Changes In Phase Lag Research Articles

Multiwavelength observations of PSR J2021+4026 across a mode change reveal a phase shift in its X-ray emission

Context. We have investigated the multiwavelength emission of PSR J2021+4026, the only isolated γ-ray pulsar known to be variable, which in October 2011 underwent a simultaneous change in γ-ray flux and spin-down rate, followed by a second mode change in February 2018. Multiwavelength monitoring is crucial to understand the physics behind these events and how they may have affected the structure of the magnetosphere. Aims. The monitoring of pulse profile alignment is a powerful diagnostic tool for constraining magnetospheric reconfiguration. We aim to investigate timing or flux changes related to the variability of PSR J2021+4026 via multiwavelength observations, including γ-ray observations from Fermi-LAT, X-ray observations from XMM-Newton, and a deep optical observation with the Gran Telescopio Canarias. Methods. We performed a detailed comparison of the timing features of the pulsar in γ and X-rays and searched for any change in phase lag between the phaseogram peaks in these two energy bands. Although previous observations did not detect a counterpart in visible light, we also searched for optical emission that might have increased due to the mode change, making this pulsar detectable in the optical. Results. We have found a change in the γ-to X-ray pulse profile alignment by 0.21 ± 0.02 in phase, which indicates that the first mode change affected different regions of the pulsar magnetosphere. No optical counterpart was detected down to g′ = 26.1 and r′ = 25.3. Conclusions. We suggest that the observed phase shift could be related to a reconfiguration of the connection between the quadrupole magnetic field near the stellar surface and the dipole field that dominates at larger distances. This is consistent with the picture of X-ray emission coming from the heated polar cap and with the simultaneous flux and frequency derivative change observed during the mode changes.

Phase Property of Envelope-Tracking EEG Response is Preserved in Patients with Disorders of Consciousness.

When listening to speech, the low-frequency cortical response below 10 Hz can track the speech envelope. Previous studies have demonstrated that the phase lag between speech envelope and cortical response can reflect the mechanism by which the envelope-tracking response is generated. Here, we analyze whether the mechanism to generate the envelope-tracking response is modulated by the level of consciousness, by studying how the stimulus-response phase lag is modulated by the Disorder of Consciousness (DoC). It is observed that DoC patients in general show less reliable neural tracking of speech. Nevertheless, the stimulus-response phase lag changes linearly with frequency between 3.5 and 8 Hz, for DoC patients who show reliable cortical tracking to speech, regardless of the consciousness state. The mean phase lag is also consistent across these DoC patients. These results suggest that the envelope-tracking response to speech can be generated by an automatic process that is barely modulated by the consciousness state.Significance StatementDuring speech listening, a prominent cortical response is the speech envelope-tracking activity. In the frequency domain, the two fundamental characteristics of envelope-tracking activity are power and phase. Recent studies have demonstrated that the phase property of envelope-tracking activity can reveal its underlying generation mechanism. In this study, we investigate whether this generation mechanism is modulated by the state of consciousness. We introduce healthy individuals and patients with disorders of consciousness. Results demonstrate that the stimulus-response phase lag changes linearly with frequency for both healthy individuals and patients who exhibit reliable neural tracking of the speech envelope. Thus, envelope-tracking activity is generated through an automatic process, which is not strongly modulated by the state of consciousness.

Impacts of Sea Level Rise and River Discharge on the Hydrodynamics Characteristics of Jakarta Bay (Indonesia)

Jakarta city has been vulnerable to sea level rise and flooding for many years. A Giant Seawall (GSW) was proposed in Jakarta Bay to protect the city. The impacts of sea level rise and river discharge on the tidal dynamics in Jakarta Bay and flooding areas in Jakarta city were investigated using the finite-volume coastal ocean model (FVCOM). Model results showed that the bay is diurnally dominated by the K1 tidal component. The diurnal tides propagate westward, while the semidiurnal tides propagate eastward in the bay. The rise of sea level increases the diurnal tidal component and the inundation areas due to the increased tidal forcing: when considering a sea level rise of 0.6 m, the K1 amplitude increases by ~1% (0.25 cm) near the coastline and the current magnitude increases by 16.6% (0.05 m/s). The inundation area increases with the sea level rise in the low land elevation areas occurring near the coastlines: the inundation area increased by 29.68 km2 (7.1%) with a sea level rise of 0.6 m. The increase of river discharge amplified the diurnal tidal component as well as the inundation areas at the river mouth due to increased fluvial forcing: if 10 times the mean river discharge occurs, the K1 amplitude increases by ~1% (0.25 cm) and the current magnitude increases by 100% (0.4 m/s), and the inundation areas increase by 26.61 km2 (6.2%). The K1 tidal phase remains almost unchanged under both the sea level rise and river discharge conditions. The combined increase of sea level rise and the river discharge amplifies the inundation areas and the tidal currents due to increased tidal and fluvial forcing. The construction of GSW would decrease the tidal prism and dissipation effects of the bay, thus slightly increasing the K1 amplitude of the tidal level: by less than 1% (0.2 cm). There would be no significant change of phase lag for the K1 component. Although this study is site specific, the findings could be applied more widely to any open-type bays.

Radio pulsar polarization as a coherent sum of orthogonal proper mode waves

ABSTRACT Radio pulsar polarization exhibits a number of complex phenomena that are classified into the realm of ‘beyond the rotating vector model’ (RVM). It is shown that these effects can be understood in geometrical terms, as a result of coherent and quasi-coherent addition of elliptically polarized natural mode waves. The coherent summation implies that the observed tracks of polarization angle (PA) do not always correspond to the natural propagation mode (NPM) waves. Instead, they are statistical average of coherent sum of the NPM waves, and can be observed at any (and frequency-dependent) distance from the natural modes. Therefore, the observed tracks of PA can wander arbitrarily far from the RVM, and may be non-orthogonal. For equal amplitudes of the NPM waves two pairs of orthogonal polarization modes (OPMs), displaced by 45°, can be observed, depending on the width of lag distribution. Observed pulsar polarization mainly results from two independent effects: the change of mode amplitude ratio and the change of phase lag. In the core region both effects are superposed on each other, which can produce so complex behaviour as observed in the cores of PSR B1933+16, B1237+25, and J0437−4715. Change of the phase lag with frequency ν is mostly responsible for the observed strong evolution of these features with ν. The coherent addition of orthogonal natural waves is a useful interpretive tool for the observed radio pulsar polarization.

Different adaptation rates to abrupt and gradual changes in environmental dynamics.

Adaptation to an abrupt change in the dynamics of the interaction between the arm and the physical environment has been reported as occurring more rapidly but with less retention than adaptation to a gradual change in interaction dynamics. Faster adaptation to an abrupt change in interaction dynamics appears inconsistent with kinematic error sensitivity which has been shown to be greater for small errors than large errors. However, the comparison of adaptation rates was based on incomplete adaptation. Furthermore, the metric which was used as a proxy of the changing internal state, namely the linear regression between the force disturbance and the compensatory force (the adaptation index), does not distinguish between internal state inaccuracy resulting from amplitude or temporal errors. To resolve the apparent inconsistency, we compared the evolution of the internal state during complete adaptation to an abrupt and gradual change in interaction dynamics. We found no difference in the rate at which the adaptation index increased during adaptation to a gradual compared to an abrupt change in interaction dynamics. In addition, we separately examined amplitude and temporal errors using different metrics, and found that amplitude error was reduced more rapidly under the gradual than the abrupt condition, whereas temporal error (quantified by smoothness) was reduced more rapidly under the abrupt condition. We did not find any significant change in phase lag during adaptation under either condition. Our results also demonstrate that even after adaptation is complete, online feedback correction still plays a significant role in the control of reaching.

Rheological evaluation of complex fluids using ultrasonic spinning rheometry in an open container

We propose a rheometry using ultrasonic velocity profiling (UVP) that visualizes and evaluates quantitatively opaque complex fluids in a cylindrical open vessel performing unsteady rotation. The methodology termed “ultrasonic spinning rheometry (USR)” is expected to provide details of various rheological properties. In our study of USR applications, an enhancement in measuring some rheological properties was achieved for three different non-Newtonian fluids. For quantitative evaluations, we focused on momentum propagation in unsteady shear flows from an oscillating cylindrical container. In such flows, this propagation is represented in the radial profiles of the phase lag of velocity fluctuations. The phase lag information is obtained by a discrete Fourier transform of the spatio-temporal velocity distributions measured using UVP and indicates that the phase lag changes substantially as rheological properties change in a test fluid. As the primary rheological property, a local effective viscosity that is representative of the Newtonian viscosity in the bulk of a measurement volume is determined using UVP. In addition, the shear stress distribution, yield stress, spatial viscosity profile, and shear modulus are obtained as secondary rheological properties.

Interplay between river discharge and tides in a delta distributary

The hydrodynamics of distributary channels has tremendous impact on nutrient and dissolved oxygen circulation, transport of sediments, and delta formation and evolution; yet many processes acting at the river–marine interface of a delta are poorly understood. This paper investigates the combined effect of river hydrograph and micro-tides on the hydrodynamics of a delta distributary. As the ratio between river flow to tidal flow increases, tidal flood duration at the distributary mouth decreases, up to the point when flow reversal is absent. Field measurements in a distributary of the Apalachicola Delta, Florida, USA, reveal that, once the flow becomes unidirectional, high-discharge events magnify tidal velocity amplitudes. On the contrary, while the flow is bidirectional, increasing fluvial discharge decreases tidal velocity amplitudes down to a minimum value, reached at the limit between bidirectional and unidirectional flow. Due to the different response of the system to tides, the transition from a bidirectional to a unidirectional flow triggers a change in phase lag between high water and high water slack. In the presence of high riverine flow, tidal dynamics also promote seaward directed Eulerian residual currents. During discharge peaks, these residual currents almost double mean velocity values. Our results show that, even in micro-tidal environments, tides strongly impact distributary hydrodynamics during both high and low fluvial discharge regimes.

Single-core magnetic markers in rotating magnetic field based homogeneous bioassays and the law of mass action

In this work, we report on the effect of the magnetic nanoparticle (MNP) concentration on the quantitative detection of proteins in solution with a rotating magnetic field (RMF) based homogeneous bioassay. Here, the phase lag between 30 nm iron oxide single-core particles and the RMF is analyzed with a fluxgate-based measurement system. As a test analyte anti-human IgG is applied which binds to the protein G functionalized MNP shell and causes a change of the phase lag. The measured phase lag changes for a fixed MNP and a varying analyte concentration are modeled with logistic functions. A change of the MNP concentration results in a nonlinear shift of the logistic function with the analyte concentration. This effect results from the law of mass action. Furthermore, the bioassay results are used to determine the association constant of the binding reaction.

Suitability of magnetic single- and multi-core nanoparticles to detect protein binding with dynamic magnetic measurement techniques

We investigated the binding of biotinylated proteins to various streptavidin functionalized magnetic nanoparticles with different dynamic magnetic measurement techniques to examine their potential for homogeneous bioassays. As particle systems, single-core nanoparticles with a nominal core diameter of 30 nm as well as multi-core nanoparticles with hydrodynamic sizes varying between nominally 60 nm and 100 nm were chosen. As experimental techniques, fluxgate magnetorelaxometry (MRX), complex ac susceptibility (ACS) and measurements of the phase lag between rotating field and sample magnetization are applied. MRX measurements are only suited for the detection of small analytes if the multivalency of functionalized nanoparticles and analytes causes cross-linking, thus forming larger aggregates. ACS measurements showed for all nanoparticle systems a shift of the imaginary part's maximum towards small frequencies. In rotating field measurements only the single-core nanoparticle systems with dominating Brownian mechanism exhibit an increase of the phase lag upon binding in the investigated frequency range. The coexistence of Brownian and Neel relaxation processes can cause a more complex phase lag change behavior, as demonstrated for multi-core nanoparticle systems.

Magnetic marker based homogeneous bioassays utilizing rotating magnetic fields

Magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) as markers in bioassays utilizing rotating instead of alternating magnetic fields predict an improved sensitivity regarding quantitative protein detection. This finding is based on numerical solutions of the Fokker-Planck equation and pronounced for increasing field amplitudes. In order to verify this prediction, the phase lag change of MNPs in rotating magnetic fields up to 5 mT is measured. The magnetic markers are functionalized single core iron oxide nanoparticles with different sizes. Antibodies which specifically bind to the MNPs cause the phase lag change. The increase of the phase lag change strongly depends on the particle parameters. MNPs with a core diameter of 30 nm show for 5 mT, a significant difference between the two field types. This difference is less pronounced for the 25 nm MNPs due to the increasing influence of Néel relaxation processes and for the 40 nm particles, due to the reduced saturation magnetization. A further improvement for the 30 nm MNPs with field amplitudes over 5 mT is simulated based on the determined particle parameters.

Metamorphosis-related changes in the lateral line system of lampreys, Petromyzon marinus

Lamprey metamorphosis leads to considerable changes in morphology and behavior. We have recently reported that larval lampreys possess a functional lateral line system. Here we investigated metamorphic morphological changes in the lateral line system using light and electron microscopy. Functional modifications were studied by recording the trunk lateral line nerve activity of larvae and adults while stimulating neuromasts with approximately sinusoidal water motion. We found a general re-patterning of neuromasts on the head and trunk including an increase in numbers, redistribution within the pit lines, and shifts of the pit lines relative to external features. The trunk lateral line nerve response was qualitatively similar in adults and larvae. Both showed two neuronal populations responding to opposite directions of water flow. Magnitude of the response increased monotonically with stimulus amplitude. At low frequencies, the response lag relative to the stimulus maximum was approximately 220 degrees , and the gain depended approximately linearly on frequency, confirming that superficial neuromasts are velocity detectors. Changes in phase lag with increasing stimulus frequency were steeper in larvae, suggesting slower afferent conductance. The response gain with frequency was smaller for adults, suggesting a narrower frequency discrimination range and decreased sensitivity. These changes may be adaptations for the active lifestyle of adult lampreys.

Synchronous oscillations and phase reorganization in the basal ganglia during akinesia induced by high‐dose haloperidol

Movement disorders such as tremor and akinesia observed in Parkinson's disease have been attributed to dopamine (DA) depletion in the basal ganglia. The changes in subcortical neuronal discharge patterns that follow DA depletion have been a matter of much discussion. Here, we implanted rats with chronic recording electrodes bilaterally in the striatum (CPu) and external globus pallidus (GPe), and induced both acute and repeated DA blockade by administration of high-dose haloperidol. Recordings were made in baseline states, as well as before and after haloperidol injections, which rendered rats akinetic. The immediate physiological effect of pharmacological DA blockade was the development of prominent oscillatory firing in the 6-8 Hz range in both CPu and GPe. Importantly, this oscillatory pattern was not accompanied by consistent changes in the firing rate of either CPu or GPe neurons. Cross-correlation analysis further indicated that neurons within the CPu and GPe fired synchronously after DA blockade. Furthermore, although phase lags between neuronal discharges in the GPe and CPu were uniformly distributed prior to haloperidol administration, CPu significantly lagged GPe discharges after repeated DA blockade. Our results demonstrate that acute DA blockade is sufficient to produce synchronous oscillatory activity across basal ganglia neuron populations, and that prolonged DA blockade results in phase lag changes in pallidostriatal synchrony.

Accommodation as a function of age and the linearity of the response dynamics

The changes with age in the accommodation responses to dynamic stimuli can reveal useful information on the factors underlying presbyopia development. Analysis of the monocular accommodation responses of 19 normal observers (ages 18–49 years) to stimuli whose vergence varied sinusoidally with time at different temporal frequencies (peak-to-peak stimulus 1.33–2.38 D, at 0.05–1.00 Hz) showed that at all ages both the gain and phase of the response were essentially linear functions of the temporal frequency. Extrapolation of least-squares, regression line fits to the gain data for each subject gave the gain at zero frequency, G 0, and the cut-off frequency, f c, at which the gain fell to zero. G 0 reduced with age but f c remained essentially constant at about 1.7 Hz, up to at least the age of about 40. The magnitude of the response to step stimuli covering the same stimulus range was well correlated with the value of G 0. The linear changes in phase lag with temporal frequency corresponded to simple time delays t d. The time lag varied from close to zero for the youngest subjects to about 0.5 s for the subjects in their late forties. There was substantial variation between the responses of subjects of similar age: those subjects with high values of G 0 also tended to have low values of t d, both effects probably being due to the superior ability of some individuals to predict the sinusoidal changes in the accommodation stimulus. Comparison of theoretical step responses, derived by applying linear theory to the parameters obtained from the results for the sinusoidal stimuli, with the actual responses to unpredictable steps for the same subjects supports the view that prediction effects and other possible factors make linear theory inapplicable to this type of data. The results are discussed in the context of current ideas on the development of presbyopia: it is suggested that the constancy of f c with age is the result of the ciliary body maintaining its efficiency, whereas the fall in G 0 and increase in t d result from increases in lens rigidity.

Neural mechanisms of intersegmental coordination in lamprey: local excitability changes modify the phase coupling along the spinal cord.

1. To elucidate the neural mechanisms responsible for coordinating undulatory locomotor movements, the intersegmental phase lag was analyzed from ventral roots along the spinal cord during fictive swimming. It was induced by bath application of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) in in vitro preparations of lamprey spinal cord, while the excitability of different segments were modified. The phase lag between consecutive segments during normal forward swimming is 1% of the cycle duration in a broad range of values. Rostral segments are activated before more caudal ones. 2. Under control conditions, whole preparations (12-24 segment long; n = 22) were perfused with NMDA solutions of the same concentration (100-150 microM). The intersegmental phase lag values varied in a continuous range with a single peak around a median value of forward +0.74% per segment (range: forward +2.23% to backward -0.97%). 3. To examine whether excitability differences along the spinal cord could modify the intersegmental phase lag, different levels of excitatory amino acids (NMDA) were applied to spinal cord preparations positioned in a partitioned chamber. Different portions of the cord could be perfused separately by NMDA solutions of different concentrations (50-150 microM). If rostral segments were perfused with the higher NMDA solution, the lag was inevitably in the forward direction. Conversely, if the caudal portion was perfused with the higher NMDA solution, caudally located ventral roots became activated before the rostral ventral roots in a caudorostral succession, thus reversing the direction of the fictive swimming wave to propagate as during backward swimming. If the middle portion was perfused by the highest NMDA solution, this portion instead became leading, and the activity propagated from this point in both the rostral and the caudal directions. The portion located in the pool with highest NMDA concentration always gave rise to a "leading" segment. 4. When a portion of the preparation was perfused with an NMDA solution of a high concentration (75-150 microM), the cycle duration was close to that recorded when the whole preparation was perfused with the same high NMDA solution. The ensemble cycle duration is, therefore, largely determined by the leading segment. 5. The phase lag changes were not restricted to the region around the barrier separating pools with different NMDA solutions.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Photoelectric transducer for measuring the length and diameter of elastic vessels

This photoelectric transducer was developed to measure diameter and length variations in arterial segments in vitro and in elastic tubes. Its construction is simple, its nonlinearity small and its sensitivity adequate. The cut-off frequency is 300 Hz and its small phase lag changes linearly with frequency.

Changes in phase lags of delayed fluorescence signals due to coherence effects in triplet exciton transport

A generalized master equation approach to triplet exciton motion in molecular solids is used to analyse coherence in the transport via changes in phase lag of periodic delayed fluorescence signals due to triplet-triplet annihilation in crystals under space and time periodic excitation. Coherence effects can lead to increases, as large as = 100%, in the measurable effects due to motion as compared to those for diffusive transport. The method should be considered as the first choice for detection of coherence in triplet transport via delayed fluorescence.

Retardation of falling spheres by hydrodynamic oscillations

Terminal velocities of gravitational fall of four sizes of precision sapphire spheres (0·794–0·4764 cm dia.) and six sizes of glass spheres (0·0208–0·505 cm dia.) have been measured in a vertically oscillating water column at conditions of constant velocity, amplitude, acceleration and frequency of vibration. Vibration conditions encompassing frequency and amplitude ranges of 5–50 c/s and 0–1·0 cm respectively have been studied. The experimental terminal velocities have been compared with oscillation-retarded asymptotic velocities predicted theoretically by the numerical solution on a digital computer of a nonlinear Langevin equation proposed by Houghton (1966) as representing a force balance on a free particle in an accelerating fluid. For the larger spheres the experimental velocities were found to be lower than those predicted theoretically using steady state drag coefficients with a negligible phase lag for the displaced fluid—these velocity differences are primarily attributed to oscillation-induced increases in the drag coefficient, with appreciable secondary influences arising from changes in phase lag, drag exponent and virtual mass. Experimental velocities for the smaller particles were found to be higher than those predicted theoretically, the differences being attributed to primary reductions in the drag exponent, with second order effects arising from oscillation-induced alterations in drag coefficient, virtual mass and phase lag.