby matter and antimatter might have collided and annihilated each other, or have coexisted (and continue to coexist) at vast distances. It is pointed out that baryon symmetric big bang cosmology could probably be proved if an antinucleus could be detected in cosmic radiation.

Advances in metaheuristic algorithms for optimal design of structures

CERN Document Server

Kaveh, A

2017-01-01

This book presents efficient metaheuristic algorithms for optimal design of structures. Many of these algorithms are developed by the author and his colleagues, consisting of Democratic Particle Swarm Optimization, Charged System Search, Magnetic Charged System Search, Field of Forces Optimization, Dolphin Echolocation Optimization, Colliding Bodies Optimization, Ray Optimization. These are presented together with algorithms which were developed by other authors and have been successfully applied to various optimization problems. These consist of Particle Swarm Optimization, Big Bang-Big Crunch Algorithm, Cuckoo Search Optimization, Imperialist Competitive Algorithm, and Chaos Embedded Metaheuristic Algorithms. Finally a multi-objective optimization method is presented to solve large-scale structural problems based on the Charged System Search algorithm. The concepts and algorithms presented in this book are not only applicable to optimization of skeletal structures and finite element models, but can equally ...

Advances in metaheuristic algorithms for optimal design of structures

CERN Document Server

Kaveh, A

2014-01-01

This book presents efficient metaheuristic algorithms for optimal design of structures. Many of these algorithms are developed by the author and his colleagues, consisting of Democratic Particle Swarm Optimization, Charged System Search, Magnetic Charged System Search, Field of Forces Optimization, Dolphin Echolocation Optimization, Colliding Bodies Optimization, Ray Optimization. These are presented together with algorithms which were developed by other authors and have been successfully applied to various optimization problems. These consist of Particle Swarm Optimization, Big Bang-Big Crunch Algorithm, Cuckoo Search Optimization, Imperialist Competitive Algorithm, and Chaos Embedded Metaheuristic Algorithms. Finally a multi-objective optimization method is presented to solve large-scale structural problems based on the Charged System Search algorithm. The concepts and algorithms presented in this book are not only applicable to optimization of skeletal structures and finite element models, but can equally ...

Weight optimization of large span steel truss structures with genetic algorithm

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mojolic, Cristian; Hulea, Radu; Pârv, Bianca Roxana [Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Department of Structural Mechanics, Str. Constantin Daicoviciu nr. 15, Cluj-Napoca (Romania)

2015-03-10

The paper presents the weight optimization process of the main steel truss that supports the Slatina Sport Hall roof. The structure was loaded with self-weight, dead loads, live loads, snow, wind and temperature, grouped in eleven load cases. The optimization of the structure was made using genetic algorithms implemented in a Matlab code. A total number of four different cases were taken into consideration when trying to determine the lowest weight of the structure, depending on the types of connections with the concrete structure ( types of supports, bearing modes), and the possibility of the lower truss chord nodes to change their vertical position. A number of restrictions for tension, maximum displacement and buckling were enforced on the elements, and the cross sections are chosen by the program from a user data base. The results in each of the four cases were analyzed in terms of weight, element tension, element section and displacement. The paper presents the optimization process and the conclusions drawn.

Improved VMAT planning for head and neck tumors with an advanced optimization algorithm

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Klippel, Norbert; Schmuecking, Michael; Terribilini, Dario; Geretschlaeger, Andreas; Aebersold, Daniel M.; Manser, Peter

2015-01-01

In this study, the ''Progressive Resolution Optimizer PRO3'' (Varian Medical Systems) is compared to the previous version PRO2'' with respect to its potential to improve dose sparing to the organs at risk (OAR) and dose coverage of the PTV for head and neck cancer patients. Materials and Methods For eight head and neck cancer patients, volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) treatment plans were generated in this study. All cases have 2-3 phases and the total prescribed dose (PD) was 60-72 Gy in the PTV. The study is mainly focused on the phase 1 plans, which all have an identical PD of 54 Gy, and complex PTV structures with an overlap to the parotids. Optimization was performed based on planning objectives for the PTV according to ICRU83, and with minimal dose to spinal cord, and parotids outside PTV. In order to assess the quality of the optimization algorithms, an identical set of constraints was used for both, PRO2 and PRO3. The resulting treatment plans were investigated with respect to dose distribution based on the analysis of the dose volume histograms. Results For the phase 1 plans (PD = 54 Gy) the near maximum dose D 2% of the spinal cord, could be minimized to 22±5 Gy with PRO3, as compared to 32±12 Gy with PRO2, averaged for all patients. The mean dose to the parotids was also lower in PRO3 plans compared to PRO2, but the differences were less pronounced. A PTV coverage of V 95% = 97±1% could be reached with PRO3, as compared to 86±5% with PRO2. In clinical routine, these PRO2 plans would require modifications to obtain better PTV coverage at the cost of higher OAR doses. Conclusion A comparison between PRO3 and PRO2 optimization algorithms was performed for eight head and neck cancer patients. In general, the quality of VMAT plans for head and neck patients are improved with PRO3 as compared to PRO2. The dose to OARs can be reduced significantly, especially for the spinal cord. These reductions are achieved with better

Evaluation of an Automated Swallow-Detection Algorithm Using Visual Biofeedback in Healthy Adults and Head and Neck Cancer Survivors.

Science.gov (United States)

Constantinescu, Gabriela; Kuffel, Kristina; Aalto, Daniel; Hodgetts, William; Rieger, Jana

2017-11-02

Mobile health (mHealth) technologies may offer an opportunity to address longstanding clinical challenges, such as access and adherence to swallowing therapy. Mobili-T ® is an mHealth device that uses surface electromyography (sEMG) to provide biofeedback on submental muscles activity during exercise. An automated swallow-detection algorithm was developed for Mobili-T ® . This study evaluated the performance of the swallow-detection algorithm. Ten healthy participants and 10 head and neck cancer (HNC) patients were fitted with the device. Signal was acquired during regular, effortful, and Mendelsohn maneuver saliva swallows, as well as lip presses, tongue, and head movements. Signals of interest were tagged during data acquisition and used to evaluate algorithm performance. Sensitivity and positive predictive values (PPV) were calculated for each participant. Saliva swallows were compared between HNC and controls in the four sEMG-based parameters used in the algorithm: duration, peak amplitude ratio, median frequency, and 15th percentile of the power spectrum density. In healthy participants, sensitivity and PPV were 92.3 and 83.9%, respectively. In HNC patients, sensitivity was 92.7% and PPV was 72.2%. In saliva swallows, HNC patients had longer event durations (U = 1925.5, p performed well with healthy participants and retained a high sensitivity, but had lowered PPV with HNC patients. With respect to Mobili-T ® , the algorithm will next be evaluated using the mHealth system.

STOP-Bang Questionnaire in Patients with Rapid Eye Movement Sleep Behavior Disorder

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ki-Hwan Ji

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Background and Objective The snoring, tiredness, observed apnea, and high blood pressure– body mass index, age, neck circumference, and gender (STOP-Bang questionnaire is known as a simple but useful tool for the diagnosis of high-risk obstructive sleep apnea (OSA. However, the utility of STOP-Bang questionnaire in rapid eye movement (REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD populations is not validated. This study aimed to determine the diagnostic value of the STOP-Bang questionnaire in patients with RBD at high risk for OSA. Methods We collected data from 65 consecutive patients who were diagnosed with RBD in a tertiary sleep center (20 women; mean age, 64.3 ± 12.5 years. All the patients visited sleep center with complaints of abnormal behavior during sleep, and underwent testing with STOP-Bang questionnaire and polysomnography. The diagnosis of RBD was based on the International Classification of Sleep Disorders, second edition. We diagnosed OSA when apnea-hypopnea index (AHI was at least 5/h. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC curves were plotted. Results The mean AHI was 18.2 ± 16.5/h, and 75.4% (n = 49 had an AHI ≥ 5. The STOP-Bang (threshold ≥ 3 identified 70.7% of patients as high risk for OSA, and sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values were 81.6, 62.5, 87, and 52.6%, respectively. The area under the ROC curve (AUC was 0.79 (p < 0.001. The STOP (threshold ≥ 2 identified 70.7% of patients at high risk for OSA, and sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values were 75.5, 87.5, 94.9, and 53.8%, respectively. The AUC was 0.86 (p < 0.001. A pairwise comparison of ROC curve between STOP-Bang and STOP was insignificant (p = 0.145. Conclusions In RBD population, the STOP-Bang or STOP questionnaire is a useful screening tool to identify patients at high risk for OSA.

BIG BANG NUCLEOSYNTHESIS WITH A NON-MAXWELLIAN DISTRIBUTION

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bertulani, C. A.; Fuqua, J.; Hussein, M. S.

2013-01-01

The abundances of light elements based on the big bang nucleosynthesis model are calculated using the Tsallis non-extensive statistics. The impact of the variation of the non-extensive parameter q from the unity value is compared to observations and to the abundance yields from the standard big bang model. We find large differences between the reaction rates and the abundance of light elements calculated with the extensive and the non-extensive statistics. We found that the observations are consistent with a non-extensive parameter q = 1 - 0.12 +0.05 , indicating that a large deviation from the Boltzmann-Gibbs statistics (q = 1) is highly unlikely.

Echo Planar Diffusion-Weighted Imaging: Possibilities and Considerations with 12- and 32-Channel Head Coils

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

John N Morelli

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Interest in clinical brain magnetic resonance imaging using 32-channel head coils for signal reception continues to increase. The present investigation assesses possibilities for improving diffusion-weighted image quality using a 32-channel in comparison to a conventional 12-channel coil. The utility of single-shot (ss and an approach to readout-segmented (rs echo planar imaging (EPI are examined using both head coils. Substantial image quality improvements are found with rs-EPI. Imaging with a 32-channel head coil allows for implementation of greater parallel imaging acceleration factors or acquisition of scans at a higher resolution. Specifically, higher resolution imaging with rs-EPI can be achieved by increasing the number of readout segments without increasing echo-spacing or echo time to the degree necessary with ss-EPI - a factor resulting in increased susceptibility artifact and reduced signal-to-noise with the latter.

State of the Universe. If Not with a Big Bang, Then What?

Science.gov (United States)

Peterson, Ivars

1991-01-01

The Big Bang Theory and alternatives to the Big Bang Theory as an explanation for the origin of the universe are discussed. The importance of the discovery of redshift, the percentage of hydrogen found in old stars, and the existence of a uniform sea of radiation are explained. (KR)

Big bang and big crunch in matrix string theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bedford, J.; Ward, J.; Papageorgakis, C.; Rodriguez-Gomez, D.

2007-01-01

Following the holographic description of linear dilaton null cosmologies with a big bang in terms of matrix string theory put forward by Craps, Sethi, and Verlinde, we propose an extended background describing a universe including both big bang and big crunch singularities. This belongs to a class of exact string backgrounds and is perturbative in the string coupling far away from the singularities, both of which can be resolved using matrix string theory. We provide a simple theory capable of describing the complete evolution of this closed universe

Evolution of the early universe and big-bang nucleosynthesis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kajino, T.

1995-01-01

Cosmological phase transition can create strongly inhomogeneous baryon density distribution. Inhomogeneous big-bang model for primordial nucleosynthesis allows higher universal mass density parameter of baryons than the standard model does, which is marginally consistent with recent astronomical suggestion that some kind of dark matter is made of baryons. Enhanced heavy-element abundances in halo dwarfs is shown to be an observational signature for the inhomogeneous big-bang model. The studies of radioactive nuclear reactions help predict the theoretical abundances of these elements more precisely. (author). 53 refs., 8 figs

[Application of an Adaptive Inertia Weight Particle Swarm Algorithm in the Magnetic Resonance Bias Field Correction].

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Chang; Qin, Xin; Liu, Yan; Zhang, Wenchao

2016-06-01

An adaptive inertia weight particle swarm algorithm is proposed in this study to solve the local optimal problem with the method of traditional particle swarm optimization in the process of estimating magnetic resonance(MR)image bias field.An indicator measuring the degree of premature convergence was designed for the defect of traditional particle swarm optimization algorithm.The inertia weight was adjusted adaptively based on this indicator to ensure particle swarm to be optimized globally and to avoid it from falling into local optimum.The Legendre polynomial was used to fit bias field,the polynomial parameters were optimized globally,and finally the bias field was estimated and corrected.Compared to those with the improved entropy minimum algorithm,the entropy of corrected image was smaller and the estimated bias field was more accurate in this study.Then the corrected image was segmented and the segmentation accuracy obtained in this research was 10% higher than that with improved entropy minimum algorithm.This algorithm can be applied to the correction of MR image bias field.

Inhomogeneous Pre-Big Bang String Cosmology

OpenAIRE

Veneziano, Gabriele

1997-01-01

An inhomogeneous version of pre--Big Bang cosmology emerges, within string theory, from quite generic initial conditions, provided they lie deeply inside the weak-coupling, low-curvature regime. Large-scale homogeneity, flatness, and isotropy appear naturally as late-time outcomes of such an evolution.

Pre-big bang in M-theory

OpenAIRE

Cavaglia, Marco

2001-01-01

We discuss a simple cosmological model derived from M-theory. Three assumptions lead naturally to a pre-big bang scenario: (a) 11-dimensional supergravity describes the low-energy world; (b) non-gravitational fields live on a three-dimensional brane; and (c) asymptotically past triviality.

A Performance Weighted Collaborative Filtering algorithm for personalized radiology education.

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Hongli; Yang, Xuedong; Wang, Weisheng; Luo, Jiawei

2014-10-01

Devising an accurate prediction algorithm that can predict the difficulty level of cases for individuals and then selects suitable cases for them is essential to the development of a personalized training system. In this paper, we propose a novel approach, called Performance Weighted Collaborative Filtering (PWCF), to predict the difficulty level of each case for individuals. The main idea of PWCF is to assign an optimal weight to each rating used for predicting the difficulty level of a target case for a trainee, rather than using an equal weight for all ratings as in traditional collaborative filtering methods. The assigned weight is a function of the performance level of the trainee at which the rating was made. The PWCF method and the traditional method are compared using two datasets. The experimental data are then evaluated by means of the MAE metric. Our experimental results show that PWCF outperforms the traditional methods by 8.12% and 17.05%, respectively, over the two datasets, in terms of prediction precision. This suggests that PWCF is a viable method for the development of personalized training systems in radiology education. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Zero Kelvin Big Bang, an Alternative Paradigm: I. Logic and the Cosmic Fabric

Science.gov (United States)

Haynes, Royce

2011-11-01

This is the first of three papers describing an alternative paradigm of cosmogony, the beginning and evolution of the universe. The Zero Kelvin Big Bang (ZKBB) theory is compared to the prevailing Standard Big Bang (SBB) paradigm, and challenges the notion that our universe is "all there is." Logic suggests that the Big Bang was not a creation event, but that the universe did have a beginning: a "cosmic fabric" of pre- existing matter, in pre-existing space. Instead, the Zero Kelvin Big Bang was a transitional event between that "beginning" and what would become our universe. Extrapolating entropy back in time (as SBB does for matter and energy), and applying simple logic, suggests a "cosmic fabric" of the simplest, stable particles of matter, at the lowest energy state possible: singlet state, spin-oriented atomic hydrogen at zero kelvin, at a density of, at most, only a few atoms per cubic meter of space, infinite and (almost) eternal. Papers II and III describe the condensation of part of the cosmic fabric into a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) as Lemaître's primeval atom, followed by an implosion- explosion Big Bang.

Configuration space analysis of common cost functions in radiotherapy beam-weight optimization algorithms

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rowbottom, Carl Graham [Joint Department of Physics, Institute of Cancer Research and the Royal Marsden NHS Trust, Sutton, Surrey (United Kingdom); Webb, Steve [Joint Department of Physics, Institute of Cancer Research and the Royal Marsden NHS Trust, Sutton, Surrey (United Kingdom)

2002-01-07

The successful implementation of downhill search engines in radiotherapy optimization algorithms depends on the absence of local minima in the search space. Such techniques are much faster than stochastic optimization methods but may become trapped in local minima if they exist. A technique known as 'configuration space analysis' was applied to examine the search space of cost functions used in radiotherapy beam-weight optimization algorithms. A downhill-simplex beam-weight optimization algorithm was run repeatedly to produce a frequency distribution of final cost values. By plotting the frequency distribution as a function of final cost, the existence of local minima can be determined. Common cost functions such as the quadratic deviation of dose to the planning target volume (PTV), integral dose to organs-at-risk (OARs), dose-threshold and dose-volume constraints for OARs were studied. Combinations of the cost functions were also considered. The simple cost function terms such as the quadratic PTV dose and integral dose to OAR cost function terms are not susceptible to local minima. In contrast, dose-threshold and dose-volume OAR constraint cost function terms are able to produce local minima in the example case studied. (author)

A hybrid algorithm for instant optimization of beam weights in anatomy-based intensity modulated radiotherapy: a performance evaluation study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vaitheeswaran, Ranganathan; Sathiya Narayanan, V.K.; Bhangle, Janhavi R.; Nirhali, Amit; Kumar, Namita; Basu, Sumit; Maiya, Vikram

2011-01-01

The study aims to introduce a hybrid optimization algorithm for anatomy-based intensity modulated radiotherapy (AB-IMRT). Our proposal is that by integrating an exact optimization algorithm with a heuristic optimization algorithm, the advantages of both the algorithms can be combined, which will lead to an efficient global optimizer solving the problem at a very fast rate. Our hybrid approach combines Gaussian elimination algorithm (exact optimizer) with fast simulated annealing algorithm (a heuristic global optimizer) for the optimization of beam weights in AB-IMRT. The algorithm has been implemented using MATLAB software. The optimization efficiency of the hybrid algorithm is clarified by (i) analysis of the numerical characteristics of the algorithm and (ii) analysis of the clinical capabilities of the algorithm. The numerical and clinical characteristics of the hybrid algorithm are compared with Gaussian elimination method (GEM) and fast simulated annealing (FSA). The numerical characteristics include convergence, consistency, number of iterations and overall optimization speed, which were analyzed for the respective cases of 8 patients. The clinical capabilities of the hybrid algorithm are demonstrated in cases of (a) prostate and (b) brain. The analyses reveal that (i) the convergence speed of the hybrid algorithm is approximately three times higher than that of FSA algorithm (ii) the convergence (percentage reduction in the cost function) in hybrid algorithm is about 20% improved as compared to that in GEM algorithm (iii) the hybrid algorithm is capable of producing relatively better treatment plans in terms of Conformity Index (CI) (∼ 2% - 5% improvement) and Homogeneity Index (HI) (∼ 4% - 10% improvement) as compared to GEM and FSA algorithms (iv) the sparing of organs at risk in hybrid algorithm-based plans is better than that in GEM-based plans and comparable to that in FSA-based plans; and (v) the beam weights resulting from the hybrid algorithm are

Big-Bang nucleosynthesis with updated nuclear data

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Coc, Alain [Centre de Spectrometrie Nucleaire et de Spectrometrie de Masse (CSNSM), CNRS/IN2P3, Universite Paris Sud 11, UMR 8609, Batiment 104, F-91405 Orsay Campus (France); Vangioni, Elisabeth, E-mail: Alain.Coc@csnsm.in2p3.f, E-mail: vangioni@iap.f [Institut d' Astrophysique de Paris, UMR-7095 du CNRS, Universite Pierre et Marie Curie, 98 bis bd Arago, 75014 Paris (France)

2010-01-01

Primordial nucleosynthesis is one of the three evidences for the Big-Bang model together with the expansion of the Universe and the Cosmic Microwave Background. There is a good global agreement over a range of nine orders of magnitude between abundances of {sup 4}He, D, {sup 3}He and {sup 7}Li deduced from observations and calculated primordial nucleosynthesis. This comparison was used to determine the baryonic density of the Universe. For this purpose, it is now superseded by the analysis of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) radiation anisotropies. Big-Bang nucleosynthesis remains, nevertheless, a valuable tool to probe the physics of the early Universe. However, the yet unexplained, discrepancy between the calculated and observed lithium primordial abundances, has not been reduced, neither by recent nuclear physics experiments, nor by new observations.

Big-bang nucleosynthesis and the baryon density of the universe.

Science.gov (United States)

Copi, C J; Schramm, D N; Turner, M S

1995-01-13

For almost 30 years, the predictions of big-bang nucleosynthesis have been used to test the big-bang model to within a fraction of a second of the bang. The agreement between the predicted and observed abundances of deuterium, helium-3, helium-4, and lithium-7 confirms the standard cosmology model and allows accurate determination of the baryon density, between 1.7 x 10(-31) and 4.1 x 10(-31) grams per cubic centimeter (corresponding to about 1 to 15 percent of the critical density). This measurement of the density of ordinary matter is pivotal to the establishment of two dark-matter problems: (i) most of the baryons are dark, and (ii) if the total mass density is greater than about 15 percent of the critical density, as many determinations indicate, the bulk of the dark matter must be "non-baryonic," composed of elementary particles left from the earliest moments.

Particle swarm optimizer for weighting factor selection in intensity-modulated radiation therapy optimization algorithms.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Jie; Zhang, Pengcheng; Zhang, Liyuan; Shu, Huazhong; Li, Baosheng; Gui, Zhiguo

2017-01-01

In inverse treatment planning of intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), the objective function is typically the sum of the weighted sub-scores, where the weights indicate the importance of the sub-scores. To obtain a high-quality treatment plan, the planner manually adjusts the objective weights using a trial-and-error procedure until an acceptable plan is reached. In this work, a new particle swarm optimization (PSO) method which can adjust the weighting factors automatically was investigated to overcome the requirement of manual adjustment, thereby reducing the workload of the human planner and contributing to the development of a fully automated planning process. The proposed optimization method consists of three steps. (i) First, a swarm of weighting factors (i.e., particles) is initialized randomly in the search space, where each particle corresponds to a global objective function. (ii) Then, a plan optimization solver is employed to obtain the optimal solution for each particle, and the values of the evaluation functions used to determine the particle's location and the population global location for the PSO are calculated based on these results. (iii) Next, the weighting factors are updated based on the particle's location and the population global location. Step (ii) is performed alternately with step (iii) until the termination condition is reached. In this method, the evaluation function is a combination of several key points on the dose volume histograms. Furthermore, a perturbation strategy - the crossover and mutation operator hybrid approach - is employed to enhance the population diversity, and two arguments are applied to the evaluation function to improve the flexibility of the algorithm. In this study, the proposed method was used to develop IMRT treatment plans involving five unequally spaced 6MV photon beams for 10 prostate cancer cases. The proposed optimization algorithm yielded high-quality plans for all of the cases, without human

Final Report: Sampling-Based Algorithms for Estimating Structure in Big Data.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Matulef, Kevin Michael [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

2017-02-01

The purpose of this project was to develop sampling-based algorithms to discover hidden struc- ture in massive data sets. Inferring structure in large data sets is an increasingly common task in many critical national security applications. These data sets come from myriad sources, such as network traffic, sensor data, and data generated by large-scale simulations. They are often so large that traditional data mining techniques are time consuming or even infeasible. To address this problem, we focus on a class of algorithms that do not compute an exact answer, but instead use sampling to compute an approximate answer using fewer resources. The particular class of algorithms that we focus on are streaming algorithms , so called because they are designed to handle high-throughput streams of data. Streaming algorithms have only a small amount of working storage - much less than the size of the full data stream - so they must necessarily use sampling to approximate the correct answer. We present two results: * A streaming algorithm called HyperHeadTail , that estimates the degree distribution of a graph (i.e., the distribution of the number of connections for each node in a network). The degree distribution is a fundamental graph property, but prior work on estimating the degree distribution in a streaming setting was impractical for many real-world application. We improve upon prior work by developing an algorithm that can handle streams with repeated edges, and graph structures that evolve over time. * An algorithm for the task of maintaining a weighted subsample of items in a stream, when the items must be sampled according to their weight, and the weights are dynamically changing. To our knowledge, this is the first such algorithm designed for dynamically evolving weights. We expect it may be useful as a building block for other streaming algorithms on dynamic data sets.

No-bang quantum state of the cosmos

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Page, Don N

2008-01-01

A quantum state of the entire cosmos (universe or multiverse) is proposed which is the equal mixture of the Giddings-Marolf states that are asymptotically single de Sitter spacetimes in both past and future and are regular on the throat or neck of minimal 3-volume. That is, states are excluded that have a big bang or big crunch or which split into multiple asymptotic de Sitter spacetimes. (For simplicity, transitions between different values of the cosmological constant are assumed not to occur, though different positive values are allowed.) The entropy of this mixed state appears to be of the order of the three-fourth power of the Bekenstein-Hawking A/4 entropy of de Sitter spacetime. Most of the component pure states do not have rapid inflation, but when an inflaton is present and the states are weighted by the volume at the end of inflation, a much smaller number of states may dominate and give a large amount of inflation and hence may agree with observations

No-bang quantum state of the cosmos

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Page, Don N [Institute for Theoretical Physics, Department of Physics, University of Alberta, Room 238 CEB, 11322-89 Avenue Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2G7 (Canada)], E-mail: don@phys.ualberta.ca

2008-08-07

A quantum state of the entire cosmos (universe or multiverse) is proposed which is the equal mixture of the Giddings-Marolf states that are asymptotically single de Sitter spacetimes in both past and future and are regular on the throat or neck of minimal 3-volume. That is, states are excluded that have a big bang or big crunch or which split into multiple asymptotic de Sitter spacetimes. (For simplicity, transitions between different values of the cosmological constant are assumed not to occur, though different positive values are allowed.) The entropy of this mixed state appears to be of the order of the three-fourth power of the Bekenstein-Hawking A/4 entropy of de Sitter spacetime. Most of the component pure states do not have rapid inflation, but when an inflaton is present and the states are weighted by the volume at the end of inflation, a much smaller number of states may dominate and give a large amount of inflation and hence may agree with observations.

Endless universe beyond the big bang

CERN Document Server

Steinhardt, Paul J

2007-01-01

The Big Bang theory—widely regarded as the leading explanation for the origin of the universe—posits that space and time sprang into being about 14 billion years ago in a hot, expanding fireball of nearly infinite density. Over the last three decades the theory has been repeatedly revised to address such issues as how galaxies and stars first formed and why the expansion of the universe is speeding up today. Furthermore, an explanation has yet to be found for what caused the Big Bang in the first place. In Endless Universe, Paul J. Steinhardt and Neil Turok, both distinguished theoretical physicists, present a bold new cosmology. Steinhardt and Turok “contend that what we think of as the moment of creation was simply part of an infinite cycle of titanic collisions between our universe and a parallel world” (Discover). They recount the remarkable developments in astronomy, particle physics, and superstring theory that form the basis for their groundbreaking “Cyclic Universe” theory. According to t...

Fate of classical tensor inhomogeneities in pre-big-bang string cosmology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Buonanno, Alessandra; Damour, Thibault

2001-01-01

In pre-big-bang string cosmology one uses a phase of dilaton-driven inflation to stretch an initial (microscopic) spatial patch to the (much larger) size of the big-bang fireball. We show that the dilaton-driven inflationary phase does not naturally iron out the initial classical tensor inhomogeneities unless the initial value of the string coupling is smaller than g in ∼ -35

Weighted Clustering

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ackerman, Margareta; Ben-David, Shai; Branzei, Simina

2012-01-01

We investigate a natural generalization of the classical clustering problem, considering clustering tasks in which different instances may have different weights.We conduct the first extensive theoretical analysis on the influence of weighted data on standard clustering algorithms in both...... the partitional and hierarchical settings, characterizing the conditions under which algorithms react to weights. Extending a recent framework for clustering algorithm selection, we propose intuitive properties that would allow users to choose between clustering algorithms in the weighted setting and classify...

A combination-weighted Feldkamp-based reconstruction algorithm for cone-beam CT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mori, Shinichiro; Endo, Masahiro; Komatsu, Shuhei; Kandatsu, Susumu; Yashiro, Tomoyasu; Baba, Masayuki

2006-01-01

The combination-weighted Feldkamp algorithm (CW-FDK) was developed and tested in a phantom in order to reduce cone-beam artefacts and enhance cranio-caudal reconstruction coverage in an attempt to improve image quality when utilizing cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). Using a 256-slice cone-beam CT (256CBCT), image quality (CT-number uniformity and geometrical accuracy) was quantitatively evaluated in phantom and clinical studies, and the results were compared to those obtained with the original Feldkamp algorithm. A clinical study was done in lung cancer patients under breath holding and free breathing. Image quality for the original Feldkamp algorithm is degraded at the edge of the scan region due to the missing volume, commensurate with the cranio-caudal distance between the reconstruction and central planes. The CW-FDK extended the reconstruction coverage to equal the scan coverage and improved reconstruction accuracy, unaffected by the cranio-caudal distance. The extended reconstruction coverage with good image quality provided by the CW-FDK will be clinically investigated for improving diagnostic and radiotherapy applications. In addition, this algorithm can also be adapted for use in relatively wide cone-angle CBCT such as with a flat-panel detector CBCT

Sparse Adaptive Iteratively-Weighted Thresholding Algorithm (SAITA) for Lp-Regularization Using the Multiple Sub-Dictionary Representation.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Yunyi; Zhang, Jie; Fan, Shangang; Yang, Jie; Xiong, Jian; Cheng, Xiefeng; Sari, Hikmet; Adachi, Fumiyuki; Gui, Guan

2017-12-15

Both L 1/2 and L 2/3 are two typical non-convex regularizations of L p (0dictionary sparse transform strategies for the two typical cases p∈{1/2, 2/3} based on an iterative Lp thresholding algorithm and then proposes a sparse adaptive iterative-weighted L p thresholding algorithm (SAITA). Moreover, a simple yet effective regularization parameter is proposed to weight each sub-dictionary-based L p regularizer. Simulation results have shown that the proposed SAITA not only performs better than the corresponding L₁ algorithms but can also obtain a better recovery performance and achieve faster convergence than the conventional single-dictionary sparse transform-based L p case. Moreover, we conduct some applications about sparse image recovery and obtain good results by comparison with relative work.

The Sounds of the Little and Big Bangs

Science.gov (United States)

Shuryak, Edward

2017-11-01

Studies of heavy ion collisions have discovered that tiny fireballs of new phase of matter -- quark gluon plasma (QGP) -- undergoes explosion, called the Little Bang. In spite of its small size, it is not only well described by hydrodynamics, but even small perturbations on top of the explosion turned to be well described by hydrodynamical sound modes. The cosmological Big Bang also went through phase transitions, the QCD and electroweak ones, which are expected to produce sounds as well. We discuss their subsequent evolution and hypothetical inverse acoustic cascade, amplifying the amplitude. Ultimately, collision of two sound waves leads to formation of gravity waves, with the smallest wavelength. We briefly discuss how those can be detected.

Negative-mass lagging cores of the big bang

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miller, B.D.

1976-01-01

Examples are given of spherically symmetric cosmological models containing space-sections with the following properties: at large values of the geometrically defined coordinate R, the mass is positive, while at small values of R, the mass is negative. The negative-mass region of spacetime has local properties similar to those of the negative-mass Schwarzschild solution. The big bang in these models is partially spacelike and partially timelike, so the spacetimes do not obey the strong form of the cosmic censorship hypothesis. The timelike, negative-mass segments of the big bang are unlimited sources of electromagnetic and gravitational radiation, and as such may be attractive as ''lagging core'' models of highly energetic astrophysical phenomena

Negative-mass lagging cores of the big bang

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Miller, B.D.

1976-09-01

Examples are given of spherically symmetric cosmological models containing space-sections with the following properties: at large values of the geometrically defined coordinate R, the mass is positive, while at small values of R, the mass is negative. The negative-mass region of spacetime has local properties similar to those of the negative-mass Schwarzschild solution. The big bang in these models is partially spacelike and partially timelike, so the spacetimes do not obey the strong form of the cosmic censorship hypothesis. The timelike, negative-mass segments of the big bang are unlimited sources of electromagnetic and gravitational radiation, and as such may be attractive as ''lagging core'' models of highly energetic astrophysical phenomena. (AIP)

The Big Bang (one more time)

CERN Multimedia

Spotts, P

2002-01-01

For 20 years, Paul Steinhardt has played a key role in helping to write and refine the inflationary "big bang" origin of the universe. But over the past few years, he decided to see if he could come up with a plausible alternative to the prevailing notion (1 page).

Modified STOP-Bang Tool for Stratifying Obstructive Sleep Apnea Risk in Adolescent Children.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniel Combs

Full Text Available Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA is prevalent in children and diagnostic polysomnography is costly and not readily available in all areas. We developed a pediatric modification of a commonly used adult clinical prediction tool for stratifying the risk of OSA and the need for polysomnography.A total of 312 children (age 9-17 years from phase 2 of the Tucson Children's Assessment of Sleep Apnea cohort study, with complete anthropomorphic data, parent questionnaires, and home polysomnograms were included. An adolescent modification of STOP-Bang (teen STOP-Bang was developed and included snoring, tired, observed apnea, blood pressure ≥ 95th percentile, BMI > 95th percentile, academic problems, neck circumference >95th percentile for age, and male gender. An apnea-hypopnea index ≥ 1.5 events/hour was considered diagnostic of OSA.Receiver Operator Characteristic (ROC curves for parent-reported STOP-Bang scores were generated for teenage and pre-teen children. A STOP-Bang score of < 3 in teenagers was associated with a negative predictive value of 0.96. ROC curves were also generated based upon child-reported sexual maturity rating (SMR; n = 291. The ability of teen STOP-Bang to discriminate the presence or absence of OSA as measured by the AUC for children with SMR ≥ 4 (0.83; 95%CI 0.71-0.95 was better than children with SMR < 4 (0.63; 95%CI 0.46-0.81; p = 0.048.In community dwelling adolescents, teen STOP-Bang may be useful in stratifying the risk of OSA.

Difference between T sub 1 and T sub 2 weighted MR images in avascular necrosis of the femoral head

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kokubo, Takashi; Yoshikawa, Koki; Itai, Yuzo; Iio, Masahiro; Takatori, Yoshio; Kamogawa, Morihide; Ninomiya, Setsuo [Tokyo Univ. (Japan). Faculty of Medicine

1990-01-01

T{sub 1} and T{sub 2} weighted MR images were compared in 32 hips with avascular necrosis, and the difference between them was discussed. In 27 of 32 hips, abnormal low intensity area in the affected femoral head is smaller in T{sub 2} weighted images than in T{sub 1} weighted images. The area of low intensity on T{sub 1} weighted image and high on T{sub 2} weighted image might be granuloma in reactive tissue and surrounding hyperemia. The difference between T{sub 1} and T{sub 2} weighted images must be taken into consideration especially in determination of the border of affected bone. (author).

Limits to the primordial helium abundance in the baryon-inhomogeneous big bang

Science.gov (United States)

Mathews, G. J.; Schramm, D. N.; Meyer, B. S.

1993-01-01

The parameter space for baryon inhomogeneous big bang models is explored with the goal of determining the minimum helium abundance obtainable in such models while still satisfying the other light-element constraints. We find that the constraint of (D + He-3)/H less than 10 exp -4 restricts the primordial helium mass fraction from baryon-inhomogeneous big bang models to be greater than 0.231 even for a scenario which optimizes the effects of the inhomogeneities and destroys the excess lithium production. Thus, this modification to the standard big bang as well as the standard homogeneous big bang model itself would be falsifiable by observation if the primordial He-4 abundance were observed to be less than 0.231. Furthermore, a present upper limit to the observed helium mass fraction of Y(obs)(p) less than 0.24 implies that the maximum baryon-to-photon ratio allowable in the inhomogeneous models corresponds to eta less than 2.3 x 10 exp -9 (omega(b) h-squared less than 0.088) even if all conditions are optimized.

Chaotic amplification of neutrino chemical potentials by neutrino oscillations in big bang nucleosynthesis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shi, X.

1996-01-01

We investigate in detail the parameter space of active-sterile neutrino oscillations that amplifies neutrino chemical potentials at the epoch of big bang nucleosynthesis. We calculate the magnitude of the amplification and show evidence of chaos in the amplification process. We also discuss the implications of the neutrino chemical potential amplification in big bang nucleosynthesis. It is shown that with a ∼1 eV ν e , the amplification of its chemical potential by active-sterile neutrino oscillations can lower the effective number of neutrino species at big bang nucleosynthesis to significantly below three. copyright 1996 The American Physical Society

Chaotic amplification of neutrino chemical potentials by neutrino oscillations in big bang nucleosynthesis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shi, X. [Department of Physics, Queen`s University, Kingston, Ontario, K7L 3N6 (CANADA)

1996-08-01

We investigate in detail the parameter space of active-sterile neutrino oscillations that amplifies neutrino chemical potentials at the epoch of big bang nucleosynthesis. We calculate the magnitude of the amplification and show evidence of chaos in the amplification process. We also discuss the implications of the neutrino chemical potential amplification in big bang nucleosynthesis. It is shown that with a {approximately}1 eV {nu}{sub {ital e}}, the amplification of its chemical potential by active-sterile neutrino oscillations can lower the effective number of neutrino species at big bang nucleosynthesis to significantly below three. {copyright} {ital 1996 The American Physical Society.}

THE 2H(alpha, gamma6LI REACTION AT LUNA AND BIG BANG NUCLEOSYNTHETIS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carlo Gustavino

2013-12-01

Full Text Available The 2H(α, γ6Li reaction is the leading process for the production of 6Li in standard Big Bang Nucleosynthesis. Recent observations of lithium abundance in metal-poor halo stars suggest that there might be a 6Li plateau, similar to the well-known Spite plateau of 7Li. This calls for a re-investigation of the standard production channel for 6Li. As the 2H(α, γ6Li cross section drops steeply at low energy, it has never before been studied directly at Big Bang energies. For the first time the reaction has been studied directly at Big Bang energies at the LUNA accelerator. The preliminary data and their implications for Big Bang nucleosynthesis and the purported 6Li problem will be shown.

A Novel Cluster Head Selection Algorithm Based on Fuzzy Clustering and Particle Swarm Optimization.

Science.gov (United States)

Ni, Qingjian; Pan, Qianqian; Du, Huimin; Cao, Cen; Zhai, Yuqing

2017-01-01

An important objective of wireless sensor network is to prolong the network life cycle, and topology control is of great significance for extending the network life cycle. Based on previous work, for cluster head selection in hierarchical topology control, we propose a solution based on fuzzy clustering preprocessing and particle swarm optimization. More specifically, first, fuzzy clustering algorithm is used to initial clustering for sensor nodes according to geographical locations, where a sensor node belongs to a cluster with a determined probability, and the number of initial clusters is analyzed and discussed. Furthermore, the fitness function is designed considering both the energy consumption and distance factors of wireless sensor network. Finally, the cluster head nodes in hierarchical topology are determined based on the improved particle swarm optimization. Experimental results show that, compared with traditional methods, the proposed method achieved the purpose of reducing the mortality rate of nodes and extending the network life cycle.

Selection and determination of beam weights based on genetic algorithms for conformal radiotherapy treatment planning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xingen Wu; Zunliang Wang

2000-01-01

A genetic algorithm has been used to optimize the selection of beam weights for external beam three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy treatment planning. A fitness function is defined, which includes a difference function to achieve a least-square fit to doses at preselected points in a planning target volume, and a penalty item to constrain the maximum allowable doses delivered to critical organs. Adjustment between the dose uniformity within the target volume and the dose constraint to the critical structures can be achieved by varying the beam weight variables in the fitness function. A floating-point encoding schema and several operators, like uniform crossover, arithmetical crossover, geometrical crossover, Gaussian mutation and uniform mutation, have been used to evolve the population. Three different cases were used to verify the correctness of the algorithm and quality assessment based on dose-volume histograms and three-dimensional dose distributions were given. The results indicate that the genetic algorithm presented here has considerable potential. (author)

Big bang is not needed

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Allen, A.D.

1976-02-01

Recent computer simulations indicate that a system of n gravitating masses breaks up, even when the total energy is negative. As a result, almost any initial phase-space distribution results in a universe that eventually expands under the Hubble law. Hence Hubble expansion implies little regarding an initial cosmic state. Especially it does not imply the singularly dense superpositioned state used in the big bang model.

Management of Excessive Weight Loss Following Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass: Clinical Algorithm and Surgical Techniques.

Science.gov (United States)

Akusoba, Ikemefuna; Birriel, T Javier; El Chaar, Maher

2016-01-01

There are no clinical guidelines or published studies addressing excessive weight loss and protein calorie malnutrition following a standard Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) to guide nutritional management and treatment strategies. This study demonstrates the presentation, clinical algorithm, surgical technique, and outcomes of patients afflicted and successfully treated with excessive weight loss following a standard RYGB. Three patients were successfully reversed to normal anatomy after evaluation, management, and treatment by multidisciplinary team. Lowest BMI (kg/m(2)) was 18.9, 17.9, and 14.2, respectively. Twelve-month post-operative BMI (kg/m(2)) was 28.9, 22.8, and 26.1, respectively. Lowest weight (lbs) was 117, 128, and 79, respectively. Twelve-month post-operative weight (lbs) was 179, 161, and 145, respectively. Pre-reversal gastrostomy tube was inserted into the remnant stomach to demonstrate weight gain and improve nutritional status prior to reversal to original anatomy. We propose a practical clinical algorithm for the work-up and management of patients with excessive weight loss and protein calorie malnutrition after standard RYGB including reversal to normal anatomy.

Prediction of critical weight loss during radiation treatment in head and neck cancer patients is dependent on BMI

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lønbro, Simon; Petersen, Gry Bjerg; Andersen, Jens Rikardt

2016-01-01

PURPOSE: The aims of the present study were to explore pre-treatment predictors of weight loss during radiation treatment only in head and neck cancer (HNSCC) patients and investigate the weight loss in patients with or without a feeding tube. METHODS: Retrospectively, weight change during curative...... patients without (73.8 vs 78.3 kg) and feeding tube reduced, but did not prevent, weight loss which averaged 6.7 ± 4.7 kg (7.4 ± 4.7 %) compared with 4.7 ± 5.9 kg (5.5 ± 6.0 %) in patients without a feeding tube (P 

From big bang to bing bang - from the origin of the universe to the origin of the solar system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, L.

1986-01-01

An outline is given of the evolution of the Galaxy between the Big Bang and the Bing Bang (explosions of supernovae billions of years ago, providing materials and possibly the impetus for the formation of the solar system). During the long interval prior to the birth of the sun, the Galaxy evolved by converting gas to stars and by enriching the gas with heavy elements created in the stars. Some radioactive nuclides suggest that the interval between their production in stellar sources and the accumulation of planets of at least a few kilometers in size was only a few million years. The formation of the sun may have taken place in a stellar association and may have been preceded immediately by SN-type explosions, which may even have been the triggering mechanism of the formation process. 7 references

Head Impact Exposure in Youth Football: Comparing Age- and Weight-Based Levels of Play.

Science.gov (United States)

Kelley, Mireille E; Urban, Jillian E; Miller, Logan E; Jones, Derek A; Espeland, Mark A; Davenport, Elizabeth M; Whitlow, Christopher T; Maldjian, Joseph A; Stitzel, Joel D

2017-06-01

Approximately 5,000,000 athletes play organized football in the United States, and youth athletes constitute the largest proportion with ∼3,500,000 participants. Investigations of head impact exposure (HIE) in youth football have been limited in size and duration. The objective of this study was to evaluate HIE of athletes participating in three age- and weight-based levels of play within a single youth football organization over four seasons. Head impact data were collected using the Head Impact Telemetry (HIT) System. Mixed effects linear models were fitted, and Wald tests were used to assess differences in head accelerations and number of impacts among levels and session type (competitions vs. practices). The three levels studied were levels A (n = 39, age = 10.8 ± 0.7 years, weight = 97.5 ± 11.8 lb), B (n = 48, age = 11.9 ± 0.5 years, weight = 106.1 ± 13.8 lb), and C (n = 32, age = 13.0 ± 0.5 years, weight = 126.5 ± 18.6 lb). A total of 40,538 head impacts were measured. The median/95th percentile linear head acceleration for levels A, B, and C was 19.8/49.4g, 20.6/51.0g, and 22.0/57.9g, respectively. Level C had significantly greater mean linear acceleration than both levels A (p = 0.005) and B (p = 0.02). There were a significantly greater number of impacts per player in a competition than in a practice session for all levels (A, p = 0.0005, B, p = 0.0019, and C, p football and are an important step in making evidence-based decisions to reduce HIE.

The Sounds of the Little and Big Bangs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Edward Shuryak

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Studies on heavy ion collisions have discovered that tiny fireballs of a new phase of matter—quark gluon plasma (QGP—undergo an explosion, called the Little Bang. In spite of its small size, not only is it well described by hydrodynamics, but even small perturbations on top of the explosion turned out to be well described by hydrodynamical sound modes. The cosmological Big Bang also went through phase transitions, related with Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD and electroweak/Higgs symmetry breaking, which are also expected to produce sounds. We discuss their subsequent evolution and hypothetical inverse acoustic cascade, amplifying the amplitude. Ultimately, the collision of two sound waves leads to the formation of one gravity waves. We briefly discuss how these gravity waves can be detected.

From big bang to big crunch and beyond

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Elitzur, Shmuel; Rabinovici, Eliezer; Giveon, Amit; Kutasov, David

2002-01-01

We study a quotient Conformal Field Theory, which describes a 3+1 dimensional cosmological spacetime. Part of this spacetime is the Nappi-Witten (NW) universe, which starts at a 'big bang' singularity, expands and then contracts to a 'big crunch' singularity at a finite time. The gauged WZW model contains a number of copies of the NW spacetime, with each copy connected to the preceding one and to the next one at the respective big bang/big crunch singularities. The sequence of NW spacetimes is further connected at the singularities to a series of non-compact static regions with closed timelike curves. These regions contain boundaries, on which the observables of the theory live. This suggests a holographic interpretation of the physics. (author)

Handling Dynamic Weights in Weighted Frequent Pattern Mining

Science.gov (United States)

Ahmed, Chowdhury Farhan; Tanbeer, Syed Khairuzzaman; Jeong, Byeong-Soo; Lee, Young-Koo

Even though weighted frequent pattern (WFP) mining is more effective than traditional frequent pattern mining because it can consider different semantic significances (weights) of items, existing WFP algorithms assume that each item has a fixed weight. But in real world scenarios, the weight (price or significance) of an item can vary with time. Reflecting these changes in item weight is necessary in several mining applications, such as retail market data analysis and web click stream analysis. In this paper, we introduce the concept of a dynamic weight for each item, and propose an algorithm, DWFPM (dynamic weighted frequent pattern mining), that makes use of this concept. Our algorithm can address situations where the weight (price or significance) of an item varies dynamically. It exploits a pattern growth mining technique to avoid the level-wise candidate set generation-and-test methodology. Furthermore, it requires only one database scan, so it is eligible for use in stream data mining. An extensive performance analysis shows that our algorithm is efficient and scalable for WFP mining using dynamic weights.

A Matrix Big Bang

OpenAIRE

Craps, Ben; Sethi, Savdeep; Verlinde, Erik

2005-01-01

The light-like linear dilaton background represents a particularly simple time-dependent 1/2 BPS solution of critical type IIA superstring theory in ten dimensions. Its lift to M-theory, as well as its Einstein frame metric, are singular in the sense that the geometry is geodesically incomplete and the Riemann tensor diverges along a light-like subspace of codimension one. We study this background as a model for a big bang type singularity in string theory/M-theory. We construct the dual Matr...

Electron screening and its effects on big-bang nucleosynthesis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Biao; Bertulani, C. A.; Balantekin, A. B.

2011-01-01

We study the effects of electron screening on nuclear reaction rates occurring during the big-bang nucleosynthesis epoch. The sensitivity of the predicted elemental abundances on electron screening is studied in detail. It is shown that electron screening does not produce noticeable results in the abundances unless the traditional Debye-Hueckel model for the treatment of electron screening in stellar environments is enhanced by several orders of magnitude. This work rules out electron screening as a relevant ingredient to big-bang nucleosynthesis, confirming a previous study [see Itoh et al., Astrophys. J. 488, 507 (1997)] and ruling out exotic possibilities for the treatment of screening beyond the mean-field theoretical approach.

Film Presentation: The Big Bang Machine by BBC (2008)

CERN Multimedia

CERN Bulletin

2010-01-01

Professor Brian Cox visits Geneva to take a look around CERN's Large Hadron Collider before the vast, 27km long machine is sealed off and a simulation experiment begins to try to create the conditions that existed a billionth of a second after the Big Bang. Cox is joined by fellow scientists, including CERN theorist John Ellis and Nobel Laureate Leon Lederman from Fermilab, who hope that the LHC will change our understanding of the early Universe and solve some of its mysteries. The Big Bang Machine will be presented on Friday, 15 October from 13:00 to 14:00 in the Council Chamber, Bldg.503 Language: English

A novel particle time of flight diagnostic for measurements of shock- and compression-bang times in D3He and DT implosions at the NIF.

Science.gov (United States)

Rinderknecht, H G; Johnson, M Gatu; Zylstra, A B; Sinenian, N; Rosenberg, M J; Frenje, J A; Waugh, C J; Li, C K; Sèguin, F H; Petrasso, R D; Rygg, J R; Kimbrough, J R; MacPhee, A; Collins, G W; Hicks, D; Mackinnon, A; Bell, P; Bionta, R; Clancy, T; Zacharias, R; Döppner, T; Park, H S; LePape, S; Landen, O; Meezan, N; Moses, E I; Glebov, V U; Stoeckl, C; Sangster, T C; Olson, R; Kline, J; Kilkenny, J

2012-10-01

The particle-time-of-flight (pTOF) diagnostic, fielded alongside a wedge range-filter (WRF) proton spectrometer, will provide an absolute timing for the shock-burn weighted ρR measurements that will validate the modeling of implosion dynamics at the National Ignition Facility (NIF). In the first phase of the project, pTOF has recorded accurate bang times in cryogenic DT, DT exploding pusher, and D(3)He implosions using DD or DT neutrons with an accuracy better than ±70 ps. In the second phase of the project, a deflecting magnet will be incorporated into the pTOF design for simultaneous measurements of shock- and compression-bang times in D(3)He-filled surrogate implosions using D(3)He protons and DD-neutrons, respectively.

Mean curvature and texture constrained composite weighted random walk algorithm for optic disc segmentation towards glaucoma screening.

Science.gov (United States)

Panda, Rashmi; Puhan, N B; Panda, Ganapati

2018-02-01

Accurate optic disc (OD) segmentation is an important step in obtaining cup-to-disc ratio-based glaucoma screening using fundus imaging. It is a challenging task because of the subtle OD boundary, blood vessel occlusion and intensity inhomogeneity. In this Letter, the authors propose an improved version of the random walk algorithm for OD segmentation to tackle such challenges. The algorithm incorporates the mean curvature and Gabor texture energy features to define the new composite weight function to compute the edge weights. Unlike the deformable model-based OD segmentation techniques, the proposed algorithm remains unaffected by curve initialisation and local energy minima problem. The effectiveness of the proposed method is verified with DRIVE, DIARETDB1, DRISHTI-GS and MESSIDOR database images using the performance measures such as mean absolute distance, overlapping ratio, dice coefficient, sensitivity, specificity and precision. The obtained OD segmentation results and quantitative performance measures show robustness and superiority of the proposed algorithm in handling the complex challenges in OD segmentation.

An improved version of Inverse Distance Weighting metamodel assisted Harmony Search algorithm for truss design optimization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Y. Gholipour

Full Text Available This paper focuses on a metamodel-based design optimization algorithm. The intention is to improve its computational cost and convergence rate. Metamodel-based optimization method introduced here, provides the necessary means to reduce the computational cost and convergence rate of the optimization through a surrogate. This algorithm is a combination of a high quality approximation technique called Inverse Distance Weighting and a meta-heuristic algorithm called Harmony Search. The outcome is then polished by a semi-tabu search algorithm. This algorithm adopts a filtering system and determines solution vectors where exact simulation should be applied. The performance of the algorithm is evaluated by standard truss design problems and there has been a significant decrease in the computational effort and improvement of convergence rate.

A Cross-Domain Collaborative Filtering Algorithm Based on Feature Construction and Locally Weighted Linear Regression.

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Xu; Lin, Jun-Yu; Jiang, Feng; Du, Jun-Wei; Han, Ji-Zhong

2018-01-01

Cross-domain collaborative filtering (CDCF) solves the sparsity problem by transferring rating knowledge from auxiliary domains. Obviously, different auxiliary domains have different importance to the target domain. However, previous works cannot evaluate effectively the significance of different auxiliary domains. To overcome this drawback, we propose a cross-domain collaborative filtering algorithm based on Feature Construction and Locally Weighted Linear Regression (FCLWLR). We first construct features in different domains and use these features to represent different auxiliary domains. Thus the weight computation across different domains can be converted as the weight computation across different features. Then we combine the features in the target domain and in the auxiliary domains together and convert the cross-domain recommendation problem into a regression problem. Finally, we employ a Locally Weighted Linear Regression (LWLR) model to solve the regression problem. As LWLR is a nonparametric regression method, it can effectively avoid underfitting or overfitting problem occurring in parametric regression methods. We conduct extensive experiments to show that the proposed FCLWLR algorithm is effective in addressing the data sparsity problem by transferring the useful knowledge from the auxiliary domains, as compared to many state-of-the-art single-domain or cross-domain CF methods.

Reactive Collision Avoidance Algorithm

Science.gov (United States)

Scharf, Daniel; Acikmese, Behcet; Ploen, Scott; Hadaegh, Fred

2010-01-01

The reactive collision avoidance (RCA) algorithm allows a spacecraft to find a fuel-optimal trajectory for avoiding an arbitrary number of colliding spacecraft in real time while accounting for acceleration limits. In addition to spacecraft, the technology can be used for vehicles that can accelerate in any direction, such as helicopters and submersibles. In contrast to existing, passive algorithms that simultaneously design trajectories for a cluster of vehicles working to achieve a common goal, RCA is implemented onboard spacecraft only when an imminent collision is detected, and then plans a collision avoidance maneuver for only that host vehicle, thus preventing a collision in an off-nominal situation for which passive algorithms cannot. An example scenario for such a situation might be when a spacecraft in the cluster is approaching another one, but enters safe mode and begins to drift. Functionally, the RCA detects colliding spacecraft, plans an evasion trajectory by solving the Evasion Trajectory Problem (ETP), and then recovers after the collision is avoided. A direct optimization approach was used to develop the algorithm so it can run in real time. In this innovation, a parameterized class of avoidance trajectories is specified, and then the optimal trajectory is found by searching over the parameters. The class of trajectories is selected as bang-off-bang as motivated by optimal control theory. That is, an avoiding spacecraft first applies full acceleration in a constant direction, then coasts, and finally applies full acceleration to stop. The parameter optimization problem can be solved offline and stored as a look-up table of values. Using a look-up table allows the algorithm to run in real time. Given a colliding spacecraft, the properties of the collision geometry serve as indices of the look-up table that gives the optimal trajectory. For multiple colliding spacecraft, the set of trajectories that avoid all spacecraft is rapidly searched on

Lifting gear crucial in Big Bang experiment

CERN Multimedia

2007-01-01

"On November 26 2007, the most complex scientific instrument ever built will be turned on in an attempt to rerun the Big Bang - but i would never have got off the ground - litteraly - without the hundreds of hoists and cranes on site." (1/2 page)

Analisis Rugi Daya Pada Penyulang Bangli Dengan Beroperasinya PLTS Kayubihi

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

I GN Dion Adiputra

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Analisis rugi daya pada Penyulang Bangli dilakukan untuk mengetahui perbanding an rugi daya pada jaringan distribusi setelah penempatan pembangkit tersebar jenis PLTS berkapasitas 1 MWp. Lokasi penempatan PLTS ditentukan berdasarkan analisis sensitivitas bus. Nilai sensitivitas bus(?didapat dengan cara membandingkan nilai rugi daya pada sistem dengan total beban yang terhubung pada bus. Penelitian ini menggunakan simulasi aliran daya dengan metode aliran daya Newton-Raphson. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bus TK 0041 memiliki sensitivitas terbesar dengan nilai ?= 0,178. Dari hasil simulasi aliran daya, penempatan PLTS 1MWp pada lokasi alternatif 1 menghasilkan rugi daya minimum pada Penyulang Bangli yaitu 103,1 kW atau 3,3% dari total suplai daya 3071 kW. Pemasangan PLTS dapat menurunkan rugi daya pada Penyulang Bangli sebesar 57 kW dari total rugi daya pada kondisi tanpa PLTS yaitu 160,1 kW. Bila dibandingkan dengan kondisi eksisting, penem patan PLTS pada lokasi alternatif 1 memiliki selisih rugi daya 7,3 kW lebih kecil dari total rugi daya yang dihasilkan kondisi eksisting sebesar 110,4kW.

Three-dimensional weight-accumulation algorithm for generating multiple excitation spots in fast optical stimulation

Science.gov (United States)

Takiguchi, Yu; Toyoda, Haruyoshi

2017-11-01

We report here an algorithm for calculating a hologram to be employed in a high-access speed microscope for observing sensory-driven synaptic activity across all inputs to single living neurons in an intact cerebral cortex. The system is based on holographic multi-beam generation using a two-dimensional phase-only spatial light modulator to excite multiple locations in three dimensions with a single hologram. The hologram was calculated with a three-dimensional weighted iterative Fourier transform method using the Ewald sphere restriction to increase the calculation speed. Our algorithm achieved good uniformity of three dimensionally generated excitation spots; the standard deviation of the spot intensities was reduced by a factor of two compared with a conventional algorithm.

Big Bang nucleosynthesis and abundances of light elements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pagel, B.E.J.

1991-01-01

Big Bang nucleosynthesis (BBNS) theory is sketched, indicating the dependence of primordial abundances of D, 3 He, 4 He and 7 Li on the mean baryonic density of the universe and the dependence of 4 He on the number of neutrino families and the neutron half-life. Observational data and inferred primordial abundances of these elements are reviewed and shown to be consistent (within errors) either with standard BBNS in a homogeneous universe about 100 seconds after the Big Bang or with moderately inhomogeneous BBNS models resulting from earlier phase transitions like the quark-hadron transition if this is first order. However, models with closure density supplied by baryons are apparently ruled out. Finally, implications for the existence of baryonic and non-baryonic dark matter are briefly discussed. (orig.)

Metabolic abnormalities associated with weight loss during chemoirradiation of head-and-neck cancer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lin, Alexander; Jabbari, Siavash; Worden, Francis P.; Bradford, Carol R.; Chepeha, Douglas B.; Teknos, Theodoros N.; Liao, Jay J.; Nyquist, Gurston G.; Tsien, Christina; Schipper, Matthew J.; Urba, Susan; Wolf, Gregory T.; Eisbruch, Avraham

2005-01-01

Purpose: Weight loss caused by acute mucositis and dysphagia is common during concurrent chemoirradiation (chemo-RT) of head-and-neck (HN) cancer. The metabolic consequences of weight loss during chemo-RT were investigated. Patients and Methods: Ninety-six patients with locally advanced HN cancer were treated from 1995 to 2001 on protocols that consisted of 1 to 2 cycles of induction cisplatin/5-fluorouracil followed by irradiation (70 Gy over 7 weeks) concurrent with cisplatin (100 mg/m 2 every 3 weeks). Body weights and metabolic evaluations were obtained before and during induction chemotherapy and chemo-RT. Greatest percent changes in weight and in the laboratory values were calculated for each phase of therapy. Results: During induction chemotherapy, significant changes were found in BUN, BUN:creatinine ratio, HCO 3 , Mg, and albumin, but not in creatinine, Na, K, or weight. During chemo-RT, significant additional changes were observed in all parameters measured, including increases in BUN, creatinine, BUN: creatinine ratio, and HCO 3 and decreases in Mg, albumin, Na, K, and weight. The magnitude of most of these changes was significantly greater during chemo-RT than during induction chemotherapy. During chemo-RT, 35% of the patients had more than 10% body weight loss and 6 patients had an increase in creatinine of more than 100%, including 5 patients with Grade 2 nephrotoxicity, all of whom had weight loss 10% or more. Significant correlations were found between weight loss and creatinine (p < 0.0001) or BUN (p = 0.0002) rises, but not with BUN:creatinine ratio or other metabolic changes. Age, gender, tobacco history, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus were not significant predictors of nephrotoxicity. Conclusions: Weight loss during cisplatin-containing chemo-RT was found to be associated with reduced kidney function. These findings do not establish cause-effect relationships; however, they highlight the importance of intensive supportive measures of

Access Selection Algorithm of Heterogeneous Wireless Networks for Smart Distribution Grid Based on Entropy-Weight and Rough Set

Science.gov (United States)

Xiang, Min; Qu, Qinqin; Chen, Cheng; Tian, Li; Zeng, Lingkang

2017-11-01

To improve the reliability of communication service in smart distribution grid (SDG), an access selection algorithm based on dynamic network status and different service types for heterogeneous wireless networks was proposed. The network performance index values were obtained in real time by multimode terminal and the variation trend of index values was analyzed by the growth matrix. The index weights were calculated by entropy-weight and then modified by rough set to get the final weights. Combining the grey relational analysis to sort the candidate networks, and the optimum communication network is selected. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithm can implement dynamically access selection in heterogeneous wireless networks of SDG effectively and reduce the network blocking probability.

Beyond the Friedmann—Lemaître—Robertson—Walker Big Bang Singularity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stoica, Cristi

2012-01-01

Einstein's equation, in its standard form, breaks down at the Big Bang singularity. A new version, equivalent to Einstein's whenever the latter is defined, but applicable in wider situations, is proposed. The new equation remains smooth at the Big Bang singularity of the Friedmann—Lemaître—Robertson—Walker model. It is a tensor equation defined in terms of the Ricci part of the Riemann curvature. It is obtained by taking the Kulkarni—Nomizu product between Einstein's equation and the metric tensor.

Indian microchip for Big Bang research in Geneva

CERN Multimedia

Bhabani, Soudhriti

2007-01-01

"A premier nuclear physics institute here has come up with India's first indigenously designed microchip that will facilitate research on the Big Bang theory in Geneva's CERN, the world's largest particle physics laboratory." (1 page)

Resolution of cosmological singularity and a plausible mechanism of the big bang

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choudhury, D.C.

2002-01-01

The initial cosmological singularity in the framework of the general theory of relativity is resolved by introducing the effect of the uncertainty principle of quantum theory without violating conventional laws of physics. A plausible account of the mechanism of the big bang, analogous to that of a nuclear explosion, is given and the currently accepted Planck temperature of ≅10 32 K at the beginning of the big bang is predicted

Bit Bang 4: Future of internet - Societal, business, governance and technological aspects

OpenAIRE

Neuvo, Yrjö (ed.); Karvonen, Elina (ed.)

2012-01-01

Bit Bang – Future of the Internet: Societal, business, governance and technological aspects was the fourth multidisciplinary post-graduate course for doctoral students at Aalto University. Altogether 24 students were selected from five Aalto University Schools: School of Arts, Design and Architecture; School of Economics; School of Electrical Engineering; School of Engineering; and School of Science. Bit Bang is part of the MIDE (Multidisciplinary Institute of Digitalisation and Energy) resea...

The Effect of Head Mounted Display Weight and Locomotion Method on the Perceived Naturalness of Virtual Walking Speeds

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nilsson, Niels Chr.; Serafin, Stefania; Nordahl, Rolf

This poster details a study investigating the effect of Head Mounted Display (HMD) weight and locomotion method (Walking-In-Place and treadmill walking) on the perceived naturalness of virtual walking speeds. The results revealed significant main effects of movement type, but no significant effec...

Weight loss in patients receiving radical radiation therapy for head and neck cancer: a prospective study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Johnston, C.A.; Keane, T.J.; Prudo, S.M.

1982-01-01

Thirty-one patients receiving radiation therapy for localized cancer of the head and neck areas were systematically assessed before, during, and after treatment. The pathogenesis of weight loss and its association with treatment morbidity and other determinants were sought. The serial data collected consisted of a food frequency questionnaire based on Canada's Food Guide, anthropometric measurements, 10 Linear Analogue Self Assessment questions on morbidity, and biochemical and hematological indices. Twenty of 31 patients (68%) lost over 5% of their presenting weight within one month after completing treatment. The mean weight loss was 10% and the range of weight loss in this group was 5.4 to 18.9%. Pretreatment dietary habits, serum albumin, absolute lymphocyte count, serum creatinine, creatinine height index, and anthropometric measurements did not predict for weight loss. However, weight loss can be predicted on the basis of field size and site irradiated. Treatment-related morbidity involving dysguesia, xerostomia, dysphagia of solids, and mouth pain was greater and of longer duration in patients with weight loss. The sequence of development of these symptoms during treatment and their duration provide a rational basis for the timing and methods of nutritional intervention in this patient population

Pre-big-bang cosmology and circles in the cosmic microwave background

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nelson, William; Wilson-Ewing, Edward

2011-01-01

We examine the possibility that circles in the cosmic microwave background could be formed by the interaction of a gravitational wave pulse emitted in some pre-big-bang phase of the universe with the last scattering surface. We derive the expected size distribution of such circles, as well as their typical ring width and (for concentric circles) angular separation. We apply these results, in particular, to conformal cyclic cosmology, ekpyrotic cosmology as well as loop quantum cosmology with and without inflation in order to determine how the predicted geometric properties of these circles would vary from one model to the other, and thus, if detected, could allow us to differentiate between various pre-big-bang cosmological models. We also obtain a relation between the angular ring width and the angular radius of such circles that can be used in order to determine whether or not circles observed in the cosmic microwave background are due to energetic pre-big-bang events.

Superhorizon curvaton amplitude in inflation and pre-big bang cosmology

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sloth, Martin Snoager

2002-01-01

We follow the evolution of the curvaton on superhorizon scales and check that the spectral tilt of the curvaton perturbations is unchanged as the curvaton becomes non-relativistic. Both inflation and pre-big bang cosmology can be treated since the curvaton mechanism within the two scenarios works...... the same way. We also discuss the amplitude of the density perturbations, which leads to some interesting constrains on the pre-big bang scenario. It is shown that within a SL(3,R) non-linear sigma model one of the three axions has the right coupling to the dilaton and moduli to yield a flat spectrum...

Capture reactions on C-14 in nonstandard big bang nucleosynthesis

Science.gov (United States)

Wiescher, Michael; Gorres, Joachim; Thielemann, Friedrich-Karl

1990-01-01

Nonstandard big bang nucleosynthesis leads to the production of C-14. The further reaction path depends on the depletion of C-14 by either photon, alpha, or neutron capture reactions. The nucleus C-14 is of particular importance in these scenarios because it forms a bottleneck for the production of heavier nuclei A greater than 14. The reaction rates of all three capture reactions at big bang conditions are discussed, and it is shown that the resulting reaction path, leading to the production of heavier elements, is dominated by the (p, gamma) and (n, gamma) rates, contrary to earlier suggestions.

Pre-Big-Bang bubbles from the gravitational instability of generic string vacua

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Buonanno, A.; Damour, T.; Veneziano, G.

1999-01-01

We formulate the basic postulate of pre-Big-Bang cosmology as one of 'asymptotic past triviality', by which we mean that the initial state is a generic perturbative solution of the tree-level low-energy effective action. Such a past-trivial 'string vacuum' is made of an arbitrary ensemble of incoming gravitational and dilatonic waves, and is generically prone to gravitational instability, leading to the possible formation of many black holes hiding singular space-like hypersurfaces. Each such singular space-like hypersurface of gravitational collapse becomes, in the string-frame metric, the usual Big-Bang t = 0 hypersurface, i.e. the place of birth of a baby Friedmann universe after a period of dilaton-driven inflation. Specializing to the spherically symmetric case, we review and reinterpret previous work on the subject, and propose a simple, scale-invariant criterion for collapse/inflation in terms of asymptotic data at past null infinity. Those data should determine whether, when, and where collapse/inflation occurs, and, when it does, fix its characteristics, including anisotropies on the Big-Bang hypersurface whose imprint could have survived till now. Using Bayesian probability concepts, we finally attempt to answer some fine-tuning objections recently moved to the pre-Big-Bang scenario

Pre-Big-Bang bubbles from the gravitational instability of generic string vacua

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Buonanno, A.; Damour, T.; Veneziano, G

1999-03-22

We formulate the basic postulate of pre-Big-Bang cosmology as one of 'asymptotic past triviality', by which we mean that the initial state is a generic perturbative solution of the tree-level low-energy effective action. Such a past-trivial 'string vacuum' is made of an arbitrary ensemble of incoming gravitational and dilatonic waves, and is generically prone to gravitational instability, leading to the possible formation of many black holes hiding singular space-like hypersurfaces. Each such singular space-like hypersurface of gravitational collapse becomes, in the string-frame metric, the usual Big-Bang t = 0 hypersurface, i.e. the place of birth of a baby Friedmann universe after a period of dilaton-driven inflation. Specializing to the spherically symmetric case, we review and reinterpret previous work on the subject, and propose a simple, scale-invariant criterion for collapse/inflation in terms of asymptotic data at past null infinity. Those data should determine whether, when, and where collapse/inflation occurs, and, when it does, fix its characteristics, including anisotropies on the Big-Bang hypersurface whose imprint could have survived till now. Using Bayesian probability concepts, we finally attempt to answer some fine-tuning objections recently moved to the pre-Big-Bang scenario.

Big bang nucleosynthesis: The strong nuclear force meets the weak anthropic principle

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

MacDonald, J.; Mullan, D. J.

2009-01-01

Contrary to a common argument that a small increase in the strength of the strong force would lead to destruction of all hydrogen in the big bang due to binding of the diproton and the dineutron with a catastrophic impact on life as we know it, we show that provided the increase in strong force coupling constant is less than about 50% substantial amounts of hydrogen remain. The reason is that an increase in strong force strength leads to tighter binding of the deuteron, permitting nucleosynthesis to occur earlier in the big bang at higher temperature than in the standard big bang. Photodestruction of the less tightly bound diproton and dineutron delays their production to after the bulk of nucleosynthesis is complete. The decay of the diproton can, however, lead to relatively large abundances of deuterium.

Kasner asymptotics of mixmaster Horava-Witten and pre-big-bang cosmologies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dabrowski, Mariusz P.

2001-01-01

We discuss various superstring effective actions and, in particular, their common sector which leads to the so-called pre-big-bang cosmology (cosmology in a weak coupling limit of heterotic superstring theory. Using the conformal relationship between these two theories we present Kasner asymptotic solutions of Bianchi type IX geometries within these theories and make predictions about possible emergence of chaos. Finally, we present a possible method of generating Horava-Witten cosmological solutions out of the well-known general relativistic or pre-big-bang solutions

A Cross-Domain Collaborative Filtering Algorithm Based on Feature Construction and Locally Weighted Linear Regression

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xu Yu

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Cross-domain collaborative filtering (CDCF solves the sparsity problem by transferring rating knowledge from auxiliary domains. Obviously, different auxiliary domains have different importance to the target domain. However, previous works cannot evaluate effectively the significance of different auxiliary domains. To overcome this drawback, we propose a cross-domain collaborative filtering algorithm based on Feature Construction and Locally Weighted Linear Regression (FCLWLR. We first construct features in different domains and use these features to represent different auxiliary domains. Thus the weight computation across different domains can be converted as the weight computation across different features. Then we combine the features in the target domain and in the auxiliary domains together and convert the cross-domain recommendation problem into a regression problem. Finally, we employ a Locally Weighted Linear Regression (LWLR model to solve the regression problem. As LWLR is a nonparametric regression method, it can effectively avoid underfitting or overfitting problem occurring in parametric regression methods. We conduct extensive experiments to show that the proposed FCLWLR algorithm is effective in addressing the data sparsity problem by transferring the useful knowledge from the auxiliary domains, as compared to many state-of-the-art single-domain or cross-domain CF methods.

Estudiarán el Big Bang por Internet

CERN Multimedia

2007-01-01

The most powerful Internet, star of the present, goes for another challenge that mixes past and future: to join the scientific world community to clarify the orígines of the universe, the Big Bang. (1/2 page)

Big Bang or vacuum fluctuation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zel'dovich, Ya.B.

1980-01-01

Some general properties of vacuum fluctuations in quantum field theory are described. The connection between the ''energy dominance'' of the energy density of vacuum fluctuations in curved space-time and the presence of singularity is discussed. It is pointed out that a de-Sitter space-time (with the energy density of the vacuum fluctuations in the Einstein equations) that matches the expanding Friedman solution may describe the history of the Universe before the Big Bang. (P.L.)

Weight, length and head circumference standards based on a population of Danish newborn boys and girls in gestational weeks 25 to 43

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ulrich, M; Høst, A; Kamper, J

1997-01-01

Growth standards of birth weight, birth length and birth head circumference were constructed based on a population of Danish newborn boys and girls in gestational weeks twenty-five to forty-three. Study populations were residents of the municipality of Odense for later gestational ages and reside......Growth standards of birth weight, birth length and birth head circumference were constructed based on a population of Danish newborn boys and girls in gestational weeks twenty-five to forty-three. Study populations were residents of the municipality of Odense for later gestational ages...... and residents of the county of Funen for early gestational ages. Strict selection criteria were employed....

Novel big-bang element synthesis catalyzed by supersymmetric particle stau

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kamimura, Masayasu; Kino, Yasushi; Hiyama, Emiko

2010-01-01

The extremely low isotope ratio of 6 Li had remained as a drawback of the Big-Bang Nucleosynthesis (BBN) until Pospelov proposed the 6 Li synthesis reaction catalyzed by negatively charged electroweak-scale particle X - in 2006. He remarked the catalytic enhancement of 6 Li production by about 10 8 times, as well as the life and initial abundance of X - . The present authors classified BBN catalyzed reaction into six types, i.e. (1) non-resonant transfer, (2) resonant transfer, (3) non-resonant radiative capture, (4) resonant radiative capture, (5) three-body breakup and (6) charge transfer reactions to predict absolute values of cross sections which cannot be observed experimentally. Starting from the three-body treatment for those reactions, 6 Li problems, the life-time and abundance of stau are discussed. Large change of element composition at 'late-time' big bang, generation of 9 Be by stau catalyzed reaction, 7 Li problem and stau catalyzed reactions are also discussed. Finally their relations with the supersymmetry theory and dark matter are mentioned. The basic nuclear calculations are providing quantitative base for the 'effect of nuclear reactions catalyzed by the supersymmetric particle stau on big bang nucleosynthesis'. (S. Funahashi)

"Big Bang"test put off until May 2008

CERN Multimedia

2007-01-01

"First tests in a scientific project aimed at solving mysteries of the universe and the "Big Bang" which created it have been put off from November to late april or early May next year, an official said yesterday." (2/3 page)

A cosmogonical analogy between the Big Bang and a supernova

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brown, W.K.

1981-01-01

The Big Bang may be discussed most easily in analogy with an expanding spherical shell. An expanding spherical shell, in turn, is quite similar to an ejected supernova shell. In both the Big Bang and the supernova, fragmentation is postulated to occur, where each fragment of the universe becomes a galaxy, and each fragment of supernova shell becomes a solar system. By supporting the presence of shearing flow at the time of fragmentation, a model has been constructed to examine the results in both cases. It has been shown that the model produces a good description of reality on both the galactic and solar system scales. (Auth.)

Quantum Big Bang without fine-tuning in a toy-model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Znojil, Miloslav

2012-01-01

The question of possible physics before Big Bang (or after Big Crunch) is addressed via a schematic non-covariant simulation of the loss of observability of the Universe. Our model is drastically simplified by the reduction of its degrees of freedom to the mere finite number. The Hilbert space of states is then allowed time-dependent and singular at the critical time t = t c . This option circumvents several traditional theoretical difficulties in a way illustrated via solvable examples. In particular, the unitary evolution of our toy-model quantum Universe is shown interruptible, without any fine-tuning, at the instant of its bang or collapse t = t c .

pp wave big bangs: Matrix strings and shrinking fuzzy spheres

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Das, Sumit R.; Michelson, Jeremy

2005-01-01

We find pp wave solutions in string theory with null-like linear dilatons. These provide toy models of big bang cosmologies. We formulate matrix string theory in these backgrounds. Near the big bang 'singularity', the string theory becomes strongly coupled but the Yang-Mills description of the matrix string is weakly coupled. The presence of a second length scale allows us to focus on a specific class of non-Abelian configurations, viz. fuzzy cylinders, for a suitable regime of parameters. We show that, for a class of pp waves, fuzzy cylinders which start out big at early times dynamically shrink into usual strings at sufficiently late times

Low-energy photodisintegration of the deuteron and Big-Bang nucleosynthesis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tornow, W.; Czakon, N.G.; Howell, C.R.; Hutcheson, A.; Kelley, J.H.; Litvinenko, V.N.; Mikhailov, S.F.; Pinayev, I.V.; Weisel, G.J.; Witala, H

2003-11-06

The photon analyzing power for the photodisintegration of the deuteron was measured for seven gamma-ray energies between 2.39 and 4.05 MeV using the linearly polarized gamma-ray beam of the high-intensity gamma-ray source at the Duke Free-Electron Laser Laboratory. The data provide a stringent test of theoretical calculations for the inverse reaction, the neutron-proton radiative capture reaction at energies important for Big-Bang nucleosynthesis. Our data are in excellent agreement with potential model and effective field theory calculations. Therefore, the uncertainty in the baryon density {omega}{sub B}h{sup 2} obtained from Big-Bang Nucleosynthesis can be reduced at least by 20%.

Quantum Big Bang without fine-tuning in a toy-model

Science.gov (United States)

Znojil, Miloslav

2012-02-01

The question of possible physics before Big Bang (or after Big Crunch) is addressed via a schematic non-covariant simulation of the loss of observability of the Universe. Our model is drastically simplified by the reduction of its degrees of freedom to the mere finite number. The Hilbert space of states is then allowed time-dependent and singular at the critical time t = tc. This option circumvents several traditional theoretical difficulties in a way illustrated via solvable examples. In particular, the unitary evolution of our toy-model quantum Universe is shown interruptible, without any fine-tuning, at the instant of its bang or collapse t = tc.

Low-energy photodisintegration of the deuteron and Big-Bang nucleosynthesis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tornow, W.; Czakon, N.G.; Howell, C.R.; Hutcheson, A.; Kelley, J.H.; Litvinenko, V.N.; Mikhailov, S.F.; Pinayev, I.V.; Weisel, G.J.; Witala, H.

2003-01-01

The photon analyzing power for the photodisintegration of the deuteron was measured for seven gamma-ray energies between 2.39 and 4.05 MeV using the linearly polarized gamma-ray beam of the high-intensity gamma-ray source at the Duke Free-Electron Laser Laboratory. The data provide a stringent test of theoretical calculations for the inverse reaction, the neutron-proton radiative capture reaction at energies important for Big-Bang nucleosynthesis. Our data are in excellent agreement with potential model and effective field theory calculations. Therefore, the uncertainty in the baryon density Ω B h 2 obtained from Big-Bang Nucleosynthesis can be reduced at least by 20%

Distortions in the cosmic background radiation and big-bang 4He nucleosynthesis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mathews, G.J.; Alhassid, Y.; Fuller, G.M.

1981-01-01

The observed distortion of the cosmic background radiation is analyzed in the framework of information theory to derive a simple form of the photon occupation probability. Taking this distribution function as indicative of the Lagrange parameters which might characterize the era of nucleosynthesis during the big bang, and assuming equilibrium among the constituents present, we find that the primordial 4 He abundance may be reduced by as much as 15% from the standard big-bang prediction

Multiobjective evolutionary optimization of the number of beams, their orientations and weights for intensity-modulated radiation therapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schreibmann, Eduard; Lahanas, Michael; Xing, Lei; Baltas, Dimos

2004-01-01

We propose a hybrid multiobjective (MO) evolutionary optimization algorithm (MOEA) for intensity-modulated radiotherapy inverse planning and apply it to optimize the number of incident beams, their orientations and intensity profiles. The algorithm produces a set of efficient solutions, which represent different clinical trade-offs and contains information such as variety of dose distributions and dose-volume histograms. No importance factors are required and solutions can be obtained in regions not accessible by conventional weighted sum approaches. The application of the algorithm using a test case, a prostate and a head and neck tumour case is shown. The results are compared with MO inverse planning using a gradient-based optimization algorithm

Adiabatic perturbations in pre-big bang models: Matching conditions and scale invariance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Durrer, Ruth; Vernizzi, Filippo

2002-01-01

At low energy, the four-dimensional effective action of the ekpyrotic model of the universe is equivalent to a slightly modified version of the pre-big bang model. We discuss cosmological perturbations in these models. In particular we address the issue of matching the perturbations from a collapsing to an expanding phase. We show that, under certain physically motivated and quite generic assumptions on the high energy corrections, one obtains n=0 for the spectrum of scalar perturbations in the original pre-big bang model (with a vanishing potential). With the same assumptions, when an exponential potential for the dilaton is included, a scale invariant spectrum (n=1) of adiabatic scalar perturbations is produced under very generic matching conditions, both in a modified pre-big bang and ekpyrotic scenario. We also derive the resulting spectrum for arbitrary power law scale factors matched to a radiation-dominated era

Dual decomposition for parsing with non-projective head automata

OpenAIRE

Koo, Terry; Rush, Alexander Matthew; Collins, Michael; Jaakkola, Tommi S.; Sontag, David Alexander

2010-01-01

This paper introduces algorithms for non-projective parsing based on dual decomposition. We focus on parsing algorithms for non-projective head automata, a generalization of head-automata models to non-projective structures. The dual decomposition algorithms are simple and efficient, relying on standard dynamic programming and minimum spanning tree algorithms. They provably solve an LP relaxation of the non-projective parsing problem. Empirically the LP relaxation is very often tight: for man...

A novel grooming algorithm with the adaptive weight and load balancing for dynamic holding-time-aware traffic in optical networks

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Zhanqi; Huang, Jiangjiang; Zhou, Zhiqiang; Ding, Zhe; Ma, Tao; Wang, Junping

2013-10-01

To maximize the resource utilization of optical networks, the dynamic traffic grooming, which could efficiently multiplex many low-speed services arriving dynamically onto high-capacity optical channels, has been studied extensively and used widely. However, the link weights in the existing research works can be improved since they do not adapt to the network status and load well. By exploiting the information on the holding times of the preexisting and new lightpaths, and the requested bandwidth of a user service, this paper proposes a grooming algorithm using Adaptively Weighted Links for Holding-Time-Aware (HTA) (abbreviated as AWL-HTA) traffic, especially in the setup process of new lightpath(s). Therefore, the proposed algorithm can not only establish a lightpath that uses network resource efficiently, but also achieve load balancing. In this paper, the key issues on the link weight assignment and procedure within the AWL-HTA are addressed in detail. Comprehensive simulation and experimental results show that the proposed algorithm has a much lower blocking ratio and latency than other existing algorithms.

Cosmologie L'Univers avant le Big Bang

CERN Multimedia

Rouat, Sylvie

2003-01-01

Tout n'a pas commencé par une explosion. L'histoire du cosmos avait débuté bien avant le Big Bang, si l'on suit la théorie défendue par les partisans d'une nouvelle cosmologie issue de la mystérieuse théorie des cordes

Big Bang à Genève - French version only

CERN Multimedia

2005-01-01

C'est la dernière conférence du cycle organisé par la section de physique de l'Université de Genève à l'occasion de l'Année internationale de la physique. Pour le bouquet final, la section de physique a choisi le grand boum du Big Bang. Intitulée « Big Bang à Genève », la conférence donnée par Laurent Chevalier de l'institut français CEA Saclay évoquera les expériences qui se préparent au CERN avec le LHC. Leur but est de reproduire et d'analyser les conditions qui prévalaient à l'origine de l'Univers, juste après le Big Bang. L'exposé décrira de façon simple les techniques utilisées pour cette exploration, qui démarrera en 2007. Laurent Chevalier se demandera avec le public quels phénomènes nouveaux les physiciens espèrent découvrir dans ce monde inexploré. Comme les précédentes, la conférence débutera par une démonstration de détection de rayons cosmiques dans l'auditoire et l'utilisation de ces signaux pour créer une « musique cosmique », en collaboration avec le Pr...

Particle Physics Catalysis of Thermal Big Bang Nucleosynthesis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pospelov, Maxim

2007-01-01

We point out that the existence of metastable, τ>10 3 s, negatively charged electroweak-scale particles (X - ) alters the predictions for lithium and other primordial elemental abundances for A>4 via the formation of bound states with nuclei during big bang nucleosynthesis. In particular, we show that the bound states of X - with helium, formed at temperatures of about T=10 8 K, lead to the catalytic enhancement of 6 Li production, which is 8 orders of magnitude more efficient than the standard channel. In particle physics models where subsequent decay of X - does not lead to large nonthermal big bang nucleosynthesis effects, this directly translates to the level of sensitivity to the number density of long-lived X - particles (τ>10 5 s) relative to entropy of n X - /s -17 , which is one of the most stringent probes of electroweak scale remnants known to date

Improved hybridization of Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP) algorithm with Fuzzy Multiple Attribute Decision Making - Simple Additive Weighting (FMADM-SAW)

Science.gov (United States)

Zaiwani, B. E.; Zarlis, M.; Efendi, S.

2018-03-01

In this research, the improvement of hybridization algorithm of Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP) with Fuzzy Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (FTOPSIS) in selecting the best bank chief inspector based on several qualitative and quantitative criteria with various priorities. To improve the performance of the above research, FAHP algorithm hybridization with Fuzzy Multiple Attribute Decision Making - Simple Additive Weighting (FMADM-SAW) algorithm was adopted, which applied FAHP algorithm to the weighting process and SAW for the ranking process to determine the promotion of employee at a government institution. The result of improvement of the average value of Efficiency Rate (ER) is 85.24%, which means that this research has succeeded in improving the previous research that is equal to 77.82%. Keywords: Ranking and Selection, Fuzzy AHP, Fuzzy TOPSIS, FMADM-SAW.

a New Look at the Big Bang

Science.gov (United States)

Wesson, Paul S.

We give a mathematically exact and physically faithful embedding of curved 4D cosmology in a flat 5D space, thereby enabling visualization of the big bang in a new and informative way. In fact, in unified theories of fields and particles with real extra dimensions, it is possible to dispense with the initial singularity.

Role of T2 weighted magnetic resonance image in chronic phase of head injured patients

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Uzura, Masahiko; Taguchi, Yoshio; Watanabe, Hiroyuki; Chiba, Syunmei; Matsuzawa, Motoshi

2002-01-01

In neuroimaging studies of head injury, addition of echo planar imaging (EPI) T2-weighted images (WI) to routine MR images has been useful in demonstrating small hemorrhagic lesions as magnetic susceptibility artifacts (MSAs). MSAs are often found in the acute or subacute phases of head injured patients with diffuse axonal injury. We studied MSAs in follow-up MR images of patients with diffuse brain injury and discuss the role of EPI T2-WI in patients with chronic phase of head injured patients. This series consisted of 20 patients with diffuse brain injury diagnosed clinically. Their head CT findings were classified into Diffuse Injury I or II according to the CT classification of Marshall et al. All patients underwent long-term follow-up MR examinations. MR findings in chronic phase were divided into three categories in terms of MSAs: group A, MSAs remaining even after disappearance of small traumatic lesions in both T2-WI and fluid attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) images (11 cases); group B, MSA (s) that disappeared in association with disappearance of small traumatic lesions (4 cases); and group C, MSAs that remained but could not be differentiated from non-traumatic lesions such as hemorrhagic lacunae or cavernoma (5 cases). Adding EPI T2-WI to routine MR images can provide useful information in visualizing old traumatic lesions of the brain in patients with diffuse brain injury even if no neuroimaging studies in acute or subacute phase. (author)

Sparse Adaptive Iteratively-Weighted Thresholding Algorithm (SAITA for L p -Regularization Using the Multiple Sub-Dictionary Representation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yunyi Li

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Both L 1 / 2 and L 2 / 3 are two typical non-convex regularizations of L p ( 0 < p < 1 , which can be employed to obtain a sparser solution than the L 1 regularization. Recently, the multiple-state sparse transformation strategy has been developed to exploit the sparsity in L 1 regularization for sparse signal recovery, which combines the iterative reweighted algorithms. To further exploit the sparse structure of signal and image, this paper adopts multiple dictionary sparse transform strategies for the two typical cases p ∈ { 1 / 2 ,   2 / 3 } based on an iterative L p thresholding algorithm and then proposes a sparse adaptive iterative-weighted L p thresholding algorithm (SAITA. Moreover, a simple yet effective regularization parameter is proposed to weight each sub-dictionary-based L p regularizer. Simulation results have shown that the proposed SAITA not only performs better than the corresponding L 1 algorithms but can also obtain a better recovery performance and achieve faster convergence than the conventional single-dictionary sparse transform-based L p case. Moreover, we conduct some applications about sparse image recovery and obtain good results by comparison with relative work.

A Generalized Dynamic Composition Algorithm of Weighted Finite State Transducers for Large Vocabulary Speech Recognition

OpenAIRE

Cheng, Octavian; Dines, John; Magimai.-Doss, Mathew

2006-01-01

We propose a generalized dynamic composition algorithm of weighted finite state transducers (WFST), which avoids the creation of non-coaccessible paths, performs weight look-ahead and does not impose any constraints to the topology of the WFSTs. Experimental results on Wall Street Journal (WSJ1) 20k-word trigram task show that at 17\\% WER (moderately-wide beam width), the decoding time of the proposed approach is about 48\\% and 65\\% of the other two dynamic composition approaches. In comparis...

Time, space, stars and man the story of the Big Bang

CERN Document Server

Woolfson, Michael M

2009-01-01

Most well-read, but non-scientific, people will have heard of the term "Big Bang" as a description of the origin of the Universe. They will recognize that DNA identifies individuals and will know that the origin of life is one of the great unsolved scientific mysteries. This book brings together all of that material. Starting with the creation of space and time - known as the Big Bang - the book traces causally related steps through the formation of matter, of stars and planets, the Earth itself, the evolution of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, and then through to the beginnings of life an

The Big Bang and the Search for a Theory of Everything

Science.gov (United States)

Kogut, Alan

2010-01-01

How did the universe begin? Is the gravitational physics that governs the shape and evolution of the cosmos connected in a fundamental way to the sub-atomic physics of particle colliders? Light from the Big Bang still permeates the universe and carries within it faint clues to the physics at the start of space and time. I will describe how current and planned measurements of the cosmic microwave background will observe the Big Bang to provide new insight into a "Theory of Everything" uniting the physics of the very large with the physics of the very small.

Strange matter and Big Bang helium synthesis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Madsen, J.; Riisager, K.

1985-01-01

Stable strange quark matter produced in the QCD phase transition in the early universe will trap neutrons and repel protons, thus reducing primordial helium production, Ysub(p). For reasonable values of Ysub(p), the radius of strange droplets must exceed 10 -6 cm if strange matter shall solve the dark-matter problem without spoiling Big Bang helium synthesis. (orig.)

Teoria del Big Bang e buchi neri

CERN Document Server

Wald, Robert M

1980-01-01

Un giovane fisico americano delinea con chiarezza in questo volume le attuali concezioni dello spazio, del tempo e della gravitazione, cosi come si sono andate delineando dopo e innovazioni teoriche aperte da Einstein. Esse investono problemi affascinanti, come la teoria del big bang, da cui avrebbe avuto origine l'universo, e l'enigma dei buchi neri.

Space Time Quantization and the Big Bang

OpenAIRE

Sidharth, B. G.

1998-01-01

A recent cosmological model is recapitulated which deduces the correct mass, radius and age of the universe as also the Hubble constant and other well known apparently coincidental relations. It also predicts an ever expanding accelerating universe as is confirmed by latest supernovae observations. Finally the Big Bang model is recovered as a suitable limiting case.

Big Bang test delayed at CERN's LHC until 2008

CERN Multimedia

Atkins, William

2007-01-01

"Scientists at the proton-proton Large Hadron Collider (LHC) particle accelerator and collider will postpone a test that could help solve the mystery of what happened a few nanoseconds after the Big Bang." (1 page)

Prospects for NATO Enlargement: Examining the "Big Bang" Approach

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Moyer, Andrew

2000-01-01

...) aspire to membership. Led by the Baltic states, these nine countries have signed the May 2000 Vilnius Declaration, advocating the admission of all nine aspirants simultaneously, a so called "big bang" approach to the next...

Dirac fields in loop quantum gravity and big bang nucleosynthesis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bojowald, Martin; Das, Rupam; Scherrer, Robert J.

2008-01-01

Big bang nucleosynthesis requires a fine balance between equations of state for photons and relativistic fermions. Several corrections to equation of state parameters arise from classical and quantum physics, which are derived here from a canonical perspective. In particular, loop quantum gravity allows one to compute quantum gravity corrections for Maxwell and Dirac fields. Although the classical actions are very different, quantum corrections to the equation of state are remarkably similar. To lowest order, these corrections take the form of an overall expansion-dependent multiplicative factor in the total density. We use these results, along with the predictions of big bang nucleosynthesis, to place bounds on these corrections and especially the patch size of discrete quantum gravity states.

Modified Clipped LMS Algorithm

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lotfizad Mojtaba

2005-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract A new algorithm is proposed for updating the weights of an adaptive filter. The proposed algorithm is a modification of an existing method, namely, the clipped LMS, and uses a three-level quantization ( scheme that involves the threshold clipping of the input signals in the filter weight update formula. Mathematical analysis shows the convergence of the filter weights to the optimum Wiener filter weights. Also, it can be proved that the proposed modified clipped LMS (MCLMS algorithm has better tracking than the LMS algorithm. In addition, this algorithm has reduced computational complexity relative to the unmodified one. By using a suitable threshold, it is possible to increase the tracking capability of the MCLMS algorithm compared to the LMS algorithm, but this causes slower convergence. Computer simulations confirm the mathematical analysis presented.

Sistem Pemeliharaan Anjing dan Tingkat Pemahaman Masyarakat terhadap Penyakit Rabies di Kabupaten Bangli, Bali (DOG REARING SYSTEM AND UNDERSTANDING LEVEL OF PEOPLE IN BANGLI, BALI TOWARD RABIES DISEASE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elisabeth Yulia Nugraha

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Rabies is a zoonotic fatal disease. The disease infects the central nervous system, known as encephalitis. This study aims were to determine the relationship between the percentage and the factors that influence the maintenance system and the level of public awareness toward rabies in Bangli Regency, Bali. A total of 140 questionnaires were distributed in 14 villages that have never been reported having cases of rabies. Interview data were analyzed using quantitative descriptive analysis and dendrogram. The results showed that a proper dog care system in Bangli associated with dog rearing conditions (100%; provided awareness of the feed (100%; the number of feeding more than one each day (91.4%; rabies vaccination status (83.6%; not keeping other rabies transmitted animals (cat (75.7%; health inspection status (67.1%; and the number of dogs that were kept not more than one tail (55.7%. Bad dog maintenance systems associated with the type of feed given (100%; contact with other dogs (80%; and system maintenance by way of detachable dogs (73.6%. The level of public understanding in Bangli district was well connected with the mobility of dogs (88.6%; understanding of the dangers of rabies (79.3%; dog origin (79.3%; knowledge of the characteristics of rabies (74.3%; and the village of rabies free status was retained (78.6%. Poor level of public understanding related to the lack of village rules and custom rules relating to rabies (100%; lack of community participation in education programs (62.1%; and how to have dogs (52.1%. Based on the results of this study, its concluded that the maintenance system of dogs and the level of public understanding regarding rabies in Bangli are relatively good. ABSTRAK Rabies adalah penyakit zoonosis yang bersifat mematikan. Penyakit ini menyerang sistem saraf pusat atau encephalitis. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui persentase dan hubungan antara faktor-faktor yang memengaruhi sistem pemeliharaan dan

Structure and weights optimisation of a modified Elman network emotion classifier using hybrid computational intelligence algorithms: a comparative study

Science.gov (United States)

Sheikhan, Mansour; Abbasnezhad Arabi, Mahdi; Gharavian, Davood

2015-10-01

Artificial neural networks are efficient models in pattern recognition applications, but their performance is dependent on employing suitable structure and connection weights. This study used a hybrid method for obtaining the optimal weight set and architecture of a recurrent neural emotion classifier based on gravitational search algorithm (GSA) and its binary version (BGSA), respectively. By considering the features of speech signal that were related to prosody, voice quality, and spectrum, a rich feature set was constructed. To select more efficient features, a fast feature selection method was employed. The performance of the proposed hybrid GSA-BGSA method was compared with similar hybrid methods based on particle swarm optimisation (PSO) algorithm and its binary version, PSO and discrete firefly algorithm, and hybrid of error back-propagation and genetic algorithm that were used for optimisation. Experimental tests on Berlin emotional database demonstrated the superior performance of the proposed method using a lighter network structure.

Particle physics catalysis of thermal big bang nucleosynthesis.

Science.gov (United States)

Pospelov, Maxim

2007-06-08

We point out that the existence of metastable, tau>10(3) s, negatively charged electroweak-scale particles (X-) alters the predictions for lithium and other primordial elemental abundances for A>4 via the formation of bound states with nuclei during big bang nucleosynthesis. In particular, we show that the bound states of X- with helium, formed at temperatures of about T=10(8) K, lead to the catalytic enhancement of 6Li production, which is 8 orders of magnitude more efficient than the standard channel. In particle physics models where subsequent decay of X- does not lead to large nonthermal big bang nucleosynthesis effects, this directly translates to the level of sensitivity to the number density of long-lived X- particles (tau>10(5) s) relative to entropy of nX-/s less, approximately <3x10(-17), which is one of the most stringent probes of electroweak scale remnants known to date.

Reviews Book: Nucleus Book: The Wonderful World of Relativity Book: Head Shot Book: Cosmos Close-Up Places to Visit: Physics DemoLab Book: Quarks, Leptons and the Big Bang EBook: Shooting Stars Equipment: Victor 70C USB Digital Multimeter Web Watch

Science.gov (United States)

2012-09-01

WE RECOMMEND Nucleus: A Trip into the Heart of Matter A coffee-table book for everyone to dip into and learn from The Wonderful World of Relativity A charming, stand-out introduction to relativity The Physics DemoLab, National University of Singapore A treasure trove of physics for hands-on science experiences Quarks, Leptons and the Big Bang Perfect to polish up on particle physics for older students Victor 70C USB Digital Multimeter Equipment impresses for usability and value WORTH A LOOK Cosmos Close-Up Weighty tour of the galaxy that would make a good display Shooting Stars Encourage students to try astrophotography with this ebook HANDLE WITH CARE Head Shot: The Science Behind the JKF Assassination Exploration of the science behind the crime fails to impress WEB WATCH App-lied science for education: a selection of free Android apps are reviewed and iPhone app options are listed

A Local Weighted Nearest Neighbor Algorithm and a Weighted and Constrained Least-Squared Method for Mixed Odor Analysis by Electronic Nose Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jyuo-Min Shyu

2010-11-01

Full Text Available A great deal of work has been done to develop techniques for odor analysis by electronic nose systems. These analyses mostly focus on identifying a particular odor by comparing with a known odor dataset. However, in many situations, it would be more practical if each individual odorant could be determined directly. This paper proposes two methods for such odor components analysis for electronic nose systems. First, a K-nearest neighbor (KNN-based local weighted nearest neighbor (LWNN algorithm is proposed to determine the components of an odor. According to the component analysis, the odor training data is firstly categorized into several groups, each of which is represented by its centroid. The examined odor is then classified as the class of the nearest centroid. The distance between the examined odor and the centroid is calculated based on a weighting scheme, which captures the local structure of each predefined group. To further determine the concentration of each component, odor models are built by regressions. Then, a weighted and constrained least-squares (WCLS method is proposed to estimate the component concentrations. Experiments were carried out to assess the effectiveness of the proposed methods. The LWNN algorithm is able to classify mixed odors with different mixing ratios, while the WCLS method can provide good estimates on component concentrations.

Inhomogeneous Big Bang Nucleosynthesis Revisited

OpenAIRE

Lara, J. F.; Kajino, T.; Mathews, G. J.

2006-01-01

We reanalyze the allowed parameters for inhomogeneous big bang nucleosynthesis in light of the WMAP constraints on the baryon-to-photon ratio and a recent measurement which has set the neutron lifetime to be 878.5 +/- 0.7 +/- 0.3 seconds. For a set baryon-to-photon ratio the new lifetime reduces the mass fraction of He4 by 0.0015 but does not significantly change the abundances of other isotopes. This enlarges the region of concordance between He4 and deuterium in the parameter space of the b...

Three-dimensional visualization and measurement of conformal dose distributions using magnetic resonance imaging of bang polymer gel dosimeters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ibbott, Geoffrey S.; Maryanski, Marek J.; Eastman, Peter; Holcomb, Stephen D.; Yashan, Zhang; Avison, Robin G.; Sanders, Michael; Gore, John C.

1997-01-01

Purpose/Objective: The measurement of complex dose distributions (those created by irradiation through multiple beams, multiple sources, or multiple source dwell positions) requires a dosimeter that can integrate the dose during a complete treatment. Integrating dosimeter devices generally are capable of measuring only dose at a point (ion chamber, diode, TLD) or in a plane (film). With increasing use of conformal dose distributions requiring shaped, non coplanar beams, there will be an increased requirement for a dosimeter that can record and display a 3D dose distribution. The use of a 3D dosimeter will be required to confirm the accuracy of treatment plans produced by the current generation of 3D treatment-planning computers. Methods and Materials: The use of a Fricke-infused gel and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to demonstrate the localization of stereotactic beams has been demonstrated (11). The recently developed BANG polymer gel dosimetry system (MGS Research, Inc., Guilford, CT), based on radiation-induced chain polymerization of acrylic monomers dispersed in a tissue-equivalent gel, surpasses the Fricke-gel method by providing accurate, quantitative dose distribution data that do not deteriorate with time (6, 9). The improved BANG2 formulation contains 3% N,N'-methylene-bis acrylamide, 3% acrylic acid, 1% sodium hydroxide, 5% gelatin, and 88% water, where all percentages are by weight. The gel was poured into volumetric flasks, of dimensions comparable to a human head. The gels were irradiated with complex beam arrangements, similar to those used for conformal radiation therapy. Images of the gels were acquired using a Siemens 1.5T imager and a Hahn spin-echo pulse sequence (90 deg. -τ-180 deg. -τ-acquire, for different values of τ). The images were transferred via network to a Macintosh computer for which a data analysis and display program was written. The program calculates R2 maps on the basis of multiple TE images, using a monoexponential

Constructing "Nerdiness": Characterisation in "The Big Bang Theory"

Science.gov (United States)

Bednarek, Monika

2012-01-01

This paper analyses the linguistic construction of the televisual character Sheldon--the "main nerd" in the sitcom "The Big Bang Theory" (CBS, 2007-), approaching this construction of character through both computerised and "manual" linguistic analysis. More specifically, a computer analysis of dialogue (using concordances and keyword analysis) in…

Quantum nature of the big bang: An analytical and numerical investigation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ashtekar, Abhay; Pawlowski, Tomasz; Singh, Parampreet

2006-01-01

Analytical and numerical methods are developed to analyze the quantum nature of the big bang in the setting of loop quantum cosmology. They enable one to explore the effects of quantum geometry both on the gravitational and matter sectors and significantly extend the known results on the resolution of the big bang singularity. Specifically, the following results are established for the homogeneous isotropic model with a massless scalar field: (i) the scalar field is shown to serve as an internal clock, thereby providing a detailed realization of the 'emergent time' idea; (ii) the physical Hilbert space, Dirac observables, and semiclassical states are constructed rigorously; (iii) the Hamiltonian constraint is solved numerically to show that the big bang is replaced by a big bounce. Thanks to the nonperturbative, background independent methods, unlike in other approaches the quantum evolution is deterministic across the deep Planck regime. Our constructions also provide a conceptual framework and technical tools which can be used in more general models. In this sense, they provide foundations for analyzing physical issues associated with the Planck regime of loop quantum cosmology as a whole

Task-based evaluation of segmentation algorithms for diffusion-weighted MRI without using a gold standard

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jha, Abhinav K; Kupinski, Matthew A; Rodríguez, Jeffrey J; Stephen, Renu M; Stopeck, Alison T

2012-01-01

In many studies, the estimation of the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) of lesions in visceral organs in diffusion-weighted (DW) magnetic resonance images requires an accurate lesion-segmentation algorithm. To evaluate these lesion-segmentation algorithms, region-overlap measures are used currently. However, the end task from the DW images is accurate ADC estimation, and the region-overlap measures do not evaluate the segmentation algorithms on this task. Moreover, these measures rely on the existence of gold-standard segmentation of the lesion, which is typically unavailable. In this paper, we study the problem of task-based evaluation of segmentation algorithms in DW imaging in the absence of a gold standard. We first show that using manual segmentations instead of gold-standard segmentations for this task-based evaluation is unreliable. We then propose a method to compare the segmentation algorithms that does not require gold-standard or manual segmentation results. The no-gold-standard method estimates the bias and the variance of the error between the true ADC values and the ADC values estimated using the automated segmentation algorithm. The method can be used to rank the segmentation algorithms on the basis of both the ensemble mean square error and precision. We also propose consistency checks for this evaluation technique. (paper)

Redshift structure of the big bang in inhomogeneous cosmological models. I. Spherical dust solutions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hellaby, C.; Lake, K.

1984-01-01

The redshift from the big bang in the standard model is always infinite, but in inhomogeneous cosmological models infinite blueshifts are also possible. To avoid such divergent energy fluxes, we require that all realistic cosmological models must not display infinite blueshifts. We apply this requirement to the Tolman model (spherically symmetric dust), using the geometrical optics approximation, and assuming that the geodesic tangent vectors may be expanded in power series. We conclude that the bang time must be simultaneous. The stronger requirement, that only infinite redshifts from the big bang may occur, does not lead to a stronger condition on the metric. Further consequences of simultaneity are that no decaying mode fluctuations are possible, and that the only acceptable model which is homogeneous at late times is the Robertson-Walker model

Redshift structure of the big bang in inhomogeneous cosmological models. I. Spherical dust solutions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hellaby, C.; Lake, K.

1984-07-01

The redshift from the big bang in the standard model is always infinite, but in inhomogeneous cosmological models infinite blueshifts are also possible. To avoid such divergent energy fluxes, we require that all realistic cosmological models must not display infinite blueshifts. We apply this requirement to the Tolman model (spherically symmetric dust), using the geometrical optics approximation, and assuming that the geodesic tangent vectors may be expanded in power series. We conclude that the bang time must be simultaneous. The stronger requirement, that only infinite redshifts from the big bang may occur, does not lead to a stronger condition on the metric. Further consequences of simultaneity are that no decaying mode fluctuations are possible, and that the only acceptable model which is homogeneous at late times is the Robertson-Walker model.

Le big bang n'est pas une théorie comme les autres

CERN Document Server

Bonnet-Bidaud, Jean-Marc; Leglu, Dominique; Reinisch, Gilbert

2009-01-01

Le big bang n'est pas une théorie comme les autres. Ce n'est d'ailleurs pas une théorie physique au sens propre du terme, mais un scénario cosmologique issu des équations de la relativité générale. Il est le modèle qui s'ajuste le mieux aux observations actuelles, mais à quel prix ? Il nous livre un Univers composé à 96 % de matière et d'énergie noires inconnues. C'est donc un euphémisme que de dire que le big bang semble poser autant - sinon plus - de questions qu'il n'en résout. En ce sens, le big bang apparaît davantage comme une paramétrisation de notre ignorance plutôt que comme une modélisation d'un phénomène. Pourtant, le succès du big bang et l'adhésion qu'il suscite, tant dans la sphère scientifique que dans la sphère médiatique, ne se démentent pas. Surmédiatisé, son statut dépasse celui de modèle théorique, et la simple évocation de son nom suffit pour justifier des opérations de marketing scientifique ou rejeter des cosmologies alternatives. Pour éclaircir les pr...

Lithium isotopic abundances in metal-poor stars: a problem for standard big bang nucleosynthesis?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nissen, P.E.; Asplund, M.; Lambert, D.L.; Primas, F.; Smith, V.V.

2005-01-01

Spectral obtained with VLT/UVES suggest the existence of the 6 Li isotope in several metal-poor stars at a level that challenges ideas about its synthesis. The 7 Li abundance is, on the other hand, a factor of three lower than predicted by standard Big Bang nucleosynthesis theory. Both problems may be explained if decaying suppersymmetric particles affect the synthesis of light elements in the Big Bang. (orig.)

The new Big Bang Theory according to dimensional continuous space-time theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martini, Luiz Cesar

2014-01-01

This New View of the Big Bang Theory results from the Dimensional Continuous Space-Time Theory, for which the introduction was presented in [1]. This theory is based on the concept that the primitive Universe before the Big Bang was constituted only from elementary cells of potential energy disposed side by side. In the primitive Universe there were no particles, charges, movement and the Universe temperature was absolute zero Kelvin. The time was always present, even in the primitive Universe, time is the integral part of the empty space, it is the dynamic energy of space and it is responsible for the movement of matter and energy inside the Universe. The empty space is totally stationary; the primitive Universe was infinite and totally occupied by elementary cells of potential energy. In its event, the Big Bang started a production of matter, charges, energy liberation, dynamic movement, temperature increase and the conformation of galaxies respecting a specific formation law. This article presents the theoretical formation of the Galaxies starting from a basic equation of the Dimensional Continuous Space-time Theory.

The New Big Bang Theory according to Dimensional Continuous Space-Time Theory

Science.gov (United States)

Martini, Luiz Cesar

2014-04-01

This New View of the Big Bang Theory results from the Dimensional Continuous Space-Time Theory, for which the introduction was presented in [1]. This theory is based on the concept that the primitive Universe before the Big Bang was constituted only from elementary cells of potential energy disposed side by side. In the primitive Universe there were no particles, charges, movement and the Universe temperature was absolute zero Kelvin. The time was always present, even in the primitive Universe, time is the integral part of the empty space, it is the dynamic energy of space and it is responsible for the movement of matter and energy inside the Universe. The empty space is totally stationary; the primitive Universe was infinite and totally occupied by elementary cells of potential energy. In its event, the Big Bang started a production of matter, charges, energy liberation, dynamic movement, temperature increase and the conformation of galaxies respecting a specific formation law. This article presents the theoretical formation of the Galaxies starting from a basic equation of the Dimensional Continuous Space-time Theory.

Neutrino mixing and big bang nucleosynthesis

Science.gov (United States)

Bell, Nicole

2003-04-01

We analyse active-active neutrino mixing in the early universe and show that transformation of neutrino-antineutrino asymmetries between flavours is unavoidable when neutrino mixing angles are large. This process is a standard Mikheyev-Smirnov-Wolfenstein flavour transformation, modified by the synchronisation of momentum states which results from neutrino-neutrino forward scattering. The new constraints placed on neutrino asymmetries eliminate the possibility of degenerate big bang nucleosynthesis.Implications of active-sterile neutrino mixing will also be reviewed.

Novel Method of Weighting Cumulative Helmet Impacts Improves Correlation with Brain White Matter Changes After One Football Season of Sub-concussive Head Blows.

Science.gov (United States)

Merchant-Borna, Kian; Asselin, Patrick; Narayan, Darren; Abar, Beau; Jones, Courtney M C; Bazarian, Jeffrey J

2016-12-01

One football season of sub-concussive head blows has been shown to be associated with subclinical white matter (WM) changes on diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). Prior research analyses of helmet-based impact metrics using mean and peak linear and rotational acceleration showed relatively weak correlations to these WM changes; however, these analyses failed to account for the emerging concept that neuronal vulnerability to successive hits is inversely related to the time between hits (TBH). To develop a novel method for quantifying the cumulative effects of sub-concussive head blows during a single season of collegiate football by weighting helmet-based impact measures for time between helmet impacts. We further aim to compare correlations to changes in DTI after one season of collegiate football using weighted cumulative helmet-based impact measures to correlations using non-weighted cumulative helmet-based impact measures and non-cumulative measures. We performed a secondary analysis of DTI and helmet impact data collected on ten Division III collegiate football players during the 2011 season. All subjects underwent diffusion MR imaging before the start of the football season and within 1 week of the end of the football season. Helmet impacts were recorded at each practice and game using helmet-mounted accelerometers, which computed five helmet-based impact measures for each hit: linear acceleration (LA), rotational acceleration (RA), Gadd Severity Index (GSI), Head Injury Criterion (HIC 15 ), and Head Impact Technology severity profile (HITsp). All helmet-based impact measures were analyzed using five methods of summary: peak and mean (non-cumulative measures), season sum-totals (cumulative unweighted measures), and season sum-totals weighted for time between hits (TBH), the interval of time from hit to post-season DTI assessment (TUA), and both TBH and TUA combined. Summarized helmet-based impact measures were correlated to statistically significant changes in

Critical weight loss is a major prognostic indicator for disease-specific survival in patients with head and neck cancer receiving radiotherapy

OpenAIRE

Langius, J.A.E.; Bakker, S.; Rietveld, D.H.F.; Kruizenga, H.M.; Langendijk, J.A.; Weijs, P.J.M.; Leemans, C.R.

2013-01-01

Background:Pre-treatment weight loss (WL) is a prognostic indicator for overall survival (OS) in head and neck cancer (HNC) patients. This study investigates the association between WL before or during radiotherapy and disease-specific survival (DSS) in HNC patients.Methods:In 1340 newly diagnosed HNC patients, weight change was collected before and during (adjuvant) radiotherapy with curative intent. Critical WL during radiotherapy was defined as >5% WL during radiotherapy or >7.5% WL until ...

Big Bang Day: 5 Particles - 3. The Anti-particle

CERN Multimedia

Franck Close

2008-01-01

Simon Singh looks at the stories behind the discovery of 5 of the universe's most significant subatomic particles: the Electron, the Quark, the Anti-particle, the Neutrino and the "next particle". 3. The Anti-particle. It appears to be the stuff of science fiction. Associated with every elementary particle is an antiparticle which has the same mass and opposite charge. Should the two meet and combine, the result is annihilation - and a flash of light. Thanks to mysterious processes that occurred after the Big Bang there are a vastly greater number of particles than anti-particles. So how could their elusive existence be proved? At CERN particle physicists are crashing together subatomic particles at incredibly high speeds to create antimatter, which they hope will finally reveal what happened at the precise moment of the Big Bang to create the repertoire of elementary particles and antiparticles in existence today.

A Scalable Weight-Free Learning Algorithm for Regulatory Control of Cell Activity in Spiking Neuronal Networks.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Xu; Foderaro, Greg; Henriquez, Craig; Ferrari, Silvia

2018-03-01

Recent developments in neural stimulation and recording technologies are providing scientists with the ability of recording and controlling the activity of individual neurons in vitro or in vivo, with very high spatial and temporal resolution. Tools such as optogenetics, for example, are having a significant impact in the neuroscience field by delivering optical firing control with the precision and spatiotemporal resolution required for investigating information processing and plasticity in biological brains. While a number of training algorithms have been developed to date for spiking neural network (SNN) models of biological neuronal circuits, exiting methods rely on learning rules that adjust the synaptic strengths (or weights) directly, in order to obtain the desired network-level (or functional-level) performance. As such, they are not applicable to modifying plasticity in biological neuronal circuits, in which synaptic strengths only change as a result of pre- and post-synaptic neuron firings or biological mechanisms beyond our control. This paper presents a weight-free training algorithm that relies solely on adjusting the spatiotemporal delivery of neuron firings in order to optimize the network performance. The proposed weight-free algorithm does not require any knowledge of the SNN model or its plasticity mechanisms. As a result, this training approach is potentially realizable in vitro or in vivo via neural stimulation and recording technologies, such as optogenetics and multielectrode arrays, and could be utilized to control plasticity at multiple scales of biological neuronal circuits. The approach is demonstrated by training SNNs with hundreds of units to control a virtual insect navigating in an unknown environment.

Big bang nucleosynthesis with a varying fine structure constant and nonstandard expansion rate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ichikawa, Kazuhide; Kawasaki, Masahiro

2004-01-01

We calculate the primordial abundances of light elements produced during big bang nucleosynthesis when the fine structure constant and/or the cosmic expansion rate take nonstandard values. We compare them with the recent values of observed D, 4 He, and 7 Li abundances, which show a slight inconsistency among themselves in the standard big bang nucleosynthesis scenario. This inconsistency is not solved by considering either a varying fine structure constant or a nonstandard expansion rate separately but solutions are found by their simultaneous existence

An Adaptive Filtering Algorithm Based on Genetic Algorithm-Backpropagation Network

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kai Hu

2013-01-01

Full Text Available A new image filtering algorithm is proposed. GA-BPN algorithm uses genetic algorithm (GA to decide weights in a back propagation neural network (BPN. It has better global optimal characteristics than traditional optimal algorithm. In this paper, we used GA-BPN to do image noise filter researching work. Firstly, this paper uses training samples to train GA-BPN as the noise detector. Then, we utilize the well-trained GA-BPN to recognize noise pixels in target image. And at last, an adaptive weighted average algorithm is used to recover noise pixels recognized by GA-BPN. Experiment data shows that this algorithm has better performance than other filters.

Evidence for Evolution as Support for Big Bang

Science.gov (United States)

Gopal-Krishna

1997-12-01

With the exception of ZERO, the concept of BIG BANG is by far the most bizarre creation of the human mind. Three classical pillars of the Big Bang model of the origin of the universe are generally thought to be: (i) The abundances of the light elements; (ii) the microwave back-ground radiation; and (iii) the change with cosmic epoch in the average properties of galaxies (both active and non-active types). Evidence is also mounting for redshift dependence of the intergalactic medium, as discussed elsewhere in this volume in detail. In this contribution, I endeavour to highlight a selection of recent advances pertaining to the third category. The widely different levels of confidence in the claimed observational constraints in the field of cosmology can be guaged from the following excerpts from two leading astrophysicists: "I would bet odds of 10 to 1 on the validity of the general 'hot Big Bang' concept as a description of how our universe has evolved since it was around 1 sec. old" -M. Rees (1995), in 'Perspectives in Astrophysical Cosmology' CUP. "With the much more sensitive observations available today, no astrophysical property shows evidence of evolution, such as was claimed in the 1950s to disprove the Steady State theory" -F. Hoyle (1987), in 'Fifty years in cosmology', B. M. Birla Memorial Lecture, Hyderabad, India. The burgeoning multi-wavelength culture in astronomy has provided a tremendous boost to observational cosmology in recent years. We now proceed to illustrate this with a sequence of examples which reinforce the picture of an evolving universe. Also provided are some relevant details of the data used in these studies so that their scope can be independently judged by the readers.

Constraints on pre-big-bang parameter space from CMBR anisotropies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bozza, V.; Gasperini, M.; Giovannini, M.; Veneziano, G.

2003-01-01

The so-called curvaton mechanism--a way to convert isocurvature perturbations into adiabatic ones--is investigated both analytically and numerically in a pre-big-bang scenario where the role of the curvaton is played by a sufficiently massive Kalb-Ramond axion of superstring theory. When combined with observations of CMBR anisotropies at large and moderate angular scales, the present analysis allows us to constrain quite considerably the parameter space of the model: in particular, the initial displacement of the axion from the minimum of its potential and the rate of evolution of the compactification volume during pre-big-bang inflation. The combination of theoretical and experimental constraints favors a slightly blue spectrum of scalar perturbations, and/or a value of the string scale in the vicinity of the SUSY GUT scale

Constraints on pre-big bang parameter space from CMBR anisotropies

CERN Document Server

Bozza, Valerio; Giovannini, Massimo; Veneziano, Gabriele

2003-01-01

The so-called curvaton mechanism --a way to convert isocurvature perturbations into adiabatic ones-- is investigated both analytically and numerically in a pre-big bang scenario where the role of the curvaton is played by a sufficiently massive Kalb--Ramond axion of superstring theory. When combined with observations of CMBR anisotropies at large and moderate angular scales, the present analysis allows us to constrain quite considerably the parameter space of the model: in particular, the initial displacement of the axion from the minimum of its potential and the rate of evolution of the compactification volume during pre-big bang inflation. The combination of theoretical and experimental constraints favours a slightly blue spectrum of scalar perturbations, and/or a value of the string scale in the vicinity of the SUSY-GUT scale.

EMR implementation: big bang or a phased approach?

Science.gov (United States)

Owens, Kathleen

2008-01-01

There are two major strategies to implementing an EMR: the big-bang approach and the phased, or incremental, approach. Each strategy has pros and cons that must be considered. This article discusses these approaches and the risks and benefits of each as well as some training strategies that can be used with either approach.

MODEL PENGANGKUTAN SAMPAH DI KOTA BANGLI

OpenAIRE

Pande N Sari Saraswati; I G. B Sila Dharma; I Gst Ketut Sudipta

2013-01-01

The garbage transportation in Bangli City is currently done using a direct individual pattern (door to door). The vehicles used are dump trucks which are not covered, so they pollute the areas they pass by. Most of the vehicles are in bad condition. This study was aimed at identifying the transportation routes, the number of vehicles needed, the temporary place of garbage disposal ‘Tempat Pembuangan Sementara’ (TPS), and the rate of garbage retribution. The research method included the sample...

Big bang models in string theory

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Craps, Ben [Theoretische Natuurkunde, Vrije Universiteit Brussel and The International Solvay Institutes Pleinlaan 2, B-1050 Brussels (Belgium)

2006-11-07

These proceedings are based on lectures delivered at the 'RTN Winter School on Strings, Supergravity and Gauge Theories', CERN, 16-20 January 2006. The school was mainly aimed at PhD students and young postdocs. The lectures start with a brief introduction to spacetime singularities and the string theory resolution of certain static singularities. Then they discuss attempts to resolve cosmological singularities in string theory, mainly focusing on two specific examples: the Milne orbifold and the matrix big bang.

A Pilot Study of Randomized, Head-to-Head of Metformin Versus Topiramate in Obese People With Schizophrenia.

Science.gov (United States)

Peng, Po-Jui; Ho, Pei-Shen; Tsai, Chia-Kuang; Huang, San-Yuan; Liang, Chih-Sung

A number of research studies support the weight loss effects of metformin and topiramate for obese people with schizophrenia. However, only a few studies have addressed the sustainability of the body weight reduction after discontinuation of these drugs. Moreover, head-to-head studies are still lacking. The study aims to evaluate and compare the efficacy of metformin and topiramate in weight reduction and weight maintenance after discontinuation of these drugs in obese people with schizophrenia. Twenty-two obese inpatients with schizophrenia were recruited and randomized into the metformin group (n = 11; daily dose, 1000 mg) and the topiramate group (n = 11; daily dose, 100 mg). A head-to-head, fixed-dose, and single-blinded design was used. Ten obese patients with schizophrenia of similar sex as that of the treated group were included as the control group. After a 4-month treatment, the metformin group showed a body weight reduction of 3.8 kg, and the topiramate group showed a reduction of 2.7 kg. However, the reduction could be sustained only in the metformin group at 3 and 9 months after metformin discontinuation. Interestingly, 3 months after treatment discontinuation, leptin levels showed a reduction in both metformin (baseline, 25.3 ± 14.7, week 7: 5.7 ± 3.7 ng/mL) and topiramate (baseline: 28.4 ± 16.1, week 7: 9.2 ± 15.5 ng/mL) groups. The trend of weight changes supports the superiority of metformin at 1000 mg/d over topiramate at 100 mg/d in weight reduction and weight maintenance.

Small wormholes change our picture of the big bang

CERN Multimedia

1990-01-01

Matt Visser has studied tiny wormholes, which may be produced on a subatomic scale by quantum fluctuations in the energy of the vacuum. He believes these quantum wormholes could change our picture of the origin of the Universe in the big bang (1/2 p)

Adiabatic CMB perturbations in pre-big bang string cosmology

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Enqvist, Kari; Sloth, Martin Snoager

2001-01-01

We consider the pre-big bang scenario with a massive axion field which starts to dominate energy density when oscillating in an instanton-induced potential and subsequently reheats the universe as it decays into photons, thus creating adiabatic CMB perturbations. We find that the fluctuations...

A cluster algorithm for graphs

NARCIS (Netherlands)

S. van Dongen

2000-01-01

textabstractA cluster algorithm for graphs called the emph{Markov Cluster algorithm (MCL~algorithm) is introduced. The algorithm provides basically an interface to an algebraic process defined on stochastic matrices, called the MCL~process. The graphs may be both weighted (with nonnegative weight)

A frequency bin-wise nonlinear masking algorithm in convolutive mixtures for speech segregation.

Science.gov (United States)

Chi, Tai-Shih; Huang, Ching-Wen; Chou, Wen-Sheng

2012-05-01

A frequency bin-wise nonlinear masking algorithm is proposed in the spectrogram domain for speech segregation in convolutive mixtures. The contributive weight from each speech source to a time-frequency unit of the mixture spectrogram is estimated by a nonlinear function based on location cues. For each sound source, a non-binary mask is formed from the estimated weights and is multiplied to the mixture spectrogram to extract the sound. Head-related transfer functions (HRTFs) are used to simulate convolutive sound mixtures perceived by listeners. Simulation results show our proposed method outperforms convolutive independent component analysis and degenerate unmixing and estimation technique methods in almost all test conditions.

Gravitation, phase transitions, and the big bang

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krauss, L.M.

1982-01-01

Introduced here is a model of the early universe based on the possibility of a first-order phase transition involving gravity, and arrived at by a consideration of instabilities in the semiclassical theory. The evolution of the system is very different from the standard Friedmann-Robertson-Walker big-bang scenario, indicating the potential importance of semiclassical finite-temperature gravitational effects. Baryosynthesis and monopole production in this scenario are also outlined

Laser interferometry for the Big Bang Observer

OpenAIRE

Harry, Gregory M.; Fritschel, Peter; Shaddock, Daniel A.; Folkner, William; Phinney, E. Sterl

2006-01-01

The Big Bang Observer is a proposed space-based gravitational-wave detector intended as a follow on mission to the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA). It is designed to detect the stochastic background of gravitational waves from the early universe. We discuss how the interferometry can be arranged between three spacecraft for this mission and what research and development on key technologies are necessary to realize this scheme.

Laser interferometry for the Big Bang Observer

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Harry, Gregory M [LIGO Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, NW17-161, Cambridge, MA 02139 (United States); Fritschel, Peter [LIGO Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, NW17-161, Cambridge, MA 02139 (United States); Shaddock, Daniel A [Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109 (United States); Folkner, William [Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109 (United States); Phinney, E Sterl [California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States)

2006-08-07

The Big Bang Observer is a proposed space-based gravitational-wave detector intended as a follow on mission to the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA). It is designed to detect the stochastic background of gravitational waves from the early universe. We discuss how the interferometry can be arranged between three spacecraft for this mission and what research and development on key technologies are necessary to realize this scheme.

Optimization the Initial Weights of Artificial Neural Networks via Genetic Algorithm Applied to Hip Bone Fracture Prediction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yu-Tzu Chang

2012-01-01

Full Text Available This paper aims to find the optimal set of initial weights to enhance the accuracy of artificial neural networks (ANNs by using genetic algorithms (GA. The sample in this study included 228 patients with first low-trauma hip fracture and 215 patients without hip fracture, both of them were interviewed with 78 questions. We used logistic regression to select 5 important factors (i.e., bone mineral density, experience of fracture, average hand grip strength, intake of coffee, and peak expiratory flow rate for building artificial neural networks to predict the probabilities of hip fractures. Three-layer (one hidden layer ANNs models with back-propagation training algorithms were adopted. The purpose in this paper is to find the optimal initial weights of neural networks via genetic algorithm to improve the predictability. Area under the ROC curve (AUC was used to assess the performance of neural networks. The study results showed the genetic algorithm obtained an AUC of 0.858±0.00493 on modeling data and 0.802 ± 0.03318 on testing data. They were slightly better than the results of our previous study (0.868±0.00387 and 0.796±0.02559, resp.. Thus, the preliminary study for only using simple GA has been proved to be effective for improving the accuracy of artificial neural networks.

Image registration of BANG[reg] gel dose maps for quantitative dosimetry verification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meeks, Sanford L.; Bova, Frank J.; Maryanski, Marek J.; Kendrick, Lance A.; Ranade, Manisha K.; Buatti, John M.; Friedman, William A.

1999-01-01

Background: The BANG[reg] (product symbol SGEL, MGS Research Inc., Guilford, CT) polymer gel has been shown to be a valuable dosimeter for determining three-dimensional (3D) dose distributions. Because the proton relaxation rate (R2) of the gel changes as a function of absorbed dose, MR scans of the irradiated gel can be used to generate 3D dose maps. Previous work with the gel, however, has not relied on precise localization of the measured dose distribution. This has limited its quantitative use, as no precise correlation exists with the planned distribution. This paper reports on a technique for providing this correlation, thus providing a quality assurance tool that includes all of the steps of imaging, treatment planning, dose calculation, and treatment localization. Methods and Materials: The BANG[reg] gel formulation was prepared and poured into spherical flasks (15.3-cm inner diameter). A stereotactic head ring was attached to each flask. Three magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) compatible fiducial markers were placed on the flask, thus defining the central axial plane. A high-resolution CT scan was obtained of each flask. These images were transferred to a radiosurgery treatment-planning program, where treatment plans were developed. The gels were irradiated using our systems for stereotactic radiosurgery or fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy. The gels were MR imaged, and a relative 3D dose map was created from an R2 map of these images. The dose maps were transferred to an image-correlation program, and then fused to the treatment-planning CT scan through a rigid body match of the MRI/CT-compatible fiducial markers. The fused dose maps were imported into the treatment-planning system for quantitative comparison with the calculated treatment plans. Results: Calculated and measured isodose surfaces agreed to within 2 mm at the worst points within the in-plane dose distributions. This agreement is excellent, considering that

Overexpression of CFH gene in pterygiumv patients | Bang | Tropical ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Overexpression of CFH gene in pterygiumv patients. Man-Seok Bang, Chang Rae Rho, Bong-Hui Kang, Kyong Jin Cho, Chung-Hun Oh. Abstract. Purpose: To investigate the expression of complement factors in pterygium tissues compared to normal conjunctival samples, using next-generation RNA sequencing. Methods: ...

Recrean el Big Bang a nivel microscópico

CERN Multimedia

2007-01-01

Although the scientists assure that the Universe was created from great explosion or Big Bang, that gave origin to the matter which we know today - including the alive beings - What happened after this strong snap is still a mystery regarding the formation of the cosmos. (1 page)

Constraining neutrino physics with big bang nucleosynthesis and cosmic microwave background radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hansen, S.H.; Melchiorri, A.; Mangano, G.; Miele, G.; Pisanti, O.

2002-01-01

We perform a likelihood analysis of the recent results on the anisotropy of cosmic microwave background radiation from the BOOMERanG and DASI experiments to show that they single out an effective number of neutrinos in good agreement with standard big bang nucleosynthesis. We also consider degenerate big bang nucleosynthesis to provide new bounds on effective relativistic degrees of freedom N ν and, in particular, on the neutrino chemical potential ξ α . When including supernova type Ia data we find, at 2σ, N ν ≤7 and -0.01≤ξ e ≤0.22, vertical bar ξ μ,τ vertical bar ≤2.6

Big Bang Cosmic Titanic: Cause for Concern?

Science.gov (United States)

Gentry, Robert

2013-04-01

This abstract alerts physicists to a situation that, unless soon addressed, may yet affect PRL integrity. I refer to Stanley Brown's and DAE Robert Caldwell's rejection of PRL submission LJ12135, A Cosmic Titanic: Big Bang Cosmology Unravels Upon Discovery of Serious Flaws in Its Foundational Expansion Redshift Assumption, by their claim that BB is an established theory while ignoring our paper's Titanic, namely, that BB's foundational spacetime expansion redshifts assumption has now been proven to be irrefutably false because it is contradicted by our seminal discovery that GPS operation unequivocally proves that GR effects do not produce in-flight photon wavelength changes demanded by this central assumption. This discovery causes the big bang to collapse as quickly as did Ptolemaic cosmology when Copernicus discovered its foundational assumption was heliocentric, not geocentric. Additional evidence that something is amiss in PRL's treatment of LJ12135 comes from both Brown and EiC Gene Spouse agreeing to meet at my exhibit during last year's Atlanta APS to discuss this cover-up issue. Sprouse kept his commitment; Brown didn't. Question: If Brown could have refuted my claim of a cover-up, why didn't he come to present it before Gene Sprouse? I am appealing LJ12135's rejection.

Re-evaluation of the immunological Big Bang.

Science.gov (United States)

Flajnik, Martin F

2014-11-03

Classically the immunological 'Big Bang' of adaptive immunity was believed to have resulted from the insertion of a transposon into an immunoglobulin superfamily gene member, initiating antigen receptor gene rearrangement via the RAG recombinase in an ancestor of jawed vertebrates. However, the discovery of a second, convergent adaptive immune system in jawless fish, focused on the so-called variable lymphocyte receptors (VLRs), was arguably the most exciting finding of the past decade in immunology and has drastically changed the view of immune origins. The recent report of a new lymphocyte lineage in lampreys, defined by the antigen receptor VLRC, suggests that there were three lymphocyte lineages in the common ancestor of jawless and jawed vertebrates that co-opted different antigen receptor supertypes. The transcriptional control of these lineages during development is predicted to be remarkably similar in both the jawless (agnathan) and jawed (gnathostome) vertebrates, suggesting that an early 'division of labor' among lymphocytes was a driving force in the emergence of adaptive immunity. The recent cartilaginous fish genome project suggests that most effector cytokines and chemokines were also present in these fish, and further studies of the lamprey and hagfish genomes will determine just how explosive the Big Bang actually was. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Impact of weight loss on survival after chemoradiation for locally advanced head and neck Cancer: secondary results of a randomized phase III trial (SAKK 10/94)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ghadjar, Pirus; Hayoz, Stefanie; Zimmermann, Frank; Bodis, Stephan; Kaul, David; Badakhshi, Harun; Bernier, Jacques; Studer, Gabriela; Plasswilm, Ludwig; Budach, Volker; Aebersold, Daniel M

2015-01-01

To analyze the impact of weight loss before and during chemoradiation on survival outcomes in patients with locally advanced head and neck cancer. From 07/1994-07/2000 a total of 224 patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck were randomized to either hyperfractionated radiation therapy alone or the same radiation therapy combined with two cycles of concomitant cisplatin. The primary endpoint was time to any treatment failure (TTF); secondary endpoints were locoregional recurrence-free survival (LRRFS), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) and overall survival (OS). Patient weight was measured 6 months before treatment, at treatment start and treatment end. The proportion of patients with >5% weight loss was 32% before, and 51% during treatment, and the proportion of patients with >10% weight loss was 12% before, and 17% during treatment. After a median follow-up of 9.5 years (range, 0.1 – 15.4 years) weight loss before treatment was associated with decreased TTF, LRRFS, DMFS, cancer specific survival and OS in a multivariable analysis. However, weight loss during treatment was not associated with survival outcomes. Weight loss before and during chemoradiation was commonly observed. Weight loss before but not during treatment was associated with worse survival

Reheating and dangerous relics in pre-big-bang string cosmology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Buonanno, Alessandra; Lemoine, Martin; Olive, Keith A.

2000-01-01

We discuss the mechanism of reheating in pre-big-bang string cosmology and we calculate the amount of moduli and gravitinos produced gravitationally and in scattering processes of the thermal bath. We find that this abundance always exceeds the limits imposed by big-bang nucleosynthesis, and significant entropy production is required. The exact amount of entropy needed depends on the details of the high curvature phase between the dilaton-driven inflationary era and the radiation era. We show that the domination and decay of the zero-mode of a modulus field, which could well be the dilaton, or of axions, suffices to dilute moduli and gravitinos. In this context, baryogenesis can be accommodated in a simple way via the Affleck-Dine mechanism and in some cases the Affleck-Dine condensate could provide both the source of entropy and the baryon asymmetry

Big Bang Day : The Great Big Particle Adventure - 3. Origins

CERN Multimedia

2008-01-01

In this series, comedian and physicist Ben Miller asks the CERN scientists what they hope to find. If the LHC is successful, it will explain the nature of the Universe around us in terms of a few simple ingredients and a few simple rules. But the Universe now was forged in a Big Bang where conditions were very different, and the rules were very different, and those early moments were crucial to determining how things turned out later. At the LHC they can recreate conditions as they were billionths of a second after the Big Bang, before atoms and nuclei existed. They can find out why matter and antimatter didn't mutually annihilate each other to leave behind a Universe of pure, brilliant light. And they can look into the very structure of space and time - the fabric of the Universe

Validation of clinical acceptability of an atlas-based segmentation algorithm for the delineation of organs at risk in head and neck cancer

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hoang Duc, Albert K., E-mail: albert.hoangduc.ucl@gmail.com; McClelland, Jamie; Modat, Marc; Cardoso, M. Jorge; Mendelson, Alex F. [Center for Medical Image Computing, University College London, London WC1E 6BT (United Kingdom); Eminowicz, Gemma; Mendes, Ruheena; Wong, Swee-Ling; D’Souza, Derek [Radiotherapy Department, University College London Hospitals, 235 Euston Road, London NW1 2BU (United Kingdom); Veiga, Catarina [Department of Medical Physics and Bioengineering, University College London, London WC1E 6BT (United Kingdom); Kadir, Timor [Mirada Medical UK, Oxford Center for Innovation, New Road, Oxford OX1 1BY (United Kingdom); Ourselin, Sebastien [Centre for Medical Image Computing, University College London, London WC1E 6BT (United Kingdom)

2015-09-15

Purpose: The aim of this study was to assess whether clinically acceptable segmentations of organs at risk (OARs) in head and neck cancer can be obtained automatically and efficiently using the novel “similarity and truth estimation for propagated segmentations” (STEPS) compared to the traditional “simultaneous truth and performance level estimation” (STAPLE) algorithm. Methods: First, 6 OARs were contoured by 2 radiation oncologists in a dataset of 100 patients with head and neck cancer on planning computed tomography images. Each image in the dataset was then automatically segmented with STAPLE and STEPS using those manual contours. Dice similarity coefficient (DSC) was then used to compare the accuracy of these automatic methods. Second, in a blind experiment, three separate and distinct trained physicians graded manual and automatic segmentations into one of the following three grades: clinically acceptable as determined by universal delineation guidelines (grade A), reasonably acceptable for clinical practice upon manual editing (grade B), and not acceptable (grade C). Finally, STEPS segmentations graded B were selected and one of the physicians manually edited them to grade A. Editing time was recorded. Results: Significant improvements in DSC can be seen when using the STEPS algorithm on large structures such as the brainstem, spinal canal, and left/right parotid compared to the STAPLE algorithm (all p < 0.001). In addition, across all three trained physicians, manual and STEPS segmentation grades were not significantly different for the brainstem, spinal canal, parotid (right/left), and optic chiasm (all p > 0.100). In contrast, STEPS segmentation grades were lower for the eyes (p < 0.001). Across all OARs and all physicians, STEPS produced segmentations graded as well as manual contouring at a rate of 83%, giving a lower bound on this rate of 80% with 95% confidence. Reduction in manual interaction time was on average 61% and 93% when automatic

From the Big Bang to the Nobel Prize and on to James Webb Space Telescope

Science.gov (United States)

Mather, John C.

2009-01-01

The history of the universe in a nutshell, from the Big Bang to now, and on to the future - John Mather will tell the story of how we got here, how the Universe began with a Big Bang, how it could have produced an Earth where sentient beings can live, and how those beings are discovering their history. Mather was Project Scientist for NASA s Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) satellite, which measured the spectrum (the color) of the heat radiation from the Big Bang, discovered hot and cold spots in that radiation, and hunted for the first objects that formed after the great explosion. He will explain Einstein s biggest mistake, show how Edwin Hubble discovered the expansion of the universe, how the COBE mission was built, and how the COBE data support the Big Bang theory. He will also show NASA s plans for the next great telescope in space, the James Webb Space Telescope. It will look even farther back in time than the Hubble Space Telescope, and will look inside the dusty cocoons where stars and planets are being born today. Planned for launch in 2013, it may lead to another Nobel Prize for some lucky observer.

Photodisintegration of deuterium and big bang nucleosynthesis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hara, K.Y.; Utsunomiya, H.; Goko, S.; Akimune, H.; Yamagata, T.; Ohta, M.; Toyokawa, H.; Kudo, K.; Uritani, A.; Shibata, Y.; Lui, Y.-W.; Ohgaki, H.

2003-01-01

Photodisintegration cross sections were measured for deuterium with Laser-Compton scattering γ beams at seven energies near threshold. Combined with the preceding data, R(E)=N a σv for the p(n,γ)D reaction is for the first time evaluated based on experimental data with 6% uncertainty in the energy region relevant to the big bang nucleosynthesis (BBN). The result confirms the theoretical evaluation on which the BBN in the precision era relies

Half-unit weighted bilinear algorithm for image contrast enhancement in capsule endoscopy

Science.gov (United States)

Rukundo, Olivier

2018-04-01

This paper proposes a novel enhancement method based exclusively on the bilinear interpolation algorithm for capsule endoscopy images. The proposed method does not convert the original RBG image components to HSV or any other color space or model; instead, it processes directly RGB components. In each component, a group of four adjacent pixels and half-unit weight in the bilinear weighting function are used to calculate the average pixel value, identical for each pixel in that particular group. After calculations, groups of identical pixels are overlapped successively in horizontal and vertical directions to achieve a preliminary-enhanced image. The final-enhanced image is achieved by halving the sum of the original and preliminary-enhanced image pixels. Quantitative and qualitative experiments were conducted focusing on pairwise comparisons between original and enhanced images. Final-enhanced images have generally the best diagnostic quality and gave more details about the visibility of vessels and structures in capsule endoscopy images.

Momentum-weighted conjugate gradient descent algorithm for gradient coil optimization.

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Hanbing; Jesmanowicz, Andrzej; Li, Shi-Jiang; Hyde, James S

2004-01-01

MRI gradient coil design is a type of nonlinear constrained optimization. A practical problem in transverse gradient coil design using the conjugate gradient descent (CGD) method is that wire elements move at different rates along orthogonal directions (r, phi, z), and tend to cross, breaking the constraints. A momentum-weighted conjugate gradient descent (MW-CGD) method is presented to overcome this problem. This method takes advantage of the efficiency of the CGD method combined with momentum weighting, which is also an intrinsic property of the Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm, to adjust step sizes along the three orthogonal directions. A water-cooled, 12.8 cm inner diameter, three axis torque-balanced gradient coil for rat imaging was developed based on this method, with an efficiency of 2.13, 2.08, and 4.12 mT.m(-1).A(-1) along X, Y, and Z, respectively. Experimental data demonstrate that this method can improve efficiency by 40% and field uniformity by 27%. This method has also been applied to the design of a gradient coil for the human brain, employing remote current return paths. The benefits of this design include improved gradient field uniformity and efficiency, with a shorter length than gradient coil designs using coaxial return paths. Copyright 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Susceptibility weighted imaging depicts retinal hemorrhages in abusive head trauma

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zuccoli, Giulio [Children' s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, Department of Pediatric Radiology, Pittsburgh, PA (United States); Children' s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, Department of Radiology, Pittsburgh, PA (United States); Panigrahy, Ashok; Haldipur, Anshul; Willaman, Dennis [Children' s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, Department of Pediatric Radiology, Pittsburgh, PA (United States); Squires, Janet; Wolford, Jennifer [Children' s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, Division of Child Advocacy, Pittsburgh, PA (United States); Sylvester, Christin; Mitchell, Ellen; Lope, Lee Ann [Children' s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, Eye Center, Pittsburgh, PA (United States); Nischal, Ken K. [Children' s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, Eye Center, Pittsburgh, PA (United States); Children' s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, Division of Pediatric Ophthalmology, Strabismus, and Adult Motility, Eye Center, Pittsburgh, PA (United States); Berger, Rachel P. [Children' s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, Division of Child Advocacy, Pittsburgh, PA (United States); University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Safar Center for Resuscitation Research, Pittsburgh, PA (United States)

2013-07-15

This study aims to evaluate the capability of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) susceptibility weighted images (SWI) in depicting retinal hemorrhages (RH) in abusive head trauma (AHT) compared to the gold standard dilated fundus exam (DFE). This is a retrospective, single institution, observational study on 28 patients with suspected AHT, who had a DFE and also underwent brain MRI-SWI as part of routine diagnostic protocol. Main outcome measures involved evaluation of patients to determine whether the RH could be identified on standard and high-resolution SWI sequences. Of the 21 subjects with RH on DFE, 13 (62 %) were identified by using a standard SWI sequence performed as part of brain MRI protocols. Of the 15 patients who also underwent an orbits SWI protocol, 12 (80 %) were positive for RH. None of the seven patients without RH on of DFE had RH on either standard or high-resolution SWI. Compared with DFE, the MRI standard protocol showed a sensitivity of 75 % which increased to 83 % for the orbits SWI protocol. Our study suggests the usefulness of a tailored high-resolution orbits protocol to detect RH in AHT. (orig.)

Susceptibility weighted imaging depicts retinal hemorrhages in abusive head trauma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zuccoli, Giulio; Panigrahy, Ashok; Haldipur, Anshul; Willaman, Dennis; Squires, Janet; Wolford, Jennifer; Sylvester, Christin; Mitchell, Ellen; Lope, Lee Ann; Nischal, Ken K.; Berger, Rachel P.

2013-01-01

This study aims to evaluate the capability of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) susceptibility weighted images (SWI) in depicting retinal hemorrhages (RH) in abusive head trauma (AHT) compared to the gold standard dilated fundus exam (DFE). This is a retrospective, single institution, observational study on 28 patients with suspected AHT, who had a DFE and also underwent brain MRI-SWI as part of routine diagnostic protocol. Main outcome measures involved evaluation of patients to determine whether the RH could be identified on standard and high-resolution SWI sequences. Of the 21 subjects with RH on DFE, 13 (62 %) were identified by using a standard SWI sequence performed as part of brain MRI protocols. Of the 15 patients who also underwent an orbits SWI protocol, 12 (80 %) were positive for RH. None of the seven patients without RH on of DFE had RH on either standard or high-resolution SWI. Compared with DFE, the MRI standard protocol showed a sensitivity of 75 % which increased to 83 % for the orbits SWI protocol. Our study suggests the usefulness of a tailored high-resolution orbits protocol to detect RH in AHT. (orig.)

Leadership in the Big Bangs of European Integration

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

? and, more importantly, what factors allowed specific actors to provide leadership in a given context? These conclusions provide a major step forward in the literature on the history-making bargains in the EU, allowing us to answer with more confidence the question of which actors have guided the big...... bangs in the European integration process in the past two decades, and why.  ...

Big bang in a universe with infinite extension

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Groen, Oeyvind [Oslo College, Department of Engineering, PO Box 4, St Olavs Pl, 0130 Oslo (Norway); Institute of Physics, University of Oslo, PO Box 1048 Blindern, 0316 Oslo (Norway)

2006-05-01

How can a universe coming from a point-like big bang event have infinite spatial extension? It is shown that the relativity of simultaneity is essential in answering this question. Space is finite as defined by the simultaneity of one observer, but it may be infinite as defined by the simultaneity of all the clocks participating in the Hubble flow.

Big bang in a universe with infinite extension

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Groen, Oeyvind

2006-01-01

How can a universe coming from a point-like big bang event have infinite spatial extension? It is shown that the relativity of simultaneity is essential in answering this question. Space is finite as defined by the simultaneity of one observer, but it may be infinite as defined by the simultaneity of all the clocks participating in the Hubble flow

Mapping the cold glow of the big bang

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bennett, Charles

1991-01-01

The United States has recently launched a satellite solely dedicated to cosmology in an attempt to provide insight into the early formation of the Universe. The Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) satellite is producing astonishing precise data which supports the Big Bang theory of the Universe's origins. Continued analysis of COBE data may provide clues as to how stars and galaxies formed. (UK)

Use of diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) in PET/MRI for head and neck cancer evaluation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Queiroz, Marcelo A.; Schulthess, Gustav von; Huellner, Martin; Kuhn, Felix; Veit-Haibach, Patrick; Huber, Gerhardt; Meerwein, Christian; Kollias, Spyros

2014-01-01

The purpose of this study was to analyze whether diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) adds significant information to positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance imaging (PET/MRI) on lesion detection and characterization in head and neck cancers. Seventy patients with different head and neck cancers were enrolled in this prospective study. All patients underwent sequential contrast-enhanced (ce) PET/computed tomography (CT) and cePET/MRI using a tri-modality PET/CT-MR setup either for staging or re-staging. First, the DWI alone was evaluated, followed by the PET/MRI with conventional sequences, and in a third step, the PET/MRI with DWI was evaluated. McNemar's test was used to evaluate differences in the accuracy of PET/MRI with and without DWI compared to the standard of reference. One hundred eighty-eight (188) lesions were found, and of those, 118 (62.8 %) were malignant and 70 (37.2 %) were benign. PET/MRI without DWI had a higher accuracy in detecting malignant lesions than DWI alone (86.8 % vs. 60.6 %, p < 0.001). PET/MRI combined with DWI detected 120 concurrent lesions (89 malignant and 31 benign), PET/MRI alone identified 48 additional lesions (20 malignant and 28 benign), and DWI alone detected 20 different lesions (nine malignant and 11 benign). However, lesions detected on DWI did not change overall staging. SUV maximum and mean were significantly higher in malignant lesions than in benign lesions. DWI parameters between malignant and benign lesions were not statistically different. The use of DWI as part of PET/MRI to evaluate head and neck cancers does not provide remarkable information. Thus, the use of DWI might not be needed in clinical PET/MRI protocols for the staging or restaging of head and neck cancers. (orig.)

Scientists seek to explain how Big Bang let us live

CERN Multimedia

Hawke, N

2000-01-01

Scientists at CERN have opened an antimatter factory, the Antiproton Decelerator. They hope to discover why, in the Big Bang, the amount of matter and antimatter produced was not equal, so allowing the universe to exist at all (1 page).

Algorithm improvement program nuclide identification algorithm scoring criteria and scoring application.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Enghauser, Michael [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

2016-02-01

The goal of the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office (DNDO) Algorithm Improvement Program (AIP) is to facilitate gamma-radiation detector nuclide identification algorithm development, improvement, and validation. Accordingly, scoring criteria have been developed to objectively assess the performance of nuclide identification algorithms. In addition, a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet application for automated nuclide identification scoring has been developed. This report provides an overview of the equations, nuclide weighting factors, nuclide equivalencies, and configuration weighting factors used by the application for scoring nuclide identification algorithm performance. Furthermore, this report presents a general overview of the nuclide identification algorithm scoring application including illustrative examples.

21 CFR 868.1930 - Stethoscope head.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Stethoscope head. 868.1930 Section 868.1930 Food... DEVICES ANESTHESIOLOGY DEVICES Diagnostic Devices § 868.1930 Stethoscope head. (a) Identification. A stethoscope head is a weighted chest piece used during anesthesia to listen to a patient's heart, breath, and...

From the Big Bang to the Nobel Prize and on to the James Webb Space Telescope

Science.gov (United States)

Mather, John C.

2008-01-01

The history of the universe in a nutshell, from the Big Bang to now. and on to the future - John Mather will tell the story of how we got here, how the Universe began with a Big Bang, how it could have produced an Earth where sentient beings can live, and how those beings are discovering their history. Mather was Project Scientist for NASA's Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) satellite, which measured the spectrum (the color) of the heat radiation from the Big Bang, discovered hot and cold spots in that radiation, and hunted for the first objects that formed after the great explosion. He will explain Einstein's biggest mistake, show how Edwin Hubble discovered the expansion of the univerre, how the COBE mission was built, and how the COBE data support the Big Bang theory. He will also show NASA's plans for the next great telescope in space, the Jarnes Webb Space Telescope. It will look even farther back in time than the Hubble Space Telescope, and will look inside the dusty cocoons where rtars and planets are being born today. Planned for launch in 2013, it may lead to another Nobel Prize for some lucky observer.

Probing the Big Bang with LEP

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schramm, D.N.

1990-06-01

It is shown that LEP probes the Big Bang in two significant ways: (1) nucleosynthesis and (2) dark matter constraints. In the first case, LEP verifies the cosmological standard model prediction on the number of neutrino types, thus strengthening the conclusion that the cosmological baryon density is ∼6% of the critical value. In the second case, LEP shows that the remaining non-baryonic cosmological matter must be somewhat more massive and/or more weakly interacting that the favorite non-baryonic dark matter candidates of a few years ago. 59 refs., 4 figs., 2 tabs

Probing the Big Bang with LEP

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schramm, D.N. (Chicago Univ., IL (USA) Fermi National Accelerator Lab., Batavia, IL (USA))

1990-06-01

It is shown that LEP probes the Big Bang in two significant ways: (1) nucleosynthesis and (2) dark matter constraints. In the first case, LEP verifies the cosmological standard model prediction on the number of neutrino types, thus strengthening the conclusion that the cosmological baryon density is {approximately}6% of the critical value. In the second case, LEP shows that the remaining non-baryonic cosmological matter must be somewhat more massive and/or more weakly interacting that the favorite non-baryonic dark matter candidates of a few years ago. 59 refs., 4 figs., 2 tabs.

Probing the Big Bang with LEP

Science.gov (United States)

Schramm, David N.

1990-01-01

It is shown that LEP probes the Big Bang in two significant ways: (1) nucleosynthesis, and (2) dark matter constraints. In the first case, LEP verifies the cosmological standard model prediction on the number of neutrino types, thus strengthening the conclusion that the cosmological baryon density is approximately 6 percent of the critical value. In the second case, LEP shows that the remaining non-baryonic cosmological matter must be somewhat more massive and/or more weakly interacting than the favorite non-baryonic dark matter candidates of a few years ago.

Pregeometric origin of the big bang

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Akama, K.; Terazawa, H.; Tokyo Univ., Tanashi

1981-07-01

The temperature-dependent effective action for gravity is calculated in pregeometry. It indicates that the effective potential for the space-time metric has the minimum at the origin for extremely high temperature. The origin of the big bang can be taken as a local and spontaneous phase transition of the space-time from the pregeometric phase to the geometric one. It is suggested that in our universe there may exist ''pregeometric holes'' where the space-time metric absolutely vanishes and/or ''space-time discontinuities'' where the metric discretely changes. (author)

Correlation of human papillomavirus status with apparent diffusion coefficient of diffusion-weighted MRI in head and neck squamous cell carcinomas.

Science.gov (United States)

Driessen, Juliette P; van Bemmel, Alexander J M; van Kempen, Pauline M W; Janssen, Luuk M; Terhaard, Chris H J; Pameijer, Frank A; Willems, Stefan M; Stegeman, Inge; Grolman, Wilko; Philippens, Marielle E P

2016-04-01

Identification of prognostic patient characteristics in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is of great importance. Human papillomavirus (HPV)-positive HNSCCs have favorable response to (chemo)radiotherapy. Apparent diffusion coefficient, derived from diffusion-weighted MRI, has also shown to predict treatment response. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the correlation between HPV status and apparent diffusion coefficient. Seventy-three patients with histologically proven HNSCC were retrospectively analyzed. Mean pretreatment apparent diffusion coefficient was calculated by delineation of total tumor volume on diffusion-weighted MRI. HPV status was analyzed and correlated to apparent diffusion coefficient. Six HNSCCs were HPV-positive. HPV-positive HNSCC showed significantly lower apparent diffusion coefficient compared to HPV-negative. This correlation was independent of other patient characteristics. In HNSCC, positive HPV status correlates with low mean apparent diffusion coefficient. The favorable prognostic value of low pretreatment apparent diffusion coefficient might be partially attributed to patients with a positive HPV status. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 38: E613-E618, 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Prediction model to predict critical weight loss in patients with head and neck cancer during (chemo)radiotherapy.

Science.gov (United States)

Langius, Jacqueline A E; Twisk, Jos; Kampman, Martine; Doornaert, Patricia; Kramer, Mark H H; Weijs, Peter J M; Leemans, C René

2016-01-01

Patients with head and neck cancer (HNC) frequently encounter weight loss with multiple negative outcomes as a consequence. Adequate treatment is best achieved by early identification of patients at risk for critical weight loss. The objective of this study was to detect predictive factors for critical weight loss in patients with HNC receiving (chemo)radiotherapy ((C)RT). In this cohort study, 910 patients with HNC were included receiving RT (±surgery/concurrent chemotherapy) with curative intent. Body weight was measured at the start and end of (C)RT. Logistic regression and classification and regression tree (CART) analyses were used to analyse predictive factors for critical weight loss (defined as >5%) during (C)RT. Possible predictors included gender, age, WHO performance status, tumour location, TNM classification, treatment modality, RT technique (three-dimensional conformal RT (3D-RT) vs intensity-modulated RT (IMRT)), total dose on the primary tumour and RT on the elective or macroscopic lymph nodes. At the end of (C)RT, mean weight loss was 5.1±4.9%. Fifty percent of patients had critical weight loss during (C)RT. The main predictors for critical weight loss during (C)RT by both logistic and CART analyses were RT on the lymph nodes, higher RT dose on the primary tumour, receiving 3D-RT instead of IMRT, and younger age. Critical weight loss during (C)RT was prevalent in half of HNC patients. To predict critical weight loss, a practical prediction tree for adequate nutritional advice was developed, including the risk factors RT to the neck, higher RT dose, 3D-RT, and younger age. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

PELATIHAN PENGOLAHAN TEPUNG AMPAS KELAPA MENJADI BISKUIT DI DESA ADAT PENGLIPURAN, KABUPATEN BANGLI

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

I W. R. Widarta

2013-12-01

Full Text Available Penglipuran village located on Bangli sub-district in Bangli regency. Coconut is one of agricultural commoditiesin this village. Rural community in Penglipuran village are inexperienced how to make cookies by coconut-byproduct. The aim of these activities was to introduce cookies production by coconut-by product to increase theadded.value The Community Service was carried out by 2 methods, namely: first, information and discussionwith rural community about cookies. Second, cookies production training. There are 20 partisipant in this activity,including delegation of female farmer groups. They have given positif response for these valuable activity.

A matrix big bang

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Craps, Ben; Sethi, Savdeep; Verlinde, Erik

2005-01-01

The light-like linear dilaton background represents a particularly simple time-dependent 1/2 BPS solution of critical type-IIA superstring theory in ten dimensions. Its lift to M-theory, as well as its Einstein frame metric, are singular in the sense that the geometry is geodesically incomplete and the Riemann tensor diverges along a light-like subspace of codimension one. We study this background as a model for a big bang type singularity in string theory/M-theory. We construct the dual Matrix theory description in terms of a (1+1)-d supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory on a time-dependent world-sheet given by the Milne orbifold of (1+1)-d Minkowski space. Our model provides a framework in which the physics of the singularity appears to be under control

A matrix big bang

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Craps, Ben [Instituut voor Theoretische Fysica, Universiteit van Amsterdam, Valckenierstraat 65, 1018 XE Amsterdam (Netherlands); Sethi, Savdeep [Enrico Fermi Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637 (United States); Verlinde, Erik [Instituut voor Theoretische Fysica, Universiteit van Amsterdam, Valckenierstraat 65, 1018 XE Amsterdam (Netherlands)

2005-10-15

The light-like linear dilaton background represents a particularly simple time-dependent 1/2 BPS solution of critical type-IIA superstring theory in ten dimensions. Its lift to M-theory, as well as its Einstein frame metric, are singular in the sense that the geometry is geodesically incomplete and the Riemann tensor diverges along a light-like subspace of codimension one. We study this background as a model for a big bang type singularity in string theory/M-theory. We construct the dual Matrix theory description in terms of a (1+1)-d supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory on a time-dependent world-sheet given by the Milne orbifold of (1+1)-d Minkowski space. Our model provides a framework in which the physics of the singularity appears to be under control.

Length of Stay in Ambulatory Surgical Oncology Patients at High Risk for Sleep Apnea as Predicted by STOP-BANG Questionnaire

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Diwakar D. Balachandran

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Background. The STOP-BANG questionnaire has been used to identify surgical patients at risk for undiagnosed obstructive sleep apnea (OSA by classifying patients as low risk (LR if STOP-BANG score < 3 or high risk (HR if STOP-BANG score ≥ 3. Few studies have examined whether postoperative complications are increased in HR patients and none have been described in oncologic patients. Objective. This retrospective study examined if HR patients experience increased complications evidenced by an increased length of stay (LOS in the postanesthesia care unit (PACU. Methods. We retrospectively measured LOS and the frequency of oxygen desaturation (<93% in cancer patients who were given the STOP-BANG questionnaire prior to cystoscopy for urologic disease in an ambulatory surgery center. Results. The majority of patients in our study were men (77.7%, over the age of 50 (90.1%, and had BMI < 30 kg/m2 (88.4%. STOP-BANG results were obtained on 404 patients. Cumulative incidence of the time to discharge between HR and the LR groups was plotted. By 8 hours, LR patients showed a higher cumulative probability of being discharged early (80% versus 74%, P=0.008. Conclusions. Urologic oncology patients at HR for OSA based on the STOP-BANG questionnaire were less likely to be discharged early from the PACU compared to LR patients.

Observable gravitational waves in pre-big bang cosmology: an update

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gasperini, M., E-mail: gasperini@ba.infn.it [Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Bari, Via G. Amendola 173, 70126 Bari (Italy)

2016-12-01

In the light of the recent results concerning CMB observations and GW detection we address the question of whether it is possible, in a self-consistent inflationary framework, to simultaneously generate a spectrum of scalar metric perturbations in agreement with Planck data and a stochastic background of primordial gravitational radiation compatible with the design sensitivity of aLIGO/Virgo and/or eLISA. We suggest that this is possible in a string cosmology context, for a wide region of the parameter space of the so-called pre-big bang models. We also discuss the associated values of the tensor-to-scalar ratio relevant to the CMB polarization experiments. We conclude that future, cross-correlated results from CMB observations and GW detectors will be able to confirm or disprove pre-big bang models and—in any case—will impose new significant constraints on the basic string theory/cosmology parameters.

Introduction to Big Bang nucleosynthesis - Open and closed models, anisotropies

Science.gov (United States)

Tayler, R. J.

1982-10-01

A variety of observations suggest that the universe had a hot dense origin and that the pregalactic composition of the universe was determined by nuclear reactions that occurred in the first few minutes. There is no unique hot Big Bang theory, but the simplest version produces a primeval chemical composition that is in good qualitative agreement with the abundances deduced from observation. Whether or not any Big Bang theory will provide quantitative agreement with observations depends on a variety of factors in elementary particle physics (number and masses of stable or long-lived particles, half-life of neutron, structure of grand unified theories) and from observational astronomy (present mean baryon density of the universe, the Hubble constant and deceleration parameter). The influence of these factors on the abundances is discussed, as is the effect of departures from homogeneity and isotropy in the early universe.

Observable gravitational waves in pre-big bang cosmology: an update

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gasperini, M.

2016-01-01

In the light of the recent results concerning CMB observations and GW detection we address the question of whether it is possible, in a self-consistent inflationary framework, to simultaneously generate a spectrum of scalar metric perturbations in agreement with Planck data and a stochastic background of primordial gravitational radiation compatible with the design sensitivity of aLIGO/Virgo and/or eLISA. We suggest that this is possible in a string cosmology context, for a wide region of the parameter space of the so-called pre-big bang models. We also discuss the associated values of the tensor-to-scalar ratio relevant to the CMB polarization experiments. We conclude that future, cross-correlated results from CMB observations and GW detectors will be able to confirm or disprove pre-big bang models and—in any case—will impose new significant constraints on the basic string theory/cosmology parameters.

Introduction to Big Bang nucleosynthesis: open and closed models, anisotropies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Taylor, R.J.

1982-01-01

A variety of observations suggest that the Universe had a hot dense origin and that the pregalactic composition of the Universe was determined by nuclear reactions that occurred in the first few minutes. There is no unique hot Big Bang theory, but the simplest version produces a primeval chemical composition that is in good qualitative agreement with the abundances deduced from observation. Whether or not any Big Bang theory will provide quantitative agreement with observations depends on a variety of factors in elementary particle physics (number and masses of stable or long-lived particles, half-life of neutron, structure of grand unified theories) and from observational astronomy (present mean baryon density of the Universe, the Hubble constant and deceleration parameter). The influence of these factors on the abundances is discussed, as is the effect of departures from homogeneity and isotropy in the early Universe. (author)

Science Big Bang comes to the Alps

CERN Multimedia

2008-01-01

The most extensive and expensive scientific instrument in history is due to start working this summer at Cern, the European particle physics laboratory near Geneva. Two beams of protons will accelerate in opposite directions around a 27km tunnel under the Alpine foothills until they are travelling almost at the speed of light - and then smash together, reproducing on a tiny scale the intense energy of the new-born universe after the inaugural Big Bang 15bn years ago.

Live Speech Driven Head-and-Eye Motion Generators.

Science.gov (United States)

Le, Binh H; Ma, Xiaohan; Deng, Zhigang

2012-11-01

This paper describes a fully automated framework to generate realistic head motion, eye gaze, and eyelid motion simultaneously based on live (or recorded) speech input. Its central idea is to learn separate yet interrelated statistical models for each component (head motion, gaze, or eyelid motion) from a prerecorded facial motion data set: 1) Gaussian Mixture Models and gradient descent optimization algorithm are employed to generate head motion from speech features; 2) Nonlinear Dynamic Canonical Correlation Analysis model is used to synthesize eye gaze from head motion and speech features, and 3) nonnegative linear regression is used to model voluntary eye lid motion and log-normal distribution is used to describe involuntary eye blinks. Several user studies are conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed speech-driven head and eye motion generator using the well-established paired comparison methodology. Our evaluation results clearly show that this approach can significantly outperform the state-of-the-art head and eye motion generation algorithms. In addition, a novel mocap+video hybrid data acquisition technique is introduced to record high-fidelity head movement, eye gaze, and eyelid motion simultaneously.

Mapping the cold glow of the big bang

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bennett, Charles (National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Greenbelt, MD (USA). Goddard Space Flight Center)

1991-08-10

The United States has recently launched a satellite solely dedicated to cosmology in an attempt to provide insight into the early formation of the Universe. The Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) satellite is producing astonishing precise data which supports the Big Bang theory of the Universe's origins. Continued analysis of COBE data may provide clues as to how stars and galaxies formed. (UK).

MR of head and neck hemangiomas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bilaniuk, L.T.; Zimmerman, R.A.; Gusnard, D.A.

1990-01-01

This paper defines the MR characteristics of head and neck hemangiomas and to evaluate the role of MR in their diagnosis and management. Eighteen pediatric and young adult patients with head and neck hemangiomas (six neck, six face, three eyelid, two scalp, and one parotid) underwent high-field-strength 1.5-T MR imaging. Conventional spin-echo sequences with T1 and T2 weighting were performed. In addition, one-third of patients underwent MR angiography and gadolinium enhancement. The hemangiomas were isointense to muscle on T1-weighted images and hyperintense on proton-density and T2-weighted images

BiCluE - Exact and heuristic algorithms for weighted bi-cluster editing of biomedical data

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sun, Peng; Guo, Jiong; Baumbach, Jan

2013-01-01

to solve the weighted bi-cluster editing problem. It implements (1) an exact algorithm based on fixed-parameter tractability and (2) a polynomial-time greedy heuristics based on solving the hardest part, edge deletions, first. We evaluated its performance on artificial graphs. Afterwards we exemplarily...... problem. BiCluE as well as the supplementary results are available online at http://biclue.mpi-inf.mpg.de webcite....

Big Bang nucleosynthesis in crisis?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hata, N.; Scherrer, R.J.; Steigman, G.; Thomas, D.; Walker, T.P.; Bludman, S.; Langacker, P.

1995-01-01

A new evaluation of the constraint on the number of light neutrino species (N ν ) from big bang nucleosynthesis suggests a discrepancy between the predicted light element abundances and those inferred from observations, unless the inferred primordial 4 He abundance has been underestimated by 0.014±0.004 (1σ) or less than 10% (95% C.L.) of 3 He survives stellar processing. With the quoted systematic errors in the observed abundances and a conservative chemical evolution parametrization, the best fit to the combined data is N ν =2.1±0.3 (1σ) and the upper limit is N ν ν =3) at the 98.6% C.L. copyright 1995 The American Physical Society

Advertisement Click-Through Rate Prediction Based on the Weighted-ELM and Adaboost Algorithm

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sen Zhang

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Accurate click-through rate (CTR prediction can not only improve the advertisement company’s reputation and revenue, but also help the advertisers to optimize the advertising performance. There are two main unsolved problems of the CTR prediction: low prediction accuracy due to the imbalanced distribution of the advertising data and the lack of the real-time advertisement bidding implementation. In this paper, we will develop a novel online CTR prediction approach by incorporating the real-time bidding (RTB advertising by the following strategies: user profile system is constructed from the historical data of the RTB advertising to describe the user features, the historical CTR features, the ID features, and the other numerical features. A novel CTR prediction approach is presented to address the imbalanced learning sample distribution by integrating the Weighted-ELM (WELM and the Adaboost algorithm. Compared to the commonly used algorithms, the proposed approach can improve the CTR significantly.

Driver head pose tracking with thermal camera

Science.gov (United States)

Bole, S.; Fournier, C.; Lavergne, C.; Druart, G.; Lépine, T.

2016-09-01

Head pose can be seen as a coarse estimation of gaze direction. In automotive industry, knowledge about gaze direction could optimize Human-Machine Interface (HMI) and Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS). Pose estimation systems are often based on camera when applications have to be contactless. In this paper, we explore uncooled thermal imagery (8-14μm) for its intrinsic night vision capabilities and for its invariance versus lighting variations. Two methods are implemented and compared, both are aided by a 3D model of the head. The 3D model, mapped with thermal texture, allows to synthesize a base of 2D projected models, differently oriented and labeled in yaw and pitch. The first method is based on keypoints. Keypoints of models are matched with those of the query image. These sets of matchings, aided with the 3D shape of the model, allow to estimate 3D pose. The second method is a global appearance approach. Among all 2D models of the base, algorithm searches the one which is the closest to the query image thanks to a weighted least squares difference.

Big Bang nucleosynthesis: Accelerator tests and can Ω/sub B/ really be large

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schramm, D.N.

1987-10-01

The first collider tests of cosmological theory are now underway. The number of neutrino families in nature, N/sub nu/, plays a key role in elementary particle physics as well as in the synthesis of the light elements during the early evolution of the Universe. Standard Big Bang Nucleosynthesis argues for N/sub nu/ = 3 +- 1. Current limits on N/sub nu/ from the CERN anti pp collider and e + e - colliders are presented and compared to the cosmological bound. Supernova SN 1987A is also shown to give a limit on N/sub nu/ comparable to current accelerator bounds. All numbers are found to be small thus verifying the Big Bang model at an earlier epoch than is possible by traditional astronomical observations. Future measurements at SLC and LEP will further tighten this argument. Another key prediction of the standard Big Bang Nucleosynthesis is that the baryon density must be small (Ω/sub B/ ≤ 0.1). Recent attempts to try to subvert this argument using homogeneities of various types are shown to run afoul of the 7 Li abundance which has now become a rather firm constraint. 18 refs., 2 figs

Dynamic Inertia Weight Binary Bat Algorithm with Neighborhood Search

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xingwang Huang

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Binary bat algorithm (BBA is a binary version of the bat algorithm (BA. It has been proven that BBA is competitive compared to other binary heuristic algorithms. Since the update processes of velocity in the algorithm are consistent with BA, in some cases, this algorithm also faces the premature convergence problem. This paper proposes an improved binary bat algorithm (IBBA to solve this problem. To evaluate the performance of IBBA, standard benchmark functions and zero-one knapsack problems have been employed. The numeric results obtained by benchmark functions experiment prove that the proposed approach greatly outperforms the original BBA and binary particle swarm optimization (BPSO. Compared with several other heuristic algorithms on zero-one knapsack problems, it also verifies that the proposed algorithm is more able to avoid local minima.

A new cluster algorithm for graphs

NARCIS (Netherlands)

S. van Dongen

1998-01-01

textabstractA new cluster algorithm for graphs called the emph{Markov Cluster algorithm ($MCL$ algorithm) is introduced. The graphs may be both weighted (with nonnegative weight) and directed. Let~$G$~be such a graph. The $MCL$ algorithm simulates flow in $G$ by first identifying $G$ in a

Broiler weight estimation based on machine vision and artificial neural network.

Science.gov (United States)

Amraei, S; Abdanan Mehdizadeh, S; Salari, S

2017-04-01

1. Machine vision and artificial neural network (ANN) procedures were used to estimate live body weight of broiler chickens in 30 1-d-old broiler chickens reared for 42 d. 2. Imaging was performed two times daily. To localise chickens within the pen, an ellipse fitting algorithm was used and the chickens' head and tail removed using the Chan-Vese method. 3. The correlations between the body weight and 6 physical extracted features indicated that there were strong correlations between body weight and the 5 features including area, perimeter, convex area, major and minor axis length. 5. According to statistical analysis there was no significant difference between morning and afternoon data over 42 d. 6. In an attempt to improve the accuracy of live weight approximation different ANN techniques, including Bayesian regulation, Levenberg-Marquardt, Scaled conjugate gradient and gradient descent were used. Bayesian regulation with R 2 value of 0.98 was the best network for prediction of broiler weight. 7. The accuracy of the machine vision technique was examined and most errors were less than 50 g.

Astrophysical S-factor for destructive reactions of lithium-7 in big bang nucleosynthesis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Komatsubara, Tetsuro; Kwon, YoungKwan; Moon, JunYoung; Kim, Yong-Kyun [Rare Isotope Science Project, Institute for Basic Science, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Moon, Chang-Bum [Hoseo University, Asan, Chungnam (Korea, Republic of); Ozawa, Akira; Sasa, Kimikazu; Onishi, Takahiro; Yuasa, Toshiaki; Okada, Shunsuke; Saito, Yuta [Division of Physics, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki (Japan); Hayakawa, Takehito; Shizuma, Toshiyuki [Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Shirakata Shirane, Tokai, Ibaraki (Japan); Kubono, Shigeru [RIKEN, Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama (Japan); Kusakabe, Motohiko [School of Liberal Arts and Science, Korea Aerospace University (Korea, Republic of); Kajino, Toshitaka [National Astronomical Observatory, Osawa, Mitaka, Tokyo (Japan)

2014-05-02

One of the most prominent success with the Big Bang models is the precise reproduction of mass abundance ratio for {sup 4}He. In spite of the success, abundances of lithium isotopes are still inconsistent between observations and their calculated results, which is known as lithium abundance problem. Since the calculations were based on the experimental reaction data together with theoretical estimations, more precise experimental measurements may improve the knowledge of the Big Bang nucleosynthesis. As one of the destruction process of lithium-7, we have performed measurements for the reaction cross sections of the {sup 7}L({sup 3}He,p){sup 9}Be reaction.

The STOP-BANG questionnaire as a screening tool for obstructive sleep apneainduced hypertension in Asian population

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tanut Pavarangkul

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA is a common public health issue. If left untreated, OSA may cause a large health economic burden from cardiovascular complications particularly stroke. The diagnosis of OSA can be made by polysomnography, but its availability is limited in the developing countries in Asia. STOP-BANG questionnaire is a good screening tool but may need some adjustment for Asian population. STOP-BANG stands for: Snoring history, Tired during the day, Observed stop breathing while sleep, High blood pressure, body mass index (BMI more than 35 kg/m2, Age more than 50 years, Neck circumference more than 40 cm and male Gender. We compared clinical features in STOP-BANG questionnaire between 42 OSA induced hypertension patients and 82 healthy control subjects in the Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Thailand. The best cutoff point for the BMI and the neck circumference were 24.5 kg/m2 and 36 cm, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of the BMI cutoff point were 97.2% and 91.40, while those of the neck circumference were 94.7% and 82.9%. In conclusion, the appropriate cutoff points of BMI and neck circumference for Thai STOP-BANG questionnaire were 25 kg/m2 and 36 cm.

Science: Big Bang comes to the Alps

CERN Multimedia

Cookson, Clive

2008-01-01

"The most extensive and expensive scientific instrument in history is due to start working this summer at CERN, the European particle physics laboratory near Geneva. Two beams of protons will accelerate in opposite directions around a 27 km tunnel under the alpine foothills until they are travelling almost at the speed of light - and then smash together, reproducing on a tiny scale the intense energy of the new-born universe after the inaugural Big Bang 15bn years ago. (1 page)

Pre - big bang inflation requires fine tuning

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Turner, Michael S. [Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL), Batavia, IL (United States); Weinberg, Erick J. [Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL), Batavia, IL (United States)

1997-10-01

The pre-big-bang cosmology inspired by superstring theories has been suggested as an alternative to slow-roll inflation. We analyze, in both the Jordan and Einstein frames, the effect of spatial curvature on this scenario and show that too much curvature --- of either sign --- reduces the duration of the inflationary era to such an extent that the flatness and horizon problems are not solved. Hence, a fine-tuning of initial conditions is required to obtain enough inflation to solve the cosmological problems.

Hot origin of the Little Bang

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Akkelin, S.V. [Bogolyubov Institute for Theoretical Physics, Kiev (Ukraine); Universitaet Heidelberg, Institut fuer Theoretische Physik, Heidelberg (Germany); GSI Helmholtzzentrum fuer Schwerionenforschung, ExtreMe Matter Institute EMMI, Darmstadt (Germany)

2017-12-15

Ultrarelativistic heavy ion collisions produce a quark-gluon matter which lies in the future light cone originating from given points on the t = z = 0 plane of the Minkowski spacetime manifold. We show that in a weak coupling regime the Minkowski vacuum of massless fields presents itself in the ''Little Bang'' region as a thermal state of low p{sub T} particles, in close analogy to the Unruh effect for uniformly accelerated observers which are causally restricted to a Rindler wedge. It can shed some light on the mechanisms of early time thermalization in ultrarelativistic heavy ion collisions. (orig.)

Astrophysical Li-7 as a product of big bang nucleosynthesis and galactic cosmic-ray spallation

Science.gov (United States)

Olive, Keith A.; Schramm, David N.

1992-01-01

The astrophysical Li-7 abundance is considered to be largely primordial, while the Be and B abundances are thought to be due to galactic cosmic ray (GCR) spallation reactions on top of a much smaller big bang component. But GCR spallation should also produce Li-7. As a consistency check on the combination of big bang nucleosynthesis and GCR spallation, the Be and B data from a sample of hot population II stars is used to subtract from the measured Li-7 abundance an estimate of the amount generated by GCR spallation for each star in the sample, and then to add to this baseline an estimate of the metallicity-dependent augmentation of Li-7 due to spallation. The singly reduced primordial Li-7 abundance is still consistent with big bang nucleosynthesis, and a single GCR spallation model can fit the Be, B, and corrected Li-7 abundances for all the stars in the sample.

Meta-heuristic algorithms for parallel identical machines scheduling problem with weighted late work criterion and common due date.

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Zhenzhen; Zou, Yongxing; Kong, Xiangjie

2015-01-01

To our knowledge, this paper investigates the first application of meta-heuristic algorithms to tackle the parallel machines scheduling problem with weighted late work criterion and common due date ([Formula: see text]). Late work criterion is one of the performance measures of scheduling problems which considers the length of late parts of particular jobs when evaluating the quality of scheduling. Since this problem is known to be NP-hard, three meta-heuristic algorithms, namely ant colony system, genetic algorithm, and simulated annealing are designed and implemented, respectively. We also propose a novel algorithm named LDF (largest density first) which is improved from LPT (longest processing time first). The computational experiments compared these meta-heuristic algorithms with LDF, LPT and LS (list scheduling), and the experimental results show that SA performs the best in most cases. However, LDF is better than SA in some conditions, moreover, the running time of LDF is much shorter than SA.

Accelerating adaptive inverse distance weighting interpolation algorithm on a graphics processing unit.

Science.gov (United States)

Mei, Gang; Xu, Liangliang; Xu, Nengxiong

2017-09-01

This paper focuses on designing and implementing parallel adaptive inverse distance weighting (AIDW) interpolation algorithms by using the graphics processing unit (GPU). The AIDW is an improved version of the standard IDW, which can adaptively determine the power parameter according to the data points' spatial distribution pattern and achieve more accurate predictions than those predicted by IDW. In this paper, we first present two versions of the GPU-accelerated AIDW, i.e. the naive version without profiting from the shared memory and the tiled version taking advantage of the shared memory. We also implement the naive version and the tiled version using two data layouts, structure of arrays and array of aligned structures, on both single and double precision. We then evaluate the performance of parallel AIDW by comparing it with its corresponding serial algorithm on three different machines equipped with the GPUs GT730M, M5000 and K40c. The experimental results indicate that: (i) there is no significant difference in the computational efficiency when different data layouts are employed; (ii) the tiled version is always slightly faster than the naive version; and (iii) on single precision the achieved speed-up can be up to 763 (on the GPU M5000), while on double precision the obtained highest speed-up is 197 (on the GPU K40c). To benefit the community, all source code and testing data related to the presented parallel AIDW algorithm are publicly available.

SU-E-J-224: Multimodality Segmentation of Head and Neck Tumors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aristophanous, M; Yang, J; Beadle, B

2014-01-01

Purpose: Develop an algorithm that is able to automatically segment tumor volume in Head and Neck cancer by integrating information from CT, PET and MR imaging simultaneously. Methods: Twenty three patients that were recruited under an adaptive radiotherapy protocol had MR, CT and PET/CT scans within 2 months prior to start of radiotherapy. The patients had unresectable disease and were treated either with chemoradiotherapy or radiation therapy alone. Using the Velocity software, the PET/CT and MR (T1 weighted+contrast) scans were registered to the planning CT using deformable and rigid registration respectively. The PET and MR images were then resampled according to the registration to match the planning CT. The resampled images, together with the planning CT, were fed into a multi-channel segmentation algorithm, which is based on Gaussian mixture models and solved with the expectation-maximization algorithm and Markov random fields. A rectangular region of interest (ROI) was manually placed to identify the tumor area and facilitate the segmentation process. The auto-segmented tumor contours were compared with the gross tumor volume (GTV) manually defined by the physician. The volume difference and Dice similarity coefficient (DSC) between the manual and autosegmented GTV contours were calculated as the quantitative evaluation metrics. Results: The multimodality segmentation algorithm was applied to all 23 patients. The volumes of the auto-segmented GTV ranged from 18.4cc to 32.8cc. The average (range) volume difference between the manual and auto-segmented GTV was −42% (−32.8%–63.8%). The average DSC value was 0.62, ranging from 0.39 to 0.78. Conclusion: An algorithm for the automated definition of tumor volume using multiple imaging modalities simultaneously was successfully developed and implemented for Head and Neck cancer. This development along with more accurate registration algorithms can aid physicians in the efforts to interpret the multitude of

SU-E-J-224: Multimodality Segmentation of Head and Neck Tumors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aristophanous, M; Yang, J; Beadle, B [UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX (United States)

2014-06-01

Purpose: Develop an algorithm that is able to automatically segment tumor volume in Head and Neck cancer by integrating information from CT, PET and MR imaging simultaneously. Methods: Twenty three patients that were recruited under an adaptive radiotherapy protocol had MR, CT and PET/CT scans within 2 months prior to start of radiotherapy. The patients had unresectable disease and were treated either with chemoradiotherapy or radiation therapy alone. Using the Velocity software, the PET/CT and MR (T1 weighted+contrast) scans were registered to the planning CT using deformable and rigid registration respectively. The PET and MR images were then resampled according to the registration to match the planning CT. The resampled images, together with the planning CT, were fed into a multi-channel segmentation algorithm, which is based on Gaussian mixture models and solved with the expectation-maximization algorithm and Markov random fields. A rectangular region of interest (ROI) was manually placed to identify the tumor area and facilitate the segmentation process. The auto-segmented tumor contours were compared with the gross tumor volume (GTV) manually defined by the physician. The volume difference and Dice similarity coefficient (DSC) between the manual and autosegmented GTV contours were calculated as the quantitative evaluation metrics. Results: The multimodality segmentation algorithm was applied to all 23 patients. The volumes of the auto-segmented GTV ranged from 18.4cc to 32.8cc. The average (range) volume difference between the manual and auto-segmented GTV was −42% (−32.8%–63.8%). The average DSC value was 0.62, ranging from 0.39 to 0.78. Conclusion: An algorithm for the automated definition of tumor volume using multiple imaging modalities simultaneously was successfully developed and implemented for Head and Neck cancer. This development along with more accurate registration algorithms can aid physicians in the efforts to interpret the multitude of

Avascular necrosis of femoral head: findings of contrast-enhanced MR imaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shin, Yong Moon; Kang, Heung Sik; Kim, Chu Wan; Kim, Hee Joong; Kim, Young Min

1995-01-01

To evaluate the findings and the role of contrast enhanced magnetic resonance imaging in avascular necrosis of femoral head. Sixteen patients with avascular necorsis of femoral head were examined with MRI. T1-weighted and T2-weighted image and contrast-enhanced T1-weighted images were obtained. Enhancing characteristics of the necrotic area and synovium were determined. Also a change of the disease extent after enhancement was assessed. Twenty seven avascular necrosis of the femoral head including 11 cases of bilateral lesion were detected. Fifteen cases revealed collapse of the femoral head. The portions of the lesion with low signal intensity on T1-weighted images and high signal intensity on T2-weighted images showed contrast enhancement in 15 cases. However, the potions with low signal intensities both on T1 and T2-weighted images showed enhancement in one case. There was no significant change of the disease extent after enhancement. Synovium showed enhancement in 18 cases, and joint effusion was detected in 23 cases. Contrast enhanced MR images may be helpful in predicting histopathologic findings of avascular necrosis of the femoral head, but not useful for evaluating the extent of disease

Avascular necrosis of femoral head: findings of contrast-enhanced MR imaging

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shin, Yong Moon; Kang, Heung Sik; Kim, Chu Wan; Kim, Hee Joong; Kim, Young Min [Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

1995-06-15

To evaluate the findings and the role of contrast enhanced magnetic resonance imaging in avascular necrosis of femoral head. Sixteen patients with avascular necorsis of femoral head were examined with MRI. T1-weighted and T2-weighted image and contrast-enhanced T1-weighted images were obtained. Enhancing characteristics of the necrotic area and synovium were determined. Also a change of the disease extent after enhancement was assessed. Twenty seven avascular necrosis of the femoral head including 11 cases of bilateral lesion were detected. Fifteen cases revealed collapse of the femoral head. The portions of the lesion with low signal intensity on T1-weighted images and high signal intensity on T2-weighted images showed contrast enhancement in 15 cases. However, the potions with low signal intensities both on T1 and T2-weighted images showed enhancement in one case. There was no significant change of the disease extent after enhancement. Synovium showed enhancement in 18 cases, and joint effusion was detected in 23 cases. Contrast enhanced MR images may be helpful in predicting histopathologic findings of avascular necrosis of the femoral head, but not useful for evaluating the extent of disease.

Cosmic inflation and big bang interpreted as explosions

Science.gov (United States)

Rebhan, E.

2012-12-01

It has become common understanding that the recession of galaxies and the corresponding redshift of light received from them can only be explained by an expansion of the space between them and us. In this paper, for the presently favored case of a universe without spatial curvature, it is shown that this interpretation is restricted to comoving coordinates. It is proven by construction that within the framework of general relativity other coordinates exist in relation to which these phenomena can be explained by a motion of the cosmic substrate across space, caused by an explosionlike big bang or by inflation preceding an almost big bang. At the place of an observer, this motion occurs without any spatial expansion. It is shown that in these “explosion coordinates” the usual redshift comes about by a Doppler shift and a subsequent gravitational shift. Making use of this interpretation, it can easily be understood why in comoving coordinates light rays of short spatial extension expand and thus constitute an exemption from the rule that small objects up to the size of the solar system or even galaxies do not participate in the expansion of the universe. It is also discussed how the two interpretations can be reconciled with each other.

Big bang nucleosynthesis: The standard model and alternatives

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schramm, D.N.

1991-01-01

Big bang nucleosynthesis provides (with the microwave background radiation) one of the two quantitative experimental tests of the big bang cosmological model. This paper reviews the standard homogeneous-isotropic calculation and shows how it fits the light element abundances ranging from 4 He at 24% by mass through 2 H and 3 He at parts in 10 5 down to 7 Li at parts in 10 10 . Furthermore, the recent LEP (and SLC) results on the number of neutrinos are discussed as a positive laboratory test of the standard scenario. Discussion is presented on the improved observational data as well as the improved neutron lifetime data. Alternate scenarios of decaying matter or of quark-hadron induced inhomogeneities are discussed. It is shown that when these scenarios are made to fit the observed abundances accurately, the resulting conclusions on the baryonic density relative to the critical density, Ω b , remain approximately the same as in the standard homogeneous case, thus, adding to the robustness of the conclusion that Ω b ≅0.06. This latter point is the driving force behind the need for non-baryonic dark matter (assuming Ω total =1) and the need for dark baryonic matter, since Ω visible b . (orig.)

Big bang nucleosynthesis constraints on bulk neutrinos

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goh, H.S.; Mohapatra, R.N.

2002-01-01

We examine the constraints imposed by the requirement of successful nucleosynthesis on models with one large extra hidden space dimension and a single bulk neutrino residing in this dimension. We solve the Boltzmann kinetic equation for the thermal distribution of the Kaluza-Klein modes and evaluate their contribution to the energy density at the big bang nucleosynthesis epoch to constrain the size of the extra dimension R -1 ≡μ and the parameter sin 2 2θ which characterizes the mixing between the active and bulk neutrinos

Weighted network modules

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Farkas, Illes; Abel, Daniel; Palla, Gergely; Vicsek, Tamas

2007-01-01

The inclusion of link weights into the analysis of network properties allows a deeper insight into the (often overlapping) modular structure of real-world webs. We introduce a clustering algorithm clique percolation method with weights (CPMw) for weighted networks based on the concept of percolating k-cliques with high enough intensity. The algorithm allows overlaps between the modules. First, we give detailed analytical and numerical results about the critical point of weighted k-clique percolation on (weighted) Erdos-Renyi graphs. Then, for a scientist collaboration web and a stock correlation graph we compute three-link weight correlations and with the CPMw the weighted modules. After reshuffling link weights in both networks and computing the same quantities for the randomized control graphs as well, we show that groups of three or more strong links prefer to cluster together in both original graphs

Out of the white hole: a holographic origin for the Big Bang

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pourhasan, Razieh; Afshordi, Niayesh; Mann, Robert B.

2014-01-01

While most of the singularities of General Relativity are expected to be safely hidden behind event horizons by the cosmic censorship conjecture, we happen to live in the causal future of the classical Big Bang singularity, whose resolution constitutes the active field of early universe cosmology. Could the Big Bang be also hidden behind a causal horizon, making us immune to the decadent impacts of a naked singularity? We describe a braneworld description of cosmology with both 4d induced and 5D bulk gravity (otherwise known as Dvali-Gabadadze-Porati, or DGP model), which exhibits this feature: the universe emerges as a spherical 3-brane out of the formation of a 5D Schwarzschild black hole. In particular, we show that a pressure singularity of the holographic fluid, discovered earlier, happens inside the white hole horizon, and thus need not be real or imply any pathology. Furthermore, we outline a novel mechanism through which any thermal atmosphere for the brane, with comoving temperature of ∼20% of the 5D Planck mass can induce scale-invariant primordial curvature perturbations on the brane, circumventing the need for a separate process (such as cosmic inflation) to explain current cosmological observations. Finally, we note that 5D space-time is asymptotically flat, and thus potentially allows an S-matrix or (after minor modifications) an AdS/CFT description of the cosmological Big Bang

Out of the white hole: a holographic origin for the Big Bang

Science.gov (United States)

Pourhasan, Razieh; Afshordi, Niayesh; Mann, Robert B.

2014-04-01

While most of the singularities of General Relativity are expected to be safely hidden behind event horizons by the cosmic censorship conjecture, we happen to live in the causal future of the classical Big Bang singularity, whose resolution constitutes the active field of early universe cosmology. Could the Big Bang be also hidden behind a causal horizon, making us immune to the decadent impacts of a naked singularity? We describe a braneworld description of cosmology with both 4d induced and 5D bulk gravity (otherwise known as Dvali-Gabadadze-Porati, or DGP model), which exhibits this feature: the universe emerges as a spherical 3-brane out of the formation of a 5D Schwarzschild black hole. In particular, we show that a pressure singularity of the holographic fluid, discovered earlier, happens inside the white hole horizon, and thus need not be real or imply any pathology. Furthermore, we outline a novel mechanism through which any thermal atmosphere for the brane, with comoving temperature of ~20% of the 5D Planck mass can induce scale-invariant primordial curvature perturbations on the brane, circumventing the need for a separate process (such as cosmic inflation) to explain current cosmological observations. Finally, we note that 5D space-time is asymptotically flat, and thus potentially allows an S-matrix or (after minor modifications) an AdS/CFT description of the cosmological Big Bang.

Out of the white hole: a holographic origin for the Big Bang

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pourhasan, Razieh; Afshordi, Niayesh; Mann, Robert B., E-mail: rpourhasan@perimeterinstitute.ca, E-mail: nafshordi@pitp.ca, E-mail: rbmann@uwaterloo.ca [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Waterloo, 200 University Ave. W., Waterloo, Ontario, N2L 3G1 Canada (Canada)

2014-04-01

While most of the singularities of General Relativity are expected to be safely hidden behind event horizons by the cosmic censorship conjecture, we happen to live in the causal future of the classical Big Bang singularity, whose resolution constitutes the active field of early universe cosmology. Could the Big Bang be also hidden behind a causal horizon, making us immune to the decadent impacts of a naked singularity? We describe a braneworld description of cosmology with both 4d induced and 5D bulk gravity (otherwise known as Dvali-Gabadadze-Porati, or DGP model), which exhibits this feature: the universe emerges as a spherical 3-brane out of the formation of a 5D Schwarzschild black hole. In particular, we show that a pressure singularity of the holographic fluid, discovered earlier, happens inside the white hole horizon, and thus need not be real or imply any pathology. Furthermore, we outline a novel mechanism through which any thermal atmosphere for the brane, with comoving temperature of ∼20% of the 5D Planck mass can induce scale-invariant primordial curvature perturbations on the brane, circumventing the need for a separate process (such as cosmic inflation) to explain current cosmological observations. Finally, we note that 5D space-time is asymptotically flat, and thus potentially allows an S-matrix or (after minor modifications) an AdS/CFT description of the cosmological Big Bang.

Motion control of the Twente humanoid head

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Visser, L.C.; Carloni, Raffaella; Stramigioli, Stefano

2009-01-01

In this work, we present the design and the realization of the motion control algorithm implemented in the Twente hu- manoid head, a seven degrees of freedom (dof) robotic sys- tem. The aim of the project is to have a humanoid head that can serve as a research platform for human-machine interac-

Wear resistant performance of highly cross-linked and annealed ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene against ceramic heads in total hip arthroplasty.

Science.gov (United States)

Sato, Taishi; Nakashima, Yasuharu; Akiyama, Mio; Yamamoto, Takuaki; Mawatari, Taro; Itokawa, Takashi; Ohishi, Masanobu; Motomura, Goro; Hirata, Masanobu; Iwamoto, Yukihide

2012-12-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of ceramic femoral head material, size, and implantation periods on the wear of annealed, cross-linked ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) (XLPE) in total hip arthroplasty compared to non-cross-linked conventional UHMWPE (CPE). XLPE was fabricated by cross-linking with 60 kGy irradiation and annealing. Femoral heads made from zirconia and alumina ceramics and cobalt-chrome (CoCr) of 22 or 26 mm diameter were used. In this retrospective cohort study, the femoral head penetration into the cup was measured digitally on radiographs of 367 hips with XLPE and 64 hips with CPE. The average follow-up periods were 6.3 and 11.9 years, respectively. Both XLPE creep and wear rates were significantly lower than those of CPE (0.19 mm vs. 0.44 mm, 0.0001 mm/year vs. 0.09 mm/year, respectively). Zirconia displayed increased wear rates compared to alumina in CPE; however, there was no difference among head materials in XLPE (0.0008, 0.00007, and -0.009 mm/year for zirconia, alumina, and CoCr, respectively). Neither head size or implantation period impacted XLPE wear. In contrast to CPE, XLPE displayed low wear rates surpassing the effects of varying femoral head material, size, implantation period, and patient demographics. Further follow-up is required to determine the long-term clinical performance of the annealed XLPE. Copyright © 2012 Orthopaedic Research Society.

Was the Big Bang hot?

Science.gov (United States)

Wright, E. L.

1983-01-01

Techniques for verifying the spectrum defined by Woody and Richards (WR, 1981), which serves as a base for dust-distorted models of the 3 K background, are discussed. WR detected a sharp deviation from the Planck curve in the 3 K background. The absolute intensity of the background may be determined by the frequency dependence of the dipole anisotropy of the background or the frequency dependence effect in galactic clusters. Both methods involve the Doppler shift; analytical formulae are defined for characterization of the dipole anisotropy. The measurement of the 30-300 GHz spectra of cold galactic dust may reveal the presence of significant amounts of needle-shaped grains, which would in turn support a theory of a cold Big Bang.

The Last Big Bang

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

McGuire, Austin D. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Meade, Roger Allen [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

2016-09-13

As one of the very few people in the world to give the “go/no go” decision to detonate a nuclear device, Austin “Mac” McGuire holds a very special place in the history of both the Los Alamos National Laboratory and the world. As Commander of Joint Task Force Unit 8.1.1, on Christmas Island in the spring and summer of 1962, Mac directed the Los Alamos data collection efforts for twelve of the last atmospheric nuclear detonations conducted by the United States. Since data collection was at the heart of nuclear weapon testing, it fell to Mac to make the ultimate decision to detonate each test device. He calls his experience THE LAST BIG BANG, since these tests, part of Operation Dominic, were characterized by the dramatic displays of the heat, light, and sounds unique to atmospheric nuclear detonations – never, perhaps, to be witnessed again.

A Guided Inquiry on Hubble Plots and the Big Bang

Science.gov (United States)

Forringer, Ted

2014-01-01

In our science for non-science majors course "21st Century Physics," we investigate modern "Hubble plots" (plots of velocity versus distance for deep space objects) in order to discuss the Big Bang, dark matter, and dark energy. There are two potential challenges that our students face when encountering these topics for the…

The Big Bang: UK Young Scientists' and Engineers' Fair 2010

Science.gov (United States)

Allison, Simon

2010-01-01

The Big Bang: UK Young Scientists' and Engineers' Fair is an annual three-day event designed to promote science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) careers to young people aged 7-19 through experiential learning. It is supported by stakeholders from business and industry, government and the community, and brings together people from various…

Big Bang pour le grand public - French version only

CERN Multimedia

2004-01-01

Pour commémorer les 50 ans du CERN et l'année de la physique en 2005, la section de physique de l'Université de Genève ouvre une fois de plus ses portes aux non initiés et organise une série de conférences de vulgarisation scientifique. La première conférence, le 7 décembre prochain aura pour thème le Big-Bang et les observations qui corroborent cette théorie. Le Professeur Georges Meylan, Directeur du Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de l'EPFL, donnera cette conférence destinée à tous les publics. Chacune des conférences débutera par une démonstration de détection de rayons cosmiques dans l'auditoire et l'utilisation de ces signaux venus du fond de l'univers pour créer une ?musique cosmique', en collaboration avec le Professeur Ellberger et Nikolai Mihailov du conservatoire de musique de Genève. Ces processus cosmiques étant aléatoires, chacun de ces concerts sera unique. Les preuves observationnelles du Big Bang par le Professeur Georges Meylan Directeur du Laboratoire d'Astrophysique ...

Energy-Efficient Train Operation Using Nature-Inspired Algorithms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kemal Keskin

2017-01-01

Full Text Available A train operation optimization by minimizing its traction energy subject to various constraints is carried out using nature-inspired evolutionary algorithms. The optimization process results in switching points that initiate cruising and coasting phases of the driving. Due to nonlinear optimization formulation of the problem, nature-inspired evolutionary search methods, Genetic Simulated Annealing, Firefly, and Big Bang-Big Crunch algorithms were employed in this study. As a case study a real-like train and test track from a part of Eskisehir light rail network were modeled. Speed limitations, various track alignments, maximum allowable trip time, and changes in train mass were considered, and punctuality was put into objective function as a penalty factor. Results have shown that all three evolutionary methods generated effective and consistent solutions. However, it has also been shown that each one has different accuracy and convergence characteristics.

WDM Multicast Tree Construction Algorithms and Their Comparative Evaluations

Science.gov (United States)

Makabe, Tsutomu; Mikoshi, Taiju; Takenaka, Toyofumi

We propose novel tree construction algorithms for multicast communication in photonic networks. Since multicast communications consume many more link resources than unicast communications, effective algorithms for route selection and wavelength assignment are required. We propose a novel tree construction algorithm, called the Weighted Steiner Tree (WST) algorithm and a variation of the WST algorithm, called the Composite Weighted Steiner Tree (CWST) algorithm. Because these algorithms are based on the Steiner Tree algorithm, link resources among source and destination pairs tend to be commonly used and link utilization ratios are improved. Because of this, these algorithms can accept many more multicast requests than other multicast tree construction algorithms based on the Dijkstra algorithm. However, under certain delay constraints, the blocking characteristics of the proposed Weighted Steiner Tree algorithm deteriorate since some light paths between source and destinations use many hops and cannot satisfy the delay constraint. In order to adapt the approach to the delay-sensitive environments, we have devised the Composite Weighted Steiner Tree algorithm comprising the Weighted Steiner Tree algorithm and the Dijkstra algorithm for use in a delay constrained environment such as an IPTV application. In this paper, we also give the results of simulation experiments which demonstrate the superiority of the proposed Composite Weighted Steiner Tree algorithm compared with the Distributed Minimum Hop Tree (DMHT) algorithm, from the viewpoint of the light-tree request blocking.

Big Bang nucleosynthesis: The standard model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Steigman, G.

1989-01-01

Current observational data on the abundances of deuterium, helium-3, helium-4 and lithium-7 are reviewed and these data are used to infer (or to bound) the primordial abundances of these elements. The physics of primordial nucleosynthesis in the context of the ''standard'' (isotropic, homogeneous,...) hot big bang model is outlined and the primordial abundances predicted within the context of this model are presented. The theoretical predictions are then confronted with the observational data. This confrontation reveals the remarkable consistency of the standard model, constrains the nucleon abundance to lie within a narrow range and, permits the existence of no more than one additional flavor of light neutrinos

20. Vous avez dit Big Bang ?

OpenAIRE

Uzan, Jean-Philippe

2017-01-01

La cosmologie est la discipline scientifique qui vise à construire une description cohérente de notre Univers. Pour cela, nous devons formuler un modèle cosmologique, c’est-à-dire une représentation idéalisée de l’univers qui se fonde sur nos connaissances des lois de la nature et les observations du ciel. Le modèle cosmologique contemporain est connu sous le nom très médiatique de Big Bang. Ce terme a été forgé lors d’une émission de la BBC le 28 mars 1949 par l’astronome Fred Hoyle, farouch...

Combination of STOP-Bang Score with Mallampati Score fails to improve specificity in the prediction of sleep-disordered breathing.

Science.gov (United States)

Dette, Frank G; Graf, Juergen; Cassel, Werner; Lloyd-Jones, Carla; Boehm, Stefan; Zoremba, Martin; Schramm, Patrick; Pestel, Gunther; Thal, Serge C

2016-06-01

Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) is closely associated with perioperative complications. STOP-Bang score was validated for preoperative screening of SDB. However, STOP-Bang Score lacks adequately high specificity. We aimed to improve it by combining it with the Mallampati Score. The study included 347 patients, in which we assessed both STOP-Bang and Mallampati scores. Overnight oxygen saturation was measured to calculate ODI4%. We calculated the sensitivity and specificity for AHI and ODI4% of both scores separately and in combination. We found that STOP-Bang Score ≥3 was present in 71%, ODI≥5/h (AHI ≥5/h) in 42.6% (39.3%) and ODI≥15/h (AHI ≥15/h) in 13.5% (17.8%). For ODI4%≥5/h (AHI ≥5/h) we observed in men a response rate for sensitivity and specificity of STOP-Bang of 94.5% and 17.1% (90.9% and 12.5%) and in women 66% and 51% (57.8% and 46.9%). For ODI4%≥15/h (AHI≥15/h) it was 92% and 12% (84.6% and 10.3%) and 93% and 49% (75% and 49.2%). For ODI4%≥5 (AHI≥5) sensitivity and specificity of Mallampati score were in men 38.4% and 78.6% (27.3% and 68.2%) and in women 25% and 82.7% (21.9% and 81.3%), for ODI≥15 (AHI ≥15/h) 38.5% and 71.8% (26.9% and 69.2%) and 33.3% and 81.4% (17.9% and 79.6%). In combination, for ODI4%≥15/h, we found sensitivity in men to be 92.3% and in women 93.3%, specificity 10.3% and 41.4%. STOP-Bang Score combined with Mallampati Score fails to increase specificity. Low specificity should be considered when using both scores for preoperative screening of SDB.

Hybrid Swarm Intelligence Energy Efficient Clustered Routing Algorithm for Wireless Sensor Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rajeev Kumar

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Currently, wireless sensor networks (WSNs are used in many applications, namely, environment monitoring, disaster management, industrial automation, and medical electronics. Sensor nodes carry many limitations like low battery life, small memory space, and limited computing capability. To create a wireless sensor network more energy efficient, swarm intelligence technique has been applied to resolve many optimization issues in WSNs. In many existing clustering techniques an artificial bee colony (ABC algorithm is utilized to collect information from the field periodically. Nevertheless, in the event based applications, an ant colony optimization (ACO is a good solution to enhance the network lifespan. In this paper, we combine both algorithms (i.e., ABC and ACO and propose a new hybrid ABCACO algorithm to solve a Nondeterministic Polynomial (NP hard and finite problem of WSNs. ABCACO algorithm is divided into three main parts: (i selection of optimal number of subregions and further subregion parts, (ii cluster head selection using ABC algorithm, and (iii efficient data transmission using ACO algorithm. We use a hierarchical clustering technique for data transmission; the data is transmitted from member nodes to the subcluster heads and then from subcluster heads to the elected cluster heads based on some threshold value. Cluster heads use an ACO algorithm to discover the best route for data transmission to the base station (BS. The proposed approach is very useful in designing the framework for forest fire detection and monitoring. The simulation results show that the ABCACO algorithm enhances the stability period by 60% and also improves the goodput by 31% against LEACH and WSNCABC, respectively.

Assessment of various failure theories for weight and cost optimized laminated composites using genetic algorithm

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Goyal, T. [Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur. Dept. of Aerospace Engineering, UP (India); Gupta, R. [Infotech Enterprises Ltd., Hyderabad (India)

2012-07-01

In this work, minimum weight-cost design for laminated composites is presented. A genetic algorithm has been developed for the optimization process. Maximum-Stress, Tsai-Wu and Tsai-Hill failure criteria have been used along with buckling analysis parameter for the margin of safety calculations. The design variables include three materials; namely Carbon-Epoxy, Glass-Epoxy, Kevlar-Epoxy; number of plies; ply orientation angles, varying from -75 deg. to 90 deg. in the intervals of 15 deg. and ply thicknesses which depend on the material in use. The total cost is a sum of material cost and layup cost. Layup cost is a function of the ply angle. Validation studies for solution convergence and weight-cost inverse proportionality are carried out. One set of results for shear loading are also validated from literature for a particular case. A Pareto-Optimal solution set is demonstrated for biaxial loading conditions. It is then extended to applied moments. It is found that global optimum for a given loading condition is a function of the failure criteria for shear loading, with Maximum Stress criteria giving the lightest-cheapest and Tsai-Wu criteria giving the heaviest-costliest optimized laminates. Optimized weight results are plotted from the three criteria to do a comparative study. This work gives a global optimized laminated composite and also a set of other local optimum laminates for a given set of loading conditions. The current algorithm also provides with adequate data to supplement the use of different failure criteria for varying loadings. This work can find use in the industry and/or academia considering the increased use of laminated composites in modern wind blades. (Author)

Compilation and R-matrix analysis of Big Bang nuclear reaction rates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Descouvemont, Pierre; Adahchour, Abderrahim; Angulo, Carmen; Coc, Alain; Vangioni-Flam, Elisabeth

2004-01-01

We use the R-matrix theory to fit low-energy data on nuclear reactions involved in Big Bang nucleosynthesis. Special attention is paid to the rate uncertainties which are evaluated on statistical grounds. We provide S factors and reaction rates in tabular and graphical formats

The Passport to the Big Bang: a trail of discovery of CERN and its sites

CERN Multimedia

CERN Bulletin

2013-01-01

Sunday 2 June 2013 will see the launch of CERN’s Passport to the Big Bang, a scientific tourist trail linking ten of the Laboratory’s sites in the Pays de Gex and the Canton of Geneva. CERN is organising a public event to celebrate the launch and needs lots of volunteers – you could be one of them!   The exhibition platform in Sergy, in front of the ALICE experiment. Does your grocer insist that the Pays de Gex is going to be swallowed up by a black hole made by the LHC? Do your neighbours ask you questions about the CERN site visible from your houses, leaving you stumped when you don’t have the answers?  Well then, take them on an accelerator tour – but above ground and with no need for access cards! How? By taking advantage of the Passport to the Big Bang, a cross-border scientific tourist trail that will be inaugurated on 2 June. The goal of the Passport to the Big Bang is provide the local population wi...

Brookhaven collider opens its quest for Big Bang conditions

CERN Multimedia

Nadis, S

2000-01-01

The collision of two gold nuclei releasing 10 x 10 to the power 12 electron volts of energy, marked the debut of the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. Over the next few weeks, scientists hope to increase the accelerator's power to generate collisions 40 x 10 to the power 12 eVs of energy to simulate the conditions that existed immediately after the Big Bang (1 page).

Performance comparison of weighted sum-minimum mean square error and virtual signal-to-interference plus noise ratio algorithms in simulated and measured channels

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rahimi, Maryam; Nielsen, Jesper Ødum; Pedersen, Troels

2014-01-01

A comparison in data achievement between two well-known algorithms with simulated and real measured data is presented. The algorithms maximise the data rate in cooperative base stations (BS) multiple-input-single-output scenario. Weighted sum-minimum mean square error algorithm could be used...... in multiple-input-multiple-output scenarios, but it has lower performance than virtual signal-to-interference plus noise ratio algorithm in theory and practice. A real measurement environment consisting of two BS and two users have been studied to evaluate the simulation results....

arXiv AlterBBN v2: A public code for calculating Big-Bang nucleosynthesis constraints in alternative cosmologies

CERN Document Server

Arbey, A.; Hickerson, K.P.; Jenssen, E.S.

We present the version 2 of AlterBBN, an open public code for the calculation of the abundance of the elements from Big-Bang nucleosynthesis. It does not rely on any closed external library or program, aims at being user-friendly and allowing easy modifications, and provides a fast and reliable calculation of the Big-Bang nucleosynthesis constraints in the standard and alternative cosmologies.

Bugs and the big bang.

Science.gov (United States)

Parsons, Jenni

2008-10-01

Now that's a cheery thought! Somewhere more than 100 km below the Geneva countryside two parallel beams of subatomic particles are whizzing around a 27 km circuit in opposite directions at about 99% of the speed of light, doing over 11 000 laps per second. Physicists hope to create a 'bang' that won't end the world, but will unlock some of its mysteries. I confess I have never thought of physicists as poets, but they certainly come up with some evocative models to explain the unknown such as 'dark matter', the invisible skeleton stretching through space; or 'dark energy', which drives the expansion of the universe; or the grandiose 'God's particle' (officially named 'Higgs boson') postulated to endow other particles with mass. These are concepts both too large and too small to grasp.

Geneva Festival, 2004: Opened with the Big Bang, closed with Creation

CERN Multimedia

2004-01-01

In its 50th Anniversary year, CERN had the honour of opening and closing this year's Geneva Festival. The Geneva Festival traditionally opens with a bang, but this year's was the biggest yet. On 30 July, on a warm summer's evening by Lake Geneva, several tons of fireworks replayed the early history of the Universe. Starting with the Big Bang, the display had acts representing inflation, the breaking of symmetries, the clash of antimatter and matter, hadrons and nucleosynthesis, the first atoms and the Universe becoming transparent, and the formation of stars and planets. It was a challenge to translate these very abstract ideas into more than a thousand kilograms of TNT of different colour. But, set to the music of The Matrix, Alan Parsons, and Jurassic Park, one of the most spectacular physics presentations ever staged dazzled the audience of two hundred thousand spectators. CERN physicist Rolf Landua, who scripted the narrative and worked with the pyrotechnicians on the realization, said: "From the many e...

Time, space, stars and man the story of the Big Bang

CERN Document Server

Woolfson, Michael M

2013-01-01

The three greatest scientific mysteries, which remain poorly understood, are the origin of the universe, the origin of life and the development of consciousness. This book describes the processes preceding the Big Bang, the creation of matter, the concentration of that matter into stars and planets, the development of simple life forms and the theory of evolution that has given higher life forms, including mankind. Readership: Members of the general public who have an interest in popular science. There are many popular and excellent science books that present various aspects of science. However, this book follows a narrow scientific pathway from the Big Bang to mankind, and depicts the causal relationship between each step and the next. The science covered will be enough to satisfy most readers. Many important areas of science are dealt with, and these include cosmology, particle physics, atomic physics, galaxy and star formation, planet formation and aspects of evolution. The necessary science is described i...

Nonstandard big bang models

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Calvao, M.O.; Lima, J.A.S.

1989-01-01

The usual FRW hot big-bang cosmologies have been generalized by considering the equation of state ρ = Anm +(γ-1) -1 p, where m is the rest mass of the fluid particles and A is a dimensionless constant. Explicit analytic solutions are given for the flat case (ε=O). For large cosmological times these extended models behave as the standard Einstein-de Sitter universes regardless of the values of A and γ. Unlike the usual FRW flat case the deceleration parameter q is a time-dependent function and its present value, q≅ 1, obtained from the luminosity distance versus redshift relation, may be fitted by taking, for instance, A=1 and γ = 5/3 (monatomic relativistic gas with >> k B T). In all cases the universe cools obeying the same temperature law of the FRW models and it is shown that the age of the universe is only slightly modified. (author) [pt

Big bang nucleosynthesis: The standard model and alternatives

Science.gov (United States)

Schramm, David N.

1991-01-01

Big bang nucleosynthesis provides (with the microwave background radiation) one of the two quantitative experimental tests of the big bang cosmological model. This paper reviews the standard homogeneous-isotropic calculation and shows how it fits the light element abundances ranging from He-4 at 24% by mass through H-2 and He-3 at parts in 10(exp 5) down to Li-7 at parts in 10(exp 10). Furthermore, the recent large electron positron (LEP) (and the stanford linear collider (SLC)) results on the number of neutrinos are discussed as a positive laboratory test of the standard scenario. Discussion is presented on the improved observational data as well as the improved neutron lifetime data. Alternate scenarios of decaying matter or of quark-hadron induced inhomogeneities are discussed. It is shown that when these scenarios are made to fit the observed abundances accurately, the resulting conlusions on the baryonic density relative to the critical density, omega(sub b) remain approximately the same as in the standard homogeneous case, thus, adding to the robustness of the conclusion that omega(sub b) approximately equals 0.06. This latter point is the driving force behind the need for non-baryonic dark matter (assuming omega(sub total) = 1) and the need for dark baryonic matter, since omega(sub visible) is less than omega(sub b).

Pre-Big Bang, fundamental Physics and noncyclic cosmologies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gonzalez-Mestres L.

2014-04-01

Full Text Available Detailed analyses of WMAP and Planck data can have significant implications for noncyclic pre-Big Bang approaches incorporating a new fundamental scale beyond the Planck scale and, potentially, new ultimate constituents of matter with unconventional basic properties as compared to standard particles. Cosmic-ray experiments at the highest energies can also yield relevant information. Hopefully, future studies will be able to deal with alternatives: i to standard physics for the structure of the physical vacuum, the nature of space-time, the validity of quantum field theory and conventional symmetries, the interpretation of string-like theories...; ii to standard cosmology concerning the origin and evolution of our Universe, unconventional solutions to the cosmological constant problem, the validity of inflationary scenarios, the need for dark matter and dark energy... Lorentz-like symmetries for the properties of matter can then be naturally stable space-time configurations resulting from more general primordial scenarios that incorporate physics beyond the Planck scale and describe the formation and evolution of the physical vacuum. A possible answer to the question of the origin of half-integer spins can be provided by a primordial spinorial space-time with two complex coordinates instead of the conventional four real ones, leading to a really new cosmology. We discuss basic questions and phenomenological topics concerning noncyclic pre-Big Bang cosmologies and potentially related physics.

Modeling of virtual particles of the Big Bang

Science.gov (United States)

Corral-Bustamante, L. R.; Rodriguez-Corral, A. R.; Amador-Parra, T.; Martinez-Loera, E.; Irigoyen-Chavez, G.

2012-01-01

In this work, a mathematical model in four dimensions proposed to predict the behavior of the transport phenomena of mass (energy) in the space-time continuum through a metric tensor in the Planck scale is presented. The Ricci tensor was determined with the aim of measuring the turbulent flow of a mass with a large gravitational field similar to that which is believed to have existed in the Big Bang. Computing the curvature of space-time through tensor analysis, we predict a vacuum solution of the Einstein field equations through numerical integration with approximate solutions. A quantum vacuum is filled with virtual particles of enormous superficial gravity of black holes and wormholes as predicted by other authors. By generating the geodesic equations, we obtain the relativistic equation, which is the carrier of information pertaining to the behavior of the entropy of matter. The results of the measurements of the evolution of the mass during its collapse and evaporation allow us to argue the evidence of virtual particles including all the values (and beyond) of the experimental search by other authors for gauges and Higgs bosons. We conclude that the matter behaves as virtual particles, which appear and disappear in Planck time at speeds greater than that of light, representing those that probably existed during the Big Bang.

Cosmological perturbations in the 5D big bang

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garriga, Jaume; Tanaka, Takahiro

2002-01-01

Bucher has recently proposed an interesting brane-world cosmological scenario where the 'big bang' hypersurface is the locus of collision of two vacuum bubbles which nucleate in a five-dimensional flat space. This gives rise to an open universe, where the curvature can be very small provided that d/R 0 is sufficiently large. Here, d is the distance between bubbles and R 0 is their size at the time of nucleation. Quantum fluctuations develop on the bubbles as they expand towards each other, and these in turn imprint cosmological perturbations on the initial hypersurface. We present a simple formalism for calculating the spectrum of such perturbations and their subsequent evolution. We conclude that, unfortunately, the spectrum is very tilted, with a spectral index n s =3. The amplitude of fluctuations at the horizon crossing is given by 2 >∼(R 0 /d) 2 S E -1 k 2 , where S E >>1 is the Euclidean action of the instanton describing the nucleation of a bubble and k is the wave number in units of the curvature scale. The spectrum peaks on the smallest possible relevant scale, whose wave number is given by k∼d/R 0 . We comment on the possible extension of our formalism to more general situations where a big bang is ignited through the collision of 4D extended objects

"Accelerated Perceptron": A Self-Learning Linear Decision Algorithm

OpenAIRE

Zuev, Yu. A.

2003-01-01

The class of linear decision rules is studied. A new algorithm for weight correction, called an "accelerated perceptron", is proposed. In contrast to classical Rosenblatt's perceptron this algorithm modifies the weight vector at each step. The algorithm may be employed both in learning and in self-learning modes. The theoretical aspects of the behaviour of the algorithm are studied when the algorithm is used for the purpose of increasing the decision reliability by means of weighted voting. I...

SU-E-J-109: Evaluation of Deformable Accumulated Parotid Doses Using Different Registration Algorithms in Adaptive Head and Neck Radiotherapy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Xu, S [Key Laboratory of Particle & Radiation Imaging (Tsinghua University), Ministry of Education, Beijing, 100084 China (China); Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, 100853 China (China); Liu, B [Image processing center, Beihang University, Beijing, 100191 China (China)

2015-06-15

Purpose: Three deformable image registration (DIR) algorithms are utilized to perform deformable dose accumulation for head and neck tomotherapy treatment, and the differences of the accumulated doses are evaluated. Methods: Daily MVCT data for 10 patients with pathologically proven nasopharyngeal cancers were analyzed. The data were acquired using tomotherapy (TomoTherapy, Accuray) at the PLA General Hospital. The prescription dose to the primary target was 70Gy in 33 fractions.Three DIR methods (B-spline, Diffeomorphic Demons and MIMvista) were used to propagate parotid structures from planning CTs to the daily CTs and accumulate fractionated dose on the planning CTs. The mean accumulated doses of parotids were quantitatively compared and the uncertainties of the propagated parotid contours were evaluated using Dice similarity index (DSI). Results: The planned mean dose of the ipsilateral parotids (32.42±3.13Gy) was slightly higher than those of the contralateral parotids (31.38±3.19Gy)in 10 patients. The difference between the accumulated mean doses of the ipsilateral parotids in the B-spline, Demons and MIMvista deformation algorithms (36.40±5.78Gy, 34.08±6.72Gy and 33.72±2.63Gy ) were statistically significant (B-spline vs Demons, P<0.0001, B-spline vs MIMvista, p =0.002). And The difference between those of the contralateral parotids in the B-spline, Demons and MIMvista deformation algorithms (34.08±4.82Gy, 32.42±4.80Gy and 33.92±4.65Gy ) were also significant (B-spline vs Demons, p =0.009, B-spline vs MIMvista, p =0.074). For the DSI analysis, the scores of B-spline, Demons and MIMvista DIRs were 0.90, 0.89 and 0.76. Conclusion: Shrinkage of parotid volumes results in the dose increase to the parotid glands in adaptive head and neck radiotherapy. The accumulated doses of parotids show significant difference using the different DIR algorithms between kVCT and MVCT. Therefore, the volume-based criterion (i.e. DSI) as a quantitative evaluation of

A fairytale creation or the beginning of everything: Students’ pre-instructional conceptions about the Big Bang theory

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sarah Aretz

2016-12-01

However, it is not yet clear in science education if students’ conceptions about the Big Bang vary by nationality, and therefore, if it is possible to apply the same teaching modules to students from different countries, who may have diverse social and cultural backgrounds and different curricula. These conceptions with which students enter the classroom were investigated in our study. We implemented an open-ended questionnaire survey in Germany, with questions based on recent U.S. studies. The results clearly showed, with high interrater reliabilities, widespread misconceptions like the Big Bang being an explosion of preexisting matter into empty space or the universe having a centre. Furthermore, a comparison of results from researchers in the USA, Sweden and Germany allowed us to identify differences in students’ conceptions between the countries. Our findings appear to indicate that German students have slightly better pre-instructional conceptions about the Big Bang theory.

[Correlative analysis on metatarsalgia and the X-ray measurement indexes under weight-bearing and non-weight-bearing of hallux valgus].

Science.gov (United States)

Gong, Hao; Sang, Zhi-Cheng; Wen, Jian-Min; Sun, Wei-Dong; Hu, Hai-Wei; Zhang, Yong-Chao; Zuo, Jian-Gang; Wang, Hai-Xiong

2014-04-01

To study changes in the radiographic appearance during weight-bearing and non-weigh-bearing in hallux valgus, and to analyse the correlation between the elasticity of plantar soft tissue of hallux valgus and the pain under the metatarsal head. From May 2012 to October 2012, 240 feet of 120 patients with hallux valgus were enrolled in the study. The degrees of the pian under the metatarsal head of all the patients were observed. AP and lateral X-ray films of feet were taken on the condition of weight-bearing and non-weight-bearing. So the hallux valgus angle (HVA), the inter-metatarsal angle between the first and second metatarsals (IM1-2), the inter-metatarsal angle between the first and fifth metatarsals (IM1-5), top angle of the medial longitudinal arch (TAOTMLA),and anterior angle of the medial longitudinal arch (AAOTMLA) were measured on the X-ray films. The differences of HVA, IM1-2, IM1-5, TAOTMLA and AAOTMLA between two groups were compared, and the correlation between the changes of IM1-2, IM 1-5, TAOTMLA, AAOTMLA and the degree of the pain under the metatarsal head were analysed. One hundred and forty-eight feet had the pain under the metatarsal head. The IM1-2, IM1-5 and TAOTMLA increased on weight-bearing position compared with those on non-weight-bearing position, but the HVA and AAOTMLA decreased on weight-bearing position compared with those on non-weight-bearing position. There was a moderate relationship between the changes of IM 1-2,IM1-5 and the degree of the hallux valgus deformity, as well as the relationship between the different of IM1-5 and the degree of the pian under the metatarsal head. The degree of the collapse of the arch of foot with hallux valgus becomes serious with its deformity increasing. The pain under the metatarsal head of hallux valgus increases with the increased changes of IM 1-2,IM 1-5 and TAOTMLA. Analysis of the X-ray observation indexes of hallux valgus on weight-bearing position and non-weight-bearing position has

What's Next for Big Bang Nucleosynthesis?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cyburt, R.H.

2005-01-01

Big bang nucleosynthesis (BBN) plays an important role in the standard hot big bang cosmology. BBN theory is used to predict the primordial abundances of the lightest elements, hydrogen, helium and lithium. Comparison between the predicted and observationally determined light element abundances provides a general test of concordance and can be used to fix the baryon content in the universe. Measurements of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropies now supplant BBN as the premier baryometer, especially with the latest results from the WMAP satellite. With the WMAP baryon density, the test of concordance can be made even more precise. Any disagreement between theory predictions and observations requires careful discussion. Several possibilities exist to explain discrepancies; (1) observational systematics (either physical or technical) may not be properly treated in determining primordial light element abundances (2) nuclear inputs that determine the BBN predictions may have unknown systematics or may be incomplete, and (3) physics beyond that included in the standard BBN scenario may need to be included in the theory calculation. Before we can be absolutely sure new physics is warranted, points (1) and (2) must be addressed and ruled out. All of these scenarios rely on experimental or observational data to make definitive statements of their applicability and range of validity, which currently is not at the level necessary to discern between these possibilities with high confidence. Thus, new light element abundance observations and nuclear experiments are needed to probe these further. Assuming concordance is established, one can use the light element observations to explore the evolution from their primordial values. This can provide useful information on stellar evolution, cosmic rays and other nuclear astrophysics. When combined with detailed models, BBN, the CMB anisotropy and nuclear astrophysics can provide us with information about the populations

Big bang darkleosynthesis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gordan Krnjaic

2015-12-01

Full Text Available In a popular class of models, dark matter comprises an asymmetric population of composite particles with short range interactions arising from a confined nonabelian gauge group. We show that coupling this sector to a well-motivated light mediator particle yields efficient darkleosynthesis, a dark-sector version of big-bang nucleosynthesis (BBN, in generic regions of parameter space. Dark matter self-interaction bounds typically require the confinement scale to be above ΛQCD, which generically yields large (≫MeV/dark-nucleon binding energies. These bounds further suggest the mediator is relatively weakly coupled, so repulsive forces between dark-sector nuclei are much weaker than Coulomb repulsion between standard-model nuclei, which results in an exponential barrier-tunneling enhancement over standard BBN. Thus, darklei are easier to make and harder to break than visible species with comparable mass numbers. This process can efficiently yield a dominant population of states with masses significantly greater than the confinement scale and, in contrast to dark matter that is a fundamental particle, may allow the dominant form of dark matter to have high spin (S≫3/2, whose discovery would be smoking gun evidence for dark nuclei.

Big bang darkleosynthesis

Science.gov (United States)

Krnjaic, Gordan; Sigurdson, Kris

2015-12-01

In a popular class of models, dark matter comprises an asymmetric population of composite particles with short range interactions arising from a confined nonabelian gauge group. We show that coupling this sector to a well-motivated light mediator particle yields efficient darkleosynthesis, a dark-sector version of big-bang nucleosynthesis (BBN), in generic regions of parameter space. Dark matter self-interaction bounds typically require the confinement scale to be above ΛQCD, which generically yields large (≫MeV /dark-nucleon) binding energies. These bounds further suggest the mediator is relatively weakly coupled, so repulsive forces between dark-sector nuclei are much weaker than Coulomb repulsion between standard-model nuclei, which results in an exponential barrier-tunneling enhancement over standard BBN. Thus, darklei are easier to make and harder to break than visible species with comparable mass numbers. This process can efficiently yield a dominant population of states with masses significantly greater than the confinement scale and, in contrast to dark matter that is a fundamental particle, may allow the dominant form of dark matter to have high spin (S ≫ 3 / 2), whose discovery would be smoking gun evidence for dark nuclei.

Entropy generation and inflation in collision induced pre-big-bang cosmology

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Feinstein, A.; Kunze, K.E.; Vazquez-Mozo, M.A.

2000-01-01

We study inflation and entropy generation in a recently proposed pre-big-bang model universe produced in a collision of gravitational and dilaton waves. It is shown that enough inflation occurs provided the incoming waves are sufficiently weak. We also find that entropy in this model is dynamically

A hybrid algorithm for selecting head-related transfer function based on similarity of anthropometric structures

Science.gov (United States)

Zeng, Xiang-Yang; Wang, Shu-Guang; Gao, Li-Ping

2010-09-01

As the basic data for virtual auditory technology, head-related transfer function (HRTF) has many applications in the areas of room acoustic modeling, spatial hearing and multimedia. How to individualize HRTF fast and effectively has become an opening problem at present. Based on the similarity and relativity of anthropometric structures, a hybrid HRTF customization algorithm, which has combined the method of principal component analysis (PCA), multiple linear regression (MLR) and database matching (DM), has been presented in this paper. The HRTFs selected by both the best match and the worst match have been applied into obtaining binaurally auralized sounds, which are then used for subjective listening experiments and the results are compared. For the area in the horizontal plane, the localization results have shown that the selection of HRTFs can enhance the localization accuracy and can also abate the problem of front-back confusion.

Where Are the Logical Errors in the Theory of Big Bang?

Science.gov (United States)

Kalanov, Temur Z.

2015-04-01

The critical analysis of the foundations of the theory of Big Bang is proposed. The unity of formal logic and of rational dialectics is methodological basis of the analysis. It is argued that the starting point of the theory of Big Bang contains three fundamental logical errors. The first error is the assumption that a macroscopic object (having qualitative determinacy) can have an arbitrarily small size and can be in the singular state (i.e., in the state that has no qualitative determinacy). This assumption implies that the transition, (macroscopic object having the qualitative determinacy) --> (singular state of matter that has no qualitative determinacy), leads to loss of information contained in the macroscopic object. The second error is the assumption that there are the void and the boundary between matter and void. But if such boundary existed, then it would mean that the void has dimensions and can be measured. The third error is the assumption that the singular state of matter can make a transition into the normal state without the existence of the program of qualitative and quantitative development of the matter, without controlling influence of other (independent) object. However, these assumptions conflict with the practice and, consequently, formal logic, rational dialectics, and cybernetics. Indeed, from the point of view of cybernetics, the transition, (singular state of the Universe) -->(normal state of the Universe),would be possible only in the case if there was the Managed Object that is outside the Universe and have full, complete, and detailed information about the Universe. Thus, the theory of Big Bang is a scientific fiction.

Vision based motion control for a humanoid head

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Visser, L.C.; Carloni, Raffaella; Stramigioli, Stefano

2009-01-01

This paper describes the design of a motion control algorithm for a humanoid robotic head, which consists of a neck with four degrees of freedom and two eyes (a stereo pair system) that tilt on a common axis and rotate sideways freely. The kinematic and dynamic properties of the head are analyzed

Antimatter questions the big-bang theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Daninos, F.

2005-01-01

A few moments after the big-bang matter an antimatter existed in the same quantities. Today the universe seems to be exclusively composed of matter. Nature prefers matter to antimatter but scientists do not know why. Experimental results from Babar and Belle experiments have confirmed the existence of CP violation in quark systems. This article draws the story of the quest for symmetry violation since the discovery of P violation in cobalt decay in the end of the fifties. Our understanding of CP violation is by far insufficient for explaining the matter-antimatter imbalance and may be we will have to admit that CP violation might concern other systems like neutrinos or super-symmetric particles. (A.C.)

Quarks, leptons and the big bang

CERN Document Server

Allday, Jonathan

2016-01-01

Quarks, Leptons and The Big Bang, Third Edition, is a clear, readable and self-contained introduction to particle physics and related areas of cosmology. It bridges the gap between non-technical popular accounts and textbooks for advanced students. The book concentrates on presenting the subject from the modern perspective of quarks, leptons and the forces between them. This book will be of interest to students, teachers and general science readers interested in fundamental ideas of modern physics. This edition brings the book completely up to date by including advances in particle physics and cosmology, such as the discovery of the Higgs boson, the LIGO gravitational wave discovery and the WMAP and PLANCK results.

A Real-Time Smooth Weighted Data Fusion Algorithm for Greenhouse Sensing Based on Wireless Sensor Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tengyue Zou

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Wireless sensor networks are widely used to acquire environmental parameters to support agricultural production. However, data variation and noise caused by actuators often produce complex measurement conditions. These factors can lead to nonconformity in reporting samples from different nodes and cause errors when making a final decision. Data fusion is well suited to reduce the influence of actuator-based noise and improve automation accuracy. A key step is to identify the sensor nodes disturbed by actuator noise and reduce their degree of participation in the data fusion results. A smoothing value is introduced and a searching method based on Prim’s algorithm is designed to help obtain stable sensing data. A voting mechanism with dynamic weights is then proposed to obtain the data fusion result. The dynamic weighting process can sharply reduce the influence of actuator noise in data fusion and gradually condition the data to normal levels over time. To shorten the data fusion time in large networks, an acceleration method with prediction is also presented to reduce the data collection time. A real-time system is implemented on STMicroelectronics STM32F103 and NORDIC nRF24L01 platforms and the experimental results verify the improvement provided by these new algorithms.

High-efficiency space-based software radio architectures & algorithms (a minimum size, weight, and power TeraOps processor)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dunham, Mark Edward [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Baker, Zachary K [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Stettler, Matthew W [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Pigue, Michael J [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Schmierer, Eric N [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Power, John F [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Graham, Paul S [Los Alamos National Laboratory

2009-01-01

Los Alamos has recently completed the latest in a series of Reconfigurable Software Radios, which incorporates several key innovations in both hardware design and algorithms. Due to our focus on satellite applications, each design must extract the best size, weight, and power performance possible from the ensemble of Commodity Off-the-Shelf (COTS) parts available at the time of design. In this case we have achieved 1 TeraOps/second signal processing on a 1920 Megabit/second datastream, while using only 53 Watts mains power, 5.5 kg, and 3 liters. This processing capability enables very advanced algorithms such as our wideband RF compression scheme to operate remotely, allowing network bandwidth constrained applications to deliver previously unattainable performance.

A quality and efficiency analysis of the IMFASTTM segmentation algorithm in head and neck 'step and shoot' IMRT treatments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Potter, Larry D.; Chang, Sha X.; Cullip, Timothy J.; Siochi, Alfredo C.

2002-01-01

The performance of segmentation algorithms used in IMFAST for 'step and shoot' IMRT treatment delivery is evaluated for three head and neck clinical treatments of different optimization objectives. The segmentation uses the intensity maps generated by the in-house TPS PLANUNC using the index-dose minimization algorithm. The dose optimization objectives include PTV dose uniformity and dose volume histogram-specified critical structure sparing. The optimized continuous intensity maps were truncated into five and ten intensity levels and exported to IMFAST for MLC segments optimization. The MLC segments were imported back to PLUNC for dose optimization quality calculation. The five basic segmentation algorithms included in IMFAST were evaluated alone and in combination with either tongue and groove/match line correction or fluence correction or both. Two criteria were used in the evaluation: treatment efficiency represented by the total number of MLC segments and optimization quality represented by a clinically relevant optimization quality factor. We found that the treatment efficiency depends first on the number of intensity levels used in the intensity map and second the segmentation technique used. The standard optimal segmentation with fluence correction is a consistent good performer for all treatment plans studied. All segmentation techniques evaluated produced treatments with similar dose optimization quality values, especially when ten-level intensity maps are used

An algorithmic approach for the dynamic reliability analysis of non-repairable multi-state weighted k-out-of-n:G system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eryilmaz, Serkan; Rıza Bozbulut, Ali

2014-01-01

In this paper, we study a multi-state weighted k-out-of-n:G system model in a dynamic setup. In particular, we study the random time spent by the system with a minimum performance level of k. Our method is based on ordering the lifetimes of the system's components in different state subsets. Using this ordering along with the Monte-Carlo simulation algorithm, we obtain estimates of the mean and survival function of the time spent by the system in state k or above. We present illustrative computational results when the degradation in the components follows a Markov process. - Highlights: • A multi-state weighted k-out-of-n:G system is studied. • A Monte-Carlo simulation algorithm is provided for the dynamic analysis. • Numerics are presented when the components' degradation follow the Markov process

Cosmologie l'univers avant le Big Bang

CERN Multimedia

Larousserie, David

2003-01-01

Tout n'a pas commencé par une explosion. L'histoire du cosmos avait débuté bien avant le Big Bang, si l'on suit la théorie défendue par les partisans d'une nouvelle cosmologie issue de la mystérieuse théorie des cords. A l'heure où vacillent les scénarios classiques du XXe siècle, se prépare un grand chamboulement de nos idées sur la naissance de l'Univers et son devenir, sur l'existence possible d'univers parallèles.

Dual of big bang and big crunch

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bak, Dongsu

2007-01-01

Starting from the Janus solution and its gauge theory dual, we obtain the dual gauge theory description of the cosmological solution by the procedure of double analytic continuation. The coupling is driven either to zero or to infinity at the big-bang and big-crunch singularities, which are shown to be related by the S-duality symmetry. In the dual Yang-Mills theory description, these are nonsingular as the coupling goes to zero in the N=4 super Yang-Mills theory. The cosmological singularities simply signal the failure of the supergravity description of the full type IIB superstring theory

Sonographic large fetal head circumference and risk of cesarean delivery.

Science.gov (United States)

Lipschuetz, Michal; Cohen, Sarah M; Israel, Ariel; Baron, Joel; Porat, Shay; Valsky, Dan V; Yagel, Oren; Amsalem, Hagai; Kabiri, Doron; Gilboa, Yinon; Sivan, Eyal; Unger, Ron; Schiff, Eyal; Hershkovitz, Reli; Yagel, Simcha

2018-03-01

Persistently high rates of cesarean deliveries are cause for concern for physicians, patients, and health systems. Prelabor assessment might be refined by identifying factors that help predict an individual patient's risk of cesarean delivery. Such factors may contribute to patient safety and satisfaction as well as health system planning and resource allocation. In an earlier study, neonatal head circumference was shown to be more strongly associated with delivery mode and other outcome measures than neonatal birthweight. In the present study we aimed to evaluate the association of sonographically measured fetal head circumference measured within 1 week of delivery with delivery mode. This was a multicenter electronic medical record-based study of birth outcomes of primiparous women with term (37-42 weeks) singleton fetuses presenting for ultrasound with fetal biometry within 1 week of delivery. Fetal head circumference and estimated fetal weight were correlated with maternal background, obstetric, and neonatal outcome parameters. Elective cesarean deliveries were excluded. Multinomial regression analysis provided adjusted odds ratios for instrumental delivery and unplanned cesarean delivery when the fetal head circumference was ≥35 cm or estimated fetal weight ≥3900 g, while controlling for possible confounders. In all, 11,500 cases were collected; 906 elective cesarean deliveries were excluded. A fetal head circumference ≥35 cm increased the risk for unplanned cesarean delivery: 174 fetuses with fetal head circumference ≥35 cm (32%) were delivered by cesarean, vs 1712 (17%) when fetal head circumference cesarean delivery by an adjusted odds ratio of 1.75 (95% confidence interval, 1.4-2.18) controlling for gestational age, fetal gender, and epidural anesthesia. The rate of prolonged second stage of labor was significantly increased when either the fetal head circumference was ≥35 cm or the estimated fetal weight ≥3900 g, from 22.7% in the total

Determination of Optimal Initial Weights of an Artificial Neural Network by Using the Harmony Search Algorithm: Application to Breakwater Armor Stones

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anzy Lee

2016-05-01

Full Text Available In this study, an artificial neural network (ANN model is developed to predict the stability number of breakwater armor stones based on the experimental data reported by Van der Meer in 1988. The harmony search (HS algorithm is used to determine the near-global optimal initial weights in the training of the model. The stratified sampling is used to sample the training data. A total of 25 HS-ANN hybrid models are tested with different combinations of HS algorithm parameters. The HS-ANN models are compared with the conventional ANN model, which uses a Monte Carlo simulation to determine the initial weights. Each model is run 50 times and the statistical analyses are conducted for the model results. The present models using stratified sampling are shown to be more accurate than those of previous studies. The statistical analyses for the model results show that the HS-ANN model with proper values of HS algorithm parameters can give much better and more stable prediction than the conventional ANN model.

First Results from the South Pole Bang Time (SPBT) Diagnostic on the NIF*

Science.gov (United States)

Edgell, D. H.; Glebov, V. Yu.; Magoon, J.; Sangster, T. C.; Shoup, M. J., III; Stoeckl, C.; Macphee, A.; Bradley, D. K.; Burns, S.; Celeste, J.; Eckart, M. J.; Jones, O. S.; Kilkenny, J. D.; Kimbrough, J. R.; MacKinnon, A. J.; Parker, J.; Thomas, T.

2011-10-01

The south pole bang time (SPBT) x-ray diagnostic has been successfully fielded on the NIF. SPBT consists of chemical-vapor-deposition diamond detectors, with different filtrations, located 3 m directly below target chamber center, viewing the implosion through the hohlraum laser entrance hole. The diamond detectors are sensitive to both x rays and neutrons. HOPG crystal mirror monochromators increase the x-ray signal to background ratio. SPBT is designed to measure the x-ray bang time with an accuracy of a few tens of picoseconds. SPBT x-ray and neutron results from NIF implosions are presented along with timing and error analysis. *This work was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Inertial Confinement Fusion under Cooperative Agreement No. DE-FC52-08NA28302.

Sufficient conditions for a period incrementing big bang bifurcation in one-dimensional maps

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Avrutin, V; Granados, A; Schanz, M

2011-01-01

Typically, big bang bifurcation occurs for one (or higher)-dimensional piecewise-defined discontinuous systems whenever two border collision bifurcation curves collide transversely in the parameter space. At that point, two (feasible) fixed points collide with one boundary in state space and become virtual, and, in the one-dimensional case, the map becomes continuous. Depending on the properties of the map near the codimension-two bifurcation point, there exist different scenarios regarding how the infinite number of periodic orbits are born, mainly the so-called period adding and period incrementing. In our work we prove that, in order to undergo a big bang bifurcation of the period incrementing type, it is sufficient for a piecewise-defined one-dimensional map that the colliding fixed points are attractive and with associated eigenvalues of different signs

Sufficient conditions for a period incrementing big bang bifurcation in one-dimensional maps

Science.gov (United States)

Avrutin, V.; Granados, A.; Schanz, M.

2011-09-01

Typically, big bang bifurcation occurs for one (or higher)-dimensional piecewise-defined discontinuous systems whenever two border collision bifurcation curves collide transversely in the parameter space. At that point, two (feasible) fixed points collide with one boundary in state space and become virtual, and, in the one-dimensional case, the map becomes continuous. Depending on the properties of the map near the codimension-two bifurcation point, there exist different scenarios regarding how the infinite number of periodic orbits are born, mainly the so-called period adding and period incrementing. In our work we prove that, in order to undergo a big bang bifurcation of the period incrementing type, it is sufficient for a piecewise-defined one-dimensional map that the colliding fixed points are attractive and with associated eigenvalues of different signs.

A diamond detector for inertial confinement fusion X-ray bang-time measurements at the National Ignition Facility

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

MacPhee, A G; Brown, C; Burns, S; Celeste, J; Glenzer, S H; Hey, D; Jones, O S; Landen, O; Mackinnon, A J; Meezan, N; Parker, J; Edgell, D; Glebov, V Y; Kilkenny, J; Kimbrough, J

2010-11-09

An instrument has been developed to measure X-ray bang-time for inertial confinement fusion capsules; the time interval between the start of the laser pulse and peak X-ray emission from the fuel core. The instrument comprises chemical vapor deposited polycrystalline diamond photoconductive X-ray detectors with highly ordered pyrolytic graphite X-ray monochromator crystals at the input. Capsule bang-time can be measured in the presence of relatively high thermal and hard X-ray background components due to the selective band pass of the crystals combined with direct and indirect X-ray shielding of the detector elements. A five channel system is being commissioned at the National Ignition Facility at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory for implosion optimization measurements as part of the National Ignition Campaign. Characteristics of the instrument have been measured demonstrating that X-ray bang-time can be measured with {+-} 30ps precision, characterizing the soft X-ray drive to +/- 1eV or 1.5%.

An IPv6 routing lookup algorithm using weight-balanced tree based on prefix value for virtual router

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Lingjiang; Zhou, Shuguang; Zhang, Qiaoduo; Li, Fenghua

2016-10-01

Virtual router enables the coexistence of different networks on the same physical facility and has lately attracted a great deal of attention from researchers. As the number of IPv6 addresses is rapidly increasing in virtual routers, designing an efficient IPv6 routing lookup algorithm is of great importance. In this paper, we present an IPv6 lookup algorithm called weight-balanced tree (WBT). WBT merges Forwarding Information Bases (FIBs) of virtual routers into one spanning tree, and compresses the space cost. WBT's average time complexity and the worst case time complexity of lookup and update process are both O(logN) and space complexity is O(cN) where N is the size of routing table and c is a constant. Experiments show that WBT helps reduce more than 80% Static Random Access Memory (SRAM) cost in comparison to those separation schemes. WBT also achieves the least average search depth comparing with other homogeneous algorithms.

Head injury: audit of a clinical guideline to justify head CT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haydon, Nicholas B.

2013-01-01

Head injury causes significant morbidity and mortality, and there is contention about which patients to scan. The UK National Health Service Clinical Guideline (CG) 56 provides criteria for selecting patients with clinically important brain injury who may benefit from a head CT scan, while minimising the radiation and economic burden of scanning patients without significant injury. This study aims to audit the documentation of the use of these guidelines in a busy UK trauma hospital and discusses the comparison with an Australian (New South Wales (NSW) ) head injury guideline. A retrospective cohort study of 480 patients presenting with head injury to the emergency department over 2 months was performed. The patient notes were assessed for documentation of each aspect of the clinical guidelines. Criteria were established to assess the utilisation of the CG 56. A database of clinical data was amalgamated with the head CT scan results for each patient. For the UK CG 56, 73% of the criteria were documented, with the least documented being 'signs of basal skull fracture' and 'amnesia of events'. Thirty-two per cent of patients received head CT and of these, 24% (37 patients) were reported to have pathology. Twenty-four patients underwent head CT without clinical justification being documented, none of which had reported pathology on CT. The study shows that the head injury guidelines are not being fully utilised at a major UK trauma hospital, resulting in 5% of patients being exposed to ionising radiation without apparent documented clinical justification. The NSW guideline has distinct differences to the CG 56, with a more complex algorithm and an absence of specific time frames for head CT completion. The results suggest a need for further education and awareness of head injury clinical guidelines.

Quark mass variation constraints from Big Bang nucleosynthesis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bedaque, Paulo F.; Luu, Thomas; Platter, Lucas

2011-01-01

We study the impact on the primordial abundances of light elements created by a variation of the quark masses at the time of Big Bang nucleosynthesis (BBN). In order to navigate through the particle and nuclear physics required to connect quark masses to binding energies and reaction rates in a model-independent way, we use lattice QCD data and a hierarchy of effective field theories. We find that the measured 4 He abundances put a bound of -1% q /m q q /m q .

Estimating the kinetic parameters of activated sludge storage using weighted non-linear least-squares and accelerating genetic algorithm.

Science.gov (United States)

Fang, Fang; Ni, Bing-Jie; Yu, Han-Qing

2009-06-01

In this study, weighted non-linear least-squares analysis and accelerating genetic algorithm are integrated to estimate the kinetic parameters of substrate consumption and storage product formation of activated sludge. A storage product formation equation is developed and used to construct the objective function for the determination of its production kinetics. The weighted least-squares analysis is employed to calculate the differences in the storage product concentration between the model predictions and the experimental data as the sum of squared weighted errors. The kinetic parameters for the substrate consumption and the storage product formation are estimated to be the maximum heterotrophic growth rate of 0.121/h, the yield coefficient of 0.44 mg CODX/mg CODS (COD, chemical oxygen demand) and the substrate half saturation constant of 16.9 mg/L, respectively, by minimizing the objective function using a real-coding-based accelerating genetic algorithm. Also, the fraction of substrate electrons diverted to the storage product formation is estimated to be 0.43 mg CODSTO/mg CODS. The validity of our approach is confirmed by the results of independent tests and the kinetic parameter values reported in literature, suggesting that this approach could be useful to evaluate the product formation kinetics of mixed cultures like activated sludge. More importantly, as this integrated approach could estimate the kinetic parameters rapidly and accurately, it could be applied to other biological processes.

The gravitino-stau scenario after catalyzed big bang nucleosynthesis

Science.gov (United States)

Kersten, Jörn; Schmidt-Hoberg, Kai

2008-01-01

We consider the impact of catalyzed big bang nucleosynthesis on theories with a gravitino lightest superparticle and a charged slepton next-to-lightest superparticle. In models where the gravitino to gaugino mass ratio is bounded from below, such as gaugino-mediated supersymmetry breaking, we derive a lower bound on the gaugino mass parameter m1/2. As a concrete example, we determine the parameter space of gaugino mediation that is compatible with all cosmological constraints.

The gravitino–stau scenario after catalyzed big bang nucleosynthesis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kersten, Jörn; Schmidt-Hoberg, Kai

2008-01-01

We consider the impact of catalyzed big bang nucleosynthesis on theories with a gravitino lightest superparticle and a charged slepton next-to-lightest superparticle. In models where the gravitino to gaugino mass ratio is bounded from below, such as gaugino-mediated supersymmetry breaking, we derive a lower bound on the gaugino mass parameter m 1/2 . As a concrete example, we determine the parameter space of gaugino mediation that is compatible with all cosmological constraints

Greedy algorithms withweights for construction of partial association rules

KAUST Repository

Moshkov, Mikhail; Piliszczu, Marcin; Zielosko, Beata Marta

2009-01-01

This paper is devoted to the study of approximate algorithms for minimization of the total weight of attributes occurring in partial association rules. We consider mainly greedy algorithms with weights for construction of rules. The paper contains bounds on precision of these algorithms and bounds on the minimal weight of partial association rules based on an information obtained during the greedy algorithm run.

Greedy algorithms withweights for construction of partial association rules

KAUST Repository

Moshkov, Mikhail

2009-09-10

This paper is devoted to the study of approximate algorithms for minimization of the total weight of attributes occurring in partial association rules. We consider mainly greedy algorithms with weights for construction of rules. The paper contains bounds on precision of these algorithms and bounds on the minimal weight of partial association rules based on an information obtained during the greedy algorithm run.

Evaluation of an automatic segmentation algorithm for definition of head and neck organs at risk.

Science.gov (United States)

Thomson, David; Boylan, Chris; Liptrot, Tom; Aitkenhead, Adam; Lee, Lip; Yap, Beng; Sykes, Andrew; Rowbottom, Carl; Slevin, Nicholas

2014-08-03

The accurate definition of organs at risk (OARs) is required to fully exploit the benefits of intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) for head and neck cancer. However, manual delineation is time-consuming and there is considerable inter-observer variability. This is pertinent as function-sparing and adaptive IMRT have increased the number and frequency of delineation of OARs. We evaluated accuracy and potential time-saving of Smart Probabilistic Image Contouring Engine (SPICE) automatic segmentation to define OARs for salivary-, swallowing- and cochlea-sparing IMRT. Five clinicians recorded the time to delineate five organs at risk (parotid glands, submandibular glands, larynx, pharyngeal constrictor muscles and cochleae) for each of 10 CT scans. SPICE was then used to define these structures. The acceptability of SPICE contours was initially determined by visual inspection and the total time to modify them recorded per scan. The Simultaneous Truth and Performance Level Estimation (STAPLE) algorithm created a reference standard from all clinician contours. Clinician, SPICE and modified contours were compared against STAPLE by the Dice similarity coefficient (DSC) and mean/maximum distance to agreement (DTA). For all investigated structures, SPICE contours were less accurate than manual contours. However, for parotid/submandibular glands they were acceptable (median DSC: 0.79/0.80; mean, maximum DTA: 1.5 mm, 14.8 mm/0.6 mm, 5.7 mm). Modified SPICE contours were also less accurate than manual contours. The utilisation of SPICE did not result in time-saving/improve efficiency. Improvements in accuracy of automatic segmentation for head and neck OARs would be worthwhile and are required before its routine clinical implementation.

Student Ideas About Cosmological Concepts: Age, Expansion, and the Big Bang

Science.gov (United States)

Trouille, Laura; Coble, K.; Camarillo, C.; Bailey, J.; Nickerson, M.; Cochran, G.; Hayes, V.; McLin, K.; Cominsky, L.

2012-05-01

Students enter introductory astronomy classes with ideas about the universe that are often misaligned with accepted scientific beliefs. In this presentation we will describe the results from a multi-semester study of urban minority students’ ideas in an introductory astronomy course. We use in-depth student interviews, homework assignments, lab responses, and exams to identify pre-instructional ideas. We also examine the resilience of alternate conceptions to modification through instruction. In this presentation we focus on students’ ideas with regards to the Big Bang, the age of the Universe, and the expansion of the Universe over time. We find that a significant fraction of students enter our astronomy courses with alternate conceptions, including that the Big Bang refers to an explosion from a small, single point in space, that there is no evidence for the Big Bang, that there is a center to our Universe, that the Universe expands into pre-existing matter, and that the Universe has either a much smaller or much larger age than its accepted age. Some of these alternate conceptions are relatively easy to overcome through active learning (for example, whether there is a center to the Universe), while others are more resistant to change (for example, whether the Universe expands into pre-existing matter). Also see our presentations on student ideas of structure and distances (Camarillo et al.) as well as the overview of our methodology (Coble et al.). This work was supported by NASA ROSES E/PO Grant #NNX1OAC89G, as well as by the Illinois Space Grant Consortium and National Science Foundation CCLI Grant #0632563 at Chicago State University and the Fermi E/PO program at Sonoma State University.

L'Univers avant le Big Bang

CERN Document Server

Rouat, Sylvie

2003-01-01

"Tout n'a pas commencé par une explosion. L'historie du cosmos avait débuté biena vant le Big Bang, si l'on suit la théorie défendue par les partisans d'une nouvelle cosmologie issue de la mystérieuse théorie des cordes. A l'heure où vacillent les scénarios classiques du XXe siècle, se prépare un grand chamboulement de nos idées sur la naissance de l'Univers et son devenir, sur l'existence possible d'univers parallèles. Des théories séduisantes qui seront mises à l'épreuve au cours de la prochaine décennie" (11 pages)

Kantowski--Sachs cosmological models as big-bang models

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weber, E.

1985-01-01

In the presence of a nonzero cosmological constant Λ, we classify the anisotropic cosmological models of the Kantowski--Sachs type by means of the quantities epsilon 2 0 , q 0 , summation 0 corresponding, respectively, to the relative root-mean-square deviation from isotropy, the deceleration parameter, and the density parameter of the perfect fluid at a given time t = t 0 . We obtain for Λ>0 a set of big-bang models of zero measure as well as a set of cosmological models of nonzero measure evolving toward the de Sitter solution

Making a Big Bang on the small screen

Science.gov (United States)

Thomas, Nick

2010-01-01

While the quality of some TV sitcoms can leave viewers feeling cheated out of 30 minutes of their lives, audiences and critics are raving about the science-themed US comedy The Big Bang Theory. First shown on the CBS network in 2007, the series focuses on two brilliant postdoc physicists, Leonard and Sheldon, who are totally absorbed by science. Adhering to the stereotype, they also share a fanatical interest in science fiction, video-gaming and comic books, but unfortunately lack the social skills required to connect with their 20-something nonacademic contemporaries.

Constraining axion dark matter with Big Bang Nucleosynthesis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blum, Kfir; D'Agnolo, Raffaele Tito; Lisanti, Mariangela; Safdi, Benjamin R.

2014-01-01

We show that Big Bang Nucleosynthesis (BBN) significantly constrains axion-like dark matter. The axion acts like an oscillating QCD θ angle that redshifts in the early Universe, increasing the neutron–proton mass difference at neutron freeze-out. An axion-like particle that couples too strongly to QCD results in the underproduction of 4 He during BBN and is thus excluded. The BBN bound overlaps with much of the parameter space that would be covered by proposed searches for a time-varying neutron EDM. The QCD axion does not couple strongly enough to affect BBN

Constraining axion dark matter with Big Bang Nucleosynthesis

Science.gov (United States)

Blum, Kfir; D'Agnolo, Raffaele Tito; Lisanti, Mariangela; Safdi, Benjamin R.

2014-10-01

We show that Big Bang Nucleosynthesis (BBN) significantly constrains axion-like dark matter. The axion acts like an oscillating QCD θ angle that redshifts in the early Universe, increasing the neutron-proton mass difference at neutron freeze-out. An axion-like particle that couples too strongly to QCD results in the underproduction of 4He during BBN and is thus excluded. The BBN bound overlaps with much of the parameter space that would be covered by proposed searches for a time-varying neutron EDM. The QCD axion does not couple strongly enough to affect BBN.

Black Holes, the Big Bang and the Habitable Universe: Are They Really Compatible?

Science.gov (United States)

Hujeirat, Ahmad A.

Astronomical observations have confirmed the existence of BHs and the occurrence of the Big Bang event to beyond any reasonable doubt. While quantum field theory and general theory of relativity predict the mass-spectrum of BHs to be unlimited, both theories agree that their creation is irreversible. In this article I argue that the recently-proposed SuSu-objects (: objects that are made of incompressible superconducting gluon-qurak superfluids), may not only entail the required properties to be excellent BH-candidates, but also encoding a hidden connection to dark matter and dark energy in cosmology. If such connection indeed exists, then the inevitable consequence would be that our universe is infinite and subject to repeated Big Bang events of the second kind, which makes the habitability of the universe certain and our cosmic relevance insignificant and meaningless.

Towards adaptive radiotherapy for head and neck patients: validation of an in-house deformable registration algorithm

Science.gov (United States)

Veiga, C.; McClelland, J.; Moinuddin, S.; Ricketts, K.; Modat, M.; Ourselin, S.; D'Souza, D.; Royle, G.

2014-03-01

The purpose of this work is to validate an in-house deformable image registration (DIR) algorithm for adaptive radiotherapy for head and neck patients. We aim to use the registrations to estimate the "dose of the day" and assess the need to replan. NiftyReg is an open-source implementation of the B-splines deformable registration algorithm, developed in our institution. We registered a planning CT to a CBCT acquired midway through treatment for 5 HN patients that required replanning. We investigated 16 different parameter settings that previously showed promising results. To assess the registrations, structures delineated in the CT were warped and compared with contours manually drawn by the same clinical expert on the CBCT. This structure set contained vertebral bodies and soft tissue. Dice similarity coefficient (DSC), overlap index (OI), centroid position and distance between structures' surfaces were calculated for every registration, and a set of parameters that produces good results for all datasets was found. We achieve a median value of 0.845 in DSC, 0.889 in OI, error smaller than 2 mm in centroid position and over 90% of the warped surface pixels are distanced less than 2 mm of the manually drawn ones. By using appropriate DIR parameters, we are able to register the planning geometry (pCT) to the daily geometry (CBCT).

Stochastic weighted particle methods for population balance equations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Patterson, Robert I.A.; Wagner, Wolfgang; Kraft, Markus

2011-01-01

Highlights: → Weight transfer functions for Monte Carlo simulation of coagulation. → Efficient support for single-particle growth processes. → Comparisons to analytic solutions and soot formation problems. → Better numerical accuracy for less common particles. - Abstract: A class of coagulation weight transfer functions is constructed, each member of which leads to a stochastic particle algorithm for the numerical treatment of population balance equations. These algorithms are based on systems of weighted computational particles and the weight transfer functions are constructed such that the number of computational particles does not change during coagulation events. The algorithms also facilitate the simulation of physical processes that change single particles, such as growth, or other surface reactions. Four members of the algorithm family have been numerically validated by comparison to analytic solutions to simple problems. Numerical experiments have been performed for complex laminar premixed flame systems in which members of the class of stochastic weighted particle methods were compared to each other and to a direct simulation algorithm. Two of the weighted algorithms have been shown to offer performance advantages over the direct simulation algorithm in situations where interest is focused on the larger particles in a system. The extent of this advantage depends on the particular system and on the quantities of interest.

The gravitino-stau scenario after catalyzed big bang nucleosynthesis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kersten, Joern [The Abdus Salam ICTP, Strada Costiera 11, 34014 Trieste (Italy); Schmidt-Hoberg, Kai, E-mail: jkersten@ictp.it, E-mail: kai.schmidt-hoberg@ph.tum.de, E-mail: kai.schmidt.hoberg@desy.de [Physik-Department T30, Technische Universitaet Muenchen, James-Franck-Strasse, 85748 Garching (Germany)

2008-01-15

We consider the impact of catalyzed big bang nucleosynthesis on theories with a gravitino lightest superparticle and a charged slepton next-to-lightest superparticle. In models where the gravitino to gaugino mass ratio is bounded from below, such as gaugino-mediated supersymmetry breaking, we derive a lower bound on the gaugino mass parameter m{sub 1/2}. As a concrete example, we determine the parameter space of gaugino mediation that is compatible with all cosmological constraints.

Era of superheavy-particle dominance and big bang nucleosynthesis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Polnarev, A.G.; Khlopov, M.Y.

1982-01-01

The observed primordial He/sup 4/ abundance imposes astrophysical constraints on the possible departures from radiation dominance in the big bang universe during the neutron hardening era (at epoch t roughly-equal1 sec). Limits are obtained which, along with the data on the spectrum of the cosmic background radiation, practically rule out any stages of superheavy stable-particle dominance in the era 1< or approx. =t<10/sup 10/ sec, thereby setting restrictions on current elementary-particle theories.

The Standard Model Higgs as the origin of the hot Big Bang

CERN Document Server

Figueroa, Daniel G.

2017-04-10

If the Standard Model (SM) Higgs is weakly coupled to the inflationary sector, the Higgs is expected to be universally in the form of a condensate towards the end of inflation. The Higgs decays rapidly after inflation -- via non-perturbative effects -- into an out-of-equilibrium distribution of SM species, which thermalize soon afterwards. If the post-inflationary equation of state of the universe is stiff, $w \\simeq +1$, the SM species eventually dominate the total energy budget. This provides a natural origin for the relativistic thermal plasma of SM species, required for the onset the `hot Big Bang' era. The viability of this scenario requires the inflationary Hubble scale $H_*$ to be lower than the instability scale for Higgs vacuum decay, the Higgs not to generate too large curvature perturbations at cosmological scales, and the SM dominance to occur before Big Bang Nucleosynthesis. We show that successful reheating into the SM can only be obtained in the presence of a non-minimal coupling to gravity $\\x...

Pre-big bang bubbles from the gravitational instability of generic string vacua

CERN Document Server

Buonanno, A; Veneziano, Gabriele

1999-01-01

We formulate the basic postulate of pre-big bang cosmology as one of ``asymptotic past triviality'', by which we mean that the initial state is a generic perturbative solution of the tree-level low-energy effective action. Such a past-trivial ``string vacuum'' is made of an arbitrary ensemble of incoming gravitational and dilatonic waves, and is generically prone to gravitational instability, leading to the possible formation of many black holes hiding singular space-like hypersurfaces. Each such singular space-like hypersurface of gravitational collapse becomes, in the string-frame metric, the usual big-bang t=0 hypersurface, i.e. the place of birth of a baby Friedmann universe after a period of dilaton-driven inflation. Specializing to the spherically-symmetric case, we review and reinterpret previous work on the subject, and propose a simple, scale-invariant criterion for collapse/inflation in terms of asymptotic data at past null infinity. Those data should determine whether, when, and where collapse/infl...

10-35 seconds after the big bang

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guth, A.H.

1982-01-01

The status of the inflationary model of the very early universe is summarized. In this model the universe supercools many orders of magnitude below the critical temperature of a grand unified theory phase transition, and in the process it expands by many orders of magnitude. The model can solve the monopole, horizon, and flatness problems of the standard hot big-bang cosmology, and at the same time it offers an explanation of the origin of all matter, energy, and entropy of the universe. There are still uncertainties concerning the mechanism which ends the inflationary era, but the new ending proposed by Linde and by Albrecht and Steinhardt appears very promising

Nuclear Receptors, RXR, and the Big Bang.

Science.gov (United States)

Evans, Ronald M; Mangelsdorf, David J

2014-03-27

Isolation of genes encoding the receptors for steroids, retinoids, vitamin D, and thyroid hormone and their structural and functional analysis revealed an evolutionarily conserved template for nuclear hormone receptors. This discovery sparked identification of numerous genes encoding related proteins, termed orphan receptors. Characterization of these orphan receptors and, in particular, of the retinoid X receptor (RXR) positioned nuclear receptors at the epicenter of the "Big Bang" of molecular endocrinology. This Review provides a personal perspective on nuclear receptors and explores their integrated and coordinated signaling networks that are essential for multicellular life, highlighting the RXR heterodimer and its associated ligands and transcriptional mechanism. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Predicting big bang deuterium

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hata, N.; Scherrer, R.J.; Steigman, G.; Thomas, D.; Walker, T.P. [Department of Physics, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210 (United States)

1996-02-01

We present new upper and lower bounds to the primordial abundances of deuterium and {sup 3}He based on observational data from the solar system and the interstellar medium. Independent of any model for the primordial production of the elements we find (at the 95{percent} C.L.): 1.5{times}10{sup {minus}5}{le}(D/H){sub {ital P}}{le}10.0{times}10{sup {minus}5} and ({sup 3}He/H){sub {ital P}}{le}2.6{times}10{sup {minus}5}. When combined with the predictions of standard big bang nucleosynthesis, these constraints lead to a 95{percent} C.L. bound on the primordial abundance deuterium: (D/H){sub best}=(3.5{sup +2.7}{sub {minus}1.8}){times}10{sup {minus}5}. Measurements of deuterium absorption in the spectra of high-redshift QSOs will directly test this prediction. The implications of this prediction for the primordial abundances of {sup 4}He and {sup 7}Li are discussed, as well as those for the universal density of baryons. {copyright} {ital 1996 The American Astronomical Society.}

George and the big bang

CERN Document Server

Hawking, Lucy; Parsons, Gary

2012-01-01

George has problems. He has twin baby sisters at home who demand his parents’ attention. His beloved pig Freddy has been exiled to a farm, where he’s miserable. And worst of all, his best friend, Annie, has made a new friend whom she seems to like more than George. So George jumps at the chance to help Eric with his plans to run a big experiment in Switzerland that seeks to explore the earliest moment of the universe. But there is a conspiracy afoot, and a group of evildoers is planning to sabotage the experiment. Can George repair his friendship with Annie and piece together the clues before Eric’s experiment is destroyed forever? This engaging adventure features essays by Professor Stephen Hawking and other eminent physicists about the origins of the universe and ends with a twenty-page graphic novel that explains how the Big Bang happened—in reverse!

After the Big Bang: What's Next in Design Education? Time to Relax?

Science.gov (United States)

Fleischmann, Katja

2015-01-01

The article "Big Bang technology: What's next in design education, radical innovation or incremental change?" (Fleischmann, 2013) appeared in the "Journal of Learning Design" Volume 6, Issue 3 in 2013. Two years on, Associate Professor Fleischmann reflects upon her original article within this article. Although it has only been…

Comparison of proton therapy treatment planning for head tumors with a pencil beam algorithm on dual and single energy CT images

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hudobivnik, Nace; Dedes, George; Parodi, Katia; Landry, Guillaume, E-mail: g.landry@lmu.de [Department of Medical Physics, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich 85748 (Germany); Schwarz, Florian; Johnson, Thorsten; Sommer, Wieland H. [Institute for Clinical Radiology, Ludwig Maximilians University Hospital Munich, 81377 Munich (Germany); Agolli, Linda [Department of Radiation Oncology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich 81377, Germany and Radiation Oncology, Sant’ Andrea Hospital, Sapienza University, Rome 00189 (Italy); Tessonnier, Thomas [Department of Medical Physics, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich 85748, Germany and Department of Radiation Oncology, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg (Germany); Verhaegen, Frank [Department of Radiation Oncology (MAASTRO), GROW School for Oncology and Developmental Biology, Maastricht 6229 ET, the Netherlands and Medical Physics Unit, Department of Oncology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec H3A 0G4 (Canada); Thieke, Christian; Belka, Claus [Department of Radiation Oncology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich 81377 (Germany)

2016-01-15

Purpose: Dual energy CT (DECT) has recently been proposed as an improvement over single energy CT (SECT) for stopping power ratio (SPR) estimation for proton therapy treatment planning (TP), thereby potentially reducing range uncertainties. Published literature investigated phantoms. This study aims at performing proton therapy TP on SECT and DECT head images of the same patients and at evaluating whether the reported improved DECT SPR accuracy translates into clinically relevant range shifts in clinical head treatment scenarios. Methods: Two phantoms were scanned at a last generation dual source DECT scanner at 90 and 150 kVp with Sn filtration. The first phantom (Gammex phantom) was used to calibrate the scanner in terms of SPR while the second served as evaluation (CIRS phantom). DECT images of five head trauma patients were used as surrogate cancer patient images for TP of proton therapy. Pencil beam algorithm based TP was performed on SECT and DECT images and the dose distributions corresponding to the optimized proton plans were calculated using a Monte Carlo (MC) simulation platform using the same patient geometry for both plans obtained from conversion of the 150 kVp images. Range shifts between the MC dose distributions from SECT and DECT plans were assessed using 2D range maps. Results: SPR root mean square errors (RMSEs) for the inserts of the Gammex phantom were 1.9%, 1.8%, and 1.2% for SECT phantom calibration (SECT{sub phantom}), SECT stoichiometric calibration (SECT{sub stoichiometric}), and DECT calibration, respectively. For the CIRS phantom, these were 3.6%, 1.6%, and 1.0%. When investigating patient anatomy, group median range differences of up to −1.4% were observed for head cases when comparing SECT{sub stoichiometric} with DECT. For this calibration the 25th and 75th percentiles varied from −2% to 0% across the five patients. The group median was found to be limited to 0.5% when using SECT{sub phantom} and the 25th and 75th percentiles

Level-0 trigger algorithms for the ALICE PHOS detector

CERN Document Server

Wang, D; Wang, Y P; Huang, G M; Kral, J; Yin, Z B; Zhou, D C; Zhang, F; Ullaland, K; Muller, H; Liu, L J

2011-01-01

The PHOS level-0 trigger provides a minimum bias trigger for p-p collisions and information for a level-1 trigger at both p-p and Pb-Pb collisions. There are two level-0 trigger generating algorithms under consideration: the Direct Comparison algorithm and the Weighted Sum algorithm. In order to study trigger algorithms via simulation, a simplified equivalent model is extracted from the trigger electronics to derive the waveform function of the Analog-or signal as input to the trigger algorithms. Simulations shown that the Weighted Sum algorithm can achieve higher trigger efficiency and provide more precise single channel energy information than the direct compare algorithm. An energy resolution of 9.75 MeV can be achieved with the Weighted Sum algorithm at a sampling rate of 40 Msps (mega samples per second) at 1 GeV. The timing performance at a sampling rate of 40 Msps with the Weighted Sum algorithm is better than that at a sampling rate of 20 Msps with both algorithms. The level-0 trigger can be delivered...

Automatic annotation of head velocity and acceleration in Anvil

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jongejan, Bart

2012-01-01

We describe an automatic face tracker plugin for the ANVIL annotation tool. The face tracker produces data for velocity and for acceleration in two dimensions. We compare the annotations generated by the face tracking algorithm with independently made manual annotations for head movements....... The annotations are a useful supplement to manual annotations and may help human annotators to quickly and reliably determine onset of head movements and to suggest which kind of head movement is taking place....

Gauge-invariant gravitational wave modes in pre-big bang cosmology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Faraoni, Valerio

2010-01-01

The t<0 branch of pre-big bang cosmological scenarios is subject to a gravitational wave instability. The unstable behaviour of tensor perturbations is derived in a very simple way in Hwang's covariant and gauge-invariant formalism developed for extended theories of gravity. A simple interpretation of this instability as the effect of an ''antifriction'' is given, and it is argued that a universe must eventually enter the expanding phase. (orig.)

Generating a hot big bang via a change in topology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kandvup, H.E.

1990-01-01

This paper uses ideas developed recently in semiclassical quantum gravity to argue that many qualitative features of the hot big bang generally assumed in cosmology may be explained by the hypothesis that, interpreted semiclassically, the universe tunnelled into being via a quantum fluctuation from a small (Planck-sized), topologically complex entity to a topologically trivial entity (like a Friedmann universe) that rapidly grew to a more macroscopic size

Generating a hot big bang via a change in topology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kandvup, H.E. (Florida Univ., Gainesville, FL (USA). Space Astronomy Lab.); Masur, P.O. (Institute for Fundamental Theory, Univ. of Florida, Gainesville, FL (US))

1990-08-01

This paper uses ideas developed recently in semiclassical quantum gravity to argue that many qualitative features of the hot big bang generally assumed in cosmology may be explained by the hypothesis that, interpreted semiclassically, the universe tunnelled into being via a quantum fluctuation from a small (Planck-sized), topologically complex entity to a topologically trivial entity (like a Friedmann universe) that rapidly grew to a more macroscopic size.

A Novel Ant Colony Algorithm for the Single-Machine Total Weighted Tardiness Problem with Sequence Dependent Setup Times

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fardin Ahmadizar

2011-08-01

Full Text Available This paper deals with the NP-hard single-machine total weighted tardiness problem with sequence dependent setup times. Incorporating fuzzy sets and genetic operators, a novel ant colony optimization algorithm is developed for the problem. In the proposed algorithm, artificial ants construct solutions as orders of jobs based on the heuristic information as well as pheromone trails. To calculate the heuristic information, three well-known priority rules are adopted as fuzzy sets and then aggregated. When all artificial ants have terminated their constructions, genetic operators such as crossover and mutation are applied to generate new regions of the solution space. A local search is then performed to improve the performance quality of some of the solutions found. Moreover, at run-time the pheromone trails are locally as well as globally updated, and limited between lower and upper bounds. The proposed algorithm is experimented on a set of benchmark problems from the literature and compared with other metaheuristics.

Selecting the correct weighting factors for linear and quadratic calibration curves with least-squares regression algorithm in bioanalytical LC-MS/MS assays and impacts of using incorrect weighting factors on curve stability, data quality, and assay performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Gu, Huidong; Liu, Guowen; Wang, Jian; Aubry, Anne-Françoise; Arnold, Mark E

2014-09-16

A simple procedure for selecting the correct weighting factors for linear and quadratic calibration curves with least-squares regression algorithm in bioanalytical LC-MS/MS assays is reported. The correct weighting factor is determined by the relationship between the standard deviation of instrument responses (σ) and the concentrations (x). The weighting factor of 1, 1/x, or 1/x(2) should be selected if, over the entire concentration range, σ is a constant, σ(2) is proportional to x, or σ is proportional to x, respectively. For the first time, we demonstrated with detailed scientific reasoning, solid historical data, and convincing justification that 1/x(2) should always be used as the weighting factor for all bioanalytical LC-MS/MS assays. The impacts of using incorrect weighting factors on curve stability, data quality, and assay performance were thoroughly investigated. It was found that the most stable curve could be obtained when the correct weighting factor was used, whereas other curves using incorrect weighting factors were unstable. It was also found that there was a very insignificant impact on the concentrations reported with calibration curves using incorrect weighting factors as the concentrations were always reported with the passing curves which actually overlapped with or were very close to the curves using the correct weighting factor. However, the use of incorrect weighting factors did impact the assay performance significantly. Finally, the difference between the weighting factors of 1/x(2) and 1/y(2) was discussed. All of the findings can be generalized and applied into other quantitative analysis techniques using calibration curves with weighted least-squares regression algorithm.

Big-Bang nucleosynthesis and lithium abundance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Singh, Vinay; Lahiri, Joydev; Bhowmick, Debasis; Basu, D.N.

2017-01-01

The predictions of the standard big-bang nucleosynthesis (BBN) theory depend on the astrophysical nuclear reaction rates and on additional three parameters, the number of flavours of light neutrinos, the neutron lifetime and the baryon-to-photon ratio in the uni- verse. The effect of the modification of thirty-five reaction rates on light element abundance yields in BBN was investigated earlier by us. In the present work we have replaced the neutron lifetime, baryon-to-photon ratio by the most recent values and further modified 3 He( 4 He,γ) 7 Be reaction rate which is used directly for estimating the formation of 7 Li as a result of β + decay by the most recent equation. We find that these modifications reduce the calculated abundance of 7 Li by ∼ 12%

Gamma-rays and the case for baryon symmetric big-bang cosmology

Science.gov (United States)

Stecker, F. W.

1977-01-01

The baryon symmetric big-bang cosmologies offer an explanation of the present photon-baryon ratio in the universe, the best present explanation of the diffuse gamma-ray background spectrum in the 1-200 MeV range, and a mechanism for galaxy formation. In regard to He production, evidence is discussed that nucleosynthesis of He may have taken place after the galaxies were formed.

``All that Matter ... in One Big Bang ...'', &Other Cosmological Singularities

Science.gov (United States)

Elizalde, Emilio

2018-02-01

The first part of this paper contains a brief description of the beginnings of modern cosmology, which, the author will argue, was most likely born in the Year 1912. Some of the pieces of evidence presented here have emerged from recent research in the history of science, and are not usually shared with the general audiences in popular science books. In special, the issue of the correct formulation of the original Big Bang concept, according to the precise words of Fred Hoyle, is discussed. Too often, this point is very deficiently explained (when not just misleadingly) in most of the available generalist literature. Other frequent uses of the same words, Big Bang, as to name the initial singularity of the cosmos, and also whole cosmological models, are then addressed, as evolutions of its original meaning. Quantum and inflationary additions to the celebrated singularity theorems by Penrose, Geroch, Hawking and others led to subsequent results by Borde, Guth and Vilenkin. And corresponding corrections to the Einstein field equations have originated, in particular, $R^2$, $f(R)$, and scalar-tensor gravities, giving rise to a plethora of new singularities. For completeness, an updated table with a classification of the same is given.