Polarization from Thomson scattering of the light of a spherical, limb-darkened star

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rudy, R. J.

1979-01-01

The polarized flux produced by the Thomson scattering of the light of a spherical, limb-darkened star by optically thin, extrastellar regions of electrons is calculated and contrasted to previous models which treated the star as a point source. The point-source approximation is found to be valid for scattering by particles more than a stellar radius from the surface of the star but is inappropriate for those lying closer. The specific effect of limb darkening on the fractional polarization of the total light of a system is explored. If the principal source of light is the unpolarized flux of the star, the polarization is nearly independent of limb darkening.

PyLDTk: Python toolkit for calculating stellar limb darkening profiles and model-specific coefficients for arbitrary filters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parviainen, Hannu

2015-10-01

PyLDTk automates the calculation of custom stellar limb darkening (LD) profiles and model-specific limb darkening coefficients (LDC) using the library of PHOENIX-generated specific intensity spectra by Husser et al. (2013). It facilitates exoplanet transit light curve modeling, especially transmission spectroscopy where the modeling is carried out for custom narrow passbands. PyLDTk construct model-specific priors on the limb darkening coefficients prior to the transit light curve modeling. It can also be directly integrated into the log posterior computation of any pre-existing transit modeling code with minimal modifications to constrain the LD model parameter space directly by the LD profile, allowing for the marginalization over the whole parameter space that can explain the profile without the need to approximate this constraint by a prior distribution. This is useful when using a high-order limb darkening model where the coefficients are often correlated, and the priors estimated from the tabulated values usually fail to include these correlations.

Lunar occultation of Saturn. II - The normal reflectance of Rhea, Titan, and Iapetus

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Elliot, J. L.; Dunham, E. W.; Veverka, J.; Goguen, J.

1978-01-01

An inversion procedure to obtain the reflectance of the central region of a satellite's disk from lunar occultation data is presented. The scheme assumes that the limb darkening of the satellite depends only on the radial distance from the center of the disk. Given this assumption, normal reflectances can be derived that are essentially independent of the limb darkening and the diameter of the satellite. The procedure has been applied to our observations of the March 1974 lunar occultation of Tethys, Dione, Rhea, Titan, and Iapetus. In the V passband we derive the following normal reflectances: Rhea (0.97 plus or minus 0.20), Titan (0.24 plus or minus 0.03), Iapetus, bright face (0.60 plus or minus 0.14). For Tethys and Dione the values derived have large uncertainties, but are consistent with our result for Rhea.

Limb Darkening and Planetary Transits: Testing Center-to-limb Intensity Variations and Limb-darkening Directly from Model Stellar Atmospheres

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Neilson, Hilding R.; Lester, John B.; McNeil, Joseph T.

The transit method, employed by Microvariability and Oscillation of Stars ( MOST ), Kepler , and various ground-based surveys has enabled the characterization of extrasolar planets to unprecedented precision. These results are precise enough to begin to measure planet atmosphere composition, planetary oblateness, starspots, and other phenomena at the level of a few hundred parts per million. However, these results depend on our understanding of stellar limb darkening, that is, the intensity distribution across the stellar disk that is sequentially blocked as the planet transits. Typically, stellar limb darkening is assumed to be a simple parameterization with two coefficients thatmore » are derived from stellar atmosphere models or fit directly. In this work, we revisit this assumption and compute synthetic planetary-transit light curves directly from model stellar atmosphere center-to-limb intensity variations (CLIVs) using the plane-parallel Atlas and spherically symmetric SAtlas codes. We compare these light curves to those constructed using best-fit limb-darkening parameterizations. We find that adopting parametric stellar limb-darkening laws leads to systematic differences from the more geometrically realistic model stellar atmosphere CLIV of about 50–100 ppm at the transit center and up to 300 ppm at ingress/egress. While these errors are small, they are systematic, and they appear to limit the precision necessary to measure secondary effects. Our results may also have a significant impact on transit spectra.« less

The effect of oblateness and gravity darkening on the radiation driving in winds from rapidly rotating B stars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cranmer, Steven R.; Owocki, Stanley P.

1995-01-01

We calculate the radiative driving force for winds around rapidly rotating oblate B stars, and we estimate the impact these forces should have on the production of a wind compressed disk. The effects of limb darkening, gravity darkening, oblateness, and an arbitrary wind velocity field are included in the computation of vector 'oblate finite disk' (OFD) factors, which depend on both radius and colatitude in the wind. The impact of limb darkening alone, with or without rotation, can increase the mass loss by as much as 10% over values computed using the standard uniformly bright spherical finite disk factor. For rapidly rotating stars, limb darkening makes 'sub-stellar' gravity darkening the dominant effect in the radial and latitudinal OFD factors, and lessens the impact of gravity darkening at other visible latitudes (nearer to the oblate limb). Thus, the radial radiative driving is generally stronger over the poles and weaker over the equator, following the gravity darkening at these latitudes. The nonradial radiative driving is considerably smaller in magnitude than the radial component, but is directed both away from the equatorial plane and in a retrograde azimuthal direction, acting to decrease the effective stellar rotation velocity. These forces thus weaken the equatorward wind compression compared to wind models computed with nonrotating finite disk factors.

New limb-darkening coefficients for modeling binary star light curves

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Van Hamme, W.

1993-01-01

We present monochromatic, passband-specific, and bolometric limb-darkening coefficients for a linear as well as nonlinear logarithmic and square root limb-darkening laws. These coefficients, including the bolometric ones, are needed when modeling binary star light curves with the latest version of the Wilson-Devinney light curve progam. We base our calculations on the most recent ATLAS stellar atmosphere models for solar chemical composition stars with a wide range of effective temperatures and surface gravitites. We examine how well various limb-darkening approximations represent the variation of the emerging specific intensity across a stellar surface as computed according to the model. For binary star light curve modeling purposes, we propose the use of a logarithmic or a square root law. We design our tables in such a manner that the relative quality of either law with respect to another can be easily compared. Since the computation of bolometric limb-darkening coefficients first requires monochromatic coefficients, we also offer tables of these coefficients (at 1221 wavelength values between 9.09 nm and 160 micrometer) and tables of passband-specific coefficients for commonly used photometric filters.

Limb darkening laws for two exoplanet host stars derived from 3D stellar model atmospheres. Comparison with 1D models and HST light curve observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hayek, W.; Sing, D.; Pont, F.; Asplund, M.

2012-03-01

We compare limb darkening laws derived from 3D hydrodynamical model atmospheres and 1D hydrostatic MARCS models for the host stars of two well-studied transiting exoplanet systems, the late-type dwarfs HD 209458 and HD 189733. The surface brightness distribution of the stellar disks is calculated for a wide spectral range using 3D LTE spectrum formation and opacity sampling⋆. We test our theoretical predictions using least-squares fits of model light curves to wavelength-integrated primary eclipses that were observed with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). The limb darkening law derived from the 3D model of HD 209458 in the spectral region between 2900 Å and 5700 Å produces significantly better fits to the HST data, removing systematic residuals that were previously observed for model light curves based on 1D limb darkening predictions. This difference arises mainly from the shallower mean temperature structure of the 3D model, which is a consequence of the explicit simulation of stellar surface granulation where 1D models need to rely on simplified recipes. In the case of HD 189733, the model atmospheres produce practically equivalent limb darkening curves between 2900 Å and 5700 Å, partly due to obstruction by spectral lines, and the data are not sufficient to distinguish between the light curves. We also analyze HST observations between 5350 Å and 10 500 Å for this star; the 3D model leads to a better fit compared to 1D limb darkening predictions. The significant improvement of fit quality for the HD 209458 system demonstrates the higher degree of realism of 3D hydrodynamical models and the importance of surface granulation for the formation of the atmospheric radiation field of late-type stars. This result agrees well with recent investigations of limb darkening in the solar continuum and other observational tests of the 3D models. The case of HD 189733 is no contradiction as the model light curves are less sensitive to the temperature stratification of the stellar atmosphere and the observed data in the 2900-5700 Å region are not sufficient to distinguish more clearly between the 3D and 1D limb darkening predictions. Full theoretical spectra for both stars are available in electronic form at the CDS via anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/539/A102, as well as at www.astro.ex.ac.uk/people/sing.

The limb-darkened Arcturus: imaging with the IOTA/IONIC interferometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lacour, S.; Meimon, S.; Thiébaut, E.; Perrin, G.; Verhoelst, T.; Pedretti, E.; Schuller, P. A.; Mugnier, L.; Monnier, J.; Berger, J. P.; Haubois, X.; Poncelet, A.; Le Besnerais, G.; Eriksson, K.; Millan-Gabet, R.; Ragland, S.; Lacasse, M.; Traub, W.

2008-07-01

Aims: We undertook an H band interferometric examination of Arcturus, a star frequently used as a spatial and spectral calibrator. Methods: Using the IOTA 3 telescope interferometer, we performed spectro-interferometric observations (R≈35) of Arcturus. Atmospheric models and prescriptions were fitted to the data to derive the brightness distribution of the photosphere. Image reconstruction was performed using two software algorithms: Wisard and Mira. Results: An achromatic power law proved to be a good model of the brightness distribution, with a limb darkening compatible with the one derived from atmospheric model simulations using our marcs model. A Rosseland diameter of 21.05±0.21 was derived, corresponding to an effective temperature of Teff = 4295±26 K. No companion was detected from the closure phases, with an upper limit on the brightness ratio of 8×10-4 at 1 AU. The dynamic range at such distance from the photosphere was established as 1.5×10-4 (1σ rms). An upper limit of 1.7×10-3 was also derived for the level of brightness asymmetries present in the photosphere.

Extended Envelopes around Galactic Cepheids. III. Y Ophiuchi and α Persei from Near-Infrared Interferometry with CHARA/FLUOR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mérand, Antoine; Aufdenberg, Jason P.; Kervella, Pierre; Foresto, Vincent Coudé du; ten Brummelaar, Theo A.; McAlister, Harold A.; Sturmann, Laszlo; Sturmann, Judit; Turner, Nils H.

2007-08-01

Unbiased angular diameter measurements are required for accurate distances to Cepheids using the interferometric Baade-Wesselink method (IBWM). The precision of this technique is currently limited by interferometric measurements at the 1.5% level. At this level, the center-to-limb darkening (CLD) and the presence of circumstellar envelopes (CSE) seem to be the two main sources of bias. The observations we performed aim at improving our knowledge of the interferometric visibility profile of Cepheids. In particular, we assess the systematic presence of CSE around Cepheids in order determine accurate distances with the IBWM free from CSE biased angular diameters. We observed a Cepheid (Y Oph) for which the pulsation is well resolved and a nonpulsating yellow supergiant (α Per) using long-baseline near-infrared interferometry. We interpreted these data using a simple CSE model we previously developed. We found that our observations of α Per do not provide evidence for a CSE. The measured CLD is explained by an hydrostatic photospheric model. Our observations of Y Oph, when compared to smaller baseline measurements, suggest that it is surrounded by a CSE with characteristics similar to CSEs found previously around other Cepheids. We have determined the distance to Y Oph to be d=491+/-18 pc. Additional evidence points toward the conclusion that most Cepheids are surrounded by faint CSEs, detected by near-infrared interferometry: after observing four Cepheids, all show evidence for a CSE. Our CSE nondetection around a nonpulsating supergiant in the instability strip, α Per, provides confidence in the detection technique and suggests a pulsation driven mass-loss mechanism for the Cepheids.

STELLAR PARAMETERS FOR HD 69830, A NEARBY STAR WITH THREE NEPTUNE MASS PLANETS AND AN ASTEROID BELT

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tanner, Angelle; Boyajian, Tabetha S.; Brewer, John M.

We used the CHARA Array to directly measure the angular diameter of HD 69830, home to three Neptune mass planets and an asteroid belt. Our measurement of 0.674 ± 0.014 mas for the limb-darkened angular diameter of this star leads to a physical radius of R {sub *} = 0.9058 ± 0.0190 R {sub ☉} and luminosity of L {sub *} = 0.622 ± 0.014 L {sub ☉} when combined with a fit to the spectral energy distribution of the star. Placing these observed values on an Hertzsprung-Russel diagram along with stellar evolution isochrones produces an age of 10.6 ± 4 Gyr and mass of 0.863 ± 0.043 M {sub ☉}. We usemore » archival optical echelle spectra of HD 69830 along with an iterative spectral fitting technique to measure the iron abundance ([Fe/H] = –0.04 ± 0.03), effective temperature (5385 ± 44 K), and surface gravity (log g = 4.49 ± 0.06). We use these new values for the temperature and luminosity to calculate a more precise age of 7.5 ± 3 Gyr. Applying the values of stellar luminosity and radius to recent models on the optimistic location of the habitable zone produces a range of 0.61-1.44 AU; partially outside the orbit of the furthest known planet (d) around HD 69830. Finally, we estimate the snow line at a distance of 1.95 ± 0.19 AU, which is outside the orbit of all three planets and its asteroid belt.« less

Limb darkening in Venus night-side disk as viewed from Akatsuki IR2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Satoh, Takehiko; Nakakushi, Takashi; Sato, Takao M.; Hashimoto, George L.

2017-10-01

Night-side hemisphere of Venus exhibits dark and bright regions as a result of spatially inhomogeneous cloud opacity which is illuminated by infrared radiation from deeper atmosphere. The 2-μm camera (IR2) onboard Akatsuki, Japan's Venus Climate Orbiter, is equipped with three narrow-band filters (1.735, 2.26, and 2.32 μm) to image Venus night-side disk in well-known transparency windows of CO2 atmosphere (Allen and Crawford 1984). In general, a cloud feature appears brightest when it is in the disk center and becomes darker as the zenith angle of emergent light increases. Such limb darkening was observed with Galileo/NIMS and mathematically approximated (Carlson et al., 1993). Limb-darkening correction helps to identify branches, in a 1.74-μm vs. 2.3-μm radiances scatter plot, each of which corresponds to a group of aerosols with similar properties. We analyzed Akatsuki/IR2 images to characterize the limb darkening for three night-side filters.There is, however, contamination from the intense day-side disk blurred by IR2's point spread function (PSF). It is found that infrared light can be multiplly reflected within the Si substrate of IR2 detector (1024x1024 pixels PtSi array), causing elongated tail in the actual PSF. We treated this in two different ways. One is to mathematically approximate the PSF (with a combination of modified Lorentz functions) and another is to differentiate 2.26-μm image from 2.32-μm image so that the blurred light pattern can directly be obtained. By comparing results from these two methods, we are able to reasonablly clean up the night-side images and limb darkening is extracted. Physical interpretation of limb darkening, as well as "true" time variations of cloud brightness will be presented/discussed.

Limb-darkening coefficients for the purpose of pulsation mode identification for A-F stars. .

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barban, C.; Goupil, M. J.; van't Veer-Menneret, C.; Garrido, R.; Heiter, U.; Kupka, F.

Limb-darkening coefficients are computed from a set of model atmospheres with: a solar chemical composition, 6000 K< Teff < 8500 K (Delta T_eff=250 K), 2.5 < logg < 4.5 (Delta log g=0.1) and a microturbulent velocity of 2 km/s. Convection is included assuming either the turbulent convection approach of \\citet{cm} or the classical mixing length prescription with alpha =0.5 and 1.25. Four limb-darkening laws have been used: quadratic, cubic, square root and the one of \\citet{cl}. We compare the ATLAS 9 intensities and the ones computed from these laws. We find that Claret's law is the best law for almost all the models, independently of the convection prescription used.

A Correlation Between Changes in Solar Luminosity and Differential Radius Measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kroll, R. J.; Hill, H. A.; Beardsley, B. J.

1990-01-01

Solar luminosity variations occurring during solar cycle 21 can be attributed in large part to the presence of sunspots and faculae. Nevertheless, there remains a residual portion of the luminosity variation distinctly unaccounted for by these phenomena of solar activity. At the Santa Catalina Laboratory for Experimental Relativity by Astrometry (SCLERA), observations of the solar limb are capable of detecting changes in the solar limb darkening function by monitoring a quantity known as the differential radius. These observations are utilized in such a way that the effects of solar activity are minimized in order to reveal the more fundamental structure of the photosphere. The results of observations made during solar cycle 21 at various solar latitudes indicate that a measurable change did occur in the global photospheric limb darkening function. It is proposed that the residual luminosity change is associated in part with this change in limb darkening.

batman: BAsic Transit Model cAlculatioN in Python

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kreidberg, Laura

2015-10-01

batman provides fast calculation of exoplanet transit light curves and supports calculation of light curves for any radially symmetric stellar limb darkening law. It uses an integration algorithm for models that cannot be quickly calculated analytically, and in typical use, the batman Python package can calculate a million model light curves in well under ten minutes for any limb darkening profile.

VizieR Online Data Catalog: JMMC Stellar Diameters Catalogue - JSDC. Version 2 (Bourges+, 2017)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bourges, L.; Mella, G.; Lafrasse, S.; Duvert, G.; Chelli, A.; Le Bouquin, J.-B.; Delfosse, X.; Chesneau, O.

2017-01-01

The JMMC (Jean-Marie Mariotti Center) Calibrator Workgroup has long developed methods to estimate the angular diameter of stars, and provides this expertise in the SearchCal tool (http://www.jmmc.fr/searchcal). SearchCal creates a dynamical catalogue of stars suitable to calibrate Optical Long-Baseline Interferometry (OLBI) observations from on-line queries of CDS catalogues, according to observational parameters. In essence, SearchCal is limited only by the completeness of the stellar catalogues it uses, and in particular is not limited in magnitude. SearchCal being an application centered on the somewhat restricted OLBI observational purposes, it appeared useful to make our angular diameter estimates available for other purposes through a CDS-based catalog, the JMMC Stellar Diameters Catalogue (JSDC, II/300). This second version of the catalog represents a tenfold improvement both in terms of the number of objects and on the precision of the estimates. This is due to a new algorithm using reddening-free quantities -- the pseudomagnitudes, allied to a new database of all the measured stellar angular diameters -- the JMDC (II/345/jmdc), and a rigorous error propagation at all steps of the processing. All this is described in the associated publication by Chelli et al. (2016A&A...589A.112C). The catalog reports the Limb-Darkened Diameter (LDD) and error for 465877 stars, as well as their BVRIJHKLMN magnitudes, Uniform Disk Diameters (UDD) in these same photometric bands, Spectral Type, and two supplementary quality indicators: - the mean-diameter chi-square (see Appendix A.2 of Chelli et al., 2016A&A...589A.112C). - a flag indicating some degree of caution in choosing this star as an OLBI calibrator: known spectroscopic binaries, Algol type stars, etc, see Note (1). The conversion from LDD to UDD in each spectral band is made using mainly the coefficients from J/A+A/556/A86/table16 and J/A+A/554/A98/table16 when possible (compatible spectral types) and following the prescriptions of the JMMC report at http://www.mariotti.fr/doc/approved/JMMC-MEM-2610-0001.pdf in all other cases. The errors on UDD values are omitted as they are similar to the LDD error. Instead of using this catalog to find a suitable OLBI calibrator, the reader is invited to use the SearchCal tool at JMMC (http://www.jmmc.fr/searchcal) which permits a refined search, give access to other possible calibrators (faint stars not in the Tycho catalog) and benefits from the maintainance of JMMC and CDS databases. This catalog replaces the previous JSDC (II/300/jsdc). Almost all stars in II/300/jsdc are found in II/346 with a consistent diameter, with the exception of 1935 stars whose estimated diameter differs from more than 2 sigmas between the two catalogs. The associated file JSDCv2v1 dis.vot (jsdc dis.dat) summarizes this difference. (5 data files).

Limb darkening and exoplanets - II. Choosing the best law for optimal retrieval of transit parameters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Espinoza, Néstor; Jordán, Andrés

2016-04-01

Very precise measurements of exoplanet transit light curves both from ground- and space-based observatories make it now possible to fit the limb-darkening coefficients in the transit-fitting procedure rather than fix them to theoretical values. This strategy has been shown to give better results, as fixing the coefficients to theoretical values can give rise to important systematic errors which directly impact the physical properties of the system derived from such light curves such as the planetary radius. However, studies of the effect of limb-darkening assumptions on the retrieved parameters have mostly focused on the widely used quadratic limb-darkening law, leaving out other proposed laws that are either simpler or better descriptions of model intensity profiles. In this work, we show that laws such as the logarithmic, square-root and three-parameter law do a better job that the quadratic and linear laws when deriving parameters from transit light curves, both in terms of bias and precision, for a wide range of situations. We therefore recommend to study which law to use on a case-by-case basis. We provide code to guide the decision of when to use each of these laws and select the optimal one in a mean-square error sense, which we note has a dependence on both stellar and transit parameters. Finally, we demonstrate that the so-called exponential law is non-physical as it typically produces negative intensities close to the limb and should therefore not be used.

Absolute Infrared Calibration of Standard Stars by the Midcourse Space Experiment

DTIC Science & Technology

2004-04-01

analytic expressions have been adopted for limb darkening (see the discussion and references in Neckel, 1996 , for examples) the fact is that the ratio...expression is of little consequence. Spickler, Benner and Russell ( 1996 ) noted that their measurements showed more infrared limb darkening than the...that calculated by Neckel and Labs (1981) from absolute radiances at the center of the Sun. However, Colina, Bohlin and Castelli ( 1996 ) questioned the

Solar Observations as Educational Tools (P8)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shylaja, B. S.

2006-11-01

taralaya89@yahoo.co.in Solar observations are very handy tools to expose the students to the joy of research. In this presentation I briefly discuss the various experiments already done here with a small 6" Coude refractor. These include simple experiments like eclipse observations, rotation measurements, variation in the angular size of the sun through the year as well as sun spot size variations, Doppler measurements, identification of elements from solar spectrum (from published high resolution spectrum), limb darkening measurements, deriving the curve of growth (from published data). I also describe the theoretical implications of the experiments and future plans to develop this as a platform for motivating students towards a career in basic science research.

Photometric functions for photoclinometry and other applications

USGS Publications Warehouse

McEwen, A.S.

1991-01-01

Least-squared fits to the brightness profiles across a disk or "limb darkening" described by Hapke's photometric function are found for the simpler Minnaert and lunar-Lambert functions. The simpler functions are needed to reduce the number of unknown parameters in photoclinometry, especially to distinguish the brightness variations of the surface materials from that due to the resolved topography. The limb darkening varies with the Hapke parameters for macroscopic roughness (??), the single-scattering albedo (w), and the asymmetry factor of the particle phase function (g). Both of the simpler functions generally provide good matches to the limb darkening described by Hapke's function, but the lunar-Lambert function is superior when viewing angles are high and when (??) is less than 30??. Although a nonunique solution for the Minnaert function at high phase angles has been described for smooth surfaces, the discrepancy decreases with increasing (??) and virtually disappears when (??) reaches 30?? to 40??. The variation in limb darkening with w and g, pronounced for smooth surfaces, is reduced or eliminated when the Hapke parameters are in the range typical of most planetary surfaces; this result simplifies the problem of photoclinometry across terrains with variable surface materials. The Minnaert or lunar-Lambert fits to published Hapke models will give photoclinometric solutions that are very similar (>1?? slope discrepancy) to the Hapke-function solutions for nearly all of the bodies and terrains thus far modeled by Hapke's function. ?? 1991.

Airborne spectral measurements of surface-atmosphere anisotropy during the SCAR-A, Kuwait oil fire, and TARFOX experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soulen, Peter F.; King, Michael D.; Tsay, Si-Chee; Arnold, G. Thomas; Li, Jason Y.

2000-04-01

During the SCAR-A, Kuwait Oil Fire Smoke Experiment, and TARFOX deployments, angular distributions of spectral reflectance for various surfaces were measured using the scanning Cloud Absorption Radiometer (CAR) mounted on the nose of the University of Washington C-131A research aircraft. The CAR contains 13 narrowband spectral channels between 0.47 and 2.3 μm with a 190° scan aperture (5° before zenith to 5° past nadir) and 1° instantaneous field of view. The bidirectional reflectance is obtained by flying a clockwise circular orbit above the surface, resulting in a ground track approximately 3 km in diameter within about 2 min. Spectral bidirectional reflectances of four surfaces are presented: the Great Dismal Swamp in Virginia with overlying haze layer, the Saudi Arabian Desert and the Persian Gulf in the Middle East, and the Atlantic Ocean measured east of Richmond, Virginia. Although the CAR measurements are contaminated by atmospheric effects, results show distinct spectral characteristics for various types of surface-atmosphere systems, including hot spots, limb brightening and darkening, and Sun glint. In addition, the hemispherical albedo of each surface-atmosphere system is calculated directly by integrating over all high angular-resolution CAR measurements for each spectral channel. Comparing the nadir reflectance with the overall hemispherical albedo of each surface, we find that using nadir reflectances as a surrogate for hemispherical albedo can cause albedos to be underestimated by as much as 95% and overestimated by up to 160%, depending on the type of surface and solar zenith angle.

Design, development and fabrication of a Solar Experiment Alignment Sensor (SEAS)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bancroft, J. R.; Fain, M. Z.; Johnson, D. F.

1971-01-01

The design, development and testing of a laboratory SEAS (Solar Experiment Alignment Sensor) system are presented. The system is capable of overcoming traditional alignment and calibration problems to permit pointing anywhere on the solar disc to an accuracy of five arc seconds. The concept, development and laboratory testing phases of the program are discussed, and particular attention has been given to specific problems associated with selection of materials, and components. The conclusions summarize performance capability and discuss areas for further study including the effects of solar limb darkening and effects of annual variations in the apparent solar diameter.

batman: BAsic Transit Model cAlculatioN in Python

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kreidberg, Laura

2015-11-01

I introduce batman, a Python package for modeling exoplanet transit light curves. The batman package supports calculation of light curves for any radially symmetric stellar limb darkening law, using a new integration algorithm for models that cannot be quickly calculated analytically. The code uses C extension modules to speed up model calculation and is parallelized with OpenMP. For a typical light curve with 100 data points in transit, batman can calculate one million quadratic limb-darkened models in 30 seconds with a single 1.7 GHz Intel Core i5 processor. The same calculation takes seven minutes using the four-parameter nonlinear limb darkening model (computed to 1 ppm accuracy). Maximum truncation error for integrated models is an input parameter that can be set as low as 0.001 ppm, ensuring that the community is prepared for the precise transit light curves we anticipate measuring with upcoming facilities. The batman package is open source and publicly available at https://github.com/lkreidberg/batman .

Chromaticity of gravitational microlensing events

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, Cheongho; Park, Seong-Hong; Jeong, Jang-Hae

2000-07-01

In this paper, we investigate the colour changes of gravitational microlensing events caused by the two different mechanisms of differential amplification for a limb-darkened extended source and blending. From this investigation, we find that the colour changes of limb-darkened extended source events (colour curves) have dramatically different characteristics depending on whether the lens transits the source star or not. We show that for a source transit event, the lens proper motion can be determined by simply measuring the turning time of the colour curve instead of fitting the overall colour or light curves. We also find that even for a very small fraction of blended light, the colour changes induced by blending are equivalent to those induced by limb darkening, causing serious distortion in the observed colour curve. Therefore, to obtain useful information about the lens and source star from the colour curve of an event, it will be essential to correct for blending. We discuss various methods of blending correction.

Ultraviolet colors of W Ursae Majoris - Gravity darkening, temperature differences, and the cause of W-type light curves

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Eaton, J. A.; Wu, C.-C.; Rucinski, S. M.

1980-01-01

The paper presents photometry of the prototype W UMa binary system in three ultraviolet bands with the ANS satellite. It was found that W UMa has low-gravity darkening beta of 0.03; that temperature differences between the components not established by gravity darkening are insignificant; and that the bolometric albedo is not very large. It was also found that W UMa is limb-darkened in the ultraviolet region, and that the inner hemisphere of the less massive component is hotter than that predicted by gravity darkening and the reflection effect. It was concluded that about 20% of the surface area of the component responsible for large gravity darkening is covered by dark spots distributed uniformly in the longitudinal direction. An observational value of the convective darkening exponent of 0.054 plus or minus 0.02 is proposed.

Imaging the Effects of Rotation in Altair and Vega

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peterson, D. M.; Hummel, C. A.; Pauls, T. A.; Armstrong, J. T.; Benson, J. A.; Gilbreath, C. G.; Hindsley, R. B.; Hutter, D. J.; Johnston, K. J.; Mozurkewich, D.

After a brief review of rotation among upper main sequence stars and von Zeipel's vZ24 theory for the interiors, we describe our interferometric measurements of two bright A stars, Altair and Vega. The Navy Prototype Optical Interferometer (jointly operated by the US Naval Observatory, the Naval Research Laboratory and Lowell Observatory) which works at visible wavelengths has implemented baselines of sufficient length to initiate true imaging of the disks of the brightest A stars. We report here measurements of Altair, the third brightest A star in the sky. "Closure phase" techniques show that Altair deviates dramatically from a normal limb-darkened isk, indicating a strongly asymmetric intensity distribution. A oche model provides a good fit to the data, indicating that Altair is rotating at about 90% of its breakup (angular) velocity. We find that a gravity darkening law exponent appropriate for a radiative star is required by the observations and we describe the potential of this object for testing the assumption of solid body rotation throughout its envelope. We will also describe recent measurements of Vega which confirm the proposed interpretation of spectral line measurements indicating that this star is also rapidly rotating, but seen nearly pole on.

Revealing stellar brightness profiles by means of microlensing fold caustics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dominik, M.

2004-09-01

With a handful of measurements of limb-darkening coefficients, galactic microlensing has already proven to be a powerful technique for studying atmospheres of distant stars. Survey campaigns such as OGLE-III are capable of providing ~10 suitable target stars per year that undergo microlensing events involving passages over the caustic created by a binary lens, which last from a few hours to a few days and allow us to resolve the stellar atmosphere by frequent broad-band photometry. For a caustic exit lasting 12 h and a photometric precision of 1.5 per cent, a moderate sampling interval of 30 min (corresponding to ~25-30 data points) is sufficient for providing a reliable measurement of the linear limb-darkening coefficient Γ with an uncertainty of ~8 per cent, which reduces to ~3 per cent for a reduced sampling interval of 6 min for the surroundings of the end of the caustic exit. While some additional points over the remaining parts of the light curve are highly valuable, a denser sampling in these regions provides little improvement. Unless an accuracy of less than 5 per cent is desired, limb-darkening coefficients for several filters can be obtained or observing time can be spent on other targets during the same night. The adoption of an inappropriate stellar brightness profile as well as the effect of acceleration between source and caustic yield distinguishable characteristic systematics in the model residuals. Acceleration effects are unlikely to affect the light curve significantly for most events, although a free acceleration parameter blurs the limb-darkening measurement if the passage duration cannot be accurately determined.

Interferometric study of Betelgeuse in H band

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haubois, X.; Perrin, G.; Lacour, S.; Schuller, P. A.; Monnier, J. D.; Berger, J.-P.; Ridgway, S. T.; Millan-Gabet, R.; Pedretti, E.; Traub, W. A.

2006-06-01

We present 3 telescope interferometric observations of the super giant star Betelgeuse (Alpha Ori, M2Iab) using the IOTA/IONIC interferometer (Whipple Observatory, Arizona) in early October 2005. Since IOTA is a 3 telescope interferometer, we were able to make closure phase measurements which allow us to image the star with several pixels across the disk. We discuss the fondamental parameters of Betelgeuse such as diameter, limb darkening and effective temperature. For the first time at this spatial resolution in the H band, closure phases provide interesting insights on the features of the object since we detect a spot corresponding to 0.5% of the total received flux.

Spotted star light curve numerical modeling technique and its application to HII 1883 surface imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kolbin, A. I.; Shimansky, V. V.

2014-04-01

We developed a code for imaging the surfaces of spotted stars by a set of circular spots with a uniform temperature distribution. The flux from the spotted surface is computed by partitioning the spots into elementary areas. The code takes into account the passing of spots behind the visible stellar limb, limb darkening, and overlapping of spots. Modeling of light curves includes the use of recent results of the theory of stellar atmospheres needed to take into account the temperature dependence of flux intensity and limb darkening coefficients. The search for spot parameters is based on the analysis of several light curves obtained in different photometric bands. We test our technique by applying it to HII 1883.

Results from a multi aperture Fizeau interferometer ground testbed: demonstrator for a future space-based interferometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baccichet, Nicola; Caillat, Amandine; Rakotonimbahy, Eddy; Dohlen, Kjetil; Savini, Giorgio; Marcos, Michel

2016-08-01

In the framework of the European FP7-FISICA (Far Infrared Space Interferometer Critical Assessment) program, we developed a miniaturized version of the hyper-telescope to demonstrate multi-aperture interferometry on ground. This setup would be ultimately integrated into a CubeSat platform, therefore providing the first real demonstrator of a multi aperture Fizeau interferometer in space. In this paper, we describe the optical design of the ground testbed and the data processing pipeline implemented to reconstruct the object image from interferometric data. As a scientific application, we measured the Sun diameter by fitting a limb-darkening model to our data. Finally, we present the design of a CubeSat platform carrying this miniature Fizeau interferometer, which could be used to monitor the Sun diameter over a long in-orbit period.

Development of a digital mobile solar tracker

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baidar, S.; Kille, N.; Ortega, I.; Sinreich, R.; Thomson, D.; Hannigan, J.; Volkamer, R.

2015-11-01

We have constructed and deployed a fast digital solar tracker aboard a moving ground-based platform. The tracker consists of two rotating mirrors, a lens, an imaging camera, and a motion compensation system that provides the Euler angles of the mobile platform in real time. The tracker can be simultaneously coupled to UV-Vis and FTIR spectrometers making it a versatile tool to measure the absorption of trace gases using solar incoming radiation. The integrated system allows the tracker to operate autonomously while the mobile laboratory is in motion. Mobile direct sun Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy (mobile DS-DOAS) observations using this tracker were conducted during summer 2014 as part of the Front Range Photochemistry and Pollution Experiment (FRAPPE) in Colorado, USA. We demonstrate an angular precision of 0.052° (about 1/10 of the solar disk diameter) during research drives, and verify this tracking precision from measurements of the center to limb darkening (CLD, the changing appearance of Fraunhofer lines) in the mobile DS-DOAS spectra. The high photon flux from direct sun observation enables measurements of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) slant columns with high temporal resolution, and reveals spatial detail in the variations of NO2 vertical column densities (VCDs). The NO2 VCD from DS-DOAS is compared with a co-located MAX-DOAS instrument. Overall good agreement is observed amid a highly heterogeneous air mass.

Development of a digital mobile solar tracker

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baidar, Sunil; Kille, Natalie; Ortega, Ivan; Sinreich, Roman; Thomson, David; Hannigan, James; Volkamer, Rainer

2016-03-01

We have constructed and deployed a fast digital solar tracker aboard a moving ground-based platform. The tracker consists of two rotating mirrors, a lens, an imaging camera, and a motion compensation system that provides the Euler angles of the mobile platform in real time. The tracker can be simultaneously coupled to UV-Vis and Fourier transform infrared spectrometers, making it a versatile tool to measure the absorption of trace gases using solar incoming radiation. The integrated system allows the tracker to operate autonomously while the mobile laboratory is in motion. Mobile direct sun differential optical absorption spectroscopy (mobile DS-DOAS) observations using this tracker were conducted during summer 2014 as part of the Front Range Air Pollution and Photochemistry Experiment (FRAPPE) in Colorado, USA. We demonstrate an angular precision of 0.052° (about 1/10 of the solar disk diameter) during research drives and verify this tracking precision from measurements of the center to limb darkening (CLD, the changing appearance of Fraunhofer lines) in the mobile DS-DOAS spectra. The high photon flux from direct sun observation enables measurements of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) slant columns with high temporal resolution and reveals spatial detail in the variations of NO2 vertical column densities (VCDs). The NO2 VCD from DS-DOAS is compared with a co-located MAX-DOAS instrument. Overall good agreement is observed amid a highly heterogeneous air mass.

1-D Imaging of the Dynamical Atmosphere of the Red Supergiant Betelgeuse in the CO First Overtone Lines with VLTI/AMBER

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ohnaka, K.

2014-09-01

We present high-spatial and high-spectral resolution observations of the red supergiant Betelgeuse in the CO first overtone lines near 2.3μm with the AMBER instrument at the Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI). Our AMBER observations in 2008 spatially resolved the gas motions in a stellar atmosphere (photosphere and extended molecular outer atmosphere) for the first time other than the Sun. From our second observations one year later, we have reconstructed 1-D images in the individual CO lines with an angular resolution of 9.8 mas and a spectral resolution of 6000 by applying the self-calibration technique to restore the Fourier phase from the differential phase measurements. The reconstructed 1-D images reveal that the star appears different in the blue and red wing of the individual CO lines. In the blue wing, the star shows a pronounced, asymmetrically extended component at least up to 1.3 R⋆, while such a component does not appear in the red wing 1-D image. This can be explained by a model in which the CO gas patch (or clump) more than half as large as the star is moving slightly outward with 0-5 km s-1, while the gas in the remaining region is infalling fast with 20-30 km s-1. Comparison between the CO line data taken in 2008 and 2009 shows a significant time variation in the dynamics of the photosphere and outer atmosphere. However, the 1-D images in the continuum show only a slight deviation from a limb-darkened disk with an angular diameter of 42.49±0.06 mas, which leads to an effective temperature of 3690± 54 K. Moreover, the continuum data taken in 2008 and 2009 reveal no or only marginal time variations, much smaller than the maximum variation predicted by the current 3-D convection simulation. The derived continuum diameter also shows that the near-IR size of Betelgeuse has been nearly constant over the last 18 years, in marked contrast to the recently reported noticeable decrease in the mid-IR size.

An investigation into exoplanet transits and uncertainties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ji, Y.; Banks, T.; Budding, E.; Rhodes, M. D.

2017-06-01

A simple transit model is described along with tests of this model against published results for 4 exoplanet systems (Kepler-1, 2, 8, and 77). Data from the Kepler mission are used. The Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) method is applied to obtain realistic error estimates. Optimisation of limb darkening coefficients is subject to data quality. It is more likely for MCMC to derive an empirical limb darkening coefficient for light curves with S/N (signal to noise) above 15. Finally, the model is applied to Kepler data for 4 Kepler candidate systems (KOI 760.01, 767.01, 802.01, and 824.01) with previously unpublished results. Error estimates for these systems are obtained via the MCMC method.

The chilling truth about the solar chromosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ayres, Thomas R.

The notion that much of the solar gas in the low chromosphere is cool is discussed in terms of its validity. The dark CO absorption cores recorded at the extreme limb of the sun are described, including the 3-2 R14 line with a core-brightness temperature of 3620 K. A bifurcation in the plasma energy balance described to explain the high altitude cold gas is reviewed in terms of recent investigations. Spectral simulations of CO are described which examine the range of thermal profiles allowed by CO observations with low spatial resolution and limb darkening. Weak emission shoulders in the K line demonstrate that a cool chromosphere with Ca II emission is feasible, although the cold gas requires a surface coverage of as little as 20 percent to reproduce the limb darkening. To distinguish between the thermal bifurcation notion and the neophotosphere concept, observations of the high spatial resolution spectra of the CO bands are required.

Decoding of the light changes in eclipsing Wolf-Rayet binaries. I. A non-classical approach to the solution of light curves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perrier, C.; Breysacher, J.; Rauw, G.

2009-09-01

Aims: We present a technique to determine the orbital and physical parameters of eclipsing eccentric Wolf-Rayet + O-star binaries, where one eclipse is produced by the absorption of the O-star light by the stellar wind of the W-R star. Methods: Our method is based on the use of the empirical moments of the light curve that are integral transforms evaluated from the observed light curves. The optical depth along the line of sight and the limb darkening of the W-R star are modelled by simple mathematical functions, and we derive analytical expressions for the moments of the light curve as a function of the orbital parameters and the key parameters of the transparency and limb-darkening functions. These analytical expressions are then inverted in order to derive the values of the orbital inclination, the stellar radii, the fractional luminosities, and the parameters of the wind transparency and limb-darkening laws. Results: The method is applied to the SMC W-R eclipsing binary HD 5980, a remarkable object that underwent an LBV-like event in August 1994. The analysis refers to the pre-outburst observational data. A synthetic light curve based on the elements derived for the system allows a quality assessment of the results obtained.

Know the Planet, Know the Star: Precise Stellar Densities from Kepler Transit Light Curves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sandford, Emily; Kipping, David

2017-12-01

The properties of a transiting planet’s host star are written in its transit light curve. The light curve can reveal the stellar density ({ρ }* ) and the limb-darkening profile in addition to the characteristics of the planet and its orbit. For planets with strong prior constraints on orbital eccentricity, we may measure these stellar properties directly from the light curve; this method promises to aid greatly in the characterization of transiting planet host stars targeted by the upcoming NASA Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite mission and any long-period, singly transiting planets discovered in the same systems. Using Bayesian inference, we fit a transit model, including a nonlinear limb-darkening law, to 66 Kepler transiting planet hosts to measure their stellar properties. We present posterior distributions of ρ *, limb-darkening coefficients, and other system parameters for these stars. We measure densities to within 5% for the majority of our target stars, with the dominant precision-limiting factor being the signal-to-noise ratio of the transits. Of our measured stellar densities, 95% are in 3σ or better agreement with previously published literature values. We make posterior distributions for all of our target Kepler objects of interest available online at 10.5281/zenodo.1028515.

The Baade-Wesselink projection factor of the δ-Scuti stars AI Vel and β Cas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guiglion, G.; Nardetto, N.; Domiciano de Souza, A.; Mathias, P.; Mourard, D.; Poretti, E.

2012-12-01

The Baade-Wesselink method of distance determination is based on the oscillations of pulsating stars. After determining the angular diameter and the linear radius variations, the distance is derived by a simple ratio. The linear radius variation is measured by integrating the pulsation velocity (hereafter V_{puls}) over one pulsating cycle. However, from observations we have only access to the radial velocity (V_{rad}) because of the projection along the line-of-sight. The projection factor, used to convert the radial velocity into the pulsation velocity, is defined by: p = V_{puls} / V_{rad}. We aim to derive the projection factor for two δ-Scuti stars, the high amplitude pulsator AI Vel and the fast rotator β Cas. The geometric component of the projection factor is derived using a limb-darkening model of the intensity distribution of AI Vel, and a fast rotator model for β Cas. Then, by comparing the radial velocity curves of several spectral lines forming at different levels in the atmosphere, we derive directly the velocity gradient (in a part of the atmosphere of the star) using SOPHIE/OHP data for β Cas and HARPS/ESO data for AI Vel, which is used to derive a dynamical projection factor for both stars. We find p = 1.44 ± 0.05 for AI Vel and p = 1.41 ± 0.25 for β Cas. By comparing Cepheids and δ-Scuti stars, these results bring valuable insights into the dynamical structure of pulsating star atmospheres.

Latitudinal variation of the solar limb-darkening function

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kroll, Ronald J.

1994-06-01

In an effort to monitor solar limb-darkening variability, the continuum radiation intensity at 550 nm over the outermost 32 arcseconds of the limb is measured at various solar latitudes. Using the Finite Fourier Transform Definition, the edge location of the Sun is determined for a series of scan amplitudes at each of the observed positions. The differential radius is the difference between edge locations for a fixed pair of scan amplitudes, and is a quantity which characterizes the slope of the solar limb-darkening function. Utilizing the differential radius, such observations offer the possibility of revealing a latitudinal variation of the photospheric temperature gradient and could provide clues to the mechanisms and variability of energy transport out of the Sun. These observations began in 1988 with measurements at 24 separate limb positions and include observations since 1990 when 36 positions were observed. The daily differential radius measurements for each position that is free of contamination from solar active regions are weighted according to the corresponding daily variance and averaged to obtain an overall value at each position for the observing season. The results indicate that during the 1991 observing season, there were regions near 20 deg N latitude and 30 deg S latitude on the Sun where the differential radius values were significantly greater than surrounding regions. This suggests that perturbations to the temperature gradient occur in latitudinally localized regions and persist for at least several months. It is shown that this phenomenon could have the same origin as the observed latitudinal variations of surface temperature and could also speak to the question of a lag time between the cycles of irradiation and magnetic variation.

Jupiter: His limb darkening and the magnitude of his internal energy source

USGS Publications Warehouse

Trafton, L.M.; Wildey, R.L.

1970-01-01

The most accurate infrared photometric observations (8 to 14 microns) to date of the average limb darkening of Jupiter have been combined with the most refined deduction of jovian model atmospheres in which flux constancy has been closely maintained in the upper regime of radiative equilibrium and a much more accurate approximation of the 10- and 16-micron vibration-rotation bands of ammonia has been incorporated. The theoretically predicted emergent specific intensity has been multiplied by the spectral response function and folded (mathematically convolved - intersmeared) with the spatial response function of the atmosphere-telescope-photometer combination. The resulting comparison indicates that Jupiter is radiating from three to four times as much power as the planet is receiving from the sun.

Evidence of Asymmetries in the Aldebaran Photosphere from Multi-Wavelength Lunar Occultations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dyachenko, V.; Richichi, A.; Pandey, A.; Sharma, S.; Tasuya, O.; Balega, Yu.; Beskakotov, A.; Rastegaev, D.

2017-06-01

We present the results of three lunar occultations of the K5 giant Aldebaran, observed in late 2015 and early 2016. The 6-m SAO, 1.3-m Devasthal, and 2.4-m TNT telescopes were used to obtain light curves with few ms sampling and at wavelengths ranging from the ultraviolet to the red. These were fitted using uniform -disk (UD) models and then converted to limb-darkened (LD) models using Kurucz's atmospheric models. The resulting diameter values are in good agreement with previous determinations, with an average LD diameter of 20.3 milliseconds of arc. We have also been able to use model-independent methods to reconstruct the star's brightness profile and have found indications that the photospheric brightness profile of Aldebaran may not have been symmetric, a finding already reported by other authors for this and for similar late-type stars. The presence of surface spots on a scale of a few milliarcseconds is a likely explanation of the observed asymmetries.

The solar XUV He I and He II emission lines. I - Intensities and gross center-to-limb behavior

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mango, S. A.; Bohlin, J. D.; Glackin, D. L.; Linsky, J. L.

1978-01-01

The center-to-limb variation of the He II 304- and 256-A lines and He I 584- and 537-A lines is derived for different solar features, but averaged over the chromospheric supergranulation structure. The general trend is for limb brightening in quiet-sun regions, limb neutrality in unipolar magnetic regions (UMR), and limb darkening in polar coronal holes. The center-to-limb behavior in these optically thick emission lines indicates collisional excitation and decreasing transition-region temperature gradients with respect to optical depth in the sequence quiet sun to UMR to coronal hole.

VizieR Online Data Catalog: Absolute Refletivity of Jupiter and Saturn (Mendikoa+ 2017)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mendikoa, I.; Sanchez-Lavega, A.; Perez-Hoyos, S.; Hueso, R.; Rojas, J. F.; Lopez-Santiago, J.

2017-08-01

Overall mean absolute reflectivity I/F of Jupiter and Saturn. Scans at central meridian are given versus latitude from observations at Calar Alto observatory between 2012 and 2016. In addition, Minnaert coefficients (I/F)0 and k are given, determining the I/F variation with the cosines of the incidence and emission angles, where (I/F)0 represents the absolute reflectivity in absence of darkening effects at nadir viewing and k is the limb-darkening coefficient. (12 data files).

Dwarf planet Ceres: Ellipsoid dimensions and rotational pole from Keck and VLT adaptive optics images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Drummond, J. D.; Carry, B.; Merline, W. J.; Dumas, C.; Hammel, H.; Erard, S.; Conrad, A.; Tamblyn, P.; Chapman, C. R.

2014-07-01

The dwarf planet (1) Ceres, the largest object between Mars and Jupiter, is the target of the NASA Dawn mission, and we seek a comprehensive description of the spin-axis orientation and dimensions of Ceres in order to support the early science operations at the rendezvous in 2015. We have obtained high-angular resolution images using adaptive optics cameras at the W.M. Keck Observatory and the ESO VLT over ten dates between 2001 and 2010, confirming that the shape of Ceres is well described by an oblate spheroid. We derive equatorial and polar diameters of 967 ± 10 km and 892 ± 10 km, respectively, for a model that includes fading of brightness towards the terminator, presumably linked to limb darkening. These dimensions lie between values derived from a previous analysis of a subset of these images obtained at Keck by Carry et al. (Carry et al. [2008]. Astron. Astrophys. 478 (4), 235-244) and a study of Hubble Space Telescope observations (Thomas et al. [2005]. Nature 437, 224-226). Although the dimensions are 1-2% smaller than those found from the HST, the oblateness is similar. We find the spin-vector coordinates of Ceres to lie at (287°, +64°) in equatorial EQJ2000 reference frame (346°, +82° in ecliptic ECJ2000 coordinates), yielding a small obliquity of 3°. While this is in agreement with the aforementioned studies, we have improved the accuracy of the pole determination, which we set at a 3° radius.

A Fourier transform method for Vsin i estimations under nonlinear Limb-Darkening laws

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Levenhagen, R. S., E-mail: ronaldo.levenhagen@gmail.com

Star rotation offers us a large horizon for the study of many important physical issues pertaining to stellar evolution. Currently, four methods are widely used to infer rotation velocities, namely those related to line width calibrations, on the fitting of synthetic spectra, interferometry, and on Fourier transforms (FTs) of line profiles. Almost all of the estimations of stellar projected rotation velocities using the Fourier method in the literature have been addressed with the use of linear limb-darkening (LD) approximations during the evaluation of rotation profiles and their cosine FTs, which in certain cases, lead to discrepant velocity estimates. In thismore » work, we introduce new mathematical expressions of rotation profiles and their Fourier cosine transforms assuming three nonlinear LD laws—quadratic, square-root, and logarithmic—and study their applications with and without gravity-darkening (GD) and geometrical flattening (GF) effects. Through an analysis of He I models in the visible range accounting for both limb and GD, we find out that, for classical models without rotationally driven effects, all the Vsin i values are too close to each other. On the other hand, taking into account GD and GF, the Vsin i obtained with the linear law result in Vsin i values that are systematically smaller than those obtained with the other laws. As a rule of thumb, we apply these expressions to the FT method to evaluate the projected rotation velocity of the emission B-type star Achernar (α Eri).« less

The Effect of the Transit of Venus on ACRIM's Total Solar Irradiance Measurements: Implications for Transit Studies of Extrasolar Planets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schneider, G.; Pasachoff, J. M.; Willson, Richard C.

2006-04-01

We have used the 2004 June 8 transit of Venus (ToV) as a surrogate to test observing methods, strategies, and techniques that are being contemplated for future space missions to detect and characterize extrasolar terrestrial planets (ETPs) as they transit their host stars, notably NASA's Kepler mission, planned for 2008. As an analog to ``Kepler-like'' photometric transit observations, we obtained (spatially unresolved) radiometric observations with the ACRIM 3 instrument on ACRIMSAT at a sampling cadence of 131 s to follow the effect of the ToV on the total solar irradiance (TSI). Contemporaneous high-resolution broadband imagery with NASA's TRACE spacecraft provided, directly, measures of the stellar (solar) astrophysical noise that can intrinsically limit such transit observations. During the Venus transit, which lasted ~5.5 hr, the planet's angular diameter was approximately 1/32 the solar diameter, thus covering ~0.1% of the stellar surface. With our ACRIM 3 data, we measure temporal changes in TSI with a 1 σ per sample (unbinned) uncertainty of approximately 100 mW m-2 (0.007%). A diminution in TSI of ~1.4 W m-2 (~0.1%, closely corresponding to the geometrically occulted area of the photosphere) was measured at mid-transit compared with a mean pre-/post-transit TSI of ~1365.9 W m-2. The radiometric light curve is complex because of the parallactic motion of Venus induced by ACRIMSAT's near-polar orbit, but exhibits the characteristic signature of photospheric limb darkening. These observations serve as a surrogate for future photometric observations of ETPs, such as Kepler will deliver. Detailed analysis of the ToV, a rare event within our own solar system, with time-resolved radiometry augmented with high-resolution imagery, provides a useful analog for investigating the detectability and characterization of ETPs from observations that are anticipated in the near future.

A digital file of the lunar normal Albedo

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wildey, R.L.

1977-01-01

A digital file of the normal albedo of the Moon has been produced at a resolution of about 1/550 of a lunar diameter (about 6.3 km). The file was produced from five photographs taken with the 61-cm reflector of the Northern Arizona University Astrophysical Observatory. No mosaicking was necessary. Spatial control is selenodetic rather than landmark-morphologic. Photometric control is provided through a combination of electrography and regular photoelectric photometry. Pixel photometric function corrections are employed. The file was provided as data base for the Lunar Consortium. Brief discussion of the scientific implications of the frequency histogram is offered, and the negligibility of lunar limb darkening below e{open} = 77?? is affirmed. It is specifically desired not to withhold these data from publication while more significant and detailed scientific interpretation is carried on. ?? 1977 D. Reidel Publishing Company, Dordrecht-Holland.

The Navy Precision Optical Interferometer: an update

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Armstrong, J. T.; Baines, Ellyn K.; Schmitt, Henrique R.; Restaino, Sergio R.; Clark, James H.; Benson, James A.; Hutter, Donald J.; Zavala, Robert T.; van Belle, Gerard T.

2016-08-01

We describe the current status of the Navy Precision Optical Interferometer (NPOI), including developments since the last SPIE meeting. The NPOI group has added stations as far as 250m from the array center and added numerous infrastructure improvements. Science programs include stellar diameters and limb darkening, binary orbits, Be star disks, exoplanet host stars, and progress toward high-resolution stellar surface imaging. Technical and infrastructure projects include on-sky demonstrations of baseline bootstrapping with six array elements and of the VISION beam combiner, control system updates, integration of the long delay lines, and updated firmware for the Classic beam combiner. Our plans to add up to four 1.8 m telescopes are no longer viable, but we have recently acquired separate funding for adding three 1 m AO-equipped telescopes and an infrared beam combiner to the array.

Polarized Continuum Radiation from Stellar Atmospheres

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harrington, J. Patrick

2015-10-01

Continuum scattering by free electrons can be significant in early type stars, while in late type stars Rayleigh scattering by hydrogen atoms or molecules may be important. Computer programs used to construct models of stellar atmospheres generally treat the scattering of the continuum radiation as isotropic and unpolarized, but this scattering has a dipole angular dependence and will produce polarization. We review an accurate method for evaluating the polarization and limb darkening of the radiation from model stellar atmospheres. We use this method to obtain results for: (i) Late type stars, based on the MARCS code models (Gustafsson et al. 2008), and (ii) Early type stars, based on the NLTE code TLUSTY (Lanz and Hubeny 2003). These results are tabulated at http://www.astro.umd.edu/~jph/Stellar_Polarization.html. While the net polarization vanishes for an unresolved spherical star, this symmetry is broken by rapid rotation or by the masking of part of the star by a binary companion or during the transit of an exoplanet. We give some numerical results for these last cases.

Studies of satellite and planetary surfaces and atmospheres. [Jupiter, Saturn, and Mars and their satellites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sagan, C.

1978-01-01

Completed or published research supported by NASA is summarized. Topics cover limb darkening and the structure of the Jovian atmosphere; the application of generalized inverse theory to the recovery of temperature profiles; models for the reflection spectrum of Jupiter's North Equatorial Belt; isotropic scattering layer models for the red chromosphore on Titan; radiative-convective equilibrium models of the Titan atmosphere; temperature structure and emergent flux of the Jovian planets; occultation of epsilon Geminorum by Mars and the structure and extinction of the Martian upper atmosphere; lunar occultation of Saturn; astrometric results and the normal reflectances of Rhea, Titan, and Iapetus; near limb darkening of solids of planetary interest; scattering light scattering from particulate surfaces; comparing the surface of 10 to laboratory samples; and matching the spectrum of 10: variations in the photometric properties of sulfur-containing mixtures.

Model studies of the solar limb shape variation with wavelenght within the PICARD project.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Melo, Stella M. L.; Thuillier, Gerard; Claudel, Jennyfer; Haberreiter, Margit; Mein, Nicole; Schmutz, Werner; Shapiro, Alexander; Sofia, Sabatino; Short, Christopher I.

Solar images in the visible wavelength range show that the disk centre is brighter than the limb region. This phenomenon, which is both known as "centre to limb variation (CLV)", or "limb darkening function", is know to depend on wavelength. Since the CLV is determined by the density and temperature stratification, as well as the chemical composition of the so-lar photosphere, its measurement is important to validate theoretical assumption made when building numerical models of the solar atmosphere. The definition of the solar diameter is nor-mally adopted as the separation between two inflection points at opposite ends of a line passing through the center of the solar disk. Therefore, in order to understand long term variability on the solar diameter, it is important to understand what drives the dependence of the position of the inflection point on wavelength. In this paper we use different available solar atmosphere models to study this dependence. The results presented here refer to quiet Sun conditions and encompass the visible and near infra-red spectral regions, which are the regions of interest for the PICARD Satellite Mission. In a first step we utilize the solar atmosphere parameters with a radiative transfer code. This allows for the study of the impact of different factors such as opacities, electron density and temperature from different models on the results. Then, we compare results obtained using each solar atmosphere model. Our results are compared with existent ground based measurements performed by the Pic du Midi telescope, the balloon board measurements with the Solar Disk Sextant experiment, and with the measurements by the Michelson Doppler Imager on board SoHO satellite. The model simulations show that the position of the inflection point is sensitive to the different parameters and model assumptions. Furthermore, our study shows, for the first time, that the position of the inflection point changes dramatically with and outside of Fraunhofer lines.

Infrared radiometer for the Pioneer Venus orbiter. I - Instrument description

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Taylor, F. W.; Vescelus, F. E.; Locke, J. R.; Beer, R.; Foster, G. T.; Forney, P. B.; Houghton, J. T.; Delderfield, J.; Schofield, J. T.

1979-01-01

A ten-channel IR radiometer for the Pioneer Venus orbiter is described. The experimental techniques used and the design of the instrumentation by which they were implemented are considered. Emphasis is placed on temperature sounding, limb sounding, limb darkening, zenith scanning, cloud top temperature, spectral albedo and water vapor measurements. Instrumentation description is also given including optics, detectors, and electronics. Attention is given to data acquisition and handling, calibration, and in-flight performance.

High precision ground-based measurements of solar diameter in support of PICARD mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sigismondi, Costantino

2011-12-01

The measurement of the solar diameter is introduced in the wider framework of solar variability and of the influences of the Sun upon the Earth's climate. Ancient eclipses and planetary transits would permit to extend the knowledge of the solar irradiance back to three centuries, through the parameter W=dLogR/dLogL. The method of Baily's beads timing during eclipses is discussed, and a significant improvement with respect to the last 40 years has been obtained by reconstructing the Limb Darkening Function's inflexion point from their light curve and the corresponding lunar valleys' profiles. The case of the Jan 15, 2010 annular eclipse has been studied in detail, as well as the last two transits of Venus. The atlas of Baily's beads, realized with worldwide contributions by IOTA members is presented along with the solar diameter during the eclipse of 2006. The transition between the photographic atlas of the lunar limb (Watts, 1963) and the laser-altimeter map made by the Kaguya lunar probe in 2009 has been followed. The other method for the accurate measurement of the solar diameter alternative to the PICARD / PICARD-sol mission is the drift-scan method used either by the solar astrolabes either by larger telescopes. The observatories of Locarno and Paris have started an observational program of the Sun with this method with encouraging results. For the first time an image motion of the whole Sun has been detected at frequencies of 1/100 Hz. This may start explain the puzzling results of the observational campaigns made in Greenwich and Rome from 1850 to 1955. The meridian line of Santa Maria degli Angeli in Rome is a giant pinhole telescope and it permits to introduce didactically almost all the arguments of classical astrometry here presented. The support to the PICARD mission continues with the analyses of the transit of Venus and the total eclipse of 2012.

VizieR Online Data Catalog: Transits of PH3 b, c, and d through January, 2019 (Schmitt+, 2014)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schmitt, J. R.; Agol, E.; Deck, K. M.; Rogers, L. A.; Gazak, J. Z.; Fischer, D. A.; Wang, J.; Holman, M. J.; Jek, K. J.; Margossian, C.; Omohundro, M. R.; Winarski, T.; Brewer, J. M.; Giguere, M. J.; Lintott, C.; Lynn, S.; Parrish, M.; Schawinski, K.; Schwamb, M. E.; Simpson, R.; Smith, A. M.

2017-05-01

Using quarters 1-16 of the Kepler data, we extracted and flattened each transit using the IDL AutoKep program (Gazak et al. 2012AdAst2012E..30G). For the high signal-to-noise transits of the outer planet, we used short cadence data where available. We then used a new, modified version of the IDL program TAP (Carter & Winn, 2009ApJ...704...51C; Gazak et al. 2012AdAst2012E..30G; Eastman et al. 2013PASP..125...83E) to fit for the orbital parameters of each planet: impact parameter (b), duration (T), the ratio of planet radius to stellar radius (Rp/R*), the midtransit times, linear limb darkening, quadratic limb darkening (Kipping, 2013MNRAS.435.2152K), and white and red noise. The ratio of semi-major axis to the radius of the star (a/R*) and the inclination (i) can be derived from these parameters. (1 data file).

Combined Analysis of the Binary Lens Caustic-crossing Event MACHO 98-SMC-1

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Afonso, C.; Alard, C.; Albert, J. N.; Andersen, J.; Ansari, R.; Aubourg, É.; Bareyre, P.; Bauer, F.; Beaulieu, J. P.; Bouquet, A.; Char, S.; Charlot, X.; Couchot, F.; Coutures, C.; Derue, F.; Ferlet, R.; Glicenstein, J. F.; Goldman, B.; Gould, A.; Graff, D.; Gros, M.; Haissinski, J.; Hamilton, J. C.; Hardin, D.; de Kat, J.; Kim, A.; Lasserre, T.; Lesquoy, É.; Loup, C.; Magneville, C.; Marquette, J. B.; Maurice, É.; Milsztajn, A.; Moniez, M.; Palanque-Delabrouille, N.; Perdereau, O.; Prévot, L.; Regnault, N.; Rich, J.; Spiro, M.; Vidal-Madjar, A.; Vigroux, L.; Zylberajch, S.; Alcock, C.; Allsman, R. A.; Alves, D.; Axelrod, T. S.; Becker, A. C.; Cook, K. H.; Drake, A. J.; Freeman, K. C.; Griest, K.; King, L. J.; Lehner, M. J.; Marshall, S. L.; Minniti, D.; Peterson, B. A.; Pratt, M. R.; Quinn, P. J.; Rodgers, A. W.; Stetson, P. B.; Stubbs, C. W.; Sutherland, W.; Tomaney, A.; Vandehei, T.; Rhie, S. H.; Bennett, D. P.; Fragile, P. C.; Johnson, B. R.; Quinn, J.; Udalski, A.; Kubiak, M.; Szymański, M.; Pietrzyński, G.; Woźniak, P.; Zebruń, K.; Albrow, M. D.; Caldwell, J. A. R.; DePoy, D. L.; Dominik, M.; Gaudi, B. S.; Greenhill, J.; Hill, K.; Kane, S.; Martin, R.; Menzies, J.; Naber, R. M.; Pogge, R. W.; Pollard, K. R.; Sackett, P. D.; Sahu, K. C.; Vermaak, P.; Watson, R.; Williams, A.

2000-03-01

We fit the data for the binary lens microlensing event MACHO 98-SMC-1 from five different microlensing collaborations and find two distinct solutions characterized by binary separation d and mass ratio q: (d,q)=(0.54,0.50) and (d,q)=(3.65,0.36), where d is in units of the Einstein radius. However, the relative proper motion of the lens is very similar in the two solutions, 1.30 km s-1 kpc-1 and 1.48 km s-1 kpc-1, thus confirming that the lens is in the Small Magellanic Cloud. The close binary can be either rotating or approximately static but the wide binary must be rotating at close to its maximum allowed rate to be consistent with all the data. We measure limb-darkening coefficients for five bands ranging from I to V. As expected, these progressively decrease with rising wavelength. This is the first measurement of limb darkening for a metal-poor A star.

Developing an Optical Lunar Occultation Measurement Reduction System for Observations at Kaau Observatory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Malawi, Abdulrahman A.

2013-06-01

We present here a detailed explanation of the reduction method that we use to determine the angular diameters of the stars occulted by the dark limb of the moon. This is a main part of the lunar occultation observation program running at King Abdul Aziz University observatory since late 1993. The process is based on the least square model fitting method of analyzing occultation data, first introduced by Nather et al. (Astron. J. 75:963, 1970).

Know the Planet, Know the Star: Precise Stellar Parameters with Kepler

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sandford, Emily; Kipping, David M.

2017-01-01

The Kepler space telescope has revolutionized exoplanetary science with unprecedentedly precise photometric measurements of the light curves of transiting planets. In addition to information about the planet and its orbit, encoded in each Kepler transiting planet light curve are certain properties of the host star, including the stellar density and the limb darkening profile. For planets with strong prior constraints on orbital eccentricity (planets to which we refer as “stellar anchors”), we may measure these stellar properties directly from the light curve. This method promises to aid greatly in the characterization of transiting planet host stars targeted by the upcoming NASA TESS mission and any long-period, singly-transiting planets discovered in the same systems. Using Bayesian inference, we fit a transit model, including a nonlinear limb darkening law, to a large sample of transiting planet hosts to measure their stellar properties. We present the results of our analysis, including posterior stellar density distributions for each stellar host, and show how the method yields superior precision to literature stellar properties in the majority of cases studied.

The mass spectrum of the white dwarfs in cataclysmic binaries - Supplementary computations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ritter, H.; Ozkan, M. T.

1986-10-01

Numerical computations supplementing those of Ritter and Burkert (1986) for the study of observational selection in favor of massive white dwarfs among cataclysmic binaries (CBs) are presented. In particular the contribution of CBs beyond the period minimum and the influence of the inclination and of limb-darkening of the accretion disk are investigated. It is found that: (1) the main conclusions of Ritter and Burkert remain unchanged; (2) neither the inclusion of CBs containing a black-dwarf secondary nor the variation of the inclination or limb-darkening change the selection significantly; (3) in a magnitude-limited sample, about 22 percent of the ultra-short-period CBs contain a degenerate secondary; (4) the mean inclination of the accretion disk in a magnitude-limited sample is always close to 60 deg; (5) the fraction of eclipsing systems is of order 10-15 percent at m(v) = 10.0; (6) the mean inclination and the fraction of eclipsing systems increases with the limiting magnitude; and (7) the intrinsic space density of CBs is n(CB) approximately .0001-.0002/cu pc.

An edge-on translucent dust disk around the nearest AGB star, L2 Puppis. VLT/NACO spectro-imaging from 1.04 to 4.05 μm and VLTI interferometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kervella, P.; Montargès, M.; Ridgway, S. T.; Perrin, G.; Chesneau, O.; Lacour, S.; Chiavassa, A.; Haubois, X.; Gallenne, A.

2014-04-01

As the nearest known AGB star (d = 64 pc) and one of the brightest (mK ≈ -2), L2 Pup is a particularly interesting benchmark object to monitor the final stages of stellar evolution. We report new serendipitous imaging observations of this star with the VLT/NACO adaptive optics system in twelve narrow-band filters covering the 1.0-4.0 μm wavelength range. These diffraction-limited images reveal an extended circumstellar dust lane in front of the star that exhibits a high opacity in the J band and becomes translucent in the H and K bands. In the L band, extended thermal emission from the dust is detected. We reproduced these observations using Monte Carlo radiative transfer modeling of a dust disk with the RADMC-3D code. We also present new interferometric observations with the VLTI/VINCI and MIDI instruments. We measured in the K band an upper limit to the limb-darkened angular diameter of θLD = 17.9 ± 1.6 mas, converting to a maximum linear radius of R = 123 ± 14 R⊙. Considering the geometry of the extended K band emission in the NACO images, this upper limit is probably close to the actual angular diameter of the star. The position of L2 Pup in the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram indicates that this star has a mass of about 2 M⊙ and is probably experiencing an early stage of the asymptotic giant branch. We did not detect any stellar companion of L2 Pup in our adaptive optics and interferometric observations, and we attribute its apparent astrometric wobble in the Hipparcos data to variable lighting effects on its circumstellar material. However, we do not exclude the presence of a binary companion, because the large loop structure extending to more than 10 AU to the northeast of the disk in our L-band images may be the result of interaction between the stellar wind of L2 Pup and a hidden secondary object. The geometric configuration that we propose, with a large dust disk seen almost edge-on, appears particularly favorable to test and develop our understanding of the formation of bipolar nebulae. Based on observations made with ESO telescopes at Paranal Observatory, under ESO programs 090.D-0144(A), 074.D-0198(C) and an unreferenced VLTI/VINCI program.FITS files are only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (ftp://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/564/A88

SPECTRO-POLARIMETRIC SIMULATIONS OF THE SOLAR LIMB: ABSORPTION-EMISSION Fe I 6301.5 Å AND 6302.5 Å LINE PROFILES AND TORSIONAL FLOWS IN THE INTERGRANULAR MAGNETIC FLUX CONCENTRATIONS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shelyag, S.

2015-03-01

Using radiative magnetohydrodynamic simulations of the magnetized solar photosphere and detailed spectro-polarimetric diagnostics with the Fe I 6301.5 Å and 6302.5 Å photospheric lines in the local thermodynamic equilibrium approximation, we model active solar granulation as if it was observed at the solar limb. We analyze general properties of the radiation across the solar limb, such as the continuum and the line core limb darkening and the granulation contrast. We demonstrate the presence of profiles with both emission and absorption features at the simulated solar limb, and pure emission profiles above the limb. These profiles are associated with the regionsmore » of strong linear polarization of the emergent radiation, indicating the influence of the intergranular magnetic fields on the line formation. We analyze physical origins of the emission wings in the Stokes profiles at the limb, and demonstrate that these features are produced by localized heating and torsional motions in the intergranular magnetic flux concentrations.« less

High-resolution altitude profiles of the atmospheric turbulence with PML at the Sutherland Observatory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Catala, L.; Ziad, A.; Fanteï-Caujolle, Y.; Crawford, S. M.; Buckley, D. A. H.; Borgnino, J.; Blary, F.; Nickola, M.; Pickering, T.

2017-05-01

With the prospect of the next generation of ground-based telescopes, the extremely large telescopes, increasingly complex and demanding adaptive optics systems are needed. This is to compensate for image distortion caused by atmospheric turbulence and fully take advantage of mirrors with diameters of 30-40 m. This requires a more precise characterization of the turbulence. The Profiler of Moon Limb (PML) was developed within this context. The PML aims to provide high-resolution altitude profiles of the turbulence using differential measurements of the Moon limb position to calculate the transverse spatio-angular covariance of the angle of arrival fluctuations. The covariance of differential image motion for different separation angles is sensitive to the altitude distribution of the seeing. The use of the continuous Moon limb provides a large number of separation angles allowing for the high-resolution altitude of the profiles. The method is presented and tested with simulated data. Moreover, a PML instrument was deployed at the Sutherland Observatory in South Africa in 2011 August. We present here the results of this measurement campaign.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jatmiko, A. T. P.; Puannandra, G. P.; Hapsari, R. D.

Lunar Occultation (LO) is an event where limb of the Moon passing over a particular heavenly bodies such as stars, asteroids, or planets. In other words, during the event, stars, asteroids and planets are occulted by the Moon. When occulted objects contact the lunar limb, there will be a diffraction fringe(s) which can be measured photometrically, until the signal vanishes into noise. This event will give us a valuable information about binarities (of stars) and/or angular diameters estimation (of stars, planets, asteroids) in milliarcsecond resolution, by fitting with theoretical LO pattern. CCDs are common for LO observation because of itsmore » fast read out, and recently are developed for sub-meter class telescope. In this paper, our LO observation attempt of μ Sgr and its progress report are presented. The observation was conducted on July 30{sup th}, 2012 at Bosscha Observatory, Indonesia, using 45cm f/12 GOTO telescope combined with ST-9 XE CCD camera and Bessel B filter. We used drift-scan method to obtain light curve of the star as it was disappearing behind Moon's dark limb. Our goal is to detect binarity (or multiplicity) of this particular object.« less

Intra-limb coordination in karate kicking: Effect of impacting or not impacting a target.

PubMed

Quinzi, Federico; Sbriccoli, Paola; Alderson, Jacqueline; Di Mario, Alberto; Camomilla, Valentina

2014-02-01

This study aimed to investigate the kicking limb coordinative patterns adopted by karate practitioners (karateka) when impacting (IRK), or not impacting (NIRK) a target during a roundhouse kick. Six karateka performed three repetitions of both kicks while kicking limb kinematics were recorded using a stereophotogrammetric system. Intra-limb coordination was quantified for hip and knee flexion-extension from toe-off to kick completion, using the Continuous relative phase (CRP). Across the same time interval, thigh and shank angular momentum about the vertical axis of the body was calculated. For all trials, across all participants, CRP curve peaks and maximum and minimum angular momentum were determined. A RM-ANOVA was performed to test for differences between kicking conditions. The CRP analysis highlighted, during the central portion of both kicks, a delayed flexion of the hip with respect to the knee. Conversely, during the terminal portion of the CRP curves, the NIRK is performed with a more in-phase action, caused by a higher hip angular displacement. The NIRK is characterized by a lower angular momentum which may enhance control of the striking limb. It would seem that the issue of no impact appears to be solved through the control of all segments of the kicking limb, in contrast to the primary control of the lower leg only observed during the IRK. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The relationship between consistency of propulsive cycles and maximum angular velocity during wheelchair racing.

PubMed

Wang, Yong Tai; Vrongistinos, Konstantinos Dino; Xu, Dali

2008-08-01

The purposes of this study were to examine the consistency of wheelchair athletes' upper-limb kinematics in consecutive propulsive cycles and to investigate the relationship between the maximum angular velocities of the upper arm and forearm and the consistency of the upper-limb kinematical pattern. Eleven elite international wheelchair racers propelled their own chairs on a roller while performing maximum speeds during wheelchair propulsion. A Qualisys motion analysis system was used to film the wheelchair propulsive cycles. Six reflective markers placed on the right shoulder, elbow, wrist joints, metacarpal, wheel axis, and wheel were automatically digitized. The deviations in cycle time, upper-arm and forearm angles, and angular velocities among these propulsive cycles were analyzed. The results demonstrated that in the consecutive cycles of wheelchair propulsion the increased maximum angular velocity may lead to increased variability in the upper-limb angular kinematics. It is speculated that this increased variability may be important for the distribution of load on different upper-extremity muscles to avoid the fatigue during wheelchair racing.

Near-opposition martian limb-darkening: Quantification and implication for visible-near-infrared bidirectional reflectance studies.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Grenier, Muriel; Pinet, Patrick C.

1995-06-01

A nearly global coverage of the martian eastern hemisphere, acquired under small phase angles and varying observational geometries conditions, has been produced from 1988 opposition by spectral (0.5-1 μm) imaging data obtained at the Pic du Midi Observatory in France. From this data set, the methodology presented here permits a systematic analysis of martian photometric behavior at a regional scale of 100-300 km in the visible and near-infrared. The quantification of limb-darkening as a function of wavelength and surface albedo gives access in martian regional properties as a function of wavelength and surface albedo and results in the production of visible and near-infrared geometric albedo maps. A linear relation between the limb darkening parameter k and geometric albedo exists in the near infrared. Based on laboratory studies, it suggests a spectral response of particulate type for the martian soil. Conversely, in the visible, the value of k parameter is 0.6 independent of albedo and is consistent with a single scattering photometric behavior in the surface layer. However, the observed change in the martian photometry from single to multiple scattering may be partially due to a large contribution of atmospheric scattering above 0.7 μm. In the absence of a multitemporal dataset analysis, it must be emphasized that the present results are a priori only pertinent to the atmospheric and surface conditions existing on Mars at the time of observation. However, this analysis may contribute to characterize some physical properties, such as surface roughness. In the near-infrared, for bright terrains, k tends to 0.8 and agrees with the presence of very fine particulate materials. Photometry of dark areas is more irregular (0.48 < k < 0.64) and might result from surface roughness heterogeneities. However, a few dark areas reveal that k anomalous values in the range 0.7-0.8 may be caused by the presence of a coating of very fine materials or duricrust. Finally, we evaluate the influence of reflectance geometrical effects on the multispectral and spectroscopic data of the martian surface.

CHARRON: Code for High Angular Resolution of Rotating Objects in Nature

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Domiciano de Souza, A.; Zorec, J.; Vakili, F.

2012-12-01

Rotation is one of the fundamental physical parameters governing stellar physics and evolution. At the same time, spectrally resolved optical/IR long-baseline interferometry has proven to be an important observing tool to measure many physical effects linked to rotation, in particular, stellar flattening, gravity darkening, differential rotation. In order to interpret the high angular resolution observations from modern spectro-interferometers, such as VLTI/AMBER and VEGA/CHARA, we have developed an interferometry-oriented numerical model: CHARRON (Code for High Angular Resolution of Rotating Objects in Nature). We present here the characteristics of CHARRON, which is faster (≃q10-30 s per model) and thus more adapted to model-fitting than the first version of the code presented by Domiciano de Souza et al. (2002).

The mid-infrared diameter of W Hydrae

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao-Geisler, R.; Quirrenbach, A.; Köhler, R.; Lopez, B.; Leinert, C.

2011-06-01

Aims: Asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars are among the largest distributors of dust into the interstellar medium, and it is therefore important to understand the dust formation process and sequence in their strongly pulsating extended atmosphere. By monitoring the AGB star W Hya interferometrically over a few pulsations cycles, the upper atmospheric layers can be studied to obtain information on their chemical gas and dust composition and their intracycle and cycle-to-cycle behavior. Methods: Mid-infrared (8-13 μm) interferometric data of W Hya were obtained with MIDI/VLTI between April 2007 and September 2009, covering nearly three pulsation cycles. The spectrally dispersed visibility data of all 75 observations were analyzed by fitting a circular fully limb-darkened disk (FDD) model to all data and individual pulsation phases. Asymmetries were studied with an elliptical FDD. Results: Modeling results in an apparent angular FDD diameter of W Hya of about (80 ± 1.2) mas (7.8 AU) between 8 and 10 μm, which corresponds to an about 1.9 times larger diameter than the photospheric one. The diameter gradually increases up to (105 ± 1.2) mas (10.3 AU) at 12 μm. In contrast, the FDD relative flux fraction decreases from (0.85 ± 0.02) to (0.77 ± 0.02), reflecting the increased flux contribution from a fully resolved surrounding silicate dust shell. The asymmetric character of the extended structure could be confirmed. An elliptical FDD yields a position angle of (11 ± 20)° and an axis ratio of (0.87 ± 0.07). A weak pulsation dependency is revealed with a diameter increase of (5.4 ± 1.8) mas between visual minimum and maximum, while detected cycle-to-cycle variations are smaller. Conclusions: W Hya's diameter shows a behavior that is very similar to the Mira stars RR Sco and S Ori and can be described by an analogous model. The constant diameter part results from a partially resolved stellar disk, including a close molecular layer of H2O, while the increase beyond 10 μm can most likely be attributed to the contribution of a spatially resolved nearby Al2O3 dust shell. Probably due to the low mass-loss rate, close Fe-free silicate dust could not be detected. The results suggest that the formation of amorphous Al2O3 occurs mainly at visual minimum. A possible close Al2O3 dust shell has now been revealed in a few objects calling for self-consistent dynamic atmospheric models including dust formation close to the star. The asymmetry might be explained by an enhanced dust concentration along an N-S axis. Based on observations made with the Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI) at the Paranal Observatory under program IDs 079.D-0140, 080.D-0005, 081.D-0198, 082.D-0641 and 083.D-0294.FITS files of the calibrated visibilities are only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/530/A120

Optical Multi-Channel Intensity Interferometry - Or: How to Resolve O-Stars in the Magellanic Clouds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trippe, Sascha; Kim, Jae-Young; Lee, Bangwon; Choi, Changsu; Oh, Junghwan; Lee, Taeseok; Yoon, Sung-Chul; Im, Myungshin; Park, Yong-Sun

2014-12-01

Intensity interferometry, based on the Hanbury Brown--Twiss effect, is a simple and inexpensive method for optical interferometry at microarcsecond angular resolutions; its use in astronomy was abandoned in the 1970s because of low sensitivity. Motivated by recent technical developments, we argue that the sensitivity of large modern intensity interferometers can be improved by factors up to approximately 25,000, corresponding to 11 photometric magnitudes, compared to the pioneering Narrabri Stellar Interferometer. This is made possible by (i) using avalanche photodiodes (APD) as light detectors, (ii) distributing the light received from the source over multiple independent spectral channels, and (iii) use of arrays composed of multiple large light collectors. Our approach permits the construction of large (with baselines ranging from few kilometers to intercontinental distances) optical interferometers at the cost of (very) long-baseline radio interferometers. Realistic intensity interferometer designs are able to achieve limiting R-band magnitudes as good as m_R≈14, sufficient for spatially resolved observations of main-sequence O-type stars in the Magellanic Clouds. Multi-channel intensity interferometers can address a wide variety of science cases: (i) linear radii, effective temperatures, and luminosities of stars, via direct measurements of stellar angular sizes; (ii) mass--radius relationships of compact stellar remnants, via direct measurements of the angular sizes of white dwarfs; (iii) stellar rotation, via observations of rotation flattening and surface gravity darkening; (iv) stellar convection and the interaction of stellar photospheres and magnetic fields, via observations of dark and bright starspots; (v) the structure and evolution of multiple stars, via mapping of the companion stars and of accretion flows in interacting binaries; (vi) direct measurements of interstellar distances, derived from angular diameters of stars or via the interferometric Baade--Wesselink method; (vii) the physics of gas accretion onto supermassive black holes, via resolved observations of the central engines of luminous active galactic nuclei; and (viii) calibration of amplitude interferometers by providing a sample of calibrator stars.

Cheetah: Starspot modeling code

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walkowicz, Lucianne; Thomas, Michael; Finkestein, Adam

2014-12-01

Cheetah models starspots in photometric data (lightcurves) by calculating the modulation of a light curve due to starspots. The main parameters of the program are the linear and quadratic limb darkening coefficients, stellar inclination, spot locations and sizes, and the intensity ratio of the spots to the stellar photosphere. Cheetah uses uniform spot contrast and the minimum number of spots needed to produce a good fit and ignores bright regions for the sake of simplicity.

Ground based planetary research

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1973-01-01

High spatial resolution spectrophotometric observations made in the wavelength region lambda lambda 0.6 - 2.0 micrometers are used to study the Jovian and Saturnian limb darkening. Limb darkening coefficients (k) of the Minnaert function are derived for the cloud layers of both planets. A value of k = 1.0 is found for Jupiter over the entire disk while values of between 0.75 and 0.90 are found for different latitudes for Saturn. These data are used to derive geometric albedoes (G) for the various belts, zones, spots and regions observed on Jupiter and Saturn. These values of G and k are in turn used to show that an isotropic scattering model is invalid for Jupiter and that at least an asymmetric scattering function, such as the Euler function, is needed to fit the Jovian data. The Jovian scattering function is found to generally vary between 0.960 and 0.994 as a function of wavelength and the feature observed. The Saturn geometric albedoes and values of k indicate that Euler's function fails to adequately model the scattering properties of the Saturnian clouds. As a result it is suggested that simple scattering theory may not apply to the Saturn clouds or that they are better represented by a cumulus cloud model.

Extended envelopes around Galactic Cepheids. I. ℓ Carinae from near and mid-infrared interferometry with the VLTI

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kervella, P.; Mérand, A.; Perrin, G.; Coudé du Foresto, V.

2006-03-01

We present the results of long-baseline interferometric observations of the bright southern Cepheid ℓ Carinae in the infrared N (8-13 μm) and K (2.0-2.4 μm) bands, using the MIDI and VINCI instruments of the VLT Interferometer. We resolve in the N band a large circumstellar envelope (CSE) that we model with a Gaussian of 3 Rstar (≈500 R⊙ ≈ 2-3 AU) half width at half maximum. The signature of this envelope is also detected in our K band data as a deviation from a single limb darkened disk visibility function. The superimposition of a Gaussian CSE on the limb darkened disk model of the Cepheid star results in a significantly better fit of our VINCI data. The extracted CSE parameters in the K band are a half width at half maximum of 2 Rstar, comparable to the N band model, and a total brightness of 4% of the stellar photosphere. A possibility is that this CSE is linked to the relatively large mass loss rate of ℓ Car. Though its physical nature cannot be determined from our data, we discuss an analogy with the molecular envelopes of RV Tauri, red supergiants and Miras.

Influence of training on the biokinematics in trotting Andalusian horses.

PubMed

Cano, M R; Miró, F; Diz, A M; Agüera, E; Galisteo, A M

2000-11-01

The aim of this study was to determine the influence of a 10-month training programme on the linear, temporal and angular characteristics of the fore and hind limbs at the trot in the Andalusian horse, using standard computer-aided videography. Sixteen male Andalusian horses were observed before and after training. Six strides were randomly selected for analysis in each horse and linear, temporal and angular parameters were calculated for fore and hind limbs. The training programme used here produced significant changes in kinematic parameters, such as shortening of stride length, and increase in swing duration and a decrease in hind limb stance percentage. No significant differences were recorded in the angular values for the forelimb joints. In trained horses, the more proximal joints of the hind limb, especially the hip and stifle, had a greater flexion while the fetlock showed a smaller extension angle. At the beginning of the swing phase, hip and stifle joints presented angles that were significantly more flexed. When the hind limbs came into contact with the ground, all the joints presented greater flexion after training.

Spectrophotometry of planets, asteroids and satellites from the international ultraviolet explorer satellite

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tomasko, M. G.; Zellner, B.; Martinek, S.; Gehrels, T.

1981-01-01

A total of 14 8 hour I.U.E. observing sessions resulted in 39 spectra of 11 asteroids and 9 solar type stars as well as 57 spectra at various locations on the disk of Jupiter. The Jupiter observations include a total of 5 center to limb series of spectra at various latitudes and a North South series along the central meridian. In the range from 2000-3000 A, the planet shows a striking decrease in brightness at latitudes greater than about 30 degrees, and exhibits limb brightening at low latitudes and limb darkening at high latitudes. Preliminary results indicate that about 6 km-amagats of clean hydrogen are required above a haze of absorbing aerosols to reproduce the limb brightening observed at 2500 A in the equatorial regions. At higher latitudes, the aerosols extend to even higher levels of the atmosphere. Comparison of the Jovian data with detailed model calculations and the analyses of the asteroid spectra are still in progress with other support.

Interferometric Gravity Darkening Observations of Vega with the CHARA Array

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aufdenberg, J. P.; Merand, A.; Coude Foresto, V.; Absil, O.; Di Folco, E.; Kervella, P.; Ridgway, S. T.; Sturmann, J.; Sturmann, L.; ten Brummelaar, T. A.; Turner, N. H.; Berger, D. H.; McAlister, H. A.

2005-12-01

We have obtained high-precision interferometric measurements of the A0 V standard star Vega with the Center for High Angular Resolution Astronomy (CHARA) Array and the Fiber Linked Unit for Optical Recombination (FLUOR) beam combiner in the K' band at projected baselines between 103 m and 273 m. The measured squared visibility amplitudes beyond the first lobe are significantly weaker than expected for a slowly rotating star and provide strong evidence for the model of Vega as a rapidly rotating star viewed very nearly pole on. We have constructed a Roche-von Zeipel gravity-darkened model atmosphere which is in generally good agreement with both our interferometric data and archival spectrophotometry. Our model indicates Vega is rotating at ˜92% of its angular break-up rate with an equatorial velocity of ˜275 km s-1. We find a polar effective temperature of ˜10150 K and a pole-to-equator effective temperature difference of ˜2500 K, much larger than the ˜300 K derived by Gulliver, Hill, and Adelman. Our model suggests that Vega's cool equatorial atmosphere may have significant convective flux and predicts a significantly cooler spectral energy distribution for Vega as seen by its surrounding debris disk. This work was performed in part under contract with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) funded by NASA through the Michelson Fellowship Program. JPL is managed for NASA by the California Institute of Technology. The CHARA Array is operated by the Center for High Angular Resolution Astronomy with support from Georgia State University and the National Science Foundation, the Keck Foundation and the Packard Foundation.

Planetary astronomy program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1977-01-01

A program was developed in which asteroids and two planets, namely, Saturn and Uranus, were investigated. This included: (1) asteroid spectrophotometry; (2) the nature of the Trojan asteroids; (3) an investigation to determine asteroid masses; (4) the photometry, structure, and dynamics of the rings surrounding the planet Saturn; and (5) aerosol distribution in the atmosphere of Uranus. Plans were finalized to obtain observations of the nucleus of the dying comet P/Arend-Rigaux. Further work was accomplished in asteroid data reduction. Data were entered into the TRIAD data file and a program generated classifications for over 560 different asteroids. A photoelectric area scanner was used to obtain UBV scans of the disk of the planet Saturn on several winter and spring nights in 1977. Intensity profiles show pronounced limb brightening in U, moderate limb brightening in B, and limb darkening in V. Narrow band photoelectric area-scanning photometry of the Uranus disk is also reported. Results are given.

Spatial imaging of hydrogen Lyman-alpha emission from Jupiter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Clarke, J. T.; Weaver, H. A.; Feldman, P. D.; Moos, H. W.; Fastie, W. G.; Opal, C. B.

1980-01-01

A sounding rocket measurement of the H I L-alpha emission from Jupiter made on Dec. 1, 1978 shows limb darkening and an average disk brightness of 13 kR. This brightness is significantly higher than in previous measurements, and was confirmed by an IUE observation on Dec. 10, 1978. Comparison with a plane-parallel hydrogen layer model indicates that there is enhanced emission from the equatorial regions, reaching a peak near 80 deg longitude.

The environment of the fast rotating star Achernar. III. Photospheric parameters revealed by the VLTI

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Domiciano de Souza, A.; Kervella, P.; Moser Faes, D.; Dalla Vedova, G.; Mérand, A.; Le Bouquin, J.-B.; Espinosa Lara, F.; Rieutord, M.; Bendjoya, P.; Carciofi, A. C.; Hadjara, M.; Millour, F.; Vakili, F.

2014-09-01

Context. Rotation significantly impacts on the structure and life of stars. In phases of high rotation velocity (close to critical), the photospheric structure can be highly modified, and present in particular geometrical deformation (rotation flattening) and latitudinal-dependent flux (gravity darkening). The fastest known rotators among the nondegenerate stars close to the main sequence, Be stars, are key targets for studying the effects of fast rotation on stellar photospheres. Aims: We seek to determine the purely photospheric parameters of Achernar based on observations recorded during an emission-free phase (normal B phase). Methods: Several recent works proved that optical/IR long-baseline interferometry is the only technique able to sufficiently spatially resolve and measure photospheric parameters of fast rotating stars. We thus analyzed ESO-VLTI (PIONIER and AMBER) interferometric observations of Achernar to measure its photospheric parameters by fitting our physical model CHARRON using a Markov chain Monte Carlo method. This analysis was also complemented by spectroscopic, polarimetric, and photometric observations to investigate the status of the circumstellar environment of Achernar during the VLTI observations and to cross-check our model-fitting results. Results: Based on VLTI observations that partially resolve Achernar, we simultaneously measured five photospheric parameters of a Be star for the first time: equatorial radius (equatorial angular diameter), equatorial rotation velocity, polar inclination, position angle of the rotation axis projected on the sky, and the gravity darkening β coefficient (effective temperature distribution). The close circumstellar environment of Achernar was also investigated based on contemporaneous polarimetry, spectroscopy, and interferometry, including image reconstruction. This analysis did not reveal any important circumstellar contribution, so that Achernar was essentially in a normal B phase at least from mid-2009 to end-2012, and the model parameters derived in this work provide a fair description of its photosphere. Finally, because Achernar is the flattest interferometrically resolved fast rotator to-date, the measured β and flattening, combined with values from previous works, provide a crucial test for a recently proposed gravity darkening model. This model offers a promising explanation to the fact that the measured β parameter decreases with flattening and shows significantly lower values than the classical prediction of von Zeipel. Based on observations performed at ESO, Chile under VLTI PIONIER and AMBER programme IDs 087.D-0150 and 084.D-0456.

Gait Phase Recognition for Lower-Limb Exoskeleton with Only Joint Angular Sensors

PubMed Central

Liu, Du-Xin; Wu, Xinyu; Du, Wenbin; Wang, Can; Xu, Tiantian

2016-01-01

Gait phase is widely used for gait trajectory generation, gait control and gait evaluation on lower-limb exoskeletons. So far, a variety of methods have been developed to identify the gait phase for lower-limb exoskeletons. Angular sensors on lower-limb exoskeletons are essential for joint closed-loop controlling; however, other types of sensors, such as plantar pressure, attitude or inertial measurement unit, are not indispensable.Therefore, to make full use of existing sensors, we propose a novel gait phase recognition method for lower-limb exoskeletons using only joint angular sensors. The method consists of two procedures. Firstly, the gait deviation distances during walking are calculated and classified by Fisher’s linear discriminant method, and one gait cycle is divided into eight gait phases. The validity of the classification results is also verified based on large gait samples. Secondly, we build a gait phase recognition model based on multilayer perceptron and train it with the phase-labeled gait data. The experimental result of cross-validation shows that the model has a 94.45% average correct rate of set (CRS) and an 87.22% average correct rate of phase (CRP) on the testing set, and it can predict the gait phase accurately. The novel method avoids installing additional sensors on the exoskeleton or human body and simplifies the sensory system of the lower-limb exoskeleton. PMID:27690023

Effect of postural changes on 3D joint angular velocity during starting block phase.

PubMed

Slawinski, Jean; Dumas, Raphaël; Cheze, Laurence; Ontanon, Guy; Miller, Christian; Mazure-Bonnefoy, Alice

2013-01-01

Few studies have focused on the effect of posture during sprint start. The aim of this study was to measure the effect of the modification of horizontal distance between the blocks during sprint start on three dimensional (3D) joint angular velocity. Nine trained sprinters started using three different starting positions (bunched, medium and elongated). They were equipped with 63 passive reflective markers, and an opto-electronic Motion Analysis system was used to collect the 3D marker trajectories. During the pushing phase on the blocks, norm of the joint angular velocity (NJAV), 3D Euler angular velocity (EAV) and pushing time on the blocks were calculated. The results demonstrated that the decrease of the block spacing induces an opposite effect on the angular velocity of joints of the lower and the upper limbs. The NJAV of the upper limbs is greater in the bunched start, whereas the NJAV of the lower limbs is smaller. The modifications of NJAV were due to a combination of the movement of the joints in the different degrees of freedom. The medium start seems to be the best compromise because it leads, in a short pushing time, to a combination of optimal joint velocities for upper and lower segments.

Imagerie des étoiles évoluées par interférométrie. Réarrangement de pupille

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lacour, Sylvestre

2010-03-01

Atmospheric turbulence is an important limit to high angular resolution in astronomy. Interferometry resolved this issue by filtering the incoming light with single-mode fibers. Thanks to this technique, we obtained with the IOTA interferometer very precise measurements of the spatial frequencies of seven evolved stars. From these measurements, we performed a blind deconvolution to restore an image of the surface of the stars. Six of the them, Betelgeuse, Mu Cep, R leo, Mira, Chi Cyg and CH Cyg, feature very asymmetrical brightness distributions. On the other hand, the Arcturus data are extremely well fitted with a simple limb-darkened photospheric disc. From the observations of chi Cyg, we show that the star is surrounded by a molecular shell undergoing a ballistic motion. We propose to use the same technique of spatial filtering with single-mode fibers to correct for the effect of turbulence in the pupil of a telescope. Because the pupil is redundant, this technique does require a remapping of the pupil. We developed a dedicated algorithm to show that it was possible to reconstruct images at the diffraction limit of the telescope free of any speckle noise. Our simulations show that a high dynamic range (over 10^6) could be obtained in the visible on an 8 meter telescope. A lab experiment is under construction to validate the concept of this new instrument.

Space Weathering of Silicates Simulated by Successive Laser Irradiation: In Situ Reflectance Measurements of Fo90, Fo99+, and Sio2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Loeffler, M. J.; Dukes, C. A.; Christoffersen, R.; Baragiola, R. A.

2016-01-01

Pulsed-laser irradiation causes the visible-near-infrared spectral slope of olivine (Fo90 and Fo99+) and SiO2 to increase (redden), while the olivine samples darken and the SiO2 samples brighten slightly. XPS analysis shows that irradiation of Fo90 produces metallic Fe. Analytical SEM and TEM measurements confirm that reddening in the Fo90 olivine samples correlates with the production of nanophase metallic Fe (npFe0) grains, 2050 nm in size. The reddening observed in the SiO2 sample is consistent with the formation of SiO or other SiOx species that absorb in the visible. The weak spectral brightening induced by laser irradiation of SiO2 is consistent with a change in surface topography of the sample. The darkening observed in the olivine samples is likely caused by the formation of larger npFe0 particles, such as the 100400 nm diameter npFe0 identified during our TEM analysis of Fo90 samples. The Fo90 reflectance spectra are qualitatively similar to those in previous experiments suggesting that in all cases formation of npFe0 is causing the spectral alteration. Finally, we find that the accumulation of successive laserpulses cause continued sample darkening in the Vis-NIR, which suggests that repeated surface impacts are an efficient way to darken airless body surfaces.

Imaging Stellar Surface with The CHARA Array

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schaefer, Gail

2018-04-01

I will provide an overview of results on imaging stellar surfaces with the CHARA Array. These include imaging gravity darkening on rapid rotators, starspots on magnetically active stars, convective cells on red supergiants, and stellar winds from massive stars. In binary systems, the CHARA Array has been used to observe tidal distortions from Roche lobe filling in interactive binaries, transiting companions as they move through eclipse, and the angular expansion of novae explosions. I will discuss the impact of these results in an astrophysical context.

The influence of rotation on optical emission profiles of O stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hillier, D. John; Bouret, Jean-Claude; Lanz, Thierry; Busche, Joseph R.

2012-10-01

We study the formation of photospheric emission lines in O stars and show that the rectangular profiles, sometimes double peaked, that are observed for some stars are a direct consequence of rotation, and it is unnecessary to invoke an enhanced density structure in the equatorial regions. Emission lines, such as N IV λ4058 and the N III λλ4634-4640-4642 multiplet, exhibit non-standard 'limb-darkening' laws. The lines can be in absorption for rays striking the centre of the star and in emission for rays near the limb. Weak features in the flux spectrum do not necessarily indicate an intrinsically weak feature - instead the feature can be weak because of cancellation between absorption in 'core' rays and emission from rays near the limb. Rotation also modifies line profiles of wind diagnostics such as He II λ4686 and Hα and should not be neglected when inferring the actual stratification, level and nature of wind structures.

Probing Saturn's tropospheric cloud with Cassini/VIMS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barstow, J. K.; Irwin, P. G. J.; Fletcher, L. N.; Giles, R. S.; Merlet, C.

2016-06-01

In its decade of operation the Cassini mission has allowed us to look deep into Saturn's atmosphere and investigate the processes occurring below its enshrouding haze. We use Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) 4.6-5.2 μm data from early in the mission to investigate the location and properties of Saturn's cloud structure between 0.6 and 5 bar. We average nightside spectra from 2006 over latitude circles and model the spectral limb darkening using the NEMESIS radiative transfer and retrieval tool. We present our best-fit deep cloud model for latitudes -40∘ < λ <50∘ , along with retrieved abundances for NH3, PH3 and AsH3. We find an increase in NH3 abundance at the equator, a cloud base at ∼2.3 bar and no evidence for cloud particles with strong absorption features in the 4.6-5.2 μm wavelength range, all of which are consistent with previous work. Non-scattering cloud models assuming a composition of either NH3 or NH4SH, with a scattering haze overlying, fit limb darkening curves and spectra at all latitudes well; the retrieved optical depth for the tropospheric haze is decreased in the northern (winter) hemisphere, implying that the haze has a photochemical origin. Our ability to test this hypothesis by examining spectra at different seasons is restricted by the varying geometry of VIMS observations over the life of the mission, and the appearance of the Saturn storm towards the end of 2010.

Characterizing Knee Loading Asymmetry in Individuals Following Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction Using Inertial Sensors

PubMed Central

Sigward, Susan M.; Chan, Ming-Sheng M.; Lin, Paige E.

2016-01-01

Limitations in the ability to identify knee extensor loading deficits during gait in individuals following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLr) may underlie their persistence. A recent study suggested that shank angular velocity, directly output from inertial sensors, differed during gait between individuals post-ACLr and controls. However, it is not clear if this kinematic variable relates to knee moments calculated using joint kinematics and ground reaction forces. Heel rocker mechanics during loading response of gait, characterized by rapid shank rotation, require knee extensor control. Measures of shank angular velocity may be reflective of knee moments. This study investigated the relationship between shank angular velocity and knee extensor moment during gait in individuals (n=19) 96.7±16.8 days post-ACLr. Gait was assessed concurrently using inertial sensors and a marker-based motion system with force platforms. Peak angular velocity and knee extensor moment were strongly correlated (r=0.75, p<0.001) and between limb ratios of angular velocity predicted between limb ratios of extensor moment (r2=0.57 ,p<0.001) in the absence of between limb differences in spatiotemporal gait parameters. The strength of these relationships indicate that shank kinematic data offer meaningful information regarding knee loading and provide a potential alternative to full motion analysis systems for identification of altered knee loading following ACLr PMID:27395452

Scale effects between body size and limb design in quadrupedal mammals.

PubMed

Kilbourne, Brandon M; Hoffman, Louwrens C

2013-01-01

Recently the metabolic cost of swinging the limbs has been found to be much greater than previously thought, raising the possibility that limb rotational inertia influences the energetics of locomotion. Larger mammals have a lower mass-specific cost of transport than smaller mammals. The scaling of the mass-specific cost of transport is partly explained by decreasing stride frequency with increasing body size; however, it is unknown if limb rotational inertia also influences the mass-specific cost of transport. Limb length and inertial properties--limb mass, center of mass (COM) position, moment of inertia, radius of gyration, and natural frequency--were measured in 44 species of terrestrial mammals, spanning eight taxonomic orders. Limb length increases disproportionately with body mass via positive allometry (length ∝ body mass(0.40)); the positive allometry of limb length may help explain the scaling of the metabolic cost of transport. When scaled against body mass, forelimb inertial properties, apart from mass, scale with positive allometry. Fore- and hindlimb mass scale according to geometric similarity (limb mass ∝ body mass(1.0)), as do the remaining hindlimb inertial properties. The positive allometry of limb length is largely the result of absolute differences in limb inertial properties between mammalian subgroups. Though likely detrimental to locomotor costs in large mammals, scale effects in limb inertial properties appear to be concomitant with scale effects in sensorimotor control and locomotor ability in terrestrial mammals. Across mammals, the forelimb's potential for angular acceleration scales according to geometric similarity, whereas the hindlimb's potential for angular acceleration scales with positive allometry.

Scale Effects between Body Size and Limb Design in Quadrupedal Mammals

PubMed Central

Kilbourne, Brandon M.; Hoffman, Louwrens C.

2013-01-01

Recently the metabolic cost of swinging the limbs has been found to be much greater than previously thought, raising the possibility that limb rotational inertia influences the energetics of locomotion. Larger mammals have a lower mass-specific cost of transport than smaller mammals. The scaling of the mass-specific cost of transport is partly explained by decreasing stride frequency with increasing body size; however, it is unknown if limb rotational inertia also influences the mass-specific cost of transport. Limb length and inertial properties – limb mass, center of mass (COM) position, moment of inertia, radius of gyration, and natural frequency – were measured in 44 species of terrestrial mammals, spanning eight taxonomic orders. Limb length increases disproportionately with body mass via positive allometry (length ∝ body mass0.40); the positive allometry of limb length may help explain the scaling of the metabolic cost of transport. When scaled against body mass, forelimb inertial properties, apart from mass, scale with positive allometry. Fore- and hindlimb mass scale according to geometric similarity (limb mass ∝ body mass1.0), as do the remaining hindlimb inertial properties. The positive allometry of limb length is largely the result of absolute differences in limb inertial properties between mammalian subgroups. Though likely detrimental to locomotor costs in large mammals, scale effects in limb inertial properties appear to be concomitant with scale effects in sensorimotor control and locomotor ability in terrestrial mammals. Across mammals, the forelimb's potential for angular acceleration scales according to geometric similarity, whereas the hindlimb's potential for angular acceleration scales with positive allometry. PMID:24260117

Studies in occultation astronomy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Veverka, J.

1980-01-01

Major scientific results are summarized for the following studies: (1) observations of the 8 April 1976 occultation of epsilon Geminorum by Mars; (2) studies in occultation techniques; and (3) the March 1974 occultation of Saturn by the Moon. A re-analysis of the 1974 lunar occultation of the Titan indicates that Titan is strongly limb darkened, with D approximately greater than 5800km; there is internal evidence in the data that Titan's atmosphere is inhomogeneous; and that observations are inconsistent with any sample homogeneous model atmosphere which matches the P (lambda) and Beta (lambda) observations of Titan.

Lightcurve Analysis for Two Near-Earth Asteroids Eclipsed by the Earth's Shadow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Birtwhistle, Peter

2018-07-01

Photometry was obtained from Great Shefford Observatory of near-Earth asteroids 2012 XE54 in 2012 and 2016 VA in 2016 during close approaches. A superfast rotation period has been determined for 2012 XE54 and H-G magnitude system coefficients have been estimated for 2016 VA. While under observation, 2012 XE54 underwent a deep penumbral eclipse by the Earth's shadow and 2016 VA also experienced a total eclipse by the Earth's shadow. The dimming due to the eclipses is modeled taking into account solar limb darkening.

Brightening and Darkening of the Extended Solar Corona during the Superflares of September 2017

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goryaev, Farid F.; Slemzin, Vladimir A.; Rodkin, Denis G.; D’Huys, Elke; Podladchikova, O.; West, Matthew J.

2018-04-01

On 2017 September 6 and 10, the strongest X9.3 and X8.2 flares of the decade occurred in the active region NOAA Active Region 12673. During these flares, the Sun Watcher with Active Pixels and Image Processing (SWAP) telescope on board the Project for Onboard Autonomy 2 (PROBA2) satellite registered the unusual alternate brightening and darkening of the western corona at the heliocentric distances ≈1.2–1.7 R ⊙. The X9.3 flare on 2017 September 6 was accompanied by coronal brightening up to 30%–45% at distances ≈1.35–1.7 R ⊙. Numerical simulations showed that this brightening might be produced by resonant scattering of the flare radiation by the Fe IX–Fe XI ions in the coronal plasma at the temperature T ∼ 0.8–1 MK, and the densities seriously reduced in comparison with the typical values for the quiet background corona probably moving outward with velocities of 30–40 km s‑1. At the maximum of the flare and one hour later, two coronal mass ejections (CMEs) originated, which dimmed the coronal emission in the SWAP 174 Å passband above the western limb by 20%–30%. The X8.2 flare on September 10 was accompanied by a CME, which rose up and progressively dimmed the western part of the corona up to 60%. An hour later the darkening, produced by a global rearrangement of the magnetic field structure and an evacuation of a significant part of the coronal plasma, extended over the complete western limb. A differential emission measure (DEM) analysis showed a decrease in the electron density of the background plasma with T ∼ 1–2 MK at distances 1.24–1.33 R ⊙ by 2–3.5 times after the CME. At the same time, an additional DEM peak at T ≈ 0.8 MK appeared, which may be associated with an additional emission in the SWAP passband produced by the flare radiation resonantly scattered by the coronal plasma.

Space Weathering of Silicates Simulated by Successive Laser Irradiation: in Situ Reflectance Measurements of Fo90, Fo99+, and SiO2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Loeffler, M. J.; Dukes, C. A.; Christoffersen, R.; Baragiola, R. A.

2016-01-01

Pulsed-laser irradiation causes the visible-near-infrared spectral slope of olivine (Fo90 and Fo99+) and SiO2 to increase (redden), while the olivine samples darken and the SiO2 samples brighten slightly. XPS analysis shows that irradiation of Fo90 produces metallic Fe. Analytical SEM and TEM measurements confirm that reddening in the Fo90 olivine samples correlates with the production of "nanophase" metallic Fe (npFe0) grains, 20-50 nm in size. The reddening observed in the SiO2 sample is consistent with the formation of SiO or other SiOx species that absorb in the visible. The weak spectral brightening induced by laser irradiation of SiO2 is consistent with a change in surface topography of the sample. The darkening observed in the olivine samples is likely caused by the formation of larger npFe0 particles, such as the 100-400 nm diameter npFe0 identified during our TEM analysis of Fo90 samples. The Fo90 reflectance spectra are qualitatively similar to those in previous experiments suggesting that in all cases formation of npFe0 is causing the spectral alteration. Finally, we find that the accumulation of successive laser pulses cause continued sample darkening in the Vis-NIR, which suggests that repeated surface impacts are an efficient way to darken airless body surfaces.

Measurements of eight early-type stars angular diameters using VEGA/CHARA interferometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Challouf, M.; Nardetto, N.; Mourard, D.; Aroui, H.; Delaa, O.

2014-12-01

The surface brightness color (SBC) relation is an important tool to derive the distance of extragalatic eclipsing binaries. We determined the uniform disc angular diameter of the eight following early-type stars using VEGA/CHARA interferometric observations: θ_{UD}[δ Cyg] = 0.766 ± 0.047 mas, θ_{UD}[γ Lyr] = 0.742& ± 0.010 mas, θ_{UD}[γ Ori] = 0.701 ± 0.005 mas, θ_{UD}[ζ Peg] = 0.539 ± 0.009 mas, θ_{UD}[λ Aql] = 0.529 ± 0.003 mas, θ_{UD}[ζ Per] = 0.531 ± 0.007 mas, θ_{UD}[ι Her] = 0.304 ± 0.010 mas and θ_{UD}[8 Cyg] = 0.229 ± 0.011 mas (by extending V-K range from -0.76 to 0.02) with typical precision of about 1.5%. By combining these data with previous angular diameter determinations available in the literature, Challouf et al. (2014) provide for the very first time a SBC relation for early-type stars (-1≤V-K≤0) with a precision of about 0.16 magnitude or 7% in term of angular diameter (when using this SBC relation to derive the angular diameter of early-type stars).

On the identification of normal modes of oscillation from observations of the solar periphery

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gough, D. D.; Latour, J.

1984-01-01

The decomposition of solar oscillations into their constituent normal modes requires a knowledge of both the spatial and temporal variation of the perturbation to the Sun's surface. The task is especially difficult when only limited spatial information is available. Observations of the limb darkening function, for example, are probably sensitive to too large a number of modes to permit most of the modes to be identified in a power spectrum of measurements at only a few points on the limb, unless the results are combined with other data. A procedure was considered by which the contributions from quite small groups of modes to spatially well resolved data obtained at any instant can be extracted from the remaining modes. Combining these results with frequency information then permits the modes to be identified, at least if their frequencies are low enough to ensure that modes of high degree do not contribute substantially to the signal.

Surgical correction of bilateral metacarpophalangeal valgus with curved osteotomies and type II external skeletal fixation in a seven-month-old alpaca.

PubMed

Schoonover, Mike J; Whitfield, Chase T; Rochat, Mark C; Streeter, Robert N; Sippel, Kate

2016-09-20

To report the successful surgical correction of severe bilateral metacarpophalangeal valgus angular limb deformities in a seven-month-old intact male alpaca cria using curved osteotomies stabilized with type II external skeletal fixation. Using a 21 mm crescentic shaped oscillating saw blade, bilateral osteotomies were performed in the distal metaphyses of the fused third and fourth metacarpal bones to correct valgus angular limb deformity of the metacarpophalangeal joints. Axial alignment of each limb was achieved by medially rotating the distal metacarpus in the frontal plane along the curved osteotomies. The osteotomies were stabilized using type II external skeletal fixators. The alpaca was immediately weight-bearing following the surgical procedure and no to minimal lameness was observed during healing of the osteotomies. Evaluation at five and 10 months following the surgery demonstrated acceptable axial alignment in the left forelimb while moderate to severe varus deformity (overcorrection) was observed in the right. Curved osteotomy of the distal metacarpus stabilized with type II external skeletal fixation can provide a favourable outcome in older alpaca crias affected with metacarpophalangeal angular limb deformities. Placement of the distal transfixation pins relative to the metacarpal physes should be carefully evaluated as overcorrection is possible, especially if growthpotential remains in only one physis of the fused third and fourth metacarpal bones.

A reflection model for eclipsing binary stars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wood, D. B.

1973-01-01

A highly accurate reflection model has been developed which emphasizes efficiency of computer calculation. It is assumed that the heating of the irradiated star must depend upon the following properties of the irradiating star: (1) effective temperature; (2) apparent area as seen from a point on the surface of the irradiated star; (3) limb darkening; and (4) zenith distance of the apparent centre as seen from a point on the surface of the irradiated star. The algorithm eliminates the need to integrate over the irradiating star while providing a highly accurate representation of the integrated bolometric flux, even for gravitationally distorted stars.

Comparative study of solar optics for paraboloidal concentrators

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wen, L.; Poon, P.; Carley, W.; Huang, L.

1979-01-01

Different analytical methods for computing the flux distribution on the focal plane of a paraboloidal solar concentrator are reviewed. An analytical solution in algebraic form is also derived for an idealized model. The effects resulting from using different assumptions in the definition of optical parameters used in these methodologies are compared and discussed in detail. These parameters include solar irradiance distribution (limb darkening and circumsolar), reflector surface specular spreading, surface slope error, and concentrator pointing inaccuracy. The type of computational method selected for use depends on the maturity of the design and the data available at the time the analysis is made.

Changes in surface solar UV irradiances and total ozone during the solar eclipse of August 11, 1999

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zerefos, C. S.; Balis, D. S.; Meleti, C.; Bais, A. F.; Tourpali, K.; Kourtidis, K.; Vanicek, K.; Cappellani, F.; Kaminski, U.; Colombo, T.; Stübi, R.; Manea, L.; Formenti, P.; Andreae, M. O.

2000-11-01

During the solar eclipse of August 11, 1999, intensive measurements of UV solar irradiance and total ozone were performed at a number of observatories located near the path of the Moon's shadow. At the Laboratory of Atmospheric Physics (LAP) of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece, global and direct spectra of UV solar irradiances (285-365 nm) were recorded with a double monochromator, and erythemal irradiances were measured with broadband pyranometers. In addition, higher-frequency measurements of global and direct irradiances at six UV wavelengths were performed with a single Brewer spectrophotometer. Total ozone measurements were also performed with Dobson and Brewer spectrophotometers at Hradec Kralove (Czech Republic), Ispra (Italy), Sestola (Italy), Hohenpeissenberg (Germany), Bucharest (Romania), Arosa (Switzerland), and Thessaloniki (Greece). From the spectral UV measurements the limb darkening effect of the solar disk was tentatively quantified from differences of measured solar spectral irradiances at the peak of the eclipse (near to limb conditions) and before the eclipse. Two blackbody curves were fit to the preeclipse and peak eclipse spectra, which have shown a difference in effective temperatures of about 165°K between the limb and the whole of the solar disk. The limb darkening effect is larger at the shorter UV wavelengths. The ratio of the diffuse to direct solar irradiances during the eclipse shows that the diffuse component is reduced much less compared to the decline of the direct solar irradiance at the shorter wavelengths. Moreover, a 20-min oscillation of erythemal UV-B solar irradiance was observed before and after the time of the eclipse maximum under clear skies, indicating a possible 20-min fluctuation in total ozone, presumably caused by the eclipse-induced gravity waves. This work also shows that routine total ozone measurements with a Brewer or a Dobson spectrophotometer should be used with caution during a solar eclipse. This is because the diffuse light increases by more than 30% with respect to the direct solar radiation, increasing more at the shorter wavelength side of the UV spectrum. This plausible mechanism introduces an artificial decrease in total ozone during solar eclipse of more than 30 Dobson units (DU), which is confirmed by all Brewer and Dobson measurements. Changes in total ozone cited earlier in the refereed literature have not been confirmed in the present study.

Whole-body angular momentum during stair walking using passive and powered lower-limb prostheses.

PubMed

Pickle, Nathaniel T; Wilken, Jason M; Aldridge, Jennifer M; Neptune, Richard R; Silverman, Anne K

2014-10-17

Individuals with a unilateral transtibial amputation have a greater risk of falling compared to able-bodied individuals, and falling on stairs can lead to serious injuries. Individuals with transtibial amputations have lost ankle plantarflexor muscle function, which is critical for regulating whole-body angular momentum to maintain dynamic balance. Recently, powered prostheses have been designed to provide active ankle power generation with the goal of restoring biological ankle function. However, the effects of using a powered prosthesis on the regulation of whole-body angular momentum are unknown. The purpose of this study was to use angular momentum to evaluate dynamic balance in individuals with a transtibial amputation using powered and passive prostheses relative to able-bodied individuals during stair ascent and descent. Ground reaction forces, external moment arms, and joint powers were also investigated to interpret the angular momentum results. A key result was that individuals with an amputation had a larger range of sagittal-plane angular momentum during prosthetic limb stance compared to able-bodied individuals during stair ascent. There were no significant differences in the frontal, transverse, or sagittal-plane ranges of angular momentum or maximum magnitude of the angular momentum vector between the passive and powered prostheses during stair ascent or descent. These results indicate that individuals with an amputation have altered angular momentum trajectories during stair walking compared to able-bodied individuals, which may contribute to an increased fall risk. The results also suggest that a powered prosthesis provides no distinct advantage over a passive prosthesis in maintaining dynamic balance during stair walking. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Angular Deformities of the Lower Limb in Children

PubMed Central

Espandar, Ramin; Mortazavi, Seyed Mohammad-Javad; Baghdadi, Taghi

2010-01-01

Angular deformities of the lower limbs are common during childhood. In most cases this represents a variation in the normal growth pattern and is an entirely benign condition. Presence of symmetrical deformities and absence of symptoms, joint stiffness, systemic disorders or syndromes indicates a benign condition with excellent long-term outcome. In contrast, deformities which are asymmetrical and associated with pain, joint stiffness, systemic disorders or syndromes may indicate a serious underlying cause and require treatment. Little is known about the relationship between sport participation and body adaptations during growth. Intense soccer participation increases the degree of genu varum in males from the age of 16. Since, according to some investigations, genu varum predisposes individuals to more injuries, efforts to reduce the development of genu varum in soccer players are warranted. In this article major topics of angular deformities of the knees in pediatric population are practically reviewed. PMID:22375192

Five-Strand versus Four-Strand Hamstring Tendon Graft Technique for Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: A Biomechanical Comparison.

PubMed

Vaillant, Eric R; Parks, Brent G; Camire, Lyn M; Hinton, Richard Y

2017-11-01

The aim of this article is to compare diameter and stiffness, displacement, and strain in a five-strand versus four-strand hamstring graft for anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. Eight matched pairs of lower extremities underwent four-strand or five-strand hamstring graft reconstruction. Diameter was significantly higher in the five-strand versus the four-strand construct ( p  = 0.002). No significant difference was found between the groups in construct displacement or stiffness. Significantly higher strain was observed in the inner limb versus the outer limb in the four-strand construct ( p  = 0.001) and in the inner limb versus the fifth limb in the 5-strand construct ( p  = 0.004). A fifth limb added to a four-strand hamstring graft significantly increased graft diameter but did not significantly change stiffness or displacement, suggesting that attachment of additional graft material via suture did not provide for full incorporation of the added limb into the graft at time zero. The inner limb in both constructs absorbed significantly greater load than did other limbs. The use of suture to attach additional material to a four-strand hamstring graft may not contribute to improved biomechanical qualities of the graft at time zero. Thieme Medical Publishers 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.

Digital cartography of Io

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mcewen, Alfred S.; Duck, B.; Edwards, Kathleen

1991-01-01

A high resolution controlled mosaic of the hemisphere of Io centered on longitude 310 degrees is produced. Digital cartographic techniques were employed. Approximately 80 Voyager 1 clear and blue filter frames were utilized. This mosaic was merged with low-resolution color images. This dataset is compared to the geologic map of this region. Passage of the Voyager spacecraft through the Io plasma torus during acquisition of the highest resolution images exposed the vidicon detectors to ionized radiation, resulting in dark-current buildup on the vidicon. Because the vidicon is scanned from top to bottom, more charge accumulated toward the bottom of the frames, and the additive error increases from top to bottom as a ramp function. This ramp function was removed by using a model. Photometric normalizations were applied using the Minnaert function. An attempt to use Hapke's photometric function revealed that this function does not adequately describe Io's limb darkening at emission angles greater than 80 degrees. In contrast, the Minnaert function accurately describes the limb darkening up to emission angles of about 89 degrees. The improved set of discrete camera angles derived from this effort will be used in conjunction with the space telemetry pointing history file (the IPPS file), corrected on 4 or 12 second intervals to derive a revised time history for the pointing of the Infrared Interferometric Spectrometer (IRIS). For IRIS observations acquired between camera shutterings, the IPPS file can be corrected by linear interpolation, provided that the spacecraft motions were continuous. Image areas corresponding to the fields of view of IRIS spectra acquired between camera shutterings will be extracted from the mosaic to place the IRIS observations and hotspot models into geologic context.

Jovian cloud structure from 5-mu M images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ortiz, J. L.; Moreno, F.; Molina, A.; Roos-Serote, M.; Orton, G. S.

1999-09-01

Most radiative transfer studies place the cloud clearings responsible for the 5-mu m bright areas at pressure levels greater than 1.5 bar whereas the low-albedo clouds are placed at lower pressure levels, in the so-called ammonia cloud. If this picture is correct, and assuming that the strong vertical shear of the zonal wind detected by the Galileo Entry Probe exists at all latitudes in Jupiter, the bright areas at 5 mu m should drift faster than the dark clouds, which is not observed. At the Galileo Probe Entry latitude this can be explained by a wave, but this is not a likely explanation for all regions where the anticorrelation between 5-mu m brightness and red-nIR reflectivity is observed. Therefore, either the vertical zonal wind shears are not global or cloud clearings and dark clouds are located at the same pressure level. We have developed a multiple scattering radiative transfer code to model the limb-darkening at several jovian features derived from IRTF 4.8-mu m images, in order to retrieve information on the cloud levels. The limb darkening coefficients range from 1.4 at hot spots to 0.58 at the Equatorial Region. We also find that reflected light is dominant over thermal emission in the Equatorial Region, as already pointed out by other investigators. Preliminary results from our code tend to favor the idea that the ammonia cloud is a very high-albedo cloud with little influence on the contrast seen in the red and nIR and that a deeper cloud at P >1.5 bar can be responsible for the cloud clearings and for the low-albedo features simultaneously. This research was supported by the Comision Interministerial de Ciencia y Tecnologia under contract ESP96-0623.

High-precision photometry of WASP-12 b transits

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maciejewski, G.; Errmann, R.; Raetz, St.; Seeliger, M.; Spaleniak, I.; Neuhäuser, R.

2011-04-01

Aims: The transiting extrasolar planet WASP-12 b was found to be one of the most intensely irradiated exoplanets. It is unexpectedly bloated and is losing mass that may accrete into the host star. Our aim was to refine the parameters of this intriguing system and search for signs of transit timing variations. Methods: We gathered high-precision light curves for two transits of WASP-12 b. Assuming various limb-darkening laws, we generated best-fitting models and redetermined the parameters of the system. Error estimates were derived by the prayer-bead method and Monte Carlo simulations. Results: System parameters obtained by us are found to agree with previous studies within one sigma. Use of the non-linear limb-darkening laws results in the best-fitting models. With two new mid-transit times, the ephemeris was refined to BJDTDB = (2 454 508.97682 ± 0.00020) + (1.09142245 ± 0.00000033)E. Interestingly, indications of transit timing variation are detected at the level of 3.4 sigma. This signal can be induced by an additional planet in the system. Simplified numerical simulations show that a perturber could be a terrestrial-type planet if both planets are in a low-order orbital resonance. However, we emphasise that further observations are needed to confirm variation and to constrain properties of the perturber. Based on observations collected at the Centro Astronómico Hispano Alemán (CAHA), operated jointly by the Max-Planck Institut für Astronomie and the Instituto de Astrofisica de Andalucia (CSIC).Photometric data are only available in electronic form at the CDS via anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/528/A65

Flattening and surface-brightness of the fast-rotating star δ Persei with the visible VEGA/CHARA interferometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Challouf, M.; Nardetto, N.; Domiciano de Souza, A.; Mourard, D.; Tallon-Bosc, I.; Aroui, H.; Farrington, C.; Ligi, R.; Meilland, A.; Mouelhi, M.

2017-08-01

Context. Rapid rotation is a common feature for massive stars, with important consequences on their physical structure, flux distribution and evolution. Fast-rotating stars are flattened and show gravity darkening (non-uniform surface intensity distribution). Another important and less studied impact of fast-rotation in early-type stars is its influence on the surface brightness colour relation (hereafter SBCR), which could be used to derive the distance of eclipsing binaries. Aims: The purpose of this paper is to determine the flattening of the fast-rotating B-type star δ Per using visible long-baseline interferometry. A second goal is to evaluate the impact of rotation and gravity darkening on the V - K colour and surface brightness of the star. Methods: The B-type star δ Per was observed with the VEGA/CHARA interferometer, which can measure spatial resolutions down to 0.3 mas and spectral resolving power of 5000 in the visible. We first used a toy model to derive the position angle of the rotation axis of the star in the plane of the sky. Then we used a code of stellar rotation, CHARRON, in order to derive the physical parameters of the star. Finally, by considering two cases, a static reference star and our best model of δ Per, we can quantify the impact of fast rotation on the surface brightness colour relation (SBCR). Results: We find a position angle of 23 ± 6 degrees. The polar axis angular diameter of δ Per is θp = 0.544 ± 0.007 mas, and the derived flatness is r = 1.121 ± 0.013. We derive an inclination angle for the star of I = 85+ 5-20 degrees and a projected rotation velocity Vsini = 175+ 8-11 km s-1 (or 57% of the critical velocity). We find also that the rotation and inclination angle of δ Per keeps the V - K colour unchanged while it decreasing its surface-brightness by about 0.05 mag. Conclusions: Correcting the impact of rotation on the SBCR of early-type stars appears feasible using visible interferometry and dedicated models.

Interferometric capability for the Magellan Project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carleton, Nathaniel P.; Traub, Wesley A.; Angel, J. Roger P.

1998-07-01

The Magellan Project is building two 6.5-m telescopes, 60 m apart, at the Las Campanas Observatory in Chile. There are on-going plans to combine the beams of the two main telescopes, and of smaller auxiliary telescopes, for interferometric measurements. In this paper we consider the array of auxiliary telescopes as a stand-alone instrument, recognizing that it will operate as such for some large fraction of the time. Our interest is sharpened by the availability of six 1.8-m optical systems, retired from the Smithsonian-Arizona Multiple-Mirror Telescope in preparation for the installation of a single-mirror 6.5-m system. We have completed a design for a 1.8-m telescope, in which the MMT components are supported on a proven tripod mount. The optics-support uses steel for stiffness, and low-thermal- expansion rods for passive stability. This array will be a powerful tool for the investigation of stellar limb darkening, surface features, and changes of diameter in pulsations, as well as dust disks, shells, and binary companions. The 1.8-m telescopes on good sites such as Magellan's should be able to operate at full aperture for interferometry at 2.2 micrometers . They should therefore be able to reach to magnitude K equals 10 or so, and thus to cover substantial samples of both main-sequence and pre-main- sequence stars, and of fully evolved stars as well.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Barnes, Jason W.; Van Eyken, Julian C.; Jackson, Brian K.

PTFO 8-8695b represents the first transiting exoplanet candidate orbiting a pre-main-sequence star (van Eyken et al. 2012, ApJ, 755, 42). We find that the unusual lightcurve shapes of PTFO 8-8695 can be explained by transits of a planet across an oblate, gravity-darkened stellar disk. We develop a theoretical framework for understanding precession of a planetary orbit's ascending node for the case when the stellar rotational angular momentum and the planetary orbital angular momentum are comparable in magnitude. We then implement those ideas to simultaneously and self-consistently fit two separate lightcurves observed in 2009 December and 2010 December. Our two self-consistentmore » fits yield M{sub p} = 3.0 M{sub Jup} and M{sub p} = 3.6 M{sub Jup} for assumed stellar masses of M{sub *} = 0.34 M{sub Sun} and M{sub *} = 0.44 M{sub Sun} respectively. The two fits have precession periods of 293 days and 581 days. These mass determinations (consistent with previous upper limits) along with the strength of the gravity-darkened precessing model together validate PTFO 8-8695b as just the second hot Jupiter known to orbit an M-dwarf. Our fits show a high degree of spin-orbit misalignment in the PTFO 8-8695 system: 69 Degree-Sign {+-} 2 Degree-Sign or 73. Degree-Sign 1 {+-} 0. Degree-Sign 5, in the two cases. The large misalignment is consistent with the hypothesis that planets become hot Jupiters with random orbital plane alignments early in a system's lifetime. We predict that as a result of the highly misaligned, precessing system, the transits should disappear for months at a time over the course of the system's precession period. The precessing, gravity-darkened model also predicts other observable effects: changing orbit inclination that could be detected by radial velocity observations, changing stellar inclination that would manifest as varying vsin i, changing projected spin-orbit alignment that could be seen by the Rossiter-McLaughlin effect, changing transit shapes over the course of the precession, and differing lightcurves as a function of wavelength. Our measured planet radii of 1.64 R{sub Jup} and 1.68 R{sub Jup} in each case are consistent with a young, hydrogen-dominated planet that results from a ''hot-start'' formation mechanism.« less

Taking the Measure of Massive Stars and their Environments with the CHARA Array Long-baseline Interferometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gies, Douglas R.

2017-11-01

Most massive stars are so distant that their angular diameters are too small for direct resolution. However, the observational situation is now much more favorable, thanks to new opportunities available with optical/IR long-baseline interferometry. The Georgia State University Center for High Angular Resolution Astronomy Array at Mount Wilson Observatory is a six-telescope instrument with a maximum baseline of 330 meters, which is capable of resolving stellar disks with diameters as small as 0.2 milliarcsec. The distant stars are no longer out of range, and many kinds of investigations are possible. Here we summarize a number of studies involving angular diameter measurements and effective temperature estimates for OB stars, binary and multiple stars (including the σ Orionis system), and outflows in Luminous Blue Variables. An enlarged visitors program will begin in 2017 that will open many opportunities for new programs in high angular resolution astronomy.

Observation of atmospheric time variation of Mira stars using Interferometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lacour, S.; Perrin, G.; Haubois, X.; Meimon, S.; Monnier, J.; Berger, J. P.; Traub, W.; Schuller, P.

2006-08-01

Interferometric data of Mira type stars in the near-infrared have already produce radial visibility curves with a shape far from simple limb darkening profile. The measured visibilities as a function of wavelength revealed the presence in K band of a close ( at a ~ 1 stellar radius distance above the photosphere ) molecular layer. However, thanks to the phase closure and telescope mobility of the IOTA interferometer, we have now access to the two dimensional complex visibility profile. We will present the u-v plane of different Mira stars at different epochs, and we will discuss the problems and advantages of analyzing complex objects in the Fourier domain.

49 CFR Appendix B to Part 564 - Information To Be Submitted for Long Life Replaceable Light Sources of Limited Definition

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

.... A. Angular locations, diameters, key/keyway sizes, and any other interchangeability dimensions for... base in the bulb holder such as tabs, keys, keyways, surface, etc. III. Bulb Holder Interchangeability Dimensions and Tolerances. A. Mating angular locations, diameters, key/keyway sizes, any other...

49 CFR Appendix B to Part 564 - Information To Be Submitted for Long Life Replaceable Light Sources of Limited Definition

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

.... A. Angular locations, diameters, key/keyway sizes, and any other interchangeability dimensions for... base in the bulb holder such as tabs, keys, keyways, surface, etc. III. Bulb Holder Interchangeability Dimensions and Tolerances. A. Mating angular locations, diameters, key/keyway sizes, any other...

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Philippov, Alexander A.; Rafikov, Roman R., E-mail: rrr@astro.princeton.edu

The eclipsing binary DI Herculis (DI Her) is known to exhibit anomalously slow apsidal precession below the rate predicted by general relativity. Recent measurements of the Rossiter-McLaughlin effect indicate that stellar spins in DI Her are almost orthogonal to the orbital angular momentum, which explains the anomalous precession in agreement with the earlier theoretical suggestion by Shakura. However, these measurements yield only projections of the spin-orbit angles onto the sky plane, leaving the spin projection onto our line of sight unconstrained. Here we describe a method for determining the full three-dimensional spin orientation of the binary components relying on themore » use of the gravity-darkening effect, which is significant for the rapidly rotating stars in DI Her. Gravity darkening gives rise to a nonuniform brightness distribution over the stellar surface, the pattern of which depends on the stellar spin orientation. Using archival photometric data obtained during multiple eclipses over several decades, we are able to constrain the unknown spin angles in DI Her with this method, finding that the spin axes of both stars lie close to the plane of the sky. Our procedure fully accounts for the precession of stellar spins over the long time span of observations.« less

Inertia compensation control of a one-degree-of-freedom exoskeleton for lower-limb assistance: initial experiments.

PubMed

Aguirre-Ollinger, Gabriel; Colgate, J Edward; Peshkin, Michael A; Goswami, Ambarish

2012-01-01

A new method of lower-limb exoskeleton control aimed at improving the agility of leg-swing motion is presented. In the absence of control, an exoskeleton's mechanism usually hinders agility by adding mechanical impedance to the legs. The uncompensated inertia of the exoskeleton will reduce the natural frequency of leg swing, probably leading to lower step frequency during walking as well as increased metabolic energy consumption. The proposed controller emulates inertia compensation by adding a feedback loop consisting of low-pass filtered angular acceleration multiplied by a negative gain. This gain simulates negative inertia in the low-frequency range. The resulting controller combines two assistive effects: increasing the natural frequency of the lower limbs and performing net work per swing cycle. The controller was tested on a statically mounted exoskeleton that assists knee flexion and extension. Subjects performed movement sequences, first unassisted and then using the exoskeleton, in the context of a computer-based task resembling a race. In the exoskeleton's baseline state, the frequency of leg swing and the mean angular velocity were consistently reduced. The addition of inertia compensation enabled subjects to recover their normal frequency and increase their selected angular velocity. The work performed by the exoskeleton was evidenced by catch trials in the protocol.

Characterisation of dynamic couplings at lower limb residuum/socket interface using 3D motion capture.

PubMed

Tang, Jinghua; McGrath, Michael; Laszczak, Piotr; Jiang, Liudi; Bader, Dan L; Moser, David; Zahedi, Saeed

2015-12-01

Design and fitting of artificial limbs to lower limb amputees are largely based on the subjective judgement of the prosthetist. Understanding the science of three-dimensional (3D) dynamic coupling at the residuum/socket interface could potentially aid the design and fitting of the socket. A new method has been developed to characterise the 3D dynamic coupling at the residuum/socket interface using 3D motion capture based on a single case study of a trans-femoral amputee. The new model incorporated a Virtual Residuum Segment (VRS) and a Socket Segment (SS) which combined to form the residuum/socket interface. Angular and axial couplings between the two segments were subsequently determined. Results indicated a non-rigid angular coupling in excess of 10° in the quasi-sagittal plane and an axial coupling of between 21 and 35 mm. The corresponding angular couplings of less than 4° and 2° were estimated in the quasi-coronal and quasi-transverse plane, respectively. We propose that the combined experimental and analytical approach adopted in this case study could aid the iterative socket fitting process and could potentially lead to a new socket design. Copyright © 2015 IPEM. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Mg II h and k lines. II - Comparison with synthesized profiles and Ca II K. [solar spectra

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ayres, T. R.; Linsky, J. L.

1976-01-01

Measured high-dispersion center and limb profiles of the solar Mg II h and k resonance lines are compared with synthetic spectra computed with a partial-redistribution formalism and based on several upper-photosphere and lower-chromosphere temperature distributions. Profiles of the analogously formed Ca II K resonance line are also synthesized for the same atmospheric models. The spectrum-synthesis approach is outlined, and the collisional and fixed radiative rates appropriate to the adopted model atoms and solar atmosphere are discussed. It is found that the HSRA and VAL models predict systematically lower intensities in the h, k, and K inner wings than observed and that models with a somewhat higher minimum temperature (about 4450 K) can reproduce the measured inner wings and limb darkening. A 'Ca II' solar model with a minimum temperature of 4450 K is proposed as an alternative to the class of models based on continuum observations.

On the identification of normal modes of oscillation from observations of the solar periphery

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gough, D. O.; Latour, J.

1984-01-01

The decomposition of solar oscillations into their constituent normal modes requires a knowledge of both the spatial and temporal variation of the perturbation to the sun's surface. The task can be especially difficult when only limited spatial information is available. Observations of the limb-darkening function, for example, are probably sensitive to too large a number of modes to permit most of the modes to be identified in a power spectrum of measurements at only a few points on the limb, unless the results are combined with other data. In this paper a procedure is considered by which the contributions from quite small groups of modes to spatially well resolved data obtained at any instant can be extracted from the remaining modes. Combining these results with frequency information then permits the modes to be identified, at least if their frequencies are low enough to ensure that modes of high degree do not contribute substantially to the signal.

Changes on venous diameter and leg perimeter with different clinical treatments for moderate chronic venous disease: evaluation using Duplex scanning and perimeter measurements.

PubMed

Porto, C L Lascasas; Milhomens, A L M; Pires, C E; Xavier, S Salles; Sicuro, F; Bottino, D A; Bouskela, E

2009-06-01

To evaluate changes on venous diameter and perimeter of lower limbs in chronic venous disorder (CVD) patients after different clinical treatments for four weeks. Fifty-two female patients classified as C2,s or C2,3,s (CEAP classification) were allocated consecutively in three groups: Cirkan (40 mg of the root extract of Ruscus aculeatus + 100 mg of flavonoid hesperidine methylchalcone + 200 mg of vitamin C per pill); elastic compression stockings (ECS) and no treatment (NT). Diameters were determined by duplex ultrasound and perimeter with Leg-O-Meter. After treatment, Cirkan significantly decreased popliteal vein and great saphenous vein (GSV) diameters bilaterally and ECS decreased popliteal vein diameter bilaterally and GSV and varices only on the left limb. Perimeters changed only with ECS. Clinical scores changed between Cirkan x NT and ECS x Cirkan. Disability score varied for ECS x NT and Cirkan x NT. chi2 test detected different distribution frequency for C3 and C2 classes according to treatment: ECS (both limbs) and Cirkan (only left limb). Varices and anatomical scores did not change. ECS emerges as the most effective clinical treatment tested but improvements with Cirkan on vein diameter and CEAP class were also observed. Clinical scores improved due to pain relief and edema reduction (ECS). These findings point to a positive effect of Cirkan, suggesting that venotonic drugs should be taken into account in the treatment of CVD.

Studying Upper-Limb Kinematics Using Inertial Sensors Embedded in Mobile Phones

PubMed Central

Bennett, Paul

2015-01-01

Background In recent years, there has been a great interest in analyzing upper-limb kinematics. Inertial measurement with mobile phones is a convenient and portable analysis method for studying humerus kinematics in terms of angular mobility and linear acceleration. Objective The aim of this analysis was to study upper-limb kinematics via mobile phones through six physical properties that correspond to angular mobility and acceleration in the three axes of space. Methods This cross-sectional study recruited healthy young adult subjects. Humerus kinematics was studied in 10 young adults with the iPhone4. They performed flexion and abduction analytical tasks. Mobility angle and lineal acceleration in each of its axes (yaw, pitch, and roll) were obtained with the iPhone4. This device was placed on the right half of the body of each subject, in the middle third of the humerus, slightly posterior. Descriptive statistics were calculated. Results Descriptive graphics of analytical tasks performed were obtained. The biggest range of motion was found in pitch angle, and the biggest acceleration was found in the y-axis in both analytical tasks. Focusing on tridimensional kinematics, bigger range of motion and acceleration was found in abduction (209.69 degrees and 23.31 degrees per second respectively). Also, very strong correlation was found between angular mobility and linear acceleration in abduction (r=.845) and flexion (r=.860). Conclusions The use of an iPhone for humerus tridimensional kinematics is feasible. This supports use of the mobile phone as a device to analyze upper-limb kinematics and to facilitate the evaluation of the patient. PMID:28582241

Pearls and pitfalls of deformity correction and limb lengthening via monolateral external fixation.

PubMed Central

Noonan, K. J.; Price, C. T.

1996-01-01

In conclusion, monolateral external fixation can be effectively utilized in the management of limb length discrepancy and angular deformity. This manuscript outlines the pertinent theory, application and problems important in these cases. When faced with specific congenital conditions the surgeon is encouraged to reference relevant literature that is more focused than the current paper. PMID:9129275

Sitting on a Sloping Seat Does Not Reduce the Strain Sustained by the Postural Chain

PubMed Central

Hamaoui, Alain; Hassaïne, Myriam; Zanone, Pier-Giorgio

2015-01-01

The objective of this study was to explore the effect of a forward sloping seat on posture and muscular activity of the trunk and lower limbs. To this aim, twelve asymptomatic participants were tested in six conditions varying seat slope (0°, 15° forward) and height (high, medium, low). Angular position of head, trunk and pelvis was assessed with an inertial orientation system, and muscular activity of 11 superficial postural muscles located in the trunk and lower limbs was estimated using normalized EMG. Results showed that a forward sloping seat, compared to a flat seat, induced a greater activity of the soleus (p<0.01), vastus lateralis (p<0.05) and vastus medialis (p<0.05), as well a lower hip flexion (p<0.01). In contrast, no significant variation of head, trunk and pelvis angular position was observed according to seat slope. It was concluded that forward sloping seats increase the load sustained by the lower limbs, without a systematic improvement of body posture. PMID:25587989

Maximum voluntary joint torque as a function of joint angle and angular velocity: model development and application to the lower limb.

PubMed

Anderson, Dennis E; Madigan, Michael L; Nussbaum, Maury A

2007-01-01

Measurements of human strength can be important during analyses of physical activities. Such measurements have often taken the form of the maximum voluntary torque at a single joint angle and angular velocity. However, the available strength varies substantially with joint position and velocity. When examining dynamic activities, strength measurements should account for these variations. A model is presented of maximum voluntary joint torque as a function of joint angle and angular velocity. The model is based on well-known physiological relationships between muscle force and length and between muscle force and velocity and was tested by fitting it to maximum voluntary joint torque data from six different exertions in the lower limb. Isometric, concentric and eccentric maximum voluntary contractions were collected during hip extension, hip flexion, knee extension, knee flexion, ankle plantar flexion and dorsiflexion. Model parameters are reported for each of these exertion directions by gender and age group. This model provides an efficient method by which strength variations with joint angle and angular velocity may be incorporated into comparisons between joint torques calculated by inverse dynamics and the maximum available joint torques.

Radiative characteristics of Clouds embedded in and occurring beneath Smoke analyzed using airborne multiangular measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gautam, R.; Gatebe, C. K.; Varnai, T.; Singh, M.; Poudyal, R.

2016-12-01

Clouds in the presence of absorbing aerosols results in their apparent darkening, observed at the Top of Atmosphere (TOA), which is associated with the radiative effects of aerosol absorption. Owing to the warming/darkening effect and potential impacts on regional climate via semidirect and thermodynamic pathways, above-cloud aerosols have been characterized in recent satellite-based studies. While satellite data are particularly useful in showing the radiative impact of above-cloud aerosols at the TOA, retrievals of aerosol and cloud properties are affected by large uncertainties when they co-occur. In this study, we present radiative characteristics of clouds in the presence of wildfire smoke using airborne data primarily from NASA's Cloud Absorption Radiometer (CAR), collected during the ARCTAS and SAFARI campaigns in Canada and southern Africa, respectively. Scattered cumulus clouds embedded in dense smoke over land (Canada) as well as smoke aerosols above marine stratocumulus clouds (southeast Atlantic) show characteristic spectral gradient across the UV-visible-NIR spectrum using CAR data. In general, clouds in the presence of smoke are impacted by absorbing aerosol-induced darkening at the shorter wavelengths (e.g. UV and blue bands), as opposed to an (expected) negative gradient for cloud-free smoke and a flat spectrum for smoke-free cloud cover. The circular and spiral flights not only allowed the complete characterization of the angular distribution of smoke-cloud radiative interactions, but also provided the vertical distribution of smoke and clouds. Overall, the observational-based smoke-cloud radiative interactions were found to be physically consistent with theoretical 1D and 3D radiation calculations. These airborne observations are also complemented by satellite data from MODIS reflectances and CERES shortwave fluxes, providing a synergistic radiative impact assessment of clouds in the presence of smoke. http://car.gsfc.nasa.gov/

Model atmospheres for cool stars. [varying chemical composition

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, H. R.

1974-01-01

This report contains an extensive series of model atmospheres for cool stars having a wide range in chemical composition. Model atmospheres (temperature, pressure, density, etc.) are tabulated, along with emergent energy flux distributions, limb darkening, and information on convection for selected models. The models are calculated under the usual assumptions of hydrostatic equilibrium, constancy of total energy flux (including transport both by radiation and convection) and local thermodynamic equilibrium. Some molecular and atomic line opacity is accounted for as a straight mean. While cool star atmospheres are regimes of complicated physical conditions, and these atmospheres are necessarily approximate, they should be useful for a number of kinds of spectral and atmospheric analysis.

Studying Upper-Limb Kinematics Using Inertial Sensors Embedded in Mobile Phones.

PubMed

Roldan-Jimenez, Cristina; Cuesta-Vargas, Antonio; Bennett, Paul

2015-05-20

In recent years, there has been a great interest in analyzing upper-limb kinematics. Inertial measurement with mobile phones is a convenient and portable analysis method for studying humerus kinematics in terms of angular mobility and linear acceleration. The aim of this analysis was to study upper-limb kinematics via mobile phones through six physical properties that correspond to angular mobility and acceleration in the three axes of space. This cross-sectional study recruited healthy young adult subjects. Humerus kinematics was studied in 10 young adults with the iPhone4. They performed flexion and abduction analytical tasks. Mobility angle and lineal acceleration in each of its axes (yaw, pitch, and roll) were obtained with the iPhone4. This device was placed on the right half of the body of each subject, in the middle third of the humerus, slightly posterior. Descriptive statistics were calculated. Descriptive graphics of analytical tasks performed were obtained. The biggest range of motion was found in pitch angle, and the biggest acceleration was found in the y-axis in both analytical tasks. Focusing on tridimensional kinematics, bigger range of motion and acceleration was found in abduction (209.69 degrees and 23.31 degrees per second respectively). Also, very strong correlation was found between angular mobility and linear acceleration in abduction (r=.845) and flexion (r=.860). The use of an iPhone for humerus tridimensional kinematics is feasible. This supports use of the mobile phone as a device to analyze upper-limb kinematics and to facilitate the evaluation of the patient. ©Cristina Roldan-Jimenez, Antonio Cuesta-Vargas, Paul Bennett. Originally published in JMIR Rehabilitation and Assistive Technology (http://rehab.jmir.org), 20.05.2015.

A Comparison of Angular Values of the Pelvic Limb with Normal and Medial Patellar Luxation Stifles in Chihuahua Dogs Using Radiography and Computed Tomography.

PubMed

Phetkaew, Thitaporn; Kalpravidh, Marissak; Penchome, Rampaipat; Wangdee, Chalika

2018-02-01

 This article aimed to determine and compare the angular values of the pelvic limb in normal and medial patellar luxation (MPL) stifles in Chihuahuas using radiography and computed tomographic (CT) scan, to identify the relationship between pelvic limb angles and severity of MPL. In addition, radiographic and CT images were compared to determine the more suitable method of limb deformity assessment.  Sixty hindlimbs of Chihuahuas were divided into normal and grade 1, 2, 3 and 4 MPL groups. The pelvic limb angles in frontal and sagittal planes were evaluated on radiography and CT scan. Femoral and tibial torsion angles (FTA and TTA) were evaluated only by CT scan. All angles were compared among normal and MPL stifles and between radiography and CT scan.  Based on the CT scan, the mechanical lateral distal femoral angle (mLDFA), anatomical caudal proximal femoral angle (aCdPFA), and TTA were related to the severity of MPL. The mLDFA and TTA were significantly increased ( p  < 0.05) in grade 4 MPL, while the aCdPFA was significantly decreased in grade 2, 3 and 4 MPL groups. There were significant differences of many angles between radiography and CT scan.  The angles related to MPL in Chihuahuas are aLDFA, mLDFA, aCdPFA and TTA. Radiography had some limitations for evaluating pelvic limb angles. The caudocranial radiograph is recommended for the assessment of the distal femoral angles, while the craniocaudal radiograph is for the tibial angles. Schattauer GmbH Stuttgart.

VRACK: measuring pedal kinematics during stationary bike cycling.

PubMed

Farjadian, Amir B; Kong, Qingchao; Gade, Venkata K; Deutsch, Judith E; Mavroidis, Constantinos

2013-06-01

Ankle impairment and lower limb asymmetries in strength and coordination are common symptoms for individuals with selected musculoskeletal and neurological impairments. The virtual reality augmented cycling kit (VRACK) was designed as a compact mechatronics system for lower limb and mobility rehabilitation. The system measures interaction forces and cardiac activity during cycling in a virtual environment. The kinematics measurement was added to the system. Due to the constrained problem definition, the combination of inertial measurement unit (IMU) and Kalman filtering was recruited to compute the optimal pedal angular displacement during dynamic cycling exercise. Using a novel benchmarking method the accuracy of IMU-based kinematics measurement was evaluated. Relatively accurate angular measurements were achieved. The enhanced VRACK system can serve as a rehabilitation device to monitor biomechanical and physiological variables during cycling on a stationary bike.

Constraints on the Energy Density Content of the Universe Using Only Clusters of Galaxies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Molnar, Sandor M.; Haiman, Zoltan; Birkinshaw, Mark

2003-01-01

We demonstrate that it is possible to constrain the energy content of the Universe with high accuracy using observations of clusters of galaxies only. The degeneracies in the cosmological parameters are lifted by combining constraints from different observables of galaxy clusters. We show that constraints on cosmological parameters from galaxy cluster number counts as a function of redshift and accurate angular diameter distance measurements to clusters are complementary to each other and their combination can constrain the energy density content of the Universe well. The number counts can be obtained from X-ray and/or SZ (Sunyaev-Zeldovich effect) surveys, the angular diameter distances can be determined from deep observations of the intra-cluster gas using their thermal bremsstrahlung X-ray emission and the SZ effect (X-SZ method). In this letter we combine constraints from simulated cluster number counts expected from a 12 deg2 SZ cluster survey and constraints from simulated angular diameter distance measurements based on using the X-SZ method assuming an expected accuracy of 7% in the angular diameter distance determination of 70 clusters with redshifts less than 1.5. We find that R, can be determined within about 25%, A within 20%, and w within 16%. Any cluster survey can be used to select clusters for high accuracy distance measurements, but we assumed accurate angular diameter distance measurements for only 70 clusters since long observations are necessary to achieve high accuracy in distance measurements. Thus the question naturally arises: How to select clusters of galaxies for accurate diameter distance determinations? In this letter, as an example, we demonstrate that it is possible to optimize this selection changing the number of clusters observed, and the upper cut off of their redshift range. We show that constraints on cosmological parameters from combining cluster number counts and angular diameter distance measurements, as opposed to general expectations, will not improve substantially selecting clusters with redshifts higher than one. This important conclusion allow us to restrict our cluster sample to clusters closer than one, in a range where the observational time for accurate distance measurements are more manageable. Subject headings: cosmological parameters - cosmology: theory - galaxies: clusters: general - X-rays: galaxies: clusters

Investigating the Relation between Sunspots and Umbral Dots

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yadav, Rahul; Louis, Rohan E.; Mathew, Shibu K.

2018-03-01

Umbral dots (UDs) are transient, bright features observed in the umbral region of a sunspot. We study the physical properties of UDs observed in sunspots of different sizes. The aim of our study is to relate the physical properties of UDs with the large-scale properties of sunspots. For this purpose, we analyze high-resolution G-band images of 42 sunspots observed by Hinode/SOT, located close to disk center. The images were corrected for instrumental stray light and restored with the modeled point-spread function. An automated multilevel tracking algorithm was employed to identify the UDs located in selected G-band images. Furthermore, we employed Solar Dynamics Observatory/HMI, limb-darkening-corrected, full-disk continuum images to estimate the sunspot phase and epoch for the selected sunspots. The number of UDs identified in different umbrae exhibits a linear relation to the umbral size. The observed filling factor ranges from 3% to 7% and increases with the mean umbral intensity. Moreover, the filling factor shows a decreasing trend with the umbral size. We also found that the observed mean and maximum intensities of UDs are correlated with the mean umbral intensity. However, we do not find any significant relationship between the mean (and maximum) intensity and effective diameter of UDs and the sunspot area, epoch, and decay rate. We suggest that this lack of relation could be due to either the distinct transition of spatial scales associated with overturning convection in the umbra or the shallow depth associated with UDs, or both.

The Surface Brightness-color Relations Based on Eclipsing Binary Stars: Toward Precision Better than 1% in Angular Diameter Predictions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Graczyk, Dariusz; Gieren, Wolfgang; Konorski, Piotr

In this study we investigate the calibration of surface brightness–color (SBC) relations based solely on eclipsing binary stars. We selected a sample of 35 detached eclipsing binaries with trigonometric parallaxes from Gaia DR1 or Hipparcos whose absolute dimensions are known with an accuracy better than 3% and that lie within 0.3 kpc from the Sun. For the purpose of this study, we used mostly homogeneous optical and near-infrared photometry based on the Tycho-2 and 2MASS catalogs. We derived geometric angular diameters for all stars in our sample with a precision better than 10%, and for 11 of them with amore » precision better than 2%. The precision of individual angular diameters of the eclipsing binary components is currently limited by the precision of the geometric distances (∼5% on average). However, by using a subsample of systems with the best agreement between their geometric and photometric distances, we derived the precise SBC relations based only on eclipsing binary stars. These relations have precisions that are comparable to the best available SBC relations based on interferometric angular diameters, and they are fully consistent with them. With very precise Gaia parallaxes becoming available in the near future, angular diameters with a precision better than 1% will be abundant. At that point, the main uncertainty in the total error budget of the SBC relations will come from transformations between different photometric systems, disentangling of component magnitudes, and for hot OB stars, the main uncertainty will come from the interstellar extinction determination. We argue that all these issues can be overcome with modern high-quality data and conclude that a precision better than 1% is entirely feasible.« less

3D Measurement of Forearm and Upper Arm during Throwing Motion using Body Mounted Sensor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koda, Hideharu; Sagawa, Koichi; Kuroshima, Kouta; Tsukamoto, Toshiaki; Urita, Kazutaka; Ishibashi, Yasuyuki

The aim of this study is to propose the measurement method of three-dimensional (3D) movement of forearm and upper arm during pitching motion of baseball using inertial sensors without serious consideration of sensor installation. Although high accuracy measurement of sports motion is achieved by using optical motion capture system at present, it has some disadvantages such as the calibration of cameras and limitation of measurement place. Whereas the proposed method for 3D measurement of pitching motion using body mounted sensors provides trajectory and orientation of upper arm by the integration of acceleration and angular velocity measured on upper limb. The trajectory of forearm is derived so that the elbow joint axis of forearm corresponds to that of upper arm. Spatial relation between upper limb and sensor system is obtained by performing predetermined movements of upper limb and utilizing angular velocity and gravitational acceleration. The integration error is modified so that the estimated final position, velocity and posture of upper limb agree with the actual ones. The experimental results of the measurement of pitching motion show that trajectories of shoulder, elbow and wrist estimated by the proposed method are highly correlated to those from the motion capture system within the estimation error of about 10 [%].

Grip and limb force limits to turning performance in competition horses

PubMed Central

Tan, Huiling; Wilson, Alan M.

2011-01-01

Manoeuverability is a key requirement for successful terrestrial locomotion, especially on variable terrain, and is a deciding factor in predator–prey interaction. Compared with straight-line running, bend running requires additional leg force to generate centripetal acceleration. In humans, this results in a reduction in maximum speed during bend running and a published model assuming maximum limb force as a constraint accurately predicts how much a sprinter must slow down on a bend given his maximum straight-line speed. In contrast, greyhounds do not slow down or change stride parameters during bend running, which suggests that their limbs can apply the additional force for this manoeuvre. We collected horizontal speed and angular velocity of heading of horses while they turned in different scenarios during competitive polo and horse racing. The data were used to evaluate the limits of turning performance. During high-speed turns of large radius horizontal speed was lower on the bend, as would be predicted from a model assuming a limb force limit to running speed. During small radius turns the angular velocity of heading decreased with increasing speed in a manner consistent with the coefficient of friction of the hoof–surface interaction setting the limit to centripetal force to avoid slipping. PMID:21147799

Grip and limb force limits to turning performance in competition horses.

PubMed

Tan, Huiling; Wilson, Alan M

2011-07-22

Manoeuverability is a key requirement for successful terrestrial locomotion, especially on variable terrain, and is a deciding factor in predator-prey interaction. Compared with straight-line running, bend running requires additional leg force to generate centripetal acceleration. In humans, this results in a reduction in maximum speed during bend running and a published model assuming maximum limb force as a constraint accurately predicts how much a sprinter must slow down on a bend given his maximum straight-line speed. In contrast, greyhounds do not slow down or change stride parameters during bend running, which suggests that their limbs can apply the additional force for this manoeuvre. We collected horizontal speed and angular velocity of heading of horses while they turned in different scenarios during competitive polo and horse racing. The data were used to evaluate the limits of turning performance. During high-speed turns of large radius horizontal speed was lower on the bend, as would be predicted from a model assuming a limb force limit to running speed. During small radius turns the angular velocity of heading decreased with increasing speed in a manner consistent with the coefficient of friction of the hoof-surface interaction setting the limit to centripetal force to avoid slipping.

Angular and linear fields of view of Galilean telescopes and telemicroscopes.

PubMed

Katz, Milton

2007-06-01

The calculation of the angular fields of view (FOVs) of Galilean telescopes generally necessitates the calculation of the pupils and ports. This, in turn, requires knowledge of the optical design of the telescope, in particular, the focal lengths or powers of the objective and ocular lenses. Equations for finding the FOV that obviate the need to calculate pupils and ports, or even to know the lens powers of the telescope, are presented in this article. The equations can be used to find the FOVs in image space of real Galilean telescopes of known magnification, merely by measuring the distance between the objective and ocular lenses and the diameter of the objective lens. The equations include the effects of eye pupil diameter and eye relief. Linear FOVs (LFOVs) of Galilean telemicroscopes are similarly determined. Two image space angular FOV equations were derived: (1) an equation to determine the angular FOVs of a telescope with various amounts of vignetting and eye relief; and (2) an equivalent equation for the LFOVs of telescopes fitted with lens caps for near vision. The FOV increases linearly with increasing vignetting. Increasing the eye relief results in a nonlinear decrease in the FOV, shown as a fraction of the normalized value for zero eye relief. Decrements in the FOVs with increasing eye relief as a fraction of the normalized field angle when the eye relief = 0 are shown to be constant regardless of the vignetting level. A transition of the objective lens from field stop to aperture stop occurs when the eye pupil diameter exceeds the diameter of the objective lens divided by the magnification. Equations have been derived for Galilean telescopes and telemicroscopes that make it unnecessary to find pupils and ports, or to know the powers of the lenses. They provide a direct and simple evaluation of angular and LFOVs as functions of magnification, objective lens diameter, eye pupil diameter, eye relief, and vignetting, and enable comparisons of actual telescopes.

Mapping the non-darkening trait from 'Wit-rood boontje' in bean (Phaseolus vulgaris).

PubMed

Erfatpour, M; Navabi, A; Pauls, K P

2018-06-01

A QTL for non-darkening seed coat from 'Wit-rood boontje' was mapped in pinto bean population on chromosome Pv10, comprising 40 candidate genes. The seed coat colour darkens with age in some market classes of dry beans (Phaseolus vulgaris), including pinto bean. Beans with darkened seed coats are discounted in the market place, since they are believed to be associated with lower nutritional quality, increased cooking time, and decreased palatability. The objective of this research was to map a non-darkening gene from a cranberry-like bean 'Wit-rood boontje' using a recombinant inbred line population, derived from a cross between 'Wit-rood boontje' and a slow-darkening pinto bean (1533-15). The population was characterized for seed phenotype and genotyped with an Illumina BeadChip. A genetic linkage map was constructed with 1327 informative SNP markers plus an STS marker (OL4S 500 ) and an SSR marker (Pvsd-0028), previously associated with the J gene and Sd gene, respectively, as well as non-darkening and slow-darkening phenotypes. The linkage map spanned 1253.2 cM over 11 chromosomes. A major QTL for the non-darkening trait was flanked by SNP 715646341 and SNP 715646348 on chromosome Pv10. The region, which spanned 13.2 cM, explained 48% of the phenotypic variation for seed coat darkening. Forty candidate genes were identified in the QTL interval. This information can be used to develop a gene-based marker to facilitate breeding non-darkening pinto beans and may lead to a better understanding of the molecular mechanism for the postharvest darkening phenomenon in pinto bean.

Concurrent validation of Xsens MVN measurement of lower limb joint angular kinematics.

PubMed

Zhang, Jun-Tian; Novak, Alison C; Brouwer, Brenda; Li, Qingguo

2013-08-01

This study aims to validate a commercially available inertial sensor based motion capture system, Xsens MVN BIOMECH using its native protocols, against a camera-based motion capture system for the measurement of joint angular kinematics. Performance was evaluated by comparing waveform similarity using range of motion, mean error and a new formulation of the coefficient of multiple correlation (CMC). Three dimensional joint angles of the lower limbs were determined for ten healthy subjects while they performed three daily activities: level walking, stair ascent, and stair descent. Under all three walking conditions, the Xsens system most accurately determined the flexion/extension joint angle (CMC > 0.96) for all joints. The joint angle measurements associated with the other two joint axes had lower correlation including complex CMC values. The poor correlation in the other two joint axes is most likely due to differences in the anatomical frame definition of limb segments used by the Xsens and Optotrak systems. Implementation of a protocol to align these two systems is necessary when comparing joint angle waveforms measured by the Xsens and other motion capture systems.

Kepler and Ground-Based Transits of the exo-Neptune HAT-P-11b

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Deming, Drake; Sada, Pedro V.; Jackson, Brian; Peterson, Steven W.; Agol, Eric; Knutson, Heather A.; Jennings, Donald E.; Haase, Plynn; Bays, Kevin

2011-01-01

We analyze 26 archival Kepler transits of the exo-Neptune HAT-P-11b, supplemented by ground-based transits observed in the blue (B band) and near-IR (J band). Both the planet and host star are smaller than previously believed; our analysis yields Rp = 4.31 R xor 0.06 R xor and Rs = 0.683 R solar mass 0.009 R solar mass, both about 3 sigma smaller than the discovery values. Our ground-based transit data at wavelengths bracketing the Kepler bandpass serve to check the wavelength dependence of stellar limb darkening, and the J-band transit provides a precise and independent constraint on the transit duration. Both the limb darkening and transit duration from our ground-based data are consistent with the new Kepler values for the system parameters. Our smaller radius for the planet implies that its gaseous envelope can be less extensive than previously believed, being very similar to the H-He envelope of GJ 436b and Kepler-4b. HAT-P-11 is an active star, and signatures of star spot crossings are ubiquitous in the Kepler transit data. We develop and apply a methodology to correct the planetary radius for the presence of both crossed and uncrossed star spots. Star spot crossings are concentrated at phases 0.002 and +0.006. This is consistent with inferences from Rossiter-McLaughlin measurements that the planet transits nearly perpendicular to the stellar equator. We identify the dominant phases of star spot crossings with active latitudes on the star, and infer that the stellar rotational pole is inclined at about 12 deg 5 deg to the plane of the sky. We point out that precise transit measurements over long durations could in principle allow us to construct a stellar Butterfly diagram to probe the cyclic evolution of magnetic activity on this active K-dwarf star.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Deming, Drake; Jackson, Brian; Jennings, Donald E.

We analyze 26 archival Kepler transits of the exo-Neptune HAT-P-11b, supplemented by ground-based transits observed in the blue (B band) and near-IR (J band). Both the planet and host star are smaller than previously believed; our analysis yields R{sub p} = 4.31 R{sub +} {+-} 0.06 R{sub +} and R{sub s} = 0.683 R{sub sun} {+-} 0.009 R{sub sun}, both about 3{sigma} smaller than the discovery values. Our ground-based transit data at wavelengths bracketing the Kepler bandpass serve to check the wavelength dependence of stellar limb darkening, and the J-band transit provides a precise and independent constraint on the transitmore » duration. Both the limb darkening and transit duration from our ground-based data are consistent with the new Kepler values for the system parameters. Our smaller radius for the planet implies that its gaseous envelope can be less extensive than previously believed, being very similar to the H-He envelope of GJ 436b and Kepler-4b. HAT-P-11 is an active star, and signatures of star spot crossings are ubiquitous in the Kepler transit data. We develop and apply a methodology to correct the planetary radius for the presence of both crossed and uncrossed star spots. Star spot crossings are concentrated at phases -0.002 and +0.006. This is consistent with inferences from Rossiter-McLaughlin measurements that the planet transits nearly perpendicular to the stellar equator. We identify the dominant phases of star spot crossings with active latitudes on the star, and infer that the stellar rotational pole is inclined at about 12{sup 0} {+-} 5{sup 0} to the plane of the sky. We point out that precise transit measurements over long durations could in principle allow us to construct a stellar Butterfly diagram to probe the cyclic evolution of magnetic activity on this active K-dwarf star.« less

A spectro-interferometric view of l Carinae's modulated pulsations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anderson, Richard I.; Mérand, Antoine; Kervella, Pierre; Breitfelder, Joanne; Eyer, Laurent; Gallenne, Alexandre

Classical Cepheids are radially pulsating stars that enable important tests of stellar evolution and play a crucial role in the calibration of the local Hubble constant. l Carinae is a particularly well-known distance calibrator, being the closest long-period (P ~ 35.5 d) Cepheid and subtending the largest angular diameter. We have carried out an unprecedented observing program to investigate whether recently discovered cycle-to-cycle changes (modulations) of l Carinae's radial velocity (RV) variability are mirrored by its variability in angular size. To this end, we have secured a fully contemporaneous dataset of high-precision RVs and high-precision angular diameters. Here we provide a concise summary of our project and report preliminary results. We confirm the modulated nature of the RV variability and find tentative evidence of cycle-to-cycle differences in l Car's maximal angular diameter. Our analysis is exploring the limits of state-of-the-art instrumentation and reveals additional complexity in the pulsations of Cepheids. If confirmed, our result suggests a previously unknown pulsation cycle dependence of projection factors required for determining Cepheid distances via the Baade-Wesselink technique.

Non-Contact EDDY Current Hole Eccentricity and Diameter Measurement

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chern, E. James

1998-01-01

Precision holes are among the most critical features of a mechanical component. Deviations from permissible tolerances can impede operation and result in unexpected failure. We have developed an automated non-contact eddy current hole diameter and eccentricity measuring system. The operating principle is based on the eddy current lift-off effect, which is the coil impedance as a function of the distance between the coil and the test object. An absolute eddy current probe rotates in the hole. The impedance of each angular position is acquired and input to the computer for integration and analysis. The eccentricity of the hole is the profile of the impedance as a function of angular position as compared to a straight line, an ideal hole. The diameter of the hole is the sum of the diameter of the probe and twice the distance-calibrated impedance. An eddy current image is generated by integrating angular scans for a plurality of depths between the top and bottom to display the eccentricity profile. This system can also detect and image defects in the hole. The method for non-contact eddy current hole diameter and eccentricity measurement has been granted a patent by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

The effect of 17-4PH stainless steel on the lifetime of a Pennzane lubricated Microwave Limb Sounder Antenna Actuator Assembly ball screw for the AURA spacecraft

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jones, William R., Jr.; Jansen, Mark J.; Chen, Gun-Shing; Lam, Jonathan; Balzer, Mark; Lo, John; Anderson, Mark; Schepis, Joseph P.

2005-07-01

During ground based life testing of a Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) Antenna Actuator Assembly (AAA) ball-screw assembly, lubricant darkening and loss were noted when approximately 10% of required lifetime was completed. The MLS-AAA ball screw and nut are made from 17-4 PH steel, the nut has 440C stainless steel balls, and the assembly is lubricated with a Pennzane formulation containing a three weight percent lead naphthenate additive. Life tests were done in dry nitrogen at 50°C. To investigate the MLS-AAA life test anomaly, Spiral Orbit Tribometer (SOT) accelerated tests were performed. SOT results indicated greatly reduced relative lifetimes of Pennzane formulations in contact with 17-4 PH steel compared to 440C stainless steel. Also, dry nitrogen tests yielded longer relative lifetimes than comparable ultrahigh vacuum tests. Generally, oxidized Pennzane formulations yielded shorter lifetimes than non-oxidized lubricant. This study emphasizes surface chemistry effects on the lubricated lifetime of moving mechanical assemblies.

The Effect of 17-4 PH Stainless Steel on the Lifetime of a Pennzane(Trademark) Lubricated Microwave Limb Sounder Antenna Actuator Assembly Ball Screw for the AURA Spacecraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jones, William R., Jr.; Jansen, Mark J.; Chen, Gun-Shing; Lam, Jonathan; Balzer, Mark; Anderson, Mark; Lo, John; Schepis, Joseph P.

2005-01-01

During ground based life testing of a Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) Antenna Actuator Assembly (AAA) ball-screw assembly, lubricant darkening and loss were noted when approximately 10 percent of required lifetime was completed. The MLS-AAA ball screw and nut are made from 17-4 PH steel, the nut has 440C stainless steel balls, and the assembly is lubricated with a Pennzane formulation containing a three weight percent lead naphthenate additive. Life tests were done in dry nitrogen at 50 C. To investigate the MLS-AAA life test anomaly, Spiral Orbit Tribometer (SOT) accelerated tests were performed. SOT results indicated greatly reduced relative lifetimes of Pennzane formulations in contact with 17-4 PH steel compared to 440C stainless steel. Also, dry nitrogen tests yielded longer relative lifetimes than comparable ultrahigh vacuum tests. Generally, oxidized Pennzane formulations yielded shorter lifetimes than non-oxidized lubricant. This study emphasizes surface chemistry effects on the lubricated lifetime of moving mechanical assemblies.

Marker-based method to measure movement between the residual limb and a transtibial prosthetic socket.

PubMed

Childers, Walter Lee; Siebert, Steven

2016-12-01

Limb movement between the residuum and socket continues to be an underlying factor in limb health, prosthetic comfort, and gait performance yet techniques to measure this have been underdeveloped. Develop a method to measure motion between the residual limb and a transtibial prosthetic socket. Single subject, repeated measures with mathematical modeling. The gait of a participant with transtibial amputation was recorded using a motion capture system using a marker set that included arrays on the anterior distal tibia and the lateral epicondyle of the femur. The proximal or distal translation, anterior or posterior translation, and angular movements were quantified. A random Monte Carlo simulation based on the precision of the motion capture system and a model of the bone moving under the skin explored the technique's accuracy. Residual limb tissue stiffness was modeled as a linear spring based on data from Papaioannou et al. Residuum movement relative to the socket went through ~30 mm, 18 mm, and 15° range of motion. Root mean squared errors were 5.47 mm, 1.86 mm, and 0.75° when considering the modeled bone-skin movement in the proximal or distal, anterior or posterior, and angular directions, respectively. The measured movement was greater than the root mean squared error, indicating that this method can measure motion between the residuum and socket. The ability to quantify movement between the residual limb and the prosthetic socket will improve prosthetic treatment through the evaluation of different prosthetic suspensions, socket designs, and motor control of the prosthetic interface. © The International Society for Prosthetics and Orthotics 2015.

Sagittal plane joint kinetics during stair ascent in patients with peripheral arterial disease and intermittent claudication.

PubMed

King, Stephanie L; Vanicek, Natalie; O'Brien, Thomas D

2017-06-01

Stair negotiation poses a substantial physical demand on the musculoskeletal system and this challenging task can place individuals at risk of falls. Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) can cause intermittent claudication (IC) pain in the calf and results in altered gait mechanics during level walking. However, whether those with PAD-IC adopt alternate strategies to climb stairs is unknown. Twelve participants with PAD-IC (six bilateral and six unilateral) and 10 healthy controls were recruited and instructed to ascend a five-step staircase whilst 3D kinematic data of the lower-limbs were recorded synchronously with kinetic data from force plates embedded into the staircase on steps two and three. Limbs from the unilateral group and both limbs from the bilateral claudicants were categorised as claudicating (N=18), asymptomatic (N=6) and control (N=10). Claudicants walked more slowly than healthy controls (trend; P=<0.066). Both claudicating- and asymptomatic-limb groups had reduced propulsive GRF (P=0.025 and P=0.002, respectively) and vertical GRF (P=0.005 and P=0.001, respectively) compared to controls. The claudicating-limb group had a reduced knee extensor moment during forward continuance (P=0.060), ankle angular velocity at peak moment (P=0.039) and ankle power generation (P=0.055) compared to the controls. The slower gait speed, irrespective of laterality of symptoms, indicates functional capacity was determined by the limitations of the claudicating limb. Reduced ankle power generation and angular velocity (despite adequate plantarflexor moment) implies velocity-dependent limitations existed in the calf. The lack of notable compensatory strategies indicates reliance on an impaired muscle group to accomplish this potentially hazardous task, highlighting the importance of maintaining plantarflexor strength and power in those with PAD-IC. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Darkening effect on AZ31B magnesium alloy surface induced by nanosecond pulse Nd:YAG laser

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guan, Y. C.; Zhou, W.; Zheng, H. Y.; Li, Z. L.

2013-09-01

Permanent darkening effect was achieved on surface of AZ31B Mg alloy irradiated with nanosecond pulse Nd:YAG laser, and special attention was made to examine how surface structure as well as oxidation affect the darkening effect. Experiments were carried out to characterize morphological evolution and chemical composition of the irradiated areas by optical reflection spectrometer, Talysurf surface profiler, SEM, EDS, and XPS. The darkening effect was found to be occurred at the surface under high laser energy. Optical spectra showed that the induced darkening surface was uniform over the spectral range from 200 nm to 1100 nm. SEM and surface profiler showed that surface morphology of darkening areas consisted of large number of micron scale cauliflower-like clusters and protruding particles. EDS and XPS showed that compared to non-irradiated area, oxygen content at the darkening areas increased significantly. It was proposed a mechanism that involved trapping of light in the surface morphology and chemistry variation of irradiated areas to explain the laser-induced darkening effect on AZ31B Mg alloy.

Influence of limb temperature on cutaneous silent periods.

PubMed

Kofler, Markus; Valls-Solé, Josep; Vasko, Peter; Boček, Václav; Štetkárová, Ivana

2014-09-01

The cutaneous silent period (CSP) is a spinal inhibitory reflex mediated by small-diameter afferents (A-delta fibers) and large-diameter efferents (alpha motoneurons). The effect of limb temperature on CSPs has so far not been assessed. In 27 healthy volunteers (11 males; age 22-58 years) we recorded median nerve motor and sensory action potentials, median nerve F-wave and CSPs induced by noxious digit II stimulation in thenar muscles in a baseline condition at room temperature, and after randomly submersing the forearm in 42 °C warm or 15 °C cold water for 20 min each. In cold limbs, distal and proximal motor and sensory latencies as well as F-wave latencies were prolonged. Motor and sensory nerve conduction velocities were reduced. Compound motor and sensory nerve action potential amplitudes did not differ significantly from baseline. CSP onset and end latencies were more delayed than distal and proximal median nerve motor and sensory latencies, whereas CSP duration was not affected. In warm limbs, opposite but smaller changes were seen in nerve conduction studies and CSPs. The observed CSP shift "en bloc" towards longer latencies without affecting CSP duration during limb cooling concurs with slower conduction velocity in both afferent and efferent fibers. Disparate conduction slowing in afferents and efferents, however, suggests that nociceptive EMG suppression is mediated by fibers of different size in the afferent than in the efferent arm, indirectly supporting the contribution of A-delta fibers as the main afferent input. Limb temperature should be taken into account when testing CSPs in the clinical setting, as different limb temperatures affect CSP latencies more than large-diameter fiber conduction function. Copyright © 2014 International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Habitat relationships and nest site characteristics of cavity-nesting birds in cottonwood floodplains

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sedgwick, James A.; Knopf, Fritz L.

1990-01-01

We examined habitat relationships and nest site characteristics for 6 species of cavity-nesting birds--American kestrel (Falco sparverius), northern flicker (Colaptes auratus), red-headed woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus), black-capped chickadee (Parus atricapillus), house wren (Troglodytes aedon), and European starling (Sturnus vulgaris)--in a mature plains cottonwood (Populus sargentii) bottomland along the South Platte River in northeastern Colorado in 1985 and 1986. We examined characteristics of cavities, nest trees, and the habitat surrounding nest trees. Density of large trees (>69 cm dbh), total length of dead limbs ≥10 cm diameter (TDLL), and cavity density were the most important habitat variables; dead limb length (DLL), dbh, and species were the most important tree variables; and cavity height, cavity entrance diameter, and substrate condition at the cavity (live vs. dead) were the most important cavity variables in segregating cavity nesters along habitat, tree, and cavity dimensions, respectively. Random sites differed most from cavity-nesting bird sites on the basis of dbh, DLL, limb tree density (trees with ≥1 m dead limbs ≥10 cm diameter), and cavity density. Habitats of red-headed woodpeckers and American kestrels were the most unique, differing most from random sites. Based on current trends in cottonwood demography, densities of cavity-nesting birds will probably decline gradually along the South Platte River, paralleling a decline in DLL, limb tree density, snag density, and the concurrent lack of cottonwood regeneration.

Empirical Bolometric Fluxes and Angular Diameters of 1.6 Million Tycho-2 Stars and Radii of 350,000 Stars with Gaia DR1 Parallaxes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stevens, Daniel J.; Stassun, Keivan G.; Gaudi, B. Scott

2017-12-01

We present bolometric fluxes and angular diameters for over 1.6 million stars in the Tycho-2 catalog, determined using previously determined empirical color-temperature and color-flux relations. We vet these relations via full fits to the full broadband spectral energy distributions for a subset of benchmark stars and perform quality checks against the large set of stars for which spectroscopically determined parameters are available from LAMOST, RAVE, and/or APOGEE. We then estimate radii for the 355,502 Tycho-2 stars in our sample whose Gaia DR1 parallaxes are precise to ≲ 10 % . For these stars, we achieve effective temperature, bolometric flux, and angular diameter uncertainties of the order of 1%-2% and radius uncertainties of order 8%, and we explore the effect that imposing spectroscopic effective temperature priors has on these uncertainties. These stellar parameters are shown to be reliable for stars with {T}{eff} ≲ 7000 K. The over half a million bolometric fluxes and angular diameters presented here will serve as an immediate trove of empirical stellar radii with the Gaia second data release, at which point effective temperature uncertainties will dominate the radius uncertainties. Already, dwarf, subgiant, and giant populations are readily identifiable in our purely empirical luminosity-effective temperature (theoretical) Hertzsprung-Russell diagrams.

Kinematics Analysis of Dominant and Non-Dominant Lower Limb during Knee Strike among MuayThai Beginners

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chinnasee, Chamnan; Nadzalan, Ali Md; Ikhwan Mohamad, Nur; Sazili, Abdul Hafiz Ahmad; Hemapandha, Witthaya; Azizuddin Khan, Thariq Khan; Pimjan, Luckhana; Tan, Kevin

2018-05-01

This study was conducted to determine and compare the kinematics of knee strike in MuayThai between dominant and non-dominant lower limb. Ten MuayThai beginners (mean age = 20 ± 1 years old) with less than one week experiences in MuayThai training were recruited and were asked to perform three trials of knee strikes for each leg (dominant and non-dominant). Joint angles and angular velocity of the movement were assessed for each trial. Repeated measure multivariate analyses of variances (MANOVA) were performed to compare the kinematics data between the dominant and non-dominant lower limb. Results showed no significant differences existed in all the joint kinematics examined between dominant and non-dominant lower limb. As the conclusion, MuayThai beginners demonstrated no differences of joint kinematics during knee strike between dominant and non-dominant lower limb.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dam, Dick van, E-mail: a.d.v.dam@tue.nl; Haverkort, Jos E. M.; Abujetas, Diego R.

The emission from nanowires can couple to waveguide modes supported by the nanowire geometry, thus governing the far-field angular pattern. To investigate the geometry-induced coupling of the emission to waveguide modes, we acquire Fourier microscopy images of the photoluminescence of nanowires with diameters ranging from 143 to 208 nm. From the investigated diameter range, we conclude that a few nanometers difference in diameter can abruptly change the coupling of the emission to a specific mode. Moreover, we observe a diameter-dependent width of the Gaussian-shaped angular pattern in the far-field emission. This dependence is understood in terms of interference of the guidedmore » modes, which emit at the end facets of the nanowire. Our results are important for the design of quantum emitters, solid state lighting, and photovoltaic devices based on nanowires.« less

Development of esMOCA RULA, Motion Capture Instrumentation for RULA Assessment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akhmad, S.; Arendra, A.

2018-01-01

The purpose of this research is to build motion capture instrumentation using sensors fusion accelerometer and gyroscope to assist in RULA assessment. Data processing of sensor orientation is done in every sensor node by digital motion processor. Nine sensors are placed in the upper limb of operator subject. Development of kinematics model is done with Simmechanic Simulink. This kinematics model receives streaming data from sensors via wireless sensors network. The output of the kinematics model is the relative angular angle between upper limb members and visualized on the monitor. This angular information is compared to the look-up table of the RULA worksheet and gives the RULA score. The assessment result of the instrument is compared with the result of the assessment by rula assessors. To sum up, there is no significant difference of assessment by the instrument with an assessment by an assessor.

Predicting stellar angular diameters from V, IC, H and K photometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adams, Arthur D.; Boyajian, Tabetha S.; von Braun, Kaspar

2018-01-01

Determining the physical properties of microlensing events depends on having accurate angular sizes of the source star. Using long baseline optical interferometry, we are able to measure the angular sizes of nearby stars with uncertainties ≤2 per cent. We present empirically derived relations of angular diameters which are calibrated using both a sample of dwarfs/subgiants and a sample of giant stars. These relations are functions of five colour indices in the visible and near-infrared, and have uncertainties of 1.8-6.5 per cent depending on the colour used. We find that a combined sample of both main-sequence and evolved stars of A-K spectral types is well fitted by a single relation for each colour considered. We find that in the colours considered, metallicity does not play a statistically significant role in predicting stellar size, leading to a means of predicting observed sizes of stars from colour alone.

Dimensional Characteristics of Hardwood Top and Limb Residue

Treesearch

Nels S. Christopherson

1983-01-01

Sawtimber harvesting in northern hardwood stands leaves behind a large amount of residue in the form of tops and limbs. This paper presents typical dimensional characteristics of residue for northern hardwood tops incluting data on lengths, widths, diameters, and complete branch details.

Particle flow within a transonic compressor rotor passage with application to laser-Doppler velocimetry

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Maxwell, B. R.

1975-01-01

A theoretical analysis was conducted of the dynamic behavior of micron size particles moving in the three-dimensional flow field of a rotating transonic axial-flow air compressor rotor. The particle velocity lag and angular deviation relative to the gas were determined as functions of particle diameter, mass density and radial position. Particle size and density were varied over ranges selected to correspond to typical laser-Doppler velocimeter (LDV) flow field mapping applications. It was found that the particles move essentially on gas stream surfaces and that particle tracking is relatively insensitive to the rotor radial coordinate. Velocity lag and angular deviation increased whenever particle size or mass density increased, and particle tracking was more sensitive to a change in particle diameter than to a corresponding change in mass density. Results indicated that velocity and angular deviations generally less than 1 percent and 1 degree could be achieved with 1 gm/cc tracer particles with diameters of 1 micron or less.

Constraints on the Energy Content of the Universe from a Combination of Galaxy Cluster Observables

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Molnar, Sandor M.; Haiman, Zoltan; Birkinshaw, Mark; Mushotzky, Richard F.

2003-01-01

We demonstrate that constraints on cosmological parameters from the distribution of clusters as a function of redshift (dN/dz) are complementary to accurate angular diameter distance (D(sub A)) measurements to clusters, and their combination significantly tightens constraints on the energy density content of the Universe. The number counts can be obtained from X-ray and/or SZ (Sunyaev-Ze'dovich effect) surveys, and the angular diameter distances can be determined from deep observations of the intra-cluster gas using their thermal bremsstrahlung X-ray emission and the SZ effect. We combine constraints from simulated cluster number counts expected from a 12 deg(sup 2) SZ cluster survey and constraints from simulated angular diameter distance measurements based on the X-ray/SZ method assuming a statistical accuracy of 10% in the angular diameter distance determination of 100 clusters with redshifts less than 1.5. We find that Omega(sub m), can be determined within about 25%, Omega(sub lambda) within 20% and w within 16%. We show that combined dN/dz+(sub lambda) constraints can be used to constrain the different energy densities in the Universe even in the presence of a few percent redshift dependent systematic error in D(sub lambda). We also address the question of how best to select clusters of galaxies for accurate diameter distance determinations. We show that the joint dN/dz+ D(lambda) constraints on cosmological parameters for a fixed target accuracy in the energy density parameters are optimized by selecting clusters with redshift upper cut-offs in the range 0.55 approx. less than 1. Subject headings: cosmological parameters - cosmology: theory - galaxies:clusters: general

Algae Drive Enhanced Darkening of Bare Ice on the Greenland Ice Sheet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stibal, Marek; Box, Jason E.; Cameron, Karen A.; Langen, Peter L.; Yallop, Marian L.; Mottram, Ruth H.; Khan, Alia L.; Molotch, Noah P.; Chrismas, Nathan A. M.; Calı Quaglia, Filippo; Remias, Daniel; Smeets, C. J. P. Paul; van den Broeke, Michiel R.; Ryan, Jonathan C.; Hubbard, Alun; Tranter, Martyn; van As, Dirk; Ahlstrøm, Andreas P.

2017-11-01

Surface ablation of the Greenland ice sheet is amplified by surface darkening caused by light-absorbing impurities such as mineral dust, black carbon, and pigmented microbial cells. We present the first quantitative assessment of the microbial contribution to the ice sheet surface darkening, based on field measurements of surface reflectance and concentrations of light-absorbing impurities, including pigmented algae, during the 2014 melt season in the southwestern part of the ice sheet. The impact of algae on bare ice darkening in the study area was greater than that of nonalgal impurities and yielded a net albedo reduction of 0.038 ± 0.0035 for each algal population doubling. We argue that algal growth is a crucial control of bare ice darkening, and incorporating the algal darkening effect will improve mass balance and sea level projections of the Greenland ice sheet and ice masses elsewhere.

The diameter of Juno from its occultation of AG + 0 deg 1022

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Millis, R. L.; Wasserman, L. H.; Bowell, E.; Franz, O. G.; White, N. M.; Lockwood, G. W.; Nye, R.; Bertram, R.; Klemola, A.; Dunham, E.;

Removing Single Limbs Using a Rotary Auger Cutter

Treesearch

Nels S. Christopherson

1984-01-01

An experiment using auger cutters to remove single limbs from six species showed that torque required depends on species and relative cutter rotation direction and that all species require 2 horsepower or less per inch width of cut using 2 1/2-inch-diameter cutters

Venus in motion: An animated video catalog of Pioneer Venus Orbiter Cloud Photopolarimeter images

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Limaye, Sanjay S.

1992-01-01

Images of Venus acquired by the Pioneer Venus Orbiter Cloud Photopolarimeter (OCPP) during the 1982 opportunity have been utilized to create a short video summary of the data. The raw roll by roll images were first navigated using the spacecraft attitude and orbit information along with the CPP instrument pointing information. The limb darkening introduced by the variation of solar illumination geometry and the viewing angle was then modelled and removed. The images were then projected to simulate a view obtained from a fixed perspective with the observer at 10 Venus radii away and located above a Venus latitude of 30 degrees south and a longitude 60 degrees west. A total of 156 images from the 1982 opportunity have been animated at different dwell rates.

The correlation between subordinate fish eye colour and received attacks: a negative social feedback mechanism for the reduction of aggression during the formation of dominance hierarchies.

PubMed

Miyai, Caio A; Carretero Sanches, Fábio H; Costa, Tânia M; Colpo, Karine Delevati; Volpato, Gilson L; Barreto, Rodrigo E

2011-12-01

Eye darkening has been linked to social status in fish. The subordinate's eyes darken, while the eyes of the dominant fish become pale. Although this phenomenon has been described in salmonid fishes and in the African cichlid Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus, it is unclear whether eye darkening correlates with a reduction in aggressive behaviour. Thus, we evaluated the link between social status and eye darkening. We evaluated whether the eye colours of subordinate fish correlate with the frequency of received attacks in a neotropical fish, the pearl cichlid Geophagus brasiliensis. We paired pearl cichlids and quantified both the aggressive behaviour and the eye darkening of each fish. As has been described for Nile tilapia and Atlantic salmon, a clear-cut hierarchical relationship formed, where dominance and subordination were associated with pale and dark eye colours, respectively. Initially, eye colour darkening was positively correlated with the frequency of received attacks; however, a negative association occurred following eye darkening, in which the intensity of aggressive interactions decreased. Thus, fish that initially received a high number of attacks signalled subordination more rapidly and intensely (rapid and dramatic eye darkening), thereby inducing a negative social feedback mechanism that led to reduced aggression. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Transpiration Demand in Southern California Oak Woodlands: Making the Leap from Lab and Individual Tree to Watershed Scale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weinberger, J. L.; Quinlan, P. T.; Martin, J.; Tartakovsky, D. M.

2013-12-01

Watershed scale estimates of evapotranspiration (ET) have proven difficult to quantify in areas of native vegetation with uncertain or unknown crop coefficients. In this study, we evaluate the water use in Quercus engelmanni and Quercus agrifolia, two species of oak native to Southern California. Thermal dissipation probes (TDPs) were installed at four locations within a 14,500 acre watershed, comprising 770 acres of Q. agrifolia woodland and 2440 acres of Q. engelmanni woodland. Installation duration ranged from 6 weeks to 14 months. The TDPs were calibrated to each species in the laboratory using limbs ranging from 2 to 5 inches in diameter. Dye was run through each limb at the end of the calibration test in order to establish a relationship between active sapwood area and limb diameter. ET measured in the field for each species was 0.15 to 0.3 times that of the reference evapotranspiration (ETo) derived from the Penman-Monteith equation, with the primary variability in the demand related to measured incident solar radiation. The total water demand for each species is estimated using the laboratory determined relationship between the active sapwood area and the diameter of the limb, and a survey of the tree diameter breast height (DBH) of each tree in the watershed. This study provides new insight into the actual water demand of two native tree species in Southern California and has serious implications for conservation plans, which are often developed using watershed models that apply ETo to all vegetation communities, regardless of actual water demand.

Empirical effective temperatures and bolometric corrections for early-type stars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Code, A. D.; Bless, R. C.; Davis, J.; Brown, R. H.

1976-01-01

An empirical effective temperature for a star can be found by measuring its apparent angular diameter and absolute flux distribution. The angular diameters of 32 bright stars in the spectral range O5f to F8 have recently been measured with the stellar interferometer at Narrabri Observatory, and their absolute flux distributions have been found by combining observations of ultraviolet flux from the Orbiting Astronomical Observatory (OAO-2) with ground-based photometry. In this paper, these data have been combined to derive empirical effective temperatures and bolometric corrections for these 32 stars.

Generation of doubly charged vortex beam by concentrated loading of glass disks along their diameter.

PubMed

Skab, Ihor; Vasylkiv, Yuriy; Krupych, Oleh; Savaryn, Viktoriya; Vlokh, Rostyslav

2012-04-10

We show that a system of glass disks compressed along their diameters enables one to induce a doubly charged vortex beam in the emergent light when the incident light is circularly polarized. Using such a disk system, one can control the efficiency of conversion of the spin angular momentum to the orbital angular momentum by a loading force. The consideration presented here can be extended for the case of crystalline materials with high optical damage thresholds in order to induce high-power vortex beams.

RadioAstron Science Program Five Years after Launch: Main Science Results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kardashev, N. S.; Alakoz, A. V.; Andrianov, A. S.; Artyukhov, M. I.; Baan, W.; Babyshkin, V. E.; Bartel, N.; Bayandina, O. S.; Val'tts, I. E.; Voitsik, P. A.; Vorobyov, A. Z.; Gwinn, C.; Gomez, J. L.; Giovannini, G.; Jauncey, D.; Johnson, M.; Imai, H.; Kovalev, Y. Y.; Kurtz, S. E.; Lisakov, M. M.; Lobanov, A. P.; Molodtsov, V. A.; Novikov, B. S.; Pogodin, A. V.; Popov, M. V.; Privesenzev, A. S.; Rudnitski, A. G.; Rudnitski, G. M.; Savolainen, T.; Smirnova, T. V.; Sobolev, A. M.; Soglasnov, V. A.; Sokolovsky, K. V.; Filippova, E. N.; Khartov, V. V.; Churikova, M. E.; Shirshakov, A. E.; Shishov, V. I.; Edwards, P.

2017-12-01

The RadioAstron ground-space interferometer provides the highest angular resolution achieved now in astronomy. The detection of interferometric fringes from quasars with this angular resolution on baselines of 100-200 thousand km suggests the brightness temperatures which exceed the Compton limit by two orders of magnitude. Polarimetric measurements on ground-space baselines have revealed fine structure testifying to recollimation shocks on scales of 100-250 μas and a helical magnetic field near the base of radio emission in BL Lacertae. Substructure within a the scattering disk of pulsar emission on interferometer baselines (from 60000 to 250000 km) was discovered. This substructure is produced by action of the interstellar interferometer with an effective baseline of about 1 AU and the effective angular resolution of better than 1 μas. Diameters of scattering disks were measured for several pulsars, and distances to diffusing screens were evaluated. The ground-space observations of sources of the maser radiation in lines of water and hydroxyl have shown that the maser sources in star-forming regions remain unresolved on baselines, which considerably exceed the Earth diameter. These very compact and bright features with angular sizes of about 20-60 μas correspond to linear sizes of about 5-10 million km (several solar diameters).

Method of lightening radiation darkened optical elements

DOEpatents

Reich, Frederich R.; Schwankoff, Albert R.

1980-01-01

A method of lightening a radiation-darkened optical element in wich visible optical energy or electromagnetic radiation having a wavelength in the range of from about 2000 to about 20,000 angstroms is directed into the radiation-darkened optical element; the method may be used to lighten radiation-darkened optical element in-situ during the use of the optical element to transmit data by electronically separating the optical energy from the optical output by frequency filtering, data cooling, or interlacing the optic energy between data intervals.

Active unicameral bone cysts in the upper limb are at greater risk of fracture.

PubMed

Tey, Inn Kuang; Mahadev, Arjandas; Lim, Kevin Boon Leong; Lee, Eng Hin; Nathan, Saminathan Suresh

2009-08-01

To elucidate the natural history of unicameral bone cyst (UBC) and risk factors for pathological fracture. 14 males and 8 females (mean age, 9 years) diagnosed with UBC were reviewed. Cyst location, symptoms, and whether there was any fracture or surgery were recorded. Cyst parameters were measured on radiographs, and included (1) the cyst index, (2) the ratio of the widest cyst diameter to the growth plate diameter, and (3) the adjusted distance of the cyst border from the growth plate. There were 11 upper- and 11 lower-limb cysts. 13 patients had pathological fractures and 9 did not. 20 patients were treated conservatively with limb immobilisation; 2 underwent curettage and bone grafting (one resolved and one did not). Seven cysts resolved (5 had fractures and 2 did not). The risk of fracture was higher in the upper than lower limbs (100% vs 18%, p<0.001). Fractured cysts were larger than unfractured cysts (mean cyst index, 4.5 vs. 2.2, p=0.07). Active cysts were more likely to fracture. Conservative management had a 30% resolution rate. Surgery should be considered for large active cysts in the upper limbs in order to minimise the fracture risk.

Planar Covariation of Hindlimb and Forelimb Elevation Angles during Terrestrial and Aquatic Locomotion of Dogs

PubMed Central

Catavitello, Giovanna; Ivanenko, Yuri P.; Lacquaniti, Francesco

2015-01-01

The rich repertoire of locomotor behaviors in quadrupedal animals requires flexible inter-limb and inter-segmental coordination. Here we studied the kinematic coordination of different gaits (walk, trot, gallop, and swim) of six dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) and, in particular, the planar covariation of limb segment elevation angles. The results showed significant variations in the relative duration of rearward limb movement, amplitude of angular motion, and inter-limb coordination, with gait patterns ranging from a lateral sequence of footfalls during walking to a diagonal sequence in swimming. Despite these differences, the planar law of inter-segmental coordination was maintained across different gaits in both forelimbs and hindlimbs. Notably, phase relationships and orientation of the covariation plane were highly limb specific, consistent with the functional differences in their neural control. Factor analysis of published muscle activity data also demonstrated differences in the characteristic timing of basic activation patterns of the forelimbs and hindlimbs. Overall, the results demonstrate that the planar covariation of inter-segmental coordination has emerged for both fore- and hindlimbs and all gaits, although in a limb-specific manner. PMID:26218076

Skill transfer, affordances and dexterity in different climbing environments.

PubMed

Seifert, L; Wattebled, L; L'hermette, M; Bideault, G; Herault, R; Davids, K

2013-12-01

This study explored how skills in one region of a perceptual-motor landscape of performance, created in part by previous experience in rock climbing, can shape those that emerge in another region (ice climbing). Ten novices in rock climbing and five intermediate rock climbers were observed climbing an icefall. Locations of right and left ice tools and crampons were videotaped from a frontal camera. Inter-individual variability of upper and lower limb couplings and types of action regarding icefall properties were assessed by cluster hierarchical analysis, distinguishing three clusters. Pelvis vertical displacement, duration and number of pelvis pauses were also analyzed. Experienced rock climbers were grouped in the same cluster and showed the highest range and variability of limb angular locations and coordination patterns, the highest vertical displacement and the shortest pelvis plateaux durations. Non-fluent climbers (clusters 2 and 3) showed low range and variability of limb angular locations and coordination patterns. In particular, climbers of cluster 3 exhibited the lowest vertical displacement, the longest plateaux durations and the greatest ratio between tool swinging and definitive anchorage. Our results exemplified the positive influence of skills in rock climbing on ice climbing performance, facilitated by the detection of affordances from environmental properties. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Cosmic equation of state from combined angular diameter distances: Does the tension with luminosity distances exist?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cao, Shuo; Zhu, Zong-Hong

2014-10-01

Using relatively complete observational data concerning four angular diameter distance (ADD) measurements and combined SN +GRB observations representing current luminosity distance (LD) data, this paper investigates the compatibility of these two cosmological distances considering three classes of dark energy equation of state (EoS) reconstruction. In particular, we use strongly gravitationally lensed systems from various large systematic gravitational lens surveys and galaxy clusters, which yield the Hubble constant independent ratio between two angular diameter distances Dl s/Ds data. Our results demonstrate that, with more general categories of standard ruler data, ADD and LD data are compatible at 1 σ level. Second, we note that consistency between ADD and LD data is maintained irrespective of the EoS parametrizations: there is a good match between the universally explored Chevalier-Polarski-Linder model and other formulations of cosmic equation of state. Especially for the truncated generalized equation of state (GEoS) model with β =-2 , the conclusions obtained with ADD and LD are almost the same. Finally, statistical analysis of generalized dark energy equation of state performed on four classes of ADD data provides stringent constraints on the EoS parameters w0 , wβ, and β , which suggest that dark energy was a subdominant component at early times. Moreover, the GEoS parametrization with β ≃1 seems to be a more favorable two-parameter model to characterize the cosmic equation of state, because the combined angular diameter distance data (SGL +CBF +BAO +WMAP 9 ) provide the best-fit value β =0.75 1-0.480+0.465 .

Estimating aspen volume and weight for individual trees, diameter classes, or entire stands.

Treesearch

Bryce E. Schlaegel

1975-01-01

Presents allometric volume and weight equations for Minnesota quaking aspen. Volume, green weight, and dry weight estimates can be made for wood, bark, and limbs on the basis of individual trees, diameter classes, or entire stands.

Fetlock joint kinematics differ with age in Thoroughbred [was thoroughbred] racehorses.

PubMed

Butcher, Michael T; Ashley-Ross, M A

2002-05-01

Fetlock joint kinematics during galloping in 2-, 3-, 4-, and 5-year-old Thoroughbreds in race training were quantified to determine if differences due to age could account for the observation that 2-year old Thoroughbred racehorses incur a high number of injuries to the bones and soft tissues in the distal forelimbs during training and at the outset of racing. Twelve Thoroughbred racehorses were videotaped in the sagittal plane at 250 frames/s during their daily galloping workout on a 7/8 mile sand-surface training track. Four galloping strides were recorded for each horse and subsequently digitized to determine fetlock joint angles of the leading forelimb during the limb support period of a stride. Four kinematic variables were measured from each stride's angular profile: angle of fetlock joint dorsi-flexion at mid-stance, negative angular velocity, positive angular velocity and time from hoof impact to mid-stance phase of limb support. The 2-year old Thoroughbreds had significantly quicker rates of dorsi-flexion of their fetlock joints than 3- (p=0.01), 4- (p=0.01), and 5-year old (p<0.01) Thoroughbreds following impact of the leading forelimb during moderate galloping (avg. 14 m/s). Higher rates of dorsi-flexion in young Thoroughbreds may reflect immaturity (lack of stiffness) of the suspensory apparatus tissues.

Medium-Term Outcomes Following Endovascular Repair of Infrarenal Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms with an Unfavourable Proximal Neck

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Saha, Prakash, E-mail: prakash.2.saha@kcl.ac.uk; Hughes, John, E-mail: johnhughes387@rocketmail.com; Patel, Ashish S., E-mail: ashish.s.patel@kcl.ac.uk

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to evaluate medium-term outcomes following endovascular repair of abdominal aortic aneurysms (EVAR) with unfavourable neck anatomy using stent grafts with a 36 mm or larger proximal diameter.Materials and MethodsA retrospective review of 27 patients who underwent elective EVAR between 2006 and 2008 using a stent graft with a 36 mm or larger proximal diameter was carried out. All patients had computed tomography angiography (CTA) for procedure planning, and detailed assessment of the aneurysm neck was performed using a three-dimensional CTA workstation. Patients were followed up with CTA at 3 and 12 months and annual duplex thereafter.ResultsThe medianmore » aneurysm diameter was 7 cm, and the median aneurysm neck diameter was 31 mm. Cook Zenith stent grafts were used in all patients, with a proximal diameter of 36 mm (n = 25) and 40 mm (n = 2). Primary and assisted primary technical success rates were 74 and 93 %, respectively. The follow-up period ranged from 62 to 84 months, with a median of 72 months. 15 patients died during follow-up. Two patients died from aortic rupture, and the remaining patients died from cardiac disease (n = 4), chest sepsis (n = 6), cancer (n = 2) and renal failure (n = 1). Complications included type I endoleak (n = 5), limb occlusion (n = 2), limb stenosis (n = 2), limb kinking (n = 1), dissection of an artery (n = 1), occlusion of a femorofemoral cross-over graft (n = 1) and poor attachment of a distal limb (n = 1).ConclusionsEVAR using stent grafts in the presence of an unfavourable neck has a high risk of complications. Medium-term survival in this group is low but mainly due to patient co-morbidities.« less

Low-dimensional organization of angular momentum during walking on a narrow beam.

PubMed

Chiovetto, Enrico; Huber, Meghan E; Sternad, Dagmar; Giese, Martin A

2018-01-08

Walking on a beam is a challenging motor skill that requires the regulation of upright balance and stability. The difficulty in beam walking results from the reduced base of support compared to that afforded by flat ground. One strategy to maintain stability and hence avoid falling off the beam is to rotate the limb segments to control the body's angular momentum. The aim of this study was to examine the coordination of the angular momentum variations during beam walking. We recorded movement kinematics of participants walking on a narrow beam and computed the angular momentum contributions of the body segments with respect to three different axes. Results showed that, despite considerable variability in the movement kinematics, the angular momentum was characterized by a low-dimensional organization based on a small number of segmental coordination patterns. When the angular momentum was computed with respect to the beam axis, the largest fraction of its variation was accounted for by the trunk segment. This simple organization was robust and invariant across all participants. These findings support the hypothesis that control strategies for complex balancing tasks might be easier to understand by investigating angular momentum instead of the segmental kinematics.

Kinematic adaptations to tripedal locomotion in dogs.

PubMed

Goldner, B; Fuchs, A; Nolte, I; Schilling, N

2015-05-01

Limb amputation often represents the only treatment option for canine patients with certain diseases or injuries of the appendicular system. Previous studies have investigated adaptations to tripedal locomotion in dogs but there is a lack of understanding of biomechanical compensatory mechanisms. This study evaluated the kinematic differences between quadrupedal and tripedal locomotion in nine healthy dogs running on a treadmill. The loss of the right pelvic limb was simulated using an Ehmer sling. Kinematic gait analysis included spatio-temporal comparisons of limb, joint and segment angles of the remaining pelvic and both thoracic limbs. The following key parameters were compared between quadrupedal and tripedal conditions: angles at touch-down and lift-off, minimum and maximum joint angles, plus range of motion. Significant differences in angular excursion were identified in several joints of each limb during both stance and swing phases. The most pronounced differences concerned the remaining pelvic limb, followed by the contralateral thoracic limb and, to a lesser degree, the ipsilateral thoracic limb. The thoracic limbs were, in general, more retracted, consistent with pelvic limb unloading and previous observations of bodyweight re-distribution in amputees. Proximal limb segments showed more distinct changes than distal ones. Particularly, the persistently greater anteversion of the pelvis probably affects the axial system. Overall, tripedal locomotion requires concerted kinematic adjustments of both the appendicular and axial systems, and consequently preventive, therapeutic and rehabilitative care of canine amputees should involve the whole musculoskeletal apparatus. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Stellar Diameters and Temperatures. III. Main-sequence A, F, G, and K Stars: Additional High-precision Measurements and Empirical Relations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boyajian, Tabetha S.; von Braun, Kaspar; van Belle, Gerard; Farrington, Chris; Schaefer, Gail; Jones, Jeremy; White, Russel; McAlister, Harold A.; ten Brummelaar, Theo A.; Ridgway, Stephen; Gies, Douglas; Sturmann, Laszlo; Sturmann, Judit; Turner, Nils H.; Goldfinger, P. J.; Vargas, Norm

2013-07-01

Based on CHARA Array measurements, we present the angular diameters of 23 nearby, main-sequence stars, ranging from spectral types A7 to K0, 5 of which are exoplanet host stars. We derive linear radii, effective temperatures, and absolute luminosities of the stars using Hipparcos parallaxes and measured bolometric fluxes. The new data are combined with previously published values to create an Angular Diameter Anthology of measured angular diameters to main-sequence stars (luminosity classes V and IV). This compilation consists of 125 stars with diameter uncertainties of less than 5%, ranging in spectral types from A to M. The large quantity of empirical data is used to derive color-temperature relations to an assortment of color indices in the Johnson (BVR J I J JHK), Cousins (R C I C), Kron (R K I K), Sloan (griz), and WISE (W 3 W 4) photometric systems. These relations have an average standard deviation of ~3% and are valid for stars with spectral types A0-M4. To derive even more accurate relations for Sun-like stars, we also determined these temperature relations omitting early-type stars (T eff > 6750 K) that may have biased luminosity estimates because of rapid rotation; for this subset the dispersion is only ~2.5%. We find effective temperatures in agreement within a couple of percent for the interferometrically characterized sample of main-sequence stars compared to those derived via the infrared flux method and spectroscopic analysis.

The atmospheric structure and fundamental parameters of the red supergiants AH Scorpii, UY Scuti, and KW Sagittarii

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arroyo-Torres, B.; Wittkowski, M.; Marcaide, J. M.; Hauschildt, P. H.

2013-06-01

Aims: We present the atmospheric structure and the fundamental properties of the red supergiants (RSGs) AH Sco, UY Sct, and KW Sgr based on VLTI/AMBER observations. Methods: We carried out spectro-interferometric observations of AH Sco, UY Sct, and KW Sgr in the near-infrared K band (1.92-2.47 μm) with the VLTI/AMBER instrument with spatial and spectral resolutions of 3 milliarcsec and 1500, respectively, and compared the data to a new grid of hydrostatic PHOENIX model atmospheres. Results: In our visibility data, we observe molecular layers of water and CO in extended atmospheres. For a uniform disk modeling, we observe size increases at the water band centered at 1.9 μm of 10% to 25% and at the CO bandheads at 2.3-2.5 μm of 20%-35% with respect to the near-continuum bandpass at around 2.20 μm. Our near-infrared spectra of AH Sco, UY Sct, and KW Sgr are well reproduced by the PHOENIX model atmospheres. The continuum visibility values are consistent with a limb-darkened disk as predicted by the PHOENIX models. However, the model visibilities do not predict the large observed extensions of the molecular layers. Comparing the continuum visibility values to PHOENIX models, we estimate the Rosseland-mean photospheric angular diameters of AH Sco, UY Sct, and KW Sgr to be 5.81 ± 0.15 mas, 5.48 ± 0.10 mas, and 3.91 ± 0.25 mas, respectively. Together with the distance and the spectro-photometry, we calculate radii of 1411 ± 124 R⊙ for AH Sco, 1708 ± 192 R⊙ for UY Sct, and 1009 ± 142 R⊙ for KW Sgr and effective temperatures of 3682 ± 190 K for AH Sco, 3365 ± 134 K for UY Sct, and 3720 ± 183 K for KW Sgr. Conclusions: AH Sco, UY Sct, and KW Sgr exhibit extended atmospheric layers of H2O and CO. The PHOENIX atmosphere models predict the spectra and the continuum visibility values, but cannot reproduce the large extensions of the molecular layers. This indicates that the opacities of the molecular bands are included, but that the model atmospheres are too compact compared to the observations. The observed extended layers may be levitated by processes such as pulsation or convection, which are not included in the hydrostatic atmospheric models. The location of the targets in the HR-diagram is confirmed to be close to, and possibly slightly to the right of, the Hayashi limit of recent evolutionary tracks corresponding to masses between about 20 M⊙ and 40 M⊙.

Radiation pressure: A possible cause for the superrotation of the Venusian atmosphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Krause, J. L.

1992-01-01

The superrotation of the venusian atmosphere relative to the planet's surface has long been known. Yet the process by which this vigorous circulation is maintained is poorly understood. The purpose of this report is to show that a mechanism by which the solar radiation interacts with the cloudy atmosphere of Venus could be the principle cause of the superrotation. It has been long known that Venus has a high albedo due to the scattering (similar to the reflection process) of solar radiation by the cloud droplets in its atmosphere. The radiation not scattered, but intercepted by the planet and its atmosphere, is mainly absorbed within the cloud layers. Therefore, momentum (equal, more or less, to that of the solar radiation intercepted) is continually transferred to the venusian atmosphere. The atmospheric system presents a symmetrical surface (same radiation-matter interaction) toward the solar radiation at its morning and evening limbs. If the cross-sectional areas at both limbs were equal, the momentum transfer at the morning limb would decelerate the atmosphere's rotation while at the evening limb the same transfer would accelerate the rotation an equal amount. The net result of this is that the overall rate of rotation would be unchanged. Such a symmetrical configuration is not likely since the atmosphere must be warmed as it rotates across the planet's day hemisphere and cooled as it rotates across the planet's night hemisphere. This warming and cooling must result in a formation of an asymmetrical configuration. It is apparent that the momentum transfer at the evening limb must be greater than that at the morning limb because the atmosphere's greater cross section at the evening limb intercepts a greater amount of solar radiation. It should be noted that very little of the solar radiation is transmitted through the cloud layers, especially at or near the limbs where the atmospheric path length of the radiation is long. This net momentum transfer must be continually added to the angular momentum of the atmospheric system at the same time angular momentum is continually removed from the atmosphere by the frictional drag imposed on the atmosphere by the slowly rotating planet's surface. This completes the description of this mechanism.

Kinematics of the Pelvis, Torso, and Lower Limb During Obstacle Negotiation While Under Temporal Constraints.

PubMed

Christensen, Jesse C; Wilson, Christopher R; Merryweather, Andrew S; Foreman, K Bo

2017-04-01

Biomechanics of unobstructed locomotion consists of synchronized complex movements of the pelvis, torso, and lower limbs. These movement patterns become more complex as individuals encounter obstacles or negotiate uneven terrain. To date, limited research has explored how specifically the pelvis, torso, and lower limb segments relate to obstacle negotiation of varying sized objects combined with temporal constraints to perform the task. Understanding pelvis and adjoining segment movements during object negotiation will provide necessary information in identifying abnormal mechanics and potential fall risk characteristics in balance compromised patient populations. In this prospective cohort study, we aimed to compare pelvic, torso, and lower limb kinematics during unobstructed locomotion with obstacle negotiation of varying heights. Ten healthy young adults (7 females and 3 males, mean age 28.4 ± 4.1 years, mean body mass index 22.5 ± 3.6 kg/m 2 ) enrolled in this study. Analysis of within-subject differences revealed a significant increase in sagittal (posterior tilt) and frontal (ipsilateral hike) plane pelvic angular displacement and higher sagittal plane posterior torso lean angular displacement with increased obstacle height. Furthermore, both sagittal plane hip and knee maximum joint flexion were significantly higher with increasing heights of the obstacles during negotiation. These data provide insight on segment mechanics within a non-mobility-impaired population; therefore, providing a baseline to understand the kinematic demands necessary for safe and effective gait in mobility-compromised populations. Anat Rec, 300:732-738, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Modeling Spectral Variations of Dusty Circumstellar Envelopes During Microlensing Events

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bunker, Christina; Ignace, R.; Bjorkman, J. E.

2007-12-01

Microlensing surveys have proven to be tremendously fruitful in providing valuable data products for many fields of astrophysics, from eclipse lightcurves for substellar candidates to limb darkening in stellar atmospheres. We report on a program of modeling observables from microlensing of circumstellar envelopes, particularly those of red giant stars that are the most likely to show finite source effects. Recent modeling results for the time dependent spectral energy distributions from microlensing of dusty winds are presented. In effect, wavelength-dependent continuum variations that occur as the lens-star separation changes can provide information about the emissivity distribution of dust in the wind. This project was funded by a partnership between the National Science Foundation (NSF AST-0552798), Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU), and the Department of Defense (DoD) ASSURE (Awards to Stimulate and Support Undergraduate Research Experiences) programs.

Data From the Precision Solar Photometric Telescope (Pspt) in Hawaii From March 1998 to March 1999

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

White, Oran R.; Fox, Peter A.; Meisner, Randy; Rast, Mark P.; Yasukawa, Eric; Koon, Darryl; Rice, Crystal; Lin, Haosheng; Kuhn, Jeff; Coulter, Roy

2000-11-01

Two Precision Solar Photometric Telescopes (PSPT) designed and built at the U.S. National Solar Observatory (NSO) are in operation in Rome and Hawaii. A third PSPT is now in operation the NSO at Sunspot, NM. The PSPT system records full disk solar images at three wavelengths: K line at 393.3 nm and two continua at 409 nm and 607 nm throughout the observing day. We currently study properties of limb darkening, sunspots, and network in these images with particular emphasis on data taken in July and September 1998. During this period, the number of observations per month was high enough to show directional properties of the radiation field surrounding sunspots. We show examples of our PSPT images and describe our study of bright rings around sunspots.

Segment-interaction in sprint start: Analysis of 3D angular velocity and kinetic energy in elite sprinters.

PubMed

Slawinski, J; Bonnefoy, A; Ontanon, G; Leveque, J M; Miller, C; Riquet, A; Chèze, L; Dumas, R

2010-05-28

The aim of the present study was to measure during a sprint start the joint angular velocity and the kinetic energy of the different segments in elite sprinters. This was performed using a 3D kinematic analysis of the whole body. Eight elite sprinters (10.30+/-0.14s 100 m time), equipped with 63 passive reflective markers, realised four maximal 10 m sprints start on an indoor track. An opto-electronic Motion Analysis system consisting of 12 digital cameras (250 Hz) was used to collect the 3D marker trajectories. During the pushing phase on the blocks, the 3D angular velocity vector and its norm were calculated for each joint. The kinetic energy of 16 segments of the lower and upper limbs and of the total body was calculated. The 3D kinematic analysis of the whole body demonstrated that joints such as shoulders, thoracic or hips did not reach their maximal angular velocity with a movement of flexion-extension, but with a combination of flexion-extension, abduction-adduction and internal-external rotation. The maximal kinetic energy of the total body was reached before clearing block (respectively, 537+/-59.3 J vs. 514.9+/-66.0 J; p< or =0.01). These results suggested that a better synchronization between the upper and lower limbs could increase the efficiency of pushing phase on the blocks. Besides, to understand low interindividual variances in the sprint start performance in elite athletes, a 3D complete body kinematic analysis shall be used. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Agonist and antagonist muscle activation in elite athletes: influence of age.

PubMed

Quinzi, Federico; Camomilla, Valentina; Felici, Francesco; Di Mario, Alberto; Sbriccoli, Paola

2015-01-01

Age-related neuromuscular control adaptations have been investigated mainly in untrained populations, where higher antagonist activation in adults was observed with respect to children. In elite athletes age-related differences in neuromuscular control have scarcely been investigated. Therefore, this study aims at investigating differences in co-activation about the knee joint in two groups of karate athletes belonging to the Junior (JK) and Senior (SK) age categories, performing the roundhouse kick (RK). Six SK and six JK performed the RK impacting on a punching bag. Each participant performed three attempts during which kicking limb kinematics and sEMG from the vastus lateralis (VL) and from the biceps femoris (BF) were recorded. Co-activation index during knee flexion and extension (CIF; CIE) and agonist and antagonist activation areas of VL and BF (I AGO-VL; I AGO-BF; I ANT-VL; I ANT-BF) were computed. Hip and knee range of motion, peak angular velocity and minima and maxima of lower limb angular momentum were computed. During knee extension, the SK demonstrated higher CIE, higher IANT-BF and higher total angular momentum with respect to the JK. Significant relationships were observed between I ANT-BF and total angular momentum maxima, and between I ANT-BF and age. IANT-BF is partially related to the age of the group and to joint protection upon impact. Moreover, given the very brief duration of the task, a feed-forward mechanism modulating antagonist activation partly based on the stress imposed on the knee joint could be hypothesized. This mechanism potentially involves skill dependent re-modelling of the peripheral and central nervous system.

Paradoxical darkening and removal of pink tattoo ink.

PubMed

Kirby, William; Kaur, Ravneet Ruby; Desai, Alpesh

2010-06-01

It is widely accepted that Q-switched lasers are the gold-standard treatment for the resolution of unwanted tattoo ink. Although much safer than other tattoo removal modalities, the treatment of tattoo ink with Q-switched devices may be associated with long-term adverse effects including undesired pigmentary alterations such as tattoo ink darkening. Darkening of tattoo ink is most often reported in cosmetic, flesh-toned, white, peach, and pink tattoos. In this paper, we briefly review a case of pink tattoo ink that initially darkened paradoxically but eventually resolved with continued Q-switched laser treatments.

[Antegrade diastolic blood flow and classic reflux in varicose dilatation of the intersaphenous vein].

PubMed

Shaidakov, E V; Rosukhovsky, D A; Grigoryan, A G; Bulatov, V L; Ilyukhin, E A

2016-01-01

In the intersaphenous vein (ISV) there may take place the so-called "antegrade" or "paradoxical" reflux. This type of blood flow is revealed in a series of patients during muscular diastole and is a link of the pathogenesis of varicose disease, but has, as distinct from the "classical" reflux, an antegrade direction. An incompetent saphenopopliteal junction (SPJ) is a source of the antegrade diastolic blood flow (ADBF) through the ISV. Descriptions of possible variants of impaired blood flow through the ISV are fragmentary and their interpretations are controversial. Prevalence and pathogenesis of these disorders impairments have not yet been studied. A cross-sectional study: over 4 years three centres examined a total of 1,413 patients diagnosed with class C2-C6 varicose veins according the CEAP classification. All patients underwent ultrasound duplex scanning of lower limb veins. The ADBF was determined as a unidirectional antegrade blood flow with the duration of not more than 0.5 second, observed after the crus was relived of compression (in the diastole). Of the patients included into the study who had no varicose veins on the contralateral extremity with the ISV being spotted we sequentially selected 40 subjects including them into the Study Group for the analysis of blood flow and the diameter of the ISV in health. Impairments of blood flow in the ISV were revealed in 61 (4.8%) of 1,265 extremities included into the study: the "classical" reflux in 9 (14.8%) limbs, ADBF was revealed in 37 (60.7%) limbs, a combination of the "classical" blood flow and ADBF - in 15 (24.6%) limbs. Hence, the patients were subdivided into three groups. Studying the nature of blood flow through the ISV in the control group on 40 lower limbs revealed no blood flow disorders. The mean ISV diameter amounted to 1.68 mm (ME=1 mm). The ISV diameter was considerably higher in all studied groups as compared with the control one (p<0.0001). The diameter of the ISV in its proximal portion averagely amounted to 4.48 mm (SD 1.337 mm, SE 0.171 mm). The diameter in the distal portion amounted to 5.39 mm (SD 1.725 mm, SE 0.221 mm).

Assessment of radial torsion using computed tomography in dogs with and without antebrachial limb deformity.

PubMed

Kroner, Kevin; Cooley, Katie; Hoey, Seamus; Hetzel, Scott J; Bleedorn, Jason A

2017-01-01

To evaluate the reliability of radial torsion assessment in dogs using computed tomography (CT). Cadaveric and retrospective observational clinical study. Thoracic limbs (n = 40) from bilateral normal cadaveric canine specimens (10 pairs) and unilateral antebrachial angular limb deformity (ALD) dogs (10 uniapical and 10 biapical deformities). Limbs were evaluated using CT. Frontal, sagittal, and axial plane (torsion) values were obtained using published guidelines and compared between groups and limbs. Radial torsion reliability was assessed among 3 observers using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC). The mean (±SD) radial torsion of normal dogs was 3.6° ± 6.4° and contained a significant right to left limb variation of 2.6°. Mean radial torsion in uniapical ALD limbs (3.6° ± 18.7°) was not significantly different from biapical ALD limbs (8.9° ± 17.9°). There was a wide range of torsion values in normal and ALD limbs. The interobserver reliability was excellent (ICC > 0.8) for normal dogs, good (0.73) for uniapical, and excellent (0.89) for biapical ALD limbs. The intraobserver reliability was excellent (>0.8) for all groups. There was a small side-to-side variation of radial torsion in normal dogs. With directed training, torsion assessment using CT is reliable in dogs with and without antebrachial bone deformity. © 2016 The American College of Veterinary Surgeons.

Polyphenol oxidase activity and differential accumulation of polyphenolics in seed coats of pinto bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) characterize postharvest color changes.

PubMed

Marles, M A Susan; Vandenberg, Albert; Bett, Kirstin E

2008-08-27

Postharvest darkening of pinto bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) was evaluated in a population of recombinant inbred lines derived from a cross between CDC Pintium (a regular-darkening line) and 1533-15 (a slow-darkening line). Flavonoid metabolite concentrations, polyphenol oxidase activity, lignin concentration, and seed coat anatomy characteristics were assessed for cosegregation with the darkening phenotype. Significantly lower kaempferol concentrations (p = 0.00001) together with differences in polyphenol oxidase activity (p = 0.0045) were two of the key findings associated with these recombinant inbred lines. In addition, two different assays (thioglycolic acid and Klason lignin) to quantify lignin together with an assessment of extractable condensed tannin were used to estimate the contribution of these polymers to changes in the seed coat tissue. This is the first report of precise biochemical characterization of polyphenolics that associate with postharvest darkening in legumes.

Walking with a four wheeled walker (rollator) significantly reduces EMG lower-limb muscle activity in healthy subjects.

PubMed

Suica, Zorica; Romkes, Jacqueline; Tal, Amir; Maguire, Clare

2016-01-01

To investigate the immediate effect of four-wheeled- walker(rollator)walking on lower-limb muscle activity and trunk-sway in healthy subjects. In this cross-sectional design electromyographic (EMG) data was collected in six lower-limb muscle groups and trunk-sway was measured as peak-to-peak angular displacement of the centre-of-mass (level L2/3) in the sagittal and frontal-planes using the SwayStar balance system. 19 subjects walked at self-selected speed firstly without a rollator then in randomised order 1. with rollator 2. with rollator with increased weight-bearing. Rollator-walking caused statistically significant reductions in EMG activity in lower-limb muscle groups and effect-sizes were medium to large. Increased weight-bearing increased the effect. Trunk-sway in the sagittal and frontal-planes showed no statistically significant difference between conditions. Rollator-walking reduces lower-limb muscle activity but trunk-sway remains unchanged as stability is likely gained through forces generated by the upper-limbs. Short-term stability is gained but the long-term effect is unclear and requires investigation. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Flail-Delimbing of Loblolly Pine - A Case Study

Treesearch

Bryce J. Stokes

1985-01-01

Flail-delimbing was tested in small-diameter loblolly pine. Most of the limbs left on the stems were less than 6 inches long. Over 75 percent of the delimbed stems had three or fewer remaining limbs. The cost was determined by comparing skidding-flailing with skidding only. The cost difference was approximately $6.00 per unit.

Narrowly peaked forward light scattering on particulate media: II. Angular spreading of light scattered by polystyrene microspheres

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Turcu, Ioan; Bratfalean, Radu; Neamtu, Silvia

2008-07-01

The adequacy of the effective phase function (EPF) used to describe the light scattered at small angles was tested on aqueous suspensions of polystyrene microspheres. Angular resolved light scattering measurements were performed on two types of latex suspension, which contained polystyrene spheres of 3 µm and 5 µm diameters, respectively. The experimental data were fitted with two EPF approximants. If the polystyrene spheres are at least 3 µm in diameter the quasi-ballistic light scattering process can be described relatively well by the EPF in a small angular range centered in the forward direction. The forward light scattering by macroscopic samples containing microspheres can be modeled relatively well if the true Mie single particle scattering phase function is replaced by a simpler Henyey-Greenstein dependence having the same width at half-height as the first scattering lobe.

2D versus 3D in the kinematic analysis of the horse at the trot.

PubMed

Miró, F; Santos, R; Garrido-Castro, J L; Galisteo, A M; Medina-Carnicer, R

2009-08-01

The handled trot of three Lusitano Purebred stallions was analyzed by using 2D and 3D kinematical analysis methods. Using the same capture and analysis system, 2D and 3D data of some linear (stride length, maximal height of the hoof trajectories) and angular (angular range of motion, inclination of bone segments) variables were obtained. A paired Student T-test was performed in order to detect statistically significant differences between data resulting from the two methodologies With respect to the angular variables, there were significant differences in scapula inclination, shoulder angle, cannon inclination and protraction-retraction angle in the forelimb variables, but none of them were statistically different in the hind limb. Differences between the two methods were found in most of the linear variables analyzed.

Impact-induced frictional melting in ordinary chondrites: A mechanism for deformation, darkening, and vein formation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van der Bogert, C. H.; Schultz, P. H.; Spray, J. G.

2003-10-01

High speed friction experiments have been performed on the ordinary chondrites El Hammami (H5, S2) and Sahara 97001 (L6, S3) using an axial friction-welding apparatus. Each sample was subjected to a strain rate of 103 to 104 s-1, which generated 250 to 500 μm-deep darkened zones on each sample cube. Thin section analyses reveal that the darkened areas are composed of silicate glass and mineral fragments intermingled with dispersed submicron-size FeNi and FeS blebs. Fracturing of mineral grains and the formation of tiny metallic veins define the extent of deformation beyond the darkened shear zone. These features are not present in the original meteorites. The shear zones and tiny veins are quite similar to certain vein systems seen in naturally deformed ordinary chondrites. The experiments show that shock deformation is not required for the formation of melt veins and darkening in ordinary chondrites. Therefore, the presence of melt veins and darkening does not imply that an ordinary chondrite has undergone severe shock deformation. In fact, high strain rate deformation and frictional melting are especially important for the formation of veins at low shock pressures.

Angular-domain scattering interferometry.

PubMed

Shipp, Dustin W; Qian, Ruobing; Berger, Andrew J

2013-11-15

We present an angular-scattering optical method that is capable of measuring the mean size of scatterers in static ensembles within a field of view less than 20 μm in diameter. Using interferometry, the method overcomes the inability of intensity-based models to tolerate the large speckle grains associated with such small illumination areas. By first estimating each scatterer's location, the method can model between-scatterer interference as well as traditional single-particle Mie scattering. Direct angular-domain measurements provide finer angular resolution than digitally transformed image-plane recordings. This increases sensitivity to size-dependent scattering features, enabling more robust size estimates. The sensitivity of these angular-scattering measurements to various sizes of polystyrene beads is demonstrated. Interferometry also allows recovery of the full complex scattered field, including a size-dependent phase profile in the angular-scattering pattern.

Push-off reactions in recovery after tripping discriminate young subjects, older non-fallers and older fallers.

PubMed

Pijnappels, Mirjam; Bobbert, Maarten F; van Dieën, Jaap H

2005-06-01

Tripping is a major cause for falls, especially in the elderly. This study investigated whether falls in the elderly can be attributed to inadequate push-off reactions by the support limb in the recovery after a trip. Twelve young (20-34 years) and eleven older (65-72 years) men and women walked over a platform and were tripped several times over an obstacle that suddenly appeared from the floor. Kinematics and ground reactions forces of the support limb during push-off were measured of falls and successful recoveries. Young subjects did not fall. The older subjects were divided into a group of four non-fallers and seven fallers. Older fallers showed insufficient reduction of the angular momentum during push-off and less proper placement of the recovery limb. This was due to a lower rate of change of moment generation in all support limb joints and a lower peak ankle moment. Onset of knee moment generation was slightly delayed in older fallers. Improvement over trials was ascribed to better positioning of the recovery limb, as no clear differences were seen in the joint moments of the support limb. In conclusion, the contribution of the support limb to prevent a fall after tripping is decreased in older adults. Lower limb strength could be an underlying factor and strength training might help to reduce fall risk.

Relationship between lower limb dynamics and knee joint pain.

PubMed

Radin, E L; Yang, K H; Riegger, C; Kish, V L; O'Connor, J J

1991-05-01

To test the hypothesis that appropriate and timely neuromuscular control of limb motions plays an important role in the preservation of joint health, we kinematically and kinetically examined the behavior of the legs of young adult subjects at heel strike during natural walking. We compared a group of 18 volunteers, who, we presumed, were preosteoarthrotic because of mild, intermittent, activity-related knee joint pain, with 14 age-matched asymptomatic normal subjects. The two groups of subjects exhibited similar gait patterns with equivalent cadences, walking speeds, terminal stance phase knee flexion, maximum (peak) swing angular velocity, and overall shape of the vertical ground reaction. However, our instrumentation detected statistically significant differences between the two groups within a few milliseconds of heel strike. In the knee pain group, the heel hit the floor with a stronger impact in this brief interval. Just before heel strike, there was a faster downward velocity of the ankle with a larger angular velocity of the shank. The follow-through of the leg immediately after heel strike was more violent with larger peak axial and angular accelerations of the leg echoed by a more rapid rise of the ground reaction force. This sequence of events represents repetitive impulsive loading, which consistently provoked osteoarthrosis in animal experiments. We refer to this micro-incoordination of neuromuscular control not visible to the naked eye as "microklutziness."

Mechanical and biomechanical analysis of a linear piston design for angular-velocity-based orthotic control.

PubMed

Lemaire, Edward D; Samadi, Reza; Goudreau, Louis; Kofman, Jonathan

2013-01-01

A linear piston hydraulic angular-velocity-based control knee joint was designed for people with knee-extensor weakness to engage knee-flexion resistance when knee-flexion angular velocity reaches a preset threshold, such as during a stumble, but to otherwise allow free knee motion. During mechanical testing at the lowest angular-velocity threshold, the device engaged within 2 degrees knee flexion and resisted moment loads of over 150 Nm. The device completed 400,000 loading cycles without mechanical failure or wear that would affect function. Gait patterns of nondisabled participants were similar to normal at walking speeds that produced below-threshold knee angular velocities. Fast walking speeds, employed purposely to attain the angular-velocity threshold and cause knee-flexion resistance, reduced maximum knee flexion by approximately 25 degrees but did not lead to unsafe gait patterns in foot ground clearance during swing. In knee collapse tests, the device successfully engaged knee-flexion resistance and stopped knee flexion with peak knee moments of up to 235.6 Nm. The outcomes from this study support the potential for the linear piston hydraulic knee joint in knee and knee-ankle-foot orthoses for people with lower-limb weakness.

Observational Appearance and Spectrum of Black-Hole Winds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fukue, Jun; Iino, Eriko

2010-12-01

We examine the observational appearance of an optically thick, spherically symmetric, relativistic wind (a black-hole wind), focusing our attention on the emerging spectrum. In a relativistic flow, the apparent optical depth becomes small (large) in the downstream (upstream) direction due to the Lorentz-Fitzgerald contraction. As a result, the location of the apparent photosphere of the wind is remarkably modified, and there appears a relativistic limb-darkening (center-brightening) effect, where the comoving temperature distribution of the apparent photosphere is enhanced (reduced) at the center (in the limb). In addition, due to the usual Doppler boost, the observed temperature distribution is greatly changed. These relativistic effects modify the expected spectrum. When the wind speed is subrelativistic, the observed temperature distribution is almost uniform, and the spectra of the black-hole wind are blackbody-like. When the wind speed becomes relativistic, on the other hand, the observed temperature distribution, Tobs, exhibits a power-law nature of Tobs ∝ r-1, where r is the distance from the disk center, and the observed spectra Sν become a modified blackbody, which has a power-law part of Sν ∝ ν, where ν is the frequency. We briefly examine the effects of the spatial variation of the wind speed and the mass-loss rate.

Accurate human limb angle measurement: sensor fusion through Kalman, least mean squares and recursive least-squares adaptive filtering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Olivares, A.; Górriz, J. M.; Ramírez, J.; Olivares, G.

2011-02-01

Inertial sensors are widely used in human body motion monitoring systems since they permit us to determine the position of the subject's limbs. Limb angle measurement is carried out through the integration of the angular velocity measured by a rate sensor and the decomposition of the components of static gravity acceleration measured by an accelerometer. Different factors derived from the sensors' nature, such as the angle random walk and dynamic bias, lead to erroneous measurements. Dynamic bias effects can be reduced through the use of adaptive filtering based on sensor fusion concepts. Most existing published works use a Kalman filtering sensor fusion approach. Our aim is to perform a comparative study among different adaptive filters. Several least mean squares (LMS), recursive least squares (RLS) and Kalman filtering variations are tested for the purpose of finding the best method leading to a more accurate and robust limb angle measurement. A new angle wander compensation sensor fusion approach based on LMS and RLS filters has been developed.

Predicting translational deformity following opening-wedge osteotomy for lower limb realignment.

PubMed

Barksfield, Richard C; Monsell, Fergal P

2015-11-01

An opening-wedge osteotomy is well recognised for the management of limb deformity and requires an understanding of the principles of geometry. Translation at the osteotomy is needed when the osteotomy is performed away from the centre of rotation of angulation (CORA), but the amount of translation varies with the distance from the CORA. This translation enables proximal and distal axes on either side of the proposed osteotomy to realign. We have developed two experimental models to establish whether the amount of translation required (based on the translation deformity created) can be predicted based upon simple trigonometry. A predictive algorithm was derived where translational deformity was predicted as 2(tan α × d), where α represents 50 % of the desired angular correction, and d is the distance of the desired osteotomy site from the CORA. A simulated model was developed using TraumaCad online digital software suite (Brainlab AG, Germany). Osteotomies were simulated in the distal femur, proximal tibia and distal tibia for nine sets of lower limb scanograms at incremental distances from the CORA and the resulting translational deformity recorded. There was strong correlation between the distance of the osteotomy from the CORA and simulated translation deformity for distal femoral deformities (correlation coefficient 0.99, p < 0.0001), proximal tibial deformities (correlation coefficient 0.93-0.99, p < 0.0001) and distal tibial deformities (correlation coefficient 0.99, p < 0.0001). There was excellent agreement between the predictive algorithm and simulated translational deformity for all nine simulations (correlation coefficient 0.93-0.99, p < 0.0001). Translational deformity following corrective osteotomy for lower limb deformity can be anticipated and predicted based upon the angular correction and the distance between the planned osteotomy site and the CORA.

Differences between Angus and Holstein cattle in the Lupinus leucophyllus induced inhibition of fetal activity

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

In the United States, calves with congenital defects born to cows that have grazed teratogenic Lupinus spp. during pregnancy can suffer from what is colloquially termed crooked calf syndrome. Crooked calf defects include cleft palate, spinal column defects and angular limb malformations which are fo...

Efficacy of regional saturation of oxygen monitor using near-infrared spectroscopy for lower limb ischemia during minimally invasive cardiac surgery.

PubMed

Toya, Teppei; Fujita, Tomoyuki; Fukushima, Satuki; Shimahara, Yusuke; Kume, Yuta; Yamashita, Kizuku; Matsumoto, Yorihiko; Kawamoto, Naonori; Kobayashi, Junjiro

2018-06-25

Lower limb ischemia with an occlusive cannula is a potential complication of minimally invasive cardiac surgery (MICS). We evaluated intraoperative local oxygen supply-demand balance by monitoring regional saturation of oxygen (rSO 2 ) using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), and analyzed the correlation between cannula size and fluctuation range of rSO 2 . Fifty-four patients undergoing MICS surgery using femoral artery cannulation from April 2015 to August 2016 were enrolled. The rSO 2 of both the cannulated and uncannulated lower limbs were measured using NIRS. The association between the decline of rSO 2 from baseline (delta-rSO 2 ) and the ratio of the cannula diameter to the femoral artery diameter (Cd/FAd) was analyzed. Of the 54 patients, 16 (30%) (Group 1) showed values over 0.65 for Cd/FAd, and the remaining 38 (70%) (Group 2) showed values under 0.65. No patient developed postoperative lower limb ischemia. No patient was treated with an ipsilateral distal perfusion cannula. There were significant differences between Group 1 and Group 2 in the decrease of rSO 2 at the point of cannulation on the cannulated limb. In the lower limb on the cannulated side, delta-rSO 2 showed a significant decrease in Group 1 compared to Group 2 (Group 1 vs Group 2: 19.9 vs 11.0%; p < 0.001). Delta-rSO 2 was significantly correlated with body surface aera (BSA), but not with gender or age. Decreasing rSO 2 correlates with the Cd/FAd index. Low BSA, Cd/Fad > 0.65 is considered as the risk factor for decline of rSO 2 in cannulated limb in MICS.

Standardizing Exoplanet Analysis with the Exoplanet Characterization Tool Kit (ExoCTK)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fowler, Julia; Stevenson, Kevin B.; Lewis, Nikole K.; Fraine, Jonathan D.; Pueyo, Laurent; Bruno, Giovanni; Filippazzo, Joe; Hill, Matthew; Batalha, Natasha; Wakeford, Hannah; Bushra, Rafia

2018-06-01

Exoplanet characterization depends critically on analysis tools, models, and spectral libraries that are constantly under development and have no single source nor sense of unified style or methods. The complexity of spectroscopic analysis and initial time commitment required to become competitive is prohibitive to new researchers entering the field, as well as a remaining obstacle for established groups hoping to contribute in a comparable manner to their peers. As a solution, we are developing an open-source, modular data analysis package in Python and a publicly facing web interface including tools that address atmospheric characterization, transit observation planning with JWST, JWST corongraphy simulations, limb darkening, forward modeling, and data reduction, as well as libraries of stellar, planet, and opacity models. The foundation of these software tools and libraries exist within pockets of the exoplanet community, but our project will gather these seedling tools and grow a robust, uniform, and well-maintained exoplanet characterization toolkit.

Spectral irradiance curve calculations for any type of solar eclipse

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Deepak, A.; Merrill, J. E.

1974-01-01

A simple procedure is described for calculating the eclipse function (EF), alpha, and hence the spectral irradiance curve (SIC), (1-alpha), for any type of solar eclipse: namely, the occultation (partial/total) eclipse and the transit (partial/annular) eclipse. The SIC (or the EF) gives the variation of the amount (or the loss) of solar radiation of a given wavelength reaching a distant observer for various positions of the moon across the sun. The scheme is based on the theory of light curves of eclipsing binaries, the results of which are tabulated in Merrill's Tables, and is valid for all wavelengths for which the solar limb-darkening obeys the cosine law: J = sub c (1 - X + X cost gamma). As an example of computing the SIC for an occultation eclipse which may be total, the calculations for the March 7, 1970, eclipse are described in detail.

Dust and molecular shells in asymptotic giant branch stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao-Geisler, R.; Quirrenbach, A.; Köhler, R.; Lopez, B.

2012-09-01

Context. Asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars are one of the largest distributors of dust into the interstellar medium. However, the wind formation mechanism and dust condensation sequence leading to the observed high mass-loss rates have not yet been constrained well observationally, in particular for oxygen-rich AGB stars. Aims: The immediate objective in this work is to identify molecules and dust species which are present in the layers above the photosphere, and which have emission and absorption features in the mid-infrared (IR), causing the diameter to vary across the N-band, and are potentially relevant for the wind formation. Methods: Mid-IR (8-13 μm) interferometric data of four oxygen-rich AGB stars (R Aql, R Aqr, R Hya, and W Hya) and one carbon-rich AGB star (V Hya) were obtained with MIDI/VLTI between April 2007 and September 2009. The spectrally dispersed visibility data are analyzed by fitting a circular fully limb-darkened disk (FDD). Results: The FDD diameter as function of wavelength is similar for all oxygen-rich stars. The apparent size is almost constant between 8 and 10 μm and gradually increases at wavelengths longer than 10 μm. The apparent FDD diameter in the carbon-rich star V Hya essentially decreases from 8 to 12 μm. The FDD diameters are about 2.2 times larger than the photospheric diameters estimated from K-band observations found in the literature. The silicate dust shells of R Aql, R Hya and W Hya are located fairly far away from the star, while the silicate dust shell of R Aqr and the amorphous carbon (AMC) and SiC dust shell of V Hya are found to be closer to the star at around 8 photospheric radii. Phase-to-phase variations of the diameters of the oxygen-rich stars could be measured and are on the order of 15% but with large uncertainties. Conclusions: From a comparison of the diameter trend with the trends in RR Sco and S Ori it can be concluded that in oxygen-rich stars the overall larger diameter originates from a warm molecular layer of H2O, and the gradual increase longward of 10 μm can be most likely attributed to the contribution of a close Al2O3 dust shell. The chromatic trend of the Gaussian FWHM in V Hya can be explained with the presence of AMC and SiC dust. The observations suggest that the formation of amorphous Al2O3 in oxygen-rich stars occurs mainly around or after visual minimum. However, no firm conclusions can be drawn concerning the mass-loss mechanism. Future modeling with hydrostatic and self-consistent dynamical stellar atmospheric models will be required for a more certain understanding. Based on observations made with the Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI) at the Paranal Observatory under program IDs 079.D-0140, 080.D-0005, 081.D-0198, 082.D-0641 and 083.D-0294.Color versions of the figures and Appendices A-C are available in electronic form at http://www.aanda.orgFITS files of the calibrated visibilities are only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/545/A56

Two-dimensional models of early-type fast rotating stars: the ESTER project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rieutord, Michel

In this talk I present the latest results of the ESTER project that has taken up the challenge of building two dimensional (axisymmetric) models of stars rotating at any rotation rate. In particular, I focus on main sequence massive and intermediate mass stars. I show what should be expected in such stars as far as the differential rotation and the associated meridional circulation are concerned, notably the emergence of a Stewartson layer along the tangent cylinder of the core. I also indicate what may be inferred about the evolution of an intermediate-mass star at constant angular momentum and how Be stars may form. I finally give some comparisons between models and observations of the gravity darkening on some nearby fast rotators as it has been derived from interferometric observations. In passing, I also discuss how 2D models can help to recover the fundamental parameters of a star.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Baines, Ellyn K.; Armstrong, J. Thomas; Schmitt, Henrique R.

Using the Navy Precision Optical Interferometer, we measured the angular diameters of 10 stars that have previously measured solar-like oscillations. Our sample covered a range of evolutionary stages but focused on evolved subgiant and giant stars. We combined our angular diameters with Hipparcos parallaxes to determine the stars' physical radii, and used photometry from the literature to calculate their bolometric fluxes, luminosities, and effective temperatures. We then used our results to test the scaling relations used by asteroseismology groups to calculate radii and found good agreement between the radii measured here and the radii predicted by stellar oscillation studies. Themore » precision of the relations is not as well constrained for giant stars as it is for less evolved stars.« less

Microwave continuum measurements and estimates of mass loss rates for cool giants and supergiants

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Drake, S. A.; Linsky, J. L.

1986-01-01

Attention is given to the results of a sensitive, 6-cm radio continuum survey conducted with the NRAO VLA of 39 of the nearest single cool giants and supergiants of G0-M5 spectral types; the survey was conducted in order to obtain accurate measurements of the mass loss rates of ionized gas for a representative sample of such stars, in order to furnish constraints for, and a better understanding of, the total mass loss rates. The inferred angular diameters for the cool giant sources are noted to be twice as large as photospheric angular diameters, implying that these stars are surrounded by extended chromospheres containing warm partially ionized gas.

Identification of temporal pathomechanical factors during the tennis serve.

PubMed

Martin, Caroline; Kulpa, Richard; Ropars, Mickaël; Delamarche, Paul; Bideau, Benoit

2013-11-01

The purpose of this study was twofold: (a) to measure the effects of temporal parameters on both ball velocity and upper limb joint kinetics to identify pathomechanical factors during the tennis serve and (b) to validate these pathomechanical factors by comparing injured and noninjured players. The serves of expert tennis players were recorded with an optoelectronic motion capture system. These experts were then followed during two seasons to identify overuse injuries of the upper limb. Correlation coefficients assessed the relationships between temporal parameters, ball velocity, and peaks of upper limb joint kinetics to identify pathomechanical factors. Temporal parameters and ball velocity were compared between injured and noninjured groups. Temporal pathomechanical factors were identified. The timings of peak angular velocities of pelvis longitudinal rotation, upper torso longitudinal rotation, trunk sagittal rotation, and trunk transverse rotation and the duration between instants of shoulder horizontal adduction and external rotation were significantly related to upper limb joint kinetics and ball velocity. Injured players demonstrated later timings of trunk rotations, improper differences in time between instants of shoulder horizontal adduction and external rotation, lower ball velocities, and higher joint kinetics. The findings of this study imply that improper temporal mechanics during the tennis serve can decrease ball velocity, increase upper limb joint kinetics, and thus possibly increase overuse injuries of the upper limb.

Correlation of ankle eversion to inversion strength ratio and static balance in dominant and non-dominant limbs of basketball players.

PubMed

Dabadghav, Rachana

2016-04-01

To compare ankle eversion to inversion strength ratio (E/I R) and static balance control between the dominant and non-dominant limbs of basketball players and to correlate ankle E/I R and static balance control in the dominant and non-dominant limbs of basketball players. Twenty-one healthy basketball players in the age-group of 18-25 years participated in this study. Isokinetic ankle eversion and inversion muscle strength was assessed at 30°/s and 120°/s in both dominant and non-dominant limbs using the Biodex isokinetic dynamometer. Similarly balance was assessed on a force platform with eyes open and eyes closed in both dominant and non-dominant limbs. Repeated measure ANOVA for strength measurement, found that there was significant main effect of speed, P=0.001 (P<0.05). However, there was no significant main effect in the sides P=0.099 (P<0.05).There was significant main effect of sides with respect to balance. Balance was affected more in non-dominant limb P=0.000 as compared to dominant limb. However, there was not much of a significant difference with eyes open and eyes closed position. The E/I ratio was >1.0 at the angular velocity of 120°/s increasing the chances of ankle injuries in basketball players. There was no correlation between ankle strength and balance in both dominant and non-dominant limbs.

Photogrammetry Of A Parabolic Antenna

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Merrick, W. D.; Lansing, F. L.; Stoller, F. W.; Lobb, V. B.

1988-01-01

Surface measured with accuracy better than 10 to the negative fifth power times diameter. Report describes use of advanced close-range photogrammetry to determine deviations of 34-m-diameter antenna main reflector and subreflector from nominal paraboloidal shapes. Measurements enable removal of linear offsets and angular misalignments of subreflector, with consequent increase of 4 percent in aperture efficiency.

Characterization of thigh and shank segment angular velocity during jump landing tasks commonly used to evaluate risk for ACL injury.

PubMed

Dowling, Ariel V; Favre, Julien; Andriacchi, Thomas P

2012-09-01

The dynamic movements associated with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury during jump landing suggest that limb segment angular velocity can provide important information for understanding the conditions that lead to an injury. Angular velocity measures could provide a quick and simple method of assessing injury risk without the constraints of a laboratory. The objective of this study was to assess the inter-subject variations and the sensitivity of the thigh and shank segment angular velocity in order to determine if these measures could be used to characterize jump landing mechanisms. Additionally, this study tested the correlation between angular velocity and the knee abduction moment. Thirty-six healthy participants (18 male) performed drop jumps with bilateral and unilateral landing. Thigh and shank angular velocities were measured by a wearable inertial-based system, and external knee moments were measured using a marker-based system. Discrete parameters were extracted from the data and compared between systems. For both jumping tasks, the angular velocity curves were well defined movement patterns with high inter-subject similarity in the sagittal plane and moderate to good similarity in the coronal and transverse planes. The angular velocity parameters were also able to detect differences between the two jumping tasks that were consistent across subjects. Furthermore, the coronal angular velocities were significantly correlated with the knee abduction moment (R of 0.28-0.51), which is a strong indicator of ACL injury risk. This study suggested that the thigh and shank angular velocities, which describe the angular dynamics of the movement, should be considered in future studies about ACL injury mechanisms.

Measuring upper limb function in children with hemiparesis with 3D inertial sensors.

PubMed

Newman, Christopher J; Bruchez, Roselyn; Roches, Sylvie; Jequier Gygax, Marine; Duc, Cyntia; Dadashi, Farzin; Massé, Fabien; Aminian, Kamiar

2017-12-01

Upper limb assessments in children with hemiparesis rely on clinical measurements, which despite standardization are prone to error. Recently, 3D movement analysis using optoelectronic setups has been used to measure upper limb movement, but generalization is hindered by time and cost. Body worn inertial sensors may provide a simple, cost-effective alternative. We instrumented a subset of 30 participants in a mirror therapy clinical trial at baseline, post-treatment, and follow-up clinical assessments, with wireless inertial sensors positioned on the arms and trunk to monitor motion during reaching tasks. Inertial sensor measurements distinguished paretic and non-paretic limbs with significant differences (P < 0.01) in movement duration, power, range of angular velocity, elevation, and smoothness (normalized jerk index and spectral arc length). Inertial sensor measurements correlated with functional clinical tests (Melbourne Assessment 2); movement duration and complexity (Higuchi fractal dimension) showed moderate to strong negative correlations with clinical measures of amplitude, accuracy, and fluency. Inertial sensor measurements reliably identify paresis and correlate with clinical measurements; they can therefore provide a complementary dimension of assessment in clinical practice and during clinical trials aimed at improving upper limb function.

Quantification of structural changes in acute inflammation by fractal dimension, angular second moment and correlation.

PubMed

Stankovic, Marija; Pantic, Igor; De Luka, Silvio R; Puskas, Nela; Zaletel, Ivan; Milutinovic-Smiljanic, Sanja; Pantic, Senka; Trbovich, Alexander M

2016-03-01

The aim of the study was to examine alteration and possible application of fractal dimension, angular second moment, and correlation for quantification of structural changes in acutely inflamed tissue. Acute inflammation was induced by injection of turpentine oil into the right and left hind limb muscles of mice, whereas control animals received intramuscular saline injection. After 12 h, animals were anesthetised and treated muscles collected. The tissue was stained by hematoxylin and eosin, digital micrographs produced, enabling determination of fractal dimension of the cells, angular second moment and correlation of studied tissue. Histopathological analysis showed presence of inflammatory infiltrate and tissue damage in inflammatory group, whereas tissue structure in control group was preserved, devoid of inflammatory infiltrate. Fractal dimension of the cells, angular second moment and correlation of treated tissue in inflammatory group decreased in comparison to the control group. In this study, we were first to observe and report that fractal dimension of the cells, angular second moment, and correlation were reduced in acutely inflamed tissue, indicating loss of overall complexity of the cells in the tissue, the tissue uniformity and structure regularity. Fractal dimension, angular second moment and correlation could be useful methods for quantification of structural changes in acute inflammation. © 2015 The Authors Journal of Microscopy © 2015 Royal Microscopical Society.

Practice Changes the Usage of Moment Components in Executing a Multijoint Task

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kadota, Koji; Matsuo, Tomoyuki; Hashizume, Ken; Tezuka, Kazushi

2004-01-01

In this article, the authors examined changes in the usage of muscular and motion-dependent moments during the long-term practice of a complex, multijoint movement. Seven participants practiced a cyclic movement of the upper limbs until their joint angular movements conformed to those of an expert. The motions of the participants were digitally…

Gravity-darkening exponents in semi-detached binary systems from their photometric observations. II.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Djurašević, G.; Rovithis-Livaniou, H.; Rovithis, P.; Georgiades, N.; Erkapić, S.; Pavlović, R.

2006-01-01

This second part of our study concerning gravity-darkening presents the results for 8 semi-detached close binary systems. From the light-curve analysis of these systems the exponent of the gravity-darkening (GDE) for the Roche lobe filling components has been empirically derived. The method used for the light-curve analysis is based on Roche geometry, and enables simultaneous estimation of the systems' parameters and the gravity-darkening exponents. Our analysis is restricted to the black-body approximation which can influence in some degree the parameter estimation. The results of our analysis are: 1) For four of the systems, namely: TX UMa, β Per, AW Cam and TW Cas, there is a very good agreement between empirically estimated and theoretically predicted values for purely convective envelopes. 2) For the AI Dra system, the estimated value of gravity-darkening exponent is greater, and for UX Her, TW And and XZ Pup lesser than corresponding theoretical predictions, but for all mentioned systems the obtained values of the gravity-darkening exponent are quite close to the theoretically expected values. 3) Our analysis has proved generally that with the correction of the previously estimated mass ratios of the components within some of the analysed systems, the theoretical predictions of the gravity-darkening exponents for stars with convective envelopes are highly reliable. The anomalous values of the GDE found in some earlier studies of these systems can be considered as the consequence of the inappropriate method used to estimate the GDE. 4) The empirical estimations of GDE given in Paper I and in the present study indicate that in the light-curve analysis one can apply the recent theoretical predictions of GDE with high confidence for stars with both convective and radiative envelopes.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jee, I.; Komatsu, E.; Suyu, S.H., E-mail: ijee@mpa-garching.mpg.de, E-mail: komatsu@mpa-garching.mpg.de, E-mail: suyu@asiaa.sinica.edu.tw

The distance-redshift relation plays a fundamental role in constraining cosmological models. In this paper, we show that measurements of positions and time delays of strongly lensed images of a background galaxy, as well as those of the velocity dispersion and mass profile of a lens galaxy, can be combined to extract the angular diameter distance of the lens galaxy. Physically, as the velocity dispersion and the time delay give a gravitational potential (GM/r) and a mass (GM) of the lens, respectively, dividing them gives a physical size (r) of the lens. Comparing the physical size with the image positions ofmore » a lensed galaxy gives the angular diameter distance to the lens. A mismatch between the exact locations at which these measurements are made can be corrected by measuring a local slope of the mass profile. We expand on the original idea put forward by Paraficz and Hjorth, who analyzed singular isothermal lenses, by allowing for an arbitrary slope of a power-law spherical mass density profile, an external convergence, and an anisotropic velocity dispersion. We find that the effect of external convergence cancels out when dividing the time delays and velocity dispersion measurements. We derive a formula for the uncertainty in the angular diameter distance in terms of the uncertainties in the observables. As an application, we use two existing strong lens systems, B1608+656 (z{sub L}=0.6304) and RXJ1131−1231 (z{sub L}=0.295), to show that the uncertainty in the inferred angular diameter distances is dominated by that in the velocity dispersion, σ{sup 2}, and its anisotropy. We find that the current data on these systems should yield about 16% uncertainty in D{sub A} per object. This improves to 13% when we measure σ{sup 2} at the so-called sweet-spot radius. Achieving 7% is possible if we can determine σ{sup 2} with 5% precision.« less

Quantifying the VNIR Effects of Nanophase Iron Generated through the Space Weathering of Silicates: Reconciling Modeled Data with Laboratory Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Legett, C., IV; Glotch, T. D.; Lucey, P. G.

2015-12-01

Space weathering is a diverse set of processes that occur on the surfaces of airless bodies due to exposure to the space environment. One of the effects of space weathering is the generation of nanophase iron particles in glassy rims on mineral grains due to sputtering of iron-bearing minerals. These particles have a size-dependent effect on visible and near infrared (VNIR) reflectance spectra with smaller diameter particles (< 50 nm) causing both reddening and darkening of the spectra with respect to unweathered material (Britt-Pieters particle behavior), while larger particles (> 300 nm) darken without reddening. Between these two sizes, a gradual shift between these two behaviors occurs. In this work, we present results from the Multiple Sphere T-Matrix (MSTM) scattering model in combination with Hapke theory to explore the particle size and iron content parameter spaces with respect to VNIR (700-1700 nm) spectral slope. Previous work has shown that the MSTM-Hapke hybrid model offers improvements over Mie-Hapke models. Virtual particles are constructed out of an arbitrary number of spheres, and each sphere is assigned a refractive index and extinction coefficient for each wavelength of interest. The model then directly solves Maxwell's Equations at every wave-particle interface to predict the scattering, extinction and absorption efficiencies. These are then put into a simplified Hapke bidirectional reflectance model that yields a predicted reflectance. Preliminary results show an area of maximum slopes for iron particle diameters < 80 nm and iron concentrations of ~1-10wt% in an amorphous silica matrix. Further model runs are planned to better refine the extent of this region. Companion laboratory work using mixtures of powdered aerogel and nanophase iron particles provides a point of comparison to modeling efforts. The effects on reflectance and emissivity values due to particle size in a nearly ideal scatterer (aerogel) are also observed with comparisons to model data.

Getting the Big Picture: Design Considerations for a ngVLA Short Spacing Array

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mason, Brian Scott; Cotton, William; Condon, James; Kepley, Amanda; Selina, Rob; Murphy, Eric Joseph

2018-01-01

The Next Generation VLA (ngVLA) aims to provide a revolutionary increase in cm-wavelength collecting area and sensitivity while at the same time providing excellent image fidelity for a broad spectrum of science cases. Likely ngVLA configurations currently envisioned provide sensitivity over a very wide range of spatial scales. The antenna diameter (notionally 18 meters) fundamentally limits the largest angular scales that can be reached. One simple and powerful way to image larger angular scales is to build a complementary interferometer comprising a smaller number of smaller-diameter dishes.We have investigated the requirements that such an array would need to meet in order to usefully scientifically complement the ngVLA; this poster presents the results of our investigation.

Analysis of isokinetic muscle strength for sports physiotherapy research in Korean ssireum athletes

PubMed Central

Noh, Ji-Woong; Park, Byoung-Sun; Kim, Mee-Young; Lee, Lim-Kyu; Yang, Seung-Min; Lee, Won-Deok; Shin, Yong-Sub; Kim, Ju-Hyun; Lee, Jeong-Uk; Kwak, Taek-Yong; Lee, Tae-Hyun; Kim, Ju-Young; Park, Jaehong; Kim, Junghwan

2015-01-01

[Purpose] The purpose of the present study was to elucidate the muscle conditions such as the isokinetic muscle of Korean ssireum athletes. [Subjects and Methods] This study enrolled 25 elite ssireum athletes. We measured body composition and peak torque at an angular speed at 60°/s using an isokinetic muscle strength dynamometer. [Results] The lean body mass of the left upper limb was significantly higher than that of the right upper limb. However, the lean body mass of the left lower limb was significantly lower than that of the right lower limb. The peak torque for left elbow flexion was significantly higher than that for right elbow flexion. Conversely, the peak torque for left elbow extension was significantly lower than that for right elbow extension. Furthermore, the peak torque for the left knee was significantly lower than that for the right knee for both flexion and extension. [Conclusion] The data from this study elucidate in part the muscle conditions of Korean ssireum athletes, which can be used to establish a reference for the scientific study of sports physiotherapy. PMID:26644679

Analysis of isokinetic muscle strength for sports physiotherapy research in Korean ssireum athletes.

PubMed

Noh, Ji-Woong; Park, Byoung-Sun; Kim, Mee-Young; Lee, Lim-Kyu; Yang, Seung-Min; Lee, Won-Deok; Shin, Yong-Sub; Kim, Ju-Hyun; Lee, Jeong-Uk; Kwak, Taek-Yong; Lee, Tae-Hyun; Kim, Ju-Young; Park, Jaehong; Kim, Junghwan

2015-10-01

[Purpose] The purpose of the present study was to elucidate the muscle conditions such as the isokinetic muscle of Korean ssireum athletes. [Subjects and Methods] This study enrolled 25 elite ssireum athletes. We measured body composition and peak torque at an angular speed at 60°/s using an isokinetic muscle strength dynamometer. [Results] The lean body mass of the left upper limb was significantly higher than that of the right upper limb. However, the lean body mass of the left lower limb was significantly lower than that of the right lower limb. The peak torque for left elbow flexion was significantly higher than that for right elbow flexion. Conversely, the peak torque for left elbow extension was significantly lower than that for right elbow extension. Furthermore, the peak torque for the left knee was significantly lower than that for the right knee for both flexion and extension. [Conclusion] The data from this study elucidate in part the muscle conditions of Korean ssireum athletes, which can be used to establish a reference for the scientific study of sports physiotherapy.

Moon-based UV reflecting coronagraph

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vial, J. C.; Koutchmy, S.; Smartt, R. N.

1994-06-01

UV observations of the solar disc, and above the limb, have evidenced a wide range of possible diagnostics, especially in the Lyman alpha line. On the disc, Lyman alpha traces the magnetic (sometimes unexpected) structuring of the top of the atmosphere; out from the limb, it allows measurement of radial velocities up to a few solar radii where most optical techniques fail. Other diagnostics include the kinematics of ejections (e.g. Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs), but also small-scale rapidly evolving plasmoids). We propose a dual-channel reflecting coronagraph combining relatively-high angular resolution (0.2-0.4 inches) with large spatial (2.5 solar radii from Sun center) and temporal coverage. The advantages offered by a Moon-based instrument are discussed.

Isokinetic evaluation of internal/external tibial rotation strength after the use of hamstring tendons for anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.

PubMed

Armour, Tanya; Forwell, Lorie; Litchfield, Robert; Kirkley, Alexandra; Amendola, Ned; Fowler, Peter J

2004-01-01

Evaluation of the knee after an anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction with the use of the semitendinosus and gracilis (hamstring) autografts has primarily focused on flexion and extension strength. The semitendinosus and gracilis muscles contribute to internal tibial rotation, and it has been suggested that harvest of these tendons for the purpose of an anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction contributes to internal tibial rotation weakness. Internal tibial rotation strength may be affected by the semitendinosus and gracilis harvest after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. Prospective evaluation of internal and external tibial rotation strength. Inclusion criteria for subjects (N = 30): unilateral anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction at least 2 years previously, a stable anterior cruciate ligament (<5-mm side-to-side difference) at time of testing confirmed by surgeon and KT-1000 arthrometer, no history of knee problems after initial knee reconstruction, a normal contralateral knee, and the ability to comply with the testing protocol. In an attempt to minimize unwanted subtalar joint motion, subjects were immobilized using an ankle brace and tested at angular velocities of 60 degrees /s, 120 degrees /s, and 180 degrees /s at a knee flexion angle of 90 degrees . The mean peak torque measurements for internal rotation strength of the operative limb (60 degrees /s, 17.4 +/- 4.5 ft-lb; 120 degrees /s, 13.9 +/- 3.3 ft-lb; 180 degrees /s, 11.6 +/- 3.0 ft-lb) were statistically different compared to the nonoperated limb (60 degrees /s, 20.5 +/- 4.7 ft-lb; 120 degrees /s, 15.9 +/- 3.8 ft-lb; 180 degrees /s, 13.4 +/- 3.8 ft-lb) at 60 degrees /s (P = .012), 120 degrees /s (P = .036), and 180 degrees /s (P = .045). The nonoperative limb demonstrated greater strength at all speeds. The mean torque measurements for external rotation were statistically similar when compared to the nonoperated limb at all angular velocities. We have shown through our study that patients who undergo surgical intervention to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament with the use of autogenous hamstring tendons demonstrate with weaker internal tibial rotation postoperatively at 2 years when compared to the contralateral limb.

Radiative characteristics of clouds embedded in smoke derived from airborne multiangular measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gautam, Ritesh; Gatebe, Charles K.; Singh, Manoj K.; Várnai, Tamás.; Poudyal, Rajesh

2016-08-01

Clouds in the presence of absorbing aerosols result in their apparent darkening, observed at the top of atmosphere (TOA), which is associated with the radiative effects of aerosol absorption. Owing to the large radiative effect and potential impacts on regional climate, above-cloud aerosols have recently been characterized in multiple satellite-based studies. While satellite data are particularly useful in showing the radiative impact of above-cloud aerosols at the TOA, recent literature indicates large uncertainties in satellite retrievals of above-cloud aerosol optical depth (AOD) and single scattering albedo (SSA), which are among the most important parameters in the assessment of associated radiative effects. In this study, we analyze radiative characteristics of clouds in the presence of wildfire smoke using airborne data primarily from NASA's Cloud Absorption Radiometer, collected during the Arctic Research of the Composition of the Troposphere from Aircraft and Satellites campaign in Canada during the 2008 summer season. We found a strong positive reflectance (R) gradient in the UV-visible (VIS)-near infrared (NIR) spectrum for clouds embedded in dense smoke, as opposed to an (expected) negative gradient for cloud-free smoke and a flat spectrum for smoke-free cloud cover. Several cases of clouds embedded in thick smoke were found, when the aircraft made circular/spiral measurements, which not only allowed the complete characterization of angular distribution of smoke scattering but also provided the vertical distribution of smoke and clouds (within 0.5-5 km). Specifically, the largest darkening by smoke was found in the UV/VIS, with R0.34μm reducing to 0.2 (or 20%), in contrast to 0.8 at NIR wavelengths (e.g., 1.27 µm). The observed darkening is associated with large AODs (0.5-3.0) and moderately low SSA (0.85-0.93 at 0.53 µm), resulting in a significantly large instantaneous aerosol forcing efficiency of 254 ± 47 W m-2 τ-1. Our observations of smoke-cloud radiative interactions were found to be physically consistent with theoretical plane-parallel 1-D and Monte Carlo 3-D radiative transfer calculations, capturing the observed gradient across UV-VIS-NIR. Results from this study offer insights into aerosol-cloud radiative interactions and may help in better constraining satellite retrieval algorithms.

Radiative Characteristics of Clouds Embedded in Smoke Derived from Airborne Multiangular Measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gautam, Ritesh; Gatebe, Charles K.; Singh, Manoj; Varnai, Tamas; Poudyal, Rajesh

2016-01-01

Clouds in the presence of absorbing aerosols result in their apparent darkening, observed at the top of atmosphere (TOA), which is associated with the radiative effects of aerosol absorption. Owing to the large radiative effect and potential impacts on regional climate, above-cloud aerosols have recently been characterized in multiple satellite-based studies. While satellite data are particularly useful in showing the radiative impact of above-cloud aerosols at the TOA, recent literature indicates large uncertainties in satellite retrievals of above-cloud aerosol optical depth (AOD) and single scattering albedo (SSA), which are among the most important parameters in the assessment of associated radiative effects. In this study, we analyze radiative characteristics of clouds in the presence of wildfire smoke using airborne data primarily from NASA's Cloud Absorption Radiometer, collected during the Arctic Research of the Composition of the Troposphere from Aircraft and Satellites campaign in Canada during the 2008 summer season. We found a strong positive reflectance (R) gradient in the UV-visible (VIS)-near infrared (NIR) spectrum for clouds embedded in dense smoke, as opposed to an (expected) negative gradient for cloud-free smoke and a flat spectrum for smoke-free cloud cover. Several cases of clouds embedded in thick smoke were found, when the aircraft made circular/spiral measurements, which not only allowed the complete characterization of angular distribution of smoke scattering but also provided the vertical distribution of smoke and clouds (within 0.5-5 km). Specifically, the largest darkening by smoke was found in the UV/VIS, with R(sub 0.34 microns) reducing to 0.2 (or 20%), in contrast to 0.8 at NIR wavelengths (e.g., 1.27 microns). The observed darkening is associated with large AODs (0.5-3.0) and moderately low SSA (0.85-0.93 at 0.53 microns), resulting in a significantly large instantaneous aerosol forcing efficiency of 254 +/- 47 W/sq m/t. Our observations of smoke-cloud radiative interactions were found to be physically consistent with theoretical plane-parallel 1-D and Monte Carlo 3-D radiative transfer calculations, capturing the observed gradient across UV-VIS-NIR. Results from this study offer insights into aerosol-cloud radiative interactions and may help in better constraining satellite retrieval algorithms.

Measurement of Forces and Moments Transmitted to the Residual Limb

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-10-01

forces, moments, and alignments. 15. SUBJECT TERMS Amputees, prosthesis alignment, socket pressure, gait, force and moment sensors 16. SECURITY...evaluate the feasibility of using a tri-axial transducer mounted to the pylon of a lower limb prosthesis directly below the socket to a.) Characterize...weighing up to nearly 500lbs, or activities which involve deceleration or acceleration forces of up to 500 lbs along the pylon of a prosthesis . Diameter

High resolution of fast-rotating stars across the H-R diagram: photosphere and circumstellar environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Domiciano de Souza, Armando

2014-12-01

Rotation is a fundamental parameter that governs the physical structure and evolution of stars, for example by generating internal circulations of matter and angular momentum, which in turn change the stellar lifetime. Massive stars (spectral types OBA) are those presenting the highest rotation velocities and thus those for which the consequences of rotation are the strongest. On the external layers of the star, fast-rotation induces in particular (1) a flattening (equatorial radius higher than the polar radius) and (2) a gravity darkening (non-uniform distribution of flux, and thus effective temperature, between the poles and the equator). This important modification in the photospheric physical structure can also drive an anisotropic (axisymmetric) mass and angular momentum loss, originating for example the complex circumstellar environments around Be and supergiant B[e] stars. The techniques of high angular and high spectral resolution allow a detailed study of the effects of rotation on the stellar photosphere and circumstellar environment across the H-R diagram. Thanks to these techniques, and in particular to the optical/infrared long-baseline interferometry, our knowledge on the impact of rotation in stellar physics was highly deepened since the beginning of the XXI century. The results described in this Habilitation Thesis are placed in this context and are the fruit a double approach combining both (1) observation, mainly with the ESO-VLT(I) instruments (e.g. NACO, VISIR, MIDI, AMBER, PIONIER) and (2) astrophysical modeling with different codes, including also radiation transfer (CHARRON, HDUST, FRACS). I present, in particular, the results obtained on three fast-rotating stars: Altair (A7V; delta Scuti), Achernar (B6Ve; Be star), and CPD-57° 2874 (supergiant B[e] star).

Visual flow scene effects on the somatogravic illusion in non-pilots.

PubMed

Eriksson, Lars; von Hofsten, Claes; Tribukait, Arne; Eiken, Ola; Andersson, Peter; Hedström, Johan

2008-09-01

The somatogravic illusion (SGI) is easily broken when the pilot looks out the aircraft window during daylight flight, but it has proven difficult to break or even reduce the SGI in non-pilots in simulators using synthetic visual scenes. Could visual-flow scenes that accommodate compensatory head movement reduce the SGI in naive subjects? We investigated the effects of visual cues on the SGI induced by a human centrifuge. The subject was equipped with a head-tracked, head-mounted display (HMD) and was seated in a fixed gondola facing the center of rotation. The angular velocity of the centrifuge increased from near zero until a 0.57-G centripetal acceleration was attained, resulting in a tilt of the gravitoinertial force vector, corresponding to a pitch-up of 30 degrees. The subject indicated perceived horizontal continuously by means of a manual adjustable-plate system. We performed two experiments with within-subjects designs. In Experiment 1, the subjects (N = 13) viewed a darkened HMD and a presentation of simple visual flow beneath a horizon. In Experiment 2, the subjects (N = 12) viewed a darkened HMD, a scene including symbology superimposed on simple visual flow and horizon, and this scene without visual flow (static). In Experiment 1, visual flow reduced the SGI from 12.4 +/- 1.4 degrees (mean +/- SE) to 8.7 +/- 1.5 degrees. In Experiment 2, the SGI was smaller in the visual flow condition (9.3 +/- 1.8 degrees) than with the static scene (13.3 +/- 1.7 degrees) and without HMD presentation (14.5 +/- 2.3 degrees), respectively. It is possible to reduce the SGI in non-pilots by means of a synthetic horizon and simple visual flow conveyed by a head-tracked HMD. This may reflect the power of a more intuitive display for reducing the SGI.

Angular and radial dependence of the energy response factor for LIF-TLD micro-rods in 125L permanent implant source.

PubMed

Mobit, Paul; Badragan, Iulian

2006-01-01

EGSnrc Monte Carlo simulations were used to calculate the angular and radial dependence of the energy response factor for LiF-thermoluminescence dosemeters (TLDs) irradiated with a commercially available (125)I permanent brachytherapy source. The LiF-TLDs were modelled as cylindrical micro-rods of length 6 mm and with diameters of 1 mm and 5 mm. The results show that for a LiF-TLD micro-rod of 1 mm diameter, the energy response relative to (60)Co gamma rays is 1.406 +/- 0.3% for a polar angle of 90 degrees and radial distance of 1.0 cm. When the diameter of the micro-rod is increased from 1 to 5 mm, the energy response decreases to 1.32 +/- 0.3% at the same point. The variation with position of the energy response factor is not >5% in a 6 cm x 6 cm x 6 cm calculation grid for the 5 mm diameter micro-rod. The results show that there is a change in the photon spectrum with angle and radial distance, which causes the variation of the energy response.

Angular dependence of the magnetic properties of permalloy and nickel nanowires as a function of their diameters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raviolo, Sofía; Tejo, Felipe; Bajales, Noelia; Escrig, Juan

2018-01-01

In this paper we have compared the angular dependence of the magnetic properties of permalloy (Ni80Fe20) and nickel nanowires by means of micromagnetic simulations. For each material we have chosen two diameters, 40 and 100 nm. Permalloy nanowires with smaller diameters (d = 40 nm) exhibit greater coercivity than nickel nanowires, regardless of the angle at which the external magnetic field is applied. In addition, both Py and Ni nanowires exhibit the same remanence values. However, the nanowires of larger diameters (d = 100 nm) exhibit a more complex behavior, noting that for small angles, nickel nanowires are those that now exhibit a greater coercivity in comparison to those of permalloy. The magnetization reversal modes vary as a function of the angle at which the external field is applied. When the field is applied parallel to the wire axis, it reverts through nucleation and propagation of domain walls, whereas when the field is applied perpendicular to the axis, it reverts by a pseudo-coherent rotation. These results may provide a guide to control the magnetic properties of nanowires for use in potential applications.

Three-Dimensional Trunk and Lower Limbs Characteristics during Gait in Patients with Huntington's Disease.

PubMed

Mirek, Elzbieta; Filip, Magdalena; Chwała, Wiesław; Banaszkiewicz, Krzysztof; Rudzinska-Bar, Monika; Szymura, Jadwiga; Pasiut, Szymon; Szczudlik, Andrzej

2017-01-01

Objective: A number of studies on gait disturbances have been conducted, however, no clear pattern of gait disorders was described. The aim of the study was to characterize the gait pattern in HD patients by conducting analysis of mean angular movement changes the lower limb joints and trunk (kinematics parameters). Methods: The study group consisted of 30 patients with HD (17 women and 13 men). The reference data include the results of 30 healthy subjects (17 women and 13 men). Registration of gait with the Vicon 250 system was performed using passive markers attached to specific anthropometric points directly on the skin, based on the Golem biomechanical model (Oxford Metrics Ltd.). The research group and the control group were tested once. Results: Statistically significant ( p < 0.05) angular changes in gait cycle for HD patients were observed in: insufficient plantar flexion during Loading Response and Pre-swing phases; insufficient flexion of the knee joint during Initial Swing and Mid Swing phases; excessive flexion of the hip in Terminal Stance and Pre-swing phases and over-normative forward inclination of the trunk in all gait phases. It should be noted that the group of patients with HD obtained, for all the mean angular movement changes higher standard deviation. Conclusion: A characteristic gait disorder common to all patients with HD occurring throughout the whole duration of the gait cycle is a pathological anterior tilt of the trunk. The results will significantly contribute to programming physiotherapy for people with HD, aimed at stabilizing the trunk in a position of extension during gait.

Experimental evidence that microbial activity lowers the albedo of glacier surfaces: the cryoconite casserole experiment.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Musilova, M.; Tranter, M.; Takeuchi, N.; Anesio, A. M.

2014-12-01

Darkened glacier and ice sheet surfaces have lower albedos, absorb more solar radiation and consequently melt more rapidly. The increase in glacier surface darkening is an important positive feedback to warming global temperatures, leading to ever growing world-wide ice mass loss. Most studies focus primarily on glacial albedo darkening caused by the physical properties of snow and ice surfaces, and the deposition of dark impurities on glaciers. To date, however, the important effects of biological activity have not been included in most albedo reduction models. This study provides the first experimental evidence that microbial activity can significantly decrease the albedo of glacier surfaces. An original laboratory experiment, the cryoconite casserole, was designed to test the microbial darkening of glacier surface debris (cryoconite) under simulated Greenlandic summer conditions. It was found that minor fertilisation of the cryoconite (at nutrient concentrations typical of glacial ice melt) stimulated extensive microbial activity. Microbes intensified their organic carbon fixation and even mined phosphorous out of the glacier surface sediment. Furthermore, the microbial organic carbon production, accumulation and transformation caused the glacial debris to darken further by 17.3% reflectivity (albedo analogue). These experiments are consistent with the hypothesis that enhanced fertilisation by anthropogenic inputs results in substantial amounts of organic carbon fixation, debris darkening and ultimately to a considerable decrease in the ice albedo of glacier surfaces on global scales. The sizeable amounts of microbially produced glacier surface organic matter and nutrients can thus be a vital source of bioavailable nutrients for subglacial and downstream environments.

Resurrection of the in situ saphenous vein bypass. 1000 cases later.

PubMed Central

Leather, R P; Shah, D M; Chang, B B; Kaufman, J L

1988-01-01

Distal bypasses for the terminal stages of atherosclerotic occlusive disease manifest by chronic limb-threatening ischemia are among the most challenging arterial reconstructive procedures of surgeons today. The length and low flow rates of distal bypasses often exceed the functional limits of synthetic and even free vein grafts. However, the saphenous vein, when used in situ, provides a unique, viable, physiologically active, and hence antithrombogenic endothelial flow surface that is ideally suited for such bypasses. This paper presents the experience of the Albany Medical Center Hospital with the first 1000 in situ bypasses performed by the valve incision method over a 12-year period. Limb-threatening ischemia was the most common indication for surgery (91%). An in situ bypass was attempted in over 95% of unselected limbs and were completed in situ and in toto in 94%. 66% of the bypasses were carried out to the infrapopliteal level, and in more than 50% of the limbs, the distal vein diameter was less than 3.5 mm. The 30-day patency rate was 95%, and the cumulative patency rates, by life table analysis at 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 years, were 90%, 86%, 84%, 80%, and 76%, respectively. The vein diameter, specific outflow vessel, level of distal anastomosis (length of bypass), inguinal inflow source used, and instrumental evolution had no significant effect on immediate or long-term bypass performance. PMID:3178331

Towards stellar effective temperatures and diameters at 1 per cent accuracy for future surveys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Casagrande, L.; Portinari, L.; Glass, I. S.; Laney, D.; Silva Aguirre, V.; Datson, J.; Andersen, J.; Nordström, B.; Holmberg, J.; Flynn, C.; Asplund, M.

2014-04-01

The apparent size of stars is a crucial benchmark for fundamental stellar properties such as effective temperatures, radii and surface gravities. While interferometric measurements of stellar angular diameters are the most direct method to gauge these, they are still limited to relatively nearby and bright stars, which are saturated in most of the modern photometric surveys. This dichotomy prevents us from safely extending well-calibrated relations to the faint stars targeted in large spectroscopic and photometric surveys. Here, we alleviate this obstacle by presenting South African Astronomical Observatory near-infrared JHK observations of 55 stars: 16 of them have interferometric angular diameters and the rest are in common with the 2 Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS, unsaturated) data set, allowing us to tie the effective temperatures and angular diameters derived via the infrared flux method to the interferometric scale. We extend the test to recent interferometric measurements of unsaturated 2MASS stars, including giants, and the metal-poor benchmark target HD122563. With a critical evaluation of the systematics involved, we conclude that a 1 per cent accuracy in fundamental stellar parameters is usually within reach. Caution, however, must be used when indirectly testing a Teff scale via colour relations as well as when assessing the reliability of interferometric measurements, especially at submilliarcsec level. As a result, rather different effective temperature scales can be compatible with a given subset of interferometric data. We highlight some caveats to be aware of in such a quest and suggest a simple method to check against systematics in fundamental measurements. A new diagnostic combination seismic radii with astrometric distances is also presented.

Matrix operator theory of radiative transfer. 2: scattering from maritime haze.

PubMed

Kattawar, G W; Plass, G N; Catchings, F E

1973-05-01

Matrix operator theory is used to calculate the reflected and transmitted radiance of photons that have interacted with plane-parallel maritime haze layers. The results are presented for three solar zenith angles, three values of the surface albedo, and a range of optical thicknesses from very thin to very thick. The diffuse flux at the lower boundary and the cloud albedo are tabulated. The forward peak and other features in the single scattered phase function cause the radiance in many cases to be very different from that for Rayleigh scattering. In particular the variation of the radiance with both the zenith or nadir angle and the azimuthal angle is more marked and the relative limb darkening under very thick layers is greater for haze M than for Rayleigh scattering. The downward diffuse flux at the lower boundary for A = 0 is always greater and the cloud albedo is always less for haze M than for Rayleigh layers.

Real-Time flare detection using guided filter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Jiaben; Deng, Yuanyong; Yuan, Fei; Guo, Juan

2017-04-01

A procedure is introduced for the automatic detection of solar flare using full-disk solar images from Huairou Solar Observing Station (HSOS), National Astronomical Observatories of China. In image preprocessing, median filter is applied to remove the noises. And then we adopt guided filter, which is first introduced into the astronomical image detection, to enhance the edges of flares and restrain the solar limb darkening. Flares are then detected by modified Otsu algorithm and further threshold processing technique. Compared with other automatic detection procedure, the new procedure has some advantages such as real time and reliability as well as no need of image division and local threshold. Also, it reduces the amount of computation largely, which is benefited from the efficient guided filter algorithm. The procedure has been tested on one month sequences (December 2013) of HSOS full-disk solar images and the result of flares detection shows that the number of flares detected by our procedure is well consistent with the manual one.

Automatic detection of solar features in HSOS full-disk solar images using guided filter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yuan, Fei; Lin, Jiaben; Guo, Jingjing; Wang, Gang; Tong, Liyue; Zhang, Xinwei; Wang, Bingxiang

2018-02-01

A procedure is introduced for the automatic detection of solar features using full-disk solar images from Huairou Solar Observing Station (HSOS), National Astronomical Observatories of China. In image preprocessing, median filter is applied to remove the noises. Guided filter is adopted to enhance the edges of solar features and restrain the solar limb darkening, which is first introduced into the astronomical target detection. Then specific features are detected by Otsu algorithm and further threshold processing technique. Compared with other automatic detection procedures, our procedure has some advantages such as real time and reliability as well as no need of local threshold. Also, it reduces the amount of computation largely, which is benefited from the efficient guided filter algorithm. The procedure has been tested on one month sequences (December 2013) of HSOS full-disk solar images and the result shows that the number of features detected by our procedure is well consistent with the manual one.

Temperature structure and emergent flux of the Jovian planets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Silvaggio, P.; Sagan, C.

1978-01-01

Long path, low temperature, moderate resolution spectra of methane and ammonia, broadened by hydrogen and helium, are used to calculate non-gray model atmospheres for the four Jovian planets. The fundamental and first overtone of hydrogen contributes enough absorption to create a thermal inversion for each of the planets. The suite of emergent spectral fluxes and representative limb darkenings and brightenings are calculated for comparison with the Voyager infrared spectra. The temperature differences between Jovian belts and zones corresponds to a difference in the ammonia cirrus particle radii (1 to 3 micron in zones; 10 micron in belts). The Jovian tropopause is approximately at the 0.1 bar level. A thin ammonia cirrus haze should be distributed throughout the Saturnian troposphere; and NH3 gas must be slightly supersaturated or ammonia ice particles are carried upwards convectively in the upper troposphere of Saturn. Substantial methane clouds exist on both Uranus and Neptune. There is some evidence for almost isothermal structures in the deep atmospheres of these two planets.

Prospects for Ground-Based Detection and Follow-up of TESS-Discovered Exoplanets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Varakian, Matthew; Deming, Drake

2018-01-01

The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) will monitor over 200,000 main sequence dwarf stars for exoplanetary transits, with the goal of discovering small planets orbiting stars that are bright enough for follow-up observations. We here evaluate the prospects for ground-based transit detection and follow-up of the TESS-discovered planets. We focus particularly on the TESS planets that only transit once during each 27.4 day TESS observing window per region, and we calculate to what extent ground-based recovery of additional transits will be possible. Using simulated exoplanet systems from Sullivan et al. and assuming the use of a 60-cm telescope at a high quality observing site, we project the S/N ratios for transits of such planets. We use Phoenix stellar models for stars with surface temperatures from 2500K to 12000K, and we account for limb darkening, red atmospheric noise, and missed transits due to the day-night cycle and poor weather.

The mechanics of landing when stepping down in unilateral lower-limb amputees.

PubMed

Jones, S F; Twigg, P C; Scally, A J; Buckley, J G

2006-02-01

The ability to successfully negotiate stairs and steps is an important factor for functional independence. While work has been undertaken to understand the biomechanics of gait in lower-limb amputees, little is known about how amputees negotiate stairs and steps. This study aimed to determine the mechanics of landing in unilateral lower-limb amputees when stepping down to a new level. A secondary aim was to assess the effects of using a shank-mounted shock-absorbing device (Tele-Torsion Pylon) on the mechanics of landing. Ten unilateral amputees (five transfemoral and five transtibial) and eight able-bodied controls performed single steps down to a new level (73 and 219 mm). Trials were repeated in amputees with the Tele-Torsion Pylon active and inactive. The mechanics of landing were evaluated by analysing peak limb longitudinal force, maximal limb shortening, lower extremity stiffness, and knee joint angular displacement during the initial contact period, and limb and ankle angle at the instant of ground-contact. Data were collected using a Vicon 3D motion analysis system and two force platforms. Amputees landed on a straightened and near vertical limb. This limb position was maintained in transfemoral amputees, whereas in transtibial amputees knee flexion occurred. As a result lower extremity stiffness was significantly greater in transfemoral amputees compared to transtibial amputees and able-bodied controls (P<0.001). The Tele-Torsion Pylon had little effect on the mechanics of landing in transtibial amputees, but brought about a reduction in lower extremity stiffness in transfemoral amputees (P<0.05). Amputees used a stepping strategy that ensured the direction of the ground reaction force vector was kept anterior of the knee joint centre. Using a Tele-Torsion Pylon may improve the mechanics of landing during downward stepping in transfemoral amputees.

A Neural Network-Based Gait Phase Classification Method Using Sensors Equipped on Lower Limb Exoskeleton Robots

PubMed Central

Jung, Jun-Young; Heo, Wonho; Yang, Hyundae; Park, Hyunsub

2015-01-01

An exact classification of different gait phases is essential to enable the control of exoskeleton robots and detect the intentions of users. We propose a gait phase classification method based on neural networks using sensor signals from lower limb exoskeleton robots. In such robots, foot sensors with force sensing registers are commonly used to classify gait phases. We describe classifiers that use the orientation of each lower limb segment and the angular velocities of the joints to output the current gait phase. Experiments to obtain the input signals and desired outputs for the learning and validation process are conducted, and two neural network methods (a multilayer perceptron and nonlinear autoregressive with external inputs (NARX)) are used to develop an optimal classifier. Offline and online evaluations using four criteria are used to compare the performance of the classifiers. The proposed NARX-based method exhibits sufficiently good performance to replace foot sensors as a means of classifying gait phases. PMID:26528986

A Neural Network-Based Gait Phase Classification Method Using Sensors Equipped on Lower Limb Exoskeleton Robots.

PubMed

Jung, Jun-Young; Heo, Wonho; Yang, Hyundae; Park, Hyunsub

2015-10-30

An exact classification of different gait phases is essential to enable the control of exoskeleton robots and detect the intentions of users. We propose a gait phase classification method based on neural networks using sensor signals from lower limb exoskeleton robots. In such robots, foot sensors with force sensing registers are commonly used to classify gait phases. We describe classifiers that use the orientation of each lower limb segment and the angular velocities of the joints to output the current gait phase. Experiments to obtain the input signals and desired outputs for the learning and validation process are conducted, and two neural network methods (a multilayer perceptron and nonlinear autoregressive with external inputs (NARX)) are used to develop an optimal classifier. Offline and online evaluations using four criteria are used to compare the performance of the classifiers. The proposed NARX-based method exhibits sufficiently good performance to replace foot sensors as a means of classifying gait phases.

Classification of corkscrew collaterals in thromboangiitis obliterans (Buerger's disease): relationship between corkscrew type and prevalence of ischemic ulcers.

PubMed

Fujii, Yuichi; Soga, Junko; Nakamura, Shuji; Hidaka, Takayuki; Hata, Takaki; Idei, Naomi; Fujimura, Noritaka; Nishioka, Kenji; Chayama, Kazuaki; Kihara, Yasuki; Higashi, Yukihito

2010-08-01

A corkscrew collateral appearance on angiography is one of the diagnostic criteria for Buerger's disease. The purpose of the present study was to classify the angiographic findings of corkscrew collaterals and to evaluate the relationship between corkscrew collateral type and the severity of Buerger's disease. Corkscrew collaterals were assessed on digital subtraction angiography in lower extremities of 28 patients with Buerger's disease (55 limbs). The corkscrew sign was classified into 4 types by size and pattern as follows: type I, artery diameter >2 mm, large helical sign; type II, diameter >1.5 mm and or=1 mm and

Multi-epoch VLTI-PIONIER imaging of the supergiant V766 Cen

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wittkowski, M.; Abellán, F. J.; Arroyo-Torres, B.; Chiavassa, A.; Guirado, J. C.; Marcaide, J. M.; Alberdi, A.; de Wit, W. J.; Hofmann, K.-H.; Meilland, A.; Millour, F.; Mohamed, S.; Sanchez-Bermudez, J.

2017-09-01

Context. The star V766 Cen (=HR 5171A) was originally classified as a yellow hypergiant but lately found to more likely be a 27-36 M⊙ red supergiant (RSG). Recent observations indicated a close eclipsing companion in the contact or common-envelope phase. Aims: Here, we aim at imaging observations of V766 Cen to confirm the presence of the close companion. Methods: We used near-infrared H-band aperture synthesis imaging at three epochs in 2014, 2016, and 2017, employing the PIONIER instrument at the Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI). Results: The visibility data indicate a mean Rosseland angular diameter of 4.1 ± 0.8 mas, corresponding to a radius of 1575 ± 400 R⊙. The data show an extended shell (MOLsphere) of about 2.5 times the Rosseland diameter, which contributes about 30% of the H-band flux. The reconstructed images at the 2014 epoch show a complex elongated structure within the photospheric disk with a contrast of about 10%. The second and third epochs show qualitatively and quantitatively different structures with a single very bright and narrow feature and high contrasts of 20-30%. This feature is located toward the south-western limb of the photospheric stellar disk. We estimate an angular size of the feature of 1.7 ± 0.3 mas, corresponding to a radius of 650 ± 150 R⊙, and giving a radius ratio of 0.42+0.35-0.10 compared to the primary stellar disk. Conclusions: We interpret the images at the 2016 and 2017 epochs as showing the close companion, or a common envelope toward the companion, in front of the primary. At the 2014 epoch, the close companion is behind the primary and not visible. Instead, the structure and contrast at the 2014 epoch are typical of a single RSG harboring giant photospheric convection cells. The companion is most likely a cool giant or supergiant star with a mass of 5+15-3 M⊙. Based on observations made with the VLT Interferometer at Paranal Observatory under programme IDs 092.D-0096, 092.C-0312, and 097.D-0286.Olivier Chesneau was PI of the program 092.D-0096. He unfortunately passed away before seeing the results coming out of it. This Letter may serve as a posthumous tribute to his inspiring work on this source.

Investigation of Best Practices for Maintenance of Concrete Bridge Railings : Research Project Capsule

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2012-09-01

Mildew growth and darkening of concrete bridge railings and structures have : negative impacts on their aesthetic value and durability. Darkening and stains : are created by growth of biofi lms such as algae, cyanobacteria, and fungi. As : fungi grow...

Coding of position by simultaneously recorded sensory neurones in the cat dorsal root ganglion

PubMed Central

Stein, R B; Weber, D J; Aoyagi, Y; Prochazka, A; Wagenaar, J B M; Shoham, S; Normann, R A

2004-01-01

Muscle, cutaneous and joint afferents continuously signal information about the position and movement of individual joints. How does the nervous system extract more global information, for example about the position of the foot in space? To study this question we used microelectrode arrays to record impulses simultaneously from up to 100 discriminable nerve cells in the L6 and L7 dorsal root ganglia (DRG) of the anaesthetized cat. When the hindlimb was displaced passively with a random trajectory, the firing rate of the neurones could be predicted from a linear sum of positions and velocities in Cartesian (x, y), polar or joint angular coordinates. The process could also be reversed to predict the kinematics of the limb from the firing rates of the neurones with an accuracy of 1–2 cm. Predictions of position and velocity could be combined to give an improved fit to limb position. Decoders trained using random movements successfully predicted cyclic movements and movements in which the limb was displaced from a central point to various positions in the periphery. A small number of highly informative neurones (6–8) could account for over 80% of the variance in position and a similar result was obtained in a realistic limb model. In conclusion, this work illustrates how populations of sensory receptors may encode a sense of limb position and how the firing of even a small number of neurones can be used to decode the position of the limb in space. PMID:15331686

Interdependence of torque, joint angle, angular velocity and muscle action during human multi-joint leg extension.

PubMed

Hahn, Daniel; Herzog, Walter; Schwirtz, Ansgar

2014-08-01

Force and torque production of human muscles depends upon their lengths and contraction velocity. However, these factors are widely assumed to be independent of each other and the few studies that dealt with interactions of torque, angle and angular velocity are based on isolated single-joint movements. Thus, the purpose of this study was to determine force/torque-angle and force/torque-angular velocity properties for multi-joint leg extensions. Human leg extension was investigated (n = 18) on a motor-driven leg press dynamometer while measuring external reaction forces at the feet. Extensor torque in the knee joint was calculated using inverse dynamics. Isometric contractions were performed at eight joint angle configurations of the lower limb corresponding to increments of 10° at the knee from 30 to 100° of knee flexion. Concentric and eccentric contractions were performed over the same range of motion at mean angular velocities of the knee from 30 to 240° s(-1). For contractions of increasing velocity, optimum knee angle shifted from 52 ± 7 to 64 ± 4° knee flexion. Furthermore, the curvature of the concentric force/torque-angular velocity relations varied with joint angles and maximum angular velocities increased from 866 ± 79 to 1,238 ± 132° s(-1) for 90-50° knee flexion. Normalised eccentric forces/torques ranged from 0.85 ± 0.12 to 1.32 ± 0.16 of their isometric reference, only showing significant increases above isometric and an effect of angular velocity for joint angles greater than optimum knee angle. The findings reveal that force/torque production during multi-joint leg extension depends on the combined effects of angle and angular velocity. This finding should be accounted for in modelling and optimisation of human movement.

Typical and darkened Portland cement concrete pavement: temperature, moisture, and roughness analyses : final report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2017-01-01

The objectives of this research were to 1) investigate the effects of lower concrete albedo on the thermal behavior of concrete pavement by directly comparing temperatures and moisture contents of typical and darkened concrete pavements and 2) invest...

Lunar surface: Changes in 31 months and micrometeoroid flux

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jaffe, L. D.

1972-01-01

A preliminary comparison of Surveyor 3 and Apollo 12 photographs of areas disturbed by the Surveyor is described. About 60 Surveyor pictures taken in April and May 1967 and 20 Apollo photographs including stereo pairs were examined in detail. Only one definite change in the surface, other than those produced by astronauts, was noted. This is a particle about 2 mm in diameter which appears in the Apollo photographs of a Surveyor footpad imprint but which does not appear in the Surveyor photographs. The walls made by Surveyor footpads and surface sampler were still in place, and surface areas darkened by ejected fines during the Surveyor landing still appeared dark. The absence of detectable craters in the footpad imprint implies a very low micrometeorite flux on the lunar surface.

Ring structure in the HII region of NGC 5930

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Su, Bu-Mei; Mutel, R. L.; Zhang, Fu-Jing; Li, Yong-Sheng

1992-03-01

Radio continuous observations of the barred spiral galaxy NGC5930 at 2- and 3.6-cm wavelengths have been carried out with the VLA. It has been found that at 2 cm the HII region appears to be a ring structure on which hot spots are distributed. The outer angular diameter of the ring is 2.2 arcsec, and the inner angular diameter - 0.3 arcsec. The center is a hole from which no radio emission has been detected. The electron density in the HII region is 80 - 90 cu cm, and its mass is 10 exp 7 solar mass units. In NGC 5930 there is very strong infrared radiation. The infrared luminosity is 10 exp 6 times larger than the radio luminosity. There is a steep Balmer attenuation. This is a region where a star is being formed violently.

Growth Modulation in Achondroplasia.

PubMed

McClure, Philip K; Kilinc, Eray; Birch, John G

2017-09-01

Achondroplasia is the most common skeletal dysplasia with a rate of nearly 1/10,000. The development of lower extremity deformity is well documented, and various modes of correction have been reported. There are no reports on the use of growth modulation to correct angular deformity in achondroplasia. Medical Records from 1985 to 2015 were reviewed for the diagnosis of achondroplasia and growth modulation procedures. Patients who had been treated for angular deformity of the legs by growth modulation were identified. A detailed analysis of their medical record and preoperative and final lower extremity radiographs was completed. Four patients underwent growth modulation procedures, all to correct existing varus deformity of the legs. Three of the 4 patients underwent bilateral distal femoral and proximal tibial growth modulation. The remaining patient underwent tibial correction only. Two of the 4 patients had a combined proximal fibular epiphysiodesis. All limbs had some improvement of alignment; however, 1 patient went on to bilateral osteotomies. Only 1 limb corrected to a neutral axis with growth modulation alone at last follow-up, initial implantation was done before 5 years of age. Growth modulation is an effective means for deformity correction in the setting of achondroplasia. However implantation may need to be done earlier than would be typical for patients without achondroplasia. Osteotomy may still be required after growth modulation for incomplete correction.

Closing wedge retrotubercular tibial osteotomy and TKA for posttraumatic osteoarthritis with angular deformity.

PubMed

Meehan, John P; Khadder, Mohammad A; Jamali, Amir A; Trauner, Kenneth B

2009-05-01

Posttraumatic osteoarthritis of the knee can be associated with angular deformities and alterations in the joint line as a result of the initial trauma and subsequent surgical procedures. These deformities can be characterized as extra-articular or intra-articular or can involve aspects of both. Conversion to total knee arthroplasty (TKA) may require either a staged or a simultaneous corrective osteotomy to restore the limb alignment and proper knee function. This article describes a closing wedge retrotubercular tibia osteotomy performed concurrently with TKA in an effort to correct an extra-articular varus deformity and to improve the patella tendon height in relation to the reconstructed joint line. A 57-year-old man previously treated for a Schatzker type 6 tibia plateau fracture presented with symptoms of arthritis pain and instability as a result of a varus thrust with weight bearing. Radiographs revealed posttraumatic osteoarthritis, a 35 degrees varus deformity, and patella infera. Maintaining the tibia tubercle continuity with the distal tibia allowed for correction of the varus deformity and improvement in the patella tendon height relative to the joint line. At 5-year follow-up, the patient had osteotomy healing, clinically neutral limb alignment, and improvement in joint line biomechanics with resolution of symptoms of pain and instability.

Eclipse Megamovie Citizen Science: The Diamond Ring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hudson, H. S.; Mcintosh, S. W.; Martinez Oliveros, J. C.; Pasachoff, J. M.; Peticolas, L. M.; Bender, M.

2016-12-01

The 2017 North American total eclipse has begun to encourage many outreach and citizen-science activiites. We describe here a part of the Eclipse Megamovie program, in which we deploy a smartphone app to enable anybody with a GPS-equipped smartphone to record correct images of Baily's Beads (the "Diamond Ring" effect) for subsequent analysis. The multiply oversampled recordings of 2nd and 3rd contacts, across and along the track, will provide material for unique movie representations of the astronomical phenomenon. After the fact, this highly oversampled dataset can be used to confirm and/or extend detailed satellite topography of the Moon from Kaguya and LRO. In addition the high angular resolution inherent in the "knife-edge" motion will provide a unique view of the structure of the solar limb itself. The low angular resolution of the smartphone cameras is a handicap, but excellent time resolution and massive oversampling are great advantages. We anticipate public participation in image selection to get the best sequences of last few-millisecond imagery for the science product here, which can follow the known motions of the solar limb due to p-modes and granulation. No comparable database exists, and so the final product of this crowdsourcing will be a public archive of the data and metadata for future studies.

The natural moon illusion: a multifactor angular account.

PubMed

Plug, C; Ross, H E

1994-01-01

It is argued that the failure to explain the celestial illusion results from conceptual confusion about perceived size and from disregard of the observational evidence relating to the natural moon illusion. The evidence shows that the illusion consists of a perceived angular size enlargement of horizon objects, by a factor of about 1.5-2.0 in diameter in comparison with elevated objects. Most measurements of the illusion have been made in terms of angular size, although in some proposed explanations an illusion of linear size is assumed. The magnitude of the illusion varies, particularly with the detail of the horizon scene. The illusion can be explained as the sum of several factors that affect perceived angular size: size contrast, vergence commands and eye or head position, aerial perspective, and colour. The relative contributions of these factors are assessed.

Simultaneous effects of photo- and radio- darkening in ytterbium-doped aluminosilicate fibers

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Duchez, Jean-Bernard, E-mail: jbduchez@unice.fr; Mady, Franck, E-mail: jbduchez@unice.fr; Mebrouk, Yasmine, E-mail: jbduchez@unice.fr

2014-10-21

We present original characterizations of photo-radio-darkening in ytterbium-doped silica optical fibers submitted to the simultaneous action of the pump and of an ionizing radiation. We present the interplay between both radiations, showing e.g. that the pump is able to darken or bleach the fiber depending on the ionizing dose. The photo-resistance of the fiber is shown to play a crucial role on its radio-resistance, and that photo-resistant fibers should be also radio-resistant in low dose rate conditions. All the results are thoroughly explained by a physical model presented in a separate article by Mady et al. (this conference proceeding)

Angular position of the cleat according to torsional parameters of the cyclist's lower limb.

PubMed

Ramos-Ortega, Javier; Domínguez, Gabriel; Castillo, José Manuel; Fernández-Seguín, Lourdes; Munuera, Pedro V

2014-05-01

The aim of this work was to study the relationship of torsional and rotational parameters of the lower limb with a specific angular position of the cleat to establish whether these variables affect the adjustment of the cleat. Correlational study. Motion analysis laboratory. Thirty-seven male cyclists of high performance. The variables studied of the cyclist's lower limb were hip rotation (internal and external), tibial torsion angle, Q angle, and forefoot adductus angle. The cleat angle was measured through a photograph of the sole and with an Rx of this using the software AutoCAD 2008. The variables were photograph angle (photograph), the variable denominated cleat-tarsus minor angle, and a variable denominated cleat-second metatarsal angle (Rx). Analysis included the intraclass correlation coefficient for the reliability of the measurements, Student's t test performed on the dependent variables to compare side, and the multiple linear regression models were calculated using the software SPSS 15.0 for Windows. The Student's t test performed on the dependent variables to compare side showed no significant differences (P = 0.209 for the photograph angle, P = 0.735 for the cleat-tarsus minor angle, and P = 0.801 for the cleat-second metatarsal angle). Values of R and R2 for the photograph angle model were 0.303 and 0.092 (P = 0.08), the cleat/tarsus minor angle model were 0.683 and 0.466 (P < 0.001), and the cleat/second metatarsal angle model were 0.618 and 0.382, respectively (P < 0.001). The equation given by the model was cleat-tarsus minor angle = 75.094 - (0.521 × forefoot adductus angle) + (0.116 × outward rotation of the hips) + (0.220 × Q angle).

Three-dimensional finite volume modelling of blood flow in simulated angular neck abdominal aortic aneurysm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Algabri, Y. A.; Rookkapan, S.; Chatpun, S.

2017-09-01

An abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is considered a deadly cardiovascular disease that defined as a focal dilation of blood artery. The healthy aorta size is between 15 and 24 mm based on gender, bodyweight, and age. When the diameter increased to 30 mm or more, the rupture can occur if it is kept growing or untreated. Moreover, the proximal angular neck of aneurysm is categorized as a significant morphological feature with prime harmful effects on endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR). Flow pattern in pathological vessel can influence the vascular intervention. The aim of this study is to investigate the blood flow behaviours in angular neck abdominal aortic aneurysm with simulated geometry based on patient’s information using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). The 3D angular neck AAA models have been designed by using SolidWorks Software. Consequently, CFD tools are used for simulating these 3D models of angular neck AAA in ANSYS FLUENT Software. Eventually, based on the results, we summarized that the CFD techniques have shown high performance in explaining and investigating the flow patterns for angular neck abdominal aortic aneurysm.

Limb-brightened jet of 3C 84 revealed by the 43 GHz very-long-baseline-array observation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nagai, H.; Hada, K.; Haga, T.

2014-04-10

We present a study of the sub-parsec scale radio structure of the radio galaxy 3C 84/NGC 1275 based on the Very Long Baseline Array data at 43 GHz. We discover a limb brightening in the 'restarted' jet that is associated with the 2005 radio outburst. In the 1990s, the jet structure was ridge brightening rather than limb brightening, despite the observations being done with similar angular resolutions. This indicates that the transverse jet structure has recently changed. This change in the morphology reveals an interesting agreement with the γ-ray flux increase, i.e., the γ-ray flux in the 1990s was atmore » least seven times lower than the current one. One plausible explanation for the limb brightening is that the velocity structure of the jet is in the context of the stratified jet, which is a successful scenario that explains the γ-ray emission in some active galactic nuclei. If this is the case, then the change in apparent transverse structure might be caused by the change in the transverse velocity structure. We argue that the transition from ridge brightening to limb brightening is related to the γ-ray time variability on the timescale of decades. We also discuss the collimation profile of the jet.« less

The intercrater plains of Mercury and the Moon: Their nature, origin and role in terrestrial planet evolution. Crater statistical data. Ph.D. Thesis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Leake, M. A.

1982-01-01

The total number of craters within a bin of mean diameter, and the number of craters of each degradational type within that bin are tabulated. Rim-to-rim diameters were measured at arbitrary azimuths for rectified photos or photos taken at vertical incidence (most lunar photos), and at azimuths paralleling a local tangent to the limb for oblique images.

Lunar impact basins and crustal heterogeneity - New western limb and far side data from Galileo

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Belton, Michael J. S.; Head, James W., III; Pieters, Carle M.; Greeley, Ronald; Mcewen, Alfred S.; Neukum, Gerhard; Klaasen, Kenneth P.; Anger, Clifford D.; Carr, Michael H.; Chapman, Clark R.

1992-01-01

Multispectral images of the lunar western limb and far side obtained from Galileo reveal the compositional nature of several prominent lunar features and provide new information on lunar evolution. The data reveal that the ejecta from the Orientale impact basin (900 kilometers in diameter) lying outside the Cordillera Mountains was excavated from the crust, not the mantle, and covers pre-Orientale terrain that consisted of both highland materials and relatively large expanses of ancient mare basalts. The inside of the far side South Pole-Aitken basin (greater than 2000 kilometers in diameter) has low albedo, red color, and a relatively high abundance of iron- and magnesium-rich materials. These features suggest that the impact may have penetrated into the deep crust or lunar mantle or that the basin contains ancient mare basalts that were later covered by highlands ejecta.

Lunar impact basins and crustal heterogeneity: New western limb and far side data from galileo

USGS Publications Warehouse

Belton, M.J.S.; Head, J. W.; Pieters, C.M.; Greeley, R.; McEwen, A.S.; Neukum, G.; Klaasen, K.P.; Anger, C.D.; Carr, M.H.; Chapman, C.R.; Davies, M.E.; Fanale, F.P.; Gierasch, P.J.; Greenberg, R.; Ingersoll, A.P.; Johnson, T.; Paczkowski, B.; Pilcher, C.B.; Veverka, J.

1992-01-01

Multispectral images of the lunar western limb and far side obtained from Galileo reveal the compositional nature of several prominent lunar features and provide new information on lunar evolution. The data reveal that the ejecta from the Orientale impact basin (900 kilometers in diameter) lying outside the Cordillera Mountains was excavated from the crust, not the mantle, and covers pre-Orientale terrain that consisted of both highland materials and relatively large expanses of ancient mare basalts. The inside of the far side South Pole-Aitken basin (>2000 kilometers in diameter) has low albedo, red color, and a relatively high abundance of iron- and magnesium-rich materials. These features suggest that the impact may have penetrated into the deep crust or lunar mantle or that the basin contains ancient mare basalts that were later covered by highlands ejecta.

Kinematic Patterns Associated with the Vertical Force Produced during the Eggbeater Kick.

PubMed

Oliveira, Nuno; Chiu, Chuang-Yuan; Sanders, Ross H

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine the kinematic patterns that maximized the vertical force produced during the water polo eggbeater kick. Twelve water polo players were tested executing the eggbeater kick with the trunk aligned vertically and with the upper limbs above water while trying to maintain as high a position as possible out of the water for nine eggbeater kick cycles. Lower limb joint angular kinematics, pitch angles and speed of the feet were calculated. The vertical force produced during the eggbeater kick cycle was calculated using inverse dynamics for the independent lower body segments and combined upper body segments, and a participant-specific second-degree regression equation for the weight and buoyancy contributions. Vertical force normalized to body weight was associated with hip flexion (average, r = 0.691; maximum, r = 0.791; range of motion, r = 0.710), hip abduction (maximum, r = 0.654), knee flexion (average, r = 0.716; minimum, r = 0.653) and knee flexion-extension angular velocity (r = 0.758). Effective orientation of the hips resulted in fast horizontal motion of the feet with positive pitch angles. Vertical motion of the feet was negatively associated with vertical force. A multiple regression model comprising the non-collinear variables of maximum hip abduction, hip flexion range of motion and knee flexion angular velocity accounted for 81% of the variance in normalized vertical force. For high performance in the water polo, eggbeater kick players should execute fast horizontal motion with the feet by having large abduction and flexion of the hips, and fast extension and flexion of the knees.

Analysis of angular momentum effect on swimming kick-start performance.

PubMed

Taladriz, Sonia; de la Fuente-Caynzos, Blanca; Arellano, Raúl

2016-06-14

The aim of this study was to analyse the mechanics of rotation and the temporal, angular and kinematics variables during the aerial phase for the kick-start with respect to the grab start. Nine elite swimmers (70.0 ± 7.7 kg; 178 ± 9.4 cm; 24.5 ± 5.3 years; 824 ± 119 FINA points scoring) performed the starts on the OMEGA OSB11 starting block followed by 5 m gliding at maximum velocity. Nineteen comparisons of kinematics variables across start technique were performed with critical alpha adjusted using a Holm's correction to maintain an experiment-wise type I error rate of p <0.05. The differences were statistically evaluated by T-test and Wilcoxon test. Significant advantages for the kick-start were observed in all temporal variables (except in the flight time) and in the vertical take-off velocity. Similarities in the centre of mass angular momentum at take-off (120.89 ± 17.66, 126.61 ± 13.51 s(-1).10(-3), p-value <0.294; kick-start and grab start) caused that KS did not increase the temporal advantages obtained on the block at 5 m distance. Two different rotational movements were found for both techniques. A displacement of the rear leg and front leg on the block and during the flight respectively permits a higher lower limbs position relative to the trunk at hands entry for kick-start. However, larger rotational movement of the trunk characterized grab start. It was concluded that shorter block times and rotational displacements of the lower limbs on the block and flight phase are the key of the best performance for kick-start at 5 m distance. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effect of Limb Lengthening on Internodal Length and Conduction Velocity of Peripheral Nerve

PubMed Central

Gillingwater, Thomas H.; Anderson, Heather; Cottrell, David; Sherman, Diane L.; Ribchester, Richard R.; Brophy, Peter J.

2013-01-01

The influences of axon diameter, myelin thickness, and internodal length on the velocity of conduction of peripheral nerve action potentials are unclear. Previous studies have demonstrated a strong dependence of conduction velocity on internodal length. However, a theoretical analysis has suggested that this relationship may be lost above a nodal separation of ∼0.6 mm. Here we measured nerve conduction velocities in a rabbit model of limb lengthening that produced compensatory increases in peripheral nerve growth. Divided tibial bones in one hindlimb were gradually lengthened at 0.7 mm per day using an external frame attached to the bone. This was associated with a significant increase (33%) of internodal length (0.95–1.3 mm) in axons of the tibial nerve that varied in proportion to the mechanical strain in the nerve of the lengthened limb. Axonal diameter, myelin thickness, and g-ratios were not significantly altered by limb lengthening. Despite the substantial increase in internodal length, no significant change was detected in conduction velocity (∼43 m/s) measured either in vivo or in isolated tibial nerves. The results demonstrate that the internode remains plastic in the adult but that increases in internodal length of myelinated adult nerve axons do not result in either deficiency or proportionate increases in their conduction velocity and support the view that the internodal lengths of nerves reach a plateau beyond which their conduction velocities are no longer sensitive to increases in internodal length. PMID:23467369

Optical diffraction by ordered 2D arrays of silica microspheres

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shcherbakov, A. A.; Shavdina, O.; Tishchenko, A. V.; Veillas, C.; Verrier, I.; Dellea, O.; Jourlin, Y.

2017-03-01

The article presents experimental and theoretical studies of angular dependent diffraction properties of 2D monolayer arrays of silica microspheres. High-quality large area defect-free monolayers of 1 μm diameter silica microspheres were deposited by the Langmuir-Blodgett technique under an accurate optical control. Measured angular dependencies of zeroth and one of the first order diffraction efficiencies produced by deposited samples were simulated by the rigorous Generalized Source Method taking into account particle size dispersion and lattice nonideality.

Altered astronaut lower limb and mass center kinematics in downward jumping following space flight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Newman, D. J.; Jackson, D. K.; Bloomberg, J. J.

1997-01-01

Astronauts exposed to the microgravity conditions encountered during space flight exhibit postural and gait instabilities upon return to earth that could impair critical postflight performance. The aim of the present study was to determine the effects of microgravity exposure on astronauts' performance of two-footed jump landings. Nine astronauts from several Space Shuttle missions were tested both preflight and postflight with a series of voluntary, two-footed downward hops from a 30-cm-high step. A video-based, three-dimensional motion-analysis system permitted calculation of body segment positions and joint angular displacements. Phase-plane plots of knee, hip, and ankle angular velocities compared with the corresponding joint angles were used to describe the lower limb kinematics during jump landings. The position of the whole-body center of mass (COM) was also estimated in the sagittal plane using an eight-segment body model. Four of nine subjects exhibited expanded phase-plane portraits postflight, with significant increases in peak joint flexion angles and flexion rates following space flight. In contrast, two subjects showed significant contractions of their phase-plane portraits postflight and three subjects showed insignificant overall changes after space flight. Analysis of the vertical COM motion generally supported the joint angle results. Subjects with expanded joint angle phase-plane portraits postflight exhibited larger downward deviations of the COM and longer times from impact to peak deflection, as well as lower upward recovery velocities. Subjects with postflight joint angle phase-plane contraction demonstrated opposite effects in the COM motion. The joint kinematics results indicated the existence of two contrasting response modes due to microgravity exposure. Most subjects exhibited "compliant" impact absorption postflight, consistent with decreased limb stiffness and damping, and a reduction in the bandwidth of the postural control system. Fewer subjects showed "stiff" behavior after space flight, where contractions in the phase-plane portraits pointed to an increase in control bandwidth. The changes appeared to result from adaptive modifications in the control of lower limb impedance. A simple 2nd-order model of the vertical COM motion indicated that changes in the effective vertical stiffness of the legs can predict key features of the postflight performance. Compliant responses may reflect inflight adaptation due to altered demands on the postural control system in microgravity, while stiff behavior may result from overcompensation postflight for the presumed reduction in limb stiffness inflight.

Constraining smoothness parameter and the DD relation of Dyer-Roeder equation with supernovae

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yang, Xi; Yu, Hao-Ran; Zhang, Tong-Jie, E-mail: yangwds@mail.bnu.edu.cn, E-mail: yu@bnu.edu.cn, E-mail: tjzhang@bnu.edu.cn

2013-06-01

Our real universe is locally inhomogeneous. Dyer and Roeder introduced the smoothness parameter α to describe the influence of local inhomogeneity on angular diameter distance, and they obtained the angular diameter distance-redshift approximate relation (Dyer-Roeder equation) for locally inhomogeneous universe. Furthermore, the Distance-Duality (DD) relation, D{sub L}(z)(1+z){sup −2}/D{sub A}(z) = 1, should be valid for all cosmological models that are described by Riemannian geometry, where D{sub L} and D{sub A} are, respectively, the luminosity and angular distance distances. Therefore, it is necessary to test whether if the Dyer-Roeder approximate equation can satisfy the Distance-Duality relation. In this paper, we usemore » Union2.1 SNe Ia data to constrain the smoothness parameter α and test whether the Dyer-Roeder equation meet the DD relation. By using χ{sup 2} minimization, we get α = 0.92{sub −0.32}{sup +0.08} at 1σ and 0.92{sub −0.65}{sup +0.08} at 2σ, and our results show that the Dyer-Roeder equation is in good consistency with the DD relation at 1σ.« less

A new slow darkening pinto bean with improved agronomic performance: Registration of ‘ND-Palomino’

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

ND-Palomino slow darkening pinto is a new cultivar jointly developed by the United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS), and North Dakota State University (NDSU) and released by the North Dakota Agricultural Experimental Station (NDAES). ND-Palomino has shown co...

Ionospheric Observations During a Geomagnetic Storm from LITES on the ISS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Finn, S. C.; Stephan, A. W.; Cook, T.; Budzien, S. A.; Chakrabarti, S.; Erickson, P. J.; Geddes, G.

2017-12-01

The Limb-Imaging Ionospheric and Thermospheric Extreme-Ultraviolet Spectrograph (LITES) is an extreme-ultraviolet imaging spectrograph that launched in February 2017 and was installed on the International Space Station (ISS). LITES is limb-viewing ( 150 - 350 km tangent altitude) and measures airglow emissions from 60 - 140 nm with 0.2° angular and 1 nm spectral resolutions. We present early LITES results of observations during a G2 geomagnetic storm in April 2017. In addition to LITES data, we will show complementary ground-based incoherent scatter radar (ISR) observations from Millstone Hill during this storm. The combination of LITES EUV space-based observations with the ground-based radio data is an example of the capability of campaign-style measurements of the ionosphere-thermosphere system using multiwavelength ground- and space-based instruments.

Boring apparatus capable of boring straight holes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Peterson, C.R.

The invention relates to a rock boring assembly for producing a straight hole for use in a drill string above a pilot boring bit of predetermined diameter smaller than the desired final hole size. The boring assembly comprises a small conical boring bit and a larger conical boring, the conical boring bits mounted on lower and upper ends of an enlongated spacer, respectively, and the major effective cutting diameters of each of the conical boring bits being at least 10% greater than the minor effective cutting diameter of the respective bit. The spacer has a cross-section resistant bending and spacesmore » the conical boring bits apart a distance at least 5 times the major cutting diameter of the small conical boring bit, thereby spacing the pivot points provided by the two conical boring bits to limit bodily angular deflection of the assembly and providing a substantial moment arm to resist lateral forces applied to the assembly by the pilot bit and drill string. The spacing between the conical bits is less than about 20 times the major cutting diameter of the lower conical boring bit to enable the spacer to act as a bend-resistant beam to resist angular deflection of the axis of either of the conical boring bits relative to the other when it receives uneven lateral force due to non-uniformity of cutting conditions about the circumference of the bit. Advantageously the boring bits also are self-advancing and feature skewed rollers. 7 claims.« less

Solar diameter measurements from eclipses as a solar variability proxy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dunham, David W.; Sofia, Sabatino; Guhl, Konrad; Herald, David

The widths of total solar eclipse paths depends on the diameter of the Sun, so if observations are obtained near both the northern and southern limits of the eclipse path, in principle, the angular diameter of the Sun can be measured. Concerted efforts have been made to obtain contact timings from locations near total solar eclipse path edges since the mid 19th century, and Edmund Halley organized a rather successful first effort in 1715. Members of IOTA have been making increasingly sophisticated observations of the Baily's bead phenomena near central solar eclipse path edges since 1970.

Angular distribution of ions and extreme ultraviolet emission in laser-produced tin droplet plasma

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chen, Hong; Duan, Lian; Lan, Hui

Angular-resolved ion time-of-flight spectra as well as extreme ultraviolet radiation in laser-produced tin droplet plasma are investigated experimentally and theoretically. Tin droplets with a diameter of 150 μm are irradiated by a pulsed Nd:YAG laser. The ion time-of-flight spectra measured from the plasma formed by laser irradiation of the tin droplets are interpreted in terms of a theoretical elliptical Druyvesteyn distribution to deduce ion density distributions including kinetic temperatures of the plasma. The opacity of the plasma for extreme ultraviolet radiation is calculated based on the deduced ion densities and temperatures, and the angular distribution of extreme ultraviolet radiation is expressedmore » as a function of the opacity using the Beer–Lambert law. Our results show that the calculated angular distribution of extreme ultraviolet radiation is in satisfactory agreement with the experimental data.« less

Angular distribution of ions and extreme ultraviolet emission in laser-produced tin droplet plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Hong; Wang, Xinbing; Duan, Lian; Lan, Hui; Chen, Ziqi; Zuo, Duluo; Lu, Peixiang

2015-05-01

Angular-resolved ion time-of-flight spectra as well as extreme ultraviolet radiation in laser-produced tin droplet plasma are investigated experimentally and theoretically. Tin droplets with a diameter of 150 μm are irradiated by a pulsed Nd:YAG laser. The ion time-of-flight spectra measured from the plasma formed by laser irradiation of the tin droplets are interpreted in terms of a theoretical elliptical Druyvesteyn distribution to deduce ion density distributions including kinetic temperatures of the plasma. The opacity of the plasma for extreme ultraviolet radiation is calculated based on the deduced ion densities and temperatures, and the angular distribution of extreme ultraviolet radiation is expressed as a function of the opacity using the Beer-Lambert law. Our results show that the calculated angular distribution of extreme ultraviolet radiation is in satisfactory agreement with the experimental data.

Effects of ultraviolet radiation, visible light, and infrared radiation on erythema and pigmentation: a review.

PubMed

Sklar, Lindsay R; Almutawa, Fahad; Lim, Henry W; Hamzavi, Iltefat

2013-01-01

The effects of ultraviolet radiation, visible light, and infrared radiation on cutaneous erythema, immediate pigment darkening, persistent pigment darkening, and delayed tanning are affected by a variety of factors. Some of these factors include the depth of cutaneous penetration of the specific wavelength, the individual skin type, and the absorption spectra of the different chromophores in the skin. UVB is an effective spectrum to induce erythema, which is followed by delayed tanning. UVA induces immediate pigment darkening, persistent pigment darkening, and delayed tanning. At high doses, UVA (primarily UVA2) can also induce erythema in individuals with skin types I-II. Visible light has been shown to induce erythema and a tanning response in dark skin, but not in fair skinned individuals. Infrared radiation produces erythema, which is probably a thermal effect. In this article we reviewed the available literature on the effects of ultraviolet radiation, visible light, and infrared radiation on the skin in regards to erythema and pigmentation. Much remains to be learned on the cutaneous effects of visible light and infrared radiation.

Refreshing Rubbers as Customized Photothermal Conversion Materials through Post-Darkening Modeling Production.

PubMed

Li, Ruiting; Wang, Zhen; Han, Peng; He, Yonglin; Zhang, Xiaohong; Wang, Yapei

2017-12-19

Organic conjugated polymers with low energy bandgaps are emerging as a particular class of near-infrared (NIR) photothermal conversion materials. However, these polymers routinely possess high phase transition temperatures due to the rigid skeleton and strong intermolecular interactions. Conjugated polymers can rarely be thermally processed at low temperature, especially below 100 °C. This work formulates a concept of post-darkening modeling production (p-DMP) by which the thermoplastic non-conjugated trans-polyisoprene (TPI) is refreshed into a photothermal conversion material with high light use efficiency. Two steps, including the customizable shaping at low temperature and iodine vapor-tailored "darkening", ensure the ease of preparing photothermal conversion devices with desirable topologies. A few characterizations, with the combination of density functional theory (DFT) calculations, provide reasonable explanations for understanding the "darkening" process of TPI in iodine atmosphere. In particular, the p-DMP is successfully extended to three-dimension (3D) printing, opening an avenue to fabricate personalized photothermal products, for example, a sunlight-directed physiotherapy device for healthcare of articular tissues. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Expandable endoprostheses in malignant bone tumors in children: indications and limitations.

PubMed

Baumgart, Rainer; Lenze, Ulrich

2009-01-01

Expandable endoprostheses can be an option after resection of malignant bone tumors of the lower extremity in children and adolescents not only to bridge the resultant surgical defect but also to correct a residual limb length discrepancy. Small intramedullary diameter and short residual bone segments, as well as stress-shielding, are intrinsic technical limitations of fully implantable reconstructive devices. As a consequence, until recently, repeated operative interventions to reconstruct the limb and compensate for subsequent absence of growth within the affected limb were required to compensate for continued growth of the contralateral limb. Innovative expandable endoprosthetic devices are now available to help achieve equal limb length at maturity. One common device is a conventional endoprosthesis that is lengthened using a telescopic module, whereas the "bioexpandable" system lengthens the remaining bone using a lengthening nail as a modular part of the endoprosthesis. Both systems are equipped with motor drives that electromagnetic waves activate transcutaneously. One advantage of the "bioexpandable" endoprosthesis is that with sequential lengthening, the proportion of residual bone shaft to prosthesis length increases, thereby diminishing host bone-endoprosthetic lever arm forces.

Radiochromic film calibration for the RQT9 quality beam

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Costa, K. C.; Gomez, A. M. L.; Alonso, T. C.; Mourao, A. P.

2017-11-01

When ionizing radiation interacts with matter it generates energy deposition. Radiation dosimetry is important for medical applications of ionizing radiation due to the increasing demand for diagnostic radiology and radiotherapy. Different dosimetry methods are used and each one has its advantages and disadvantages. The film is a dose measurement method that records the energy deposition by the darkening of its emulsion. Radiochromic films have a little visible light sensitivity and respond better to ionizing radiation exposure. The aim of this study is to obtain the resulting calibration curve by the irradiation of radiochromic film strips, making it possible to relate the darkening of the film with the absorbed dose, in order to measure doses in experiments with X-ray beam of 120 kV, in computed tomography (CT). Film strips of GAFCHROMIC XR-QA2 were exposed according to RQT9 reference radiation, which defines an X-ray beam generated from a voltage of 120 kV. Strips were irradiated in "Laboratório de Calibração de Dosímetros do Centro de Desenvolvimento da Tecnologia Nuclear" (LCD / CDTN) at a dose range of 5-30 mGy, corresponding to the range values commonly used in CT scans. Digital images of the irradiated films were analyzed by using the ImageJ software. The darkening responses on film strips according to the doses were observed and they allowed obtaining the corresponding numeric values to the darkening for each specific dose value. From the numerical values of darkening, a calibration curve was obtained, which correlates the darkening of the film strip with dose values in mGy. The calibration curve equation is a simplified method for obtaining absorbed dose values using digital images of radiochromic films irradiated. With the calibration curve, radiochromic films may be applied on dosimetry in experiments on CT scans using X-ray beam of 120 kV, in order to improve CT acquisition image processes.

Adaptive Optics Imaging of Solar System Objects

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Roddier, Francois; Owen, Toby

1999-01-01

Most solar system objects have never been observed at wavelengths longer than the R band with an angular resolution better than 1". The Hubble Space Telescope itself has only recently been equipped to observe in the infrared. However, because of its small diameter, the angular resolution is lower than that one can now achieved from the ground with adaptive optics, and time allocated to planetary science is limited. We have successfully used adaptive optics on a 4-m class telescope to obtain 0.1" resolution images of solar system objects in the far red and near infrared (0.7-2.5 microns), aE wavelengths which best discl"lmlnate their spectral signatures. Our efforts have been put into areas of research for which high angular resolution is essential.

Angular and axial deformities of the legs of children.

PubMed

McDonough, M W

1984-12-01

Age is often a determining factor in establishing a treatment program for these axial and angular problems. As can be seen, the deformities of torsion are noticeable from early life. Any tibial torsion should be treated early, but an excessive medial range of motion in the infant leg with a corresponding adequate lateral range of motion of the limb may be cautiously observed. Medial femoral torsion is a normal early finding in the infant thigh. The problem becomes evident as the child matures without the corresponding reduction in femoral torsion, leading to a persistence of fetal or infantile alignment. The gait consequences are usually noticed at 4 to 8 years of age. The angular changes generally are a delayed finding noticed in stance. The bowleg may be associated with marked tibial torsion and picked up early but the Blount's patient has been traditionally definable at 2 years of age. Levin and Drennan may hasten the time of diagnosis with their radiographic criteria. Knock-knee is an alignment disturbance noticed during the early to mid-childhood years, age 4 to 8 years. The diagnosis is important, differentiating physiologic from torsion-related deformities, and treatment, if warranted, should not be delayed. Generally the earlier these problems are discovered, the more optimistic the prognosis. Since the pediatric limb is in a constant state of transition, there will be a perpetual argument as to the need or efficacy of various approaches to the problems of knock-knee and bowleg. If observation is the treatment of choice, the percentage of cases which go on to osteotomies and epiphyseal stapling will continue. For those with axial or angular deformities, degenerative arthritis of the knee may be forthcoming. Swanson, Greene, and Allis warned of problems becoming "unphysiologic." If we consider the epiphyseal malleability, not only to deformity but to correction, we can appreciate Lenoir's comment of "every day the problem goes untreated is a golden opportunity lost forever." Early, gentle conservative therapy, using splints and casting, is an approach which should be considered in appropriate early problems.

Monolithic diffraction-limited 976-nm laser based on saddle-shaped photo darkening-free Yb-doped fiber

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aleshkina, Svetlana S.; Lipatov, Denis S.; Levchenko, Andrei E.; Medvedkov, Oleg I.; Bobkov, Konstantin K.; Bubnov, Mikhail M.; Guryanov, Alexei N.; Likhachev, Mikhail E.

2018-02-01

Monolithic 976 nm laser design based on a newly developed saddle-shaped Yb-doped fiber has been proposed. The fiber has central single-mode part with core diameter of about 12 μm and ultra-thin square-shaped clad with side of about 42x42 μm. At the both ends of the saddle-shaped fiber the core and the clad sizes were adiabatically increased up to 20/(70x70) μm and the fiber could be spliced with standard (80..125 μm clad) passive fibers using commercially available equipment. Single-mode laser at 976 nm based on the developed fiber has been fabricated and photodarkening-free operation with output power of 10.6 W, which is the record high for all-fiber laser schemes, has been demonstrated.

Intraspinal Microstimulation Produces Over-ground Walking in Anesthetized Cats

PubMed Central

Holinski, B.J.; Mazurek, K.A.; Everaert, D.G.; Toossi, A.; Lucas-Osma, A.M.; Troyk, P.; Etienne-Cummings, R.; Stein, R.B.; Mushahwar, V.K.

2016-01-01

Objective Spinal cord injury causes a drastic loss of motor, sensory and autonomic function. The goal of this project was to investigate the use of intraspinal microstimulation (ISMS) for producing long distances of walking over ground. ISMS is an electrical stimulation method developed for restoring motor function by activating spinal networks below the level of an injury. It produces movements of the legs by stimulating the ventral horn of the lumbar enlargement using fine penetrating electrodes (≤ 50µm diameter). Approach In each of five adult cats (4.2–5.5kg), ISMS was applied through 16 electrodes implanted with tips targeting lamina IX in the ventral horn bilaterally. A desktop system implemented a physiologically-based control strategy that delivered different stimulation patterns through groups of electrodes to evoke walking movements with appropriate limb kinematics and forces corresponding to swing and stance. Each cat walked over an instrumented 2.9m walkway and limb kinematics and forces were recorded. Main Results Both propulsive and supportive forces were required for over-ground walking. Cumulative walking distances ranging from 609m to 835m (longest tested) were achieved in three animals. In these three cats, the mean peak supportive force was 3.5±0.6N corresponding to full-weight-support of the hind legs, while the angular range of the hip, knee, and ankle joints were 23.1±2.0°, 29.1±0.2°, and 60.3±5.2°, respectively. To further demonstrate the viability of ISMS for future clinical use, a prototype implantable module was successfully implemented in a subset of trials and produced comparable walking performance. Significance By activating inherent locomotor networks within the lumbosacral spinal cord, ISMS was capable of producing bilaterally coordinated and functional over-ground walking with current amplitudes <100 µA. These exciting results suggest that ISMS may be an effective intervention for restoring functional walking after spinal cord injury. PMID:27619069

Brachial artery vasodilatation during prolonged lower limb exercise: role of shear rate

PubMed Central

Padilla, Jaume; Simmons, Grant H.; Vianna, Lauro C.; Davis, Michael J.; Laughlin, M. Harold; Fadel, Paul J.

2012-01-01

We recently observed a marked increase in brachial artery (BA) diameter during prolonged leg cycling exercise. The purpose of the present study was to test the hypothesis that this increase in BA diameter during lower limb exercise is shear stress mediated. Accordingly, we determined whether recapitulation of cycling-induced BA shear rate with forearm heating, a known stimulus evoking shear-induced conduit artery dilatation, would elicit comparable profiles and magnitudes of BA vasodilatation to those observed during cycling. In 12 healthy men, BA diameter and blood velocity were measured simultaneously using Doppler ultrasonography at baseline and every 5 min during 60 min of either steady-state semi-recumbent leg cycling (120 W) or forearm heating. At the onset of cycling, the BA diameter was reduced (−3.9 ± 1.2% at 5 min; P < 0.05), but it subsequently increased throughout the remainder of the exercise bout (+15.1 ± 1.6% at 60 min; P < 0.05). The increase in BA diameter during exercise was accompanied by an approximately 2.5-fold rise in BA mean shear rate (P < 0.05). Similar increases in BA mean shear with forearm heating elicited an equivalent magnitude of BA vasodilatation to that observed during cycling (P > 0.05). Herein, we found that in the absence of exercise the extent of the BA vasodilator response was reproduced when the BA was exposed to comparable magnitudes of shear rate via forearm heating. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that shear stress plays a key role in signalling brachial artery vasodilatation during dynamic leg exercise. PMID:21784788

Second-Generation Six-Limbed Experimental Robot

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kennedy, Brett; Okon, Avi; Aghazarian, Hrand; Robinson, Matthew; Garrett, Michael; Magnone, Lee

2004-01-01

The figure shows the LEMUR II - the second generation of the Limbed Excursion Mechanical Utility Robot (LEMUR), which was described in "Six-Legged Experimental Robot" (NPO-20897), NASA Tech Briefs, Vol. 25, No. 12 (December 2001), page 58. The LEMUR II incorporates a number of improvements, including new features, that extend its capabilities beyond those of its predecessor, which is now denoted the LEMUR I. To recapitulate: the LEMUR I was a six-limbed robot for demonstrating robotic capabilities for assembly, maintenance, and inspection. The LEMUR I was designed to be capable of walking autonomously along a truss structure toward a mechanical assembly at a prescribed location and to perform other operations. The LEMUR I was equipped with stereoscopic video cameras and image-data-processing circuitry for navigation and mechanical operations. It was also equipped with a wireless modem, through which it could be commanded remotely. Upon arrival at a mechanical assembly, the LEMUR I would perform simple mechanical operations with one or both of its front limbs. It could also transmit images to a host computer. Each of the six limbs of the LEMUR I was operated independently. Each of the four rear limbs had three degrees of freedom (DOFs), while each of the front two limbs had four DOFs. The front two limbs were designed to hold, operate, and/or be integrated with tools. The LEMUR I included an onboard computer equipped with an assortment of digital control circuits, digital input/output circuits, analog-to-digital converters for input, and digital-to-analog (D/A) converters for output. Feedback from optical encoders in the limb actuators was utilized for closed-loop microcomputer control of the positions and velocities of the actuators. The LEMUR II incorporates the following improvements over the LEMUR I: a) The drive trains for the joints of the LEMUR II are more sophisticated, providing greater torque and accuracy. b) The six limbs are arranged symmetrically about a hexagonal body platform instead of in straight lines along the sides. This symmetrical arrangement is more conducive to omnidirectional movement in a plane. c) The number of degrees of freedom of each of the rear four limbs has been increased by one. Now, every limb has four degrees of freedom: three at the hip (or shoulder, depending on one s perspective) and one at the knee (or elbow, depending on one s perspective). d) Now every limb (instead of only the two front limbs) can perform operations. For this purpose, each limb is tipped with an improved quick-release mechanism for swapping of end-effector tools. e) New end-effector tools have been developed. These include an instrumented rotary driver that accepts all tool bits that have 0.125-in. (3.175-mm)-diameter shanks, a charge-coupled-device video camera, a super bright light-emitting diode for illuminating the work area of the robot, and a generic collet tool that can be quickly and inexpensively modified to accept any cylindrical object up to 0.5 in. (12.7 mm) in diameter. f) The stereoscopic cameras are mounted on a carriage that moves along a circular track, thereby providing for omnidirectional machine vision. g) The control software has been augmented with software that implements innovations reported in two prior NASA Tech Briefs articles: the HIPS algorithm ["Hybrid Image-Plane/Stereo Manipulation" (NPO-30492), Vol. 28, No. 7 (July 2004), page 55] and the CAMPOUT architecture ["An Architecture for Controlling Multiple Robots" (NPO-30345), Vol. 28, No. 10 (October 2004), page 65].

Association of slow darkening gene ‘sd’ with grain quality traits in carioca bean and new candidate marker

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The carioca dry bean market class is preferred by most consumers and accounts for 70% of the Brazilian consumer market (Del Peloso & Melo, 2005). Recently, characteristics related to the commercial grain quality such as grain color, cooking time and darkening period have become more important due to...

Will afforestation in temperate zones warm the earth?

Treesearch

David B. South; Xuhui Lee; Michael G. Messina

2012-01-01

For decades, forest researchers have known that afforestation can lower the surface albedo and that landscapes with low albedo will absorb more solar radiation than more reflective surfaces. As a result, afforestation will typically darken the surface of the Earth (when compared to grasslands or deserts). This darkening of the landscape can be measured and the local...

Coordinated Body Bending Improves Performance of a Salamander-like Robot

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ozkan Aydin, Yasemin; Chong, Baxi; Gong, Chaohui; Rieser, Jennifer M.; Choset, Howie; Goldman, Daniel I.

Analyzing body morphology and limb-body coordination in animals that can both swim and walk is important to understand the evolutionary transition from an aquatic to a terrestrial environment. Based on previous salamander experiments (a modern analog to early tetrapods and performed by Hutchinson's group at RVC in the UK) we built a robophysical model of a salamander and tested its performance on yielding granular media (GM) of poppy seeds. Our servo-driven robot (405 g, 38 cm long) has four limbs, a flexible body, and an active tail. Each limb has two servo motors to control up/down and fore/aft positions of limb. A joint in the middle of the body controls horizontal bending. We assessed performance of the robot by changing the body bending limit from 0°to 90°and measured body displacement and power consumption over a few limb cycles at 0°and 10°sandy slope. We fixed the angle of the legs according to body to test the effect of body bending directly. On GM, step length increased from 0 to 9.5 cm at 0° and 0 to 7 cm at 10°slope while the average power consumption increased 50 % . A geometric mechanics model revealed that on level GM body bending was most beneficial when phase offset 180°from leg movements; increasing the maximum body angular bend from 45°to 90° led to step length increases of up to 90 % .

Effect of the walking speed to the lower limb joint angular displacements, joint moments and ground reaction forces during walking in water.

PubMed

Miyoshi, Tasuku; Shirota, Takashi; Yamamoto, Shin-ichiro; Nakazawa, Kimitaka; Akai, Masami

2004-06-17

The purpose of this study was to compare the changes in ground reaction forces (GRF), joint angular displacements (JAD), joint moments (JM) and electromyographic (EMG) activities that occur during walking at various speeds in water and on land. Fifteen healthy adults participated in this study. In the water experiments, the water depth was adjusted so that body weight was reduced by 80%. A video-motion analysis system and waterproof force platform was used to obtain kinematics and kinetics data and to calculate the JMs. Results revealed that (1) the anterior-posterior GRF patterns differed between walking in water and walking on land, whereas the medio-lateral GRF patterns were similar, (2) the JAD patterns of the hip and ankle were similar between water- and land-walking, whereas the range of motion at the knee joint was lower in water than on land, (3) the JMs in all three joints were lower in water than on land throughout the stance phase, and (4) the hip joint extension moment and hip extensor muscle EMG activity were increased as walking speed increase during walking in water. Rehabilitative water-walking exercise could be designed to incorporate large-muscle activities, especially of the lower-limb extensor muscles, through full joint range of motion and minimization of joint moments.

Electron-spin-resonance studies of vapor-grown carbon fibers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Marshik, B.; Meyer, D.; Apple, T.

1987-01-01

The effects of annealing temperature and fiber diameter on the degree of disorder of vapor-grown carbon fibers were investigated by analyzing the electron-spin-resonance (ESR) line shapes of fibers annealed at six various temperatures up to 3375 K. The diameter of fibers, grown from methane gas, ranged from 10 to 140 microns with most fibers between 20 and 50 microns. It was found that the degree of disorder of vapor-grown fibers decreases upon annealing to higher temperature; standard angular deviation between the fiber axis and the crystallite basal planes could vary from 35 deg (for annealing temperature of 2275 K) to 12 deg (for 3375 K). With respect to fiber diameter, order parameters were found to be higher for fibers of smaller diameters.

Visual processing of rotary motion.

PubMed

Werkhoven, P; Koenderink, J J

1991-01-01

Local descriptions of velocity fields (e.g., rotation, divergence, and deformation) contain a wealth of information for form perception and ego motion. In spite of this, human psychophysical performance in estimating these entities has not yet been thoroughly examined. In this paper, we report on the visual discrimination of rotary motion. A sequence of image frames is used to elicit an apparent rotation of an annulus, composed of dots in the frontoparallel plane, around a fixation spot at the center of the annulus. Differential angular velocity thresholds are measured as a function of the angular velocity, the diameter of the annulus, the number of dots, the display time per frame, and the number of frames. The results show a U-shaped dependence of angular velocity discrimination on spatial scale, with minimal Weber fractions of 7%. Experiments with a scatter in the distance of the individual dots to the center of rotation demonstrate that angular velocity cannot be assessed directly; perceived angular velocity depends strongly on the distance of the dots relative to the center of rotation. We suggest that the estimation of rotary motion is mediated by local estimations of linear velocity.

SPICA, Stellar Parameters and Images with a Cophased Array: a 6T visible combiner for the CHARA array.

PubMed

Mourard, Denis; Bério, Philippe; Perraut, Karine; Clausse, Jean-Michel; Creevey, Orlagh; Martinod, Marc-Antoine; Meilland, Anthony; Millour, Florentin; Nardetto, Nicolas

2017-05-01

High angular resolution studies of stars in the optical domain have highly progressed in recent years. After the results obtained with the visible instrument Visible spEctroGraph and polArimeter (VEGA) on the Center for High Angular Resolution Astronomy (CHARA) array and the recent developments on adaptive optics and fibered interferometry, we have started the design and study of a new six-telescope visible combiner with single-mode fibers. It is designed as a low spectral resolution instrument for the measurement of the angular diameter of stars to make a major step forward in terms of magnitude and precision with respect to the present situation. For a large sample of bright stars, a medium spectral resolution mode will allow unprecedented spectral imaging of stellar surfaces and environments for higher accuracy on stellar/planetary parameters. To reach the ultimate performance of the instrument in terms of limiting magnitude (Rmag≃8 for diameter measurements and Rmag≃4 to 5 for imaging), Stellar Parameters and Images with a Cophased Array (SPICA) includes the development of a dedicated fringe tracking system in the H band to reach "long" (200 ms to 30 s) exposures of the fringe signal in the visible.

Highly accurate surface maps from profilometer measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Medicus, Kate M.; Nelson, Jessica D.; Mandina, Mike P.

2013-04-01

Many aspheres and free-form optical surfaces are measured using a single line trace profilometer which is limiting because accurate 3D corrections are not possible with the single trace. We show a method to produce an accurate fully 2.5D surface height map when measuring a surface with a profilometer using only 6 traces and without expensive hardware. The 6 traces are taken at varying angular positions of the lens, rotating the part between each trace. The output height map contains low form error only, the first 36 Zernikes. The accuracy of the height map is ±10% of the actual Zernike values and within ±3% of the actual peak to valley number. The calculated Zernike values are affected by errors in the angular positioning, by the centering of the lens, and to a small effect, choices made in the processing algorithm. We have found that the angular positioning of the part should be better than 1?, which is achievable with typical hardware. The centering of the lens is essential to achieving accurate measurements. The part must be centered to within 0.5% of the diameter to achieve accurate results. This value is achievable with care, with an indicator, but the part must be edged to a clean diameter.

PyTranSpot: A tool for multiband light curve modeling of planetary transits and stellar spots

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Juvan, Ines G.; Lendl, M.; Cubillos, P. E.; Fossati, L.; Tregloan-Reed, J.; Lammer, H.; Guenther, E. W.; Hanslmeier, A.

2018-02-01

Several studies have shown that stellar activity features, such as occulted and non-occulted starspots, can affect the measurement of transit parameters biasing studies of transit timing variations and transmission spectra. We present PyTranSpot, which we designed to model multiband transit light curves showing starspot anomalies, inferring both transit and spot parameters. The code follows a pixellation approach to model the star with its corresponding limb darkening, spots, and transiting planet on a two dimensional Cartesian coordinate grid. We combine PyTranSpot with a Markov chain Monte Carlo framework to study and derive exoplanet transmission spectra, which provides statistically robust values for the physical properties and uncertainties of a transiting star-planet system. We validate PyTranSpot's performance by analyzing eleven synthetic light curves of four different star-planet systems and 20 transit light curves of the well-studied WASP-41b system. We also investigate the impact of starspots on transit parameters and derive wavelength dependent transit depth values for WASP-41b covering a range of 6200-9200 Å, indicating a flat transmission spectrum.

Simulation study of a geometric shape factor technique for estimating earth-emitted radiant flux densities from wide-field-of-view radiation measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Weaver, W. L.; Green, R. N.

1980-01-01

Geometric shape factors were computed and applied to satellite simulated irradiance measurements to estimate Earth emitted flux densities for global and zonal scales and for areas smaller than the detector field of view (FOV). Wide field of view flat plate detectors were emphasized, but spherical detectors were also studied. The radiation field was modeled after data from the Nimbus 2 and 3 satellites. At a satellite altitude of 600 km, zonal estimates were in error 1.0 to 1.2 percent and global estimates were in error less than 0.2 percent. Estimates with unrestricted field of view (UFOV) detectors were about the same for Lambertian and limb darkening radiation models. The opposite was found for restricted field of view detectors. The UFOV detectors are found to be poor estimators of flux density from the total FOV and are shown to be much better as estimators of flux density from a circle centered at the FOV with an area significantly smaller than that for the total FOV.

Physical Properties of the LMC Eclipsing Binary Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prsa, Andrej; Devinney, E. J.; Guinan, E. F.; Engle, S. G.; DeGeorge, M.

2009-01-01

To date, three independent studies have devised an automatic procedure to analyse and extract the principal parameters of 2581 detached eclipsing binary stars from the OGLE photometric survey of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC): Devor (2005), Tamuz et al. (2006), and Prsa et al. (2008). For time efficiency, Devor used a simple model of two spherical, limb-darkened stars without tidal or reflection physics. Tamuz et al.'s approach employs a more realistic EBOP model, which is still limited in handling proximity physics. Our study used a back-propagating neural network that was trained on the light curves computed by a modern Wilson-Devinney code. The three approaches are confronted and correlations in the results are sought that indicate the degree of reliability of the obtained results. A database of solutions consistent across all three studies is presented. We assess the suitability of each method for other morphology types (i.e. semi-detached and overcontact binaries) and we overview the practical limitations of these methods for the upcoming survey data. This research is supported by NFS/RUI Grant No. AST-05-07542, which we gratefully acknowledge.

Summary of along-track data from the Earth radiation budget satellite for several major desert regions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brooks, David R.; Fenn, Marta A.

1988-01-01

For several days in January and August 1985, the Earth Radiation Budget Satellite, a component of the Earth Radiation Budget Experiment (ERBE), was operated in an along-track scanning mode. A survey of radiance measurements is given for four desert areas in Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, Australia, and the Sahel region of Africa. Each overflight provides radiance information for four scene categories: clear, partly cloudy, mostly cloudy, and overcast. The data presented include the variation of radiance in each scene classification as a function of viewing zenith angle during each overflight of the five target areas. Several features of interest in the development of anisotropic models are evident, including day-night differences in longwave limb darkening and the azimuthal dependence of short wave radiance. There is some evidence that surface features may introduce thermal or visible shadowing that is not incorporated in the usual descriptions of the anisotropic behavior of radiance as viewed from space. The data also demonstrate that the ERBE scene classification algorithms give results that, at least for desert surfaces, are a function of viewing geometry.

SOAP. A tool for the fast computation of photometry and radial velocity induced by stellar spots

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boisse, I.; Bonfils, X.; Santos, N. C.

2012-09-01

We define and put at the disposal of the community SOAP, Spot Oscillation And Planet, a software tool that simulates the effect of stellar spots and plages on radial velocimetry and photometry. This paper describes the tool release and provides instructions for its use. We present detailed tests with previous computations and real data to assess the code's performance and to validate its suitability. We characterize the variations of the radial velocity, line bisector, and photometric amplitude as a function of the main variables: projected stellar rotational velocity, filling factor of the spot, resolution of the spectrograph, linear limb-darkening coefficient, latitude of the spot, and inclination of the star. Finally, we model the spot distributions on the active stars HD 166435, TW Hya and HD 189733, which reproduce the observations. We show that the software is remarkably fast, allowing several evolutions in its capabilities that could be performed to study the next challenges in the exoplanetary field connected with the stellar variability. The tool is available at http://www.astro.up.pt/soap

The far-ultraviolet spectra and geometric albedos of Jupiter and Saturn

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Clarke, J. T.; Moos, H. W.; Feldman, P. D.

1982-01-01

Spectra and geometric albedoes in the range 1200 to 1940 A are compiled for Jupiter and Saturn on the basis of IUE observations. The spectra of both planets are dominated by H Lyman-alpha emission line at 1216 A, although absorption bands of C2H2 are apparent at longer wavelengths, particularly in the spectrum of Saturn, and the C I line at 1657 A is also observed. Geometric albedoes show emission features corresponding to the weak H2 Lyman and Werner bands around 1230-1280 A, auroral Lyman band emission, C I emission, and C2H2 absorption from 1600 to 1900 A. A model of atmospheric absorption in homogeneously mixed atmospheres of H2 and trace molecular absorbers is then presented and fit to the Jupiter albedo, resulting in a predicted atmosphere containing C2H2 and an unidentified molecular or particulate absorber. Finally, north-south maps of Jupiter continuum emission show limb darkening, and a comparison of equatorial and polar spectra indicates a polar increase in C2H2 absorption and weaker polar H2 emissions than previously reported.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yan, F.; Zhao, G.; Fosbury, R. A. E.

Due to stellar rotation, the observed radial velocity of a star varies during the transit of a planet across its surface, a phenomenon known as the Rossiter–McLaughlin (RM) effect. The amplitude of the RM effect is related to the radius of the planet which, because of differential absorption in the planetary atmosphere, depends on wavelength. Therefore, the wavelength-dependent RM effect can be used to probe the planetary atmosphere. We measure for the first time the RM effect of the Earth transiting the Sun using a lunar eclipse observed with the ESO High Accuracy Radial velocity Planet Searcher spectrograph. We analyzemore » the observed RM effect at different wavelengths to obtain the transmission spectrum of the Earth’s atmosphere after the correction of the solar limb-darkening and the convective blueshift. The ozone Chappuis band absorption as well as the Rayleigh scattering features are clearly detectable with this technique. Our observation demonstrates that the RM effect can be an effective technique for exoplanet atmosphere characterization. Its particular asset is that photometric reference stars are not required, circumventing the principal challenge for transmission spectroscopy studies of exoplanet atmospheres using large ground-based telescopes.« less

Estimation of genetic parameters and selection of high-yielding, upright common bean lines with slow seed-coat darkening.

PubMed

Alvares, R C; Silva, F C; Melo, L C; Melo, P G S; Pereira, H S

2016-11-21

Slow seed coat darkening is desirable in common bean cultivars and genetic parameters are important to define breeding strategies. The aims of this study were to estimate genetic parameters for plant architecture, grain yield, grain size, and seed-coat darkening in common bean; identify any genetic association among these traits; and select lines that associate desirable phenotypes for these traits. Three experiments were set up in the winter 2012 growing season, in Santo Antônio de Goiás and Brasília, Brazil, including 220 lines obtained from four segregating populations and five parents. A triple lattice 15 x 15 experimental design was used. The traits evaluated were plant architecture, grain yield, grain size, and seed-coat darkening. Analyses of variance were carried out and genetic parameters such as heritability, gain expected from selection, and correlations, were estimated. For selection of superior lines, a "weight-free and parameter-free" index was used. The estimates of genetic variance, heritability, and gain expected from selection were high, indicating good possibility for success in selection of the four traits. The genotype x environment interaction was proportionally more important for yield than for the other traits. There was no strong genetic correlation observed among the four traits, which indicates the possibility of selection of superior lines with many traits. Considering simultaneous selection, it was not possible to join high genetic gains for the four traits. Forty-four lines that combined high yield, more upright plant architecture, slow darkening grains, and commercial grade size were selected.

Conflict between background matching and social signalling in a colour-changing freshwater fish.

PubMed

Kelley, Jennifer L; Rodgers, Gwendolen M; Morrell, Lesley J

2016-06-01

The ability to change coloration allows animals to modify their patterning to suit a specific function. Many freshwater fishes, for example, can appear cryptic by altering the dispersion of melanin pigment in the skin to match the visual background. However, melanin-based pigments are also used to signal dominance among competing males; thus colour change for background matching may conflict with colour change for social status signalling. We used a colour-changing freshwater fish to investigate whether colour change for background matching influenced aggressive interactions between rival males. Subordinate males that had recently darkened their skin for background matching received heightened aggression from dominant males, relative to males whose coloration had not changed. We then determined whether the social status of a rival male, the focal male's previous social status, and his previous skin coloration, affected a male's ability to change colour for background matching. Social status influenced skin darkening in the first social encounter, with dominant males darkening more than subordinate males, but there was no effect of social status on colour change in the second social encounter. We also found that the extent of skin colour change (by both dominant and subordinate males) was dependent on previous skin coloration, with dark males displaying a smaller change in coloration than pale males. Our findings suggest that skin darkening for background matching imposes a significant social cost on subordinate males in terms of increased aggression. We also suggest that the use of melanin-based signals during social encounters can impede subsequent changes in skin coloration for other functions, such as skin darkening for background matching.

Physiological effects of seed coat darkening in Cowpea bean (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp): aging and water uptake

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Cowpea bean (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp) is an important annual food crop in Northeast Brazil. Dry storage of these seeds leads to a slow and uneven darkening of the seed coat. The mixture of seed colors creates an unacceptable product for consumers. The aim of this study was to determine the kineti...

Seasonal skin darkening in Chinese women: the Shanghaiese experience of daily sun protection.

PubMed

Qiu, Huixia; Flament, Frederic; Long, Xiaohui; Wu, Jun; Xu, Mengzhi; Leger, Didier Saint; Meaudre, Helene; Senee, Jerome; Piot, Bertrand; Bazin, Roland

2013-01-01

The facial skin tone of two groups of Chinese women from Shanghai was compared using standard colorimetric space techniques during a 6-month interval between January and July 2011. During the study period, one group of women (n = 40) applied a potent sun-protective cosmetic product daily, while the other group (n = 40) did not use any sun protection. The results, based on images taken using a standardized digital camera coupled to a spectroradiometer, showed that sun protection largely mitigated changes in the components of skin tone, ie, lightness, melanization, and individual typology angle parameters. The skin darkening process appeared to be reduced or prevented in the sun-protected group when compared with the control group. The sun-protected women had participated in an earlier study in 2008, which confirmed that seasonal skin darkening occurs from winter through summer in Shanghaiese women. Comparing the data obtained in the winters of 2008 and 2011, we were able to identify better the impact of 3 years of aging on the components of skin tone. Comparing data between seasons on the same women with (2011 study) and without (2008 study) sun protection highlights the role of the test product in preventing skin darkening.

Theoretical gravity darkening as a function of optical depth. A first approach to fast rotating stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Claret, A.

2016-04-01

Aims: Recent observations of very fast rotating stars show systematic deviations from the von Zeipel theorem and pose a challenge to the theory of gravity-darkening exponents (β1). In this paper, we present a new insight into the problem of temperature distribution over distorted stellar surfaces to try to reduce these discrepancies. Methods: We use a variant of the numerical method based on the triangles strategy, which we previously introduced, to evaluate the gravity-darkening exponents. The novelty of the present method is that the theoretical β1 is now computed as a function of the optical depth, that is, β1 ≡ β1(τ). The stellar evolutionary models, which are necessary to obtain the physical conditions of the stellar envelopes/atmospheres inherent to the numerical method, are computed via the code GRANADA. Results: When the resulting theoretical β1(τ) are compared with the best accurate data of very fast rotators, a good agreement for the six systems is simultaneously achieved. In addition, we derive an equation that relates the locus of constant convective efficiency in the Hertzsprung-Russell (HR) diagram with gravity-darkening exponents.

Laboratory simulations of lunar darkening processes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hapke, B.

1993-01-01

It was clear long before the Apollo missions that a darkening process occurs on the moon. However, its nature remains controversial and elusive. Current evidence implies that the darkening is associated with, and is probably caused by, submicroscopic metallic iron in the regolith. Questions discussed at the workshop include: (1) under what conditions will impact vitrification produce a dark glass; (2) what is the role of the submicroscopic metallic Fe (SMFe) in the lunar darkening process; (3) how is the SMFe produced; (4) is there a significant component of the regolith that has been deposited from a vapor, if so, what form is it in, and how can it be recognized, what are its effects on the chemistry of the regolith; (5) how do the processes of impact vitrification, vaporization, sputtering, and SMFe production vary as a function of distance from the sun and location in planetary magnetospheres; and (6) what other processes might affect optical properties. Ices have lower melting and boiling temperatures and sputtering yields several orders of magnitude larger than silicates. Hence, analogous processes will occur to an even greater extent on satellites of the outer planets, and these questions are relevant to those bodies as well.

Motor adaptation to prosthetic cycling in people with trans-tibial amputation

PubMed Central

Childers, W. Lee; Prilutsky, Boris I.; Gregor, Robert J.

2014-01-01

The neuromusculoskeletal system interacts with the external environment via end-segments, e.g. feet. A person with trans-tibial amputation (TTAmp) has lost a foot and ankle; hence the residuum with prosthesis becomes the new end-segment. We investigated changes in kinetics and muscle activity in TTAmps during cycling with this altered interface with the environment. Nine unilateral TTAmps and nine subjects without amputation (NoAmp) pedaled at a constant torque of 15Nm and a constant cadence of 90rpm (~150watts). Pedal forces and limb kinematics were used to calculate resultant joint moments. Electromyographic activity was recorded to determine its magnitude and timing. Biomechanical and EMG variables of the amputated limb were compared to those of the TTAmp sound limb and to the dominant limb in the NoAmp group using a one-way ANOVA. Results showed maximum angular displacement between the residuum and prosthesis was 4.8 ± 1.8deg. The amputated limb compared to sound limb and NoAmp group produced lower extensor moments averaged over the cycle about the ankle (13 ± 2.3, 20 ± 5.7, and 19 ± 5.3Nm, respectfully) and knee (8.4 ± 5.0, 15 ± 4.5, and 12.7 ± 5.9Nm, respectfully) (p<0.05). Gastrocnemius and rectus femoris peak activity in the TTAmps shifted to later in the crank cycle (by 36° and 75°, respectfully; p<0.05). These data suggest gastrocnemius was utilized as a one-joint knee flexor in combination with rectus femoris for prosthetic socket control and highlight prosthetic control as an interaction between the residuum, prosthesis and external environment. PMID:24818794

Three-dimensional kinematic analysis of upper and lower limb motion during gait of post-stroke patients

PubMed Central

Carmo, A.A.; Kleiner, A.F.R.; Lobo da Costa, P.H.; Barros, R.M.L.

2012-01-01

The aim of this study was to analyze the alterations of arm and leg movements of patients during stroke gait. Joint angles of upper and lower limbs and spatiotemporal variables were evaluated in two groups: hemiparetic group (HG, 14 hemiparetic men, 53 ± 10 years) and control group (CG, 7 able-bodied men, 50 ± 4 years). The statistical analysis was based on the following comparisons (P ≤ 0.05): 1) right versus left sides of CG; 2) affected (AF) versus unaffected (UF) sides of HG; 3) CG versus both the affected and unaffected sides of HG, and 4) an intracycle comparison of the kinematic continuous angular variables between HG and CG. This study showed that the affected upper limb motion in stroke gait was characterized by a decreased range of motion of the glenohumeral (HG: 6.3 ± 4.5, CG: 20.1 ± 8.2) and elbow joints (AF: 8.4 ± 4.4, UF: 15.6 ± 7.6) on the sagittal plane and elbow joint flexion throughout the cycle (AF: 68.2 ± 0.4, CG: 46.8 ± 2.7). The glenohumeral joint presented a higher abduction angle (AF: 14.2 ± 1.6, CG: 11.5 ± 4.0) and a lower external rotation throughout the cycle (AF: 4.6 ± 1.2, CG: 22.0 ± 3.0). The lower limbs showed typical alterations of the stroke gait patterns. Thus, the changes in upper and lower limb motion of stroke gait were identified. The description of upper limb motion in stroke gait is new and complements gait analysis. PMID:22473324

Effects of treadmill training with load addition on non-paretic lower limb on gait parameters after stroke: A randomized controlled clinical trial.

PubMed

Ribeiro, Tatiana S; Silva, Emília M G S; Silva, Isaíra A P; Costa, Mayara F P; Cavalcanti, Fabrícia A C; Lindquist, Ana R

2017-05-01

The addition of load on the non-paretic lower limb for the purpose of restraining this limb and stimulating the use of the paretic limb has been suggested to improve hemiparetic gait. However, the results are conflicting and only short-term effects have been observed. This study aims to investigate the effects of adding load on non-paretic lower limb during treadmill gait training as a multisession intervention on kinematic gait parameters after stroke. With this aim, 38 subacute stroke patients (mean time since stroke: 4.5 months) were randomly divided into two groups: treadmill training with load (equivalent to 5% of body weight) on the non-paretic ankle (experimental group) and treadmill training without load (control group). Both groups performed treadmill training during 30min per day, for two consecutive weeks (nine sessions). Spatiotemporal and angular gait parameters were assessed by a motion system analysis at baseline, post-training (at the end of 9days of interventions) and follow-up (40days after the end of interventions). Several post-training effects were demonstrated: patients walked faster and with longer paretic and non-paretic steps compared to baseline, and maintained these gains at follow-up. In addition, patients exhibited greater hip and knee joint excursion in both limbs at post-training, while maintaining most of these benefits at follow-up. All these improvements were observed in both groups. Although the proposal gait training program has provided better gait parameters for these subacute stroke patients, our data indicate that load addition used as a restraint may not provide additional benefits to gait training. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Kinetic and kinematic evaluation of compensatory movements of the head, pelvis and thoracolumbar spine associated with asymmetric weight bearing of the pelvic limbs in trotting dogs.

PubMed

Hicks, D A; Millis, D L

2014-01-01

To determine ground reaction forces, head and pelvis vertical motion (HVM and PVM, respectively), and thoraco-lumbar lateral angular motion (LAM) of the spine using kinematic gait analysis in dogs with mild asymmetric weight-bearing of the pelvic limbs while trotting. Twenty-seven hound-type dogs were fitted with reflective markers placed on the sagittal crest of the skull, the ischiatic tuberosity, and thoracolumbar spine of dogs to track motion while trotting. Kinetic and kinematic data were used to characterize asymmetry between the left and right pelvic limbs, and to describe HVM, PVM and thoraco-lumbar LAM. Maximum and minimum position and total motion values were determined for each measured variable. Dogs with asymmetric weight bearing of the pelvic limbs had greater PVM on the side with a greater peak vertical force (PVF), and greater thoraco-lumbar LAM toward the side with a lower PVF while trotting. No differences in mean HVM were detected, and there were no significant correlations between the magnitude of HVM, PVM and thoraco-lumbar LAM and the degree of asymmetric weight bearing. Dogs with subtle asymmetric weight bearing of a pelvic limb had patterns of body motion that may be useful in identifying subtle lameness in dogs; greater PVM on the side with greater weight bearing and greater thoraco-lumbar LAM toward the side with less weight bearing while trotting. Description of these compensatory movements is valuable when evaluating dogs with subtle weight bearing asymmetry in the pelvic limbs and may improve the sensitivity of lameness detection during subjective clinical lameness examination.

Variable Shadow Screens for Imaging Optical Devices

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lu, Ed; Chretien, Jean L.

2004-01-01

Variable shadow screens have been proposed for reducing the apparent brightnesses of very bright light sources relative to other sources within the fields of view of diverse imaging optical devices, including video and film cameras and optical devices for imaging directly into the human eye. In other words, variable shadow screens would increase the effective dynamic ranges of such devices. Traditionally, imaging sensors are protected against excessive brightness by use of dark filters and/or reduction of iris diameters. These traditional means do not increase dynamic range; they reduce the ability to view or image dimmer features of an image because they reduce the brightness of all parts of an image by the same factor. On the other hand, a variable shadow screen would darken only the excessively bright parts of an image. For example, dim objects in a field of view that included the setting Sun or bright headlights could be seen more readily in a picture taken through a variable shadow screen than in a picture of the same scene taken through a dark filter or a narrowed iris. The figure depicts one of many potential variations of the basic concept of the variable shadow screen. The shadow screen would be a normally transparent liquid-crystal matrix placed in front of a focal-plane array of photodetectors in a charge-coupled-device video camera. The shadow screen would be placed far enough from the focal plane so as not to disrupt the focal-plane image to an unacceptable degree, yet close enough so that the out-of-focus shadows cast by the screen would still be effective in darkening the brightest parts of the image. The image detected by the photodetector array itself would be used as feedback to drive the variable shadow screen: The video output of the camera would be processed by suitable analog and/or digital electronic circuitry to generate a negative partial version of the image to be impressed on the shadow screen. The parts of the shadow screen in front of those parts of the image with brightness below a specified threshold would be left transparent; the parts of the shadow screen in front of those parts of the image where the brightness exceeded the threshold would be darkened by an amount that would increase with the excess above the threshold.

Extending radiative transfer models by use of Bayes rule. [in atmospheric science

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Whitney, C.

1977-01-01

This paper presents a procedure that extends some existing radiative transfer modeling techniques to problems in atmospheric science where curvature and layering of the medium and dynamic range and angular resolution of the signal are important. Example problems include twilight and limb scan simulations. Techniques that are extended include successive orders of scattering, matrix operator, doubling, Gauss-Seidel iteration, discrete ordinates and spherical harmonics. The procedure for extending them is based on Bayes' rule from probability theory.

Efficacy of hydrogen-peroxide-based mouthwash in altering enamel color.

PubMed

Jaime, Ivone Maria de Lima; França, Fabiana Mantovani Gomes; Basting, Roberta Tarkany; Turssi, Cecilia Pedroso; Amaral, Flávia Lucisano Botelho

2014-02-01

To analyze the efficacy of Colgate Plax Whitening mouthwash containing 1.5% hydrogen peroxide. 30 enamel fragments, obtained from the proximal surfaces of human third molars were darkened with Orange II methyl orange. The fragments were divided into three groups according to the type of bleaching agent applied (n = 10): (1) 10% carbamide peroxide gel (positive control, PC) was applied for 2 hours/day for 28 days; (2) a solution containing 1.5% hydrogen peroxide (Plax) was applied for 4 minutes once a day for 28 days, and (3) no bleaching agent, kept in artificial saliva (negative control, AS). The specimens were kept in artificial saliva between treatment intervals. The specimens were photographed before darkening (baseline), after darkening and before lightening and on the 28th day of whitening. Afterwards, they were analyzed with color measurement software using the CIELab system. The data for the L*, a* and b* parameters were submitted to two-way ANOVA with repeated measures. The values of deltaL *, deltaa *, deltab * and deltaE* were calculated using two procedures: (1) darkened versus original, and (2) bleached versus darkened. This data was submitted to the one-way ANOVA test. Multiple comparisons were conducted using the Tukey test (alpha = 0.05). When the specimens were subjected to bleaching agents, there was a significant increase in the brightness (L* parameter) of the enamel exposed to the gel and also to the bleaching solution. However, higher brightness was observed for the PC (gel) group. As for the axis a* parameters, there were no significant differences between the bleaching products. Regarding the axis b* parameters, the PC group underwent major changes (indicating a color change toward blue chroma), statistically greater than those of the Plax group. After bleaching, there was a significantly greater color change (deltaE*) in the PC group. Although the Plax solution caused a color change, it was less than that produced by the gel. The slightest color change was observed in the control group, in which no bleach was used. The mouthwash containing hydrogen peroxide was able to lighten the darkened human enamel, but to a lesser degree than the lightening produced by 10% carbamide peroxide.

The Studies on Aerosol Transport, Its Deposition, and Its Impact on Climate - the Study on the Surface Material Circulation can Connect from the Past to the Future

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yasunari, Teppei

2012-01-01

Recently the issue on glacier retreats comes up and many factors should be relevant to the issue. The absorbing aerosols such as dust and black carbon (BC) are considered to be one of the factors. After they deposited onto the snow surface, it will reduce snow albedo (called snow darkening effect) and probably contribute to further melting of glacier. The Goddard Earth Observing System version 5 (GEOS-5) has developed at NASAlGSFC. However, the original snowpack model used in the land surface model in the GEOS-5 did not consider the snow darkening effect. Here we developed the new snow albedo scheme which can consider the snow darkening effect. In addition, another scheme on calculating mass concentrations on the absorbing aerosols in snowpack was also developed, in which the direct aerosol depositions from the chemical transport model in the GEOS-5 were used. The scheme has been validated with the observed data obtained at backyard of the Institute of Low Temperature Science, Hokkaido University, by Dr. Teruo Aoki (Meteorological Research Institute) et al. including me. The observed data was obtained when I was Ph.D. candidate. The original GEOS-5 during 2007-2009 over the Himalayas and Tibetan Plateau region showed more reductions of snow than that of the new GEOS-5 because the original one used lower albedo settings. On snow cover fraction, the new GEOS-5 simulated more realistic snow-covered area comparing to the MODIS snow cover fraction. The reductions on snow albedo, snow cover fraction, and snow water equivalent were seen with statistically significance if we consider the snow darkening effect comparing to the results without the snow darkening effect. In the real world, debris-cover, inside refreezing process, surface flow of lacier, etc. affect glacier mass balance and the simu.latedresults immediately do not affect whole glacier retreating. However, our results indicate that some surface melting over non debris-covered parts of the glacier would be explained by the snow darkening effect. Further discussion and observations are necessary to assess the glacier issue.

Incorporation of the Mass Concentration and the New Snow Albedo Schemes into the Global Forecasting Model, GEOS-5 and the Impact of the New Schemes over Himalayan Glaciers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yasunari, Teppei

2012-01-01

Recently the issue on glacier retreats comes up and many factors should be relevant to the issue. The absorbing aerosols such as dust and black carbon (BC) are considered to be one of the factors. After they deposited onto the snow surface, it will reduce snow albedo (called snow darkening effect) and probably contribute to further melting of glacier. The Goddard Earth Observing System version 5 (GEOS-5) has developed at NASA/GSFC. However, the original snowpack model used in the land surface model in the GEOS-5 did not consider the snow darkening effect. Here we developed the new snow albedo scheme which can consider the snow darkening effect. In addition, another scheme on calculating mass concentrations on the absorbing aerosols in snowpack was also developed, in which the direct aerosol depositions from the chemical transport model in the GEOS-5 were used. The scheme has been validated with the observed data obtained at backyard of the Institute of Low Temperature Science, Hokkaido University, by Dr. Teruo Aoki (Meteorological Research Institute) et aL including me. The observed data was obtained when I was Ph.D. candidate. The original GEOS-5during 2007-2009 over the Himalayas and Tibetan Plateau region showed more reductions of snow than that of the new GEOS-5 because the original one used lower albedo settings. On snow cover fraction, the new GEOS-5 simulated more realistic snow-covered area comparing to the MODIS snow cover fraction. The reductions on snow albedo, snow cover fraction, and snow water equivalent were seen with statistically significance if we consider the snow darkening effect comparing to the results without the snow darkening effect. In the real world, debris cover, inside refreezing process, surface flow of glacier, etc. affect glacier mass balance and the simulated results immediately do not affect whole glacier retreating. However, our results indicate that some surface melting over non debris covered parts of the glacier would be explained by the snow darkening effect. Further discussion and observations are necessary to assess the glacier issue.

The Various Influences due to Aerosol Depositions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yasunari, Teppei

2011-01-01

Recently the issue on glacier retreats comes up and many factors should be relevant to the issue. The absorbing aerosols such as dust and black carbon (BC) are considered to be one of the factors. After they deposited onto the snow surface, it will reduce snow albedo (called snow darkening effect) and probably contribute to further melting of glacier. The Goddard Earth Observing System version 5 (GEOS-5) has developed at NASA/GSFC. However, the original snowpack model used in the land surface model in the GEOS-5 did not consider the snow darkening effect. Here we developed the new snow albedo scheme which can consider the snow darkening effect. In addition, another scheme on calculating mass concentrations on the absorbing aerosols in snowpack was also developed, in which the direct aerosol depositions from the chemical transport model in the GEOS-5 were used. The scheme has been validated with the observed data obtained at backyard of the Institute of Low Temperature Science, Hokkaido University, by Dr. Teruo Aoki (Meteorological Research Institute) et al. including me. The observed data was obtained when I was Ph.D.caftdidate. The original GEOS-5 during 2007-2009 over the Himalayas and Tibetan Plateau region showed more reductions of snow than that of the new GEOS-5 because the original one used lower albedo settings. On snow cover fraction, the new GEOS-5 simulated more realistic snow-covered area comparing to the MODIS snow cover fraction. The reductions on snow albedo, snow cover fraction, and snow water equivalent were seen with statistically significance if we consider the snow darkening effect comparing to the results without the snow darkening effect. In the real world, debris cover, inside refreezing process, surface flow of glacier, etc. affect glacier mass balance and the simulated results immediately do not affect whole glacier retreating. However, our results indicate that some surface melting over non debris covered parts of the glacier would be explained by the snow darkening effect. Further discussion and observations are necessary to assess the glacier issue.

Three-mirror anastigmat for cosmic microwave background observations.

PubMed

Padin, S

2018-03-20

An off-axis three-mirror anastigmat is proposed for future cosmic microwave background observations. The telescope has a 5 m diameter primary, giving 1.5 ' angular resolution at λ=2  mm, which is sufficient for measurements of gravitational lensing and for galaxy cluster surveys. The design includes several key features, not previously combined in a large telescope, that are important for sensitive measurements, especially on large angular scales: (1) high throughput (8° diameter diffraction-limited field of view at λ=1  mm, and 12×8° at λ=3  mm, so a single telescope could support all the detectors for an optimistic, future experiment); (2) low scattering (all the mirrors are small enough to be monolithic, so there are no segment gaps); (3) full boresight rotation, over the full elevation range, for measuring polarization errors; and (4) a comoving shield or baffle around the entire telescope to control pickup.

Improved Time-Lapsed Angular Scattering Microscopy of Single Cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cannaday, Ashley E.

By measuring angular scattering patterns from biological samples and fitting them with a Mie theory model, one can estimate the organelle size distribution within many cells. Quantitative organelle sizing of ensembles of cells using this method has been well established. Our goal is to develop the methodology to extend this approach to the single cell level, measuring the angular scattering at multiple time points and estimating the non-nuclear organelle size distribution parameters. The diameters of individual organelle-size beads were successfully extracted using scattering measurements with a minimum deflection angle of 20 degrees. However, the accuracy of size estimates can be limited by the angular range detected. In particular, simulations by our group suggest that, for cell organelle populations with a broader size distribution, the accuracy of size prediction improves substantially if the minimum angle of detection angle is 15 degrees or less. The system was therefore modified to collect scattering angles down to 10 degrees. To confirm experimentally that size predictions will become more stable when lower scattering angles are detected, initial validations were performed on individual polystyrene beads ranging in diameter from 1 to 5 microns. We found that the lower minimum angle enabled the width of this delta-function size distribution to be predicted more accurately. Scattering patterns were then acquired and analyzed from single mouse squamous cell carcinoma cells at multiple time points. The scattering patterns exhibit angular dependencies that look unlike those of any single sphere size, but are well-fit by a broad distribution of sizes, as expected. To determine the fluctuation level in the estimated size distribution due to measurement imperfections alone, formaldehyde-fixed cells were measured. Subsequent measurements on live (non-fixed) cells revealed an order of magnitude greater fluctuation in the estimated sizes compared to fixed cells. With our improved and better-understood approach to single cell angular scattering, we are now capable of reliably detecting changes in organelle size predictions due to biological causes above our measurement error of 20 nm, which enables us to apply our system to future studies of the investigation of various single cell biological processes.

Imaging spectrophotometry of ionized gas in NGC 1068. I - Kinematics of the narrow-line region

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cecil, Gerald; Bland, Jonathan; Tully, R. Brent

1990-01-01

The kinematics of collisionally excited forbidden N II 6548, 6583 across the inner 1 arcmin diameter of the nearby Seyfert galaxy NGC 1068 is mapped using an imaging Fabry-Perot interferometer and low-noise CCD. The stack of monochromatic images, which spatially resolved the high-velocity gas, was analyzed for kinematic and photometric content. Profiles agree well with previous long-slit work, and their complete spatial coverage makes it possible to constrain the gas volume distribution. It is found that the narrow-line region is distributed in a thick center-darkened, line-emitting cylinder that envelopes the collimated radio jet. Three distinct kinematic subsystems, of which the cylinder is composed, are discussed in detail. Detailed behavior of the emission-line profiles, at the few points in the NE quadrant with simple kinematics, argues that the ionized gas develops a significant component of motion perpendicular to the jet axis.

Latitudinal Transport of Angular Momentum by Cellular Flows Observed with MDI

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hathaway, David H.; Gilman, Peter A.; Beck, John G.; Rose, M. Franklin (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

We have analyzed Doppler velocity images from the MDI instrument on SOHO to determine the latitudinal transport of angular momentum by the cellular photospheric flows. Doppler velocity images from 60-days in May to July of 1996 were processed to remove the p-mode oscillations, the convective blue shift, the axisymmetric flows, and any instrumental artifacts. The remaining cellular flows were examined for evidence of latitudinal angular momentum transport. Small cells show no evidence of any such transport. Cells the size of supergranules (30,000 km in diameter) show strong evidence for a poleward transport of angular momentum. This would be expected if supergranules are influenced by the Coriolis force, and if the cells are elongated in an east-west direction. We find good evidence for just such an east-west elongation of the supergranules. This elongation may be the result of differential rotation shearing the cellular structures. Data simulations of this effect support the conclusion that elongated supergranules transport angular momentum from the equator toward the poles, Cells somewhat larger than supergranules do not show evidence for this poleward transport. Further analysis of the data is planned to determine if the direction of angular momentum transport reverses for even larger cellular structures. The Sun's rapidly rotating equator must be maintained by such transport somewhere within the convection zone.

Conflict between background matching and social signalling in a colour-changing freshwater fish

PubMed Central

Rodgers, Gwendolen M.; Morrell, Lesley J.

2016-01-01

The ability to change coloration allows animals to modify their patterning to suit a specific function. Many freshwater fishes, for example, can appear cryptic by altering the dispersion of melanin pigment in the skin to match the visual background. However, melanin-based pigments are also used to signal dominance among competing males; thus colour change for background matching may conflict with colour change for social status signalling. We used a colour-changing freshwater fish to investigate whether colour change for background matching influenced aggressive interactions between rival males. Subordinate males that had recently darkened their skin for background matching received heightened aggression from dominant males, relative to males whose coloration had not changed. We then determined whether the social status of a rival male, the focal male's previous social status, and his previous skin coloration, affected a male's ability to change colour for background matching. Social status influenced skin darkening in the first social encounter, with dominant males darkening more than subordinate males, but there was no effect of social status on colour change in the second social encounter. We also found that the extent of skin colour change (by both dominant and subordinate males) was dependent on previous skin coloration, with dark males displaying a smaller change in coloration than pale males. Our findings suggest that skin darkening for background matching imposes a significant social cost on subordinate males in terms of increased aggression. We also suggest that the use of melanin-based signals during social encounters can impede subsequent changes in skin coloration for other functions, such as skin darkening for background matching. PMID:27429764

What do We Know the Snow Darkening Effect Over Himalayan Glaciers?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yasunari, T. J.; Lau, K.-U.; Koster, R. D.; Suarez, M.; Mahanama, S. P.; Gautam, R.; Kim, K. M.; Dasilva, A. M.; Colarco, P. R.

2011-01-01

The atmospheric absorbing aerosols such as dust, black carbon (BC), organic carbon (OC) are now well known warming factors in the atmosphere. However, when these aerosols deposit onto the snow surface, it causes darkening of snow and thereby absorbing more energy at the snow surface leading to the accelerated melting of snow. If this happens over Himalayan glacier surface, the glacier meltings are expected and may contribute the mass balance changes though the mass balance itself is more complicated issue. Glacier has mainly two parts: ablation and accumulation zones. Those are separated by the Equilibrium Line Altitude (ELA). Above and below ELA, snow accumulation and melting are dominant, respectively. The change of ELA will influence the glacier disappearance in future. In the Himalayan region, many glacier are debris covered glacier at the terminus (i.e., in the ablation zone). Debris is pieces of rock from local land and the debris covered parts are probably not affected by any deposition of the absorbing aerosols because the snow surface is already covered by debris (the debris covered parts have different mechanism of melting). Hence, the contribution of the snow darkening effect is considered to be most important "over non debris covered part" of the Himalayan glacier (i.e., over the snow or ice surface area). To discuss the whole glacier retreat, mass balance of each glacier is most important including the discussion on glacier flow, vertical compaction of glacier, melting amount, etc. The contribution of the snow darkening is mostly associated with "the snow/ice surface melting". Note that the surface melting itself is not always directly related to glacier retreats because sometimes melt water refreezes inside of the glacier. We should discuss glacier retreats in terms of not only the snow darkening but also other contributions to the mass balance.

Kinematic analysis of the snatch lift with elite female weightlifters during the 2010 World Weightlifting Championship.

PubMed

Akkuş, Hasan

2012-04-01

The objectives of this study were to determine the mechanical work, the power output, and the angular kinematics of the lower limb and the linear kinematics of the barbell during the first and second pulls in the snatch lift event of the 2010 Women's World Weightlifting Championship, an Olympic qualifying competition, and to compare the snatch performances of the women weightlifters to those reported in the literature. The heaviest successful snatch lifts of 7 female weightlifters who won gold medals were analyzed. The snatch lifts were recorded using 2 Super-Video Home System cameras (50 fields·s), and points on the body and the barbell were manually digitized using the Ariel Performance Analysis System. The results revealed that the duration of the first pull was significantly greater than the duration of the transition phase, the second pull, and the turnover under the barbell (p < 0.05). The maximum extension velocities of the lower limb in the second pull were significantly greater than the maximum extension velocities in the first pull. The fastest extensions were observed at the knee joint during the first pull and at the hip joint during the second pull (p < 0.05). The barbell trajectories for the heaviest snatch lifts of these elite female weightlifters were similar to those of men. The maximum vertical velocity of the barbell was greater during the second pull than in the first pull (p < 0.05). The mechanical work performed in the first pull was greater than the second pull, and the power output during the second pull was greater than that of the first pull (p < 0.05). Although the magnitudes of the barbell's linear kinematics, the angular kinematics of the lower limb, and other energy characteristics did not exactly reflect those reported in the literature, the snatch lift patterns of the elite women weightlifters were similar to those of male weightlifters.

The horizontal and vertical semi-diameters of the Sun observed at the Cape of Good Hope (1834 - 1887) and Paris (1837 - 1906): A report on work in progress

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, C.; Messina, D.

1981-01-01

Cape and Paris meridian observations of the solar limbs which permit an estimate to be made of the solar semi-diameter were surveyed, sampled, and compared with Greenwich and U.S. Naval Observatory observations. Significant systematic errors were found in the Paris work and have been correlated with changes of instruments and observers. Results from the Cape series indicate that work should continue on the compilation of data from Cape observations of the Sun.

Evaluation of head and face injury potential of current airline seats during crash decelerations.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1966-06-01

A large percentage of deaths in commercial-airline crashes is produced as the body and lower limbs flail around the seat belt. According to a previous study, a 10-foot-diameter sphere of clear area would be necessary to prevent a person from striking...

JUPOS : Amateur analysis of Jupiter images with specialized measurement software

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jacquesson, M.; Mettig, H.-J.

2008-09-01

Introduction - Beginning of JUPOS in 1989, H.J. Mettig and Grischa Hahn in Dresden - 350.000 positional measures on electronic images of almost 180 observers have been gathered since 1998 - What do we mean by "electronic images": o digitized hi-res chemical photographs o traditional CCD technique o webcam images - 2002 started the implementation of WinJUPOS by Grischa, now finished - Cooperation with the Jupiter Section of the BAA for many years - At present, JUPOS has four active measurers: o Gianluigi Adamoli and Marco Vedovato (Italy) o H.J. Mettig (Germany) o Michel Jacquesson (France) How we work together - Each member of the team measures images of several observers (useful to detect and avoid systematic errors) - When necessary, exchange of problems and ideas by e-mail - During the period of visibility of Jupiter, team leader H.J. Mettig: o collects all recent measurements about once a month o produces drift charts - Once a year or two, the JUPOS team helds an informal meeting Criteria for image selection 1) Validity of time and date: Origins of time errors: 1. local zonal times are wrongly (or, not at all) converted to UT. This is still easy to find out: Either "only" the full hour is erroneous, or/and the date (problem of observers with UTC+10) 2. the computer clock has not been synchronised over a longer period 3. exposure of the final image exceeds the recommended two minutes or observers communicate begin or end of the total period of image recording instead of its middle How to test the validity of the time? - Position of a galilean satellite visible on or near Jupiter - Position of a satellite shadow - Measuring the longitude of permanent or long lived objects whose positions are known from former measurements 2) Avoid measuring the same object on different images taken at about the same time. One image every 1 ½ hours is sufficient 3) Duration of exposure: not more than 2-3 minutes because of the rapid rotation of Jupiter 4) Spectral range: Visual spectral range (sorted by descending priority): o color o monochrome red o IR broadband o green o not blue except for particular cases o not narrow band (except for methane band at 889nm) 5) Correct alignment of RGB color images from 3 monochrome frames 6) Choose images of better quality if several are available from about the same time An important prerequisite: adjust the outline frame correctly - Problems: o phase (darkening of the terminator) o limb darkening o tilt of the image (belt edges are not always horizontal) o north-south asymmetries (rare) o mirror-inverted images o invisibility of the illuminated limb on IR broad band and methane images - How to adjust the outline frame : o increase the luminosity and gamma to display the "real limb". This solution is not sufficient: many images do not show the real limb because of the image processing o use positions of satellites and shadows if visible o refer to latitudes of permanent or long lived objects, but only from recent images as their latitude can vary o setting the frame first on: the limb; the north and south poles; NOT at the terminator o in a series of images taken about 1 ½ hours apart, the same object must have the same position (+/- 0.5°) Measuring objects : 1) Place the WinJUPOS cursor onto the feature's centre - What to measure, what to omit? o some regions of Jupiter with big activity (SEB at present) show many small features that we omit because - finest details are often indistinguishable from image artefacts and noise - they are often short-living, and appear as "noise" in drift charts o omit measuring features too close to the planet's limb o problem with measuring the center of extended objects (e.g. GRS) : visual estimation can give a systematic error. The solution: rotate the image o diffuse features have no clear boundaries 2) Enter the standard JUPOS code of the object (longitude and latitude are automatically computed) 3) Optional: add a description of particular characteristics of the object Generating drift charts WinJUPOS can display different types of drift charts using selection files, filter criteria are for example: - latitude - object description (dark or bright features, etc) Computing drift values WinJUPOS can compute linear drift rates in longitude (and latitude) as well as metric wind speeds of particular objects. Conclusion The project offers a big motivaton to amateur astronomers to contribute to research in planetology at their modest level. Further information about JUPOS can be found at http://jupos.org or http://jupos.privat.t-online.de/index.htm

Angular dependence models for radiance to flux conversion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Green, Richard N.; Suttles, John T.; Wielicki, Bruce A.

1990-01-01

Angular dependence models (ADM) used for converting the measured radiance to flux at the top of the atmosphere are reviewed, and emphasis is placed on the measure of their effectiveness and the implications of requiring the ADMs to satisfy reciprocity. The overall significance of the ADMs is figured out by analyzing the same satellite data with a single Lambertian model, single mean model, and the 12 Earth Radiation Budget Experiment (ERBE) ADMs. It is shown that the Lambertian ADM is inadequate, while the mean ADM results in nearly unbiased fluxes but creates substantial differences for individual pixel fluxes. The standard ERBE ADM works well except for a 10-pct to 15-pct albedo growth across the scan; a modified ADM based on the standard ERBE ADM but forced to satisfy the principle of reciprocity increases the limb brightening and reduces the albedo growth but does not improve the scanner and nonscanner intercomparison.

Major Cys protease activities are not essential for senescence in individually darkened Arabidopsis leaves.

PubMed

Pružinská, Adriana; Shindo, Takayuki; Niessen, Sherry; Kaschani, Farnusch; Tóth, Réka; Millar, A Harvey; van der Hoorn, Renier A L

2017-01-06

Papain-like Cys Proteases (PLCPs) and Vacuolar Processing Enzymes (VPEs) are amongst the most highly expressed proteases during leaf senescence in Arabidopsis. Using activity-based protein profiling (ABPP), a method that enables detection of active enzymes within a complex sample using chemical probes, the activities of PLCPs and VPEs were investigated in individually darkened leaves of Arabidopsis, and their role in senescence was tested in null mutants. ABPP and mass spectrometry revealed an increased activity of several PLCPs, particularly RD21A and AALP. By contrast, despite increased VPE transcript levels, active VPE decreased in individually darkened leaves. Eight protease knock-out lines and two protease over expressing lines were subjected to senescence phenotype analysis to determine the importance of individual protease activities to senescence. Unexpectedly, despite the absence of dominating PLCP activities in these plants, the rubisco and chlorophyll decline in individually darkened leaves and the onset of whole plant senescence were unaltered. However, a significant delay in progression of whole plant senescence was observed in aalp-1 and rd21A-1/aalp-1 mutants, visible in the reduced number of senescent leaves. Major Cys protease activities are not essential for dark-induced and developmental senescence and only a knock out line lacking AALP shows a slight but significant delay in plant senescence.

Type synthesis and preliminary design of devices supporting lower limb's rehabilitation.

PubMed

Olinski, Michał; Lewandowski, Bogusz; Gronowicz, Antoni

2015-01-01

Based on the analysis of existing solutions, biomechanics of human lower limbs and anticipated applications, results of con- siderations concerning the necessary number of degrees of freedom for the designed device supporting rehabilitation of lower extremities are presented. An analysis was carried out in order to determine the innovative kinematic structure of the device, ensuring sufficient mobility and functionality while minimizing the number of degrees of freedom. With the aid of appropriate formalised meth- ods, for instance, type synthesis, a complete variety of solutions for leg joints were obtained in the form of basic and kinematic schemes, having the potential to find application in devices supporting lower limb rehabilitation. A 3D model of ankle joint module was built in Autodesk Inventor System, then imported to Adams and assembled into a moving numerical model of a mechanism. Several conducted simulations resulted in finding the required maximum stroke of the cylinders. A comparison of the angular ranges of ankle joint and similar devices with the ones achieved by the designed device indicated a sufficient reserve allowing not only movements typical of gait, but approximately achieving the passive range of motion for the ankle joint.

Isokinetic Identification of Knee Joint Torques before and after Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction

PubMed Central

Czaplicki, Adam; Jarocka, Marta; Walawski, Jacek

2015-01-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate the serial change of isokinetic muscle strength of the knees before and after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) in physically active males and to estimate the time of return to full physical fitness. Extension and flexion torques were measured for the injured and healthy limbs at two angular velocities approximately 1.5 months before the surgery and 3, 6, and 12 months after ACLR. Significant differences (p ≤ 0.05) in peak knee extension and flexion torques, hamstring/quadriceps (H/Q) strength ratios, uninvolved/involved limb peak torque ratios, and the normalized work of these muscles between the four stages of rehabilitation were identified. Significant differences between extension peak torques for the injured and healthy limbs were also detected at all stages. The obtained results showed that 12 months of rehabilitation were insufficient for the involved knee joint to recover its strength to the level of strength of the uninvolved knee joint. The results helped to evaluate the progress of the rehabilitation and to implement necessary modifications optimizing the rehabilitation training program. The results of the study may also be used as referential data for physically active males of similar age. PMID:26646385

Hemi-wedge osteotomy in the management of large angular deformities around the knee joint.

PubMed

El-Alfy, Barakat Sayed

2016-08-01

Angular deformity around the knee joint is a common orthopedic problem. Many options are available for the management of such problem with varying degrees of success and failure. The aim of the present study was to assess the results of hemi-wedge osteotomy in the management of big angular deformities about the knee joint. Twenty-eight limbs in 21 patients with large angular deformities around the knee joint were treated by the hemi-wedge osteotomy technique. The ages ranged from 12 to 43 years with an average of 19.8 years. The deformity ranged from 20° to 40° with a mean of 30.39° ± 5.99°. The deformities were genu varum in 12 cases and genu valgum in 9 cases. Seven cases had bilateral deformities. Small wedge was removed from the convex side of the bone and put in the gap created in the other side after correction of the deformity. At the final follow-up, the deformity was corrected in all cases except two. Full range of knee movement was regained in all cases. The complications included superficial wound infection in two cases, overcorrection in one case, pain along the lateral aspect of the knee in one case and recurrence of the deformity in one case. No cases were complicated by nerve injury or vascular injury. Hemi-wedge osteotomy is a good method for treatment of deformities around the knee joint. It can correct large angular deformities without major complications.

Attenuation of centre-of-pressure trajectory fluctuations under the prosthetic foot when using an articulating hydraulic ankle attachment compared to fixed attachment.

PubMed

De Asha, Alan R; Johnson, Louise; Munjal, Ramesh; Kulkarni, Jai; Buckley, John G

2013-02-01

Disruptions to the progress of the centre-of-pressure trajectory beneath prosthetic feet have been reported previously. These disruptions reflect how body weight is transferred over the prosthetic limb and are governed by the compliance of the prosthetic foot device and its ability to simulate ankle function. This study investigated whether using an articulating hydraulic ankle attachment attenuates centre-of-pressure trajectory fluctuations under the prosthetic foot compared to a fixed attachment. Twenty active unilateral trans-tibial amputees completed walking trials at their freely-selected, comfortable walking speed using both their habitual foot with either a rigid or elastic articulating attachment and a foot with a hydraulic ankle attachment. Centre-of-pressure displacement and velocity fluctuations beneath the prosthetic foot, prosthetic shank angular velocity during stance, and walking speed were compared between foot conditions. Use of the hydraulic device eliminated or reduced the magnitude of posteriorly directed centre-of-pressure displacements, reduced centre-of-pressure velocity variability across single-support, increased mean forward angular velocity of the shank during early stance, and increased freely chosen comfortable walking speed (P ≤ 0.002). The attenuation of centre-of-pressure trajectory fluctuations when using the hydraulic device indicated bodyweight was transferred onto the prosthetic limb in a smoother, less faltering manner which allowed the centre of mass to translate more quickly over the foot. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Wide-angle display-type retarding field analyzer with high energy and angular resolutions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Muro, Takayuki; Ohkochi, Takuo; Kato, Yukako; Izumi, Yudai; Fukami, Shun; Fujiwara, Hidenori; Matsushita, Tomohiro

2017-12-01

Deployments of spherical grids to obtain high energy and angular resolutions for retarding field analyzers (RFAs) having acceptance angles as large as or larger than ±45° were explored under the condition of using commercially available microchannel plates with effective diameters of approximately 100 mm. As a result of electron trajectory simulations, a deployment of three spherical grids with significantly different grid separations instead of conventional equidistant separations showed an energy resolving power (E/ΔE) of 3200 and an angular resolution of 0.6°. The mesh number of the wire mesh retarding grid used for the simulation was 250. An RFA constructed with the simulated design experimentally showed an E/ΔE of 1100 and an angular resolution of 1°. Using the RFA and synchrotron radiation of 900 eV, photoelectron diffraction (PED) measurements were performed for single-crystal graphite. A clear C 1s PED pattern was observed even when the differential energy of the RFA was set at 0.5 eV. Further improvement of the energy resolution was theoretically examined under the assumption of utilizing a retarding grid fabricated by making a large number of radially directed cylindrical holes through a partial spherical shell instead of using a wire mesh retarding grid. An E/ΔE of 14 500 was predicted for a hole design with a diameter of 60 μm and a depth of 100 μm. A retarding grid with this hole design and a holed area corresponding to an acceptance angle of ±7° was fabricated. An RFA constructed with this retarding grid experimentally showed an E/ΔE of 1800. Possible reasons for the experimental E/ΔE lower than the theoretical values are discussed.

Accuracy verification of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology for lower-limb prosthetic research: utilising animal soft tissue specimen and common socket casting materials.

PubMed

Safari, Mohammad Reza; Rowe, Philip; Buis, Arjan

2012-01-01

Lower limb prosthetic socket shape and volume consistency can be quantified using MRI technology. Additionally, MRI images of the residual limb could be used as an input data for CAD-CAM technology and finite element studies. However, the accuracy of MRI when socket casting materials are used has to be defined. A number of six, 46 mm thick, cross-sections of an animal leg were used. Three specimens were wrapped with Plaster of Paris (POP) and the other three with commercially available silicone interface liner. Data was obtained by utilising MRI technology and then the segmented images compared to corresponding calliper measurement, photographic imaging, and water suspension techniques. The MRI measurement results were strongly correlated with actual diameter, surface area, and volume measurements. The results show that the selected scanning parameters and the semiautomatic segmentation method are adequate enough, considering the limit of clinical meaningful shape and volume fluctuation, for residual limb volume and the cross-sectional surface area measurements.

Accuracy Verification of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Technology for Lower-Limb Prosthetic Research: Utilising Animal Soft Tissue Specimen and Common Socket Casting Materials

PubMed Central

Safari, Mohammad Reza; Rowe, Philip; Buis, Arjan

2012-01-01

Lower limb prosthetic socket shape and volume consistency can be quantified using MRI technology. Additionally, MRI images of the residual limb could be used as an input data for CAD-CAM technology and finite element studies. However, the accuracy of MRI when socket casting materials are used has to be defined. A number of six, 46 mm thick, cross-sections of an animal leg were used. Three specimens were wrapped with Plaster of Paris (POP) and the other three with commercially available silicone interface liner. Data was obtained by utilising MRI technology and then the segmented images compared to corresponding calliper measurement, photographic imaging, and water suspension techniques. The MRI measurement results were strongly correlated with actual diameter, surface area, and volume measurements. The results show that the selected scanning parameters and the semiautomatic segmentation method are adequate enough, considering the limit of clinical meaningful shape and volume fluctuation, for residual limb volume and the cross-sectional surface area measurements. PMID:22619599

The impact of Nordic walking training on the gait of the elderly.

PubMed

Ben Mansour, Khaireddine; Gorce, Philippe; Rezzoug, Nasser

2018-03-27

The purpose of the current study was to define the impact of regular practice of Nordic walking on the gait of the elderly. Thereby, we aimed to determine whether the gait characteristics of active elderly persons practicing Nordic walking are more similar to healthy adults than that of the sedentary elderly. Comparison was made based on parameters computed from three inertial sensors during walking at a freely chosen velocity. Results showed differences in gait pattern in terms of the amplitude computed from acceleration and angular velocity at the lumbar region (root mean square), the distribution (Skewness) quantified from the vertical and Euclidean norm of the lumbar acceleration, the complexity (Sample Entropy) of the mediolateral component of lumbar angular velocity and the Euclidean norm of the shank acceleration and angular velocity, the regularity of the lower limbs, the spatiotemporal parameters and the variability (standard deviation) of stance and stride durations. These findings reveal that the pattern of active elderly differs significantly from sedentary elderly of the same age while similarity was observed between the active elderly and healthy adults. These results advance that regular physical activity such as Nordic walking may counteract the deterioration of gait quality that occurs with aging.

The Efficacy and Safety of Topical Rocuronium Bromide to Induce Bilateral Mydriasis in Hispaniolan Amazon Parrots ( Amazona ventralis ).

PubMed

Baine, Katherine; Hendrix, Diane V H; Kuhn, Sonia E; Souza, Marcy J; Jones, Michael P

2016-03-01

The efficacy and safety of topically applied rocuronium in Hispaniolan Amazon parrots ( Amazona ventralis ) was assessed in a group of 10 adult birds. A complete ophthalmic examination (including Schirmer tear test, ocular reflexes, applanation tonometry, fluorescein staining, and slit-lamp biomicroscopy) was performed, and rocuronium bromide (0.15 mg in both eyes) was administered. Pupillary light reflex (PLR) and pupillary diameter were recorded in a darkened room at the following time points: 0, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 80, 100, 120, 140, 160, 180, 200, 220, 240, 300, and 360 minutes, and 24 hours. Fluorescein staining in both eyes was performed at 24 hours. By 10 minutes, PLR was absent in all birds (at 5 minutes, 8 birds; at 10 minutes, remaining 2 birds). Pupil diameter differed significantly from baseline at all time points. Additionally, PLR was decreased in 7/10 birds at 360 minutes and normal in all birds at 24 hours. Superficial corneal ulceration was observed at 24 hours in the left eye of 2/10 of the birds after fluorescein stain application. This study demonstrated that rocuronium bromide was an effective mydriatic agent in Hispaniolan Amazon parrots with rapid onset and prolonged duration of action.

The diameter of Pallas from its occultation of SAO 85009

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wasserman, L. H.; Millis, R. L.; Franz, O. G.; Bowell, E.; Giclas, H. L.; Martin, L. J.; Elliot, J. L.; Dunham, E.; Mink, D.; White, N. M.

1979-01-01

The May 29, 1978, occultation of SAO 85009 by Pallas was observed photoelectrically at seven widely spaced sites. The observations are well represented by an elliptical apparent limb profile having semimajor and semiminor axes of 279.5 + or - 2.9 and 262.7 + or - 4.5 km, respectively. Combining these results with published information on the light curve and rotational pole position, Pallas's mean diameter is found to be 538 + or - 12 km, which yields a mean density for Pallas of 2.8 + or - 0.5 g/cu cm and a visual geometric albedo of 0.103 + or - 0.005. The diameter of Pallas as determined from this occultation is significantly smaller than the values derived by radiometric, polarimetric, and double-image techniques.

Greenland ice sheet albedo variability and feedback: 2000-2015

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Box, J. E.; van As, D.; Fausto, R. S.; Mottram, R.; Langen, P. P.; Steffen, K.

2015-12-01

Absorbed solar irradiance represents the dominant source of surface melt energy for Greenland ice. Surface melting has increased as part of a positive feedback amplifier due to surface darkening. The 16 most recent summers of observations from the NASA MODIS sensor indicate a darkening exceeding 6% in July when most melting occurs. Without the darkening, the increase in surface melting would be roughly half as large. A minority of the albedo decline signal may be from sensor degradation. So, in this study, MOD10A1 and MCD43 albedo products from MODIS are evaluated for sensor degradation and anisotropic reflectance errors. Errors are minimized through calibration to GC-Net and PROMICE Greenland snow and ice ground control data. The seasonal and spatial variability in Greenland snow and ice albedo over a 16 year period is presented, including quantifying changing absorbed solar irradiance and melt enhancement due to albedo feedback using the DMI HIRHAM5 5 km model.

Decrease of Nitrate Reductase Activity in Spinach Leaves during a Light-Dark Transition 1

PubMed Central

Riens, Burgi; Heldt, Hans Walter

1992-01-01

In leaves of spinach plants (Spinacia oleracea L.) performing CO2 and NO3− assimilation, at the time of sudden darkening, which eliminates photosystem I-dependent nitrite reduction, only a minor temporary increase of the leaf nitrite content is observed. Because nitrate reduction does not depend on redox equivalents generated by photosystem I activity, a continuation of nitrate reduction after darkening would result in a large accumulation of nitrite in the leaves within a very short time, which is not observed. Measurements of the extractable nitrate reductase activity from spinach leaves assayed under standard conditions showed that in these leaves the nitrate reductase activity decreased during darkening to 15% of the control value with a half-time of only 2 minutes. Apparently, in these leaves nitrate reductase is very rapidly inactivated at sudden darkness avoiding an accumulation of the toxic nitrite in the cells. PMID:16668679

A physical model of the photo- and radiation-induced degradation of ytterbium-doped silica optical fibres

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mady, Franck, E-mail: franck.mady@unice.fr; Duchez, Jean-Bernard, E-mail: franck.mady@unice.fr; Mebrouk, Yasmine, E-mail: franck.mady@unice.fr

2014-10-21

We propose a model to describe the photo- or/and the radiation-induced darkening of ytterbium-doped silica optical fibers. This model accounts for the well-established experimental features of photo-darkening. Degradation behaviors predicted for fibers pumped in harsh environments are also fully confirmed by experimental data reported in the work by Duchez et al. (this proceeding), which gives a detailed characterization of the interplay between the effects of the pump and those of a superimposed ionizing irradiation (actual operation conditions in space-based applications for instance). In particular, dependences of the darkening build-up on the pump power, the total ionizing dose and the dosemore » rate are all correctly reproduced. The presented model is a ‘sufficient’ one, including the minimal physical ingredients required to reproduce experimental features. Refinements could be proposed to improve, e.g., quantitative kinetics.« less

GRAVITY-DARKENED SEASONS: INSOLATION AROUND RAPID ROTATORS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ahlers, John P.

2016-11-20

I model the effect of rapid stellar rotation on a planet’s insolation. Fast-rotating stars have induced pole-to-equator temperature gradients (known as gravity darkening) of up to several thousand Kelvin that affect the star’s luminosity and peak emission wavelength as a function of latitude. When orbiting such a star, a planet’s annual insolation can strongly vary depending on its orbital inclination. Specifically, inclined orbits result in temporary exposure to the star’s hotter poles. I find that gravity darkening can drive changes in a planet’s equilibrium temperature of up to ∼15% due to increased irradiance near the stellar poles. This effect canmore » also vary a planet’s exposure to UV radiation by up to ∼80% throughout its orbit as it is exposed to an irradiance spectrum corresponding to different stellar effective temperatures over time.« less

Earth Observations taken by the Expedition 23 Crew

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-05-25

ISS023-E-057948 (25 May 2010) --- A sunset on the Indian Ocean is featured in this image photographed by an Expedition 23 crew member on the International Space Station (ISS). The image presents an edge-on, or limb view, of Earth’s atmosphere as seen from orbit. The Earth’s curvature is visible along the horizon line, or limb, that extends across the image from center left to lower right. Above the darkened surface of Earth, a brilliant sequence of colors roughly denotes several layers of the atmosphere. Deep oranges and yellows are visible in the troposphere that extends from Earth’s surface to 6-20 kilometers high. This layer contains over 80 percent of the mass of the atmosphere and almost all of the water vapor, clouds, and precipitation – several dark cloud layers are visible within this layer. Variations in the colors are due mainly to varying concentrations of either clouds or aerosols (airborne particles or droplets). The pink to white region above the clouds appears to be the stratosphere; this atmospheric layer generally has little or no clouds and extends up to approximately 50 kilometers above Earth’s surface. Above the stratosphere blue layers mark the upper atmosphere (including the mesosphere, thermosphere, ionosphere, and exosphere) as it gradually fades into the blackness of outer space. The ISS was located over the southern Indian Ocean when this image was taken, with the observer looking towards the west. Crew members aboard the space station see 16 sunrises and sunsets per day due to their high orbital velocity (greater than 28,000 kilometers per hour). The multiple chances for photography are fortunate, as at that speed each sunrise/sunset event only lasts a few seconds.

SOAP 2.0: a tool to estimate the photometric and radial velocity variations induced by stellar spots and plages

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dumusque, X.; Boisse, I.; Santos, N. C., E-mail: xdumusque@cfa.harvard.edu

2014-12-01

This paper presents SOAP 2.0, a new version of the Spot Oscillation And Planet (SOAP) code that estimates in a simple way the photometric and radial velocity (RV) variations induced by active regions. The inhibition of the convective blueshift (CB) inside active regions is considered, as well as the limb brightening effect of plages, a quadratic limb darkening law, and a realistic spot and plage contrast ratio. SOAP 2.0 shows that the activity-induced variation of plages is dominated by the inhibition of the CB effect. For spots, this effect becomes significant only for slow rotators. In addition, in the casemore » of a major active region dominating the activity-induced signal, the ratio between the FWHM and the RV peak-to-peak amplitudes of the cross correlation function can be used to infer the type of active region responsible for the signal for stars with v sin i ≤8 km s{sup –1}. A ratio smaller than three implies a spot, while a larger ratio implies a plage. Using the observation of HD 189733, we show that SOAP 2.0 manages to reproduce the activity variation as well as previous simulations when a spot is dominating the activity-induced variation. In addition, SOAP 2.0 also reproduces the activity variation induced by a plage on the slowly rotating star α Cen B, which is not possible using previous simulations. Following these results, SOAP 2.0 can be used to estimate the signal induced by spots and plages, but also to correct for it when a major active region is dominating the RV variation.« less

Flow-mediated changes in pulse wave velocity: a new clinical measure of endothelial function.

PubMed

Naka, Katerina K; Tweddel, Ann C; Doshi, Sagar N; Goodfellow, Jonathan; Henderson, Andrew H

2006-02-01

To test whether measuring hyperaemic changes in pulse wave velocity (PWV) could be used as a new method of assessing endothelial function for use in clinical practice. Flow-mediated changes in vascular tone may be used to assess endothelial function and may be induced by distal hyperaemia, while endothelium-mediated changes in vascular tone can influence PWV. These three known principles were combined to provide and test a novel method of measuring endothelial function by the acute effects of distal hyperaemia on upper and lower limb PWV (measured by a recently developed method). Flow-mediated changes in upper and lower limb PWV were compared in 17 healthy subjects and seven patients with stable chronic heart failure (CHF), as a condition where endothelial function is impaired but endothelium-independent dilator responses are retained. Corroborative measurements of PWV and brachial artery diameter responses to endothelium-dependent and -independent pharmacological stimuli were performed in a further eight healthy subjects. Flow-mediated reduction of PWV (by 14% with no change in blood pressure) was found in normal subjects but was almost abolished in patients with CHF. PWV responses appear to be inversely related to and relatively greater than brachial artery diameter responses. The method may offer potential advantages of practical use and sensitivity over conduit artery diameter responses to measure endothelial dysfunction.

Science requirements and optimization of the silicon pore optics design for the Athena mirror

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Willingale, R.; Pareschi, G.; Christensen, F.; den Herder, J.-W.; Ferreira, D.; Jakobsen, A.; Ackermann, M.; Collon, M.; Bavdaz, M.

2014-07-01

The science requirements for the Athena X-ray mirror are to provide a collecting area of 2 m2 at 1 keV, an angular resolution of ~5 arc seconds half energy eidth (HEW) and a field of view of diameter 40-50 arc minutes. This combination of area and angular resolution over a wide field are possible because of unique features of the Silicon pore optics (SPO) technology used. Here we describe the optimization and modifications of the SPO technology required to achieve the Athena mirror specification and demonstrate how the optical design of the mirror system impacts on the scientific performance of Athena.

Transcriptomics reveals the molecular processes of light-induced rapid darkening of the non-obligate cave dweller Oreolalax rhodostigmatus (Megophryidae, Anura) and their genetic basis of pigmentation strategy.

PubMed

Zhu, Wei; Liu, Lusha; Wang, Xungang; Gao, Xinyu; Jiang, Jianping; Wang, Bin

2018-05-31

Vertebrates use different pigmentation strategies to adapt to various environments. A large amount of research has been done on disclosing the mechanisms of pigmentation strategies in vertebrates either under light, or, living in constant darkness. However, less attention has been paid to non-obligate, darkness dwellers. Red-spotted toothed toads Oreolalax rhodostigmatus (Megophryidae; Anura) from the karst mountainous region of southwestern China are non-obligate cave dwellers. Most tadpoles of the species possess transparent skin as they inhabit the dark karst caves. But remarkably, the transparent tadpoles can darken just within 15 h once exposed to light. Obviously, it is very significant to reveal molecular mechanisms of the unexpected rapid-darkening phenomenon. We compared the transcriptomes of O. rhodostigmatus tadpoles with different durations of light exposure to investigate the cellular processes and potential regulation signals for their light-induced rapid darkening. Genes involved in melanogenesis (i.e. TYR, TYRP1 and DCT) and melanocyte proliferation, as well as their transcriptional factor (MITF), showed light-induced transcription, suggesting a dominating role of morphological color change (MCC) in this process. Transcription of genes related to growth factor, MAPK and PI3K-Akt pathways increased with time of light exposure, suggesting that light could induce significant growth signal, which might facilitate the rapid skin darkening. Most importantly, an in-frame deletion of four residues was identified in O. rhodostigmatus melanocortin-1 receptor (MC1R), a critical receptor in MCC. This deletion results in a more negatively charged ligand pocket with three stereo-tandem aspartate residues. Such structural changes likely decrease the constitutive activity of MC1R, but increase its ligands-dependent activity, thus coordinating pigment regression and rapid melanogenesis in the dark and light, respectively. Our study suggested that rapid MCC was responsible for the light-induced rapid darkening of O. rhodostigmatus tadpoles. Genetic mutations of MC1R in them could explain how these non-obligate cave dwellers coordinate pigment regression and robust melanogenesis in darkness and light, respectively. To our knowledge, this is the first study that reports the association between pigmentation phenotype adaptation and MC1R mutations in amphibians and/or in non-obligate cave dwellers.

Ulnar metaphyseal osteochondrosis in seven captive bred cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus).

PubMed

Allan, Graeme; Portas, Timothy; Bryant, Benn; Howlett, Rolfe; Blyde, David

2008-01-01

Distal ulna metaphyseal osteochondrosis was identified in seven captive bred cheetahs raised in Australia between 1984 and 2005. The disorder was characterized by bilateral carpal valgus conformation. In the metaphyseal region of the distal ulnae, an osteolucent defect that appeared as a proximal extension of the lucent physis was identified radiographically between 6 and 10 months of age. Ulna ostectomy was done to correct the angular limb deformity. Histologically, changes were identified in the osteolucent lesion that resembled osteochondrosis. We propose that the condition is probably familial and/or dietary in origin.

Shapes of rotating superfluid helium nanodroplets

DOE PAGES

Bernando, Charles; Tanyag, Rico Mayro P.; Jones, Curtis; ...

2017-02-16

Rotating superfluid He droplets of approximately 1 μm in diameter were obtained in a free nozzle beam expansion of liquid He in vacuum and were studied by single-shot coherent diffractive imaging using an x-ray free electron laser. The formation of strongly deformed droplets is evidenced by large anisotropies and intensity anomalies (streaks) in the obtained diffraction images. The analysis of the images shows that in addition to previously described axially symmetric oblate shapes, some droplets exhibit prolate shapes. Forward modeling of the diffraction images indicates that the shapes of rotating superfluid droplets are very similar to their classical counterparts, givingmore » direct access to the droplet angular momenta and angular velocities. Here, the analyses of the radial intensity distribution and appearance statistics of the anisotropic images confirm the existence of oblate metastable superfluid droplets with large angular momenta beyond the classical bifurcation threshold.« less

Shapes of rotating superfluid helium nanodroplets

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bernando, Charles; Tanyag, Rico Mayro P.; Jones, Curtis

Rotating superfluid He droplets of approximately 1 μm in diameter were obtained in a free nozzle beam expansion of liquid He in vacuum and were studied by single-shot coherent diffractive imaging using an x-ray free electron laser. The formation of strongly deformed droplets is evidenced by large anisotropies and intensity anomalies (streaks) in the obtained diffraction images. The analysis of the images shows that in addition to previously described axially symmetric oblate shapes, some droplets exhibit prolate shapes. Forward modeling of the diffraction images indicates that the shapes of rotating superfluid droplets are very similar to their classical counterparts, givingmore » direct access to the droplet angular momenta and angular velocities. Here, the analyses of the radial intensity distribution and appearance statistics of the anisotropic images confirm the existence of oblate metastable superfluid droplets with large angular momenta beyond the classical bifurcation threshold.« less

Post ablation recanalization of varicose veins of the limbs: Comparison ablation method of mechanochemical and laser procedure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suhartono, R.; Irfan, W.; Wangge, G.; Moenadjat, Y.; Destanto, W. I.

2017-08-01

Endovenous ablation has been performed for varicose veins of the limbs in Indonesia since 2010. Endovenous laser ablation (EVLA) therapy has been performed in Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital (RSCM) in Jakarta, and mechanochemical ablation (MOCA) has been conducted in Fatmawati Hospital. This was a descriptive analytical study, with a cross-sectional design to analyze post-ablation recanalization after MOCA and EVLA procedures. Patients who had undergone MOCA or EVLA treatment were interviewed 3-18 months after the procedures. All the patients underwent vascular ultrasonography (USG) of the operated limb to assess recanalization. Secondary presurgery data were obtained from the patients’ from patients’ medical records. The clinical characteristics of the subjects were recorded to compare the potential correlation between these characteristics and recanalization post-MOCA and EVLA procedures. All the data were analyzed using SPSS ver. 20.0. The study consisted of 43 limbs: 24 treated by MOCA and 19 treated by EVLA. Most subjects in the MOCA group were <60 years (20/24), and 16 of the subjects were women. In the EVLA group, nine patients were <60 years, and 19 were ≥60 years, 15 of whom were women. The body mass index (BMI) of the majority (18/24) of the subjects in the MOCA group was normal, whereas most of the patients in the EVLA (10/19) group were overweight. In the MOCA group, the largest diameter of the vena saphena magna (VSM) in 20/24 extremities prior to treatment was VSM 4-7 mm, whereas the largest diameter in the EVLA group prior to treatment was >7 mm in 13/19 extremities. In the MOCA group, total recanalization occurred in 2/24 extremities, and partial recanalization occurred in 8/24 extremities. In the EVLA group, total recanalization occurred in 1/19 extremities, and partial recanalization occurred in 3/19 extremities. The association between the clinical characteristics of the patients and recanalization was not statistically significant (p > 0.05). The recanalization tendency was higher in the MOCA group than in the EVLA group. Although there was no statistically significant association between the clinical characteristics of the patients and recanalization, the largest diameter of the VSM presurgery (>7 mm) was higher in 3/4 extremities in the MOCA group, as compared to 3/13 extremities in the EVLA group.

Singularities in Dromo formulation. Analysis of deep flybys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roa, Javier; Sanjurjo-Rivo, Manuel; Peláez, Jesús

2015-08-01

The singularities in Dromo are characterized in this paper, both from an analytical and a numerical perspective. When the angular momentum vanishes, Dromo may encounter a singularity in the evolution equations. The cancellation of the angular momentum occurs in very specific situations and may be caused by the action of strong perturbations. The gravitational attraction of a perturbing planet may lead to rapid changes in the angular momentum of the particle. In practice, this situation may be encountered during deep planetocentric flybys. The performance of Dromo is evaluated in different scenarios. First, Dromo is validated for integrating the orbit of Near Earth Asteroids. Resulting errors are of the order of the diameter of the asteroid. Second, a set of theoretical flybys are designed for analyzing the performance of the formulation in the vicinity of the singularity. New sets of Dromo variables are proposed in order to minimize the dependency of Dromo on the angular momentum. A slower time scale is introduced, leading to a more stable description of the flyby phase. Improvements in the overall performance of the algorithm are observed when integrating orbits close to the singularity.

X-Ray Diffractive Optics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dennis, Brian; Li, Mary; Skinner, Gerald

2013-01-01

X-ray optics were fabricated with the capability of imaging solar x-ray sources with better than 0.1 arcsecond angular resolution, over an order of magnitude finer than is currently possible. Such images would provide a new window into the little-understood energy release and particle acceleration regions in solar flares. They constitute one of the most promising ways to probe these regions in the solar atmosphere with the sensitivity and angular resolution needed to better understand the physical processes involved. A circular slit structure with widths as fine as 0.85 micron etched in a silicon wafer 8 microns thick forms a phase zone plate version of a Fresnel lens capable of focusing approx. =.6 keV x-rays. The focal length of the 3-cm diameter lenses is 100 microns, and the angular resolution capability is better than 0.1 arcsecond. Such phase zone plates were fabricated in Goddard fs Detector Development Lab. (DDL) and tested at the Goddard 600-microns x-ray test facility. The test data verified that the desired angular resolution and throughput efficiency were achieved.

The effects of prosthetic foot stiffness on transtibial amputee walking mechanics and balance control during turning.

PubMed

Shell, Courtney E; Segal, Ava D; Klute, Glenn K; Neptune, Richard R

2017-11-01

Little evidence exists regarding how prosthesis design characteristics affect performance in tasks that challenge mediolateral balance such as turning. This study assesses the influence of prosthetic foot stiffness on amputee walking mechanics and balance control during a continuous turning task. Three-dimensional kinematic and kinetic data were collected from eight unilateral transtibial amputees as they walked overground at self-selected speed clockwise and counterclockwise around a 1-meter circle and along a straight line. Subjects performed the walking tasks wearing three different ankle-foot prostheses that spanned a range of sagittal- and coronal-plane stiffness levels. A decrease in stiffness increased residual ankle dorsiflexion (10-13°), caused smaller adaptations (<5°) in proximal joint angles, decreased residual and increased intact limb body support, increased residual limb propulsion and increased intact limb braking for all tasks. While changes in sagittal-plane joint work due to decreased stiffness were generally consistent across tasks, effects on coronal-plane hip work were task-dependent. When the residual limb was on the inside of the turn and during straight-line walking, coronal-plane hip work increased and coronal-plane peak-to-peak range of whole-body angular momentum decreased with decreased stiffness. Changes in sagittal-plane kinematics and kinetics were similar to those previously observed in straight-line walking. Mediolateral balance improved with decreased stiffness, but adaptations in coronal-plane angles, work and ground reaction force impulses were less systematic than those in sagittal-plane measures. Effects of stiffness varied with the residual limb inside versus outside the turn, which suggests that actively adjusting stiffness to turn direction may be beneficial. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Single-leg drop landing motor control strategies following acute ankle sprain injury.

PubMed

Doherty, C; Bleakley, C; Hertel, J; Caulfield, B; Ryan, J; Delahunt, E

2015-08-01

No research currently exists investigating the effect of acute injury on single-limb landing strategies. The aim of the current study was to analyze the coordination strategies of participants in the acute phase of lateral ankle sprain (LAS) injury. Thirty-seven participants with acute, first-time LAS and 19 uninjured participants completed a single-leg drop landing task on both limbs. Three-dimensional kinematic (angular displacement) and sagittal plane kinetic (moment-of-force) data were acquired for the joints of the lower extremity from 200 ms pre-initial contact (IC) to 200 ms post-IC. The peak magnitude of the vertical component of the ground reaction force (GRF) was also computed. Injured participants displayed a bilateral increase in hip flexion, with altered transverse plane kinematic profiles at the knee and ankle for both limbs (P < 0.05). This coincided with a reduction in the net-supporting flexor moment of the lower extremity (P < 0.05) and magnitude of the peak vertical GRF for the injured limb (21.82 ± 2.44 N/kg vs 24.09 ± 2.77 N/kg; P = 0.013) in injured participants compared to control participants. These results demonstrate that compensatory movement strategies are utilized by participants with acute LAS to successfully reduce the impact forces of landing. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Fundamental Stellar Properties of M-Dwarfs from the CHARA Array

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berger, D. H.; Gies, D. R.; McAlister, H. A.; ten Brummelaar, T. A.; Henry, T. J.; Sturmann, J.; Sturmann, L.; Turner, N. H.; Ridgway, S. T.; Aufdenberg, J. P.; Mérand, A. M.

2005-12-01

We report the angular diameters of six M dwarfs ranging in spectral type from M1.0 V to M3.0 V measured with Georgia State University's CHARA Array, a long-baseline optical interferometer located at Mount Wilson Observatory. Observations were made with the longest baselines in the near infrared K'-band and yielded angular diameters less than one milliarcsecond. Using an iterative process combining parallaxes from the NStars program and photometrically-derived bolometric luminosities and masses, we calculated effective temperatures, surface gravities, and stellar radii. Our results are consistent with other empirical measurements of M-dwarf radii, but found that current models underestimate the true stellar radii by up to 15-20%. We suggest that theoretical models for low mass stars may be lacking an opacity source that alters the computed stellar radii. Science operations at the Array are supported by the National Science Foundation through NSF Grant AST--0307562 and by Georgia State University through the College of Arts and Sciences and the Office of the Vice President for Research. Financial support for DHB was provided by the National Science Foundation through grant AST--0205297.

Spectroscopic determination of fundamental parameters of small angular diameter galactic open clusters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahumada, A. V.; Claria, J. J.; Bica, E.; Parisi, M. C.; Torres, M. C.; Pavani, D. B.

We present integrated spectra obtained at CASLEO (Argentina) for 9 galactic open clusters of small angular diameter. Two of them (BH 55 and Rup 159) have not been the target of previous research. The flux-calibrated spectra cover the spectral range approx. 3600-6900 A. Using the equivalent widths (EWs) of the Balmer lines and comparing the cluster spectra with template spectra, we determined E(B-V) colour excesses and ages for the present cluster sample. The parameters obtained for 6 of the clusters show good agreement with previous determinations based mainly on photometric methods. This is not the case, however, for BH 90, a scarcely reddened cluster, for which Moffat and Vogt (1975, Astron. and Astroph. SS, 20, 125) derived E(B-V) = 0.51. We explain and justify the strong discrepancy found for this object. According to the present analysis, 3 clusters are very young (Bo 14, Tr 15 and Tr 27), 2 are moderately young (NGC 6268 and BH 205), 3 are Hyades-like clusters (Rup 164, BH 90 and BH 55) and only one is an intermediate-age cluster (Rup 159).

Galaxy clusters, type Ia supernovae and the fine structure constant

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Holanda, R.F.L.; Busti, V.C.; Colaço, L.R.

2016-08-01

As is well known, measurements of the Sunyaev-Zeldovich effect can be combined with observations of the X-ray surface brightness of galaxy clusters to estimate the angular diameter distance to these structures. In this paper, we show that this technique depends on the fine structure constant, α. Therefore, if α is a time-dependent quantity, e.g., α = α{sub 0}φ( z ), where φ is a function of redshift, we argue that current data do not provide the real angular diameter distance, D {sub A}( z ), to the cluster, but instead D {sub A}{sup data}( z ) = φ( z ){supmore » 2} D {sub A}( z ). We use this result to derive constraints on a possible variation of α for a class of dilaton runaway models considering a sample of 25 measurements of D {sub A}{sup data}( z ) in redshift range 0.023 < z < 0.784 and estimates of D {sub A}( z ) from current type Ia supernovae observations. We find no significant indication of variation of α with the present data.« less

Focal Plane Detectors for the Advanced Gamma-Ray Imaging System (AGIS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Otte, A. N.; Byrum, K.; Drake, G.; Falcone, A.; Funk, S.; Horan, D.; Mukherjee, R.; Smith, A.; Tajima, H.; Wagner, R. G.; Williams, D. A.

2008-12-01

The Advanced Gamma-Ray Imaging System (AGIS) is a concept for the next generation observatory in ground-based very high energy gamma-ray astronomy. Design goals are ten times better sensitivity, higher angular resolution, and a lower energy threshold than existing Cherenkov telescopes. Simulations show that a substantial improvement in angular resolution may be achieved if the pixel diameter is reduced to the order of 0.05 deg, i.e. two to three times smaller than the pixel diameter of current Cherenkov telescope cameras. At these dimensions, photon detectors with smaller physical dimensions can be attractive alternatives to the classical photomultiplier tube (PMT). Furthermore, the operation of an experiment with the size of AGIS requires photon detectors that are among other things more reliable, more durable, and possibly higher efficiency photon detectors. Alternative photon detectors we are considering for AGIS include both silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) and multi-anode photomultipliers (MAPMTs). Here we present results from laboratory testing of MAPMTs and SiPMs along with results from the first incorporation of these devices into cameras on test bed Cherenkov telescopes.

Pressure-sensing performance of upright cylinders in a Mach 10 boundary-layer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, Steven; Murphy, Kelly

1994-01-01

An experimental research program to provide basic knowledge of the pressure-sensing performance of upright, flushported cylinders in a hypersonic boundary layer is described. Three upright cylinders of 0.25-, 0.5- and l.0-in. diameters and a conventional rake were placed in the test section sidewall boundary layer of the 31 Inch Mach 10 Wind Tunnel at NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia. Boundary-layer pressures from these cylinders were compared to those measured with a conventional rake. A boundary-layer thickness-to-cylinder-diameter ratio of 8 proved sufficient to accurately measure an overall pressure profile and ascertain the boundary-layer thickness. Effects of Reynolds number, flow angularity, and shock wave impingement on pressure measurement were also investigated. Although Reynolds number effects were negligible at the conditions studied, flow angularity above 10 deg significantly affects the measured pressures. Shock wave impingement was used to investigate orifice-to-orifice pressure crosstalk. No crosstalk was measured. The lower pressure measured above the oblique shock wave impingement showed no influence of the higher pressure generated at the lower port locations.

The opposition of Mars, 1999

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McKim, R. J.

2007-12-01

The 1999 martian apparition was followed by BAA members while Mars Global Surveyor was monitoring the planet from martian orbit. The planet's surface showed little change from 1997, indicating the absence of any great dust storm since solar conjunction. The long period of telescopic coverage enabled us to conclude that neither was there any planet-encircling storm in the southern martian spring or summer in 1999-2000. Three small telescopic storms were followed along the Valles Marineris, and two were seen at the edge of the summer N. polar cap. Dust storms commencing at the historically rarely-active Margaritifer Sinus emergence site (MGS data) point to ongoing changes in the fallout pattern of atmospheric dust. White cloud activity was high before and around opposition time - in northern midsummer - with morning and evening limb hazes, the equatorial cloud band (ECB) and orographic clouds. The ECB 'season' was identical to 1997, pointing to an equally low level of atmospheric dust-loading. Comparison with historical records suggests that the seasonal 'wave of darkening' may be partly attributable to the annual disappearance of the ECB. This report covers the period 1998 September 12 (Ls = 28°) to 2000 March 13 (Ls = 318°)

The PHEMU15 catalogue and astrometric results of the Jupiter's Galilean satellite mutual occultation and eclipse observations made in 2014-2015

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saquet, E.; Emelyanov, N.; Robert, V.; Arlot, J.-E.; Anbazhagan, P.; Baillié, K.; Bardecker, J.; Berezhnoy, A. A.; Bretton, M.; Campos, F.; Capannoli, L.; Carry, B.; Castet, M.; Charbonnier, Y.; Chernikov, M. M.; Christou, A.; Colas, F.; Coliac, J.-F.; Dangl, G.; Dechambre, O.; Delcroix, M.; Dias-Oliveira, A.; Drillaud, C.; Duchemin, Y.; Dunford, R.; Dupouy, P.; Ellington, C.; Fabre, P.; Filippov, V. A.; Finnegan, J.; Foglia, S.; Font, D.; Gaillard, B.; Galli, G.; Garlitz, J.; Gasmi, A.; Gaspar, H. S.; Gault, D.; Gazeas, K.; George, T.; Gorda, S. Y.; Gorshanov, D. L.; Gualdoni, C.; Guhl, K.; Halir, K.; Hanna, W.; Henry, X.; Herald, D.; Houdin, G.; Ito, Y.; Izmailov, I. S.; Jacobsen, J.; Jones, A.; Kamoun, S.; Kardasis, E.; Karimov, A. M.; Khovritchev, M. Y.; Kulikova, A. M.; Laborde, J.; Lainey, V.; Lavayssiere, M.; Le Guen, P.; Leroy, A.; Loader, B.; Lopez, O. C.; Lyashenko, A. Y.; Lyssenko, P. G.; Machado, D. I.; Maigurova, N.; Manek, J.; Marchini, A.; Midavaine, T.; Montier, J.; Morgado, B. E.; Naumov, K. N.; Nedelcu, A.; Newman, J.; Ohlert, J. M.; Oksanen, A.; Pavlov, H.; Petrescu, E.; Pomazan, A.; Popescu, M.; Pratt, A.; Raskhozhev, V. N.; Resch, J.-M.; Robilliard, D.; Roschina, E.; Rothenberg, E.; Rottenborn, M.; Rusov, S. A.; Saby, F.; Saya, L. F.; Selvakumar, G.; Signoret, F.; Slesarenko, V. Y.; Sokov, E. N.; Soldateschi, J.; Sonka, A.; Soulie, G.; Talbot, J.; Tejfel, V. G.; Thuillot, W.; Timerson, B.; Toma, R.; Torsellini, S.; Trabuco, L. L.; Traverse, P.; Tsamis, V.; Unwin, M.; Abbeel, F. Van Den; Vandenbruaene, H.; Vasundhara, R.; Velikodsky, Y. I.; Vienne, A.; Vilar, J.; Vugnon, J.-M.; Wuensche, N.; Zeleny, P.

2018-03-01

During the 2014-2015 mutual events season, the Institut de Mécanique Céleste et de Calcul des Éphémérides (IMCCE), Paris, France, and the Sternberg Astronomical Institute (SAI), Moscow, Russia, led an international observation campaign to record ground-based photometric observations of Galilean moon mutual occultations and eclipses. We focused on processing the complete photometric observations data base to compute new accurate astrometric positions. We used our method to derive astrometric positions from the light curves of the events. We developed an accurate photometric model of mutual occultations and eclipses, while correcting for the satellite albedos, Hapke's light scattering law, the phase effect, and the limb darkening. We processed 609 light curves, and we compared the observed positions of the satellites with the theoretical positions from IMCCE NOE-5-2010-GAL satellite ephemerides and INPOP13c planetary ephemeris. The standard deviation after fitting the light curve in equatorial positions is ±24 mas, or 75 km at Jupiter. The rms (O-C) in equatorial positions is ±50 mas, or 150 km at Jupiter.

Analysis of solar receiver flux distributions for US/Russian solar dynamic system demonstration on the MIR Space Station

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kerslake, Thomas W.; Fincannon, James

1995-01-01

The United States and Russia have agreed to jointly develop a solar dynamic (SD) system for flight demonstration on the Russian MIR space station starting in late 1997. Two important components of this SD system are the solar concentrator and heat receiver provided by Russia and the U.S., respectively. This paper describes optical analysis of the concentrator and solar flux predictions on target receiver surfaces. The optical analysis is performed using the code CIRCE2. These analyses account for finite sun size with limb darkening, concentrator surface slope and position errors, concentrator petal thermal deformation, gaps between petals, and the shading effect of the receiver support struts. The receiver spatial flux distributions are then combined with concentrator shadowing predictions. Geometric shadowing patterns are traced from the concentrator to the target receiver surfaces. These patterns vary with time depending on the chosen MIR flight attitude and orbital mechanics of the MIR spacecraft. The resulting predictions provide spatial and temporal receiver flux distributions for any specified mission profile. The impact these flux distributions have on receiver design and control of the Brayton engine are discussed.

RECENT TRANSITS OF THE SUPER-EARTH EXOPLANET GJ 1214b

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sada, Pedro V.; Deming, Drake; Jackson, Brian

We report recent ground-based photometry of the transiting super-Earth exoplanet GJ 1214b at several wavelengths, including the infrared near 1.25 {mu}m (J band). We observed a J-band transit with the FLAMINGOS infrared imager and the 2.1 m telescope on Kitt Peak, and we observed several optical transits using a 0.5 m telescope on Kitt Peak and the 0.36 m Universidad de Monterrey Observatory telescope. Our high-precision J-band observations exploit the brightness of the M dwarf host star at this infrared wavelength as compared with the optical and are significantly less affected by stellar activity and limb darkening. We fit themore » J-band transit to obtain an independent determination of the planetary and stellar radii. Our radius for the planet (2.61{sup +0.30} {sub -0.11} R {sub +}) is in excellent agreement with the discovery value reported by Charbonneau et al. based on optical data. We demonstrate that the planetary radius is insensitive to degeneracies in the fitting process. We use all of our observations to improve the transit ephemeris, finding P = 1.5804043 {+-} 0.0000005 days and T {sub 0} = 2454964.94390 {+-} 0.00006 BJD.« less

Recent Transits of the Super-Earth Exoplanet GJ 1214B

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sada, Pedro V.; Deming, Drake; Jackson, Brian; Jennings, Donald E.; Peterson, Steven W.; Haase, Flynn; Bays, Kevin; OGorman, Eamon; Lundsford, Alan

2001-01-01

We report recent ground-based photometry of the transiting super-Earth exoplanet GJ1214b at several wavelengths, including the infrared near 1.25 microns (J-band). We observed a J-band transit with the FLAMINGOS infrared imager and the 2.1-meter telescope on Kitt Peak, and we observed several optical transits using a 0.5-meter telescope on Kitt Peak and the 0.36-meter Universidad de Monterrey Observatory telescope. Our high-precision J-band observations exploit the brightness of the M-dwarf host star at this infrared wavelength as compared to the optical, as well as being significantly less affected by stellar activity and limb darkening. We fit the J-band transit to obtain an independent determination of the planetary and stellar radii. Our radius for the planet (2.61 +0.30 / -0.11 Earth radii) is in excellent agreement with the discovery value reported by Charbonneau et al. based on optical data. We demonstrate that the planetary radius is insensitive to degeneracies in the fitting process. We use all of our observations to improve the transit ephemeris, finding P=1.5804043 +/- 0.0000005 days, and T0=2454964.94390 +/- 0.00006 BJD.

Recent Transits of the Super-Earth Exoplanet GJ 1214b

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sada, Pedro V.; Deming, Drake; Jackson, Brian; Jennings, Donald E.; Peterson, Steven W.; Haase, Flynn; Bays, Kevin; O'Gorman, Eamon; Lundsford, Alan

2010-09-01

We report recent ground-based photometry of the transiting super-Earth exoplanet GJ 1214b at several wavelengths, including the infrared near 1.25 μm (J band). We observed a J-band transit with the FLAMINGOS infrared imager and the 2.1 m telescope on Kitt Peak, and we observed several optical transits using a 0.5 m telescope on Kitt Peak and the 0.36 m Universidad de Monterrey Observatory telescope. Our high-precision J-band observations exploit the brightness of the M dwarf host star at this infrared wavelength as compared with the optical and are significantly less affected by stellar activity and limb darkening. We fit the J-band transit to obtain an independent determination of the planetary and stellar radii. Our radius for the planet (2.61+0.30 -0.11 R ⊕) is in excellent agreement with the discovery value reported by Charbonneau et al. based on optical data. We demonstrate that the planetary radius is insensitive to degeneracies in the fitting process. We use all of our observations to improve the transit ephemeris, finding P = 1.5804043 ± 0.0000005 days and T 0 = 2454964.94390 ± 0.00006 BJD.

Refining Parameters of the XO-5 Planetary System with High-Precision Transit Photometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maciejewski, G.; Seeliger, M.; Adam, Ch.; Raetz, St.; Neuhäuser, R.

2011-03-01

Studies of transiting extrasolar planets provide unique opportunity to get to know the internal structure of those worlds. The transiting exoplanet XO-5 b was found to have an anomalously high Safronov number and surface gravity. Our aim was to refine parameters of this intriguing system and search for signs of transit timing variations. We gathered high-precision light curves for two transits of XO-5 b. Assuming three different limb darkening laws, we found the best-fitting model and redetermined parameters of the system, including planet-to-star radius ratio, impact parameter and central time of transits. Error estimates were derived by the prayer bead method and Monte Carlo simulations. Although system's parameters obtained by us were found to agree with previous studies within one sigma, the planet was found to be notable smaller with the radius of 1.03+0.06-0.05 Jupiter radii. Our results confirm the high Safronov number and surface gravity of the planet. With two new mid-transit times, the ephemeris was refined to BJDTDB=(2454485.66842±0.00028)+(4.1877537±0.000017)E. No significant transit timing variation was detected.

Using color photometry to separate transiting exoplanets from false positives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tingley, B.

2004-10-01

The radial velocity technique is currently used to classify transiting objects. While capable of identifying grazing binary eclipses, this technique cannot reliably identify blends, a chance overlap of a faint background eclipsing binary with an ordinary foreground star. Blends generally have no observable radial velocity shifts, as the foreground star is brighter by several magnitudes and therefore dominates the spectrum, but their combined light can produce events that closely resemble those produced by transiting exoplanets. The radial velocity technique takes advantage of the mass difference between planets and stars to classify exoplanet candidates. However, the existence of blends renders this difference an unreliable discriminator. Another difference must therefore be utilized for this classification - the physical size of the transiting body. Due to the dependence of limb darkening on color, planets and stars produce subtly different transit shapes. These differences can be relatively weak, little more than 1/10th the transit depth. However, the presence of even small color differences between the individual components of the blend increases this difference. This paper shows that this color difference is capable of discriminating between exoplanets and blends reliably, theoretically capable of classifying even terrestrial-class transits, unlike the radial velocity technique.

Firing properties of rat lateral mammillary single units: head direction, head pitch, and angular head velocity.

PubMed

Stackman, R W; Taube, J S

1998-11-01

Many neurons in the rat anterodorsal thalamus (ADN) and postsubiculum (PoS) fire selectively when the rat points its head in a specific direction in the horizontal plane, independent of the animal's location and ongoing behavior. The lateral mammillary nuclei (LMN) are interconnected with both the ADN and PoS and, therefore, are in a pivotal position to influence ADN/PoS neurophysiology. To further understand how the head direction (HD) cell signal is generated, we recorded single neurons from the LMN of freely moving rats. The majority of cells discharged as a function of one of three types of spatial correlates: (1) directional heading, (2) head pitch, or (3) angular head velocity (AHV). LMN HD cells exhibited higher peak firing rates and greater range of directional firing than that of ADN and PoS HD cells. LMN HD cells were modulated by angular head velocity, turning direction, and anticipated the rat's future HD by a greater amount of time (approximately 95 msec) than that previously reported for ADN HD cells (approximately 25 msec). Most head pitch cells discharged when the rostrocaudal axis of the rat's head was orthogonal to the horizontal plane. Head pitch cell firing was independent of the rat's location, directional heading, and its body orientation (i.e., the cell discharged whenever the rat pointed its head up, whether standing on all four limbs or rearing). AHV cells were categorized as fast or slow AHV cells depending on whether their firing rate increased or decreased in proportion to angular head velocity. These data demonstrate that LMN neurons code direction and angular motion of the head in both horizontal and vertical planes and support the hypothesis that the LMN play an important role in processing both egocentric and allocentric spatial information.

Dopaminergic modulation of arm swing during gait among Parkinson’s disease patients

PubMed Central

Sterling, Nicholas W.; Cusumano, Joseph P.; Shaham, Noam; Piazza, Stephen J.; Liu, Guodong; Kong, Lan; Du, Guangwei; Lewis, Mechelle M.; Huang, Xuemei

2015-01-01

Background Reduced arm swing amplitude, symmetry, and coordination during gait have been reported in Parkinson’s disease (PD), but the relationship between dopaminergic depletion and these upper limb gait changes remains unclear. This study investigated the effects of dopaminergic drugs on arm swing velocity, symmetry, and coordination in PD. Methods Forearm angular velocity was recorded in 16 PD and 17 control subjects (Controls) during free walking trials. Angular velocity amplitude of each arm, arm swing asymmetry, and maximum cross-correlation were compared between control and PD groups, and between OFF- and ON-medication states among PD subjects. Results Compared to Controls, PD subjects in the OFF-medication state exhibited lower angular velocity amplitude of the slower- (p=0.0018), but not faster- (p=0.2801) swinging arm. In addition, PD subjects demonstrated increased arm swing asymmetry (p=0.0046) and lower maximum cross-correlation (p=0.0026). Following dopaminergic treatment, angular velocity amplitude increased in the slower- (p=0.0182), but not faster- (p=0.2312) swinging arm among PD subjects. Furthermore, arm swing asymmetry decreased (p=0.0386), whereas maximum cross-correlation showed no change (p=0.7436). Pre-drug angular velocity amplitude of the slower-swinging arm was correlated inversely with the change in arm swing asymmetry (R=−0.73824, p=0.0011). Conclusions This study provides quantitative evidence that reduced arm swing and symmetry in PD can be modulated by dopaminergic replacement. The lack of modulations of bilateral arm coordination suggests that additional neurotransmitters may also be involved in arm swing changes in PD. Further studies are warranted to investigate the longitudinal trajectory of arm swing dynamics throughout PD progression. PMID:25502948

Dopaminergic modulation of arm swing during gait among Parkinson's disease patients.

PubMed

Sterling, Nicholas W; Cusumano, Joseph P; Shaham, Noam; Piazza, Stephen J; Liu, Guodong; Kong, Lan; Du, Guangwei; Lewis, Mechelle M; Huang, Xuemei

2015-01-01

Reduced arm swing amplitude, symmetry, and coordination during gait have been reported in Parkinson's disease (PD), but the relationship between dopaminergic depletion and these upper limb gait changes remains unclear. We aimed to investigate the effects of dopaminergic drugs on arm swing velocity, symmetry, and coordination in PD. Forearm angular velocity was recorded in 16 PD and 17 control subjects (Controls) during free walking trials. Angular velocity amplitude of each arm, arm swing asymmetry, and maximum cross-correlation were compared between control and PD groups, and between OFF- and ON-medication states among PD subjects. Compared to Controls, PD subjects in the OFF-medication state exhibited lower angular velocity amplitude of the slower- (p = 0.0018), but not faster- (p = 0.2801) swinging arm. In addition, PD subjects demonstrated increased arm swing asymmetry (p = 0.0046) and lower maximum cross-correlation (p = 0.0026). Following dopaminergic treatment, angular velocity amplitude increased in the slower- (p = 0.0182), but not faster- (p = 0.2312) swinging arm among PD subjects. Furthermore, arm swing asymmetry decreased (p = 0.0386), whereas maximum cross-correlation showed no change (p = 0.7436). Pre-drug angular velocity amplitude of the slower-swinging arm was correlated inversely with the change in arm swing asymmetry (R = -0.73824, p = 0.0011). This study provides quantitative evidence that reduced arm swing and symmetry in PD can be modulated by dopaminergic replacement. The lack of modulations of bilateral arm coordination suggests that additional neurotransmitters may also be involved in arm swing changes in PD. Further studies are warranted to investigate the longitudinal trajectory of arm swing dynamics throughout PD progression.

[Screening method for angle closure and angle closure glaucoma using scanning laser polarimeter GDxVCC and photodynamic gonioscopy in a darkened room. One-year outcomes of systematic peripheral iridotomy].

PubMed

Malek-Chehire, N; Renard, G; Dreyfus, J-F; Lebuisson, D A; Pierre-Kahn, V

2013-12-01

Angle closure glaucoma, a recognized major world health issue disproportionately affecting women and Asians, is not often considered in our European populations, normotensive subjects, myopic patients, or subjects with a deep anterior chamber. Early diagnosis is worthwhile, as laser peripheral iridotomy (LPI) is an effective one-step treatment of the causal mechanism. We have performed a retrospective study of patients who underwent an LPI, the indication for which was based on "photodynamic" gonioscopy in a darkened room showing iridotrabecular contact in darkness. Such photodynamic gonioscopy was motivated by the presence of even minute defects in the nerve fiber layer as seen on the GDxVCC or the presence of a Van Herick sign (narrow limbal anterior chamber depth). One hundred and three eyes of 103 patients underwent LPI and a minimum 1-year follow-up (mean follow-up almost 2 years). Mean age was 63.7±11.8 years, and women accounted for 63.1% of cases. The vast majority (78.6%) of patients had neither glaucoma nor ocular hypertension. There were 60.1% hyperopes and 39.9% myopes. Over half (57%) had a deep or a very deep anterior chamber. After LPI, there was immediate deepening of the limbal depth of the anterior chamber in 100% of cases. The aqueous humor that flowed forward was almost always viscous-looking. After 1 year, the IOP was 1.3mm Hg±2.4 lower (P<.001) (t test). All patients who had experienced morning headaches (44% of patients) were relieved of this symptom. GDxVCC after 1 year was clearly improved in 18% of cases, slightly improved in 20%, stable in 50%, slightly worse in 11% of cases, and clearly worse in 1%. Cases treated at an earlier stage had a better improvement in GDxVCC. Our study shows frequent chronic angle closure in our European population even with deep anterior chambers. Absence of a Van Herick sign does not rule out angle closure at night. A photodynamic gonioscopy with the Goldmann three-lens mirror (to avoid unintentional indentation with the small diameter lenses in these normotensive eyes) should be performed in a darkened room. LPI is an effective one-step treatment of the underlying cause, that is particularly beneficial if performed early. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

New gonioscopy system using only infrared light.

PubMed

Sugimoto, Kota; Ito, Kunio; Matsunaga, Koichi; Miura, Katsuya; Esaki, Koji; Uji, Yukitaka

2005-08-01

To describe an infrared gonioscopy system designed to observe the anterior chamber angle under natural mydriasis in a completely darkened room. An infrared light filter was used to modify the light source of the slit-lamp microscope. A television monitor connected to a CCD monochrome camera was used to indirectly observe the angle. Use of the infrared system enabled observation of the angle under natural mydriasis in a completely darkened room. Infrared gonioscopy is a useful procedure for the observation of the angle under natural mydriasis.

Assessing the potential for biomass energy development in South Carolina

Treesearch

Roger C. Conner; Tim O. Adams; Tony G. Johnson

2009-01-01

An assessment of the potential for developing a sustainable biomass energy industry in South Carolina was conducted. Biomass as defined by Forest Inventory and Analysis is the aboveground dry weight of wood in the bole and limbs of live trees ≥1-inch diameter at breast height, and excludes tree foliage, seedlings, and understory...

Biomass estimators for thinned second-growth ponderosa pine trees.

Treesearch

P.H. Cochran; J.W. Jennings; C.T. Youngberg

1984-01-01

Usable estimates of the mass of live foliage and limbs of sapling and pole-sized ponderosa pine in managed stands in central Oregon can be obtained with equations using the logarithm of diameter as the only independent variable. These equations produce only slightly higher root mean square deviations than equations that include additional independent variables. A...

Dark Energy Survey Year 1 Results: Measurement of the Baryon Acoustic Oscillation scale in the distribution of galaxies to redshift 1

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Abbott, T.M.C.; et al.

We present angular diameter distance measurements obtained by locating the BAO scale in the distribution of galaxies selected from the first year of Dark Energy Survey data. We consider a sample of over 1.3 million galaxies distributed over a footprint of 1318 degmore » $^2$ with $$0.6 < z_{\\rm photo} < 1$$ and a typical redshift uncertainty of $0.03(1+z)$. This sample was selected, as fully described in a companion paper, using a color/magnitude selection that optimizes trade-offs between number density and redshift uncertainty. We investigate the BAO signal in the projected clustering using three conventions, the angular separation, the co-moving transverse separation, and spherical harmonics. Further, we compare results obtained from template based and machine learning photometric redshift determinations. We use 1800 simulations that approximate our sample in order to produce covariance matrices and allow us to validate our distance scale measurement methodology. We measure the angular diameter distance, $$D_A$$, at the effective redshift of our sample divided by the true physical scale of the BAO feature, $$r_{\\rm d}$$. We obtain close to a 4 per cent distance measurement of $$D_A(z_{\\rm eff}=0.81)/r_{\\rm d} = 10.75\\pm 0.43 $$. These results are consistent with the flat $$\\Lambda$$CDM concordance cosmological model supported by numerous other recent experimental results.« less

Influence of dipolar interactions on the angular-dependent coercivity of nickel nanocylinders

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bender, P.; Krämer, F.; Tschöpe, A.; Birringer, R.

2015-04-01

In this study the influence of dipolar interactions on the orientation-dependent magnetization behavior of an ensemble of single-domain nickel nanorods was investigated. The rods were synthesized by electrodeposition of nickel into porous alumina templates. Some of the rods were released from the oxide and embedded in gelatine hydrogels (ferrogel) at a sufficiently large average interparticle distance to suppress dipolar interactions. By comparing the orientation-dependent hystereses of the two ensembles in the template and the gel-matrix it could be shown that the dipolar interactions in the template considerably alter the functional form of the angular-dependent coercivity. Analysis of the magnetization curves for an angle of 60° between the rod-axes and the field revealed a significantly reduced coercivity of the template compared to the ferrogel, which could be directly attributed to a stray field induced magnetization reversal of a steadily increasing number of rods with increasing field strength. The magnetization curve of the template could be approximated by a weighted linear superposition of the hysteresis branches of the ferrogel. The magnetization reversal process of the rods was investigated by analyzing the angular-dependent coercivity of the non-interacting nanorods. Comparison of the functional form with analytical models and micromagnetic simulations emphasized the assumption of a localized magnetization reversal. Additionally, it could be shown that the nucleation field of rods with diameters in the range 18-29 nm tends to increase with increasing diameter.

The effect of arm weight support on upper limb muscle synergies during reaching movements

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Compensating for the effect of gravity by providing arm-weight support (WS) is a technique often utilized in the rehabilitation of patients with neurological conditions such as stroke to facilitate the performance of arm movements during therapy. Although it has been shown that, in healthy subjects as well as in stroke survivors, the use of arm WS during the performance of reaching movements leads to a general reduction, as expected, in the level of activation of upper limb muscles, the effects of different levels of WS on the characteristics of the kinematics of motion and of the activity of upper limb muscles have not been thoroughly investigated before. Methods In this study, we systematically assessed the characteristics of the kinematics of motion and of the activity of 14 upper limb muscles in a group of 9 healthy subjects who performed 3-D arm reaching movements while provided with different levels of arm WS. We studied the hand trajectory and the trunk, shoulder, and elbow joint angular displacement trajectories for different levels of arm WS. Besides, we analyzed the amplitude of the surface electromyographic (EMG) data collected from upper limb muscles and investigated patterns of coordination via the analysis of muscle synergies. Results The characteristics of the kinematics of motion varied across WS conditions but did not show distinct trends with the level of arm WS. The level of activation of upper limb muscles generally decreased, as expected, with the increase in arm WS. The same eight muscle synergies were identified in all WS conditions. Their level of activation depended on the provided level of arm WS. Conclusions The analysis of muscle synergies allowed us to identify a modular organization underlying the generation of arm reaching movements that appears to be invariant to the level of arm WS. The results of this study provide a normative dataset for the assessment of the effects of the level of arm WS on muscle synergies in stroke survivors and other patients who could benefit from upper limb rehabilitation with arm WS. PMID:24594139

Comparison of pre-contact joint kinematics and vertical impulse between vertical jump landings and step-off landings from equal heights.

PubMed

Harry, John R; Freedman Silvernail, Julia; Mercer, John A; Dufek, Janet S

2017-12-01

Although impact phase differences between vertical jump landings (VJL) and step-off landings (STL) may be related to task-specific pre-contact strategies, pre-contact mechanics are rarely examined. Thus, pre-contact kinematics and vertical ground reaction force (vGRF) impulse were examined between VJL and STL. Ten health adults (20.9 ± 1.6 yrs; 167.8 ± 4.2 cm; 68.5 ± 7.15 kg) performed 15 VJL and 15 STL from equal heights. Limb (lead; trail) by task (VJL; STL) ANOVAs (α = 0.05) compared hip, knee, and ankle joint angles 150 ms pre-contact, 100 ms pre-contact, 50 ms pre-contact, and at ground contact. Joint angular displacement was also evaluated between 150 ms pre-contact and ground contact. vGRF impulse was compared during the loading (ground contact to peak vGRF) and attenuation (peak vGRF to end of impact) phases. Greater hip flexion angles occurred during STL versus VJL at each event except 150 ms pre-contact (p ≤ .004). Trail limb knee flexion angles were greater at each event when compared to the lead limb during STL (p ≤ .019). Greater trail limb knee flexion angles occurred during STL versus VJL at all four events (p ≤ .018), while greater plantarflexion angles occurred at all four events during VJL versus STL (p ≤ .034). During STL, greater trail limb plantarflexion angles were detected at each event versus the lead limb (p < .001). Lesser hip, lead and trail limb knee displacement occurred during STL versus VJL (p < .05). Greater vGRF impulse was detected during the loading phase of VJL (<.001), while greater vGRF impulse occurred during the attenuation phase of STL (p = .025). These tasks are characterized by distinct pre-contact kinematic strategies and post-contact kinetics. The task utilized in practice should reflect the requirements of the population of interest. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Single-Center Experience and 1-Year Follow-up Results of 'Sandwich Technique' in the Management of Common Iliac Artery Aneurysms During EVAR

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ricci, Carmelo; Ceccherini, Claudio, E-mail: claudiocec@hotmail.it; Cini, Marco

Purpose: Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) accompanied by common iliac artery (CIA) aneurysms requires a more demanding procedure owing to the difficulties in obtaining an adequate distal landing zone for the stent-graft limb(s), a potential site of endoleak. The 'sandwich technique' is a procedure to increase EVAR feasibility in the setting of adverse or challenging CIA anatomy. Its main advantages include no restrictions in terms of CIA diameter or length or internal iliac artery (IIA) diameter, no need to wait for a specific stent-graft. Our purpose is to describe our single-center experience and one year follow-up results of this new procedure.more » Materials and Methods: From April 2009 to June 2010, the sandwich technique was performed in our institution in 7 patients treated for AAA and unilateral CIA aneurysms (n. 5) or bilateral CIA aneurysms (n. 2). Inclusion criteria were the presence of unilateral or bilateral CIA aneurysm (independently from its diameter), IIA artery measuring up to 9 mm in its maximum diameter, not dilatation of IIA and EIA. Results: The mean follow-up length was 15 months (range: 14-20 months). All stent-implanted iliac branches remained patent on 1 year follow-up and IIA flow was preserved. None of the patients had symptoms of pelvic ischemia. CT scan follow-up showed aneurysm shrinkage in five patients, without any sign of endoleaks in all cases. Conclusions: In selected cases, the 'sandwich technique' showed good outcomes confirming to be a safe and easy to perform way to overcome anatomical constraints and expanding the limits of EVAR.« less

Analysis of initial fixation strength of press-fit fixation technique in anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. A comparative study with titanium and bioabsorbable interference screw using porcine lower limb.

PubMed

Lee, Myung Chul; Jo, Hyunchul; Bae, Tae-Soo; Jang, Jin Dae; Seong, Sang Cheol

2003-03-01

We performed a controlled laboratory study to evaluate the initial fixation strength of press-fit technique. Forty porcine lower limbs were used and divided into four groups according to the method of fixation; group 1 (press-fit+1.4 mm), in which the diameter difference between the bone plug and the femoral tunnel was 1.4 mm; group 2 (press-fit+1.4 mm, 30 degrees), in which the diameter difference was the same with group 1, but the tensile loading axis was 30 degrees away from the long axis of the femoral tunnel; group 3 (titanium), in which a titanium interference screw was used for fixation; group 4 (bioabsorbable), in which a bioabsorbable interference screw was used for fixation. The graft in the press-fit group was harvested with a hollow oscillating saw with inner diameter of 9.4 mm to obtain consistent and completely circular shape of the bone plug. The femoral tunnel with diameter of 8 mm was drilled at the original ACL insertion. Following the bone plug insertion into the femoral tunnel and applying a preload of 20 N, the specimen underwent 500 loading cycles between 0 and 2 mm of displacement. Thereafter the specimen was loaded to failure. There was no fixation site failure during the cyclic loading test. Significant differences in the stiffness, linear load, or failure mode among the groups were not found. The average ultimate failure load of group 1 and group 2 were not significantly different from those of group 3 and group 4. The press-fit groups demonstrated sufficient fixation strength for the rehabilitation and interference screw groups. The completely circular shape of the bone plug and increased diameter difference between the bone plug and the femoral tunnel seemed to contribute to the strong fixation.

Rapid rotators revisited: absolute dimensions of KOI-13

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Howarth, Ian D.; Morello, Giuseppe

2017-09-01

We analyse Kepler light-curves of the exoplanet Kepler Object of Interest no. 13b (KOI-13b) transiting its moderately rapidly rotating (gravity-darkened) parent star. A physical model, with minimal ad hoc free parameters, reproduces the time-averaged light-curve at the ˜10 parts per million level. We demonstrate that this Roche-model solution allows the absolute dimensions of the system to be determined from the star's projected equatorial rotation speed, ve sin I*, without any additional assumptions; we find a planetary radius RP = (1.33 ± 0.05) R♃, stellar polar radius Rp★ = (1.55 ± 0.06) R⊙, combined mass M* + MP( ≃ M*) = (1.47 ± 0.17) M⊙ and distance d ≃ (370 ± 25) pc, where the errors are dominated by uncertainties in relative flux contribution of the visual-binary companion KOI-13B. The implied stellar rotation period is within ˜5 per cent of the non-orbital, 25.43-hr signal found in the Kepler photometry. We show that the model accurately reproduces independent tomographic observations, and yields an offset between orbital and stellar-rotation angular-momentum vectors of 60.25° ± 0.05°.

Visualizing the spinal neuronal dynamics of locomotion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Subramanian, Kalpathi R.; Bashor, D. P.; Miller, M. T.; Foster, J. A.

2004-06-01

Modern imaging and simulation techniques have enhanced system-level understanding of neural function. In this article, we present an application of interactive visualization to understanding neuronal dynamics causing locomotion of a single hip joint, based on pattern generator output of the spinal cord. Our earlier work visualized cell-level responses of multiple neuronal populations. However, the spatial relationships were abstract, making communication with colleagues difficult. We propose two approaches to overcome this: (1) building a 3D anatomical model of the spinal cord with neurons distributed inside, animated by the simulation and (2) adding limb movements predicted by neuronal activity. The new system was tested using a cat walking central pattern generator driving a pair of opposed spinal motoneuron pools. Output of opposing motoneuron pools was combined into a single metric, called "Net Neural Drive", which generated angular limb movement in proportion to its magnitude. Net neural drive constitutes a new description of limb movement control. The combination of spatial and temporal information in the visualizations elegantly conveys the neural activity of the output elements (motoneurons), as well as the resulting movement. The new system encompasses five biological levels of organization from ion channels to observed behavior. The system is easily scalable, and provides an efficient interactive platform for rapid hypothesis testing.

Pilot study on quantitative assessment of muscle imbalance: differences of muscle synergies, equilibrium-point trajectories, and endpoint stiffness in normal and pathological upper-limb movements.

PubMed

Oku, Takanori; Uno, Kanna; Nishi, Tomoki; Kageyama, Masayuki; Phatiwuttipat, Pipatthana; Koba, Keitaro; Yamashita, Yuto; Murakami, Kenta; Uemura, Mitsunori; Hirai, Hiroaki; Miyazaki, Fumio; Naritomi, Hiroaki

2014-01-01

This paper proposes a novel method for assessment of muscle imbalance based on muscle synergy hypothesis and equilibrium point (EP) hypothesis of motor control. We explain in detail the method for extracting muscle synergies under the concept of agonist-antagonist (AA) muscle pairs and for estimating EP trajectories and endpoint stiffness of human upper limbs in a horizontal plane using an electromyogram. The results of applying this method to the reaching movement of one normal subject and one hemiplegic subject suggest that (1) muscle synergies (the balance among coactivation of AA muscle pairs), particularly the synergies that contributes to the angular directional kinematics of EP and the limb stiffness, are quite different between the normal subject and the hemiplegic subject; (2) the concomitant EP trajectory is also different between the normal and hemiplegic subjects, corresponding to the difference of muscle synergies; and (3) the endpoint (hand) stiffness ellipse of the hemiplegic subject becomes more elongated and orientation of the major axis rotates clockwise more than that of the normal subject. The level of motor impairment would be expected to be assessed from a comparison of these differences of muscle synergies, EP trajectories, and endpoint stiffness among normal and pathological subjects using the method.

Gender differences in knee kinematics and muscle activity during single limb drop landing.

PubMed

Nagano, Yasuharu; Ida, Hirofumi; Akai, Masami; Fukubayashi, Toru

2007-06-01

The likelihood of sustaining an ACL injury in a noncontact situation is two to eight times greater for females than for males. However, the mechanism and risk factors of ACL injury are still unknown. We compared knee kinematics as well as electromyographic activity during landing between male and female athletes. Eighteen male athletes and nineteen female athletes participated in the experiment. The angular displacements of flexion/extension, valgus/varus, and internal/external tibial rotation, as well as the translational displacements of anterior/posterior tibial translation during single limb drop landing were calculated. Simultaneous electromyographical activity of the rectus femoris (RF) and hamstrings (Ham) was taken. During landing, internal tibial rotation of the females was significantly larger than that of the males, while differences were not observed in flexion, varus, valgus, and anterior tibial translation. Hamstrings/quadriceps ratio (HQR) for the 50 ms time period before foot contact was greater in males than in females. The mechanism of noncontact ACL injury during a single limb drop landing would be internal tibial rotation combined with valgus rotation of the knee. Increased internal tibial rotation combined with greater quadriceps activity and a low HQR could be one reason female athletes have a higher incidence of noncontact ACL injuries.

[Feasibility of the construction of a magnetorheological joint for a lower limb orthosis in valve configuration].

PubMed

Galván Duque-Gastélum, Carlos; Quiñones-Uriostegui, Ivett; Mendoza, Felipe; Rodríguez, Gerardo

2014-07-01

Ortheses are devices that assist in the function of the limbs, contributing with stability and support to the involved joints. KAFOs (knee-ankle-foot orthosis) are mainly indicated for people with muscular or neural diseases that affect the lower limbs. The actual designs of knee hinges for KAFOs compromise the stability and mobility of the limb. In this work, it was tested the feasibility of a design for a knee hinge for KAFO that should be able to modify its mechanical resistance depending on the gait phase. Orthotics biomechanical criteria and gait biomechanical requirements were considered. It was proposed an electromagnetic system in order to modify the hinge damping. In the future, the system will be interacting with a magnetorheological fluid (MR) which can change its rheological properties when a magnetic field is applied, thus, reaching different damping constants with the designed hinge. The diameter of the internal pipes required for the MR fluid to freely circulate within the orthosis was established. It was observed that the original design of the proposed orthotic hinge is feasible; however, some proposals are presented in order to achieve a better performance of the orthosis.

Adaptive spatial filtering using photochromic glass

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Potton, R. J.

1999-12-01

Commercially available photochromic glasses exhibit a wide range of spectral sensitivities and darkening response times. Short wavelengths are more effective than long ones for causing darkening but at least one type of glass is effectively darkened by red light (icons/Journals/Common/lambda" ALT="lambda" ALIGN="TOP"/> = 633 nm) with an intensity of about 1 kW m-2. Used as adaptive spatial filters, these glasses attenuate a wavefront by an amount that depends on their recent exposure to light. One type of optical processing that can be performed with such filters is drift nulling in an interferometer excited by light of a wavelength within the sensitivity spectrum of the photochrome. This form of processing has been demonstrated by dithering the speckle pattern in a single-fibre multimode interferometer. The dither allows phase-sensitive detection techniques to be used in the detection of signal-induced phase variations in a frequency band extending from the inverse response time of the photochrome to the dither frequency.

Diffusion Coefficients from Molecular Dynamics Simulations in Binary and Ternary Mixtures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Xin; Schnell, Sondre K.; Simon, Jean-Marc; Krüger, Peter; Bedeaux, Dick; Kjelstrup, Signe; Bardow, André; Vlugt, Thijs J. H.

2013-07-01

Multicomponent diffusion in liquids is ubiquitous in (bio)chemical processes. It has gained considerable and increasing interest as it is often the rate limiting step in a process. In this paper, we review methods for calculating diffusion coefficients from molecular simulation and predictive engineering models. The main achievements of our research during the past years can be summarized as follows: (1) we introduced a consistent method for computing Fick diffusion coefficients using equilibrium molecular dynamics simulations; (2) we developed a multicomponent Darken equation for the description of the concentration dependence of Maxwell-Stefan diffusivities. In the case of infinite dilution, the multicomponent Darken equation provides an expression for [InlineEquation not available: see fulltext.] which can be used to parametrize the generalized Vignes equation; and (3) a predictive model for self-diffusivities was proposed for the parametrization of the multicomponent Darken equation. This equation accurately describes the concentration dependence of self-diffusivities in weakly associating systems. With these methods, a sound framework for the prediction of mutual diffusion in liquids is achieved.

Enzymatic browning and after-cooking darkening of Jerusalem artichoke tubers (Helianthus tuberosus L.).

PubMed

Bach, Vibe; Jensen, Sidsel; Clausen, Morten R; Bertram, Hanne C; Edelenbos, Merete

2013-11-15

Jerusalem artichoke tubers (Helianthus tuberosus L.) undergo enzymatic browning when peeled or cut, and turn grey after boiling, due to after-cooking darkening reactions between iron and phenolic acids. In an attempt to reveal the components responsible for these discolouration reactions, sensory evaluation and instrumental colour measurements were related to contents of total phenolics, phenolic acids, organic acids and iron in three varieties of raw and boiled Jerusalem artichoke tubers harvested in the autumn and the spring. No differences were found between varieties in sensory evaluated enzymatic browning, but Rema and Draga had higher scores than Mari in after-cooking darkening. Jerusalem artichoke tubers had higher contents of total phenolics, phenolic acids and citric acid in the autumn and low contents in the spring, while it was the opposite for malic acid. None of the chemical parameters investigated could explain the discolouration of the Jerusalem artichoke tubers. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A hybrid system for upper limb movement restoration in quadriplegics.

PubMed

Varoto, Renato; Barbarini, Elisa Signoreto; Cliquet, Alberto

2008-09-01

Generally, quadriplegic individuals have difficulties performing object manipulation. Toward satisfactory manipulation, reach and grasp movements must be performed with voluntary control, and for that, grasp force feedback is essential. A hybrid system aiming at partial upper limb sensory-motor restoration for quadriplegics was built. Such device is composed of an elbow dynamic orthosis that provides elbow flexion/extension (range was approximately from 20 degrees to 120 degrees , and average angular speed was approximately 15 degrees /s) with forearm support, a wrist static orthosis and neuromuscular electrical stimulation for grasping generation, and a glove with force sensors that allows grasping force feedback. The glove presents two user interface modes: visual by light emitting diodes or audio emitted by buzzer. Voice control of the entire system (elbow dynamic orthosis and electrical stimulator) is performed by the patient. The movements provided by the hybrid system, combined with the scapular and shoulder movements performed by the patient, can aid quadriplegic individuals in tasks that involve reach and grasp movements.

Use of high-speed cinematography and computer generated gait diagrams for the study of equine hindlimb kinematics.

PubMed

Kobluk, C N; Schnurr, D; Horney, F D; Sumner-Smith, G; Willoughby, R A; Dekleer, V; Hearn, T C

1989-01-01

High-speed cinematography with computer aided analysis was used to study equine hindlimb kinematics. Eight horses were filmed at the trot or the pace. Filming was done from the side (lateral) and the back (caudal). Parameters measured from the lateral filming included the heights of the tuber coxae and tailhead, protraction and retraction of the hoof and angular changes of the tarsus and stifle. Abduction and adduction of the limb and tarsal height changes were measured from the caudal filming. The maximum and minimum values plus the standard deviations and coefficients of variations are presented in tabular form. Three gait diagrams were constructed to represent stifle angle versus tarsal angle, metatarsophalangeal height versus protraction-retraction (fetlock height diagram) and tuber coxae and tailhead height versus stride (pelvic height diagram). Application of the technique to the group of horses revealed good repeatability of the gait diagrams within a limb and the diagrams appeared to be sensitive indicators of left/right asymmetries.

Note: A versatile mass spectrometer chamber for molecular beam and temperature programmed desorption experiments

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tonks, James P., E-mail: james.tonks@awe.co.uk; AWE Plc, Aldermaston, Reading, Berkshire RG7 4PR; Galloway, Ewan C., E-mail: ewan.galloway@awe.co.uk

2016-08-15

A dual purpose mass spectrometer chamber capable of performing molecular beam scattering (MBS) and temperature programmed desorption (TPD) is detailed. Two simple features of this design allow it to perform these techniques. First, the diameter of entrance aperture to the mass spectrometer can be varied to maximize signal for TPD or to maximize angular resolution for MBS. Second, the mass spectrometer chamber can be radially translated so that it can be positioned close to the sample to maximize signal or far from the sample to maximize angular resolution. The performance of this system is described and compares well with systemsmore » designed for only one of these techniques.« less

Three Dimensional Gait Analysis Using Wearable Acceleration and Gyro Sensors Based on Quaternion Calculations

PubMed Central

Tadano, Shigeru; Takeda, Ryo; Miyagawa, Hiroaki

2013-01-01

This paper proposes a method for three dimensional gait analysis using wearable sensors and quaternion calculations. Seven sensor units consisting of a tri-axial acceleration and gyro sensors, were fixed to the lower limbs. The acceleration and angular velocity data of each sensor unit were measured during level walking. The initial orientations of the sensor units were estimated using acceleration data during upright standing position and the angular displacements were estimated afterwards using angular velocity data during gait. Here, an algorithm based on quaternion calculation was implemented for orientation estimation of the sensor units. The orientations of the sensor units were converted to the orientations of the body segments by a rotation matrix obtained from a calibration trial. Body segment orientations were then used for constructing a three dimensional wire frame animation of the volunteers during the gait. Gait analysis was conducted on five volunteers, and results were compared with those from a camera-based motion analysis system. Comparisons were made for the joint trajectory in the horizontal and sagittal plane. The average RMSE and correlation coefficient (CC) were 10.14 deg and 0.98, 7.88 deg and 0.97, 9.75 deg and 0.78 for the hip, knee and ankle flexion angles, respectively. PMID:23877128

Top-of-atmosphere radiative fluxes - Validation of ERBE scanner inversion algorithm using Nimbus-7 ERB data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Suttles, John T.; Wielicki, Bruce A.; Vemury, Sastri

1992-01-01

The ERBE algorithm is applied to the Nimbus-7 earth radiation budget (ERB) scanner data for June 1979 to analyze the performance of an inversion method in deriving top-of-atmosphere albedos and longwave radiative fluxes. The performance is assessed by comparing ERBE algorithm results with appropriate results derived using the sorting-by-angular-bins (SAB) method, the ERB MATRIX algorithm, and the 'new-cloud ERB' (NCLE) algorithm. Comparisons are made for top-of-atmosphere albedos, longwave fluxes, viewing zenith-angle dependence of derived albedos and longwave fluxes, and cloud fractional coverage. Using the SAB method as a reference, the rms accuracy of monthly average ERBE-derived results are estimated to be 0.0165 (5.6 W/sq m) for albedos (shortwave fluxes) and 3.0 W/sq m for longwave fluxes. The ERBE-derived results were found to depend systematically on the viewing zenith angle, varying from near nadir to near the limb by about 10 percent for albedos and by 6-7 percent for longwave fluxes. Analyses indicated that the ERBE angular models are the most likely source of the systematic angular dependences. Comparison of the ERBE-derived cloud fractions, based on a maximum-likelihood estimation method, with results from the NCLE showed agreement within about 10 percent.

The autoshaping procedure as a residual block clock

PubMed Central

Dinsmoor, James A.; Dougan, James D.; Pfister, John; Thiels, Edda

1992-01-01

In the first experiment, 4 pigeons were each presented with a recurring sequence of four key colors followed by the delivery of grain (block clock). Once the rate of pecking had stabilized, three of the colors were replaced, during different series of sessions, by a darkening of the key. The rate of pecking was reduced within those segments of the interval between deliveries of food during which the key was dark; when the key was dark during the final portion of the interval, rates were reduced throughout the entire interval. In the second experiment, 3 new pigeons were exposed to a different sequence of colors, and the final stimulus was replaced in successive conditions by a novel color, a darkened key, and a restoration of the original color. The data indicated that darkening the key had a more severe, more extensive, and more persistent effect than did a mere change in color. These results suggest that it may be fruitful to conceptualize the autoshaping procedure as a special version of the block clock in which pecking is suppressed throughout the greater part of the interval by darkening the key. In the final condition, the same stimulus appeared in each of the last three portions of the interval. The rate of pecking was lower during the last two portions than when distinctive colors were presented, with the peak rate now appearing in the fifth of seven equal temporal components. PMID:16812666

ARC-1990-A91-2011

NASA Image and Video Library

1990-02-09

Range : 220,000 mi. (left)/350,000 mi. (right) These pictures of the Moon were taken by the Galileo spacecraft. Image on the right shows the dark Oceanus Procellarum in the upper center, with Mare Imbrium above it and the smaller circular Mare Humorum below. The Orientale Basin, with a small mare in its center, is on the lower left near the limb or edge. Between stretches the cratered highland terrain, with scattered bright young craters on highlands and maria alike. The left image shows the globe of the Moon rotated, putting Mare Imbrium on the eastern limb and moving the Orientale Basin almost to the center. The extent of the cratered highlands on tghe far side is very apparent., At lower left, near the limb, is the South-Pole-Aitken basin, similar to Orientale but very much older and some 1,200 miles in diameter. This feature was previously known as a large depression in the southern far side; this image shows its Orientale-like structure and darkness relative to surrounding highlands.

Control of interjoint coordination during the swing phase of normal gait at different speeds

PubMed Central

Shemmell, Jonathan; Johansson, Jennifer; Portra, Vanessa; Gottlieb, Gerald L; Thomas, James S; Corcos, Daniel M

2007-01-01

Background It has been suggested that the control of unconstrained movements is simplified via the imposition of a kinetic constraint that produces dynamic torques at each moving joint such that they are a linear function of a single motor command. The linear relationship between dynamic torques at each joint has been demonstrated for multijoint upper limb movements. The purpose of the current study was to test the applicability of such a control scheme to the unconstrained portion of the gait cycle – the swing phase. Methods Twenty-eight neurologically normal individuals walked along a track at three different speeds. Angular displacements and dynamic torques produced at each of the three lower limb joints (hip, knee and ankle) were calculated from segmental position data recorded during each trial. We employed principal component (PC) analysis to determine (1) the similarity of kinematic and kinetic time series at the ankle, knee and hip during the swing phase of gait, and (2) the effect of walking speed on the range of joint displacement and torque. Results The angular displacements of the three joints were accounted for by two PCs during the swing phase (Variance accounted for – PC1: 75.1 ± 1.4%, PC2: 23.2 ± 1.3%), whereas the dynamic joint torques were described by a single PC (Variance accounted for – PC1: 93.8 ± 0.9%). Increases in walking speed were associated with increases in the range of motion and magnitude of torque at each joint although the ratio describing the relative magnitude of torque at each joint remained constant. Conclusion Our results support the idea that the control of leg swing during gait is simplified in two ways: (1) the pattern of dynamic torque at each lower limb joint is produced by appropriately scaling a single motor command and (2) the magnitude of dynamic torque at all three joints can be specified with knowledge of the magnitude of torque at a single joint. Walking speed could therefore be altered by modifying a single value related to the magnitude of torque at one joint. PMID:17466065

[Comparing clinical effects of titanic elastic nail and locking compression pine fixation in treating subtrochanteric fractures in older children].

PubMed

Zhu, Kang-xiang; Yin, Shan-qing

2013-12-01

To explore optimal choice of surgical treatment for subtrochanteric fractures in older children. A retrospective study of 36 older children with subtrochanteric fractures was performed between January 2010 and January 2012. Among them, 18 patients (11 males and 7 females) aged from 7 to 13 years old with an average of 9.4 were treated with titanic elastic nail (TEN) fixation, 4 cases were Type II A, 3 cases were II B, 2 cases were II C, 4 cases were III A, 3 cases were III B according to Seinsheimer classification. Eighteen patients (10 males and 8 females) aged was from 8 to 13 years with an average of 9.6 were treated with locking compression pine (LCP) fixation, and 3 cases were Type II A, 4 cases were II B, 3 cases were II C, 4 cases were IIIA, 2 cases were III B. Fracture healing time, postoperative complications (including wound infection, failure and breakage of internal fixtion, deformities of angular on the sagittal view, deformities of coxa vara) and recovery of hip joint function were observed and recorded. All children were followed up from 15 to 36 months with an average of 21. Fracture were all healed, the time ranged from 7 to 16 weeks (mean 9.5). Three cases in TEN group occurred mild deformities of angular on the sagittal view, 3 cases occurred deformities of coxa vara and 2 cases occurred limb shortening; while 1 case occurred mild deformities of angular on the sagittal view, and no deformities of coxa vara and limb shortening occurred in LCP group. No early close of epiphyseal injury, avascular necrosis of femoral head occurred. Clinical efficacy were evaluated by Sanders standard, 14 cases got excellent results, 3 cases were moderate in LCP group, while 9 cases in excellent, 4 in moderate in TEN group. There were no significant differences between two group in recovery of hip joint function and complications. For the treatment of subtrochanteric fractures in older children,the efficacy of LCP fixation is better than that of TFN fixation, which has advantages of reliable fixation, and less complications.

Logging costs and production rates for the group selection cutting method

Treesearch

Philip M. McDonald

1965-01-01

Young-growth, mixed-conifer stands were logged by a group-selection method designed to create openings 30, 60, and 90 feet in diameter. Total costs for felling, limbing, bucking, and skidding on these openings ranged from $7.04 to $7.99 per thousand board feet. Cost differences between openings were not statistically significant. Logging costs for group selection...

The mechanisms of the SAMS experiment flown on Nimbus 7 with particular reference to the 2 axis scanning mirror. [infrared radiometer for stratospheric and mesospheric investigations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hadley, H.

1980-01-01

The stratospheric and mesospheric sounder (SAMS) experiment on Nimbus 7 includes a 2 axis scanning mirror and 7 pressure modulator cells. The SAMS experiment is a limb sounding instrument to measure the temperature profile and minor constituents of the atmosphere. The limb scan requires small mirror steps over a 3 deg range, while the scan in azimuth is in larger steps over a 15 deg range. The mirror is plane, 20 cm in diameter, and of zero expansion glass-ceramic. It is supported on two tilt tables, fitted one on the other, with the axes at right angles. The angle of tilt is adjusted by means of recirculating ball screws which are ion plated with lead for lubrication and driven by stepper motors. The seven gas filled cells are each pressure modulated by a 3 cm diameter, 0.3 cm stroke piston which is supported by diaphragm springs and driven electromagnetically at the system's mechanical resonant frequency. The mean pressure of the filling gas, which is the atmospheric constituent being measured, is changed by varying the temperature of a suitable molecular sieve.

Custom rotating hinge total knee arthroplasty in patients with poliomyelitis affected limbs.

PubMed

Rahman, Jeeshan; Hanna, Sammy A; Kayani, Babar; Miles, Jonathan; Pollock, Robin C; Skinner, John A; Briggs, Timothy W; Carrington, Richard W

2015-05-01

Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) in limbs affected by poliomyelitis is a technically challenging procedure. These patients often demonstrate acquired articular and metaphyseal angular deformities, bone loss, narrowness of the intramedullary canals, impaired quadriceps strength, flexion contractures and ligamentous laxity producing painful hyperextension. Thus, using condylar knee designs in these patients will likely result in early failure because of instability and abnormal load distribution. The aim of this study was to assess the outcomes associated with use of the customised (SMILES) rotating-hinge knee system at our institution for TKA in poliomyelitis-affected limbs. We retrospectively reviewed the outcome of 14 TKAs using the (SMILES) prosthesis in 13 patients with limbs affected by poliomyelitis. All patients had painful unstable knees with hyperextension. There were ten females and three males with a mean age of 66 years (range 51-84) at time of surgery. Patients were followed up clinically, radiologically and functionally with the Oxford knee score (OKS). Mean follow-up was 72 months (16-156). There were no immediate or early complications. One patient fell and sustained a peri-prosthetic fracture at seven months requiring revision to a longer stem. Radiological evaluation showed satisfactory alignment with no signs of loosening in all cases. Mean OKS improved from 11.6 (4-18) to 31.5 (18-40) postoperatively (p < 0.001). The rotating hinge (SMILES) prosthesis is effective at relieving pain and improving function in patients with poliomyelitis. The device compensates well for ligamentous insufficiency as well as for any associated bony deformity.

Environmental Effects on the Photophysics of Organic-Inorganic Halide Perovskites.

PubMed

Galisteo-López, Juan F; Anaya, M; Calvo, M E; Míguez, H

2015-06-18

The photophysical properties of films of organic-inorganic lead halide perovskites under different ambient conditions are herein reported. We demonstrate that their luminescent properties are determined by the interplay between photoinduced activation and darkening processes, which strongly depend on the atmosphere surrounding the samples. We have isolated oxygen and moisture as the key elements in each process, activation and darkening, both of which involve the interaction with photogenerated carriers. These findings show that environmental factors play a key role in the performance of lead halide perovskites as efficient luminescent materials.

Environmental Effects on the Photophysics of Organic–Inorganic Halide Perovskites

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

The photophysical properties of films of organic–inorganic lead halide perovskites under different ambient conditions are herein reported. We demonstrate that their luminescent properties are determined by the interplay between photoinduced activation and darkening processes, which strongly depend on the atmosphere surrounding the samples. We have isolated oxygen and moisture as the key elements in each process, activation and darkening, both of which involve the interaction with photogenerated carriers. These findings show that environmental factors play a key role in the performance of lead halide perovskites as efficient luminescent materials. PMID:26266592

Behavioral contrast with timeout, blackout, or extinction as the negative condition1

PubMed Central

Sadowsky, Stephen

1973-01-01

When either a timeout period (darkening the response key) or a blackout period (darkening both chamber and response key) was alternated with a stimulus associated with variable-interval reinforcement, behavioral contrast was obtained. Either peck contrast or maintained contrast occurred, depending on whether or not responding was evidenced during the negative condition. These results are contrary to recent accounts emphasizing the role of non-reinforced responding in the production of contrast, but are consistent with interpretations emphasizing the aversiveness of the negative condition. PMID:16811680

Rotations of large inertial cubes, cuboids, cones, and cylinders in turbulence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pujara, Nimish; Oehmke, Theresa B.; Bordoloi, Ankur D.; Variano, Evan A.

2018-05-01

We conduct experiments to investigate the rotations of freely moving particles in a homogeneous isotropic turbulent flow. The particles are nearly neutrally buoyant and the particle size exceeds the Kolmogorov scale so that they are too large to be considered passive tracers. Particles of several different shapes are considered including those that break axisymmetry and fore-aft symmetry. We find that regardless of shape the mean-square particle angular velocity scales as deq -4 /3, where de q is the equivalent diameter of a volume-matched sphere. This scaling behavior is consistent with the notion that velocity differences across a length de q in the flow are responsible for particle rotation. We also find that the probability density functions (PDFs) of particle angular velocity collapse for particles of different shapes and similar de q. The significance of these results is that the rotations of an inertial, nonspherical particle are only functions of its volume and not its shape. The magnitude of particle angular velocity appears log-normally distributed and individual Cartesian components show long tails. With increasing de q, the tails of the PDF become less pronounced, meaning that extreme events of angular velocity become less common for larger particles.

Far Sidelobe Effects from Panel Gaps of the Atacama Cosmology Telescope

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fluxa, Pedro R.; Duenner, Rolando; Maurin, Loiec; Choi, Steve K.; Devlin, Mark J.; Gallardo, Patricio A.; Shuay-Pwu, P. Ho; Koopman, Brian J.; Louis, Thibaut; Wollack, Edward J.

2016-01-01

The Atacama Cosmology Telescope is a 6 meter diameter CMB telescope located at 5200 meters in the Chilean desert. ACT has made arc-minute scale maps of the sky at 90 and 150 GHz which have led to precise measurements of the fine angular power spectrum of the CMB fluctuations in temperature and polarization. One of the goals of ACT is to search for the B-mode polarization signal from primordial gravity waves, and thus extending ACT's data analysis to larger angular scales. This goal introduces new challenges in the control of systematic effects, including better understanding of far sidelobe effects that might enter the power spectrum at degree angular scales. Here we study the effects of the gaps between panels of the ACT primary and secondary reflectors in the worst case scenario in which the gaps remain open. We produced numerical simulations of the optics using GRASP up to 8 degrees away from the main beam and simulated timestreams for observations with this beam using real pointing information from ACT data. Maps from these simulated timestreams showed leakage from the sidelobes, indicating that this effect must be taken into consideration at large angular scales.

High-precision infra-red stellar interferometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lane, Benjamin F.

2003-08-01

This dissertation describes work performed at the Palomar Testbed Interferometer (PTI) during 1998 2002. Using PTI, we developed a method to measure stellar angular diameters in the 1 3 milli-arcsecond range with a precision of better than 5%. Such diameter measurements were used to measure the mass-radius relations of several lower main sequence stars and hence verify model predictions for these stars. In addition, by measuring the changes in Cepheid angular diameters during the pulsational cycle and applying a Baade-Wesselink analysis we are able to derive the distances to two galactic Cepheids (η Aql & ζ Gem) with a precision of ˜10%; such distance determinations provide an independent calibration of the Cepheid period- luminosity relations that underpin current estimates of cosmic distance scales. Second, we used PTI and the adaptive optics facility at the Keck Telescope on Mauna Kea to resolve the low mass binary systems BY Dra and GJ 569B, resulting in dynamical mass determinations for these systems. GJ 569B most likely contains at least one sub-stellar component, and as such represents the first dynamical mass determination of a brown dwarf. Finally, a new observing technique, dual star phase referencing, was developed and demonstrated at PTI. Phase referencing allows interferometric observations of stars previously too faint to observe, and is a prerequisite for large-scale interferometric astrometry programs such as the one planned for the Keck Interferometer; interferometric astrometry is a promising technique for the study of extra-solar planetary systems, particularly ones with long-period planets.

Development of a liquid tin microjet target for an efficient laser-produced plasma extreme ultraviolet source.

PubMed

Higashiguchi, Takeshi; Hamada, Masaya; Kubodera, Shoichi

2007-03-01

A regenerative tin liquid microjet target was developed for a high average power extreme ultraviolet (EUV) source. The diameter of the target was smaller than 160 microm and good vacuum lower than 0.5 Pa was maintained during the operation. A maximum EUV conversion efficiency of 1.8% at the Nd:yttrium-aluminum-garnet laser intensity of around 2 x 10(11) Wcm(2) with a spot diameter of 175 microm (full width at half maximum) was observed. The angular distribution of the EUV emission remained almost isotropic, whereas suprathermal ions mainly emerged toward the target normal.

Development of a liquid tin microjet target for an efficient laser-produced plasma extreme ultraviolet source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Higashiguchi, Takeshi; Hamada, Masaya; Kubodera, Shoichi

2007-03-01

A regenerative tin liquid microjet target was developed for a high average power extreme ultraviolet (EUV) source. The diameter of the target was smaller than 160 μm and good vacuum lower than 0.5 Pa was maintained during the operation. A maximum EUV conversion efficiency of 1.8% at the Nd:yttrium-aluminum-garnet laser intensity of around 2×1011 W/cm2 with a spot diameter of 175 μm (full width at half maximum) was observed. The angular distribution of the EUV emission remained almost isotropic, whereas suprathermal ions mainly emerged toward the target normal.

Photo-Darkening Kinetics and Structural Anisotropic Modifications in the Chalcogenide Glass Arsenic Trisulfide: a Study of Kinetic X-Ray Absorption Spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Jay Min

1990-08-01

The purpose of the study is to investigate the mechanisms involved with photo-induced atomic structural modifications in the chalcogenide glass As_2 S_3. This glass exhibits the reversible effects of photo-darkening followed by thermal bleaching. We observed the time behavior of photo-induced properties under the influence of linearly polarized band -gap light. In a macroscopic optical investigation, we monitor optical changes in the photo-darkening process, and in a local structural probe we study kinetic (or time -resolved dispersive) x-ray absorption spectroscopy. Our observations center on kinetic phenomena and structural modifications induced by polarized excitation of lone-pair orbitals in the chalcogenide glass. Experimental results include the following observations: (i) The polarity of the optically induced anisotropy is critically dependent on the intensity and the polarization of the band-gap irradiation beam. (ii) The near edge peak height in x-ray absorption spectra shows subtle but sensitive change during the photo-darkening process. (iii) Photon intensity dependent dichroic kinetics reflect a connection between the optically probed macroscopic property and the x-ray probed local anisotropic structure. Analysis of the x-ray absorption results includes a computer simulation of the polarized absorption spectra. These results suggest that specific structural units tend to orient themselves with respect to the photon polarization. A substantial part of the analysis involves a major effort in dealing with the x-ray kinetic data manipulation and the experimental difficulties caused by a synchrotron instability problem. Based on our observations, we propose a possible mechanism for the observed photo-structural modifications. Through a model of computer relaxed photo-darkening kinetics, we support the notion that a twisting of a specific intermediate range order structure is responsible for local directional variations and global network distortions. In the course of this study, we refine knowledge of intermediate range order structural configurations and the bistabilities related to these configurations. The importance of the lone-pair orbital interactions in the chalcogenide glassy network is underscored.

Postural stability is altered by the stimulation of pain but not warm receptors in humans.

PubMed

Blouin, Jean-Sébastien; Corbeil, Philippe; Teasdale, Normand

2003-10-17

It is now recognized that large diameter myelinated afferents provide the primary source of lower limb proprioceptive information for maintaining an upright standing position. Small diameter afferents transmitting noxious stimuli, however, can also influence motor behaviors. Despite the possible influence of pain on motor behaviors, the effects of pain on the postural control system have not been well documented. Two cutaneous heat stimulations (experiment 1: non-noxious 40 degrees C; experiment 2: noxious 45 degrees C) were applied bilaterally on the calves of the subject with two thermal grills to stimulate A delta and C warm receptors and nociceptors in order to examine their effects on postural stability. The non-noxious stimulation induced a gentle sensation of warmth and the noxious stimulation induced a perception of heat pain (visual analogue scores of 0 and 46 mm, respectively). For both experiments, ten healthy young adults were tested with and without heat stimulations of the lower limbs while standing upright on a force platform with eyes open, eyes closed and eyes closed with tendon co-vibration of tibialis anterior and triceps surae muscles. The center of pressure displacements were analyzed to examine how both stimulations affected the regulation of quiet standing and if the effects were exacerbated when vision was removed or ankle proprioception perturbed. The stimulation of the warm receptors (40 degrees C) did not induce any postural deterioration. With pain (45 degrees C), subjects showed a significant increase in standard deviation, range and mean velocity of postural oscillations as well as standard deviation of the center of pressure velocity. The effects of heat pain were exacerbated when subjects had both their eyes closed and ankle tendons vibrated (increased standard deviation of the center of pressure velocity and mean velocity of the center of pressure). A non-noxious stimulation (40 degrees C) of the small diameter afferents is not a sufficiently intense sensory stimulation to alter the control of posture. A painful stimulation (45 degrees C) of the skin thermoreceptors, however, yielded a deterioration of the postural control system. The observed deteriorating effects of the combined stimulation of nociceptors and Ia afferents (when ankle tendons were vibrated) could result from the convergence of these afferents at the spinal level. This could certainly lead to the hypothesis that individuals suffering from lower limb pain present alterations of the postural control mechanisms; especially populations already at risk of falling (for example, frail elderly) or populations suffering from concomitant lower limb pain and sensory deficits (for example, diabetic polyneuropathy).

Fiber optic light-scattering measurement system for evaluation of embryo viability: model experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Itoh, Harumi; Arai, Tsunenori; Kikuchi, Makoto

1996-05-01

We evaluated the particle density detectability and particle size detectivity of our fiber-optic light-scattering measurement system. In order to prevent the multiple pregnancy on current in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer, we have aimed to develop a new quantitative and non- invasive method to select a single viable human embryo. We employed the measurement of mitochondria localization in an embryo, which may have the correlation with development ability. We applied the angular distribution measurement of the light-scattering intensity from the embryo to obtain the information originated from the mitochondria. The latex spheres with a diameter of 1.0 micrometers were used to simulate the scattering intensity of the mitochondria. The measurement probes of our system consisted of two fibers for illumination and sensing. They were arranged at a right angle to a microscope optical axis to measure the angular distribution of the light-scattering intensity. We observed that the light-scattering intensity increased monotonically in the range from 106 to 1010 particles per ml. Since the mitochondria density in a human embryo corresponded to 2.5 X 107 per ml in the measurement chamber, we may measure the mitochondria density in the human embryo. The angular dependence of light-scattering intensity changed with the sphere diameters. This result showed the possibility of the selective measurement of the mitochondria density in the embryo in spite of the presence of the other cell organelle. We think that our light-scattering measurement system might be applicable to the evaluation method for the embryo viability.

Quick-Connect, Self-Alining Latch

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Burns, G. C.; Williams, E. J.

1983-01-01

Sturdy latch tolerates 10 degrees of angular mismatch in joining structural elements. Hexagonal passive plate nests in active plate, guided by capture plates and alinement keys and grooves. Center hole in both active and passive plates is 1 meter in diameter. Latch has possible uses a pipe joint, connector for parts of portable structures, and fitting for marine risers on offshore drilling rigs.

Light propagation in Swiss-cheese models of random close-packed Szekeres structures: Effects of anisotropy and comparisons with perturbative results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koksbang, S. M.

2017-03-01

Light propagation in two Swiss-cheese models based on anisotropic Szekeres structures is studied and compared with light propagation in Swiss-cheese models based on the Szekeres models' underlying Lemaitre-Tolman-Bondi models. The study shows that the anisotropy of the Szekeres models has only a small effect on quantities such as redshift-distance relations, projected shear and expansion rate along individual light rays. The average angular diameter distance to the last scattering surface is computed for each model. Contrary to earlier studies, the results obtained here are (mostly) in agreement with perturbative results. In particular, a small negative shift, δ DA≔D/A-DA ,b g DA ,b g , in the angular diameter distance is obtained upon line-of-sight averaging in three of the four models. The results are, however, not statistically significant. In the fourth model, there is a small positive shift which has an especially small statistical significance. The line-of-sight averaged inverse magnification at z =1100 is consistent with 1 to a high level of confidence for all models, indicating that the area of the surface corresponding to z =1100 is close to that of the background.

Ω-slow Solutions and Be Star Disks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Araya, I.; Jones, C. E.; Curé, M.; Silaj, J.; Cidale, L.; Granada, A.; Jiménez, A.

2017-09-01

As the disk formation mechanism(s) in Be stars is(are) as yet unknown, we investigate the role of rapidly rotating radiation-driven winds in this process. We implemented the effects of high stellar rotation on m-CAK models accounting for the shape of the star, the oblate finite disk correction factor, and gravity darkening. For a fast rotating star, we obtain a two-component wind model, I.e., a fast, thin wind in the polar latitudes and an Ω-slow, dense wind in the equatorial regions. We use the equatorial mass densities to explore Hα emission profiles for the following scenarios: (1) a spherically symmetric star, (2) an oblate star with constant temperature, and (3) an oblate star with gravity darkening. One result of this work is that we have developed a novel method for solving the gravity-darkened, oblate m-CAK equation of motion. Furthermore, from our modeling we find that (a) the oblate finite disk correction factor, for the scenario considering the gravity darkening, can vary by at least a factor of two between the equatorial and polar directions, influencing the velocity profile and mass-loss rate accordingly, (b) the Hα profiles predicted by our model are in agreement with those predicted by a standard power-law model for following values of the line-force parameters: 1.5≲ k≲ 3,α ˜ 0.6, and δ ≳ 0.1, and (c) the contribution of the fast wind component to the Hα emission line profile is negligible; therefore, the line profiles arise mainly from the equatorial disks of Be stars.

Coloration Determination of Spectral Darkening Occurring on a Broadband Earth Observing Radiometer: Application to Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Matthews, Grant; Priestley, Kory; Loeb, Norman G.; Loukachine, Konstantin; Thomas, Susan; Walikainen, Dale; Wielicki, Bruce A.

2006-01-01

It is estimated that in order to best detect real changes in the Earth s climate system, space based instrumentation measuring the Earth Radiation Budget (ERB) must remain calibrated with a stability of 0.3% per decade. Such stability is beyond the specified accuracy of existing ERB programs such as the Clouds and the Earth s Radiant Energy System (CERES, using three broadband radiometric scanning channels: the shortwave 0.3 - 5microns, total 0.3. > 100microns, and window 8 - 12microns). It has been shown that when in low earth orbit, optical response to blue/UV radiance can be reduced significantly due to UV hardened contaminants deposited on the surface of the optics. Since typical onboard calibration lamps do not emit sufficient energy in the blue/UV region, this darkening is not directly measurable using standard internal calibration techniques. This paper describes a study using a model of contaminant deposition and darkening, in conjunction with in-flight vicarious calibration techniques, to derive the spectral shape of darkening to which a broadband instrument is subjected. Ultimately the model uses the reflectivity of Deep Convective Clouds as a stability metric. The results of the model when applied to the CERES instruments on board the EOS Terra satellite are shown. Given comprehensive validation of the model, these results will allow the CERES spectral responses to be updated accordingly prior to any forthcoming data release in an attempt to reach the optimum stability target that the climate community requires.

Obituary: David Stanley Evans, 1916-2004

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bash, Frank N.

2005-12-01

David Stanley Evans died on 14 November 2004 in Austin, Texas. He was a noted observational astronomer whose career was divided between South Africa and Texas. He also used the extensive historical collections at the University of Texas to write several books on the history of astronomy. He was born in Cardiff, Wales on 28 January 1916. David received his BA degree in mathematics in 1937 from Kings College, Cambridge. He became a PhD student at Cambridge Observatory in 1937, and was one of Sir Arthur Eddington's last surviving students. He received his PhD degree in 1941 with a dissertation entitled, "The Formation of the Balmer Series of Hydrogen in Stellar Atmospheres." He was a conscientious objector to war and, thus, spent the war years at Oxford working with physicist Kurt Mendelssohn on medical problems, involving cadavers, relating to the war. During these years, David was scientific editor of "Discovery", and he was editor of "The Observatory". David left England in 1946 in order to take up the position of Second Assistant at the Radcliffe Observatory, Pretoria, South Africa. He and H. Knox Shaw were the entire staff after R. O. Redman left, and they aluminized and installed the mirrors in the 74-inch telescope. His notable scientific contribution was to use lunar occultations to measure stellar angular diameters during the 1950s. He succeeded in determining the angular diameter of Antares and determined that Arcturus was not circular but had an elliptical shape. The elliptical shape was later shown to be an instrumental artifact, but the utility of using lunar occultations to measure stellar diameters and stellar multiplicity was conclusively demonstrated. T. Gold presented David's paper on lunar occultation angular diameters at the January 1953 meeting of the Royal Astronomical Society. For the rest of his life, David resented Gold's remarks, because he felt that he had been ridiculed. By 1953, David Evans was Chief Assistant at the Royal Observatory headquartered in Cape Town, South Africa. David had designed and built a Newtonian spectrograph for the 74-inch Radcliffe Telescope with which he measured the first southern galaxy redshifts. David and his family spent 1965-66 in Austin, Texas, where he was a National Science Foundation Senior Visiting Scientist at the University of Texas and McDonald Observatory. They moved permanently to Austin in 1968 and David became a Professor of Astronomy and Associate Director of McDonald Observatory at the University of Texas at Austin. At McDonald Observatory, R. E. Nather had devised a high-speed photometer capable of measuring millisecond time-scale changes in brightness and with Brian Warner, he invented "high-speed astronomy". This instrument caused Evans to revive his occultation program and, over the next twenty years, he produced the major part of the angular diameters of late-type stars with his students and collaborators. In addition, David and collaborators used the extensive collections of the University of Texas to write "Herschel at the Cape". David was also involved in observing the occultation of ? Sco by Jupiter in 1972 and in observing, during a solar eclipse in 1973, the gravitational deflections in the positions of stars whose light passes near to the Sun. The eclipse was observed from Mauritania, and the observations confirmed Einstein's prediction again. David Evans and his students studied late-type stars that have large star-spots and others that flare. In addition, they studied stars whose lunar occultation observations had revealed them to be double or even more than two stars. David Evans's major scientific contribution was an application of his stellar angular diameters to deduce the surface brightness of stars with the result that with suitable color indices one could use photometry to deduce the angular diameter of stars. This is applicable to stars which can never be occulted by the Moon, and its application to Cepheid variable stars has yielded their distances. This relation between angular diameters and a V-R color index is called the Barnes-Evans Relation. Tom Barnes gives most of the credit to Evans, but said that David insisted that the authors be listed in alphabetical order. This work was greeted with initial skepticism but it stimulated an enormous amount of interest and has been used to measure distances to 100 Cepheid variable stars in our galaxy. The method gives a distance to one of them, Delta Cephei, that agrees closely with recently measured parallaxes using HST. The Barnes-Evans method yields distances which are accurate to a few percent and is applicable to Cepheids in nearby galaxies. Before coming to Texas, David Evans had never given a large lecture course at a university, and his efforts met with mixed success especially in introductory classes for freshmen facing a "science requirement." David had considerably more success supervising PhD dissertations. He was supervisor for four. He was promoted to the position of Jack S. Josey Centennial Professor of Astronomy in 1984, which is the position he held until his retirement in 1986. He was awarded the Gill Medal of the Astronomical Society of South Africa in 1988. David Evans had a remarkable facility for language, especially English. He was an author of eight books including a 1966 edition of "Teach Yourself Astronomy", which was an introduction to astronomy and an inspiration to a number of currently active astronomers. He also loved history, especially of Southern Hemisphere astronomy but also of the McDonald Observatory. In fact, David continued to be very active after retirement and when he died he had completed a book (with Karen Winget) on the eclipse expedition to Mauritania, which is not yet printed.

Developing lignin-based bio-nanofibers by centrifugal spinning technique.

PubMed

Stojanovska, Elena; Kurtulus, Mustafa; Abdelgawad, Abdelrahman; Candan, Zeki; Kilic, Ali

2018-07-01

Lignin-based nanofibers were produced via centrifugal spinning from lignin-thermoplastic polyurethane polymer blends. The most suitable process parameters were chosen by optimization of the rotational speed, nozzle diameter and spinneret-to-collector distance using different blend ratios of the two polymers at different total polymer concentrations. The basic characteristics of polymer solutions were enlightened by their viscosity and surface tension. The morphology of the fibers produced was characterized by SEM, while their thermal properties by DSC and TG analysis. Multiply regression was used to determine the parameters that have higher impact on the fiber diameter. It was possible to obtain thermally stable lignin/polyurethane nanofibers with diameters below 500nm. From the aspect of spinnability, 1:1 lignin/TPU contents were shown to be more feasible. On the other side, the most suitable processing parameters were found to be angular velocity of 8500rpm for nozzles of 0.5mm diameter and working distance of 30cm. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Curved position-sensitive detector for X-ray crystallography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Izumi, T.

1980-11-01

A new curved position-sensitive proportional detector has been constructed for X-ray crystallography. A very hard steel wire 0.2 mm in diameter was used as a single anode wire. It was bent to a radius of 6.5 cm and was suspended elastically in a wide 160° 2θ angular aperture. An amplifier and ADC-per-cathode strip system was made in order to encode the position. The spatial resolution is better than 0.37 mm (fwhm) along the curved anode wire, and this value corresponds to an angular resolution of 0.28° in 2θ. It is shown that a thick hard anode wire is quite suitable for use as a curved position-sensitive detector.

WGM resonators for studying orbital angular momentum of a photon, and methods

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Matsko, Andrey B. (Inventor); Savchenkov, Anatoliy A. (Inventor); Maleki, Lute (Inventor); Strekalov, Dmitry V. (Inventor)

2009-01-01

An optical system, device, and method that are capable of generating high-order Bessel beams and determining the orbital angular momentum of at least one of the photons of a Bessel beam are provided. The optical system and device include a tapered waveguide having an outer surface defined by a diameter that varies along a longitudinal axis of the waveguide from a first end to an opposing second end. The optical system and device include a resonator that is arranged in optical communication with the first end of the tapered waveguide such that an evanescent field emitted from (i) the waveguide can be coupled with the resonator, or (ii) the resonator can be coupled with the waveguide.

A bolometric millimeter-wave system for observations of anisotropy in the cosmic microwave background radiation on medium angular scales

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fischer, M. L.; Alsop, D. C.; Cheng, E. S.; Clapp, A. C.; Cottingham, D. A.; Gundersen, J. O.; Koch, T. C.; Kreysa, E.; Meinhold, P. R.; Lange, A. E.

1992-01-01

The performance of a bolometric system designed to measure the anisotropy of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation on angular scales from 0.3 to 3 deg is presented. The system represents a collaborative effort combining a low-background 1-m diameter balloon-borne telescope with new multimode feed optics, a beam modulation mechanism with high stability, and a four-channel bolometric receiver with passbands centered near frequencies of 3, 6, 9, and 12/cm (90, 180, 270, and 360 GHz). The telescope has been flown three times with the bolometric receiver and has demonstrated detector noise limited performance capable of reaching sensitivity levels of about 0.00001 with detectors operated at 0.3 K.

The darkening of zinc yellow: XANES speciation of chromium in artist;s paints after light and chemical exposures

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zanella, Luciana; Casadio, Francesca; Gray, Kimberly A.

2012-03-14

The color darkening of selected brushstrokes of the masterpiece A Sunday on La Grande Jatte - 1884 (by Georges Seurat) has been attributed to the alteration of the chromate pigment zinc yellow. The pigment originally displays a bright greenish-yellow color but may undergo, after aging, darkening to a dull, ocher tone. We used XANES to probe the oxidation state of Cr on paint reconstructions, and show that color changes are associated with the reduction of Cr(VI) to Cr(III). Paint mixtures containing the pigment and linseed oil to mimic mixtures used in La Grande Jatte were subjected to artificial aging inmore » the presence of light, SO{sub 2}, and variable air humidity - 50 and 90% relative humidity. High relative humidity led to the largest degree of Cr(VI) reduction whereas low relative humidity promoted light-induced alterations. These results are corroborated by visible reflectance measurements on the same laboratory samples and contribute to a better understanding of the chemical reactivity of chromate pigments, which are present in many historical works of art.« less

Dirty Snow, Atmospheric Warming, and Climate Feedbacks from Boreal Black Carbon Emissions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Flanner, M. G.; Zender, C. S.; Randerson, J. T.; Jin, Y.

2005-12-01

Black carbon (BC) emitted from boreal fires darkens snow and sea-ice surfaces, increases solar absorption in the atmosphere, and decreases the incident flux at the surface. Although global surface forcing of darkened snow/ice is small relative to atmospheric forcing, the former directly triggers ice-albedo feedback, whereas the latter directly alters the atmospheric lapse rate. This highlights the importance of examining climate feedback strength as well as instantaneous forcings. We used a coupled land-atmosphere GCM (NCAR CAM3) to compare the relative forcings and climate feedbacks of BC emitted from a suite of boreal forest fires over the last decade, accounting for both enhanced snow/ice and atmospheric absorption by BC. The net change in absorbed energy at the surface was about three times greater than the instantaneous surface forcing when BC interactively heated the snow. Timing and location of fires determined the magnitude of darkened snow/ice feedback potential. We also assessed climate feedback strength from BC emitted globally during extreme high and low fire years, including the 1998 fire season.

Tyrosinase, could it be a missing link in ochronosis in alkaptonuria?

PubMed

Taylor, Adam M; Kammath, Vishnu; Bleakley, Aaron

2016-06-01

The hypothesis that is proposed is that tyrosinase, an enzyme widely found within the human body is implicated in the ochronosis that occurs in alkaptonuria; an autosomal recessive condition first used by Archibald Garrod to describe the theory of "Inborn Errors of Metabolism." The disease results from the absence of a single enzyme in the liver that breaks down homogentisic acid; this molecule becomes systemically elevated in sufferers. The condition is characterised by a clinical triad of symptoms; homogentisic aciduria from birth, ochronosis (darkening) of collagenous tissues (from ∼30years of age) and ochronotic osteoarthropathy in weight bearing joints due to long term ochronosis in them (from ∼40years of age). Tyrosinase, a polyphenol oxidase has been shown in many species to contribute to the darkening of tissues in many organisms; including humans in the production of melanin. Tyrosinase under the right conditions shows alterations in its substrate specificity and may contribute to the darkening seen in AKU where it moves away from polymerising tyrosine but also homogentisic acid, the causative molecule in alkaptonuria, that is present in excess. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Characterization of free, conjugated and bound phenolics and lipophilic antioxidants in regular- and non-darkening cranberry beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.).

PubMed

Chen, Peter X; Tang, Yao; Marcone, Massimo F; Pauls, Peter K; Zhang, Bing; Liu, Ronghua; Tsao, Rong

2015-10-15

Cranberry beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) from 7 different cultivars were characterized for phytochemicals and assessed for antioxidant activities. In vitro colorimetric methods were used to measure total phenolic (TPC) and total proanthocyanidin (PAC) contents. Free, conjugated and bound phenolic acids and flavonoids were also identified and quantified using HPLC-DAD/ESI-MS(n). Regular-darkening (RD) seeds contained higher TPC, PAC and flavonoids which were absent in the non-darkening (ND) seeds. Bound and conjugated phenolics in RD and ND mainly included cinnamic and benzoic acids. DPPH, FRAP and ORAC showed strong positive correlation with TPC, PAC, and with specific phenolics such as free catechin and bound p-hydroxybenzoic acid. Lipophilic extracts were rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids (69.20-76.89%). Carotenoid and tocopherol were limited to γ-tocopherol and β-carotene. Results from this study can contribute to the development of cranberry bean cultivars with increased health benefits and addresses specific phenolic contributors to antioxidant activity. Crown Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Age, ocular magnification, and circumpapillary retinal nerve fiber layer thickness

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Mengyu; Elze, Tobias; Li, Dian; Baniasadi, Neda; Wirkner, Kerstin; Kirsten, Toralf; Thiery, Joachim; Loeffler, Markus; Engel, Christoph; Rauscher, Franziska G.

2017-12-01

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) manufacturers graphically present circumpapillary retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (cpRNFLT) together with normative limits to support clinicians in diagnosing ophthalmic diseases. The impact of age on cpRNFLT is typically implemented by linear models. cpRNFLT is strongly location-specific, whereas previously published norms are typically restricted to coarse sectors and based on small populations. Furthermore, OCT devices neglect impacts of lens or eye size on the diameter of the cpRNFLT scan circle so that the diameter substantially varies over different eyes. We investigate the impact of age and scan diameter reported by Spectralis spectral-domain OCT on cpRNFLT in 5646 subjects with healthy eyes. We provide cpRNFLT by age and diameter at 768 angular locations. Age/diameter were significantly related to cpRNFLT on 89%/92% of the circle, respectively (pointwise linear regression), and to shifts in cpRNFLT peak locations. For subjects from age 42.1 onward but not below, increasing age significantly decreased scan diameter (r=-0.28, p<0.001), which suggests that pathological cpRNFLT thinning over time may be underestimated in elderly compared to younger subjects, as scan diameter decrease correlated with cpRNFLT increase. Our detailed numerical results may help to generate various correction models to improve diagnosing and monitoring optic neuropathies.

Life on the rocks: habitat use drives morphological and performance evolution in lizards.

PubMed

Goodman, Brett A; Miles, Donald B; Schwarzkopf, Lin

2008-12-01

As a group, lizards occupy a vast array of habitats worldwide, yet there remain relatively few cases where habitat use (ecology), morphology, and thus, performance, are clearly related. The best known examples include: increased limb length in response to increased arboreal perch diameter in anoles and increased limb length in response to increased habitat openness for some skinks. Rocky habitats impose strong natural selection on specific morphological characteristics, which differs from that imposed on terrestrial species, because moving about on inclined substrates of irregular sizes and shapes constrains locomotor performance in predictable ways. We quantified habitat use, morphology, and performance of 19 species of lizards (family Scincidae, subfamily Lygosominae) from 23 populations in tropical Australia. These species use habitats with considerable variation in rock availability. Comparative phylogenetic analyses revealed that occupation of rock-dominated habitats correlated with the evolution of increased limb length, compared to species from forest habitats that predominantly occupied leaf litter. Moreover, increased limb length directly affected performance, with species from rocky habitats having greater sprinting, climbing, and clinging ability than their relatives from less rocky habitats. Thus, we found that the degree of rock use is correlated with both morphological and performance evolution in this group of tropical lizards.

The use of immunosuppressive agents in the management of recalcitrant lower limb ulcers.

PubMed

Millen, A; Coulston, J; Brennan, J; Kennedy, T

2014-08-01

Lower limb ulcers that are resistant to standard forms of treatment place a significant burden on both patients and health services. There is no widely agreed definition of a recalcitrant ulcer but failure to heal following 6-12 months of focused treatment would identify a small group of patients with highly resistant ulceration. We describe a series of patients with recalcitrant ulceration for which immunosuppressive agents have been used. This is a case series of 13 patients who underwent immunomodulation therapy for lower limb ulcers at a tertiary referral university hospital. Regimens of immunomodulation used mainly ciclosporin and/or cyclophosphamide, with concurrent antibiotic therapy. Case notes and computer systems were analysed by two reviewers. A patient was deemed to have a success if their ulcer fully healed while on immunomodulation therapy. Over a period of eight years, from 2004-2012, 13 patients underwent immunomodulation therapy. Among these patients there were 18 ulcerated limbs. Ulcer healing occurred in 10 limbs out of 18 (55.6%) and full healing occurred in six patients (46.2%). Ulcers were present for a median of five years (range 2-40 years), with a median diameter of 7.5 cm (range 4-18 cm) before treatment. Treatment of truly recalcitrant ulceration can be very frustrating for both the patient and physician, with poor success from more standard forms of treatment. We report experience with immunomodulation therapy that suggests there may be benefit from using this treatment in a subset of patients with this debilitating disease.

Effects of Strength Training Combined with Specific Plyometric exercises on body composition, vertical jump height and lower limb strength development in elite male handball players: a case study.

PubMed

Carvalho, Alberto; Mourão, Paulo; Abade, Eduardo

2014-06-28

The purpose of the present study was to identify the effects of a strength training program combined with specific plyometric exercises on body composition, vertical jump (VJ) height and strength development of lower limbs in elite male handball players. A 12-week program with combined strength and specific plyometric exercises was carried out for 7 weeks. Twelve elite male handball players (age: 21.6 ± 1.73) competing in the Portuguese Major League participated in the study. Besides the anthropometric measurements, several standardized jump tests were applied to assess VJ performance together with the strength development of the lower limbs in an isokinetic setting. No significant changes were found in body circumferences and diameters. Body fat content and fat mass decreased by 16.4 and 15.7% respectively, while lean body mass increased by 2.1%. Despite small significance, there was in fact an increase in squat jump (SJ), counter movement jump (CMJ) and 40 consecutive jumps after the training period (6.1, 3.8 and 6.8%, respectively). After the applied protocol, peak torque increased in lower limb extension and flexion in the majority of the movements assessed at 90ºs-1. Consequently, it is possible to conclude that combining general strength-training with plyometric exercises can not only increase lower limb strength and improve VJ performance but also reduce body fat content.

Effects of Strength Training Combined with Specific Plyometric exercises on body composition, vertical jump height and lower limb strength development in elite male handball players: a case study

PubMed Central

Carvalho, Alberto; Mourão, Paulo; Abade, Eduardo

2014-01-01

The purpose of the present study was to identify the effects of a strength training program combined with specific plyometric exercises on body composition, vertical jump (VJ) height and strength development of lower limbs in elite male handball players. A 12-week program with combined strength and specific plyometric exercises was carried out for 7 weeks. Twelve elite male handball players (age: 21.6 ± 1.73) competing in the Portuguese Major League participated in the study. Besides the anthropometric measurements, several standardized jump tests were applied to assess VJ performance together with the strength development of the lower limbs in an isokinetic setting. No significant changes were found in body circumferences and diameters. Body fat content and fat mass decreased by 16.4 and 15.7% respectively, while lean body mass increased by 2.1%. Despite small significance, there was in fact an increase in squat jump (SJ), counter movement jump (CMJ) and 40 consecutive jumps after the training period (6.1, 3.8 and 6.8%, respectively). After the applied protocol, peak torque increased in lower limb extension and flexion in the majority of the movements assessed at 90ºs-1. Consequently, it is possible to conclude that combining general strength-training with plyometric exercises can not only increase lower limb strength and improve VJ performance but also reduce body fat content. PMID:25114739

Ontogenetic Development of Vestibulo-Ocular Reflexes in Amphibians

PubMed Central

Branoner, Francisco; Chagnaud, Boris P.; Straka, Hans

2016-01-01

Vestibulo-ocular reflexes (VOR) ensure gaze stability during locomotion and passively induced head/body movements. In precocial vertebrates such as amphibians, vestibular reflexes are required very early at the onset of locomotor activity. While the formation of inner ears and the assembly of sensory-motor pathways is largely completed soon after hatching, angular and translational/tilt VOR display differential functional onsets and mature with different time courses. Otolith-derived eye movements appear immediately after hatching, whereas the appearance and progressive amelioration of semicircular canal-evoked eye movements is delayed and dependent on the acquisition of sufficiently large semicircular canal diameters. Moreover, semicircular canal functionality is also required to tune the initially omnidirectional otolith-derived VOR. The tuning is due to a reinforcement of those vestibulo-ocular connections that are co-activated by semicircular canal and otolith inputs during natural head/body motion. This suggests that molecular mechanisms initially guide the basic ontogenetic wiring, whereas semicircular canal-dependent activity is required to establish the spatio-temporal specificity of the reflex. While a robust VOR is activated during passive head/body movements, locomotor efference copies provide the major source for compensatory eye movements during tail- and limb-based swimming of larval and adult frogs. The integration of active/passive motion-related signals for gaze stabilization occurs in central vestibular neurons that are arranged as segmentally iterated functional groups along rhombomere 1–8. However, at variance with the topographic maps of most other sensory systems, the sensory-motor transformation of motion-related signals occurs in segmentally specific neuronal groups defined by the extraocular motor output targets. PMID:27877114

Lower limb joint kinetics and ankle joint stiffness in the sprint start push-off.

PubMed

Charalambous, Laura; Irwin, Gareth; Bezodis, Ian N; Kerwin, David

2012-01-01

Sprint push-off technique is fundamental to sprint performance and joint stiffness has been identified as a performance-related variable during dynamic movements. However, joint stiffness for the push-off and its relationship with performance (times and velocities) has not been reported. The aim of this study was to quantify and explain lower limb net joint moments and mechanical powers, and ankle stiffness during the first stance phase of the push-off. One elite sprinter performed 10 maximal sprint starts. An automatic motion analysis system (CODA, 200 Hz) with synchronized force plates (Kistler, 1000 Hz) collected kinematic profiles at the hip, knee, and ankle and ground reaction forces, providing input for inverse dynamics analyses. The lower-limb joints predominately extended and revealed a proximal-to-distal sequential pattern of maximal extensor angular velocity and positive power production. Pearson correlations revealed relationships (P < 0.05) between ankle stiffness (5.93 ± 0.75 N x m x deg(-1)) and selected performance variables. Relationships between negative power phase ankle stiffness and horizontal (r = -0.79) and vertical (r = 0.74) centre of mass velocities were opposite in direction to the positive power phase ankle stiffness (horizontal: r = 0.85; vertical: r = -0.54). Thus ankle stiffness may affect the goals of the sprint push-off in different ways, depending on the phase of stance considered.

Lower limb flexion posture relates to energy absorption during drop landings with soldier-relevant body borne loads.

PubMed

Brown, T N; O'Donovan, M; Hasselquist, L; Corner, B; Schiffman, J M

2016-01-01

Fifteen military personnel performed 30-cm drop landings to quantify how body borne load (light, ∼6 kg, medium, ∼20 kg, and heavy, ∼40 kg) impacts lower limb kinematics and knee joint energy absorption during landing, and determine whether greater lower limb flexion increases energy absorption while landing with load. Participants decreased peak hip (P = 0.002), and knee flexion (P = 0.007) posture, but did not increase hip (P = 0.796), knee (P = 0.427) or ankle (P = 0.161) energy absorption, despite exhibiting greater peak hip (P = 0.003) and knee (P = 0.001) flexion, and ankle (P = 0.003) dorsiflexion angular impulse when landing with additional load. Yet, when landing with the light and medium loads, greater hip (R(2) = 0.500, P = 0.003 and R(2) = 0.314, P = 0.030) and knee (R(2) = 0.431, P = 0.008 and R(2) = 0.342, P = 0.022) flexion posture predicted larger knee joint energy absorption. Thus, military training that promotes hip and knee flexion, and subsequently greater energy absorption during landing, may potentially reduce risk of musculoskeletal injury and optimize soldier performance. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Motion alterations after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: comparison of the injured and uninjured lower limbs during a single-legged jump.

PubMed

de Fontenay, Benoît Pairot; Argaud, Sebastien; Blache, Yoann; Monteil, Karine

2014-01-01

Asymmetries subsist after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACL-R), and it is unclear how lower limb motion is altered in the context of a dynamic movement. To highlight the alterations observed in the injured limb (IL) during the performance of a dynamic movement after ACL-R. Cross-sectional study. Research laboratory. A total of 11 men (age = 23.3 ± 3.8 years, mass = 81.2 ± 17.0 kg) who underwent ACL-R took part in this study 7.3 ± 1.1 months (range = 6-9 months) after surgery. Kinematic and kinetic analyses of a single-legged squat jump were performed. The uninjured leg (UL) was used as the control variable. Kinematic and kinetic variables. Jump height was 24% less for the IL than the UL (F1,9 = 23.3, P = .001), whereas the push-off phase duration was similar for both lower limbs (P = .96). Knee-joint extension (F₁,₉ = 11.4, P = .009), and ankle plantar flexion (F₁,₉ = 22.6, P = .001) were less at takeoff for the IL than the UL. The hip angle at takeoff was not different between lower limbs (P = .09). We found that total moment was 14% less (F₁,₉ = 11.1, P = .01) and total power was 35% less (F₁,₉ = 24.2, P = .001) for the IL than the UL. Maximal hip (P = .09) and knee (P = .21) power was not different between legs. The IL had 34% less maximal ankle power (F₁,₉ = 11.3, P = .009) and 31% less angular velocity of ankle plantar flexion (F₁,₉ = 17.8, P = .004) than the UL. At 7.3 months after ACL-R, motion alterations were present in the IL, leading to a decrease in dynamic movement performance. Enhancing the tools for assessing articular and muscular variables during a multijoint movement would help to individualize rehabilitation protocols after ACL-R.

Al-khwarizmi: a new-found basin on the lunar far side.

PubMed

El-Baz, F

1973-06-15

Apollo 16 and Apollo 17 photographs of the far side of the moon reveal a double-ringed basin 500 kilometers in diameter centered at 1 degrees N, 112 degrees E. The structure is very old and subdued; it is probably Pre-Nectarian in age and appears to have been filled and modified by younger events. The heights of the basin's rings are based on laser altimeter data from Apollo missions 15 through 17; these data suggest a third outer ring, approximately 1000 kilometers in diameter. Laser measurements also indicate that the filled basin separates the relatively low terrain on the eastern limb of the moon from the higher, more rugged highlands to the east.

Postnatal ontogeny of limb proportions and functional indices in the subterranean rodent Ctenomys talarum (Rodentia: Ctenomyidae).

PubMed

Echeverría, Alejandra Isabel; Becerra, Federico; Vassallo, Aldo Iván

2014-08-01

Burrow construction in the subterranean Ctenomys talarum (Rodentia: Ctenomyidae) primarily occurs by scratch-digging. In this study, we compared the limbs of an ontogenetic series of C. talarum to identify variation in bony elements related to fossorial habits using a morphometrical and biomechanical approach. Diameters and functional lengths of long bones were measured and 10 functional indices were constructed. We found that limb proportions of C. talarum undergo significant changes throughout postnatal ontogeny, and no significant differences between sexes were observed. Five of six forelimb indices and two of four hindlimb indices showed differences between ages. According to discriminant analysis, the indices that contributed most to discrimination among age groups were robustness of the humerus and ulna, relative epicondylar width, crural and brachial indices, and index of fossorial ability (IFA). Particularly, pups could be differentiated from juveniles and adults by more robust humeri and ulnae, wider epicondyles, longer middle limb elements, and a proportionally shorter olecranon. Greater robustness indicated a possible compensation for lower bone stiffness while wider epicondyles may be associated to improved effective forces in those muscles that originate onto them, compensating the lower muscular development. The gradual increase in the IFA suggested a gradual enhancement in the scratch-digging performance due to an improvement in the mechanical advantage of forearm extensors. Middle limb indices were higher in pups than in juveniles-adults, reflecting relatively more gracile limbs in their middle segments, which is in accordance with their incipient fossorial ability. In sum, our results show that in C. talarum some scratch-digging adaptations are already present during early postnatal ontogeny, which suggests that they are prenatally shaped, and other traits develop progressively. The role of early digging behavior as a factor influencing on morphology development is discussed. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Birth dimensions in Melanesian and Indian Fijians and their relationships with maternal and socio-economic factors.

PubMed

Clegg, E J; Clegg, S D

1989-01-01

Fifty-nine Melanesian (MF) and 39 Indian (IF) Fijian full-term newborns were studied within 5 days of birth. Dimensions recorded included birthweight, length, crown-rump length, head circumference, upper limb length, bycondylar humeral and femoral diameters and four skinfolds (triceps, subscapular, suprailiac and thigh). Data from previous pregnancies of the presenting newborns' mothers were added to presenting birthweights, giving a total of 160 MF and 84 IF birthweights. In all birthweight and linear dimensions MFs were the bigger. Sex differences were significant in respect only of head circumference and the two bicondylar diameters. Multiple regression analysis showed dimensions in MF newborns to have few significant relationships with the maternal and socio-economic variables of age, parity, stature and years of education, but IFs had many more significant relationships. When covariance correction was made for the significant maternal and socio-economic variables (maternal age and parity) little effect on racial differences was seen. All linear dimensions except length could be subsumed into birthweight. MFs had greater triceps and subscapular skinfold thicknesses than IFs, a difference which was not much changed by covariance correction for significant maternal and socio-economic variables (maternal stature and years of education). Measurements of shape, expressed as ratios of linear dimensions, showed few racial differences but males had relatively broader limbs. For upper limb shape only, this difference was maintained after covariance correction for significant maternal and socio-economic variables (parity, stature and education). The greater size of MF infants at birth is associated with lower peri- and neonatal death rates. However this advantage is reversed during the remainder of the first year of life. It is suggested that better standards of infant care among IFs are responsible for this change.

Development of a full ice-cream cone model for halo CME structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Na, Hyeonock; Moon, Yong-Jae

2015-04-01

The determination of three dimensional parameters (e.g., radial speed, angular width, source location) of Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) is very important for space weather forecast. To estimate these parameters, several cone models based on a flat cone or a shallow ice-cream cone with spherical front have been suggested. In this study, we investigate which cone model is proper for halo CME morphology using 33 CMEs which are identified as halo CMEs by one spacecraft (SOHO or STEREO-A or B) and as limb CMEs by the other ones. From geometrical parameters of these CMEs such as their front curvature, we find that near full ice-cream cone CMEs (28 events) are dominant over shallow ice-cream cone CMEs (5 events). So we develop a new full ice-cream cone model by assuming that a full ice-cream cone consists of many flat cones with different heights and angular widths. This model is carried out by the following steps: (1) construct a cone for given height and angular width, (2) project the cone onto the sky plane, (3) select points comprising the outer boundary, (4) minimize the difference between the estimated projection points with the observed ones. We apply this model to several halo CMEs and compare the results with those from other methods such as a Graduated Cylindrical Shell model and a geometrical triangulation method.

Noncircular Chainrings Do Not Influence Maximum Cycling Power.

PubMed

Leong, Chee-Hoi; Elmer, Steven J; Martin, James C

2017-12-01

Noncircular chainrings could increase cycling power by prolonging the powerful leg extension/flexion phases, and curtailing the low-power transition phases. We compared maximal cycling power-pedaling rate relationships, and joint-specific kinematics and powers across 3 chainring eccentricities (CON = 1.0; LOW ecc  = 1.13; HIGH ecc  = 1.24). Part I: Thirteen cyclists performed maximal inertial-load cycling under 3 chainring conditions. Maximum cycling power and optimal pedaling rate were determined. Part II: Ten cyclists performed maximal isokinetic cycling (120 rpm) under the same 3 chainring conditions. Pedal and joint-specific powers were determined using pedal forces and limb kinematics. Neither maximal cycling power nor optimal pedaling rate differed across chainring conditions (all p > .05). Peak ankle angular velocity for HIGH ecc was less than CON (p < .05), while knee and hip angular velocities were unaffected. Self-selected ankle joint-center trajectory was more eccentric than HIGH ecc with an opposite orientation that increased velocity during extension/flexion and reduced velocity during transitions. Joint-specific powers did not differ across chainring conditions, with a small increase in power absorbed during ankle dorsiflexion with HIGH ecc . Multiple degrees of freedom in the leg, crank, and pedal system allowed cyclists to manipulate ankle angular velocity to maintain their preferred knee and hip actions, suggesting maximizing extension/flexion and minimizing transition phases may be counterproductive for maximal power.

A Spitzer Infrared Radius for the Transiting Extrasolar Planet HD 209458 b

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Richardson, L. Jeremy; Harrington, Joseph; Seager, Sara; Deming, Drake

2007-01-01

We have measured the infrared transit of the extrasolar planet HD 209458 b using the Spitzer Space Telescope. We observed two primary eclipse events (one partial and one complete transit) using the 24 micrometer array of the Multiband Imaging Photometer for Spitzer (MIPS). We analyzed a total of 2392 individual images (10-second integrations) of the planetary system, recorded before, during, and after transit. We perform optimal photometry on the images and use the local zodiacal light as a short-term flux reference. At this long wavelength, the transit curve has a simple box-like shape, allowing robust solutions for the stellar and planetary radii independent of stellar limb darkening, which is negligible at 24 micrometers. We derive a stellar radius of R(sub *) = 1.06 plus or minus 0.07 solar radius, a planetary radius of R(sub p) = 1.26 plus or minus 0.08 R(sub J), and a stellar mass of 1.17 solar mass. Within the errors, our results agree with the measurements at visible wavelengths. The 24 micrometer radius of the planet therefore does not differ significantly compared to the visible result. We point out the potential for deriving extrasolar transiting planet radii to high accuracy using transit photometry at slightly shorter IR wavelengths where greater photometric precision is possible.

Masses of the visual components and black holes in X-ray novae: Effects of proximity of the components

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petrov, V. S.; Antokhina, E. A.; Cherepashchuk, A. M.

2017-05-01

It is shown that the approximation of the complex, tidally distorted shape of a star as a circular disc with local line profiles and a linear limb-darkening law, which is usually applied when deriving equatorial stellar rotation velocities from line profiles, leads to overestimation of the equatorial velocity V rot sin i and underestimation of the component mass ratio q = M x / M v . A formula enabling correction of the effect of these simplifying assumptions on the shape of a star is used to re-determine the mass ratios q and the masses of the black holes M x and visual components M v in low-mass X-ray binary systems containing black holes. Taking into account the tidal-rotational distortion of the stellar shape can significantly increase the mass ratios q = M x / M v , reducing M v , while M x changes only slightly. The resulting distribution of M v attains its maximum near M v ≃ 0.35 M ⊙, in disagreement with the results of population synthesis computations realizing standard models for Galactic X-ray novae with black holes. Possible ways to overcome this inconsistency are discussed. The derived distribution of M x also differs strongly from the mass distribution for massive stars in the Galaxy.

Optical reflection from planetary surfaces as an operator-eigenvalue problem

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wildey, R.L.

1986-01-01

The understanding of quantum mechanical phenomena has come to rely heavily on theory framed in terms of operators and their eigenvalue equations. This paper investigates the utility of that technique as related to the reciprocity principle in diffuse reflection. The reciprocity operator is shown to be unitary and Hermitian; hence, its eigenvectors form a complete orthonormal basis. The relevant eigenvalue is found to be infinitely degenerate. A superposition of the eigenfunctions found from solution by separation of variables is inadequate to form a general solution that can be fitted to a one-dimensional boundary condition, because the difficulty of resolving the reciprocity operator into a superposition of independent one-dimensional operators has yet to be overcome. A particular lunar application in the form of a failed prediction of limb-darkening of the full Moon from brightness versus phase illustrates this problem. A general solution is derived which fully exploits the determinative powers of the reciprocity operator as an unresolved two-dimensional operator. However, a solution based on a sum of one-dimensional operators, if possible, would be much more powerful. A close association is found between the reciprocity operator and the particle-exchange operator of quantum mechanics, which may indicate the direction for further successful exploitation of the approach based on the operational calculus. ?? 1986 D. Reidel Publishing Company.

Status of the TESS Science Processing Operations Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jenkins, Jon M.; Twicken, Joseph D.; Campbell, Jennifer; Tenebaum, Peter; Sanderfer, Dwight; Davies, Misty D.; Smith, Jeffrey C.; Morris, Rob; Mansouri-Samani, Masoud; Girouardi, Forrest;

Water in HD209458b's atmosphere from 3.6 -8 microns IRAC photometric observations in primary transit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Campanella, Giammarco; Beaulieu, J. P.; Kipping, D. M.; Batista, V.; Tinetti, G.; Ribas, I.; Carey, S.; Noriega-Crespo, J. A.; Griffith, C. A.; Dong, S.; Tennyson, J.; Barber, R. J.; Deroo, P.; Fossey, S. J.; Liang, D.; Swain, M. R.; Yung, Y.; Allard, N.

Since planets were first discovered outside our own Solar System in 1992 (around a pulsar) and in 1995 (around a main sequence star), extrasolar planet studies have become one of the most dynamic research fields in astronomy. Now that more than 400 exoplanets have been discovered, focus has moved from finding planets to characterise these alien worlds. Part of the characterisation process undoubtedly involves the detection of the atmospheres of these exoplanets. We describe the primary transit observations of the hot Jupiter HD 209458b we obtained at 3.6, 4.5, 5.8 and 8.0 µm using the Infrared Array Camera on the Spitzer Space Telescope. We detail the procedures we adopted to correct for the systematic trends present in IRAC data. The lightcurves were fitted, taking into account limb darkening effects, using Markov Chain Monte Carlo and prayer-bead Monte Carlo techniques. We obtained the following depth measurements: at 3.6 µm, 1.469±0.013 % and 1.448±0.013 %; at 4.5 µm, 1.478±0.017 %; at 5.8 µm, 1.549±0.015 % and at 8.0 µm 1.535±0.011 %. Our results indicate the presence of water in the planetary atmosphere.

Research on Spectroscopy, Opacity, and Atmospheres

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Oliversen, Ronald (Technical Monitor); Kurucz, Robert L.

2004-01-01

I propose to continue providing observers with basic data for interpreting spectra from stars, novas, supernovas, clusters, and galaxies. These data will include allowed forbidden line lists both laboratory and computed, for the first five to ten ions of all atoms and for all relevant diatomic molecules. I will eventually expend to all ions of the first thirty elements to treat far UV end X-ray spectra, and for envelope opacities. I also include triatomic molecules providing by other researchers. I have made CDs with Partridge and Schwanke's water data for work on M stars.The luna data also serve as input to my model atmosphere and synthesis programs that generated energy distributions, photometry, limb darkening, and spectra that can be used for planning observations and for fitting observed spectra. The spectrum synthesis programs produce detailed plots with the line identified. Grids of stellar spectra can be used for radial velocity-, rotation-, or abundance templates and for population synthesis. I am fitting spectra of bright stars to test the data and to produce atlases to guide observer. For each star the whole spectrum is computed from the UV to the far IR. The line data, opacities, models, spectra, and programs are freely distributed on CDs and on my web site and represent a unique resource for many NASA programs.

Test-retest reliability of lower limb isokinetic endurance in COPD: A comparison of angular velocities

PubMed Central

Ribeiro, Fernanda; Lépine, Pierre-Alexis; Garceau-Bolduc, Corine; Coats, Valérie; Allard, Étienne; Maltais, François; Saey, Didier

2015-01-01

Background The purpose of this study was to determine and compare the test-retest reliability of quadriceps isokinetic endurance testing at two knee angular velocities in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Methods After one familiarization session, 14 patients with moderate to severe COPD (mean age 65±4 years; forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) 55%±18% predicted) performed two quadriceps isokinetic endurance tests on two separate occasions within a 5–7-day interval. Quadriceps isokinetic endurance tests consisted of 30 maximal knee extensions at angular velocities of 90° and 180° per second, performed in random order. Test-retest reliability was assessed for peak torque, muscle endurance, work slope, work fatigue index, and changes in FEV1 for dyspnea and leg fatigue from rest to the end of the test. The intraclass correlation coefficient, minimal detectable change, and limits of agreement were calculated. Results High test-retest reliability was identified for peak torque and muscle total work at both velocities. Work fatigue index was considered reliable at 90° per second but not at 180° per second. A lower reliability was identified for dyspnea and leg fatigue scores at both angular velocities. Conclusion Despite a limited sample size, our findings support the use of a 30-maximal repetition isokinetic muscle testing procedure at angular velocities of 90° and 180° per second in patients with moderate to severe COPD. Endurance measurement (total isokinetic work) at 90° per second was highly reliable, with a minimal detectable change at the 95% confidence level of 10%. Peak torque and fatigue index could also be assessed reliably at 90° per second. Evaluation of dyspnea and leg fatigue using the modified Borg scale of perceived exertion was poorly reliable and its clinical usefulness is questionable. These results should be useful in the design and interpretation of future interventions aimed at improving muscle endurance in COPD. PMID:26124656

Moon taken by Galileo after completing its first Earth Gravity Assist

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1990-01-01

Galileo spacecraft images of the Moon were taken at (right photo) 6:47 pm Pacific Standard Time (PST), 12-08-90, and at (left photo) 9:35 am PST, 12-09-90, at a range of more than 350,000 miles. The picture on the right shows the dark Oceanus Procellarum in the upper center, with Mare Imbrium above it and the smaller circular Mare Humorum below. The Orientale Basin, with a small mare in its center, is on the lower left near the limb or edge. Between stretches the cratered highland terrain, with scattered bright young craters on highlands and maria alike. The picture at left shows the globe of the Moon rotated, putting Mare Imbrium on the eastern limb and moving the Orientale Basin almost to the center. The extent of the cratered highlands on the far side is very apparent. At lower left, near the limb, is the South-Pole-Aitken basin, similar to Orientale but very much older and some 1,200 miles in diameter. This feature was previously known as a large depression in the southern far side

DUAL-FREQUENCY OBSERVATIONS OF 140 COMPACT, FLAT-SPECTRUM ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI FOR SCINTILLATION-INDUCED VARIABILITY

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Koay, J. Y.; Macquart, J.-P.; Bignall, H. E.

2011-10-15

The 4.9 GHz Micro-Arcsecond Scintillation-Induced Variability (MASIV) Survey detected a drop in interstellar scintillation (ISS) for sources at redshifts z {approx}> 2, indicating an apparent increase in angular diameter or a decrease in flux density of the most compact components of these sources relative to their extended emission. This can result from intrinsic source size effects or scatter broadening in the intergalactic medium (IGM) in excess of the expected (1 + z){sup 1/2} angular diameter scaling of brightness temperature limited sources resulting from cosmological expansion. We report here 4.9 GHz and 8.4 GHz observations and data analysis for a samplemore » of 140 compact, flat-spectrum sources which may allow us to determine the origin of this angular diameter-redshift relation by exploiting their different wavelength dependences. In addition to using ISS as a cosmological probe, the observations provide additional insight into source morphologies and the characteristics of ISS. As in the MASIV Survey, the variability of the sources is found to be significantly correlated with line-of-sight H{alpha} intensities, confirming its link with ISS. For 25 sources, time delays of about 0.15-3 days are observed between the scintillation patterns at both frequencies, interpreted as being caused by a shift in core positions when probed at different optical depths. Significant correlation is found between ISS amplitudes and source spectral index; in particular, a large drop in ISS amplitudes is observed at {alpha} < -0.4 confirming that steep spectrum sources scintillate less. We detect a weakened redshift dependence of ISS at 8.4 GHz over that at 4.9 GHz, with the mean variance at four-day timescales reduced by a factor of 1.8 in the z > 2 sources relative to the z < 2 sources, as opposed to the factor of three decrease observed at 4.9 GHz. This suggests scatter broadening in the IGM, but the interpretation is complicated by subtle selection effects that will be explored further in a follow-up paper.« less

Dual-Frequency Observations of 140 Compact, Flat-Spectrum Active Galactic Nuclei for Scintillation-Induced Variability

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Koay, J. Y.; Macquart, J.- P.; Rickett, B. J.; Bignall, H. E.; Lovell, J. E. J.; Reynolds, C.; Jauncey, D. L.; Pursimo, T.; Kedziora-Chudczer, L.; Ojha, R.

2012-01-01

The 4.9 GHz Micro-Arcsecond Scintillation-Induced Variability (MASIV) Survey detected a drop in Interstellar Scintillation (ISS) for sources at red shifts z > or approx. 2, indicating an apparent increase in angular diameter or a decrease in flux density of the most compact components of these sources, relative to their extended emission. This can result from intrinsic source size effects or scatter broadening in the Intergalactic Medium (IGM) , in excess of the expected (1+z)1/2 angular diameter scaling of brightness temperature limited sources resulting from cosmological expansion. We report here 4.9 GHz and 8.4 GHz observations and data analysis for a sample of 140 compact, fiat-spectrum sources which may allow us to determine the origin of this angular diameter-redshift relation by exploiting their different wavelength dependences. In addition to using ISS as a cosmological probe, the observations provide additional insight into source morphologies and the characteristics of ISS. As in the MASIV Survey, the variability of the sources is found to be significantly correlated with line-of-sight H(alpha) intensities, confirming its link with ISS. For 25 sources, time delays of about 0.15 to 3 days are observed between the scintillation patterns at both frequencies, interpreted as being caused by a shift in core positions when probed at different optical depths. Significant correlation is found between ISS amplitudes and source spectral index; in particular, a large drop in ISS amplitudes is observed at alpha < -0.4 confirming that steep spectrum sources scintillate less. We detect a weakened redshift dependence of ISS at 8.4 GHz over that at 4.9 GHz, with the mean variance at 4-day timescales reduced by a factor of 1.8 in the z > 2 sources relative to the z < 2 sources, as opposed to the factor of 3 decrease observed at 4.9 GHz. This suggests scatter broadening in the IGM, but the interpretation is complicated by subtle selection effects that will be explored further in a follow-up paper.

Venous haemodynamics of Jet Impulse Technology within a lower limb fibreglass cast: a randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Braithwaite, Irene; Mackintosh, Stephen; Buchanan, Samantha; Schwarzenlander, Kerstin; De Ruyter, Bernadette

2017-02-01

We investigated popliteal venous haemodynamics of the VenaJet Jet Impulse Technology system within a below-knee fibreglass cast. Randomized controlled trial. Twenty-four healthy participants aged 18-54 had both feet placed within the Jet Impulse Technology system and were randomised for one or other leg to be within a below-knee fibreglass cast. Pacific Radiology, Lower Hutt, Wellington. The primary outcome variable was peak systolic velocity (cm/s) compared between legs with and without the cast at 60 min (after 10 min Jet Impulse Technology activation), using a mixed linear model and a non-inferiority bound of 4.8 cm/s. Secondary outcome variables were the difference in peak systolic velocity between the casted limb and the non-casted limb at baseline and 40 min after casting, and the difference in mean flow velocity (cm/s), vein diameter (mm), and total volume flow (L/min) between the casted limb and the non-casted limb at baseline, 40 and 60 min. The mean (standard deviation) peak systolic velocity was 4.6(1.5), 4.8(1.1), 28.8(16.1), and 4.3(1.2), 4.8(1.4) and 29.3(19.0) cm/s at baseline, 40 and 60 min in the casted and non-casted leg, respectively. The difference (95% confidence interval) between cast and no-cast at 60 min was -0.8 (-6.5 to 4.9) cm/s, P  = 0.78. The peak systolic velocity, flow velocity and total volume flow at 40 min were not statistically significantly different from baseline for both casted and non-casted limb. In healthy volunteers, the popliteal venous haemodynamics of the Jet Impulse Technology system was similar between the legs with and without a below-knee fibreglass cast. In-cast Jet Impulse Technology may provide a non-pharmacological option for venous thromboembolism prophylaxis for lower-limb cast-immobility.

Deformation style of the Mesozoic sedimentary rocks in southern Thailand

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kanjanapayont, Pitsanupong

2014-10-01

Mesozoic sedimentary rocks in southern Thailand are widespread from NNE-SSW and N-S in Chumphon and Trang provinces. The Mesozoic stratigraphic units are the marine Triassic Sai Bon Formation and the non-marine Jurassic-Cretaceous Thung Yai Group, the latter subdivided into Khlong Min, Lam Thap, Sam Chom, and Phun Phin Formations. These units overlie Permian carbonate rocks with an angular unconformity, and are overlain unconformably by Cenozoic units and the Quaternary sediments. The Mesozoic rocks have been folded to form two huge first-ordered syncline or synclinoria, the Chumphon and Surat Thani-Krabi-Trang synclinoria. These synclinoria are elongated in NNE-SSW to N-S direction, and incorporate asymmetric lower-order parasitic folds. The folds have moderately to steeply dipping eastward limbs and more gently dipping westward limbs. These folds were transected by brittle fractures in four major directions. These geologic structures indicate WNW-ESE to E-W contraction with top-to-the-east simple shear at some time before the deposition of the Cenozoic sedimentary units. No major deformation has affected the rocks subsequently, apart from the formation of the fault-controlled Cenozoic basins.

Carbon transitions from either Calvin cycle or transitory starch to heteroglycans as revealed by (14) C-labeling experiments using protoplasts from Arabidopsis.

PubMed

Malinova, Irina; Steup, Martin; Fettke, Joerg

2013-09-01

Plants metabolize transitory starch by precisely coordinated plastidial and cytosolic processes. The latter appear to include the action of water-soluble heteroglycans (SHGin ) whose monosaccharide pattern is similar to that of apoplastic glycans (SHGex ) but, unlike SHGex , SHGin strongly interacts with glucosyl transferases. In this study, we analyzed starch metabolism using mesophyll protoplasts from wild-type plants and two knock-out mutants [deficient in the cytosolic transglucosidase, disproportionating isoenzyme 2 (DPE2) or the plastidial phosphoglucomutase (PGM1)] from Arabidopsis thaliana. Protoplasts prelabeled by photosynthetic (14) CO2 fixation were transferred to an unlabeled medium and were darkened or illuminated. Carbon transitions from the Calvin cycle or from starch to both SHGin and SHGex were analyzed. In illuminated protoplasts, starch turn-over was undetectable but darkened protoplasts continuously degraded starch. During illumination, neither the total (14) C content nor the labeling patterns of the sugar residues of SHGin were significantly altered but both the total amount and the labeling of the constituents of SHGex increased with time. In darkened protoplasts, the (14) C-content of most of the sugar residues of SHGin transiently and strongly increased and then declined. This effect was not observed in any SHGex constituent. In darkened DPE2-deficient protoplasts, none of the SHGin constituents exhibited an essential transient increase in labeling. In contrast, some residues of SHGin from the PGM1 mutant exhibited a transient increase in label but this effect significantly differed from that of the wild type. Two conclusions are reached: first, SHGin and SHGex exert different metabolic functions and second, SHGin is directly involved in starch degradation. © 2013 Scandinavian Plant Physiology Society.

Quantitative pixel grey measurement of the "high-risk" sign, darkening of third molar roots: a pilot study.

PubMed

Szalma, J; Bata, Z; Lempel, E; Jeges, S; Olasz, L

2013-01-01

Our aim was to examine the panoramic darkening of the root, which is a "high-risk" sign, using quantitative measurements of pixel grey values to determine different aetiological backgrounds, namely inferior alveolar nerve (IAN) exposure with or without groove formation of the third molar roots or thinning/fenestration of the lingual cortex (LCTF). 38 impacted third molars that had been surgically removed and had darkened roots on panoramic radiographs were included in this retrospective case-control study. 15 IAN exposure cases were selected for the case group, and 23 cases with proven lingual cortical thinning or fenestration were chosen for the control group. The mean pixel grey values of selected areas in the dark band (D) and control areas within the same roots (R) were determined with the ImageTool (University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, TX) software. The differences in pixel values (R-D) of the IAN and LCTF groups were analysed using the Mann-Whitney U-test and Pearson's χ(2) test. The medians of the R-D pixel values were 45.7 in the IAN group and 34.3 in the LCTF group, whereas the interquartile ranges were 12.0 (IAN) and 18.3 (LCTF) (p < 0.001). The R-D critical value at which the outcomes differed significantly was 38. If the differences in pixel grey values (R-D) were higher than 38, the chance of IAN exposure was approximately 32 times higher than the chance of LCTF (χ(2) test, p < 0.001; odds ratio, 32.0; 95% confidence interval, 3.5-293.1). The pre-operative prediction of IAN exposure or lingual cortical thinning in cases with "darkening" is possible based on pixel grey measurements of digital panoramic radiographs.

Environmental Impact Research Program. Mechanical Site Preparation Techniques. Section 5.7.1, US Army Corps of Engineers Wildlife Resources Management Manual.

DTIC Science & Technology

1986-07-01

diameter. The machine can also chop shrub thickets of Gambel’s oak (Quercus gw’nbelii) and chokecherry (Prunus virginiana ) into 4- to 6-in. pieces and...bush hog is the side-mounted hog that can be hydraulically lifted up to 15 ft for pruning tree limbs and shrubs. This implement is used primarily on

Effect of short-term vs. long-term elevation of dietary protein intake on responsiveness of rat thick ascending limbs to peptide hormones.

PubMed

Goldstein, David L; Plaga, Kimberly

2002-10-01

We compared the renal responses of rats on three diet regimens. Rats received either 8% protein food (low-protein, LP) for 10 weeks following weaning, 8% protein for 9 weeks followed by 1 week on 30% protein (short-term high-protein, SHP), or 30% protein for 10 weeks (high-protein, HP). Kidneys from HP rats were enlarged by approximately 50%, or 20% when corrected for body mass. Most of this hypertrophy resulted from enlargement of the inner stripe of the outer medulla, site of the thick ascending limbs (TAL), and TAL from HP rats were larger in diameter. SHP rats had TAL diameters similar to HP rats, but changes in renal mass or height of renal zones did not reach statistical significance. The activity of adenylyl cyclase (AC) in TAL, measured from the accumulation of cAMP in isolated tubules, increased with dose of both arginine vasopressin (AVP) and glucagon in all rats. However, HP rats had significantly higher hormone-induced AC activity than LP or SHP rats, which were not different from each other. Our results suggest that tubule hypertrophy may precede up-regulation of hormone-sensitive AC activity during the progression of renal response to elevated dietary protein.

Particle acceleration areas in two radio galaxies.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andernach, H.

1989-04-01

Two edge-darkened, tailed radio galaxies (PKS 0123-01 and PKS 2247+11) were mapped with the VLA at 1.4 and 5 GHz at sub-arcmin resolution as well as with the Effelsberg 100-m telescope at 2.7, 5 and 10.7 GHz at arcmin resolution. With additional use of existing low-frequency maps the shape of the radio spectrum is analyzed point by point across the source extent. The shape is found to be concave (i.e. having high-frequency excess) over major parts of the source extent, in the case of 2247+11 even for a region in the far radio tail. Possible mechanisms causing this feature are proposed. Using a subset of maps at higher angular resolution most of the regions with spectral flattening turn out to coincide with bends and wiggles of the radio jets and/or tails. Polarization data are available at four frequencies and some problems in their interpretation are discussed. The following one consists of a 1-page "extended abstract" including two small figures. I attach to this message the processed postscript file which I would be happy to offer in ADS as a "scanned" paper. I include here the full extended abstract text which you could also offer as HTML code. I converted the four references to bibcodes.

Study of the solar coronal hole rotation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oghrapishvili, N. B.; Bagashvili, S. R.; Maghradze, D. A.; Gachechiladze, T. Z.; Japaridze, D. R.; Shergelashvili, B. M.; Mdzinarishvili, T. G.; Chargeishvili, B. B.

2018-06-01

Rotation of coronal holes is studied using data from SDO/AIA for 2014 and 2015. A new approach to the treatment of data is applied. Instead of calculated average angular velocities of each coronal hole centroid and then grouping them in latitudinal bins for calculating average rotation rates of corresponding latitudes, we compiled instant rotation rates of centroids and their corresponding heliographic coordinates in one matrix for further processing. Even unfiltered data showed clear differential nature of rotation of coronal holes. We studied possible reasons for distortion of data by the limb effects to eliminate some discrepancies at high latitudes caused by the high order of scattering of data in that region. A study of the longitudinal distribution of angular velocities revealed the optimal longitudinal interval for the best result. We examined different methods of data filtering and realized that filtration using targeting on the local medians of data with a constant threshold is a more acceptable approach that is not biased towards a predefined notion of an expected result. The results showed a differential pattern of rotation of coronal holes.

Investigation of the Chromosphere-Corona Interface with the Upgraded Very High Angular Resolution Ultraviolet Telescope (VAULT2.0)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vourlidas, Angelos; Beltran, Samuel Tun; Chintzoglou, Georgios; Eisenhower, Kevin; Korendyke, Clarence; Feldman, Ronen; Moser, John; Shea, John; Johnson-Rambert, Mary; McMullin, Don; Stenborg, Guillermo; Shepler, Ed; Roberts, David

2016-03-01

Very high angular resolution ultraviolet telescope (VAULT2.0) is a Lyman-alpha (Lyα; 1216Å) spectroheliograph designed to observe the upper chromospheric region of the solar atmosphere with high spatial (<0.5‧‧) and temporal (8s) resolution. Besides being the brightest line in the solar spectrum, Lyα emission arises at the temperature interface between coronal and chromospheric plasmas and may, hence, hold important clues about the transfer of mass and energy to the solar corona. VAULT2.0 is an upgrade of the previously flown VAULT rocket and was launched successfully on September 30, 2014 from White Sands Missile Range (WSMR). The target was AR12172 midway toward the southwestern limb. We obtained 33 images at 8s cadence at arc second resolution due to hardware problems. The science campaign was a resounding success, with all space and ground-based instruments obtaining high-resolution data at the same location within the AR. We discuss the science rationale, instrument upgrades, and performance during the first flight and present some preliminary science results.

Fixation of osteoporotic fractures in the upper limb with a locking compression plate.

PubMed

Neuhaus, V; King, J D; Jupiter, J B

2012-01-01

Locking Compression Plate (LCP) has the advantageous feature that screws can be locked in the plate leaving an angular stable construct. There is no need to have contact between the plate and the bone to achieve stability resulting from friction of the plate-bone-construct. Therefore the plate does not need to be contoured exactly to the bone and the healing bone's periosteal blood supply is not affected. The LCP is used as a bridging plate to gain relative stability in multi-fragmentary, diaphyseal or metaphyseal fractures. Depending on the fracture, the combination hole can also allow the LCP to achieve absolute stability similar to conventional fixation techniques. Osteoporotic fractures have significant impact on morbidity and mortality. Proximal humeral and distal radius fractures are typical examples. These osteoporotic and often comminuted fractures are ideal settings/indications for LCP utilization in the upper extremity. However, the data quality is due to mostly small study populations not so powerful. Unquestionably there has been a clear and fashionable trend to choose operative treatment for these fractures, because the angular stability allows stable fixation and early functional mobilization.

A novel HMM distributed classifier for the detection of gait phases by means of a wearable inertial sensor network.

PubMed

Taborri, Juri; Rossi, Stefano; Palermo, Eduardo; Patanè, Fabrizio; Cappa, Paolo

2014-09-02

In this work, we decided to apply a hierarchical weighted decision, proposed and used in other research fields, for the recognition of gait phases. The developed and validated novel distributed classifier is based on hierarchical weighted decision from outputs of scalar Hidden Markov Models (HMM) applied to angular velocities of foot, shank, and thigh. The angular velocities of ten healthy subjects were acquired via three uni-axial gyroscopes embedded in inertial measurement units (IMUs) during one walking task, repeated three times, on a treadmill. After validating the novel distributed classifier and scalar and vectorial classifiers-already proposed in the literature, with a cross-validation, classifiers were compared for sensitivity, specificity, and computational load for all combinations of the three targeted anatomical segments. Moreover, the performance of the novel distributed classifier in the estimation of gait variability in terms of mean time and coefficient of variation was evaluated. The highest values of specificity and sensitivity (>0.98) for the three classifiers examined here were obtained when the angular velocity of the foot was processed. Distributed and vectorial classifiers reached acceptable values (>0.95) when the angular velocity of shank and thigh were analyzed. Distributed and scalar classifiers showed values of computational load about 100 times lower than the one obtained with the vectorial classifier. In addition, distributed classifiers showed an excellent reliability for the evaluation of mean time and a good/excellent reliability for the coefficient of variation. In conclusion, due to the better performance and the small value of computational load, the here proposed novel distributed classifier can be implemented in the real-time application of gait phases recognition, such as to evaluate gait variability in patients or to control active orthoses for the recovery of mobility of lower limb joints.

Observable Deviations from Homogeneity in an Inhomogeneous Universe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giblin, John T., Jr.; Mertens, James B.; Starkman, Glenn D.

2016-12-01

How does inhomogeneity affect our interpretation of cosmological observations? It has long been wondered to what extent the observable properties of an inhomogeneous universe differ from those of a corresponding Friedmann-Lemaître-Robertson-Walker (FLRW) model, and how the inhomogeneities affect that correspondence. Here, we use numerical relativity to study the behavior of light beams traversing an inhomogeneous universe, and construct the resulting Hubble diagrams. The universe that emerges exhibits an average FLRW behavior, but inhomogeneous structures contribute to deviations in observables across the observer’s sky. We also investigate the relationship between angular diameter distance and the angular extent of a source, finding deviations that grow with source redshift. These departures from FLRW are important path-dependent effects, with implications for using real observables in an inhomogeneous universe such as our own.

Poster 8: ALMA observations of Titan : Vertical and spatial distributions of nitriles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moreno, Raphael; Lellouch, Emmanuel; Vinatier, Sandrine; Gurwell, Mark; Moullet, Arielle; Lara, Luisa; Hidayat, Taufiq

2016-06-01

We report submm observations of Titan performed with the ALMA interferometer centered at the rotational frequencies of HCN(4-3) and HNC(4-3), i.e. 354 and 362 GHz. These measurements yielded disk-resolved emission spectra of Titan with an angular resolution of ˜0.47". Titan's angular surface diameter was 0.77". Data were acquired in summer 2012 near the greatest eastern and western elongations of Titan at a spectral resolution of 122 kHz (λ/dλ = 3106). We will present radiative transfer analysis of the acquired spectra. With the combination of all the detected rotational lines, we will constrain the atmospheric temperature, the spatial and vertical distribution HCN, HC3N, CH3CN, HNC, C2H5CN, as well as isotopic ratios.

Entropy generation minimization for the sloshing phenomenon in half-full elliptical storage tanks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saghi, Hassan

2018-02-01

In this paper, the entropy generation in the sloshing phenomenon was obtained in elliptical storage tanks and the optimum geometry of tank was suggested. To do this, a numerical model was developed to simulate the sloshing phenomenon by using coupled Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) solver and the Volume-of-Fluid (VOF) method. The RANS equations were discretized and solved using the staggered grid finite difference and SMAC methods, and the available data were used for the model validation. Some parameters consisting of maximum free surface displacement (MFSD), maximum horizontal force exerted on the tank perimeter (MHF), tank perimeter (TP), and total entropy generation (Sgen) were introduced as design criteria for elliptical storage tanks. The entropy generation distribution provides designers with useful information about the causes of the energy loss. In this step, horizontal periodic sway motions as X =amsin(ωt) were applied to elliptical storage tanks with different aspect ratios namely ratios of large diameter to small diameter of elliptical storage tank (AR). Then, the effect of am and ω was studied on the results. The results show that the relation between MFSD and MHF is almost linear relative to the sway motion amplitude. Moreover, the results show that an increase in the AR causes a decrease in the MFSD and MHF. The results, also, show that the relation between MFSD and MHF is nonlinear relative to the sway motion angular frequency. Furthermore, the results show that an increase in the AR causes that the relation between MFSD and MHF becomes linear relative to the sway motion angular frequency. In addition, MFSD and MHF were minimized in a sway motion with a 7 rad/s angular frequency. Finally, the results show that the elliptical storage tank with AR =1.2-1.4 is the optimum section.

Iron lines in model disk spectra of Galactic black hole binaries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Różańska, A.; Madej, J.; Konorski, P.; SaḐowski, A.

2011-03-01

Context. We present angle-dependent, broad-band intensity spectra from accretion disks around black holes of 10 M⊙. In our computations disks are assumed to be slim, which means that the radial advection is taken into account while computing the effective temperature of the disk. Aims: We attempt to reconstruct continuum and line spectra of X-ray binaries in soft state, i.e. dominated by the disk component of multitemperature shape. We follow how the iron-line complex depends on the external irradiation, an accretion rate, and a black hole spin. Methods: Full radiative transfer is solved including effects of Compton scattering, free-free and all important bound-free transitions of 10 main elements. We assume the LTE equation of state. Moreover, we include here the fundamental series of iron lines from helium-like and hydrogen-like ions, and fluorescent Kα and Kβ lines from low ionized iron. We consider two cases: nonrotating black hole, and black hole rotating with almost maximum spin a = 0.98, and obtain spectra for five accretion disks from hard X-rays to the infrared. Results: In nonirradiated disks, resonance lines from He-like and H-like iron appear mostly in absorption. Such disk spectra exhibit limb darkening in the whole energy range. External irradiation causes that iron resonance lines appear in emission. Furthermore, depending on disk effective temperature, fluorescent iron Kα and Kβ lines are present in disk emitting spectra. All models with irradiation exhibit limb brightening in their X-ray reflected continua. Conclusions: We show that the disk around stellar black hole itself is hot enough to produce strong-absorption resonance lines of iron. Emission lines can only be observed if heating by external X-rays dominates thermal processess in a hot disk atmosphere. Irradiated disks are usually brighter in X-ray continuum when seen edge on, and fainter when seen face on.

SOAP 2.0: A Tool to Estimate the Photometric and Radial Velocity Variations Induced by Stellar Spots and Plages

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dumusque, X.; Boisse, I.; Santos, N. C.

2014-12-01

This paper presents SOAP 2.0, a new version of the Spot Oscillation And Planet (SOAP) code that estimates in a simple way the photometric and radial velocity (RV) variations induced by active regions. The inhibition of the convective blueshift (CB) inside active regions is considered, as well as the limb brightening effect of plages, a quadratic limb darkening law, and a realistic spot and plage contrast ratio. SOAP 2.0 shows that the activity-induced variation of plages is dominated by the inhibition of the CB effect. For spots, this effect becomes significant only for slow rotators. In addition, in the case of a major active region dominating the activity-induced signal, the ratio between the FWHM and the RV peak-to-peak amplitudes of the cross correlation function can be used to infer the type of active region responsible for the signal for stars with v sin i <=8 km s-1. A ratio smaller than three implies a spot, while a larger ratio implies a plage. Using the observation of HD 189733, we show that SOAP 2.0 manages to reproduce the activity variation as well as previous simulations when a spot is dominating the activity-induced variation. In addition, SOAP 2.0 also reproduces the activity variation induced by a plage on the slowly rotating star α Cen B, which is not possible using previous simulations. Following these results, SOAP 2.0 can be used to estimate the signal induced by spots and plages, but also to correct for it when a major active region is dominating the RV variation. . The work in this paper is based on observations made with the MOST satellite, the HARPS instrument on the ESO 3.6 m telescope at La Silla Observatory (Chile), and the SOPHIE instrument at the Observatoire de Haute Provence (France).

Biometry of the hypospadic penis after hormone therapy (testosterone and estrogen): A randomized, double-blind controlled trial.

PubMed

Paiva, Kelly Christina de Castro; Bastos, André Netto; Miana, Laura Pimenta; Barros, Eveline de Souza; Ramos, Plínio Santos; Miranda, Lara Meneguelli; Faria, Natália Maia; Avarese de Figueiredo, André; de Bessa, José; Netto, José Murillo B

2016-08-01

The use of preoperative hormonal stimulation before hypospadias surgery aims to increase penile size and achieve better surgical results; however, the rules are not clear in the literature. We evaluated the effects of topical testosterone and estrogen in the hypospadic penis regarding biometric measures, side effects, and serum hormonal levels. To our knowledge, this is the first study using estradiol prior to hypospadias surgery. Sixty-nine children with hypospadias were randomly divided into three study groups: a control group (CG) of 17 children given placebo cream; a testosterone group (TG) of 28 children who used 1% testosterone propionate; and an estradiol group (EG) of 24 children using 0.01% estradiol. All subjects applied the topical ointment on the entire penis, twice daily for 30 days before surgical correction. Biometric evaluation of the penis included penile length and diameter, glans diameter, distance from the urethral meatus to the tip, and the width of the urethral plate. These measurements as well as serum hormone level, and side effects were evaluated prior to hormone use, and 30 and 90 days after. After 30 days an increase in penile diameter and length and diameter of the glans were observed in TG (p < 0.05). The width of the urethral plate and distance from meatus to the tip increased in TG, although not significantly. The most frequent side effects were appearance of pubic hair and darkening of the genital skin, mainly in TG, but these were transient and disappeared after 90 days of treatment. No significant variations were seen in serum hormonal levels (Table). As in previous studies, an increase in penile length and diameter, and glans diameter was observed with the use of testosterone. Proximal urethral plate width and distance from the meatus to the tip of the penis had a tendency to increase also in TG. Estradiol did not change biometric measure of the penis. Few side effects occurred after both hormones, and any that did improved after 90 days follow-up and did not change hormone serum levels. Preoperative use of topical testosterone increases penile size, diameter of the penis and glans. The use of estradiol does not change penile biometry. Side effects occur mainly with the use of testosterone and are transient. No significant and persistent hormonal changes were observed. Copyright © 2016 Journal of Pediatric Urology Company. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effects of Centrifuge Diameter and Operation on Rodent Adaptation to Chronic Centrifugation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fuller, Charles A.

1997-01-01

This study examined the responses of rats to centrifugation in a constant acceleration field (1.5 G). Centrifuge diameter (1.8m, 2.5m or 6.0m) and schedule of operation (Daily or weekly stop) varied between groups. Body mass, food consumption, water consumption and neurovestibular function were measured weekly. Body temperature and activity were continuously monitored using telemetry. A subset of subjects were videotaped (50 minutes per day) to allow for movement analysis. Exposure to a hyperdynamic field of this magnitude did cause the expected depression in the physiological variables monitored. Recovery was accomplished within a relatively rapid time frame; all variables returned to precentrifugation levels. In general, the magnitudes of the changes and the rate of recovery were similar at different centrifuge diameters and stopping frequency. There were cases, however, in which the magnitude of the response and/or the rate of recovery to a new steady-state were altered as a result of centrifuge diameter. In summary, these results indicate that stopping frequency has little, if any, effect on adaptation to chronic centrifugation. However, the angular velocity (omega), and therefore centrifuge diameter is an important consideration in the adaptation of an organism to chronic centrifugation.

Effects of Centrifuge Diameter and Operation on Rodent Adaptation to Chronic Centrifugation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fuller, Charles A.

1992-01-01

This study examined the responses of rats to centrifugation in a constant acceleration field (1.5 G). Centrifuge diameter (1.8m, 2.5m or 6.0m) and schedule of operation (Daily or weekly stop) varied between groups. Body mass, food consumption, water consumption and neurovestibular function were measured weekly. Body temperature and activity were continuously monitored using telemetry. A subset of subjects were videotaped (50 minutes per day) to allow for movement analysis. Exposure to a hyperdynamic field of this magnitude did cause the expected depression in the physiological variables monitored. Recovery was accomplished within a relatively rapid time frame; all variables returned to precentrifugation levels. In general, the magnitudes of the changes and the rate of recovery were similar at different centrifuge diameters and stopping frequency. There were cases, however, in which the magnitude of the response and/or the rate of recovery to a new steady-state were altered as a result of centrifuge diameter. In summary, these results indicate that stopping frequency has little, if any, effect on adaptation to chronic centrifugation. However, the angular velocity (omega), and therefore centrifuge diameter is an important consideration in the adaptation of an organism to chronic centrifugation.

The Kirkendall and Frenkel effects during 2D diffusion process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wierzba, Bartek

2014-11-01

The two-dimensional approach for inter-diffusion and voids generation is presented. The voids evolution and growth is discussed. This approach is based on the bi-velocity (Darken) method which combines the Darken and Brenner concepts that the volume velocity is essential in defining the local material velocity in multi-component mixture at non-equilibrium. The model is formulated for arbitrary multi-component two-dimensional systems. It is shown that the voids growth is due to the drift velocity and vacancy migration. The radius of the void can be easily estimated. The distributions of (1) components, (2) vacancy and (3) voids radius over the distance is presented.

Mineralogy, Reflectance Spectra, and Physical Properties of the Chelyabinsk LL5 Chondrite - Insight Into Shock Induced Changes in Asteroid Regoliths

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gritsevich, Maria; Muinonen, Karri; Kohout, Tomas; Grokhovsky, Victor; Yakovlev, Grigoriy; Haloda, Jakub; Halodova, Patricie; Michallik, Radoslaw; Penttilä, Antti

On February 15, 2013, at 9:22 am, an exceptionally bright and long duration fireball was observed by many eyewitnesses in the Chelyabinsk region, Russia. Two days later the first fragments of the Chelyabinsk meteorite were reported to be found in the area, located approximately 40 km south of Chelyabinsk. We have examined a large number of the recovered Chelyabinsk meteorite fragments. Three lithologies, the light-colored, dark-colored, and impact melt, were found within the recovered meteorites. The light colored lithology is a LL5 ordinary chondrite (Fa 28, Fs 23) shocked to S4 level. The dark colored lithology is of identical LL5 composition (Fa 28, Fs 23). However, it is shocked to higher level (shock-darkened) with fine grained metal and sulfide-rich melt forming a dense network of fine veins impregnating the inter- and intra-granular pore space within crushed silicate grains. The impact melt lithology is a whole-rock melt derived from the same LL5 source material and is present within the light-colored and dark-colored lithology as inter-granular veins. The measured bulk and grain densities and the porosity closely resemble other LL chondrites. Based on the magnetic susceptibility, the Chelyabinsk meteorites are richer in metallic iron as compared to database of other LL chondrites. All three Chelyabinsk lithologies are of identical LL5 composition and origin. Both impact melting and shock darkening cause a decrease in reflectance and a suppression of the silicate absorption bands in the reflectance spectra. Such spectral changes are similar to the space weathering effects observed on asteroids. However, space weathering of chondritic materials is often accompanied with a significant spectral slope change (reddening). In our case, only negligible to minor change in the spectral slope is observed. Thus, it is possible that some dark asteroids with invisible silicate absorption bands may be composed of relatively fresh shock-darkened chondritic material. The main spectral difference of chondritic asteroid surfaces dominated by impact melt, shock darkening, or space weathering, is a significant spectral slope change in the latter case. Thus, shock does not have significant effect on meteorite properties, but causes spectral darkening and suppression of silicate absorption bands.

MELANOPHORE BANDS AND AREAS DUE TO NERVE CUTTING, IN RELATION TO THE PROTRACTED ACTIVITY OF NERVES

PubMed Central

Parker, G. H.

1941-01-01

1. When appropriate chromatic nerves are cut caudal bands, cephalic areas, and the pelvic fins of the catfish Ameiurus darken. In pale fishes all these areas will sooner or later blanch. By recutting their nerves all such blanched areas will darken again. 2. These observations show that the darkening of caudal bands, areas, and fins on cutting their nerves is not due to paralysis (Brücke), to the obstruction of central influences such as inhibition (Zoond and Eyre), nor to vasomotor disturbances (Hogben), but to activities emanating from the cut itself. 3. The chief agents concerned with the color changes in Ameiurus are three: intermedin from the pituitary gland, acetylcholine from the dispersing nerves (cholinergic fibers), and adrenalin from the concentrating nerves (adrenergic fibers). The first two darken the fish; the third blanches it. In darkening the dispersing nerves appear to initiate the process and to be followed and substantially supplemented by intermedin. 4. Caudal bands blanch by lateral invasion, cephalic areas by lateral invasion and internal disintegration, and pelvic fins by a uniform process of general loss of tint equivalent to internal disintegration. 5. Adrenalin may be carried in such an oil as olive oil and may therefore act as a lipohumor; it is soluble in water and hence may act as a hydrohumor. In lateral invasion (caudal bands, cephalic areas) it probably acts as a lipohumor and in internal disintegration (cephalic areas, pelvic fins) it probably plays the part of a hydrohumor. 6. The duration of the activity of dispersing nerves after they had been cut was tested by means of the oscillograph, by anesthetizing blocks, and by cold-blocks. The nerves of Ameiurus proved to be unsatisfactory for oscillograph tests. An anesthetizing block, magnesium sulfate, is only partly satisfactory. A cold-block, 0°C., is successful to a limited degree. 7. By means of a cold-block it can be shown that dispersing autonomic nerve fibers in Ameiurus can continue in activity for at least 6½ hours. It is not known how much longer they may remain active. So far as the duration of their activity is concerned dispersing nerve fibers in this fish are unlike other types of nerve fibers usually studied. PMID:19873231

Research for diagnosing electronic control fault of astronomical telescope's armature winding by step signal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Yulong; Yang, Shihai; Gu, Bozhong

2016-10-01

This paper puts forward a electronic fault diagnose method focusing on large-diameter astronomical telescope's armature winding, and ascertains if it is the resistance or inductance which is out of order. When it comes to armature winding's electronic fault, give the angular position a step signal, and compare the outputs of five models of normal, larger-resistance, smaller-resistance, larger-inductance and smaller-inductance, so we can position the fault. Firstly, we ascertain the transfer function of the angular position to the armature voltage, to analysis the output of armature voltage when the angular position's input is step signal. Secondly, ascertain the different armature currents' characteristics after armature voltage pass through different armature models. Finally, basing on the characteristics, we design two strategies of resistance and inductance separately. The author use MATLAB/Simulink function to model and emulate with the hardware parameters of the 2.5m-caliber telescope, which China and France developed cooperatively for Russia. Meanwhile, the author add a white noise disturbance to the armature voltage, the result shows its feasibility under a certain sized disturbance.

A remark on the theory of measuring thermal diffusivity by the modified Angstrom's method. [in lunar samples

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Horai, K.-I.

1981-01-01

A theory of the measurement of the thermal diffusivity of a sample by the modified Angstrom method is developed for the case in which radiative heat loss from the end surface of the sample is not negligible, and applied to measurements performed on lunar samples. Formulas allowing sample thermal diffusivity to be determined from the amplitude decay and phase lag of a temperature wave traveling through the sample are derived for a flat disk sample for which only heat loss from the end surface is important, and a sample of finite diameter and length for which heat loss through the end and side surfaces must be considered. It is noted that in the case of a flat disk, measurements at a single angular frequency of the temperature wave are sufficient, while the sample of finite diameter and length requires measurements at two discrete angular frequencies. Comparison of the values of the thermal diffusivities of two lunar samples of dimensions approximately 1 x 1 x 2 cm derived by the present methods and by the Angstrom theory for a finite bar reveals them to differ by not more than 5%, and indicates that more refined data are required as the measurement theory becomes more complicated.

Comparison of LDPI to SPECT perfusion imaging using (99m)Tc-sestamibi and (99m)Tc-pyrophosphate in a murine ischemic hind limb model of neovascularization.

PubMed

Hendrikx, Geert; Vries, Mark H; Bauwens, Matthias; De Saint-Hubert, Marijke; Wagenaar, Allard; Guillaume, Joël; Boonen, Levinia; Post, Mark J; Mottaghy, Felix M

2016-12-01

We aimed to determine the accuracy of laser Doppler perfusion imaging (LDPI) in an animal model for hind limb ischemia. We used a murine (C57Bl/6 mice) ischemic hind limb model in which we compared LDPI with the clinically used (99m)Tc-sestamibi SPECT perfusion imaging (n = 7). In addition, we used the SPECT tracer (99m)Tc-pyrophosphate ((99m)Tc-PyP) to image muscular damage (n = 6). LDPI indicated a quick and prominent decrease in perfusion immediately after ligation, subsequently recovering to 21.9 and 25.2 % 14 days later in the (99m)Tc-sestamibi and (99m)Tc-PyP group, respectively. (99m)Tc-sestamibi SPECT scans also showed a quick decrease in perfusion. However, nearly full recovery was reached 7 days post ligation. Muscular damage, indicated by the uptake of (99m)Tc-PyP, was highest at day 3 and recovered to baseline levels at day 14 post ligation. Postmortem histology supported these findings, as a significantly increased collateral diameter was found 7 and 14 days after ligation and peak macrophage infiltration and TUNEL positivity was found on day 3 after ligation. Here, we indicate that LDPI strongly underestimates perfusion recovery in a hind limb model for profound ischemia.

Two-dimensional models of fast rotating early-type stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rieutord, Michel

2015-08-01

Rotation has now become an unavoidable parameter of stellar models, but for most massive or intermediate-mass stars rotation is fast, at least of a significant fraction of the critical angular velocity. Current spherically symmetric models try to cope with this feature of the stars using various approximations, like for instance the so-called shellular rotation usually accompanied with a diffusion that is meant to represent the mixing induced by rotationally generated flows. Such approximations may be justified in the limit of slow rotation where anisotropies and associated flows are weak. However, when rotation is fast, say larger than 50% of the critical velocities the use of a spherically symmetric 1D-model is doubtful. This is not only because of the centrifugal flattening of the star, but also because of the flows that are induced by the baroclinic torque that naturally appears in the radiative envelope of an early-type (rotating) star. These flows face the cylindrical symmetry of the Coriolis force and the spheroidal symmetry of the effective gravity.In this talk I shall present the latest results of the ESTER project that has taken up the challenge of making two-dimensional (axisymmetric) models of stars rotating at any rotation rate. In particular, I will focus on main sequence massive and intermediate-mass stars. I'll show what should be expected in such stars as far as the differential rotation and the associated meridional circulation are concerned, notably the emergence of a Stewartson layer along the tangential cylinder of the core. I'll also indicate what may be inferred about the evolution of an intermediate-mass star at constant angular momentum and how Be stars may form. I shall finally give some comparisons between models and observations of the gravity darkening on some nearby fast rotators as it has been derived from interferometric observations. In passing, I'll also discuss how 2D models can help to recover the fundamental parameters of a star.

Investigating the impact of age-depended hair colour darkening during childhood on DNA-based hair colour prediction with the HIrisPlex system.

PubMed

Kukla-Bartoszek, Magdalena; Pośpiech, Ewelina; Spólnicka, Magdalena; Karłowska-Pik, Joanna; Strapagiel, Dominik; Żądzińska, Elżbieta; Rosset, Iwona; Sobalska-Kwapis, Marta; Słomka, Marcin; Walsh, Susan; Kayser, Manfred; Sitek, Aneta; Branicki, Wojciech

2018-06-06

Predictive DNA analysis of externally visible characteristics exerts an increasing influence on contemporary forensic and anthropological investigations, with pigmentation traits currently being the most advanced for predictive modelling. Since pigmentation prediction error in some cases may be due to the result of age-related hair colour darkening, and sex influence in eye colour, this study aims to investigate these less explored phenomena on a group of juvenile individuals. Pigmentation phenotypes of children between the age of 6-13 years old were evaluated, in addition to data about their hair colour during early childhood from a select number of these individuals. The HIrisPlex models for DNA-based eye and hair colour prediction were used with input from SNP genotyping using massive parallel sequencing. Analysis of the total group of 476 children showed high accuracy in blue (AUC = 0.89) and brown (AUC = 0.91) eye colour prediction, while hair colour was predicted with AUC = 0.64 for blond, AUC = 0.64 for brown and AUC = 0.97 for red. 70.8% (n = 143) of the total number of children phenotypically blond for hair colour during early childhood progressed to brown during advanced childhood. In 70.6% (n = 101) of those cases, an incorrect blond hair prediction was made during the time of analysis. A noticeable decline in AUC values for blond (from 0.76 to 0.65) and brown (from 0.72 to 0.64) were observed when comparing hair colour prediction outcomes for the phenotypes recorded for the two different time points (at the age of 2-3 and 6-13). The number of incorrect blond hair colour predictions was significantly higher in children with brown hair at age 6-13 who were blond at early childhood (n = 47, 32.9%), relative to children who had brown hair at both time points (n = 6, 9.4%). However, in 28.0% (n = 40) of children who did experience hair colour darkening, HIrisPlex provided the correct prediction for the darkened hair colour phenotype, despite them being blond in early childhood. Our study implies that HIrisPlex can correctly predict adult hair colour in some individuals who experience age-related hair colour darkening during adolescence. However, in most instances prediction seems to default to the pre-adolescent hair colour for individuals with this phenomenon. In the future, the full adolescent age range in which hair colour darkening can occur should be considered in the study samples used for training hair colour prediction models to obtain a more complete picture of the phenomenon and its impact on DNA-based hair colour prediction in adults. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Goldstone radar evidence for short-axis mode non-principal-axis rotation of near-Earth asteroid (214869) 2007 PA8

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brozović, Marina; Benner, Lance A. M.; Magri, Christopher; Scheeres, Daniel J.; Busch, Michael W.; Giorgini, Jon D.; Nolan, Michael C.; Jao, Joseph S.; Lee, Clement G.; Snedeker, Lawrence G.; Silva, Marc A.; Lawrence, Kenneth J.; Slade, Martin A.; Hicks, Michael D.; Howell, Ellen S.; Taylor, Patrick A.; Sanchez, Juan A.; Reddy, Vishnu; Dykhuis, Melissa; Le Corre, Lucille

2017-04-01

We report radar and optical photometric observations of near-Earth asteroid (214869) 2007 PA8 obtained during October 2-November 13, 2012. We observed 2007 PA8 on sixteen days with Goldstone (8560 MHz, 3.5 cm) and on five days with the 0.6 m telescope at Table Mountain Observatory. Closest approach was on November 5 at a distance of 0.043 au. Images obtained with Goldstone's new chirp system achieved range resolutions as fine as 3.75 m, placing thousands of pixels on the asteroid's surface, and revealing that 2007 PA8 is an elongated, asymmetric object. Surface features include angularities, facets, and a concavity approximately 400 m in diameter. We used the Shape software to estimate the asteroid's 3D shape and spin state. 2007 PA8 has a broad, rounded end and a tapered, angular end with sharp-crested ridges. The asteroid's effective diameter is 1.35 ± 0.07 km, which in combination with the absolute magnitude of 16.30 ± 0.52 gives an optical albedo of pV = 0.29 ± 0.14. The shape modeling of the radar data revealed that 2007 PA8 is a non-principal axis (NPA) rotator in the short-axis mode with an average period of precession by the long axis around the angular momentum vector of 4.26 ± 0.02 days and an oscillatory period around the long axis of 20.55 ± 3.75 days. The amplitude of rolling around the long axis is 42 ± 7° . The angular momentum vector points toward ecliptic longitude and latitude of 273.6 ± 10°, +16.9 ± 5°. 2007 PA8 is only the second confirmed short-axis mode NPA rotator known in the near-Earth asteroid population after (99942) Apophis (Pravec et al., 2014). 2007 PA8 has a geopotential high at the equator, where the equator is defined as the plane that contains the long and intermediate axis. This geopotential extreme could be interpreted as a large, hidden surface depression, or as evidence that 2007 PA8 is a multi-component body.

On-ground calibration of the Hitomi Hard X-ray Telescopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mori, Hideyuki; Miyazawa, Takuya; Awaki, Hisamitsu; Matsumoto, Hironori; Babazaki, Yasunori; Bandai, Ayako; Demoto, Tadatsugu; Furuzawa, Akihiro; Haba, Yoshito; Hayashi, Takayuki; Iizuka, Ryo; Ishibashi, Kazunori; Ishida, Manabu; Ishida, Naoki; Itoh, Masayuki; Iwase, Toshihiro; Kato, Hiroyoshi; Kobayashi, Hiroaki; Kosaka, Tatsuro; Kunieda, Hideyo; Kurashima, Shou; Kurihara, Daichi; Kuroda, Yuuji; Maeda, Yoshitomo; Meshino, Yoshifumi; Mitsuishi, Ikuyuki; Miyata, Yuusuke; Nagano, Housei; Namba, Yoshiharu; Ogasaka, Yasushi; Ogi, Keiji; Okajima, Takashi; Saji, Shigetaka; Shimasaki, Fumiya; Sato, Takuro; Sato, Toshiki; Shima, Naotsugu; Sugita, Satoshi; Suzuki, Yoshio; Tachibana, Kenji; Tachibana, Sasagu; Takizawa, Shun'ya; Tamura, Keisuke; Tawara, Yuzuru; Tomikawa, Kazuki; Torii, Tatsuharu; Uesugi, Kentaro; Yamashita, Koujun; Yamauchi, Shigeo

2018-01-01

We present x-ray characteristics of the Hard X-ray Telescopes (HXTs) on board the Hitomi (ASTRO-H) satellite. Measurements were conducted at the SPring-8 BL20B2 beamline and the ISAS/JAXA 27-m beamline. The angular resolution defined by a half-power diameter was 1.9‧ (HXT-1) and 2.1‧ (HXT-2) at 8 keV, 1.9‧ at 30 keV, and 1.8‧ at 50 keV. The effective area was found to be 620 cm2 at 8 keV, 178 cm2 at 30 keV, and 82 cm2 at 50 keV per mirror module. Although the angular resolutions were slightly worse than the requirement (1.7‧), the effective areas sufficiently exceeded the requirements of 150 cm2 at 30 keV and 55 cm2 at 50 keV. The off-axis measurements of the effective areas resulted in the field of view being 6.1‧ at 50 keV, 7.7‧ at 30 keV, and 9.7‧ at 8 keV in diameter. We confirmed that the main component of the stray x-ray light was significantly reduced by mounting the precollimator as designed. Detailed analysis of the data revealed that the angular resolution was degraded mainly by figure errors of mirror foils, and the angular resolution is completely explained by the figure errors, positioning errors of the foils, and conical approximation of the foil shape. We found that the effective areas were ˜80% of the designed values below 40 keV, whereas they steeply decline above 40 keV and become only ˜50%. We investigated this abrupt decline and found that neither the error of the multilayer design nor the errors of the incident angles induced by the positioning errors of the foils can be the cause. The reflection profile of each foil pair from the defocused image strongly suggests that the figure errors of the foils probably bring about the reduction in the effective areas at higher energies.

Environmental aspects of lunar helium-3 mining

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kulcinski, G. L.; Cameron, E. N.; Carrier, W. D., III; Schmitt, H. H.

1992-01-01

Three potential detrimental effects of lunar He-3 mining have been identified; visual changes, atmospheric contamination, and solid waste disposal. The removal of small craters (less than 20 m diameter) and the change in the albedo of the surface may cause a slight darkening of the regolith. However, it is not expected that this change will be visible from the earth even with powerful telescopes. The release of lunar volatile gases and their effect on the lunar 'atmosphere' is expected to be both local and temporary (on the order of a few weeks from the time of release). The solution to solid waste disposal is to recycle as much as possible and to bury the nonrecyclable waste. The lack of wind and water means that the waste will stay localized indefinitely and cause no contamination of the environment. The positive benefits of using lunar He-3 in terrestrial fusion plants far outweigh the detrimental effects of mining. The reduction in radioactive waste, greenhouse and acid gases, and the reduction in terrestrial mining for fossil fuels could have a major impact on the quality of life in the 21st century.

Lunar occultation of Saturn. IV - Astrometric results from observations of the satellites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dunham, D. W.; Elliot, J. L.

1978-01-01

The method of determining local lunar limb slopes, and the consequent time scale needed for diameter studies, from accurate occultation timings at two nearby telescopes is described. Results for photoelectric observations made at Mauna Kea Observatory during the occultation of Saturn's satellites on March 30, 1974, are discussed. Analysis of all observations of occultations of Saturn's satellites during 1974 indicates possible errors in the ephemerides of Saturn and its satellites.

Prospective estimation of mean axon diameter and extra-axonal space of the posterior limb of the internal capsule in patients with idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus before and after a lumboperitoneal shunt by using q-space diffusion MRI.

PubMed

Hori, Masaaki; Kamiya, Kouhei; Nakanishi, Atsushi; Fukunaga, Issei; Miyajima, Masakazu; Nakajima, Madoka; Suzuki, Michimasa; Suzuki, Yuriko; Irie, Ryusuke; Kamagata, Koji; Arai, Hajime; Aoki, Shigeki

2016-09-01

To prospectively estimate the mean axon diameter (MAD) and extracellular space of the posterior limb of the internal capsule (PLIC) in patients with idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) before and after a lumboperitoneal (LP) shunting operation using q-space diffusion MRI analysis. We studied 12 consecutive patients with iNPH and 12 controls at our institution. After conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), q-space image (QSI) data were acquired with a 3-T MRI scanner. The MAD and extra-axonal space of the PLIC before and after LP shunting were calculated using two-component q-space imaging analyses; the before and after values were compared. After LP shunt surgery, the extracellular space of the PLIC was significantly higher than that of the same patients before the operation (one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) with Scheffé's post-hoc test, P = 0.024). No significant differences were observed in the PLIC axon diameters among normal controls or in patients before and after surgery. Increases in the root mean square displacement in the extra-axonal space of the PLIC in patients with iNPH after an LP shunt procedure are associated with the microstructural changes of white matter and subsequent abatement of patient symptoms. • Q-space diffusion MRI provides information on microstructural changes in the corticospinal tract • Lumboperitoneal (LP) shunting operation is useful for idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus • Q-space measurement may be a biomarker for the effect of the LP shunt procedure.

Single-leg drop landing movement strategies 6 months following first-time acute lateral ankle sprain injury.

PubMed

Doherty, C; Bleakley, C; Hertel, J; Caulfield, B; Ryan, J; Delahunt, E

2015-12-01

No research exists predicating a link between acute ankle sprain injury-affiliated movement patterns and those of chronic ankle instability (CAI) populations. The aim of the current study was to perform a biomechanical analysis of participants, 6 months after they sustained a first-time acute lateral ankle sprain (LAS) injury to establish this link. Fifty-seven participants with a 6-month history of first-time LAS and 20 noninjured participants completed a single-leg drop landing task on both limbs. Three-dimensional kinematic (angular displacement) and sagittal plane kinetic (moment of force) data were acquired for the joints of the lower extremity, from 200 ms pre-initial contact (IC) to 200 ms post-IC. Individual joint stiffnesses and the peak magnitude of the vertical component of the ground reaction force (GRF) were also computed. LAS participants displayed increases in hip flexion and ankle inversion on their injured limb (P < 0.05); this coincided with a reduction in the net flexion-extension moment at the hip joint, with an increase in its stiffness (P < 0.05). There was no difference in the magnitude of the peak vertical GRF for either limb compared with controls. These results demonstrate that altered movement strategies persist in participants, 6 months following acute LAS, which may precipitate the onset of CAI. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

BAO from Angular Clustering: Optimization and Mitigation of Theoretical Systematics

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Crocce, M.; et al.

We study the theoretical systematics and optimize the methodology in Baryon Acoustic Oscillations (BAO) detections using the angular correlation function with tomographic bins. We calibrate and optimize the pipeline for the Dark Energy Survey Year 1 dataset using 1800 mocks. We compare the BAO fitting results obtained with three estimators: the Maximum Likelihood Estimator (MLE), Profile Likelihood, and Markov Chain Monte Carlo. The MLE method yields the least bias in the fit results (bias/spreadmore » $$\\sim 0.02$$) and the error bar derived is the closest to the Gaussian results (1% from 68% Gaussian expectation). When there is mismatch between the template and the data either due to incorrect fiducial cosmology or photo-$z$ error, the MLE again gives the least-biased results. The BAO angular shift that is estimated based on the sound horizon and the angular diameter distance agree with the numerical fit. Various analysis choices are further tested: the number of redshift bins, cross-correlations, and angular binning. We propose two methods to correct the mock covariance when the final sample properties are slightly different from those used to create the mock. We show that the sample changes can be accommodated with the help of the Gaussian covariance matrix or more effectively using the eigenmode expansion of the mock covariance. The eigenmode expansion is significantly less susceptible to statistical fluctuations relative to the direct measurements of the covariance matrix because the number of free parameters is substantially reduced [$p$ parameters versus $p(p+1)/2$ from direct measurement].« less

Tail function during arboreal quadrupedalism in squirrel monkeys (Saimiri boliviensis) and tamarins (Saguinus oedipus).

PubMed

Young, Jesse W; Russo, Gabrielle A; Fellmann, Connie D; Thatikunta, Meena A; Chadwell, Brad A

2015-10-01

The need to maintain stability on narrow branches is often presented as a major selective force shaping primate morphology, with adaptations to facilitate grasping receiving particular attention. The functional importance of a long and mobile tail for maintaining arboreal stability has been comparatively understudied. Tails can facilitate arboreal balance by acting as either static counterbalances or dynamic inertial appendages able to modulate whole-body angular momentum. We investigate associations between tail use and inferred grasping ability in two closely related cebid platyrrhines-cotton-top tamarins (Saguinus oedipus) and black-capped squirrel monkeys (Saimiri boliviensis). Using high-speed videography of captive monkeys moving on 3.2 cm diameter poles, we specifically test the hypothesis that squirrel monkeys (characterized by grasping extremities with long digits) will be less dependent on the tail for balance than tamarins (characterized by claw-like nails, short digits, and a reduced hallux). Tamarins have relatively longer tails than squirrel monkeys, move their tails through greater angular amplitudes, at higher angular velocities, and with greater angular accelerations, suggesting dynamic use of tail to regulate whole-body angular momentum. By contrast, squirrel monkeys generally hold their tails in a comparatively stationary posture and at more depressed angles, suggesting a static counterbalancing mechanism. This study, the first empirical test of functional tradeoffs between grasping ability and tail use in arboreal primates, suggests a critical role for the tail in maintaining stability during arboreal quadrupedalism. Our findings have the potential to inform our functional understanding of tail loss during primate evolution. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

OBSERVABLE DEVIATIONS FROM HOMOGENEITY IN AN INHOMOGENEOUS UNIVERSE

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Giblin, John T. Jr.; Mertens, James B.; Starkman, Glenn D.

How does inhomogeneity affect our interpretation of cosmological observations? It has long been wondered to what extent the observable properties of an inhomogeneous universe differ from those of a corresponding Friedmann–Lemaître–Robertson–Walker (FLRW) model, and how the inhomogeneities affect that correspondence. Here, we use numerical relativity to study the behavior of light beams traversing an inhomogeneous universe, and construct the resulting Hubble diagrams. The universe that emerges exhibits an average FLRW behavior, but inhomogeneous structures contribute to deviations in observables across the observer’s sky. We also investigate the relationship between angular diameter distance and the angular extent of a source, findingmore » deviations that grow with source redshift. These departures from FLRW are important path-dependent effects, with implications for using real observables in an inhomogeneous universe such as our own.« less

Operation GREENHOUSE. Scientific Director’s Report of Atomic Weapon Tests at Eniwetok, 1951. Annex 1.3. Thermal Radiation Measurements. Part 1. Atmospheric Transmission. Part 2. Total Thermal Radiation. Part 3. Radiant Power as a Function of Time--Photoelectric Measurements. Appendix A and Appendix B

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-09-01

derived in the article by Stewart and Curcio. 1 In this expression, e is the angular diameter (in radians) of the field of view of the detecting...t dt = Ftdt (1) where t is the angular deflection of the galvanometer at time t; Ft is the radiant thermal en- ergy, in watts/cm’, incident n the...tits igl~ *ING ma Z.9 .Io - OEaM, * ’Uv I 82* 16. 6 O~vS v 4.vS I 0.0 vst , SO- L900 6 IS* los - low tows S~ wows; V. ) S .14t; .6;slows -~ ’.3 ’.3

A bolometric millimeter-wave system for observations of anisotropy in the cosmic microwave background radiation on medium angular scales

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fischer, M. L.; Alsop, D. C.; Cheng, E. S.; Clapp, A. C.; Cottingham, D. A.; Gundersen, J. O.; Koch, T. C.; Kreysa, E.; Meinhold, P. R.; Lange, A. E.

1992-01-01

We report the performance of a bolometric system designed to measure the anisotropy of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation on angular scales from 0 deg 3 min to 3 deg. The system represents a collaborative effort combining a low-background 1 m diameter balloon-borne telescope with new multimode feed optics, a beam modulation mechanism with high stability, and a four-channel bolometric receiver with passbands centered near frequencies of 3 (90), 6 (180), 9 (270), and 12 (360) cm(exp -1) (GHz). The telescope was flown three times with the bolometric receiver and has demonstrated detector noise limited performance capable of reaching sensitivity levels of Delta(T)/T(sub CMB) is approximately equal to 10(exp -5) with detectors operated at T = 0.3 K.