The temporal Mueller matrix solution for polarimetric scattering from a layer of random non-spherical scatterers

The Mueller matrix solution of the vector radiative transfer equation with time dependence is derived in this paper. It is applied to simulation of polarimetric bistatic scattering from a layer of non-uniformly oriented, random non-spherical scatterers when a Gaussian plane pulse is incident upon. Co-polarized and cross-polarized bistatic scattering are numerically calculated. The pulse echoes are compared with the incidence, and demonstrate its functional dependence on the physical parameters of random medium, such as spatial orientation and fractional volume of scatterers, incidence angle and polarization, the layer depth and others.     

The risks and returns of stock investment in a financial market

The risks and returns of stock investment are discussed via numerically simulating the mean escape time and the probability density function of stock price returns in the modified Heston model with time delay. Through analyzing the effects of delay time and initial position on the risks and returns of stock investment, the results indicate that: (i) There is an optimal delay time matching minimal risks of stock investment, maximal average stock price returns and strongest stability of stock price returns for strong elasticity of demand of stocks (EDS), but the opposite results for weak EDS; (ii) The increment of initial position recedes the risks of stock investment, strengthens the average stock price returns and enhances stability of stock price returns. Finally, the probability density function of stock price returns and the probability density function of volatility and the correlation function of stock price returns are compared with other literatures. In addition, good agreements are found between them.     

Birkhoff系统的Poincare—Cartan积分不变量

基于现代微分几何学，分析了作为保守系统和非保守系统的推广－Birkhoff系统的辛结构。构造Birkhoff系统的Poincare-Cartan积分不变量。最后，将一维阻尼振动作为示例，求出其Poincare积分不变量。     

Nonlinear ion-acoustic structures in a nonextensive electron–positron–ion–dust plasma: Modulational instability and rogue waves

The nonlinear propagation of planar and nonplanar (cylindrical and spherical) ion-acoustic waves in an unmagnetized electron–positron–ion–dust plasma with two-electron temperature distributions is investigated in the context of the nonextensive statistics. Using the reductive perturbation method, a modified nonlinear Schrödinger equation is derived for the potential wave amplitude. The effects of plasma parameters on the modulational instability of ion-acoustic waves are discussed in detail for planar as well as for cylindrical and spherical geometries. In addition, for the planar case, we analyze how the plasma parameters influence the nonlinear structures of the first- and second-order ion-acoustic rogue waves within the modulational instability region. The present results may be helpful in providing a good fit between the theoretical analysis and real applications in future spatial observations and laboratory plasma experiments.     

Fast fat-suppressed reduced field-of-view temperature mapping using 2DRF excitation pulses

The purpose of this study is to develop a fast and accurate temperature mapping method capable of both fat suppression and reduced field-of-view (rFOV) imaging, using a two-dimensional spatially-selective RF (2DRF) pulse. Temperature measurement errors caused by fat signals were assessed, through simulations. An 11×1140μs echo-planar 2DRF pulse was developed and incorporated into a gradient-echo sequence. Temperature measurements were obtained during focused ultrasound (FUS) heating of a fat-water phantom. Experiments both with and without the use of a 2DRF pulse were performed at 3T, and the accuracy of the resulting temperature measurements were compared over a range of TE values. Significant inconsistencies in terms of measured temperature values were observed when using a regular slice-selective RF excitation pulse. In contrast, the proposed 2DRF excitation pulse suppressed fat signals by more than 90%, allowing good temperature consistency regardless of TE settings. Temporal resolution was also improved, from 12 frames per minute (fpm) with the regular pulse to 28 frames per minute with the rFOV excitation. This technique appears promising toward the MR monitoring of temperature in moving adipose organs, during thermal therapies.     

On the Renormalization of the One–Pion Exchange Potential and the Consistency of Weinberg’s Power Counting

Nogga, Timmermans and van Kolck recently argued that Weinberg’s power counting in the few–nucleon sector is inconsistent and requires modifications. Their argument is based on the observed cutoff dependence of the nucleon–nucleon scattering amplitude calculated by solving the Lippmann–Schwinger equation with the regularized one–pion exchange potential and the cutoff Λ varied in the range Λ = 2 . . . 20 fm^?1. In this paper we discuss the role the cutoff plays in the application of chiral effective field theory to the two–nucleon system and study carefully the cutoff–dependence of phase shifts and observables based on the one–pion exchange potential. We show that (i) there is no need to use the momentum–space cutoff larger than Λ ~ 3 fm^?1; (ii) the neutron–proton low–energy data show no evidence for an inconsistency of Weinberg’s power counting if one uses Λ ~ 3 fm^?1.     

Probing the Conformational Stability of Two Different Copper Proteins: A Dynamic Fluorescence Study on Azurin and Ascorbate Oxidase

Tryptophan fluorescence is extremely useful to monitor structural conformational transitions in proteins. Denaturant-induced unfolding of azurin and ascorbate oxidase has been studied by dynamic fluorescence measurements in the frequency domain and the results have been interpreted in terms of continuous distribution of lifetimes. The data add new information on the unfolding mechanism that was previously analyzed by steady-state emission spectroscopy. In particular, the existence of multiple, parallel unfolding pathways may be envisaged and correlated, in both cases, to the two protein structures. The effect of metal depletion has been also characterized by fluorescence lifetime measurements. In the case of azurin, a monomeric protein, the data demonstrate that copper removal yields a totally different unfolding pathways with respect to the holo protein, indicating that metal ion plays a fundamental structural role in the wild type, native protein. In the case of ascorbate oxidase a dimer of 140 kDa, only minor effects have been detected by copper removal. However, the analysis of the fluorescence decay in presence of different amounts of guanidinium hydrochloride gives new important insights on the unfolding intermediates. In particular the data support the hypothesis of a partial exposure of an outer layer of dimer at intermediate denaturant concentration. This ability of dynamic fluorescence to pinpoint the presence of structural micro-heterogeneity in the unfolding pathways of proteins demonstrates the greater power of this technique compared to the most commonly used steady-state measurements.     

Effect of nitrogen surface doping on the work function and field emission of hydrogenated amorphous carbon films

The effect of nitrogen surface doping on the electron field emission characteristics of hydrogenated amorphous carbon films was studied. It was found that the emission threshold electric field decreased after nitrogen surface doping which indicated the reduction of the emission barrier at the film surface. It was demonstrated that this improvement arose from the decrease of the effective work function due to the formation of a dipole layer induced by chemical termination and chemical structural change on the film surface. PACS 52.75.Xx; 73.30 +y; 73.61.Jc