WorldWideScience

Sample records for relaxation rate increase

  1. PROGRESSIVE MUSCLE RELAXATION INCREASE PEAK EXPIRATORY FLOW RATE ON CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE PATIENTS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tintin Sukartini

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Limited progressive air flow in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD can caused by small airway disease (bronchiolitis obstructive and loss of elasticity of the lung (emphysema. Further it can be decreasing the quality of life in COPD patients because dyspnea and uncomfortable in activity. Progressive muscle relaxation (PMR is one of the relaxation technique that can repair pulmonary ventilation by decreasing chronic constriction of the respiratory muscles. The objective of this study was to analyze the effect of progressive muscle relaxation on raised peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR. Method: A pre-experimental one group pre-post test design was used in this study. Population was all of the COPD patients at Pulmonary Specialist Polyclinic Dr Mohamad Soewandhie Surabaya. There were 8 respondents taken by using purposive sampling. PEFR was counted by using peak flow meter every six day. Data were analyzed by using Paired t-Test with significance level  p≤0.05. Result: The result showed that PMR had significance level on increasing of PEFR (p=0.012. Discussion: It can be concluded that PMR has an effect on raise PEFR. Further studies are recommended to measure the effect of PMR on respiratory rate (RR, heart rate (HR subjective dyspnoe symptoms, forced expiration volume on the first minute (FEV1 and mid maximum flow rate (MMFR in COPD patients.

  2. Relaxed Poisson cure rate models.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rodrigues, Josemar; Cordeiro, Gauss M; Cancho, Vicente G; Balakrishnan, N

    2016-03-01

    The purpose of this article is to make the standard promotion cure rate model (Yakovlev and Tsodikov, ) more flexible by assuming that the number of lesions or altered cells after a treatment follows a fractional Poisson distribution (Laskin, ). It is proved that the well-known Mittag-Leffler relaxation function (Berberan-Santos, ) is a simple way to obtain a new cure rate model that is a compromise between the promotion and geometric cure rate models allowing for superdispersion. So, the relaxed cure rate model developed here can be considered as a natural and less restrictive extension of the popular Poisson cure rate model at the cost of an additional parameter, but a competitor to negative-binomial cure rate models (Rodrigues et al., ). Some mathematical properties of a proper relaxed Poisson density are explored. A simulation study and an illustration of the proposed cure rate model from the Bayesian point of view are finally presented. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  3. Accurate determination of rates from non-uniformly sampled relaxation data

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Stetz, Matthew A.; Wand, A. Joshua, E-mail: wand@upenn.edu [University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Johnson Research Foundation and Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics (United States)

    2016-08-15

    The application of non-uniform sampling (NUS) to relaxation experiments traditionally used to characterize the fast internal motion of proteins is quantitatively examined. Experimentally acquired Poisson-gap sampled data reconstructed with iterative soft thresholding are compared to regular sequentially sampled (RSS) data. Using ubiquitin as a model system, it is shown that 25 % sampling is sufficient for the determination of quantitatively accurate relaxation rates. When the sampling density is fixed at 25 %, the accuracy of rates is shown to increase sharply with the total number of sampled points until eventually converging near the inherent reproducibility of the experiment. Perhaps contrary to some expectations, it is found that accurate peak height reconstruction is not required for the determination of accurate rates. Instead, inaccuracies in rates arise from inconsistencies in reconstruction across the relaxation series that primarily manifest as a non-linearity in the recovered peak height. This indicates that the performance of an NUS relaxation experiment cannot be predicted from comparison of peak heights using a single RSS reference spectrum. The generality of these findings was assessed using three alternative reconstruction algorithms, eight different relaxation measurements, and three additional proteins that exhibit varying degrees of spectral complexity. From these data, it is revealed that non-linearity in peak height reconstruction across the relaxation series is strongly correlated with errors in NUS-derived relaxation rates. Importantly, it is shown that this correlation can be exploited to reliably predict the performance of an NUS-relaxation experiment by using three or more RSS reference planes from the relaxation series. The RSS reference time points can also serve to provide estimates of the uncertainty of the sampled intensity, which for a typical relaxation times series incurs no penalty in total acquisition time.

  4. Yoga Nidra relaxation increases heart rate variability and is unaffected by a prior bout of Hatha yoga.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Markil, Nina; Whitehurst, Michael; Jacobs, Patrick L; Zoeller, Robert F

    2012-10-01

    The measurement of heart rate variability (HRV) is often applied as an index of autonomic nervous system (ANS) balance and, therefore, myocardial stability. Previous studies have suggested that relaxation or mind-body exercise can influence ANS balance positively as measured by HRV but may act via different mechanisms. No studies, to the authors' knowledge, have examined the acute response in HRV to interventions combining relaxation and mind-body exercise. The objective of this study was to compare the acute HRV responses to Yoga Nidra relaxation alone versus Yoga Nidra relaxation preceded by Hatha yoga. This was a randomized counter-balanced trial. The trial was conducted in a university exercise physiology laboratory. Subjects included 20 women and men (29.15±6.98 years of age, with a range of 18-47 years). Participants completed a yoga plus relaxation (YR) session and a relaxation only (R) session. The YR condition produced significant changes from baseline in heart rate (HR; beats per minute [bpm], pheart rate (bpm, p<0.001) as well as indices of HRV: R-R (ms, p<0.001), HF (ms(2), p=0.004), LF (%, p=0.005), HF (%, p=0.008) and LF:HF ratio (%, p=0.008). There were no significant differences between conditions at baseline nor for the changes from baseline for any of the variables. These changes demonstrate a favorable shift in autonomic balance to the parasympathetic branch of the ANS for both conditions, and that Yoga Nidra relaxation produces favorable changes in measures of HRV whether alone or preceded by a bout of Hatha yoga.

  5. Concentration dependence of fluorine impurity spin-lattice relaxation rate in bone mineral

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Code, R.F.; Armstrong, R.L.; Cheng, P.-T.

    1992-01-01

    The concentration dependence of the fluoride ion spin-lattice relaxation rate has been observed by nuclear magnetic resonance experiments on samples of defatted and dried bone. The 19 F spin-lattice relaxation rates increased linearly with bone fluoride concentration. Different results were obtained from trabecular than from cortical bone. For the same macroscopic fluoride content per gram of bone calcium, relaxation rate is significantly faster in cortical bone. Relaxation rates in cortical bone samples prepared from rats and dogs were apparently controlled by the same species-independent processes. For samples from beagle dogs, bulk fluoride concentrations measured by neutron activation analysis were 3.1±0.3 times greater in trabecular bone than in corresponding cortical bone. The beagle spin-lattice relaxation data suggest that microscopic fluoride concentrations in bone mineral were 1.8±0.4 times greater in trabecular bone than in cortical bone. It is concluded that accumulation of fluoride impurities in bone mineral is non-uniform. (author)

  6. Dual resonance approach to optical signal processing beyond the carrier relaxation rate

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Heuck, Mikkel; Kristensen, Philip Trøst; Mørk, Jesper

    2014-01-01

    We propose using two optical cavities in a differential control scheme to increase the bandwidth of cavity-based semiconductor optical signal processing devices beyond the limit given by the slowest carrier relaxation rate of the medium.......We propose using two optical cavities in a differential control scheme to increase the bandwidth of cavity-based semiconductor optical signal processing devices beyond the limit given by the slowest carrier relaxation rate of the medium....

  7. THE PARTICIPATION OF THE NITRERGIC PATHWAY IN INCREASED RATE OF TRANSITORY RELAXATION OF LOWER ESOPHAGEAL SPHINCTER INDUCED BY RECTAL DISTENSION IN DOGS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michel Santos PALHETA

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available Context The rectal distension in dogs increases the rate of transitory lower esophageal sphincter relaxation considered the main factor causing gastroesophageal reflux. Objectives The aim of this study was evaluate the participation of the nitrergic pathway in the increased transitory lower esophageal sphincter relaxation rate induced by rectal distension in anesthetized dogs. Methods Male mongrel dogs (n = 21, weighing 10-15 kg, were fasted for 12 hours, with water ad libitum. Thereafter, they were anesthetized (ketamine 10 mg.Kg-1 + xylazine 20 mg.Kg-1, so as to carry out the esophageal motility evaluation protocol during 120 min. After a 30-minute basal period, the animals were randomly intravenous treated whith: saline solution 0.15M (1ml.Kg-1, L-NAME (3 mg.Kg-1, L-NAME (3 mg.Kg-1 + L-Arginine (200 mg.Kg-1, glibenclamide (1 mg.Kg-1 or methylene blue (3 mg.Kg-1. Forty-five min after these pre-treatments, the rectum was distended (rectal distension, 5 mL.Kg-1 or not (control with a latex balloon, with changes in the esophageal motility recorded over 45 min. Data were analyzed using ANOVA followed by Student Newman-Keuls test. Results In comparison to the respective control group, rectal distension induces an increase in transitory lower esophageal sphincter relaxation. Pre-treatment with L-NAME or methylene blue prevents (P<0.05 this phenomenon, which is reversible by L-Arginine plus L-NAME. However, pretreating with glibenclamide failed to abolish this process. Conclusions Therefore, these experiments suggested, that rectal distension increases transitory lower esophageal sphincter relaxation in dogs via through nitrergic pathways.

  8. Constraints on relaxation rates for N-level quantum systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schirmer, S.G.; Solomon, A.I.

    2004-01-01

    We study the constraints imposed on the population and phase relaxation rates by the physical requirement of completely positive evolution for open N-level systems. The Lindblad operators that govern the evolution of the system are expressed in terms of observable relaxation rates, explicit formulas for the decoherence rates due to population relaxation are derived, and it is shown that there are additional, nontrivial constraints on the pure dephasing rates for N>2. Explicit, experimentally testable inequality constraints for the decoherence rates are derived for three- and four-level systems, and the implications of the results are discussed for generic ladder, Λ, and V systems and transitions between degenerate energy levels

  9. Combined Diffusion Tensor Imaging and Apparent Transverse Relaxation Rate Differentiate Parkinson Disease and Atypical Parkinsonism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Du, G; Lewis, M M; Kanekar, S; Sterling, N W; He, L; Kong, L; Li, R; Huang, X

    2017-05-01

    Both diffusion tensor imaging and the apparent transverse relaxation rate have shown promise in differentiating Parkinson disease from atypical parkinsonism (particularly multiple system atrophy and progressive supranuclear palsy). The objective of the study was to assess the ability of DTI, the apparent transverse relaxation rate, and their combination for differentiating Parkinson disease, multiple system atrophy, progressive supranuclear palsy, and controls. A total of 106 subjects (36 controls, 35 patients with Parkinson disease, 16 with multiple system atrophy, and 19 with progressive supranuclear palsy) were included. DTI and the apparent transverse relaxation rate measures from the striatal, midbrain, limbic, and cerebellar regions were obtained and compared among groups. The discrimination performance of DTI and the apparent transverse relaxation rate among groups was assessed by using Elastic-Net machine learning and receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. Compared with controls, patients with Parkinson disease showed significant apparent transverse relaxation rate differences in the red nucleus. Compared to those with Parkinson disease, patients with both multiple system atrophy and progressive supranuclear palsy showed more widespread changes, extending from the midbrain to striatal and cerebellar structures. The pattern of changes, however, was different between the 2 groups. For instance, patients with multiple system atrophy showed decreased fractional anisotropy and an increased apparent transverse relaxation rate in the subthalamic nucleus, whereas patients with progressive supranuclear palsy showed an increased mean diffusivity in the hippocampus. Combined, DTI and the apparent transverse relaxation rate were significantly better than DTI or the apparent transverse relaxation rate alone in separating controls from those with Parkinson disease/multiple system atrophy/progressive supranuclear palsy; controls from those with Parkinson

  10. Wall relaxation rates for an optically pumped NA vapor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Swenson, D.R.; Anderson, L.W.

    1986-01-01

    The wall relaxation rates for an optically pumped Na vapor have been measured for a variety of wall surfaces. We find that fluorocarbon rubber (Fluorel, Viton) and organosilicones (silicone rubber, dry film) at a temperature of 250 C have respectively relaxation rates that correspond on the average to 10 to 15 and 200 to 500 bounces before depolarization occurs. 7 refs., 3 figs

  11. Calculation of nuclear-spin-relaxation rate for spin-polarized atomic hydrogen

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ahn, R.M.C.; Eijnde, J.P.H.W.V.; Verhaar, B.J.

    1983-01-01

    Approximations introduced in previous calculations of spin relaxation for spin-polarized atomic hydrogen are investigated by carrying out a more exact coupled-channel calculation. With the exception of the high-temperature approximation, the approximations turn out to be justified up to the 10 -3 level of accuracy. It is shown that at the lowest temperatures for which experimental data are available, the high-temperature limit underestimates relaxation rates by a factor of up to 2. For a comparison with experimental data it is also of interest to pay attention to the expression for the atomic hydrogen relaxation rates in terms of transition amplitudes for two-particle collisions. Discrepancies by a factor of 2 among previous derivations of relaxation rates are pointed out. To shed light on these discrepancies we present two alternative derivations in which special attention is paid to identical-particle aspects. Comparing with experiment, we find our theoretical volume relaxation rate to be in better agreement with measured values than that obtained by other groups. The theoretical surface relaxation rate, however, still shows a discrepancy with experiment by a factor of order 50

  12. Increased CEST specificity for amide and fast-exchanging amine protons using exchange-dependent relaxation rate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Xiao-Yong; Wang, Feng; Xu, Junzhong; Gochberg, Daniel F; Gore, John C; Zu, Zhongliang

    2018-02-01

    Chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) imaging of amides at 3.5 ppm and fast-exchanging amines at 3 ppm provides a unique means to enhance the sensitivity of detection of, for example, proteins/peptides and neurotransmitters, respectively, and hence can provide important information on molecular composition. However, despite the high sensitivity relative to conventional magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), in practice, CEST often has relatively poor specificity. For example, CEST signals are typically influenced by several confounding effects, including direct water saturation (DS), semi-solid non-specific magnetization transfer (MT), the influence of water relaxation times (T 1w ) and nearby overlapping CEST signals. Although several editing techniques have been developed to increase the specificity by removing DS, semi-solid MT and T 1w influences, it is still challenging to remove overlapping CEST signals from different exchanging sites. For instance, the amide proton transfer (APT) signal could be contaminated by CEST effects from fast-exchanging amines at 3 ppm and intermediate-exchanging amines at 2 ppm. The current work applies an exchange-dependent relaxation rate (R ex ) to address this problem. Simulations demonstrate that: (1) slowly exchanging amides and fast-exchanging amines have distinct dependences on irradiation powers; and (2) R ex serves as a resonance frequency high-pass filter to selectively reduce CEST signals with resonance frequencies closer to water. These characteristics of R ex provide a means to isolate the APT signal from amines. In addition, previous studies have shown that CEST signals from fast-exchanging amines have no distinct features around their resonance frequencies. However, R ex gives Lorentzian lineshapes centered at their resonance frequencies for fast-exchanging amines and thus can significantly increase the specificity of CEST imaging for amides and fast-exchanging amines. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons

  13. Transport and relaxation properties of superfluid 3He. I. Kinetic equation and Bogoliubov quasiparticle relaxation rate

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Einzel, D.; Woelfle, P.

    1978-01-01

    The kinetic equation for Bogoliubov quasiparticles for both the A and B phases of superfluid 3 He is derived from the general matrix kinetic equation. A condensed expression for the exact spin-symmetric collision integral is given. The quasiparticle relaxation rate is calculated for the BW state using the s--p approximation for the quasiparticle scattering amplitude. By using the results for the quasiparticle relaxation rate, the mean free path of Bogoliubov quasiparticles is calculated for all temperatures

  14. Vibrational energy transfer in selectively excited diatomic molecules. [Relaxation rates, self-relaxation, upper limits

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dasch, C.J.

    1978-09-01

    Single rovibrational states of HCl(v=2), HBr(v=2), DCl(v=2), and CO(v=2) were excited with a pulsed optical parametric oscillator (OPO). Total vibrational relaxation rates near - resonance quenchers were measured at 295/sup 0/K using time resolved infrared fluorescence. These rates are attributed primarily to V - V energy transfer, and they generally conform to a simple energy gap law. A small deviation was found for the CO(v) + DCl(v') relaxation rates. Upper limits for the self relaxation by V - R,T of HCl(v=2) and HBr(v=2) and for the two quantum exchange between HCl and HBr were determined. The HF dimer was detected at 295/sup 0/K and 30 torr HF pressure with an optoacoustic spectrometer using the OPO. Pulsed and chopped, resonant and non-resonant spectrophones are analyzed in detail. From experiments and first order perturbation theory, these V - V exchange rates appear to behave as a first order perturbation in the vibrational coordinates. The rotational dynamics are known to be complicated however, and the coupled rotational - vibrational dynamics were investigated theoreticaly in infinite order by the Dillon and Stephenson and the first Magnus approximations. Large ..delta..J transitions appear to be important, but these calculations differ by orders of magnitude on specific rovibrational transition rates. Integration of the time dependent semiclassical equations by a modified Gordon method and a rotationally distorted wave approximation are discussed as methods which would treat the rotational motion more accurately. 225 references.

  15. BREATHING EXERCISE RELAXATION INCREASE PHSYCOLOGICAL RESPONSE PRESCHOOL CHILDREN

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yuni Sufyanti Arief

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Being hospitalize will be made the children become stress. Hospitalization response of the child particularly is afraid sense regard to painfull procedure and increase to attack the invasive procedure. The aimed of this study was to describe the influence of breathing exercise relaxation technique regarded to phsycological receiving responses in the preeliminary school chidren while they were receiving invasive procedure. Method: A quasy experimental purposive sampling design was used in this study. There were 20 respondents who met to the inclusion criteria. The independent variable was the breathing exercise relaxation technique and the dependent variable was phsycological receiving responses. Data for phsylogical response were collected by using observation form then analyzed by using Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test and Mann Whitney U Test with significance level α≤0.05. Result :  The result showed that breathing exercise relaxation technique had significance influence to phsycological response (p=0.000. Discussion: It,s can be concluded that breathing exercise relaxation technique has an effect to increase pshycological response in preeliminary school children who received invasive procedure.

  16. Relaxation rates of low-field gas-phase ^129Xe storage cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Limes, Mark; Saam, Brian

    2010-10-01

    A study of longitudinal nuclear relaxation rates T1 of ^129Xe and Xe-N2 mixtures in a magnetic field of 3.8 mT is presented. In this regime, intrinsic spin relaxation is dominated by the intramolecular spin-rotation interaction due to persistent xenon dimers, a mechanism that can be quelled by introducing large amounts of N2 into the storage cell. Extrinsic spin relaxation is dominated by the wall-relaxation rate, which is the primary quantity of interest for the various low-field storage cells and coatings that we have tested. Previous group work has shown that extremely long gas-phase relaxation times T1 can be obtained, but only at large magnetic fields and low xenon densities. The current work is motivated by the practical benefits of retaining hyperpolarized ^129Xe for extended periods of time in a small magnetic field.

  17. Characterization of the transverse relaxation rates in lipid bilayers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Watnick, P.I.; Dea, P.; Chan, S.I.

    1990-01-01

    The 2H NMR transverse relaxation rates of a deuterated phospholipid bilayer reflect slow motions in the bilayer membrane. A study of dimyristoyl lecithin specifically deuterated at several positions of the hydrocarbon chains indicates that these motions are cooperative and are confined to the hydrocarbon chains of the lipid bilayer. However, lipid head group interactions do play an important role in modulating the properties of the cooperative fluctuations of the hydrocarbon chains (director fluctuations), as evidenced by the effects of various lipid additives on the 2H NMR transverse relaxation rates of the dimyristoyl lecithin bilayer

  18. The effect of relaxing music on heart rate and heart rate variability during ECG GATED-myocardial perfusion scintigraphy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tan, Yusuf Ziya; Ozdemir, Semra; Temiz, Ahmet; Celik, Fatmanur

    2015-05-01

    The positive changes in human behavior caused by relaxing music demonstrate the psychological effect of music on human body. A meta-analytical study has shown that relaxing music affects blood pressure and heart rate in coronary heart patients and cancer patients. The aim of our study is to research whether there is a significant effect on heart rate and heart rate variability due to listening to relaxing music during ECG GATED MPS imaging under gamma camera. The music group (n = 50 patients) could choose from 15 different musical types including folk music (no lyric). The other 50 patients were placed in a "no music group" and did not get headphones or any music. There was a statistically significant reduction in the heart rate of patients in the music group compared to those in the control group. Relaxing music provides great benefits to both patient and clinician. There is close relationship between relaxing music and health procedure, can use every area of the health noninvasiv, safe, cheap and is a method don't have side effect. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Cross relaxation in nitroxide spin labels

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Marsh, Derek

    2016-01-01

    Cross relaxation, and mI-dependence of the intrinsic electron spin-lattice relaxation rate We, are incorporated explicitly into the rate equations for the electron-spin population differences that govern the saturation behaviour of 14N- and 15N-nitroxide spin labels. Both prove important in spin......-label EPR and ELDOR, particularly for saturation recovery studies. Neither for saturation recovery, nor for CW-saturation EPR and CW-ELDOR, can cross relaxation be described simply by increasing the value of We, the intrinsic spin-lattice relaxation rate. Independence of the saturation recovery rates from...... the hyperfine line pumped or observed follows directly from solution of the rate equations including cross relaxation, even when the intrinsic spin-lattice relaxation rate We is mI-dependent....

  20. Characterization of strain rate sensitivity and activation volume using the indentation relaxation test

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xu Baoxing; Chen Xi; Yue Zhufeng

    2010-01-01

    We present the possibility of extracting the strain rate sensitivity, activation volume and Helmholtz free energy (for dislocation activation) using just one indentation stress relaxation test, and the approach is demonstrated with polycrystalline copper. The Helmholtz free energy measured from indentation relaxation agrees well with that from the conventional compression relaxation test, which validates the proposed approach. From the indentation relaxation test, the measured indentation strain rate sensitivity exponent is found to be slightly larger, and the indentation activation volume much smaller, than their counterparts from the compression test. The results indicate the involvement of multiple dislocation mechanisms in the indentation test.

  1. Correlated and uncorrelated heart rate fluctuations during relaxing visualization

    Science.gov (United States)

    Papasimakis, N.; Pallikari, F.

    2010-05-01

    The heart rate variability (HRV) of healthy subjects practicing relaxing visualization is studied by use of three multiscale analysis techniques: the detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA), the entropy in natural time (ENT) and the average wavelet (AWC) coefficient. The scaling exponent of normal interbeat interval increments exhibits characteristics of the presence of long-range correlations. During relaxing visualization the HRV dynamics change in the sense that two new features emerge independent of each other: a respiration-induced periodicity that often dominates the HRV at short scales (sleep.

  2. Frequency and Temperature Dependence of Anharmonic Phonon Relaxation Rate in Carbon Nanotubes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hepplestone, S P; Srivastava, G P

    2007-01-01

    The relaxation rate of phonon modes in the (10, 10) single wall carbon nanotube undergoing three-phonon interactions at various temperatures has been studied using both qualitative and quantitative approaches based upon Fermi's Golden Rule and a quasi-elastic continuum model for the anharmonic potential. For the quantitative calculations, dispersion relations for the phonon modes were obtained from analytic expressions developed by Zhang et al. The qualitative expressions were derived using simple linear phonon dispersions relations. We show that in the high temperature regime the relaxation rate varies linearly with temperature and with the square of the frequency. In the low temperature regime we show that the relaxation rate varies exponentially with the inverse of temperature. These results have some very interesting implifications for effects for mean free path and thermal conductivity calculations

  3. Time-Dependent Behaviors of Granite: Loading-Rate Dependence, Creep, and Relaxation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hashiba, K.; Fukui, K.

    2016-07-01

    To assess the long-term stability of underground structures, it is important to understand the time-dependent behaviors of rocks, such as their loading-rate dependence, creep, and relaxation. However, there have been fewer studies on crystalline rocks than on tuff, mudstone, and rock salt, because the high strength of crystalline rocks makes the detection of their time-dependent behaviors much more difficult. Moreover, studies on the relaxation, temporal change of stress and strain (TCSS) conditions, and relations between various time-dependent behaviors are scarce for not only granites, but also other rocks. In this study, previous reports on the time-dependent behaviors of granites were reviewed and various laboratory tests were conducted using Toki granite. These tests included an alternating-loading-rate test, creep test, relaxation test, and TCSS test. The results showed that the degree of time dependence of Toki granite is similar to other granites, and that the TCSS resembles the stress-relaxation curve and creep-strain curve. A viscoelastic constitutive model, proposed in a previous study, was modified to investigate the relations between the time-dependent behaviors in the pre- and post-peak regions. The modified model reproduced the stress-strain curve, creep, relaxation, and the results of the TCSS test. Based on a comparison of the results of the laboratory tests and numerical simulations, close relations between the time-dependent behaviors were revealed quantitatively.

  4. Spin fluctuations in iron based superconductors probed by NMR relaxation rate

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Graefe, Uwe; Kuehne, Tim; Wurmehl, Sabine; Buechner, Bernd; Grafe, Hans-Joachim [IFW Dresden, Institute for Solid State Research, PF 270116, 01171 Dresden (Germany); Hammerath, Franziska [IFW Dresden, Institute for Solid State Research, PF 270116, 01171 Dresden (Germany); Department of Physics ' ' A. Volta' ' , University of Pavia-CNISM, I-27100 Pavia (Italy); Lang, Guillaume [3LPEM-UPR5, CNRS, ESPCI Paris Tech, 10 Rue Vauquelin, 75005 Paris (France)

    2013-07-01

    We present {sup 75}As nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) results in F doped LaOFeAs iron pnictides. In the underdoped superconducting samples, pronounced spin fluctuations lead to a peak in the NMR spin lattice relaxation rate, (T{sub 1}T){sup -1}. The peak shows a typical field dependence that indicates a critical slowing of spin fluctuations: it is reduced in height and shifted to higher temperatures. In contrast, a similar peak in the underdoped magnetic samples at the ordering temperature of the spin density wave does not show such a field dependence. Furthermore, the peak is absent in optimally and overdoped samples, suggesting the absence of strong spin fluctuations. Our results indicate a glassy magnetic ordering in the underdoped samples that is in contrast to the often reported Curie Weiss like increase of spin fluctuations towards T{sub c}. Additional measurements of the linewidth and the spin spin relaxation rate are in agreement with such a glassy magnetic ordering that is most likely competing with superconductivity. Our results will be compared to Co doped BaFe{sub 2}As{sub 2}, where a similar peak in (T{sub 1}T){sup -1} has been observed.

  5. Randomized controlled trial of relaxation music to reduce heart rate in patients undergoing cardiac CT.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ng, Ming Yen; Karimzad, Yasser; Menezes, Ravi J; Wintersperger, Bernd J; Li, Qin; Forero, Julian; Paul, Narinder S; Nguyen, Elsie T

    2016-10-01

    To evaluate the heart rate lowering effect of relaxation music in patients undergoing coronary CT angiography (CCTA), pulmonary vein CT (PVCT) and coronary calcium score CT (CCS). Patients were randomised to a control group (i.e. standard of care protocol) or to a relaxation music group (ie. standard of care protocol with music). The groups were compared for heart rate, radiation dose, image quality and dose of IV metoprolol. Both groups completed State-Trait Anxiety Inventory anxiety questionnaires to assess patient experience. One hundred and ninety-seven patients were recruited (61.9 % males); mean age 56y (19-86 y); 127 CCTA, 17 PVCT, 53 CCS. No significant difference in heart rate, radiation dose, image quality, metoprolol dose and anxiety scores. 86 % of patients enjoyed the music. 90 % of patients in the music group expressed a strong preference to have music for future examinations. The patient cohort demonstrated low anxiety levels prior to CT. Relaxation music in CCTA, PVCT and CCS does not reduce heart rate or IV metoprolol use. Patients showed low levels of anxiety indicating that anxiolytics may not have a significant role in lowering heart rate. Music can be used in cardiac CT to improve patient experience. • Relaxation music does not reduce heart rate in cardiac CT • Relaxation music does not reduce beta-blocker use in cardiac CT • Relaxation music has no effect on cardiac CT image quality • Low levels of anxiety are present in patients prior to cardiac CT • Patients enjoyed the relaxation music and this results in improved patient experience.

  6. Relaxation rates of gene expression kinetics reveal the feedback signs of autoregulatory gene networks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jia, Chen; Qian, Hong; Chen, Min; Zhang, Michael Q.

    2018-03-01

    The transient response to a stimulus and subsequent recovery to a steady state are the fundamental characteristics of a living organism. Here we study the relaxation kinetics of autoregulatory gene networks based on the chemical master equation model of single-cell stochastic gene expression with nonlinear feedback regulation. We report a novel relation between the rate of relaxation, characterized by the spectral gap of the Markov model, and the feedback sign of the underlying gene circuit. When a network has no feedback, the relaxation rate is exactly the decaying rate of the protein. We further show that positive feedback always slows down the relaxation kinetics while negative feedback always speeds it up. Numerical simulations demonstrate that this relation provides a possible method to infer the feedback topology of autoregulatory gene networks by using time-series data of gene expression.

  7. Dual-resonances approach to broadband cavity-assisted optical signal processing beyond the carrier relaxation rate

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Heuck, Mikkel; Kristensen, Philip Trøst; Mørk, Jesper

    2014-01-01

    We propose and analyze a differential control scheme for cavity-enhanced optical signal processing devices based on carrier nonlinearities. The scheme relies on two optical cavities to increase the bandwidth beyond the limit given by the slowest carrier relaxation rate of the medium. Practical...

  8. Cross-correlated relaxation rates between protein backbone H–X dipolar interactions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vögeli, Beat

    2017-01-01

    The relaxation interference between dipole–dipole interactions of two separate spin pairs carries structural and dynamics information. In particular, when compared to individual dynamic behavior of those spin pairs, such cross-correlated relaxation (CCR) rates report on the correlation between the spin pairs. We have recently mapped out correlated motion along the backbone of the protein GB3, using CCR rates among and between consecutive H N –N and H α –C α dipole–dipole interactions. Here, we provide a detailed account of the measurement of the four types of CCR rates. All rates were obtained from at least two different pulse sequences, of which the yet unpublished ones are presented. Detailed comparisons between the different methods and corrections for unwanted pathways demonstrate that the averaged CCR rates are highly accurate and precise with errors of 1.5–3% of the entire value ranges.

  9. Cross-correlated relaxation rates between protein backbone H–X dipolar interactions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Vögeli, Beat, E-mail: beat.vogeli@ucdenver.edu [University of Colorado Denver, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics (United States)

    2017-03-15

    The relaxation interference between dipole–dipole interactions of two separate spin pairs carries structural and dynamics information. In particular, when compared to individual dynamic behavior of those spin pairs, such cross-correlated relaxation (CCR) rates report on the correlation between the spin pairs. We have recently mapped out correlated motion along the backbone of the protein GB3, using CCR rates among and between consecutive H{sup N}–N and H{sup α}–C{sup α} dipole–dipole interactions. Here, we provide a detailed account of the measurement of the four types of CCR rates. All rates were obtained from at least two different pulse sequences, of which the yet unpublished ones are presented. Detailed comparisons between the different methods and corrections for unwanted pathways demonstrate that the averaged CCR rates are highly accurate and precise with errors of 1.5–3% of the entire value ranges.

  10. [Effects of Monochord Music on Heart Rate Variability and Self-Reports of Relaxation in Healthy Adults].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gäbel, Christine; Garrido, Natalia; Koenig, Julian; Hillecke, Thomas Karl; Warth, Marco

    Music-based interventions are considered an effective and low-cost treatment option for stress-related symptoms. The present study aimed to examine the trajectories of the psychophysiological response in apparently healthy participants during a music-based relaxation intervention compared to a verbal relaxation exercise. 70 participants were assigned to either receptive live music (experimental group) or a prerecorded verbal relaxation exercise (control group). Self-ratings of relaxation were assessed before and after each intervention on visual analogue scales and the Relaxation Inventory (RI). The heart rate variability (HRV) was continuously recorded throughout the sessions. Statistical analysis focused on HRV parameters indicative of parasympathetic cardiovascular outflow. We found significant quadratic main effects for time on the mean R-R interval (heart rate), the high-frequency power of HRV (indicative of parasympathetic activity), and the self-ratings of relaxation in both groups. A significant group × time interaction was observed for the cognitive tension subscale of the RI. Participants in both groups showed psychophysiological changes indicative of greater relaxation over the course of the interventions. However, differences between groups were only marginal. Music might be effective in relieving stress and promoting relaxation by altering the autonomic nervous system function. Future studies need to explore the long-term outcomes of such interventions. © 2017 S. Karger GmbH, Freiburg.

  11. Stress relaxation under cyclic electron irradiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bystrov, L.N.; Reznitskij, M.E.

    1990-01-01

    The kinetics of deformation process in a relaxating sample under 2 MeV electron cyclic irradiation was studied experimentally. The Al-Mg alloys with controllable and different (in dislocation density precipitate presence and their character) structure were used in experiments. It was established that after the beam was switched on the deformation rate increased sharply and then, during prolonged irradiation, in a gradual manner. After the switching-off the relaxation rate decreases by jumps up to values close to extrapolated rates of pre-radiation relaxation. The exhibition of these effects with radiation switching-off and switchin-on is dependent on the initial rate of thermal relaxation, the test temperature, the preliminary cold deformation and the dominating deformation dislocation mechanism. The preliminary cold deformation and test temperature elevation slightly decrease the effect of instantaneous relaxation acceleration with the irradiation switch-on. 17 refs., 5 figs

  12. THE BENEFICIENCE OF RELIGIOUS RELAXATION: DZIKIR TO INCREASE PHSYCOLOGICAL WELLNESS OF ELDER

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ah. Yusuf

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Psychological well-being is one of an important part on the positive aging process for elderly. Many older people face stressful situation such as death of family, deterioration of health, decrease of physical ability and psychological problem like loneliness, low self esteem, useless, isolation or difficulty in relationship. Religious relaxation: dzikir is one of the group therapy to fill up psychological necessary by filled up spiritual necessary so they could say thanks to God for everything what they have had now. The aimed of this study was to analyze the effect of religious relaxation: dzikir to increase the level of psychological well being of the elderly. Method: This study was used a quasy experimental pre post test design. There were 20 respondents which taken by using purposive sampling. The independent variable was religious relaxation: dzikir and the dependent variable was elderly psychological well being. Data were analyzed by using Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test and Mann Whitney U-Test with significance level a≤0.05. Result: The result showed that religious relaxation: dzikir has an effect on increasing the level of psychological well being of the elderly with Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test p=0.004 in treatment group, p=1.000 in control group and the result of Mann Whitney U-Test revealed p=0.000. Discussion: It can be concluded that religious relaxation: dzikir can increase psychological well-being. Religious relaxation: dzikir help the elderly to develop self acceptance, autonomy, positive relation with others, environmental mastery, purposive in life and personal growth. Researcher suggests the institutional to practice relaxation religious: dzikir to help elderly people to raise psychological well-being.

  13. Spin relaxation rates in quantum dots: Role of the phonon modulated spin orbit interaction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alcalde, A. M.; Romano, C. L.; Marques, G. E.

    2008-11-01

    We calculate the spin relaxation rates in InAs and GaAs parabolic quantum dots due to the interaction of spin carriers with acoustical phonons. We consider a spin relaxation mechanism completely intrinsic to the system, since it is based on the modulation of the spin-orbit interaction by the acoustic phonon potential, which is independent of any structural properties of the confinement potential. The electron-phonon deformation potential and the piezoelectric interaction are described by the Pavlov-Firsov spin-phonon Hamiltonian. Our results demonstrate that, for narrow-gap semiconductors, the deformation potential interaction becomes dominant. This behavior is not observed for wide or intermediate gap semiconductors, where the piezoelectric coupling, in general, governs the relaxation processes. We also demonstrate that the spin relaxation rates are particularly sensitive to values of the Landé g-factor, which depend strongly on the spatial shape of the confinement.

  14. Increase in salivary oxytocin and decrease in salivary cortisol after listening to relaxing slow-tempo and exciting fast-tempo music.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yuuki Ooishi

    Full Text Available Relaxation and excitation are components of the effects of music listening. The tempo of music is often considered a critical factor when determining these effects: listening to slow-tempo and fast-tempo music elicits relaxation and excitation, respectively. However, the chemical bases that underlie these relaxation and excitation effects remain unclear. Since parasympathetic and sympathetic nerve activities are facilitated by oxytocin and glucocorticoid, respectively, we hypothesized that listening to relaxing slow-tempo and exciting fast-tempo music is accompanied by increases in the oxytocin and cortisol levels, respectively. We evaluated the change in the salivary oxytocin and cortisol levels of participants listening to slow-tempo and fast-tempo music sequences. We measured the heart rate (HR and calculated the heart rate variability (HRV to evaluate the strength of autonomic nerve activity. After listening to a music sequence, the participants rated their arousal and valence levels. We found that both the salivary oxytocin concentration and the high frequency component of the HRV (HF increased and the HR decreased when a slow-tempo music sequence was presented. The salivary cortisol level decreased and the low frequency of the HRV (LF to HF ratio (LF/HF increased when a fast-tempo music sequence was presented. The ratio of the change in the oxytocin level was correlated with the change in HF, LF/HF and HR, whereas that in the cortisol level did not show any correlation with indices of autonomic nerve activity. There was no correlation between the change in oxytocin level and self-reported emotions, while the change in cortisol level correlated with the arousal level. These findings suggest that listening to slow-tempo and fast-tempo music is accompanied by an increase in the oxytocin level and a decrease in the cortisol level, respectively, and imply that such music listening-related changes in oxytocin and cortisol are involved in

  15. Increase in salivary oxytocin and decrease in salivary cortisol after listening to relaxing slow-tempo and exciting fast-tempo music

    Science.gov (United States)

    Watanabe, Ken; Kawato, Suguru; Kashino, Makio

    2017-01-01

    Relaxation and excitation are components of the effects of music listening. The tempo of music is often considered a critical factor when determining these effects: listening to slow-tempo and fast-tempo music elicits relaxation and excitation, respectively. However, the chemical bases that underlie these relaxation and excitation effects remain unclear. Since parasympathetic and sympathetic nerve activities are facilitated by oxytocin and glucocorticoid, respectively, we hypothesized that listening to relaxing slow-tempo and exciting fast-tempo music is accompanied by increases in the oxytocin and cortisol levels, respectively. We evaluated the change in the salivary oxytocin and cortisol levels of participants listening to slow-tempo and fast-tempo music sequences. We measured the heart rate (HR) and calculated the heart rate variability (HRV) to evaluate the strength of autonomic nerve activity. After listening to a music sequence, the participants rated their arousal and valence levels. We found that both the salivary oxytocin concentration and the high frequency component of the HRV (HF) increased and the HR decreased when a slow-tempo music sequence was presented. The salivary cortisol level decreased and the low frequency of the HRV (LF) to HF ratio (LF/HF) increased when a fast-tempo music sequence was presented. The ratio of the change in the oxytocin level was correlated with the change in HF, LF/HF and HR, whereas that in the cortisol level did not show any correlation with indices of autonomic nerve activity. There was no correlation between the change in oxytocin level and self-reported emotions, while the change in cortisol level correlated with the arousal level. These findings suggest that listening to slow-tempo and fast-tempo music is accompanied by an increase in the oxytocin level and a decrease in the cortisol level, respectively, and imply that such music listening-related changes in oxytocin and cortisol are involved in physiological

  16. Increase in salivary oxytocin and decrease in salivary cortisol after listening to relaxing slow-tempo and exciting fast-tempo music.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ooishi, Yuuki; Mukai, Hideo; Watanabe, Ken; Kawato, Suguru; Kashino, Makio

    2017-01-01

    Relaxation and excitation are components of the effects of music listening. The tempo of music is often considered a critical factor when determining these effects: listening to slow-tempo and fast-tempo music elicits relaxation and excitation, respectively. However, the chemical bases that underlie these relaxation and excitation effects remain unclear. Since parasympathetic and sympathetic nerve activities are facilitated by oxytocin and glucocorticoid, respectively, we hypothesized that listening to relaxing slow-tempo and exciting fast-tempo music is accompanied by increases in the oxytocin and cortisol levels, respectively. We evaluated the change in the salivary oxytocin and cortisol levels of participants listening to slow-tempo and fast-tempo music sequences. We measured the heart rate (HR) and calculated the heart rate variability (HRV) to evaluate the strength of autonomic nerve activity. After listening to a music sequence, the participants rated their arousal and valence levels. We found that both the salivary oxytocin concentration and the high frequency component of the HRV (HF) increased and the HR decreased when a slow-tempo music sequence was presented. The salivary cortisol level decreased and the low frequency of the HRV (LF) to HF ratio (LF/HF) increased when a fast-tempo music sequence was presented. The ratio of the change in the oxytocin level was correlated with the change in HF, LF/HF and HR, whereas that in the cortisol level did not show any correlation with indices of autonomic nerve activity. There was no correlation between the change in oxytocin level and self-reported emotions, while the change in cortisol level correlated with the arousal level. These findings suggest that listening to slow-tempo and fast-tempo music is accompanied by an increase in the oxytocin level and a decrease in the cortisol level, respectively, and imply that such music listening-related changes in oxytocin and cortisol are involved in physiological

  17. Excited-state relaxation of some aminoquinolines

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    2006-01-01

    Full Text Available The absorption and fluorescence spectra, fluorescence quantum yields and lifetimes, and fluorescence rate constants ( k f of 2-amino-3-( 2 ′ -benzoxazolylquinoline (I, 2-amino-3-( 2 ′ -benzothiazolylquinoline (II, 2-amino-3-( 2 ′ -methoxybenzothiazolyl-quinoline (III, 2-amino-3-( 2 ′ -benzothiazolylbenzoquinoline (IV at different temperatures have been measured. The shortwavelength shift of fluorescence spectra of compounds studied (23–49 nm in ethanol as the temperature decreases (the solvent viscosity increases points out that the excited-state relaxation process takes place. The rate of this process depends essentially on the solvent viscosity, but not the solvent polarity. The essential increasing of fluorescence rate constant k f (up to about 7 times as the solvent viscosity increases proves the existence of excited-state structural relaxation consisting in the mutual internal rotation of molecular fragments of aminoquinolines studied, followed by the solvent orientational relaxation.

  18. The laser second threshold: Its exact analytical dependence on detuning and relaxation rates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bakasov, A.A.; Abraham, N.B.

    1992-11-01

    An exact analysis has been carried out for general analytical expressions for the second threshold of a single-mode homogeneously broadened laser and for the initial pulsation frequency at the second threshold for arbitrary physical values of the relaxation rates, and at arbitrary detuning between the cavity frequency and the atomic resonance frequency. These expressions also give correspondingly exact forms for asymptotic cases that have previously studied with some approximations. Earlier approximate results are partly confirmed and partly improved by these more general expressions. The physical status of various expressions and approximations is re-considered and specified more clearly, including an analysis of which reasonably can be attained in lasers or masers. A general analytical proof is given that for larger detuning of the laser cavity from resonance a higher value of the laser excitation is required to destabilize the steady state solution (the second threshold). We also present results for the minimum value of the second threshold at fixed detuning as a function of the other parameters of the system and on the dependence of the ratio of the second threshold to the first threshold as a function of detuning. Minima of the second threshold and of the threshold ratio occur only if the population relaxation rate is equal to zero. The minima of the threshold ratio are shown to be bounded from above as well as from below (as functions of the relaxation rates, so long as the second threshold exists). The upper bound on the threshold ratio is equal to 17. The variation of the second threshold in the semi-infinite parameter space of the decay rates is shown at various detunings in plots with a finite domain by normalizing the material relaxation rates to the cavity decay rate. (author). 53 refs, 22 figs, 3 tabs

  19. Strain Rate Dependence of Compressive Yield and Relaxation in DGEBA Epoxies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arechederra, Gabriel K.; Reprogle, Riley C.; Clarkson, Caitlyn M.; McCoy, John D.; Kropka, Jamie M.; Long, Kevin N.; Chambers, Robert S.

    2015-03-01

    The mechanical response in uniaxial compression of two diglycidyl ether of bisphenol-A epoxies were studied. These were 828DEA (Epon 828 cured with diethanolamine (DEA)) and 828T403 (Epon 828 cured with Jeffamine T-403). Two types of uniaxial compression tests were performed: A) constant strain rate compression and B) constant strain rate compression followed by a constant strain relaxation. The peak (yield) stress was analyzed as a function of strain rate from Eyring theory for activation volume. Runs at different temperatures permitted the construction of a mastercurve, and the resulting shift factors resulted in an activation energy. Strain and hold tests were performed for a low strain rate where a peak stress was lacking and for a higher strain rate where the peak stress was apparent. Relaxation from strains at different places along the stress-strain curve was tracked and compared. Sandia National Laboratories is a multi-program laboratory managed and operated by Sandia Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lockheed Martin Corporation, for the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-AC04-94AL85000.

  20. A study on the influence of fast amide exchange on the accuracy of (15)N relaxation rate constants.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jurt, Simon; Zerbe, Oliver

    2012-12-01

    (15)N relaxation rates of amide moieties provide insight both into global as well as local backbone dynamics of peptides and proteins. As the differences in the relaxation rates in general are small, their accurate determination is of prime importance. One potential source of error is fast amide exchange. It is well known that in its presence the effects of saturation transfer and H/D exchange may result in erroneous apparent relaxation rates R (1) and R (2). Here, the extent of these errors is rigorously examined. Theoretical considerations reveal that even when saturation effects are absent, H/D exchange will easily result in significant deviations from the true values. In particular overestimations of up to 10 % in R (1) and up to 5 % in R (2) are observed. An alternative scheme for fitting the relaxation data to the corresponding exponentials is presented that in the best cases not only delivers more accurate relaxation rates but also allows extracting estimates for the exchange rates. The theoretical computations were tested and verified for the case of ubiquitin.

  1. A study on the influence of fast amide exchange on the accuracy of 15N relaxation rate constants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jurt, Simon; Zerbe, Oliver

    2012-01-01

    15 N relaxation rates of amide moieties provide insight both into global as well as local backbone dynamics of peptides and proteins. As the differences in the relaxation rates in general are small, their accurate determination is of prime importance. One potential source of error is fast amide exchange. It is well known that in its presence the effects of saturation transfer and H/D exchange may result in erroneous apparent relaxation rates R 1 and R 2 . Here, the extent of these errors is rigorously examined. Theoretical considerations reveal that even when saturation effects are absent, H/D exchange will easily result in significant deviations from the true values. In particular overestimations of up to 10 % in R 1 and up to 5 % in R 2 are observed. An alternative scheme for fitting the relaxation data to the corresponding exponentials is presented that in the best cases not only delivers more accurate relaxation rates but also allows extracting estimates for the exchange rates. The theoretical computations were tested and verified for the case of ubiquitin.

  2. Vibrational relaxation of matrix-isolated CH3F and HCl

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Young, L.

    1981-08-01

    Kinetic and spectroscopic studies have been performed on CH 3 F and HCl as a function of host matrix and temperature. Temporally and spectrally resolved infrared fluorescence was used to monitor the populations of both the initially excited state and the lower lying levels which participate in the relaxation process. For CH 3 F, relaxation from any of the levels near 3.5 μ, i.e. the CH stretching fundamentals or bend overtones, occurs via rapid ( 3 with subsequent relaxation of the ν 3 (CF stretch) manifold. Lifetimes of 2ν 3 and ν 3 were determined through overtone, ΔV = 2, and fundamental fluorescence. These lifetimes show a dramatic dependence on host lattice, an increase of two orders of magnitude in going from Xe and Ar matrices. Lifetimes depend only weakly on temperature. The relaxation of 2ν 3 and ν 3 is consistent with a model in which production of a highly rotationally excited guest via collisions with the repulsive wall of the host is the rate limiting step. For HCl, lifetimes of v = 1,2,3 have been determined. In all hosts, the relaxation is non-radiative. For a given vibrational state, v, the relaxation rate increases in the series k(Ar) < k(Kr) < k(Xe). The dependence of the relaxation rate; on v is superlinear in all matrices, the deviation from linearity increasng in the order Ar < Kr < Xe. The relaxation rates become more strongly temperature dependent with increasing vibrational excitation. The results are consistent with a mechanism in which complex formation introduces the anisotropy necessary to induce a near resonant V → R transition in the rate limiting step

  3. Realization of a scenario with two relaxation rates in the Hubbard Falicov-Kimball model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barman, H.; Laad, M. S.; Hassan, S. R.

    2018-02-01

    A single transport relaxation rate governs the decay of both longitudinal and Hall currents in Landau Fermi liquids (FL). Breakdown of this fundamental feature, first observed in two-dimensional cuprates and subsequently in other three-dimensional correlated systems close to the Mott metal-insulator transition, played a pivotal role in emergence of a non-FL (NFL) paradigm in higher dimensions D (>1 ) . Motivated hereby, we explore the emergence of this "two relaxation rates" scenario in the Hubbard Falicov-Kimball model (HFKM) using the dynamical mean-field theory (DMFT). Specializing to D =3 , we find, beyond a critical Falicov-Kimball (FK) interaction, that two distinct relaxation rates governing distinct temperature (T ) dependence of the longitudinal and Hall currents naturally emerges in the NFL metal. Our results show good accord with the experiment in V2 -yO3 near the metal-to-insulator transition (MIT). We rationalize this surprising finding by an analytical analysis of the structure of charge and spin Hamiltonians in the underlying impurity problem, specifically through a bosonization method applied to the Wolff model and connecting it to the x-ray edge problem.

  4. Is meditation always relaxing? Investigating heart rate, heart rate variability, experienced effort and likeability during training of three types of meditation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lumma, Anna-Lena; Kok, Bethany E; Singer, Tania

    2015-07-01

    Meditation is often associated with a relaxed state of the body. However, meditation can also be regarded as a type of mental task and training, associated with mental effort and physiological arousal. The cardiovascular effects of meditation may vary depending on the type of meditation, degree of mental effort, and amount of training. In the current study we assessed heart rate (HR), high-frequency heart rate variability (HF-HRV) and subjective ratings of effort and likeability during three types of meditation varying in their cognitive and attentional requirements, namely breathing meditation, loving-kindness meditation and observing-thoughts meditation. In the context of the ReSource project, a one-year longitudinal mental training study, participants practiced each meditation exercise on a daily basis for 3 months. As expected HR and effort were higher during loving-kindness meditation and observing-thoughts meditation compared to breathing meditation. With training over time HR and likeability increased, while HF-HRV and the subjective experience of effort decreased. The increase in HR and decrease in HF-HRV over training was higher for loving-kindness meditation and observing-thoughts meditation compared to breathing meditation. In contrast to implicit beliefs that meditation is always relaxing and associated with low arousal, the current results show that core meditations aiming at improving compassion and meta-cognitive skills require effort and are associated with physiological arousal compared to breathing meditation. Overall these findings can be useful in making more specific suggestions about which type of meditation is most adaptive for a given context and population. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. Randomized controlled trial of relaxation music to reduce heart rate in patients undergoing cardiac CT

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ng, Ming Yen [University of Toronto, Department of Medical Imaging, Toronto General Hospital, Toronto, ON (Canada); The University of Hong Kong, Queen Mary Hospital, Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Hong Kong (China); Karimzad, Yasser; Menezes, Ravi J.; Wintersperger, Bernd J.; Li, Qin; Forero, Julian; Paul, Narinder S.; Nguyen, Elsie T. [University of Toronto, Department of Medical Imaging, Toronto General Hospital, Toronto, ON (Canada)

    2016-10-15

    To evaluate the heart rate lowering effect of relaxation music in patients undergoing coronary CT angiography (CCTA), pulmonary vein CT (PVCT) and coronary calcium score CT (CCS). Patients were randomised to a control group (i.e. standard of care protocol) or to a relaxation music group (ie. standard of care protocol with music). The groups were compared for heart rate, radiation dose, image quality and dose of IV metoprolol. Both groups completed State-Trait Anxiety Inventory anxiety questionnaires to assess patient experience. One hundred and ninety-seven patients were recruited (61.9 % males); mean age 56y (19-86 y); 127 CCTA, 17 PVCT, 53 CCS. No significant difference in heart rate, radiation dose, image quality, metoprolol dose and anxiety scores. 86 % of patients enjoyed the music. 90 % of patients in the music group expressed a strong preference to have music for future examinations. The patient cohort demonstrated low anxiety levels prior to CT. Relaxation music in CCTA, PVCT and CCS does not reduce heart rate or IV metoprolol use. Patients showed low levels of anxiety indicating that anxiolytics may not have a significant role in lowering heart rate. Music can be used in cardiac CT to improve patient experience. (orig.)

  6. Randomized controlled trial of relaxation music to reduce heart rate in patients undergoing cardiac CT

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ng, Ming Yen; Karimzad, Yasser; Menezes, Ravi J.; Wintersperger, Bernd J.; Li, Qin; Forero, Julian; Paul, Narinder S.; Nguyen, Elsie T.

    2016-01-01

    To evaluate the heart rate lowering effect of relaxation music in patients undergoing coronary CT angiography (CCTA), pulmonary vein CT (PVCT) and coronary calcium score CT (CCS). Patients were randomised to a control group (i.e. standard of care protocol) or to a relaxation music group (ie. standard of care protocol with music). The groups were compared for heart rate, radiation dose, image quality and dose of IV metoprolol. Both groups completed State-Trait Anxiety Inventory anxiety questionnaires to assess patient experience. One hundred and ninety-seven patients were recruited (61.9 % males); mean age 56y (19-86 y); 127 CCTA, 17 PVCT, 53 CCS. No significant difference in heart rate, radiation dose, image quality, metoprolol dose and anxiety scores. 86 % of patients enjoyed the music. 90 % of patients in the music group expressed a strong preference to have music for future examinations. The patient cohort demonstrated low anxiety levels prior to CT. Relaxation music in CCTA, PVCT and CCS does not reduce heart rate or IV metoprolol use. Patients showed low levels of anxiety indicating that anxiolytics may not have a significant role in lowering heart rate. Music can be used in cardiac CT to improve patient experience. (orig.)

  7. Low-Dimensional Nanoparticle Clustering in Polymer Micelles and Their Transverse Relaxivity Rates

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hickey, Robert J.; Meng, Xin; Zhang, Peijun; Park, So-Jung

    2015-01-01

    One- or two-dimensional arrays of iron oxide nanoparticles were formed in colloidal assemblies of amphiphilic polymers. Electron tomography imaging revealed that nanoparticles are arranged into one-dimensional strings in magneto-micelles or two-dimensional sheets in magneto-core/shell assemblies. The distinct directional assembly behavior was attributed to the interparticle interaction relative to the nanoparticle–polymer interaction, which was modulated by varying the cosolvent used for the solution phase self-assembly. Magneto-core/shell assemblies with varying structural parameters were formed with a range of different sized as-synthesized nanoparticles. The transverse magnetic relaxivity rates (r2) of a series of different assemblies were determined to examine the effect of nanoparticle arrangement on the magnetic relaxivity for their potential applications in MRI. The results indicated that the assembly structure of nanoparticles in polymer micelles significantly affects the r2 of surrounding water, providing a way to control magnetic relaxivity. PMID:23731021

  8. Ovariectomy increases the participation of hyperpolarizing mechanisms in the relaxation of rat aorta.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ana Sagredo

    Full Text Available This study examines the downstream NO release pathway and the contribution of different vasodilator mediators in the acetylcholine-induced response in rat aorta 5-months after the loss of ovarian function. Aortic segments from ovariectomized and control female Sprague-Dawley rats were used to measure: the levels of superoxide anion, the superoxide dismutases (SODs activity, the cGMP formation, the cGMP-dependent protein kinase (PKG activity and the involvement of NO, cGMP, hydrogen peroxide and hyperpolarizing mechanisms in the ACh-induced relaxation. The results showed that ovariectomy did not alter ACh-induced relaxation; incubation with L-NAME, a NO synthase inhibitor, decreased the ACh-induced response to a lesser extent in aorta from ovariectomized than from control rats, while ODQ, a guanylate cyclase inhibitor, decreased that response to a similar extent; the blockade of hyperpolarizing mechanisms, by precontracting arteries with KCl, decreased the ACh-induced response to a greater extent in aortas from ovariectomized than those from control rats; catalase, that decomposes hydrogen peroxide, decreased the ACh-induced response only in aorta from ovariectomized rats. In addition, ovariectomy increased superoxide anion levels and SODs activity, decreased cGMP formation and increased PKG activity. Despite the increased superoxide anion and decreased cGMP in aorta from ovariectomized rats, ACh-induced relaxation is maintained by the existence of hyperpolarizing mechanisms in which hydrogen peroxide participates. The greater contribution of hydrogen peroxide in ACh-induced relaxation is due to increased SOD activity, in an attempt to compensate for increased superoxide anion formation. Increased PKG activity could represent a redundant mechanism to ensure vasodilator function in the aorta of ovariectomized rats.

  9. Relaxation rates studies in an argon cylindrical plasma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hernandez, M.A.; Dengra, A.; Colomer, V.

    1986-01-01

    The single Langmuir probe method has been used to determine the relaxation rates of the electron density and temperature in an argon afterglow dc cylindrical plasma. The ion-electron recombination was found to be the fundamental mechanism of density decay during the early afterglow while the ambipolar diffusion controlles the density decay for later afterglow. Electron temperature cooling curves have been interpreted via electron-neutral collisons. Measurements of the electron-ion recombination and the ambipolar diffusion coefficients have been made, as well as of the electron-neutral collision frequency and the momentum transfer cross sections. Good agreement is obtained with previously published data. (author)

  10. A comparison of methods for calculating NMR cross-relaxation rates (NOESY and ROESY intensities) in small peptides

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Feenstra, K Anton; Peter, Christine; Scheek, Ruud M; van Gunsteren, Wilfred F; Mark, Alan E

    Three methods for calculating nuclear magnetic resonance cross-relaxation rates from molecular dynamics simulations of small flexible molecules have been compared in terms of their ability to reproduce relaxation data obtained experimentally and to produce consistent descriptions of the system. The

  11. 129 Xe NMR Relaxation-Based Macromolecular Sensing

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gomes, Muller D. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). Materials Sciences Division; Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States). Dept. of Chemistry; Dao, Phuong [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). Materials Sciences Division; Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States). Dept. of Chemistry; Jeong, Keunhong [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). Materials Sciences Division; Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States). Dept. of Chemistry; Slack, Clancy C. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). Materials Sciences Division; Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States). Dept. of Chemistry; Vassiliou, Christophoros C. [Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States). Dept. of Chemistry; Finbloom, Joel A. [Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States). Dept. of Chemistry; Francis, Matthew B. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). Materials Sciences Division; Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States). Dept. of Chemistry; Wemmer, David E. [Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States). Dept. of Chemistry; Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). Physical Biosciences Division; Pines, Alexander [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). Materials Sciences Division; Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States). Dept. of Chemistry

    2016-07-29

    A 129Xe NMR relaxation-based sensing approach is reported on that exploits changes in the bulk xenon relaxation rate induced by slowed tumbling of a cryptophane-based sensor upon target binding. The amplification afforded by detection of the bulk dissolved xenon allows sensitive detection of targets. The sensor comprises a xenon-binding cryptophane cage, a target interaction element, and a metal chelating agent. Xenon associated with the target-bound cryptophane cage is rapidly relaxed and then detected after exchange with the bulk. Here we show that large macromolecular targets increase the rotational correlation time of xenon, increasing its relaxation rate. Upon binding of a biotin-containing sensor to avidin at 1.5 μM concentration, the free xenon T2 is reduced by a factor of 4.

  12. Stress relaxation of entangled polystyrene solution after constant-rate, uniaxial elongation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Matsumiya, Yumi; Masubuchi, Yuichi; Watanabe, Hiroshi

    For an entangled solution of linear polystyrene (PS 545k; M = 545k) in dibutyl phthalate (DBP), the stress relaxation after constant-rate uniaxial elongation was examined with an extensional viscosity fixture mounted on ARES (TA Instruments). The PS concentration, c = 52 wt%, was chosen in a way...... that the entanglement density M/Me of the solution coincided with that of PS 290k melt (M = 290k). After the elongation at the Rouse-based Weissenberg number Wi(R) ~ 3 up to the Hencky strain of 3, the short time stress relaxation of the solution was accelerated by a factor of ~4, which was less significant compared...... and the lack of monotonic thinning observed for the semidilute solutions. Results for less concentrated solutions will be also presented on site....

  13. Fetal responses to induced maternal relaxation during pregnancy

    OpenAIRE

    DiPietro, Janet A.; Costigan, Kathleen A.; Nelson, Priscilla; Gurewitsch, Edith D.; Laudenslager, Mark L.

    2007-01-01

    Fetal responses to induced maternal relaxation during the 32nd week of pregnancy were recorded in 100 maternal-fetal pairs using a digitized data collection system. The 18-minute guided imagery relaxation manipulation generated significant changes in maternal heart rate, skin conductance, respiration period, and respiratory sinus arrhythmia. Significant alterations in fetal neurobehavior were observed, including decreased fetal heart rate (FHR), increased FHR variability, suppression of fetal...

  14. The effects of short-term relaxation therapy on indices of heart rate variability and blood pressure in young adults.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pal, Gopal Krushna; Ganesh, Venkata; Karthik, Shanmugavel; Nanda, Nivedita; Pal, Pravati

    2014-01-01

    Assessment of short-term practice of relaxation therapy on autonomic and cardiovascular functions in first-year medical students. Case-control, interventional study. Medical college laboratory. Sixty-seven medical students, divided into two groups: study group (n = 35) and control group (n = 32). Study group subjects practiced relaxation therapy (shavasana with a soothing background music) daily 1 hour for 6 weeks. Control group did not practice relaxation techniques. Cardiovascular parameters and spectral indices of heart rate variability (HRV) were recorded before and after the 6-week practice of relaxation therapy. The data between the groups and the data before and after practice of relaxation techniques were analyzed by one-way analysis of variance and Student t-test. In the study group, prediction of low-frequency to high-frequency ratio (LF-HF) of HRV, the marker of sympathovagal balance, to blood pressure (BP) status was assessed by logistic regression. In the study group, there was significant reduction in heart rate (p = .0001), systolic (p = .0010) and diastolic (p = .0021) pressure, and rate pressure product (p linked to BP status in these individuals.

  15. The benefit of heart rate variability biofeedback and relaxation training in reducing trait anxiety†

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Jieun; Kim, Jung K; Wachholtz, Amy

    2016-01-01

    Previous research studies have indicated that biofeedback treatment and relaxation techniques are effective in reducing psychological and physical symptoms (Hammond, 2005; Manzoni, G. M., Pagnini, F., Castelnuovo, G., & Molinari, E., 2008). However, dearth of studies has compared heart rate variability (HRV) biofeedback treatment and relaxation training to reduce trait anxiety. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of HRV biofeedback treatment and relaxation training in reducing trait anxiety compared to control group without any treatment using students in a science and engineering university of South Korea. For the present study, a total of 15 graduate students with moderate level of trait anxiety were recruited for 4 individual sessions every two weeks. They were randomly assigned into three groups: biofeedback treatment (n = 5), relaxation training (n = 5), and no treatment control group (n = 5). Our results revealed significant difference in change score of trait anxiety between the HRV biofeedback treatment and the no treatment control group. However, no significant difference was found between the relaxation training group and the no treatment control group. In addition, there was no significant difference between the HRV biofeedback treatment and the relaxation training. Results of the present study indicate that there is potential benefit in utilizing HRV biofeedback treatment for stress management programs and/or anxiety reduction treatment PMID:27099546

  16. Postearthquake relaxation after the 2004 M6 Parkfield, California, earthquake and rate-and-state friction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Savage, J.C.; Langbein, J.

    2008-01-01

    An unusually complete set of measurements (including rapid rate GPS over the first 10 days) of postseismic deformation is available at 12 continuous GPS stations located close to the epicenter of the 2004 M6.0 Parkfield earthquake. The principal component modes for the relaxation of the ensemble of those 12 GPS stations were determined. The first mode alone furnishes an adequate approximation to the data. Thus, the relaxation at all stations can be represented by the product of a common temporal function and distinct amplitudes for each component (north or east) of relaxation at each station. The distribution in space of the amplitudes indicates that the relaxation is dominantly strike slip. The temporal function, which spans times from about 5 min to 900 days postearthquake, can be fit by a superposition of three creep terms, each of the form ??l loge(1 + t/??l), with characteristic times ??, = 4.06, 0.11, and 0.0001 days. It seems likely that what is actually involved is a broad spectrum of characteristic times, the individual components of which arise from afterslip on different fault patches. Perfettini and Avouac (2004) have shown that an individual creep term can be explained by the spring-slider model with rate-dependent (no state variable) friction. The observed temporal function can also be explained using a single spring-slider model (i.e., single fault patch) that includes rate-and-state-dependent friction, a single-state variable, and either of the two commonly used (aging and slip) state evolution laws. In the latter fits, the rate-and-state friction parameter b is negative.

  17. Molecular order and T1-relaxation, cross-relaxation in nitroxide spin labels

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marsh, Derek

    2018-05-01

    Interpretation of saturation-recovery EPR experiments on nitroxide spin labels whose angular rotation is restricted by the orienting potential of the environment (e.g., membranes) currently concentrates on the influence of rotational rates and not of molecular order. Here, I consider the dependence on molecular ordering of contributions to the rates of electron spin-lattice relaxation and cross relaxation from modulation of N-hyperfine and Zeeman anisotropies. These are determined by the averages and , where θ is the angle between the nitroxide z-axis and the static magnetic field, which in turn depends on the angles that these two directions make with the director of uniaxial ordering. For saturation-recovery EPR at 9 GHz, the recovery rate constant is predicted to decrease with increasing order for the magnetic field oriented parallel to the director, and to increase slightly for the perpendicular field orientation. The latter situation corresponds to the usual experimental protocol and is consistent with the dependence on chain-labelling position in lipid bilayer membranes. An altered dependence on order parameter is predicted for saturation-recovery EPR at high field (94 GHz) that is not entirely consistent with observation. Comparisons with experiment are complicated by contributions from slow-motional components, and an unexplained background recovery rate that most probably is independent of order parameter. In general, this analysis supports the interpretation that recovery rates are determined principally by rotational diffusion rates, but experiments at other spectral positions/field orientations could increase the sensitivity to order parameter.

  18. Nuclear spin-lattice relaxation in n -type insulating and metallic GaAs single crystals

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lu, J.; Hoch, M. J. R.; Kuhns, P. L.; Moulton, W. G.; Gan, Z.; Reyes, A. P.

    2006-09-01

    The coupling of electron and nuclear spins in n-GaAs changes significantly as the donor concentration n increases through the insulator-metal critical concentration nC˜1.2×1016cm-3 . The present measurements of the Ga71 relaxation rates W made as a function of magnetic field (1-13T) and temperature (1.5-300K) for semi-insulating GaAs and for three doped n-GaAs samples with donor concentrations n=5.9×1015 , 7×1016 , and 2×1018cm-3 , show marked changes in the relaxation behavior with n . Korringa-like relaxation is found in both metallic samples for T30K phonon-induced nuclear quadrupolar relaxation is dominant. The relaxation rate measurements permit determination of the electron probability density at Ga71 sites. A small Knight shift of -3.3ppm was measured on the most metallic (2×1018cm-3) sample using magic-angle spinning at room temperature. For the n=5.9×1015cm-3 sample, a nuclear relaxation model involving the Fermi contact hyperfine interaction, rapid spin diffusion, and exchange coupled local moments is proposed. While the relaxation rate behavior with temperature for the weakly metallic sample, n=7×1016cm-3 , is similar to that found for the just-insulating sample, the magnetic field dependence is quite different. For the 5.9×1015cm-3 sample, increasing the magnetic field leads to a decrease in the relaxation rate, while for the 7×1016cm-3 sample this results in an increase in the relaxation rate ascribed to an increase in the density of states at the Fermi level as the Landau level degeneracy is increased.

  19. Formation probabilities and relaxation rates of muon states in germanium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Clawson, C.W.; Haller, E.E.; Crowe, K.M.; Rosenblum, S.S.; Brewer, J.H.; British Columbia Univ., Vancouver

    1981-01-01

    We report the first results of a study of the muonium states in ultra-pure germanium crystals grown under a variety of conditions at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory. Among the variations studied are: 1) Hydrogen, deuterium, or nitrogen atmosphere during growth; 2) Dislocation-free vs. dislocated crystals; 3) Grown from quartz, graphite, and pyrolytic graphite coated quartz crucibles; 4) n-type vs. p-type. We report a significant difference in the muonium relaxation rate between the dislocated and non-dislocated crystals. (orig.)

  20. Sun glitter imaging of submarine sand waves on the Taiwan Banks: Determination of the relaxation rate of short waves

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shao, Hao; Li, Yan; Li, Li

    2011-06-01

    Above sand waves on the seafloor, surface short waves, which are responsible for the radiance distribution in remote sensing imagery, are modulated gradually by the submarine topography. The relaxation rate μr characterizes the rate at which the short waves reach their saturation range after being disturbed. It is a key parameter in the weak hydrodynamic interaction theory and is also a most important parameter in the imaging mechanism used for mapping submarine bottom topography. In this study, a robust expression containing intensity and phase (advection effect) modulations of the perturbed action spectrum of short waves was deduced, by using the first-order weak hydrodynamic interaction theory. On the basis of the phase modulation, a method was developed to determine the relaxation rate in the Sun glitter imaging mechanism. The relaxation rates were estimated using in situ data measured on a cruise over the sand waves of the Taiwan Banks, a sea area between the East China Sea and the South China Sea, on 28-29 August 2006. Results showed that, under a wind speed of 5.0 m s-1, the relaxation rate of short waves was about 0.055 s-1 in response to current variations and about 0.025 s-1 equivalently in response to sea bottom topographic variations. The former value could be applied to interpret the amplitude of submarine topography by using satellite imagery, while the latter one (equivalent relaxation rate μ'r) could help to more accurately calibrate the spatial position of the retrieved sea bottom topography.

  1. A study of spin-lattice relaxation rates of glucose, fructose, sucrose and cherries using high-T c SQUID-based NMR in ultralow magnetic fields

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liao, Shu-Hsien; Wu, Pei-Che

    2017-08-01

    We study the concentration dependence of spin-lattice relaxation rates, T 1 -1, of glucose, fructose, sucrose and cherries by using high-T c SQUID-based NMR at magnetic fields of ˜97 μT. The detected NMR signal, Sy (T Bp), is fitted to [1 - exp(-T Bp/T 1)] to derive T 1 -1, where Sy (T Bp) is the strength of the NMR signal, T Bp is the duration of pre-polarization and T 1 -1 is the spin-lattice relaxation rate. It was found that T 1 -1 increases as the sugar concentrations increase. The increased T 1 -1 is due to the presence of more molecules in the surroundings, which increases the spin-lattice interaction and in turn enhances T 1 -1. The T 1 -1 versus degrees Brix curve provides a basis for determining unknown Brix values for cherries as well as other fruits.

  2. Luther-Emery liquid in the NMR relaxation rate of carbon nanotubes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gulacsi, Miklos; Simon, Ferenc; Wzietek, Pawel; Kuzmany, Hans; Dora, Balazs

    2008-01-01

    We analyze a recent NMR experiments by Singer et al.[Singer et al. Phys. Rev. Lett. 95, 236403 (2005).], which showed a deviation from Fermi-liquid behavior in carbon nanotubes with an energy gap evident at low temperatures. A comprehensive theory for the magnetic field and temperature dependent NMR 13 C spin-lattice relaxation is given in the framework of the Luther-Emery and Luttinger liquids. The low temperature properties are governed by a gapped relaxation due to a spin gap (∝30 K), described by the Luther-Emery liquid picture, which crosses over smoothly to the Luttinger liquid behaviour with increasing temperature. (copyright 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

  3. Enhancement and degradation of the R2* relaxation rate resulting from the encapsulation of magnetic particles with hydrophilic coatings.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Haan, Hendrick W; Paquet, Chantal

    2011-12-01

    The effects of including a hydrophilic coating around the particles are studied across a wide range of particle sizes by performing Monte Carlo simulations of protons diffusing through a system of magnetic particles. A physically realistic methodology of implementing the coating by cross boundary jump scaling and transition probabilities at the coating surface is developed. Using this formulation, the coating has three distinct impacts on the relaxation rate: an enhancement at small particle sizes, a degradation at intermediate particle sizes, and no effect at large particles sizes. These varied effects are reconciled with the underlying dephasing mechanisms by using the concept of a full dephasing zone to present a physical picture of the dephasing process with and without the coating for all sizes. The enhancement at small particle sizes is studied systemically to demonstrate the existence of an optimal ratio of diffusion coefficients inside/outside the coating to achieve maximal increase in the relaxation rate. Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  4. The Pringle maneuver reduces the infusion rate of rocuronium required to maintain surgical muscle relaxation during hepatectomy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kajiura, Akira; Nagata, Osamu; Sanui, Masamitsu

    2018-04-27

    We investigated the continuous infusion rates of rocuronium necessary to obtain the surgical muscle relaxation before, during, and after the Pringle maneuver on patients who underwent hepatectomy. Fifteen patients were induced by total intravenous anesthesia with propofol. After obtaining the calibration of acceleromyography, the patient was intubated with rocuronium 0.6 mg/kg. Fifteen minutes after initial rocuronium injection, the continuous infusion was started at 7.5 µg/kg/min. The infusion rate was adjusted every 15 min so that the first twitch height (% T1) might become from 3 to 10% of control. The infusion rates at the time when the state of surgical muscle relaxation was achieved for more than 15 min were recorded before, during and after the Pringle maneuver. The 25% recovery time was measured after discontinuing the continuous infusion. The infusion rate of rocuronium before, during, and after the Pringle maneuver was 7.2 ± 1.8, 4.2 ± 1.4, and 4.7 ± 1.5 µg/kg/min (mean ± SD), respectively. The rocuronium infusion rate during the Pringle maneuver was decreased about 40% compared to that before this maneuver, and that after completion of the Pringle maneuver was not recovered to that before the Pringle maneuver. The 25% recovery time was 20 ± 7 min. In case of continuous administration of rocuronium during surgery performing the Pringle maneuver, it was considered necessary to regulate the administration of rocuronium using muscle relaxant monitoring in order to deal with the decrease in muscle relaxant requirement by the Pringle maneuver.

  5. [Neurophysiologic and respiratory changes during the practice of relaxation technics].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gallois, P

    1984-01-01

    A polygraphic study, of 40 minutes duration, among 10 subjects who practiced autogenic training (TA) and 10 subjects who practiced transcendental meditation (MT), compared to 10 control subjects, gave the following results: rarity of the number of sleeping episodes during relaxation, cardiac rhythm, significantly decreased in the TM group, increased stability of the E.D.G. during and after relaxation, respiratory rate decreased to a value of 33% of the initial rate, respiratory suspensions were frequent in the TM group, reaching a maximal duration of 50 seconds. The absence of compensatory hypercapnia and hyperpnea is an argument in favor of their central origin, lastly, the simple reaction time after relaxation is slightly decreased, whereas it is increased in the controls, this aerobic hypometabolic state, the stability of the autonomic nervous system and the maintenance of the vigilance, induced by deep relaxation, seems to be the opposite of the state which is induced by stress; therefore deep relaxation may play a role in a psycho-somatic approach to treating a variety of disease states.

  6. Vogel-Fulcher dependence of relaxation rates in a nematic monomer and elastomer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shenoy, D.; Filippov, S.; Aliev, F.; Keller, P.; Thomsen, D.; Ratna, B.

    2000-12-01

    Dielectric relaxation spectroscopy is used to study the relaxation processes in a nematic monomer and the corresponding cross-linked polymer nematic liquid crystal (elastomer). In the frequency window 10 mHz to 2 GHz the monomer liquid crystal shows a single relaxation whereas the polymer exhibits three relaxation processes, two of which are quantitatively analyzed. The temperature dependence of relaxation times in both the monomer and polymer follows a Vogel-Fulcher behavior. The relaxation processes are identified with specific molecular motions and activation energies are calculated in a linear approximation for comparison with literature data.

  7. NMR relaxation rates and Knight shifts in the alloy Mg1-xAlxB2

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Serventi, S; Allodi, G; Bucci, C; Renzi, R De; Guidi, G; Pavarini, E; Manfrinetti, P; Palenzona, A

    2003-01-01

    We measured the 27 Al and 11 B NMR spin lattice relaxation rates and the isotropic Knight shifts in powder samples of Mg 1-x Al x B 2 , as a function of the Al concentration, x. The temperature independence of the Knight shifts and the linear temperature dependence of the relaxation are verified throughout the compositions explored. The variation with x of the measured quantities is discussed in terms of the projected densities of states at the Fermi energy, finding good qualitative as well as quantitative agreement with recent band structure calculations

  8. Evaluation of iron deposits in the reticuloendothelial system using T2-relaxation rate of MRI. Relation with serum ferritin and Fe concentration

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ootsuka, Kae; Togami, Izumi; Kitagawa, Takahiro

    1996-01-01

    MR imaging is a useful non-invasive technique to detect iron deposits in many organs, but it is difficult to evaluate quantitatively. This study was performed to determine the possibility whether T2 relaxation rate (1/T2) could quantify iron deposits in the reticuloendothelial system (liver, spleen and bone marrow) of 11 patients and four normal volunteers. A moderate correlation was obtained between T2-relaxation rate and the serum ferritin level. These results suggest that T2-relaxation rate may provide useful information for the repeated quantitative evaluation of patients with iron-overload-syndromes. (author)

  9. Plasmon-mediated energy relaxation in graphene

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ferry, D. K. [School of Electrical, Computer, and Energy Engineering, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287-5706 (United States); Somphonsane, R. [Department of Physics, King Mongkut' s Institute of Technology, Ladkrabang, Bangkok 10520 (Thailand); Ramamoorthy, H.; Bird, J. P. [Department of Electrical Engineering, University at Buffalo, the State University of New York, Buffalo, New York 14260-1500 (United States)

    2015-12-28

    Energy relaxation of hot carriers in graphene is studied at low temperatures, where the loss rate may differ significantly from that predicted for electron-phonon interactions. We show here that plasmons, important in the relaxation of energetic carriers in bulk semiconductors, can also provide a pathway for energy relaxation in transport experiments in graphene. We obtain a total loss rate to plasmons that results in energy relaxation times whose dependence on temperature and density closely matches that found experimentally.

  10. A study of the effect of relaxing music on heart rate recovery after exercise among healthy students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tan, Fuitze; Tengah, Asrin; Nee, Lo Yah; Fredericks, Salim

    2014-05-01

    Music has been employed in various clinical settings to reduce anxiety. However, meta-analysis has shown music to have little influence on haemodynamic parameters. This study aimed at investigating the effect of relaxing music on heart rate recovery after exercise. Twenty-three student volunteers underwent treadmill exercise and were assessed for heart rate recovery and saliva analysis; comparing exposure to sedative music with exposure to silence during the recovery period immediately following exercise. No differences were found between music and non-music exposure regarding: heart rate recovery, resting pulse rate, and salivary cortisol. Music was no different to silence in affecting these physiological measures, which are all associated with anxiety. Relaxing music unaccompanied by meditation techniques or other such interventions may not have a major role in reducing anxiety in certain experimental settings. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Simple expressions of the nuclear relaxation rate enhancement due to quadrupole nuclei in slowly tumbling molecules

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fries, Pascal H., E-mail: pascal-h.fries@cea.fr [Université Grenoble Alpes, INAC-SCIB, RICC, F-38000 Grenoble (France); CEA, INAC-SCIB, RICC, F-38000 Grenoble (France); Belorizky, Elie [Université Grenoble Alpes, LIPHY, F-38000 Grenoble (France); CEA, Leti-Clinatec, F-38000 Grenoble (France)

    2015-07-28

    For slowly tumbling entities or quasi-rigid lattices, we derive very simple analytical expressions of the quadrupole relaxation enhancement (QRE) of the longitudinal relaxation rate R{sub 1} of nuclear spins I due to their intramolecular magnetic dipolar coupling with quadrupole nuclei of arbitrary spins S ≥ 1. These expressions are obtained by using the adiabatic approximation for evaluating the time evolution operator of the quantum states of the quadrupole nuclei S. They are valid when the gyromagnetic ratio of the spin S is much smaller than that of the spin I. The theory predicts quadrupole resonant peaks in the dispersion curve of R{sub 1} vs magnetic field. The number, positions, relative intensities, Lorentzian shapes, and widths of these peaks are explained in terms of the following properties: the magnitude of the quadrupole Hamiltonian and the asymmetry parameter of the electric field gradient (EFG) acting on the spin S, the S-I inter-spin orientation with respect to the EFG principal axes, the rotational correlation time of the entity carrying the S–I pair, and/or the proper relaxation time of the spin S. The theory is first applied to protein amide protons undergoing dipolar coupling with fast-relaxing quadrupole {sup 14}N nuclei and mediating the QRE to the observed bulk water protons. The theoretical QRE agrees well with its experimental counterpart for various systems such as bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor and cartilages. The anomalous behaviour of the relaxation rate of protons in synthetic aluminium silicate imogolite nano-tubes due to the QRE of {sup 27}Al (S = 5/2) nuclei is also explained.

  12. NMR relaxation rate in quasi one-dimensional antiferromagnets

    Science.gov (United States)

    Capponi, Sylvain; Dupont, Maxime; Laflorencie, Nicolas; Sengupta, Pinaki; Shao, Hui; Sandvik, Anders W.

    We compare results of different numerical approaches to compute the NMR relaxation rate 1 /T1 in quasi one-dimensional (1d) antiferromagnets. In the purely 1d regime, recent numerical simulations using DMRG have provided the full crossover behavior from classical regime at high temperature to universal Tomonaga-Luttinger liquid at low-energy (in the gapless case) or activated behavior (in the gapped case). For quasi 1d models, we can use mean-field approaches to reduce the problem to a 1d one that can be studied using DMRG. But in some cases, we can also simulate the full microscopic model using quantum Monte-Carlo techniques. This allows to compute dynamical correlations in imaginary time and we will discuss recent advances to perform stochastic analytic continuation to get real frequency spectra. Finally, we connect our results to experiments on various quasi 1d materials.

  13. Increased heart rate variability during nondirective meditation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nesvold, Anders; Fagerland, Morten W; Davanger, Svend; Ellingsen, Øyvind; Solberg, Erik E; Holen, Are; Sevre, Knut; Atar, Dan

    2012-08-01

    Meditation practices are in use for relaxation and stress reduction. Some studies indicate beneficial cardiovascular health effects of meditation. The effects on the autonomous nervous system seem to vary among techniques. The purpose of the present study was to identify autonomic nerve activity changes during nondirective meditation. Heart rate variability (HRV), blood pressure variability (BPV), and baroreflex sensitivity (BRS) were monitored in 27 middle-aged healthy participants of both genders, first during 20 min regular rest with eyes closed, thereafter practising Acem meditation for 20 min. Haemodynamic and autonomic data were collected continuously (beat-to-beat) and non-invasively. HRV and BPV parameters were estimated by power spectral analyses, computed by an autoregressive model. Spontaneous activity of baroreceptors were determined by the sequence method. Primary outcomes were changes in HRV, BPV, and BRS between rest and meditation. HRV increased in the low-frequency (LF) and high-frequency (HF) bands during meditation, compared with rest (p = 0.014, 0.013, respectively). Power spectral density of the RR-intervals increased as well (p = 0.012). LF/HF ratio decreased non-significantly, and a reduction of LF-BPV power was observed during meditation (p < 0.001). There was no significant difference in BRS. Respiration and heart rates remained unchanged. Blood pressure increased slightly during meditation. There is an increased parasympathetic and reduced sympathetic nerve activity and increased overall HRV, while practising the technique. Hence, nondirective meditation by the middle aged may contribute towards a reduction of cardiovascular risk.

  14. Calorimetric and relaxation properties of xylitol-water mixtures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Elamin, Khalid; Sjöström, Johan; Jansson, Helén; Swenson, Jan

    2012-03-01

    considerably stronger water (w) relaxation at about the same frequency. However, the similarities in time scale and activation energy between the w-relaxation and the β-relaxation of xylitol at water contents below 13 wt. % suggest that the w-relaxation is governed, in some way, by the β-relaxation of xylitol, since clusters of water molecules are rare at these water concentrations. At higher water concentrations the intensity and relaxation rate of the w-relaxation increase rapidly with increasing water content (up to the concentration where ice starts to form), most likely due to a rapid increase of small water clusters where an increasing number of water molecules interacting with other water molecules.

  15. Effect of high pressure on the relaxation dynamics of glass-forming liquids

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Paluch, M; Grzybowska, K; Grzybowski, A [Institute of Physics, Silesian University, ulica Uniwersytecka 4, 40-007 Katowice (Poland)

    2007-05-23

    A glass is usually formed by cooling a liquid at a rate sufficient to avoid crystallization. In the vicinity of the glass transition the structural relaxation time increases with lowering temperature in a non-Arrhenius fashion and the structural relaxation function reveals a non-Debye behaviour. However, liquid can be also vitrified by keeping it at a constant temperature and increasing the pressure. This pressure-induced transition to the glassy state is also accompanied by dramatic changes in the relaxation dynamics. Herein we discuss the behaviour of the structural relaxation times of glass-forming liquids and polymer melts under high pressure.

  16. Effect of high pressure on the relaxation dynamics of glass-forming liquids

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Paluch, M; Grzybowska, K; Grzybowski, A

    2007-01-01

    A glass is usually formed by cooling a liquid at a rate sufficient to avoid crystallization. In the vicinity of the glass transition the structural relaxation time increases with lowering temperature in a non-Arrhenius fashion and the structural relaxation function reveals a non-Debye behaviour. However, liquid can be also vitrified by keeping it at a constant temperature and increasing the pressure. This pressure-induced transition to the glassy state is also accompanied by dramatic changes in the relaxation dynamics. Herein we discuss the behaviour of the structural relaxation times of glass-forming liquids and polymer melts under high pressure

  17. Quantitative comparison of errors in 15N transverse relaxation rates measured using various CPMG phasing schemes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Myint Wazo; Cai Yufeng; Schiffer, Celia A.; Ishima, Rieko

    2012-01-01

    Nitrogen-15 Carr-Purcell-Meiboom-Gill (CPMG) transverse relaxation experiment are widely used to characterize protein backbone dynamics and chemical exchange parameters. Although an accurate value of the transverse relaxation rate, R 2 , is needed for accurate characterization of dynamics, the uncertainty in the R 2 value depends on the experimental settings and the details of the data analysis itself. Here, we present an analysis of the impact of CPMG pulse phase alternation on the accuracy of the 15 N CPMG R 2 . Our simulations show that R 2 can be obtained accurately for a relatively wide spectral width, either using the conventional phase cycle or using phase alternation when the r.f. pulse power is accurately calibrated. However, when the r.f. pulse is miscalibrated, the conventional CPMG experiment exhibits more significant uncertainties in R 2 caused by the off-resonance effect than does the phase alternation experiment. Our experiments show that this effect becomes manifest under the circumstance that the systematic error exceeds that arising from experimental noise. Furthermore, our results provide the means to estimate practical parameter settings that yield accurate values of 15 N transverse relaxation rates in the both CPMG experiments.

  18. Nonlocal and collective relaxation in stellar systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weinberg, Martin D.

    1993-01-01

    The modal response of stellar systems to fluctuations at large scales is presently investigated by means of analytic theory and n-body simulation; the stochastic excitation of these modes is shown to increase the relaxation rate even for a system which is moderately far from instability. The n-body simulations, when designed to suppress relaxation at small scales, clearly show the effects of large-scale fluctuations. It is predicted that large-scale fluctuations will be largest for such marginally bound systems as forming star clusters and associations.

  19. Lattice Distortion Mediated Paramagnetic Relaxation in High-Spin High-Symmetry Molecular Magnets

    Science.gov (United States)

    Garg, Anupam

    1998-08-01

    Field-dependent maxima in the relaxation rate of the magnetic molecules Mn12-Ac and Fe8-tacn have commonly been ascribed to some resonant tunneling phenomena. We argue instead that the relaxation is purely due to phonons. The rate maxima arise because of a Jahn-Teller-like distortion caused by the coupling of phonons to degenerate Zeeman levels of the molecule at the top of the barrier. The binding energy of the distorted intermediate states lowers the barrier height and increases the relaxation rate. A nonperturbative calculation of this effect is carried out for a model system. An approximate result for the field variation near a maximum is found to agree reasonably with experiment.

  20. Relaxation response of A533B steel from 25 to 600/degree/C

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Swindeman, R.W.; Bolling, E.

    1989-01-01

    Relaxation tests were performed on A533B steel over the range 25 to 600/degree/C in order to examine the general features of time- dependent deformation. It was found that the relaxation strength increased with the flow stress at low temperatures and was relatively independent of history at high temperatures. In the temperature range 400 to 600/degree/C the inelastic strain rates calculated from the relaxation rates followed stress dependencies that were consistent with expectations based on a model proposed by Hart and coworkers for matrix deformation. 21 refs., 10 figs

  1. Fetal responses to induced maternal relaxation during pregnancy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    DiPietro, Janet A; Costigan, Kathleen A; Nelson, Priscilla; Gurewitsch, Edith D; Laudenslager, Mark L

    2008-01-01

    Fetal responses to induced maternal relaxation during the 32nd week of pregnancy were recorded in 100 maternal-fetal pairs using a digitized data collection system. The 18-min guided imagery relaxation manipulation generated significant changes in maternal heart rate, skin conductance, respiration period, and respiratory sinus arrhythmia. Significant alterations in fetal neurobehavior were observed, including decreased fetal heart rate (FHR), increased FHR variability, suppression of fetal motor activity (FM), and increased FM-FHR coupling. Attribution of the two fetal cardiac responses to the guided imagery procedure itself, as opposed to simple rest or recumbency, is tempered by the observed pattern of response. Evaluation of correspondence between changes within individual maternal-fetal pairs revealed significant associations between maternal autonomic measures and fetal cardiac patterns, lower umbilical and uterine artery resistance and increased FHR variability, and declining salivary cortisol and FM activity. Potential mechanisms that may mediate the observed results are discussed.

  2. Mechanism of nuclear cross-relaxation in magnetically ordered media

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Buishvili, L L; Volzhan, E B; Giorgadze, N P [AN Gruzinskoj SSR, Tbilisi. Inst. Fiziki

    1975-09-01

    A mechanism of two-step nuclear relaxation in magnetic ordered dielectrics is proposed. The case is considered where the energy conservation in the cross relaxation (CR) process is ensured by the lattice itself without spin-spin interactions. Expressions have been obtained describing the temperature dependence of the CR rate. For a nonuniform broadened NMR line it has been shown that the spin-lattice relaxation time for a spin packet taken out from the equilibrium may be determined by the CR time owing to the mechanism suggested. When the quantization axes for electron and nuclear spins coincide, the spin-lattice relaxation is due to the three-magnon mechanism. The cross-relaxation stage has been shown to play a significant role in the range of low temperatures (T<10 deg K) and to become negligible with a temperature increase.

  3. Phonon conductivity and relaxation rate in solids with disturbances by the Green function method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Singh, M.

    1980-09-01

    In this present article we have established an expression for the temperature dependence of the lattice thermal conductivity of solids with harmonic disturbances. The relaxation rate for scattering of phonons with point defect is also derived. We will apply the Kubo-correlation function formalism for the thermal conductivity, and the double time temperature dependent Green function technique for the evaluation of correlation functions

  4. Suppression of Electron Spin Relaxation in Mn-Doped GaAs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Astakhov, G. V.; Dzhioev, R. I.; Kavokin, K. V.; Korenev, V. L.; Lazarev, M. V.; Tkachuk, M. N.; Kusrayev, Yu. G.; Kiessling, T.; Ossau, W.; Molenkamp, L. W.

    2008-08-01

    We report a surprisingly long spin relaxation time of electrons in Mn-doped p-GaAs. The spin relaxation time scales with the optical pumping and increases from 12 ns in the dark to 160 ns upon saturation. This behavior is associated with the difference in spin relaxation rates of electrons precessing in the fluctuating fields of ionized or neutral Mn acceptors, respectively. For the latter, the antiferromagnetic exchange interaction between a Mn ion and a bound hole results in a partial compensation of these fluctuating fields, leading to the enhanced spin memory.

  5. Local NMR relaxation rates T1-1 and T2-1 depending on the d -vector symmetry in the vortex state of chiral and helical p -wave superconductors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tanaka, Kenta K.; Ichioka, Masanori; Onari, Seiichiro

    2018-04-01

    Local NMR relaxation rates in the vortex state of chiral and helical p -wave superconductors are investigated by the quasiclassical Eilenberger theory. We calculate the spatial and resonance frequency dependences of the local NMR spin-lattice relaxation rate T1-1 and spin-spin relaxation rate T2-1. Depending on the relation between the NMR relaxation direction and the d -vector symmetry, the local T1-1 and T2-1 in the vortex core region show different behaviors. When the NMR relaxation direction is parallel to the d -vector component, the local NMR relaxation rate is anomalously suppressed by the negative coherence effect due to the spin dependence of the odd-frequency s -wave spin-triplet Cooper pairs. The difference between the local T1-1 and T2-1 in the site-selective NMR measurement is expected to be a method to examine the d -vector symmetry of candidate materials for spin-triplet superconductors.

  6. Biofeedback-assisted relaxation training to decrease test anxiety in nursing students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prato, Catherine A; Yucha, Carolyn B

    2013-01-01

    Nursing students experiencing debilitating test anxiety may be unable to demonstrate their knowledge and have potential for poor academic performance. A biofeedback-assisted relaxation training program was created to reduce test anxiety. Anxiety was measured using Spielberger's Test Anxiety Inventory and monitoring peripheral skin temperature, pulse, and respiration rates during the training. Participants were introduced to diaphragmatic breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, and autogenic training. Statistically significant changes occurred in respiratory rates and skin temperatures during the diaphragmatic breathing session; respiratory rates and peripheral skin temperatures during progressive muscle relaxation session; respiratory and pulse rates, and peripheral skin temperatures during the autogenic sessions. No statistically significant difference was noted between the first and second TAI. Subjective test anxiety scores of the students did not decrease by the end of training. Autogenic training session was most effective in showing a statistically significant change in decreased respiratory and pulse rates and increased peripheral skin temperature.

  7. Relaxation techniques for stress

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... raise your heart rate. This is called the stress response. Relaxation techniques can help your body relax and lower your blood pressure ... also many other types of breathing techniques you can learn. In many cases, you do not need much ... including those that cause stress. Meditation has been practiced for thousands of years, ...

  8. Sympathetic stimulation alters left ventricular relaxation and chamber size.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Burwash, I G; Morgan, D E; Koilpillai, C J; Blackmore, G L; Johnstone, D E; Armour, J A

    1993-01-01

    Alterations in left ventricular (LV) contractility, relaxation, and chamber dimensions induced by efferent sympathetic nerve stimulation were investigated in nine anesthetized open-chest dogs in sinus rhythm. Supramaximal stimulation of acutely decentralized left stellate ganglia augmented heart rate, LV systolic pressure, and rate of LV pressure rise (maximum +dP/dt, 1,809 +/- 191 to 6,304 +/- 725 mmHg/s) and fall (maximum -dP/dt, -2,392 +/- 230 to -4,458 +/- 482 mmHg/s). It also reduced the time constant of isovolumic relaxation, tau (36.5 +/- 4.8 to 14.9 +/- 1.1 ms). Simultaneous two-dimensional echocardiography recorded reductions in end-diastolic and end-systolic LV cross-sectional chamber areas (23 and 31%, respectively), an increase in area ejection fraction (32%), and increases in end-diastolic and end-systolic wall thicknesses (14 and 13%, respectively). End-systolic and end-diastolic wall stresses were unchanged by stellate ganglion stimulation (98 +/- 12 to 95 +/- 9 dyn x 10(3)/cm2; 6.4 +/- 2.4 to 2.4 +/- 0.3 dyn x 10(3)/cm2, respectively). Atrial pacing to similar heart rates did not alter monitored indexes of contractility. Dobutamine and isoproterenol induced changes similar to those resulting from sympathetic neuronal stimulation. These data indicate that when the efferent sympathetic nervous system increases left ventricular contractility and relaxation, concomitant reductions in systolic and diastolic dimensions of that chamber occur that are associated with increasing wall thickness such that LV wall stress changes are minimized.

  9. Increased transverse relaxivity in ultrasmall superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles used as MRI contrast agent for biomedical imaging.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mishra, Sushanta Kumar; Kumar, B S Hemanth; Khushu, Subash; Tripathi, Rajendra P; Gangenahalli, Gurudutta

    2016-09-01

    Synthesis of a contrast agent for biomedical imaging is of great interest where magnetic nanoparticles are concerned, because of the strong influence of particle size on transverse relaxivity. In the present study, biocompatible magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles were synthesized by co-precipitation of Fe 2+ and Fe 3+ salts, followed by surface adsorption with reduced dextran. The synthesized nanoparticles were spherical in shape, and 12 ± 2 nm in size as measured using transmission electron microscopy; this was corroborated with results from X-ray diffraction and dynamic light scattering studies. The nanoparticles exhibited superparamagnetic behavior, superior T 2 relaxation rate and high relaxivities (r 1  = 18.4 ± 0.3, r 2  = 90.5 ± 0.8 s -1 mM -1 , at 7 T). MR image analysis of animals before and after magnetic nanoparticle administration revealed that the signal intensity of tumor imaging, specific organ imaging and whole body imaging can be clearly distinguished, due to the strong relaxation properties of these nanoparticles. Very low concentrations (3.0 mg Fe/kg body weight) of iron oxides are sufficient for early detection of tumors, and also have a clear distinction in pre- and post-enhancement of contrast in organs and body imaging. Many investigators have demonstrated high relaxivities of magnetic nanoparticles at superparamagnetic iron oxide level above 50 nm, but this investigation presents a satisfactory, ultrasmall, superparamagnetic and high transverse relaxivity negative contrast agent for diagnosis in pre-clinical studies. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  10. Relaxation Dynamics of Nanoparticle-Tethered Polymer Chains

    KAUST Repository

    Kim, Sung A

    2015-09-08

    © 2015 American Chemical Society. Relaxation dynamics of nanoparticle-tethered cis-1,4-polyisoprene (PI) are investigated using dielectric spectroscopy and rheometry. A model system composed of polymer chains densely grafted to spherical SiO2 nanoparticles to form self-suspended suspensions facilitates detailed studies of slow global chain and fast segmental mode dynamics under surface and geometrical confinement-from experiments performed in bulk materials. We report that unentangled polymer molecules tethered to nanoparticles relax far more slowly than their tethered entangled counterparts. Specifically, at fixed grafting density we find, counterintuitively, that increasing the tethered polymer molecular weight up to values close to the entanglement molecular weight speeds up chain relaxation dynamics. Decreasing the polymer grafting density for a fixed molecular weight has the opposite effect: it dramatically slows down chain relaxation, increases interchain coupling, and leads to a transition in rheological response from simple fluid behavior to viscoelastic fluid behavior for tethered PI chains that are unentangled by conventional measures. Increasing the measurement temperature produces an even stronger elastic response and speeds up molecular relaxation at a rate that decreases with grafting density and molecular weight. These observations are discussed in terms of chain confinement driven by crowding between particles and by the existence of an entropic attractive force produced by the space-filling constraint on individual chains in a self-suspended material. Our results indicate that the entropic force between densely grafted polymer molecules couples motions of individual chains in an analogous manner to reversible cross-links in associating polymers.

  11. Enhancement of relaxation rates in the normal state of superconductor PuRhGa5:NQR relaxation study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sakai, H.; Kambe, S.; Tokunaga, Y.; Fujimoto, T.; Walstedt, R.E.; Yasuoka, H.; Aoki, D.; Homma, Y.; Yamamoto, E.; Nakamura, A.; Shiokawa, Y.; Nakajima, K.; Arai, Y.; Matsuda, T.D.; Haga, Y.; Onuki, Y.

    2007-01-01

    The spin-lattice relaxation rates (1/T 1 ) have been measured under zero field using nuclear quadrupole resonance (NQR) lines in superconductor PuRhGa 5 and Pauli-paramagnet LuCoGa 5 . In the reference LuCoGa 5 with fully-occupied 4f shell, the 1/T 1 shows the constant behavior of (T 1 T) -1 =0.495+/-0.002(sK) -1 . On the other hand, in PuRhGa 5 , 1/T 1 is much larger than in LuCoGa 5 and the 1/T 1 ∝T behavior below ∼30K is seen, where its (T 1 T) -1 value is 3.27+/-0.005(sK) -1 . These results suggest a development of coherent Fermi liquid state incorporated with 5f electrons below ∼30K in PuRhGa 5

  12. Strange metal from Gutzwiller correlations in infinite dimensions: Transverse transport, optical response, and rise of two relaxation rates

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ding, Wenxin; Žitko, Rok; Shastry, B. Sriram

    2017-09-01

    Using two approaches to strongly correlated systems, the extremely correlated Fermi liquid theory and the dynamical mean field theory, we compute the transverse transport coefficients, namely, the Hall constants RH and Hall angles θH, and the longitudinal and transverse optical response of the U =∞ Hubbard model in the limit of infinite dimensions. We focus on two successive low-temperature regimes, the Gutzwiller-correlated Fermi liquid (GCFL) and the Gutzwiller-correlated strange metal (GCSM). We find that the Hall angle cotθH is proportional to T2 in the GCFL regime, while upon warming into the GCSM regime it first passes through a downward bend and then continues as T2. Equivalently, RH is weakly temperature dependent in the GCFL regime, but becomes strongly temperature dependent in the GCSM regime. Drude peaks are found for both the longitudinal optical conductivity σx x(ω ) and the optical Hall angles tanθH(ω ) below certain characteristic energy scales. By comparing the relaxation rates extracted from fitting to the Drude formula, we find that in the GCFL regime there is a single relaxation rate controlling both longitudinal and transverse transport, while in the GCSM regime two different relaxation rates emerge. We trace the origin of this behavior to the dynamical particle-hole asymmetry of the Dyson self-energy, arguably a generic feature of doped Mott insulators.

  13. Vibrational relaxation in OCS mixtures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Simpson, C.J.S.M.; Gait, P.D.; Simmie, J.M.

    1976-01-01

    Experimental measurements are reported of vibrational relaxation times which may be used to show whether there is near resonant vibration-rotation energy transfer between OCS and H 2 , D 2 or HD. Vibrational relaxation times have been measured in OCS and OCS mixtures over the temperature range 360 to 1000 K using a shock tube and a laser schlieren system. The effectiveness of the additives in reducing the relaxation time of OCS is in the order 4 He 3 He 2 2 and HD. Along this series the effect of an increase in temperature changes from the case of speeding up the rate with 4 He to retarding it with D 2 , HD and H 2 . There is no measurable difference in the effectiveness of n-D 2 and o-D 2 and little, or no, difference between n-H 2 and p-H 2 . Thus the experimental results do not give clear evidence for rotational-vibration energy transfer between hydrogen and OCS. This contrasts with the situation for CO 2 + H 2 mixtures. (author)

  14. Limiting conditions for operation relaxation program

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Merz, J.F.

    1985-01-01

    The purpose of this effort was to assess the impact of system maintenance unavailability on plant risk to provide technical justification for the relaxation of system limiting conditions for operation from three to seven days. The primary goal of the relaxation program is to allow for more thorough equipment maintenance. A potential increase in out-of-service time for a particular outage caused by the performance of more effective repairs will be counterbalanced by a probable decrease in the frequency in the outage rate of a component. Benefits resulting from an increase in allowed outage time include: (a) a potential reduction in total system out-of-service time, (b) a minimization of challenges to plant systems, and (c) a reduction in the number of emergency technical specification change requests. This program therefore offers an opportunity to more effectively manage plant maintenance and operation

  15. Thermal behaviour of the ESR Relaxation time in slightly dirty superconductors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schwachheim, G.; Machado, S.F.; Tsallis, C.

    1978-07-01

    The thermal behaviour of the ESR relaxation rate in slightly dirty superconductors is discussed for both exchange and spin-orbit interactions between the conduction electrons and the impurities. The sensibility to the electronic density of states is exhibited by using, in a modified BCS framework, an heuristic analytic form which avoids two of three defects of a previous similar treatment. The sudden increase (decrease) of the relaxation rate immediately below the critical temperature for the exchange (spin-orbit) case is confirmed. Reasonable agreement with experimental data in LaRu 2 ; Gd is obtained [pt

  16. Nuclear spin-lattice relaxation in nitroxide spin-label EPR.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marsh, Derek

    2016-11-01

    Nuclear relaxation is a sensitive monitor of rotational dynamics in spin-label EPR. It also contributes competing saturation transfer pathways in T 1 -exchange spectroscopy, and the determination of paramagnetic relaxation enhancement in site-directed spin labelling. A survey shows that the definition of nitrogen nuclear relaxation rate W n commonly used in the CW-EPR literature for 14 N-nitroxyl spin labels is inconsistent with that currently adopted in time-resolved EPR measurements of saturation recovery. Redefinition of the normalised 14 N spin-lattice relaxation rate, b=W n /(2W e ), preserves the expressions used for CW-EPR, whilst rendering them consistent with expressions for saturation recovery rates in pulsed EPR. Furthermore, values routinely quoted for nuclear relaxation times that are deduced from EPR spectral diffusion rates in 14 N-nitroxyl spin labels do not accord with conventional analysis of spin-lattice relaxation in this three-level system. Expressions for CW-saturation EPR with the revised definitions are summarised. Data on nitrogen nuclear spin-lattice relaxation times are compiled according to the three-level scheme for 14 N-relaxation: T 1 n =1/W n . Results are compared and contrasted with those for the two-level 15 N-nitroxide system. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. Nuclear spin-lattice relaxation in nitroxide spin-label EPR

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Marsh, Derek

    2016-01-01

    that the definition of nitrogen nuclear relaxation rate Wn commonly used in the CW-EPR literature for 14N-nitroxyl spin labels is inconsistent with that currently adopted in time-resolved EPR measurements of saturation recovery. Redefinition of the normalised 14N spin-lattice relaxation rate, b = Wn/(2We), preserves...... of spin-lattice relaxation in this three-level system. Expressions for CW-saturation EPR with the revised definitions are summarised. Data on nitrogen nuclear spin-lattice relaxation times are compiled according to the three-level scheme for 14N-relaxation: T1 n = 1/Wn. Results are compared and contrasted...

  18. NMR relaxation rates and Knight shifts in MgB2 and AlB2: theory versus experiments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pavarini, E; Baek, S H; Suh, B J; Borsa, F; Bud'ko, S L; Canfield, P C

    2003-01-01

    We have performed 11 B NMR measurements in 11 B enriched MgB 2 powder sample in the normal phase. The Knight shift was accurately determined by using the magic angle spinning technique. Results for 11 B and 27 Al Knight shifts (K) and relaxation rates (1/T 1 ) are also reported for AlB 2 . The data show a dramatic decrease of both K and 1/T 1 for 11 B in AlB 2 with respect to MgB 2 . We compare experimental results with ab initio calculated NMR relaxation rates and Knight shifts. The experimental values for 1/T 1 and K are in most cases in good agreement with the theoretical results. We show that the decrease of K and 1/T 1 for 11 B is consistent with a drastic drop of the density of states at the boron site in AlB 2 with respect to MgB 2

  19. Relaxation of polarized nuclei in superconducting rhodium

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Knuuttila, T.A.; Tuoriniemi, J.T.; Lefmann, K.

    2000-01-01

    Nuclear spin lattice relaxation rates were measured in normal and superconducting (sc) rhodium with nuclear polarizations up to p = 0.55. This was sufficient to influence the sc state of Rh, whose T, and B-c, are exceptionally low. Because B-c ... is unchanged, the nuclear spin entropy was fully sustained across the sc transition. The relaxation in the sc state was slower at all temperatures without the coherence enhancement close to T-c. Nonzero nuclear polarization strongly reduced the difference between the relaxation rates in the sc and normal...

  20. Chemical exchange effects during refocusing pulses in constant-time CPMG relaxation dispersion experiments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Myint, Wazo; Ishima, Rieko

    2009-01-01

    In the analysis of the constant-time Carr-Purcell-Meiboom-Gill (CT-CPMG) relaxation dispersion experiment, chemical exchange parameters, such as rate of exchange and population of the exchanging species, are typically optimized using equations that predict experimental relaxation rates recorded as a function of effective field strength. In this process, the effect of chemical exchange during the CPMG pulses is typically assumed to be the same as during the free-precession. This approximation may introduce systematic errors into the analysis of data because the number of CPMG pulses is incremented during the constant-time relaxation period, and the total pulse duration therefore varies as a function of the effective field strength. In order to estimate the size of such errors, we simulate the time-dependence of magnetization during the entire constant time period, explicitly taking into account the effect of the CPMG pulses on the spin relaxation rate. We show that in general the difference in the relaxation dispersion profile calculated using a practical pulse width from that calculated using an extremely short pulse width is small, but under certain circumstances can exceed 1 s -1 . The difference increases significantly when CPMG pulses are miscalibrated

  1. Effect of carrier relaxation lifetime on the performance of InAs/InP quantum-dash lasers

    KAUST Repository

    Khan, Mohammed Zahed Mustafa

    2011-12-01

    The effect of carrier relaxation process into the quantum dash (Qdash) ground state (GS) is examined theoretically by carrier-photon rate equation model incorporating the inhomogeneous broadening. Increase in the relaxation time and the inhomogeneous broadening degrades the threshold current density. Moreover, our results show that a relaxation time of less than 2 ps gives optimum laser performance. © 2011 IEEE.

  2. Effect of Temper Condition on Stress Relaxation Behavior of an Aluminum Copper Lithium Alloy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mishra, Sumeet; Beura, Vikrant Kumar; Singh, Amit; Yadava, Manasij; Nayan, Niraj

    2018-04-01

    Deformation behavior of an Al-Cu-Li alloy in different temper conditions (solutionized and T8) is investigated using stress relaxation tests. Fundamental parameters such as the apparent and physical activation volume, strain rate sensitivity, effective stress, and exhaustion rate of mobile dislocation density are determined from single and multiple relaxation tests. It was found that dislocation-dislocation interaction controls the kinetics of plastic deformation in the solutionized sample, whereas dislocation-precipitate interaction is the overriding factor in the presence of T1 precipitates. The apparent activation volume was found to be significantly lower in the presence of T1 precipitates compared with solutionized samples. Strain rate sensitivity and effective stress were found to be higher in the presence of T1 precipitates. In addition, multiple relaxation tests showed that irrespective of microstructural features (solutes, semi-coherent precipitates), the mobile dislocation density reduces during the relaxation period. Further evidence regarding reduction in mobile dislocation density is obtained from uniaxial tensile tests carried out after stress relaxation tests, where both solutionized and T8 samples show an increase in strength. Additional discussion on relaxation strain is included to provide a complete overview regarding the time-dependent deformation behavior of the Al-Cu-Li alloy in different temper conditions.

  3. Levitation and guidance force relaxations of the single-seeded and multi-seeded YBCO superconductors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abdioglu, M.; Ozturk, K.; Kabaer, M.; Ekici, M.

    2018-01-01

    The stable levitation and guidance forces at higher force levels are important parameters for technological applicability of high temperature superconductors (HTSs) in Maglev and Flywheel energy storage systems. In this study, we have investigated the levitation and guidance force relaxation of both the single-seeded and multi-seeded YBCOs for different (HTS)-permanent magnetic guideway (PMG) arrangements in different cooling heights (CH). The measured saturated force values of Halbach PMG arrangements are bigger than the maximum force values of other PMGs. It is determined that the normalized magnetic levitation force (MLF) and normalized guidance force (GF) relaxation rate values decrease while the relaxation rates increase with increasing magnetic pole number and the effective external magnetic field area for both the single-seeded and multi-seeded YBCO. Also it can be said that the force stability at the higher force value of Halbach PMG arrangement indicates that the relaxation quality of Halbach PMG is better than that of the others. Additionally, it can be said that both the MLF and GF relaxation qualities of the multi-seeded YBCOs are better than that of the single-seeded ones. This magnetic force and relaxation results of the single-seeded and multi-seeded YBCOs are useful to optimize the loading capacity and lateral reliability of HTS Maglev and similar magnetic bearing systems.

  4. Effects of electron correlation, exchange, and relaxation on x-ray, Auger, and Coster-Kronig transitions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Karim, K.R.

    1983-01-01

    The first topic deals with Auger and radiative deexcitation of highly stripped phosphorus atoms. X-ray wavelengths, Auger energies, and decay rates have been calculated for various states of the P 4+ ion, with configurations (1s 2 2s 2 2p 5 )3s3p, 3s3d, 3s 2 , 3p 2 , and 3d 2 . Intermediate coupling and configuration interaction have been taken into account. The energies and decay rates are found to be strongly affected by configuration interaction. The theoretical results are compared with recent observations in ion-atom collision experiments. Good agreement with measured spectra is found, and the calculations characterize a number of lines that had not previously been identified. The second topic relates to the effects of exchange, relaxation, and electron correlation on the L 1 -L 23 M 1 Coster-Kronig spectrum of argon. The present calculation leads to good agreement with experimental transition energies and removes some of the discrepancies in transition rates. The total calculated transition rates are still about a factor of two higher than the measured rates. Relaxation tends to minimize the differences between individual L 1 -L 23 M 1 ( 1 P) and L 1 -L 23 M 1 ( 3 P) transition rates. The initial- and final-ionic-configuration interaction reduces the total decay rate by approx.35%. Inclusion of complete relaxation increases the total rate, however, by approx.1.5% rather than reducing it, with respect to calculations without relaxation. The exchange interaction also increases this rate by approx.9%

  5. Communication: Relaxation-limited electronic currents in extended reservoir simulations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gruss, Daniel; Smolyanitsky, Alex; Zwolak, Michael

    2017-10-01

    Open-system approaches are gaining traction in the simulation of charge transport in nanoscale and molecular electronic devices. In particular, "extended reservoir" simulations, where explicit reservoir degrees of freedom are present, allow for the computation of both real-time and steady-state properties but require relaxation of the extended reservoirs. The strength of this relaxation, γ, influences the conductance, giving rise to a "turnover" behavior analogous to Kramers turnover in chemical reaction rates. We derive explicit, general expressions for the weak and strong relaxation limits. For weak relaxation, the conductance increases linearly with γ and every electronic state of the total explicit system contributes to the electronic current according to its "reduced" weight in the two extended reservoir regions. Essentially, this represents two conductors in series—one at each interface with the implicit reservoirs that provide the relaxation. For strong relaxation, a "dual" expression-one with the same functional form-results, except now proportional to 1/γ and dependent on the system of interest's electronic states, reflecting that the strong relaxation is localizing electrons in the extended reservoirs. Higher order behavior (e.g., γ2 or 1/γ2) can occur when there is a gap in the frequency spectrum. Moreover, inhomogeneity in the frequency spacing can give rise to a pseudo-plateau regime. These findings yield a physically motivated approach to diagnosing numerical simulations and understanding the influence of relaxation, and we examine their occurrence in both simple models and a realistic, fluctuating graphene nanoribbon.

  6. Theory of vibrational relaxation in mixtures of ortho- and para-hydrogen

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Moise, A.; Pritchard, H.O.

    1981-01-01

    A numerical study of the vibrational relaxation at 500 K of a mixture of ortho-H 2 and para-H 2 is described. The required state-to-state rate constants were calculated and missing pieces of data were estimated by interpolation. It is concluded that only one relaxation time will be observed in any mixture of orth-H 2 and para-H 2 and that (except at very high dilutions in a third inert gas) the relaxation rate constant will be close to the mean of the individual rate constants for relaxation, weighted according to the respective mole fractions of ortho-H 2 and para-H 2 present in the mixture. The relaxation process can be modelled as an electrical RC network, whose time constants can be written down as sums of the appropriate microscopic rate constants. By using this model the conditions required for a mixture of two gases to exhibit two distinct vibrational relaxation times can be explored

  7. Music preference and relaxation in Taiwanese elderly people.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lai, Hui-Ling

    2004-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to identify individual musical preferences, investigate the relationship between an individual's musical preferences and demographic variables, and examine the effects of the selected music on relaxation. Fifty healthy subjects (mean age 65.7; SD = 5.2) from the community participated in the study. Musical preference interviews and relaxed responses to selected music were administered to the study participants individually in the investigator's office. Participants' heart rates, respiratory rates, and finger temperature were measured before they listened to the introductory tape and again after they listened to the selected music for 20 minutes. The participants were asked to judge how much they liked the 6 types of soothing music and were asked to rate it on a scale. The results indicated that Chinese orchestral music was the preferred choice, followed by harp, piano, synthesizer, orchestral, and finally slow jazz. There were no differences among types of music on relaxation, and no significant differences between musical preference and any demographic variables. The heart rates and respiratory rates of the participants were significantly lower (t = 21.24, P music. These findings suggest that soothing music selections have beneficial effects on relaxation in community-residing elderly people.

  8. Tensile, creep and relaxation characteristics of zircaloy cladding at 3850C

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Murty, K.L.; McDonald, S.G.

    1981-01-01

    Axial creep tests were carried out at stresses ranging form 30 ksi to 50 ksi. Steady-state creep rates were evaluated from stress change tests to minimize the number of samples. The secondary creep rate was related to the applied stress through a Sinh function. The functional dependence of the strain rate on the stress was also evaluated from load relaxation tests. It is demonstrated that the strain rates derived from load relaxation tests are identical to the creep data when the relaxation testing was carried out at the point of maximum load in a tensile test. In addition, the creep and relaxation results are identical to the true ultimate tensile stress versus applied strain-rate data derived from tensile tests. (orig./HP)

  9. A study of internal energy relaxation in shocks using molecular dynamics based models

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, Zheng; Parsons, Neal; Levin, Deborah A.

    2015-01-01

    Recent potential energy surfaces (PESs) for the N 2 + N and N 2 + N 2 systems are used in molecular dynamics (MD) to simulate rates of vibrational and rotational relaxations for conditions that occur in hypersonic flows. For both chemical systems, it is found that the rotational relaxation number increases with the translational temperature and decreases as the rotational temperature approaches the translational temperature. The vibrational relaxation number is observed to decrease with translational temperature and approaches the rotational relaxation number in the high temperature region. The rotational and vibrational relaxation numbers are generally larger in the N 2 + N 2 system. MD-quasi-classical trajectory (QCT) with the PESs is also used to calculate the V-T transition cross sections, the collision cross section, and the dissociation cross section for each collision pair. Direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) results for hypersonic flow over a blunt body with the total collision cross section from MD/QCT simulations, Larsen-Borgnakke with new relaxation numbers, and the N 2 dissociation rate from MD/QCT show a profile with a decreased translational temperature and a rotational temperature close to vibrational temperature. The results demonstrate that many of the physical models employed in DSMC should be revised as fundamental potential energy surfaces suitable for high temperature conditions become available

  10. From plastic to elastic stress relaxation in highly mismatched SiGe/Si heterostructures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Isa, Fabio; Salvalaglio, Marco; Dasilva, Yadira Arroyo Rojas; Jung, Arik; Isella, Giovanni; Erni, Rolf; Niedermann, Philippe; Gröning, Pierangelo; Montalenti, Francesco; Känel, Hans von

    2016-01-01

    We present a detailed experimental and theoretical analysis of the epitaxial stress relaxation process in micro-structured compositionally graded alloys. We focus on the pivotal SiGe/Si(001) system employing patterned Si substrates at the micrometre-size scale to address the distribution of threading and misfit dislocations within the heterostructures. SiGe alloys with linearly increasing Ge content were deposited by low energy plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition resulting in isolated, tens of micrometre tall 3D crystals. We demonstrate that complete elastic relaxation is achieved by appropriate choice of the Ge compositional grading rate and Si pillar width. We investigate the nature and distribution of dislocations along the [001] growth direction in SiGe crystals by transmission electron microscopy, chemical defect etching and etch pit counting. We show that for 3 μm wide Si pillars and a Ge grading rate of 1.5% μm −1 , only misfit dislocations are present while their fraction is reduced for higher Ge grading rates and larger structures due to dislocation interactions. The experimental results are interpreted with the help of theoretical calculations based on linear elasticity theory describing the competition between purely elastic and plastic stress relaxation with increasing crystal width and Ge compositional grading rate.

  11. Relaxed states of tokamak plasmas

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kucinski, M.Y.; Okano, V.

    1993-01-01

    The relaxed states of tokamak plasmas are studied. It is assumed that the plasma relaxes to a quasi-steady state which is characterized by a minimum entropy production rate, compatible with a number of prescribed conditions and pressure balance. A poloidal current arises naturally due to the anisotropic resistivity. The minimum entropy production theory is applied, assuming the pressure equilibrium as fundamental constraint on the final state. (L.C.J.A.)

  12. Dynamic stress relaxation due to cyclic variation of strain at elevated temperature

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Suzuki, F.

    1975-01-01

    The relaxation of stress which occurs when low amplitude alternating strains are superimposed on constant mean total strains is studied in this paper. Experiments were carried out on a 0.16 per cent carbon steel and an AISI 347 stainless steel at 450 0 C and 650 0 C respectively in which the decrease of axial mean stress was measured as a function of time. When even a low amplitude alternating strain was applied, the rate of stress relaxation was observed to increase. Analytical predictions based on creep and static relaxation data show fairly good agreement with experiments in the period corresponding to transient creep. (author)

  13. Collisional relaxation of electron tail distribution

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yamagiwa, Mitsuru; Okamoto, Masao.

    1985-05-01

    Relaxation due to the Coulomb collisions of the electron velocity distribution function with a high energy tail is investigated in detail. In the course of the relaxation, a 'saddle' point can be created in velocity space owing to upsilon -3 dependence of the deflection rate and a positive slope or a 'dip' appears in the tail direction. The time evolution of the electron tail is studied analytically. A comparison is made with numerical results by using a Fokker-Planck code. Also discussed is the kinetic instability concerned with the positive slope during the relaxation. (author)

  14. 13C spin relaxation measurements in RNA: Sensitivity and resolution improvement using spin-state selective correlation experiments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Boisbouvier, Jerome; Brutscher, Bernhard; Simorre, Jean-Pierre; Marion, Dominique

    1999-01-01

    A set of new NMR pulse sequences has been designed for the measurement of 13 C relaxation rate constants in RNA and DNA bases: the spin-lattice relaxation rate constant R(C z ), the spin-spin relaxation rate constant R(C + ), and the CSA-dipolar cross-correlated relaxation rate constant Γ C,CH xy . The use of spin-state selective correlation techniques provides increased sensitivity and spectral resolution. Sensitivity optimised C-C filters are included in the pulse schemes for the suppression of signals originating from undesired carbon isotopomers. The experiments are applied to a 15% 13 C-labelled 33-mer RNA-theophylline complex. The measured R(C + )/Γ C,CH xy ratios indicate that 13 C CSA tensors do not vary significantly for the same type of carbon (C 2 , C 6 , C 8 ), but that they differ from one type to another. In addition, conformational exchange effects in the RNA bases are detected as a change in the relaxation decay of the narrow 13 C doublet component when varying the spacing of a CPMG pulse train. This new approach allows the detection of small exchange effects with a higher precision compared to conventional techniques

  15. Anisotropic temperature relaxation of plasmas in an external magnetic field

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hassan, M.H.A.

    1977-01-01

    The magnetized kinetic equation derived in an earlier paper (Hassan and Watson, 1977) is used to study the problem of relaxation of anisotropic electron and ion temperatures in a magnetized plasma. In the case of anisotropic electron temperature relaxation, it is shown that for small anisotropies the exchange of energy within the electrons between the components parallel and perpendicular to the magnetic field direction determine the relaxation rate. For anisotropic ion temperature relaxation it is shown that the essential mechanism for relaxation is provided by energy transfer between ions and electrons, and that the expression for the relaxation rate perpendicular to the magnetic field contains a significant term proportional to ln eta 0 ln (msub(e)/msub(i)) (where eta 0 = Ωsub(e)/ksub(D)Vsub(e perpendicular to)), in addition to the term proportional to the Coulomb logarithm. (author)

  16. Low-temperature strain ageing in In-Pb alloys under stress relaxation conditions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fomenko, L.S.

    2000-01-01

    The dynamic strain ageing (DSA) of In-Pb (6 and 8 at. % Pb) substitutional solid solution single crystals is studied at temperatures 77-205 K under stress relaxation conditions. The dependences of the stress increment after relaxation connected with DSA on stress relaxation time, stress relaxation rate at the end of the relaxation, temperature, alloy content, flow stress, and strain are determined. It is shown that the DSA kinetic is described by a Harper-type equation with the exponent equal to 1/3 and a low activation energy value (0.3-0.34 eV). This provides a low temperature of the DSA onset (∼ 0.17 T m , where T m is the melt temperature) and is evidence of pipe-mode diffusion. It is supposed that the obstacles to dislocation motion in the crystals studied consist of the groups of solutes, and the strength of the obstacles increases during the DSA due to the pipe diffusion of the solute atoms along the dislocations

  17. Relaxivity of Ferumoxytol at 1.5 T and 3.0 T.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Knobloch, Gesine; Colgan, Timothy; Wiens, Curtis N; Wang, Xiaoke; Schubert, Tilman; Hernando, Diego; Sharma, Samir D; Reeder, Scott B

    2018-05-01

    The aim of this study was to determine the relaxation properties of ferumoxytol, an off-label alternative to gadolinium-based contrast agents, under physiological conditions at 1.5 T and 3.0 T. Ferumoxytol was diluted in gradually increasing concentrations (0.26-4.2 mM) in saline, human plasma, and human whole blood. Magnetic resonance relaxometry was performed at 37°C at 1.5 T and 3.0 T. Longitudinal and transverse relaxation rate constants (R1, R2, R2*) were measured as a function of ferumoxytol concentration, and relaxivities (r1, r2, r2*) were calculated. A linear dependence of R1, R2, and R2* on ferumoxytol concentration was found in saline and plasma with lower R1 values at 3.0 T and similar R2 and R2* values at 1.5 T and 3.0 T (1.5 T: r1saline = 19.9 ± 2.3 smM; r1plasma = 19.0 ± 1.7 smM; r2saline = 60.8 ± 3.8 smM; r2plasma = 64.9 ± 1.8 smM; r2*saline = 60.4 ± 4.7 smM; r2*plasma = 64.4 ± 2.5 smM; 3.0 T: r1saline = 10.0 ± 0.3 smM; r1plasma = 9.5 ± 0.2 smM; r2saline = 62.3 ± 3.7 smM; r2plasma = 65.2 ± 1.8 smM; r2*saline = 57.0 ± 4.7 smM; r2*plasma = 55.7 ± 4.4 smM). The dependence of relaxation rates on concentration in blood was nonlinear. Formulas from second-order polynomial fittings of the relaxation rates were calculated to characterize the relationship between R1blood and R2 blood with ferumoxytol. Ferumoxytol demonstrates strong longitudinal and transverse relaxivities. Awareness of the nonlinear relaxation behavior of ferumoxytol in blood is important for ferumoxytol-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging applications and for protocol optimization.

  18. Hyperfine relaxation of an optically pumped cesium vapor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tornos, J.; Amare, J.C.

    1986-01-01

    The relaxation of hyperfine orientation indirectly induced by optical pumping with a σ-polarized D 1 -light in a cesium vapor in the presence of Ar is experimentally studied. The detection technique ensures the absence of quadrupole relaxation contributions in the relaxation signals. The results from the dependences of the hyperfine relaxation rate on the temperature and argon pressure are: diffusion coefficient of Cs in Ar, D 0 = 0.101 +- 0.010 cm 2 s -1 at 0 0 C and 760 Torr; relaxation cross section by Cs-Ar collisions, σ/sub c/ = (104 +- 5) x 10 -23 cm 2 ; relaxation cross section by Cs-Cs (spin exchange) collisions, σ/sub e//sub x/ = (1.63 +- 0.13) x 10 -14 cm 2

  19. Spin-orbit coupling induced two-electron relaxation in silicon donor pairs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Song, Yang; Das Sarma, S.

    2017-09-01

    We unravel theoretically a key intrinsic relaxation mechanism among the low-lying singlet and triplet donor-pair states in silicon, an important element in the fast-developing field of spintronics and quantum computation. Despite the perceived weak spin-orbit coupling (SOC) in Si, we find that our discovered relaxation mechanism, combined with the electron-phonon and interdonor interactions, drives the transitions in the two-electron states over a large range of donor coupling regimes. The scaling of the relaxation rate with interdonor exchange interaction J goes from J5 to J4 at the low to high temperature limits. Our analytical study draws on the symmetry analysis over combined band, donor envelope, and valley configurations. It uncovers naturally the dependence on the donor-alignment direction and triplet spin orientation, and especially on the dominant SOC source from donor impurities. While a magnetic field is not necessary for this relaxation, unlike in the single-donor spin relaxation, we discuss the crossover behavior with increasing Zeeman energy in order to facilitate comparison with experiments.

  20. Viscoelasticity, nonlinear shear start-up, and relaxation of entangled star polymers

    KAUST Repository

    Snijkers, Frank

    2013-07-23

    We report on a detailed rheological investigation of well-defined symmetric entangled polymer stars of low functionality with varying number of arms, molar mass of the arms, and solvent content. Emphasis is placed on the response of the stars in simple shear, during start-up, and for relaxation upon flow cessation. To reduce experimental artifacts associated with edge fracture (primarily) and wall slip, we employ a homemade cone-partitioned plate fixture which was successfully implemented in recent studies. Reliable data for these highly entangled stars could be obtained for Weissenberg numbers below 300. The appearance of a stress overshoot during start-up with a corresponding strain approaching a value of 2 suggests that in the investigated shear regime the stars orient but do not stretch. This is corroborated by the fact that the empirical Cox-Merx rule appears to be validated, within experimental error. On the other hand, the (shear) rate dependent steady shear viscosity data exhibit a slope smaller than the convective constraint release slope of -1 (for linear polymers) for the investigated range of rates. The broadness of the stress overshoot reflects the broad linear relaxation spectrum of the stars. The initial stress relaxation rate, reflecting the initial loss of entanglements due to the action of convective constraint release in steady shear flow, increases with Weissenberg number. More importantly, when compared against the relevant rates for comb polymers with relatively short arms, the latter are slower at larger Weissenberg numbers. At long times, the relaxation data are consistent with the linear viscoelastic data on these systems. © 2013 American Chemical Society.

  1. Temperature dependence of the NMR spin-lattice relaxation rate for spin-1/2 chains

    Science.gov (United States)

    Coira, E.; Barmettler, P.; Giamarchi, T.; Kollath, C.

    2016-10-01

    We use recent developments in the framework of a time-dependent matrix product state method to compute the nuclear magnetic resonance relaxation rate 1 /T1 for spin-1/2 chains under magnetic field and for different Hamiltonians (XXX, XXZ, isotropically dimerized). We compute numerically the temperature dependence of the 1 /T1 . We consider both gapped and gapless phases, and also the proximity of quantum critical points. At temperatures much lower than the typical exchange energy scale, our results are in excellent agreement with analytical results, such as the ones derived from the Tomonaga-Luttinger liquid (TLL) theory and bosonization, which are valid in this regime. We also cover the regime for which the temperature T is comparable to the exchange coupling. In this case analytical theories are not appropriate, but this regime is relevant for various new compounds with exchange couplings in the range of tens of Kelvin. For the gapped phases, either the fully polarized phase for spin chains or the low-magnetic-field phase for the dimerized systems, we find an exponential decrease in Δ /(kBT ) of the relaxation time and can compute the gap Δ . Close to the quantum critical point our results are in good agreement with the scaling behavior based on the existence of free excitations.

  2. Nuclear relaxation and critical fluctuations in membranes containing cholesterol

    Science.gov (United States)

    McConnell, Harden

    2009-04-01

    Nuclear resonance frequencies in bilayer membranes depend on lipid composition. Our calculations describe the combined effects of composition fluctuations and diffusion on nuclear relaxation near a miscibility critical point. Both tracer and gradient diffusion are included. The calculations involve correlation functions and a correlation length ξ =ξ0T/(T -Tc), where T -Tc is temperature above the critical temperature and ξ0 is a parameter of molecular length. Several correlation functions are examined, each of which is related in some degree to the Ising model correlation function. These correlation functions are used in the calculation of transverse deuterium relaxation rates in magic angle spinning and quadrupole echo experiments. The calculations are compared with experiments that report maxima in deuterium and proton nuclear relaxation rates at the critical temperature [Veatch et al., Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 104, 17650 (2007)]. One Ising-model-related correlation function yields a maximum 1/T2 relaxation rate at the critical temperature for both magic angle spinning and quadrupole echo experiments. The calculated rates at the critical temperature are close to the experimental rates. The rate maxima involve relatively rapid tracer diffusion in a static composition gradient over distances of up to 10-100 nm.

  3. Curie-type paramagnetic NMR relaxation in the aqueous solution of Ni(II).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mareš, Jiří; Hanni, Matti; Lantto, Perttu; Lounila, Juhani; Vaara, Juha

    2014-04-21

    Ni(2+)(aq) has been used for many decades as a model system for paramagnetic nuclear magnetic resonance (pNMR) relaxation studies. More recently, its magnetic properties and also nuclear magnetic relaxation rates have been studied computationally. We have calculated electron paramagnetic resonance and NMR parameters using quantum-mechanical (QM) computation of molecular dynamics snapshots, obtained using a polarizable empirical force field. Statistical averages of hyperfine coupling, g- and zero-field splitting tensors, as well as the pNMR shielding terms, are compared to the available experimental and computational data. In accordance with our previous work, the isotropic hyperfine coupling as well as nuclear shielding values agree well with experimental measurements for the (17)O nuclei of water molecules in the first solvation shell of the nickel ion, whereas larger deviations are found for (1)H centers. We report, for the first time, the Curie-type contribution to the pNMR relaxation rate using QM calculations together with Redfield relaxation theory. The Curie relaxation mechanism is analogous to chemical shift anisotropy relaxation, well-known in diamagnetic NMR. Due to the predominance of other types of paramagnetic relaxation mechanisms for this system, it is possible to extract the Curie term only computationally. The Curie mechanism alone would result in around 16 and 20 s(-1) of relaxation rates (R1 and R2 respectively) for the (1)H nuclei of water molecules bonded to the Ni(2+) center, in a magnetic field of 11.7 T. The corresponding (17)O relaxation rates are around 33 and 38 s(-1). We also report the Curie contribution to the relaxation rate for molecules beyond the first solvation shell in a 1 M solution of Ni(2+) in water.

  4. Nuclear magnetic relaxation induced by exchange-mediated orientational randomization: longitudinal relaxation dispersion for a dipole-coupled spin-1/2 pair.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chang, Zhiwei; Halle, Bertil

    2013-10-14

    In complex biological or colloidal samples, magnetic relaxation dispersion (MRD) experiments using the field-cycling technique can characterize molecular motions on time scales ranging from nanoseconds to microseconds, provided that a rigorous theory of nuclear spin relaxation is available. In gels, cross-linked proteins, and biological tissues, where an immobilized macromolecular component coexists with a mobile solvent phase, nuclear spins residing in solvent (or cosolvent) species relax predominantly via exchange-mediated orientational randomization (EMOR) of anisotropic nuclear (electric quadrupole or magnetic dipole) couplings. The physical or chemical exchange processes that dominate the MRD typically occur on a time scale of microseconds or longer, where the conventional perturbation theory of spin relaxation breaks down. There is thus a need for a more general relaxation theory. Such a theory, based on the stochastic Liouville equation (SLE) for the EMOR mechanism, is available for a single quadrupolar spin I = 1. Here, we present the corresponding theory for a dipole-coupled spin-1/2 pair. To our knowledge, this is the first treatment of dipolar MRD outside the motional-narrowing regime. Based on an analytical solution of the spatial part of the SLE, we show how the integral longitudinal relaxation rate can be computed efficiently. Both like and unlike spins, with selective or non-selective excitation, are treated. For the experimentally important dilute regime, where only a small fraction of the spin pairs are immobilized, we obtain simple analytical expressions for the auto-relaxation and cross-relaxation rates which generalize the well-known Solomon equations. These generalized results will be useful in biophysical studies, e.g., of intermittent protein dynamics. In addition, they represent a first step towards a rigorous theory of water (1)H relaxation in biological tissues, which is a prerequisite for unravelling the molecular basis of soft

  5. Vibrational relaxation of a triatomic molecular impurity: D2O in vitreous As2S3

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rella, C.W.; Schwettman, H.A.; Engholm, J.R.

    1995-01-01

    Measurements of the relaxation of the D 2 O stretch mode in vitreous As 2 S 3 are presented. Because the bending mode of the molecule offers an intra-molecular decay channel for the stretch mode, the decay scheme of the D 2 O molecule is more complex than that of diatomic molecules. The asymmetric stretch mode of D 2 O has a frequency of 2680 cm -1 . To study the relaxation of this mode we applied a pump-probe technique, using intense psec; pulses of the Stanford Free Electron Laser. Due to the small cross-section of the vibrational mode, successful efforts were made to improve the signal to noise ratio by using a laser stabilization system and a tightly focused beam to increase the intensity, by averaging the signal with a kHz repetition rate and by using samples with an optimized D 2 O concentration. A rapid relaxation rate on the order of 5 x 10 9 sec -1 at low temperature is found that increases with temperature. Recalling that the bending mode of the D 2 O molecule has a frequency of 1170 cm -1 , one would expect a decay in a third order process, involving two quanta of the bending mode plus a vibrational host quanta with a frequency of 340 cm -1 , which coincides with a fundamental frequency of the pyramidal building blocks of the glassy As 2 S 3 host. Instead, we find from the temperature dependence of the relaxation rate that the D 2 O stretching mode relaxes in a higher order process. This indicates that the relaxation dynamics of small molecules is more complex than generally assumed

  6. Proton NMR relaxivity of blood samples in the presence of some gadolinium and dysprosium compounds

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Coroiu, I.; Darabont, Al.; Bogdan, M.

    1999-01-01

    The use of some new compounds in MRI tissue and blood characterisation based on nuclear spin relaxation time measurements cannot be sustained until the molecular sources of these variations are understood. Tissues and blood are complex molecular systems with complex NMR properties. A better comprehension of the molecular basis of relaxation offers the possibility to predict the changes expected for a given pathology. The purpose of this contribution is to evidence the different relaxation characteristics of some gadolinium and dysprosium compounds in the presence and absence of the blood and to give a possible explanation about the molecular processes that cause occurrence of changes. Some gadolinium and dysprosium compounds such as: Gd-CIT (gadolinium citrate), Dy-DTPA (DTPA-diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid), iron oxide - gadolinium oxide (or dysprosium oxide)- dextran complexes were prepared. The longitudinal T 1 -1 and transverse T 2 -1 'relaxation rates' measurements have been carried out as a function of molar concentrations. All measurements have been made at room temperature (about 25 deg.C) and the proton Larmor frequency ν o = 90 MHz. The pulsed NMR spectrometer utilised was a commercial Bruker SXP4/100 spectrometer. Transverse relaxation rate measurements have been made using the Carr-Purcell method, while longitudinal relaxation rate measurements using the inversion recovery pulse sequence, 180 angle-τ-90 angle. The accuracy was about 2-3% for the longitudinal relaxation rates and about 5-7% for the transverse relaxation rates. R 1 and R 2 relaxivities, in mM -1 s -1 were determined from the least square determination of the slopes of plots 1/T 1,2 versus compound molar concentration, using at least five independent measurements at several concentrations between 0 and 2 mM. Increased R 2 relaxivity observed for dysprosium compounds in the blood presence can be explained by PRE effect. The largest gain in R 2 relaxivity seems to imply a noncovalent

  7. Sandpile model for relaxation in complex systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vazquez, A.; Sotolongo-Costa, O.; Brouers, F.

    1997-10-01

    The relaxation in complex systems is, in general, nonexponential. After an initial rapid decay the system relaxes slowly following a long time tail. In the present paper a sandpile moderation of the relaxation in complex systems is analysed. Complexity is introduced by a process of avalanches in the Bethe lattice and a feedback mechanism which leads to slower decay with increasing time. In this way, some features of relaxation in complex systems: long time tails relaxation, aging, and fractal distribution of characteristic times, are obtained by simple computer simulations. (author)

  8. State resolved vibrational relaxation modeling for strongly nonequilibrium flows

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boyd, Iain D.; Josyula, Eswar

    2011-05-01

    Vibrational relaxation is an important physical process in hypersonic flows. Activation of the vibrational mode affects the fundamental thermodynamic properties and finite rate relaxation can reduce the degree of dissociation of a gas. Low fidelity models of vibrational activation employ a relaxation time to capture the process at a macroscopic level. High fidelity, state-resolved models have been developed for use in continuum gas dynamics simulations based on computational fluid dynamics (CFD). By comparison, such models are not as common for use with the direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) method. In this study, a high fidelity, state-resolved vibrational relaxation model is developed for the DSMC technique. The model is based on the forced harmonic oscillator approach in which multi-quantum transitions may become dominant at high temperature. Results obtained for integrated rate coefficients from the DSMC model are consistent with the corresponding CFD model. Comparison of relaxation results obtained with the high-fidelity DSMC model shows significantly less excitation of upper vibrational levels in comparison to the standard, lower fidelity DSMC vibrational relaxation model. Application of the new DSMC model to a Mach 7 normal shock wave in carbon monoxide provides better agreement with experimental measurements than the standard DSMC relaxation model.

  9. Electron spin-lattice relaxation in fractals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shrivastava, K.N.

    1986-08-01

    We have developed the theory of the spin-fracton interaction for paramagnetic ions in fractal structures. The interaction is exponentially damped by the self-similarity length of the fractal and by the range dimensionality d Φ . The relaxation time of the spin due to the absorption and emission of the fracton has been calculated for a general dimensionality called the Raman dimensionality d R , which for the fractons differs from the Hausdorff (fractal) dimensionality, D, as well as from the Euclidean dimensionality, d. The exponent of the energy level separation in the relaxation rate varies with d R d Φ /D. We have calculated the spin relaxation rate due to a new type of Raman process in which one fracton is absorbed to affect a spin transition from one electronic level to another and later another fracton is emitted along with a spin transition such that the difference in the energies of the two fractons is equal to the electronic energy level separation. The temperature and the dimensionality dependence of such a process has been found in several approximations. In one of the approximations where the van Vleck relaxation rate for a spin in a crystal is known to vary with temperature as T 9 , our calculated variation for fractals turns out to be T 6.6 , whereas the experimental value for Fe 3+ in frozen solutions of myoglobin azide is T 6.3 . Since we used d R =4/3 and the fracton range dimensionality d Φ =D/1.8, we expect to measure the dimensionalities of the problem by measuring the temperature dependence of the relaxation times. We have also calculated the shift of the paramagnetic resonance transition for a spin in a fractal for general dimensionalities. (author)

  10. Temperature effect on the rates of isometric force development and relaxation in the fresh and fatigued human adductor pollicis muscle

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    de Ruiter, C J; Jones, D A; Sargeant, A J; de Haan, A

    1999-01-01

    The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of temperature on the rates of isometric force development and relaxation in electrically activated fresh and fatigued human adductor pollicis muscle. Following immersion of the lower arm for 20 min in water baths of four different

  11. Intrinsic spin-relaxation induced negative tunnel magnetoresistance in a single-molecule magnet

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xie, Haiqing; Wang, Qiang; Xue, Hai-Bin; Jiao, HuJun; Liang, J.-Q.

    2013-06-01

    We investigate theoretically the effects of intrinsic spin-relaxation on the spin-dependent transport through a single-molecule magnet (SMM), which is weakly coupled to ferromagnetic leads. The tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) is obtained by means of the rate-equation approach including not only the sequential but also the cotunneling processes. It is shown that the TMR is strongly suppressed by the fast spin-relaxation in the sequential region and can vary from a large positive to slight negative value in the cotunneling region. Moreover, with an external magnetic field along the easy-axis of SMM, a large negative TMR is found when the relaxation strength increases. Finally, in the high bias voltage limit the TMR for the negative bias is slightly larger than its characteristic value of the sequential region; however, it can become negative for the positive bias caused by the fast spin-relaxation.

  12. Spin relaxation in nanowires by hyperfine coupling

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Echeverria-Arrondo, C.; Sherman, E.Ya.

    2012-01-01

    Hyperfine interactions establish limits on spin dynamics and relaxation rates in ensembles of semiconductor quantum dots. It is the confinement of electrons which determines nonzero hyperfine coupling and leads to the spin relaxation. As a result, in nanowires one would expect the vanishing of this effect due to extended electron states. However, even for relatively clean wires, disorder plays a crucial role and makes electron localization sufficient to cause spin relaxation on the time scale of the order of 10 ns. (copyright 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

  13. Changes in transcriptional orientation are associated with increases in evolutionary rates of enterobacterial genes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hsiung Chao

    2011-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Changes in transcriptional orientation (“CTOs” occur frequently in prokaryotic genomes. Such changes usually result from genomic inversions, which may cause a conflict between the directions of replication and transcription and an increase in mutation rate. However, CTOs do not always lead to the replication-transcription confrontation. Furthermore, CTOs may cause deleterious disruptions of operon structure and/or gene regulations. The currently existing CTOs may indicate relaxation of selection pressure. Therefore, it is of interest to investigate whether CTOs have an independent effect on the evolutionary rates of the affected genes, and whether these genes are subject to any type of selection pressure in prokaryotes. Methods Three closely related enterbacteria, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium, were selected for comparisons of synonymous (dS and nonsynonymous (dN substitution rate between the genes that have experienced changes in transcriptional orientation (changed-orientation genes, “COGs” and those that do not (same-orientation genes, “SOGs”. The dN/dS ratio was also derived to evaluate the selection pressure on the analyzed genes. Confounding factors in the estimation of evolutionary rates, such as gene essentiality, gene expression level, replication-transcription confrontation, and decreased dS at gene terminals were controlled in the COG-SOG comparisons. Results We demonstrate that COGs have significantly higher dN and dS than SOGs when a series of confounding factors are controlled. However, the dN/dS ratios are similar between the two gene groups, suggesting that the increase in dS can sufficiently explain the increase in dN in COGs. Therefore, the increases in evolutionary rates in COGs may be mainly mutation-driven. Conclusions Here we show that CTOs can increase the evolutionary rates of the affected genes. This effect is independent of the

  14. Properties of the relaxation time distribution underlying the Kohlrausch-Williams-Watts photoionization of the DX centers in Cd1-xMnxTe mixed crystals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Trzmiel, J; Weron, K; Placzek-Popko, E; Janczura, J

    2009-01-01

    In this paper we clarify the relationship between the relaxation rate and relaxation time distributions underlying the Kohlrausch-Williams-Watts (KWW) photoconductivity build-ups in indium- and gallium-doped Cd 1-x Mn x Te mixed crystals. We discuss the role of asymptotic properties of the corresponding probability density functions. We show that the relaxation rate distribution, as a completely asymmetric α-stable distribution, leads to an infinite mean value of the effective relaxation rate. In contrast, the relaxation time distribution related to it leads to a finite mean value of the effective relaxation time. It follows from the experimental data analysis that for all the investigated samples the KWW exponent α decreases linearly with increasing photon flux in the range of (0.6-0.99) and its values are more spread in the case of gallium-doped material. We also observe a linear dependence of the mean relaxation time on the characteristic material time constant, which is consistent with the theoretical model.

  15. Charge carrier relaxation model in disordered organic semiconductors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lu, Nianduan; Li, Ling; Sun, Pengxiao; Liu, Ming

    2013-01-01

    The relaxation phenomena of charge carrier in disordered organic semiconductors have been demonstrated and investigated theoretically. An analytical model describing the charge carrier relaxation is proposed based on the pure hopping transport theory. The relation between the material disorder, electric field and temperature and the relaxation phenomena has been discussed in detail, respectively. The calculated results reveal that the increase of electric field and temperature can promote the relaxation effect in disordered organic semiconductors, while the increase of material disorder will weaken the relaxation. The proposed model can explain well the stretched-exponential law by adopting the appropriate parameters. The calculation shows a good agreement with the experimental data for organic semiconductors

  16. Magnetic relaxation in analytical, coordination and bioinorganic chemistry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mikhajlov, O.

    1982-01-01

    Nuclear magnetic relaxation is a special type of nuclear magnetic resonance in which the rate is measured of energy transfer between the excited nuclei and their molecular medium (spin-lattice relaxation) or the whole nuclear spin system (spin-spin relaxation). Nuclear magnetic relaxation relates to nuclei with a spin of 1/2, primarily H 1 1 , and is mainly measured in water solutions. It is suitable for (1) analytical chemistry because the relaxation time rapidly reduces in the presence of paramagnetic ions, (2) the study of complex compounds, (3) the study of biochemical reactions in the presence of different metal ions. It is also suitable for testing the composition of a flowing liquid. Its disadvantage is that it requires complex and expensive equipment. (Ha)

  17. High population increase rates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    1991-09-01

    In addition to its economic and ethnic difficulties, the USSR faces several pressing demographic problems, including high population increase rates in several of its constituent republics. It has now become clear that although the country's rigid centralized planning succeeded in covering the basic needs of people, it did not lead to welfare growth. Since the 1970s, the Soviet economy has remained sluggish, which as led to increase in the death and birth rates. Furthermore, the ideology that held that demography could be entirely controlled by the country's political and economic system is contradicted by current Soviet reality, which shows that religion and ethnicity also play a significant role in demographic dynamics. Currently, Soviet republics fall under 2 categories--areas with high or low natural population increase rates. Republics with low rates consist of Christian populations (Armenia, Moldavia, Georgia, Byelorussia, Russia, Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, Ukraine), while republics with high rates are Muslim (Tadzhikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kirgizia, Azerbaijan Kazakhstan). The later group has natural increase rates as high as 3.3%. Although the USSR as a whole is not considered a developing country, the later group of republics fit the description of the UNFPA's priority list. Another serious demographic issue facing the USSR is its extremely high rate of abortion. This is especially true in the republics of low birth rates, where up to 60% of all pregnancies are terminated by induced abortions. Up to 1/5 of the USSR's annual health care budget is spent on clinical abortions -- money which could be better spent on the production of contraceptives. Along with the recent political and economic changes, the USSR is now eager to deal with its demographic problems.

  18. Regularities of intermediate adsorption complex relaxation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Manukova, L.A.

    1982-01-01

    The experimental data, characterizing the regularities of intermediate adsorption complex relaxation in the polycrystalline Mo-N 2 system at 77 K are given. The method of molecular beam has been used in the investigation. The analytical expressions of change regularity in the relaxation process of full and specific rates - of transition from intermediate state into ''non-reversible'', of desorption into the gas phase and accumUlation of the particles in the intermediate state are obtained

  19. Idiosyncratic reality claims, relaxation dispositions, and ABC relaxation theory: happiness, literal christianity, miraculous powers, metaphysics, and the paranormal.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, Jonathan C; Karmin, Aaron D

    2002-12-01

    This study examined idiosyncratic reality claims, that is, irrational or paranormal beliefs often claimed to enhance relaxation and happiness and reduce stress. The Smith Idiosyncratic Reality Claims Inventory and the Smith Relaxation Dispositions Inventory (which measures relaxation and stress dispositions, or enduring states of mind frequently associated with relaxation or stress) were given to 310 junior college student volunteers. Principal components factor analysis with varimax rotation identified five idiosyncratic reality claim factors: belief in Literal Christianity; Magic; Space Aliens: After Death experiences; and Miraculous Powers of Meditation, Prayer, and Belief. No factor correlated with increased relaxation dispositions Peace, Energy, or Joy, or reduced dispositional somatic stress, worry, or negative emotion on the Smith Relaxation Dispositions Inventory. It was concluded that idiosyncratic reality claims may not be associated with reported relaxation, happiness, or stress. In contrast, previous research strongly supported self-affirming beliefs with few paranormal assumptions display such an association.

  20. [Impact of a quality assurance program on the use of neuromuscular monitoring and reversal of muscle relaxants].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Motamed, C; Bourgain, J-L

    2009-04-01

    As part of a quality assurance in the anaesthesia department, this study was designed to enhance the rate of neuromuscular blockade monitoring for patients receiving muscle relaxant during anaesthesia. After approval of our local ethical committee, we assessed 200 computerized anaesthesia records in which neuromuscular relaxants were used. The following data were collected: demographic characteristics, durations of anaesthesia and surgery, use of neuromuscular monitoring, reversal agents and the quality of neuromuscular monitoring. The results were discussed with all anaesthesia providers of the department and an internal guideline was elaborated with the endpoint that all patients having muscle relaxants should have quantitative neuromuscular monitoring. Six months later, another assessment of 200 consecutive records collected the same data to check the efficiency of the elaborated guideline. The monitoring rate was of 67% at the first assessment and increased to 94% (passessment and was stable at the second assessment (50%). The rate of patients not monitored and not reversed decreased from 5 to 2% (pquality assurance program systematic quantitative monitoring of neuromuscular blockade can be significantly increased.

  1. Levitation force relaxation under reloading in a HTS Maglev system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    He Qingyong; Wang Jiasu; Wang Suyu; Wang Jiansi; Dong Hao; Wang Yuxin; Shao Senhao

    2009-01-01

    The loading capacity of the high-temperature superconducting (HTS) Maglev vehicle is an important parameter in the practical application. It is closely related to the levitation force of the HTS bulk. Many papers reported that the levitation force showed the relaxation characteristic. Because different loads cause different levitation gaps and different applied magnetic fields, the levitation force relaxations under the different loads are not the same. In terms of cylindrical YBCO bulk levitated over the permanent magnetic guideway, the relationship between the levitation force relaxation and the reloading is investigated experimentally in this paper. The decrement, the decrement rate and the relaxation rate of the levitation force are calculated, respectively. This work might be helpful for studying the loading capacity of the HTS Maglev vehicle

  2. Levitation force relaxation under reloading in a HTS Maglev system

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    He Qingyong [Applied Superconductivity Laboratory, M/S 152, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610031 (China)], E-mail: hedoubling@gmail.com; Wang Jiasu; Wang Suyu; Wang Jiansi; Dong Hao; Wang Yuxin; Shao Senhao [Applied Superconductivity Laboratory, M/S 152, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610031 (China)

    2009-02-01

    The loading capacity of the high-temperature superconducting (HTS) Maglev vehicle is an important parameter in the practical application. It is closely related to the levitation force of the HTS bulk. Many papers reported that the levitation force showed the relaxation characteristic. Because different loads cause different levitation gaps and different applied magnetic fields, the levitation force relaxations under the different loads are not the same. In terms of cylindrical YBCO bulk levitated over the permanent magnetic guideway, the relationship between the levitation force relaxation and the reloading is investigated experimentally in this paper. The decrement, the decrement rate and the relaxation rate of the levitation force are calculated, respectively. This work might be helpful for studying the loading capacity of the HTS Maglev vehicle.

  3. NMR relaxation in natural soils: Fast Field Cycling and T1-T2 Determination by IR-MEMS

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haber-Pohlmeier, S.; Pohlmeier, A.; Stapf, S.; van Dusschoten, D.

    2009-04-01

    Soils are natural porous media of highest importance for food production and sustainment of water resources. For these functions, prominent properties are their ability of water retainment and transport, which are mainly controlled by pore size distribution. The latter is related to NMR relaxation times of water molecules, of which the longitudinal relaxation time can be determined non-invasively by fast-field cycling relaxometry (FFC) and both are obtainable by inversion recovery - multi-echo- imaging (IR-MEMS) methods. The advantage of the FFC method is the determination of the field dependent dispersion of the spin-lattice relaxation rate, whereas MRI at high field is capable of yielding spatially resolved T1 and T2 times. Here we present results of T1- relaxation time distributions of water in three natural soils, obtained by the analysis of FFC data by means of the inverse Laplace transformation (CONTIN)1. Kaldenkirchen soil shows relatively broad bimodal distribution functions D(T1) which shift to higher relaxation rates with increasing relaxation field. These data are compared to spatially resolved T1- and T2 distributions, obtained by IR-MEMS. The distribution of T1 corresponds well to that obtained by FFC.

  4. Role of Thickness Confinement on Relaxations of the Fast Component in a Miscible A/B Blend

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Green, Peter [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Sharma, Ravi P. [University of Michigan; Dong, Ban Xuan [University of Michigan

    2018-01-18

    Spatial compositional heterogeneity strongly influences the dynamics of the A and B components of bulk miscible blends. Its effects are especially apparent in mixtures, such as poly(vinyl methyl ether) (PVME)/polystyrene (PS), where there exist significant disparities between the component glass transition temperatures (Tgs) and relaxation times. The relaxation processes characterized by distinct temperature dependencies and relaxation rates manifest different local compositional environments for temperatures above and below the glass transition temperature of the miscible blend. This same behavior is shown to exist in miscible PS/PVME films as thin as 100 nm. Moreover, in thin films, the characteristic segmental relaxation times t of the PVME component of miscible PVME/PS blends confined between aluminum (Al) substrates decrease with increasing molecular weight M of the PS component. These relaxation rates are film thickness dependent, in films up to a few hundred nanometers in thickness. This is in remarkable contrast to homopolymer films, where thickness confinement effects are apparent only on length scales on the order of nanometers. These surprisingly large length scales and M dependence are associated with the preferential interfacial enrichment - wetting layer formation - of the PVME component at the external Al interfaces, which alters the local spatial blend composition within the interior of the film. The implications are that the dynamics of miscible thin film blends are dictated in part by component Tg differences, disparities in component relaxation rates, component-substrate interactions, and chain lengths (entropy of mixing).

  5. Abrupt relaxation in high-spin molecules

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chang, C.-R.; Cheng, T.C.

    2000-01-01

    Mean-field model suggests that the rate of resonant quantum tunneling in high-spin molecules is not only field-dependent but also time-dependent. The relaxation-assisted resonant tunneling in high-spin molecules produces an abrupt magnetization change during relaxation. When the applied field is very close to the resonant field, a time-dependent interaction field gradually shifts the energies of different collective spin states, and magnetization tunneling is observed as two energies of the spin states coincide

  6. Variational formulation of relaxed and multi-region relaxed magnetohydrodynamics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dewar, R. L.; Yoshida, Z.; Bhattacharjee, A.; Hudson, S. R.

    2015-12-01

    > Ideal magnetohydrodynamics (IMHD) is strongly constrained by an infinite number of microscopic constraints expressing mass, entropy and magnetic flux conservation in each infinitesimal fluid element, the latter preventing magnetic reconnection. By contrast, in the Taylor relaxation model for formation of macroscopically self-organized plasma equilibrium states, all these constraints are relaxed save for the global magnetic fluxes and helicity. A Lagrangian variational principle is presented that leads to a new, fully dynamical, relaxed magnetohydrodynamics (RxMHD), such that all static solutions are Taylor states but also allows state with flow. By postulating that some long-lived macroscopic current sheets can act as barriers to relaxation, separating the plasma into multiple relaxation regions, a further generalization, multi-region relaxed magnetohydrodynamics (MRxMHD) is developed.

  7. Nuclear magnetic relaxation by the dipolar EMOR mechanism: Multi-spin systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chang, Zhiwei; Halle, Bertil

    2017-08-01

    In aqueous systems with immobilized macromolecules, including biological tissues, the longitudinal spin relaxation of water protons is primarily induced by exchange-mediated orientational randomization (EMOR) of intra- and intermolecular magnetic dipole-dipole couplings. Starting from the stochastic Liouville equation, we have previously developed a rigorous EMOR relaxation theory for dipole-coupled two-spin and three-spin systems. Here, we extend the stochastic Liouville theory to four-spin systems and use these exact results as a guide for constructing an approximate multi-spin theory, valid for spin systems of arbitrary size. This so-called generalized stochastic Redfield equation (GSRE) theory includes the effects of longitudinal-transverse cross-mode relaxation, which gives rise to an inverted step in the relaxation dispersion profile, and coherent spin mode transfer among solid-like spins, which may be regarded as generalized spin diffusion. The GSRE theory is compared to an existing theory, based on the extended Solomon equations, which does not incorporate these phenomena. Relaxation dispersion profiles are computed from the GSRE theory for systems of up to 16 protons, taken from protein crystal structures. These profiles span the range from the motional narrowing limit, where the coherent mode transfer plays a major role, to the ultra-slow motion limit, where the zero-field rate is closely related to the strong-collision limit of the dipolar relaxation rate. Although a quantitative analysis of experimental data is beyond the scope of this work, it is clear from the magnitude of the predicted relaxation rate and the shape of the relaxation dispersion profile that the dipolar EMOR mechanism is the principal cause of water-1H low-field longitudinal relaxation in aqueous systems of immobilized macromolecules, including soft biological tissues. The relaxation theory developed here therefore provides a basis for molecular-level interpretation of endogenous soft

  8. Blend-wall economics. Relaxing US ethanol regulations can lead to increased use of fossil fuels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang, Zibin; Qiu, Cheng; Wetzstein, Michael

    2010-01-01

    The US Environmental Protection Agency is currently considering a waiver allowing an increase in the fuel-ethanol blend limit (the 'blend wall') from 10% (E10) up to 15% (E15). Justifications for this waiver are reduced vehicle fuel prices and less consumption of petroleum gasoline leading to energy security. A theoretical examination of this waiver reveals an anomaly where a relaxation of this blend wall elicits a demand response. Under a wide range of elasticities, this demand response can actually increase the consumption of petroleum gasoline and thus lead to greater energy insecurity. The economics supporting this result and associated policy implications are developed and discussed. (author)

  9. Blend-wall economics. Relaxing US ethanol regulations can lead to increased use of fossil fuels

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhang, Zibin [Department of Economics at Zhejiang University, Hangzhou (China); Qiu, Cheng; Wetzstein, Michael [Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602 (United States)

    2010-07-15

    The US Environmental Protection Agency is currently considering a waiver allowing an increase in the fuel-ethanol blend limit (the 'blend wall') from 10% (E10) up to 15% (E15). Justifications for this waiver are reduced vehicle fuel prices and less consumption of petroleum gasoline leading to energy security. A theoretical examination of this waiver reveals an anomaly where a relaxation of this blend wall elicits a demand response. Under a wide range of elasticities, this demand response can actually increase the consumption of petroleum gasoline and thus lead to greater energy insecurity. The economics supporting this result and associated policy implications are developed and discussed. (author)

  10. Quantitative evaluation of degenerative lumbar intervertebral disc applying an equivalent cross-relaxation rate using MRI

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Obata, Hideaki; Inaba, Tadashi; Kato, Takaya; Tokuda, Masataka; Matsushima, Shigeru; Yamada, Michiaki; Kinosada, Yasutomi

    2004-01-01

    The equivalent cross-relaxation rate (ECR) is a measurement method to evaluate a change in organizational structure quantitatively utilizing MRI. The objectives of this study are to understand the characteristics related to water contents in degenerative lumbar intervertebral discs, and to investigate the usefulness of quantitative evaluation using ECR in order to find as early as possible disordered discs. Seven normal volunteers and four asymptomatic volunteers with degeneration in lumbar intervertebral discs, 21 to 26 years of age, were studied using a SIGNA model of GE Medical Systems equipped with a 1.5 T clinical scanner and spine coil. The ECR values were defined as the percentage of signal loss between unsaturated and saturated images. The results showed that the ECR value of annulus fibrosus in an intervertebral disc was higher than nucleus pulposus. Furthermore, it was found that the ECR value of nucleus pulposus (L5-S1) with degeneration was significantly higher than that without degeneration. It was considered that this result reflected an increase of water contents in the degenerative nucleus. This study suggests that the ECR value of a nucleus could be an effective parameter to diagnosis of degenerated discs or grades of disorder. (author)

  11. Relaxation dispersion in MRI induced by fictitious magnetic fields.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liimatainen, Timo; Mangia, Silvia; Ling, Wen; Ellermann, Jutta; Sorce, Dennis J; Garwood, Michael; Michaeli, Shalom

    2011-04-01

    A new method entitled Relaxation Along a Fictitious Field (RAFF) was recently introduced for investigating relaxations in rotating frames of rank ≥ 2. RAFF generates a fictitious field (E) by applying frequency-swept pulses with sine and cosine amplitude and frequency modulation operating in a sub-adiabatic regime. In the present work, MRI contrast is created by varying the orientation of E, i.e. the angle ε between E and the z″ axis of the second rotating frame. When ε > 45°, the amplitude of the fictitious field E generated during RAFF is significantly larger than the RF field amplitude used for transmitting the sine/cosine pulses. Relaxation during RAFF was investigated using an invariant-trajectory approach and the Bloch-McConnell formalism. Dipole-dipole interactions between identical (like) spins and anisochronous exchange (e.g., exchange between spins with different chemical shifts) in the fast exchange regime were considered. Experimental verifications were performed in vivo in human and mouse brain. Theoretical and experimental results demonstrated that changes in ε induced a dispersion of the relaxation rate constants. The fastest relaxation was achieved at ε ≈ 56°, where the averaged contributions from transverse components during the pulse are maximal and the contribution from longitudinal components are minimal. RAFF relaxation dispersion was compared with the relaxation dispersion achieved with off-resonance spin lock T(₁ρ) experiments. As compared with the off-resonance spin lock T(₁ρ) method, a slower rotating frame relaxation rate was observed with RAFF, which under certain experimental conditions is desirable. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. Dielectric relaxation studies of dilute solutions of amides

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Malathi, M.; Sabesan, R.; Krishnan, S

    2003-11-15

    The dielectric constants and dielectric losses of formamide, acetamide, N-methyl acetamide, acetanilide and N,N-dimethyl acetamide in dilute solutions of 1,4-dioxan/benzene have been measured at 308 K using 9.37 GHz, dielectric relaxation set up. The relaxation time for the over all rotation {tau}{sub (1)} and that for the group rotation {tau}{sub (2)} of (the molecules were determined using Higasi's method. The activation energies for the processes of dielectric relaxation and viscous flow were determined by using Eyring's rate theory. From relaxation time behaviour of amides in non-polar solvent, solute-solvent and solute-solute type of molecular association is proposed.

  13. Gradient-induced longitudinal relaxation of hyperpolarized noble gases in the fringe fields of superconducting magnets used for magnetic resonance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zheng, Wangzhi; Cleveland, Zackary I; Möller, Harald E; Driehuys, Bastiaan

    2011-02-01

    When hyperpolarized noble gases are brought into the bore of a superconducting magnet for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or spectroscopy studies, the gases must pass through substantial field gradients, which can cause rapid longitudinal relaxation. In this communication, we present a means of calculating this spatially dependent relaxation rate in the fringe field of typical magnets. We then compare these predictions to experimental measurements of (3)He relaxation at various positions near a medium-bore 2-T small animal MRI system. The calculated and measured relaxation rates on the central axis of the magnet agree well and show a maximum (3)He relaxation rate of 3.83×10(-3) s(-1) (T(1)=4.4 min) at a distance of 47 cm from the magnet isocenter. We also show that if this magnet were self-shielded, its minimum T(1) would drop to 1.2 min. In contrast, a typical self-shielded 1.5-T clinical MRI scanner will induce a minimum on-axis T(1) of 12 min. Additionally, we show that the cylindrically symmetric fields of these magnets enable gradient-induced relaxation to be calculated using only knowledge of the on-axis longitudinal field, which can either be measured directly or calculated from a simple field model. Thus, while most MRI magnets employ complex and proprietary current configurations, we show that their fringe fields and the resulting gradient-induced relaxation are well approximated by simple solenoid models. Finally, our modeling also demonstrates that relaxation rates can increase by nearly an order of magnitude at radial distances equivalent to the solenoid radius. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. Thermal relaxation of molecular oxygen in collisions with nitrogen atoms

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Andrienko, Daniil A., E-mail: daniila@umich.edu; Boyd, Iain D. [Department of Aerospace Engineering, University of Michigan, 1320 Beal Ave., Ann Arbor, Michigan 48108 (United States)

    2016-07-07

    Investigation of O{sub 2}–N collisions is performed by means of the quasi-classical trajectory method on the two lowest ab initio potential energy surfaces at temperatures relevant to hypersonic flows. A complete set of bound–bound and bound–free transition rates is obtained for each precollisional rovibrational state. Special attention is paid to the vibrational and rotational relaxations of oxygen as a result of chemically non-reactive interaction with nitrogen atoms. The vibrational relaxation of oxygen partially occurs via the formation of an intermediate NO{sub 2} complex. The efficient energy randomization results in rapid vibrational relaxation at low temperatures, compared to other molecular systems with a purely repulsive potential. The vibrational relaxation time, computed by means of master equation studies, is nearly an order of magnitude lower than the relaxation time in N{sub 2}–O collisions. The rotational nonequilibrium starts to play a significant effect at translational temperatures above 8000 K. The present work provides convenient relations for the vibrational and rotational relaxation times as well as for the quasi-steady dissociation rate coefficient and thus fills a gap in data due to a lack of experimental measurements for this system.

  15. Load dependence of left ventricular contraction and relaxation. Effects of caffeine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leite-Moreira, A F; Correia-Pinto, J; Gillebert, T C

    1999-08-01

    Load dependence of left ventricular (LV) contraction and relaxation was investigated at baseline and after alteration of intracellular calcium handling by caffeine. Afterload was increased by aortic clamp occlusions (n = 281) in anesthetized open-chest dogs (n = 7). Control and first heartbeat after the intervention were considered for analysis. Caffeine (50 mg/kg, iv) had no inotropic effect. The systolic LV pressure (LVP), developed in response to aortic occlusion, decreased as ejection proceeded and this pressure generating capacity was not affected by caffeine. Late-systolic aortic occlusions induced premature onset and accelerated rate of initial LVP fall at baseline and similarly after caffeine. Graded diastolic aortic occlusions induced systolic LVP elevations of various magnitudes. Smaller LVP elevations prolonged ejection and accelerated LVP fall, while larger elevations had opposite effects. The transition from acceleration to deceleration was observed at 83.1 +/- 1.1% of peak isovolumetric LVP at baseline and at lower loads, at 77.6 +/- 1.2%, after caffeine (p caffeine (p dependence of relaxation, was also modified by caffeine. Caffeine affected LV relaxation without altering contractility. As a consequence contraction-relaxation coupling was modified by caffeine. These results might help to understand load dependence of relaxation in conditions where intracellular calcium handling is altered.

  16. Relaxation creep model of impending earthquake

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Morgounov, V. A. [Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Physics of the Earth, Moscow (Russian Federation)

    2001-04-01

    The alternative view of the current status and perspective of seismic prediction studies is discussed. In the problem of the ascertainment of the uncertainty relation Cognoscibility-Unpredictability of Earthquakes, priorities of works on short-term earthquake prediction are defined due to the advantage that the final stage of nucleation of earthquake is characterized by a substantial activation of the process while its strain rate increases by the orders of magnitude and considerably increased signal-to-noise ratio. Based on the creep phenomenon under stress relaxation conditions, a model is proposed to explain different images of precursors of impending tectonic earthquakes. The onset of tertiary creep appears to correspond to the onset of instability and inevitably fails unless it unloaded. At this stage, the process acquires the self-regulating character to the greatest extent the property of irreversibility, one of the important components of prediction reliability. Data in situ suggest a principal possibility to diagnose the process of preparation by ground measurements of acoustic and electromagnetic emission in the rocks under constant strain in the condition of self-relaxed stress until the moment of fracture are discussed in context. It was obtained that electromagnetic emission precedes but does not accompany the phase of macrocrak development.

  17. Relaxation training after stroke: potential to reduce anxiety.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kneebone, Ian; Walker-Samuel, Natalie; Swanston, Jennifer; Otto, Elisabeth

    2014-01-01

    To consider the feasibility of setting up a relaxation group to treat symptoms of post stroke anxiety in an in-patient post-acute setting; and to explore the effectiveness of relaxation training in reducing self-reported tension. A relaxation group protocol was developed in consultation with a multidisciplinary team and a user group. Over a period of 24 months, 55 stroke patients attended group autogenic relaxation training on a rehabilitation ward. Attendance ranged between one and eleven sessions. Self-reported tension was assessed pre and post relaxation training using the Tension Rating Circles (TRCs). The TRCs identified a significant reduction in self-reported tension from pre to post training, irrespective of the number of sessions attended; z = -3.656, p training. The TRCs proved acceptable to group members, but should be validated against standard anxiety measures. Further exploration of the application of relaxation techniques in clinical practice is desirable. Implications for Rehabilitation Anxiety is prevalent after stroke and likely affects rehabilitation outcomes. Relaxation training is a well proven treatment for anxiety in the non-stroke population. A significant within session reduction in tension, a hallmark symptom of anxiety, was evidenced via group relaxation training delivered in a post-acute, in-patient stroke unit setting. Relaxation training a shows promise as a treatment for anxiety after stroke.

  18. Properties of the relaxation time distribution underlying the Kohlrausch-Williams-Watts photoionization of the DX centers in Cd{sub 1-x}Mn{sub x}Te mixed crystals

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Trzmiel, J; Weron, K; Placzek-Popko, E [Institute of Physics, Wroclaw University of Technology, Wybrzeze Wyspianskiego 27, 50-370 Wroclaw (Poland); Janczura, J [Hugo Steinhaus Center for Stochastic Methods and Institute of Mathematics and Computer Science, Wroclaw University of Technology, Wybrzeze Wyspianskiego 27, 50-370 Wroclaw (Poland)

    2009-08-26

    In this paper we clarify the relationship between the relaxation rate and relaxation time distributions underlying the Kohlrausch-Williams-Watts (KWW) photoconductivity build-ups in indium- and gallium-doped Cd{sub 1-x}Mn{sub x}Te mixed crystals. We discuss the role of asymptotic properties of the corresponding probability density functions. We show that the relaxation rate distribution, as a completely asymmetric alpha-stable distribution, leads to an infinite mean value of the effective relaxation rate. In contrast, the relaxation time distribution related to it leads to a finite mean value of the effective relaxation time. It follows from the experimental data analysis that for all the investigated samples the KWW exponent alpha decreases linearly with increasing photon flux in the range of (0.6-0.99) and its values are more spread in the case of gallium-doped material. We also observe a linear dependence of the mean relaxation time on the characteristic material time constant, which is consistent with the theoretical model.

  19. Green--Kubo formula for collisional relaxation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Visscher, P.B.

    1988-01-01

    In this paper we generalize the Green--Kubo method (usually used for obtaining formulas for transport coefficients involving conserved densities) to relaxation processes occurring during collisions, such as the transfer of energy from vibrational to translational modes in a molecular fluid. We show that the relaxation rate can be calculated without evaluating time correlation functions over long times, and can in fact be written as a sum over collisions which makes the relation between the Green--Kubo method and approximate independent-collision models much clearer

  20. Fetal response to abbreviated relaxation techniques. A randomized controlled study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fink, Nadine S; Urech, Corinne; Isabel, Fornaro; Meyer, Andrea; Hoesli, Irène; Bitzer, Johannes; Alder, Judith

    2011-02-01

    stress during pregnancy can have adverse effects on the course of pregnancy and on fetal development. There are few studies investigating the outcome of stress reduction interventions on maternal well-being and obstetric outcome. this study aims (1) to obtain fetal behavioral states (quiet/active sleep, quiet/active wakefulness), (2) to investigate the effects of maternal relaxation on fetal behavior as well as on uterine activity, and (3) to investigate maternal physiological and endocrine parameters as potential underlying mechanisms for maternal-fetal relaxation-transferral. the behavior of 33 fetuses was analyzed during laboratory relaxation/quiet rest (control group, CG) and controlled for baseline fetal behavior. Potential associations between relaxation/quiet rest and fetal behavior (fetal heart rate (FHR), FHR variation, FHR acceleration, and body movements) and uterine activity were studied, using a computerized cardiotocogram (CTG) system. Maternal heart rate, blood pressure, cortisol, and norepinephrine were measured. intervention (progressive muscle relaxation, PMR, and guided imagery, GI) showed changes in fetal behavior. The intervention groups had higher long-term variation during and after relaxation compared to the CG (p=.039). CG fetuses had more FHR acceleration, especially during and after quiet rest (p=.027). Women in the PMR group had significantly more uterine activity than women in the GI group (p=.011) and than CG women. Maternal heart rate, blood pressure, and stress hormones were not associated with fetal behavior. this study indicates that the fetus might participate in maternal relaxation and suggests that GI is superior to PMR. This could especially be true for women who tend to direct their attention to body sensations such as abdominal activity. 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Engineering and Scaling the Spontaneous Magnetization Reversal of Faraday Induced Magnetic Relaxation in Nano-Sized Amorphous Ni Coated on Crystalline Au.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Wen-Hsien; Lee, Chi-Hung; Kuo, Chen-Chen

    2016-05-28

    We report on the generation of large inverse remanent magnetizations in nano-sized core/shell structure of Au/Ni by turning off the applied magnetic field. The remanent magnetization is very sensitive to the field reduction rate as well as to the thermal and field processes before the switching off of the magnetic field. Spontaneous reversal in direction and increase in magnitude of the remanent magnetization in subsequent relaxations over time were found. All of the various types of temporal relaxation curves of the remanent magnetizations are successfully scaled by a stretched exponential decay profile, characterized by two pairs of relaxation times and dynamic exponents. The relaxation time is used to describe the reduction rate, while the dynamic exponent describes the dynamical slowing down of the relaxation through time evolution. The key to these effects is to have the induced eddy current running beneath the amorphous Ni shells through Faraday induction.

  2. Paramagnetic metal complexes as potential relaxation agents for NMR imaging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Coroiu, Ilioara; Demco, D. E.; Darabont, Al.; Bogdan, M.

    1997-01-01

    The development of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) imaging technique as a clinical diagnostic modality has prompted the need for a new class of pharmaceuticals. These drugs must be administered to a patient in order to enhance the image contrast between the normal and diseased tissue and/or indicate the status of organ function or blood flow. Paramagnetic compounds are presently undergoing extensive evaluation as contrast agents in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). These agents increase contrast in MRI by differentially localizing in tissue where they increase the relaxation rates of nearby water protons. The longitudinal R 1 and transverse R 2 relaxivities were measured as a function of molar concentrations for some new paramagnetic complexes like the following: dysprosium, erbium and gadolinium citrates, gadolinium methylene diphosphonate, dysprosium and gadolinium iminodiacetate, manganese para-aminobenzoate and copper nicotinate. The available theoretical approaches for quantitative understanding are presented. (authors)

  3. Negative magnetic relaxation in superconductors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Krasnoperov E.P.

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available It was observed that the trapped magnetic moment of HTS tablets or annuli increases in time (negative relaxation if they are not completely magnetized by a pulsed magnetic field. It is shown, in the framework of the Bean critical-state model, that the radial temperature gradient appearing in tablets or annuli during a pulsed field magnetization can explain the negative magnetic relaxation in the superconductor.

  4. Magnon interaction and relaxation in yttrium iron garnet

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mukimov, K.M.; Jumaev, M.R.; Kenjaev, Z.M.

    2007-01-01

    Full text: Magnon interaction and relaxation are the fundamental characteristics describing the response of any system to an external AC field. Almost all experiments aimed at magnon excitation have been carried out in the microwave frequency range where only magnons with energies 0.1 - 5 K can be excited. Nevertheless, all magnons with energy lower or order of the temperature are involved in the processes of low energy magnon relaxation. The present study deals with the interactions of magnons in YIG in thermodynamic equilibrium at temperatures up to 300 K. We consider the exchange and magnetic - dipole terms in the YIG Hamiltonian and a term due to the local uniaxial crystallographic anisotropy, find the corresponding amplitudes of three - and four - magnon process, and calculate the relaxation rate and the correction to the ferromagnon frequency to the first order in the interaction. This correction is positive, in contrast to the case of ferromagnets, and it is proportional to at temperatures up to, in agreement with experiment. The exchange - relaxation rate of the magnons is found as a function of the wave vector and temperature. In the region this rate agrees with the familiar expression for ferromagnets. At higher temperatures, at which the main contribution to the exchange damping is from the magnons of the linear part of the spectrum, the temperature dependence of the damping becomes stronger. (authors)

  5. Dielectric Relaxation Studies of Alkyl Methacrylate–Phenol Mixtures ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The Kirkwood correlation factor and the excess inverse relaxation time were determined and they yield information on the molecular interactions occurring in the systems. The values of the static permittivity and the relaxation time increase with an increase in the percentage of phenol in the mixtures. KEYWORDS: Dielectric ...

  6. Effects of relaxation on psychobiological wellbeing during pregnancy: a randomized controlled trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Urech, Corinne; Fink, Nadine S; Hoesli, Irène; Wilhelm, Frank H; Bitzer, Johannes; Alder, Judith

    2010-10-01

    Prenatal maternal stress is associated with adverse birth outcomes and may be reduced by relaxation exercises. The aim of the present study was to compare the immediate effects of two active and one passive 10-min relaxation technique on perceived and physiological indicators of relaxation. 39 healthy pregnant women recruited at the outpatient department of the University Women's Hospital Basel participated in a randomized controlled trial with an experimental repeated measure design. Participants were assigned to one of two active relaxation techniques, progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) or guided imagery (GI), or a passive relaxation control condition. Self-reported relaxation on a visual analogue scale (VAS) and state anxiety (STAI-S), endocrine parameters indicating hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis (cortisol and ACTH) and sympathetic-adrenal-medullary (SAM) system activity (norepinephrine and epinephrine), as well as cardiovascular responses (heart rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressure) were measured at four time points before and after the relaxation exercise. Between group differences showed, that compared to the PMR and control conditions, GI was significantly more effective in enhancing levels of relaxation and together with PMR, GI was associated with a significant decrease in heart rate. Within the groups, passive as well as active relaxation procedures were associated with a decline in endocrine measures except epinephrine. Taken together, these data indicate that different types of relaxation had differential effects on various psychological and biological stress systems. GI was especially effective in inducing self-reported relaxation in pregnant women while at the same time reducing cardiovascular activity. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Stress relaxation characteristics of type 304 stainless steel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Manjoine, M.J.

    1975-01-01

    The stress relaxation of type 304 stainless steel below 900 0 F (482 0 C) is practically time independent after 100 h and has a maximum of about 18 per cent. The per cent relaxation decreases with increasing degree of cold work and with decreasing stress. Above 900 0 F the per cent relaxation increases with time, temperature, and cold work. The initial stress can also be increased for cold work materials so that the remaining stress can be maintained at a higher value even up to 1200 0 F (649 0 C). Time-temperature parameters are practical to correlate and extrapolate the data in the higher temperature range. (author)

  8. A modified homogeneous relaxation model for CO2 two-phase flow in vapour ejector

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Haida, M.; Palacz, M.; Smolka, J.; Nowak, A. J.; Hafner, A.; Banasiak, K.

    2016-01-01

    In this study, the homogenous relaxation model (HRM) for CO 2 flow in a two-phase ejector was modified in order to increase the accuracy of the numerical simulations The two- phase flow model was implemented on the effective computational tool called ejectorPL for fully automated and systematic computations of various ejector shapes and operating conditions. The modification of the HRM was performed by a change of the relaxation time and the constants included in the relaxation time equation based on the experimental result under the operating conditions typical for the supermarket refrigeration system. The modified HRM was compared to the HEM results, which were performed based on the comparison of motive nozzle and suction nozzle mass flow rates. (paper)

  9. A modified homogeneous relaxation model for CO2 two-phase flow in vapour ejector

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haida, M.; Palacz, M.; Smolka, J.; Nowak, A. J.; Hafner, A.; Banasiak, K.

    2016-09-01

    In this study, the homogenous relaxation model (HRM) for CO2 flow in a two-phase ejector was modified in order to increase the accuracy of the numerical simulations The two- phase flow model was implemented on the effective computational tool called ejectorPL for fully automated and systematic computations of various ejector shapes and operating conditions. The modification of the HRM was performed by a change of the relaxation time and the constants included in the relaxation time equation based on the experimental result under the operating conditions typical for the supermarket refrigeration system. The modified HRM was compared to the HEM results, which were performed based on the comparison of motive nozzle and suction nozzle mass flow rates.

  10. Muon spin relaxation in ferromagnets. Pt. 1

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lovesey, S.W.; Karlsson, E.B.

    1991-04-01

    Expressions for the dipolar and hyperfine contributions to the relaxation rate of muons implanted in a ferromagnet are presented and analysed using the Heisenberg model of spin-waves including dipolar and Zeeman energies. Calculations for EuO indicate that relaxation is likely to be dominated by the hyperfine mechanism, even if the ratio of the hyperfine and dipolar coupling constants is small. The hyperfine mechanism is sensitive to the dipolar energy of the atomic spins, whereas the dipolar mechanisms depend essentially on the exchange energy. For both mechanisms there is an almost quadratic dependence on temperature, throughout much of the ordered magnetic phase, which reflects two-spin-wave difference events from the Raman-type relaxation processes. (author)

  11. Relaxation of Isolated Ventricular Cardiomyocytes by a Voltage-Dependent Process

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bridge, John H. B.; Spitzer, Kenneth W.; Ershler, Philip R.

    1988-08-01

    Cell contraction and relaxation were measured in single voltage-clamped guinea pig cardiomyocytes to investigate the contribution of sarcolemmal Na+-Ca2+ exchange to mechanical relaxation. Cells clamped from -80 to 0 millivolts displayed initial phasic and subsequent tonic contractions; caffeine reduced or abolished the phasic and enlarged the tonic contraction. The rate of relaxation from tonic contractions was steeply voltage-dependent and was significantly slowed in the absence of a sarcolemmal Na+ gradient. Tonic contractions elicited in the absence of a Na+ gradient promptly relaxed when external Na+ was applied, reflecting activation of Na+-Ca2+ exchange. It appears that a voltage-dependent Na+-Ca2+ exchange can rapidly mechanically relax mammalian heart muscle.

  12. Relaxation model of radiation-induced conductivity in polymers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhutayeva, Yu. R.; Khatipov, S. A.

    1999-05-01

    The paper suggests a relaxation model of radiation-induced conductivity (RIC) in polymers. According to the model, the transfer of charges generated in the polymer volume by ionizing radiation takes place with the participation of molecular relaxation processes. The mechanism of electron transport consists in the transfer of the charge directly between traps when they draw close to one another due to the rotation of macromolecule segments. The numerical solutions of the corresponding kinetic equations for different distribution functions Q( τ) of the times of molecular relaxation and for different functions of the probability P( τ, τ') of charge transfer in the `overlapping' regions of the diffusion spheres of the segments are analyzed. The relaxation model provides an explanation of the non-Arrhenius behavior of the RIC temperature dependence, the power dependence of RIC on the dose rate with a power index in the interval 0.5-1.0, the appearance of maxima in the curves of the RIC temporal dependence and their irreversible character in the region of large dose rates (more than 1 Gy/s). The model can be used for interpreting polymer RIC in conditions of kinetic mobility of macromolecules.

  13. Determination of the magnetic impurities contribution to the nuclear relaxation in metals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cohen, A.M.

    1982-01-01

    The renormalization group techniques developed by Wilson for the Kondo problem are applied, for the first time, to the calculation of nuclear spin relaxation rates in dilute magnetic alloys. A procedure that calculates the longitudinal relaxation time T 1 over the entire temperature range 0 B T 1 is derived; for distances R between the impurity and the nucleus large compared to the inverse Fermi momentum H f , the result is identical to Korringa's expression for the nuclear spin relaxation rate in the pure metal. For smaller k F R, T 1 increases and becomes infinite as k F R→0. A numerical approach, capable of calculating T 1 at finite temperatures, is presented and tested by calculating T 1 for T→0; the numerical results are in excellent agreement with the analytical expression discussed above. Only for k F R→ infinity do the results for T 1 at T=0 agree with those found by Roshen and Saam, who recently analysed this problem in the light of Nozieres's Fermi liquid theory. The reasons for the discrepancy for finite k F R are discussed. (author) [pt

  14. Isotopic and chemical dilution effects on the vibrational relaxation rate of some totally symmetric motions of liquid acetonitrile

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Marri, E.; Morresi, A.; Paliani, G.; Cataliotti, R.S.; Giorgini, M.G.

    1999-01-01

    The vibrational dephasing of the ν 1 (C-H, C-D stretching) and ν 3 (C-H, C-D bending) symmetric motions of liquid acetonitrile in its light and fully deuterated forms has been studied in the frame of the vibrational time correlation functions obtained as Fourier transforms of the isotropic Raman spectral distributions and interpreted within the Kubo theory. In addition, the experimental isotropic profiles have been analysed within the bandshape approach formulated by analytical Fourier transformation of the Kubo vibrational time correlation functions in order to derive the relaxation parameters in the frequency domain. The effects of the isotopic (CH 3 CN/CD 3 CN and vice versa) and chemical (CCl 4 ) dilution on the bandshapes and on the vibrational relaxation parameters have been studied. It was observed that the decay rate of ν 1 mode is insensitive to the isotopic dilution but varies appreciably with chemical (CCl 4 ) dilution. The vibrational dephasing of ν 3 mode is qualitatively, but not quantitatively, affected in the same way by chemical dilution and shows a slower modulation regime than that exhibited by the stretching mode. Unlikely from the latter, the ν 3 mode results are slightly affected by the isotopic dilution. Phase relaxation mechanisms of these two motions of acetonitrile in the liquid state are proposed on the basis of these data, and a comparison is made with the results earlier published. (Copyright (c) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam. All rights reserved.)

  15. Effect of rheological parameters on curing rate during NBR injection molding

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kyas, Kamil; Stanek, Michal; Manas, David; Skrobak, Adam

    2013-04-01

    In this work, non-isothermal injection molding process for NBR rubber mixture considering Isayev-Deng curing kinetic model, generalized Newtonian model with Carreau-WLF viscosity was modeled by using finite element method in order to understand the effect of volume flow rate, index of non-Newtonian behavior and relaxation time on the temperature profile and curing rate. It was found that for specific geometry and processing conditions, increase in relaxation time or in the index of non-Newtonian behavior increases the curing rate due to viscous dissipation taking place at the flow domain walls.

  16. Phosphodiesterase-9 (PDE9) inhibition with BAY 73-6691 increases corpus cavernosum relaxations mediated by nitric oxide-cyclic GMP pathway in mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    da Silva, F H; Pereira, M N; Franco-Penteado, C F; De Nucci, G; Antunes, E; Claudino, M A

    2013-01-01

    Phosphodiesterase-9 (PDE9) specifically hydrolyzes cyclic GMP, and was detected in human corpus cavernosum. However, no previous studies explored the selective PDE9 inhibition with BAY 73-6691 in corpus cavernosum relaxations. Therefore, this study aimed to characterize the PDE9 mRNA expression in mice corpus cavernosum, and investigate the effects of BAY 73-6691 in endothelium-dependent and -independent relaxations, along with the nitrergic corpus cavernosum relaxations. Male mice received daily gavage of BAY 73-6691 (or dimethylsulfoxide) at 3 mg kg(-1) per day for 21 days. Relaxant responses to acetylcholine (ACh), nitric oxide (NO) (as acidified sodium nitrite; NaNO2 solution), sildenafil and electrical-field stimulation (EFS) were obtained in corpus cavernosum in control and BAY 73-6691-treated mice. BAY 73-6691 was also added in vitro 30 min before construction of concentration-responses and frequency curves. PDE9A and PDE5 mRNA expression was detected in the mice corpus cavernosum in a similar manner. In vitro addition of BAY 73-6691 neither itself relaxed mice corpus cavernosum nor changed the NaNO2, sildenafil and EFS-induced relaxations. However, in mice treated chronically with BAY 73-6691, the potency (pEC50) values for ACh, NaNO2 and sildenafil were significantly greater compared with control group. The maximal responses (Emax) to NaNO2 and sildenafil were also significantly greater in BAY 73-6691-treated mice. BAY 73-6691 treatment also significantly increased the magnitude and duration of the nitrergic corpus cavernosum relaxations (8-32 Hz). In conclusion, murine corpus cavernosum expresses PDE9 mRNA. Prolonged PDE9 inhibition with BAY 73-6691 amplifies the NO-cGMP-mediated cavernosal responses, and may be of therapeutic value for erectile dysfunction.

  17. Engineering and Scaling the Spontaneous Magnetization Reversal of Faraday Induced Magnetic Relaxation in Nano-Sized Amorphous Ni Coated on Crystalline Au

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Wen-Hsien; Lee, Chi-Hung; Kuo, Chen-Chen

    2016-01-01

    We report on the generation of large inverse remanent magnetizations in nano-sized core/shell structure of Au/Ni by turning off the applied magnetic field. The remanent magnetization is very sensitive to the field reduction rate as well as to the thermal and field processes before the switching off of the magnetic field. Spontaneous reversal in direction and increase in magnitude of the remanent magnetization in subsequent relaxations over time were found. All of the various types of temporal relaxation curves of the remanent magnetizations are successfully scaled by a stretched exponential decay profile, characterized by two pairs of relaxation times and dynamic exponents. The relaxation time is used to describe the reduction rate, while the dynamic exponent describes the dynamical slowing down of the relaxation through time evolution. The key to these effects is to have the induced eddy current running beneath the amorphous Ni shells through Faraday induction. PMID:28773549

  18. Relaxation of synchronization on complex networks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Son, Seung-Woo; Jeong, Hawoong; Hong, Hyunsuk

    2008-07-01

    We study collective synchronization in a large number of coupled oscillators on various complex networks. In particular, we focus on the relaxation dynamics of the synchronization, which is important from the viewpoint of information transfer or the dynamics of system recovery from a perturbation. We measure the relaxation time tau that is required to establish global synchronization by varying the structural properties of the networks. It is found that the relaxation time in a strong-coupling regime (K>Kc) logarithmically increases with network size N , which is attributed to the initial random phase fluctuation given by O(N-1/2) . After elimination of the initial-phase fluctuation, the relaxation time is found to be independent of the system size; this implies that the local interaction that depends on the structural connectivity is irrelevant in the relaxation dynamics of the synchronization in the strong-coupling regime. The relaxation dynamics is analytically derived in a form independent of the system size, and it exhibits good consistency with numerical simulations. As an application, we also explore the recovery dynamics of the oscillators when perturbations enter the system.

  19. Relaxation effect of abacavir on rat basilar arteries.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rachel Wai Sum Li

    Full Text Available The use of abacavir has been linked with increased cardiovascular risk in patients with human immunodeficiency virus infection; however, the mechanism involved remains unclear. We hypothesize that abacavir may impair endothelial function. In addition, based on the structural similarity between abacavir and adenosine, we propose that abacavir may affect vascular contractility through endogenous adenosine release or adenosine receptors in blood vessels.The relaxation effect of abacavir on rat basilar arteries was studied using the myograph technique. Cyclic GMP and AMP levels were measured by immunoassay. The effects of abacavir on nucleoside transporters were studied using radiolabeled nucleoside uptake experiments. Ecto-5' nucleotidase activity was determined by measuring the generation of inorganic phosphate using adenosine monophosphate as the substrate.Abacavir induced the relaxation of rat basilar arteries in a concentration-dependent manner. This relaxation was abolished when endothelium was removed. In addition, the relaxation was diminished by the nitric oxide synthase inhibitor, L-NAME, the guanylyl cyclase inhibitor, ODQ, and the protein kinase G inhibitor, KT5820. Abacavir also increased the cGMP level in rat basilar arteries. Abacavir-induced relaxation was also abolished by adenosine A2 receptor blockers. However, abacavir had no effect on ecto-5' nucleotidase and nucleoside transporters. Short-term and long-term treatment of abacavir did not affect acetylcholine-induced relaxation in rat basilar arteries.Abacavir induces acute endothelium-dependent relaxation of rat basilar arteries, probably through the activation of adenosine A2 receptors in endothelial cells, which subsequently leads to the release of nitric oxide, resulting in activation of the cyclic guanosine monophosphate/protein kinase G-dependent pathway in vascular smooth muscle cells. It is speculated that abacavir-induced cardiovascular risk may not be related to

  20. Spin relaxation in quantum dots due to electron exchange with leads.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vorontsov, A B; Vavilov, M G

    2008-11-28

    We calculate spin relaxation rates in lateral quantum dot systems due to electron exchange between dots and leads. Using rate equations, we develop a theoretical description of the experimentally observed electric current in the spin blockade regime of double quantum dots. A single expression fits the entire current profile and describes the structure of both the conduction peaks and the suppressed ("valley") region. Extrinsic rates calculated here have to be taken into account for accurate extraction of intrinsic relaxation rates due to the spin-orbit and hyperfine spin scattering mechanisms from spin blockade measurements.

  1. Relaxation dynamics of glass transition in PMMA + SWCNT composites by temperature-modulated DSC

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pradhan, N. R.; Iannacchione, G. S.

    2010-03-01

    The experimental technique offered by temperature-modulated differential scanning calorimeter (TMDSC) used to investigate the thermal relaxation dynamics through the glass transition as a function of frequency was studied for pure PMMA and PMMA-single wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) composites. A strong dependence of the temperature dependence peak in the imaginary part of complex heat capacity (Tmax) is found during the transition from the glass-like to the liquid-like region. The frequency dependence of Tmax of the imaginary part of heat capacity (Cp) is described by Arrhenius law. The activation energy obtained from the fitting shows increases while the characteristic relaxation time decreases with increasing mass fraction (phim) of SWCNTs. The dynamics of the composites during glass transition, at slow and high scan rates, are also the main focus of this experimental study. The change in enthalpy during heating and cooling is also reported as a function of scan rate and frequency of temperature modulation. The glass transition temperature (Tg) shows increases with increasing frequency of temperature modulation and phim of SWCNTs inside the polymer host. Experimental results show that Tg is higher at higher scan rates but as the frequency of temperature modulation increases, the Tg values of different scan rates coincide with each other and alter the scan rate dependence. From the imaginary part of heat capacity, it is obvious that Tmax is not the actual glass transition temperature of pure polymer but Tmax and Tg values can be superimposed when phim increases in the polymer host or when the sample undergoes a transition with a certain frequency of temperature modulation.

  2. Low-field one-dimensional and direction-dependent relaxation imaging of bovine articular cartilage

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rössler, Erik; Mattea, Carlos; Mollova, Ayret; Stapf, Siegfried

    2011-12-01

    The structure of articular cartilage is separated into three layers of differently oriented collagen fibers, which is accompanied by a gradient of increasing glycosaminoglycan (GAG) and decreasing water concentration from the top layer towards the bone interface. The combined effect of these structural variations results in a change of the longitudinal and transverse relaxation times as a function of the distance from the cartilage surface. In this paper, this dependence is investigated at a magnetic field strength of 0.27 T with a one-dimensional depth resolution of 50 μm on bovine hip and stifle joint articular cartilage. By employing this method, advantage is taken of the increasing contrast of the longitudinal relaxation rate found at lower magnetic field strengths. Furthermore, evidence for an orientational dependence of relaxation times with respect to an axis normal to the surface plane is given, an observation that has recently been reported using high-field MRI and that was explained by preferential orientations of collagen bundles in each of the three cartilage zones. In order to quantify the extent of a further contrast mechanism and to estimate spatially dependent glycosaminoglycan concentrations, the data are supplemented by proton relaxation times that were acquired in bovine articular cartilage that was soaked in a 0.8 mM aqueous Gd ++ solution.

  3. Effects of distribution function nonequilibrium tails on relaxation and transfer processes in rarefied gases

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Grigoryev, Yu.N.; Mikhalitsyn, A.N.; Yanenko, N.N.

    1984-01-01

    Quantitative characteristics of the nonmonotone relaxation process are studied in a gas of pseudo-Maxwell molecules. Basic results are obtained by a direct numerical integration of the nonlinear Boltzmann equation. The evolution of initial distributions being finite or having exponential asymptotics of tails was researched. In particular, initial data obtained by selective excitation (absorption) against the Maxwell background encountered in laser physics problems have been considered. It is shown that under conditions of a developed effect of nonmonotone relaxation the overpopulation in the velocity range 4 <= upsilon <= 10 exceeds on the average 2-3 times the equilibrium value. For the given particles energy the excitation is preserved during t = 5/6 and the total relaxation time of the overpopulation wave reaches t asymptotically equals 20. The amplitudes and the relaxation time of overpopulation in the ''cupola'' region of distribution are substantially lower than in the case of a developed effect in the tail. The influence of the effect on the kinetics of threshold chemical reaction is studied. From the results it follows that in the process of nonmonotone relaxation the mean rates of binary threshold reactions can exceed more than twice the equilibrium values. This estimate is valid for all power like intermolecular repulsive potentials from the pseudo-Maxwell model up to rigid spheres. Time intervals over which the mean reaction rate exceeds considerably the equilibrium one make from 5 to 15 mean free path times increasing with the decrease in the potential ''rigidity''. (author)

  4. Stress-relaxation behavior of lignocellulosic high-density polyethlene composites

    Science.gov (United States)

    Babak Mirzaei; Mehdi Tajvidi; Robert H. Falk; Colin Felton

    2011-01-01

    In this study, stress-relaxation performance of HDPE-based injection-molded composites containing four types of natural fibers (i.e., wood flour, rice hulls, newsprint, and kenaf fiber) at 25 and 50 wt% contents, and the effect of prescribed strain levels were investigated. The results indicated that incorporating more filler causes lower relaxation values and rates,...

  5. Paramagnetic relaxation effects in perturbed angular correlations for arbitrary electronic relaxation time

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chopin, C.; Spanjaard, D.; Hartmann-Boutron, F.

    1975-01-01

    Previous perturbation treatments of paramagnetic relaxation effects in γγ PAC were limited to the case of very short electronic relaxation times. This limitation is circumvented by invoking a new perturbation theory recently elaborated by Hirst and others for handling relaxation effects in Moessbauer spectra. Under the assumption of spherical electronic relaxation the perturbation factors are computed as functions of certain relaxation parameters which are directly related to the microscopic relaxation Hamiltonian. The results are compared to those of the stochastic theory of Scherer and Blume [fr

  6. Asymptotic representation of relaxation oscillations in lasers

    CERN Document Server

    Grigorieva, Elena V

    2017-01-01

    In this book we analyze relaxation oscillations in models of lasers with nonlinear elements controlling light dynamics. The models are based on rate equations taking into account periodic modulation of parameters, optoelectronic delayed feedback, mutual coupling between lasers, intermodal interaction and other factors. With the aim to study relaxation oscillations we present the special asymptotic method of integration for ordinary differential equations and differential-difference equations. As a result, they are reduced to discrete maps. Analyzing the maps we describe analytically such nonlinear phenomena in lasers as multistability of large-amplitude relaxation cycles, bifurcations of cycles, controlled switching of regimes, phase synchronization in an ensemble of coupled systems and others. The book can be fruitful for students and technicians in nonlinear laser dynamics and in differential equations.

  7. Rotational dynamics account for pH-dependent relaxivities of PAMAM dendrimeric, Gd-based potential MRI contrast agents.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Laus, Sabrina; Sour, Angélique; Ruloff, Robert; Tóth, Eva; Merbach, André E

    2005-05-06

    The EPTPA5) chelate, which ensures fast water exchange in GdIII complexes, has been coupled to three different generations (5, 7, and 9) of polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimers through benzylthiourea linkages (H5EPTPA = ethylenepropylenetriamine-N,N,N',N'',N''-pentaacetic acid). The proton relaxivities measured at pH 7.4 for the dendrimer complexes G5-(GdEPTPA)111, G7-(GdEPTPA)253 and G9-(GdEPTPA)1157 decrease with increasing temperature, indicating that, for the first time for dendrimers, slow water exchange does not limit relaxivity. At a given field and temperature, the relaxivity increases from G5 to G7, and then slightly decreases for G9 (r1 = 20.5, 28.3 and 27.9 mM(-1) s(-1), respectively, at 37 degrees C, 30 MHz). The relaxivities show a strong and reversible pH dependency for all three dendrimer complexes. This originates from the pH-dependent rotational dynamics of the dendrimer skeleton, which was evidenced by a combined variable-temperature and multiple-field 17O NMR and 1H relaxivity study performed at pH 6.0 and 9.9 on G5-(GdEPTPA)111. The longitudinal 17O and 1H relaxation rates of the dendrimeric complex are strongly pH-dependent, whereas they are not for the [Gd(EPTPA)(H2O)]2- monomer chelate. The longitudinal 17O and 1H relaxation rates have been analysed by the Lipari-Szabo spectral density functions and correlation times have been calculated for the global motion of the entire macromolecule (tau(gO)) and the local motion of the GdIII chelates on the surface (tau(lO)), correlated by means of an order parameter S2. The dendrimer complex G5-(GdEPTPA)111 has a considerably higher tau(gO) under acidic than under basic conditions (tau(298)gO = 4040 ps and 2950 ps, respectively), while local motions are less influenced by pH (tau(298)lO = 150 and 125 ps). The order parameter, characterizing the rigidity of the macromolecule, is also higher at pH 6.0 than at pH 9.9 (S2 = 0.43 vs 0.36, respectively). The pH dependence of the global correlation time can be

  8. Parameterization of NMR relaxation curves in terms of logarithmic moments of the relaxation time distribution.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Petrov, Oleg V; Stapf, Siegfried

    2017-06-01

    This work addresses the problem of a compact and easily comparable representation of multi-exponential relaxation data. It is often convenient to describe such data in a few parameters, all being of physical significance and easy to interpret, and in such a way that enables a model-free comparison between different groups of samples. Logarithmic moments (LMs) of the relaxation time constitute a set of parameters which are related to the characteristic relaxation time on the log-scale, the width and the asymmetry of an underlying distribution of exponentials. On the other hand, the calculation of LMs does not require knowing the actual distribution function and is reduced to a numerical integration of original data. The performance of this method has been tested on both synthetic and experimental NMR relaxation data which differ in a signal-to-noise ratio, the sampling range and the sampling rate. The calculation of two lower-order LMs, the log-mean time and the log-variance, has proved robust against deficiencies of the experiment such as scattered data point and incomplete sampling. One may consider using them as such to monitor formation of a heterogeneous structure, e.g., in phase separation, vitrification, polymerization, hydration, aging, contrast agent propagation processes. It may also assist in interpreting frequency and temperature dependences of relaxation, revealing a crossover from slow to fast exchange between populations. The third LM was found to be a less reliable quantity due to its susceptibility to the noise and must be used with caution. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. Parameterization of NMR relaxation curves in terms of logarithmic moments of the relaxation time distribution

    Science.gov (United States)

    Petrov, Oleg V.; Stapf, Siegfried

    2017-06-01

    This work addresses the problem of a compact and easily comparable representation of multi-exponential relaxation data. It is often convenient to describe such data in a few parameters, all being of physical significance and easy to interpret, and in such a way that enables a model-free comparison between different groups of samples. Logarithmic moments (LMs) of the relaxation time constitute a set of parameters which are related to the characteristic relaxation time on the log-scale, the width and the asymmetry of an underlying distribution of exponentials. On the other hand, the calculation of LMs does not require knowing the actual distribution function and is reduced to a numerical integration of original data. The performance of this method has been tested on both synthetic and experimental NMR relaxation data which differ in a signal-to-noise ratio, the sampling range and the sampling rate. The calculation of two lower-order LMs, the log-mean time and the log-variance, has proved robust against deficiencies of the experiment such as scattered data point and incomplete sampling. One may consider using them as such to monitor formation of a heterogeneous structure, e.g., in phase separation, vitrification, polymerization, hydration, aging, contrast agent propagation processes. It may also assist in interpreting frequency and temperature dependences of relaxation, revealing a crossover from slow to fast exchange between populations. The third LM was found to be a less reliable quantity due to its susceptibility to the noise and must be used with caution.

  10. Transformation-Induced Relaxation and Stress Recovery of TiNi Shape Memory Alloy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kohei Takeda

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available The transformation-induced stress relaxation and stress recovery of TiNi shape memory alloy (SMA in stress-controlled subloop loading were investigated based on the local variation in temperature and transformation band on the surface of the tape in the tension test. The results obtained are summarized as follows. (1 In the loading process, temperature increases due to the exothermic martensitic transformation (MT until the holding strain and thereafter temperature decreases while holding the strain constant, resulting in stress relaxation due to the MT; (2 In the unloading process, temperature decreases due to the endothermic reverse transformation until the holding strain and thereafter temperature increases while holding the strain constant, resulting in stress recovery due to the reverse transformation; (3 Stress varies markedly in the initial stage followed by gradual change while holding the strain constant; (4 If the stress rate is high until the holding strain in the loading and unloading processes, both stress relaxation and stress recovery are large; (5 It is important to take into account this behavior in the design of SMA elements, since the force of SMA elements varies even if the atmospheric temperature is kept constant.

  11. A nuclear magnetic relaxation study on internal motion of polyelectrolytes in solution

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schriever, J.

    1977-01-01

    The aim of this thesis is to investigate the significance and the amount of information which can be extracted from the study of frequency dependence of magnetic relaxation rates in solutions of a synthetic macromolecule. Solutions of poly(methacrylic acid), PMA, in water were chosen as the object of the present work. A short survey of nuclear magnetic relaxation in solutions of simple macromolecules is presented. Results obtained by continuous wave experiments on PMA solutions are shown (viz. the information about the transverse relaxation from line width analysis of 60 MHz proton spectra). Water enriched in 17 O is used in magnetic relaxation studies; the results of the determination of hydrogen lifetimes in aqueous solutions of acetic acid and poly(methacrylic acid) are given. The possibility of obtaining information about the dynamics of deuterons in the acid side groups of weak polyacids by measuring deuteron relaxation in heavy water solutions of those acids is considered. The use of deuteron relaxation rate experiments on solutions of selectively methylene deuterated poly(methacrylic acid), [-CD 2 -CCH 3 COOH-]n, is demonstrated and the backbone methylene C-atom motion is charachterized. The magne-tic relaxation of nuclei in the side groups of methylene deuterated PMA, viz. protons in the methyland deuterons in the acid side groups is presented

  12. Theoretical relaxation rates of dipole orientation around an excess electron in liquid alcohols

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fueki, K.; Feng, D.F.; Kevan, L.

    1975-01-01

    A method was developed for calculation of relaxation times for dipole orientation in liquid alcohols induced by localized excess electrons. A microscopic model is used which utilizes quantities calculated from the Fueki, Feng, Kevan semicontinuum model of solvated electron energy levels. Given the semicontinuum model results, the relaxation times are calculated as functions of temperature with no adjustable parameters. Calculated results for methanol, ethanol and 1-propanol agree well with the limited experimental data available from Hunt, Baxendale and Wardman, and Thomas and Beck. The calculated results agree best for propanol and imply that the theoretical model is most applicable to larger molecule solvents. The impressive agreement between experiment and theory suggest that simple dipole orientation is the mechanism of rapid electron solvation in polar liquids. (auth)

  13. Theoretical relaxation rates of dipole orientation around an excess electron in liquid alcohols

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fueki, K.; Feng, D.F.; Kevan, L.

    1975-01-01

    A method is developed for calculation of relaxation times for dipole orientation in liquid alcohols induced by localized excess electrons. A microscopic model is used which utilizes quantities calculated from the Fueki, Feng, Kevan semicontinuum model of solvated electron energy levels. Given the semicontinuum model results, the relaxation times are calculated as functions of temperature with no adjustable parameters. Calculated results for methanol, ethanol and 1-propanol agree well with the limited experimental data available from Hunt, Baxendale and Wardman, and Thomas and Beck. The calculated results agree best for propanol and imply that the theoretical model is most applicable to larger molecule solvents. The impressive agreement between experiment and theory suggest that simple dipole orientation is the mechanism of rapid electron solvation in polar liquids. (author)

  14. Nicotine impairs cyclooxygenase-2-dependent kinin-receptor-mediated murine airway relaxations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xu, Yuan; Cardell, Lars-Olaf

    2014-01-01

    Introduction: Cigarette smoke induces local inflammation and airway hyperreactivity. In asthmatics, it worsens the symptoms and increases the risk for exacerbation. The present study investigates the effects of nicotine on airway relaxations in isolated murine tracheal segments. Methods: Segments were cultured for 24 h in the presence of vehicle, nicotine (10 μM) and/or dexamethasone (1 μM). Airway relaxations were assessed in myographs after pre-contraction with carbachol (1 μM). Kinin receptors, cyclooxygenase (COX) and inflammatory mediator expressions were assessed by real-time PCR and confocal-microscopy-based immunohistochemistry. Results: The organ culture procedure markedly increased bradykinin- (selective B 2 receptor agonist) and des-Arg 9 -bradykinin- (selective B 1 receptor agonist) induced relaxations, and slightly increased relaxation induced by isoprenaline, but not that induced by PGE 2 . The kinin receptor mediated relaxations were epithelium-, COX-2- and EP2-receptor-dependent and accompanied by drastically enhanced mRNA levels of kinin receptors, as well as inflammatory mediators MCP-1 and iNOS. Increase in COX-2 and mPGES-1 was verified both at mRNA and protein levels. Nicotine selectively suppressed the organ-culture-enhanced relaxations induced by des-Arg 9 -bradykinin and bradykinin, at the same time reducing mPGES-1 mRNA and protein expressions. α7-nicotinic acetylcholine receptor inhibitors α-bungarotoxin and MG624 both blocked the nicotine effects on kinin B 2 receptors, but not those on B 1 . Dexamethasone completely abolished kinin-induced relaxations. Conclusion: It is tempting to conclude that a local inflammatory process per se could have a bronchoprotective component by increasing COX-2 mediated airway relaxations and that nicotine could impede this safety mechanism. Dexamethasone further reduced airway inflammation together with relaxations. This might contribute to the steroid resistance seen in some patients with asthma

  15. Nicotine impairs cyclooxygenase-2-dependent kinin-receptor-mediated murine airway relaxations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Xu, Yuan, E-mail: yuan.xu@ki.se; Cardell, Lars-Olaf

    2014-02-15

    Introduction: Cigarette smoke induces local inflammation and airway hyperreactivity. In asthmatics, it worsens the symptoms and increases the risk for exacerbation. The present study investigates the effects of nicotine on airway relaxations in isolated murine tracheal segments. Methods: Segments were cultured for 24 h in the presence of vehicle, nicotine (10 μM) and/or dexamethasone (1 μM). Airway relaxations were assessed in myographs after pre-contraction with carbachol (1 μM). Kinin receptors, cyclooxygenase (COX) and inflammatory mediator expressions were assessed by real-time PCR and confocal-microscopy-based immunohistochemistry. Results: The organ culture procedure markedly increased bradykinin- (selective B{sub 2} receptor agonist) and des-Arg{sup 9}-bradykinin- (selective B{sub 1} receptor agonist) induced relaxations, and slightly increased relaxation induced by isoprenaline, but not that induced by PGE{sub 2}. The kinin receptor mediated relaxations were epithelium-, COX-2- and EP2-receptor-dependent and accompanied by drastically enhanced mRNA levels of kinin receptors, as well as inflammatory mediators MCP-1 and iNOS. Increase in COX-2 and mPGES-1 was verified both at mRNA and protein levels. Nicotine selectively suppressed the organ-culture-enhanced relaxations induced by des-Arg{sup 9}-bradykinin and bradykinin, at the same time reducing mPGES-1 mRNA and protein expressions. α7-nicotinic acetylcholine receptor inhibitors α-bungarotoxin and MG624 both blocked the nicotine effects on kinin B{sub 2} receptors, but not those on B{sub 1}. Dexamethasone completely abolished kinin-induced relaxations. Conclusion: It is tempting to conclude that a local inflammatory process per se could have a bronchoprotective component by increasing COX-2 mediated airway relaxations and that nicotine could impede this safety mechanism. Dexamethasone further reduced airway inflammation together with relaxations. This might contribute to the steroid resistance seen in

  16. Non-monotonic behaviour in relaxation dynamics of image restoration

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ozeki, Tomoko; Okada, Masato

    2003-01-01

    We have investigated the relaxation dynamics of image restoration through a Bayesian approach. The relaxation dynamics is much faster at zero temperature than at the Nishimori temperature where the pixel-wise error rate is minimized in equilibrium. At low temperature, we observed non-monotonic development of the overlap. We suggest that the optimal performance is realized through premature termination in the relaxation processes in the case of the infinite-range model. We also performed Markov chain Monte Carlo simulations to clarify the underlying mechanism of non-trivial behaviour at low temperature by checking the local field distributions of each pixel

  17. Generalized Lenard-Balescu calculations of electron-ion temperature relaxation in beryllium plasma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fu, Zhen-Guo; Wang, Zhigang; Li, Da-Fang; Kang, Wei; Zhang, Ping

    2015-09-01

    The problem of electron-ion temperature relaxation in beryllium plasma at various densities (0.185-18.5g/cm^{3}) and temperatures [(1.0-8)×10^{3} eV] is investigated by using the generalized Lenard-Balescu theory. We consider the correlation effects between electrons and ions via classical and quantum static local field corrections. The numerical results show that the electron-ion pair distribution function at the origin approaches the maximum when the electron-electron coupling parameter equals unity. The classical result of the Coulomb logarithm is in agreement with the quantum result in both the weak (Γ_{ee}1) electron-electron coupling ranges, whereas it deviates from the quantum result at intermediate values of the coupling parameter (10^{-2}Coulomb logarithm will decrease and the corresponding relaxation rate ν_{ie} will increase. In addition, a simple fitting law ν_{ie}/ν_{ie}^{(0)}=a(ρ_{Be}/ρ_{0})^{b} is determined, where ν_{ie}^{(0)} is the relaxation rate corresponding to the normal metal density of Be and ρ_{0}, a, and b are the fitting parameters related to the temperature and the degree of ionization 〈Z〉 of the system. Our results are expected to be useful for future inertial confinement fusion experiments involving Be plasma.

  18. Investigation of oxygen vibrational relaxation by quasi-classical trajectory method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Andrienko, Daniil; Boyd, Iain D.

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • Importance of attraction for the O 2 –O energy exchange in hypersonic flows. • O 2 –O vibrational relaxation time cannot be described by the Millikan–White equation. • Weak dependence of exothermic transition rates on translational temperature. • Multiquantum jumps in molecular oxygen occur mostly via the exchange reaction. - Abstract: O 2 –O collisions are studied by the quasi-classical trajectory method. A full set of cross sections for the vibrational ladder is obtained utilizing an accurate O 3 potential energy surface. Vibrational relaxation is investigated at temperatures between 1000 and 10,000 K, that are relevant to hypersonic flows. The relaxation time is derived based on the removal rate for the first excited vibrational level. A significant deviation from the formula by Millikan and White is observed for temperatures beyond those reported in experimental work. Relaxation becomes less efficient at high temperatures, suggesting that the efficiency of the energy randomization is strongly to the attractive component of the O 3 potential energy surface. These results are explained by analyzing the microscopic parameter of collisions that reflects the number of exchanges in the shortest interatomic distance. The rates of exothermic transitions are found to be nearly independent of the translational temperature in the range of interest.

  19. High Temperature Uniaxial Compression and Stress-Relaxation Behavior of India-Specific RAFM Steel

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shah, Naimish S.; Sunil, Saurav; Sarkar, Apu

    2018-05-01

    India-specific reduced activity ferritic martensitic steel (INRAFM), a modified 9Cr-1Mo grade, has been developed by India as its own structural material for fabrication of the Indian Test Blanket Module (TBM) to be installed in the International Thermonuclear Energy Reactor (ITER). The extensive study on mechanical and physical properties of this material has been currently going on for appraisal of this material before being put to use in the ITER. High temperature compression, stress-relaxation, and strain-rate change behavior of the INRAFM steel have been investigated. The optical microscopic and scanning electron microscopic characterizations were carried out to observe the microstructural changes that occur during uniaxial compressive deformation test. Comparable true plastic stress values at 300 °C and 500 °C and a high drop in true plastic stress at 600 °C were observed during the compression test. Stress-relaxation behaviors were investigated at 500 °C, 550 °C, and 600 °C at a strain rate of 10-3 s-1. The creep properties of the steel at different temperatures were predicted from the stress-relaxation test. The Norton's stress exponent (n) was found to decrease with the increasing temperature. Using Bird-Mukherjee-Dorn relationship, the temperature-compensated normalized strain rate vs stress was plotted. The stress exponent (n) value of 10.05 was obtained from the normalized plot. The increasing nature of the strain rate sensitivity (m) with the test temperature was found from strain-rate change test. The low plastic stability with m 0.06 was observed at 600 °C. The activation volume (V *) values were obtained in the range of 100 to 300 b3. By comparing the experimental values with the literature, the rate-controlling mechanisms at the thermally activated region of high temperature were found to be the nonconservative movement of jogged screw dislocations and thermal breaking of attractive junctions.

  20. Characterization of Chemical Exchange Using Relaxation Dispersion of Hyperpolarized Nuclear Spins.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Mengxiao; Kim, Yaewon; Hilty, Christian

    2017-09-05

    Chemical exchange phenomena are ubiquitous in macromolecules, which undergo conformational change or ligand complexation. NMR relaxation dispersion (RD) spectroscopy based on a Carr-Purcell-Meiboom-Gill pulse sequence is widely applied to identify the exchange and measure the lifetime of intermediate states on the millisecond time scale. Advances in hyperpolarization methods improve the applicability of NMR spectroscopy when rapid acquisitions or low concentrations are required, through an increase in signal strength by several orders of magnitude. Here, we demonstrate the measurement of chemical exchange from a single aliquot of a ligand hyperpolarized by dissolution dynamic nuclear polarization (D-DNP). Transverse relaxation rates are measured simultaneously at different pulsing delays by dual-channel 19 F NMR spectroscopy. This two-point measurement is shown to allow the determination of the exchange term in the relaxation rate expression. For the ligand 4-(trifluoromethyl)benzene-1-carboximidamide binding to the protein trypsin, the exchange term is found to be equal within error limits in neutral and acidic environments from D-DNP NMR spectroscopy, corresponding to a pre-equilibrium of trypsin deprotonation. This finding illustrates the capability for determination of binding mechanisms using D-DNP RD. Taking advantage of hyperpolarization, the ligand concentration in the exchange measurements can reach on the order of tens of μM and protein concentration can be below 1 μM, i.e., conditions typically accessible in drug discovery.

  1. Relaxation resistance of heat resisting alloys with cobalt

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Borzdyka, A.M.

    1977-01-01

    Relaxation resistance of refractory nickel-chromium alloys containing 5 to 14 % cobalt is under study. The tests involve the use of circular samples at 800 deg to 850 deg C. It is shown that an alloy containing 14% cobalt possesses the best relaxation resistance exceeding that of nickel-chromium alloys without any cobalt by a factor of 1.5 to 2. The relaxation resistance of an alloy with 5% cobalt can be increased by hardening at repeated loading

  2. The Relaxation of Vicinal (001) with ZigZag [110] Steps

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hawkins, Micah; Hamouda, Ajmi Bh; González-Cabrera, Diego Luis; Einstein, Theodore L.

    2012-02-01

    This talk presents a kinetic Monte Carlo study of the relaxation dynamics of [110] steps on a vicinal (001) simple cubic surface. This system is interesting because [110] steps have different elementary excitation energetics and favor step diffusion more than close-packed [100] steps. In this talk we show how this leads to relaxation dynamics showing greater fluctuations on a shorter time scale for [110] steps as well as 2-bond breaking processes being rate determining in contrast to 3-bond breaking processes for [100] steps. The existence of a steady state is shown via the convergence of terrace width distributions at times much longer than the relaxation time. In this time regime excellent fits to the modified generalized Wigner distribution (as well as to the Berry-Robnik model when steps can overlap) were obtained. Also, step-position correlation function data show diffusion-limited increase for small distances along the step as well as greater average step displacement for zigzag steps compared to straight steps for somewhat longer distances along the step. Work supported by NSF-MRSEC Grant DMR 05-20471 as well as a DOE-CMCSN Grant.

  3. Le Chatelier's principle with multiple relaxation channels

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gilmore, R.; Levine, R. D.

    1986-05-01

    Le Chatelier's principle is discussed within the constrained variational approach to thermodynamics. The formulation is general enough to encompass systems not in thermal (or chemical) equilibrium. Particular attention is given to systems with multiple constraints which can be relaxed. The moderation of the initial perturbation increases as additional constraints are removed. This result is studied in particular when the (coupled) relaxation channels have widely different time scales. A series of inequalities is derived which describes the successive moderation as each successive relaxation channel opens up. These inequalities are interpreted within the metric-geometry representation of thermodynamics.

  4. Sodium pump activity and calcium relaxation in vascular smooth muscle of deoxycorticosterone acetate-salt rats

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Soltis, E.E.; Field, F.P.

    1986-01-01

    The Na + -K + pump activity was determined in femoral arterial smooth muscle from deoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA)-salt hypertensive rats using potassium relaxation and ouabain-sensitive 86 Rb uptake as indices. The membrane-stabilizing effect of calcium and its relation to Na + -K + pump activity also were examined. Femoral arteries from DOCA-salt rats exhibited a greater relaxation in response to potassium addition after contraction with norepinephrine in a low potassium (0.6 mM) Krebs solution. The concentration of potassium required to produce a 50% relaxation was significantly less in DOCA-salt rats. Ouabain-sensitive 86 Rb uptake was significantly greater at 3, 10, and 20 minutes of 86 Rb incubation in femoral arteries from DOCA-salt rats. Linear regression analysis revealed a significant correlation between the uptake of 86 Rb and time of incubation in both control and DOCA-salt rats. A significant difference in the slopes of the regression lines showed that the rate of uptake was greater in DOCA-salt rats. No difference was observed in ouabain-insensitive 86 Rb uptake. A dose-dependent relaxation in response to increasing concentrations of calcium following contraction to norepinephrine was observed in femoral arteries from control and DOCA-salt rats. The relaxation was directly dependent on the level of extracellular potassium and was blocked by ouabain. Femoral arteries from DOCA-salt rats relaxed to a significantly greater extent in response to calcium at each level of potassium when compared with controls. These results provide further evidence for an increase in Na + -K + pump activity in vascular smooth muscle from DOCA-salt hypertensive rats

  5. Vibrational relaxation and energy transfer of matrix isolated HCl and DCl

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wiesenfeld, J.M.

    1977-12-01

    Vibrational kinetic and spectroscopic studies have been performed on matrix-isolated HCl and DCl between 9 and 20 K. Vibrational relaxation rates for v = 2 and v = 1 were measured by a tunable infrared laser-induced, time-resolved fluorescence technique. In an Ar matrix, vibrational decay times are faster than radiative and it is found that HCl relaxes about 35 times more rapidly than CCl, in spite of the fact that HCl must transfer more energy to the lattice than DCl. This result is explained by postulating that the rate-determining step for vibrational relaxation produces a highly rotationally excited guest in a V yield R step; rotational relaxation into lattice phonons follows rapidly. HCl v = 1, but not v = 2, excitation rapidly diffuses through the sample by a resonant dipole-dipole vibrational energy transfer process. Molecular complexes, and in particular the HCl dimer, relax too rapidly for direct observation, less than or approximately 1 ..mu..s, and act as energy sinks in the energy diffusion process. The temperature dependence for all these processes is weak--less than a factor of two between 9 and 20 K. Vibrational relaxation of HCl in N/sub 2/ and O/sub 2/ matrices is unobservable, presumably due to rapid V yield V transfer to the host. A V yield R binary collision model for relaxation in solids is successful in explaining the HCl(DCl)/Ar results as well as results of other experimenters. The model considers relaxation to be the result of ''collisions'' due to molecular motion in quantized lattice normal modes--gas phase potential parameters can fit the matrix kinetic data.

  6. Vibrational relaxation and energy transfer of matrix isolated HCl and DCl

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wiesenfeld, J.M.

    1977-12-01

    Vibrational kinetic and spectroscopic studies have been performed on matrix-isolated HCl and DCl between 9 and 20 K. Vibrational relaxation rates for v = 2 and v = 1 were measured by a tunable infrared laser-induced, time-resolved fluorescence technique. In an Ar matrix, vibrational decay times are faster than radiative and it is found that HCl relaxes about 35 times more rapidly than CCl, in spite of the fact that HCl must transfer more energy to the lattice than DCl. This result is explained by postulating that the rate-determining step for vibrational relaxation produces a highly rotationally excited guest in a V yield R step; rotational relaxation into lattice phonons follows rapidly. HCl v = 1, but not v = 2, excitation rapidly diffuses through the sample by a resonant dipole-dipole vibrational energy transfer process. Molecular complexes, and in particular the HCl dimer, relax too rapidly for direct observation, less than or approximately 1 μs, and act as energy sinks in the energy diffusion process. The temperature dependence for all these processes is weak--less than a factor of two between 9 and 20 K. Vibrational relaxation of HCl in N 2 and O 2 matrices is unobservable, presumably due to rapid V yield V transfer to the host. A V yield R binary collision model for relaxation in solids is successful in explaining the HCl(DCl)/Ar results as well as results of other experimenters. The model considers relaxation to be the result of ''collisions'' due to molecular motion in quantized lattice normal modes--gas phase potential parameters can fit the matrix kinetic data

  7. Relaxation characteristics of hastelloy X

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Suzuki, Kazuhiko

    1980-02-01

    Relaxation diagrams of Hastelloy X (relaxation curves, relaxation design diagrams, etc.) were generated from the creep constitutive equation of Hastelloy X, using inelastic stress analysis code TEPICC-J. These data are in good agreement with experimental relaxation data of ORNL-5479. Three typical inelastic stress analyses were performed for various relaxation behaviors of the high-temperature structures. An attempt was also made to predict these relaxation behaviors by the relaxation curves. (author)

  8. Onsager relaxation of toroidal plasmas

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Samain, A.; Nguyen, F.

    1997-01-01

    The slow relaxation of isolated toroidal plasmas towards their thermodynamical equilibrium is studied in an Onsager framework based on the entropy metric. The basic tool is a variational principle, equivalent to the kinetic equation, involving the profiles of density, temperature, electric potential, electric current. New minimization procedures are proposed to obtain entropy and entropy production rate functionals. (author)

  9. Holographic grating relaxation technique for soft matter science

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lesnichii, Vasilii, E-mail: vasilii.lesnichii@physchem.uni-freiburg.de [Institute of Physical Chemistry, Albertstraße 21, Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, Stefan-Meier-Str. 31, Albert-Ludwigs Universität, Freiburg im Breisgau 79104 (Germany); ITMO University, Kronverksky prospekt 49, Saint-Petersburg 197101 (Russian Federation); Kiessling, Andy [Institute of Physical Chemistry, Albertstraße 21, Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, Stefan-Meier-Str. 31, Albert-Ludwigs Universität, Freiburg im Breisgau 79104 (Germany); Current address: Illinois Institute of Technology, 10 West 33rd Street, Chicago,IL60616 (United States); Bartsch, Eckhard [Institute of Physical Chemistry, Albertstraße 21, Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, Stefan-Meier-Str. 31, Albert-Ludwigs Universität, Freiburg im Breisgau 79104 (Germany); Veniaminov, Andrey, E-mail: veniaminov@phoi.ifmo.ru [ITMO University, Kronverksky prospekt 49, Saint-Petersburg 197101 (Russian Federation)

    2016-06-17

    The holographic grating relaxation technique also known as forced Rayleigh scattering consists basically in writing a holographic grating in the specimen of interest and monitoring its diffraction efficiency as a function of time, from which valuable information on mass or heat transfer and photoinduced transformations can be extracted. In a more detailed view, the shape of the relaxation curve and the relaxation rate as a function of the grating period were found to be affected by the architecture of diffusing species (molecular probes) that constitute the grating, as well as that of the environment they diffuse in, thus making it possible to access and study spatial heterogeneity of materials and different modes of e.g., polymer motion. Minimum displacements and spatial domains approachable by the technique are in nanometer range, well below spatial periods of holographic gratings. In the present paper, several cases of holographic relaxation in heterogeneous media and complex motions are exemplified. Nano- to micro-structures or inhomogeneities comparable in spatial scale with holographic gratings manifest themselves in relaxation experiments via non-exponential decay (stepwise or stretched), spatial-period-dependent apparent diffusion coefficient, or unusual dependence of diffusion coefficient on molecular volume of diffusing probes.

  10. Irradiation creep, stress relaxation and a mechanical equation of state

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Foster, J.P.

    1976-01-01

    Irradiation creep and stress relaxation data are available from the United Kingdom for 20 percent CW M316, 20 percent CW FV 548 and FHT PE16 using pure torsion in the absence of swelling at 300 0 C. Irradiation creep models were used to calculate the relaxation and permanent deflection of the stress relaxation tests. Two relationships between irradiation creep and stress relaxation were assessed by comparing the measured and calculated stress relaxation and permanent deflection. The results show that for M316 and FV548, the stress relaxation and deflection may be calculated using irradiation creep models when the stress rate term arising from the irradiation creep model is set equal to zero. In the case of PE16, the inability to calculate the stress relaxation and permanent deflection from the irradiation creep data was attributed to differences in creep behavior arising from lot-to-lot variations in alloying elements and impurity content. A modification of the FV548 and PE16 irradiation creep coefficients was necessary in order to calculate the stress relaxation and deflection. The modifications in FV548 and PE16 irradiation creep properties reduces the large variation in the transient or incubation parameter predicted by irradiation creep tests for M316, FV548 and PE16

  11. Evaluation of brain tissue applying equivalent cross-relaxation rate using MRI

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Obata, Hideaki; Inaba, Tadashi; Tokuda, Masataka; Matsushima, Shigeru; Kinosada, Yasutomi

    2003-01-01

    The equivalent cross-relaxation rate (ECR) is a measurement method that can evaluate a change in organization structure quantitatively utilizing MRI. The goal of this study is to discover a parameter that we can use to evaluate aging of the human brain using ECR. Fourteen patients diagnosed with diseases other than those located in the cranium were imaged using a SIGNA model of GE Medical Systems equipped with a 1.5 T clinical scanner. The ECR values were defined as the percentage of signal loss between unsaturated and saturated images. It was found that the ECR value of gray matter was lower than subcortical white matter. At ages under 70 years old, the mean of ECR values of subcortical white matter showed stable values with insignificant variance. Furthermore, there was no correlation between age and ECR value of every region calculated. On the other hand, it was found that there was a negative correlation for the ECR values of subcortical white matter and gray matter at ages slightly over 70 years old. It is possible that the reduction in ECR value shows demyelination by aging in the senium. When the offset frequency is near the water resonance frequency, the ECR values mean information about neurocytes. Accordingly, the ECR (320)/ECR (1200) value probably shows that information is related to the amount or activity of neurons. (author)

  12. Corroborative evidences of TV γ -scaling of the α-relaxation originating from the primitive relaxation/JG β relaxation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ngai, K. L.; Paluch, M.

    2017-12-01

    Successful thermodynamic scaling of the structural alpha-relaxation time or transport coefficients of glass-forming liquids determined at various temperatures T and pressures P means the data conform to a single function of the product variable TVgamma, where V is the specific volume and gamma is a material specific constant. In the past two decades we have witnessed successful TVgamma-scaling in many molecular, polymeric, and even metallic glass-formers, and gamma is related to the slope of the repulsive part of the intermolecular potential. The advances made indicate TVgamma-scaling is an important aspect of the dynamic and thermodynamic properties of glass-formers. In this paper we show the origin of TVgamma-scaling is not from the structural alpha-relaxation time. Instead it comes from its precursor, the Johari-Goldstein beta-relaxation or the primitive relaxation of the Coupling Model and their relaxation times or tau_0 respectively. It is remarkable that all relaxation times are functions of TVgamma with the same gama, as well as the fractional exponent of the Kohlrausch correlation function of the structural alpha-relaxation. We arrive at this conclusion convincingly based on corroborative evidences from a number of experiments and molecular dynamics simulations performed on a wide variety of glass-formers and in conjunction with consistency with the predictions of the Coupling Model.

  13. Stress relaxation and hillock growth in thin films

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jackson, M.S.; Li, C.Y.

    1978-01-01

    The relaxation of thermal stress in a thin film adhering to a substrate of differing expansion coefficient is discussed. Good agreement is found between literature data on relaxation during isothermal anneals of Pb films at up to 350 0 K and model calculations based on a state variable description of plastic flow. The stress system during relaxation is explored, and the absence of diffusional creep is explained. The plasticity-dominated relaxation process suggested by this analysis is shown to be in good qualitative agreement with data on rapid relaxation over the course of a cycle between room and cryogenic temperatures. The implications of this for long-range material transport in the film are discussed. It is shown that hillock volume should increase over the course of a temperature cycle. Finally, a mechanism for hillock nucleation based on grain boundary sliding is suggested

  14. Repeatability and reliability of muscle relaxation properties induced by motor cortical stimulation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Molenaar, Joery P; Voermans, Nicol C; de Jong, Lysanne A; Stegeman, Dick F; Doorduin, Jonne; van Engelen, Baziel G

    2018-03-15

    Impaired muscle relaxation is a feature of many neuromuscular disorders. However, there are few tests available to quantify muscle relaxation. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) of the motor cortex can induce muscle relaxation by abruptly inhibiting corticospinal drive. The aim of our study is to investigate if repeatability and reliability of TMS-induced relaxation is greater than voluntary relaxation. Furthermore, effects of sex, cooling and fatigue on muscle relaxation properties were studied. Muscle relaxation of deep finger flexors was assessed in twenty-five healthy subjects (14 M and 11 F, aged 39.1{plus minus}12.7 and 45.3{plus minus}8.7 years old, respectively) using handgrip dynamometry. All outcome measures showed greater repeatability and reliability in TMS-induced relaxation compared to voluntary relaxation. The within-subject coefficient of variability of normalized peak relaxation rate was lower in TMS-induced relaxation than in voluntary relaxation (3.0 vs 19.7% in men, and 6.1 vs 14.3% in women). The repeatability coefficient was lower (1.3 vs 6.1 s -1 in men and 2.3 vs 3.1 s -1 in women), and the intraclass correlation coefficient was higher (0.95 vs 0.53 in men and 0.78 vs 0.69 in women), for TMS-induced relaxation compared to voluntary relaxation. TMS enabled to demonstrate slowing effects of sex, muscle cooling, and muscle fatigue on relaxation properties that voluntary relaxation could not. In conclusion, repeatability and reliability of TMS-induced muscle relaxation was greater compared to voluntary muscle relaxation. TMS-induced muscle relaxation has the potential to be used in clinical practice for diagnostic purposes and therapy effect monitoring in patients with impaired muscle relaxation.

  15. Effect of coating thickness of iron oxide nanoparticles on their relaxivity in the MRI

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Farzaneh Hajesmaeelzadeh

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available Objective(s:Iron oxide nanoparticles have found prevalent applications in various fields including drug delivery, cell separation and as contrast agents. Super paramagnetic iron oxide (SPIO nanoparticles allow researchers and clinicians to enhance the tissue contrast of an area of interest by increasing the relaxation rate of water. In this study, we evaluate the dependency of hydrodynamic size of iron oxide nanoparticles coated with Polyethylene  glycol (PEG on their relativities with 3 Tesla clinical MRI. Materials and Methods: We used three groups of nanoparticles with nominal sizes 20, 50 and 100 nm with a core size of 8.86 nm, 8.69 nm and 10.4 nm that they were covered with PEG 300 and 600 Da. A clinical magnetic resonance scanner determines the T1 and T2 relaxation times for various concentrations of PEG-coated nanoparticles. Results: The size measurement by photon correlation spectroscopy showed the hydrodynamic sizes of MNPs with nominal 20, 50 and 100 nm with 70, 82 and 116 nm for particles with PEG 600 coating and 74, 93 and 100 nm for  particles with PEG 300 coating, respectively. We foud that the relaxivity decreased with increasing overall particle size (via coating thickness. Magnetic resonance imaging showed that by increasing the size of the nanoparticles, r2/r1 increases linearly. Conclusion: According to the data obtained from this study it can be concluded that increments in coating thickness have more influence on relaxivities compared to the changes in core size of magnetic nanoparticles.

  16. Capturing molecular multimode relaxation processes in excitable gases based on decomposition of acoustic relaxation spectra

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Ming; Liu, Tingting; Wang, Shu; Zhang, Kesheng

    2017-08-01

    Existing two-frequency reconstructive methods can only capture primary (single) molecular relaxation processes in excitable gases. In this paper, we present a reconstructive method based on the novel decomposition of frequency-dependent acoustic relaxation spectra to capture the entire molecular multimode relaxation process. This decomposition of acoustic relaxation spectra is developed from the frequency-dependent effective specific heat, indicating that a multi-relaxation process is the sum of the interior single-relaxation processes. Based on this decomposition, we can reconstruct the entire multi-relaxation process by capturing the relaxation times and relaxation strengths of N interior single-relaxation processes, using the measurements of acoustic absorption and sound speed at 2N frequencies. Experimental data for the gas mixtures CO2-N2 and CO2-O2 validate our decomposition and reconstruction approach.

  17. Interrelation of creep and relaxation: a modeling approach for ligaments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lakes, R S; Vanderby, R

    1999-12-01

    Experimental data (Thornton et al., 1997) show that relaxation proceeds more rapidly (a greater slope on a log-log scale) than creep in ligament, a fact not explained by linear viscoelasticity. An interrelation between creep and relaxation is therefore developed for ligaments based on a single-integral nonlinear superposition model. This interrelation differs from the convolution relation obtained by Laplace transforms for linear materials. We demonstrate via continuum concepts of nonlinear viscoelasticity that such a difference in rate between creep and relaxation phenomenologically occurs when the nonlinearity is of a strain-stiffening type, i.e., the stress-strain curve is concave up as observed in ligament. We also show that it is inconsistent to assume a Fung-type constitutive law (Fung, 1972) for both creep and relaxation. Using the published data of Thornton et al. (1997), the nonlinear interrelation developed herein predicts creep behavior from relaxation data well (R > or = 0.998). Although data are limited and the causal mechanisms associated with viscoelastic tissue behavior are complex, continuum concepts demonstrated here appear capable of interrelating creep and relaxation with fidelity.

  18. Optimizing Water Exchange Rates and Rotational Mobility for High-Relaxivity of a Novel Gd-DO3A Derivative Complex Conjugated to Inulin as Macromolecular Contrast Agents for MRI.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Granato, Luigi; Vander Elst, Luce; Henoumont, Celine; Muller, Robert N; Laurent, Sophie

    2018-02-01

    Thanks to the understanding of the relationships between the residence lifetime τ M of the coordinated water molecules to macrocyclic Gd-complexes and the rotational mobility τ R of these structures, and according to the theory for paramagnetic relaxation, it is now possible to design macromolecular contrast agents with enhanced relaxivities by optimizing these two parameters through ligand structural modification. We succeeded in accelerating the water exchange rate by inducing steric compression around the water binding site, and by removing the amide function from the DOTA-AA ligand [1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7,10-tetraacetic acid mono(p-aminoanilide)] (L) previously designed. This new ligand 10[2(1-oxo-1-p-propylthioureidophenylpropyl]-1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclodecane-1,4,7-tetraacetic acid (L 1 ) was then covalently conjugated to API [O-(aminopropyl)inulin] to get the complex API-(GdL 1 )x with intent to slow down the rotational correlation time (τ R ) of the macromolecular complex. The evaluation of the longitudinal relaxivity at different magnetic fields and the study of the 17 O-NMR at variable temperature of the low-molecular-weight compound (GdL 1 ) showed a slight decrease of the τ M value (τM310 = 331 ns vs. τM310 = 450 ns for the GdL complex). Consequently to the increase of the size of the API-(GdL 1 )x complex, the rotational correlation time becomes about 360 times longer compared to the monomeric GdL 1 complex (τ R  = 33,700 ps), which results in an enhanced proton relaxivity. © 2018 Wiley-VHCA AG, Zurich, Switzerland.

  19. Nuclear magnetic relaxation induced by exchange-mediated orientational randomization: longitudinal relaxation dispersion for spin I = 1.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nilsson, Tomas; Halle, Bertil

    2012-08-07

    The frequency dependence of the longitudinal relaxation rate, known as the magnetic relaxation dispersion (MRD), can provide a frequency-resolved characterization of molecular motions in complex biological and colloidal systems on time scales ranging from 1 ns to 100 μs. The conformational dynamics of immobilized proteins and other biopolymers can thus be probed in vitro or in vivo by exploiting internal water molecules or labile hydrogens that exchange with a dominant bulk water pool. Numerous water (1)H and (2)H MRD studies of such systems have been reported, but the widely different theoretical models currently used to analyze the MRD data have resulted in divergent views of the underlying molecular motions. We have argued that the essential mechanism responsible for the main dispersion is the exchange-mediated orientational randomization (EMOR) of anisotropic nuclear (electric quadrupole or magnetic dipole) couplings when internal water molecules or labile hydrogens escape from orientationally confining macromolecular sites. In the EMOR model, the exchange process is thus not just a means of mixing spin populations but it is also the direct cause of spin relaxation. Although the EMOR theory has been used in several studies to analyze water (2)H MRD data from immobilized biopolymers, the fully developed theory has not been described. Here, we present a comprehensive account of a generalized version of the EMOR theory for spin I = 1 nuclides like (2)H. As compared to a previously described version of the EMOR theory, the present version incorporates three generalizations that are all essential in applications to experimental data: (i) a biaxial (residual) electric field gradient tensor, (ii) direct and indirect effects of internal motions, and (iii) multiple sites with different exchange rates. In addition, we describe and assess different approximations to the exact EMOR theory that are useful in various regimes. In particular, we consider the experimentally

  20. The spin relaxation of nitrogen donors in 6H SiC crystals as studied by the electron spin echo method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Savchenko, D.; Shanina, B.; Kalabukhova, E.; Pöppl, A.; Lančok, J.; Mokhov, E.

    2016-04-01

    We present the detailed study of the spin kinetics of the nitrogen (N) donor electrons in 6H SiC wafers grown by the Lely method and by the sublimation "sandwich method" (SSM) with a donor concentration of about 1017 cm-3 at T = 10-40 K. The donor electrons of the N donors substituting quasi-cubic "k1" and "k2" sites (Nk1,k2) in both types of the samples revealed the similar temperature dependence of the spin-lattice relaxation rate (T1-1), which was described by the direct one-phonon and two-phonon processes induced by the acoustic phonons proportional to T and to T9, respectively. The character of the temperature dependence of the T1-1 for the donor electrons of N substituting hexagonal ("h") site (Nh) in both types of 6H SiC samples indicates that the donor electrons relax through the fast-relaxing centers by means of the cross-relaxation process. The observed enhancement of the phase memory relaxation rate (Tm-1) with the temperature increase for the Nh donors in both types of the samples, as well as for the Nk1,k2 donors in Lely grown 6H SiC, was explained by the growth of the free electron concentration with the temperature increase and their exchange scattering at the N donor centers. The observed significant shortening of the phase memory relaxation time Tm for the Nk1,k2 donors in the SSM grown sample with the temperature lowering is caused by hopping motion of the electrons between the occupied and unoccupied states of the N donors at Nh and Nk1,k2 sites. The impact of the N donor pairs, triads, distant donor pairs formed in n-type 6H SiC wafers on the spin relaxation times was discussed.

  1. Transient thermal and nonthermal electron and phonon relaxation after short-pulsed laser heating of metals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Giri, Ashutosh; Hopkins, Patrick E.

    2015-01-01

    Several dynamic thermal and nonthermal scattering processes affect ultrafast heat transfer in metals after short-pulsed laser heating. Even with decades of measurements of electron-phonon relaxation, the role of thermal vs. nonthermal electron and phonon scattering on overall electron energy transfer to the phonons remains unclear. In this work, we derive an analytical expression for the electron-phonon coupling factor in a metal that includes contributions from equilibrium and nonequilibrium distributions of electrons. While the contribution from the nonthermal electrons to electron-phonon coupling is non-negligible, the increase in the electron relaxation rates with increasing laser fluence measured by thermoreflectance techniques cannot be accounted for by only considering electron-phonon relaxations. We conclude that electron-electron scattering along with electron-phonon scattering have to be considered simultaneously to correctly predict the transient nature of electron relaxation during and after short-pulsed heating of metals at elevated electron temperatures. Furthermore, for high electron temperature perturbations achieved at high absorbed laser fluences, we show good agreement between our model, which accounts for d-band excitations, and previous experimental data. Our model can be extended to other free electron metals with the knowledge of the density of states of electrons in the metals and considering electronic excitations from non-Fermi surface states

  2. Reduced Dietary Sodium Intake Increases Heart Rate

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Graudal, Niels A; Hubeck-Graudal, Thorbjørn; Jürgens, Gesche

    2016-01-01

    Reduced dietary sodium intake (sodium reduction) increases heart rate in some studies of animals and humans. As heart rate is independently associated with the development of heart failure and increased risk of premature death a potential increase in heart rate could be a harmful side......-effect of sodium reduction. The purpose of the present meta-analysis was to investigate the effect of sodium reduction on heart rate. Relevant studies were retrieved from an updated pool of 176 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published in the period 1973-2014. Sixty-three of the RCTs including 72 study...... populations reported data on heart rate. In a meta-analysis of these data sodium reduction increased heart rate with 1.65 beats per minute [95% CI: 1.19, 2.11], p heart rate. This effect was independent of baseline blood pressure. In conclusion sodium reduction...

  3. Perturbation of longitudinal relaxation rate in rotating frame (PLRF) analysis for quantification of chemical exchange saturation transfer signal in a transient state.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Yi; Zhang, Yaoyu; Zhao, Xuna; Wu, Bing; Gao, Jia-Hong

    2017-11-01

    To develop a novel analytical method for quantification of chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) in the transient state. The proposed method aims to reduce the effects of non-chemical-exchange (non-CE) parameters on the CEST signal, emphasizing the effect of chemical exchange. The difference in the longitudinal relaxation rate in the rotating frame ( ΔR1ρ) was calculated based on perturbation of the Z-value by R1ρ, and a saturation-pulse-amplitude-compensated exchange-dependent relaxation rate (SPACER) was determined with a high-exchange-rate approximation. In both phantom and human subject experiments, MTRasym (representative of the traditional CEST index), ΔR1ρ, and SPACER were measured, evaluated, and compared by altering the non-CE parameters in a transient-state continuous-wave CEST sequence. In line with the theoretical expectation, our experimental data demonstrate that the effects of the non-CE parameters can be more effectively reduced using the proposed indices (  ΔR1ρ and SPACER) than using the traditional CEST index ( MTRasym). The proposed method allows for the chemical exchange weight to be better emphasized in the transient-state CEST signal, which is beneficial, in practice, for quantifying the CEST signal. Magn Reson Med 78:1711-1723, 2017. © 2016 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. © 2016 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

  4. Evaluation of biexponential relaxation processes by magnetic resonance imaging. A phantom study

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kjaer, L; Thomsen, C; Larsson, H B

    1988-01-01

    Despite the complexity of biologic tissues, a monoexponential behaviour is usually assumed when estimating relaxation processes in vivo by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). This study was designed to evaluate the potential of biexponential decomposition of T1 and T2 relaxation curves obtained at 1...... echoes. Applying biexponential curve analysis, a significant deviation from a monoexponential behaviour was recognized at a ratio of corresponding relaxation rates of about 3 and 2, estimating T1 and T2 relaxation, respectively (p less than 0.01, F-test). Requiring an SD less than or equal to 10 per cent...

  5. Multi-Phonon Relaxation of H^- Local Modes in CaF_2

    Science.gov (United States)

    Davison, C. P.; Happek, U.; Campbell, J. A.; Engholm, J. R.; Schwettman, H. A.

    1998-03-01

    Local modes play an important role in the relaxation of vibrational modes of small molecules in solids (J.R. Engholm, C.W. Rella, H.A. Schwettman, and U. Happek; Phys. Rev. Lett. 77), 1302 (1996)., but only few attempts have been reported to study the relaxation of these local modes. Here we report on experiments to investigate the non-radiative relaxation of H^- local modes in CaF_2. Using a pump-probe technique, saturation experiments on the H^- local modes, both interstitial and substitutional, were performed at the Stanford Free Electron Laser Center. At low temperature we find a relaxation time T1 of 45 psec for the substitutional H^- local mode, and a more rapid relaxation for the interstitial H^- local modes next to La^3+ and Lu^3+ impurities. Information on the decay channels of the local modes are obtained from the characteristic temperature dependence of the relaxation rates. This work is supported in part by the ONR, Grant No. N00014-94-1024.

  6. Hydrogels with tunable stress relaxation regulate stem cell fate and activity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chaudhuri, Ovijit; Gu, Luo; Klumpers, Darinka; Darnell, Max; Bencherif, Sidi A.; Weaver, James C.; Huebsch, Nathaniel; Lee, Hong-Pyo; Lippens, Evi; Duda, Georg N.; Mooney, David J.

    2016-03-01

    Natural extracellular matrices (ECMs) are viscoelastic and exhibit stress relaxation. However, hydrogels used as synthetic ECMs for three-dimensional (3D) culture are typically elastic. Here, we report a materials approach to tune the rate of stress relaxation of hydrogels for 3D culture, independently of the hydrogel's initial elastic modulus, degradation, and cell-adhesion-ligand density. We find that cell spreading, proliferation, and osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are all enhanced in cells cultured in gels with faster relaxation. Strikingly, MSCs form a mineralized, collagen-1-rich matrix similar to bone in rapidly relaxing hydrogels with an initial elastic modulus of 17 kPa. We also show that the effects of stress relaxation are mediated by adhesion-ligand binding, actomyosin contractility and mechanical clustering of adhesion ligands. Our findings highlight stress relaxation as a key characteristic of cell-ECM interactions and as an important design parameter of biomaterials for cell culture.

  7. Effects of BM-573 on Endothelial Dependent Relaxation and Increased Blood Pressure at Early Stages of Atherosclerosis.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Miguel Romero

    Full Text Available Endothelial dysfunction is considered to be an early event in atherosclerosis and plays a pivotal role in the development, progression and clinical complications of atherosclerosis. Previous studies have shown the beneficial effects of combined inhibition of thromboxane synthase and antagonism of thromboxane receptors by BM-573 on atherosclerosis; however our knowledge about the beneficial effects of BM-573 on endothelial function and increased blood pressure related to early stage of atherosclerosis is limited. In the present study, we investigated the effects of short-term (3 μM, 1 hour and chronic (10 mg/L, 8 weeks treatments with BM-573 on vasodilatory function, nitric oxide (NO bioavailability, oxidative stress and systolic blood pressure in 15 weeks old apolipoprotein E-deficient (ApoE-KO mice. ApoE-KO mice showed a reduced endothelium-derived relaxation. In addition, NO bioavailability was reduced and oxidative stress and blood pressure were increased in ApoE-KO mice versus wild-type mice. BM-573 treatments were able to improve the relaxation profile in ApoE-KO mice. Short-term effects of BM-573 were mainly mediated by an increased phosphorylation of both eNOS and Akt, whereas BM-573 in vivo treatment also reduced oxidative stress and restored NO bioavailability. In addition, chronic administration of BM-573 reduced systolic blood pressure in ApoE-KO mice. In conclusion, pharmacological modulation of TxA2 biosynthesis and biological activities by dual TP antagonism/TxAS inhibition with BM-573, already known to prevent plaque formation, has the potential to correct vasodilatory dysfunction at the early stages of atherosclerosis.

  8. Collisionless relaxation in spiral galaxy models

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hohl, F.

    1974-01-01

    The increase in random kinetic energy of stars by rapidly fluctuating gravitational fields (collisionless or violent relaxation) in disk galaxy models is investigated for three interaction potentials of the stars corresponding to (1) point stars, (2) rod stars of length 2 kpc, and (3) uniform density spherical stars of radius 2 kpc. To stabilize the galaxy against the large scale bar forming instability, a fixed field corresponding to a central core or halo component of stars was added with the stars containing at most 20 percent of the total mass of the galaxy. Considerable heating occurred for both the point stars and the rod stars, whereas the use of spherical stars resulted in a very low heating rate. The use of spherical stars with the resulting low heating rate will be desirable for the study of large scale galactic stability or density wave propagation, since collective heating effects will no longer mask the phenomena under study.

  9. Relaxation of the one child policy and trends in caesarean section rates and birth outcomes in China between 2012 and 2016: observational study of nearly seven million health facility births.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liang, Juan; Mu, Yi; Li, Xiaohong; Tang, Wen; Wang, Yanping; Liu, Zheng; Huang, Xiaona; Scherpbier, Robert W; Guo, Sufang; Li, Mingrong; Dai, Li; Deng, Kui; Deng, Changfei; Li, Qi; Kang, Leni; Zhu, Jun; Ronsmans, Carine

    2018-03-05

    To examine how the relaxation of the one child policy and policies to reduce caesarean section rates might have affected trends over time in caesarean section rates and perinatal and pregnancy related mortality in China. Observational study. China's National Maternal Near Miss Surveillance System (NMNMSS). 6 838 582 births at 28 completed weeks or more of gestation or birth weight ≥1000 g in 438 hospitals in the NMNMSS between 2012 and 2016. Obstetric risk was defined using a modified Robson classification. The main outcome measures were changes in parity and age distributions and relative frequency of each Robson group, crude and adjusted trends over time in caesarean section rates within each risk category (using Poisson regression with a robust variance estimator), and trends in perinatal and pregnancy related mortality over time. Caesarean section rates declined steadily between 2012 and 2016 (crude relative risk 0.91, 95% confidence interval 0.89 to 0.93), reaching an overall hospital based rate of 41.1% in 2016. The relaxation of the one child policy was associated with an increase in the proportion of multiparous births (from 34.1% in 2012 to 46.7% in 2016), and births in women with a uterine scar nearly doubled (from 9.8% to 17.7% of all births). Taking account of these changes, the decline in caesarean sections was amplified over time (adjusted relative risk 0.82, 95% confidence interval 0.81 to 0.84). Caesarean sections declined noticeably in nulliparous women (0.75, 0.73 to 0.77) but also declined in multiparous women without a uterine scar (0.65, 0.62 to 0.77). The decrease in caesarean section rates was most pronounced in hospitals with the highest rates in 2012, consistent with the government's policy of targeting hospitals with the highest rates. Perinatal mortality declined from 10.1 to 7.2 per 1000 births over the same period (0.87, 0.83 to 0.91), and there was no change in pregnancy related mortality over time. China is the only country that

  10. Heteronuclear Adiabatic Relaxation Dispersion (HARD) for quantitative analysis of conformational dynamics in proteins.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Traaseth, Nathaniel J; Chao, Fa-An; Masterson, Larry R; Mangia, Silvia; Garwood, Michael; Michaeli, Shalom; Seelig, Burckhard; Veglia, Gianluigi

    2012-06-01

    NMR relaxation methods probe biomolecular motions over a wide range of timescales. In particular, the rotating frame spin-lock R(1ρ) and Carr-Purcell-Meiboom-Gill (CPMG) R(2) experiments are commonly used to characterize μs to ms dynamics, which play a critical role in enzyme folding and catalysis. In an effort to complement these approaches, we introduced the Heteronuclear Adiabatic Relaxation Dispersion (HARD) method, where dispersion in rotating frame relaxation rate constants (longitudinal R(1ρ) and transverse R(2ρ)) is created by modulating the shape and duration of adiabatic full passage (AFP) pulses. Previously, we showed the ability of the HARD method to detect chemical exchange dynamics in the fast exchange regime (k(ex)∼10(4)-10(5) s(-1)). In this article, we show the sensitivity of the HARD method to slower exchange processes by measuring R(1ρ) and R(2ρ) relaxation rates for two soluble proteins (ubiquitin and 10C RNA ligase). One advantage of the HARD method is its nominal dependence on the applied radio frequency field, which can be leveraged to modulate the dispersion in the relaxation rate constants. In addition, we also include product operator simulations to define the dynamic range of adiabatic R(1ρ) and R(2ρ) that is valid under all exchange regimes. We conclude from both experimental observations and simulations that this method is complementary to CPMG-based and rotating frame spin-lock R(1ρ) experiments to probe conformational exchange dynamics for biomolecules. Finally, this approach is germane to several NMR-active nuclei, where relaxation rates are frequency-offset independent. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. Relaxation Dynamics of a Granular Pile on a Vertically Vibrating Plate

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tsuji, Daisuke; Otsuki, Michio; Katsuragi, Hiroaki

    2018-03-01

    Nonlinear relaxation dynamics of a vertically vibrated granular pile is experimentally studied. In the experiment, the flux and slope on the relaxing pile are measured by using a high-speed laser profiler. The relation of these quantities can be modeled by the nonlinear transport law assuming the uniform vibrofluidization of an entire pile. The fitting parameter in this model is only the relaxation efficiency, which characterizes the energy conversion rate from vertical vibration into horizontal transport. We demonstrate that this value is a constant independent of experimental conditions. The actual relaxation is successfully reproduced by the continuity equation with the proposed model. Finally, its specific applicability toward an astrophysical phenomenon is shown.

  12. Effects of zoxazolamine and related centrally acting muscle relaxants on nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Matthews, R T; McMillen, B A; Speciale, S G; Jarrah, H; Shore, P A; Sanghera, M K; Shepard, P D; German, D C

    1984-05-01

    The effects of zoxazolamine (ZOX) and related centrally acting muscle relaxants on striatal dopamine (DA) metabolism and turnover, and substantia nigra zona compacta DA neuronal impulse flow were studied in rats. ZOX, chlorzoxazone and mephenesin, but not meprobamate, chloral hydrate, diazepam, pentobarbital, ethanol or dantrolene, decreased striatal DA metabolism without affecting striatal DA concentrations. More specifically, ZOX, as a representative muscle relaxant, was shown to decrease striatal DA turnover without directly affecting DA synthesis, catabolism, reuptake, or release. ZOX decreased nigral DA neuronal firing rates and dramatically decreased firing rate variability (normally many of the cells fire with bursting firing patterns but after ZOX the cells often fired with a very regular pacemaker-like firing pattern). ZOX and related centrally acting muscle relaxants appear to decrease striatal DA turnover by decreasing both neuronal firing rate and firing rate variability. The possible relationships between DA neuronal activity and muscle tone are discussed.

  13. RELAXATION OF WARPED DISKS: THE CASE OF PURE HYDRODYNAMICS

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sorathia, Kareem A.; Krolik, Julian H. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218 (United States); Hawley, John F. [Department of Astronomy, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904 (United States)

    2013-05-10

    Orbiting disks may exhibit bends due to a misalignment between the angular momentum of the inner and outer regions of the disk. We begin a systematic simulational inquiry into the physics of warped disks with the simplest case: the relaxation of an unforced warp under pure fluid dynamics, i.e., with no internal stresses other than Reynolds stress. We focus on the nonlinear regime in which the bend rate is large compared to the disk aspect ratio. When warps are nonlinear, strong radial pressure gradients drive transonic radial motions along the disk's top and bottom surfaces that efficiently mix angular momentum. The resulting nonlinear decay rate of the warp increases with the warp rate and the warp width, but, at least in the parameter regime studied here, is independent of the sound speed. The characteristic magnitude of the associated angular momentum fluxes likewise increases with both the local warp rate and the radial range over which the warp extends; it also increases with increasing sound speed, but more slowly than linearly. The angular momentum fluxes respond to the warp rate after a delay that scales with the square root of the time for sound waves to cross the radial extent of the warp. These behaviors are at variance with a number of the assumptions commonly used in analytic models to describe linear warp dynamics.

  14. Spin-lattice relaxation times and knight shift in InSb and InAs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Braun, P.; Grande, S.

    1976-01-01

    For a dominant contact interaction between nuclei and conduction electrons the relaxation rate is deduced. The extreme cases of degenerate and non-degenerate semiconductors are separately discussed. At strong degeneracy the product of the Knight shift and relaxation time gives the Korringa relation for metals. Measurements of the NMR spin-lattice relaxation times of 115 InSb and 115 InAs were made between 4.2 and 300 K for strongly degenerated samples. The different relaxation mechanisms are discussed and the experimental and theoretical results are compared. (author)

  15. AC relaxation in the iron(8) molecular magnet

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rose, Geordie

    2000-11-01

    We investigate the low energy magnetic relaxation characteristics of the ``iron eight'' (Fe8) molecular magnet. Each molecule in this material contains a cluster of eight Fe 3+ ions surrounded by organic ligands. The molecules arrange themselves into a regular lattice with triclinic symmetry. At sufficiently low energies, the electronic spins of the Fe3+ ions lock together into a ``quantum rotator'' with spin S = 10. We derive a low energy effective Hamiltonian for this system, valid for temperatures less than Tc ~ 360 mK , where Tc is the temperature at which the Fe8 system crosses over into a ``quantum regime'' where relaxation characteristics become temperature independent. We show that in this regime the dominant environmental coupling is to the environmental spin bath in the molecule. We show how to explicitly calculate these couplings, given crystallographic information about the molecule, and do this for Fe8. We use this information to calculate the linewidth, topological decoherence and orthogonality blocking parameters. All of these quantities are shown to exhibit an isotope effect. We demonstrate that orthogonality blocking in Fe8 is significant and suppresses coherent tunneling. We then use our low energy effective Hamiltonian to calculate the single-molecule relaxation rate in the presence of an external magnetic field with both AC and DC components by solving the Landau-Zener problem in the presence of a nuclear spin bath. Both sawtooth and sinusoidal AC fields are analyzed. This single-molecule relaxation rate is then used as input into a master equation in order to take into account the many-molecule nature of the full system. Our results are then compared to quantum regime relaxation experiments performed on the Fe8 system.

  16. Measurement of short transverse relaxation times by pseudo-echo nutation experiments

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ferrari, Maude; Moyne, Christian; Canet, Daniel

    2018-07-01

    Very short NMR transverse relaxation times may be difficult to measure by conventional methods. Nutation experiments constitute an alternative approach. Nutation is, in the rotating frame, the equivalent of precession in the laboratory frame. It consists in monitoring the rotation of magnetization around the radio-frequency (rf) field when on-resonance conditions are fulfilled. Depending on the amplitude of the rf field, nutation may be sensitive to the two relaxation rates R1 and R2. A full theoretical development has been worked out for demonstrating how these two relaxation rates could be deduced from a simple nutation experiment, noticing however that inhomogeneity of the rf field may lead to erroneous results. This has led us to devise new experiments which are the equivalent of echo techniques in the rotating frame (pseudo spin-echo nutation experiment and pseudo gradient-echo experiment). Full equations of motion have been derived. Although complicated, they indicate that the sum of the two relaxation rates can be obtained very accurately and not altered by rf field inhomogeneity. This implies however an appropriate data processing accounting for the oscillations which are superposed to the echo decays and, anyway, theoretically predicted. A series of experiments has been carried out for different values of the rf field amplitude on samples of water doped with a paramagnetic compound at different concentrations. Pragmatically, as R1 can be easily measured by conventional methods, its value is entered in the data processing algorithm which then returns exclusively the value of the transverse relaxation time. Very consistent results are obtained that way.

  17. Magnetic Resonance Fingerprinting with short relaxation intervals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Amthor, Thomas; Doneva, Mariya; Koken, Peter; Sommer, Karsten; Meineke, Jakob; Börnert, Peter

    2017-09-01

    The aim of this study was to investigate a technique for improving the performance of Magnetic Resonance Fingerprinting (MRF) in repetitive sampling schemes, in particular for 3D MRF acquisition, by shortening relaxation intervals between MRF pulse train repetitions. A calculation method for MRF dictionaries adapted to short relaxation intervals and non-relaxed initial spin states is presented, based on the concept of stationary fingerprints. The method is applicable to many different k-space sampling schemes in 2D and 3D. For accuracy analysis, T 1 and T 2 values of a phantom are determined by single-slice Cartesian MRF for different relaxation intervals and are compared with quantitative reference measurements. The relevance of slice profile effects is also investigated in this case. To further illustrate the capabilities of the method, an application to in-vivo spiral 3D MRF measurements is demonstrated. The proposed computation method enables accurate parameter estimation even for the shortest relaxation intervals, as investigated for different sampling patterns in 2D and 3D. In 2D Cartesian measurements, we achieved a scan acceleration of more than a factor of two, while maintaining acceptable accuracy: The largest T 1 values of a sample set deviated from their reference values by 0.3% (longest relaxation interval) and 2.4% (shortest relaxation interval). The largest T 2 values showed systematic deviations of up to 10% for all relaxation intervals, which is discussed. The influence of slice profile effects for multislice acquisition is shown to become increasingly relevant for short relaxation intervals. In 3D spiral measurements, a scan time reduction of 36% was achieved, maintaining the quality of in-vivo T1 and T2 maps. Reducing the relaxation interval between MRF sequence repetitions using stationary fingerprint dictionaries is a feasible method to improve the scan efficiency of MRF sequences. The method enables fast implementations of 3D spatially

  18. Mechanisms of relaxation and spin decoherence in nanomagnets

    Science.gov (United States)

    van Tol, Johan

    Relaxation in spin systems is of great interest with respect to various possible applications like quantum information processing and storage, spintronics, and dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP). The implementation of high frequencies and fields is crucial in the study of systems with large zero-field splitting or large interactions, as for example molecular magnets and low dimensional magnetic materials. Here we will focus on the implementation of pulsed Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (ERP) at multiple frequencies of 10, 95, 120, 240, and 336 GHz, and the relaxation and decoherence processes as a function of magnetic field and temperature. Firstly, at higher frequencies the direct single-phonon spin-lattice relaxation (SLR) is considerably enhanced, and will more often than not be the dominant relaxation mechanism at low temperatures, and can be much faster than at lower fields and frequencies. In principle the measurement of the SLR rates as a function of the frequency provides a means to map the phonon density of states. Secondly, the high electron spin polarization at high fields has a strong influence on the spin fluctuations in relatively concentrated spin systems, and the contribution of the electron-electron dipolar interactions to the coherence rate can be partially quenched at low temperatures. This not only allows the study of relatively concentrated spin systems by pulsed EPR (as for example magnetic nanoparticles and molecular magnets), it enables the separation of the contribution of the fluctuations of the electron spin system from other decoherence mechanisms. Besides choice of temperature and field, several strategies in sample design, pulse sequences, or clock transitions can be employed to extend the coherence time in nanomagnets. A review will be given of the decoherence mechanisms with an attempt at a quantitative comparison of experimental rates with theory.

  19. STAR FORMATION AND RELAXATION IN 379 NEARBY GALAXY CLUSTERS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cohen, Seth A.; Hickox, Ryan C.; Wegner, Gary A.

    2015-01-01

    We investigate the relationship between star formation (SF) and level of relaxation in a sample of 379 galaxy clusters at z < 0.2. We use data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey to measure cluster membership and level of relaxation, and to select star-forming galaxies based on mid-infrared emission detected with the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer. For galaxies with absolute magnitudes M r < −19.5, we find an inverse correlation between SF fraction and cluster relaxation: as a cluster becomes less relaxed, its SF fraction increases. Furthermore, in general, the subtracted SF fraction in all unrelaxed clusters (0.117 ± 0.003) is higher than that in all relaxed clusters (0.097 ± 0.005). We verify the validity of our SF calculation methods and membership criteria through analysis of previous work. Our results agree with previous findings that a weak correlation exists between cluster SF and dynamical state, possibly because unrelaxed clusters are less evolved relative to relaxed clusters

  20. Stress relaxation at a gelatin hydrogel-glass interface in direct shear sliding

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gupta, Vinit; Singh, Arun K.

    2018-01-01

    In this paper, we study experimentally the stress relaxation behavior of soft solids such as gelatin hydrogels on a smooth glass surface in direct shear sliding. It is observed experimentally that irrespective of pulling velocity, the sliding block relaxes to the same level of nonzero residual stress. However, residual stress increases with increasing gelatin concentration in the hydrogels. We have also validated a friction model for strong bond formation during steady relaxation in light of the experimental observations. Our theoretical analysis establishes that population of dangling chains at the sliding interface significantly affects the relaxation process. As a result, residual stress increases with increasing gelatin concentration or decreasing mesh size of the three-dimensional structures in the hydrogels. It is also found that the transition time, at which a weak bond converts to strong bond, increases with increasing mesh size of the hydrogels. Moreover, relaxation time constant of a strong bond decreases with increasing mesh size. However, activation length of a strong bond increases with mesh size. Finally, this study signifies the role of residual strength in frictional shear sliding and it is believed that these results should be useful to understand the role of residual stress in stick-slip instability.

  1. Confinement sensitivity in quantum dot singlet-triplet relaxation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wesslén, C. J.; Lindroth, E.

    2017-11-01

    Spin-orbit mediated phonon relaxation in a two-dimensional quantum dot is investigated using different confining potentials. Elliptical harmonic oscillator and cylindrical well results are compared to each other in the case of a two-electron GaAs quantum dot subjected to a tilted magnetic field. The lowest energy set of two-body singlet and triplet states are calculated including spin-orbit and magnetic effects. These are used to calculate the phonon induced transition rate from the excited triplet to the ground state singlet for magnetic fields up to where the states cross. The roll of the cubic Dresselhaus effect, which is found to be much more important than previously assumed, and the positioning of ‘spin hot-spots’ are discussed and relaxation rates for a few different systems are exhibited.

  2. Stretched Exponential relaxation in pure Se glass

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dash, S.; Ravindren, S.; Boolchand, P.

    A universal feature of glasses is the stretched exponential relaxation, f (t) = exp[ - t / τ ] β . The model of diffusion of excitations to randomly distributed traps in a glass by Phillips1 yields the stretched exponent β = d[d +2] where d, the effective dimensionality. We have measured the enthalpy of relaxation ΔHnr (tw) at Tg of Se glass in modulated DSC experiments as glasses age at 300K and find β = 0.43(2) for tw in the 0 relaxation is a narrowing of the glass transition width from 7.1°C to 1.4°C, and the ΔHnr term increasing from 0.21 cal/gm to 0.92 cal/gm. In bulk GexSe100-x glasses as x increases to 20%, the length of the polymeric Sen chains between the Ge-crosslinks decreases to n = 2. and the striking relaxation effects nearly vanish. J.C. Phillips, Rep.Prog.Phys. 59 , 1133 (1996). Supported by NSF Grant DMR 08-53957.

  3. Suppression of Dyakonov-Perel Spin Relaxation in High-Mobility n-GaAs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dzhioev, R. I.; Kavokin, K. V.; Korenev, V. L.; Lazarev, M. V.; Poletaev, N. K.; Zakharchenya, B. P.; Stinaff, E. A.; Gammon, D.; Bracker, A. S.; Ware, M. E.

    2004-11-01

    We report a large and unexpected suppression of the free electron spin-relaxation in lightly doped n-GaAs bulk crystals. The spin-relaxation rate shows a weak mobility dependence and saturates at a level 30 times less than that predicted by the Dyakonov-Perel theory. The dynamics of the spin-orbit field differs substantially from the usual scheme: although all the experimental data can be self-consistently interpreted as a precessional spin-relaxation induced by a random spin-orbit field, the correlation time of this random field, surprisingly, is much shorter than, and is independent of, the momentum relaxation time determined from transport measurements.

  4. Mozart versus new age music: relaxation states, stress, and ABC relaxation theory.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, Jonathan C; Joyce, Carol A

    2004-01-01

    Smith's (2001) Attentional Behavioral Cognitive (ABC) relaxation theory proposes that all approaches to relaxation (including music) have the potential for evoking one or more of 15 factor-analytically derived relaxation states, or "R-States" (Sleepiness, Disengagement, Rested / Refreshed, Energized, Physical Relaxation, At Ease/Peace, Joy, Mental Quiet, Childlike Innocence, Thankfulness and Love, Mystery, Awe and Wonder, Prayerfulness, Timeless/Boundless/Infinite, and Aware). The present study investigated R-States and stress symptom-patterns associated with listening to Mozart versus New Age music. Students (N = 63) were divided into three relaxation groups based on previously determined preferences. Fourteen listened to a 28-minute tape recording of Mozart's Eine Kleine Nachtmusik and 14 listened to a 28-minute tape of Steven Halpern's New Age Serenity Suite. Others (n = 35) did not want music and instead chose a set of popular recreational magazines. Participants engaged in their relaxation activity at home for three consecutive days for 28 minutes a session. Before and after each session, each person completed the Smith Relaxation States Inventory (Smith, 2001), a comprehensive questionnaire tapping 15 R-States as well as the stress states of somatic stress, worry, and negative emotion. Results revealed no differences at Session 1. At Session 2, those who listened to Mozart reported higher levels of At Ease/Peace and lower levels of Negative Emotion. Pronounced differences emerged at Session 3. Mozart listeners uniquely reported substantially higher levels of Mental Quiet, Awe and Wonder, and Mystery. Mozart listeners reported higher levels, and New Age listeners slightly elevated levels, of At Ease/Peace and Rested/Refreshed. Both Mozart and New Age listeners reported higher levels of Thankfulness and Love. In summary, those who listened to Mozart's Eine Kleine Nachtmusik reported more psychological relaxation and less stress than either those who listened to

  5. Occupational stress, relaxation therapies, exercise and biofeedback.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stein, Franklin

    2001-01-01

    Occupational stress is a widespread occurrence in the United States. It is a contributing factor to absenteeism, disease, injury and lowered productivity. In general stress management programs in the work place that include relaxation therapies, exercise, and biofeedback have been shown to reduce the physiological symptoms such as hypertension, and increase job satisfaction and job performance. Strategies to implement a successful stress management program include incorporating the coping activities into one's daily schedule, monitoring one's symptoms and stressors, and being realistic in setting up a schedule that is relevant and attainable. A short form of meditation, daily exercise program and the use of heart rate or thermal biofeedback can be helpful to a worker experiencing occupational stress.

  6. The nonlinear Maxwell-type model for viscoelastoplastic materials: simulation of temperature influence on creep, relaxation and strain-stress curves

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andrew V. Khokhlov

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available The nonlinear Maxwell-type constitutive relation with two arbitrary material functions for viscoelastoplastic multi-modulus materials is studied analytically in uniaxial isothermic case to reveal the model abilities and applicability scope and to develop techniques of its identification, tuning and fitting. The constitutive equation is aimed at adequate modeling of the rheological phenomena set which is typical for reonomic materials exhibiting non-linear hereditary properties, strong strain rate sensitivity, secondary creep, yielding at constant stress, tension compression asymmetry and such temperature effects as increase of material compliance, strain rate sensitivity and rates of dissipation, relaxation, creep and plastic strain accumulation with temperature growth. The model is applicable for simulation of mechanical behaviour of various polymers, their solutions and melts, solid propellants, sand-asphalt concretes, composite materials, titanium and aluminum alloys, ceramics at high temperature and so on. To describe the influence of temperature on material mechanical behavior (under isothermic conditions, two scalar material parameters of the model (viscosity coefficient and “modulus of elasticity” are considered as a functions of temperature level. The general restrictions on their properties which are necessary and sufficient for adequate qualitative description of the basic thermomechanical phenomena related to typical temperature influence on creep and relaxation curves, creep recovery curves, creep curves under step-wise loading and quasi-static stress-strain curves of viscoelastoplastic materials are obtained. The restrictions are derived using systematic analytical study of general qualitative features of the theoretic creep and relaxation curves, creep curves under step-wise loading, long-term strength curves and stress-strain curves at constant strain or stress rates generated by the constitutive equation (under minimal

  7. Increase in salivary oxytocin and decrease in salivary cortisol after listening to relaxing slow-tempo and exciting fast-tempo music

    OpenAIRE

    Ooishi, Yuuki; Mukai, Hideo; Watanabe, Ken; Kawato, Suguru; Kashino, Makio

    2017-01-01

    Relaxation and excitation are components of the effects of music listening. The tempo of music is often considered a critical factor when determining these effects: listening to slow-tempo and fast-tempo music elicits relaxation and excitation, respectively. However, the chemical bases that underlie these relaxation and excitation effects remain unclear. Since parasympathetic and sympathetic nerve activities are facilitated by oxytocin and glucocorticoid, respectively, we hypothesized that li...

  8. Mechanical relaxation in glasses

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hiki, Y.

    2004-01-01

    The basic properties of glasses and the characteristics of mechanical relaxation in glasses were briefly reviewed, and then our studies concerned were presented. Experimental methods adopted were viscosity, internal friction, ultrasonic attenuation, and Brillouin scattering measurements. The specimens used were several kinds of inorganic, organic, and metallic glasses. The measurements were mainly carried out from the room temperature up to the glass transition temperature, and the relaxation time was determined as a function of temperature. The 'double relaxation' composed of two Arrhenius-type relaxations was observed in many materials. In both relaxations, the 'compensation effect' showing a correlation of the pre-exponential factor and the activation energy was observed. These results were explained by considering the 'complex relaxation' due to cooperative motions of atoms or group of atoms. Values of activation energy near the glass transition determined by the various experimental methods were compared with each other

  9. Relaxation processes and structural transformations in amorphous Co-Fe-Si-B alloys

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dus-Sitek, M.; Olszowski, Z.

    1994-01-01

    The thermostimulated electron emission (TSEE) method was applied for determination of relaxation and crystallization processes in amorphous alloys. By using the analogy of DTA-method, the activation energy of relaxation and crystallization processes has been determined from the measurements of changes of TSEE temperature maxima depending on the heating rate

  10. Giant deviation of a relaxation time from generalized Newtonian theory in discontinuous shear thickening suspensions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maharjan, Rijan; Brown, Eric

    2017-12-01

    We investigated the transient relaxation of a discontinuous shear thickening (DST) suspension of cornstarch in water. We performed two types of relaxation experiments starting from a steady shear in a parallel-plate rheometer, followed either by stopping the top plate rotation and measuring the transient torque relaxation or by removing the torque on the plate and measuring the transient rotation of the tool. We found that at low effective weight fraction ϕeffmodel. The regime where the relaxation was inconsistent with the generalized Newtonian model was the same where we found positive normal stress during relaxation, and in some cases we found an oscillatory response, suggestive of a solidlike structure consisting of a system-spanning contact network of particles. This regime also corresponds to the same packing fraction range where we consistently found discontinuous shear thickening in rate-controlled, steady-state measurements. The relaxation time in this range scales with the inverse of the critical shear rate at the onset of shear thickening, which may correspond to a contact relaxation time for nearby particles in the structure to flow away from each other. In this range, the relaxation time was the same in both stress- and rate-controlled relaxation experiments, indicating the relaxation time is more intrinsic than an effective viscosity in this range and is needed in addition to the steady-state viscosity function to describe transient flows. The discrepancy between the measured relaxation times and the generalized Newtonian prediction was found to be as large as four orders of magnitude, and extrapolations diverge in the limit as ϕeff→ϕc as the generalized Newtonian prediction approaches 0. This quantitative discrepancy indicates the relaxation is not controlled by the dissipative terms in the constitutive relation. At the highest weight fractions, the relaxation time scales were measured to be on the order of ˜1 s. The fact that this time scale is

  11. Quantifying NMR relaxation correlation and exchange in articular cartilage with time domain analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mailhiot, Sarah E.; Zong, Fangrong; Maneval, James E.; June, Ronald K.; Galvosas, Petrik; Seymour, Joseph D.

    2018-02-01

    Measured nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) transverse relaxation data in articular cartilage has been shown to be multi-exponential and correlated to the health of the tissue. The observed relaxation rates are dependent on experimental parameters such as solvent, data acquisition methods, data analysis methods, and alignment to the magnetic field. In this study, we show that diffusive exchange occurs in porcine articular cartilage and impacts the observed relaxation rates in T1-T2 correlation experiments. By using time domain analysis of T2-T2 exchange spectroscopy, the diffusive exchange time can be quantified by measurements that use a single mixing time. Measured characteristic times for exchange are commensurate with T1 in this material and so impacts the observed T1 behavior. The approach used here allows for reliable quantification of NMR relaxation behavior in cartilage in the presence of diffusive fluid exchange between two environments.

  12. NMR relaxation dispersion of Miglyol molecules confined inside polymeric micro-capsules.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nechifor, Ruben; Ardelean, Ioan; Mattea, Carlos; Stapf, Siegfried; Bogdan, Mircea

    2011-11-01

    Frequency dependent NMR relaxation studies have been carried out on Miglyol molecules confined inside core shell polymeric capsules to obtain a correlation between capsule dimension and the measurable parameters. The polymeric capsules were prepared using an interfacial polymerization technique for three different concentrations of Miglyol. It was shown that the variation of Miglyol concentration influences the capsule dimension. Their average size was estimated using the pulsed field gradient diffusometry technique. The relaxation dispersion curves were obtained at room temperature by a combined use of a fast field cycling instrument and a high-field instrument. The frequency dependence of relaxation rate shows a transition from a diffusion-limited to a surface-limited relaxation regime. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  13. DO FOOT REFLEXOLOGY AND RELAXATION TRAINING DECREASE PREMENSTRUAL SYMPTOMS IN ADOLESCENT FEMALES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marwa A. Mohamed

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available Background: Premenstrual syndrome is a current condition characterized by troublesome symptoms as tension, irritability, depression, headache, anxiety and loss of self-control, so the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of foot reflexology augmented with relaxation training on premenstrual syndrome in adolescent females. Methods: A sample of 50 volunteers, virgin females diagnosed as premenstrual syndrome was selected from the students of Faculty of Physical Therapy, Cairo University. Their age was ranged between 19 to 23 years with mean value of (21.53±2.27 yrs and BMI was ≤28 Kg/m² with mean value of (24.04±2.41 Kg/m².A detailed medical history was obtained to screen other pathological conditions that may affect the results. Females were randomly assigned into two equal groups. Group (A consisted of 25 subjects who received foot reflexology in addition to relaxation training techniques twice a week for 8 weeks. Group (B consisted of 25 patients, who received relaxation training techniques only twice a week for 8 weeks. Assessment of all subjects in both groups was carried out before and after the treatment program through heart rate, respiratory rate in addition to plasma cortisol level and daily symptoms report chart. Results: Showed a statistical highly significant decrease (p<0.001 in heart rate, respiratory rate, plasma cortisol level as well as daily symptoms report score in group (A while there was a statistical significant decrease (p<0.05 in all variables in group (B. Conclusions: Adding foot reflexology to relaxation training had a great positive effect on premenstrual syndrome in adolescent females than relaxation training only.

  14. Hypotensive effect and vascular relaxation in different arteries induced by the nitric oxide donor RuBPY.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pereira, Amanda de Carvalho; Araújo, Alice Valença; Paulo, Michele; Andrade, Fernanda Aparecida de; Silva, Bruno Rodrigues; Vercesi, Juliana Aparecida; da Silva, Roberto Santana; Bendhack, Lusiane Maria

    2017-01-30

    NO donors are compounds that release NO that can be used when the endogenous NO bioavailability is impaired. The compound cis-[Ru(bpy) 2 (py)(NO 2 )](PF 6 ) (RuBPY) is a nitrite-ruthenium, since it has a NO 2 in its molecule. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of RuBPY on arterial pressure, as well as on the vascular relaxation of different vascular arteries in renal hypertensive (2K-1C) and normotensive (2K) rats. We have evaluated the arterial pressure and heart rate changes as well as the RuBPY and SNP-induced relaxation (thoracic aorta, mesenteric resistance, coronary and basilar arteries). The administration of RuBPY in awake rats evoked a smaller but long lasting hypotensive effect when compared to SNP, with no increase in heart rate. The relaxation induced by RuBPY was similar between 2K-1C and 2K rats in thoracic aorta, mesenteric resistance and coronary arteries. However, the relaxation induced by RuBPY was smaller in basilar arteries from 2K-1C than in 2K. Taken together, our results show that RuBPY presents several advantages over SNP, since it does not induce hypotensive effect in normotensive animals, the hypotensive effect is slower, with no reflex tachycardia, and it is long lasting. In addition, RuBPY induces coronary artery relaxation (useful for angina) and presented only a small effect on basilar artery (may not induce headache). Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. Mechanical torques generated by optically pumped atomic spin relaxation at surfaces

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Herman, R.M.

    1982-01-01

    It is argued that a valuable method of observing certain types of surface-atom interactions may lie in mechanical torques generated through the spin-orbit relaxation of valence electronic spins of optically pumped atoms at surfaces. The unusual feature of this phenomenon is that the less probable spin-orbit relaxation becomes highly visible as compared with the much more rapid paramagnetic relaxation, because of an enhancement, typically by as much as a factor 10 9 , in the torques delivered to mechanical structures, by virtue of a very large effective moment arm. Spin-orbit relaxation operates through an exchange of translational momentum which, in turn, can be identified with the delivery of a gigantic angular momentum (in units of h) relative to a distant axis about which mechanical motion is referred. The spin-orbit relaxation strongly depends upon the atomic number of the surface atoms and the strength of interaction with the optically pumped atoms. Being dominated by high-atomic-number surface atoms, spin-orbit relaxation rates may not be too strongly influenced by minor surface contamination of lighter-weight optically active atoms

  16. Mechanical torques generated by optically pumped atomic spin relaxation at surfaces

    Science.gov (United States)

    Herman, R. M.

    1982-03-01

    It is argued that a valuable method of observing certain types of surface-atom interactions may lie in mechanical torques generated through the spin-orbit relaxation of valence electronic spins of optically pumped atoms at surfaces. The unusual feature of this phenomenon is that the less probable spin-orbit relaxation becomes highly visible as compared with the much more rapid paramagnetic relaxation, because of an enhancement, typically by as much as a factor 109, in the torques delivered to mechanical structures, by virtue of a very large effective moment arm. Spin-orbit relaxation operates through an exchange of translational momentum which, in turn, can be identified with the delivery of a gigantic angular momentum (in units of ℏ) relative to a distant axis about which mechanical motion is referred. The spin-orbit relaxation strongly depends upon the atomic number of the surface atoms and the strength of interaction with the optically pumped atoms. Being dominated by high-atomic-number surface atoms, spin-orbit-relaxation rates may not be too strongly influenced by minor surface contamination of lighter-weight optically active atoms.

  17. Density-dependent lines of one- and two-electron ions in diagnostics of laboratory plasma. I. The rates of collision relaxation of excited levels

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shevelko, V P; Skobelev, I Yu; Vinogradov, A V [Lebedev Physical Institute, Academy of Sciences of the USSR, Moscow, USSR

    1977-01-01

    Plasma devices with inertial plasma confinement such as laser produced plasmas, exploding wires, plasma focus, etc., which have been rapidly developed during recent years., appear to be very intensive sources of spectral line radiation in far UV and X-ray regions. Analysis of this radiation provides a good tool for plasma diagnostics with very high electron densities up to 10/sup 22/cm/sup -3/. In this work, consisting of two parts, the authors consider the mechanism of the formation of spectral lines in hot and dense plasma. The key point for density diagnostics is the fact that for some ion levels the rate of collisional relaxation has the same order of magnitude as the radiative decay. Thus the intensities of spectral lines arising from these levels show a strong dependence on electron density which makes diagnostics possible. In this paper, emphasis is laid on the calculation of rates of transition between close ion levels induced by electron or ion impact, which usually gives the main contribution to the collisional relaxation constants. The influence of plasma polarization effects on the collision frequency in a dense plasma is also considered.

  18. Carbon-13 magnetic relaxation rates or iron (III) complexes of some biogenic amines and parent compounds in aqueous solutions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lai, A.; Monduzzi, M.; Saba, G.

    1980-01-01

    Spin-lattice relaxation rates (R 1 ) from naturally occuring C-13 F.T. N.M.R. spectra of some catecholamines and parent compounds with Iron(III) at pD = 4 were determined in order to elucidate the molecular mechanism underlying their association in aqueous solutions. Complexation was observed only for catecholic ligands. The R 1 values were used to calculate iron-carbon scaled distances, and two complexation models were proposed where the catecholic function binds Fe(III) in the first and second coordination spheres respectively. The latter case was shown to be the consistent with the molecular geometries. (orig.)

  19. A model of magnetic and relaxation properties of the mononuclear [Pc2Tb](-)TBA+ complex.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reu, O S; Palii, A V; Ostrovsky, S M; Tregenna-Piggott, P L W; Klokishner, S I

    2012-10-15

    The present work is aimed at the elaboration of the model of magnetic properties and magnetic relaxation in the mononuclear [Pc(2)Tb](-)TBA(+) complex that displays single-molecule magnet properties. We calculate the Stark structure of the ground (7)F(6) term of the Tb(3+) ion in the exchange charge model of the crystal field, taking account for covalence effects. The ground Stark level of the complex possesses the maximum value of the total angular momentum projection, while the energies of the excited Stark levels increase with decreasing |M(J)| values, thus giving rise to a barrier for the reversal of magnetization. The one-phonon transitions between the Stark levels of the Tb(3+) ion induced by electron-vibrational interaction are shown to lead to magnetization relaxation in the [Pc(2)Tb](-)TBA(+) complex. The rates of all possible transitions between the low-lying Stark levels are calculated in the temperature range 14 Krelaxation time of magnetization, we solve the set of master equations for the populations of the Stark levels. The relaxation time is shown to diminish from 3.2 × 10(-2) s to 1.52 × 10(-4) s as the temperature increases from 27 K to 40 K. The obtained values of the relaxation time are in satisfactory agreement with the observed ones. The developed model also provides satisfactory description of the dc-magnetic data and paramagnetic shifts.

  20. Single-Molecule Imaging Reveals Topology Dependent Mutual Relaxation of Polymer Chains

    KAUST Repository

    Abadi, Maram; Serag, Maged F.; Habuchi, Satoshi

    2015-01-01

    The motion and relaxation of linear and cyclic polymers under entangled conditions are investigated by means of a newly developed single-molecule tracking technique, cumulative-area (CA) tracking. CA tracking enables simultaneous quantitative characterization of the diffusion mode, diffusion rate, and relaxation time that have been impossible with a widely used conventional single-molecule localization and tracking method, by analyzing cumulative areas occupied by the moving molecule. Using the novel approach, we investigate the motion and relaxation of entangled cyclic polymers, which have been an important but poorly understood question. Fluorescently labeled 42 kbp linear or cyclic tracer dsDNAs in concentrated solutions of unlabeled linear or cyclic DNAs are used as model systems. We show that CA tracking can explicitly distinguish topology-dependent diffusion mode, rate, and relaxation time, demonstrating that the method provides an invaluable tool for characterizing topological interaction between the entangled chains. We further demonstrate that the current models proposed for the entanglement between cyclic polymers which are based on cyclic chains moving through an array of fixed obstacles cannot correctly describe the motion of the cyclic chain under the entangled conditions. Our results rather suggest the mutual relaxation of the cyclic chains, which underscore the necessity of developing a new model to describe the motion of cyclic polymer under the entangled conditions based on the mutual interaction of the chains.

  1. GRAVITATIONAL ENCOUNTERS AND THE EVOLUTION OF GALACTIC NUCLEI. III. ANOMALOUS RELAXATION

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Merritt, David [Department of Physics and Center for Computational Relativity and Gravitation, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY 14623 (United States)

    2015-09-01

    This paper is the third in a series presenting the results of direct numerical integrations of the Fokker–Planck equation for stars orbiting a supermassive black hole (SBH) at the center of a galaxy. The algorithm of Paper II included diffusion coefficients that described the effects of random (“classical”) and correlated (“resonant”) relaxation. In this paper, the diffusion coefficients of Paper II have been generalized to account for the effects of “anomalous relaxation,” the qualitatively different way in which eccentric orbits evolve in the regime of rapid relativistic precession. Two functional forms for the anomalous diffusion coefficients are investigated, based on power-law or exponential modifications of the resonant diffusion coefficients. The parameters defining the modified coefficients are first constrained by comparing the results of Fokker–Planck integrations with previously published N-body integrations. Steady-state solutions are then obtained via the Fokker–Planck equation for models with properties similar to those of the Milky Way nucleus. Inclusion of anomalous relaxation leads to the formation of less prominent cores than in the case of resonant relaxation alone, due to the lengthening of diffusion timescales for eccentric orbits. Steady-state capture rates of stars by the SBH are found to always be less than capture rates in the presence of resonant relaxation alone.

  2. GRAVITATIONAL ENCOUNTERS AND THE EVOLUTION OF GALACTIC NUCLEI. III. ANOMALOUS RELAXATION

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Merritt, David

    2015-01-01

    This paper is the third in a series presenting the results of direct numerical integrations of the Fokker–Planck equation for stars orbiting a supermassive black hole (SBH) at the center of a galaxy. The algorithm of Paper II included diffusion coefficients that described the effects of random (“classical”) and correlated (“resonant”) relaxation. In this paper, the diffusion coefficients of Paper II have been generalized to account for the effects of “anomalous relaxation,” the qualitatively different way in which eccentric orbits evolve in the regime of rapid relativistic precession. Two functional forms for the anomalous diffusion coefficients are investigated, based on power-law or exponential modifications of the resonant diffusion coefficients. The parameters defining the modified coefficients are first constrained by comparing the results of Fokker–Planck integrations with previously published N-body integrations. Steady-state solutions are then obtained via the Fokker–Planck equation for models with properties similar to those of the Milky Way nucleus. Inclusion of anomalous relaxation leads to the formation of less prominent cores than in the case of resonant relaxation alone, due to the lengthening of diffusion timescales for eccentric orbits. Steady-state capture rates of stars by the SBH are found to always be less than capture rates in the presence of resonant relaxation alone

  3. Single-Molecule Imaging Reveals Topology Dependent Mutual Relaxation of Polymer Chains

    KAUST Repository

    Abadi, Maram

    2015-08-24

    The motion and relaxation of linear and cyclic polymers under entangled conditions are investigated by means of a newly developed single-molecule tracking technique, cumulative-area (CA) tracking. CA tracking enables simultaneous quantitative characterization of the diffusion mode, diffusion rate, and relaxation time that have been impossible with a widely used conventional single-molecule localization and tracking method, by analyzing cumulative areas occupied by the moving molecule. Using the novel approach, we investigate the motion and relaxation of entangled cyclic polymers, which have been an important but poorly understood question. Fluorescently labeled 42 kbp linear or cyclic tracer dsDNAs in concentrated solutions of unlabeled linear or cyclic DNAs are used as model systems. We show that CA tracking can explicitly distinguish topology-dependent diffusion mode, rate, and relaxation time, demonstrating that the method provides an invaluable tool for characterizing topological interaction between the entangled chains. We further demonstrate that the current models proposed for the entanglement between cyclic polymers which are based on cyclic chains moving through an array of fixed obstacles cannot correctly describe the motion of the cyclic chain under the entangled conditions. Our results rather suggest the mutual relaxation of the cyclic chains, which underscore the necessity of developing a new model to describe the motion of cyclic polymer under the entangled conditions based on the mutual interaction of the chains.

  4. Differential multiple quantum relaxation caused by chemical exchange outside the fast exchange limit

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang Chunyu; Palmer, Arthur G.

    2002-01-01

    Differential relaxation of multiple quantum coherences is a signature for chemical exchange processes in proteins. Previous analyses of experimental data have used theoretical descriptions applicable only in the limit of fast exchange. Theoretical expressions for differential relaxation rate constants that are accurate outside fast exchange are presented for two-spin-system subject to two-site chemical exchange. The theoretical expressions are validated using experimental results for 15 N- 1 H relaxation in basic pancreatic trypsin inhibitor. The new theoretical expression is valuable for identification and characterization of exchange processes in proteins using differential relaxation of multiple quantum coherences

  5. Feasibility of high-resolution one-dimensional relaxation imaging at low magnetic field using a single-sided NMR scanner applied to articular cartilage

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rössler, Erik; Mattea, Carlos; Stapf, Siegfried

    2015-02-01

    Low field Nuclear Magnetic Resonance increases the contrast of the longitudinal relaxation rate in many biological tissues; one prominent example is hyaline articular cartilage. In order to take advantage of this increased contrast and to profile the depth-dependent variations, high resolution parameter measurements are carried out which can be of critical importance in an early diagnosis of cartilage diseases such as osteoarthritis. However, the maximum achievable spatial resolution of parameter profiles is limited by factors such as sensor geometry, sample curvature, and diffusion limitation. In this work, we report on high-resolution single-sided NMR scanner measurements with a commercial device, and quantify these limitations. The highest achievable spatial resolution on the used profiler, and the lateral dimension of the sensitive volume were determined. Since articular cartilage samples are usually bent, we also focus on averaging effects inside the horizontally aligned sensitive volume and their impact on the relaxation profiles. Taking these critical parameters into consideration, depth-dependent relaxation time profiles with the maximum achievable vertical resolution of 20 μm are discussed, and are correlated with diffusion coefficient profiles in hyaline articular cartilage in order to reconstruct T2 maps from the diffusion-weighted CPMG decays of apparent relaxation rates.

  6. Breathing and Relaxation

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Find a Doctor Relaxation is the absence of tension in muscle groups and a minimum or absence ... Drill Meditation Progressive Muscle Relaxation Minimizing Shortness of Breath Visualization This information has been approved by Shelby ...

  7. Study on Relaxation Damage Properties of High Viscosity Asphalt Sand under Uniaxial Compression

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yazhen Sun

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Laboratory investigations of relaxation damage properties of high viscosity asphalt sand (HVAS by uniaxial compression tests and modified generalized Maxwell model (GMM to simulate viscoelastic characteristics coupling damage were carried out. A series of uniaxial compression relaxation tests were performed on HVAS specimens at different temperatures, loading rates, and constant levels of input strain. The results of the tests show that the peak point of relaxation modulus is highly influenced by the loading rate in the first half of an L-shaped curve, while the relaxation modulus is almost constant in the second half of the curve. It is suggested that for the HVAS relaxation tests, the temperature should be no less than −15°C. The GMM is used to determine the viscoelastic responses, the Weibull distribution function is used to characterize the damage of the HVAS and its evolution, and the modified GMM is a coupling of the two models. In this paper, the modified GMM is implemented through a secondary development with the USDFLD subroutine to analyze the relaxation damage process and improve the linear viscoelastic model in ABAQUS. Results show that the numerical method of coupling damage provides a better approximation of the test curve over almost the whole range. The results also show that the USDFLD subroutine can effectively predict the relaxation damage process of HVAS and can provide a theoretical support for crack control of asphalt pavements.

  8. Dielectric relaxation of glass particles with conductive nano-coatings

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hussain, Shahid [Applied Technologies Department, QinetiQ Limited, Cody Technology Park, Farnborough, Hampshire, GU14 0LX (United Kingdom)

    2009-03-21

    This research focuses on the dielectric properties of particles consisting of glass cores with nanometre conductive coatings. The effects of the core glass particle shape (sphere, flake and fibre) and size are investigated for different coating characteristics over the frequency range 0.5-18 GHz. Experimental results for the coated glass particle combinations show the existence of a dielectric loss peak. This feature is associated with interfacial relaxation between the insulating core glass particle and the nanoscale conductive coating. The relaxation mechanism provides enhanced loss that is not observed in conventional solid metal particle composites. The results are fitted to a model, which shows that the relaxation frequency increases with increasing coating conductivity and thickness, with additional parameters identified for further particle optimizations.

  9. A nuclear magnetic relaxation study of hydrogen exchange and water dynamics in aqueous systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lankhorst, D.

    1983-01-01

    In this thesis exchange of water protons in solutions of some weak electrolytes and polyelectrolytes is studied. Also the dynamical behaviour of water molecules in pure water is investigated. For these purposes nuclear magnetic resonance relaxation measurements, in solutions of oxygen-17 enriched water, are interpreted. The exchange rate of the water protons is derived from the contribution of 1 H- 17 O scalar coupling to the proton transverse relaxation rate. This rate is measured by the Carr-Purcell technique. (Auth.)

  10. The influence of measurement and relaxation time on flux jumps in high temperature superconductors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yang Xiaobin; Zhou Youhe; Tu Shandong

    2010-01-01

    The influence of the magnetization and relaxation time on flux jumps in high temperature superconductors (HTSC) under varying magnetic field is studied using the fundamental electromagnetic field equations and the thermal diffusion equation; temperature variety corresponding to flux jump is also discussed. We find that for a low sweep rate of the applied magnetic field, the measurement and relaxation times can reduce flux jump and to constrain the number of flux jumps, even stabilizing the HTSC, since much heat produced by the motion of magnetic flux can transfer into coolant during the measurement and relaxation times. As high temperature superconductors are subjected to a high sweep rate or a strong pulsed magnetic field, magnetization undergoes from stability or oscillation to jump for different pause times. And the period of temperature oscillation is equal to the measurement and relaxation time.

  11. Sleep, Stress & Relaxation: Rejuvenate Body & Mind

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sleep, Stress & Relaxation: Rejuvenate Body & Mind; Relieve Stress; best ways to relieve stress; best way to relieve stress; different ways to relieve stress; does smoking relieve stress; does tobacco relieve stress; how can I relieve stress; how can you relieve stress; how do I relieve stress; reduce stress; does smoking reduce stress; how can I reduce stress; how to reduce stress; reduce stress; reduce stress levels; reducing stress; smoking reduce stress; smoking reduces stress; stress reducing techniques; techniques to reduce stress; stress relief; best stress relief; natural stress relief; need stress relief; relief for stress; relief from stress; relief of stress; smoking and stress relief; smoking for stress relief; smoking stress relief; deal with stress; dealing with stress; dealing with anger; dealing with stress; different ways of dealing with stress; help dealing with stress; how to deal with anger; how to deal with stress; how to deal with stress when quitting smoking; stress management; free stress management; how can you manage stress; how do you manage stress; how to manage stress; manage stress; management of stress; management stress; managing stress; strategies for managing stress; coping with stress; cope with stress; copeing with stress; coping and stress; coping skills for stress; coping strategies for stress; coping strategies with stress; coping strategy for stress; coping with stress; coping with stress and anxiety; emotional health; emotional health; emotional health article; emotional health articles; deep relaxation; deep breathing relaxation techniques; deep muscle relaxation; deep relaxation; deep relaxation meditation; deep relaxation technique; deep relaxation techniques; meditation exercises; mindful exercises; mindful meditation exercises; online relaxation exercises; relaxation breathing exercises; relaxation exercise; relaxation exercises; stress relaxation; methods of relaxation for stress; relax stress; relax techniques stress

  12. Magnetic-relaxation method of analysis of inorganic substances

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Popel', A.A.

    1978-01-01

    The magnetic-relaxation method is considered of the quantitative analysis of inorganic substances based on time dependence of magnetic nuclei relaxation on the quantity of paramagnetic centres in a solution. The characteristic is given of some methods of measuring nuclear magnetic relaxation times: method of weak oscillation generator and pulse methods. The effect of temperature, general solution viscosity, diamagnetic salt concentration, medium acidity on nuclear relaxation velocity is described. The determination sensitivity is estimated and the means of its increase definable concentration intervals and method selectivity are considered. The method application when studying complexing in the solution is described. A particular attention is given to the investigation of heteroligand homocentre, heterocentre and protonated complexes as well as to the problems of particle exchange of the first coordination sphere with particles from the mass of solution. The equations for equilibrium constant calculation in different systems are given. Possibilities of determining diamagnetic ions by the magnetic-relaxation method using paramagnetic indicators are confirmed by the quantitative analysis of indium, gallium, thorium and scandium in their salt solutions

  13. Dependence of cross-relaxation on temperature and concentration from the 1D2 level of Pr3+ in YPO4

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Collins, John; Geen, Megan; Bettinelli, M.; Di Bartolo, B.

    2012-01-01

    We report on the role of cross-relaxation in the decay of the 1 D 2 level of trivalent Pr in YPO 4 in crystals with Pr concentrations of 0.1%, 1%, 2%, and 5%. We have found that the 1 D 2 level decay is purely radiative in the low-doped system. As the Pr concentration is increased, the 1 D 2 luminescence is quenched due to a cross-relaxation energy transfer between two Pr ions. The temporal behavior of the 1 D 2 luminescence following pulsed excitation has been monitored in each sample at temperatures between 30 K and 300 K, and all decay curves were fit to the Yokota–Tanimoto model. The decay times decrease as temperature increases, due to an increase in both the radiative rate and the energy transfer rate with temperature. There is little evidence of diffusion at any temperature, even in the more concentrated samples. We have also fit the decay curves using the LumiTrans computer simulation. A comparison of the fits to the decay curves of the two methods is presented. - Highlights: ► We present data on the decay of the 1 D 2 level of Pr in YPO 4 from 30–300 K. ► We determine the 1 D 2 cross-relaxation rate throughout that temperature range. ► Fits to the data indicate diffusion among the Pr ions is negligible. ► Radiative efficiencies of the 1 D 2 level are determined.

  14. Spin relaxation in quantum dots: Role of the phonon modulated spin-orbit interaction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alcalde, A. M.; Romano, C. L.; Sanz, L.; Marques, G. E.

    2010-01-01

    We calculate the spin relaxation rates in a parabolic InSb quantum dots due to the spin interaction with acoustical phonons. We considered the deformation potential mechanism as the dominant electron-phonon coupling in the Pavlov-Firsov spin-phonon Hamiltonian. We analyze the behavior of the spin relaxation rates as a function of an external magnetic field and mean quantum dot radius. Effects of the spin admixture due to Dresselhaus contribution to spin-orbit interaction are also discussed.

  15. Endo- vs. exogenous shocks and relaxation rates in book and music “sales”

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lambiotte, R.; Ausloos, M.

    2006-04-01

    In this paper, we analyse the response of music and book sales to an external field and a buyer herding. We distinguish endogenous and exogenous shocks. We focus on some case studies, whose data have been collected from ranking on amazon.com. We show that an ensemble of equivalent systems quantitatively respond in a same way to a similar “external shock”, indicating roads to universality features. In contrast to Sornette et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 93 (2004) 228701] who seemed to find power-law behaviours, in particular at long times, a law interpreted in terms of an epidemic activity, we observe that the relaxation process can be as well seen as an exponential one that saturates toward an asymptotic state, itself different from the pre-shock state. By studying an ensemble of 111 shocks, on books or records, we show that exogenous and endogenous shocks are discriminated by their short-time behaviour: the relaxation time seems to be twice shorter in endogenous shocks than in exogenous ones. We interpret the finding through a simple thermodynamic model with a dissipative force.

  16. Effect of interaction range on phonon relaxation in Fermi-Pasta-Ulam beta chain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Santhosh, G; Kumar, Deepak

    2007-08-01

    We study the effect of increasing the range of interactions on phonon relaxation in a chain of atoms with quartic anharmonicity. The study is motivated by recent numerical studies, showing that the value of the exponent alpha characterizing the divergence of conductivity with system size apparently depends on the presence of second neighbor couplings. We perform a quantum calculation of the wave-vector (q) dependent relaxation rate gamma(q) in the second order perturbation theory. The nonanalytic dependence of gamma(q) arises due to small-q singularity of the collision integral. We find that gamma(q) proportional to Aq(5/3) + Bq2. This gives rise to an asymptotic value alpha = 0.4, but the q2 terms lead to a higher apparent value of alpha at small sizes of the chain.

  17. Cardio-respiratory response of young adult Indian male subjects to stress: Effects of progressive muscle relaxation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Arunima Chaudhuri

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: Stress and anxiety have become an integral part of our lives. Of late, this has resulted in the increase in incidence of hypertension and coronary heart disease. Objectives: To assess the effect of progressive muscle relaxation (PMR on young adult males and its role in the modulation of cardio-respiratory response on exposure to stress. Materials and Methods: This prospective cross-sectional study was conducted in a tertiary care referral hospital. Undergraduate male students under stress were chosen for the study. Fasting blood samples were drawn to analyze sugar and lipid profile, followed by anthropometric measurements and ECG. In the resting condition, blood pressure, pulse rate, and spirometric parameters; forced vital capacities (FVC, and forced expiratory volume in 1 sec (FEV 1 % were measured. Then, they were made to exercise with bicycle ergometer and post exercise, the vital parameters were recorded. All subjects were given a training of Jacobson′s Progressive Muscular Relaxation and asked to practice this technique for 3 months. All parameters were re-evaluated. Results: Significant decreases in resting heart rate, systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, triglyceride, and low density lipoprotein (LDL cholesterol levels of subjects were seen after PMR training. Exercise-induced rise in heart rate and blood pressure were also significantly less in subjects following PMR training. Conclusion: Progressive muscle relaxation helps in modulation of heart rate, blood pressure, and lipid profile in healthy normal adult male individuals.

  18. Proton spin-lattice relaxation in a liquid crystal-Aerosil complex above the bulk isotropization temperature

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Anoardo, E.; Grinberg, F.; Vilfan, M.; Kimmich, R

    2004-02-16

    We present a study of the molecular dynamics in an octylcyanobiphenyl (8CB)-Aerosil complex above the bulk isotropization temperature. Using proton nuclear magnetic relaxation experiments in the laboratory frame (T{sub 1}{sup -1}) and in the rotating-frame (T{sub 1{rho}}{sup -1}), we found a notable increase of the relaxation rates in the kHz frequency range as compared to the bulk 8CB liquid crystal at the same temperature. The field-cycling technique was used for the laboratory frame experiments while a conventional apparatus was used for the rotating frame method. The observed behavior is analyzed with the aid of Monte Carlo simulations on the basis of a two-phase fast-exchange model distinguishing surface-ordered and bulk phases. Two processes affecting the low frequency relaxation could be identified: reorientation mediated by translational displacements, accounting for molecular reorientations, and exchange losses of molecules from the surface to the bulk.

  19. Measurement of the relaxation rate of the magnetization in Mn12O12-acetate using proton NMR echo

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jang; Lascialfari; Borsa; Gatteschi

    2000-03-27

    We present a novel method to measure the relaxation rate W of the magnetization of Mn 12O (12)-acetate (Mn12) magnetic molecular cluster in its S = 10 ground state at low T. It is based on the observation of an exponential growth in time of the proton NMR signal during the thermal equilibration of the magnetization of the molecules. We can explain the novel effect with a simple model which relates the intensity of the proton echo signal to the microscopic reversal of the magnetization of each individual Mn12 molecule during the equilibration process. The method should find wide application in the study of magnetic molecular clusters in off-equilibrium conditions.

  20. Electron spin relaxation in a transition-metal dichalcogenide quantum dot

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pearce, Alexander J.; Burkard, Guido

    2017-06-01

    We study the relaxation of a single electron spin in a circular quantum dot in a transition-metal dichalcogenide monolayer defined by electrostatic gating. Transition-metal dichalcogenides provide an interesting and promising arena for quantum dot nano-structures due to the combination of a band gap, spin-valley physics and strong spin-orbit coupling. First we will discuss which bound state solutions in different B-field regimes can be used as the basis for qubits states. We find that at low B-fields combined spin-valley Kramers qubits to be suitable, while at large magnetic fields pure spin or valley qubits can be envisioned. Then we present a discussion of the relaxation of a single electron spin mediated by electron-phonon interaction via various different relaxation channels. In the low B-field regime we consider the spin-valley Kramers qubits and include impurity mediated valley mixing which will arise in disordered quantum dots. Rashba spin-orbit admixture mechanisms allow for relaxation by in-plane phonons either via the deformation potential or by piezoelectric coupling, additionally direct spin-phonon mechanisms involving out-of-plane phonons give rise to relaxation. We find that the relaxation rates scale as \\propto B 6 for both in-plane phonons coupling via deformation potential and the piezoelectric effect, while relaxation due to the direct spin-phonon coupling scales independant to B-field to lowest order but depends strongly on device mechanical tension. We will also discuss the relaxation mechanisms for pure spin or valley qubits formed in the large B-field regime.

  1. The effects of progressive muscle relaxation and autogenic relaxation on young soccer players' mood states.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hashim, Hairul Anuar; Hanafi Ahmad Yusof, Hazwani

    2011-06-01

    This study was designed to compare the effects of two different relaxation techniques, namely progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) and autogenic relaxation (AGR) on moods of young soccer players. sixteen adolescent athletes (mean age: 14.1 ± 1.3) received either PMR or AGR training. Using Profile of Mood States- Adolescents, their mood states were measured one week before relaxation training, before the first relaxation session, and after the twelfth relaxation session. Mixed ANOVA revealed no significant interaction effects and no significant main effects in any of the subscales. However, significant main effects for testing sessions were found for confusion, depression, fatigue, and tension subscales. Post hoc tests revealed post-intervention reductions in the confusion, depression, fatigue, and tension subscale scores. These two relaxation techniques induce equivalent mood responses and may be used to regulate young soccer players' mood states.

  2. Role of step stiffness and kinks in the relaxation of vicinal (001) with zigzag [110] steps

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mahjoub, B.; Hamouda, Ajmi BH.; Einstein, TL.

    2017-08-01

    We present a kinetic Monte Carlo study of the relaxation dynamics and steady state configurations of 〈110〉 steps on a vicinal (001) simple cubic surface. This system is interesting because 〈110〉 (fully kinked) steps have different elementary excitation energetics and favor step diffusion more than 〈100〉 (nominally straight) steps. In this study we show how this leads to different relaxation dynamics as well as to different steady state configurations, including that 2-bond breaking processes are rate determining for 〈110〉 steps in contrast to 3-bond breaking processes for 〈100〉-steps found in previous work [Surface Sci. 602, 3569 (2008)]. The analysis of the terrace-width distribution (TWD) shows a significant role of kink-generation-annihilation processes during the relaxation of steps: the kinetic of relaxation, toward the steady state, is much faster in the case of 〈110〉-zigzag steps, with a higher standard deviation of the TWD, in agreement with a decrease of step stiffness due to orientation. We conclude that smaller step stiffness leads inexorably to faster step dynamics towards the steady state. The step-edge anisotropy slows the relaxation of steps and increases the strength of step-step effective interactions.

  3. One-to-one correspondence of charge-imbalance relaxing mechanisms with pair-breaking mechanisms in superconductors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lemberger, T.R.

    1984-01-01

    A one-to-one correspondence of charge-imbalance relaxing mechanisms with pair-breaking mechanisms in superconductors is demonstrated. The characteristic rates for these two effects are shown to be equal, within factors of order unity. These results are used to estimate the charge-imbalance relaxation rate associated with the proximity effect of a normal metal in metallic contact with a superconductor

  4. Cross Relaxation in rare-earth-doped oxyfluoride glasses

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lakshminarayana, G.; Weis, Eric M. [Materials Science and Technology Division (MST-7), Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545 (United States); Lira, A.C. [Unidad Académica Profesional Nezahualcóyotl, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, Av. Bordo de Xochiaca s/n, Nezahualcóyotl, Estado de Mexico 57000, México (Mexico); Caldiño, Ulises [Departamento de Física, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana-Iztapalapa, P.O. Box 55-534, México D.F. 09340 (Mexico); Williams, Darrick J. [Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545 (United States); Hehlen, Markus P., E-mail: hehlen@lanl.gov [Materials Science and Technology Division (MST-7), Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545 (United States)

    2013-07-15

    The excited-state relaxation dynamics of Tb{sup 3+}, Sm{sup 3+}, and Eu{sup 3+} doped into a 50SiO{sub 2}–20Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}–10Na{sub 2}O–20LaF{sub 3} (mol%) oxyfluoride glass are studied. Multiphonon relaxation of the primary emitting states in Tb{sup 3+} ({sup 5}D{sub 3} and {sup 5}D{sub 4}), Sm{sup 3+} ({sup 4}G{sub 5/2}), and Eu{sup 3+} ({sup 5}D{sub 0}) was found to be negligible in the present host. The relaxation of Tb{sup 3+} ({sup 5}D{sub 4}) and Eu{sup 3+} ({sup 5}D{sub 0}) is dominated by radiative decay. For Tb{sup 3+} ({sup 5}D{sub 3}) and Sm{sup 3+} ({sup 4}G{sub 5/2}) in contrast, radiative relaxation is in competition with several non-radiative cross-relaxation processes. This competition was found to be particularly pronounced for the {sup 5}D{sub 3} excited state in Tb{sup 3+}, where a 124-fold decrease of the ({sup 5}D{sub 3}→{sup 7}F{sub 5})/({sup 5}D{sub 4}→{sup 7}F{sub 5}) emission intensity ratio and a ∼10-fold shortening of the {sup 5}D{sub 3} lifetime was observed upon increasing the Tb{sup 3+} concentration from 0.01% to 1%. The Tb{sup 3+} concentration dependence of {sup 5}D{sub 3} also points to some degree of ion aggregation in the “as quenched” glasses. A Judd–Ofelt intensity analysis was performed for Sm{sup 3+} and used to estimate the relative magnitude of {sup 4}G{sub 5/2} cross-relaxation processes. Four cross-relaxation processes in particular were identified to account for 92% of the total {sup 4}G{sub 5/2} non-radiative decay, and a 11% quantum efficiency was estimated for the {sup 4}G{sub 5/2} excited state. Non-exponentiality in the {sup 5}D{sub 0} decay of Eu{sup 3+} is evidence for several Eu{sup 3+} coordination environments in the glass host that manifest in different {sup 5}D{sub 0} decay constants because of the hypersensitivity of the {sup 5}D{sub 0}→{sup 7}F{sub 2} transition. -- Highlights: ► Tb{sup 3+}, Sm{sup 3+}, and Eu{sup 3+} were doped into a LaF{sub 3}-rich oxyfluoride glass. ► The

  5. Chemical stress relaxation of ethylene-propylene copolymer rubber by heat and radiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ito, M.; Okada, S.; Kuriyama, I.

    1980-01-01

    An attempt was made to shorten the evaluation time for the deterioration under various conditions caused by chemical reactions by extending the time-temperature superposition principle for the stress relaxation of rubber. In the case of deterioration by radiation instead of by heat, a time-dose rate reduction is proposed and the master curves obtained for chemical-stress relaxation of rubber. A new method which contains a numerical analysis of stress decay curves is proposed to obtain the rate of crosslinking and scission under irradiation for already crosslinked samples. (author)

  6. Anomalous relaxation in binary mixtures: a dynamic facilitation picture

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Moreno, A J; Colmenero, J

    2007-01-01

    Recent computational investigations of polymeric and non-polymeric binary mixtures have reported anomalous relaxation features when both components exhibit very different mobilities. Anomalous relaxation is characterized by sublinear power-law behaviour for mean-squared displacements, logarithmic decay in dynamic correlators, and a striking concave-to-convex crossover in the latter by tuning the relevant control parameter, in analogy with predictions of the mode-coupling theory for state points close to higher-order transitions. We present Monte Carlo simulations on a coarse-grained model for relaxation in binary mixtures. The liquid structure is substituted by a three-dimensional array of cells. A spin variable is assigned to each cell, representing unexcited and excited local states of a mobility field. Changes in local mobility (spin flip) are permitted according to kinetic constraints determined by the mobilities of the neighbouring cells. We introduce two types of cell ('fast' and 'slow') with very different rates for spin flip. This coarse-grained model qualitatively reproduces the mentioned anomalous relaxation features observed for real binary mixtures

  7. Strain relaxation of germanium-tin (GeSn) fins

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kang, Yuye; Huang, Yi-Chiau; Lee, Kwang Hong; Bao, Shuyu; Wang, Wei; Lei, Dian; Masudy-Panah, Saeid; Dong, Yuan; Wu, Ying; Xu, Shengqiang; Tan, Chuan Seng; Gong, Xiao; Yeo, Yee-Chia

    2018-02-01

    Strain relaxation of biaxially strained Ge1-xSnx layer when it is patterned into Ge1-xSnx fin structures is studied. Ge1-xSnx-on-insulator (GeSnOI) substrate was realized using a direct wafer bonding (DWB) technique and Ge1-xSnx fin structures were formed by electron beam lithography (EBL) patterning and dry etching. The strain in the Ge1-xSnx fins having fin widths (WFin) ranging from 1 μm down to 80 nm was characterized using micro-Raman spectroscopy. Raman measurements show that the strain relaxation increases with decreasing WFin. Finite element (FE) simulation shows that the strain component in the transverse direction relaxes with decreasing WFin, while the strain component along the fin direction remains unchanged. For various Ge1-xSnx fin widths, transverse strain relaxation was further extracted using micro-Raman spectroscopy, which is consistent with the simulation results.

  8. NMR quantification of diffusional exchange in cell suspensions with relaxation rate differences between intra and extracellular compartments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eriksson, Stefanie; Elbing, Karin; Söderman, Olle; Lindkvist-Petersson, Karin; Topgaard, Daniel; Lasič, Samo

    2017-01-01

    Water transport across cell membranes can be measured non-invasively with diffusion NMR. We present a method to quantify the intracellular lifetime of water in cell suspensions with short transverse relaxation times, T2, and also circumvent the confounding effect of different T2 values in the intra- and extracellular compartments. Filter exchange spectroscopy (FEXSY) is specifically sensitive to exchange between compartments with different apparent diffusivities. Our investigation shows that FEXSY could yield significantly biased results if differences in T2 are not accounted for. To mitigate this problem, we propose combining FEXSY with diffusion-relaxation correlation experiment, which can quantify differences in T2 values in compartments with different diffusivities. Our analysis uses a joint constrained fitting of the two datasets and considers the effects of diffusion, relaxation and exchange in both experiments. The method is demonstrated on yeast cells with and without human aquaporins.

  9. Vibrational relaxation in liquids: Comparisons between gas phase and liquid phase theories

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Russell, D.J.

    1990-12-01

    The vibrational relaxation of iodine in liquid xenon was studied to understand what processes are important in determining the density dependence of the vibrational relaxation. This examination will be accomplished by taking simple models and comparing the results to both experimental outcomes and the predictions of molecular dynamics simulations. The vibration relaxation of iodine is extremely sensitive to the iodine potential. The anharmonicity of iodine causes vibrational relaxation to be much faster at the top of the iodine well compared to the vibrational relaxation at the bottom. A number of models are used in order to test the ability of the Isolated Binary Collision theory's ability to predict the density dependence of the vibrational relaxation of iodine in liquid xenon. The models tested vary from the simplest incorporating only the fact that the solvent occupies volume to models that incorporate the short range structure of the liquid in the radial distribution function. None of the models tested do a good job of predicting the actual relaxation rate for a given density. This may be due to a possible error in the choice of potentials to model the system

  10. The Effects of Progressive Muscle Relaxation and Autogenic Relaxation on Young Soccer Players’ Mood States

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hashim, Hairul Anuar; Hanafi@Ahmad Yusof, Hazwani

    2011-01-01

    Purpose This study was designed to compare the effects of two different relaxation techniques, namely progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) and autogenic relaxation (AGR) on moods of young soccer players. Methods Sixteen adolescent athletes (mean age: 14.1 ± 1.3) received either PMR or AGR training. Using Profile of Mood States- Adolescents, their mood states were measured one week before relaxation training, before the first relaxation session, and after the twelfth relaxation session. Results Mixed ANOVA revealed no significant interaction effects and no significant main effects in any of the subscales. However, significant main effects for testing sessions were found for confusion, depression, fatigue, and tension subscales. Post hoc tests revealed post-intervention reductions in the confusion, depression, fatigue, and tension subscale scores. Conclusion These two relaxation techniques induce equivalent mood responses and may be used to regulate young soccer players’ mood states. PMID:22375225

  11. Stress relaxation behavior and mechanism of AEREX350 and Waspaloy superalloys

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wang, Yuzhou; Dong, Jianxin; Zhang, Maicang; Yao, Zhihao

    2016-12-15

    The relaxation properties of AEREX350 and Waspaloy were studied contrastively at temperatures ranging from 600 °C to 800 °C with the same initial stress 510 MPa. The relationship between the microstructure and relaxation properties was elucidated using scanning and transmission electron microscopy techniques. It was found that the relaxation limit and relaxation stability of the two alloys decreased obviously with the increase of temperature, but the relaxation stability of AEREX350 decreased more slowly compared with Waspaloy. Further investigations show that the relaxation behavior is mainly depended on both precipitate characteristics and its interaction with dislocations. The complex precipitates evolution of AEREX350 alloy leads to a higher relaxation limit at high temperature 800 °C, but more quantity of γ′ in Waspaloy results in a higher relaxation limit at the low temperature of 600 °C. Thus it is suggested that as fastener alloys, Waspaloy is more suitable for low temperature service while AEREX350 is the preferred choice for high temperature service.

  12. 76 FR 29963 - Rate Increase Disclosure and Review

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-05-23

    ... for the product associated with the rate increase; and (8) employee and executive compensation data... 154 Rate Increase Disclosure and Review; Final Rule #0;#0;Federal Register / Vol. 76 , No. 99 / Monday... CFR Part 154 [CMS-9999-FC] RIN 0938-AQ68 Rate Increase Disclosure and Review AGENCY: Center for...

  13. Spectroscopic Studies of the Super Relaxed State of Skeletal Muscle.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Leonardo Nogara

    Full Text Available In the super-relaxed state of myosin, ATPase activity is strongly inhibited by binding of the myosin heads to the core of the thick filament in a structure known as the interacting-heads motif. In the disordered relaxed state myosin heads are not bound to the core of the thick filament and have an ATPase rate that is 10 fold greater. In the interacting-heads motif the two regulatory light chains appear to bind to each other. We have made single cysteine mutants of the regulatory light chain, placed both paramagnetic and fluorescent probes on them, and exchanged them into skinned skeletal muscle fibers. Many of the labeled light chains tended to disrupt the stability of the super-relaxed state, and showed spectral changes in the transition from the disordered relaxed state to the super-relaxed state. These data support the putative interface between the two regulatory light chains identified by cryo electron microscopy and show that both the divalent cation bound to the regulatory light chain and the N-terminus of the regulatory light chain play a role in the stability of the super-relaxed state. One probe showed a shift to shorter wavelengths in the super-relaxed state such that a ratio of intensities at 440nm to that at 520nm provided a measure of the population of the super-relaxed state amenable for high throughput screens for finding potential pharmaceuticals. The results provide a proof of concept that small molecules that bind to this region can destabilize the super-relaxed state and provide a method to search for small molecules that do so leading to a potentially effective treatment for Type 2 diabetes and obesity.

  14. Biexciton relaxation associated with dissociation into a surface polariton pair in semiconductor films

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mitsumori, Yasuyoshi; Matsuura, Shimpei; Uchiyama, Shoichi; Saito, Kentarao; Edamatsu, Keiichi; Nakayama, Masaaki; Ajiki, Hiroshi

    2018-04-01

    We study the biexciton relaxation process in CuCl films ranging from 6 to 200 nm. The relaxation time is measured as the dephasing time and the lifetime. We observe a unique thickness dependence of the biexciton relaxation time and also obtain an ultrafast relaxation time with a timescale as short as 100 fs, while the exciton lifetime monotonically decreases with increasing thickness. By analyzing the exciton-photon coupling energy for a surface polariton, we theoretically calculate the biexciton relaxation time as a function of the thickness. The calculated dependence qualitatively reproduces the observed relaxation time, indicating that the biexciton dissociation into a surface polariton pair is one of the major biexciton relaxation processes.

  15. Nuclear quadrupole relaxation and viscosity in liquid metals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schirmacher, W.

    1976-01-01

    It is shown that the nuclear quadrupole relaxation rate due to the molecular motions in liquid metals is related to the shear and bulk viscosity and hence to the absorption coefficient of ultrasound. Application of the 'extended liquid phonon' model of Ortoleva and Nelkin - which is the third of a series of continued-fraction-approximations for the van Hove neutron scattering function - gives a relation to the self diffusion constant. The predictions of the theory concerning the temperature dependence are compared with quadrupole relaxation measurements of Riegel et al. and Kerlin et al. in liquid gallium. Agreement is found only with the data of Riegel et al. (orig.) [de

  16. Generalized approach to non-exponential relaxation

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Non-exponential relaxation is a universal feature of systems as diverse as glasses, spin ... which changes from a simple exponential to a stretched exponential and a power law by increasing the constraints in the system. ... Current Issue

  17. Field dependence of the electron spin relaxation in quantum dots.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Calero, Carlos; Chudnovsky, E M; Garanin, D A

    2005-10-14

    The interaction of the electron spin with local elastic twists due to transverse phonons is studied. The universal dependence of the spin-relaxation rate on the strength and direction of the magnetic field is obtained in terms of the electron gyromagnetic tensor and macroscopic elastic constants of the solid. The theory contains no unknown parameters and it can be easily tested in experiment. At high magnetic field it provides a parameter-free lower bound on the electron spin relaxation in quantum dots.

  18. The relaxational behaviour of poly-(vinylidene fluoride) before and after gamma-irradiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Callens, A.

    The main purpose of this work was to investigate how molecular chain reorganization may affect the physical property of polymers. This may be done by the analysis of the as received and post-irradiation relaxation spectra of the semi-crystalline linear chain polymer polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), which has been gamma-irradiated up to doses of 1 grad. The effects of the irradiation on the material are primarly main chain cross-linking production of unsaturated bonds and crystallite degradation. To reach a complete interpretation of the relaxation spectra, it is necessary to incorporate a third phase into the analysis besides the amorphous viscoelastic region (AVR) and the crystalline viscoelastic region (CVR), the intermediate phase. The amorphous phase (AVR) is at the origin of the relaxation effects occurring in the temperature region below room temperature. The saturation like behaviour of the cross-linking in the amorphous phase is at the origin of the intensity decrease, temperature shift and peak broadening of the beta relaxation. There is a large amount of evidence that in the neighbourhood of the beta relaxation, relaxation effects are created through irradiation, as mainly revealed by TSD-spectra (thermalloy stimulated depolarisation). The intensity of the gamma relaxation, gradually increases with dose, which has been attributed to the production of disordered chain from the debris of radiation enhanced crystallite destruction. The relaxation effect, occuring at the temperatures between AVR and CVR, is assigned to the long amorphous chain segments attached partly to the crystallites, mainly from the consideration of the similarity of the dose enhanced decrease in intensity of both beta and βsub(μ)-effects. The increase with dose of the intensity of the α1 relaxation, which has been classified within CVR, confirms the grainboundary hypothesis. The second component of CVR (α2 relaxation) is due to relaxation effects of molecular chains belonging to the

  19. Nonmaxwell relaxation in disordered media: Physical mechanisms and fractional relaxation equations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Arkhincheev, V.E.

    2004-12-01

    The problem of charge relaxation in disordered systems has been solved. It is shown, that due to the inhomogeneity of the medium the charge relaxation has a non-Maxwell character. The two physical mechanisms of a such behavior have been founded. The first one is connected with the 'fractality' of conducting ways. The second mechanism of nonexponential non-Maxwell behavior is connected with the frequency dispersion of effective conductivity of heterogeneous medium, initially consisting of conducting phases without dispersion. The new generalized relaxation equations in the form of fractional temporal integro-differential equations are deduced. (author)

  20. Assessment of protein solution versus crystal structure determination using spin- diffusion-suppressed NOE and heteronuclear relaxation data

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    LeMaster, David M.

    1997-01-01

    A spin-diffusion-suppressed NOE buildup series has been measured for E. coli thioredoxin.The extensive 13C and 15N relaxation data previously reported for this protein allow for direct interpretation of dynamical contributions to the 1H-1H cross-relaxation rates for a large proportion of the NOE cross peaks. Estimates of the average accuracy for these derived NOE distances are bounded by 4% and 10%, based on a comparison to the corresponding X-ray distances. An independent fluctuation model is proposed for prediction of the dynamical corrections to 1H-1H cross-relaxation rates, based solely on experimental structural and heteronuclear relaxation data. This analysis is aided by the demonstration that heteronuclear order parameters greater than 0.6 depend only on the variance of the H-X bond orientation,independent of the motional model in either one- or two-dimensional diffusion (i.e., 1- S2 = 3/4 sin2 2 θσ). The combination of spin-diffusion-suppressed NOE data and analysis of dynamical corrections to 1H-1H cross-relaxation rates based on heteronuclear relaxation data has allowed for a detailed interpretation of various discrepancies between the reported solution and crystal structures

  1. Hydration water dynamics in biopolymers from NMR relaxation in the rotating frame.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blicharska, Barbara; Peemoeller, Hartwig; Witek, Magdalena

    2010-12-01

    Assuming dipole-dipole interaction as the dominant relaxation mechanism of protons of water molecules adsorbed onto macromolecule (biopolymer) surfaces we have been able to model the dependences of relaxation rates on temperature and frequency. For adsorbed water molecules the correlation times are of the order of 10(-5)s, for which the dispersion region of spin-lattice relaxation rates in the rotating frame R(1)(ρ)=1/T(1)(ρ) appears over a range of easily accessible B(1) values. Measurements of T(1)(ρ) at constant temperature and different B(1) values then give the "dispersion profiles" for biopolymers. Fitting a theoretical relaxation model to these profiles allows for the estimation of correlation times. This way of obtaining the correlation time is easier and faster than approaches involving measurements of the temperature dependence of R(1)=1/T(1). The T(1)(ρ) dispersion approach, as a tool for molecular dynamics study, has been demonstrated for several hydrated biopolymer systems including crystalline cellulose, starch of different origins (potato, corn, oat, wheat), paper (modern, old) and lyophilized proteins (albumin, lysozyme). Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  2. Distribution of relaxation times in (KBr)/sub 0.5/(KCN)/sub 0.5/

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Birge, N.O.; Jeong, Y.H.; Nagel, S.R.; Bhattacharya, S.; Susman, S.

    1984-01-01

    Measurements of the dielectric response of (KBr)/sub 0.5/(KCN)/sub 0.5/ covering nine decades of frequency are reported. We have shown how the relaxation times proliferate as the temperature is lowered. The anomalously wide distribution of relaxation times can be generated from a Gaussian distribution of energy barriers. As temperature is decreased not only does the spread of relaxation times increase, but more importantly the width of the distribution of activation energies itself increases

  3. Thermal relaxation time of a mixture of relativistic electrons and neutrinos

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Herrera, M.A.; Hacyan, S.

    1987-01-01

    The interaction between the components of a relativistic binary mixture is studied by means of a fully covariant formalism. Assuming both components to differ slightly in temperature, an application of the relativistic Boltzmann equation yields general expressions for the energy transfer rate and for the relaxation time of the system. The resulting relation is then applied to a mixture of relativistic electrons and neutrinos to obtain numerical values of its relaxation time. (author)

  4. Arresting relaxation in Pickering Emulsions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Atherton, Tim; Burke, Chris

    2015-03-01

    Pickering emulsions consist of droplets of one fluid dispersed in a host fluid and stabilized by colloidal particles absorbed at the fluid-fluid interface. Everyday materials such as crude oil and food products like salad dressing are examples of these materials. Particles can stabilize non spherical droplet shapes in these emulsions through the following sequence: first, an isolated droplet is deformed, e.g. by an electric field, increasing the surface area above the equilibrium value; additional particles are then adsorbed to the interface reducing the surface tension. The droplet is then allowed to relax toward a sphere. If more particles were adsorbed than can be accommodated by the surface area of the spherical ground state, relaxation of the droplet is arrested at some non-spherical shape. Because the energetic cost of removing adsorbed colloids exceeds the interfacial driving force, these configurations can remain stable over long timescales. In this presentation, we present a computational study of the ordering present in anisotropic droplets produced through the mechanism of arrested relaxation and discuss the interplay between the geometry of the droplet, the dynamical process that produced it, and the structure of the defects observed.

  5. Measurement of the Relaxation Rate of the Magnetization in Mn12O12 -Acetate Using Proton NMR Echo

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jang, Z. H.; Lascialfari, A.; Borsa, F.; Gatteschi, D.

    2000-01-01

    We present a novel method to measure the relaxation rate W of the magnetization of Mn 12 O 12 -acetate (Mn12) magnetic molecular cluster in its S=10 ground state at low T . It is based on the observation of an exponential growth in time of the proton NMR signal during the thermal equilibration of the magnetization of the molecules. We can explain the novel effect with a simple model which relates the intensity of the proton echo signal to the microscopic reversal of the magnetization of each individual Mn12 molecule during the equilibration process. The method should find wide application in the study of magnetic molecular clusters in off-equilibrium conditions. (c) 2000 The American Physical Society

  6. Relaxation of photogenerated carriers under He, H sub 2 , CO sub 2 and O sub 2 on ZnO

    CERN Document Server

    Han, C S; Jun, J

    1998-01-01

    The relaxation process of photogenerated carriers was investigated using conductivity measurement on ZnO under He,H sub 2 ,CO sub 2 and O sub 2. The process was well explained with the rate constant of reaction or recombination of hole and electron, k sub h and k sub e (k sub h >k sub e), respectively. Generally, k sub h increased with the pressure of the gases. The slope of k sub h with respect to the pressure increased in the order of H sub 2<=Herelaxation process on ZnO which was exposed to oxygen at 298 K and 573 K was observed during the illumination time. From the result, it was suggested that the rate constant of photo generated excess carriers was affected by the surface barrier of the semiconductor.

  7. Spin-lattice relaxation of individual solid-state spins

    Science.gov (United States)

    Norambuena, A.; Muñoz, E.; Dinani, H. T.; Jarmola, A.; Maletinsky, P.; Budker, D.; Maze, J. R.

    2018-03-01

    Understanding the effect of vibrations on the relaxation process of individual spins is crucial for implementing nanosystems for quantum information and quantum metrology applications. In this work, we present a theoretical microscopic model to describe the spin-lattice relaxation of individual electronic spins associated to negatively charged nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond, although our results can be extended to other spin-boson systems. Starting from a general spin-lattice interaction Hamiltonian, we provide a detailed description and solution of the quantum master equation of an electronic spin-one system coupled to a phononic bath in thermal equilibrium. Special attention is given to the dynamics of one-phonon processes below 1 K where our results agree with recent experimental findings and analytically describe the temperature and magnetic-field scaling. At higher temperatures, linear and second-order terms in the interaction Hamiltonian are considered and the temperature scaling is discussed for acoustic and quasilocalized phonons when appropriate. Our results, in addition to confirming a T5 temperature dependence of the longitudinal relaxation rate at higher temperatures, in agreement with experimental observations, provide a theoretical background for modeling the spin-lattice relaxation at a wide range of temperatures where different temperature scalings might be expected.

  8. Proton NMR relaxation in hydrous melts

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Braunstein, J.; Bacarella, A.L.; Benjamin, B.M.; Brown, L.L.; Girard, C.

    1976-01-01

    Pulse and continuous wave NMR measurements are reported for protons in hydrous melts of calcium nitrate at temperatures between -4 and 120 0 C. Although measured in different temperature ranges, spin-lattice (T 1 ) and spin-spin (T 2 ) relaxation times appear to be nearly equal to each other and proportional to the self-diffusion coefficients of solute metal cations such as Cd 2+ . At temperatures near 50 0 C, mean Arrhenius coefficients Δ H/sub T 1 / (kcal/mol) are 7.9, 7.3, and 4.8, respectively, for melts containing 2.8, 4.0, and 8.0 moles of water per mole of calcium nitrate, compared to 4.6 kcal/mol for pure water. Temperature dependence of T 1 and T 2 in Ca(NO 3 ) 2 -2.8 H 2 O between -4 and 120 0 C are non-Arrhenius and can be represented by a Fulcher-type equation with a ''zero mobility temperature'' (T 0 ) of 225 0 K, close to the value of T 0 for solute diffusion, electrical conductance and viscosity. Resolution of the relaxation rates into correlation times for intramolecular (rotational) and intermolecular (translational) diffusional motion is discussed in terms of the Bloembergen-Purcell-Pound and more recent models for dipolar relaxation

  9. Electron Spin Relaxation Can Enhance the Performance of a Cryptochrome-Based Magnetic Compass Sensor

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-08-19

    interactions. Wefind that intermediate spin relaxation rates afford substantial enhancements in the sensitivity of the reaction yields to an Earth...resulting in intermediate relaxation rates (106 s−1<kSTD<10 8 s−1) therefore boost the compass sensitivity well above the level expected for a time...steps along the Trp-triad are complete within a nanosecondwhich is too fast for singlet–triplet coherence to be generated in the intermediate radical

  10. Application of stress relaxation testing in evaluation of creep strength of a tungsten-alloyed 10% Cr cast steel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Raghavender Rao, G.; Gupta, O.P.; Pradhan, B.

    2011-01-01

    Uniaxial isothermal stress relaxation tests (SRT) were performed on a tungsten-alloyed 10% Cr cast steel (G-X12Cr Mo W V Nb N 10 1 1) at temperatures of 580, 600 and 620 o C and initial strain levels of 0.2, 0.5 and 0.8%. Inelastic strain rates for different stresses were estimated from the stress versus time data generated from the tests. Conventional creep tests were also conducted on the same material at 580, 600 and 620 o C and at different stress levels. The strain rate data estimated from SRT were compared with minimum creep rates derived from the creep tests; the strain rates estimated from SRT with 0.8% initial strain level are in better agreement than those estimated from SRT with 0.2 and 0.5% initial strain levels. In order to ascertain the technique, stress relaxation behaviour was estimated from creep test data and compared with the stress relaxation curves obtained from SRT at corresponding temperatures. The stress relaxation curves obtained from SRT with 0.8% initial strain level are in good agreement with the stress relaxation curves estimated from the creep tests. It is concluded that the stress relaxation test with initial strain level of 0.8% could be considered as an appropriate short-term test technique for estimation of creep strength of newly developed materials.

  11. Spin transport and relaxation in graphene

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Han Wei; McCreary, K.M.; Pi, K.; Wang, W.H.; Li Yan; Wen, H.; Chen, J.R.; Kawakami, R.K.

    2012-01-01

    We review our recent work on spin injection, transport and relaxation in graphene. The spin injection and transport in single layer graphene (SLG) were investigated using nonlocal magnetoresistance (MR) measurements. Spin injection was performed using either transparent contacts (Co/SLG) or tunneling contacts (Co/MgO/SLG). With tunneling contacts, the nonlocal MR was increased by a factor of ∼1000 and the spin injection/detection efficiency was greatly enhanced from ∼1% (transparent contacts) to ∼30%. Spin relaxation was investigated on graphene spin valves using nonlocal Hanle measurements. For transparent contacts, the spin lifetime was in the range of 50-100 ps. The effects of surface chemical doping showed that for spin lifetimes in the order of 100 ps, charged impurity scattering (Au) was not the dominant mechanism for spin relaxation. While using tunneling contacts to suppress the contact-induced spin relaxation, we observed the spin lifetimes as long as 771 ps at room temperature, 1.2 ns at 4 K in SLG, and 6.2 ns at 20 K in bilayer graphene (BLG). Furthermore, contrasting spin relaxation behaviors were observed in SLG and BLG. We found that Elliot-Yafet spin relaxation dominated in SLG at low temperatures whereas Dyakonov-Perel spin relaxation dominated in BLG at low temperatures. Gate tunable spin transport was studied using the SLG property of gate tunable conductivity and incorporating different types of contacts (transparent and tunneling contacts). Consistent with theoretical predictions, the nonlocal MR was proportional to the SLG conductivity for transparent contacts and varied inversely with the SLG conductivity for tunneling contacts. Finally, bipolar spin transport in SLG was studied and an electron-hole asymmetry was observed for SLG spin valves with transparent contacts, in which nonlocal MR was roughly independent of DC bias current for electrons, but varied significantly with DC bias current for holes. These results are very important for

  12. Compaction and relaxation of biofilms

    KAUST Repository

    Valladares Linares, R.

    2015-06-18

    Operation of membrane systems for water treatment can be seriously hampered by biofouling. A better characterization of biofilms in membrane systems and their impact on membrane performance may help to develop effective biofouling control strategies. The objective of this study was to determine the occurrence, extent and timescale of biofilm compaction and relaxation (decompaction), caused by permeate flux variations. The impact of permeate flux changes on biofilm thickness, structure and stiffness was investigated in situ and non-destructively with optical coherence tomography using membrane fouling monitors operated at a constant crossflow velocity of 0.1 m s−1 with permeate production. The permeate flux was varied sequentially from 20 to 60 and back to 20 L m−2 h−1. The study showed that the average biofilm thickness on the membrane decreased after elevating the permeate flux from 20 to 60 L m−2 h−1 while the biofilm thickness increased again after restoring the original flux of 20 L m−2 h−1, indicating the occurrence of biofilm compaction and relaxation. Within a few seconds after the flux change, the biofilm thickness was changed and stabilized, biofilm compaction occurred faster than the relaxation after restoring the original permeate flux. The initial biofilm parameters were not fully reinstated: the biofilm thickness was reduced by 21%, biofilm stiffness had increased and the hydraulic biofilm resistance was elevated by 16%. Biofilm thickness was related to the hydraulic biofilm resistance. Membrane performance losses are related to the biofilm thickness, density and morphology, which are influenced by (variations in) hydraulic conditions. A (temporarily) permeate flux increase caused biofilm compaction, together with membrane performance losses. The impact of biofilms on membrane performance can be influenced (increased and reduced) by operational parameters. The article shows that a (temporary) pressure increase leads to more

  13. Time, stress, and temperature-dependent deformation in nanostructured copper: Stress relaxation tests and simulations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yang, Xu-Sheng; Wang, Yun-Jiang; Wang, Guo-Yong; Zhai, Hui-Ru; Dai, L.H.; Zhang, Tong-Yi

    2016-01-01

    In the present work, stress relaxation tests, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were conducted on coarse-grained (cg), nanograined (ng), and nanotwinned (nt) copper at temperatures of 22 °C (RT), 30 °C, 40 °C, 50 °C, and 75 °C. The comprehensive investigations provide sufficient information for the building-up of a formula to describe the time, stress, and temperature-dependent deformation and clarify the relationship among the strain rate sensitivity parameter, stress exponent, and activation volume. The typically experimental curves of logarithmic plastic strain rate versus stress exhibited a three staged relaxation process from a linear high stress relaxation region to a subsequent nonlinear stress relaxation region and finally to a linear low stress relaxation region, which only showed-up at the test temperatures higher than 22 °C, 22 °C, and 30 °C, respectively, in the tested cg-, ng-, and nt-Cu specimens. The values of stress exponent, stress-independent activation energy, and activation volume were determined from the experimental data in the two linear regions. The determined activation parameters, HRTEM images, and MD simulations consistently suggest that dislocation-mediated plastic deformation is predominant in all tested cg-, ng-, and nt-Cu specimens in the initial linear high stress relaxation region at the five relaxation temperatures, whereas in the linear low stress relaxation region, the grain boundary (GB) diffusion-associated deformation is dominant in the ng- and cg-Cu specimens, while twin boundary (TB) migration, i.e., twinning and detwinning with parallel partial dislocations, governs the time, stress, and temperature-dependent deformation in the nt-Cu specimens.

  14. Topology Synthesis of Structures Using Parameter Relaxation and Geometric Refinement

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hull, P. V.; Tinker, M. L.

    2007-01-01

    Typically, structural topology optimization problems undergo relaxation of certain design parameters to allow the existence of intermediate variable optimum topologies. Relaxation permits the use of a variety of gradient-based search techniques and has been shown to guarantee the existence of optimal solutions and eliminate mesh dependencies. This Technical Publication (TP) will demonstrate the application of relaxation to a control point discretization of the design workspace for the structural topology optimization process. The control point parameterization with subdivision has been offered as an alternative to the traditional method of discretized finite element design domain. The principle of relaxation demonstrates the increased utility of the control point parameterization. One of the significant results of the relaxation process offered in this TP is that direct manufacturability of the optimized design will be maintained without the need for designer intervention or translation. In addition, it will be shown that relaxation of certain parameters may extend the range of problems that can be addressed; e.g., in permitting limited out-of-plane motion to be included in a path generation problem.

  15. Increasing Running Step Rate Reduces Patellofemoral Joint Forces

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lenhart, Rachel L.; Thelen, Darryl G.; Wille, Christa M.; Chumanov, Elizabeth S.; Heiderscheit, Bryan C.

    2013-01-01

    Purpose Increasing step rate has been shown to elicit changes in joint kinematics and kinetics during running, and has been suggested as a possible rehabilitation strategy for runners with patellofemoral pain. The purpose of this study was to determine how altering step rate affects internal muscle forces and patellofemoral joint loads, and then to determine what kinematic and kinetic factors best predict changes in joint loading. Methods We recorded whole body kinematics of 30 healthy adults running on an instrumented treadmill at three step rate conditions (90%, 100%, and 110% of preferred step rate). We then used a 3D lower extremity musculoskeletal model to estimate muscle, patellar tendon, and patellofemoral joint forces throughout the running gait cycles. Additionally, linear regression analysis allowed us to ascertain the relative influence of limb posture and external loads on patellofemoral joint force. Results Increasing step rate to 110% of preferred reduced peak patellofemoral joint force by 14%. Peak muscle forces were also altered as a result of the increased step rate with hip, knee and ankle extensor forces, and hip abductor forces all reduced in mid-stance. Compared to the 90% step rate condition, there was a concomitant increase in peak rectus femoris and hamstring loads during early and late swing, respectively, at higher step rates. Peak stance phase knee flexion decreased with increasing step rate, and was found to be the most important predictor of the reduction in patellofemoral joint loading. Conclusion Increasing step rate is an effective strategy to reduce patellofemoral joint forces and could be effective in modulating biomechanical factors that can contribute to patellofemoral pain. PMID:23917470

  16. Ultrasonic relaxations in borate glasses

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    D'Angelo, G.; Tripodo, G.; Carini, G.; Cosio, E.; Bartolotta, A.; Di Marco, G.

    2004-01-01

    The attenuation and velocity of ultrasonic waves of frequencies in the range from 10 to 70 MHz have been measured in M 2 O-B 2 O 3 borate glasses (M: Li or Ag) as a function of temperature between 15 and 350 K. The velocity of sound waves decreases with increasing temperature in all the glasses, the decrease as the temperature is increased is larger in glasses containing silver than in those with lithium. A broad relaxation peak characterises the attenuation behaviour of the lithium and silver borate glasses at temperatures below 100 K and is paralleled by a corresponding dispersive behaviour of the sound velocity. Above 100 K, the ultrasonic velocity shows a nearly linear behaviour regulated by the vibrational anharmonicity, which decreases with increasing content of modifier oxide and is smaller in lithium than in silver borates. These results suggest that the relaxation of structural defects and the anharmonicity of borate glasses are strongly affected by two parameters: the number of bridging bonds per network forming ion and the polarising power of network modifier ions which occupy sites in the existing interstices

  17. Generalized extended Navier-Stokes theory: Multiscale spin relaxation in molecular fluids

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hansen, Jesper Schmidt

    2013-01-01

    This paper studies the relaxation of the molecular spin angular velocity in the framework of generalized extended Navier-Stokes theory. Using molecular dynamics simulations, it is shown that for uncharged diatomic molecules the relaxation time decreases with increasing molecular moment of inertia...

  18. TEACHING NEUROMUSCULAR RELAXATION.

    Science.gov (United States)

    NORRIS, JEANNE E.; STEINHAUS, ARTHUR H.

    THIS STUDY ATTEMPTED TO FIND OUT WHETHER (1) THE METHODS FOR ATTAINING NEUROMUSCULAR RELAXATION THAT HAVE PROVED FRUITFUL IN THE ONE-TO-ONE RELATIONSHIP OF THE CLINIC CAN BE SUCCESSFULLY ADAPTED TO THE TEACHER-CLASS RELATIONSHIP OF THE CLASSROOM AND GYMNASIUM, AND (2) NEUROMUSCULAR RELAXATION CAN BE TAUGHT SUCCESSFULLY BY AN APPROPRIATELY TRAINED…

  19. Paradoxical response to an emotional task: Trait characteristics and heart-rate dynamics

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Balocchia, R.; Varanini, M.; Paoletti, G.; Mecacci, G.; Santarcangelo, E.L.

    2015-01-01

    The present study evaluated the heart-rate dynamics of subjects reporting decreased (responders) or paradoxically increased relaxation (nonresponders) at the end of a threatening movie. Heart-rate dynamics were characterized by indices extracted through recurrence quantification analysis (RQA) and

  20. Investigations of effect of phase change mass transfer rate on cavitation process with homogeneous relaxation model

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    He, Zhixia; Zhang, Liang; Saha, Kaushik; Som, Sibendu; Duan, Lian; Wang, Qian

    2017-12-01

    The super high fuel injection pressure and micro size of nozzle orifice has been an important development trend for the fuel injection system. Accordingly, cavitation transient process, fuel compressibility, amount of noncondensable gas in the fuel and cavitation erosion have attracted more attention. Based on the fact of cavitation in itself is a kind of thermodynamic phase change process, this paper takes the perspective of the cavitation phase change mass transfer process to analyze above mentioned phenomenon. The two-phase cavitating turbulent flow simulations with VOF approach coupled with HRM cavitation model and U-RANS of standard k-ε turbulence model were performed for investigations of cavitation phase change mass transfer process. It is concluded the mass transfer time scale coefficient in the Homogenous Relaxation Model (HRM) representing mass transfer rate should tend to be as small as possible in a condition that ensured the solver stable. At very fast mass transfer rate, the phase change occurs at very thin interface between liquid and vapor phase and condensation occurs more focused and then will contribute predictably to a more serious cavitation erosion. Both the initial non-condensable gas in fuel and the fuel compressibility can accelerate the cavitation mass transfer process.

  1. Relationship between the shear viscosity and heating rate in metallic glasses below the glass transition

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Khonik, Vitaly A.; Kobelev, N. P.

    2008-01-01

    It has been shown that first-order irreversible structural relaxation with distributed activation energies must lead to a linear decrease of the logarithm of Newtonian shear viscosity with the logarithm of heating rate upon linear heating of glass. Such a behavior is indeed observed in the experiments on metallic glasses. Structural relaxation-induced viscous flow leads to infra-low-frequency Maxwell viscoelastic internal friction, which is predicted to increase with the heating rate

  2. The Effects of Progressive Relaxation and Music on Attention, Relaxation, and Stress Responses: An Investigation of the Cognitive-Behavioral Model of Relaxation

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Scheufele, Peter

    1999-01-01

    ...) suggested that stress management techniques have specific effects A compromise position suggests that the specific effects of relaxation techniques are superimposed upon a general relaxation response...

  3. Investigation of proton spin relaxation in water with dispersed silicon nanoparticles for potential magnetic resonance imaging applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kargina, Yu. V.; Gongalsky, M. B.; Perepukhov, A. M.; Gippius, A. A.; Minnekhanov, A. A.; Zvereva, E. A.; Maximychev, A. V.; Timoshenko, V. Yu.

    2018-03-01

    Porous and nonporous silicon (Si) nanoparticles (NPs) prepared by ball-milling of electrochemically etched porous Si layers and crystalline Si wafers were studied as potential agents for enhancement of the proton spin relaxation in aqueous media. While nonporous Si NPs did not significantly influence the spin relaxation, the porous ones resulted in strong shortening of the transverse relaxation times. In order to investigate an effect of the electron spin density in porous Si NPs on the proton spin relaxation, we use thermal annealing of the NPs in vacuum or in air. The transverse relaxation rate of about 0.5 l/(g s) was achieved for microporous Si NPs, which were thermally annealing in vacuum to obtain the electron spin density of the order of 1017 g-1. The transverse relaxation rate was found to be almost proportional to the concentration of porous Si NPs in the range from 0.1 to 20 g/l. The obtained results are discussed in view of possible biomedical applications of Si NPs as contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging.

  4. A computational study of inviscid hypersonic flows using energy relaxation method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nagdewe, Suryakant; Kim, H. D.; Shevare, G. R.

    2008-01-01

    Reasonable analysis of hypersonic flows requires a thermodynamic non-equilibrium model to properly simulate strong shock waves or high pressure and temperature states in the flow field. The energy relaxation method (ERM) has been used to model such a non-equilibrium effect which is generally expressed as a hyperbolic system of equations with a stiff relaxation source term. Relaxation time that is multiplied with source terms is responsible for nonequilibrium in the system. In the present study, a numerical analysis has been carried out with varying values of relaxation time for several hypersonic flows with AUSM (advection upstream splitting method) as a numerical scheme. Vibration modes of thermodynamic nonequilibrium effects are considered. The results obtained showed that, as the relaxation time reduces to zero, the solution marches toward equilibrium, while it shows non-equilibrium effects, as the relaxation time increases. The present computations predicted the experiment results of hypersonic flows with good accuracy. The work carried out suggests that the present energy relaxation method can be robust for analysis of hypersonic flows

  5. Are rates of pediatric bipolar disorder increasing?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kessing, Lars Vedel; Vradi, Eleni; Andersen, Per Kragh

    2014-01-01

    Studies from the USA suggest that rates of pediatric bipolar disorder have increased since the mid-90s, but no study outside the USA has been published on the rates of pediatric bipolar disorder. Further, it is unclear whether an increase in rates reflects a true increase in the illness or more...... diagnostic attention. Using nationwide registers of all inpatients and outpatients contacts to all psychiatric hospitals in Denmark, we investigated (1) gender-specific rates of incident pediatric mania/bipolar disorder during a period from 1995 to 2012, (2) whether age and other characteristics...... for pediatric mania/bipolar disorder changed during the calendar period (1995 to 2003 versus 2004 to 2012), and (3) whether the diagnosis is more often made at first psychiatric contact in recent time compared to earlier according to gender. Totally, 346 patients got a main diagnosis of a manic episode (F30...

  6. Relaxation and kinetics in scalar field theories

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Boyanovsky, D.; Lawrie, I.D.; Lee, D.

    1996-01-01

    A new approach to the dynamics of relaxation and kinetics of thermalization in a scalar field theory is presented that incorporates the relevant time scales through the resummation of hard thermal loops. An alternative derivation of the kinetic equations for the open-quote open-quote quasiparticle close-quote close-quote distribution functions is obtained that allows a clear understanding of the different open-quote open-quote coarse-graining close-quote close-quote approximations usually involved in a kinetic description. This method leads to a systematic perturbative expansion to obtain the kinetic equations including hard thermal loop resummation and to an improvement including renormalization, off-shell effects, and contributions that change chemical equilibrium on short time scales. As a by-product of these methods we establish the equivalence between the relaxation time scale in the linearized equation of motion of the quasiparticles and the thermalization time scale of the quasiparticle distribution function in the open-quote open-quote relaxation time approximation close-quote close-quote including hard thermal loop effects. Hard thermal loop resummation dramatically modifies the scattering rate for long wavelength modes as compared to the usual (semi)classical estimate. Relaxation and kinetics are studied both in the unbroken and broken symmetry phases of the theory. The broken symmetry phase also provides the setting to obtain the contribution to the kinetic equations from processes that involve decay of a heavy scalar into light scalar particles in the medium. copyright 1996 The American Physical Society

  7. The effects of music relaxation and muscle relaxation techniques on sleep quality and emotional measures among individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Iris Haimov

    2012-07-01

    Full Text Available Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD, an anxiety disorder with lifetime prevalence of 7.8%, is characterized by symptoms that develop following exposure to traumatic life events and that cause an immediate experience of intense fear, helplessness or horror. PTSD is marked by recurrent nightmares typified by the recall of intrusive experiences and by extended disturbance throughout sleep. Individuals with PTSD respond poorly to drug treatments for insomnia. The disadvantages of drug treatment for insomnia underline the importance of non-pharmacological alternatives. Thus, the present study had three aims: first, to compare the efficiency of two relaxation techniques (muscular relaxation and progressive music relaxation in alleviating insomnia among individuals with PTSD using both objective and subjective measures of sleep quality; second, to examine whether these two techniques have different effects on psychological indicators of PTSD, such as depression and anxiety; and finally, to examine how initial PTSD symptom severity and baseline emotional measures are related to the efficiency of these two relaxation methods. Thirteen PTSD patients with no other major psychiatric or neurological disorders participated in the study. The study comprised one seven-day running-in, no-treatment period, followed by two seven-day experimental periods. The treatments constituted either music relaxation or muscle relaxation techniques at desired bedtime. These treatments were randomly assigned. During each of these three experimental periods, subjects’ sleep was continuously monitored with a wrist actigraph (Ambulatory Monitoring, Inc., and subjects were asked to fill out several questionnaires concerned with a wide spectrum of issues, such as sleep, depression, and anxiety. Analyses revealed a significant increase in objective and subjective sleep efficiency and a significant reduction in depression level following music relaxation. Moreover, following music

  8. In-reactor stress relaxation of selected metals and alloys at low temperatures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Causey, A.R.; Carpenter, G.J.C.; MacEwen, S.R.

    1980-01-01

    Stress relaxation of bent beam specimens under fast neutron irradiation at 340 and 570 K has been studied for a range of materials, as follows: several stainless steels, a maraged steel, AISI-4140, Ni, Inconel X-750, Ti, Zircaloy-2, Zr-2.5% Nb and Zr 3 Al. All specimens were in the annealed or solution-treated condition. Where comparisons were possible, the creep coefficients derived from the stress relaxation tests were found to be consistent with other studies of irradiation-induced creep. The steels showed the lowest rates of stress relaxation; the largest rates were observed with Zr-Nb, Ti and Ni. For most materials, the creep coefficient at 340 K was equal to or greater than that at 570 K. Such weak temperature dependence is not easily reconciled with existing models of irradiation creep based on dislocation climb, such as SIPA or climb-induced glide. Rate theory calculations indicate that because the vacancy mobility becomes very low at the lower temperature, recombination should dominate point defect annealing, resulting in a very low creep rate compared to that at the higher temperature. It is shown that the weak temperature dependence observed experimentally cannot be accounted for by the inclusion of more mobile divacancies in the calculation. (orig.)

  9. In-reactor stress relaxation of selected metals and alloys at low temperatures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Causey, A.R.; Carpenter, G.J.C.; MacEwen, S.R.

    1980-01-01

    Stress relaxation of bent beam specimens under fast neutron irradiation at 340 and 570 K has been studied for a range of materials, as follows: several stainless steels, a maraged steel, AISI-4140, Ni, Inconel X-750, Ti, Zircaloy-2, Zr-2.5% Nb and Zr 3 A1. All specimens were in the annealed or solution-treated condition. Where comparisons were possible, the creep coefficients derived from the stress relaxation tests were found to be consistent with other studies of irradiation-induced creep. The steels showed the lowest rates of stress relaxation; the largest rates were observed with Zr-Nb, Ti and Ni. For most materials, the creep coefficient at 340 K was equal to or greater than that at 570 K. Such weak temperature dependence is not easily reconciled with existing models of irradiation creep based on dislocation climb, such as SIPA or climb-induced glide. Rate theory calculations indicate that because the vacancy mobility becomes very low at the lower temperature, recombination should dominate point defect annealing, resulting in a very low creep rate compared to that at the higher temperature. It is shown that the weak temperature dependence observed experimentally cannot be accounted for by the inclusion of more mobile divacancies in the calculation. (author)

  10. Multiplied effect of heat and radiation in chemical stress relaxation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ito, Masayuki

    1981-01-01

    About the deterioration of rubber due to radiation, useful knowledge can be obtained by the measurement of chemical stress relaxation. As an example, the rubber coating of cables in a reactor containment vessel is estimated to be irradiated by weak radiation at the temperature between 60 and 90 deg C for about 40 years. In such case, it is desirable to establish the method of accelerated test of the deterioration. The author showed previously that the law of time-dose rate conversion holds in the case of radiation. In this study, the chemical stress relaxation to rubber was measured by the simultaneous application of heat and radiation, and it was found that there was the multiplied effect of heat and radiation in the stress relaxation speed. Therefore the factor of multiplication of heat and radiation was proposed to describe quantitatively the degree of the multiplied effect. The chloroprene rubber used was offered by Hitachi Cable Co., Ltd. The experimental method and the results are reported. The multiplication of heat and radiation is not caused by the direct cut of molecular chains by radiation, instead, it is based on the temperature dependence of various reaction rates at which the activated species reached the cut of molecular chains through complex reaction mechanism and the temperature dependence of the diffusion rate of oxygen in rubber. (Kako, I.)

  11. Picosecond buildup and relaxation of intense stimulated emission in GaAs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ageeva, N. N.; Bronevoi, I. L.; Zabegaev, D. N.; Krivonosov, A. N.

    2013-01-01

    In support of the idea developed previously based on circumstantial evidence, we have found that stimulated emission emerges in GaAs and its intensity increases with a picosecond delay relative to the front of powerful picosecond optical pumping that produced a dense electron-hole plasma. The emission intensity relaxes with decreasing pumping with a characteristic time of ∼10 ps. We have derived the dependences of the delay time, the relaxation time, and the duration of the picosecond emission pulse on its photon energy. The estimates based on the fact that the relaxation of emission is determined by electron-hole plasma cooling correspond to the measured relaxation time.

  12. The interplay of T1- and T2-relaxation on T1-weighted MRI of hMSCs induced by Gd-DOTA-peptides.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cao, Limin; Li, Binbin; Yi, Peiwei; Zhang, Hailu; Dai, Jianwu; Tan, Bo; Deng, Zongwu

    2014-04-01

    Three Gd-DOTA-peptide complexes with different peptide sequence are synthesized and used as T1 contrast agent to label human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) for magnetic resonance imaging study. The peptides include a universal cell penetrating peptide TAT, a linear MSC-specific peptide EM7, and a cyclic MSC-specific peptide CC9. A significant difference in labeling efficacy is observed between the Gd-DOTA-peptides as well as a control Dotarem. All Gd-DOTA-peptides as well as Dotarem induce significant increase in T1 relaxation rate which is in favor of T1-weighted MR imaging. Gd-DOTA-CC9 yields the maximum labeling efficacy but poor T1 contrast enhancement. Gd-DOTA-EM7 yields the minimum labeling efficacy but better T1 contrast enhancement. Gd-DOTA-TAT yields a similar labeling efficacy as Gd-DOTA-CC9 and similar T1 contrast enhancement as Gd-DOTA-EM7. The underlying mechanism that governs T1 contrast enhancement effect is discussed. Our results suggest that T1 contrast enhancement induced by Gd-DOTA-peptides depends not only on the introduced cellular Gd content, but more importantly on the effect that Gd-DOTA-peptides exert on the T1-relaxation and T2-relaxation processes/rates. Both T1 and particularly T2 relaxation rate have to be taken into account to interpret T1 contrast enhancement. In addition, the interpretation has to be based on cellular instead of aqueous longitudinal and transverse relaxivities of Gd-DOTA-peptides. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. Effects of the aging temperature and stress relaxation conditions on γ′ precipitation in Inconel X-750

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ha, Jeong Won [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Pusan National University, Busan 609-735 (Korea, Republic of); Research and Development Center, KOS Limited, Yangsan 626-230 (Korea, Republic of); Seong, Baek Seok [Neutron Science Division, HANARO Center, Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon 305-353 (Korea, Republic of); Jeong, Hi Won [Advanced Metallic Materials Division, Korea Institute of Materials Science, Changwon 642-831 (Korea, Republic of); Choi, Yoon Suk [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Pusan National University, Busan 609-735 (Korea, Republic of); Kang, Namhyun, E-mail: nhkang@pusan.ac.kr [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Pusan National University, Busan 609-735 (Korea, Republic of)

    2015-02-15

    Highlights: • Stress relaxation after aging 620 °C increased carbides and maintained γ′ fraction. • Aging temperature increase to 732 °C raised the γ′ increment after stress relaxation. • Small increase of carbides induced the large increase of γ′ after stress relaxation. • Loading for stress relaxation raised γ′ increment due to dislocation multiplication. - Abstract: Inconel X-750 is a Ni-based precipitation-hardened superalloy typically used in springs designed for high-temperature applications such as the hold-down springs in nuclear power plants. γ′ is a major precipitate in X-750 alloys which affects the strength, creep resistance, and stress relaxation properties of the spring. In this study, a solution-treated X-750 wire coiled into a spring was used that was aged at various temperatures and submitted to stress relaxation tests with and without loading. Small angle neutron scattering was employed to quantify the size and volume fraction of γ′ phase in the springs as a function of the aging temperature and the application of a load during stress relaxation. The volume fraction of γ′ precipitates increased in the specimen aged at 732 °C following stress relaxation at 500 °C for 300 h. However, the mean size of the precipitates in the samples was not affected by stress relaxation. The specimen aged at the lower temperature (620 °C) contained a smaller γ′ volume fraction and gained a smaller fraction of γ′ during stress relaxation compared with the sample aged at the higher temperature (732 °C). The smaller increase in the γ′ volume fraction for the sample aged at 620 °C was associated with a larger increase in the M{sub 23}C{sub 6} secondary carbide content during relaxation. The Cr depletion zone around the secondary carbides raises the solubility of γ′ thereby decreasing the volume fraction of γ′ precipitates in Inconel X-750. In terms of stress relaxation, a larger increase in the γ′ volume fraction was

  14. Sexual selection halts the relaxation of protamine 2 among rodents.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lena Lüke

    Full Text Available Sexual selection has been proposed as the driving force promoting the rapid evolutionary changes observed in some reproductive genes including protamines. We test this hypothesis in a group of rodents which show marked differences in the intensity of sexual selection. Levels of sperm competition were not associated with the evolutionary rates of protamine 1 but, contrary to expectations, were negatively related to the evolutionary rate of cleaved- and mature-protamine 2. Since both domains were found to be under relaxation, our findings reveal an unforeseen role of sexual selection: to halt the degree of degeneration that proteins within families may experience due to functional redundancy. The degree of relaxation of protamine 2 in this group of rodents is such that in some species it has become dysfunctional and it is not expressed in mature spermatozoa. In contrast, protamine 1 is functionally conserved but shows directed positive selection on specific sites which are functionally relevant such as DNA-anchoring domains and phosphorylation sites. We conclude that in rodents protamine 2 is under relaxation and that sexual selection removes deleterious mutations among species with high levels of sperm competition to maintain the protein functional and the spermatozoa competitive.

  15. Comparison of Physiological and Psychological Relaxation Using Measurements of Heart Rate Variability, Prefrontal Cortex Activity, and Subjective Indexes after Completing Tasks with and without Foliage Plants.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Park, Sin-Ae; Song, Chorong; Oh, Yun-Ah; Miyazaki, Yoshifumi; Son, Ki-Cheol

    2017-09-20

    The objective of this study was to compare physiological and psychological relaxation by assessing heart rate variability (HRV), prefrontal cortex activity, and subjective indexes while subjects performed a task with and without foliage plants. In a crossover experimental design, 24 university students performed a task transferring pots with and without a foliage plant for 3 min. HRV and oxyhemoglobin (oxy-Hb) concentration in the prefrontal cortex were continuously measured. Immediately thereafter, subjective evaluation of emotions was performed using a modified semantic differential (SD) method and a profile of mood state questionnaire (POMS). Results showed that the natural logarithmic (ln) ratio of low frequency/high frequency, as an estimate of sympathetic nerve activity, was significantly lower while performing the task with foliage plants for the average 3 min measurement interval. Oxy-Hb concentration in the left prefrontal cortex showed a tendency to decrease in the 2-3 min interval in the task with foliage plants compared to the task without plants. Moreover, significant psychological relaxation according to POMS score and SD was demonstrated when the task involved foliage plants. In conclusion, the task involving foliage plants led to more physiological and psychological relaxation compared with the task without foliage plants.

  16. Tension and relaxation in the individual.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Newbury, C R

    1979-06-01

    Increasing materialism in society is resulting in more wide spread nervous tension in all age groups. While some degree of nervous tension is necessary in everyday living, its adverse effects require that we must learn to bring it under control. Total tension is shown to have two components: a controllable element arising from factors in the environment and the inbuilt uncontrollable residue which is basic in the individual temperament. The effects of excessive or uncontrolled stress can be classified as 1) emotional reactions such as neurotic behaviour (anxiety hypochondria, hysteria, phobia, depression obsessions and compulsions) or psychotic behaviour and 2) psychosomatic reactions (nervous asthma, headache, insomnia, heart attack). Nervous energy can be wastefully expended by such factors as loss of temper, wrong attitudes to work, job frustration and marital strains. Relaxation is the only positive way to control undesirable nervous tension and its techniques require to be learned. A number of techniques (progressive relaxation, differential relaxation, hypnosis, the use of biofeedback, Yoga and Transcendental Meditation) are described and their application to dental practice is discussed.

  17. The spin relaxation of nitrogen donors in 6H SiC crystals as studied by the electron spin echo method

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Savchenko, D., E-mail: dariyasavchenko@gmail.com [Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague 182 21 (Czech Republic); National Technical University of Ukraine “Kyiv Polytechnic Institute,” Kyiv 03056 (Ukraine); Shanina, B.; Kalabukhova, E. [V.E. Lashkaryov Institute of Semiconductor Physics, NASU, Kyiv 03028 (Ukraine); Pöppl, A. [Institute of Experimental Physics II, Leipzig University, Leipzig D-04103 (Germany); Lančok, J. [Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague 182 21 (Czech Republic); Mokhov, E. [A.F. Ioffe Physical Technical Institute, RAS, St. Petersburg 194021 (Russian Federation); Saint-Petersburg National Research University of Information Technologies, Mechanics and Optics, St. Petersburg 19710 (Russian Federation)

    2016-04-07

    We present the detailed study of the spin kinetics of the nitrogen (N) donor electrons in 6H SiC wafers grown by the Lely method and by the sublimation “sandwich method” (SSM) with a donor concentration of about 10{sup 17 }cm{sup −3} at T = 10–40 K. The donor electrons of the N donors substituting quasi-cubic “k1” and “k2” sites (N{sub k1,k2}) in both types of the samples revealed the similar temperature dependence of the spin-lattice relaxation rate (T{sub 1}{sup −1}), which was described by the direct one-phonon and two-phonon processes induced by the acoustic phonons proportional to T and to T{sup 9}, respectively. The character of the temperature dependence of the T{sub 1}{sup −1} for the donor electrons of N substituting hexagonal (“h”) site (N{sub h}) in both types of 6H SiC samples indicates that the donor electrons relax through the fast-relaxing centers by means of the cross-relaxation process. The observed enhancement of the phase memory relaxation rate (T{sub m}{sup −1}) with the temperature increase for the N{sub h} donors in both types of the samples, as well as for the N{sub k1,k2} donors in Lely grown 6H SiC, was explained by the growth of the free electron concentration with the temperature increase and their exchange scattering at the N donor centers. The observed significant shortening of the phase memory relaxation time T{sub m} for the N{sub k1,k2} donors in the SSM grown sample with the temperature lowering is caused by hopping motion of the electrons between the occupied and unoccupied states of the N donors at N{sub h} and N{sub k1,k2} sites. The impact of the N donor pairs, triads, distant donor pairs formed in n-type 6H SiC wafers on the spin relaxation times was discussed.

  18. Relaxation oscillations in stimulated Raman scattering

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kachen, G.I.; Lowdermilk, W.H.

    1977-01-01

    Light pulses created by stimulated Raman scattering having been found to exhibit a complex time dependence which resembles relaxation oscillations. A focused laser pulse generated both forward and backward Raman emissions which appeared as a series of pulses with durations much shorter than the incident laser pulse. Time dependence of the Raman emission was observed directly by use of a streak camera. The number of observed pulses increased with the intensity of the incident pulse, while separation of the pulses in time depended on the length of the focal region. Beam focusing was incorporated in the coupled wave equations for stimulated Raman scattering. These rate equations were then solved numerically, and the results are in good qualitative agreement with the experimental observations. The short Raman pulses are created by a process associated with depletion of the incident laser pulse. This process occurs under a broad range of conditions

  19. Paramagnetism and magnetic relaxation in melt-textured grown GdBa2Cu3O6+y

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Qin, M.J.; Fu, X.K.; Ren, H.T.

    1996-01-01

    Magnetic measurements have been performed on a melt-textured grown (MTG) GdBa 2 Cu 3 O 6+y sample. Because of the paramagnetism of the Gd 3+ ions, the magnetization relaxation rate is increased by a factor of 4πχ. The effect of paramagnetism on the U(J) relationship of the sample has also been discussed. At the end, we extraxted the U(J) relationship based on the field sweep rate H, which is in agreement with the one after corrections for paramagnetism. (orig.)

  20. Magnetic relaxation in anisotropic magnets

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lindgård, Per-Anker

    1971-01-01

    The line shape and the kinematic and thermodynamic slowing down of the critical and paramagnetic relaxation in axially anisotropic materials are discussed. Kinematic slowing down occurs only in the longitudinal relaxation function. The thermodynamic slowing down occurs in either the transverse...... or longitudinal relaxation function depending on the sign of the axial anisotropy....

  1. Electron-lattice energy relaxation in laser-excited thin-film Au-insulator heterostructures studied by ultrafast MeV electron diffraction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sokolowski-Tinten, K; Shen, X; Zheng, Q; Chase, T; Coffee, R; Jerman, M; Li, R K; Ligges, M; Makasyuk, I; Mo, M; Reid, A H; Rethfeld, B; Vecchione, T; Weathersby, S P; Dürr, H A; Wang, X J

    2017-09-01

    We apply time-resolved MeV electron diffraction to study the electron-lattice energy relaxation in thin film Au-insulator heterostructures. Through precise measurements of the transient Debye-Waller-factor, the mean-square atomic displacement is directly determined, which allows to quantitatively follow the temporal evolution of the lattice temperature after short pulse laser excitation. Data obtained over an extended range of laser fluences reveal an increased relaxation rate when the film thickness is reduced or the Au-film is capped with an additional insulator top-layer. This behavior is attributed to a cross-interfacial coupling of excited electrons in the Au film to phonons in the adjacent insulator layer(s). Analysis of the data using the two-temperature-model taking explicitly into account the additional energy loss at the interface(s) allows to deduce the relative strength of the two relaxation channels.

  2. Vibrational relaxation dynamics of SD molecules in As2S3: Observation of an anomalous isotope effect

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Engholm, J.R.; Happek, U.; Rella, C.W.

    1995-01-01

    It is generally assumed that the vibrational relaxation of molecular impurities in crystals and glasses mainly depends on the order of the decay process, with lower order processes leading to more rapid relaxation (a behavior that is known under the term open-quotes gap-lawclose quotes). Here we present measurements that contradict this assumption. Using high intensity psec pulses of the Stanford FEL we measured the relaxation rate of the SD vibrational stretch mode (at a frequency of 1800 cm) by applying a pump-probe technique. We find relaxation rates on the order of 2x10 9 sec -1 , which are a factor of 2 lower than those found for the isotope molecule SH (at a frequency of about 2500 cm - 1 ) in the same host 1 . We recall that the relaxation of the SD vibrational stretch mode is controlled by a lower order process as compared to the SH molecule, which is due to the smaller number of host vibrational quanta to match the energy of the stretch mode; a fact we have confirmed experimentally by temperature dependent relaxation measurements. Thus our remits are in marked contrast to the so-called open-quotes Gap-Lawclose quotes and emphasize the importance of the molecule - host coupling in the relaxation dynamics

  3. Spin Relaxation in GaAs: Importance of Electron-Electron Interactions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gionni Marchetti

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available We study spin relaxation in n-type bulk GaAs, due to the Dyakonov–Perel mechanism, using ensemble Monte Carlo methods. Our results confirm that spin relaxation time increases with the electronic density in the regime of moderate electronic concentrations and high temperature. We show that the electron-electron scattering in the non-degenerate regime significantly slows down spin relaxation. This result supports predictions by Glazov and Ivchenko. Most importantly, our findings highlight the importance of many-body interactions for spin dynamics: we show that only by properly taking into account electron-electron interactions within the simulations, results for the spin relaxation time—with respect to both electron density and temperature—will reach good quantitative agreement with corresponding experimental data. Our calculations contain no fitting parameters.

  4. Nuclear magnetic relaxation by the dipolar EMOR mechanism: General theory with applications to two-spin systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chang, Zhiwei; Halle, Bertil

    2016-02-28

    In aqueous systems with immobilized macromolecules, including biological tissue, the longitudinal spin relaxation of water protons is primarily induced by exchange-mediated orientational randomization (EMOR) of intra- and intermolecular magnetic dipole-dipole couplings. We have embarked on a systematic program to develop, from the stochastic Liouville equation, a general and rigorous theory that can describe relaxation by the dipolar EMOR mechanism over the full range of exchange rates, dipole coupling strengths, and Larmor frequencies. Here, we present a general theoretical framework applicable to spin systems of arbitrary size with symmetric or asymmetric exchange. So far, the dipolar EMOR theory is only available for a two-spin system with symmetric exchange. Asymmetric exchange, when the spin system is fragmented by the exchange, introduces new and unexpected phenomena. Notably, the anisotropic dipole couplings of non-exchanging spins break the axial symmetry in spin Liouville space, thereby opening up new relaxation channels in the locally anisotropic sites, including longitudinal-transverse cross relaxation. Such cross-mode relaxation operates only at low fields; at higher fields it becomes nonsecular, leading to an unusual inverted relaxation dispersion that splits the extreme-narrowing regime into two sub-regimes. The general dipolar EMOR theory is illustrated here by a detailed analysis of the asymmetric two-spin case, for which we present relaxation dispersion profiles over a wide range of conditions as well as analytical results for integral relaxation rates and time-dependent spin modes in the zero-field and motional-narrowing regimes. The general theoretical framework presented here will enable a quantitative analysis of frequency-dependent water-proton longitudinal relaxation in model systems with immobilized macromolecules and, ultimately, will provide a rigorous link between relaxation-based magnetic resonance image contrast and molecular parameters.

  5. Optimal rate of power increase in nuclear fuel. Pellet behaviour under dynamic conditions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Karlsson, B.G.

    1976-05-01

    A mathematical model has been worked out for the determination of the optium power escalation rate for nuclear power plants from the view-pint of fuel integrity. The model calculates the stress and strain transients in the pellet-cladding system with rapid power increase. No burnup effects are included due to the short time scale involved. An elastic solution has been transposed to a linear viscoelastic one using the correspondence principle. The cladding has however been treated under the programme assumptions as purely elastic. The fuel material has been assumed to be completely relaxed prior to the power transient. Radial cracking is included. The UO 2 -material distortion has been assumed to be linear viscoelastic, while the dilation is assumed as elastic. The system has been treated assuming plane strain since friction between the pellet and the cladding is large with practical burnsups, and the pellet column can be regarded as infinitely long, compared to the diameter of the pellet. The results of the calculations made show that under the above assumptions the clad stress is independent of the rate of power increase in the pellet. Scince this result is in opposition to general opinion an experimental programme was performed in order to test the results of the model. These results were confirmed. The occurance of clad failures in practice is not determined purely by clad straining. Current thought pays attention to the influence of e.g. stress-corrosion phenomena as significant. The programme reported here pays no attention such-like effects, or the effects of clad creep which could be of considerable significance with local deformations. These later effects are receiving attention in work now being initiated at the Department.(author)

  6. CUSTOM RELAXATION INDUCED IMPURITY PHOTOCONDUCTIVITY IN THE UNITED AII BVI and AIII BV

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    L. B. Atlukhanova

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Two types of non-standard relaxation induced impurity photoconductivity (IIP observed in photoconductors CdS, ZnSe, GaAs and others, depending on the kinetic characteristics of the traps are described. In one case, at the stage of post flashing monotonic decay which is typical for relaxation associated with slow traps (the ratio of the speed of the electron capture to the recombination rate (R << 1, the photo response is experiencing vibrations of low frequency (f =0.03-0.3Hz. Relaxation of the second type characterized by rapid photoelectric traps (R >> 1: measurement alternating signal (f > 20 Hz relaxation curves take the form of curves usual impurity photoconductivity. Electronic processes responsible for relaxation of non-standard IIP are analyzed. For example, fast-centers, which include the characteristic AIIBVI donor Agi0, for the first time in semiconductors experimentally, investigated the dependence of the cross section of electron capture by traps energy released during localization.

  7. Generalized extended Navier-Stokes theory: multiscale spin relaxation in molecular fluids.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hansen, J S

    2013-09-01

    This paper studies the relaxation of the molecular spin angular velocity in the framework of generalized extended Navier-Stokes theory. Using molecular dynamics simulations, it is shown that for uncharged diatomic molecules the relaxation time decreases with increasing molecular moment of inertia per unit mass. In the regime of large moment of inertia the fast relaxation is wave-vector independent and dominated by the coupling between spin and the fluid streaming velocity, whereas for small inertia the relaxation is slow and spin diffusion plays a significant role. The fast wave-vector-independent relaxation is also observed for highly packed systems. The transverse and longitudinal spin modes have, to a good approximation, identical relaxation, indicating that the longitudinal and transverse spin viscosities have same value. The relaxation is also shown to be isomorphic invariant. Finally, the effect of the coupling in the zero frequency and wave-vector limit is quantified by a characteristic length scale; if the system dimension is comparable to this length the coupling must be included into the fluid dynamical description. It is found that the length scale is independent of moment of inertia but dependent on the state point.

  8. 31P and 1H NMR studies of the structure of enzyme-bound substrate complexes of lobster muscle arginine kinase: Relaxation measurements with Mn(II) and Co(II)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jarori, G.K.; Ray, B.D.; Rao, B.D.N.

    1989-01-01

    The paramagnetic effects of Mn(II) and Co(II) on the spin-lattice relaxation rates of 31 P nuclei of ATP and ADP and of Mn(II) on the spin-lattice relaxation rate of the δ protons of arginine bound to arginine kinase from lobster tail muscle have been measured. Temperature variation of 31 P relaxation rates in E-MnADP and E-MnATP yields activation energies (ΔE) in the range 6-10 kcal/mol. Thus, the 31 P relaxation rates in these complexes are exchange limited and cannot provide structural information. However, the relaxation rates in E-CoADP and E-CoATP exhibit frequency dependence and ΔE values in the range 1-2 kcal/mol; i.e., these rates depend upon 31 P-Co(II) distances. These distances were calculated to be in the range 3.2-4.5 angstrom, appropriate for direct coordination between Co(II) and the phosphoryl groups. The paramagnetic effect of Mn(II) on the 1 H spin-lattice relaxation rate of the δ protons of arginine in the E-MnADP-Arg complex was also measured at three frequencies. From the frequency dependence of the relaxation rate an effective τ C of 0.6 ns has also been calculated, which is most likely to be the electron spin relaxation rate (τ S1 ) for Mn(II) in this complex. The distance estimated on the basis of the reciprocal sixth root of the average relaxation rate of the δ protons was 10.9 ± 0.3 angstrom

  9. Nuclear Spin relaxation mediated by Fermi-edge electrons in n-type GaAs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kotur, M.; Dzhioev, R. I.; Kavokin, K. V.; Korenev, V. L.; Namozov, B. R.; Pak, P. E.; Kusrayev, Yu. G.

    2014-03-01

    A method based on the optical orientation technique was developed to measure the nuclear-spin lattice relaxation time T 1 in semiconductors. It was applied to bulk n-type GaAs, where T 1 was measured after switching off the optical excitation in magnetic fields from 400 to 1200 G at low (< 30 K) temperatures. The spin-lattice relaxation of nuclei in the studied sample with n D = 9 × 1016 cm-3 was found to be determined by hyperfine scattering of itinerant electrons (Korringa mechanism) which predicts invariability of T 1 with the change in magnetic field and linear dependence of the relaxation rate on temperature. This result extends the experimentally verified applicability of the Korringa relaxation law in degenerate semiconductors, previously studied in strong magnetic fields (several Tesla), to the moderate field range.

  10. Metastability and relaxation in tensile SiGe on Ge(001) virtual substrates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Frigerio, Jacopo; Lodari, Mario; Chrastina, Daniel; Mondiali, Valeria; Isella, Giovanni; Bollani, Monica

    2014-01-01

    We systematically study the heteroepitaxy of SiGe alloys on Ge virtual substrates in order to understand strain relaxation processes and maximize the tensile strain in the SiGe layer. The degree of relaxation is measured by high-resolution x-ray diffraction, and surface morphology is characterized by atomic force microscopy. The results are analyzed in terms of a numerical model, which considers dislocation nucleation, multiplication, thermally activated glide, and strain-dependent blocking. Relaxation is found to be sensitive to growth rate and substrate temperature as well as epilayer misfit and thickness, and growth parameters are found which allow a SiGe film with over 4 GPa of tensile stress to be obtained.

  11. Measurement of sample temperatures under magic-angle spinning from the chemical shift and spin-lattice relaxation rate of 79Br in KBr powder.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thurber, Kent R; Tycko, Robert

    2009-01-01

    Accurate determination of sample temperatures in solid state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) with magic-angle spinning (MAS) can be problematic, particularly because frictional heating and heating by radio-frequency irradiation can make the internal sample temperature significantly different from the temperature outside the MAS rotor. This paper demonstrates the use of (79)Br chemical shifts and spin-lattice relaxation rates in KBr powder as temperature-dependent parameters for the determination of internal sample temperatures. Advantages of this method include high signal-to-noise, proximity of the (79)Br NMR frequency to that of (13)C, applicability from 20 K to 320 K or higher, and simultaneity with adjustment of the MAS axis direction. We show that spin-lattice relaxation in KBr is driven by a quadrupolar mechanism. We demonstrate a simple approach to including KBr powder in hydrated samples, such as biological membrane samples, hydrated amyloid fibrils, and hydrated microcrystalline proteins, that allows direct assessment of the effects of frictional and radio-frequency heating under experimentally relevant conditions.

  12. Stress relaxation of thermally bowed fuel pins

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Crossland, I.G.; Speight, M.V.

    1983-01-01

    The presence of cross-pin temperature gradients in nuclear reactor fuel pins produces differential thermal expansion which, in turn, causes the fuel pin to bow elastically. If the pin is restrained in any way, such thermal bowing causes the pin to be stressed. At high temperatures these stresses can relax by creep and it is shown here that this causes the pin to suffer an additional permanent deflection, so that when the cross-pin temperature difference is removed the pin remains bowed. By representing the cylindrical pin by an equivalent I-beam, the present work examines this effect when it takes place by secondary creep. Two restraint systems are considered, and it is demonstrated that the rate of relaxation depends mainly upon the creep equation, and hence the temperature, and also the magnitude of the initial stresses. (author)

  13. Non-uniform sampling of NMR relaxation data

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Schwarz-Linnet, Troels; Teilum, Kaare

    2016-01-01

    The use of non-uniform sampling of NMR spectra may give significant reductions in the data acquisition time. For quantitative experiments such as the measurement of spin relaxation rates, non-uniform sampling is however not widely used as inaccuracies in peak intensities may lead to errors...... in the extracted dynamic parameters. By systematic reducing the coverage of the Nyquist grid of (15)N Carr-Purcell-Meiboom-Gill (CPMG) relaxation dispersion datasets for four different proteins and performing a full data analysis of the resulting non-uniform sampled datasets, we have compared the performance...... of the multi-dimensional decomposition and iterative re-weighted least-squares algorithms in reconstructing spectra with accurate peak intensities. As long as a single fully sampled spectrum is included in a series of otherwise non-uniform sampled two-dimensional spectra, multi-dimensional decomposition...

  14. Strain modulations as a mechanism to reduce stress relaxation in laryngeal tissues.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hunter, Eric J; Siegmund, Thomas; Chan, Roger W

    2014-01-01

    Vocal fold tissues in animal and human species undergo deformation processes at several types of loading rates: a slow strain involved in vocal fold posturing (on the order of 1 Hz or so), cyclic and faster posturing often found in speech tasks or vocal embellishment (1-10 Hz), and shear strain associated with vocal fold vibration during phonation (100 Hz and higher). Relevant to these deformation patterns are the viscous properties of laryngeal tissues, which exhibit non-linear stress relaxation and recovery. In the current study, a large strain time-dependent constitutive model of human vocal fold tissue is used to investigate effects of phonatory posturing cyclic strain in the range of 1 Hz to 10 Hz. Tissue data for two subjects are considered and used to contrast the potential effects of age. Results suggest that modulation frequency and extent (amplitude), as well as the amount of vocal fold overall strain, all affect the change in stress relaxation with modulation added. Generally, the vocal fold cover reduces the rate of relaxation while the opposite is true for the vocal ligament. Further, higher modulation frequencies appear to reduce the rate of relaxation, primarily affecting the ligament. The potential benefits of cyclic strain, often found in vibrato (around 5 Hz modulation) and intonational inflection, are discussed in terms of vocal effort and vocal pitch maintenance. Additionally, elderly tissue appears to not exhibit these benefits to modulation. The exacerbating effect such modulations may have on certain voice disorders, such as muscle tension dysphonia, are explored.

  15. Strain modulations as a mechanism to reduce stress relaxation in laryngeal tissues.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eric J Hunter

    Full Text Available Vocal fold tissues in animal and human species undergo deformation processes at several types of loading rates: a slow strain involved in vocal fold posturing (on the order of 1 Hz or so, cyclic and faster posturing often found in speech tasks or vocal embellishment (1-10 Hz, and shear strain associated with vocal fold vibration during phonation (100 Hz and higher. Relevant to these deformation patterns are the viscous properties of laryngeal tissues, which exhibit non-linear stress relaxation and recovery. In the current study, a large strain time-dependent constitutive model of human vocal fold tissue is used to investigate effects of phonatory posturing cyclic strain in the range of 1 Hz to 10 Hz. Tissue data for two subjects are considered and used to contrast the potential effects of age. Results suggest that modulation frequency and extent (amplitude, as well as the amount of vocal fold overall strain, all affect the change in stress relaxation with modulation added. Generally, the vocal fold cover reduces the rate of relaxation while the opposite is true for the vocal ligament. Further, higher modulation frequencies appear to reduce the rate of relaxation, primarily affecting the ligament. The potential benefits of cyclic strain, often found in vibrato (around 5 Hz modulation and intonational inflection, are discussed in terms of vocal effort and vocal pitch maintenance. Additionally, elderly tissue appears to not exhibit these benefits to modulation. The exacerbating effect such modulations may have on certain voice disorders, such as muscle tension dysphonia, are explored.

  16. Relaxation System

    Science.gov (United States)

    1987-01-01

    Environ Corporation's relaxation system is built around a body lounge, a kind of super easy chair that incorporates sensory devices. Computer controlled enclosure provides filtered ionized air to create a feeling of invigoration, enhanced by mood changing aromas. Occupant is also surrounded by multidimensional audio and the lighting is programmed to change colors, patterns, and intensity periodically. These and other sensory stimulators are designed to provide an environment in which the learning process is stimulated, because research has proven that while an individual is in a deep state of relaxation, the mind is more receptive to new information.

  17. Rouse mode analysis of chain relaxation in polymer nanocomposites.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kalathi, Jagannathan T; Kumar, Sanat K; Rubinstein, Michael; Grest, Gary S

    2015-05-28

    Large-scale molecular dynamics simulations are used to study the internal relaxations of chains in nanoparticle (NP)/polymer composites. We examine the Rouse modes of the chains, a quantity that is closest in spirit to the self-intermediate scattering function, typically determined in an (incoherent) inelastic neutron scattering experiment. Our simulations show that for weakly interacting mixtures of NPs and polymers, the effective monomeric relaxation rates are faster than in a neat melt when the NPs are smaller than the entanglement mesh size. In this case, the NPs serve to reduce both the monomeric friction and the entanglements in the polymer melt, as in the case of a polymer-solvent system. However, for NPs larger than half the entanglement mesh size, the effective monomer relaxation is essentially unaffected for low NP concentrations. Even in this case, we observe a strong reduction in chain entanglements for larger NP loadings. Thus, the role of NPs is to always reduce the number of entanglements, with this effect only becoming pronounced for small NPs or for high concentrations of large NPs. Our studies of the relaxation of single chains resonate with recent neutron spin echo (NSE) experiments, which deduce a similar entanglement dilution effect.

  18. A novel three-dimensional mesh deformation method based on sphere relaxation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhou, Xuan; Li, Shuixiang

    2015-01-01

    In our previous work (2013) [19], we developed a disk relaxation based mesh deformation method for two-dimensional mesh deformation. In this paper, the idea of the disk relaxation is extended to the sphere relaxation for three-dimensional meshes with large deformations. We develop a node based pre-displacement procedure to apply initial movements on nodes according to their layer indices. Afterwards, the nodes are moved locally by the improved sphere relaxation algorithm to transfer boundary deformations and increase the mesh quality. A three-dimensional mesh smoothing method is also adopted to prevent the occurrence of the negative volume of elements, and further improve the mesh quality. Numerical applications in three-dimension including the wing rotation, bending beam and morphing aircraft are carried out. The results demonstrate that the sphere relaxation based approach generates the deformed mesh with high quality, especially regarding complex boundaries and large deformations

  19. A novel three-dimensional mesh deformation method based on sphere relaxation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhou, Xuan [Department of Mechanics & Engineering Science, College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, 100871 (China); Institute of Applied Physics and Computational Mathematics, Beijing, 100094 (China); Li, Shuixiang, E-mail: lsx@pku.edu.cn [Department of Mechanics & Engineering Science, College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, 100871 (China)

    2015-10-01

    In our previous work (2013) [19], we developed a disk relaxation based mesh deformation method for two-dimensional mesh deformation. In this paper, the idea of the disk relaxation is extended to the sphere relaxation for three-dimensional meshes with large deformations. We develop a node based pre-displacement procedure to apply initial movements on nodes according to their layer indices. Afterwards, the nodes are moved locally by the improved sphere relaxation algorithm to transfer boundary deformations and increase the mesh quality. A three-dimensional mesh smoothing method is also adopted to prevent the occurrence of the negative volume of elements, and further improve the mesh quality. Numerical applications in three-dimension including the wing rotation, bending beam and morphing aircraft are carried out. The results demonstrate that the sphere relaxation based approach generates the deformed mesh with high quality, especially regarding complex boundaries and large deformations.

  20. pH-Dependent Regulation of the Relaxation Rate of the Radical Anion of the Secondary Quinone Electron Acceptor QB in Photosystem II As Revealed by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nozawa, Yosuke; Noguchi, Takumi

    2018-05-15

    Photosystem II (PSII) is a protein complex that performs water oxidation using light energy during photosynthesis. In PSII, electrons abstracted from water are eventually transferred to the secondary quinone electron acceptor, Q B , and upon double reduction, Q B is converted to quinol by binding two protons. Thus, excess electron transfer in PSII increases the pH of the stroma. In this study, to investigate the pH-dependent regulation of the electron flow in PSII, we have estimated the relaxation rate of the Q B - radical anion in the pH region between 5 and 8 by direct monitoring of its population using light-induced Fourier transform infrared difference spectroscopy. The decay of Q B - by charge recombination with the S 2 state of the water oxidation center in PSII membranes was shown to be accelerated at higher pH, whereas that of Q A - examined in the presence of a herbicide was virtually unaffected at pH ≤7.5 and slightly slowed at pH 8. These observations were consistent with the previous studies that included rather indirect monitoring of the Q B - and Q A - decays using fluorescence detection. The accelerated relaxation of Q B - was explained by the shift of a redox equilibrium between Q A - and Q B - to the Q A - side due to the decrease in the redox potential of Q B at higher pH, which is induced by deprotonation of a single amino acid residue near Q B . It is proposed that this pH-dependent Q B - relaxation is one of the mechanisms of electron flow regulation in PSII for its photoprotection.

  1. Cross-relaxation solid state lasers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Antipenko, B.M.

    1989-01-01

    Cross-relaxation functional diagrams provide a high quantum efficiency for pumping bands of solid state laser media and a low waste heat. A large number of the cross-relaxation mechanisms for decay rare earth excited states in crystals have been investigated. These investigations have been a starting-point for development of the cross-relaxation solid state lasers. For example, the cross-relaxation interactions, have been used for the laser action development of LiYF 4 :Gd-Tb. These interactions are important elements of the functional diagrams of the 2 μm Ho-doped media sensitized with Er and Tm and the 3 μm Er-doped media. Recently, new efficient 2 μm laser media with cross-relaxation pumping diagrams have been developed. Physical aspects of these media are the subject of this paper. A new concept of the Er-doped medium, sensitized with Yb, is illustrated

  2. Relaxation process of coherent transients in the presence of an adjacent strongly driven transition

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Feng Xiaomin; Yang Lijun; Li Xiaoli; Zhang Lianshui; Han Li; Guo Qinglin; Fu Guangsheng

    2007-01-01

    Coherent transient occurs when a two-level transition is subjected to pulsed laser excitation. The relaxation process of coherent transient depends on both the longitudinal and transverse relaxation parameters of the two-level transition, which is related to the population and coherence decay rates. In this paper we study relaxation process of a new type coherent transients observed by applying a pulsed laser excitation to a two-level transition in the presence of a second strong continuous-wave (cw) coherent field coupling one of the two levels to a third level, that is, in a three-level double-resonance configuration. The relaxation process of coherent transients is studied as a function of relaxation parameters of both the two-level transition excited by the pulsed laser field and the transition coupled by the cw laser field. It is shown that by involving a third level with coherent field the relaxation process of coherent transients of a two-level transition can be modified. Our study illustrates a new way of controlling relaxation process of coherent transients in a two-level transition by a second coherent laser and this has important implication for quantum information storage and quantum computing

  3. Properties of the manganese(II) binding site in ternary complexes of Mnter dot ADP and Mnter dot ATP with chloroplast coupling factor 1: Magnetic field dependence of solvent sup 1 H and sup 2 H NMR relaxation rates

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Haddy, A.E.; Frasch, W.D.; Sharp, R.R. (Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor (USA))

    1989-05-02

    The influence of the binding of ADP and ATP on the high-affinity Mn(II) binding site of chloroplast coupling factor 1 (CF{sub 1}) was studied by analysis of field-dependent solvent proton and deuteron spin-lattice relaxation data. In order to characterize metal-nucleotide complexes of CF{sub 1} under conditions similar to those of the NMR experiments, the enzyme was analyzed for bound nucleotides and Mn(II) after incubation with AdN and MnCl{sub 2} and removal of labile ligands by extensive gel filtration chromatography. In the field-dependent NMR experiments, the Mn(II) binding site of CF{sub 1} was studied for three mole ratios of added Mn(II) to CF{sub 1}, 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5, in the presence of an excess of either ADP or ATP. The results were extrapolated to zero Mn(II) concentration to characterize the environment of the first Mn(II) binding site of Cf{sub 1}. In the presence of both adenine nucleotides, pronounced changes in the Mn(II) environment relative to that in Mn(II)-CF{sub 1} were evident; the local relaxation rate maxima were more pronounced and shifted to higher field strengths, and the relaxation rate per bound Mn(II) increased at all field strengths. Analysis of the data revealed that the number of exchangeable water molecules liganded to bound Mn(II) increased from one in the binary Mn(II)-CF{sub 1} complex to three and two in the ternary Mn(II)-ADP-CF{sub 1} and Mn(II)-ATP-CF{sub 1} complexes, respectively; these results suggest that a water ligand to bound Mn(II) in the Mn(II)-ADP-CF{sub 1} complex is replaced by the {gamma}-phosphate of ATP in the Mn(II)-ATP-CF{sub 1} complex. A binding model is presented to account for these observations.

  4. Mechanics of arterial subfailure with increasing loading rate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stemper, Brian D; Yoganandan, Narayan; Pintar, Frank A

    2007-01-01

    Arterial subfailure leads to delayed symptomatology and high morbidity and mortality rates, particularly for the thoracic aorta and carotid arteries. Although arterial injuries occur during high-velocity automotive collisions, previous studies of arterial subfailure focused on quasi-static loading. This investigation subjected aortic segments to increasing loading rates to quantify effects on elastic, subfailure, and ultimate vessel mechanics. Sixty-two specimens were axially distracted, and 92% demonstrated subfailure before ultimate failure. With increasing loading rate, stress at initial subfailure and ultimate failure significantly increased, and strain at initial subfailure and ultimate failure significantly decreased. Present results indicate increased susceptibility for arterial subfailure and/or dissection under higher-rate extension. According to the present results, automotive occupants are at greater risk of arterial injury under higher velocity impacts due to greater body segment motions in addition to decreased strain tolerance to subfailure and catastrophic failure.

  5. Spin-relaxation time in the impurity band of wurtzite semiconductors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tamborenea, Pablo I.; Wellens, Thomas; Weinmann, Dietmar; Jalabert, Rodolfo A.

    2017-09-01

    The spin-relaxation time for electrons in the impurity band of semiconductors with wurtzite crystal structure is determined. The effective Dresselhaus spin-orbit interaction Hamiltonian is taken as the source of the spin relaxation at low temperature and for doping densities corresponding to the metallic side of the metal-insulator transition. The spin-flip hopping matrix elements between impurity states are calculated and used to set up a tight-binding Hamiltonian that incorporates the symmetries of wurtzite semiconductors. The spin-relaxation time is obtained from a semiclassical model of spin diffusion, as well as from a microscopic self-consistent diagrammatic theory of spin and charge diffusion in doped semiconductors. Estimates are provided for particularly important materials. The theoretical spin-relaxation times compare favorably with the corresponding low-temperature measurements in GaN and ZnO. For InN and AlN we predict that tuning of the spin-orbit coupling constant induced by an external potential leads to a potentially dramatic increase of the spin-relaxation time related to the mechanism under study.

  6. The relaxation time approximation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gairola, R.P.; Indu, B.D.

    1991-01-01

    A plausible approximation has been made to estimate the relaxation time from a knowledge of the transition probability of phonons from one state (r vector, q vector) to other state (r' vector, q' vector), as a result of collision. The relaxation time, thus obtained, shows a strong dependence on temperature and weak dependence on the wave vector. In view of this dependence, relaxation time has been expressed in terms of a temperature Taylor's series in the first Brillouin zone. Consequently, a simple model for estimating the thermal conductivity is suggested. the calculations become much easier than the Callaway model. (author). 14 refs

  7. Stress relaxation in solution-annealed and 20% cold-worked Type 316 stainless steel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Thomas, J.F. Jr.; Yaggee, F.L.

    1975-01-01

    Relaxation experiments were conducted at room temperature and various levels of tensile plastic strain. The data for both solution-annealed (SA) and 20 percent cold-worked (CW) material can be presented in terms of a single family of nonintersecting hardness curves. Although the hardness curves for SA can be reduced to a master curve, those for CW fail to fit this master curve at strain rates below 5 x 10 -6 s -1 . The slope of the hardness scaling relation increases with plastic deformation. (DLC)

  8. Sawtooth oscillations as MHD relaxation process in a plasma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yoshida, Zensho; Inoue, Nobuyuki; Ogawa, Yuichi

    1992-01-01

    The sawtooth oscillation in a tokamak plasma is a spontaneous relaxation process accompanying global instabilities which behave to reduce the internal magnetic energy. This phenomenon has a similarity to the MHD relaxation processes in Reversed Field Pinch (RFP) and Ultra Low Q (ULQ) plasmas. The self-stabilizing effect of instabilities with m (poloidal mode number) = 1 results in an increase in the central safety factor q(0). Nonlinear dynamics of m = 1 instabilities has been discussed both for global and local modes. The latter appears when a pitch minimum exists in the plasma, and is relevant to the compound sawtooth oscillation. The MHD relaxation is a restructuring process of the plasma current profile that is competitive with the resistive diffusion. (author)

  9. Electron-phonon relaxation and excited electron distribution in gallium nitride

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhukov, V. P. [Institute of Solid State Chemistry, Urals Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Pervomayskaya st. 91, Yekaterinburg (Russian Federation); Donostia International Physics Center (DIPC), P. Manuel de Lardizabal 4, 20018 San Sebastian (Spain); Tyuterev, V. G., E-mail: valtyut00@mail.ru [Donostia International Physics Center (DIPC), P. Manuel de Lardizabal 4, 20018 San Sebastian (Spain); Tomsk State Pedagogical University, Kievskaya st. 60, Tomsk (Russian Federation); Tomsk State University, Lenin st. 36, Tomsk (Russian Federation); Chulkov, E. V. [Donostia International Physics Center (DIPC), P. Manuel de Lardizabal 4, 20018 San Sebastian (Spain); Tomsk State University, Lenin st. 36, Tomsk (Russian Federation); Departamento de Fisica de Materiales, Facultad de Ciencias Qumicas, UPV/EHU and Centro de Fisica de Materiales CFM-MPC and Centro Mixto CSIC-UPV/EHU, Apdo. 1072, 20080 San Sebastian (Spain); Echenique, P. M. [Donostia International Physics Center (DIPC), P. Manuel de Lardizabal 4, 20018 San Sebastian (Spain); Departamento de Fisica de Materiales, Facultad de Ciencias Qumicas, UPV/EHU and Centro de Fisica de Materiales CFM-MPC and Centro Mixto CSIC-UPV/EHU, Apdo. 1072, 20080 San Sebastian (Spain)

    2016-08-28

    We develop a theory of energy relaxation in semiconductors and insulators highly excited by the long-acting external irradiation. We derive the equation for the non-equilibrium distribution function of excited electrons. The solution for this function breaks up into the sum of two contributions. The low-energy contribution is concentrated in a narrow range near the bottom of the conduction band. It has the typical form of a Fermi distribution with an effective temperature and chemical potential. The effective temperature and chemical potential in this low-energy term are determined by the intensity of carriers' generation, the speed of electron-phonon relaxation, rates of inter-band recombination, and electron capture on the defects. In addition, there is a substantial high-energy correction. This high-energy “tail” largely covers the conduction band. The shape of the high-energy “tail” strongly depends on the rate of electron-phonon relaxation but does not depend on the rates of recombination and trapping. We apply the theory to the calculation of a non-equilibrium distribution of electrons in an irradiated GaN. Probabilities of optical excitations from the valence to conduction band and electron-phonon coupling probabilities in GaN were calculated by the density functional perturbation theory. Our calculation of both parts of distribution function in gallium nitride shows that when the speed of the electron-phonon scattering is comparable with the rate of recombination and trapping then the contribution of the non-Fermi “tail” is comparable with that of the low-energy Fermi-like component. So the high-energy contribution can essentially affect the charge transport in the irradiated and highly doped semiconductors.

  10. The effect of peri-implantation administration of uterine relaxing agents in assisted reproduction treatment cycles: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khairy, Mohammed; Dhillon, Rima K; Chu, Justin; Rajkhowa, Madhurima; Coomarasamy, Arri

    2016-04-01

    Sub-endometrial junctional zone peristalsis is increased by ovarian stimulation and traumatic embryo transfer, and is linked with decreased implantation and pregnancy rates in assisted reproduction treatments. Various agents have been used to inhibit uterine hyper-peristalsis at the time of embryo transfer with conflicting results. This systematic review aimed to identify if uterine relaxants administered in the peri-implantation period during assisted reproduction treatments could improve pregnancy outcomes through literature search with no language restrictions. The review reports on 3546 patients in 17 randomized controlled trials published between 1993 and 2014. Women undergoing assisted reproduction techniques who either received a uterine relaxant agent in the peri-implantation period versus placebo or no treatment were included. Primary outcome was live birth rate. The meta-analyses did not show statistically significant benefit of any uterine relaxing agents on live birth rate. Other meta-analyses did not show a significant effect on the clinical pregnancy, spontaneous abortion, ectopic pregnancy and multiple pregnancy rate. Most of the included studies were of low quality and lacked significant power to detect minimally important effect. Evidence is insufficient to recommend using these agents in routine practice. Further methodologically robust randomized controlled trials with more refined selection criteria might reveal a beneficial effect. Copyright © 2016 Reproductive Healthcare Ltd. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Comparison of Physiological and Psychological Relaxation Using Measurements of Heart Rate Variability, Prefrontal Cortex Activity, and Subjective Indexes after Completing Tasks with and without Foliage Plants

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sin-Ae Park

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available The objective of this study was to compare physiological and psychological relaxation by assessing heart rate variability (HRV, prefrontal cortex activity, and subjective indexes while subjects performed a task with and without foliage plants. In a crossover experimental design, 24 university students performed a task transferring pots with and without a foliage plant for 3 min. HRV and oxyhemoglobin (oxy-Hb concentration in the prefrontal cortex were continuously measured. Immediately thereafter, subjective evaluation of emotions was performed using a modified semantic differential (SD method and a profile of mood state questionnaire (POMS. Results showed that the natural logarithmic (ln ratio of low frequency/high frequency, as an estimate of sympathetic nerve activity, was significantly lower while performing the task with foliage plants for the average 3 min measurement interval. Oxy-Hb concentration in the left prefrontal cortex showed a tendency to decrease in the 2–3 min interval in the task with foliage plants compared to the task without plants. Moreover, significant psychological relaxation according to POMS score and SD was demonstrated when the task involved foliage plants. In conclusion, the task involving foliage plants led to more physiological and psychological relaxation compared with the task without foliage plants.

  12. Relaxation Dynamics of the Glass Transition in PMMA+SWCNT Composites by Temperature-Modulated DSC

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pradhan, Nihar; Iannacchione, Germano

    2010-03-01

    Temperature Modulated Differential Scanning Calorimeter (TMDSC) used to investigate the thermal relaxation dynamics of PMMA-Single wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) through the glass transition as a function of frequency. A strong dependence of the temperature dependence peak in imaginary part of complex heat capacity (Tmax) was found during the transition from glass like to liquid like region and can be described by Arhenius law. The activation energy shows increases while the charactersistic time decreases with increasing mass fraction (φm) of SWCNTs. Decreasing of enthalpy, while heating and slowly increasing while cooling at 2.0 K/min scan rate was observed and as frequency of temperature modulation increases. There is no relative change of enthalpy in heating and cooling observed at sufficiently slow scan rate. The glass transition temperature (Tg) shows increases as a function of frequency of temperature modulation, φm of SWCNTs and with increasing scan rate. From imaginary part of heat capacity, it obvious that Tmax is not the actual glass transition temperature of pure polymer but Tmax and Tg values can be superimpose when φm of SWCNT increases in polymer.

  13. Stress relaxation of bi-disperse polystyrene melts

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hengeller, Ludovica; Huang, Qian; Dorokhin, Andriy

    2016-01-01

    We present start-up of uniaxial extension followed by stress relaxation experiments of a bi-disperse 50 % by weight blend of 95k and 545k molecular weight polystyrene. We also show, for comparison, stress relaxation measurements of the polystyrene melts with molecular weight 95k and 545k, which...... are the components of the bi-disperse melt. The measurements show three separated relaxation regimes: a fast regime, a transition regime, and a slow regime. In the fast regime, the orientation of the long chains is frozen and the stress relaxation is due to stretch relaxation of the short chains primarily....... Conversely in the slow regime, the long chains have retracted and undergo relaxation of orientation in fully relaxed short chains....

  14. Correlation between supercooled liquid relaxation and glass poisson’s ratio

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sun, Q.J.; Hu, L.N.; Zhou, C.

    2015-01-01

    in the ratio r and this relation can be described by the empirical function v = 0.5 − A ∗ exp(−B ∗ r), where A and B are constants. This correlation might imply that glass plasticity is associated with the competition between the α and the slow β relaxations in SLs. The underlying physics of this correlation......We report on a correlation between the supercooled liquid (SL) relaxation and glass Poisson’s ratio (v) by comparing the activation energy ratio (r) of the α and the slow β relaxations and the v values for both metallic and nonmetallic glasses. Poisson’s ratio v generally increases with an increase...... lies in the heredity of the structural heterogeneity from liquid to glass. This work gives insights into both the microscopic mechanism of glass deformation through the SL dynamics and the complex structural evolution during liquid-glass transition....

  15. Conductivity peak, relaxation dynamics, and superconducting gap of YBa2Cu3O7 studied by terahertz and femtosecond optical spectroscopies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Frenkel, A.; Gao, F.; Liu, Y.; Whitaker, J.F.; Uher, C.; Hou, S.Y.; Phillips, J.M.

    1996-01-01

    Recent measurements at microwave, terahertz (THz), and infrared frequencies have revealed a peak in σ 1 below T c . Based on our THz measurements, which were performed on high quality, single crystal films of YBCO (900 and 500 A), we have found that σ 1 features a peak which increases in amplitude and shifts to lower temperatures as frequency changes from 1.2 to 0.4 THz. Although the quasiparticle relaxation time extracted from these results using the two-fluid Drude model exhibits an enhancement below T c , the analysis may not be adequate to account for the strong frequency dependence of the conductivity peak by the competition between the drop in scattering rate and the decreasing normal fluid density with temperature. On the contrary, we were able to account for the frequency dependent σ 1 by fitting with Mattis-Bardeen theory (modified to include scattering) using a slower average rate of increase of the anisotropic gap than for the BCS case as temperature decreases below T c . This is consistent with the higher normal fluid density (higher than Gorter-Casimir values) from the two-fluid model interpretation of our THz results. Thus, we have found evidence of BCS coherence factors in a high-T c superconductor with a slower than BCS gap increase below T c . We have discussed the role of coherence factors to account for the presence of the conductivity peak and the absence of the peak in NMR relaxation rate. Furthermore, we have presented a model for the quasiparticle relaxation time measured by the femtosecond pump-probe spectroscopy. This model allowed us to find a fit to the temperature-dependent energy gap function which is also consistent with the slower gap increase below T c

  16. Energy relaxation between low lying tunnel split spin-states of the single molecule magnet Ni4

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Loubens, G.; Chaves-O'Flynn, G. D.; Kent, A. D.; Ramsey, C.; Del Barco, E.; Beedle, C.; Hendrickson, D. N.

    2007-03-01

    We have developed integrated magnetic sensors to study quantum tunneling of magnetization (QTM) in single molecule magnet (SMMs) single crystals. These sensors incorporate a microstrip resonator (30 GHz) and a micro-Hall effect magnetometer. They have been used to investigate the relaxation rates between the 2 lowest lying tunnel split spin-states of the SMM Ni4 (S=4). EPR spectroscopy at 30 GHz and 0.4 K and concurrent magnetization measurements of several Ni4 single crystals are presented. EPR enables measurement of the energy splitting between the 2 lowest lying superposition states as a function of the longitudinal and transverse fields. The energy relaxation rate is determined in two ways. First, in cw microwave experiments the change in spin-population together with the microwave absorption directly gives the relaxation time from energy conservation in steady-state. Second, direct time-resolved measurements of the magnetization with pulsed microwave radiation have been performed. The relaxation time is found to vary by several orders of magnitude in different crystals, from a few seconds down to smaller than 100 μs. We discuss this and the form of the relaxation found for different crystals and pulse conditions.

  17. Medicaid Waivers and Public Sector Mental Health Service Penetration Rates for Youth.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Graaf, Genevieve; Snowden, Lonnie

    2018-01-22

    To assist families of youth with serious emotional disturbance in financing youth's comprehensive care, some states have sought and received Medicaid waivers. Medicaid waivers waive or relax the Medicaid means test for eligibility to provide insurance coverage to nonpoor families for expensive, otherwise out-of-reach treatment for youth with Serious Emotional Disturbance (SED). Waivers promote treatment access for the most troubled youth, and the present study investigated whether any of several Medicaid waiver options-and those that completely omit the means test in particular-are associated with higher state-wide public sector treatment penetration rates. The investigators obtained data from the U.S. Census, SAMHSA's Uniform Reporting System, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Analysis employed random intercept and random slope linear regression models, controlling for a variety of state demographic and fiscal variables, to determine whether a relationship between Medicaid waiver policies and state-level public sector penetration rates could be observed. Findings indicate that, whether relaxing or completely waiving Medicaid's qualifying income limits, waivers increase public sector penetration rates, particularly for youth under age 17. However, completely waiving Medicaid income limits did not uniquely contribute to penetration rate increases. States offering Medicaid waivers that either relax or completely waive Medicaid's means test to qualify for health coverage present higher public sector treatment rates for youth with behavioral health care needs. There is no evidence that restricting the program to waiving the means test for accessing Medicaid would increase treatment access. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

  18. Harsh corporal punishment is associated with increased T2 relaxation time in dopamine-rich regions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sheu, Yi-Shin; Polcari, Ann; Anderson, Carl M; Teicher, Martin H

    2010-11-01

    Harsh corporal punishment (HCP) was defined as frequent parental administration of corporal punishment (CP) for discipline, with occasional use of objects such as straps, or paddles. CP is linked to increased risk for depression and substance abuse. We examine whether long-term exposure to HCP acts as sub-traumatic stressor that contributes to brain alterations, particularly in dopaminergic pathways, which may mediate their increased vulnerability to drug and alcohol abuse. Nineteen young adults who experienced early HCP but no other forms of maltreatment and twenty-three comparable controls were studied. T2 relaxation time (T2-RT) measurements were performed with an echo planar imaging TE stepping technique and T2 maps were calculated and analyzed voxel-by-voxel to locate regional T2-RT differences between groups. Previous studies indicated that T2-RT provides an indirect index of resting cerebral blood volume. Region of interest (ROI) analyses were also conducted in caudate, putamen, nucleus accumbens, anterior cingulate cortex, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, thalamus, globus pallidus and cerebellar hemispheres. Voxel-based relaxometry showed that HCP was associated with increased T2-RT in right caudate and putamen. ROI analyses also revealed increased T2-RT in dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, substantia nigra, thalamus and accumbens but not globus pallidus or cerebellum. There were significant associations between T2-RT measures in dopamine target regions and use of drugs and alcohol, and memory performance. Alteration in the paramagnetic or hemodynamic properties of dopaminergic cell body and projection regions were observed in subjects with HCP, and these findings may relate to their increased risk for drug and alcohol abuse. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  19. Non-equilibrium relaxation in a stochastic lattice Lotka-Volterra model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Sheng; Täuber, Uwe C.

    2016-04-01

    We employ Monte Carlo simulations to study a stochastic Lotka-Volterra model on a two-dimensional square lattice with periodic boundary conditions. If the (local) prey carrying capacity is finite, there exists an extinction threshold for the predator population that separates a stable active two-species coexistence phase from an inactive state wherein only prey survive. Holding all other rates fixed, we investigate the non-equilibrium relaxation of the predator density in the vicinity of the critical predation rate. As expected, we observe critical slowing-down, i.e., a power law dependence of the relaxation time on the predation rate, and algebraic decay of the predator density at the extinction critical point. The numerically determined critical exponents are in accord with the established values of the directed percolation universality class. Following a sudden predation rate change to its critical value, one finds critical aging for the predator density autocorrelation function that is also governed by universal scaling exponents. This aging scaling signature of the active-to-absorbing state phase transition emerges at significantly earlier times than the stationary critical power laws, and could thus serve as an advanced indicator of the (predator) population’s proximity to its extinction threshold.

  20. Relaxation techniques for pain management in labour.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, Caroline A; Levett, Kate M; Collins, Carmel T; Armour, Mike; Dahlen, Hannah G; Suganuma, Machiko

    2018-03-28

    birth, and caesarean section were not reported under this comparison.MusicWhen comparing music to control interventions there was evidence of lower pain intensity in the latent phase for women receiving music (measured on a scale of 0 to 10 with low scores indicating less pain) (MD -0.73, 95% CI -1.01 to -0.45, random-effects analysis, two trials, 192 women) and very low-quality evidence of no clear benefit in the active phase (MD -0.51, 95% CI -1.10 to 0.07, three trials, 217 women). Very low-quality evidence suggested no clear benefit in terms of reducing assisted vaginal birth (RR 0.41, 95% CI 0.08 to 2.05, one trial, 156 women) or caesarean section rate (RR 0.78, 95% CI 0.36 to 1.70, two trials, 216 women). Satisfaction with pain relief, sense of control in labour, satisfaction with childbirth experience, and breastfeeding were not reported under this comparison.Audio analgesiaOne trial evaluating audio analgesia versus control only reported one outcome and showed no evidence of benefit in satisfaction with pain relief.MindfulnessOne trial evaluating mindfulness versus usual care found an increase in sense of control for the mindfulness group (using the Childbirth Self-Efficacy Inventory) (MD 31.30, 95% CI 1.61 to 60.99, 26 women). There is no strong evidence that the effects were any different between groups for satisfaction in childbirth, or for caesarean section rate, need for assisted vaginal delivery or need for pharmacological pain relief. No other outcomes were reported in this trial. Relaxation, yoga and music may have a role with reducing pain, and increasing satisfaction with pain relief, although the quality of evidence varies between very low to low. There was insufficient evidence for the role of mindfulness and audio-analgesia. The majority of trials did not report on the safety of the interventions. Further randomised controlled trials of relaxation modalities for pain management in labour are needed. Trials should be adequately powered and include

  1. Anomalous enthalpy relaxation in vitreous silica

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Yue, Yuanzheng

    2015-01-01

    scans. It is known that the liquid fragility (i.e., the speed of the viscous slow-down of a supercooled liquid at its Tg during cooling) has impact on enthalpy relaxation in glass. Here, we find that vitreous silica (as a strong system) exhibits striking anomalies in both glass transition and enthalpy...... relaxation compared to fragile oxide systems. The anomalous enthalpy relaxation of vitreous silica is discovered by performing the hyperquenching-annealing-calorimetry experiments. We argue that the strong systems like vitreous silica and vitreous Germania relax in a structurally cooperative manner, whereas...... the fragile ones do in a structurally independent fashion. We discuss the origin of the anomalous enthalpy relaxation in the HQ vitreous silica....

  2. Dynamics of the α-relaxation in glass-forming polymers. Study by neutron scattering and relaxation techniques

    Science.gov (United States)

    Colmenero, J.

    1993-12-01

    The dynamics of the α-relaxation in three different polymeric systems, poly(vinyl methyl ether) (PVME), poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) and poly(bisphenol A, 2-hydroxypropylether) (PH) has been studied by means of relaxation techniques and quasielastic neutron scattering (backscattering spectrometers IN10 and IN13 at the ILL-Grenoble). By using these techniques we have covered a wide time scale ranging from mesoscopic to macroscopic times (10 -10 -10 1 s). For analyzing the experimental data we have developed a phenomenological procedure in the frequency domain based on the Havriliak-Negami relaxation function, which in fact implies a Kohlrausch-Williams-Watts relaxation function in the time domain. The results obtained indicate that the dynamics of the α-relaxation in a wide time scale shows a clear non-Debye behaviour. The shape of the relaxation functions is found to be similar for the different techniques used and independent of temperature and momentum transfer ( Q). Moreover, the characteristic relaxation times deduced from the fitting of the experimental data can also be described using only one Vogel-Fulcher functional form. Besides we found that the Q-dependence of the relaxation times obtained by QENS is given by a power law, τ( Q) ∞ Q- n ( n>2), n being dependent on the system, and that the Q-behaviour and the non-Debye behaviour are directly correlated. In the case of PVC, time of flight (TOF) neutron scattering experiments confirm these results in a shorter time scale (2×10 -11 -2× 10 -12 s). Moreover, TOF results also suggest the possibility of interpreting the “fast process” usually detected in glass-forming systems as a Debye-like short regime of the α-relaxation.

  3. The relationships between suggestibility, influenceability, and relaxability.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Polczyk, Romuald; Frey, Olga; Szpitalak, Malwina

    2013-01-01

    This research explores the relationships between relaxability and various aspects of suggestibility and influenceability. The Jacobson Progressive Muscle Relaxation procedure was used to induce relaxation. Tests of direct suggestibility, relating to the susceptibility of overt suggestions, and indirect suggestibility, referring to indirect hidden influence, as well as self-description questionnaires on suggestibility and the tendency to comply were used. Thayer's Activation-Deactivation Adjective Check List, measuring various kinds of activation and used as a pre- and posttest, determined the efficacy of the relaxation procedure. Indirect, direct, and self-measured suggestibility proved to be positively related to the ability to relax, measured by Thayer's subscales relating to emotions. Compliance was not related to relaxability. The results are discussed in terms of the aspects of relaxation training connected with suggestibility.

  4. Rate of hydrogen motion in Ni-substituted LaNi5Hx from NMR

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mendenhall, Michael P.; Bowman, Robert C.; Ivancic, Timothy M.; Conradi, Mark S.

    2007-01-01

    Partial substitution of Sn, Ge, or Si for Ni in LaNi 5 H x greatly enhances the stability under repeated hydrogen-cycling. Proton NMR relaxation measurements are reported here to determine the rates of H hopping in the substituted metals LaNi 4.6 M 0.4 H x with M = Sn, Ge, and Si, for comparison to bare LaNi 5 H x . The relaxation times T 2 * (FID), T 2 (Hahn echo), T 2 -CPMG, T 1 , and T 1ρ were determined from 130 to 375 K. The three substituents result in only small increases in the average rate of motion at a given temperature but with a broader distribution of rates over the many inequivalent H sites and hopping paths. Evidently, the average energy barriers along the paths for H motion are only little affected by these substituents. Changes of H content x produce only minor changes in the relaxation times

  5. Modelling Creep (Relaxation of the Urinary Bladder

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zdravkovic Nebojsa

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available We first present the results of an experiment in which the passive properties of the urinary bladder were investigated using strips of rabbit bladder. Under the assumption that the urinary bladder had orthopaedic characteristics, the strips were taken in the longitudinal and in the circumferential directions. The material was subjected to uniaxial tension, and stress-stretch curves were generated for various rates of deformation. We found that the rates did not have a significantly effect on the passive response of the material. Additionally, the stress-stretch dependence during relaxation of the material when exposed to isometric conditions was determined experimentally.

  6. Microplastic relaxations of single and polycrystalline molybdenum

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pichl, W.; Weiss, B. [Wien Univ. (Austria). Inst. fuer Materialphysik; Chen, D.L.

    1998-05-01

    The microplasticity of high-purity molybdenum single crystals and of Mo polycrystals of technical purity has been investigated by relaxation step tests in uniaxial compression. A new model for the evaluation of relaxation tests in the microplastic range of b.c.c metals is presented which takes into account the decrease of the mobile dislocation density due to exhaustion of non-screw dislocations. The model allows an independent determination of the activation volume and of the microstructure parameters controlling dislocation exhaustion. The results indicate that in the high-purity single crystals the deformation rate is controlled by interactions of non-screw dislocations with the grown-in network. In the polycrystals additional interactions with impurity atoms seem to occur. In the single crystals the activity and subsequent exhaustion of two different glide systems was observed, followed by a gradual onset of screw dislocation motion. (orig.) 26 refs.

  7. Relaxation of Anisotropic Glasses

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Deubener, Joachim; Martin, Birgit; Wondraczek, Lothar

    2004-01-01

    . When the load was removed at room temperature a permanent optical anisotropy (birefringence) was observed only perpendicular to cylinder axis and the pressure direction indicating complete elimination of thermal stresses. Relaxation of structural anisotropy was studied from reheating experiments using...... the energy release, thermo-mechanical and optical relaxation behaviour are drawn....

  8. Electronic relaxation processes in polyatomic molecules. Progress report, October 1, 1975--September 30, 1976

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lim, E.C.

    1976-09-01

    Excitation energy dependence of radiationless decay rate under collision-free conditions was utilized as a probe of intramolecular vibrational relaxation in tetracene and pentacene. The results give evidence of vibrational relaxation which competes with electronic relaxation. The substitution dependence of T 1 (nπ*) → S 0 radiationless transition in monocyclic diazines and the temperature dependence of S 1 non-radiative decay rate in alcoholic solutions of polycyclic monoazines indicate that the vibronic interaction between the lowest energy nπ* and ππ* states leads to a rapid radiationless deactivation of the lower of the two electronic states. Finally, a photon-counting spectrofluorometer of very high sensitivity was constructed, and it was used to record T 2 → T 1 fluorescence in bromoanthracenes and S 2 → S 1 fluorescence in azulene. These spectra represent the first bona-fide, or the most convincing, observation of fluorescence between excited electronic states

  9. Nernst effect beyond the relaxation-time approximation

    OpenAIRE

    Pikulin, D. I.; Hou, Chang-Yu; Beenakker, C. W. J.

    2011-01-01

    Motivated by recent interest in the Nernst effect in cuprate superconductors, we calculate this magneto-thermo-electric effect for an arbitrary (anisotropic) quasiparticle dispersion relation and elastic scattering rate. The exact solution of the linearized Boltzmann equation is compared with the commonly used relaxation-time approximation. We find qualitative deficiencies of this approximation, to the extent that it can get the sign wrong of the Nernst coefficient. Ziman's improvement of the...

  10. Preparing Patients for Cancer Chemotherapy: Effect of Coping Preparation and Relaxation Interventions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Burish, Thomas G.; And Others

    1991-01-01

    Sixty cancer chemotherapy patients were randomly assigned to one of four treatments: relaxation training with guided relaxation imagery (RT), general coping preparation (PREP), both RT and PREP, or routine clinic treatment only. Found that PREP intervention increased patients' knowledge of disease and treatment, reduced anticipatory side effects,…

  11. Comparison of Hypnotherapy with Systematic Relaxation in the Treatment of Cigarette Habituation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schubert, Donald K.

    1983-01-01

    Studied the effectiveness of hypnosis in the treatment of cigarette habituation. Volunteers (N=87) were randomly assigned to hypnosis, relaxation, or waiting list control groups. Hypnosis was found to be superior to relaxation only for subjects high in hypnotic susceptibility. Those who quit smoking increased food consumption. (Author/JAC)

  12. Predicting the effectiveness of virtual reality relaxation on pain and anxiety when added to PCA morphine in patients having burns dressings changes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Konstantatos, A H; Angliss, M; Costello, V; Cleland, H; Stafrace, S

    2009-06-01

    Pain arising in burns sufferers is often severe and protracted. The prospect of a dressing change can heighten existing pain by impacting both physically and psychologically. In this trial we examined whether pre-procedural virtual reality guided relaxation added to patient controlled analgesia with morphine reduced pain severity during awake dressings changes in burns patients. We conducted a prospective randomized clinical trial in all patients with burns necessitating admission to a tertiary burns referral centre. Eligible patients requiring awake dressings changes were randomly allocated to single use virtual reality relaxation plus intravenous morphine patient controlled analgesia (PCA) infusion or to intravenous morphine patient controlled analgesia infusion alone. Patients rated their worst pain intensity during the dressing change using a visual analogue scale. The primary outcome measure was presence of 30% or greater difference in pain intensity ratings between the groups in estimation of worst pain during the dressing change. Of 88 eligible and consenting patients having awake dressings changes, 43 were assigned to virtual reality relaxation plus intravenous morphine PCA infusion and 43 to morphine PCA infusion alone. The group receiving virtual reality relaxation plus morphine PCA infusion reported significantly higher pain intensities during the dressing change (mean=7.3) compared with patients receiving morphine PCA alone (mean=5.3) (p=0.003) (95% CI 0.6-2.8). The addition of virtual reality guided relaxation to morphine PCA infusion in burns patients resulted in a significant increase in pain experienced during awake dressings changes. In the absence of a validated predictor for responsiveness to virtual reality relaxation such a therapy cannot be recommended for general use in burns patients having awake dressings changes.

  13. Stress relaxation in viscous soft spheres.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boschan, Julia; Vasudevan, Siddarth A; Boukany, Pouyan E; Somfai, Ellák; Tighe, Brian P

    2017-10-04

    We report the results of molecular dynamics simulations of stress relaxation tests in athermal viscous soft sphere packings close to their unjamming transition. By systematically and simultaneously varying both the amplitude of the applied strain step and the pressure of the initial condition, we access both linear and nonlinear response regimes and control the distance to jamming. Stress relaxation in viscoelastic solids is characterized by a relaxation time τ* that separates short time scales, where viscous loss is substantial, from long time scales, where elastic storage dominates and the response is essentially quasistatic. We identify two distinct plateaus in the strain dependence of the relaxation time, one each in the linear and nonlinear regimes. The height of both plateaus scales as an inverse power law with the distance to jamming. By probing the time evolution of particle velocities during relaxation, we further identify a correlation between mechanical relaxation in the bulk and the degree of non-affinity in the particle velocities on the micro scale.

  14. Perceived relaxation as a function of restorative yoga combined with Reiki for cancer survivors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    DiScipio, William J

    2016-08-01

    Twenty-six cancer survivor volunteers participated in a study of the efficacy of perceived relaxation after performing restorative yoga combined with Reiki. Subjects scoring high ratings of Meaning and Peace in life demonstrated greater perception of depth of relaxation. A comparison of subjects receiving concurrent Reiki (19) and restorative yoga with those who only received restorative yoga (7) showed that Reiki subjects experienced greater perceived depth of relaxation than subjects who were not afforded the Reiki intervention. Non-Reiki participants also showed more difficulty overcoming intrusive fearful thoughts than the Reiki group. Clinical implications suggest that patients should be screened and treated for trauma-like symptoms including intrusive thoughts linked to anxiety and depression before referral to complementary programs that offer meditative or relaxation interventions. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Predictors of Adherence to Relaxation Guided Imagery During Pregnancy in Women with Preterm Labor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chuang, Li-Lan; Liu, Shu-Chen; Chen, Yi-Heng; Lin, Li-Chan

    2015-09-01

    To examine adherence to relaxation guided imagery in women experiencing preterm labor as well as predictors influencing adherence. This study used a longitudinal follow-up approach. Each of the 57 participating women received a mini-MP3 player containing a 13-minute relaxation guided imagery audio program that they were instructed to follow daily until giving birth. Follow-up interviews were conducted weekly. A generalized estimating equation was used to predict adherence. The total adherence rate was 58%. Higher adherence was predicted by the presence of at least a college degree (p=0.006), greater perceived stress (p=0.006), a higher risk of preterm delivery (pguided imagery. For women with a lower adherence to relaxation guided imagery, health care professionals may consider individual preferences regarding relaxation techniques.

  16. Stress relaxation in quasi-two-dimensional self-assembled nanoparticle monolayers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boucheron, Leandra S.; Stanley, Jacob T.; Dai, Yeling; You, Siheng Sean; Parzyck, Christopher T.; Narayanan, Suresh; Sandy, Alec R.; Jiang, Zhang; Meron, Mati; Lin, Binhua; Shpyrko, Oleg G.

    2018-05-01

    We experimentally probed the stress relaxation of a monolayer of iron oxide nanoparticles at the water-air interface. Upon drop-casting onto a water surface, the nanoparticles self-assembled into islands of two-dimensional hexagonally close packed crystalline domains surrounded by large voids. When compressed laterally, the voids gradually disappeared as the surface pressure increased. After the compression was stopped, the surface pressure (as measured by a Wilhelmy plate) evolved as a function of the film aging time with three distinct timescales. These aging dynamics were intrinsic to the stressed state built up during the non-equilibrium compression of the film. Utilizing x-ray photon correlation spectroscopy, we measured the characteristic relaxation time (τ ) of in-plane nanoparticle motion as a function of the aging time through both second-order and two-time autocorrelation analysis. Compressed and stretched exponential fitting of the intermediate scattering function yielded exponents (β ) indicating different relaxation mechanisms of the films under different compression stresses. For a monolayer compressed to a lower surface pressure (between 20 mN/m and 30 mN/m), the relaxation time (τ ) decreased continuously as a function of the aging time, as did the fitted exponent, which transitioned from being compressed (>1 ) to stretched (stress release through crystalline domain reorganization. However, for a monolayer compressed to a higher surface pressure (around 40 mN/m), the relaxation time increased continuously and the compressed exponent varied very little from a value of 1.6, suggesting that the system may have been highly stressed and jammed. Despite the interesting stress relaxation signatures seen in these samples, the structural ordering of the monolayer remained the same over the sample lifetime, as revealed by grazing incidence x-ray diffraction.

  17. Heteronuclear relaxation in time-dependent spin systems: 15N-T1ρ dispersion during adiabatic fast passage

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Konrat, Robert; Tollinger, Martin

    1999-01-01

    A novel NMR experiment comprising adiabatic fast passage techniques for the measurement of heteronuclear self-relaxation rates in fully 15N-enriched proteins is described. Heteronuclear self-relaxation is monitored by performing adiabatic fast passage (AFP) experiments at variable adiabaticity (e.g., variation of RF spin-lock field intensity). The experiment encompasses gradient- selection and sensitivity-enhancement. It is shown that transverse relaxation rates derived with this method are in good agreement with the ones measured by the classical Carr-Purcell-Meiboom-Gill (CPMG) sequences. An application of this method to the study of the carboxyl-terminal LIM domain of quail cysteine and glycine-rich protein qCRP2(LIM2) is presented

  18. Logarithmic superposition of force response with rapid length changes in relaxed porcine airway smooth muscle.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ijpma, G; Al-Jumaily, A M; Cairns, S P; Sieck, G C

    2010-12-01

    We present a systematic quantitative analysis of power-law force relaxation and investigate logarithmic superposition of force response in relaxed porcine airway smooth muscle (ASM) strips in vitro. The term logarithmic superposition describes linear superposition on a logarithmic scale, which is equivalent to multiplication on a linear scale. Additionally, we examine whether the dynamic response of contracted and relaxed muscles is dominated by cross-bridge cycling or passive dynamics. The study shows the following main findings. For relaxed ASM, the force response to length steps of varying amplitude (0.25-4% of reference length, both lengthening and shortening) are well-fitted with power-law functions over several decades of time (10⁻² to 10³ s), and the force response after consecutive length changes is more accurately fitted assuming logarithmic superposition rather than linear superposition. Furthermore, for sinusoidal length oscillations in contracted and relaxed muscles, increasing the oscillation amplitude induces greater hysteresivity and asymmetry of force-length relationships, whereas increasing the frequency dampens hysteresivity but increases asymmetry. We conclude that logarithmic superposition is an important feature of relaxed ASM, which may facilitate a more accurate prediction of force responses in the continuous dynamic environment of the respiratory system. In addition, the single power-function response to length changes shows that the dynamics of cross-bridge cycling can be ignored in relaxed muscle. The similarity in response between relaxed and contracted states implies that the investigated passive dynamics play an important role in both states and should be taken into account.

  19. The effect of solvent relaxation time constants on free energy gap law for ultrafast charge recombination following photoinduced charge separation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mikhailova, Valentina A; Malykhin, Roman E; Ivanov, Anatoly I

    2018-05-16

    To elucidate the regularities inherent in the kinetics of ultrafast charge recombination following photoinduced charge separation in donor-acceptor dyads in solutions, the simulations of the kinetics have been performed within the stochastic multichannel point-transition model. Increasing the solvent relaxation time scales has been shown to strongly vary the dependence of the charge recombination rate constant on the free energy gap. In slow relaxing solvents the non-equilibrium charge recombination occurring in parallel with solvent relaxation is very effective so that the charge recombination terminates at the non-equilibrium stage. This results in a crucial difference between the free energy gap laws for the ultrafast charge recombination and the thermal charge transfer. For the thermal reactions the well-known Marcus bell-shaped dependence of the rate constant on the free energy gap is realized while for the ultrafast charge recombination only a descending branch is predicted in the whole area of the free energy gap exceeding 0.2 eV. From the available experimental data on the population kinetics of the second and first excited states for a series of Zn-porphyrin-imide dyads in toluene and tetrahydrofuran solutions, an effective rate constant of the charge recombination into the first excited state has been calculated. The obtained rate constant being very high is nearly invariable in the area of the charge recombination free energy gap from 0.2 to 0.6 eV that supports the theoretical prediction.

  20. The Effects of Suggestibility on Relaxation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rickard, Henry C.; And Others

    1985-01-01

    Selected undergraduates (N=32) on the basis of Creative Imagination Scale scores and randomly assigned high and low suggestibility subjects to progressive relaxation (PR) and suggestions of relaxation (SR) training modes. Results revealed a significant pre-post relaxation effect, and main efffects for both suggestibility and training mode. (NRB)

  1. Magneto-dependent stress relaxation of magnetorheological gels

    KAUST Repository

    Xu, Yangguang; Liu, Taixiang; Liao, G J; Lubineau, Gilles

    2017-01-01

    The stress relaxation behaviors of magnetorheological (MR) gels under stepwise shear loading are systematically investigated. The particle-enhanced effect, the magneto-induced effect, and the temperature-enhanced effect on the stress relaxation of MR gels are discussed. For further analysis of the magneto-induced stress relaxation mechanism in MR gels, a phenomenological model is established to describe the stress relaxation behavior of the matrix and the magnetic particle chains. All characteristic parameters introduced in the model, i.e. relaxation time, instantaneous modulus, and stable modulus, have well-defined physical meanings and are fitted based on the experimental results. The influence of each parameter on the macroscopic response is discussed and it is found that the relaxation stress induced by the magneto-mechanical coupling effect plays an important role in the stress relaxation process of MR gels.

  2. Magneto-dependent stress relaxation of magnetorheological gels

    KAUST Repository

    Xu, Yangguang

    2017-09-01

    The stress relaxation behaviors of magnetorheological (MR) gels under stepwise shear loading are systematically investigated. The particle-enhanced effect, the magneto-induced effect, and the temperature-enhanced effect on the stress relaxation of MR gels are discussed. For further analysis of the magneto-induced stress relaxation mechanism in MR gels, a phenomenological model is established to describe the stress relaxation behavior of the matrix and the magnetic particle chains. All characteristic parameters introduced in the model, i.e. relaxation time, instantaneous modulus, and stable modulus, have well-defined physical meanings and are fitted based on the experimental results. The influence of each parameter on the macroscopic response is discussed and it is found that the relaxation stress induced by the magneto-mechanical coupling effect plays an important role in the stress relaxation process of MR gels.

  3. Thermodynamic stability and relaxation studies of small, triaza-macrocyclic Mn(II) chelates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Sá, Arsénio; Bonnet, Célia S; Geraldes, Carlos F G C; Tóth, Éva; Ferreira, Paula M T; André, João P

    2013-04-07

    Due to its favorable relaxometric properties, Mn(2+) is an appealing metal ion for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agents. This paper reports the synthesis and characterization of three new triazadicarboxylate-type ligands and their Mn(2+) chelates (NODAHep, 1,4,7-triazacyclononane-1,4-diacetate-7-heptanil; NODABA, 1,4,7-triazacyclononane-1,4-diacetate-7-benzoic acid; and NODAHA, 1,4,7-triazacyclononane-1,4-diacetate-7-hexanoic acid). The protonation constants of the ligands and the stability constants of the chelates formed with Mn(2+) and the endogenous Zn(2+) ion have been determined by potentiometry. In overall, the thermodynamic stability of the chelates is lower than that of the corresponding NOTA analogues (NOTA = 1,4,7-triazacyclononane-1,4,7-triacetate), consistent with the decreased number of coordinating carboxylate groups. Variable temperature (1)H NMRD and (17)O NMR measurements have been performed on the paramagnetic chelates to provide information on the water exchange rates and the rotational dynamics. The values of the (17)O chemical shifts are consistent with the presence of one water molecule in the first coordination sphere of Mn(2+). The three complexes are in the slow to intermediate regime for the water exchange rate, and they all display relatively high rotational correlation times, which explain the relaxivity values between 4.7 and 5.8 mM(-1) s(-1) (20 MHz and 298 K). These relaxivities are higher than expected for Mn(2+) chelates of such size and comparable to those of small monohydrated Gd(3+) complexes. The amphiphilic [Mn(NODAHep)] forms micelles above 22 mM (its critical micellar concentration was determined by relaxometry and fluorescence), and interacts with HSA via its alkylic carbon chain providing a 60% relaxivity increase at 20 MHz due to a longer tumbling time.

  4. Effect of water-methanol mixed solvents on the ultrasonic relaxation of cadmium acetate

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sree Rama Murthy, J.; Ramachandra Rao, B.

    1976-01-01

    Measurements of ultrasonic absorption have been made by pulse technique in 1 M solutions of cadmium acetate with water-methanol mixed solvents. Results are analysed by assuming a single relaxation mechanism. The characteristic frequency of relaxation is found to decrease with increasing composition of methanol in the solvent. It is proposed that the mechanism of relaxation may be perturbation of chemical equilibrium between complex CdAc + ions and Cd ++ , Ac - species by soundwaves. (author)

  5. Increasing preferred step rate during running reduces plantar pressures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gerrard, James M; Bonanno, Daniel R

    2018-01-01

    Increasing preferred step rate during running is a commonly used strategy in the management of running-related injuries. This study investigated the effect of different step rates on plantar pressures during running. Thirty-two healthy runners ran at a comfortable speed on a treadmill at five step rates (preferred, ±5%, and ±10%). For each step rate, plantar pressure data were collected using the pedar-X in-shoe system. Compared to running with a preferred step rate, a 10% increase in step rate significantly reduced peak pressure (144.5±46.5 vs 129.3±51 kPa; P=.033) and maximum force (382.3±157.6 vs 334.0±159.8 N; P=.021) at the rearfoot, and reduced maximum force (426.4±130.4 vs 400.0±116.6 N; P=.001) at the midfoot. In contrast, a 10% decrease in step rate significantly increased peak pressure (144.5±46.5 vs 161.5±49.3 kPa; P=.011) and maximum force (382.3±157.6 vs 425.4±155.3 N; P=.032) at the rearfoot. Changing step rate by 5% provided no effect on plantar pressures, and no differences in plantar pressures were observed at the medial forefoot, lateral forefoot or hallux between the step rates. This study's findings indicate that increasing preferred step rate by 10% during running will reduce plantar pressures at the rearfoot and midfoot, while decreasing step rate by 10% will increase plantar pressures at the rearfoot. However, changing preferred step rate by 5% will provide no effect on plantar pressures, and forefoot pressures are unaffected by changes in step rate. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  6. Wall relaxation and the driving forces for cell expansive growth

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cosgrove, D. J.

    1987-01-01

    When water uptake by growing cells is prevented, the turgor pressure and the tensile stress in the cell wall are reduced by continued wall loosening. This process, termed in vivo stress relaxation, provides a new way to study the dynamics of wall loosening and to measure the wall yield threshold and the physiological wall extensibility. Stress relaxation experiments indicate that wall stress supplies the mechanical driving force for wall yielding. Cell expansion also requires water absorption. The driving force for water uptake during growth is created by wall relaxation, which lowers the water potential of the expanding cells. New techniques for measuring this driving force show that it is smaller than believed previously; in elongating stems it is only 0.3 to 0.5 bar. This means that the hydraulic resistance of the water transport pathway is small and that rate of cell expansion is controlled primarily by wall loosening and yielding.

  7. Relaxation of entangled model H-shaped polymers a SANS investigation

    CERN Document Server

    Heinrich, M; Richter, D; Straube, E; Wiedenmann, A

    2002-01-01

    This study is related to the understanding of rheology of long-chain branched polymers. A model compound for long-chain branching (H-shaped architecture) was investigated in elongational flow as a function of time after a step strain to lambda=2. The experiments were performed in a strain rig with temperature and strain-rate control. The structure factor was measured after specific relaxation times intimately connected to the microscopic hierarchy of the polymer structure. The correlation hole effect and the quenched disorder in the scattering were described in a random phase approximation approach. This approach, already used for permanent rubber-elastic networks, has been modified to permit the observation of strain locally along the faster-relaxing arms. The data roughly follow the time scale of linear-shear rheology from which shift factors were derived. They confirm that bridge and arm relaxations can be treated in a decoupled, hierarchical way in time, although details of the analysis remain unsolved. (...

  8. Profile relaxation and tilt instability in a field-reversed configuration

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ohtani, H.; Horiuchi, R.; Sato, T.

    2003-01-01

    The profile relaxation from a magnetic hydrodynamic (MHD) profile to a kinetic equilibrium in field-reversed configurations (FRCs) is investigated by two-dimensional electromagnetic particle simulation. The radial oscillation takes place in order to relax an excess energy in the MHD profile, and the system spontaneously relaxes toward a kinetic equilibrium. In this kinetic equilibrium, the hollow electron current profile is realized as a result of the combined effects of the single particle orbits and the ion finite Larmor radius, and the ion current profile becomes peaked due to the effect of the ion meandering motion. Three-dimensional full electromagnetic particle simulation is also performed to study the stability of these kinetic equilibrium against the tilt mode. The growth rate of the tilt instability is reduced by the kinetic effects. It is found that the stabilization effect of tilt mode becomes much distinct when the current density changes from the peaked profile to the hollow one. (author)

  9. Profile relaxation and tilt instability in a field-reversed configuration

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ohtani, H.; Horiuchi, R.; Sato, T.

    2002-10-01

    The profile relaxation from a magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) profile to a kinetic equilibrium in field-reversed configurations (FRCs) is investigated by two-dimensional electromagnetic particle simulation. The radial oscillation takes place in order to relax an excess energy in the MHD profile, and the system spontaneously relaxes toward a kinetic equilibrium. In this kinetic equilibrium, the hollow electron current profile is realized as a result of the combined effects of the single particle orbits and the ion finite Larmor radius, and the ion current profile becomes peaked due to the effect of the ion meandering motion. Three-dimensional full electromagnetic particle simulation is also performed to study the stability of these kinetic equilibrium against the tilt mode. The growth rate of the tilt instability is reduced by the kinetic effects. It is found that the stabilization effect of tilt mode becomes much distinct when the current density changes from the peaked profile to the hollow one. (author)

  10. Profile relaxation and tilt instability in a field-reversed configuration

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ohtani, H.; Horiuchi, R.; Sato, T.

    2002-01-01

    The profile relaxation from a magnetichydrodynamic (MHD) profile to a kinetic equilibrium in field-reversed configurations (FRCs) in investigated by two-dimensional electromagnetic particle simulation. The radial oscillation takes place in order to relax an excess energy in the MHD profile, and the system spontaneously relaxes toward a kinetic equilibrium. In this kinetic equilibrium, the hollow electron current profile is realized as a result of the combined effects of the single particle orbits and the ion finite Larmor radius, and the ion current profile becomes peaked due to the effect of the ion meandering motion. Three-dimensional full electromagnetic particle simulations is also performed to study the stability of these kinetic equilibrium against the tilt mode. The growth rate of the tilt instability is reduced by the kinetic is effects. It is found that the stabilization effect of tilt mode becomes much distinct when the current density changes from the peaked profile to the hollow one. (author)

  11. Single-molecule supercoil-relaxation assay as a screening tool to determine the mechanism and efficacy of human topoisomerase IB inhibitors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Seol, Yeonee; Zhang, Hongliang; Agama, Keli; Lorence, Nicholas; Pommier, Yves; Neuman, Keir C.

    2015-01-01

    Human nuclear type IB topoisomerase (Top1) inhibitors are widely used and powerful anti-cancer agents. In this study, we introduce and validate a single-molecule supercoil relaxation assay as a molecular pharmacology tool for characterizing therapeutically relevant Top1 inhibitors. Using this assay, we determined the effects on Top1 supercoil relaxation activity of four Top1 inhibitors; three clinically relevant: camptothecin, LMP-400, LMP-776 (both indenoisoquinoline derivatives), and one natural product in preclinical development, lamellarin-D. Our results demonstrate that Top1 inhibitors have two distinct effects on Top1 activity: a decrease in supercoil relaxation rate and an increase in religation inhibition. The type and magnitude of the inhibition mode depend both on the specific inhibitor and on the topology of the DNA substrate. In general, the efficacy of inhibition is significantly higher with supercoiled than with relaxed DNA substrates. Comparing single-molecule inhibition with cell growth inhibition (IC50) measurements showed a correlation between the binding time of the Top1 inhibitors and their cytotoxic efficacy, independent of the mode of inhibition. This study demonstrates that the single-molecule supercoil relaxation assay is a sensitive method to elucidate the detailed mechanisms of Top1 inhibitors and is relevant for the cellular efficacy of Top1 inhibitors. PMID:26351326

  12. Stress relaxation in dilute Al-0.02 at.% Mn alloy under electron irradiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bystrov, L.N.; Ivanov, L.I.; Pletnev, M.N.; Reznitsky, M.E.

    1984-01-01

    Stress relaxation in cold-worked and annealed (573 K for 2 hours) specimens of the dilute alloy Al-0.02 at.% Mn has been studied experimentally over a range of initial stresses 5 to 80 MPa, both with and without irradiation by 2.1 MeV electrons. Thermoactivation analysis has revealed that relaxation proceeds in two stages with different activation parameters. The deformation rate in the first stage is controlled by diffusion of the impurity (Mn), and in the second stage by the self-diffusion of aluminum. A new method has been proposed for evaluating the internal stresses from experimental data. The effect of radiation-induced diffusion on the kinetics of relaxation is discussed. (author)

  13. Formation and relaxation of quasistationary states in particle systems with power-law interactions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marcos, B; Gabrielli, A; Joyce, M

    2017-09-01

    We explore the formation and relaxation of the so-called quasistationary states (QSS) for particle distributions in three dimensions interacting via an attractive radial pair potential V(r→∞)∼1/r^{γ} with γ>0, and either a soft core or hard core regularization at small r. In the first part of the paper, we generalize, for any spatial dimension d≥2, Chandrasekhar's approach for the case of gravity to obtain analytic estimates of the rate of collisional relaxation due to two-body collisions. The resultant relaxation rates indicate an essential qualitative difference depending on the integrability of the pair force at large distances: for γ>d-1, the rate diverges in the large particle number N (mean-field) limit, unless a sufficiently large soft core is present; for γsoft cores leading to the formation of QSS. We find, just as for the previously well studied case of gravity (which we also revisit), excellent agreement between the parametric dependence of the observed relaxation times and our analytic predictions. Further, as in the case of gravity, we find that the results indicate that, when large impact factors dominate, the appropriate cutoff is the size of the system (rather than, for example, the mean interparticle distance). Our results provide strong evidence that the existence of QSS is robust only for long-range interactions with a large distance behavior γ

  14. Relaxation training methods for nurse managers in Hong Kong: a controlled study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yung, Paul M B; Fung, Man Yi; Chan, Tony M F; Lau, Bernard W K

    2004-12-01

    Nurse managers are under increased stress because of excessive workloads and hospitals' restructuring which is affecting their work tasks. High levels of stress could affect their mental health. Yet, few stress management training programmes are provided for this population. The purpose of this study was to apply stretch-release relaxation and cognitive relaxation training to enhance the mental health for nurse managers. A total of 65 nurse managers in Hong Kong were randomly assigned to stretch-release relaxation (n = 17), cognitive relaxation (n = 18), and a test control group (n = 35). Mental health status was assessed using the Chinese version of State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and the Chinese version of the General Health Questionnaire. Participants were assessed at the pretreatment session, the fourth posttreatment session, and at the 1-month follow-up session. The results revealed both the stretch-release and cognitive relaxation training enhanced mental health in nurse managers in Hong Kong. The application of relaxation training in enhancing mental health status for nurses and health professionals is discussed.

  15. Measurement of the Relaxation Rate of the Magnetization in Mn{sub 12}O{sub 12} -Acetate Using Proton NMR Echo

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jang, Z. H. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Ames Laboratory, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011 (United States); Lascialfari, A. [Dipartimento di Fisica ' ' A. Volta' ' e Unita' , INFM di Pavia, Via Bassi 6, 27100 Pavia, (Italy); Borsa, F. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Ames Laboratory, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011 (United States); Dipartimento di Fisica ' ' A. Volta' ' e Unita' , INFM di Pavia, Via Bassi 6, 27100 Pavia, (Italy); Gatteschi, D. [Department of Chemistry, University of Florence, Via Maragliano 77, 50144 Firenze, (Italy)

    2000-03-27

    We present a novel method to measure the relaxation rate W of the magnetization of Mn{sub 12}O {sub 12} -acetate (Mn12) magnetic molecular cluster in its S=10 ground state at low T . It is based on the observation of an exponential growth in time of the proton NMR signal during the thermal equilibration of the magnetization of the molecules. We can explain the novel effect with a simple model which relates the intensity of the proton echo signal to the microscopic reversal of the magnetization of each individual Mn12 molecule during the equilibration process. The method should find wide application in the study of magnetic molecular clusters in off-equilibrium conditions. (c) 2000 The American Physical Society.

  16. Characteristics of Viscoelastic Crustal Deformation Following a Megathrust Earthquake: Discrepancy Between the Apparent and Intrinsic Relaxation Time Constants

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fukahata, Yukitoshi; Matsu'ura, Mitsuhiro

    2018-02-01

    The viscoelastic deformation of an elastic-viscoelastic composite system is significantly different from that of a simple viscoelastic medium. Here, we show that complicated transient deformation due to viscoelastic stress relaxation after a megathrust earthquake can occur even in a very simple situation, in which an elastic surface layer (lithosphere) is underlain by a viscoelastic substratum (asthenosphere) under gravity. Although the overall decay rate of the system is controlled by the intrinsic relaxation time constant of the asthenosphere, the apparent decay time constant at each observation point is significantly different from place to place and generally much longer than the intrinsic relaxation time constant of the asthenosphere. It is also not rare that the sense of displacement rate is reversed during the viscoelastic relaxation. If we do not bear these points in mind, we may draw false conclusions from observed deformation data. Such complicated transient behavior can be explained mathematically from the characteristics of viscoelastic solution: for an elastic-viscoelastic layered half-space, the viscoelastic solution is expressed as superposition of three decaying components with different relaxation time constants that depend on wavelength.

  17. Increasing the sensitivity of NMR diffusion measurements by paramagnetic longitudinal relaxation enhancement, with application to ribosome–nascent chain complexes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chan, Sammy H. S.; Waudby, Christopher A.; Cassaignau, Anaïs M. E.; Cabrita, Lisa D.; Christodoulou, John

    2015-01-01

    The translational diffusion of macromolecules can be examined non-invasively by stimulated echo (STE) NMR experiments to accurately determine their molecular sizes. These measurements can be important probes of intermolecular interactions and protein folding and unfolding, and are crucial in monitoring the integrity of large macromolecular assemblies such as ribosome–nascent chain complexes (RNCs). However, NMR studies of these complexes can be severely constrained by their slow tumbling, low solubility (with maximum concentrations of up to 10 μM), and short lifetimes resulting in weak signal, and therefore continuing improvements in experimental sensitivity are essential. Here we explore the use of the paramagnetic longitudinal relaxation enhancement (PLRE) agent NiDO2A on the sensitivity of 15 N XSTE and SORDID heteronuclear STE experiments, which can be used to monitor the integrity of these unstable complexes. We exploit the dependence of the PLRE effect on the gyromagnetic ratio and electronic relaxation time to accelerate recovery of 1 H magnetization without adversely affecting storage on N z during diffusion delays or introducing significant transverse relaxation line broadening. By applying the longitudinal relaxation-optimized SORDID pulse sequence together with NiDO2A to 70S Escherichia coli ribosomes and RNCs, NMR diffusion sensitivity enhancements of up to 4.5-fold relative to XSTE are achieved, alongside ∼1.9-fold improvements in two-dimensional NMR sensitivity, without compromising the sample integrity. We anticipate these results will significantly advance the use of NMR to probe dynamic regions of ribosomes and other large, unstable macromolecular assemblies.Graphical Abstract

  18. Psychophysiological correlates of relaxation induced by standard autogenic training.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mishima, N; Kubota, S; Nagata, S

    1999-01-01

    The present study aimed to determine the psychophysiological changes induced in subjects by standard autogenic training (AT). Physiological measurements were taken under strict experimental conditions. Thirty-one healthy students were divided randomly into two groups: the AT group and the control group. In the first session, the physiological variables were measured for all students before and after all were asked to relax in their own way. The AT group were then taught AT for 3 months, after which time the measurements were repeated. In the second session, the AT group practised the standard AT exercise, while the control group repeated their own form of simple relaxation. Electrocardiogram, plethysmogram (PTG) and blood pressure (BP) were measured while the students carried out a breathing rate of 15 cycles/min. The R-R intervals and BP were analysed by an autoregressive model for spectral analysis, and the data were compared by repeated-measures ANOVA. The AT group had a significant increase in the mean R-R interval and a significant decrease in the baseline deflection of the PTG in the second session. There were no significant changes in sympathetic activity except for the change in the PTG, although low frequency amplitude of systolic BP decreased slightly. AT was found to induce significant changes that were independent of respiration in healthy students, although paced breathing might have operated as a mental stress. The increase in mean R-R interval and the decrease in baseline deflection of the PTG were the most robust correlates of AT.

  19. Physiological blunting during pregnancy extends to induced relaxation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    DiPietro, Janet A; Mendelson, Tamar; Williams, Erica L; Costigan, Kathleen A

    2012-01-01

    There is accumulating evidence that pregnancy is accompanied by hyporesponsivity to physical, cognitive, and psychological challenges. This study evaluates whether observed autonomic blunting extends to conditions designed to decrease arousal. Physiological and psychological responsivity to an 18-min guided imagery relaxation protocol in healthy pregnant women during the 32nd week of gestation (n=54) and non-pregnant women (n=28) was measured. Data collection included heart period (HP), respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), tonic and phasic measures of skin conductance (SCL and NS-SCR), respiratory period (RP), and self-reported psychological relaxation. As expected, responses to the manipulation included increased HP, RSA, and RP and decreased SCL and NS-SCR, followed by post-manipulation recovery. However, responsivity was attenuated for all physiological measures except RP in pregnant women, despite no difference in self-reported psychological relaxation. Findings support non-specific blunting of physiological responsivity during pregnancy. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. Relaxation Time of High-Density Amorphous Ice

    Science.gov (United States)

    Handle, Philip H.; Seidl, Markus; Loerting, Thomas

    2012-06-01

    Amorphous water plays a fundamental role in astrophysics, cryoelectron microscopy, hydration of matter, and our understanding of anomalous liquid water properties. Yet, the characteristics of the relaxation processes taking place in high-density amorphous ice (HDA) are unknown. We here reveal that the relaxation processes in HDA at 110-135 K at 0.1-0.2 GPa are of collective and global nature, resembling the alpha relaxation in glassy material. Measured relaxation times suggest liquid-like relaxation characteristics in the vicinity of the crystallization temperature at 145 K. By carefully relaxing pressurized HDA for several hours at 135 K, we produce a state that is closer to the ideal glass state than all HDA states discussed so far in literature.

  1. Real-time observation of cascaded electronic relaxation processes in p-Fluorotoluene

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hao, Qiaoli; Deng, Xulan; Long, Jinyou; Wang, Yanmei; Abulimiti, Bumaliya; Zhang, Bing

    2017-08-01

    Ultrafast electronic relaxation processes following two photoexcitation of 400 nm in p-Fluorotoluene (pFT) have been investigated utilizing time-resolved photoelectron imaging coupled with time-resolved mass spectroscopy. Cascaded electronic relaxation processes started from the electronically excited S2 state are directly imaged in real time and well characterized by two distinct time constants of 85 ± 10 fs and 2.4 ± 0.3 ps. The rapid component corresponds to the lifetime of the initially excited S2 state, including the structure relaxation from the Franck-Condon region to the conical intersection of S2/S1 and the subsequent internal conversion to the highly excited S1 state. While, the slower relaxation constant is attributed to the further internal conversion to the high levels of S0 from the secondarily populated S1 locating in the channel three region. Moreover, dynamical differences with benzene and toluene of analogous structures, including, specifically, the slightly slower relaxation rate of S2 and the evidently faster decay of S1, are also presented and tentatively interpreted as the substituent effects. In addition, photoelectron kinetic energy and angular distributions reveal the feature of accidental resonances with low-lying Rydberg states (the 3p, 4s and 4p states) during the multi-photon ionization process, providing totally unexpected but very interesting information for pFT.

  2. Menstrual variation of breast volume and T2 relaxation times in cyclical mastalgia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hussain, Zainab; Brooks, Jonathan; Percy, Dave

    2008-01-01

    Purpose: Hormonal activity causes breast volume to change during the menstrual cycle. One possible cause of this volume change is thought to be due to water retention or oedema within the tissues. We used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to study the variation in breast volume and 1 H Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS) to measure T 2 relaxation times which are known to increase with increasing tissue water content. We hypothesised that an increase in breast volume will elevate T 2 relaxation due to the presence of an increased water content within the breast. T 2 Relaxation time and volume were studied in fifteen control subjects and in a cohort of eight patients with cyclical mastalgia in order to determine whether changes in breast volume and T 2 relaxation times differed in controls and patients during menses, ovulation and premenses. Method: Breast volume was determined by the Cavalieri method in combination with point counting techniques on MR images and T 2 relaxation times of the water and fat in a voxel of breast tissue were obtained using 1 H Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS). Results: Statistical analysis (ANOVA) demonstrated highly significant differences in breast volume between the three stages of the cycle (p 2 of fat or water did not depend on stage of cycle. T-tests demonstrated no significant differences in T 2 of water or fat between patient and control groups. The average T 2 relaxation time of water was lowest in the patient and control groups during ovulation and highest in the patient group during premenses. Conclusion: We have performed the first combined volumetric and spectroscopic study of women with cyclical mastalgia and demonstrated that the global changes in volumes and T 2 were not significantly different from normal menstrual variations

  3. Influence of E-beam irradiation on dielectric relaxation of recycled polypropylene

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fazilova, Z.; Gafurov, U.; Tolstov, A.

    2004-01-01

    Full text: The dielectric relaxation connected with molecular groups and polymer chain mobility for un-irradiated and e-beam irradiated recycled polypropylene was investigated. It was studied films of samples produced from virgin (initial) and e- beam irradiated of the polymer granules (E-beam source with 5 MeV energy). The dielectric losses were measured with temperature increasing and decreasing regime. The losses were measured with E8-4 bridge help (the frequency is 1kH). Heating velocity was 2 grad/min. The dielectric losses did not appeared in minus temperature region for the initial polypropylene samples. The measurement in temperature increasing and decreasing shows that the relaxation peak at ∼ 35 o C for un-irradiated and ∼70 o C for irradiated polymer samples connected with macromolecular segments mobility with water molecular groups participation. The main relaxation peak (higher 100 o C) shifts after e-beam irradiation is result of the cross-links formation. ) The peak connected with macromolecular segments mobility in polymer amorphous regions (β-relaxation process). In irradiated polypropylene on IR spectroscopy data oxygen molecular groups is increased. The molecular groupings form inter-molecular hydrogen bonds. The intermolecular bonds also hindered molecular groups and macromolecular mobility. The e-beam stimulated cross-links formation was confirmed by method of sol-gel analyses. The work was supported by STCU Fund (Project No 3009)

  4. Characterization of structural relaxation in inorganic glasses using length dilatometry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koontz, Erick

    The processes that govern how a glass relaxes towards its thermodynamic quasi-equilibrium state are major factors in understanding glass behavior near the glass transition region, as characterized by the glass transition temperature (Tg). Intrinsic glass properties such as specific volume, enthalpy, entropy, density, etc. are used to map the behavior of the glass network below in and near the transition region. The question of whether a true thermodynamic second order phase transition takes place in the glass transition region is another pending question. Linking viscosity behavior to entropy, or viewing the glass configuration as an energy landscape are just a couple of the most prevalent methods used for attempting to understand the glass transition. The structural relaxation behavior of inorganic glasses is important for more than scientific reasons, many commercial glass processing operations including glass melting and certain forms of optical fabrication include significant time spent in the glass transition region. For this reason knowledge of structural relaxation processes can, at a minimum, provide information for annealing duration of melt-quenched glasses. The development of a predictive model for annealing time prescription has the potential to save glass manufacturers significant time and money as well as increasing volume throughput. In optical hot forming processes such as precision glass molding, molded optical components can significantly change in shape upon cooling through the glass transition. This change in shape is not scientifically predictable as of yet though manufacturers typically use empirical rules developed in house. The classification of glass behavior in the glass transition region would allow molds to be accurately designed and save money for the producers. The work discussed in this dissertation is comprised of the development of a dilatometric measurement and characterization method of structural relaxation. The measurement and

  5. Relaxation in x-space magnetic particle imaging.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Croft, Laura R; Goodwill, Patrick W; Conolly, Steven M

    2012-12-01

    Magnetic particle imaging (MPI) is a new imaging modality that noninvasively images the spatial distribution of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIOs). MPI has demonstrated high contrast and zero attenuation with depth, and MPI promises superior safety compared to current angiography methods, X-ray, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging angiography. Nanoparticle relaxation can delay the SPIO magnetization, and in this work we investigate the open problem of the role relaxation plays in MPI scanning and its effect on the image. We begin by amending the x-space theory of MPI to include nanoparticle relaxation effects. We then validate the amended theory with experiments from a Berkeley x-space relaxometer and a Berkeley x-space projection MPI scanner. Our theory and experimental data indicate that relaxation reduces SNR and asymmetrically blurs the image in the scanning direction. While relaxation effects can have deleterious effects on the MPI scan, we show theoretically and experimentally that x-space reconstruction remains robust in the presence of relaxation. Furthermore, the role of relaxation in x-space theory provides guidance as we develop methods to minimize relaxation-induced blurring. This will be an important future area of research for the MPI community.

  6. Evolutionary Pseudo-Relaxation Learning Algorithm for Bidirectional Associative Memory

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Sheng-Zhi Du; Zeng-Qiang Chen; Zhu-Zhi Yuan

    2005-01-01

    This paper analyzes the sensitivity to noise in BAM (Bidirectional Associative Memory), and then proves the noise immunity of BAM relates not only to the minimum absolute value of net inputs (MAV) but also to the variance of weights associated with synapse connections. In fact, it is a positive monotonically increasing function of the quotient of MAV divided by the variance of weights. Besides, the performance of pseudo-relaxation method depends on learning parameters (λ and ζ), but the relation of them is not linear. So it is hard to find a best combination of λ and ζ which leads to the best BAM performance. And it is obvious that pseudo-relaxation is a kind of local optimization method, so it cannot guarantee to get the global optimal solution. In this paper, a novel learning algorithm EPRBAM (evolutionary psendo-relaxation learning algorithm for bidirectional association memory) employing genetic algorithm and pseudo-relaxation method is proposed to get feasible solution of BAM weight matrix. This algorithm uses the quotient as the fitness of each individual and employs pseudo-relaxation method to adjust individual solution when it does not satisfy constraining condition any more after genetic operation. Experimental results show this algorithm improves noise immunity of BAM greatly. At the same time, EPRBAM does not depend on learning parameters and can get global optimal solution.

  7. Hair Dye and Hair Relaxers

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... For Consumers Consumer Information by Audience For Women Hair Dye and Hair Relaxers Share Tweet Linkedin Pin it More sharing ... products. If you have a bad reaction to hair dyes and relaxers, you should: Stop using the ...

  8. Stress relaxation analysis and irradiation creep and swelling in pressure tubes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Beeston, J.M.; Burr, T.K.

    1979-01-01

    An analysis is presented of slit width test information on two pressure tubes that had been irradiated in test reactors. The analysis showed that differential swelling stresses and thermal stresses undergo relaxation. The mechanism responsible for the stress relaxation at temperatures less than 700 K was irradiation creep. Irradiation creep in thermal test reactor pressure tubes is evidently greater than it would be at equivalent conditions in fast reactors. The residual stresses observed in the slit width tests varied between 30 and 257 MPa and would act to reduce the operating stresses, thus allowing for increased service life of the tubes as compared with no stress relaxation

  9. Comparison of the two relaxation peaks in the Ti50Ni48Fe2 alloy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fan Genlian; Zhou Yumei; Otsuka, Kazuhiro; Ren Xiaobing; Suzuki, Tetsuro; Yin Fuxing

    2009-01-01

    The internal friction (tan δ) and storage modulus of Ti 50 Ni 48 Fe 2 alloy were studied by dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). On cooling, a broad relaxation peak with tan δ value as high as 0.2 was detected in R-phase. On heating, another relaxation peak with tan δ value of 0.06 was found in B19' martensite. Both relaxation peaks disappeared when the alloy was dehydrogenated in a dynamic vacuum furnace. Thus, the origin of both relaxation peaks was attributed to the interaction between twin boundaries and hydrogen atoms, as recently proved in Ti-Ni-Cu alloy. The direct comparison of these two relaxation peaks in the same sample indicates that the height of relaxation peaks increases with the decreasing of twinning shear.

  10. Anomalous behavior of secondary dielectric relaxation in polypropylene glycols

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Grzybowska, K; Grzybowski, A; Ziolo, J; Rzoska, S J; Paluch, M [Institute of Physics, Silesian University, Uniwersytecka 4, 40-007 Katowice (Poland)

    2007-09-19

    A surprising slow down in the dielectric secondary {gamma}-relaxation with temperature increasing near the glass transition is confirmed for several polypropylene glycols. The peculiar behavior diminishes as the molecular weight grows. The minimal model (Dyre and Olsen 2003 Phys. Rev. Lett. 91 155703) is applied successfully to describe the temperature dependences of the {gamma}-relaxation times. The minimal model parameters are analyzed for different molecular weights. A molecular explanation of the {gamma}-process anomaly for polypropylene glycols is proposed on the basis of the minimal model prediction.

  11. Relaxation dynamics of multilayer triangular Husimi cacti

    Science.gov (United States)

    Galiceanu, Mircea; Jurjiu, Aurel

    2016-09-01

    We focus on the relaxation dynamics of multilayer polymer structures having, as underlying topology, the Husimi cactus. The relaxation dynamics of the multilayer structures is investigated in the framework of generalized Gaussian structures model using both Rouse and Zimm approaches. In the Rouse type-approach, we determine analytically the complete eigenvalues spectrum and based on it we calculate the mechanical relaxation moduli (storage and loss modulus) and the average monomer displacement. First, we monitor these physical quantities for structures with a fixed generation number and we increase the number of layers, such that the linear topology will smoothly come into play. Second, we keep constant the size of the structures, varying simultaneously two parameters: the generation number of the main layer, G, and the number of layers, c. This fact allows us to study in detail the crossover from a pure Husimi cactus behavior to a predominately linear chain behavior. The most interesting situation is found when the two limiting topologies cancel each other. For this case, we encounter in the intermediate frequency/time domain regions of constant slope for different values of the parameter set (G, c) and we show that the number of layers follows an exponential-law of G. In the Zimm-type approach, which includes the hydrodynamic interactions, the quantities that describe the mechanical relaxation dynamics do not show scaling behavior as in the Rouse model, except the limiting case, namely, a very high number of layers and low generation number.

  12. The relaxation phenomena of radicals induced in irradiated fresh mangoes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kikuchi, Masahiro; Morishita, Norio; Kobayashi, Yasuhiko; Ogawa, Hideyuki; Shimoyama, Yuhei; Ukai, Mitsuko

    2009-01-01

    Using the γ-irradiated fresh mangoes followed by freeze-drying and powderization, electron spin resonance spectrometry of specimens was performed. As a result, a strong single peak in the flesh, the pericarp and the seed was observed at g=2.004 and attributed to organic free radicals. When relaxation times of the peak was calculated using the method of Lund et al., T 2 showed dose responses according to increasing doses while T 1 was almost constant. Dose responsibility of the relaxation time T 2 obtained from flesh specimens of the mangoes could be measured regardless of the preservation period of 1 to 9 days following γ-irradiation. Therefore, there might be possible to detect the irradiation treatment of fresh mangoes using relaxation time T 2 . (author)

  13. Crystallization, structural relaxation and thermal degradation in Poly(L-lactide)/cellulose nanocrystal renewable nanocomposites.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lizundia, E; Vilas, J L; León, L M

    2015-06-05

    In this work, crystallization, structural relaxation and thermal degradation kinetics of neat Poly(L-lactide) (PLLA) and its nanocomposites with cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) and CNC-grafted-PLLA (CNC-g-PLLA) have been studied. Although crystallinity degree of nanocomposites remains similar to that of neat homopolymer, results reveal an increase on the crystallization rate by 1.7-5 times boosted by CNC, which act as nucleating agents during the crystallization process. In addition, structural relaxation kinetics of PLLA chains has been drastically reduced by 53% and 27% with the addition of neat and grafted CNC, respectively. The thermal degradation activation energy (E) has been determined from thermogravimetric analysis in the light of Kissinger's and Ozawa-Flynn-Wall theoretical models. Results reveal a reduction on the thermal stability when in presence of CNC-g-PLLA, while raw CNC slightly increases the thermal stability of PLLA. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy results confirm that the presence of residual catalyst in CNC-g-PLLA plays a pivotal role in the thermal degradation behavior of nanocomposites. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. MUSCLE RELAXANTS: ARE THEY NEEDED IN ANKYLOSING SPONDYLITIS?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    T. V. Dubinina

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Guidelines for the treatment of ankylosing spondylitis (AS lack muscle relaxants. At the same time, the latter are used for combined therapy using nonsteroidal  anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs  in 53.1% of patients in an outpatient  setting. No clear recommendations make the administration of these agents uncontrolled, on the one hand, and substantially restrict therapeutic  possibilities, on the other.Objective: to investigate the short-term effect and safety of using tolperisone hydrochloride  (THC,  Mydocalm®  in patients with AS during group therapeutic  exercise (TE.Subjects and methods. The investigation included 40 patients aged over 18 years with a valid diagnosis of AS who had been treated at the Clinic of the V.A. Nasonova Research Institute of Rheumatology and agreed to participate  in the study. All the patients were randomized  in a 1:1 ratio into two groups: 1 20 patients used NSAIDs in combination with TE; 2 20 patients received NSAIDs,  TE, and THC 450 mg/day. The groups were matched for age, gender, disease duration,  and functional impairments. Before and after completion  of the investigation, the investigators estimated BASDAI, BASFI, patient-rated numerical pain rating scale (NPRS, patient-rated TE performance  scores (NPRS, where 0 (very effective, 10 (ineffective, THC tolerance monitoring  (consideration of adverse events. Spinal motility was evaluated using BASMI and chest excursion measurement.Results and discussion. During TE, both groups showed a significant increase in the volume of movements (p < 0.03, when measuring chest excursion and carrying out modified Schober's test, a decrease in BASDAI (p < 0.01 and BASFI (p < 0.009, as well as a reduction  in patient-rated overall disease activity assessment (p < 0.02 as compared to the baseline values. At the same time the modified Schober test revealed that the increase in motility was significantly higher in Group 2 than in Group 1 (p < 0.05. During the

  15. Investigation of effective impact parameters in electron-ion temperature relaxation via Particle-Particle Coulombic molecular dynamics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Yinjian

    2017-09-01

    Aiming at a high simulation accuracy, a Particle-Particle (PP) Coulombic molecular dynamics model is implemented to study the electron-ion temperature relaxation. In this model, the Coulomb's law is directly applied in a bounded system with two cutoffs at both short and long length scales. By increasing the range between the two cutoffs, it is found that the relaxation rate deviates from the BPS theory and approaches the LS theory and the GMS theory. Also, the effective minimum and maximum impact parameters (bmin* and bmax*) are obtained. For the simulated plasma condition, bmin* is about 6.352 times smaller than the Landau length (bC), and bmax* is about 2 times larger than the Debye length (λD), where bC and λD are used in the LS theory. Surprisingly, the effective relaxation time obtained from the PP model is very close to the LS theory and the GMS theory, even though the effective Coulomb logarithm is two times greater than the one used in the LS theory. Besides, this work shows that the PP model (commonly known as computationally expensive) is becoming practicable via GPU parallel computing techniques.

  16. A probabilistic mechanism hidden behind the universal power law for dielectric relaxation. 2 - Discussion of the response function

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Weron, K.

    1991-08-01

    This paper is a continuation of our previous work, where the new probabilistic model based directly on the reaction picture of relaxation was introduced and a general relaxation equation was derived. Here we show the universal character of distributions of damping rates and waiting times used in this model. Moreover, we discuss in detail a physical significance of the response function derived as a solution of the general relaxation equation. (author). 23 refs, 4 figs

  17. Electron-Phonon Coupling and Resonant Relaxation from 1D and 1P States in PbS Quantum Dots.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kennehan, Eric R; Doucette, Grayson S; Marshall, Ashley R; Grieco, Christopher; Munson, Kyle T; Beard, Matthew C; Asbury, John B

    2018-05-31

    Observations of the hot-phonon bottleneck, which is predicted to slow the rate of hot carrier cooling in quantum confined nanocrystals, have been limited to date for reasons that are not fully understood. We used time-resolved infrared spectroscopy to directly measure higher energy intraband transitions in PbS colloidal quantum dots. Direct measurements of these intraband transitions permitted detailed analysis of the electronic overlap of the quantum confined states that may influence their relaxation processes. In smaller PbS nanocrystals, where the hot-phonon bottleneck is expected to be most pronounced, we found that relaxation of parity selection rules combined with stronger electron-phonon coupling led to greater spectral overlap of transitions among the quantum confined states. This created pathways for fast energy transfer and relaxation that may bypass the predicted hot-phonon bottleneck. In contrast, larger, but still quantum confined nanocrystals did not exhibit such relaxation of the parity selection rules and possessed narrower intraband states. These observations were consistent with slower relaxation dynamics that have been measured in larger quantum confined systems. These findings indicated that, at small radii, electron-phonon interactions overcome the advantageous increase in energetic separation of the electronic states for PbS quantum dots. Selection of appropriately sized quantum dots, which minimize spectral broadening due to electron-phonon interactions while maximizing electronic state separation, is necessary to observe the hot-phonon bottleneck. Such optimization may provide a framework for achieving efficient hot carrier collection and multiple exciton generation.

  18. The Effect Of Motivational And Relaxation Music On Aerobic ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of motivational and relaxation music on aerobic performance, rating of perceived exertion (RPE) and salivary cortisol (SC) concentration in trained men. Thirty male physical education college students (ages: 25.66±3.89 yr, height: 176.65±7.66 cm, weight: 78.45±16.20 kg, ...

  19. Stress-relaxation tests in the work-hardening regime of tungsten single crystals below 300 K

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brunner, D.

    2008-01-01

    The influence of work hardening on the results of stress-relaxation tests was studied for highly pure tungsten single crystals isothermally deformed at four temperatures of 274, 241, 131, and 78 K. A method accounting for strong work hardening on the determination of the strain-rate sensitivity from stress-relaxation tests is introduced by establishing special diagrams of SR tests denoted as YX diagrams

  20. Evolving fuzzy rules for relaxed-criteria negotiation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sim, Kwang Mong

    2008-12-01

    In the literature on automated negotiation, very few negotiation agents are designed with the flexibility to slightly relax their negotiation criteria to reach a consensus more rapidly and with more certainty. Furthermore, these relaxed-criteria negotiation agents were not equipped with the ability to enhance their performance by learning and evolving their relaxed-criteria negotiation rules. The impetus of this work is designing market-driven negotiation agents (MDAs) that not only have the flexibility of relaxing bargaining criteria using fuzzy rules, but can also evolve their structures by learning new relaxed-criteria fuzzy rules to improve their negotiation outcomes as they participate in negotiations in more e-markets. To this end, an evolutionary algorithm for adapting and evolving relaxed-criteria fuzzy rules was developed. Implementing the idea in a testbed, two kinds of experiments for evaluating and comparing EvEMDAs (MDAs with relaxed-criteria rules that are evolved using the evolutionary algorithm) and EMDAs (MDAs with relaxed-criteria rules that are manually constructed) were carried out through stochastic simulations. Empirical results show that: 1) EvEMDAs generally outperformed EMDAs in different types of e-markets and 2) the negotiation outcomes of EvEMDAs generally improved as they negotiated in more e-markets.

  1. The effects of bone on proton NMR relaxation times of surrounding liquids

    Science.gov (United States)

    Davis, C. A.; Genant, H. K.; Dunham, J. S.

    1986-01-01

    Preliminary attempts by our group at UCSF to assess fat content of vertebral marrow in the lumbar spine using relaxation time information demonstrated that the presence of trabecular bone affects relaxation times. The objective of this work was a thorough study of the effects of bone on NMR relaxation characteristics of surrounding liquids. Trabecular bone from autopsy specimens was ground up and sifted into a series of powders with graded densities ranging from 0.3 gm/cc to 0.8 gm/cc. Each powder was placed first in n-saline and then in cottonseed oil. With spectroscopy, spin-lattice relaxation times (T1) and effective spin-spin relaxation times (T2*) were measured for each liquid in each bone powder. As bone density and surface to volume ratio increased, T1 decreased faster for saline than for oil. T2* decreased significantly for both water and oil as the surface to volume ratio increased. It was concluded that effects of water on T1 could be explained by a surface interaction at the bone/liquid interface, which restricted rotational and translational motion of nearby molecules. The T1s of oil were not affected since oil molecules are nonpolar, do not participate in significant intermolecular hydrogen bonding, and therefore would not be expected to interact strongly with the bone surface. Effects on T2* could be explained by local magnetic field inhomogeneities created by discontinuous magnetic susceptibility near the bone surface. These preliminary results suggest that water in contact with trabecular bone in vivo will exhibit shortened relaxation times.

  2. Impulsive relaxation process in MHD driven reconnection

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kitabata, H.; Hayashi, T.; Sato, T.

    1997-01-01

    Compressible magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulation is carried out in order to investigate energy relaxation process of the driven magnetic reconnection in an open finite system through a long time calculation. It is found that a very impulsive energy release occurs in an intermittent fashion through magnetic reconnection for a continuous magnetic flux injection on the boundary. We focus our attention on the detailed process in the impulsive phase, which is the reconnection rate is remarkably enhanced up. (author)

  3. Estimating side-chain order in methyl-protonated, perdeuterated proteins via multiple-quantum relaxation violated coherence transfer NMR spectroscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sun Hechao; Godoy-Ruiz, Raquel; Tugarinov, Vitali

    2012-01-01

    Relaxation violated coherence transfer NMR spectroscopy (Tugarinov et al. in J Am Chem Soc 129:1743–1750, 2007) is an established experimental tool for quantitative estimation of the amplitudes of side-chain motions in methyl-protonated, highly deuterated proteins. Relaxation violated coherence transfer experiments monitor the build-up of methyl proton multiple-quantum coherences that can be created in magnetically equivalent spin-systems as long as their transverse magnetization components relax with substantially different rates. The rate of this build-up is a reporter of the methyl-bearing side-chain mobility. Although the build-up of multiple-quantum 1 H coherences is monitored in these experiments, the decay of the methyl signal during relaxation delays occurs when methyl proton magnetization is in a single-quantum state. We describe a relaxation violated coherence transfer approach where the relaxation of multiple-quantum 1 H– 13 C methyl coherences during the relaxation delay period is quantified. The NMR experiment and the associated fitting procedure that models the time-dependence of the signal build-up, are applicable to the characterization of side-chain order in [ 13 CH 3 ]-methyl-labeled, highly deuterated protein systems up to ∼100 kDa in molecular weight. The feasibility of extracting reliable measures of side-chain order is experimentally verified on methyl-protonated, perdeuterated samples of an 8.5-kDa ubiquitin at 10°C and an 82-kDa Malate Synthase G at 37°C.

  4. Photoluminescence quenching and enhanced spin relaxation in Fe doped ZnO nanoparticles

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ovhal, Manoj M.; Santhosh Kumar, A. [Department of Materials Engineering, Defence Institute of Advanced Technology, Girinagar, Pune 411025 (India); Khullar, Prerna [School of Materials Science and Technology, Indian Institute of Technology (Banaras Hindu University), Varanasi 221005 (India); Kumar, Manjeet [Department of Materials Engineering, Defence Institute of Advanced Technology, Girinagar, Pune 411025 (India); Abhyankar, A.C., E-mail: ashutoshabhyankar@gmail.com [Department of Materials Engineering, Defence Institute of Advanced Technology, Girinagar, Pune 411025 (India)

    2017-07-01

    Cost-effective ultrasonically assisted precipitation method is utilized to synthesize Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles (NPs) at room temperature and the effect of Iron (Fe) doping on structural, optical and spin relaxation properties also presented. As-synthesized pure and Fe doped ZnO NPs possess a perfect hexagonal growth habit of wurtzite zinc oxide, along the (101) direction of preference. With Fe doping, ‘c/a’ ratio and compressive lattice strain in ZnO NPs are found to reduce and increase, respectively. Raman studies demonstrate that the E{sub 1} longitudinal optical (LO) vibrational mode is very weak in pure which remarkably enhanced with Fe doping into ZnO NPs. The direct band gap energy (E{sub g}) of the ZnO NPs has been increased from 3.02 eV to 3.11 eV with Fe doping. A slight red-shift observed with strong green emission band, in photoluminescence spectra, is strongly quenched in 6 wt.% Fe doped ZnO NPs. The field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) reveals spherical shape of ZnO NPs with 60–70 nm, which reduces substantially on Fe doping. The energy dispersive X-ray spectrum and elemental mapping confirms the homogeneous distribution of Fe in ZnO NPs. Moreover, the specific relaxation rate (R{sub 2sp} = 1/T{sub 2}) has been measured using Carr-Purcell-Meiboom-Gill (CPMG) method and found to be maximum in 6 wt.% Fe doped ZnO NPs. Further, the correlation of structural, optical and dynamic properties is proposed. - Highlights: • Pure ZnO and Fe doped ZnO NPs were successfully prepared by cost effective ultrasonically assisted precipitation method. • The optical band gap of ZnO has been enhanced form 3.02–3.11 eV with Fe doping. • PL quenching behaviour has been observed with Fe{sup 3+} ions substitution in ZnO lattice. • Specific relaxation rate (R{sub 2sp} = 1/T{sub 2}) has been varied with Fe doping and found to be maximum in 6 wt.% Fe doped ZnO NPs.

  5. The Influence of the Relaxation Time on the Dynamic Hysteresis in Perovskite Solar Cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Palici Alexandra

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available We investigate the dynamic behavior of perovskite solar cells by focusing on the relaxation time τ, which corresponds to the slow de-polarization process from an initial bias pre-poled state. The dynamic electrical model (DEM is employed for simulating the J-V characteristics for different bias scan rates and pre-poling conditions. Depending on the sign of the initial polarization normal or inverted hysteresis may be induced. For fixed pre-poling conditions, the relaxation time, in relation to the bias scan rate, governs the magnitude of the dynamic hysteresis. In the limit of large τ the hysteretic effects are vanishing for the typical range of bias scan rates considered, while for very small τ the hysteresis is significant only when it is comparable with the measurement time interval.

  6. Momentum constraint relaxation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Marronetti, Pedro

    2006-01-01

    Full relativistic simulations in three dimensions invariably develop runaway modes that grow exponentially and are accompanied by violations of the Hamiltonian and momentum constraints. Recently, we introduced a numerical method (Hamiltonian relaxation) that greatly reduces the Hamiltonian constraint violation and helps improve the quality of the numerical model. We present here a method that controls the violation of the momentum constraint. The method is based on the addition of a longitudinal component to the traceless extrinsic curvature A ij -tilde, generated by a vector potential w i , as outlined by York. The components of w i are relaxed to solve approximately the momentum constraint equations, slowly pushing the evolution towards the space of solutions of the constraint equations. We test this method with simulations of binary neutron stars in circular orbits and show that it effectively controls the growth of the aforementioned violations. We also show that a full numerical enforcement of the constraints, as opposed to the gentle correction of the momentum relaxation scheme, results in the development of instabilities that stop the runs shortly

  7. The mitochondrial uniporter controls fight or flight heart rate increases.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Yuejin; Rasmussen, Tyler P; Koval, Olha M; Joiner, Mei-Ling A; Hall, Duane D; Chen, Biyi; Luczak, Elizabeth D; Wang, Qiongling; Rokita, Adam G; Wehrens, Xander H T; Song, Long-Sheng; Anderson, Mark E

    2015-01-20

    Heart rate increases are a fundamental adaptation to physiological stress, while inappropriate heart rate increases are resistant to current therapies. However, the metabolic mechanisms driving heart rate acceleration in cardiac pacemaker cells remain incompletely understood. The mitochondrial calcium uniporter (MCU) facilitates calcium entry into the mitochondrial matrix to stimulate metabolism. We developed mice with myocardial MCU inhibition by transgenic expression of a dominant-negative (DN) MCU. Here, we show that DN-MCU mice had normal resting heart rates but were incapable of physiological fight or flight heart rate acceleration. We found that MCU function was essential for rapidly increasing mitochondrial calcium in pacemaker cells and that MCU-enhanced oxidative phoshorylation was required to accelerate reloading of an intracellular calcium compartment before each heartbeat. Our findings show that MCU is necessary for complete physiological heart rate acceleration and suggest that MCU inhibition could reduce inappropriate heart rate increases without affecting resting heart rate.

  8. Spin dynamics of Mn12-acetate in the thermally activated tunneling regime: ac susceptibility and magnetization relaxation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pohjola, Teemu; Schoeller, Herbert

    2000-12-01

    In this work, we study the spin dynamics of Mn12-acetate molecules in the regime of thermally assisted tunneling. In particular, we describe the system in the presence of a strong transverse magnetic field. Similar to recent experiments, the relaxation time/rate is found to display a series of resonances; their Lorentzian shape is found to stem from the tunneling. The dynamic susceptibility χ(ω) is calculated starting from the microscopic Hamiltonian and the resonant structure manifests itself also in χ(ω). Similar to recent results reported on another molecular magnet, Fe8, we find oscillations of the relaxation rate as a function of the transverse magnetic field when the field is directed along a hard axis of the molecules. This phenomenon is attributed to the interference of the geometrical or Berry phase. We propose susceptibility experiments to be carried out for strong transverse magnetic fields to study these oscillations and for a better resolution of the sharp satellite peaks in the relaxation rates.

  9. Reduced Mutation Rate and Increased Transformability of Transposon-Free Acinetobacter baylyi ADP1-ISx.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Suárez, Gabriel A; Renda, Brian A; Dasgupta, Aurko; Barrick, Jeffrey E

    2017-09-01

    The genomes of most bacteria contain mobile DNA elements that can contribute to undesirable genetic instability in engineered cells. In particular, transposable insertion sequence (IS) elements can rapidly inactivate genes that are important for a designed function. We deleted all six copies of IS 1236 from the genome of the naturally transformable bacterium Acinetobacter baylyi ADP1. The natural competence of ADP1 made it possible to rapidly repair deleterious point mutations that arose during strain construction. In the resulting ADP1-ISx strain, the rates of mutations inactivating a reporter gene were reduced by 7- to 21-fold. This reduction was higher than expected from the incidence of new IS 1236 insertions found during a 300-day mutation accumulation experiment with wild-type ADP1 that was used to estimate spontaneous mutation rates in the strain. The extra improvement appears to be due in part to eliminating large deletions caused by IS 1236 activity, as the point mutation rate was unchanged in ADP1-ISx. Deletion of an error-prone polymerase ( dinP ) and a DNA damage response regulator ( umuD Ab [the umuD gene of A. baylyi ]) from the ADP1-ISx genome did not further reduce mutation rates. Surprisingly, ADP1-ISx exhibited increased transformability. This improvement may be due to less autolysis and aggregation of the engineered cells than of the wild type. Thus, deleting IS elements from the ADP1 genome led to a greater than expected increase in evolutionary reliability and unexpectedly enhanced other key strain properties, as has been observed for other clean-genome bacterial strains. ADP1-ISx is an improved chassis for metabolic engineering and other applications. IMPORTANCE Acinetobacter baylyi ADP1 has been proposed as a next-generation bacterial host for synthetic biology and genome engineering due to its ability to efficiently take up DNA from its environment during normal growth. We deleted transposable elements that are capable of copying themselves

  10. Thermodynamic scaling of α-relaxation time and viscosity stems from the Johari-Goldstein β-relaxation or the primitive relaxation of the coupling model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ngai, K L; Habasaki, J; Prevosto, D; Capaccioli, S; Paluch, Marian

    2012-07-21

    By now it is well established that the structural α-relaxation time, τ(α), of non-associated small molecular and polymeric glass-formers obey thermodynamic scaling. In other words, τ(α) is a function Φ of the product variable, ρ(γ)/T, where ρ is the density and T the temperature. The constant γ as well as the function, τ(α) = Φ(ρ(γ)/T), is material dependent. Actually this dependence of τ(α) on ρ(γ)/T originates from the dependence on the same product variable of the Johari-Goldstein β-relaxation time, τ(β), or the primitive relaxation time, τ(0), of the coupling model. To support this assertion, we give evidences from various sources itemized as follows. (1) The invariance of the relation between τ(α) and τ(β) or τ(0) to widely different combinations of pressure and temperature. (2) Experimental dielectric and viscosity data of glass-forming van der Waals liquids and polymer. (3) Molecular dynamics simulations of binary Lennard-Jones (LJ) models, the Lewis-Wahnström model of ortho-terphenyl, 1,4 polybutadiene, a room temperature ionic liquid, 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium nitrate, and a molten salt 2Ca(NO(3))(2)·3KNO(3) (CKN). (4) Both diffusivity and structural relaxation time, as well as the breakdown of Stokes-Einstein relation in CKN obey thermodynamic scaling by ρ(γ)/T with the same γ. (5) In polymers, the chain normal mode relaxation time, τ(N), is another function of ρ(γ)/T with the same γ as segmental relaxation time τ(α). (6) While the data of τ(α) from simulations for the full LJ binary mixture obey very well the thermodynamic scaling, it is strongly violated when the LJ interaction potential is truncated beyond typical inter-particle distance, although in both cases the repulsive pair potentials coincide for some distances.

  11. Parametric study of the relaxation zone behind strong normal shock waves in a dusty ionized monatomic gas

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Igra, O.; Ben-Dor, G.

    1982-01-01

    The conservation equations appropriate to a steady, one-dimensional flow of dusty ionized argon were solved numerically. The specific effect of each of the physical parameters of the dust upon the flow properties in the relaxation zone is studied. It is found that increasing the dust particle mass causes an increase in both the kinematic and thermal relaxation lengths. In addition to these changes, the flow field inside the relaxation zone is also affected. An increase in the dust mass (caused either by an increase in the dust density or its diameter) causes an increase in the plasma velocity, temperature and electron number density and a decrease in its density and pressure. Similar effects are encountered when the specific heat capacity of the dust is changed. An increase in the emissivity of the dust causes an increase in the plasma density and pressure and a decrease in its velocity, temperature and electron number density. Increasing the emissivity of the dust results in a decrease in the relaxation zone length. (author)

  12. Electron spin relaxation can enhance the performance of a cryptochrome-based magnetic compass sensor

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kattnig, Daniel R; Sowa, Jakub K; Solov'yov, Ilia A

    2016-01-01

    thaliana cryptochrome 1 were obtained from molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and used to calculate the spin relaxation caused by modulation of the exchange and dipolar interactions. We find that intermediate spin relaxation rates afford substantial enhancements in the sensitivity of the reaction yields....... Here we argue that certain spin relaxation mechanisms can enhance its performance. We focus on the flavin-tryptophan radical pair in cryptochrome, currently the only candidate magnetoreceptor molecule. Correlation functions for fluctuations in the distance between the two radicals in Arabidopsis...... to an Earth-strength magnetic field. Supported by calculations using toy radical pair models, we argue that these enhancements could be consistent with the molecular dynamics and magnetic interactions in avian cryptochromes....

  13. Human whole-blood (1)H2O longitudinal relaxation with normal and high-relaxivity contrast reagents: influence of trans-cell-membrane water exchange.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilson, Gregory J; Woods, Mark; Springer, Charles S; Bastawrous, Sarah; Bhargava, Puneet; Maki, Jeffrey H

    2014-12-01

    Accurate characterization of contrast reagent (CR) longitudinal relaxivity in whole blood is required to predict arterial signal intensity in contrast-enhanced MR angiography (CE-MRA). This study measured the longitudinal relaxation rate constants (R1 ) over a concentration range for non-protein-binding and protein-binding CRs in ex vivo whole blood and plasma at 1.5 and 3.0 Tesla (T) under physiologic arterial conditions. Relaxivities of gadoteridol, gadobutrol, gadobenate, and gadofosveset were measured for [CR] from 0 to 18 mM [mmol(CR)/L(blood)]: the latter being the upper limit of what may be expected in CE-MRA. In plasma, the (1) H2 O R1 [CR]-dependence was nonlinear for gadobenate and gadofosveset secondary to CR interactions with the serum macromolecule albumin, and was well described by an analytical expression for effective 1:1 binding stoichiometry. In whole blood, the (1) H2 O R1 [CR]-dependence was markedly non-linear for all CRs, and was well-predicted by an expression for equilibrium exchange of water molecules between plasma and intracellular spaces using a priori parameter values only. In whole blood, (1) H2 O R1 exhibits a nonlinear relationship with [CR] over 0 to 18 mM CR. The nonlinearity is well described by exchange of water between erythrocyte and plasma compartments, and is particularly evident for high relaxivity CRs. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  14. Analysis of instability growth and collisionless relaxation in thermionic converters using 1-D PIC simulations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kreh, B.B.

    1994-12-01

    This work investigates the role that the beam-plasma instability may play in a thermionic converter. The traditional assumption of collisionally dominated relaxation is questioned, and the beam-plasma instability is proposed as a possible dominant relaxation mechanism. Theory is developed to describe the beam-plasma instability in the cold-plasma approximation, and the theory is tested with two common Particle-in-Cell (PIC) simulation codes. The theory is first confirmed using an unbounded plasma PIC simulation employing periodic boundary conditions, ES1. The theoretically predicted growth rates are on the order of the plasma frequencies, and ES1 simulations verify these predictions within the order of 1%. For typical conditions encountered in thermionic converters, the resulting growth period is on the order of 7 x 10 -11 seconds. The bounded plasma simulation PDP1 was used to evaluate the influence of finite geometry and the electrode boundaries. For this bounded plasma, a two-stream interaction was supported and resulting in nearly complete thermalization in approximately 5 x 10 -10 seconds. Since the electron-electron collision rate of 10 9 Hz and the electron atom collision rate of 10 7 Hz are significantly slower than the rate of development of these instabilities, the instabilities appear to be an important relaxation mechanism

  15. Computation of transverse muon-spin relaxation functions including trapping-detrapping reactions, with application to electron-irradiated tantalum

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Doering, K.P.; Aurenz, T.; Herlach, D.; Schaefer, H.E.; Arnold, K.P.; Jacobs, W.; Orth, H.; Haas, N.; Seeger, A.; Max-Planck-Institut fuer Metallforschung, Stuttgart

    1986-01-01

    A new technique for the economical evaluation of transverse muon spin relaxation functions in situations involving μ + trapping at and detrapping from crystal defects is applied to electron-irradiated Ta exhibiting relaxation maxima at about 35 K, 100 K, and 250 K. The long-range μ + diffusion is shown to be limted by traps over the entire temperature range investigated. The (static) relaxation rates for several possible configurations of trapped muons are discussed, including the effect of the simultaneous presence of a proton in a vacancy. (orig.)

  16. Reduced white matter MRI transverse relaxation rate in cognitively normal H63D-HFE human carriers and H67D-HFE mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meadowcroft, Mark D; Wang, Jianli; Purnell, Carson J; Peters, Douglas G; Eslinger, Paul J; Neely, Elizabeth B; Gill, David J; Vasavada, Megha; Ali-Rahmani, Fatima; Yang, Qing X; Connor, James R

    2016-12-01

    Mutations within the HFE protein gene sequence have been associated with increased risk of developing a number of neurodegenerative disorders. To this effect, an animal model has been created which incorporates the mouse homologue to the human H63D-HFE mutation: the H67D-HFE knock-in mouse. These mice exhibit alterations in iron management proteins, have increased neuronal oxidative stress, and a disruption in cholesterol regulation. However, it remains undetermined how these differences translate to human H63D carriers in regards to white matter (WM) integrity. To this endeavor, MRI transverse relaxation rate (R 2 ) parametrics were employed to test the hypothesis that WM alterations are present in H63D human carriers and are recapitulated in the H67D mice. H63D carriers exhibit widespread reductions in brain R 2 compared to non-carriers within white matter association fibers in the brain. Similar R 2 decreases within white matter tracts were observed in the H67D mouse brain. Additionally, an exacerbation of age-related R 2 decrease is found in the H67D animal model in white matter regions of interest. The decrease in R 2 within white matter tracts of both species is speculated to be multifaceted. The R 2 changes are hypothesized to be due to alterations in axonal biochemical tissue composition. The R 2 changes observed in both the human-H63D and mouse-H67D data suggest that modified white matter myelination is occurring in subjects with HFE mutations, potentially increasing vulnerability to neurodegenerative disorders.

  17. Plate-wide stress relaxation explains European Palaeocene basin inversions

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, S.B.; Thomsen, Erik; Hansen, D.L.

    2005-01-01

    of the in-plane tectonic stress. The onset of relaxation inversions was plate-wide and simultaneous, and may have been triggered by stress changes caused by elevation of the North Atlantic lithosphere by the Iceland plume or the drop in NS convergence rate between Africa and Europe.......During Late Cretaceous and Cenozoic times many Paleozoic and Mesozoic rifts and basin structures in the interior of the European continent underwent several phases of inversion. The main phases occurred during the Late Cretaceous and Middle Paleocene, and have been explained by pulses...... Paleocene phase was characterized by domal uplift of a wider area with only mild fault movements, and formation of more distal and shallow marginal troughs. A simple flexural model explains how domal, secondary inversion follows inevitably from primary, convergence related inversion upon relaxation...

  18. Relaxed states with plasma flow

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Avinash, K.; Taylor, J.B.

    1991-01-01

    In the theory of relaxation, a turbulent plasma reaches a state of minimum energy subject to constant magnetic helicity. In this state the plasma velocity is zero. Attempts have been made by introducing a number of different constraints, to obtain relaxed states with plasma flow. It is shown that these alternative constraints depend on two self-helicities, one for ions, and one for electrons. However, whereas there are strong arguments for the effective invariance of the original magnetic-helicity, these arguments do not apply to the self-helicities. Consequently the existence of relaxed states with flow remains in doubt. (author)

  19. A Review of Apps for Calming, Relaxation, and Mindfulness Interventions for Pediatric Palliative Care Patients

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Taelyr Weekly

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Patients and families increasingly use mobile apps as a relaxation and distraction intervention for children with complex, chronic medical conditions in the waiting room setting or during inpatient hospitalizations; and yet, there is limited data on app quality assessment or review of these apps for level of engagement, functionality, aesthetics, or applicability for palliative pediatric patients. The pediatric palliative care study team searched smartphone application platforms for apps relevant to calming, relaxation, and mindfulness for pediatric and adolescent patients. Apps were reviewed using a systematic data extraction tool. Validated Mobile Application Rating Scale (MARS scores were determined by two blinded reviewers. Apps were then characterized by infant, child, adolescent, and adult caregiver group categories. Reviewer discussion resulted in consensus. Sixteen of the 22 apps identified were included in the final analysis. The apps operated on either iOS or Android platforms. All were available in English with four available in Spanish. Apps featured a relaxation approach (12/16, soothing images (8/16, and breathing techniques (8/16. Mood and sleep patterns were the main symptoms targeted by apps. Provision of mobile apps resource summary has the potential to foster pediatric palliative care providers’ knowledge of app functionality and applicability as part of ongoing patient care.

  20. Efficient relaxed-Jacobi smoothers for multigrid on parallel computers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Xiang; Mittal, Rajat

    2017-03-01

    In this Technical Note, we present a family of Jacobi-based multigrid smoothers suitable for the solution of discretized elliptic equations. These smoothers are based on the idea of scheduled-relaxation Jacobi proposed recently by Yang & Mittal (2014) [18] and employ two or three successive relaxed Jacobi iterations with relaxation factors derived so as to maximize the smoothing property of these iterations. The performance of these new smoothers measured in terms of convergence acceleration and computational workload, is assessed for multi-domain implementations typical of parallelized solvers, and compared to the lexicographic point Gauss-Seidel smoother. The tests include the geometric multigrid method on structured grids as well as the algebraic grid method on unstructured grids. The tests demonstrate that unlike Gauss-Seidel, the convergence of these Jacobi-based smoothers is unaffected by domain decomposition, and furthermore, they outperform the lexicographic Gauss-Seidel by factors that increase with domain partition count.

  1. Arginase strongly impairs neuronal nitric oxide-mediated airway smooth muscle relaxation in allergic asthma

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zaagsma Johan

    2006-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Using guinea pig tracheal preparations, we have recently shown that endogenous arginase activity attenuates inhibitory nonadrenergic noncholinergic (iNANC nerve-mediated airway smooth muscle relaxation by reducing nitric oxide (NO production – due to competition with neuronal NO-synthase (nNOS for the common substrate, L-arginine. Furthermore, in a guinea pig model of allergic asthma, airway arginase activity is markedly increased after the early asthmatic reaction (EAR, leading to deficiency of agonist-induced, epithelium-derived NO and subsequent airway hyperreactivity. In this study, we investigated whether increased arginase activity after the EAR affects iNANC nerve-derived NO production and airway smooth muscle relaxation. Methods Electrical field stimulation (EFS; 150 mA, 4 ms, 4 s, 0.5 – 16 Hz-induced relaxation was measured in tracheal open-ring preparations precontracted to 30% with histamine in the presence of 1 μM atropine and 3 μM indomethacin. The contribution of NO to EFS-induced relaxation was assessed by the nonselective NOS inhibitor Nω-nitro-L-arginine (L-NNA, 100 μM, while the involvement of arginase activity in the regulation of EFS-induced NO production and relaxation was investigated by the effect of the specific arginase inhibitor Nω-hydroxy-nor-L-arginine (nor-NOHA, 10 μM. Furthermore, the role of substrate availability to nNOS was measured in the presence of exogenous L-arginine (5.0 mM. Results At 6 h after ovalbumin-challenge (after the EAR, EFS-induced relaxation (ranging from 3.2 ± 1.1% at 0.5 Hz to 58.5 ± 2.2% at 16 Hz was significantly decreased compared to unchallenged controls (7.1 ± 0.8% to 75.8 ± 0.7%; P P P Conclusion The results clearly demonstrate that increased arginase activity after the allergen-induced EAR contributes to a deficiency of iNANC nerve-derived NO and decreased airway smooth muscle relaxation, presumably via increased substrate competition with nNOS.

  2. Molecular theory for nuclear magnetic relaxation in protein solutions and tissue

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kimmich, R.; Nusser, W.; Gneiting, T.

    1990-01-01

    A model theory is presented explaining a series of striking phenomena observed with nuclear magnetic relaxation in protein systems such as solutions or tissue. The frequency, concentration and temperature dependences of proton or deuteron relaxation times of protein solutions and tissue are explained. It is concluded that the translational diffusion of water molecules along the rugged surfaces of proteins and, to a minor degree, protein backbone fluctuations are crucial processes. The rate limiting factor of macromolecular tumbling is assumed to be given by the free water content in a certain analogy to the free-volume model of Cohen ad Turnbull. There are two characteristic water mass fractions indicating the saturation of the hydration shells and the onset of protein tumbling. A closed and relatively simple set of relaxation formulas is presented. The potentially fractal nature of the diffusion of water molecules on the protein surface is discussed. (author). 43 refs.; 4 figs

  3. Stress relaxation in 'aged high-purity aluminium at room temperature

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Butt, M.Z.; Haq, I.U.

    1993-01-01

    Stress relaxation in 99.996% Al polycrystals of average grain diameter 0.30, 0.42 and 0.51 mm, annealed at 500 deg. C and 'aged' for six months at room temperature, have been studied as a function of initial stress level from which relaxation at constant strain was allowed to start. The results obtained were compared with those for 'un-aged' Al specimens of the same purity and grain size. The intrinsic height of the thermally activable energy barrier (1.6 eV) evaluated for 'aged' Al is comparable with that (1.9 eV) for 'un-aged' Al, and is of the order of magnitude for recovery processes. In 'aged' specimens, the relaxation rate at a given stress level is larger and associated activation volume is smaller than that in 'un-aged' specimens. This is probably due to the diffusion of vacancies and/or residual impurity atoms to the cores to edge dislocations in 'aged' specimens; the length of dislocation segment involved in unit activation process therefore gets shortened compared with that in 'un-aged' specimens. (author)

  4. Relationship between relaxation by guided imagery and performance of working memory.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hudetz, J A; Hudetz, A G; Klayman, J

    2000-02-01

    This study tested the hypothesis that relaxation by guided imagery improves working-memory performance of healthy participants. 30 volunteers (both sexes, ages 17-56 years) were randomly assigned to one of three groups and administered the WAIS-III Letter-Number Sequencing Test before and after 10-min. treatment with guided imagery or popular music. The control group received no treatment. Groups' test scores were not different before treatment. The mean increased after relaxation by guided imagery but not after music or no treatment. This result supports the hypothesis that working-memory scores on the test are enhanced by guided imagery and implies that human information processing may be enhanced by prior relaxation.

  5. How does a clinical trial fit into the real world? The RELAX-AHF study population into the EAHFE registry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miró, Òscar; Gil, Víctor; Müller, Christian; Mebazaa, Alexander; Bueno, Héctor; Martín-Sánchez, Francisco Javier; Herrero, Pablo; Jacob, Javier; Llorens, Pere

    2015-10-01

    To test how accurate the recently published RELAX-AHF trial was in recruiting real-world patients with acute-decompensated heart failure (ADHF). We compared clinical and outcome data of patients receiving serelaxin in the RELAX-AHF trial (RELAX group, n = 581) with patients included in the EAHFE registry [5497 ADHF from 29 Spanish emergency departments (EDs)]. The EAHFE registry was split into two groups: EAHFE-non-RELAX (patients not fulfilling the RELAX-AHF inclusion criteria; n = 3205, 58.3 %) and EAHFE-RELAX A (patients fulfilling RELAX-AHF inclusion criteria; n = 2292, 41.7 %). The latter group was further refined by also applying exclusion criteria (EAHFE-RELAX B; n = 964, 17.4 %). Both EAHFE-RELAX groups differed from the EAHFE-non-RELAX group in multiple aspects, with the lower the proportion of patients with implantable cardiac defibrillator and with pulmonary diseases the greater the differences found. The RELAX group, compared with the EAHFE-RELAX groups, significantly included fewer females, younger patients, less in NYHA class I/II, less with implantable cardiac defibrillator and on beta-blocker treatment, and patients had lower systolic blood pressure and cardiac and respiratory rates at ED arrival. The EAHFE-RELAX groups had a significantly lower all-cause mortality than EAHFE-non-RELAX group, and qualitative analysis suggested that EAHFE-RELAX groups had a higher mortality than the RELAX group. Patients included in the RELAX-AHF trial showed unanticipated differences when compared with a population from the EAHFE registry fulfilling very similar inclusion and exclusion criteria.

  6. Muon-spin-relaxation study of magnetism in ErBa2Cu3O6.2

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lichti, R.L.; Chan, K.B.; Adams, T.R.; Boekema, C.; Dawson, W.K.; Flint, J.A.; Cooke, D.W.; Kwok, R.S.; Willis, J.O.

    1990-01-01

    The copper magnetism of ErBa 2 Cu 3 O 6.2 is examined by transverse-field (TF) and zero-field (ZF) muon-spin relaxation (μSR). These data indicate two magnetic phases with T N1 congruent 330 K and T N2 ∼65 K. The second phase is signaled by deviation of the ZF-μSR frequencies from a standard magnetization curve and an abrupt change in the TF-μSR relaxation rate. A relaxation feature indicates a muon depolarization mechanism with a T 3/2 dependence in the low-temperature phase. Observed fields are compared to those calculated for proposed magnetic structures

  7. Continuous relaxation time spectrum of α-process in glass-like B2O3

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bartenev, G.M.; Lomovskij, V.A.

    1991-01-01

    α-process of relaxation of glass-like B 2 O 3 was investigated in a wide temperature range. Continuous spectrum of relaxation times H(τ) for this process was constructed, using data of dynamic methods of investigation. It is shown that increase of temperature of α-process investigation leads to change of glass-like BaO 3 structure in such a way, that H(τ) spectrum tends to the maxwell one with a unit relaxation time

  8. On aggregation of relaxed T-indistinguishability operators

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fuster-Parra, P.

    2017-07-01

    The notion of T -indistinguishability operator was introduced by E. Trillas in [7] with the aim of fuzzifying the classical (crisp) notion of equivalence relation. Relaxed metrics and indistinguishability operators are closely related. Indeed, in [1] it has been stated that the logical counterpart for relaxed metrics is, in some sense, a generalized indistinguishability operator (relaxed T -indistinguishability operator). Notice that the notion of T -indistinguishability operator is retrieved as a particular case of relaxed T -indistinguishability operator whenever the relaxed T - indistinguishability operator satisfies also the reflexivity. In fact, a relaxed indistinguishability operator is a indistinguishability operator if and only if it holds the reflexivity. The same occurs when we consider T -indistinguishability operator that separates points. Several authors have studied the aggregation of some classes of fuzzy relations (see [3, 4, 5, 6]), where it is stated that transitivity is one of the most important properties of a fuzzy relation. In [5] a study of aggregation of T-indistinguishability operators is presented, motivated by this work the aim of this study is to analyze the case of aggregating relaxed T-indistinguishability operators. (Author)

  9. Nuclear spin-lattice relaxation in carbon nanostructures

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Panich, A.M., E-mail: pan@bgu.ac.i [Department of Physics, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, P.O. Box 653, Beer Sheva 84105 (Israel); Sergeev, N.A. [Institute of Physics, University of Szczecin, 70-451 Szczecin (Poland)

    2010-04-15

    Interpretation of nuclear spin-lattice relaxation data in the carbon nanostructures is usually based on the analysis of fluctuations of dipole-dipole interactions of nuclear spins and anisotropic electron-nuclear interactions responsible for chemical shielding, which are caused by molecular dynamics. However, many nanocarbon systems such as fullerene and nanotube derivatives, nanodiamonds and carbon onions reveal noticeable amount of paramagnetic defects with unpaired electrons originating from dangling bonds. The interaction between nuclear and electron spins strongly influences the nuclear spin-lattice relaxation, but usually is not taken into account, thus the relaxation data are not correctly interpreted. Here we report on the temperature dependent NMR spectra and spin-lattice relaxation measurements of intercalated fullerenes C{sub 60}(MF{sub 6}){sub 2} (M=As and Sb), where nuclear relaxation is caused by both molecular rotation and interaction between nuclei and unpaired electron spins. We present a detailed theoretical analysis of the spin-lattice relaxation data taking into account both these contributions. Good agreement between the experimental data and calculations is obtained. The developed approach would be useful in interpreting the NMR relaxation data in different nanostructures and their intercalation compounds.

  10. Statistical image reconstruction for transmission tomography using relaxed ordered subset algorithms

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kole, J S

    2005-01-01

    Statistical reconstruction methods offer possibilities for improving image quality as compared to analytical methods, but current reconstruction times prohibit routine clinical applications in x-ray computed tomography (CT). To reduce reconstruction times, we have applied (under) relaxation to ordered subset algorithms. This enables us to use subsets consisting of only single projection angle, effectively increasing the number of image updates within an entire iteration. A second advantage of applying relaxation is that it can help improve convergence by removing the limit cycle behaviour of ordered subset algorithms, which normally do not converge to an optimal solution but rather a suboptimal limit cycle consisting of as many points as there are subsets. Relaxation suppresses the limit cycle behaviour by decreasing the stepsize for approaching the solution. A simulation study for a 2D mathematical phantom and three different ordered subset algorithms shows that all three algorithms benefit from relaxation: equal noise-to-resolution trade-off can be achieved using fewer iterations than the conventional algorithms, while a lower minimal normalized mean square error (NMSE) clearly indicates a better convergence. Two different schemes for setting the relaxation parameter are studied, and both schemes yield approximately the same minimal NMSE

  11. Ab initio study on the effect of structural relaxation on the electronic and optical properties of P-doped Si nanocrystals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pi, Xiaodong; Ni, Zhenyi; Yang, Deren; Delerue, Christophe

    2014-01-01

    In contrast to the conventional doping of bulk silicon (Si), the doping of Si nanocrystals (NCs) that are often smaller than 5 nm in diameter may lead to serious structural changes. Since the electronic and optical properties of Si NCs are intimately associated with their structures, it is critical to understand how doping impacts the structures of Si NCs. By means of ab initio calculation we now compare 1.4 nm phosphorus (P)-doped Si NCs without structural relaxation and those with structural relaxation. Structural changes induced by structural relaxation are manifested by the stretching and compressing of bonds and apparent variations in bond angles. With the increase of the concentration of P structural changes induced by structural relaxation become more serious. It is found that structural relaxation makes differences in the energy-level schemes of P-doped Si NCs. Structural relaxation also causes the binding energy of an electron in a P-doped Si NC to more significantly increase as the concentration of P increases. With the increase of the concentration of P structural relaxation leads to more pronounced changes in the optical absorption of P-doped Si NCs

  12. Picosecond energy relaxation in La0.67Ca0.33MnO3

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dorosinets, Vladimir; Richter, Pablo; Mohler, Ernst; Roskos, Hartmut G.; Jakob, Gerhard

    2005-01-01

    Investigating the reflectance response dynamics of La 0.67 Ca 0.33 MnO 3 thin films after excitation by femtosecond laser pulses, we identify for the first time a picosecond relaxation step which only exists below the Curie temperature T C . The relaxation time increases from zero at T C to several picoseconds at low temperatures. The data can be explained with the existence of a magnetization-related effective energy gap, and assuming relaxation between these states to be mediated by a Frohlich-type electron-lattice interaction

  13. The influence of heating rate on reheat-cracking in a commercial 2 1/4Cr1Mo steel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hippsley, C.A.

    1983-03-01

    The effects of elevated heating rate on stress-relief cracking in a commercial 2 1/4 Cr1Mo steel have been investigated. A SEN bend-specimen stress-relaxation test was used to assess reheat cracking susceptibility and fracture mechanisms for an initial post-weld heating rate of 1000 Kh - 1 . Two factors controlling the influence of heating rate on the final severity of cracking were identified, i.e. the rate of stress-relaxation with respect to temperature, and the time available for crack-growth. The factors were found to counteract each other, but in the case of commercial 2 1/4 Cr1Mo steel, the crack-growth factor outweighed the relaxation factor, resulting in a reduction in the propensity to stress-relief cracking at the elevated heating rate. However, by reference to the results of a separate investigation concerning A508/2 MnMoNiCr steel it was demonstrated that the balance between these two factors may be reversed in other alloy systems, with the consequence that reheat cracking is exacerbated by increasing the initial heating rate. A computer model was addressed to the stress-relaxation test conditions using data from the commercial 2 1/4 Cr1Mo steel. The model predictions exhibited reasonable agreement with experimental test results for both 100 Kh - 1 and 1000 Kh - 1 heating rates. (author)

  14. Singlet ground-state fluctuations in praseodymium observed by muon spin relaxation in PrP and PrP0.9

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Noakes, D R; Waeppling, R; Kalvius, G M; Jr, M F White; Stronach, C E

    2005-01-01

    Muon spin relaxation (μSR) in the singlet ground-state compounds PrP and PrP 0.9 reveals the unusual situation of a Lorentzian local field distribution with fast-fluctuation-limit strong-collision dynamics, a case that does not show motional narrowing. Contrary to publications by others, where PrP 0.9 was asserted to have vacancy-induced spin-glass freezing, no spin-glass freezing is seen in PrP 0.9 or PrP down to ≤100mK. This was confirmed by magnetization measurements on these same samples. In both compounds, the muon spin relaxation rate does increase as temperature decreases, demonstrating increasing strength of the paramagnetic response. A Monte Carlo model of fluctuations of Pr ions out of their crystalline-electric-field singlet ground states into their magnetic excited states (and back down again) produces the strong-collision-dynamic Lorentzian relaxation functions observed at each individual temperature but not the observed temperature dependence. This model contains no exchange interaction, and so predicts decreasing paramagnetic response as the temperature decreases, contrary to the temperature dependence observed. Comparison of the simulations to the data suggests that the exchange interaction is causing the system to approach magnetic freezing (by mode softening), but fails to complete the process

  15. Dielectric relaxation in Li2SO4 in the intermedia-temperature regime

    Science.gov (United States)

    Diosa, J. E.; Vargas, R. A.; Fernández, M. E.; Albinsson, I.; Mellander, B.-E.

    2005-08-01

    The dielectric permittivity of polycrystalline Li2SO4 was measured from 5 Hz to 13 MHz and over the temperature range 235-460 °C. The corrected imaginary part of permittivity, , and its real part vs. frequency clearly show a new dielectric relaxation around fmax = 2 × 104 Hz at T = 256 °C, which shifts to higher frequencies (1 MHz) as the temperatures increases. The relaxation frequency (calculated from the peak position of ) vs. reciprocal T shows an activated relaxation process with activation energy Ea= 0.9 eV, which is very close to that derived from the dc conductivity, E (0.87 eV). We suggest that this dielectric relaxation could be due to the Li+ jump and SO4- reorientation that cause distortion and change of the local lattice polarizability inducing dipoles like LiSO4-.

  16. Dashed line relaxing retinotomy in the management of retinal detachment with anterior proliferative vitreoretinopathy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tsen CL

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available Chui-Lien Tsen,1 Yu-Harn Horng,1 Shwu-Jiuan Sheu1,2 1Department of Ophthalmology, Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan; 2School of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan Background: We describe the anatomical and functional outcomes of eyes that underwent a modified technique of relaxing retinotomy, dashed line relaxing retinotomy, in the management of retinal detachment with anterior proliferative vitreoretinopathy.Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 54 consecutive eyes in 52 patients who received pars plana vitrectomy with relaxing retinotomy during retinal detachment repair. Perfluorocarbon liquid (PFCL was used as a standard procedure to stabilize the retina during retinotomy to prevent slippage or inversion of the posterior flap. If PFCL was not available due to economic reasons, dashed line relaxing retinotomy was performed instead. Best-corrected visual acuity, slit-lamp biomicroscopy, intraocular pressure measurement, lens status, and fundus examination were analyzed. We excluded patients who were followed up <4 months.Results: Regarding anatomical success rates and visual outcomes, we found no significant differences between patients treated with intraoperative PFCL and those treated with dashed line relaxing retinotomy without PFCL.Conclusion: Compared to the simple and efficient PFCL-assisted relaxing retinotomy, dashed relaxing retinotomy is not the first choice when PFCL is available. Based on our results, this modified technique may offer an alternative in patients with anterior proliferative vitreoretinopathy for whom PFCL is not available. Keywords: perfluorocarbon liquid, PFCL 

  17. Markov state modeling and dynamical coarse-graining via discrete relaxation path sampling.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fačkovec, B; Vanden-Eijnden, E; Wales, D J

    2015-07-28

    A method is derived to coarse-grain the dynamics of complex molecular systems to a Markov jump process (MJP) describing how the system jumps between cells that fully partition its state space. The main inputs are relaxation times for each pair of cells, which are shown to be robust with respect to positioning of the cell boundaries. These relaxation times can be calculated via molecular dynamics simulations performed in each cell separately and are used in an efficient estimator for the rate matrix of the MJP. The method is illustrated through applications to Sinai billiards and a cluster of Lennard-Jones discs.

  18. Multiple relaxation processes in high-energy ion irradiated kapton-H polyimide: Thermally stimulated depolarization current study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Garg, Maneesha; Quamara, J.K.

    2006-01-01

    High-energy ion irradiation effects on the thermally stimulated depolarization current (Tdc) behaviour of kapton-H samples (12.5 μm) irradiated with 50 MeV Li ion (fluence 5 x 10 4 , 10 5 and 5 x 10 5 ions/cm 2 ) have been investigated. The TSDC spectra of the irradiated samples reveal that the β-peak (appearing around 80-110 deg. C) associated with dipolar relaxation has been significantly affected owing to the demerization of carbonyl groups due to irradiation. The TSDC spectra also reveal a new relaxation process (termed as γ-relaxation) around 30 deg. C, due to increased water absorptivity in irradiated samples. The peak around 200 deg. C (α-peak) associated with space charge relaxation process also shows a behavioural change with ion irradiation. The peak not only shifts towards the higher temperature with increasing fluence but also show an increase in its activation energy (0.33-0.99 eV) with increasing polarizing field. The creation of new deep energy trap centers due to the formation of conjugated bonds after irradiation is responsible for this modification. The Cole-Cole distribution curves show the formation of new sub-polar group with different characteristic relaxation time

  19. Zinc chloride modified electronic transport and relaxation studies in barium-tellurite glasses

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dhankhar, Sunil; Kundu, R. S.; Rani, Sunita; Sharma, Preeti; Murugavel, S.; Punia, Rajesh; Kishore, N.

    2017-09-01

    The ac conductivity of halide based tellurium glasses having composition 70 TeO2-(30-x) BaO-x ZnCl2; x = 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 has been investigated in the frequency range 10-1 Hz to 105Hz and in the temperature range 453 K to 553 K. The frequency and temperature dependent ac conductivity show mixed behaviour with increase in halide content and found to obey Jonscher's universal power law. The values of dc conductivity, crossover frequency and frequency exponent have been estimated from the fitting of experimental data of ac conductivity with Jonscher's universal power law. For determining the conduction mechanism in studied glass system, frequency exponent has been analyzed by various theoretical models. In presently studied glasses, the ac conduction takes place via overlapping large polaron tunneling (OLPT). The values of activation energy for dc conduction (W) and the one associated with relaxation process ( E R) are found to increase with increase in x up to glass sample with x = 15 and thereafter it decrease with increase in zinc chloride content. DC conduction takes place via variable range hopping (VRH) as proposed by Mott with some modification suggested by Punia et al. The value of real part of modulus ( M') is observed to decrease with increase in temperature. The value of stretched exponent (β) obtained from fitting of M'' reveals the presence of non-Debye type of relaxation in presently studied glass samples. Scaling spectra of ac conductivity and values of electric modulus ( M' and M'') collapse into a single master curve for all the compositions and temperatures. The values of relaxation energy ( E R) for all the studied glass compositions are almost equal to W, suggesting that polarons have to overcome same barrier while relaxing and conducting. The conduction and relaxation processes in the studied glass samples are composition and temperature independent. [Figure not available: see fulltext.

  20. Hydrogen bond network relaxation in aqueous polyelectrolyte solutions: the effect of temperature

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sarti, S; Bordi, F; Truzzolillo, D

    2012-01-01

    Dielectric spectroscopy data over the range 100 MHz-40 GHz allow for a reliable analysis of two of the major relaxation phenomena for polyelectrolytes (PE) in water. Within this range, the dielectric relaxation of pure water is dominated by a near-Debye process at ν = 18.5 GHz corresponding to a relaxation time of τ = 8.4 ps at 25 °C. This mode is commonly attributed to the cooperative relaxation specific to liquids forming a hydrogen bond network (HBN) and arising from long range H-bond-mediated dipole-dipole interactions. The presence of charged polymers in water partially modifies the dielectric characteristics of the orientational water molecule relaxation due to a change of the dielectric constant of water surrounding the charges on the polyion chain. We report experimental results on the effect of the presence of a standard flexible polyelectrolyte (sodium polyacrylate) on the HBN relaxation in water for different temperatures, showing that the HBN relaxation time does not change by increasing the polyelectrolyte density in water, even if relatively high concentrations are reached (0.02 monomol l -1 ≤ C ≤ 0.4 monomol l -1 ). We also find that the effect of PE addition on the HBN relaxation is not even a broadening of its distribution, rather a decrease of the spectral weight that goes beyond the pure volume fraction effect. This extra decrease is larger at low T and less evident at high T, supporting the idea that the correlation length of the water is less affected by the presence of charged flexible chains at high temperatures. (paper)

  1. Transverse water relaxation in whole blood and erythrocytes at 3T, 7T, 9.4T, 11.7T and 16.4T; determination of intracellular hemoglobin and extracellular albumin relaxivities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grgac, Ksenija; Li, Wenbo; Huang, Alan; Qin, Qin; van Zijl, Peter C M

    2017-05-01

    Blood is a physiological substance with multiple water compartments, which contain water-binding proteins such as hemoglobin in erythrocytes and albumin in plasma. Knowing the water transverse (R 2 ) relaxation rates from these different blood compartments is a prerequisite for quantifying the blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) effect. Here, we report the Carr-Purcell-Meiboom-Gill (CPMG) based transverse (R 2CPMG ) relaxation rates of water in bovine blood samples circulated in a perfusion system at physiological temperature in order to mimic blood perfusion in humans. R 2CPMG values of blood plasma, lysed packed erythrocytes, lysed plasma/erythrocyte mixtures, and whole blood at 3 T, 7 T, 9.4 T, 11.7 T and 16.4 T were measured as a function of hematocrit or hemoglobin concentration, oxygenation, and CPMG inter-echo spacing (τ cp ). R 2CPMG in lysed cells showed a small τ cp dependence, attributed to the water exchange rate between free and hemoglobin-bound water to be much faster than τ cp . This was contrary to the tangential dependence in whole blood, where a much slower exchange between cells and blood plasma applies. Whole blood data were fitted as a function of τ cp using a general tangential correlation time model applicable for exchange as well as diffusion contributions to R 2CPMG , and the intercept R 20blood at infinitely short τ cp was determined. The R 20blood values at different hematocrit and the R 2CPMG values of lysed erythrocyte/plasma mixtures at different hemoglobin concentration were used to determine the relaxivity of hemoglobin inside the erythrocyte (r 2Hb ) and albumin (r 2Alb ) in plasma. The r 2Hb values obtained from lysed erythrocytes and whole blood were comparable at full oxygenation. However, while r 2Hb determined from lysed cells showed a linear dependence on oxygenation, this dependence became quadratic in whole blood. This possibly suggests an additional relaxation effect inside intact cells, perhaps due to hemoglobin

  2. Dielectric relaxation study of the dynamics of monosaccharides: D-ribose and 2-deoxy-D-ribose

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kaminski, K; Kaminska, E; Wlodarczyk, P; Paluch, M; Ziolo, J [Institute of Physics, Silesian University, ulica Uniwersytecka 4, 40-007 Katowice (Poland); Ngai, K L [Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC 20375-5320 (United States)

    2008-08-20

    The dielectric loss spectra of two closely related monosaccharides, D-ribose and 2-deoxy-D-ribose, measured at ambient and elevated pressures are presented. 2-deoxy-D-ribose and D-ribose are respectively the building blocks of the backbone chains in the nucleic acids DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) and RNA (ribonucleic acid). Small differences in the structure between D-ribose and 2-deoxy-D-ribose result in changes of the glass transition temperature T{sub g}, as well as the dielectric strength and activation enthalpy of the secondary relaxations. However, the frequency dispersion of the structural {alpha}-relaxation for the same relaxation time remains practically the same. Two secondary relaxations are present in both sugars. The slower secondary relaxation shifts to lower frequencies with increasing applied pressure, but not the faster one. This pressure dependence indicates that the slower secondary relaxation is the important and 'universal' Johari-Goldstein {beta}-relaxation of both sugars according to one of the criteria set up to classify secondary relaxations. Additional confirmation of this conclusion comes from good agreement of the observed relaxation time of the slower secondary relaxation with the primitive relaxation time calculated from the coupling model. All the dynamic properties of D-ribose and 2-deoxy-D-ribose are similar to the other monosaccharides, glucose, fructose, galactose and sorbose, except for the much larger relaxation strength of the {alpha}-relaxation of the former compared to the latter. The difference may distinguish the chemical and biological functions of D-ribose and 2-deoxy-D-ribose from the other monosaccharides.

  3. [A study on Korean concepts of relaxation].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Park, J S

    1992-01-01

    Relaxation technique is an independent nursing intervention used in various stressful situations. The concept of relaxation must be explored for the meaning given by the people in their traditional thought and philosophy. Korean relaxation technique, wanting to become culturally acceptable and effective, is learning to recognize and develop Korean concepts, experiences, and musics of relaxation. This study was aimed at discovering Korean concepts, experiences and musics of relaxation and contributing the development of the relaxation technique for Korean people. The subjects were 59 nursing students, 39 hospitalized patients, 61 housewives, 21 rural residents and 16 researchers. Data were collected from September 4th to October 24th, 1991 by interviews or questionnaires. The data analysis was done by qualitative research method, and validity assured by conformation of the concept and category by 2 nursing scientists who had written a Master's thesis on the relaxation technique. The results of the study were summarized as follows; 1. The meaning of the relaxation concept; From 298 statements, 107 concepts were extracted and then 5 categories "Physical domain", "Psychological domain", "Complex domain", "Situation", and "environment" were organized. 'Don't have discomforts, 'don't have muscle tension', 'don't have energy (him in Korean)', 'don't have activities' subcategories were included in "Physical domain". 'Don't have anxiety', 'feel good', 'emotional stability', 'don't have wordly thoughts', 'feel one's brain muddled', 'loss of desire' subcategories were included in "physical domain" 'Comfort body and mind', 'don't have tension of body and mind', 'be sagged' 'liveliness of thoughts' subcategories were included in "Complex domain". 'Rest', 'sleep', 'others' subcategories were included in "Situation domain". And 'quite environment' & 'comfortable environment' subcategories were included in "Environmental domain". 2. The experiences of the relaxation; From 151

  4. Earthquake sequence simulations of a fault in a viscoelastic material with a spectral boundary integral equation method: The effect of interseismic stress relaxation on a behavior of a rate-weakening patch

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miyake, Y.; Noda, H.

    2017-12-01

    Earthquake sequences involve many processes in a wide range of time scales, from quasistatic loading to dynamic rupture. At a depth of brittle-plastic transitional and deeper, rock behaves as a viscous fluid in a long timescale, but as an elastic material in a short timescale. Viscoelastic stress relaxation may be important in the interseismic periods at the depth, near the deeper limit of the seismogenic layer or the region of slow slip events (SSEs) [Namiki et al., 2014 and references therein]. In the present study, we implemented the viscoelastic effect (Maxwell material) in fully-dynamic earthquake sequence simulations using a spectral boundary integral equation method (SBIEM) [e.g., Lapusta et al., 2000]. SBIEM is efficient in calculation of convolutional terms for dynamic stress transfer, and the problem size is limited by the amount of memory available. Linear viscoelasticity could be implemented by convolution of slip rate history and Green's function, but this method requires additional memory and thus not suitable for the implementation to the present code. Instead, we integrated the evolution of "effective slip" distribution, which gives static stress distribution when convolved with static elastic Green's function. This method works only for simple viscoelastic property distributions, but such models are suitable for numerical experiments aiming basic understanding of the system behavior because of the virtue of SBIEM, the ability of fine on-fault spatial resolution and efficient computation utilizing the fast Fourier transformation. In the present study, we examined the effect of viscoelasticity on earthquake sequences of a fault with a rate-weakening patch. A series of simulations with various relaxation time tc revealed that as decreasing tc, recurrence intervals of earthquakes increases and seismicity ultimately disappears. As long as studied, this transition to aseismic behavior is NOT associated with SSEs. In a case where the rate-weakening patch

  5. Transport relaxation measurements and glassy state effects in superconducting MgB2

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Olutas, M.; Yetis, H.; Altinkok, A.; Kilic, A.; Kilic, K.

    2008-01-01

    Time dependent effects in superconducting MgB 2 have been studied systematically for the first time by transport relaxation measurements (V-t curves) as a function of transport current (I), temperature (T) and external magnetic field (H). At very low dissipation levels (below ∼1 μV), it was observed that the sample voltage grows up smoothly in time by exhibiting the details of initial stage of relaxation process. At high dissipation levels, steady state corresponding to constant flow rate is maintained within a very short time and monitoring of details of flux dynamic evolving along sample becomes difficult on long time scales. Another interesting behavior is the appearance of voltage peak when the transport current was reduced to a finite value. After peak, it was observed that the sample voltage relaxes smoothly by leveling off within a very short time. The evolution of V-t curves suggests that formation of resistive flow channels along sample develops easily, which is quite similar to that of obtained for the superconducting ceramic samples whose grain boundaries are improved. Time dependent effects were also observed in magnetovoltage measurements (V-H curves) as the field sweep rate (dH/dt) varies. The observations were interpreted mainly in terms of flux trapping in grains

  6. The time-dependence of exchange-induced relaxation during modulated radio frequency pulses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sorce, Dennis J; Michaeli, Shalom; Garwood, Michael

    2006-03-01

    The problem of the relaxation of identical spins 1/2 induced by chemical exchange between spins with different chemical shifts in the presence of time-dependent RF irradiation (in the first rotating frame) is considered for the fast exchange regime. The solution for the time evolution under the chemical exchange Hamiltonian in the tilted doubly rotating frame (TDRF) is presented. Detailed derivation is specified to the case of a two-site chemical exchange system with complete randomization between jumps of the exchanging spins. The derived theory can be applied to describe the modulation of the chemical exchange relaxation rate constants when using a train of adiabatic pulses, such as the hyperbolic secant pulse. Theory presented is valid for quantification of the exchange-induced time-dependent rotating frame longitudinal T1rho,ex and transverse T2rho,ex relaxations in the fast chemical exchange regime.

  7. 31-P Relaxation times of metabolic compounds in tumors grafted in nude mice

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Remy, C.; Benabid, A.L.; Jacrot, M.; Riondel, J.; Albrand, J.P.; Decorps, M.

    1985-08-01

    The observation that water proton relaxation rates were longer in tumors than in normal tissues provided a basis for the detection of human tumors by the NMR imaging technique. To evaluate the potentiality of 31-P NMR spectroscopy as a diagnostic tool of the pathological state of tissues, T1 and T2 relaxation times have been measured for the phosphates of ATP, inorganic phosphate (Pi), phosphomonoesters (PME) and phosphocreatine (PCr) in the 31-P NMR spectra obtained in vivo for normal rat brain and rat brain tumors implanted in nude mice

  8. Analysis of the backbone dynamics of capsicein using 15N NMR relaxation rate measurements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Van Heijenoort, C.; Bouaziz, S.; Guittet, E.

    1994-01-01

    15 N relaxation times T 1 and T 1ρ , and heteronuclear steady state nOes, were measured on capsicein, a 98 residue protein. The classical analysis of these data using directly the Lipari and Szabo formalism was shown to give incoherent results, probably due to the presence of a slow exchange along the whole protein. This global exchange broadening made the usual preliminary evaluation of the overall correlation time of capsicein using the Lipari and Szabo expression for the spectral densities impossible. (authors). 2 figs., 23 refs

  9. Addition of rectus sheath relaxation incisions to emergency midline laparotomy for peritonitis to prevent fascial dehiscence.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marwah, Sanjay; Marwah, Nisha; Singh, Mandeep; Kapoor, Ajay; Karwasra, Rajender Kumar

    2005-02-01

    The incidence of fascial dehiscence and incisional hernia after two methods for abdominal wound closure (rectus sheath relaxation incisions and conventional mass closure) was studied in a randomized prospective clinical trial in a consecutive series of 100 patients undergoing midline laparotomy for peritonitis. The two groups were well matched for etiologies of peritonitis, the surgical procedures performed, and the presence of known risk factors for fascial dehiscence. Fifty patients each were randomized either to the conventional continuous mass closure procedure or the rectus sheath relaxation incision technique (designed to increase wound elasticity and decrease tension in the suture line) using identical polypropylene sutures. The incidence of postoperative complications such as duration of ileus, chest infection, and wound infection were not statistically different between the two groups. The intensity of postoperative pain in the rectus sheath relaxation incision group was significantly less. The incidence of wound hematoma was significantly increased in the rectus sheath relaxation incision group. The incidences of fascial dehiscence (16% vs,28%; p cases of peritonitis using the rectus sheath relaxation technique is safe and less painful, provides increased wound elasticity and decreased tension on the suture line, and significantly decreases the incidence of wound dehiscence.

  10. Thermal relaxation of charm in hadronic matter

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    He Min, E-mail: mhe@comp.tamu.edu [Cyclotron Institute and Department of Physics and Astronomy, Texas A and M University, College Station, TX 77843 (United States); Fries, Rainer J. [Cyclotron Institute and Department of Physics and Astronomy, Texas A and M University, College Station, TX 77843 (United States); RIKEN/BNL Research Center, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY 11973 (United States); Rapp, Ralf [Cyclotron Institute and Department of Physics and Astronomy, Texas A and M University, College Station, TX 77843 (United States)

    2011-07-18

    The thermal relaxation rate of open-charm (D) mesons in hot and dense hadronic matter is calculated using empirical elastic scattering amplitudes. D-meson interactions with thermal pions are approximated by D{sup *} resonances, while scattering off other hadrons (K, {eta}, {rho}, {omega}, K{sup *}, N, {Delta}) is evaluated using vacuum scattering amplitudes as available in the literature based on effective Lagrangians and constrained by realistic spectroscopy. The thermal relaxation time of D-mesons in a hot {pi} gas is found to be around 25-50 fm/c for temperatures T=150-180 MeV, which reduces to 10-25 fm/c in a hadron-resonance gas. The latter values, argued to be conservative estimates, imply significant modifications of D-meson spectra in heavy-ion collisions. Close to the critical temperature (T{sub c}), the spatial diffusion coefficient (D{sub s}) is surprisingly similar to recent calculations for charm quarks in the Quark-Gluon Plasma using non-perturbative T-matrix interactions. This suggests a possibly continuous minimum structure of D{sub s} around T{sub c}.

  11. High Relaxivity Gadolinium Hydroxypyridonate-Viral Capsid Conjugates: Nano-sized MRI Contrast Agents

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Meux, Susan C.; Datta, Ankona; Hooker, Jacob M.; Botta, Mauro; Francis, Matthew B.; Aime, Silvio; Raymond, Kenneth N.

    2007-08-29

    High relaxivity macromolecular contrast agents based on the conjugation of gadolinium chelates to the interior and exterior surfaces of MS2 viral capsids are assessed. The proton nuclear magnetic relaxation dispersion (NMRD) profiles of the conjugates show up to a five-fold increase in relaxivity, leading to a peak relaxivity (per Gd{sup 3+} ion) of 41.6 mM{sup -1}s{sup -1} at 30 MHz for the internally modified capsids. Modification of the exterior was achieved through conjugation to flexible lysines, while internal modification was accomplished by conjugation to relatively rigid tyrosines. Higher relaxivities were obtained for the internally modified capsids, showing that (1) there is facile diffusion of water to the interior of capsids and (2) the rigidity of the linker attaching the complex to the macromolecule is important for obtaining high relaxivity enhancements. The viral capsid conjugated gadolinium hydroxypyridonate complexes appear to possess two inner-sphere water molecules (q = 2) and the NMRD fittings highlight the differences in the local motion for the internal ({tau}{sub RI} = 440 ps) and external ({tau}{sub RI} = 310 ps) conjugates. These results indicate that there are significant advantages of using the internal surface of the capsids for contrast agent attachment, leaving the exterior surface available for the installation of tissue targeting groups.

  12. Investigation of dielectric relaxation in systems with hierarchical organization: From time to frequency domain and back again

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yokoi, Koki [Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI (United States); Raicu, Valerică, E-mail: vraicu@uwm.edu [Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI (United States); Department of Biological Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI (United States)

    2017-06-28

    Relaxation in fractal structures was investigated theoretically starting from a simple model of a Cantorian tree and kinetic equations linking the change in the number of particles (e.g., electrical charges) populating each branch of the tree and their transfer to other branches or to the ground state. We numerically solved the system of differential equations obtained and determined the so-called cumulative distribution function of particles, which, in dielectric or mechanical relaxation parlance, is the same as the relaxation function of the system. As a physical application, we studied the relationship between the dielectric relaxation in time-domain and the dielectric dispersion in the frequency-domain. Upon choosing appropriate rate constants, our model described accurately well-known non-exponential and non-Debye time- and frequency-domain functions, such as stretched exponentials, Havrilliak–Negami, and frequency power law. Our approach opens the door to applying kinetic models to describe a wide array of relaxation processes, which traditionally have posed great challenges to theoretical modeling based on first principles. - Highlights: • Relaxation was investigated for a system of particles flowing through a Cantorian tree. • A set of kinetic equations was formulated and used to compute the relaxation function of the system. • The dispersion function of the system was computed from the relaxation function. • An analytical method was used to recover the original relaxation function from the dispersion function. • This formalism was used to study dielectric relaxation and dispersion in fractal structures.

  13. Menstrual variation of breast volume and T{sub 2} relaxation times in cyclical mastalgia

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hussain, Zainab [Department of Medical Imaging, University of Liverpool, Johnstone Building, Brownlow Hill, P.O. Box 147, Liverpool, Merseyside L69 3GB (United Kingdom); Magnetic Resonance and Image Analysis Research Centre, University of Liverpool, Johnstone Building, Brownlow Hill, P.O. Box 147, Liverpool, Merseyside L69 3GB (United Kingdom)], E-mail: zay@liverpool.ac.uk; Brooks, Jonathan [Magnetic Resonance and Image Analysis Research Centre, University of Liverpool, Johnstone Building, Brownlow Hill, P.O. Box 147, Liverpool, Merseyside L69 3GB (United Kingdom); Department of Human Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford (United Kingdom); Percy, Dave [Centre for Operational Research and Applied Statistics, University of Salford, Salford, Greater Manchester M5 4WT (United Kingdom)

    2008-02-15

    Purpose: Hormonal activity causes breast volume to change during the menstrual cycle. One possible cause of this volume change is thought to be due to water retention or oedema within the tissues. We used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to study the variation in breast volume and {sup 1}H Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS) to measure T{sub 2} relaxation times which are known to increase with increasing tissue water content. We hypothesised that an increase in breast volume will elevate T{sub 2} relaxation due to the presence of an increased water content within the breast. T{sub 2} Relaxation time and volume were studied in fifteen control subjects and in a cohort of eight patients with cyclical mastalgia in order to determine whether changes in breast volume and T{sub 2} relaxation times differed in controls and patients during menses, ovulation and premenses. Method: Breast volume was determined by the Cavalieri method in combination with point counting techniques on MR images and T{sub 2} relaxation times of the water and fat in a voxel of breast tissue were obtained using {sup 1}H Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS). Results: Statistical analysis (ANOVA) demonstrated highly significant differences in breast volume between the three stages of the cycle (p < 0.0005) with breast volume being greatest premenstrually. Patients did not exhibit an increase in volume premenstrually, significantly above controls. T{sub 2} of fat or water did not depend on stage of cycle. T-tests demonstrated no significant differences in T{sub 2} of water or fat between patient and control groups. The average T{sub 2} relaxation time of water was lowest in the patient and control groups during ovulation and highest in the patient group during premenses. Conclusion: We have performed the first combined volumetric and spectroscopic study of women with cyclical mastalgia and demonstrated that the global changes in volumes and T{sub 2} were not significantly different from normal

  14. Use of relaxation skills in differentially skilled athletes.

    OpenAIRE

    Kudlackova, K.; Eccles, D. W.; Dieffenbach, K.

    2013-01-01

    Objectives: To examine the use of relaxation skills by differentially skilled athletes in relation to the deliberate practice framework. Design: Differentially skilled athletes completed a survey about their use of relaxation skills. Method: 150 athletes representing three skill levels (recreational, college, and professional) completed the deliberate relaxation for sport survey, which assessed relaxation on three deliberate practice dimensions (relevancy, concentration, and ...

  15. Relaxation dynamics following transition of solvated electrons

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barnett, R.B.; Landman, U.; Nitzan, A.

    1989-01-01

    Relaxation dynamics following an electronic transition of an excess solvated electron in clusters and in bulk water is studied using an adiabatic simulation method. In this method the solvent evolves classically and the electron is constrained to a specified state. The coupling between the solvent and the excess electron is evaluated via the quantum expectation value of the electron--water molecule interaction potential. The relaxation following excitation (or deexcitation) is characterized by two time scales: (i) a very fast (/similar to/20--30 fs) one associated with molecular rotations in the first solvation shell about the electron, and (ii) a slower stage (/similar to/200 fs), which is of the order of the longitudinal dielectric relaxation time. The fast relaxation stage exhibits an isotope effect. The spectroscopical consequences of the relaxation dynamics are discussed

  16. An approach to the magnetic relaxation processes in lithium ferrites

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Torres, C.; Gonzalez Arias, A.; Hernandez-Gomez, P.; Francisco, C. de; Alejos, O.; Munoz, J.M.; Zazo, M.

    2007-01-01

    The relaxation of the initial magnetic permeability has been measured in polycrystalline Li x Fe 3- x O 4 samples, with x ranging from 0 to 0.5, by means of the magnetic disaccommodation (DA) technique. We have found that there is no abrupt transition for a given composition, but there is a progressive modification of the characteristic relaxation processes of magnetite. These results have been interpreted on the basis of the increasing amount of Li ions in the spinel lattice and hence, the resulting modifications on their proximities

  17. Let Me Relax: Toward Automated Sedentary State Recognition and Ubiquitous Mental Wellness Solutions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vijay Rajanna

    2018-12-01

    Full Text Available Advances in ubiquitous computing technology improve workplace productivity, reduce physical exertion, but ultimately result in a sedentary work style. Sedentary behavior is associated with an increased risk of stress, obesity, and other health complications. Let Me Relax is a fully automated sedentary-state recognition framework using a smartwatch and smartphone, which encourages mental wellness through interventions in the form of simple relaxation techniques. The system was evaluated through a comparative user study of 22 participants split into a test and a control group. An analysis of NASA Task Load Index pre- and post- study survey revealed that test subjects who followed relaxation methods, showed a trend of both increased activity as well as reduced mental stress. Reduced mental stress was found even in those test subjects that had increased inactivity. These results suggest that repeated interventions, driven by an intelligent activity recognition system, is an effective strategy for promoting healthy habits, which reduce stress, anxiety, and other health risks associated with sedentary workplaces.

  18. Gamma dosimetric parameters in some skeletal muscle relaxants

    Science.gov (United States)

    Manjunatha, H. C.

    2017-09-01

    We have studied the attenuation of gamma radiation of energy ranging from 84 keV to 1330 keV (^{170}Tm, ^{22}Na,^{137}Cs, and ^{60}Co) in some commonly used skeletal muscle relaxants such as tubocurarine chloride, gallamine triethiodide, pancuronium bromide, suxamethonium bromide and mephenesin. The mass attenuation coefficient is measured from the attenuation experiment. In the present work, we have also proposed the direct relation between mass attenuation coefficient (μ /ρ ) and mass energy absorption coefficient (μ _{en}/ρ ) based on the nonlinear fitting procedure. The gamma dosimetric parameters such as mass energy absorption coefficient (μ _{en}/ρ ), effective atomic number (Z_{eff}), effective electron density (N_{el}), specific γ-ray constant, air kerma strength and dose rate are evaluated from the measured mass attentuation coefficient. These measured gamma dosimetric parameters are compared with the theoretical values. The measured values agree with the theoretical values. The studied gamma dosimetric values for the relaxants are useful in medical physics and radiation medicine.

  19. Relaxation and Distraction in Experimental Desensitization.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weir, R. O.; Marshall, W. L.

    1980-01-01

    Compared experimental desensitization with a procedure that replaced relaxation with a distraction task and with an approach that combined both relaxation and distraction. Desensitization generally was more effective than the other two procedures. (Author)

  20. Relaxation properties in classical diamagnetism

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carati, A.; Benfenati, F.; Galgani, L.

    2011-06-01

    It is an old result of Bohr that, according to classical statistical mechanics, at equilibrium a system of electrons in a static magnetic field presents no magnetization. Thus a magnetization can occur only in an out of equilibrium state, such as that produced through the Foucault currents when a magnetic field is switched on. It was suggested by Bohr that, after the establishment of such a nonequilibrium state, the system of electrons would quickly relax back to equilibrium. In the present paper, we study numerically the relaxation to equilibrium in a modified Bohr model, which is mathematically equivalent to a billiard with obstacles, immersed in a magnetic field that is adiabatically switched on. We show that it is not guaranteed that equilibrium is attained within the typical time scales of microscopic dynamics. Depending on the values of the parameters, one has a relaxation either to equilibrium or to a diamagnetic (presumably metastable) state. The analogy with the relaxation properties in the Fermi Pasta Ulam problem is also pointed out.