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Sample records for strongly concentration dependent

  1. Why does the martensitic transformation temperature strongly depend on composition?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ren, X.; Otsuka, K.

    2000-01-01

    The reason for the strong composition and heat-treatment dependence of the martensitic transformation temperature was investigated by a simple Landau-type model. Assuming the anharmonic and coupling coefficients are insensitive to composition, we obtained an important result martensitic transformation occurs at a critical elastic constant c' and a critical TA 2 phonon energy ω η 2 , which are independent of alloy composition. This result gained support from a large body of experimental data of Cu-based alloys. Since c' and phonon energy are strongly dependent on composition, the constancy of c' at Ms demands that the (transformation) temperature must exhibit an opposite effect to compensate the composition effect. Therefore, the lower the c', the higher the Ms is. Because the temperature dependence of c' is weak (due to the 1 st order nature of the transformation), the big c' change by a slight composition change must be compensated by a large change in temperature. Thus Ms has strong composition dependence. The effect of quench is to increase point defects, being equivalent to a composition change, thus has a strong effect on Ms. From the present study, we can conclude that the strong composition dependence of Ms is mainly a harmonic effect. (orig.)

  2. Caffeine dependence in rats: effects of exposure duration and concentration.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dingle, Rachel N; Dreumont-Boudreau, Sarah E; Lolordo, Vincent M

    2008-09-03

    Groups of rats were chronically exposed to a 1.0-g/L caffeine solution for 5, 10, 15 or 20 days. Upon removal of caffeine, rats were given brief exposure to a novel flavour CS (withdrawal CS) followed by 12 days of plain water and then brief exposure to a second flavour CS (neutral CS). Only rats exposed to 20 days of caffeine strongly preferred the neutral CS to the withdrawal CS in a 2-bottle test. In Experiment 2, groups of rats were chronically exposed to caffeine at one of four concentrations (1.0, 0.5, 0.25, or 0.125 g/L) for 21 days, after which withdrawal and neutral CSs were established. Only rats that drank the highest caffeine concentration, 1.0 g/L, preferred the neutral CS to the withdrawal CS. This suggests that long exposure to a strong caffeine solution is required in order to induce dependence in rats such that a CS associated with the withdrawal of caffeine becomes avoided.

  3. Dosis Facit Sanitatem—Concentration-Dependent Effects of Resveratrol on Mitochondria

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Corina T. Madreiter-Sokolowski

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available The naturally occurring polyphenol, resveratrol (RSV, is known for a broad range of actions. These include a positive impact on lifespan and health, but also pro-apoptotic anti-cancer properties. Interestingly, cell culture experiments have revealed a strong impact of RSV on mitochondrial function. The compound was demonstrated to affect mitochondrial respiration, structure and mass of mitochondria as well as mitochondrial membrane potential and, ultimately, mitochondria-associated cell death pathways. Notably, the mitochondrial effects of RSV show a very strict and remarkable concentration dependency: At low concentrations, RSV (<50 μM fosters cellular antioxidant defense mechanisms, activates AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK- and sirtuin 1 (SIRT1-linked pathways and enhances mitochondrial network formation. These mechanisms crucially contribute to the cytoprotective effects of RSV against toxins and disease-related damage, in vitro and in vivo. However, at higher concentrations, RSV (>50 μM triggers changes in (sub-cellular Ca2+ homeostasis, disruption of mitochondrial membrane potential and activation of caspases selectively yielding apoptotic cancer cell death, in vitro and in vivo. In this review, we discuss the promising therapeutic potential of RSV, which is most probably related to the compound’s concentration-dependent manipulation of mitochondrial function and structure.

  4. Highly concentrated zinc oxide nanocrystals sol with strong blue emission

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vafaee, M.; Sasani Ghamsari, M.; Radiman, S.

    2011-01-01

    Highly concentrated ZnO sol was synthesized by an improved sol-gel method. Water was used as a modifier to control the sol-gel reaction and provide a way to increase the sol concentration. Concentration of ZnO in the prepared sol is higher than from other methods. Optical absorption and photoluminescence were used to investigate optical properties of the prepared sol. FTIR test was performed to study the influence of water on the compounds of as-prepared sol. The size and morphology of ZnO nanoparticles have been studied by HRTEM. The prepared colloidal ZnO nanocrystals have narrow size distribution (5-8 nm) and showed strong blue emission. The prepared sol has enough potential for optoelectronic applications. - Research highlights: → Novel sol-gel route has been employed to prepare highly concentrated ZnO colloidal nanocrystals. → Water has been used to control the sources of emission in synthesized material. → A strong blue luminescent material has been obtained.

  5. Dependence of radioprotective effect of chemical modifying agents on their intracellular concentrations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Eidus, L.K.; Korystov, Y.N.; Kublik, L.N.; Vexler, A.M.

    1982-01-01

    Regularities of the radioprotective effect of chemical modifying agents cysteamine, caffeine benzoate, thioglycolic acid, and caffeine, all weak electrolytes, have been studied in cultured Chinese hamster cells. Efficiency of protection is shown to be dependent on pH and concentrations of the drug inside the cells and in the medium. Based on the theory of the dissociation of weak electrolytes and their distribution between the cells and the medium a strong correlation between the efficiency of modification of the radiation response and intracellular concentration of a modifying agent is shown. (author)

  6. Concentration dependence of biotransformation in fish liver S9: Optimizing substrate concentrations to estimate hepatic clearance for bioaccumulation assessment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lo, Justin C; Allard, Gayatri N; Otton, S Victoria; Campbell, David A; Gobas, Frank A P C

    2015-12-01

    In vitro bioassays to estimate biotransformation rate constants of contaminants in fish are currently being investigated to improve bioaccumulation assessments of hydrophobic contaminants. The present study investigates the relationship between chemical substrate concentration and in vitro biotransformation rate of 4 environmental contaminants (9-methylanthracene, pyrene, chrysene, and benzo[a]pyrene) in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) liver S9 fractions and methods to determine maximum first-order biotransformation rate constants. Substrate depletion experiments using a series of initial substrate concentrations showed that in vitro biotransformation rates exhibit strong concentration dependence, consistent with a Michaelis-Menten kinetic model. The results indicate that depletion rate constants measured at initial substrate concentrations of 1 μM (a current convention) could underestimate the in vitro biotransformation potential and may cause bioconcentration factors to be overestimated if in vitro biotransformation rates are used to assess bioconcentration factors in fish. Depletion rate constants measured using thin-film sorbent dosing experiments were not statistically different from the maximum depletion rate constants derived using a series of solvent delivery-based depletion experiments for 3 of the 4 test chemicals. Multiple solvent delivery-based depletion experiments at a range of initial concentrations are recommended for determining the concentration dependence of in vitro biotransformation rates in fish liver fractions, whereas a single sorbent phase dosing experiment may be able to provide reasonable approximations of maximum depletion rates of very hydrophobic substances. © 2015 SETAC.

  7. Angle-dependent strong-field molecular ionization rates with tuned range-separated time-dependent density functional theory

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sissay, Adonay [Department of Chemistry, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803 (United States); Abanador, Paul; Mauger, François; Gaarde, Mette; Schafer, Kenneth J. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803 (United States); Lopata, Kenneth, E-mail: klopata@lsu.edu [Department of Chemistry, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803 (United States); Center for Computation and Technology, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803 (United States)

    2016-09-07

    Strong-field ionization and the resulting electronic dynamics are important for a range of processes such as high harmonic generation, photodamage, charge resonance enhanced ionization, and ionization-triggered charge migration. Modeling ionization dynamics in molecular systems from first-principles can be challenging due to the large spatial extent of the wavefunction which stresses the accuracy of basis sets, and the intense fields which require non-perturbative time-dependent electronic structure methods. In this paper, we develop a time-dependent density functional theory approach which uses a Gaussian-type orbital (GTO) basis set to capture strong-field ionization rates and dynamics in atoms and small molecules. This involves propagating the electronic density matrix in time with a time-dependent laser potential and a spatial non-Hermitian complex absorbing potential which is projected onto an atom-centered basis set to remove ionized charge from the simulation. For the density functional theory (DFT) functional we use a tuned range-separated functional LC-PBE*, which has the correct asymptotic 1/r form of the potential and a reduced delocalization error compared to traditional DFT functionals. Ionization rates are computed for hydrogen, molecular nitrogen, and iodoacetylene under various field frequencies, intensities, and polarizations (angle-dependent ionization), and the results are shown to quantitatively agree with time-dependent Schrödinger equation and strong-field approximation calculations. This tuned DFT with GTO method opens the door to predictive all-electron time-dependent density functional theory simulations of ionization and ionization-triggered dynamics in molecular systems using tuned range-separated hybrid functionals.

  8. Angle-dependent strong-field molecular ionization rates with tuned range-separated time-dependent density functional theory

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sissay, Adonay; Abanador, Paul; Mauger, François; Gaarde, Mette; Schafer, Kenneth J.; Lopata, Kenneth

    2016-01-01

    Strong-field ionization and the resulting electronic dynamics are important for a range of processes such as high harmonic generation, photodamage, charge resonance enhanced ionization, and ionization-triggered charge migration. Modeling ionization dynamics in molecular systems from first-principles can be challenging due to the large spatial extent of the wavefunction which stresses the accuracy of basis sets, and the intense fields which require non-perturbative time-dependent electronic structure methods. In this paper, we develop a time-dependent density functional theory approach which uses a Gaussian-type orbital (GTO) basis set to capture strong-field ionization rates and dynamics in atoms and small molecules. This involves propagating the electronic density matrix in time with a time-dependent laser potential and a spatial non-Hermitian complex absorbing potential which is projected onto an atom-centered basis set to remove ionized charge from the simulation. For the density functional theory (DFT) functional we use a tuned range-separated functional LC-PBE*, which has the correct asymptotic 1/r form of the potential and a reduced delocalization error compared to traditional DFT functionals. Ionization rates are computed for hydrogen, molecular nitrogen, and iodoacetylene under various field frequencies, intensities, and polarizations (angle-dependent ionization), and the results are shown to quantitatively agree with time-dependent Schrödinger equation and strong-field approximation calculations. This tuned DFT with GTO method opens the door to predictive all-electron time-dependent density functional theory simulations of ionization and ionization-triggered dynamics in molecular systems using tuned range-separated hybrid functionals.

  9. Exact time-dependent exchange-correlation potentials for strong-field electron dynamics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lein, Manfred; Kuemmel, Stephan

    2005-01-01

    By solving the time-dependent Schroedinger equation and inverting the time-dependent Kohn-Sham scheme we obtain the exact time-dependent exchange-correlation potential of density-functional theory for the strong-field dynamics of a correlated system. We demonstrate that essential features of the exact exchange-correlation potential can be related to derivative discontinuities in stationary density-functional theory. Incorporating the discontinuity in a time-dependent density-functional calculation greatly improves the description of the ionization process

  10. Subaru Weak Lensing Measurements of Four Strong Lensing Clusters: Are Lensing Clusters Over-Concentrated?

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Oguri, Masamune; Hennawi, Joseph F.; Gladders, Michael D.; Dahle, Haakon; Natarajan, Priyamvada; Dalal, Neal; Koester, Benjamin P.; Sharon, Keren; Bayliss, Matthew

    2009-01-29

    We derive radial mass profiles of four strong lensing selected clusters which show prominent giant arcs (Abell 1703, SDSS J1446+3032, SDSS J1531+3414, and SDSS J2111-0115), by combining detailed strong lens modeling with weak lensing shear measured from deep Subaru Suprime-cam images. Weak lensing signals are detected at high significance for all four clusters, whose redshifts range from z = 0.28 to 0.64. We demonstrate that adding strong lensing information with known arc redshifts significantly improves constraints on the mass density profile, compared to those obtained from weak lensing alone. While the mass profiles are well fitted by the universal form predicted in N-body simulations of the {Lambda}-dominated cold dark matter model, all four clusters appear to be slightly more centrally concentrated (the concentration parameters c{sub vir} {approx} 8) than theoretical predictions, even after accounting for the bias toward higher concentrations inherent in lensing selected samples. Our results are consistent with previous studies which similarly detected a concentration excess, and increases the total number of clusters studied with the combined strong and weak lensing technique to ten. Combining our sample with previous work, we find that clusters with larger Einstein radii are more anomalously concentrated. We also present a detailed model of the lensing cluster Abell 1703 with constraints from multiple image families, and find the dark matter inner density profile to be cuspy with the slope consistent with -1, in agreement with expectations.

  11. Nevirapine Concentration in Hair Samples Is a Strong Predictor of Virologic Suppression in a Prospective Cohort of HIV-Infected Patients.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sanjiv M Baxi

    Full Text Available Effective antiretroviral (ARV therapy depends on adequate drug exposure, yet methods to assess ARV exposure are limited. Concentrations of ARV in hair are the product of steady-state pharmacokinetics factors and longitudinal adherence. We investigated nevirapine (NVP concentrations in hair as a predictor of treatment response in women receiving ARVs. In participants of the Women's Interagency HIV Study, who reported NVP use for >1 month from 2003-2008, NVP concentrations in hair were measured via liquid-chromatography-tandem mass-spectrometry. The outcome was virologic suppression (plasma HIV RNA below assay threshold at the time of hair sampling and the primary predictor was nevirapine concentration categorized into quartiles. We controlled for age, race/ethnicity, pre-treatment HIV RNA, CD4 cell count, and self-reported adherence over the 6-month visit interval (categorized ≤ 74%, 75%-94% or ≥ 95%. We also assessed the relation of NVP concentration with changes in hepatic transaminase levels via multivariate random intercept logistic regression and linear regression analyses. 271 women contributed 1089 person-visits to the analysis (median 3 of semi-annual visits. Viral suppression was least frequent in concentration quartile 1 (86/178 (48.3% and increased in higher quartiles (to 158/204 (77.5% for quartile 4. The odds of viral suppression in the highest concentration quartile were 9.17 times (95% CI 3.2-26, P < 0.0001 those in the lowest. African-American race was associated with lower rates of virologic suppression independent of NVP hair concentration. NVP concentration was not significantly associated with patterns of serum transaminases. Concentration of NVP in hair was a strong independent predictor of virologic suppression in women taking NVP, stronger than self-reported adherence, but did not appear to be strongly predictive of hepatotoxicity.

  12. Asymptotic dependence of Gross–Tulub polaron ground-state energy in the strong coupling region

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    N.I. Kashirina

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available The properties of translationally invariant polaron functional have been investigated in the region of strong and extremely strong coupling. It has been shown that the Gross–Tulub polaron functional obtained earlier using the methods of field theory was derived only for the region , where is the Fröhlich constant of the electron-phonon coupling. Various representations of exact and approximate polaron functionals have been considered. Asymptotic dependences of the polaron energy have been obtained using a functional extending the Gross–Tulub functional to the region of extremely strong coupling. The asymptotic dependence of polaron energies for an extremely strong coupling are (for the one-parameter variational function fk, and (for a two-parameter function . It has been shown that the virial theorem 1:3:4 holds for the two-parameter function . Minimization of the approximate functional obtained by expanding the exact Gross–Tulub functional in a series on leads to a quadratic dependence of the polaron energy. This approximation is justified for . For a two-parameter function , the corresponding dependence has the form . However, the use of approximate functionals, in contrast to the strict variational procedure, when the exact polaron functional varies, does not guarantee obtaining the upper limit for the polaron energy.

  13. Upconversion NaYF4 Nanoparticles for Size Dependent Cell Imaging and Concentration Dependent Detection of Rhodamine B

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shigang Hu

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs based on NaYF4 nanocrystals with strong upconversion luminescence are synthesized by the solvothermal method. The emission color of these NaYF4 upconversion nanoparticles can be easily modulated by the doping. These NaYF4 upconversion nanocrystals can be employed as fluorescence donors to pump fluorescent organic molecules. For example, the efficient luminescence resonant energy transfer (LRET can be achieved by controlling the distance between NaYF4:Yb3+/Er3+ UCNPs and Rhodamine B (RB. NaYF4:Yb3+/Er3+ UCNPs can emit green light at the wavelength of ~540 nm while RB can efficiently absorb the green light of ~540 nm to emit red light of 610 nm. The LRET efficiency is highly dependent on the concentration of NaYF4 upconversion fluorescent donors. For the fixed concentration of 3.2 µg/mL RB, the optimal concentration of NaYF4:Yb3+/Er3+ UCNPs is equal to 4 mg/mL which generates the highest LRET signal ratio. In addition, it is addressed that the upconversion nanoparticles with diameter of 200 nm are suitable for imaging the cells larger than 10 µm with clear differentiation between cell walls and cytoplasm.

  14. Density-dependent electron scattering in photoexcited GaAs in strongly diffusive regime

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mics, Zoltán; D’Angio, Andrea; Jensen, Søren A.

    2013-01-01

    In a series of systematic optical pump–terahertz probe experiments, we study the density-dependent electron scattering rate in photoexcited GaAs in the regime of strong carrier diffusion. The terahertz frequency-resolved transient sheet conductivity spectra are perfectly described by the Drude...... model, directly yielding the electron scattering rates. A diffusion model is applied to determine the spatial extent of the photoexcited electron-hole gas at each moment after photoexcitation, yielding the time-dependent electron density, and hence the density-dependent electron scattering time. We find...

  15. Dependence of samarium-soil interaction on samarium concentration: Implications for environmental risk assessment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ramírez-Guinart, Oriol; Salaberria, Aitor; Vidal, Miquel; Rigol, Anna

    2018-03-01

    The sorption and desorption behaviour of samarium (Sm), an emerging contaminant, was examined in soil samples at varying Sm concentrations. The obtained sorption and desorption parameters revealed that soil possessed a high Sm retention capacity (sorption was higher than 99% and desorption lower than 2%) at low Sm concentrations, whereas at high Sm concentrations, the sorption-desorption behaviour varied among the soil samples tested. The fractionation of the Sm sorbed in soils, obtained by sequential extractions, allowed to suggest the soil properties (pH and organic matter solubility) and phases (organic matter, carbonates and clay minerals) governing the Sm-soil interaction. The sorption models constructed in the present work along with the sorption behaviour of Sm explained in terms of soil main characteristics will allow properly assessing the Sm-soil interaction depending on the contamination scenario under study. Moreover, the sorption and desorption K d values of radiosamarium in soils were strongly correlated with those of stable Sm at low concentrations (r = 0.98); indicating that the mobility of Sm radioisotopes and, thus, the risk of radioactive Sm contamination can be predicted using data from low concentrations of stable Sm. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Particle size- and concentration-dependent separation of magnetic nanoparticles

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Witte, Kerstin, E-mail: witte@micromod.de [University of Rostock, Institute of Physics, Albert-Einstein-Str. 23, 18059 Rostock (Germany); Micromod Partikeltechnologie GmbH, Friedrich-Barnewitz-Str. 4, 18119 Rostock (Germany); Müller, Knut; Grüttner, Cordula; Westphal, Fritz [Micromod Partikeltechnologie GmbH, Friedrich-Barnewitz-Str. 4, 18119 Rostock (Germany); Johansson, Christer [Acreo Swedish ICT AB, 40014 Göteborg (Sweden)

    2017-04-01

    Small magnetic nanoparticles with a narrow size distribution are of great interest for several biomedical applications. When the size of the particles decreases, the magnetic moment of the particles decreases. This leads to a significant increase in the separation time by several orders of magnitude. Therefore, in the present study the separation processes of bionized nanoferrites (BNF) with different sizes and concentrations were investigated with the commercial Sepmag Q system. It was found that an increasing initial particle concentration leads to a reduction of the separation time for large nanoparticles due to the higher probability of building chains. Small nanoparticles showed exactly the opposite behavior with rising particle concentration up to 0.1 mg(Fe)/ml. For higher iron concentrations the separation time remains constant and the measured Z-average decreases in the supernatant at same time intervals. At half separation time a high yield with decreasing hydrodynamic diameter of particles can be obtained using higher initial particle concentrations. - Highlights: • Size dependent separation processes of multicore nanoparticles. • Concentration dependent separation processes of multicore nanoparticles. • Increasing separation time with rising concentrations for small particles. • Large particles show typical cooperative magnetophoresis behavior.

  17. Ascaroside expression in Caenorhabditis elegans is strongly dependent on diet and developmental stage.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fatma Kaplan

    2011-03-01

    Full Text Available The ascarosides form a family of small molecules that have been isolated from cultures of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. They are often referred to as "dauer pheromones" because most of them induce formation of long-lived and highly stress resistant dauer larvae. More recent studies have shown that ascarosides serve additional functions as social signals and mating pheromones. Thus, ascarosides have multiple functions. Until now, it has been generally assumed that ascarosides are constitutively expressed during nematode development.Cultures of C. elegans were developmentally synchronized on controlled diets. Ascarosides released into the media, as well as stored internally, were quantified by LC/MS. We found that ascaroside biosynthesis and release were strongly dependent on developmental stage and diet. The male attracting pheromone was verified to be a blend of at least four ascarosides, and peak production of the two most potent mating pheromone components, ascr#3 and asc#8 immediately preceded or coincided with the temporal window for mating. The concentration of ascr#2 increased under starvation conditions and peaked during dauer formation, strongly supporting ascr#2 as the main population density signal (dauer pheromone. After dauer formation, ascaroside production largely ceased and dauer larvae did not release any ascarosides. These findings show that both total ascaroside production and the relative proportions of individual ascarosides strongly correlate with these compounds' stage-specific biological functions.Ascaroside expression changes with development and environmental conditions. This is consistent with multiple functions of these signaling molecules. Knowledge of such differential regulation will make it possible to associate ascaroside production to gene expression profiles (transcript, protein or enzyme activity and help to determine genetic pathways that control ascaroside biosynthesis. In conjunction with findings

  18. Concentration dependent hydrogen diffusion in tungsten

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ahlgren, T., E-mail: tommy.ahlgren@helsinki.fi; Bukonte, L.

    2016-10-15

    The diffusion of hydrogen in tungsten is studied as a function of temperature, hydrogen concentration and pressure using Molecular Dynamics technique. A new analysis method to determine diffusion coefficients that accounts for the random oscillation of atoms around the equilibrium position is presented. The results indicate that the hydrogen migration barrier of 0.25 eV should be used instead of the presently recommended value of 0.39 eV. This conclusion is supported by both experiments and density functional theory calculations. Moreover, the migration volume at the saddle point for H in W is found to be positive: ΔV{sub m} ≈ 0.488 Å{sup 3}, leading to a decrease in the diffusivity at high pressures. At high H concentrations, a dramatic reduction in the diffusion coefficient is observed, due to site blocking and the repulsive H-H interaction. The results of this study indicates that high flux hydrogen irradiation leads to much higher H concentrations in tungsten than expected. - Highlights: • The recommended value of 0.39 eV for the H in W migration barrier should be changed to 0.25 eV. • The random oscillation of atoms around the equilibrium position can be dealt with in diffusion simulations. • Hydrogen diffusion in tungsten is highly concentration dependent.

  19. Position-Dependent Dynamics Explain Pore-Averaged Diffusion in Strongly Attractive Adsorptive Systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krekelberg, William P; Siderius, Daniel W; Shen, Vincent K; Truskett, Thomas M; Errington, Jeffrey R

    2017-12-12

    Using molecular simulations, we investigate the relationship between the pore-averaged and position-dependent self-diffusivity of a fluid adsorbed in a strongly attractive pore as a function of loading. Previous work (Krekelberg, W. P.; Siderius, D. W.; Shen, V. K.; Truskett, T. M.; Errington, J. R. Connection between thermodynamics and dynamics of simple fluids in highly attractive pores. Langmuir 2013, 29, 14527-14535, doi: 10.1021/la4037327) established that pore-averaged self-diffusivity in the multilayer adsorption regime, where the fluid exhibits a dense film at the pore surface and a lower density interior pore region, is nearly constant as a function of loading. Here we show that this puzzling behavior can be understood in terms of how loading affects the fraction of particles that reside in the film and interior pore regions as well as their distinct dynamics. Specifically, the insensitivity of pore-averaged diffusivity to loading arises from the approximate cancellation of two factors: an increase in the fraction of particles in the higher diffusivity interior pore region with loading and a corresponding decrease in the particle diffusivity in that region. We also find that the position-dependent self-diffusivities scale with the position-dependent density. We present a model for predicting the pore-average self-diffusivity based on the position-dependent self-diffusivity, which captures the unusual characteristics of pore-averaged self-diffusivity in strongly attractive pores over several orders of magnitude.

  20. Unusual concentration-dependent microscopic dynamics of dendrimers in aqueous solution

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wong, Kaikin; Wu, Chin Ming; Lam, Hak Fai; Chathoth, Suresh M.

    2016-01-01

    Dendrimers are novel three-dimensional, hyperbranched globular nanopolymeric macromolecules. The nanoscopic size, narrow polydispersity index, excellent control over molecular structure, availability of multiple functional groups at the periphery, and cavities in the interior made them very attractive candidate for drug delivery. In this communication, we have studied the microscopic dynamics of tetra-acid and pentaerythritol glycidyl ether dendrimers dissolved in aqueous solution with different concentrations. The effects of concentration and temperature to their long-range diffusion process are investigated by dynamic light scattering. Experimental results show a huge variation in the translational diffusion coefficient for the two dendrimers samples. Besides, the dependence of diffusion coefficients on concentration is unusually different in these dendrimer samples. Although the diffusion process follows Arrhenius relation with the temperature in both systems, the activation energy for the diffusion process has a distinct concentration dependence.

  1. Unusual concentration-dependent microscopic dynamics of dendrimers in aqueous solution

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wong, Kaikin; Wu, Chin Ming; Lam, Hak Fai; Chathoth, Suresh M.

    2016-05-01

    Dendrimers are novel three-dimensional, hyperbranched globular nanopolymeric macromolecules. The nanoscopic size, narrow polydispersity index, excellent control over molecular structure, availability of multiple functional groups at the periphery, and cavities in the interior made them very attractive candidate for drug delivery. In this communication, we have studied the microscopic dynamics of tetra-acid and pentaerythritol glycidyl ether dendrimers dissolved in aqueous solution with different concentrations. The effects of concentration and temperature to their long-range diffusion process are investigated by dynamic light scattering. Experimental results show a huge variation in the translational diffusion coefficient for the two dendrimers samples. Besides, the dependence of diffusion coefficients on concentration is unusually different in these dendrimer samples. Although the diffusion process follows Arrhenius relation with the temperature in both systems, the activation energy for the diffusion process has a distinct concentration dependence.

  2. Unusual concentration-dependent microscopic dynamics of dendrimers in aqueous solution

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wong, Kaikin; Wu, Chin Ming; Lam, Hak Fai; Chathoth, Suresh M., E-mail: smavilac@cityu.edu.hk [City University of Hong Kong, Department of Physics and Materials Science (Hong Kong, People’s Republic of China) (China)

    2016-05-15

    Dendrimers are novel three-dimensional, hyperbranched globular nanopolymeric macromolecules. The nanoscopic size, narrow polydispersity index, excellent control over molecular structure, availability of multiple functional groups at the periphery, and cavities in the interior made them very attractive candidate for drug delivery. In this communication, we have studied the microscopic dynamics of tetra-acid and pentaerythritol glycidyl ether dendrimers dissolved in aqueous solution with different concentrations. The effects of concentration and temperature to their long-range diffusion process are investigated by dynamic light scattering. Experimental results show a huge variation in the translational diffusion coefficient for the two dendrimers samples. Besides, the dependence of diffusion coefficients on concentration is unusually different in these dendrimer samples. Although the diffusion process follows Arrhenius relation with the temperature in both systems, the activation energy for the diffusion process has a distinct concentration dependence.

  3. Effect of nitrogen concentration on temperature dependent mechanical properties of vanadium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Carlson, O.N.; Rehbein, D.K.

    1979-01-01

    The critical resolved shear stress and strain rate sensitivity of vanadium were determined for vanadium-nitrogen alloys over the temperature range of 77K to 400K for concentrations of 1 to 500 wt ppm nitrogen. The concentration dependence of the hardening rate agrees quite well with either the Fleischer or Labusch strengthening model but the combined temperature and concentration dependence follows more closely the form predicted by Ono and Sommer. The strain rate sensitivity exhibits a peak at 140K which decreases with increasing nitrogen content but above 250K there is a reversal in this effect. (orig.) [de

  4. The non-monotonic shear-thinning flow of two strongly cohesive concentrated suspensions

    OpenAIRE

    Buscall, Richard; Kusuma, Tiara E.; Stickland, Anthony D.; Rubasingha, Sayuri; Scales, Peter J.; Teo, Hui-En; Worrall, Graham L.

    2014-01-01

    The behaviour in simple shear of two concentrated and strongly cohesive mineral suspensions showing highly non-monotonic flow curves is described. Two rheometric test modes were employed, controlled stress and controlled shear-rate. In controlled stress mode the materials showed runaway flow above a yield stress, which, for one of the suspensions, varied substantially in value and seemingly at random from one run to the next, such that the up flow-curve appeared to be quite irreproducible. Th...

  5. Dependency of soil activity concentration on soil -biota concentration ratio of radionuclides for earthworm

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Keum, Dong Kwon; Kim, Byeong Ho; Jun, In; Lim, Kwang Muk; Choi, Yong Ho [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2012-05-15

    The transfer of radionuclides to wildlife (non-human biota) is normally quantified using an equilibrium concentration ratio (CR{sub eq}), defined as the radionuclide activity concentration in the whole organism (fresh weight) divided by that in the media (dry weight for soil). The present study describes the effect of soil radionuclide activity concentration on the transfer of {sup 137}Cs, {sup 85}Sr and {sup 65}Zn to a functionally important wildlife group, annelids, using a commonly studied experimental worm (E.andrei). Time-dependent whole body concentration ratios of {sup 137}Cs, {sup 85}Sr and {sup 65}Zn for the earthworm were experimentally measured for artificially contaminated soils with three different activity concentrations for each radionuclide which were considerably higher than normal background levels. Two parameters of a first order kinetic model, the equilibrium concentration ratio (CR{sub eq}) and the effective loss rate constant (k), were estimated by comparison of experimental CR results with the model prediction

  6. Concentration and temperature dependence of short-range order in Ni-Ta solid solution using X-ray diffraction method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Khwaja, F.A.; Alam, A.

    1980-09-01

    Diffuse X-ray scattering investigations about the existence of short-range order (SRO) have been carried out in the Ni-Ta system for different concentrations and annealing temperatures. It is observed that the values of the SRO parameters for the first co-ordination shell have anomalously large negative values for all the samples studied. These values of the α 1 depend upon the annealing temperatures and the concentration of Ta atoms in the Ni-Ta system. The results of the theoretical predictions of the ordering potential obtained using the formulae of the electronic theory of SRO, confirm the existence of very strong attractive correlation between the atoms of the different species in this system. (author)

  7. Temperature dependence of electron concentration in cadmium arsenide

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Gelten, M.J.; Blom, F.A.P.

    1979-01-01

    From measurements of the temperature dependence of the electron concentration in Cd 3 As 2 , we found values for the conduction-band parameters that are in good agreement with those recently reported by Aubin, Caron, and Jay-Gerin. However, in contrast with these authors we found no small overlap,

  8. Concentration-dependent effects of fullerenol on cultured hippocampal neuron viability

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zha YY

    2012-06-01

    Full Text Available Ying-ying Zha,1 Bo Yang,1 Ming-liang Tang,2 Qiu-chen Guo,1 Ju-tao Chen,1 Long-ping Wen,3 Ming Wang11CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 2Suzhou Institute of NanoTech and NanoBionics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Suzhou, 3Laboratory of Nano-biology, School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, People's Republic of ChinaBackground: Recent studies have shown that the biological actions and toxicity of the water-soluble compound, polyhydroxyfullerene (fullerenol, are related to the concentrations present at a particular site of action. This study investigated the effects of different concentrations of fullerenol on cultured rat hippocampal neurons.Methods and results: Fullerenol at low concentrations significantly enhanced hippocampal neuron viability as tested by MTT assay and Hoechst 33342/propidium iodide double stain detection. At high concentrations, fullerenol induced apoptosis confirmed by Comet assay and assessment of caspase proteins.Conclusion: These findings suggest that fullerenol promotes cell death and protects against cell damage, depending on the concentration present. The concentration-dependent effects of fullerenol were mainly due to its influence on the reduction-oxidation pathway.Keywords: fullerenol, nanomaterial, neurotoxicity, neuroprotection, hippocampal neuron

  9. Sonophoresis Using Ultrasound Contrast Agents: Dependence on Concentration.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Donghee Park

    Full Text Available Sonophoresis can increase skin permeability to various drugs in transdermal drug delivery. Cavitation is recognized as the predominant mechanism of sonophoresis. Recently, a new logical approach to enhance the efficiency of transdermal drug delivery was tried. It is to utilize the engineered microbubble and its resonant frequency for increase of cavitation activity. Actively-induced cavitation with low-intensity ultrasound (less than ~1 MPa causes disordering of the lipid bilayers and the formation of aqueous channels by stable cavitation which indicates a continuous oscillation of bubbles. Furthermore, the mutual interactions of microbubble determined by concentration of added bubble are also thought to be an important factor for activity of stable cavitation, even in different characteristics of drug. In the present study, we addressed the dependence of ultrasound contrast agent concentration using two types of drug on the efficiency of transdermal drug delivery. Two types of experiment were designed to quantitatively evaluate the efficiency of transdermal drug delivery according to ultrasound contrast agent concentration. First, an experiment of optical clearing using a tissue optical clearing agent was designed to assess the efficiency of sonophoresis with ultrasound contrast agents. Second, a Franz diffusion cell with ferulic acid was used to quantitatively determine the amount of drug delivered to the skin sample by sonophoresis with ultrasound contrast agents. The maximum enhancement ratio of sonophoresis with a concentration of 1:1,000 was approximately 3.1 times greater than that in the ultrasound group without ultrasound contrast agent and approximately 7.5 times greater than that in the control group. These results support our hypothesis that sonophoresis becomes more effective in transdermal drug delivery due to the presence of engineered bubbles, and that the efficiency of transdermal drug delivery using sonophoresis with

  10. Sonophoresis Using Ultrasound Contrast Agents: Dependence on Concentration.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Park, Donghee; Song, Gillsoo; Jo, Yongjun; Won, Jongho; Son, Taeyoon; Cha, Ohrum; Kim, Jinho; Jung, Byungjo; Park, Hyunjin; Kim, Chul-Woo; Seo, Jongbum

    2016-01-01

    Sonophoresis can increase skin permeability to various drugs in transdermal drug delivery. Cavitation is recognized as the predominant mechanism of sonophoresis. Recently, a new logical approach to enhance the efficiency of transdermal drug delivery was tried. It is to utilize the engineered microbubble and its resonant frequency for increase of cavitation activity. Actively-induced cavitation with low-intensity ultrasound (less than ~1 MPa) causes disordering of the lipid bilayers and the formation of aqueous channels by stable cavitation which indicates a continuous oscillation of bubbles. Furthermore, the mutual interactions of microbubble determined by concentration of added bubble are also thought to be an important factor for activity of stable cavitation, even in different characteristics of drug. In the present study, we addressed the dependence of ultrasound contrast agent concentration using two types of drug on the efficiency of transdermal drug delivery. Two types of experiment were designed to quantitatively evaluate the efficiency of transdermal drug delivery according to ultrasound contrast agent concentration. First, an experiment of optical clearing using a tissue optical clearing agent was designed to assess the efficiency of sonophoresis with ultrasound contrast agents. Second, a Franz diffusion cell with ferulic acid was used to quantitatively determine the amount of drug delivered to the skin sample by sonophoresis with ultrasound contrast agents. The maximum enhancement ratio of sonophoresis with a concentration of 1:1,000 was approximately 3.1 times greater than that in the ultrasound group without ultrasound contrast agent and approximately 7.5 times greater than that in the control group. These results support our hypothesis that sonophoresis becomes more effective in transdermal drug delivery due to the presence of engineered bubbles, and that the efficiency of transdermal drug delivery using sonophoresis with microbubbles depends on the

  11. Temperature and concentration dependences of the electrical resistivity for alloys of plutonium with americium under normal conditions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tsiovkin, Yu. Yu.; Povzner, A. A.; Tsiovkina, L. Yu.; Dremov, V. V.; Kabirova, L. R.; Dyachenko, A. A.; Bystrushkin, V. B.; Ryabukhina, M. V.; Lukoyanov, A. V.; Shorikov, A. O.

    2010-01-01

    The temperature and concentration dependences of the electrical resistivity for alloys of americium with plutonium are analyzed in terms of the multiband conductivity model for binary disordered substitution-type alloys. For the case of high temperatures ( T > ΘD, ΘD is the Debye temperature), a system of self-consistent equations of the coherent potential approximation has been derived for the scattering of conduction electrons by impurities and phonons without any constraints on the interaction intensity. The definitions of the shift and broadening operator for a single-electron level are used to show qualitatively and quantitatively that the pattern of the temperature dependence of the electrical resistivity for alloys is determined by the balance between the coherent and incoherent contributions to the electron-phonon scattering and that the interference conduction electron scattering mechanism can be the main cause of the negative temperature coefficient of resistivity observed in some alloys involving actinides. It is shown that the great values of the observed resistivity may be attributable to interband transitions of charge carriers and renormalization of their effective mass through strong s-d band hybridization. The concentration and temperature dependences of the resistivity for alloys of plutonium and americium calculated in terms of the derived conductivity model are compared with the available experimental data.

  12. Analytical description of concentration dependence of surface tension in multicomponent systems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dadashev, R; Kutuev, R [Complex Science Research Institute of the Science Academy of the Chechen Republic, 21 Staropromisl. shosse, Grozny 364096 (Russian Federation); Elimkhanov, D [Science Academy of the Chechen Republic (Russian Federation)], E-mail: edzhabrail@mail.ru

    2008-02-15

    From the basic fundamental thermodynamic expressions the equation of isotherms of the surface tension of a ternary system is received. Various assumptions concerning the concentration dependence of molar areas are usually made when the equation is derived. The dependence of the molar areas is calculated as an additive function of the structure of a volumetric phase or the structure of a surface layer. To define the concentration dependence of the molar areas we used a stricter thermodynamic expression offered by Butler. In the received equation the dependence of molar areas on the structure of the solution is taken into account. Therefore, the equation can be applied for the calculation of surface tension over a wide concentration range of the components. Unlike the known expressions, the equation includes the surface tension properties of lateral binary systems, which makes the accuracy of the calculated values considerably higher. Thus, among the advantages of the offered equation we can point out the mathematical simplicity of the received equation and the fact that the equation includes physical parameters the experimental definition of which does not present any special difficulties.

  13. Determination of the concentration dependent diffusion coefficient of nitrogen in expanded austenite

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Christiansen, Thomas; Somers, Marcel A. J.

    2008-01-01

    The concentration dependent diffusion coefficient of nitrogen in expanded austenite was determined from of the rate of retracting nitrogen from thin initially N-saturated coupons. Nitrogen saturated homogeneous foils of expanded austenite were obtained by nitriding AISI 304 and AISI 316 in pure...... in the composition range where nitrogen can be extracted by hydrogen gas at the diffusion temperature. Numerical simulation of the denitriding experiments shows that the thus determined concentration dependent diffusion coefficients are an accurate approximation of the actual diffusivity of nitrogen in expanded...... ammonia at 693 K and 718 K. Denitriding experiments were performed by equilibrating the foils with a successively lower nitrogen activity, as imposed by a gas mixture of ammonia and hydrogen. The concentration dependent diffusion coefficient of nitrogen in expanded austenite was approximated...

  14. Both RIG-I and MDA5 detect alphavirus replication in concentration-dependent mode

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Akhrymuk, Ivan; Frolov, Ilya; Frolova, Elena I., E-mail: evfrolova@UAB.edu

    2016-01-15

    Alphaviruses are a family of positive-strand RNA viruses that circulate on all continents between mosquito vectors and vertebrate hosts. Despite a significant public health threat, their biology is not sufficiently investigated, and the mechanisms of alphavirus replication and virus–host interaction are insufficiently understood. In this study, we have applied a variety of experimental systems to further understand the mechanism by which infected cells detect replicating alphaviruses. Our new data strongly suggest that activation of the antiviral response by alphavirus-infected cells is determined by the integrity of viral genes encoding proteins with nuclear functions, and by the presence of two cellular pattern recognition receptors (PRRs), RIG-I and MDA5. No type I IFN response is induced in their absence. The presence of either of these PRRs is sufficient for detecting virus replication. However, type I IFN activation in response to pathogenic alphaviruses depends on the basal levels of RIG-I or MDA5. - Highlights: • Both RIG-I and MDA5 detect alphavirus replication. • Alphavirus-induced transcriptional shutoff affects type I IFN induction. • Sensing of alphavirus replication by RIG-I and MDA5 depends on their concentrations. • High basal level of RIG-I and MDA5 allows IFN induction by pathogenic alphaviruses. • This dependence determines the discrepancy between the in vivo and in vitro data.

  15. Prostasin-dependent activation of epithelial Na+ channels by low plasmin concentrations

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Svenningsen, Per; Uhrenholt, Torben R; Palarasah, Yaseelan

    2009-01-01

    by which plasmin stimulates ENaC activity. Cy3-labeled plasmin was found to bind to the surface of the mouse cortical collecting duct cell line, M-1. Binding depended on a glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored protein. Biotin-label transfer showed that plasmin interacted with the GPI-anchored protein...... plasmin-stimulated ENaC current in monolayers of M-1 cells at low plasmin concentration (1-4 microg/ml). At a high plasmin concentration of 30 microg/ml, there was no difference between cell layers treated with or without PI-PLC. Knockdown of prostasin attenuated binding of plasmin to M1 cells and blocked...... labeling of M-1 cells. Pretreatment with plasmin abolished labeling of M-1 cells in a prostasin-dependent way. We conclude that, at low concentrations, plasmin interacts with GPI-anchored prostasin, which leads to cleavage of the gamma-subunit and activation of ENaC, while at higher concentrations, plasmin...

  16. Glymphatic clearance controls state-dependent changes in brain lactate concentration

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lundgaard, Iben; Lu, Minh Lon; Yang, Ezra

    2017-01-01

    Brain lactate concentration is higher during wakefulness than in sleep. However, it is unknown why arousal is linked to an increase in brain lactate and why lactate declines within minutes of sleep. Here, we show that the glymphatic system is responsible for state-dependent changes in brain lacta......-lymphatic clearance. This analysis provides fundamental new insight into brain energy metabolism by demonstrating that glucose that is not fully oxidized can be exported as lactate via glymphatic-lymphatic fluid transport.......Brain lactate concentration is higher during wakefulness than in sleep. However, it is unknown why arousal is linked to an increase in brain lactate and why lactate declines within minutes of sleep. Here, we show that the glymphatic system is responsible for state-dependent changes in brain lactate...... concentration. Suppression of glymphatic function via acetazolamide treatment, cisterna magna puncture, aquaporin 4 deletion, or changes in body position reduced the decline in brain lactate normally observed when awake mice transition into sleep or anesthesia. Concurrently, the same manipulations diminished...

  17. Electrophoresis in strong electric fields.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barany, Sandor

    2009-01-01

    Two kinds of non-linear electrophoresis (ef) that can be detected in strong electric fields (several hundred V/cm) are considered. The first ("classical" non-linear ef) is due to the interaction of the outer field with field-induced ionic charges in the electric double layer (EDL) under conditions, when field-induced variations of electrolyte concentration remain to be small comparatively to its equilibrium value. According to the Shilov theory, the non-linear component of the electrophoretic velocity for dielectric particles is proportional to the cubic power of the applied field strength (cubic electrophoresis) and to the second power of the particles radius; it is independent of the zeta-potential but is determined by the surface conductivity of particles. The second one, the so-called "superfast electrophoresis" is connected with the interaction of a strong outer field with a secondary diffuse layer of counterions (space charge) that is induced outside the primary (classical) diffuse EDL by the external field itself because of concentration polarization. The Dukhin-Mishchuk theory of "superfast electrophoresis" predicts quadratic dependence of the electrophoretic velocity of unipolar (ionically or electronically) conducting particles on the external field gradient and linear dependence on the particle's size in strong electric fields. These are in sharp contrast to the laws of classical electrophoresis (no dependence of V(ef) on the particle's size and linear dependence on the electric field gradient). A new method to measure the ef velocity of particles in strong electric fields is developed that is based on separation of the effects of sedimentation and electrophoresis using videoimaging and a new flowcell and use of short electric pulses. To test the "classical" non-linear electrophoresis, we have measured the ef velocity of non-conducting polystyrene, aluminium-oxide and (semiconductor) graphite particles as well as Saccharomice cerevisiae yeast cells as a

  18. Genomic Analysis Reveals Distinct Concentration-Dependent Evolutionary Trajectories for Antibiotic Resistance in Escherichia coli

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mogre, Aalap; Sengupta, Titas; Veetil, Reshma T.; Ravi, Preethi; Seshasayee, Aswin Sai Narain

    2014-01-01

    Evolution of bacteria under sublethal concentrations of antibiotics represents a trade-off between growth and resistance to the antibiotic. To understand this trade-off, we performed in vitro evolution of laboratory Escherichia coli under sublethal concentrations of the aminoglycoside kanamycin over short time durations. We report that fixation of less costly kanamycin-resistant mutants occurred earlier in populations growing at lower sublethal concentration of the antibiotic, compared with those growing at higher sublethal concentrations; in the latter, resistant mutants with a significant growth defect persisted longer. Using deep sequencing, we identified kanamycin resistance-conferring mutations, which were costly or not in terms of growth in the absence of the antibiotic. Multiple mutations in the C-terminal end of domain IV of the translation elongation factor EF-G provided low-cost resistance to kanamycin. Despite targeting the same or adjacent residues of the protein, these mutants differed from each other in the levels of resistance they provided. Analysis of one of these mutations showed that it has little defect in growth or in synthesis of green fluorescent protein (GFP) from an inducible plasmid in the absence of the antibiotic. A second class of mutations, recovered only during evolution in higher sublethal concentrations of the antibiotic, deleted the C-terminal end of the ATP synthase shaft. This mutation confers basal-level resistance to kanamycin while showing a strong growth defect in the absence of the antibiotic. In conclusion, the early dynamics of the development of resistance to an aminoglycoside antibiotic is dependent on the levels of stress (concentration) imposed by the antibiotic, with the evolution of less costly variants only a matter of time. PMID:25281544

  19. Concentration dependence of the wings of a dipole-broadened magnetic resonance line in magnetically diluted lattices

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zobov, V. E., E-mail: rsa@iph.krasn.ru [Russian Academy of Sciences, Kirenskii Institute of Physics, Siberian Branch (Russian Federation); Kucherov, M. M. [Siberian Federal University, Institute of Space and Information Technologies (Russian Federation)

    2017-01-15

    The singularities of the time autocorrelation functions (ACFs) of magnetically diluted spin systems with dipole–dipole interaction (DDI), which determine the high-frequency asymptotics of autocorrelation functions and the wings of a magnetic resonance line, are studied. Using the self-consistent fluctuating local field approximation, nonlinear equations are derived for autocorrelation functions averaged over the independent random arrangement of spins (magnetic atoms) in a diamagnetic lattice with different spin concentrations. The equations take into account the specificity of the dipole–dipole interaction. First, due to its axial symmetry in a strong static magnetic field, the autocorrelation functions of longitudinal and transverse spin components are described by different equations. Second, the long-range type of the dipole–dipole interaction is taken into account by separating contributions into the local field from distant and near spins. The recurrent equations are obtained for the expansion coefficients of autocorrelation functions in power series in time. From them, the numerical value of the coordinate of the nearest singularity of the autocorrelation function is found on the imaginary time axis, which is equal to the radius of convergence of these expansions. It is shown that in the strong dilution case, the logarithmic concentration dependence of the coordinate of the singularity is observed, which is caused by the presence of a cluster of near spins whose fraction is small but contribution to the modulation frequency is large. As an example a silicon crystal with different {sup 29}Si concentrations in magnetic fields directed along three crystallographic axes is considered.

  20. Dependence of the Mg-related acceptor ionization energy with the acceptor concentration in p-type GaN layers grown by molecular beam epitaxy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brochen, Stéphane; Brault, Julien; Chenot, Sébastien; Dussaigne, Amélie; Leroux, Mathieu; Damilano, Benjamin

    2013-01-01

    Hall effect and capacitance-voltage C(V) measurements were performed on p-type GaN:Mg layers grown on GaN templates by molecular beam epitaxy with a high range of Mg-doping concentrations. The free hole density and the effective dopant concentration N A −N D as a function of magnesium incorporation measured by secondary ion mass spectroscopy clearly reveal both a magnesium doping efficiency up to 90% and a strong dependence of the acceptor ionization energy Ea with the acceptor concentration N A . These experimental observations highlight an isolated acceptor binding energy of 245±25 meV compatible, at high acceptor concentration, with the achievement of p-type GaN:Mg layers with a hole concentration at room temperature close to 10 19 cm −3

  1. Strongly scale-dependent CMB dipolar asymmetry from super-curvature fluctuations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Byrnes, Christian [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Sussex, Brighton BN1 9QH (United Kingdom); Domènech, Guillem; Sasaki, Misao [Center for Gravitational Physics, Yukawa Institute for Theoretical Physics, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8502 (Japan); Takahashi, Tomo, E-mail: C.Byrnes@sussex.ac.uk, E-mail: guillem.domenech@yukawa.kyoto-u.ac.jp, E-mail: misao@yukawa.kyoto-u.ac.jp, E-mail: tomot@cc.saga-u.ac.jp [Department of Physics, Saga University, Saga 840-8502 (Japan)

    2016-12-01

    We reconsider the observed CMB dipolar asymmetry in the context of open inflation, where a supercurvature mode might survive the bubble nucleation. If such a supercurvature mode modulates the amplitude of the curvature power spectrum, it would easily produce an asymmetry in the power spectrum. We show that current observational data can be accommodated in a three-field model, with simple quadratic potentials and a non-trivial field-space metric. Despite the presence of three fields, we believe this model is so far the simplest that can match current observations. We are able to match the observed strong scale dependence of the dipolar asymmetry, without a fine tuning of initial conditions, breaking slow roll or adding a feature to the evolution of any field.

  2. Experimental evidence that density dependence strongly influences plant invasions through fragmented landscapes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Williams, Jennifer L; Levine, Jonathan M

    2018-04-01

    Populations of range expanding species encounter patches of both favorable and unfavorable habitat as they spread across landscapes. Theory shows that increasing patchiness slows the spread of populations modeled with continuously varying population density when dispersal is not influence by the environment or individual behavior. However, as is found in uniformly favorable landscapes, spread remains driven by fecundity and dispersal from low density individuals at the invasion front. In contrast, when modeled populations are composed of discrete individuals, patchiness causes populations to build up to high density before dispersing past unsuitable habitat, introducing an important influence of density dependence on spread velocity. To test the hypothesized interaction between habitat patchiness and density dependence, we simultaneously manipulated these factors in a greenhouse system of annual plants spreading through replicated experimental landscapes. We found that increasing the size of gaps and amplifying the strength of density dependence both slowed spread velocity, but contrary to predictions, the effect of amplified density dependence was similar across all landscape types. Our results demonstrate that the discrete nature of individuals in spreading populations has a strong influence on how both landscape patchiness and density dependence influence spread through demographic and dispersal stochasticity. Both finiteness and landscape structure should be critical components to theoretical predictions of future spread for range expanding native species or invasive species colonizing new habitat. © 2018 by the Ecological Society of America.

  3. Metabolic response to MMS-mediated DNA damage in Saccharomyces cerevisiae is dependent on the glucose concentration in the medium.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kitanovic, Ana; Walther, Thomas; Loret, Marie Odile; Holzwarth, Jinda; Kitanovic, Igor; Bonowski, Felix; Van Bui, Ngoc; Francois, Jean Marie; Wölfl, Stefan

    2009-06-01

    Maintenance and adaptation of energy metabolism could play an important role in the cellular ability to respond to DNA damage. A large number of studies suggest that the sensitivity of cells to oxidants and oxidative stress depends on the activity of cellular metabolism and is dependent on the glucose concentration. In fact, yeast cells that utilize fermentative carbon sources and hence rely mainly on glycolysis for energy appear to be more sensitive to oxidative stress. Here we show that treatment of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae growing on a glucose-rich medium with the DNA alkylating agent methyl methanesulphonate (MMS) triggers a rapid inhibition of respiration and enhances reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, which is accompanied by a strong suppression of glycolysis. Further, diminished activity of pyruvate kinase and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase upon MMS treatment leads to a diversion of glucose carbon to glycerol, trehalose and glycogen accumulation and an increased flux through the pentose-phosphate pathway. Such conditions finally result in a significant decline in the ATP level and energy charge. These effects are dependent on the glucose concentration in the medium. Our results clearly demonstrate that calorie restriction reduces MMS toxicity through increased respiration and reduced ROS accumulation, enhancing the survival and recovery of cells.

  4. A single sip of a strong alcoholic beverage causes exposure to carcinogenic concentrations of acetaldehyde in the oral cavity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Linderborg, Klas; Salaspuro, Mikko; Väkeväinen, Satu

    2011-09-01

    The aim of this study was to explore oral exposure to carcinogenic (group 1) acetaldehyde after single sips of strong alcoholic beverages containing no or high concentrations of acetaldehyde. Eight volunteers tasted 5 ml of ethanol diluted to 40 vol.% with no acetaldehyde and 40 vol.% calvados containing 2400 μM acetaldehyde. Salivary acetaldehyde and ethanol concentrations were measured by gas chromatography. The protocol was repeated after ingestion of ethanol (0.5 g/kg body weight). Salivary acetaldehyde concentration was significantly higher after sipping calvados than after sipping ethanol at 30s both with (215 vs. 128 μmol/l, psipping of the alcoholic beverages. Carcinogenic concentrations of acetaldehyde are produced from ethanol in the oral cavity instantly after a small sip of strong alcoholic beverage, and the exposure continues for at least 10 min. Acetaldehyde present in the beverage has a short-term effect on total acetaldehyde exposure. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Strong adhesion by regulatory T cells induces dendritic cell cytoskeletal polarization and contact-dependent lethargy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Jiahuan; Ganguly, Anutosh; Mucsi, Ashley D; Meng, Junchen; Yan, Jiacong; Detampel, Pascal; Munro, Fay; Zhang, Zongde; Wu, Mei; Hari, Aswin; Stenner, Melanie D; Zheng, Wencheng; Kubes, Paul; Xia, Tie; Amrein, Matthias W; Qi, Hai; Shi, Yan

    2017-02-01

    Dendritic cells are targeted by regulatory T (T reg) cells, in a manner that operates as an indirect mode of T cell suppression. In this study, using a combination of single-cell force spectroscopy and structured illumination microscopy, we analyze individual T reg cell-DC interaction events and show that T reg cells exhibit strong intrinsic adhesiveness to DCs. This increased DC adhesion reduces the ability of contacted DCs to engage other antigen-specific cells. We show that this unusually strong LFA-1-dependent adhesiveness of T reg cells is caused in part by their low calpain activities, which normally release integrin-cytoskeleton linkage, and thereby reduce adhesion. Super resolution imaging reveals that such T reg cell adhesion causes sequestration of Fascin-1, an actin-bundling protein essential for immunological synapse formation, and skews Fascin-1-dependent actin polarization in DCs toward the T reg cell adhesion zone. Although it is reversible upon T reg cell disengagement, this sequestration of essential cytoskeletal components causes a lethargic state of DCs, leading to reduced T cell priming. Our results reveal a dynamic cytoskeletal component underlying T reg cell-mediated DC suppression in a contact-dependent manner. © 2017 Chen et al.

  6. Synthesis and concentration dependent antibacterial activities of CuO nanoflakes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pandiyarajan, T.; Udayabhaskar, R. [Department of Physics, National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli 620 015 (India); Vignesh, S.; James, R. Arthur [Department of Marine Science, Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli 620 024 (India); Karthikeyan, B., E-mail: balkarin@yahoo.com [Department of Physics, National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli 620 015 (India)

    2013-05-01

    We report, synthesis and antibacterial activities of CuO nanoflakes. CuO nanoparticles are prepared at room temperature through sol–gel method. X-ray diffraction studies show the particles are monoclinic (crystalline) in nature. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images clearly show that the prepared particles are flake like in structure. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra exhibits three different bands that correspond to the A{sub u} and B{sub u} modes. Antibacterial studies were performed on Shigella flexneri, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Salmonella typhimurium, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Vibrio cholera, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Aeromonas liquefaciens bacterial strains. Among these bacterial strains, S. flexneri and B. subtilis are most sensitive to copper oxide nanoparticles than the positive control (Penicillin G) and S. typhimurium strain shows the less sensitive. Results show that sensitivity is highly dependent on the concentrations of CuO nanoflakes. - Highlights: ► CuO nanoflakes are prepared through simple sol–gel method at room temperature. ► Bacterial strains are highly affected by CuO nanoflakes than the positive control. ► Zone of inhibition increases with an increase of CuO concentrations. ► Sensitivity is highly dependent on the concentrations of CuO nanoflakes.

  7. Synthesis and concentration dependent antibacterial activities of CuO nanoflakes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pandiyarajan, T.; Udayabhaskar, R.; Vignesh, S.; James, R. Arthur; Karthikeyan, B.

    2013-01-01

    We report, synthesis and antibacterial activities of CuO nanoflakes. CuO nanoparticles are prepared at room temperature through sol–gel method. X-ray diffraction studies show the particles are monoclinic (crystalline) in nature. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images clearly show that the prepared particles are flake like in structure. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra exhibits three different bands that correspond to the A u and B u modes. Antibacterial studies were performed on Shigella flexneri, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Salmonella typhimurium, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Vibrio cholera, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Aeromonas liquefaciens bacterial strains. Among these bacterial strains, S. flexneri and B. subtilis are most sensitive to copper oxide nanoparticles than the positive control (Penicillin G) and S. typhimurium strain shows the less sensitive. Results show that sensitivity is highly dependent on the concentrations of CuO nanoflakes. - Highlights: ► CuO nanoflakes are prepared through simple sol–gel method at room temperature. ► Bacterial strains are highly affected by CuO nanoflakes than the positive control. ► Zone of inhibition increases with an increase of CuO concentrations. ► Sensitivity is highly dependent on the concentrations of CuO nanoflakes

  8. Dependences of deposition rate and OH content on concentration of added trichloroethylene in low-temperature silicon oxide films deposited using silicone oil and ozone gas

    Science.gov (United States)

    Horita, Susumu; Jain, Puneet

    2018-03-01

    We investigated the dependences of the deposition rate and residual OH content of SiO2 films on the concentration of trichloroethylene (TCE), which was added during deposition at low temperatures of 160-260 °C with the reactant gases of silicone oil (SO) and O3. The deposition rate depends on the TCE concentration and is minimum at a concentration of ˜0.4 mol/m3 at 200 °C. The result can be explained by surface and gas-phase reactions. Experimentally, we also revealed that the thickness profile is strongly affected by gas-phase reaction, in which the TCE vapor was blown directly onto the substrate surface, where it mixed with SO and O3. Furthermore, it was found that adding TCE vapor reduces residual OH content in the SiO2 film deposited at 200 °C because TCE enhances the dehydration reaction.

  9. Internuclear Separation Dependent Ionization of the Valence Orbitals of I2 by Strong Laser Fields

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, H.; Tagliamonti, V.; Gibson, G. N.

    2012-11-01

    Using a pump-dump-probe technique and Fourier-transform spectroscopy, we study the internuclear separation R dependence and relative strength of the ionization rates of the π and σ electrons of I2, whose valence orbitals are σg2πu4πg4σu0. We find that ionization of the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO)-2 (σg) has a strong dependence on R while the HOMO and HOMO-1 do not. Surprisingly, the ionization rate of the HOMO-2 exceeds the combined ionization rate of the less bound orbitals and this branching ratio increases with R. Since our technique produces target molecules that are highly aligned with the laser polarization, the σ orbitals will be preferentially ionized and undergo enhanced ionization at larger R compared to the π orbitals. Nevertheless, it is highly unusual that an inner orbital provides the dominant strong field ionization pathway in a small molecule.

  10. DOC concentrations across a depth-dependent light gradient on a Caribbean coral reef

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Benjamin Mueller

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Photosynthates released by benthic primary producers (BPP, such as reef algae and scleractinian corals, fuel the dissolved organic carbon (DOC production on tropical coral reefs. DOC concentrations near BPP have repeatedly been observed to be elevated compared to those in the surrounding water column. As the DOC release of BPP increases with increasing light availability, elevated DOC concentrations near them will, in part, also depend on light availability. Consequently, DOC concentrations are likely to be higher on the shallow, well-lit reef terrace than in deeper sections on the fore reef slope. We measured in situ DOC concentrations and light intensity in close proximity to the reef alga Dictyota sp. and the scleractinian coral Orbicella faveolata along a depth-dependent light gradient from 5 to 20 m depth and compared these to background concentrations in the water column. At 10 m (intermediate light, DOC concentrations near Dictyota sp. were elevated by 15 µmol C L−1 compared to background concentrations in the water column, but not at 5 and 20 m (high and low light, respectively, or near O. faveolata at any of the tested depths. DOC concentrations did not differ between depths and thereby light environments for any of the tested water types. However, water type and depth appear to jointly affect in situ DOC concentrations across the tested depth-dependent light gradient. Corroborative ex situ measurements of excitation pressure on photosystem II suggest that photoinhibition in Dictyota sp. is likely to occur at light intensities that are commonly present on Curaçaoan coral reefs under high light levels at 5 m depth during midday. Photoinhibition may have thereby reduced the DOC release of Dictyota sp. and DOC concentrations in its close proximity. Our results indicate that the occurrence of elevated DOC concentrations did not follow a natural light gradient across depth. Instead, a combination of multiple factors, such as water type

  11. DOC concentrations across a depth-dependent light gradient on a Caribbean coral reef.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mueller, Benjamin; Meesters, Erik H; van Duyl, Fleur C

    2017-01-01

    Photosynthates released by benthic primary producers (BPP), such as reef algae and scleractinian corals, fuel the dissolved organic carbon (DOC) production on tropical coral reefs. DOC concentrations near BPP have repeatedly been observed to be elevated compared to those in the surrounding water column. As the DOC release of BPP increases with increasing light availability, elevated DOC concentrations near them will, in part, also depend on light availability. Consequently, DOC concentrations are likely to be higher on the shallow, well-lit reef terrace than in deeper sections on the fore reef slope. We measured in situ DOC concentrations and light intensity in close proximity to the reef alga Dictyota sp. and the scleractinian coral Orbicella faveolata along a depth-dependent light gradient from 5 to 20 m depth and compared these to background concentrations in the water column. At 10 m (intermediate light), DOC concentrations near Dictyota sp. were elevated by 15 µmol C L -1 compared to background concentrations in the water column, but not at 5 and 20 m (high and low light, respectively), or near O. faveolata at any of the tested depths. DOC concentrations did not differ between depths and thereby light environments for any of the tested water types. However, water type and depth appear to jointly affect in situ DOC concentrations across the tested depth-dependent light gradient. Corroborative ex situ measurements of excitation pressure on photosystem II suggest that photoinhibition in Dictyota sp. is likely to occur at light intensities that are commonly present on Curaçaoan coral reefs under high light levels at 5 m depth during midday. Photoinhibition may have thereby reduced the DOC release of Dictyota sp. and DOC concentrations in its close proximity. Our results indicate that the occurrence of elevated DOC concentrations did not follow a natural light gradient across depth. Instead, a combination of multiple factors, such as water type, light

  12. Extraordinary Photoluminescence and Strong Temperature/Angle-Dependent Raman Responses in Few-Layer Phosphorene

    OpenAIRE

    Zhang, Shuang; Yang, Jiong; Xu, Renjing; Wang, Fan; Li, Weifeng; Ghufran, Muhammad; Zhang, Yong-wei; Yu, Zongfu; Zhang, Gang; Qin, Qinghua; Lu, Yuerui

    2014-01-01

    Phosphorene is a new family member of two-dimensional materials. We observed strong and highly layer-dependent photoluminescence in few-layer phosphorene (2 to 5 layers). The results confirmed the theoretical prediction that few-layer phosphorene has a direct and layer-sensitive band gap. We also demonstrated that few-layer phosphorene is more sensitive to temperature modulation than graphene and MoS2 in Raman scattering. The anisotropic Raman response in few-layer phosphorene has enabled us ...

  13. Mechanism of bactericidal activity of Silver Nitrate - a concentration dependent bi-functional molecule

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sureshbabu Ram Kumar Pandian

    2010-10-01

    Full Text Available Silver nitrate imparts different functions on bacteria depending upon its concentration. At lower concentration it induced synthesis of nanoparticles, whereas at higher concentrations it induced cell death. Bacillus licheniformis was used as model system. The MIC was 5 mM, and it induced catalase production, apoptotic body formation and DNA fragmentation.

  14. Bimodal voltage dependence of TRPA1: mutations of a key pore helix residue reveal strong intrinsic voltage-dependent inactivation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wan, Xia; Lu, Yungang; Chen, Xueqin; Xiong, Jian; Zhou, Yuanda; Li, Ping; Xia, Bingqing; Li, Min; Zhu, Michael X; Gao, Zhaobing

    2014-07-01

    Transient receptor potential A1 (TRPA1) is implicated in somatosensory processing and pathological pain sensation. Although not strictly voltage-gated, ionic currents of TRPA1 typically rectify outwardly, indicating channel activation at depolarized membrane potentials. However, some reports also showed TRPA1 inactivation at high positive potentials, implicating voltage-dependent inactivation. Here we report a conserved leucine residue, L906, in the putative pore helix, which strongly impacts the voltage dependency of TRPA1. Mutation of the leucine to cysteine (L906C) converted the channel from outward to inward rectification independent of divalent cations and irrespective to stimulation by allyl isothiocyanate. The mutant, but not the wild-type channel, displayed exclusively voltage-dependent inactivation at positive potentials. The L906C mutation also exhibited reduced sensitivity to inhibition by TRPA1 blockers, HC030031 and ruthenium red. Further mutagenesis of the leucine to all natural amino acids individually revealed that most substitutions at L906 (15/19) resulted in inward rectification, with exceptions of three amino acids that dramatically reduced channel activity and one, methionine, which mimicked the wild-type channel. Our data are plausibly explained by a bimodal gating model involving both voltage-dependent activation and inactivation of TRPA1. We propose that the key pore helix residue, L906, plays an essential role in responding to the voltage-dependent gating.

  15. Concentration-dependent fluorescence live-cell imaging and tracking of intracellular nanoparticles

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Seo, Ji Hye; Joo, Sang-Woo [Department of Chemistry, Soongsil University, Seoul 156-743 (Korea, Republic of); Cho, Keunchang [Logos Biosystems, Incorporated, Anyang 431-070 (Korea, Republic of); Lee, So Yeong, E-mail: leeso@snu.ac.kr, E-mail: sjoo@ssu.ac.kr [Laboratory of Pharmacology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Research Institute for Veterinary Science, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-742 (Korea, Republic of)

    2011-06-10

    Using live-cell imaging techniques we investigated concentration-dependent intracellular movements of fluorescence nanoparticles (NPs) in real-time after their entry into HeLa cells via incubation. Intracellular particle traces appeared to be a mixture of both random and fairly unidirectional movements of the particles. At rather low concentrations of NPs, a majority of the non-random intracellular particle trajectories are assumed to mostly go along microtubule networks after endocytosis, as evidenced from the inhibition test with nocodazole. On the other hand, as the concentrations of NPs increased, random motions were more frequently observed inside the cells.

  16. Concentration-dependent fluorescence live-cell imaging and tracking of intracellular nanoparticles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Seo, Ji Hye; Joo, Sang-Woo; Cho, Keunchang; Lee, So Yeong

    2011-01-01

    Using live-cell imaging techniques we investigated concentration-dependent intracellular movements of fluorescence nanoparticles (NPs) in real-time after their entry into HeLa cells via incubation. Intracellular particle traces appeared to be a mixture of both random and fairly unidirectional movements of the particles. At rather low concentrations of NPs, a majority of the non-random intracellular particle trajectories are assumed to mostly go along microtubule networks after endocytosis, as evidenced from the inhibition test with nocodazole. On the other hand, as the concentrations of NPs increased, random motions were more frequently observed inside the cells.

  17. Growth and xanthan production of Xanthomonas campestris depending on the N-source concentration

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Prell, A [Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Prague (Czech Republic). Inst. of Microbiology; Lasik, J [Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Prague (Czech Republic). Inst. of Microbiology; Konicek, J [Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Prague (Czech Republic). Inst. of Microbiology; Sobotka, M [Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Prague (Czech Republic). Inst. of Microbiology; Sys, J [Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Prague (Czech Republic). Inst. of Microbiology

    1995-11-01

    Growth of X. campestris and production of xanthan were studied in several batch fermentations with different starting concentrations of N-source. The dependencies of growth, productivity and yields on initial N-source concentration were observed. The maximum yields in the course of cultivations were identified. (orig.)

  18. Concentration-Dependent Patterns of Leucine Incorporation by Coastal Picoplankton

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alonso, Cecilia; Pernthaler, Jakob

    2006-01-01

    Coastal pelagic environments are believed to feature concentration gradients of dissolved organic carbon at a microscale, and they are characterized by pronounced seasonal differences in substrate availability for the heterotrophic picoplankton. Microbial taxa that coexist in such habitats might thus differ in their ability to incorporate substrates at various concentrations. We investigated the incorporation patterns of leucine in four microbial lineages from the coastal North Sea at concentrations between 0.1 and 100 nM before and during a spring phytoplankton bloom. Community bulk incorporation rates and the fraction of leucine-incorporating cells in the different populations were analyzed. Significantly fewer bacterial cells incorporated the amino acid before (13 to 35%) than during (23 to 47%) the bloom at all but the highest concentration. The incorporation rate per active cell in the prebloom situation was constant above 0.1 nM added leucine, whereas it increased steeply with substrate concentration during the bloom. At both time points, a high proportion of members of the Roseobacter clade incorporated leucine at all concentrations (55 to 80% and 86 to 94%, respectively). In contrast, the fractions of leucine-incorporating cells increased substantially with substrate availability in bacteria from the SAR86 clade (8 to 31%) and from DE cluster 2 of the Flavobacteria-Sphingobacteria (14 to 33%). The incorporation patterns of marine Euryarchaeota were between these extremes (30 to 56% and 48 to 70%, respectively). Our results suggest that the contribution of microbial taxa to the turnover of particular substrates may be concentration dependent. This may help us to understand the specific niches of coexisting populations that appear to compete for the same resources. PMID:16517664

  19. The association between etanercept serum concentration and psoriasis severity is highly age-dependent.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Detrez, Iris; Van Steen, Kristel; Segaert, Siegfried; Gils, Ann

    2017-06-01

    The association between etanercept serum concentration and psoriasis disease severity is poorly investigated, and currently etanercept serum concentration monitoring that is aiming to optimize the psoriasis treatment lacks evidence. In this prospective study, we investigated the relation between etanercept exposure and disease severity via measuring etanercept concentrations at five consecutive time points in 56 psoriasis patients. Disease severity assessments included the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI), body surface area (BSA) and Physician Global Assessment (PGA), and etanercept and anti-etanercept antibody concentrations were determined every 3 months for a period of 1 year. The present study demonstrated that the association between etanercept concentration and psoriasis severity is age-dependent: when patients were stratified into three groups, patients in the youngest age group (-50 years) showed a lower PASI at a higher etanercept concentration (β = -0.26), whereas patients in the oldest age group (+59 years) showed the opposite trend (β =0.22). Similar age effects were observed in the relation of etanercept concentration with BSA ( P =0.02) and PGA ( P =0.02). The influence of age and length of time in therapy on the etanercept concentration-disease severity relation was unaffected by body mass index (BMI) or any other possible confounder. Incidence of anti-etanercept antibodies was low (2%). The age-dependent relation between etanercept serum concentrations is both unexpected and intriguing and needs further investigation. © 2017 The Author(s). Published by Portland Press Limited on behalf of the Biochemical Society.

  20. Determination of Concentration Dependent Diffusion Coefficients of Carbon in Expanded Austenite

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hummelshøj, Thomas Strabo; Christiansen, Thomas; Somers, Marcel A. J.

    2008-01-01

    Abstract. In the present paper various experimental procedures to experimentally determine the concentration dependent diffusion coefficient of carbon in expanded austenite are evaluated. To this end thermogravimetric carburization was simulated for various experimental conditions and the evaluated...... composition dependent diffusivity of carbon derived from the simulated experiments was compared with the input data. The most promising procedure for an accurate determination is shown to be stepwise gaseous carburizing of thin foils in a gaseous atmosphere; the finer the stepsize, the more accurate...

  1. Concentration-dependent effect of melatonin on DSPC membrane

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sahin, Ipek; Bilge, Duygu; Kazanci, Nadide; Severcan, Feride

    2013-11-01

    The concentration-induced effects of melatonin on distearoyl phosphatidylcholine (DSPC) model membranes were investigated by using two different non-invasive techniques, namely Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). An investigation of the Csbnd H, Cdbnd O and PO2- double bond stretching mode in FTIR spectra and DSC studies reveals that the inclusion of melatonin changes the physical properties of the DSPC multilamellar liposomes (MLVs) by shifting the main phase transition to lower temperatures, abolishing the pretransition, ordering the system in the gel phase and slightly disordering the system in the liquid crystalline phase, increasing the dynamics both in the gel phase and liquid crystalline phases. Melatonin also causes strong hydrogen bonding between Cdbnd O and PO2- groups of lipids and the water molecules around.

  2. Lithium concentration dependent structure and mechanics of amorphous silicon

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sitinamaluwa, H. S.; Wang, M. C.; Will, G.; Senadeera, W.; Yan, C., E-mail: c2.yan@qut.edu.au [School of Chemistry, Physics and Mechanical Engineering, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Brisbane QLD 4001 (Australia); Zhang, S. [Centre for Clean Environment and Energy, Environmental Futures Research Institute and Griffith School of Environment, Gold Coast Campus, Griffith University, QLD 4222 (Australia)

    2016-06-28

    A better understanding of lithium-silicon alloying mechanisms and associated mechanical behavior is essential for the design of Si-based electrodes for Li-ion batteries. Unfortunately, the relationship between the dynamic mechanical response and microstructure evolution during lithiation and delithiation has not been well understood. We use molecular dynamic simulations to investigate lithiated amorphous silicon with a focus to the evolution of its microstructure, phase composition, and stress generation. The results show that the formation of Li{sub x}Si alloy phase is via different mechanisms, depending on Li concentration. In these alloy phases, the increase in Li concentration results in reduction of modulus of elasticity and fracture strength but increase in ductility in tension. For a Li{sub x}Si system with uniform Li distribution, volume change induced stress is well below the fracture strength in tension.

  3. Dependence of indoor radon concentration on the year of house construction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fujimoto, K.; Sanada, T.

    1999-01-01

    The dependence of indoor radon concentration on the year of house construction was studied using the results of two nationwide indoor radon surveys in Japan. The data of radon concentration in the surveys were classified into structure type as well as year of construction to obtain the current radon concentration for each structure type as a function of year of construction. The indoor radon concentration in wooden houses was found to be relatively constant with year of house construction until 1960, and then decreased, whereas the radon concentration in concrete houses increased sharply in houses constructed after 1970. The concentration in concrete houses built before 1975 was almost the same as that in contemporary wooden houses. However, the concentration in concrete houses built at present was about two times higher than that in wooden houses. The time trends found for wooden and concrete houses in the first nationwide indoor radon survey were confirmed by the second nationwide survey. In addition, these same time trends were mostly observed in the data classified into 7 districts in Japan. The increase of indoor radon concentration in concrete houses provides relatively high dose, and this increasing trend seems to continue, judging from the results of two nationwide surveys

  4. Thin-source concentration dependent diffusion

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Eng, G.

    1978-01-01

    The diffusion of (Ca ++ ) in NaCl has been measured for various diffusion times and for the temperature range (575 0 to 775 0 C), using a thin-source of 45 Ca tracer, rectangular geometry, and serial sectioning. The pre-diffusion surface concentration was approximately 3 x 10 16 (Ca)-atoms/cm 2 , which, for an average penetration depth of 100 to 300 μm, produces a maximum (post-diffusion) impurity concentration comparable to or greater than the intrinsic cation vacancy concentration. The high-temperature function closely matches the D 0 (T) function obtained from low impurity concentration experiments. The lower-temperature function, combined with the sudden failure of the D(C) = D 0 (1 + [C] + 0.5[C] 2 ) function at these lower temperatures, indicates the onset of a second diffusion process, one which would operate only at extremely high impurity concentrations. This low-temperature behavior is shown to be consistent with a breakdown of the conditions assumed for vacancy equilibrium

  5. Concentration-dependent, size-independent toxicity of citrate capped AuNPs in Drosophila melanogaster.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Giuseppe Vecchio

    Full Text Available The expected potential benefits promised by nanotechnology in various fields have led to a rapid increase of the presence of engineered nanomaterials in a high number of commercial goods. This is generating increasing questions about possible risks for human health and environment, due to the lack of an in-depth assessment of the physical/chemical factors responsible for their toxic effects. In this work, we evaluated the toxicity of monodisperse citrate-capped gold nanoparticles (AuNPs of different sizes (5, 15, 40, and 80 nm in the model organism Drosophila melanogaster, upon ingestion. To properly evaluate and distinguish the possible dose- and/or size-dependent toxicity of the AuNPs, we performed a thorough assessment of their biological effects, using two different dose-metrics. In the first approach, we kept constant the total surface area of the differently sized AuNPs (Total Exposed Surface area approach, TES, while, in the second approach, we used the same number concentration of the four different sizes of AuNPs (Total Number of Nanoparticles approach, TNN. We observed a significant AuNPs-induced toxicity in vivo, namely a strong reduction of Drosophila lifespan and fertility performance, presence of DNA fragmentation, as well as a significant modification in the expression levels of genes involved in stress responses, DNA damage recognition and apoptosis pathway. Interestingly, we found that, within the investigated experimental conditions, the toxic effects in the exposed organisms were directly related to the concentration of the AuNPs administered, irrespective of their size.

  6. Concentration-dependent oligomerization of cross-linked complexes between ferredoxin and ferredoxin–NADP+ reductase

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kimata-Ariga, Yoko; Kubota-Kawai, Hisako; Lee, Young-Ho; Muraki, Norifumi; Ikegami, Takahisa; Kurisu, Genji; Hase, Toshiharu

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: •Cross-linked complexes of ferredoxin (Fd) and Fd–NADP + reductase form oligomers. •In the crystal structures, Fd- and FNR moieties swap across the molecules. •The complexes exhibit concentration-dependent oligomerization at sub-milimolar order. -- Abstract: Ferredoxin–NADP + reductase (FNR) forms a 1:1 complex with ferredoxin (Fd), and catalyzes the electron transfer between Fd and NADP + . In our previous study, we prepared a series of site-specifically cross-linked complexes of Fd and FNR, which showed diverse electron transfer properties. Here, we show that X-ray crystal structures of the two different Fd–FNR cross-linked complexes form oligomers by swapping Fd and FNR moieties across the molecules; one complex is a dimer from, and the other is a successive multimeric form. In order to verify whether these oligomeric structures are formed only in crystal, we investigated the possibility of the oligomerization of these complexes in solution. The mean values of the particle size of these cross-linked complexes were shown to increase with the rise of protein concentration at sub-milimolar order, whereas the size of dissociable wild-type Fd:FNR complex was unchanged as analyzed by dynamic light scattering measurement. The oligomerization products were detected by SDS–PAGE after chemical cross-linking of these complexes at the sub-milimolar concentrations. The extent and concentration-dependent profile of the oligomerizaion were differentiated between the two cross-linked complexes. These results show that these Fd–FNR cross-linked complexes exhibit concentration-dependent oligomerization, possibly through swapping of Fd and FNR moieties also in solution. These findings lead to the possibility that some native multi-domain proteins may present similar phenomenon in vivo

  7. Large linear magnetoresistivity in strongly inhomogeneous planar and layered systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bulgadaev, S.A.; Kusmartsev, F.V.

    2005-01-01

    Explicit expressions for magnetoresistance R of planar and layered strongly inhomogeneous two-phase systems are obtained, using exact dual transformation, connecting effective conductivities of in-plane isotropic two-phase systems with and without magnetic field. These expressions allow to describe the magnetoresistance of various inhomogeneous media at arbitrary concentrations x and magnetic fields H. All expressions show large linear magnetoresistance effect with different dependencies on the phase concentrations. The corresponding plots of the x- and H-dependencies of R(x,H) are represented for various values, respectively, of magnetic field and concentrations at some values of inhomogeneity parameter. The obtained results show a remarkable similarity with the existing experimental data on linear magnetoresistance in silver chalcogenides Ag 2+δ Se. A possible physical explanation of this similarity is proposed. It is shown that the random, stripe type, structures of inhomogeneities are the most suitable for a fabrication of magnetic sensors and a storage of information at room temperatures

  8. Behaviour of trace element concentration in human organs in dependence of age and environment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Persigehl, M.; Schicha, H.; Kasperek, K.; Feinendegen, L.E.; Kernforschungsanlage Juelich G.m.b.H.

    1977-01-01

    To study the behaviour of trace elements in dependence of age and environment, samples of skin, lung, heart, aorta, kidney, liver and brain were assayed for concentrations of Fe, Zn, Rb, Co, Cr, Se, Sc, Sb, Cs, Al and partly Eu. All samples were dried at 100 deg C for two days. Instrumental neutron-activation analysis was used to determine the element concentrations. The neutron flux was 5 x 10 13 n cm -2 sec -1 . After decay of the short lived radioisotopes, the Al-concentration was measured following a second irradiation of 1 minute and directly comparing with a standard sample. Nearly all element concentrations changed with processing age, but they showed no clear correlation to either parameter assessed. The non-essential elements Se, Sb and Sc were increasingly concentrated in all organs except the skin. Comparing lung samples of patients from highly industrialized regions with those of lesser industrialization, the elements Sc, Al, Sb, Eu and Co were accumulated by a factor of 10 to 100. Thus the concentrations of trace elements in human organism also depend on the degree of industrialization. (T.G.)

  9. White-rot fungus Ganoderma sp.En3 had a strong ability to decolorize and tolerate the anthraquinone, indigo and triphenylmethane dye with high concentrations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lu, Ruoying; Ma, Li; He, Feng; Yu, Dong; Fan, Ruozhi; Zhang, Yangming; Long, Zheping; Zhang, Xiaoyu; Yang, Yang

    2016-03-01

    The ability of the white-rot fungus Ganoderma sp.En3 to decolorize different kinds of dyes widely applied in the textile and dyeing industry, including the anthraquinone dye Remazol Brilliant Blue R (RBBR), indigo dye indigo carmine and triphenylmethane dye methyl green, was evaluated in this study. Ganoderma sp.En3 had a strong capability of decolorizing high concentrations of RBBR, indigo carmine and methyl green. Obvious reduction of Chemical Oxygen Demand was observed after decolorization of different dyes. Ganoderma sp.En3 had a strong ability to tolerate RBBR, indigo carmine and methyl green with high concentrations. High concentrations of RBBR, indigo carmine and methyl green could also be efficiently decolorized by the crude enzyme of Ganoderma sp.En3. Different redox mediators such as syringaldehyde, acetosyringone and acetovanillone could enhance the decolorization capability for higher concentration of indigo carmine and methyl green. Different metal ions had little effect on the ability of the crude enzyme to decolorize indigo carmine and methyl green. Our study suggested that Ganoderma sp.En3 had a strong capability for decolorizing and tolerating high concentrations of different types of dyes such as RBBR, indigo carmine and methyl green.

  10. Revealing mechanisms of selective, concentration-dependent potentials of 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal to induce apoptosis in cancer cells through inactivation of membrane-associated catalase.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bauer, Georg; Zarkovic, Neven

    2015-04-01

    Tumor cells generate extracellular superoxide anions and are protected against superoxide anion-mediated intercellular apoptosis-inducing signaling by the expression of membrane-associated catalase. 4-Hydroxy-2-nonenal (4-HNE), a versatile second messenger generated during lipid peroxidation, has been shown to induce apoptosis selectively in malignant cells. The findings described in this paper reveal the strong, concentration-dependent potential of 4-HNE to specifically inactivate extracellular catalase of tumor cells both indirectly and directly and to consequently trigger apoptosis in malignant cells through superoxide anion-mediated intercellular apoptosis-inducing signaling. Namely, 4-HNE caused apoptosis selectively in NOX1-expressing tumor cells through inactivation of their membrane-associated catalase, thus reactivating subsequent intercellular signaling through the NO/peroxynitrite and HOCl pathways, followed by the mitochondrial pathway of apoptosis. Concentrations of 4-HNE of 1.2 µM and higher directly inactivated membrane-associated catalase of tumor cells, whereas at lower concentrations, 4-HNE triggered a complex amplificatory pathway based on initial singlet oxygen formation through H2O2 and peroxynitrite interaction. Singlet-oxygen-dependent activation of the FAS receptor and caspase-8 increased superoxide anion generation by NOX1 and amplification of singlet oxygen generation, which allowed singlet-oxygen-dependent inactivation of catalase. 4-HNE and singlet oxygen cooperate in complex autoamplificatory loops during this process. The finding of these novel anticancer pathways may be useful for understanding the role of 4-HNE in the control of malignant cells and for the optimization of ROS-dependent therapeutic approaches including antioxidant treatments. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. Intensity dependent waiting time for strong electron trapping events in speckle stimulated raman scatter

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rose, Harvey [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Daughton, W [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Yin, L [Los Alamos National Laboratory

    2009-01-01

    The onset of Stimulated Raman scatter from an intense laser speckle is the simplest experimentally realizable laser-plasma-interaction environment. Despite this data and recent 3D particle simulations, the controlling mechanism at the onset of backscatter in the kinetic regime when strong electron trapping in the daughter Langmuir wave is a dominant nonlinearity is not understood. This paper explores the consequences of assuming that onset is controlled by large thermal fluctuations. A super exponential dependence of mean reflectivity on speckle intensity in the onset regime is predicted.

  12. Linear and nonlinear optical absorption coefficients in GaAs/Ga1−xAlxAs concentric double quantum rings: Effects of hydrostatic pressure and aluminum concentration

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Baghramyan, H.M.; Barseghyan, M.G.; Kirakosyan, A.A.; Restrepo, R.L.; Duque, C.A.

    2013-01-01

    The linear and nonlinear intra-band optical absorption coefficients in GaAs/Ga 1−x Al x As two-dimensional concentric double quantum rings are investigated. Taking into account the combined effects of hydrostatic pressure and aluminum concentration the energies of the ground (n=1,l=0) and the first excited state (n=2,l=1) have been found using the effective mass approximation and the transfer matrix formalism. The energies of these states and the corresponding threshold energy of the intra-band optical transitions are examined as a function of hydrostatic pressure and aluminum concentration for different sizes of the structure. We also investigated the dependencies of the linear, nonlinear, and total optical absorption coefficients as functions of the incident photon energy for different values of hydrostatic pressure, aluminum concentration, sizes of the structure, and incident optical intensity. Its is found that the effects of the hydrostatic pressure and the aluminum concentration lead to a shifting of the resonant peaks of the intra-band optical spectrum. - Highlights: ► Linear and nonlinear intra-band absorption in quantum rings. ► Threshold energy strongly depends on the hydrostatic pressure. ► Threshold energy strongly depends on the stoichiometry and sizes of structure. ► Optical absorption is affected by the incident optical intensity.

  13. Strong composition-dependent disorder in InAs1-xNx alloys

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Benaissa, H.; Zaoui, A.; Ferhat, M.

    2009-01-01

    We investigate the main causes of disorder in the InAs 1-x N x alloys (x = 0, 0.03125, 0.0625, 0.09375, 0.125, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 0.875, 0.90625, 0.9375, 0.96875 and 1). The calculation is based on the density-functional theory in the local-density approximation. We use a plane wave-expansion non-norm conserving ab initio Vanderbilt pseudopotentials. To avoid the difficulty of considering the huge number of atomic configurations, we use an appropriate strategy in which we consider four configurations for a given composition where the N atoms are not randomly distributed. We mainly show that the band gap decreases (increases) rapidly with increasing (decreasing) compositions of N. As a consequence the optical band gap bowing is found to be strong and composition dependent. The obtained compounds, from these alloys, may change from semi-conducting to metal (passing to a negative bowing) and could be useful for device applications, especially at certain composition.

  14. Concentration and size dependence of peak wavelength shift on quantum dots in colloidal suspension

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rinehart, Benjamin S.; Cao, Caroline G. L.

    2016-08-01

    Quantum dots (QDs) are semiconductor nanocrystals that have significant advantages over organic fluorophores, including their extremely narrow Gaussian emission bands and broad absorption bands. Thus, QDs have a wide range of potential applications, such as in quantum computing, photovoltaic cells, biological sensing, and electronics. For these applications, aliasing provides a detrimental effect on signal identification efficiency. This can be avoided through characterization of the QD fluorescence signals. Characterization of the emissivity of CdTe QDs as a function of concentration (1 to 10 mg/ml aqueous) was conducted on 12 commercially available CdTe QDs (emission peaks 550 to 730 nm). The samples were excited by a 50-mW 405-nm laser with emission collected via a free-space CCD spectrometer. All QDs showed a redshift effect as concentration increased. On average, the CdTe QDs exhibited a maximum shift of +35.6 nm at 10 mg/ml and a minimum shift of +27.24 nm at 1 mg/ml, indicating a concentration dependence for shift magnitude. The concentration-dependent redshift function can be used to predict emission response as QD concentration is changed in a complex system.

  15. External K+ dependence of strong inward rectifier K+ channel conductance is caused not by K+ but by competitive pore blockade by external Na.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ishihara, Keiko

    2018-06-15

    Strong inward rectifier K + (sKir) channels determine the membrane potentials of many types of excitable and nonexcitable cells, most notably the resting potentials of cardiac myocytes. They show little outward current during membrane depolarization (i.e., strong inward rectification) because of the channel blockade by cytoplasmic polyamines, which depends on the deviation of the membrane potential from the K + equilibrium potential ( V - E K ) when the extracellular K + concentration ([K + ] out ) is changed. Because their open - channel conductance is apparently proportional to the "square root" of [K + ] out , increases/decreases in [K + ] out enhance/diminish outward currents through sKir channels at membrane potentials near their reversal potential, which also affects, for example, the repolarization and action-potential duration of cardiac myocytes. Despite its importance, however, the mechanism underlying the [K + ] out dependence of the open sKir channel conductance has remained elusive. By studying Kir2.1, the canonical member of the sKir channel family, we first show that the outward currents of Kir2.1 are observed under the external K + -free condition when its inward rectification is reduced and that the complete inhibition of the currents at 0 [K + ] out results solely from pore blockade caused by the polyamines. Moreover, the noted square-root proportionality of the open sKir channel conductance to [K + ] out is mediated by the pore blockade by the external Na + , which is competitive with the external K + Our results show that external K + itself does not activate or facilitate K + permeation through the open sKir channel to mediate the apparent external K + dependence of its open channel conductance. The paradoxical increase/decrease in outward sKir channel currents during alternations in [K + ] out , which is physiologically relevant, is caused by competition from impermeant extracellular Na . © 2018 Ishihara.

  16. Concentration dependence of the Huang scattering intensity of TaHsub(x) alloys

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Behr, H.; Metzger, H.; Peisl, J.

    1983-01-01

    The analysis of the concentration dependence of the Huang diffuse scattering intensity from ThHsub(x) single crystals has been re-evaluated using two quantities recently determined from independent measurements of the Bragg diffraction intensities. Good agreement between experiment and theory has been achieved. (author)

  17. Temperature-dependent transformation thermotics for unsteady states: Switchable concentrator for transient heat flow

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Li, Ying, E-mail: 13110290008@fudan.edu.cn [Department of Mechanics and Engineering Science, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433 (China); Shen, Xiangying, E-mail: 13110190068@fudan.edu.cn [Department of Physics, State Key Laboratory of Surface Physics, and Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433 (China); Huang, Jiping, E-mail: jphuang@fudan.edu.cn [Department of Physics, State Key Laboratory of Surface Physics, and Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433 (China); Ni, Yushan, E-mail: niyushan@fudan.edu.cn [Department of Mechanics and Engineering Science, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433 (China)

    2016-04-22

    For manipulating heat flow efficiently, recently we established a theory of temperature-dependent transformation thermotics which holds for steady-state cases. Here, we develop the theory to unsteady-state cases by considering the generalized Fourier's law for transient thermal conduction. As a result, we are allowed to propose a new class of intelligent thermal metamaterial — switchable concentrator, which is made of inhomogeneous anisotropic materials. When environmental temperature is below or above a critical value, the concentrator is automatically switched on, namely, it helps to focus heat flux in a specific region. However, the focusing does not affect the distribution pattern of temperature outside the concentrator. We also perform finite-element simulations to confirm the switching effect according to the effective medium theory by assembling homogeneous isotropic materials, which bring more convenience for experimental fabrication than inhomogeneous anisotropic materials. This work may help to figure out new intelligent thermal devices, which provide more flexibility in controlling heat flow, and it may also be useful in other fields that are sensitive to temperature gradient, such as the Seebeck effect. - Highlights: • Established the unsteady-state temperature dependent transformation thermotics. • A thermal concentrator with switchable functionality. • An effective-medium design for experimental realization.

  18. Extraordinary photoluminescence and strong temperature/angle-dependent Raman responses in few-layer phosphorene.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Shuang; Yang, Jiong; Xu, Renjing; Wang, Fan; Li, Weifeng; Ghufran, Muhammad; Zhang, Yong-Wei; Yu, Zongfu; Zhang, Gang; Qin, Qinghua; Lu, Yuerui

    2014-09-23

    Phosphorene is a new family member of two-dimensional materials. We observed strong and highly layer-dependent photoluminescence in few-layer phosphorene (two to five layers). The results confirmed the theoretical prediction that few-layer phosphorene has a direct and layer-sensitive band gap. We also demonstrated that few-layer phosphorene is more sensitive to temperature modulation than graphene and MoS2 in Raman scattering. The anisotropic Raman response in few-layer phosphorene has enabled us to use an optical method to quickly determine the crystalline orientation without tunneling electron microscopy or scanning tunneling microscopy. Our results provide much needed experimental information about the band structures and exciton nature in few-layer phosphorene.

  19. Concentration Dependences of the Surface Tension and Density of Solutions of Acetone-Ethanol-Water Systems at 293 K

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dadashev, R. Kh.; Dzhambulatov, R. S.; Mezhidov, V. Kh.; Elimkhanov, D. Z.

    2018-05-01

    Concentration dependences of the surface tension and density of solutions of three-component acetone-ethanol-water systems and the bounding binary systems at 273 K are studied. The molar volume, adsorption, and composition of surface layers are calculated. Experimental data and calculations show that three-component solutions are close to ideal ones. The surface tensions of these solutions are calculated using semi-empirical and theoretical equations. Theoretical equations qualitatively convey the concentration dependence of surface tension. A semi-empirical method based on the Köhler equation allows us to predict the concentration dependence of surface tension within the experimental error.

  20. Communication: Modeling of concentration dependent water diffusivity in ionic solutions: Role of intermolecular charge transfer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yao, Yi; Berkowitz, Max L., E-mail: maxb@unc.edu, E-mail: ykanai@unc.edu; Kanai, Yosuke, E-mail: maxb@unc.edu, E-mail: ykanai@unc.edu [Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599 (United States)

    2015-12-28

    The translational diffusivity of water in solutions of alkali halide salts depends on the identity of ions, exhibiting dramatically different behavior even in solutions of similar salts of NaCl and KCl. The water diffusion coefficient decreases as the salt concentration increases in NaCl. Yet, in KCl solution, it slightly increases and remains above bulk value as salt concentration increases. Previous classical molecular dynamics simulations have failed to describe this important behavior even when polarizable models were used. Here, we show that inclusion of dynamical charge transfer among water molecules produces results in a quantitative agreement with experiments. Our results indicate that the concentration-dependent diffusivity reflects the importance of many-body effects among the water molecules in aqueous ionic solutions. Comparison with quantum mechanical calculations shows that a heterogeneous and extended distribution of charges on water molecules around the ions due to ion-water and also water-water charge transfer plays a very important role in controlling water diffusivity. Explicit inclusion of the charge transfer allows us to model accurately the difference in the concentration-dependent water diffusivity between Na{sup +} and K{sup +} ions in simulations, and it is likely to impact modeling of a wide range of systems for medical and technological applications.

  1. A novel technique to determine concentration-dependent solvent dispersion in Vapex

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Abukhalifeh, H.; Lohi, A.; Upreti, S. R. [Department of Chemical Engineering, Ryerson University, 350 Victoria Street, Toronto, Ontario, M5B 2K3 (Canada)

    2009-07-01

    Vapex (vapor extraction of heavy oil and bitumen) is a promising recovery technology because it consumes low energy, and is very environmentally-friendly. The dispersion of solvents into heavy oil and bitumen is a crucial transport property governing Vapex. The accurate determination of solvent dispersion in Vapex is essential to effectively predict the amount and time scale of oil recovery as well to optimize the field operations. In this work, a novel technique is developed to experimentally determine the concentration-dependent dispersion coefficient of a solvent in Vapex process. The principles of variational calculus are utilized in conjunction with a mass transfer model of the experimental Vapex process. A computational algorithm is developed to optimally compute solvent dispersion as a function of its concentration in heavy oil. The developed technique is applied to Vapex utilizing propane as a solvent. The results show that dispersion of propane is a unimodal function of its concentration in bitumen. (author)

  2. A Novel Technique to Determine Concentration-Dependent Solvent Dispersion in Vapex

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hadil Abukhalifeh

    2009-10-01

    Full Text Available Vapex (vapor extraction of heavy oil and bitumen is a promising recovery technology because it consumes low energy, and is very environmentally-friendly. The dispersion of solvents into heavy oil and bitumen is a crucial transport property governing Vapex. The accurate determination of solvent dispersion in Vapex is essential to effectively predict the amount and time scale of oil recovery as well to optimize the field operations. In this work, a novel technique is developed to experimentally determine the concentration-dependent dispersion coefficient of a solvent in Vapex process. The principles of variational calculus are utilized in conjunction with a mass transfer model of the experimental Vapex process. A computational algorithm is developed to optimally compute solvent dispersion as a function of its concentration in heavy oil. The developed technique is applied to Vapex utilizing propane as a solvent. The results show that dispersion of propane is a unimodal function of its concentration in bitumen.

  3. Communication: Modeling electrolyte mixtures with concentration dependent dielectric permittivity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Hsieh; Panagiotopoulos, Athanassios Z.

    2018-01-01

    We report a new implicit-solvent simulation model for electrolyte mixtures based on the concept of concentration dependent dielectric permittivity. A combining rule is found to predict the dielectric permittivity of electrolyte mixtures based on the experimentally measured dielectric permittivity for pure electrolytes as well as the mole fractions of the electrolytes in mixtures. Using grand canonical Monte Carlo simulations, we demonstrate that this approach allows us to accurately reproduce the mean ionic activity coefficients of NaCl in NaCl-CaCl2 mixtures at ionic strengths up to I = 3M. These results are important for thermodynamic studies of geologically relevant brines and physiological fluids.

  4. 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)

  5. Competition between Free-Floating Plants Is Strongly Driven by Previously Experienced Phosphorus Concentrations in the Water Column.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peeters, Edwin T H M; Neefjes, Rozemarijn E M; Zuidam, Bastiaan G van

    2016-01-01

    Nutrients can determine the outcome of the competition between different floating plant species. The response of floating plants to current phosphorus levels may be affected by previously experienced phosphorus concentrations because some species have the ability to store excess phosphorus for later use. This might have an impact on their competition. Here, we investigate the effect of previous and actual phosphorus concentrations on the growth rate of free-floating plant species (Azolla filiculoides, Lemna minor/gibba and Ricciocarpus natans)and the effect of phosphorus history on the competition between L. minor/gibba and A. filiculoides and between L. minor/gibba and R. natans. As expected, plant growth was lower when previously kept at low instead of high phosphorus concentrations. Growth of L. minor/gibba and A. filiculoides with a phosphorus rich history was comparable for low and high actual phosphorus concentrations, however, internal phosphorus concentrations were significantly lower with low actual phosphorus concentration. This indicates that both species perform luxury phosphorus uptake. Furthermore, internal P concentration in Azolla and Lemna increased within two weeks after a period of P deficit without a strong increase in growth. A. filiculoides in a mixture with L. minor/gibba grew faster than its monoculture. Morphological differences may explain why A. filiculoides outcompeted L. minor/gibba and these differences may be induced by phosphorus concentrations in the past. Growth of L. minor/gibba was only reduced by the presence of A. filiculoides with a high phosphorus history. Growth of L. minor/gibba and R. natans in mixtures was positively affected only when they had a high phosphorus history themselves and their competitor a low phosphorus history. These observations clearly indicate that phosphorus history of competing plants is important for understanding the outcome of the competition. Therefore, actual and previously experienced phosphorus

  6. The Complete Solution of Fick's Second Law of Diffusion with Time-dependent Diffusion Coefficient and Surface Concentration

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mejlbro, Leif

    1996-01-01

    Fick's Second Law of Diffusion with time-dependent diffusioncoefficient and surface concentration is solved. Mimicking the classicalsolution, special time-dependent surface concentration functions areconsidered. These models are used in giving estimates of the lifetimeof the structure, when...... the concrete cover is given, as well as estimatesof the thickness of the concrete cover, when the expected lifetime is given.*Note: Book tilte: Durability of Concrete in Saline Environment...

  7. Reduced plasma aldosterone concentrations in randomly selected patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Cronin, C C

    2012-02-03

    Abnormalities of the renin-angiotensin system have been reported in patients with diabetes mellitus and with diabetic complications. In this study, plasma concentrations of prorenin, renin, and aldosterone were measured in a stratified random sample of 110 insulin-dependent (Type 1) diabetic patients attending our outpatient clinic. Fifty-four age- and sex-matched control subjects were also examined. Plasma prorenin concentration was higher in patients without complications than in control subjects when upright (geometric mean (95% confidence intervals (CI): 75.9 (55.0-105.6) vs 45.1 (31.6-64.3) mU I-1, p < 0.05). There was no difference in plasma prorenin concentration between patients without and with microalbuminuria and between patients without and with background retinopathy. Plasma renin concentration, both when supine and upright, was similar in control subjects, in patients without complications, and in patients with varying degrees of diabetic microangiopathy. Plasma aldosterone was suppressed in patients without complications in comparison to control subjects (74 (58-95) vs 167 (140-199) ng I-1, p < 0.001) and was also suppressed in patients with microvascular disease. Plasma potassium was significantly higher in patients than in control subjects (mean +\\/- standard deviation: 4.10 +\\/- 0.36 vs 3.89 +\\/- 0.26 mmol I-1; p < 0.001) and plasma sodium was significantly lower (138 +\\/- 4 vs 140 +\\/- 2 mmol I-1; p < 0.001). We conclude that plasma prorenin is not a useful early marker for diabetic microvascular disease. Despite apparently normal plasma renin concentrations, plasma aldosterone is suppressed in insulin-dependent diabetic patients.

  8. Resistance of Saccharomyces cerevisiae to High Concentrations of Furfural Is Based on NADPH-Dependent Reduction by at Least Two Oxireductases ▿ †

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heer, Dominik; Heine, Daniel; Sauer, Uwe

    2009-01-01

    Biofuels derived from lignocellulosic biomass hold promises for a sustainable fuel economy, but several problems hamper their economical feasibility. One important problem is the presence of toxic compounds in processed lignocellulosic hydrolysates, with furfural as a key toxin. While Saccharomyces cerevisiae has some intrinsic ability to reduce furfural to the less-toxic furfuryl alcohol, higher resistance is necessary for process conditions. By comparing an evolved, furfural-resistant strain and its parent in microaerobic, glucose-limited chemostats at increasing furfural challenge, we elucidate key mechanism and the molecular basis of both natural and high-level furfural resistance. At lower concentrations of furfural, NADH-dependent oxireductases are the main defense mechanism. At furfural concentrations above 15 mM, however, 13C-flux and global array-based transcript analysis demonstrated that the NADPH-generating flux through the pentose phosphate pathway increases and that NADPH-dependent oxireductases become the major resistance mechanism. The transcript analysis further revealed that iron transmembrane transport is upregulated in response to furfural. While these responses occur in both strains, high-level resistance in the evolved strain was based on strong induction of ADH7, the uncharacterized open reading frame (ORF) YKL071W, and four further, likely NADPH-dependent, oxireductases. By overexpressing the ADH7 gene and the ORF YKL071W, we inversely engineered significantly increased furfural resistance in the parent strain, thereby demonstrating that these two enzymes are key elements of the resistance phenotype. PMID:19854918

  9. Strong temperature dependence of extraordinary magnetoresistance correlated to mobility in a two-contact device

    KAUST Repository

    Sun, Jian

    2012-02-21

    A two-contact extraordinary magnetoresistance (EMR) device has been fabricated and characterized at various temperatures under magnetic fields applied in different directions. Large performance variations across the temperature range have been found, which are due to the strong dependence of the EMR effect on the mobility. The device shows the highest sensitivity of 562ω/T at 75 K with the field applied perpendicularly. Due to the overlap between the semiconductor and the metal shunt, the device is also sensitive to planar fields but with a lower sensitivity of about 20 to 25% of the one to perpendicular fields. © 2012 The Japan Society of Applied Physics.

  10. Osmolyte Effects on Monoclonal Antibody Stability and Concentration-Dependent Protein Interactions with Water and Common Osmolytes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barnett, Gregory V; Razinkov, Vladimir I; Kerwin, Bruce A; Blake, Steven; Qi, Wei; Curtis, Robin A; Roberts, Christopher J

    2016-04-07

    Preferential interactions of proteins with water and osmolytes play a major role in controlling the thermodynamics of protein solutions. While changes in protein stability and shifts in phase behavior are often reported with the addition of osmolytes, the underlying protein interactions with water and/or osmolytes are typically inferred rather than measured directly. In this work, Kirkwood-Buff integrals for protein-water interactions (G12) and protein-osmolyte interactions (G23) were determined as a function of osmolyte concentration from density measurements of antistreptavidin immunoglobulin gamma-1 (AS-IgG1) in ternary aqueous solutions for a set of common neutral osmolytes: sucrose, trehalose, sorbitol, and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG). For sucrose and PEG solutions, both protein-water and protein-osmolyte interactions depend strongly on osmolyte concentrations (c3). Strikingly, both osmolytes change from being preferentially excluded to preferentially accumulated with increasing c3. In contrast, sorbitol and trehalose solutions do not show large enough preferential interactions to be detected by densimetry. G12 and G23 values are used to estimate the transfer free energy for native AS-IgG1 (Δμ2N) and compared with existing models. AS-IgG1 unfolding via calorimetry shows a linear increase in midpoint temperatures as a function of trehalose, sucrose, and sorbitol concentrations, but the opposite behavior for PEG. Together, the results highlight limitations of existing models and common assumptions regarding the mechanisms of protein stabilization by osmolytes. Finally, PEG preferential interactions destabilize the Fab regions of AS-IgG1 more so than the CH2 or CH3 domains, illustrating preferential interactions can be specific to different protein domains.

  11. Reduction of trace quantities of chromium(VI by strong acids

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pezzin Sérgio H

    2004-01-01

    Full Text Available The chemical behavior of Cr(VI at low concentrations (10-4 to 10-7 mol L-1 in several strong acids was studied using high specific activity 51Cr(VI as a tracer. The speciation of the products from these systems was carried out by ion exchange chromatography with stepwise elution. The results show that trace quantities of Cr(VI, monitored by means of radiochromium (51Cr, are reduced in the presence of mineral acids such as perchloric, hydrochloric, hydrofluoric, sulfuric, nitric and trifluoromethanesulfonic acids, even in the absence of conventional reducing agents, producing different measureable Cr(III species, depending on the acid anion. Detailed studies of the reduction of low concentrations of Cr(VI with nitric acid have shown that the relative rate of reduction increases as the concentration of the acid increases or as the concentration of the Cr(VI decreases.

  12. Size-dependent concentration of N0 paramagnetic centres in HPHT nanodiamonds

    OpenAIRE

    Yavkin, Boris V; Mamin, Georgy V; Gafurov, Marat R.; Orlinskii, Sergei B.

    2015-01-01

    Size-calibrated commercial nanodiamonds synthesized by high-pressure high-temperature (HPHT) technique were studied by high-frequency W and conventional X band electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. The numbers of spins in the studied samples were estimated. The core-shell model of the HPHT nanodiamonds was proposed to explain the observed dependence of the concentration of the N0 paramagnetic centers. Two other observed paramagnetic centers are attributed to the two types of str...

  13. Glymphatic clearance controls state-dependent changes in brain lactate concentration.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lundgaard, Iben; Lu, Minh Lon; Yang, Ezra; Peng, Weiguo; Mestre, Humberto; Hitomi, Emi; Deane, Rashid; Nedergaard, Maiken

    2017-06-01

    Brain lactate concentration is higher during wakefulness than in sleep. However, it is unknown why arousal is linked to an increase in brain lactate and why lactate declines within minutes of sleep. Here, we show that the glymphatic system is responsible for state-dependent changes in brain lactate concentration. Suppression of glymphatic function via acetazolamide treatment, cisterna magna puncture, aquaporin 4 deletion, or changes in body position reduced the decline in brain lactate normally observed when awake mice transition into sleep or anesthesia. Concurrently, the same manipulations diminished accumulation of lactate in cervical, but not in inguinal lymph nodes when mice were anesthetized. Thus, our study suggests that brain lactate is an excellent biomarker of the sleep-wake cycle and increases further during sleep deprivation, because brain lactate is inversely correlated with glymphatic-lymphatic clearance. This analysis provides fundamental new insight into brain energy metabolism by demonstrating that glucose that is not fully oxidized can be exported as lactate via glymphatic-lymphatic fluid transport.

  14. Energy dependence of jet-structures and determination of the strong coupling constant αsub(s) in e+e- annihilation with the CELLO detector

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hopp, G.

    1985-07-01

    We considered multihadronic events and we studied the energy dependence of the jet-structure of those events. We confirmed the existence of 3-jet and 4-jet events in high energy data as predicted by QCD. In parallel we checked the energy dependence of different jet-measures which is predicted by the fragmentation models. We determined the strong coupling constant αsub(s) using different methods and we found a strong model dependence of the αsub(s) determination in second order QCD. The study of the particle density between the jet-axes resulted in a light preference for the LUND-String model as compared to models with independent jet-fragmentation. (orig.) [de

  15. Concentration dependent transcriptome responses of zebrafish embryos after exposure to cadmium, cobalt and copper.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sonnack, Laura; Klawonn, Thorsten; Kriehuber, Ralf; Hollert, Henner; Schäfers, Christoph; Fenske, Martina

    2017-12-01

    Environmental metals are known to cause harmful effects to fish of which many molecular mechanisms still require elucidation. Particularly concentration dependence of gene expression effects is unclear. Focusing on this matter, zebrafish embryo toxicity tests were used in combination with transcriptomics. Embryos were exposed to three concentrations of copper (CuSO 4 ), cadmium (CdCl 2 ) and cobalt (CoSO 4 ) from just after fertilization until the end of the 48hpf pre- and 96hpf post-hatch stage. The RNA was then analyzed on Agilent's Zebrafish (V3, 4×44K) arrays. Enrichment for GO terms of biological processes illustrated for cadmium that most affected GO terms were represented in all three concentrations, while for cobalt and copper most GO terms were represented in the lowest test concentration only. This suggested a different response to the non-essential cadmium than cobalt and copper. In cobalt and copper treated embryos, many developmental and cellular processes as well as the Wnt and Notch signaling pathways, were found significantly enriched. Also, different exposure concentrations affected varied functional networks. In contrast, the largest clusters of enriched GO terms for all three concentrations of cadmium included responses to cadmium ion, metal ion, xenobiotic stimulus, stress and chemicals. However, concentration dependence of mRNA levels was evident for several genes in all metal exposures. Some of these genes may be indicative of the mechanisms of action of the individual metals in zebrafish embryos. Real-time quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) verified the microarray data for mmp9, mt2, cldnb and nkx2.2a. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  16. Measurements of the size dependence of the concentration of nonvolatile material in fog droplets

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ogren, J. A.; Noone, K. J.; Hallberg, A.; Heintzenberg, J.; Schell, D.; Berner, A.; Solly, I.; Kruisz, C.; Reischl, G.; Arends, B. G.; Wobrock, W.

    1992-11-01

    Measurements of the size dependence of the mass concentration of nonvolatile material dissolved and suspended in fog droplets were obtained with three complementary approaches, covering a size range from c. 1 50µm diameter: a counterflow virtual impactor, an eight-stage aerosol impactor, and a two-stage fogwater impactor. Concentrations were observed to decrease with size over the entire range, contrary to expectations of increasing concentrations at larger sizes. It is possible that the larger droplets had solute concentrations that increased with increasing size, but that the increase was too weak for the measurements to resolve. Future studies should consider the hypothesis that the droplets were coated with a surface-active substance that hindered their uptake of water.

  17. Concentration-dependent multiple chirality transition in halogen-bond-driven 2D self-assembly process

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miao, Xinrui; Li, Jinxing; Zha, Bao; Miao, Kai; Dong, Meiqiu; Wu, Juntian; Deng, Wenli

    2018-03-01

    The concentration-dependent self-assembly of iodine substituted thienophenanthrene derivative (5,10-DITD) is investigated at the 1-octanic acid/graphite interface using scanning tunneling microscopy. Three kinds of chiral arrangement and transition of 2D molecular assembly mainly driven by halogen bonding is clearly revealed. At high concentration the molecules self-assembled into a honeycomb-like chiral network. Except for the interchain van der Waals forces, this pattern is stabilized by intermolecular continuous Cdbnd O⋯I⋯S halogen bonds in each zigzag line. At moderate concentration, a chiral kite-like nanoarchitecture are observed, in which the Cdbnd O⋯I⋯S and I⋯Odbnd C halogen bonds, along with the molecule-solvent Cdbnd O⋯I⋯H halogen bonds are the dominated forces to determine the structural formation. At low concentration, the molecules form a chiral cyclic network resulting from the solvent coadsorption mainly by molecule-molecule Cdbnd O⋯I⋯S halogen bonds and molecule-solvent Cdbnd O⋯I⋯H halogen bonds. The density of molecular packing becomes lower with the decreasing of the solution concentration. The solution-concentration dependent self-assembly of thienophenanthrene derivative with iodine and ester chain moieties reveals that the type of intermolecular halogen bond and the number of the co-adsorbing 1-octanic acids by molecule-solvent Cdbnd O⋯I⋯H halogen bonds determine the formation and transformation of chirality. This research emphasizes the role of different types of halogen (I) bonds in the controllable supramolecular structures and provides an approach for the fabrication of chirality.

  18. On an nth-order infinitesimal generator and time-dependent operator differential equation with a strongly almost periodic solution

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aribindi Satyanarayan Rao

    2002-01-01

    Full Text Available In a Banach space, if u is a Stepanov almost periodic solution of a certain nth-order infinitesimal generator and time-dependent operator differential equation with a Stepanov almost periodic forcing function, then u,u′,…,u (n−2 are all strongly almost periodic and u (n−1 is weakly almost periodic.

  19. Linear and nonlinear optical absorption coefficients in GaAs/Ga{sub 1-x}Al{sub x}As concentric double quantum rings: Effects of hydrostatic pressure and aluminum concentration

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Baghramyan, H.M. [Department of Solid State Physics, Yerevan State University, Al. Manookian 1, 0025 Yerevan (Armenia); Barseghyan, M.G., E-mail: mbarsegh@ysu.am [Department of Solid State Physics, Yerevan State University, Al. Manookian 1, 0025 Yerevan (Armenia); Kirakosyan, A.A. [Department of Solid State Physics, Yerevan State University, Al. Manookian 1, 0025 Yerevan (Armenia); Restrepo, R.L. [Escuela de Ingenieria de Antioquia, AA 7516 Medellin (Colombia); Duque, C.A. [Instituto de Fisica, Universidad de Antioquia, AA 1226 Medellin (Colombia)

    2013-02-15

    The linear and nonlinear intra-band optical absorption coefficients in GaAs/Ga{sub 1-x}Al{sub x}As two-dimensional concentric double quantum rings are investigated. Taking into account the combined effects of hydrostatic pressure and aluminum concentration the energies of the ground (n=1,l=0) and the first excited state (n=2,l=1) have been found using the effective mass approximation and the transfer matrix formalism. The energies of these states and the corresponding threshold energy of the intra-band optical transitions are examined as a function of hydrostatic pressure and aluminum concentration for different sizes of the structure. We also investigated the dependencies of the linear, nonlinear, and total optical absorption coefficients as functions of the incident photon energy for different values of hydrostatic pressure, aluminum concentration, sizes of the structure, and incident optical intensity. Its is found that the effects of the hydrostatic pressure and the aluminum concentration lead to a shifting of the resonant peaks of the intra-band optical spectrum. - Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Linear and nonlinear intra-band absorption in quantum rings. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Threshold energy strongly depends on the hydrostatic pressure. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Threshold energy strongly depends on the stoichiometry and sizes of structure. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Optical absorption is affected by the incident optical intensity.

  20. Dependence of the concentrations of "1"3"7Cs and potassium in extracted soil solutions on soil humidity before centrifugation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Prorok, V.V.; Datsenko, O.Yi.; Bulavyin, L.A.; Zlens'kij, S.Je.; Melnichenko, L.Yu.; Rozuvan, S.G.; Poperenko, L.V.; White, P.J.

    2017-01-01

    Concentrations of 137Cs and potassium in solutions extracted by centrifugation from soils selected at some experimental sites in the 10-km Exclusion Zone of Chornobyl Nuclear Plant were determined. The results showed that for the majority of investigated soils, the concentration of 137Cs in soil solution depends on the humidity of the soil before centrifugation. It is possible to explain the dependence of the concentration of 137Cs in the soil solution on soil humidity from the dependence of the concentrations of molecules of different molecular-gravimetric fractions in soil solution on soil humidity. Considerable amount of 137Cs in soil solution is associated with these molecules, that is why the concentration of 137Cs in the extracted soil solution changes with the humidity of soil. These dependences differ between soils. For the majority of investigated soils the concentration of 137Cs in the extracted soil solution increases with increasing humidity of the soil. By contrast, soil humidity had no effect on the potassium concentration in the extracted soil solution for any soil investigated. It is concluded, that potassium is practically not associated with molecules of different molecular-gravimetric fractions in the extracted soil solutions

  1. Studies of the wavelength dependence of non-sequential double ionization of xenon in strong fields

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kaminski, P.; Wiehle, R.; Kamke, W.; Helm, H.; Witzele, B.

    2005-01-01

    Full text: The non-sequential double ionization of noble gases in strong fields is still a process which is not completely understood. The most challenging question is: what is the dominant physical process behind the knee structure in the yield of doubly charged ions which are produced in the focus of an ultrashort laser pulse in dependence of the intensity? Numerous studies can be explained with the so-called rescattering model, where an electron is freed by the strong laser field and then driven back to its parent ion due to the oscillation of the field. Through this backscattering process it is possible to kick out a second electron. However in the low intensity or multiphoton (MPI) region this model predicts that the first electron can not gain enough energy in the oscillating electric field to further ionize or excite the ion. We present experimental results for xenon in the MPI region which show a significant contribution of doubly charged ions. A Ti:sapphire laser system (800 nm, 100 fs) is used to ionize the atoms. The coincident detection of the momentum distribution of the photoelectrons with an imaging spectrometer and the time of flight spectrum of the ions allows a detailed view into the ionization process. For the first time we also show a systematic study of the wavelength dependence (780-830 nm and 1180-1550 nm) on the non-sequential double ionization. The ratio Xe 2+ /Xe + shows a surprising oscillatory behavior with varying wavelength. Ref. 1 (author)

  2. Dependence of spleen sequestration on erythrocytes following administration of various concentrations of BMHP-197Hg

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kapff, S. v.

    1980-01-01

    In the course of routine splenic scintiscanning, the effects of BMHP-Hg 197 concentrations on the kinetics of damaged erythrocytes and on image quality have been investigated. The following findings were obtained: 1. Significant displacement of the Price-Jones curve in dependence of BMHP concentrations. 2. No significant enzymatic changes 3. An enhanced labelling index at high concentrations and a higher spleen sequestration rate 4. A significant improvement of scintiscan quality at higher concentrations 5. Erythrocyte washing before incubation with BMHP was unnecessary as it does not improve the results to an extent that would warrant the tedious procedure. (orig.) [de

  3. Tunable photonic crystal for THz radiation in layered superconductors: Strong magnetic-field dependence of the transmission coefficient

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Savel'ev, Sergey; Rakhmanov, A.L.; Nori, Franco

    2006-01-01

    Josephson plasma waves are scattered by the Josephson vortex lattice. This scattering results in a strong dependence, on the in-plane magnetic-field H ab , of the reflection and transmission of THz radiation propagating in layered superconductors. In particular, a tunable band-gap structure (THz photonic crystal) occurs in such a medium. These effects can be used, by varying H ab , for the selective frequency-filtering of THz radiation

  4. Competition between Free-Floating Plants Is Strongly Driven by Previously Experienced Phosphorus Concentrations in the Water Column.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Edwin T H M Peeters

    Full Text Available Nutrients can determine the outcome of the competition between different floating plant species. The response of floating plants to current phosphorus levels may be affected by previously experienced phosphorus concentrations because some species have the ability to store excess phosphorus for later use. This might have an impact on their competition. Here, we investigate the effect of previous and actual phosphorus concentrations on the growth rate of free-floating plant species (Azolla filiculoides, Lemna minor/gibba and Ricciocarpus natansand the effect of phosphorus history on the competition between L. minor/gibba and A. filiculoides and between L. minor/gibba and R. natans. As expected, plant growth was lower when previously kept at low instead of high phosphorus concentrations. Growth of L. minor/gibba and A. filiculoides with a phosphorus rich history was comparable for low and high actual phosphorus concentrations, however, internal phosphorus concentrations were significantly lower with low actual phosphorus concentration. This indicates that both species perform luxury phosphorus uptake. Furthermore, internal P concentration in Azolla and Lemna increased within two weeks after a period of P deficit without a strong increase in growth. A. filiculoides in a mixture with L. minor/gibba grew faster than its monoculture. Morphological differences may explain why A. filiculoides outcompeted L. minor/gibba and these differences may be induced by phosphorus concentrations in the past. Growth of L. minor/gibba was only reduced by the presence of A. filiculoides with a high phosphorus history. Growth of L. minor/gibba and R. natans in mixtures was positively affected only when they had a high phosphorus history themselves and their competitor a low phosphorus history. These observations clearly indicate that phosphorus history of competing plants is important for understanding the outcome of the competition. Therefore, actual and previously

  5. Competition between Free-Floating Plants Is Strongly Driven by Previously Experienced Phosphorus Concentrations in the Water Column

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peeters, Edwin T. H. M.; Neefjes, Rozemarijn E. M.; van Zuidam, Bastiaan G.

    2016-01-01

    Nutrients can determine the outcome of the competition between different floating plant species. The response of floating plants to current phosphorus levels may be affected by previously experienced phosphorus concentrations because some species have the ability to store excess phosphorus for later use. This might have an impact on their competition. Here, we investigate the effect of previous and actual phosphorus concentrations on the growth rate of free-floating plant species (Azolla filiculoides, Lemna minor/gibba and Ricciocarpus natans)and the effect of phosphorus history on the competition between L. minor/gibba and A. filiculoides and between L. minor/gibba and R. natans. As expected, plant growth was lower when previously kept at low instead of high phosphorus concentrations. Growth of L. minor/gibba and A. filiculoides with a phosphorus rich history was comparable for low and high actual phosphorus concentrations, however, internal phosphorus concentrations were significantly lower with low actual phosphorus concentration. This indicates that both species perform luxury phosphorus uptake. Furthermore, internal P concentration in Azolla and Lemna increased within two weeks after a period of P deficit without a strong increase in growth. A. filiculoides in a mixture with L. minor/gibba grew faster than its monoculture. Morphological differences may explain why A. filiculoides outcompeted L. minor/gibba and these differences may be induced by phosphorus concentrations in the past. Growth of L. minor/gibba was only reduced by the presence of A. filiculoides with a high phosphorus history. Growth of L. minor/gibba and R. natans in mixtures was positively affected only when they had a high phosphorus history themselves and their competitor a low phosphorus history. These observations clearly indicate that phosphorus history of competing plants is important for understanding the outcome of the competition. Therefore, actual and previously experienced phosphorus

  6. Wave Tank Studies of Strong Modulation of Wind Ripples Due To Long Waves

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ermakov, S.; Sergievskaya, I.; Shchegolkov, Yu.

    Modulation of wind capillary-gravity ripples due to long waves has been studied in wave tank experiment at low wind speeds using Ka-band radar. The experiments were carried out both for clean water and the water surface covered with surfactant films. It is obtained that the modulation of radar signals is quite strong and can increase with surfactant concentration and fetch. It is shown that the hydrodynamic Modulation Transfer Function (MTF) calculated for free wind ripples and taking into account the kinematic (straining) effect, variations of the wind stress and variations of surfactant concentration strongly underestimates experimental MTF-values. The effect of strong modulation is assumed to be connected with nonlinear harmonics of longer dm-cm- scale waves - bound waves ("parasitic ripples"). The intensity of bound waves depends strongly on the amplitude of decimetre-scale waves, therefore even weak modulation of the dm-scale waves due to long waves results to strong ("cascade") modulation of bound waves. Modulation of the system of "free/bound waves" is estimated using results of wave tank studies of bound waves generation and is shown to be in quali- tative agreement with experiment. This work was supported by MOD, UK via DERA Winfrith (Project ISTC 1774P) and by RFBR (Project 02-05-65102).

  7. Dependence of aggregation behavior on concentration in triblock copolymer solutions: The effect of chain architecture

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Han, Xiang-Gang; Zhang, Xue-Feng

    2015-01-01

    Using the self-consistent field lattice technique, the effects of concentration and hydrophobic middle block length (where the chain length remains constant) on aggregation behavior are studied in amphiphilic symmetric triblock copolymer solutions. The heat capacity peak for the unimer-micelle transition and the distribution peaks for the different degrees of aggregation for micelles and small aggregates (submicelles) are calculated. Analysis of the conducted computer simulations shows that the transition broadness dependence on concentration is determined by the hydrophobic middle block length, and this dependence is distinctly different when the length of the hydrophobic middle block changes. Different size for small aggregates simultaneously appear in the transition region. As temperature decreases, the number of different size small aggregates for the large hydrophobic middle block length first ascends and then descends in aggregation degree order. These results indicate that any transition broadness change with concentration is related to the mechanism of fragmentation and fusion. These results are helpful for interpreting the aggregation process of amphiphilic copolymers at equilibrium

  8. Size-dependent concentration of N0 paramagnetic centres in HPHT nanodiamonds

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    B.V. Yavkin, G.V. Mamin, M.R. Gafurov, S.B. Orlinskii

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Size-calibrated commercial nanodiamonds synthesized by high-pressure high-temperature (HPHT technique were studied by high-frequency W- and conventional X-band electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR spectroscopy. The numbers of spins in the studied samples were estimated. The core-shell model of the HPHT nanodiamonds was proposed to explain the observed dependence of the concentration of the N0 paramagnetic centers. Two other observed paramagnetic centers are attributed to the two types of structures in the nanodiamond shell.

  9. Ion exchange separation of low boric acid concentrations from water

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kysela, J.; Brabec, J.; Peterka, F.

    1975-01-01

    Boric acid poisoning of the moderator of the TR-O experimental heavy water reactor was studied. The possibility is discussed of removing boric acid from heavy water by means of a strong basic anion exchanger, below the residual concentration of 0.01 mg B/l. Measurements of the usable capacities of the strong basic anion exchanger Zerollit FF showed that the penetration of boric acid during the sorption period does not exceed the value of 0.015 mg B/l. The dependence was found of capacity on the boric acid concentration in the solution. Analytical methods used to determine B in water are also described. (author)

  10. Concentration dependent luminescence quenching of Er{sup 3+}-doped zinc boro-tellurite glass

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Said Mahraz, Zahra Ashur; Sahar, M.R., E-mail: mrahim057@gmail.com; Ghoshal, S.K.; Reza Dousti, M.

    2013-12-15

    Understanding the mechanism of luminescence quenching in rare earth doped tellurite glass is an important issue. The Er{sup 3+}-doped boro-tellurite glasses with compositions 30B{sub 2}O{sub 3}+10ZnO+(60−x)TeO{sub 2}+xEr{sub 2}O{sub 3} (where x=0, 0.5, 1, 1.5 and 2 mol%) were prepared by melt quenching method. Structural and optical properties of the proposed glasses were characterized using XRD, FTIR, density, UV–vis-IR absorption and PL spectroscopy. The amorphous nature of these glasses was confirmed by XRD technique. The IR-spectrum reveals five absorption bands assigned to different B–O and Te–O vibrational groups. UV–vis-IR absorption spectrum exhibits seven absorption bands at 6553, 10,244, 12,547, 15,360, 19,230, 20,661 and 22,522 cm{sup −1} corresponding to {sup 4}I{sub 13/2}, {sup 4}I{sub 11/2}, {sup 4}I{sub 9/2}, {sup 4}F{sub 9/2}, {sup 2}H{sub 11/2}, {sup 4}F{sub 7/2} and {sup 4}F{sub 3/2} excited states of Er{sup 3+} ion respectively. The optical band gap energy (E{sub opt}) corresponding to the direct and indirect allowed transitions decreased, while the Urbach energy and cut-off wavelengths are increased by the introduction of Er{sup 3+} ions. The refractive index, density and phonon cut-off edge of the samples are increased and the molar volume decreased with the further addition of dopants. The Judd–Ofelt parameter (Ω{sub 2}) decreased from 5.73 to 3.13×10{sup −20} cm{sup 2} with the increase of erbium ions concentration from 0.5 to 2 mol%. The PL spectra show green emissions for the transition from {sup 2}H{sub 11/2} and {sup 4}S{sub 3/2} excited states to {sup 4}I{sub 15/2} ground state, which show strong quenching due to the addition of Er{sup 3+} ions. -- Highlights: • Er{sup 3+}-doped zinc boro-tellurite glass has been synthesized by melt quench method. • Spectroscopic properties dependent concentration is analyzed by different techniques. • Judd–Ofelt intensity parameter (Ω{sub 2}) decreased by increase in erbium

  11. A NOVEL INTERPRETATION OF CONCENTRATION DEPENDENCE OF VISCOSITY OF DILUTE POLYMER SOLUTION

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Yan Pan; Rong-shi Cheng

    2000-01-01

    The concentration dependence of the reduced viscosity of dilute polymer solution is interpreted in the light of a new concept of the self-association of polymer chains in dilute solution. The apparent self-association constant is defined as the molar association constant divided by the molar mass of individual polymer chain and is numerically interconvertible with the Huggins coefficient. The molar association constant is directly proportional to the effective hydrodynamic volume of the polymer chain in solution and is irrespective of the chain architecture. The effective hydrodynamic volume accounts for the non-spherical conformation of a short polymer chain in solution and is a product of a shape factor and hydrodynamic volume. The observed enhancement of Huggins coefficient for short chain and branched polymer is satisfactorily interpreted by the concept of self-association. The concept of self-association allows us to predict the existence of a boundary concentration Cs (dynamic contact concentration) which divides the dilute polymer solution into two regions.

  12. Solute concentration dependence of the decay curves of the liquid scintillation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Onishi, Masayoshi; Niki, Eiji.

    1976-01-01

    The decay curves of the liquid scintillation of 2,5-diphenyloxazole (PPO) in toluene by the irradiation of β ray from 14 C were measured. Solute concentration dependences of the decay times of the fast and slow components were studied. The decay time tau sub(f) of the fast component of the air saturated scintillator was the smallest at 1.8x10 -2 --4.5x10 -2 mol/l, and about (3.4--3.5)ns. When the concentration became less than 1.8x10 -2 mol/l, the peak of the decay curve became roundish and the pulse width became large. The increase of the necessary time for the energy transfer due to the difficulty of the nonradiative transfer from excited solvent molecules to the solute was the reason. When the concentration became less than about 2.26x10 -3 mol/l, tau sub(f) became larger and the energy transfer became radiative. The pulse width and tau sub(f) were very small because of oxygen quenching compared with oxygen free. At higher concentrations such as 1.6x10 -1 and 2.3x10 -1 mol/l, the effect of the PPO excimer was observed on the fast component, and tau sub(f) became larger apparently. This denied the presumption of the close relation between PPO molecular interaction and the slow component together with the fact that the decay time tau sub(s) of the slow component was independent of PPO concentration. (auth.)

  13. Radon and radon-daughter concentrations in air in the vicinity of the Anaconda Uranium Mill

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Momeni, M.H.; Lindstrom, J.B.; Dungey, C.E.; Kisieleski, W.E.

    1979-11-01

    Radon concentration, working level, and meteorological variables were measured continuously from June 1977 through June 1978 at three stations in the vicinity of the Anaconda Uranium Mill with measurements integrated to hourly intervals. Both radon and daughters show strong variations associated with low wind velocities and stable atmospheric conditions, and diurnal variations associated with thermal inversions. Average radon concentration shows seasonal dependence with highest concentrations observed during fall and winter. Comparison of radon concentrations and working levels between three stations shows strong dependence on wind direction and velocity. Radon concentrations and working-level distributions for each month and each station were analyzed. The average maximum, minimum, and modal concentration and working levels were estimated with observed frequencies. The highest concentration is 11,000 pCi/m 3 on the tailings. Working-level variations parallel radon variations but lag by less than one hour. The highest working levels were observed at night when conditions of higher secular radioactive equilibrium for radon daughters exist. Background radon concentration was measured at two stations, each located about 25 km from the mill, and the average is 408 pCi/m 3 . Average working-level background is 3.6 x 10 -3

  14. Concentration-dependent toxicity of iron oxide nanoparticles mediated by increased oxidative stress

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Saba Naqvi

    2010-11-01

    Full Text Available Saba Naqvi1, Mohammad Samim2, MZ Abdin3, Farhan Jalees Ahmed4, AN Maitra5, CK Prashant6, Amit K Dinda61Faculty of Engineering and Interdisciplinary Sciences, 2Department of Chemistry, 3Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Science, 4Department of Pharmaceutics, Faculty of Pharmacy, Jamia Hamdard, Hamdard University, 5Department of Chemistry, University of Delhi, 6Department of Pathology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, IndiaAbstract: Iron oxide nanoparticles with unique magnetic properties have a high potential for use in several biomedical, bioengineering and in vivo applications, including tissue repair, magnetic resonance imaging, immunoassay, drug delivery, detoxification of biologic fluids, cell sorting, and hyperthermia. Although various surface modifications are being done for making these nonbiodegradable nanoparticles more biocompatible, their toxic potential is still a major concern. The current in vitro study of the interaction of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles of mean diameter 30 nm coated with Tween 80 and murine macrophage (J774 cells was undertaken to evaluate the dose- and time-dependent toxic potential, as well as investigate the role of oxidative stress in the toxicity. A 15–30 nm size range of spherical nanoparticles were characterized by transmission electron microscopy and zeta sizer. MTT assay showed >95% viability of cells in lower concentrations (25–200 µg/mL and up to three hours of exposure, whereas at higher concentrations (300–500 µg/mL and prolonged (six hours exposure viability reduced to 55%–65%. Necrosis-apoptosis assay by propidium iodide and Hoechst-33342 staining revealed loss of the majority of the cells by apoptosis. H2DCFDDA assay to quantify generation of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS indicated that exposure to a higher concentration of nanoparticles resulted in enhanced ROS generation, leading to cell injury and death. The cell membrane injury

  15. Concentration-dependent gene expression responses to flusilazole in embryonic stem cell differentiation cultures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dartel, Dorien A.M. van; Pennings, Jeroen L.A.; Fonteyne, Liset J.J. de la; Brauers, Karen J.J.; Claessen, Sandra; Delft, Joost H. van; Kleinjans, Jos C.S.; Piersma, Aldert H.

    2011-01-01

    The murine embryonic stem cell test (EST) is designed to evaluate developmental toxicity based on compound-induced inhibition of embryonic stem cell (ESC) differentiation into cardiomyocytes. The addition of transcriptomic evaluation within the EST may result in enhanced predictability and improved characterization of the applicability domain, therefore improving usage of the EST for regulatory testing strategies. Transcriptomic analyses assessing factors critical for risk assessment (i.e. dose) are needed to determine the value of transcriptomic evaluation in the EST. Here, using the developmentally toxic compound, flusilazole, we investigated the effect of compound concentration on gene expression regulation and toxicity prediction in ESC differentiation cultures. Cultures were exposed for 24 h to multiple concentrations of flusilazole (0.54-54 μM) and RNA was isolated. In addition, we sampled control cultures 0, 24, and 48 h to evaluate the transcriptomic status of the cultures across differentiation. Transcriptomic profiling identified a higher sensitivity of development-related processes as compared to cell division-related processes in flusilazole-exposed differentiation cultures. Furthermore, the sterol synthesis-related mode of action of flusilazole toxicity was detected. Principal component analysis using gene sets related to normal ESC differentiation was used to describe the dynamics of ESC differentiation, defined as the 'differentiation track'. The concentration-dependent effects on development were reflected in the significance of deviation of flusilazole-exposed cultures from this transcriptomic-based differentiation track. Thus, the detection of developmental toxicity in EST using transcriptomics was shown to be compound concentration-dependent. This study provides further insight into the possible application of transcriptomics in the EST as an improved alternative model system for developmental toxicity testing.

  16. Diffusion-controlled reaction. V. Effect of concentration-dependent diffusion coefficient on reaction rate in graft polymerization

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Imre, K.; Odian, G.

    1979-01-01

    The effect of diffusion on radiation-initiated graft polymerization has been studied with emphasis on the single- and two-penetrant cases. When the physical properties of the penetrants are similar, the two-penetrant problems can be reduced to the single-penetrant problem by redefining the characteristic parameters of the system. The diffusion-free graft polymerization rate is assumed to be proportional to the upsilon power of the monomer concentration respectively, and, in which the proportionality constant a = k/sub p/R/sub i//sup w//k/sub t//sup z/, where k/sub p/ and k/sub t/ are the propagation and termination rate constants, respectively, and R/sub i/ is the initiation rate. The values of upsilon, w, and z depend on the particular reaction system. The results of earlier work were generalized by allowing a non-Fickian diffusion rate which predicts an essentially exponential dependence on the monomer concentration of the diffusion coefficient, D = D 0 [exp(deltaC/M)], where M is the saturation concentration. A reaction system is characterized by the three dimensionless parameters, upsilon, delta, and A = (L/2)[aM/sup (upsilon--1)//D 0 ]/sup 1/2/, where L is the polymer film thickness. Graft polymerization tends to become diffusion controlled as A increases. Larger values of delta and ν cause a reaction system to behave closer to the diffusion-free regime. Transition from diffusion-free to diffusion-controlled reaction involves changes in the dependence of the reaction rate on film thickness, initiation rate, and monomer concentration. Although the diffusion-free rate is w order in initiation rate, upsilon order in monomer, and independent of film thickness, the diffusion-controlled rate is w/2 order in initiator rate and inverse first-order in film thickness. Dependence of the diffusion-controlled rate on monomer is dependent in a complex manner on the diffusional characteristics of the reaction system. 11 figures, 4 tables

  17. A QCM-D study of the concentration- and time-dependent interactions of human LL37 with model mammalian lipid bilayers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lozeau, Lindsay D; Rolle, Marsha W; Camesano, Terri A

    2018-07-01

    The human antimicrobial peptide LL37 is promising as an alternative to antibiotics due to its biophysical interactions with charged bacterial lipids. However, its clinical potential is limited due to its interactions with zwitterionic mammalian lipids leading to cytotoxicity. Mechanistic insight into the LL37 interactions with mammalian lipids may enable rational design of less toxic LL37-based therapeutics. To this end, we studied concentration- and time-dependent interactions of LL37 with zwitterionic model phosphatidylcholine (PC) bilayers with quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D). LL37 mass adsorption and PC bilayer viscoelasticity changes were monitored by measuring changes in frequency (Δf) and dissipation (ΔD), respectively. The Voigt-Kelvin viscoelastic model was applied to Δf and ΔD to study changes in bilayer thickness and density with LL37 concentration. At low concentrations (0.10-1.00 μM), LL37 adsorbed onto bilayers in a concentration-dependent manner. Further analyses of Δf, ΔD and thickness revealed that peptide saturation on the bilayers was a threshold for interactions observed above 2.00 μM, interactions that were rapid, multi-step, and reached equilibrium in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. Based on these data, we proposed a model of stable transmembrane pore formation at 2.00-10.0 μM, or transition from a primarily lipid to a primarily protein film with a transmembrane pore formation intermediate state at concentrations of LL37 > 10 μM. The concentration-dependent interactions between LL37 and PC bilayers correlated with the observed concentration-dependent biological activities of LL37 (antimicrobial, immunomodulatory and non-cytotoxic at 0.1-1.0 μM, hemolytic and some cytotoxicity at 2.0-13 μM and cytotoxic at >13 μM). Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  18. Current dependent angular magnetoresistance in strongly Pr-doped Y Ba2Cu3O7-δ single crystal

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sandu, V; Gyawali, P; Katuwal, T; Almasan, C C; Taylor, B J; Maple, M B

    2009-01-01

    We report a strong dependence of the angular magnetoresistance (AMR) on the current density in Y Ba 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ single crystal above the critical temperature T c = 13 K for any applied field up to 14 T. We estimated the current dependence from the angular dependence of the top resistance R top , as measured on the face where the current is applied, and the bottom resistance R bot as measured on the opposite face. At any temperature, both below and above T c , R top decreases as the field becomes parallel to the current and ab-plane with an angle dependence that suggests an important contribution arising from the vortex flow. R bot evolves from a monotonic to nonmonotonic angle dependence with three minima and two maxima in the angle range 0 - 180 deg. as the temperature increases. For less Pr-doped samples, Y 0.58 Pr 0.42 Ba 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ (T c = 39 K) and Y 0.68 rP 0.32 Ba 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ (T c = 55 K), where the interplane resistivity is much lower, both R top and R bot follow the same monotonic angle dependence in all temperature and field range.

  19. Prediction of strong acceleration motion depended on focal mechanism; Shingen mechanism wo koryoshita jishindo yosoku ni tsuite

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kaneda, Y; Ejiri, J [Obayashi Corp., Tokyo (Japan)

    1996-10-01

    This paper describes simulation results of strong acceleration motion with varying uncertain fault parameters mainly for a fault model of Hyogo-ken Nanbu earthquake. For the analysis, based on the fault parameters, the strong acceleration motion was simulated using the radiation patterns and the breaking time difference of composite faults as parameters. A statistic waveform composition method was used for the simulation. For the theoretical radiation patterns, directivity was emphasized which depended on the strike of faults, and the maximum acceleration was more than 220 gal. While, for the homogeneous radiation patterns, the maximum accelerations were isotopically distributed around the fault as a center. For variations in the maximum acceleration and the predominant frequency due to the breaking time difference of three faults, the response spectral value of maximum/minimum was about 1.7 times. From the viewpoint of seismic disaster prevention, underground structures including potential faults and non-arranging properties can be grasped using this simulation. Significance of the prediction of strong acceleration motion was also provided through this simulation using uncertain factors, such as breaking time of composite faults, as parameters. 4 refs., 4 figs., 1 tab.

  20. A note on the almost sure central limit theorems for the maxima of strongly dependent nonstationary Gaussian vector sequences

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xiang Zeng

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract We prove some almost sure central limit theorems for the maxima of strongly dependent nonstationary Gaussian vector sequences under some mild conditions. The results extend the ASCLT to nonstationary Gaussian vector sequences and give substantial improvements for the weight sequence obtained by Lin et al. (Comput. Math. Appl. 62(2:635-640, 2011.

  1. Modelling reaustenitisation in Fe-C steels with concentration-dependent diffusivity of carbon

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mancini, R.

    2002-12-01

    Full Text Available A finite difference method used to model reaustenitisation from a ferrite/cementite mixture in Fe-C steels is presented in this paper. Concentration-dependent carbon diffusivity in austenite is taken into account in order to generalize our earlier numerical model. We select some parameters, such as cementite dissolution time, and compare their values as calculated by different approximations available in the literature (in particular at steady state for planar and spherical geometries. When the dependence of diffusivity on concentration or temperature is increased, the steady state approximation fails to predict correctly the above mentioned parameters and the use of numerical techniques becomes indispensable.

    En este trabajo se presenta un método numérico de diferencias finitas para modelar la reaustenización en aceros Fe-C a partir de una distribución inicial de ferrita y cementita. Se tiene en cuenta la dependencia de la difusividad en la austenita con la concentración de carbono, a fin de generalizar el propio modelo numérico previo. Se han seleccionado algunos parámetros, como el tiempo de disolución de la cementita, para comparar los valores obtenidos en este caso con los calculados con diferentes aproximaciones (en particular con la de estado estacionario para los casos de geometrías plana y esférica. Los resultados obtenidos muestran que, cuando la difusividad depende fuertemente de la concentración, la aproximación de estado estacionario no predice correctamente los parámetros calculados y se hace imprescindible la aplicación de métodos numéricos.

  2. Temperature response of soil respiration is dependent on concentration of readily decomposable C

    Science.gov (United States)

    Larionova, A. A.; Yevdokimov, I. V.; Bykhovets, S. S.

    2007-12-01

    Temperature acclimation of soil organic matter (SOM) decomposition is one of the major uncertainties in predicting soil CO2 efflux associated with the increase in global mean temperature. A reasonable explanation for an apparent acclimation proposed by Davidson and colleagues (2006) based on Michaelis-Menten kinetics suggests that temperature sensitivity decreases when both maximal activity of respiratory enzymes (Vmax) and half-saturation constant (Ks) cancel each other upon temperature increase. We tested the hypothesis of the canceling effect by the mathematical simulation of data obtained in incubation experiments with forest and arable soils. Our data support the hypothesis and suggest that concentration of readily decomposable C substrate (as glucose equivalents) and temperature dependent substrate release are the important factors controlling temperature sensitivity of soil respiration. The highest temperature sensitivity of soil respiration was observed when substrate release was temperature dependent and C substrate concentration was much lower than Ks. Increase of substrate content to the half-saturation constant by glucose addition resulted in temperature acclimation associated with the canceling effect. Addition of the substrate to the level providing respiration at a maximal rate Vmax leads to the acclimation of the whole microbial community as such. However, growing microbial biomass was more sensitive to the temperature alterations. This study improves our understanding of the instability of temperature sensitivity of soil respiration under field conditions, attributing this phenomenon to changes in concentration of readily decomposable C substrate.

  3. Time-dependent Gross-Pitaevskii equation for composite bosons as the strong-coupling limit of the fermionic broken-symmetry random-phase approximation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Strinati, G.C.; Pieri, P.

    2004-01-01

    The linear response to a space- and time-dependent external disturbance of a system of dilute condensed composite bosons at zero temperature, as obtained from the linearized version of the time-dependent Gross-Pitaevskii equation, is shown to result also from the strong-coupling limit of the time-dependent BCS (or broken-symmetry random-phase) approximation for the constituent fermions subject to the same external disturbance. In this way, it is possible to connect excited-state properties of the bosonic and fermionic systems by placing the Gross-Pitaevskii equation in perspective with the corresponding fermionic approximations

  4. Influence of repeated permanent coloring and bleaching on ethyl glucuronide concentrations in hair from alcohol-dependent patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Crunelle, Cleo L; Yegles, Michel; De Doncker, Mireille; Dom, Geert; Cappelle, Delphine; Maudens, Kristof E; van Nuijs, Alexander L N; Covaci, Adrian; Neels, Hugo

    2015-02-01

    Ethyl glucuronide (EtG), a minor metabolite of alcohol, is used as a sensitive marker in hair to detect the retrospective consumption of alcohol. The proximal 0-3 cm hair segment is often used for analysis, providing information on alcohol consumption over the past 3 months. Using more distal segments would allow the detection of alcohol consumption over longer time periods, thereby addressing the chronicity of the consumption. In view of this, permanent coloring and bleaching were shown in vitro to alter EtG concentrations in hair, but no in vivo studies are available to prove or disprove this. To investigate the influence of repeated bleaching and permanent coloring on EtG concentrations in vivo and to assess the stability of EtG concentrations in distal compared to proximal hair segments. Hair samples from alcohol-dependent patients with uncolored/unbleached (N=4), permanent coloration (N=5) and bleached hair (N=5) were analyzed in two to six 3 cm long segments for EtG concentrations, and alcohol consumption and hair cosmetic treatments were assessed. We observed that hair bleaching and permanent coloring reduces EtG concentrations by 82±11% and 65±24%, respectively, with correlations between the number of cosmetic treatments and the decrease in EtG concentrations. EtG remained stable in untreated hair samples up to 18 cm. EtG is a sensitive marker to assess chronic alcohol consumption up to 18 months in alcohol-dependent patients with no cosmetic hair treatments. However, in alcohol-dependent patients who color or bleach their hair, care should be taken when interpreting EtG measurements. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. The Concentration Dependence of the (Delta)s Term in the Gibbs Free Energy Function: Application to Reversible Reactions in Biochemistry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gary, Ronald K.

    2004-01-01

    The concentration dependence of (delta)S term in the Gibbs free energy function is described in relation to its application to reversible reactions in biochemistry. An intuitive and non-mathematical argument for the concentration dependence of the (delta)S term in the Gibbs free energy equation is derived and the applicability of the equation to…

  6. Ionic relaxation in PEO/PVDF-HFP-LiClO4 blend polymer electrolytes: dependence on salt concentration

    Science.gov (United States)

    Das, S.; Ghosh, A.

    2016-06-01

    In this paper, we have studied the effect of LiClO4 salt concentration on the ionic conduction and relaxation in poly ethylene oxide (PEO) and poly (vinylidene fluoride hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF-HFP) blend polymer electrolytes, in which the molar ratio of ethylene oxide segments to lithium ions (R  =  EO: Li) has been varied between 3 and 35. We have observed two phases in the samples containing low salt concentrations (R  >  9) and single phase in the samples containing high salt concentrations (R  ⩽  9). The scanning electron microscopic images indicate that there exists no phase separation in the blend polymer electrolytes. The temperature dependence of the ionic conductivity shows two slopes corresponding to high and low temperatures and follows Arrhenius relation for the samples containing low salt concentrations (R  >  9). The conductivity relaxation as well as the structural relaxation has been clearly observed at around 104 Hz and 106 Hz for these concentrations of the blended electrolytes. However, a single conductivity relaxation peak has been observed for the compositions with R  ⩽  9. The scaling of the conductivity spectra shows that the relaxation mechanism is independent of temperature, but depends on salt concentration.

  7. Radon and radon-daughter concentrations in air in the vicinity of the Anaconda Uranium Mill

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Momeni, M H; Lindstrom, J B; Dungey, C E; Kisieleski, W E

    1979-11-01

    Radon concentration, working level, and meteorological variables were measured continuously from June 1977 through June 1978 at three stations in the vicinity of the Anaconda Uranium Mill with measurements integrated to hourly intervals. Both radon and daughters show strong variations associated with low wind velocities and stable atmospheric conditions, and diurnal variations associated with thermal inversions. Average radon concentration shows seasonal dependence with highest concentrations observed during fall and winter. Comparison of radon concentrations and working levels between three stations shows strong dependence on wind direction and velocity. Radon concentrations and working-level distributions for each month and each station were analyzed. The average maximum, minimum, and modal concentration and working levels were estimated with observed frequencies. The highest concentration is 11,000 pCi/m/sup 3/ on the tailings. Working-level variations parallel radon variations but lag by less than one hour. The highest working levels were observed at night when conditions of higher secular radioactive equilibrium for radon daughters exist. Background radon concentration was measured at two stations, each located about 25 km from the mill, and the average is 408 pCi/m/sup 3/. Average working-level background is 3.6 x 10/sup -3/.

  8. Borderline maintenance of erythrocyte 2,3-diphosphoglycerate concentrations in normoxic type 1 (insulin dependent) diabetic subjects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Story, C J; Roberts, A P; Ryall, R G

    1986-02-01

    Erythrocyte 2,3-diphosphoglycerate and haemoglobin A1c concentrations were measured in 26 clinically normoxic patients with type 1 (insulin dependent) diabetes mellitus. The concentration of 2,3-diphosphoglycerate theoretically required to maintain normal erythrocyte oxygen delivery function in each subject was calculated and compared with the measured concentrations. In the majority of diabetic patients 2,3-diphosphoglycerate concentrations were sufficient to keep the erythrocyte oxygen dissociation curve within the normal range under otherwise normal blood conditions. There was, however, a minority of patients in which this was not true. It is concluded that the increased erythrocyte 2,3-diphosphoglycerate concentrations in clinically normoxic diabetic subjects are generally less than compensatory for the effect of haemoglobin A1c formation on the haemoglobin-oxygen dissociation curve.

  9. Quantum fluid dynamics based current-density functional study of a helium atom in a strong time-dependent magnetic field

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vikas

    2011-01-01

    Evolution of the helium atom in a strong time-dependent (TD) magnetic field (B) of strength up to 10 11 G is investigated through a quantum fluid dynamics (QFD) based current-density functional theory (CDFT). The TD-QFD-CDFT computations are performed through numerical solution of a single generalized nonlinear Schroedinger equation employing vector exchange-correlation potentials and scalar exchange-correlation density functionals that depend both on the electronic charge-density and the current-density. The results are compared with that obtained from a B-TD-QFD-DFT approach (based on conventional TD-DFT) under similar numerical constraints but employing only scalar exchange-correlation potential dependent on electronic charge-density only. The B-TD-QFD-DFT approach, at a particular TD magnetic field-strength, yields electronic charge- and current-densities as well as exchange-correlation potential resembling with that obtained from the time-independent studies involving static (time-independent) magnetic fields. However, TD-QFD-CDFT electronic charge- and current-densities along with the exchange-correlation potential and energy differ significantly from that obtained using B-TD-QFD-DFT approach, particularly at field-strengths >10 9 G, representing dynamical effects of a TD field. The work concludes that when a helium atom is subjected to a strong TD magnetic field of order >10 9 G, the conventional TD-DFT based approach differs 'dynamically' from the CDFT based approach under similar computational constraints. (author)

  10. Concentration dependence of surface properties and molar volume of multicomponent system indium-tin-lead-bismuth

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dadashev, R; Kutuev, R [Complex Science Research Institute of the Science Academy of the Chechen Republic, 21 Staropromisl. shosse, Grozny 364096 (Russian Federation); Elimkhanov, D [Science Academy of the Chechen Republic (Russian Federation)], E-mail: edzhabrail@mail.ru

    2008-02-15

    The results of an experimental research of surface properties of the four-component system indium-tin-lead-bismuth are presented. The researches under discussion were carried out in a combined device in which the surface tension ({sigma}) is measured by the method of maximum pressure in a drop, and density ({rho}) is measured by advanced aerometry. Measurement errors are 0.7 % for surface tension measurement, and 0.2 % for density measurement. The study of the concentration dependence of {sigma} in this system has revealed the influence of the third and fourth components upon the characteristics of surface tension isotherms of the binary system indium-tin. It was found out that with an increase in the content of the third and fourth components the depth of the minimum on the surface tension isotherms of the indium-tin system {sigma} decreases. On the basis of the concentration dependence of the phenomenon of concentration bufferity is revealed. It is shown that despite the complex character, isotherms of {sigma} on beam sections of a multicomponent system do not contain qualitatively new features in comparison with the isotherms of these properties in lateral binary systems.

  11. Strongly coupled single-phase flow problems: Effects of density variation, hydrodynamic dispersion, and first order decay

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Oldenburg, C.M.; Pruess, K. [Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, Berkeley, CA (United States)

    1995-03-01

    We have developed TOUGH2 modules for strongly coupled flow and transport that include full hydrodynamic dispersion. T2DM models tow-dimensional flow and transport in systems with variable salinity, while T32DMR includes radionuclide transport with first-order decay of a parent-daughter chain of radionuclide components in variable salinity systems. T2DM has been applied to a variety of coupled flow problems including the pure solutal convection problem of Elder and the mixed free and forced convection salt-dome flow problem. In the Elder and salt-dome flow problems, density changes of up to 20% caused by brine concentration variations lead to strong coupling between the velocity and brine concentration fields. T2DM efficiently calculates flow and transport for these problems. We have applied T2DMR to the dispersive transport and decay of radionuclide tracers in flow fields with permeability heterogeneities and recirculating flows. Coupling in these problems occurs by velocity-dependent hydrodynamic dispersion. Our results show that the maximum daughter species concentration may occur fully within a recirculating or low-velocity region. In all of the problems, we observe very efficient handling of the strongly coupled flow and transport processes.

  12. Temperature response of soil respiration is dependent on concentration of readily decomposable C

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. A. Larionova

    2007-12-01

    Full Text Available Temperature acclimation of soil organic matter (SOM decomposition is one of the major uncertainties in predicting soil CO2 efflux associated with the increase in global mean temperature. A reasonable explanation for an apparent acclimation proposed by Davidson and colleagues (2006 based on Michaelis-Menten kinetics suggests that temperature sensitivity decreases when both maximal activity of respiratory enzymes (Vmax and half-saturation constant (Ks cancel each other upon temperature increase. We tested the hypothesis of the canceling effect by the mathematical simulation of data obtained in incubation experiments with forest and arable soils. Our data support the hypothesis and suggest that concentration of readily decomposable C substrate (as glucose equivalents and temperature dependent substrate release are the important factors controlling temperature sensitivity of soil respiration. The highest temperature sensitivity of soil respiration was observed when substrate release was temperature dependent and C substrate concentration was much lower than Ks. Increase of substrate content to the half-saturation constant by glucose addition resulted in temperature acclimation associated with the canceling effect. Addition of the substrate to the level providing respiration at a maximal rate Vmax leads to the acclimation of the whole microbial community as such. However, growing microbial biomass was more sensitive to the temperature alterations. This study improves our understanding of the instability of temperature sensitivity of soil respiration under field conditions, attributing this phenomenon to changes in concentration of readily decomposable C substrate.

  13. Confinement dependent chemotaxis in two-photon polymerized linear migration constructs with highly definable concentration gradients

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hjortø, Gertrud Malene; Olsen, Mark Holm; Svane, Inge Marie

    2015-01-01

    Dendritic cell chemotaxis is known to follow chemoattractant concentration gradients through tissue of heterogeneous pore sizes, but the dependence of migration velocity on pore size and gradient steepness is not fully understood. We enabled chemotaxis studies for at least 42 hours at confinement...

  14. Concentration-dependent metabolic effects of metformin in healthy and Fanconi anemia lymphoblast cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ravera, Silvia; Cossu, Vanessa; Tappino, Barbara; Nicchia, Elena; Dufour, Carlo; Cavani, Simona; Sciutto, Andrea; Bolognesi, Claudia; Columbaro, Marta; Degan, Paolo; Cappelli, Enrico

    2018-02-01

    Metformin (MET) is the drug of choice for patients with type 2 diabetes and has been proposed for use in cancer therapy and for treating other metabolic diseases. More than 14,000 studies have been published addressing the cellular mechanisms affected by MET. However, several in vitro studies have used concentrations of the drug 10-100-fold higher than the plasmatic concentration measured in patients. Here, we evaluated the biochemical, metabolic, and morphologic effects of various concentrations of MET. Moreover, we tested the effect of MET on Fanconi Anemia (FA) cells, a DNA repair genetic disease with defects in energetic and glucose metabolism, as well as on human promyelocytic leukemia (HL60) cell lines. We found that the response of wild-type cells to MET is concentration dependent. Low concentrations (15 and 150 µM) increase both oxidative phosphorylation and the oxidative stress response, acting on the AMPK/Sirt1 pathway, while the high concentration (1.5 mM) inhibits the respiratory chain, alters cell morphology, becoming toxic to the cells. In FA cells, MET was unable to correct the energetic/respiratory defect and did not improve the response to oxidative stress and DNA damage. By contrast, HL60 cells appear sensitive also at 150 μM. Our findings underline the importance of the MET concentration in evaluating the effect of this drug on cell metabolism and demonstrate that data obtained from in vitro experiments, that have used high concentrations of MET, cannot be readily translated into improving our understanding of the cellular effects of metformin when used in the clinical setting. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  15. Simulating evaporation of surface atoms of thorium-alloyed tungsten in strong electronic fields

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bochkanov, P.V.; Mordyuk, V.S.; Ivanov, Yu.I.

    1984-01-01

    By the Monte Carlo method simulating evaporation of surface atoms of thorium - alloyed tungsten in strong electric fields is realized. The strongest evaporation of surface atoms of pure tungsten as compared with thorium-alloyed tungsten in the contentration range of thorium atoms in tungsten matrix (1.5-15%) is shown. The evaporation rate increases with thorium atoms concentration. Determined is in relative units the surface atoms evaporation rate depending on surface temperature and electric field stront

  16. Dependence of Initial Oxygen Concentration on Ozone Yield Using Inductive Energy Storage System Pulsed Power Generator

    Science.gov (United States)

    Go, Tomio; Tanaka, Yasushi; Yamazaki, Nobuyuki; Mukaigawa, Seiji; Takaki, Koichi; Fujiwara, Tamiya

    Dependence of initial oxygen concentration on ozone yield using streamer discharge reactor driven by an inductive energy storage system pulsed power generator is described in this paper. Fast recovery type diodes were employed as semiconductor opening switch to interrupt a circuit current within 100 ns. This rapid current change produced high-voltage short pulse between a secondary energy storage inductor. The repetitive high-voltage short pulse was applied to a 1 mm diameter center wire electrode placed in a cylindrical pulse corona reactor. The streamer discharge successfully occurred between the center wire electrode and an outer cylinder ground electrode of 2 cm inner diameter. The ozone was produced with the streamer discharge and increased with increasing pulse repetition rate. The ozone yield changed in proportion to initial oxygen concentration contained in the injected gas mixture at 800 ns forward pumping time of the current. However, the decrease of the ozone yield by decreasing oxygen concentration in the gas mixture at 180 ns forward pumping time of the current was lower than the decrease at 800 ns forward pumping time of the current. This dependence of the initial oxygen concentration on ozone yield at 180 ns forward pumping time is similar to that of dielectric barrier discharge reactor.

  17. Computational strong-field quantum dynamics. Intense light-matter interactions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bauer, Dieter

    2017-01-01

    This graduate textbook introduces the computational techniques to study ultra-fast quantum dynamics of matter exposed to strong laser fields. Coverage includes methods to propagate wavefunctions according to the time dependent Schroedinger, Klein-Gordon or Dirac equation, the calculation of typical observables, time-dependent density functional theory, multi configurational time-dependent Hartree-Fock, time-dependent configuration interaction singles, the strong-field approximation, and the microscopic particle-in-cell approach.

  18. Computational strong-field quantum dynamics. Intense light-matter interactions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bauer, Dieter (ed.) [Rostock Univ. (Germany). Inst. fuer Physik

    2017-09-01

    This graduate textbook introduces the computational techniques to study ultra-fast quantum dynamics of matter exposed to strong laser fields. Coverage includes methods to propagate wavefunctions according to the time dependent Schroedinger, Klein-Gordon or Dirac equation, the calculation of typical observables, time-dependent density functional theory, multi configurational time-dependent Hartree-Fock, time-dependent configuration interaction singles, the strong-field approximation, and the microscopic particle-in-cell approach.

  19. Computational strong-field quantum dynamics intense light-matter interactions

    CERN Document Server

    2017-01-01

    This graduate textbook introduces the computational techniques to study ultra-fast quantum dynamics of matter exposed to strong laser fields. Coverage includes methods to propagate wavefunctions according to the time-dependent Schrödinger, Klein-Gordon or Dirac equation, the calculation of typical observables, time-dependent density functional theory, multi-configurational time-dependent Hartree-Fock, time-dependent configuration interaction singles, the strong-field approximation, and the microscopic particle-in-cell approach.

  20. PAH effects on meio- and microbial benthic communities strongly depend on bioavailability.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lindgren, J Fredrik; Hassellöv, Ida-Maja; Dahllöf, Ingela

    2014-01-01

    The effects of anthropogenic pollutants in dissimilar habitats can vary depending on differences in bioavailability. The factors determining bioavailability are not yet fully understood. This study was performed to evaluate whether analysis of total PAH concentrations in sediments is a satisfactory measurement to indicate environmental effects or if bioavailability is needed to be taken into account. We have here performed a 60-day experiment, where nominal PAH concentrations of 1,300 μg/kg sediment were added to three different marine sediments. Meiofaunal and microbial communities were analyzed for alterations in community response at 30 and 60 days. Results showed that bioavailability of PAHs varied between the three different sediments. Nonetheless, the petroleum addition gave rise to significant negative effects on all three sediments at both time points. The two direct measurements of toxicity on the microbial community, potential nitrification and denitrification, displayed a lower effect of the PAH addition in the muddy sediment at both time points, compared to the other two sediment types. No effects were seen in the analysis of meiofaunal community structure. Measurements of PAH bioavailability in the three sediment types concurred with the results from the microbial community, revealing a lower bioavailability in the muddy sediment compared to the other two sediment types, 34% compared to sandy and 18% compared to organic at day 0. At day 60 it was 61% lower compared to sandy and 20% lower compared to organic. The negative effects of the PAH addition on the microbial nitrogen cycle were in six out of eight cases best correlated to the amount of alkylated bioavailable PAH in the sediments, and thus microbial nitrogen cycle is a possible good indicator for assessing PAH-induced stress. The results presented here have implications for risk analysis studies of petroleum-contaminated marine sediments; consequently, sediment characteristics and its effects on

  1. Radiation-induced strand-breaks and DNA-protein crosslinks depend predominantly on the dose, oxygen concentration and repair time

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wheeler, K.T.; Miyagi, Y.; Zhang, H.

    1995-01-01

    It has been known for many years that the DNA damage produced by ionizing radiation depends upon the oxygen concentration around the DNA. For example, the number of DNA strand-breaks (SBs) formed per unit dose decreases at low oxygen concentrations, and the number of DNA-protein crosslinks formed per unit dose increases at low oxygen concentrations. If radiation-induced SBs and DPCs are to be useful for detecting and/or quantifying hypoxic cells in solid tumors, the formation of these lesions must depend predominantly on the oxygen concentration around the DNA. All other physical, biological, and physiological factors must either be controllable or have little influence on the assay used to measure these lesions. This paper is a summary of the authors' recent experiments to determine if the radiation-induced SBs and DPCs measured by alkaline elution may be used to estimate the hypoxic fraction or fractional hypoxic volume of solid tumors

  2. Time- and concentration-dependent effects of resveratrol in HL-60 and HepG2 cells

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Stervbo, Ulrik; Vang, Ole; Bonnesen, Christine

    2006-01-01

    Resveratrol, a phytochemical present in grapes, has been demonstrated to inhibit tumourigenesis in animal models. However, the specific mechanism by which resveratrol exerts its anticarcinogenic effect has yet to be elucidated. In the present study, the inhibitory effects of resveratrol on cell...... proliferation and apoptosis were evaluated in the human leukaemia cell line HL-60 and the human hepatoma derived cell line HepG2. We found that after a 2 h incubation period, resveratrol inhibited DNA synthesis in a concentration-dependent manner. The IC50 value was 15 μM in both HL-60 and HepG2 cells. When...... the time of treatment was extended, an increase in IC50 value was observed; for example, at 24 h the IC50 value was 30 μM for HL-60 cells and 60 μM for HepG2 cells. Flow cytometry revealed that cells accumulated in different phases of the cell cycle depending on the resveratrol concentration. Furthermore...

  3. Optimization of strong and weak coordinates

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Swart, M.; Bickelhaupt, F.M.

    2006-01-01

    We present a new scheme for the geometry optimization of equilibrium and transition state structures that can be used for both strong and weak coordinates. We use a screening function that depends on atom-pair distances to differentiate strong coordinates from weak coordinates. This differentiation

  4. Influence of source type and air exchange on variations of indoor radon concentration

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Arvela, H.; Winqvist, K.

    1986-04-01

    The model relates radon concentration to source strength and its variations, air exchange rate and meteorological factors. Two types of sources have been studied. The pressure difference dependent source is made up of radon transported with soil pore air and driven by pressure difference due to the stack effect. The constant source is made up of radon transported by diffusion from building materials or from soil. The air exchange rate depends exponentially on indoor-outdoor temperature difference and linearly on wind speed. These two inputs have been summed in quadrature. In a house with a constant source radon concentration decreases when the air exchange rate increases due to the increasing temperature difference, whereas the pressure difference dependent source causes an increasing concentration. This is due to the fact that the effect of the source strength increase is stronger than the decreasing effect of air exchange on concentration. The winter-summer concentration ratio depends on the combination of the two types of source. A pure pressure dependent source leads to the winter-summer ratio of 2-3.5 (winter -5 deg C, summer +15 deg C, wind speed 3 m/s). A strong contribution of a constant source is needed to cause a summer concentration higher than the winter concentration. The model is in agreement with the winter-summer concentration ratios measured. This ratio increases with the increasing winter concentration. The measured ratio was near 1.0 for houses with winter concentration of 200 Bq m''3 or less and near 2.0 with concentration of 1000 Bq m''3. In a house with a constant source, the diurnal maximum occurs in the afternoon, while in houses with a pressure difference dependent source the time of maximum is early in the morning

  5. Noise-induced extinction for a ratio-dependent predator-prey model with strong Allee effect in prey

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mandal, Partha Sarathi

    2018-04-01

    In this paper, we study a stochastically forced ratio-dependent predator-prey model with strong Allee effect in prey population. In the deterministic case, we show that the model exhibits the stable interior equilibrium point or limit cycle corresponding to the co-existence of both species. We investigate a probabilistic mechanism of the noise-induced extinction in a zone of stable interior equilibrium point. Computational methods based on the stochastic sensitivity function technique are applied for the analysis of the dispersion of random states near stable interior equilibrium point. This method allows to construct a confidence domain and estimate the threshold value of the noise intensity for a transition from the coexistence to the extinction.

  6. Temperature dependence of the short-range order parameter and the concentration dependence of the order disorder temperature for Ni-Pt and Ni-Fe systems in the improved statistical pseudopotential approximation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Khwaja, F.A.

    1980-08-01

    The calculations for the temperature dependence of the first shell short-range order (SRO) parameter for Ni 3 Fe using the cubic approximation of Tahir Kheli, and the concentration dependence of order-disorder temperature Tsub(c) for Ni-Fe and Ni-Pt systems using the linear approximation, have been carried out in the framework of pseudopotential theory. It is shown that the cubic approximation yields a good agreement between the theoretical prediction of the α 1 and the experimental data. Results for the concentration dependence of the Tsub(c) show that improvements in the statistical pseudo-potential approach are essential to achieve a good agreement with experiment. (author)

  7. Strongly correlating liquids and their isomorphs

    OpenAIRE

    Pedersen, Ulf R.; Gnan, Nicoletta; Bailey, Nicholas P.; Schröder, Thomas B.; Dyre, Jeppe C.

    2010-01-01

    This paper summarizes the properties of strongly correlating liquids, i.e., liquids with strong correlations between virial and potential energy equilibrium fluctuations at constant volume. We proceed to focus on the experimental predictions for strongly correlating glass-forming liquids. These predictions include i) density scaling, ii) isochronal superposition, iii) that there is a single function from which all frequency-dependent viscoelastic response functions may be calculated, iv) that...

  8. Concentration and length dependence of DNA looping in transcriptional regulation.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lin Han

    2009-05-01

    Full Text Available In many cases, transcriptional regulation involves the binding of transcription factors at sites on the DNA that are not immediately adjacent to the promoter of interest. This action at a distance is often mediated by the formation of DNA loops: Binding at two or more sites on the DNA results in the formation of a loop, which can bring the transcription factor into the immediate neighborhood of the relevant promoter. These processes are important in settings ranging from the historic bacterial examples (bacterial metabolism and the lytic-lysogeny decision in bacteriophage, to the modern concept of gene regulation to regulatory processes central to pattern formation during development of multicellular organisms. Though there have been a variety of insights into the combinatorial aspects of transcriptional control, the mechanism of DNA looping as an agent of combinatorial control in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes remains unclear. We use single-molecule techniques to dissect DNA looping in the lac operon. In particular, we measure the propensity for DNA looping by the Lac repressor as a function of the concentration of repressor protein and as a function of the distance between repressor binding sites. As with earlier single-molecule studies, we find (at least two distinct looped states and demonstrate that the presence of these two states depends both upon the concentration of repressor protein and the distance between the two repressor binding sites. We find that loops form even at interoperator spacings considerably shorter than the DNA persistence length, without the intervention of any other proteins to prebend the DNA. The concentration measurements also permit us to use a simple statistical mechanical model of DNA loop formation to determine the free energy of DNA looping, or equivalently, the for looping.

  9. Respiration of the external mycelium in the arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis shows strong dependence on recent photosynthates and acclimation to temperature.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heinemeyer, A; Ineson, P; Ostle, N; Fitter, A H

    2006-01-01

    * Although arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi are a major pathway in the global carbon cycle, their basic biology and, in particular, their respiratory response to temperature remain obscure. * A pulse label of the stable isotope (13)C was applied to Plantago lanceolata, either uninoculated or inoculated with the AM fungus Glomus mosseae. The extra-radical mycelium (ERM) of the fungus was allowed to grow into a separate hyphal compartment excluding roots. We determined the carbon costs of the ERM and tested for a direct temperature effect on its respiration by measuring total carbon and the (13)C:(12)C ratio of respired CO(2). With a second pulse we tested for acclimation of ERM respiration after 2 wk of soil warming. * Root colonization remained unchanged between the two pulses but warming the hyphal compartment increased ERM length. delta(13)C signals peaked within the first 10 h and were higher in mycorrhizal treatments. The concentration of CO(2) in the gas samples fluctuated diurnally and was highest in the mycorrhizal treatments but was unaffected by temperature. Heating increased ERM respiration only after the first pulse and reduced specific ERM respiration rates after the second pulse; however, both pulses strongly depended on radiation flux. * The results indicate a fast ERM acclimation to temperature, and that light is the key factor controlling carbon allocation to the fungus.

  10. The effect of a concentration-dependent viscosity on particle transport in a channel flow with porous walls

    KAUST Repository

    Herterich, James G.

    2014-02-02

    The transport of a dilute suspension of particles through a channel with porous walls, accounting for the concentration dependence of the viscosity, is analyzed. In particular, we study two cases of fluid permeation through the porous channel walls: (1) at a constant flux and (2) dependent on the pressure drop across the wall. We also consider the effect of mixing the suspension first compared with point injection by considering inlet concentration distributions of different widths. We find that a pessimal inlet distribution width exists that maximizes the required hydrodynamic pressure for a constant fluid influx. The effect of an external hydrodynamic pressure, to compensate for the reduced transmembrane pressure difference due to osmotic pressure, is investigated. © 2014 American Institute of Chemical Engineers.

  11. Carbon dots with strong excitation-dependent fluorescence changes towards pH. Application as nanosensors for a broad range of pH

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Barati, Ali [Faculty of Chemistry, Institute for Advanced Studies in Basic Sciences, Zanjan (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Department of Chemistry, Razi University, Kermanshah (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Shamsipur, Mojtaba, E-mail: mshamsipur@yahoo.com [Department of Chemistry, Razi University, Kermanshah (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Abdollahi, Hamid, E-mail: abd@iasbs.ac.ir [Faculty of Chemistry, Institute for Advanced Studies in Basic Sciences, Zanjan (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

    2016-08-10

    In this study, preparation of novel pH-sensitive N-doped carbon dots (NCDs) using glucose and urea is reported. The prepared NCDs present strong excitation-dependent fluorescence changes towards the pH that is a new behavior from these nanomaterials. By taking advantage of this unique behavior, two separated ratiometric pH sensors using emission spectra of the NCDs for both acidic (pH 2.0 to 8.0) and basic (pH 7.0 to 14.0) ranges of pH are constructed. Additionally, by considering the entire Excitation–Emission Matrix (EEM) of NCDs as analytical signal and using a suitable multivariate calibration method, a broad range of pH from 2.0 to 14.0 was well calibrated. The multivariate calibration method was independent from the concentration of NCDs and resulted in a very low average prediction error of 0.067 pH units. No changes in the predicted pH under UV irradiation (for 3 h) and at high ionic strength (up to 2 M NaCl) indicated the high stability of this pH nanosensor. The practicality of this pH nanosensor for pH determination in real water samples was validated with good accuracy and repeatability. - Highlights: • Novel pH-sensitive carbon dots with strong FL changes towards pH are reported. • Ratiometric FL pH-sensors for both acidic and basic ranges of pH are constructed. • Multivariate calibration methods were used to calibrate a broad range of pH. • Using EEM of carbon dots and ANN, pH from 2.0 to 14.0 was well calibrated. • The pH prediction is stable even at high ionic strength up to 2 M NaCl.

  12. Carbon dots with strong excitation-dependent fluorescence changes towards pH. Application as nanosensors for a broad range of pH

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barati, Ali; Shamsipur, Mojtaba; Abdollahi, Hamid

    2016-01-01

    In this study, preparation of novel pH-sensitive N-doped carbon dots (NCDs) using glucose and urea is reported. The prepared NCDs present strong excitation-dependent fluorescence changes towards the pH that is a new behavior from these nanomaterials. By taking advantage of this unique behavior, two separated ratiometric pH sensors using emission spectra of the NCDs for both acidic (pH 2.0 to 8.0) and basic (pH 7.0 to 14.0) ranges of pH are constructed. Additionally, by considering the entire Excitation–Emission Matrix (EEM) of NCDs as analytical signal and using a suitable multivariate calibration method, a broad range of pH from 2.0 to 14.0 was well calibrated. The multivariate calibration method was independent from the concentration of NCDs and resulted in a very low average prediction error of 0.067 pH units. No changes in the predicted pH under UV irradiation (for 3 h) and at high ionic strength (up to 2 M NaCl) indicated the high stability of this pH nanosensor. The practicality of this pH nanosensor for pH determination in real water samples was validated with good accuracy and repeatability. - Highlights: • Novel pH-sensitive carbon dots with strong FL changes towards pH are reported. • Ratiometric FL pH-sensors for both acidic and basic ranges of pH are constructed. • Multivariate calibration methods were used to calibrate a broad range of pH. • Using EEM of carbon dots and ANN, pH from 2.0 to 14.0 was well calibrated. • The pH prediction is stable even at high ionic strength up to 2 M NaCl.

  13. a Study of the Concentration Dependence of Macromolecular Diffusion Using Photon Correlation Spectroscopy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marlowe, Robert Lloyd

    The dynamic light scattering technique of photon correlation spectroscopy has been used to investigate the dependence of the mutual diffusion coefficient of a macromolecular system upon concentration. The first part of the research was devoted to the design and construction of a single-clipping autocorrelator based on newly-developed integrated circuits. The resulting 128 channel instrument can perform real time autocorrelation for sample time intervals >(, )10 (mu)s, and batch processed autocorrelation for intervals down to 3 (mu)s. An improved design for a newer, all-digital autocorrelator is given. Homodyne light scattering experiments were then undertaken on monodisperse solutions of polystyrene spheres. The single-mode TEM(,oo) beam of an argon-ion laser ((lamda) = 5145 (ANGSTROM)) was used as the light source; all solutions were studied at room temperature. The scattering angle was varied from 30(DEGREES) to 110(DEGREES). Excellent agreement with the manufacturer's specification for the particle size was obtained from the photon correlation studies. Finally, aqueous solutions of the globular protein ovalbumin, ranging in concentration from 18.9 to 244.3 mg/ml, were illuminated under the same conditions of temperature and wavelength as before; the homodyne scattered light was detected at a fixed scattering angle of 30(DEGREES). The single-clipped photocount autocorrelation function was analyzed using the homodyne exponential integral method of Meneely et al. The resulting diffusion coefficients showed a general linear dependence upon concentration, as predicted by the generalized Stokes-Einstein equation. However, a clear peak in the data was evident at c (TURNEQ) 100 mg/ml, which could not be explained on the basis of a non -interacting particle theory. A semi-quantitative approach based on the Debye-Huckel theory of electrostatic interactions is suggested as the probable cause for the peak's rise, and an excluded volume effect for its decline.

  14. Brominated flame retardants in the urban atmosphere of Northeast China: Concentrations, temperature dependence and gas-particle partitioning

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Qi, Hong; Li, Wen-Long; Liu, Li-Yan; Song, Wei-Wei; Ma, Wan-Li, E-mail: mawanli002@163.com; Li, Yi-Fan, E-mail: ijrc_pts_paper@yahoo.com

    2014-09-01

    57 pairs of air samples (gas and particle phases) were collected using a high volume air sampler in a typical city of Northeast China. Brominated flame retardants (BFRs) including 13 polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs, including BDEs 17, 28, 47, 49, 66, 85, 99, 100, 138, 153, 154, 183, and 209) and 9 alternative BFRs (p-TBX, PBBZ, PBT, PBEB, DPTE, HBBZ, γ-HBCD, BTBPE, and DBDPE) were analyzed. The annual average total concentrations of the 13 PBDEs and the 9 alternative BFRs were 69 pg/m{sup 3} and 180 pg/m{sup 3}, respectively. BDE 209 and γ-HBCD were the dominant congeners, according to the one-year study. The partial pressure of BFRs in the gas phase was significantly correlated with the ambient temperature, except for BDE 85, γ-HBCD and DBDPE, indicating the important influence of ambient temperature on the behavior of BFRs in the atmosphere. It was found that the gas–particle partitioning coefficients (logK{sub p}) for most low molecular weight BFRs were highly temperature dependent as well. Gas–particle partitioning coefficients (logK{sub p}) also correlated with the sub-cooled liquid vapor pressure (logP{sub L}{sup o}). Our results indicated that absorption into organic matter is the main control mechanism for the gas–particle partitioning of atmospheric PBDEs. - Highlights: • Both PBDEs and alternative BFRs were analyzed in the atmosphere of Northeast China. • Partial pressure of BFRs was significantly correlated with the ambient temperature. • A strong temperature dependence of gas-particle partitioning was found. • Absorption into organic matter was the control mechanism for G-P partitioning.

  15. A cosmic-ray nuclear event with an anomalously strong concentration of energy and particles in the central region

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Amato, N.M.; Arata, N.; Maldonado, R.H.C.

    1986-01-01

    A cosmic-ray induced nuclear event detected in the emulsion chamber is described. The event consists of 217 shower cores with ΣEγ = 1,275 TeV. In log scale, energy and particles are emitted most densely at the small lateral distance corresponding to 0.5 mm; 77 % of the total energy and 61 % of the total multiplicity are inside the radius of 0.65 cm. The shower cores in the central region show exponential-type energy distribution and non-isotropic azimuthal distribution. This event indicates a possibility that phenomena of large transverse momentum could happen to produce a strong concentration of energy and particles in the very forward direction. (Authors) [pt

  16. Modeling the dependency of radon concentration levels inside ancient Egyptian tombs on the ambient temperature variations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Metwally, S.M.; Abo-Elmagdb, M.; Salamaa, E.

    2007-01-01

    Radon concentration inside partially closed places like dwellings, caves and tombs, depends on many parameters. Some parameters are known quantitatively as radon exhalation rate for walls, decay constant, surface to volume ratio and outdoor concentration while other parameters as ventilation rate is in common known qualitatively due to useless of traditional methods (tracer gases) in many places as ancient Egyptian tombs. This work introduces a derived mathematical model to evaluate the sensitivity of radon concentration levels inside single sided opening places as ancient Egyptian tombs on the ambient temperature differences. The obtained formula for the natural ventilation rate depends on the indoor and outdoor temperature difference and the geometrical dimensions of the doorway. The effects of in and out flow mixing, air viscosity, streamline contraction, swirling flow and turbulence, were taken into consideration in terms of an empirical correction factor. According UNSCEAR reports, the exhalation rate Φ=C ra λ rn fρ s (1-ε)L; C ra the effective radium content, λ rn decay constant, f emanation fraction, ρ s soil grain density, ε porosity and L diffusion length, these are approximately static parameters but the variability of ambient temperature introduces a source of energy of fluctuating strength to radon atoms in rocks which controls the flow rate and the ambient content of radon. Therefore, the change of outdoor and indoor temperature difference causes fluctuation of value and direction of volume flow rate in such places consequently causes the daily variation and on average the seasonal variation of radon concentration. Therefore according to the present model, the daily accurate expectation of radon concentrations inside ancient Egyptian tombs, require precise measurements of indoor and outdoor temperatures

  17. Electric conductivity of TlInTe2 monocrystal in strong electric fields

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zarbaliev, M.M.; Godzhaev, Eh.M.; Gadzhiev, V.A.

    1980-01-01

    Electric condUctivity of the TlInTe 2 single crystal in strong electric fields has been studied in the range of 77-300 K. The electron part of the TlInTe 2 dielectric constant has been found to be 4. The dependence of the activation energy of current carriers on the electric field strength is constructed and the value of the activation energy of current carriers in the absence of an electric field is determined by the extrapolation method. The results of the experiments are in good agreement with the Frenkel-Pool theory, and this affords grounds for asserting that the obtained dependences of electric conductivity on temperature and the electric field strength are defined by variation in the current carrier concentration due to action of the thermal-electron ionization mechanism

  18. Method and equipment to determine fine dust concentrations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Breuer, H.; Gebhardt, J.; Robock, K.

    1979-01-01

    The measured values for the fine dust concentration are obtained by optical means which where possible agree with the probable deposited quantity of fine dust in the pulmonary alveoli. This is done by receiving the strong radiation produced in dependence of the particle size at an angle of 70 0 to the angle of incidence of the primary beam. The wavelength of the primary radiation is in the region of 1000 to 2000 nm. (RW) [de

  19. The lambda sigma calculus and strong normalization

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Schack-Nielsen, Anders; Schürmann, Carsten

    Explicit substitution calculi can be classified into several dis- tinct categories depending on whether they are confluent, meta-confluent, strong normalization preserving, strongly normalizing, simulating, fully compositional, and/or local. In this paper we present a variant of the λσ-calculus, ...

  20. On the model dependence of the determination of the strong coupling constant in second order QCD from e+e--annihilation into hadrons

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Achterberg, O.; D'Agostini, G.; Apel, W.D.; Engler, J.; Fluegge, G.; Forstbauer, B.; Fries, D.C.; Fues, W.; Gamerdinger, K.; Henkes, T.; Hopp, G.; Krueger, M.; Kuester, H.; Mueller, H.; Randoll, H.; Schmidt, G.; Schneider, H.; Boer, W. de; Buschhorn, G.; Grindhammer, G.; Grosse-Wiesmann, P.; Gunderson, B.; Kiesling, C.; Kotthaus, R.; Kruse, U.; Lierl, H.; Lueers, D.; Oberlack, H.; Schacht, P.; Bonneaud, G.; Colas, P.; Cordier, A.; Davier, M.; Fournier, D.; Grivaz, J.F.; Haissinski, J.; Journe, V.; Laplanche, F.; Le Diberder, F.; Mallik, U.; Ros, E.; Veillet, J.J.; Behrend, H.J.; Fenner, H.; Schachter, M.J.; Schroeder, V.; Sindt, H.

    1983-12-01

    Hadronic events obtained with the CELLO detector at PETRA are compared with second order QCD predictions using different models for the fragmentation of quarks and gluons into hadrons. We find that the model dependence in the determination of the strong coupling constant persists when going from first to second order QCD calculations. (orig.)

  1. Forecasts of methane concentration at the outlet of the longwall with caving area - case study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Badura, Henryk; Bańka, Piotr; Musioł, Dariusz; Wesołowski, Marek

    2017-11-01

    This paper presents the characteristics of methane hazard and prevention undertaken in the N-6 longwall of seam 330/2 in “Krupiński" coal mine. On the basis of methane concentration measurements conducted with the use of telemetric system, time series of the average and maximum methane concentration at the outlet of the longwall area were generated. It was ascertained that they exhibit a strong autocorrelation. Based on a series of the average methane concentration, a time series of ventilation methane content was created and a total methane content was calculated with the use of methane flow rate measurements in the demethanization system. It was ascertained that dependence between methane concentration and output on the examined day and on the previous day is weak and also that the dependence between methane concentration and air flow rate is very weak. Dependencies between ventilation methane content, total methane content and demethanization efficiency were also investigated. Based on forecasting models [1] developed earlier by H. Badura, forecasts have been made to predict the average and maximum methane concentrations. The measured values f methane concentration show a high level of accordance with forecasted ones.

  2. The effect of a concentration-dependent viscosity on particle transport in a channel flow with porous walls

    KAUST Repository

    Herterich, James G.; Griffiths, Ian M.; Vella, Dominic; Field, Robert W.

    2014-01-01

    The transport of a dilute suspension of particles through a channel with porous walls, accounting for the concentration dependence of the viscosity, is analyzed. In particular, we study two cases of fluid permeation through the porous channel walls

  3. Tuning the electrocaloric effect by varying Sr concentration in ferroelectric Ba1 -xSrxTiO3

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lisenkov, S.; Ponomareva, I.

    2018-05-01

    The electrocaloric effect is investigated systematically in Ba1 -xSrxTiO3 ferroelectrics using a semiclassical direct computational approach. The data are reported for the technologically important range of Sr concentrations of 0.0-0.6, electric fields up to 1000 kV/cm, and temperatures ranging from 5 to 600 K. A detailed comparison of computational data with experimental data from the literature reveals semiquantitative agreement and suggests the origin of discrepancies. The electrocaloric change in temperature Δ T shows strong dependence on Sr concentration which offers a way to tune electrocaloric response. In particular, the maximum electrocaloric Δ T is found to decrease with the increase in Sr concentration, whereas the location of the maximum shifts towards lower temperatures following the Curie point of the ferroelectric. Surprisingly, the width of the peak in the dependence of Δ T on the initial temperature is independent of the Sr concentration but shows a strong dependence on the applied electric field. Computational data are used to propose a compositionally graded ferroelectric Ba0.70Sr0.30TiO3/Ba0.55Sr0.45TiO3/Ba0.50Sr0.50TiO3/Ba0.45Sr0.55TiO3 whose Δ T shows almost no temperature dependence in the technologically important range of temperatures and electric fields. Such a desirable feature could potentially lead to the enhancement of relative cooling power.

  4. Dependence of plant biometrics of cutting lettuce (Lactuca sativa L. varietis on the concentration of microfertilizer Avatar-1

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    В. Б. Кутовенко

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available Purpose. To investigate the variability of plant biometrics of cutting lettuce (Lactuca sativa L. varieties depending on the concentration of microfertilizer Avatar-1. Methods. Field study, biometric technique, comparative approach, statistical evaluation, generalization. Results. Dependence of the plant height, the diameter of the leaf rosette, the number of leaves per plant, the leaf area of plants on the concentration of microfertilizer Avatar-1 was defined. Investigations of cutting lettuce ‘Afitsyon’ and ‘Concord’ varieties by Dutch breeding were conducted in 2016–2017 in the collection sites of the department of vegetable growing in the scientific-experimental field  “Fruit and vegetable garden” of the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine. In order to determine dependence of plant biometrics of cutting lettuce varieties on the concentration of complex microfertilizer Avatar-1, the following scheme was used for the both varieties: variant 1 – water (control; variant 2 – 0,10% solution; variant 3 – 0,25% solution; variant 4 – 0,50% solution. Plants were treated with microfertilizer three times during the vegetative period. Alterations of plant biometrics of cutting lettuce ‘Afitsyon’ and ‘Concord’ varieties  depending on the concentration of complex microfertilizer Avatar-1 was studied. Conclusions. It was found that in case of three-time plant treatment with complex microfertilizer Avatar-1 at the time of harvesting, the best plant biometrics was registered in variant 3 (concentration 0,25% for the both ‘Afitsyon’ and ‘Concord’ varie­ties of cutting lettuce. The height of plants of the cutting lettuce in ‘Afitsyon’ variety exceeded this figure in ‘Concord variety by 1,1–1,4 cm. The concentration of microfertilizer had no significant effect on the diameter of the leaf rosette of ‘Concord’ variety (25,1–25,9 см. The diame­ter of the leaf rosette of

  5. Generalization of the Nernst-Einstein equation for self-diffusion in high-defect-concentration solids

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McKee, R.A.

    1981-01-01

    It is shown that the Nernst-Einstein equation can be generalized for a high defect concentration solid to relate the mobility or conductivity to the self-diffusion coefficient. This relationship is derived assuming that the diffusing particles interact strongly and that the mobility is concentration-dependent. It is derived for interstitial disordered structures, but it is perfectly general to any mechanism of self diffusion as long as diffusion in a pure system is considered

  6. Caffeine potentiates or protects against radiation-induced DNA and chromosomal damage in human lymphocytes depending on temperature and concentration

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stoilov, L.M.; Mullenders, L.H.F.; Natarajan, A.T.

    1994-01-01

    The effect of caffeine on radiation-induced chromosomal aberrations and DNA strand breaks in unstimulated human lymphocytes was investigated. When present prior to and during the radiation exposure, caffeine treatment was found to cause either potentiation or protection against induction of chromosomal aberrations depending on the concentration and temperature. When the nucleoid sedimentation technique was applied, enhancement or reduction of radiation-induced DNA strand breaks by caffeine was also found to be dependent on temperature and caffeine concentration. It is proposed that caffeine, in addition to its suspected ability to influence DNA repair, can also influence the induction of DNA damage, leading to alterations in the yield of chromosomal aberrations

  7. Caffeine potentiates or protects against radiation-induced DNA and chromosomal damage in human lymphocytes depending on temperature and concentration

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Stoilov, L.M. (Department of Molecular Genetics, Institute of Genetics, Sofia (Bulgaria)); Mullenders, L.H.F.; Natarajan, A.T. (J.A. Cohen Institute, Interuniversity Research Institute for Radiopathology and Radiation Protection, Leiden (Netherlands))

    1994-12-01

    The effect of caffeine on radiation-induced chromosomal aberrations and DNA strand breaks in unstimulated human lymphocytes was investigated. When present prior to and during the radiation exposure, caffeine treatment was found to cause either potentiation or protection against induction of chromosomal aberrations depending on the concentration and temperature. When the nucleoid sedimentation technique was applied, enhancement or reduction of radiation-induced DNA strand breaks by caffeine was also found to be dependent on temperature and caffeine concentration. It is proposed that caffeine, in addition to its suspected ability to influence DNA repair, can also influence the induction of DNA damage, leading to alterations in the yield of chromosomal aberrations.

  8. The rate of intestinal glucose absorption is correlated with plasma glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide concentrations in healthy men

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wachters-Hagedoorn, Renate E; Priebe, Marion G; Heimweg, Janneke A J

    2006-01-01

    and slowly available glucose. In a crossover study, glucose, insulin, GLP-1, and GIP concentrations were monitored for 6 h after consumption of glucose, uncooked cornstarch (UCCS) or corn pasta in 7 healthy men. All test meals were naturally labeled with 13C. Using a primed, continuous D-[6,6-2H2]glucose...... in the early postprandial phase (15-90 min) occurred after consumption of glucose. There was a strong positive within-subject correlation between RaEx and GIP concentrations (r = 0.73, P meals. Rapidly and slowly digestible carbohydrates differ considerably in their ability to stimulate...

  9. Mechanisms Involved in Guiding the Preference for Fat Emulsion Differ Depending on the Concentration.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sakamoto, Kazuhiro; Matsumura, Shigenobu; Okafuji, Yoko; Eguchi, Ai; Lee, Shinhye; Adachi, Shin-ichi; Fujitani, Mina; Tsuzuki, Satoshi; Inoue, Kazuo; Fushiki, Tohru

    2015-01-01

    High-fat foods tend to be palatable and can cause addiction in mice via a reinforcing effect. However, mice showed preference for low fat concentrations that do not elicit a reinforcing effect in a two-bottle choice test with water as the alternative. This behavior indicates the possibility that the mechanism underlying fat palatability may differ depending on the dietary fat content. To address this issue, we examined the influences of the opioid system and olfactory and gustatory transductions on the intake and reinforcing effects of various concentrations of a dietary fat emulsion (Intralipid). We found that the intake and reinforcing effects of fat emulsion were reduced by the administration of an opioid receptor antagonist (naltrexone). Furthermore, the action of naltrexone was only observed at higher concentrations of fat emulsion. The intake and the reinforcing effects of fat emulsion were also reduced by olfactory and glossopharyngeal nerve transections (designated ONX and GLX, respectively). In contrast to naltrexone, the effects of ONX and GLX were mainly observed at lower concentrations of fat emulsion. These results imply that the opioid system seems to have a greater role in determining the palatability of high-fat foods unlike the contribution of olfactory and glossopharyngeal nerves.

  10. Modeling the dependency of radon concentration levels inside ancient Egyptian tombs on the ambient temperature variations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Metwally, S M; Abo-Elmagdb, M [Faculty of Science, Department of Physics, Ain Shams University, P. O. Box 11566, Cairo (Egypt); Salamaa, E [National Institute for Standard, Radiation Measurements Department, Cairo (Egypt)

    2007-06-15

    Radon concentration inside partially closed places like dwellings, caves and tombs, depends on many parameters. Some parameters are known quantitatively as radon exhalation rate for walls, decay constant, surface to volume ratio and outdoor concentration while other parameters as ventilation rate is in common known qualitatively due to useless of traditional methods (tracer gases) in many places as ancient Egyptian tombs. This work introduces a derived mathematical model to evaluate the sensitivity of radon concentration levels inside single sided opening places as ancient Egyptian tombs on the ambient temperature differences. The obtained formula for the natural ventilation rate depends on the indoor and outdoor temperature difference and the geometrical dimensions of the doorway. The effects of in and out flow mixing, air viscosity, streamline contraction, swirling flow and turbulence, were taken into consideration in terms of an empirical correction factor. According UNSCEAR reports, the exhalation rate {phi}=C{sub ra}{lambda}{sub rn} f{rho}{sub s}(1-{epsilon})L; C{sub ra} the effective radium content, {lambda}{sub rn} decay constant, f emanation fraction, {rho}{sub s} soil grain density, {epsilon} porosity and L diffusion length, these are approximately static parameters but the variability of ambient temperature introduces a source of energy of fluctuating strength to radon atoms in rocks which controls the flow rate and the ambient content of radon. Therefore, the change of outdoor and indoor temperature difference causes fluctuation of value and direction of volume flow rate in such places consequently causes the daily variation and on average the seasonal variation of radon concentration. Therefore according to the present model, the daily accurate expectation of radon concentrations inside ancient Egyptian tombs, require precise measurements of indoor and outdoor temperatures.

  11. Sudden increase in atmospheric concentration reveals strong coupling between shoot carbon uptake and root nutrient uptake in young walnut trees

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Delaire, M.; Sigogne, M.; Beaujard, F.; Frak, E.; Adam, B.; Le Roux, X.

    2005-01-01

    Short-term effects of a sudden increase in carbon dioxide concentration on nutrient uptake by roots during vegetative growth was studied in young walnut trees. Rates of carbon dioxide uptake and water loss by individual trees were determined by a branch bag method from three days before and six days after carbon dioxide concentration was increased. Nutrient uptake rates were measured concurrently by a hydroponic recirculating nutrient solution system. Carbon dioxide uptake rates increased greatly with increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide; nutrient uptake rates were proportional to carbon dioxide uptake rates, except for the phosphorus ion. Daily water loss rates were only slightly affected by elevated carbon dioxide. Overall, it was concluded that in the presence of non-limiting supplies of water and nutrients, root nutrient uptake and shoot carbon assimilation are strongly coupled in the short term in young walnut trees despite the important carbon and nutrient storage capacities od woody species. 45 refs., 7 figs

  12. Dependence of chlorine isotope separation in ion exchange chromatography on the nature and concentration of the eluent

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Heumann, K.G.; Baier, K.

    1980-01-01

    In a heterogeneous electrolyte system of a strongly basic anion exchanger and solutions of NaBF 4 or NaClO 4 we established the influence of the nature and concentration of the eluent in chromatographic experiments on chlorine isotope separation. Results show that when the elctrolyte concentration is increased the degree of isotope separation decreases. With NaBF 4 the separation factor is greater than with NaClO 4 under conditions which are otherwise the same. For electrolyte solutions containing ClO 4 -, NO 3 - and BF 4 - there is a linear relation between the separation factor of the chlorine isotopes and the logarithm of the heat of anion hydration of the elution electrolyte. (orig.)

  13. Calculation of the total plasma concentration of nonvolatile weak acids and the effective dissociation constant of nonvolatile buffers in plasma for use in the strong ion approach to acid-base balance in cats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McCullough, Sheila M; Constable, Peter D

    2003-08-01

    To determine values for the total concentration of nonvolatile weak acids (Atot) and effective dissociation constant of nonvolatile weak acids (Ka) in plasma of cats. Convenience plasma samples of 5 male and 5 female healthy adult cats. Cats were sedated, and 20 mL of blood was obtained from the jugular vein. Plasma was tonometered at 37 degrees C to systematically vary PCO2 from 8 to 156 mm Hg, thereby altering plasma pH from 6.90 to 7.97. Plasma pH, PCO2, and concentrations of quantitatively important strong cations (Na+, K+, and Ca2+), strong anions (Cl-, lactate), and buffer ions (total protein, albumin, and phosphate) were determined. Strong ion difference was estimated from the measured strong ion concentrations and nonlinear regression used to calculate Atot and Ka from the measured pH and PCO2 and estimated strong ion difference. Mean (+/- SD) values were as follows: Atot = 24.3 +/- 4.6 mmol/L (equivalent to 0.35 mmol/g of protein or 0.76 mmol/g of albumin); Ka = 0.67 +/- 0.40 x 10(-7); and the negative logarithm (base 10) of Ka (pKa) = 7.17. At 37 degrees C, pH of 7.35, and a partial pressure of CO2 (PCO2) of 30 mm Hg, the calculated venous strong ion difference was 30 mEq/L. These results indicate that at a plasma pH of 7.35, a 1 mEq/L decrease in strong ion difference will decrease pH by 0.020, a 1 mm Hg decrease in PCO2 will increase plasma pH by 0.011, and a 1 g/dL decrease in albumin concentration will increase plasma pH by 0.093.

  14. Resolution-of-identity stochastic time-dependent configuration interaction for dissipative electron dynamics in strong fields.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Klinkusch, Stefan; Tremblay, Jean Christophe

    2016-05-14

    In this contribution, we introduce a method for simulating dissipative, ultrafast many-electron dynamics in intense laser fields. The method is based on the norm-conserving stochastic unraveling of the dissipative Liouville-von Neumann equation in its Lindblad form. The N-electron wave functions sampling the density matrix are represented in the basis of singly excited configuration state functions. The interaction with an external laser field is treated variationally and the response of the electronic density is included to all orders in this basis. The coupling to an external environment is included via relaxation operators inducing transition between the configuration state functions. Single electron ionization is represented by irreversible transition operators from the ionizing states to an auxiliary continuum state. The method finds its efficiency in the representation of the operators in the interaction picture, where the resolution-of-identity is used to reduce the size of the Hamiltonian eigenstate basis. The zeroth-order eigenstates can be obtained either at the configuration interaction singles level or from a time-dependent density functional theory reference calculation. The latter offers an alternative to explicitly time-dependent density functional theory which has the advantage of remaining strictly valid for strong field excitations while improving the description of the correlation as compared to configuration interaction singles. The method is tested on a well-characterized toy system, the excitation of the low-lying charge transfer state in LiCN.

  15. Resolution-of-identity stochastic time-dependent configuration interaction for dissipative electron dynamics in strong fields

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Klinkusch, Stefan; Tremblay, Jean Christophe [Institute for Chemistry and Biochemistry, Freie Universität Berlin, Takustr. 3, D-14195 Berlin (Germany)

    2016-05-14

    In this contribution, we introduce a method for simulating dissipative, ultrafast many-electron dynamics in intense laser fields. The method is based on the norm-conserving stochastic unraveling of the dissipative Liouville-von Neumann equation in its Lindblad form. The N-electron wave functions sampling the density matrix are represented in the basis of singly excited configuration state functions. The interaction with an external laser field is treated variationally and the response of the electronic density is included to all orders in this basis. The coupling to an external environment is included via relaxation operators inducing transition between the configuration state functions. Single electron ionization is represented by irreversible transition operators from the ionizing states to an auxiliary continuum state. The method finds its efficiency in the representation of the operators in the interaction picture, where the resolution-of-identity is used to reduce the size of the Hamiltonian eigenstate basis. The zeroth-order eigenstates can be obtained either at the configuration interaction singles level or from a time-dependent density functional theory reference calculation. The latter offers an alternative to explicitly time-dependent density functional theory which has the advantage of remaining strictly valid for strong field excitations while improving the description of the correlation as compared to configuration interaction singles. The method is tested on a well-characterized toy system, the excitation of the low-lying charge transfer state in LiCN.

  16. Anomalous spreading of a density front from an infinite continuous source in a concentration-dependent lattice gas automaton diffusion model

    CERN Document Server

    Kuentz, M

    2003-01-01

    A two-dimensional lattice gas automaton (LGA) is used for simulating concentration-dependent diffusion in a microscopically random heterogeneous structure. The heterogeneous medium is initialized at a low density rho sub 0 and then submitted to a steep concentration gradient by continuous injection of particles at a concentration rho sub 1 >rho sub 0 from a one-dimensional source to model spreading of a density front. Whereas the nonlinear diffusion equation generally used to describe concentration-dependent diffusion processes predicts a scaling law of the type phi = xt sup - sup 1 sup / sup 2 in one dimension, the spreading process is shown to deviate from the expected t sup 1 sup / sup 2 scaling. The time exponent is found to be larger than 1/2, i.e. diffusion of the density front is enhanced with respect to standard Fickian diffusion. It is also established that the anomalous time exponent decreases as time elapses: anomalous spreading is thus not a timescaling process. We demonstrate that occurrence of a...

  17. Strong renormalization scheme dependence in τ-lepton decay: Fact or fiction?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chyla, J.

    1995-01-01

    The question of the renormalization scheme dependence of the τ semileptonic decay rate is examined in response to a recent criticism. Particular attention is payed to a distinction between a consistent quantitative description of this dependence and the actual selection of a subset of ''acceptable'' renormalization schemes. It is pointed out that this criticism is valid only within a particular definition of the ''strength'' of the renormalization scheme dependence and should not discourage further attempts to use the semileptonic τ decay rate for quantitative tests of perturbative QCD

  18. Simulation of the Nonlinear Dose Dependence of Stabilized Point Defects

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen, R; Pagonis, V; Lawless, J L

    2010-01-01

    The dose dependence of the concentration of point defects in alkali-halides as well as other crystals, as exhibited by the dependence of the thermoluminescence (TL), optical absorption and ESR on the dose of non-ionizing UV excitation is studied using numerical simulation. The relevant set of coupled rate equations are first written and plausible sets of trapping parameters are chosen. Instead of using simplifying assumptions previously used for reaching conclusions concerning this dose behavior, exact numerical solutions have now been reached. Depending on the parameters chosen, different dose dependencies are seen. In some cases, linear dose dependence is reached in a broad range. Sublinear dose dependence, close to a D 1/2 dependence when D is the dose of excitation can be reached when retrapping is stronger than trapping in other traps stabilizing the defects. When strong competition between stabilizing traps takes place, an initial linear range is observed followed by strong superlinearity and an approach to saturation. All these behaviors have been observed experimentally in TL measurements as well as ESR and optical absorption in different materials. Similarities and dissimilarities to linear and non-linear dose dependencies obtained experimentally and by simulations when ionizing irradiation is used for excitation are discussed.

  19. Concentration-Dependent Protection by Ethanol Extract of Propolis against γ-Ray-Induced Chromosome Damage in Human Blood Lymphocytes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. Montoro

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Radioprotection with natural products may be relevant to the mitigation of ionizing radiation-induced damage in mammalian systems; in this sense, propolis extracts have shown effects such as antioxidant, antitumoral, anti-inflammatory, and immunostimulant. We report for the first time a cytogenetic study to evaluate the radioprotective effect, in vitro, of propolis against radiation-induced chromosomal damage. Lymphocytes were cultured with increasing concentrations of ethanol extract of propolis (EEP, including 20, 40, 120, 250, 500, 750, 1000, and 2000 μg mL−1 and then exposed to 2 Gy γ-rays. A significant and concentration-dependent decrease is observed in the frequency of chromosome aberrations in samples treated with EEP. The protection against the formation of dicentrics was concentration-dependent, with a maximum protection at 120 μg mL−1 of EEP. The observed frequency of dicentrics is described as negative exponential function, indicating that the maximum protectible fraction of dicentrics is approximately 44%. Free radical scavenging and antioxidant activities are the mechanisms that these substances use to protect cells from ionizing radiation.

  20. Time-dependent irisin concentration changes in patients affected by overt hypothyroidism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zybek-Kocik, Ariadna; Sawicka-Gutaj, Nadia; Wrotkowska, Elżbieta; Sowiński, Jerzy; Ruchała, Marek

    2016-01-01

    Irisin, a cleaved and secreted part of the transmembrane protein FNDC5, is a recently discovered adipo-myokine that is said to have a significant influence on body metabolism. Changes in thyrometabolic state may also alter the serum irisin level. Since already reported data are not fully consistent, the aim of the present research is to evaluate the time-dependent changes in serum irisin level in patients affected by overt hypothyroidism. The study involved 36 subjects - two groups of 12 patients with long-lasting (AITD) and short-term (TC) overt hypothyroidism, and a control group (CG) of 12 subjects, matched for age and gender. Serum irisin level, thyrometabolic state, creatine kinase (CK - muscle damage marker), glucose, and insulin concentration were assessed and compared between groups. The irisin level was significantly lower in AITD than in TC and CG (p = 0.02; p 0.05). There was no significant difference between free triiodothyronine and free thyroxine levels in AITD and TC patients (p > 0.05). CK concentration was significantly higher in AITD than in CG patients (p 0.05) as well as TC and CG patients (p > 0.05). Additionally, the CK level negatively correlated with the irisin level (r = -0.58; p hypothyroidism have lower irisin levels that those with short-term disorder. (Endokrynol Pol 2016; 67 (5): 476-480).

  1. Concentration-dependent sedimentation properties of ferritin: implications for estimation of iron contents of serum ferritins

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Niitsu, Y.; Adachi, C.; Takahashi, F.; Goto, Y.; Kohgo, Y.; Urushizaki, I.; Listowsky, I.

    1985-01-01

    Serum ferritins from various sources sedimented at lower densities than tissue ferritins in sucrose gradient centrifugation systems. The sedimentation patterns of ferritins, however, were shown to be dependent on the concentration of the protein; as the concentration decreased the protein appeared to sediment at lower densities. Thus, at the low concentration levels usually used for analysis of serum ferritin, tissue ferritins also sedimented in the same lower density regions. Iron labeling experiments indicated that the sedimentation changes upon dilution were not due to release of iron or was there any indication that the protein dissociated into subunits. The anomalous sedimentation behavior of serum ferritin should therefore not be interpreted in terms of its iron content. The disclosure that serum ferritins may have full complements of iron is counter to the prevalent view that serum ferritins are low iron forms and has potential implications with regard to the sources and possible function of this protein in the circulation

  2. Concentration dependence of solute atoms on vacancy cluster formation in neutron irradiated Ni alloy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sato, K.; Itoh, D.; Yoshiie, T.; Xu, Q.

    2007-01-01

    Full text of publication follows: One dimensional (1-D) motion of interstitial clusters is important for the microstructural evolution in metals. The movement of interstitial clusters was often observed in neutron irradiated metals by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Alloying elements are expected to affect the motion of interstitial clusters. Yoshiie et al. have studied the effect of alloying elements in Ni. For example, in neutron irradiated pure Ni, well-developed dislocation networks and voids were observed at 573 K at a dose of 0.026 dpa by TEM. After the addition of 2at.%Si (-5.81% volume size factor to Ni) and Sn (74.08% volume size factor), no voids were detected by TEM observation and positron lifetime measurement. Alloying elements of Si and Sn were expected to prevent the 1-D motion of the interstitial clusters. In this study, the concentration dependence of alloying elements on the 1-D motion of the interstitial clusters was investigated by positron annihilation lifetime measurements, and the microstructural evolution was discussed. Specimens irradiated were 99.99 pure Ni (Johnson Matthey) and Ni based binary alloys, which contain Si, Cu, Ge and Sn as solute atoms. The concentration of solute atoms was 0.05at.%o, 0.3at.% and 2at.%. Neutron irradiation was performed with the Kyoto University Reactor (KUR) and Japan materials testing reactor (JMTR) at Japan Atomic Energy Agency. Neutron dose was 6x10 -5 -1x10 -2 dpa at KUR, and 8x10 -3 -0.3 dpa at JMTR. Irradiation temperature was 573 K at KUR and 563 K at JMTR. After the neutron irradiation, positron annihilation lifetime measurements were performed at room temperature. Microvoids were detected in pure Ni, Ni-0.05%Si, Ni-0.05%Sn, Ni-Cu and Ni-Ge alloys. In Ni-Si and Ni-Sn alloys, the size of microvoids decreased as the concentration of solute atoms increased. This is because the frequency of 1-D motion of the interstitial clusters depends on the alloy concentration. High concentration of alloying

  3. Concentration dependence of solute atoms on vacancy cluster formation in neutron irradiated Ni alloy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sato, K.; Itoh, D.; Yoshiie, T.; Xu, Q. [Kyoto Univ., Research Reactor Institute, Osaka (Japan)

    2007-07-01

    Full text of publication follows: One dimensional (1-D) motion of interstitial clusters is important for the microstructural evolution in metals. The movement of interstitial clusters was often observed in neutron irradiated metals by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Alloying elements are expected to affect the motion of interstitial clusters. Yoshiie et al. have studied the effect of alloying elements in Ni. For example, in neutron irradiated pure Ni, well-developed dislocation networks and voids were observed at 573 K at a dose of 0.026 dpa by TEM. After the addition of 2at.%Si (-5.81% volume size factor to Ni) and Sn (74.08% volume size factor), no voids were detected by TEM observation and positron lifetime measurement. Alloying elements of Si and Sn were expected to prevent the 1-D motion of the interstitial clusters. In this study, the concentration dependence of alloying elements on the 1-D motion of the interstitial clusters was investigated by positron annihilation lifetime measurements, and the microstructural evolution was discussed. Specimens irradiated were 99.99 pure Ni (Johnson Matthey) and Ni based binary alloys, which contain Si, Cu, Ge and Sn as solute atoms. The concentration of solute atoms was 0.05at.%o, 0.3at.% and 2at.%. Neutron irradiation was performed with the Kyoto University Reactor (KUR) and Japan materials testing reactor (JMTR) at Japan Atomic Energy Agency. Neutron dose was 6x10{sup -5}-1x10{sup -2} dpa at KUR, and 8x10{sup -3} -0.3 dpa at JMTR. Irradiation temperature was 573 K at KUR and 563 K at JMTR. After the neutron irradiation, positron annihilation lifetime measurements were performed at room temperature. Microvoids were detected in pure Ni, Ni-0.05%Si, Ni-0.05%Sn, Ni-Cu and Ni-Ge alloys. In Ni-Si and Ni-Sn alloys, the size of microvoids decreased as the concentration of solute atoms increased. This is because the frequency of 1-D motion of the interstitial clusters depends on the alloy concentration. High

  4. Optical spectral weight anomalies and strong correlation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Toschi, A.; Capone, M.; Ortolani, M.; Calvani, P.; Lupi, S.; Castellani, C.

    2007-01-01

    The anomalous behavior observed in the optical spectral weight (W) of the cuprates provides valuable information about the physics of these compounds. Both the doping and the temperature dependences of W are hardly explained through conventional estimates based on the f-sum rule. By computing the optical conductivity of the doped Hubbard model with the Dynamical Mean Field Theory, we point out that the strong correlation plays a key role in determining the basic features of the observed anomalies: the proximity to a Mott insulating phase accounts simultaneously for the strong temperature dependence of W and for its zero temperature value

  5. Inhibitory Effects of Cytosolic Ca2+ Concentration by Ginsenoside Ro Are Dependent on Phosphorylation of IP3RI and Dephosphorylation of ERK in Human Platelets

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hyuk-Woo Kwon

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Intracellular Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i is platelet aggregation-inducing molecule and is involved in activation of aggregation associated molecules. This study was carried out to understand the Ca2+-antagonistic effect of ginsenoside Ro (G-Ro, an oleanane-type saponin in Panax ginseng. G-Ro, without affecting leakage of lactate dehydrogenase, dose-dependently inhibited thrombin-induced platelet aggregation, and the half maximal inhibitory concentration was approximately 155 μM. G-Ro inhibited strongly thrombin-elevated [Ca2+]i, which was strongly increased by A-kinase inhibitor Rp-8-Br-cAMPS compared to G-kinase inhibitor Rp-8-Br-cGMPS. G-Ro increased the level of cAMP and subsequently elevated the phosphorylation of inositol 1, 4, 5-triphosphate receptor I (IP3RI (Ser1756 to inhibit [Ca2+]i mobilization in thrombin-induced platelet aggregation. Phosphorylation of IP3RI (Ser1756 by G-Ro was decreased by PKA inhibitor Rp-8-Br-cAMPS. In addition, G-Ro inhibited thrombin-induced phosphorylation of ERK 2 (42 kDa, indicating inhibition of Ca2+ influx across plasma membrane. We demonstrate that G-Ro upregulates cAMP-dependent IP3RI (Ser1756 phosphorylation and downregulates phosphorylation of ERK 2 (42 kDa to decrease thrombin-elevated [Ca2+]i, which contributes to inhibition of ATP and serotonin release, and p-selectin expression. These results indicate that G-Ro in Panax ginseng is a beneficial novel Ca2+-antagonistic compound and may prevent platelet aggregation-mediated thrombotic disease.

  6. Dependence of electrical resistance in nonstoichiometric titanium carbide TiCy on carbon vacancy concentration and distribution

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lipatnikov, V.N.; Gusev, A.I.

    1999-01-01

    Electric conductivity in nonstoichiometric titanium carbide TiC y (0.5 ≤ y ≤ 0.98) is studied depending on concentration and distribution of carbon sublattice vacancies as well as on temperature. It is established that in TiC y at y y on the one hand and by the atom-vacancy interaction on the other hand [ru

  7. A Novel Reconfigurable Logic Unit Based on the DNA-Templated Potassium-Concentration-Dependent Supramolecular Assembly.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Chunrong; Zou, Dan; Chen, Jianchi; Zhang, Linyan; Miao, Jiarong; Huang, Dan; Du, Yuanyuan; Yang, Shu; Yang, Qianfan; Tang, Yalin

    2018-03-15

    Plenty of molecular circuits with specific functions have been developed; however, logic units with reconfigurability, which could simplify the circuits and speed up the information process, are rarely reported. In this work, we designed a novel reconfigurable logic unit based on a DNA-templated, potassium-concentration-dependent, supramolecular assembly, which could respond to the input stimuli of H + and K + . By inputting different concentrations of K + , the logic unit could implement three significant functions, including a half adder, a half subtractor, and a 2-to-4 decoder. Considering its reconfigurable ability and good performance, the novel prototypes developed here may serve as a promising proof of principle in molecular computers. © 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  8. Lateral dimension-dependent antibacterial activity of graphene oxide sheets.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Shaobin; Hu, Ming; Zeng, Tingying Helen; Wu, Ran; Jiang, Rongrong; Wei, Jun; Wang, Liang; Kong, Jing; Chen, Yuan

    2012-08-21

    Graphene oxide (GO) is a promising precursor to produce graphene-family nanomaterials for various applications. Their potential health and environmental impacts need a good understanding of their cellular interactions. Many factors may influence their biological interactions with cells, and the lateral dimension of GO sheets is one of the most relevant material properties. In this study, a model bacterium, Escherichia coli ( E. coli ), was used to evaluate the antibacterial activity of well-dispersed GO sheets, whose lateral size differs by more than 100 times. Our results show that the antibacterial activity of GO sheets toward E. coli cells is lateral size dependent. Larger GO sheets show stronger antibacterial activity than do smaller ones, and they have different time- and concentration-dependent antibacterial activities. Large GO sheets lead to most cell loss after 1 h incubation, and their concentration strongly influences antibacterial activity at relative low concentration (oxidation capacity toward glutathione is similar, consistent with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and ultraviolet-visible absorption spectroscopy results. This suggests the lateral size-dependent antibacterial activity of GO sheets is caused by neither their aggregation states, nor oxidation capacity. Atomic force microscope analysis of GO sheets and cells shows that GO sheets interact strongly with cells. Large GO sheets more easily cover cells, and cells cannot proliferate once fully covered, resulting in the cell viability loss observed in the followed colony counting test. In contrast, small GO sheets adhere to the bacterial surfaces, which cannot effectively isolate cells from environment. This study highlights the importance of tailoring the lateral dimension of GO sheets to optimize the application potential with minimal risks for environmental health and safety.

  9. Strong-field dissociation dynamics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    DiMauro, L.F.; Yang, Baorui.

    1993-01-01

    The strong-field dissociation behavior of diatomic molecules is examined under two distinctive physical scenarios. In the first scenario, the dissociation of the isolated hydrogen and deuterium molecular ions is discussed. The dynamics of above-threshold dissociation (ATD) are investigated over a wide range of green and infrared intensities and compared to a dressed-state model. The second situation arises when strong-field neutral dissociation is followed by ionization of the atomic fragments. The study results in a direct measure of the atomic fragment's ac-Stark shift by observing the intensity-dependent shifts in the electron or nuclear fragment kinetic energy. 8 figs., 14 refs

  10. Electron-induced desorption of europium atoms from oxidized tungsten surface: concentration dependence of low-energy peak

    CERN Document Server

    Davydov, S Y

    2002-01-01

    One discusses nature of electron induced desorption of Eu sup 0 europium atoms under E sub e irradiating electron low-energies (approx 30 eV) and peculiarities of yield dependence of Eu sup 0 atoms on their concentration at oxidized tungsten surface. Primary act of vacancy origination in europium adatom inner 5p-shell turned to be the determining stage. Evaluations have shown that just the first of two possible scenarios of ionization (electron intra-atomic to Eu adatom external quasi-level or realise of knocked out electron into vacuum) leads to Eu sup 0 desorption. One determined concentration threshold for yield of Eu sup 0 atoms

  11. Concentration-dependent behaviors of bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells and infectious bacteria toward magnesium oxide nanoparticles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wetteland, Cheyann Lee; Nguyen, Nhu-Y Thi; Liu, Huinan

    2016-04-15

    This article reports the quantitative relationship between the concentration of magnesium oxide (MgO) nanoparticles and its distinct biological activities towards mammalian cells and infectious bacteria for the first time. The effects of MgO nanoparticles on the viability of bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) and infectious bacteria (both gram-negative Escherichia coli and gram-positive Staphylococcus epidermidis) showed a concentration-dependent behavior in vitro. The critical concentrations of MgO nanoparticles identified in this study provided valuable guidelines for biomaterial design toward potential clinical translation. BMSCs density increased significantly when cultured in 200μg/mL of MgO in comparison to the Cells Only control without MgO. The density of BMSCs decreased significantly after culture in the media with 500μg/mL or more of MgO. Concentrations at or above 1000μg/mL of MgO resulted in complete BMSCs death. Quantification of colony forming units (CFU) revealed that the minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of MgO for E. coli and S. epidermidis was 1200μg/mL. The addition of MgO nanoparticles into the cultures increased the pH and Mg(2+) ion concentration in the respective culture media, which might have played a role in the observed cell responses but not the main factors. E. coli and S. epidermidis still proliferated significantly at alkaline pH up to 10 or with supplemental Mg(2+) dosages up to 50mM, indicating bactericidal properties of MgO are beyond the effects of increased media pH and Mg(2+) ion concentrations. MgO nanoparticles at a concentration of 200μg/mL provided dual benefits of promoting BMSC proliferation while reducing bacterial adhesion, which should be further studied for potential medical implant applications. The use of free MgO nanoparticles yielded detrimental effects to BMSCs in concentrations above 300μg/mL. We recommend further study into MgO nanoparticle as a coating material or as a part of a

  12. Alpha-amylase inhibitor, CS-1036 binds to serum amylase in a concentration-dependent and saturable manner.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Honda, Tomohiro; Kaneno-Urasaki, Yoko; Ito, Takashi; Kimura, Takako; Matsushima, Nobuko; Okabe, Hiromi; Yamasaki, Atsushi; Izumi, Takashi

    2014-03-01

    (2R,3R,4R)-4-hydroxy-2-(hydroxymethyl)pyrrolidin-3-yl 4-O-(6-deoxy-β-D-glucopyranosyl)-α-D-glucopyranoside (CS-1036), which is an α-amylase inhibitor, exhibited biphasic and sustained elimination with a long t1/2 (18.4-30.0 hours) in rats and monkeys, but exhibited a short t1/2 (3.7-7.9 hours) in humans. To clarify the species differences in the t1/2, the plasma protein binding of CS-1036 was evaluated by ultrafiltration. A concentration-dependent and saturable plasma protein binding of CS-1036 was observed in rats and monkeys with the dissociation rate constant (KD) of 8.95 and 27.2 nM, and maximal binding capacity (Bmax) of 52.8 and 22.1 nM, respectively. By the assessments of the recombinant amylase and immunoprecipitation, the major binding protein of CS-1036 in rats was identified as salivary amylase (KD 5.64 nM). CS-1036 also showed concentration-dependent and saturable binding to human salivary and pancreatic amylase, with similar binding affinity in rats. However, the protein binding of CS-1036 was constant in human plasma (≤10.2%) due to the lower serum amylase level compared with rats and monkeys. From the calculation of the unbound fraction (fu) in plasma based on in vitro KD and Bmax, the dose-dependent increase in fu after oral administration is speculated to lead to a dose-dependent increase in total body clearance and a high area under the curve/dose at lower doses, such as 0.3 mg/kg in rats.

  13. Investigation of Stress Concentration and Casing Strength Degradation Caused by Corrosion Pits

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wei Yan

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Downhole casing and tubing are subjected to corrosion in many cases because of the exposure to corrosive environment. A more serious problem is that pitting corrosion occurs in the casing inner surface. Meanwhile, downhole strings are subjected to various forms of mechanical loads, for example, internal pressure load, external collapse load, or both. These loads acting on the corrosion pits will cause stress concentration and degrade the casing strength. Thus, it is essential to evaluate the stress concentration degree reasonably. The SCF (stress concentration factor is usually used to characterize the degree of stress concentration induced by corrosion pits. This paper presented a comparison on the SCFs regarding the analytical method for a single pit and experimental method for double pits. The results show that the SCF of a single pit depends mainly on the depth of the corrosion pit; however, the SCF of the double pits strongly depends on the pits distance. A correction factor of 1.3 was recommended in the double pits SCF prediction model.

  14. Concentration-dependent activation of dopamine receptors differentially modulates GABA release onto orexin neurons.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Linehan, Victoria; Trask, Robert B; Briggs, Chantalle; Rowe, Todd M; Hirasawa, Michiru

    2015-08-01

    Dopamine (DA) and orexin neurons play important roles in reward and food intake. There are anatomical and functional connections between these two cell groups: orexin peptides stimulate DA neurons in the ventral tegmental area and DA inhibits orexin neurons in the hypothalamus. However, the cellular mechanisms underlying the action of DA on orexin neurons remain incompletely understood. Therefore, the effect of DA on inhibitory transmission to orexin neurons was investigated in rat brain slices using the whole-cell patch-clamp technique. We found that DA modulated the frequency of spontaneous and miniature IPSCs (mIPSCs) in a concentration-dependent bidirectional manner. Low (1 μM) and high (100 μM) concentrations of DA decreased and increased IPSC frequency, respectively. These effects did not accompany a change in mIPSC amplitude and persisted in the presence of G-protein signaling inhibitor GDPβS in the pipette, suggesting that DA acts presynaptically. The decrease in mIPSC frequency was mediated by D2 receptors whereas the increase required co-activation of D1 and D2 receptors and subsequent activation of phospholipase C. In summary, our results suggest that DA has complex effects on GABAergic transmission to orexin neurons, involving cooperation of multiple receptor subtypes. The direction of dopaminergic influence on orexin neurons is dependent on the level of DA in the hypothalamus. At low levels DA disinhibits orexin neurons whereas at high levels it facilitates GABA release, which may act as negative feedback to curb the excitatory orexinergic output to DA neurons. These mechanisms may have implications for consummatory and motivated behaviours. © 2015 Federation of European Neuroscience Societies and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  15. Effect of Strong Acid Functional Groups on Electrode Rise Potential in Capacitive Mixing by Double Layer Expansion

    KAUST Repository

    Hatzell, Marta C.

    2014-12-02

    © 2014 American Chemical Society. The amount of salinity-gradient energy that can be obtained through capacitive mixing based on double layer expansion depends on the extent the electric double layer (EDL) is altered in a low salt concentration (LC) electrolyte (e.g., river water). We show that the electrode-rise potential, which is a measure of the EDL perturbation process, was significantly (P = 10-5) correlated to the concentration of strong acid surface functional groups using five types of activated carbon. Electrodes with the lowest concentration of strong acids (0.05 mmol g-1) had a positive rise potential of 59 ± 4 mV in the LC solution, whereas the carbon with the highest concentration (0.36 mmol g-1) had a negative rise potential (-31 ± 5 mV). Chemical oxidation of a carbon (YP50) using nitric acid decreased the electrode rise potential from 46 ± 2 mV (unaltered) to -6 ± 0.5 mV (oxidized), producing a whole cell potential (53 ± 1.7 mV) that was 4.4 times larger than that obtained with identical electrode materials (from 12 ± 1 mV). Changes in the EDL were linked to the behavior of specific ions in a LC solution using molecular dynamics and metadynamics simulations. The EDL expanded in the LC solution when a carbon surface (pristine graphene) lacked strong acid functional groups, producing a positive-rise potential at the electrode. In contrast, the EDL was compressed for an oxidized surface (graphene oxide), producing a negative-rise electrode potential. These results established the linkage between rise potentials and specific surface functional groups (strong acids) and demonstrated on a molecular scale changes in the EDL using oxidized or pristine carbons.

  16. Effect of Strong Acid Functional Groups on Electrode Rise Potential in Capacitive Mixing by Double Layer Expansion

    KAUST Repository

    Hatzell, Marta C.; Raju, Muralikrishna; Watson, Valerie J.; Stack, Andrew G.; van Duin, Adri C. T.; Logan, Bruce E.

    2014-01-01

    © 2014 American Chemical Society. The amount of salinity-gradient energy that can be obtained through capacitive mixing based on double layer expansion depends on the extent the electric double layer (EDL) is altered in a low salt concentration (LC) electrolyte (e.g., river water). We show that the electrode-rise potential, which is a measure of the EDL perturbation process, was significantly (P = 10-5) correlated to the concentration of strong acid surface functional groups using five types of activated carbon. Electrodes with the lowest concentration of strong acids (0.05 mmol g-1) had a positive rise potential of 59 ± 4 mV in the LC solution, whereas the carbon with the highest concentration (0.36 mmol g-1) had a negative rise potential (-31 ± 5 mV). Chemical oxidation of a carbon (YP50) using nitric acid decreased the electrode rise potential from 46 ± 2 mV (unaltered) to -6 ± 0.5 mV (oxidized), producing a whole cell potential (53 ± 1.7 mV) that was 4.4 times larger than that obtained with identical electrode materials (from 12 ± 1 mV). Changes in the EDL were linked to the behavior of specific ions in a LC solution using molecular dynamics and metadynamics simulations. The EDL expanded in the LC solution when a carbon surface (pristine graphene) lacked strong acid functional groups, producing a positive-rise potential at the electrode. In contrast, the EDL was compressed for an oxidized surface (graphene oxide), producing a negative-rise electrode potential. These results established the linkage between rise potentials and specific surface functional groups (strong acids) and demonstrated on a molecular scale changes in the EDL using oxidized or pristine carbons.

  17. Calculating hadronic properties in strong QCD

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pennington, M.R.

    1996-01-01

    This talk gives a brief review of the progress that has been made in calculating the properties of hadrons in strong QCD. In keeping with this meeting I will concentrate on those properties that can be studied with electromagnetic probes. Though perturbative QCD is highly successful, it only applies in a limited kinematic regime, where hard scattering occur, and the quarks move in the interaction region as if they are free, pointlike objects. However, the bulk of strong interactions are governed by the long distance regime, where the strong interaction is strong. It is this regime of length scales of the order of a Fermi, that determines the spectrum of light hadrons and their properties. The calculation of these properties requires an understanding of non-perturbative QCD, of confinement and chiral symmetry breaking. (author)

  18. Nonlinear charge reduction effect in strongly coupled plasmas

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sarmah, D; Tessarotto, M; Salimullah, M

    2006-01-01

    The charge reduction effect, produced by the nonlinear Debye screening of high-Z charges occurring in strongly coupled plasmas, is investigated. An analytic asymptotic expression is obtained for the charge reduction factor (f c ) which determines the Debye-Hueckel potential generated by a charged test particle. Its relevant parametric dependencies are analysed and shown to predict a strong charge reduction effect in strongly coupled plasmas

  19. The dependence of magnetic ordering temperature in amorphous semiconductors on paramagnetic centre concentration

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Khokhlov, A.F.; Mashin, A.I.; Satanin, A.M.

    1981-01-01

    In silicon amorphized by ion implantation (a-Si) the dependence of magnetic ordering temperature (theta) on localized spin concentration (Nsub(s)) is studied by EPR method. Nsub(s) changes by varying the Ne + ion dose from 6x10 14 to 2x10 17 cm -2 and sample annealing. From the comparison of the data obtained with literature ones conclusions are made about the existence of two critical values of Nsub(s) in a-Si (approximately 10 19 and approximately 2x10 20 cm -3 ), when a transition occurs from paramagnetism to antiferromagnetism (at T < theta) and from antiferromagnetism to ferromagnetism, respectively. (author)

  20. Calculation of the structural properties of a strange quark star in the presence of a strong magnetic field using a density dependent bag constant

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Gholam Hossein Bordbar; Hajar Bahri; Fatemeh Kayanikhoo

    2012-01-01

    We have calculated the structural properties of a strange quark star with a static model in the presence of a strong magnetic field.To this end,we use the MITbag model with a density dependent bag constant.To parameterize the density dependence of the bag constant,we have used our results for the lowest order constrained variational calculation of the asymmetric nuclear matter.By calculating the equation of state of strange quark matter,we have shown that the pressure of this system increases by increasing both density and magnetic field.Finally,we have investigated the effect of density dependence of the bag constant on the structural properties of a strange quark star.

  1. Cell density dependence of Microcystis aeruginosa responses to copper algaecide concentrations: Implications for microcystin-LR release.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kinley, Ciera M; Iwinski, Kyla J; Hendrikse, Maas; Geer, Tyler D; Rodgers, John H

    2017-11-01

    Along with mechanistic models, predictions of exposure-response relationships for copper are often derived from laboratory toxicity experiments with standardized experimental exposures and conditions. For predictions of copper toxicity to algae, cell density is a critical factor often overlooked. For pulse exposures of copper-based algaecides in aquatic systems, cell density can significantly influence copper sorbed by the algal population, and consequent responses. A cyanobacterium, Microcystis aeruginosa, was exposed to a copper-based algaecide over a range of cell densities to model the density-dependence of exposures, and effects on microcystin-LR (MC-LR) release. Copper exposure concentrations were arrayed to result in a gradient of MC-LR release, and masses of copper sorbed to algal populations were measured following exposures. While copper exposure concentrations eliciting comparable MC-LR release ranged an order of magnitude (24-h EC50s 0.03-0.3mg Cu/L) among cell densities of 10 6 through 10 7 cells/mL, copper doses (mg Cu/mg algae) were similar (24-h EC50s 0.005-0.006mg Cu/mg algae). Comparisons of MC-LR release as a function of copper exposure concentrations and doses provided a metric of the density dependence of algal responses in the context of copper-based algaecide applications. Combined with estimates of other site-specific factors (e.g. water characteristics) and fate processes (e.g. dilution and dispersion, sorption to organic matter and sediments), measuring exposure-response relationships for specific cell densities can refine predictions for in situ exposures and algal responses. These measurements can in turn decrease the likelihood of amending unnecessary copper concentrations to aquatic systems, and minimize risks for non-target aquatic organisms. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  2. DASH-FP, Multicomponent Time-Dependent Concentration Diffusion

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Apperson, C.E. Jr.; Carruthers, L.M.; Shinn, J.F.; Lee, C.E.

    1995-01-01

    1 - Description of program or function: The program DASH-FP calculates the transient concentration of multiple diffusing species with radioactive decay. 2 - Method of solution: Uses finite difference and exponential operator techniques

  3. Temperature dependence of 1H NMR chemical shifts and its influence on estimated metabolite concentrations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wermter, Felizitas C; Mitschke, Nico; Bock, Christian; Dreher, Wolfgang

    2017-12-01

    Temperature dependent chemical shifts of important brain metabolites measured by localised 1 H MRS were investigated to test how the use of incorrect prior knowledge on chemical shifts impairs the quantification of metabolite concentrations. Phantom measurements on solutions containing 11 metabolites were performed on a 7 T scanner between 1 and 43 °C. The temperature dependence of the chemical shift differences was fitted by a linear model. Spectra were simulated for different temperatures and analysed by the AQSES program (jMRUI 5.2) using model functions with chemical shift values for 37 °C. Large differences in the temperature dependence of the chemical shift differences were determined with a maximum slope of about ±7.5 × 10 -4  ppm/K. For 32-40 °C, only minor quantification errors resulted from using incorrect chemical shifts, with the exception of Cr and PCr. For 1-10 °C considerable quantification errors occurred if the temperature dependence of the chemical shifts was neglected. If 1 H MRS measurements are not performed at 37 °C, for which the published chemical shift values have been determined, the temperature dependence of chemical shifts should be considered to avoid systematic quantification errors, particularly for measurements on animal models at lower temperatures.

  4. Dynamics from seconds to hours in Hodgkin-Huxley model with time-dependent ion concentrations and buffer reservoirs.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Niklas Hübel

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available The classical Hodgkin-Huxley (HH model neglects the time-dependence of ion concentrations in spiking dynamics. The dynamics is therefore limited to a time scale of milliseconds, which is determined by the membrane capacitance multiplied by the resistance of the ion channels, and by the gating time constants. We study slow dynamics in an extended HH framework that includes time-dependent ion concentrations, pumps, and buffers. Fluxes across the neuronal membrane change intra- and extracellular ion concentrations, whereby the latter can also change through contact to reservoirs in the surroundings. Ion gain and loss of the system is identified as a bifurcation parameter whose essential importance was not realized in earlier studies. Our systematic study of the bifurcation structure and thus the phase space structure helps to understand activation and inhibition of a new excitability in ion homeostasis which emerges in such extended models. Also modulatory mechanisms that regulate the spiking rate can be explained by bifurcations. The dynamics on three distinct slow times scales is determined by the cell volume-to-surface-area ratio and the membrane permeability (seconds, the buffer time constants (tens of seconds, and the slower backward buffering (minutes to hours. The modulatory dynamics and the newly emerging excitable dynamics corresponds to pathological conditions observed in epileptiform burst activity, and spreading depression in migraine aura and stroke, respectively.

  5. Dynamics from seconds to hours in Hodgkin-Huxley model with time-dependent ion concentrations and buffer reservoirs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hübel, Niklas; Dahlem, Markus A

    2014-12-01

    The classical Hodgkin-Huxley (HH) model neglects the time-dependence of ion concentrations in spiking dynamics. The dynamics is therefore limited to a time scale of milliseconds, which is determined by the membrane capacitance multiplied by the resistance of the ion channels, and by the gating time constants. We study slow dynamics in an extended HH framework that includes time-dependent ion concentrations, pumps, and buffers. Fluxes across the neuronal membrane change intra- and extracellular ion concentrations, whereby the latter can also change through contact to reservoirs in the surroundings. Ion gain and loss of the system is identified as a bifurcation parameter whose essential importance was not realized in earlier studies. Our systematic study of the bifurcation structure and thus the phase space structure helps to understand activation and inhibition of a new excitability in ion homeostasis which emerges in such extended models. Also modulatory mechanisms that regulate the spiking rate can be explained by bifurcations. The dynamics on three distinct slow times scales is determined by the cell volume-to-surface-area ratio and the membrane permeability (seconds), the buffer time constants (tens of seconds), and the slower backward buffering (minutes to hours). The modulatory dynamics and the newly emerging excitable dynamics corresponds to pathological conditions observed in epileptiform burst activity, and spreading depression in migraine aura and stroke, respectively.

  6. Predicting dissolved lignin phenol concentrations in the coastal ocean from chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM absorption coefficients

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cédric G. Fichot

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available Dissolved lignin is a well-established biomarker of terrigenous dissolved organic matter (DOM in the ocean, and a chromophoric component of DOM. Although evidence suggests there is a strong linkage between lignin concentrations and chromophoric DOM (CDOM absorption coefficients in coastal waters, the characteristics of this linkage and the existence of a relationship that is applicable across coastal oceans remain unclear. Here, 421 paired measurements of dissolved lignin concentrations (sum of 9 lignin phenols and CDOM absorption coefficients (ag(λ were used to examine their relationship along the river-ocean continuum (0-37 salinity and across contrasting coastal oceans (sub-tropical, temperate, high-latitude. Overall, lignin concentrations spanned four orders of magnitude and revealed a strong, non-linear relationship with ag(λ. The characteristics of the relationship (shape, wavelength dependency, lignin-composition dependency and evidence from degradation indicators were all consistent with lignin being an important driver of CDOM variability in coastal oceans, and suggested physical mixing and long-term photodegradation were important in shaping the relationship. These observations were used to develop two simple empirical models for estimating lignin concentrations from ag(λ with a +/- 20% error relative to measured values. The models are expected to be applicable in most coastal oceans influenced by terrigenous inputs.

  7. A concentration-independent micro/nanofluidic active diode using an asymmetric ion concentration polarization layer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Hyekyung; Kim, Junsuk; Kim, Hyeonsoo; Kim, Ho-Young; Lee, Hyomin; Kim, Sung Jae

    2017-08-24

    Over the past decade, nanofluidic diodes that rectify ionic currents (i.e. greater current in one direction than in the opposite direction) have drawn significant attention in biomolecular sensing, switching and energy harvesting devices. To obtain current rectification, conventional nanofluidic diodes have utilized complex nanoscale asymmetry such as nanochannel geometry, surface charge density, and reservoir concentration. Avoiding the use of sophisticated nano-asymmetry, micro/nanofluidic diodes using microscale asymmetry have been recently introduced; however, their diodic performance is still impeded by (i) low (even absent) rectification effects at physiological concentrations over 100 mM and strong dependency on the bulk concentration, and (ii) the fact that they possess only passive predefined rectification factors. Here, we demonstrated a new class of micro/nanofluidic diode with an ideal perm-selective nanoporous membrane based on ion concentration polarization (ICP) phenomenon. Thin side-microchannels installed near a nanojunction served as mitigators of the amplified electrokinetic flows generated by ICP and induced convective salt transfer to the nanoporous membrane, leading to actively controlled micro-scale asymmetry. Using this device, current rectifications were successfully demonstrated in a wide range of electrolytic concentrations (10 -5 M to 3 M) as a function of the fluidic resistance of the side-microchannels. Noteworthily, it was confirmed that the rectification factors were independent from the bulk concentration due to the ideal perm-selectivity. Moreover, the rectification of the presenting diode was actively controlled by adjusting the external convective flows, while that of the previous diode was passively determined by invariant nanoscale asymmetry.

  8. Effect of Sulfide Concentration on Copper Corrosion in Anoxic Chloride-Containing Solutions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kong, Decheng; Dong, Chaofang; Xu, Aoni; Man, Cheng; He, Chang; Li, Xiaogang

    2017-04-01

    The structure and property of passive film on copper are strongly dependent on the sulfide concentration; based on this, a series of electrochemical methods were applied to investigate the effect of sulfide concentration on copper corrosion in anaerobic chloride-containing solutions. The cyclic voltammetry and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis demonstrated that the corrosion products formed on copper in anaerobic sulfide solutions comprise Cu2S and CuS. And the corrosion resistance of copper decreased with increasing sulfide concentration and faster sulfide addition, owing to the various structures of the passive films observed by the atomic force microscope and scanning electron microscope. A p-type semiconductor character was obtained under all experimental conditions, and the defect concentration, which had a magnitude of 1022-1023 cm-3, increased with increasing sulfide concentration, resulting in a higher rate of both film growth and dissolution.

  9. Lithium concentration dependence of implanted helium retention in lithium silicates

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Szocs, D.E., E-mail: szocsd@rmki.kfki.h [KFKI Research Institute for Particle and Nuclear Physics, H-1525 Budapest, P.O. Box 49 (Hungary); Szilagyi, E.; Bogdan, Cs.; Kotai, E. [KFKI Research Institute for Particle and Nuclear Physics, H-1525 Budapest, P.O. Box 49 (Hungary); Horvath, Z.E. [Research Institute for Technical Physics and Materials Science, H-1525 Budapest, P.O. Box 49 (Hungary)

    2010-06-15

    Helium ions of 500 keV were implanted with a fluence of 1.4 x 10{sup 17} ion/cm{sup 2} into various lithium silicates to investigate whether a threshold level of helium retention exists in Li-containing silicate ceramics similar to that found in SiO{sub x} in previous work. The composition and phases of the as prepared lithium silicates were determined by proton backscattering spectrometry (p-BS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) methods with an average error of {+-}10%. Electrostatic charging of the samples was successfully eliminated by wrapping the samples in Al foil. The amounts of the retained helium within the samples were determined by subtracting the non-implanted spectra from the implanted ones. The experimental results show a threshold in helium retention depending on the Li concentration. Under 20 at.% all He is able to escape from the material; at around 30 at.% nearly half of the He, while over 65 at.% all implanted He is retained. With compositions expressed in SiO{sub 2} volume percentages, a trend similar to those reported of SiO{sub x} previously is found.

  10. Strong diameter-dependence of nanowire emission coupled to waveguide modes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dam, Dick van, E-mail: a.d.v.dam@tue.nl; Haverkort, Jos E. M. [Department of Applied Physics, Eindhoven University of Technology, P.O. Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven (Netherlands); Abujetas, Diego R.; Sánchez-Gil, José A. [Instituto de Estructura de la Materia (IEM-CSIC), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas Serrano, 121, 28006 Madrid (Spain); Bakkers, Erik P. A. M. [Department of Applied Physics, Eindhoven University of Technology, P.O. Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven (Netherlands); Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, Delft University of Technology, Lorentzweg 1, 2628 CJ Delft (Netherlands); Gómez Rivas, Jaime, E-mail: j.gomezrivas@differ.nl [Department of Applied Physics, Eindhoven University of Technology, P.O. Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven (Netherlands); Dutch Institute for Fundamental Energy Research DIFFER, P.O. Box 6336, 5600 HH Eindhoven (Netherlands)

    2016-03-21

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

  11. Renormalisation of Nonequilibrium Phonons Under Strong Perturbative Influences.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mehta, Sushrut Madhukar

    Effects of strong perturbative influences, namely the presence of a narrow distribution of acoustic phonons, and the presence of an electron plasma, on the dynamics of nonequilibrium, near zone center, longitudinal optical phonons in GaP have been investigated in two separate experiments. The study of the effects of the interaction between the LO phonons and a heavily populated, narrow distribution of acoustic phonons lead to the observation of a new optically driven nonequilibrium phonon state. Time Resolved Coherent Antistokes Raman Scattering (TR-CARS), with picosecond resolution, was used to investigate the new mode. In order to achieve high occupation numbers in the acoustic branch, the picosecond laser pulses used were amplified up to 1.0 GW/cm^2 peak power per laser beam. An important characteristic property of the new state which differentiates it from the well known LO phonon state is the fact that rather than having the single decay rate observed under thermal equilibrium, the new state has two decay rates. Moreover, these two decay rates depend strongly on the distribution of the acoustic phonon occupation number. The coupling of the LO phonons with an electron plasma, on the other hand, was investigated by measurements of the shape of the Raman scattered line associated with the phonon-plasmon coupled mode. The plasma was generated by thermal excitation of carriers in doped samples. It was possible to study a large variety of plasma excitations by controlling the concentration of the dopant and the ambient temperature. A complete, self consistant model based on standard dielectric response theory is presented, and applied to the measurements of the phonon-plasmon coupled mode. It is possible to recover, via this model, the effective coupled mode damping rate, the plasma damping rate, and the plasma frequency as functions of ambient temperature, or the carrier concentration.

  12. Bombarding energy dependence of nucleon exchange and energy dissipation in the strongly damped reaction 209Bi + 136Xe

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wilcke, W.W.; Schroeder, W.U.; Huizenga, J.R.; Birkelund, J.R.; Randrup, J.

    1980-01-01

    Although considerable progress has been achieved in the understanding of strongly damped reactions at energies several MeV/u above the Coulomb barrier, some important experimental results are not yet clearly understood. Among these is the degree of correlation between the nucleon exchange and the large energy losses observed. Experimental evidence suggesting nucleon exchange as described by a one-body model to be the major component of the dissipation mechanism is discussed. It is concluded that the previously unexplained bombarding energy dependence between energy loss and fragment charge dispersion can be understood on the basis of a nucleon exchange model, provided the Pauli exclusion principle is taken into account. No necessity is seen to invoke further energy dissipation mechanisms. 7 figures

  13. EPR study of concentration dependence in Ce, Ce : La and Ce:Y doped SrF2

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Dankert, O.; Vainchtein, David; Datema, H.C.; den Hartog, Hendrik

    1995-01-01

    Experimental results of an EPR-study of the concentration dependence of the doubly integrated intensity and linewidth of the signals associated with tetragonal Ce3+-F--dipoles in Sr1-xCexF2+x, Sr-1-0.005-x Ce0.005LaxF2+0.005+x and Sr-1-0.005-x Ce0.005YxF2+0.005+x are presented. Both show a nonlinear

  14. Inverse size scaling of the nucleolus by a concentration-dependent phase transition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weber, Stephanie C; Brangwynne, Clifford P

    2015-03-02

    Just as organ size typically increases with body size, the size of intracellular structures changes as cells grow and divide. Indeed, many organelles, such as the nucleus [1, 2], mitochondria [3], mitotic spindle [4, 5], and centrosome [6], exhibit size scaling, a phenomenon in which organelle size depends linearly on cell size. However, the mechanisms of organelle size scaling remain unclear. Here, we show that the size of the nucleolus, a membraneless organelle important for cell-size homeostasis [7], is coupled to cell size by an intracellular phase transition. We find that nucleolar size directly scales with cell size in early C. elegans embryos. Surprisingly, however, when embryo size is altered, we observe inverse scaling: nucleolar size increases in small cells and decreases in large cells. We demonstrate that this seemingly contradictory result arises from maternal loading of a fixed number rather than a fixed concentration of nucleolar components, which condense into nucleoli only above a threshold concentration. Our results suggest that the physics of phase transitions can dictate whether an organelle assembles, and, if so, its size, providing a mechanistic link between organelle assembly and cell size. Since the nucleolus is known to play a key role in cell growth, this biophysical readout of cell size could provide a novel feedback mechanism for growth control. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Dose-dependent ATP depletion and cancer cell death following calcium electroporation, relative effect of calcium concentration and electric field strength

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hansen, Emilie Louise; Sozer, Esin Bengisu; Romeo, Stefania

    2015-01-01

    death and could be a novel cancer treatment. This study aims at understanding the relationship between applied electric field, calcium concentration, ATP depletion and efficacy. METHODS: In three human cell lines--H69 (small-cell lung cancer), SW780 (bladder cancer), and U937 (leukaemia), viability...... was observed with fluorescence confocal microscopy of quinacrine-labelled U937 cells. RESULTS: Both H69 and SW780 cells showed dose-dependent (calcium concentration and electric field) decrease in intracellular ATP (p...-dependently reduced cell survival and intracellular ATP. Increasing extracellular calcium allows the use of a lower electric field. GENERAL SIGNIFICANCE: This study supports the use of calcium electroporation for treatment of cancer and possibly lowering the applied electric field in future trials....

  16. Factors affecting the concentration of outdoor particles indoors: Existing data and data needs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McKone, T.E.; Thatcher, T.L.; Fisk, W.J.; Sextro, R.G.; Sohn, M.D.; Delp, W.W.; Riley, W.J.

    2002-01-01

    Accurate characterization of particle concentrations indoors is critical to exposure assessments. It is estimated that indoor particle concentrations depend strongly on outdoor concentrations. For health scientists, knowledge of the factors that control the relationship of indoor particle concentrations to outdoor levels is particularly important. In this paper, we identify and evaluate sources of data for those factors that affect the transport to and concentration of outdoor particles indoors. To achieve this goal, we (i) identify and assemble relevant information on how particle behavior during air leakage, HVAC operation, and particle filtration effects indoor particle concentration; (ii) review and evaluate the assembled information to distinguish data that are directly relevant to specific estimates of particle transport from those that are only indirectly useful; and (iii) provide a synthesis of the currently available information on building air-leakage parameters and their effect on indoor particle matter concentrations

  17. Longitudinal dispersion with time-dependent source concentration ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    industries, especially coal-based industries in the industrial states such as Jharkhand and its neigh- bouring states. These industries ..... of the concentration levels of contaminants with time and distance travel- led, may help to rehabilitate the contaminated aquifer and may be useful for groundwater resource management.

  18. Dependence of performance of Si nanowire solar cells on geometry of the nanowires.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khan, Firoz; Baek, Seong-Ho; Kim, Jae Hyun

    2014-01-01

    The dependence of performance of silicon nanowires (SiNWs) solar cells on the growth condition of the SiNWs has been described. Metal-assisted electroless etching (MAE) technique has been used to grow SiNWs array. Different concentration of aqueous solution containing AgNO3 and HF for Ag deposition is used. The diameter and density of SiNWs are found to be dependent on concentration of solution used for Ag deposition. The diameter and density of SiNWs have been used to calculate the filling ratio of the SINWs arrays. The filling ratio is increased with increase in AgNO3 concentration, whereas it is decreased with increase in HF concentration. The minimum reflectance value achieved is ~1% for SiNWs of length of ~1.2 μ m in the wavelength range of 300-1000 nm. The performance and diode parameters strongly depend on the geometry of SiNWs. The maximum short circuit current density achieved is 35.6 mA/cm(2). The conversion efficiency of solar cell is 9.73% for SiNWs with length, diameter, and wire density of ~1.2 μ m, ~75 nm, and 90 μ m(-2), respectively.

  19. Polymorphisms in sodium-dependent vitamin C transporter genes and plasma, aqueous humor and lens nucleus ascorbate concentrations in an ascorbate depleted setting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Senthilkumari, Srinivasan; Talwar, Badri; Dharmalingam, Kuppamuthu; Ravindran, Ravilla D; Jayanthi, Ramamurthy; Sundaresan, Periasamy; Saravanan, Charu; Young, Ian S; Dangour, Alan D; Fletcher, Astrid E

    2014-07-01

    We have previously reported low concentrations of plasma ascorbate and low dietary vitamin C intake in the older Indian population and a strong inverse association of these with cataract. Little is known about ascorbate levels in aqueous humor and lens in populations habitually depleted of ascorbate and no studies in any setting have investigated whether genetic polymorphisms influence ascorbate levels in ocular tissues. Our objectives were to investigate relationships between ascorbate concentrations in plasma, aqueous humor and lens and whether these relationships are influenced by Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) in sodium-dependent vitamin C transporter genes (SLC23A1 and SLC23A2). We enrolled sixty patients (equal numbers of men and women, mean age 63 years) undergoing small incision cataract surgery in southern India. We measured ascorbate concentrations in plasma, aqueous humor and lens nucleus using high performance liquid chromatography. SLC23A1 SNPs (rs4257763, rs6596473) and SLC23A2 SNPs (rs1279683 and rs12479919) were genotyped using a TaqMan assay. Patients were interviewed for lifestyle factors which might influence ascorbate. Plasma vitamin C was normalized by a log10 transformation. Statistical analysis used linear regression with the slope of the within-subject associations estimated using beta (β) coefficients. The ascorbate concentrations (μmol/L) were: plasma ascorbate, median and inter-quartile range (IQR), 15.2 (7.8, 34.5), mean (SD) of aqueous humor ascorbate, 1074 (545) and lens nucleus ascorbate, 0.42 (0.16) (μmol/g lens nucleus wet weight). Minimum allele frequencies were: rs1279683 (0.28), rs12479919 (0.30), rs659647 (0.48). Decreasing concentrations of ocular ascorbate from the common to the rare genotype were observed for rs6596473 and rs12479919. The per allele difference in aqueous humor ascorbate for rs6596473 was -217 μmol/L, p humor ascorbate were higher for the GG genotype of rs6596473: GG, β = 1460 compared to

  20. Carrier concentration dependence of donor activation energy in n-type GaN epilayers grown on Si (1 1 1) by plasma-assisted MBE

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kumar, Mahesh; Bhat, Thirumaleshwara N.; Roul, Basanta; Rajpalke, Mohana K.; Kalghatgi, A.T.; Krupanidhi, S.B.

    2012-01-01

    Highlights: ► The n-type GaN layers were grown by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy. ► The optical characteristics of a donor level in Si-doped GaN were studied. ► Activation energy of a Si-related donor was estimated from temperature dependent PL measurements. ► PL peak positions, FWHM of PL and activation energies are found to be proportional to the cube root of carrier density. ► The involvement of donor levels is supported by the temperature-dependent electron concentration measurements. -- Abstract: The n-type GaN layers were grown by plasma-assisted MBE and either intentionally doped with Si or unintentionally doped. The optical characteristics of a donor level in Si-doped, GaN were studied in terms of photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy as a function of electron concentration. Temperature dependent PL measurements allowed us to estimate the activation energy of a Si-related donor from temperature-induced decay of PL intensity. PL peak positions, full width at half maximum of PL and activation energies are found to be proportional to the cube root of carrier density. The involvement of donor levels is supported by the temperature-dependent electron concentration measurements.

  1. Relationship between cobalamin-dependent metabolites and both serum albumin and alpha1 -proteinase inhibitor concentrations in hypocobalaminemic dogs of 7 different breeds.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grützner, Niels; Suchodolski, Jan S; Steiner, Jörg M

    2014-12-01

    Increased serum concentrations of homocysteine (HCY) and methylmalonic acid (MMA), the 2 main cobalamin-dependent metabolites, as well as decreased serum albumin and canine alpha1 -proteinase inhibitor (cα1 -PI) concentrations have previously been described in hypocobalaminemic dogs with gastrointestinal disease. However, no studies have been conducted to evaluate potential relationships between these serum biomarkers. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between HCY and MMA, 2 cobalamin-dependent metabolites, and both serum albumin and cα1 -PI concentrations in hypocobalaminemic dogs. Serum samples from 285 dogs including 7 different breeds (Beagle, Boxer, Cocker Spaniel, German Shepherd, Labrador Retriever, Chinese Shar-Pei, and Yorkshire Terrier) with hypocobalaminemia were used. Serum HCY, MMA, albumin, and cα1 -PI concentrations were determined. There was a significant correlation between serum HCY and albumin concentrations, as well as serum HCY and cα1 -PI concentrations (ρ = 0.62 and ρ = 0.37, respectively; P  .05). In addition, significant breed-specific correlations were observed between serum MMA and albumin concentrations in German Shepherds, and serum HCY and MMA concentrations in Chinese Shar-Peis with hypocobalaminemia. This study shows a correlation between serum albumin and cα1 -PI and HCY concentrations, but not with serum MMA concentration in dogs with hypocobalaminemia. In addition, significant breed-specific correlations were observed between serum MMA and albumin concentrations in German Shepherds, as well as serum HCY and MMA concentrations in Chinese Shar-Peis, emphasizing the unique metabolic interactions in those dog breeds affected by hypocobalaminemia. © 2014 American Society for Veterinary Clinical Pathology.

  2. The force dependence of isometric and concentric potentiation in mouse muscle with and without skeletal myosin light chain kinase.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gittings, William; Aggarwal, Harish; Stull, James T; Vandenboom, Rene

    2015-01-01

    The isometric potentiation associated with myosin phosphorylation is force dependent. The purpose of this study was to assess the influence of a pre-existing period of isometric force on the concentric force potentiation displayed by mouse muscles with and without the ability to phosphorylate myosin. We tested isometric (ISO) and concentric (CON) potentiation, as well as concentric potentiation after isometric force (ISO-CON), in muscles from wild-type (WT) and skeletal myosin light chain kinase-deficient (skMLCK(-/-)) mice. A conditioning stimulus increased (i.e., potentiated) mean concentric force in the ISO-CON and CON conditions to 1.31 ± 0.02 and 1.35 ± 0.02 (WT) and to 1.19 ± 0.02 and 1.21 ± 0.01 (skMLCK(-/-)) of prestimulus levels, respectively (data n = 6-8, p muscles.

  3. Time-Dependent Decline in Serum Phenytoin Concentration with Heightened Convulsive Seizure Risk by Prolonged Administration of Fosphenytoin in Japanese: A Retrospective Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ohno, Yuta; Niwa, Takashi; Hirai, Keita; Suzuki, Keiko; Yamada, Yuto; Hayashi, Yuichi; Hayashi, Hideki; Suzuki, Akio; Itoh, Yoshinori

    2018-04-20

    Because clinical data to confirm the safety and effectiveness of fosphenytoin, a prodrug of phenytoin, are insufficient, the length of administration of fosphenytoin is restricted. Nevertheless, some cases require fosphenytoin administration for more than a few days. The aim of this study was to retrospectively investigate the serum concentration of phenytoin in adult Japanese patients who received intravenous fosphenytoin therapy for more than 3 days. Patients injected with intravenous fosphenytoin for more than 3 days at Gifu University Hospital between January 2012 and September 2014 were enrolled. Individual pharmacokinetic parameters were predicted by Bayesian estimation using NONMEM software, and the maintenance dose of fosphenytoin required to maintain the therapeutic trough concentration (10-20 μg/mL) was calculated from the parameters. Among a total of 8 patients, the serum trough concentration of phenytoin decreased with each day after repeated injection of fosphenytoin. The incidence rate of significant convulsive seizures was increased time-dependently (0% on day 1, 12.5% on day 2, 25% on day 3, and 66.7% on day 4 and after). Phenytoin clearance showed a time-dependent increase. The maintenance dose of fosphenytoin required to maintain the therapeutic trough concentration was simulated to be 779.8 ± 316.8 mg/day, a dose that was markedly higher than the actual maintenance dose (414.1 ± 55.7 mg/day). Prolonged use of fosphenytoin for such patients as those with autoimmune-mediated encephalopathy accompanied with reflux disease and/or ileus time-dependently decreased the serum concentration of phenytoin and increased the risk of convulsion. Therefore, the maintenance dose should be increased to maintain the therapeutic serum concentration.

  4. Influence of the size of facets on point focus solar concentrators

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Riveros-Rosas, David [Instituto de Geofisica, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Ciudad Universitaria, Col. Copilco, Coyoacan, CP 04510 DF (Mexico); Sanchez-Gonzalez, Marcelino [Centro Nacional de Energias Renovables, c/Somera 7-9, CP 28026 Madrid (Spain); Arancibia-Bulnes, Camilo A.; Estrada, Claudio A. [Centro de Investigacion en Energia, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Priv. Xochicalco s/n, Morelos (Mexico)

    2011-03-15

    It is a common practice in the development of point focus solar concentrators to use multiple identical reflecting facets, as a practical and economic alternative for the design and construction of large systems. This kind of systems behaves in a different manner than continuous paraboloidal concentrators. A theoretical study is carried out to understand the effect of the size of facets and of their optical errors in multiple facet point focus solar concentrating systems. For this purpose, a ray tracing program was developed based on the convolution technique, in which the brightness distribution of the sun and the optical errors of the reflecting surfaces are considered. The study shows that both the peak of concentration and the optimal focal distance of the system strongly depend on the size of the facets, and on their optical errors. These results are useful to help concentrator developers to have a better understanding of the relationship between manufacturing design restrictions and final optical behavior. (author)

  5. Strong interactions at high energy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anselmino, M.

    1995-01-01

    Spin effects in strong interaction high energy processes are subtle phenomena which involve both short and long distance physics and test perturbative and non perturbative aspects of QCD. Moreover, depending on quantities like interferences between different amplitudes and relative phases, spin observables always test a theory at a fundamental quantum mechanical level; it is then no surprise that spin data are often difficult to accommodate within the existing models. A report is made on the main issues and contributions discussed in the parallel Session on the open-quote open-quote Strong interactions at high energy close-quote close-quote in this Conference. copyright 1995 American Institute of Physics

  6. Temperature and concentration quenching of Tb3+ emissions in Y4Al2O9 crystals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Boruc, Z.; Fetlinski, B.; Kaczkan, M.; Turczynski, S.; Pawlak, D.; Malinowski, M.

    2012-01-01

    Highlights: ► Spectroscopic properties of Tb 3+ :Y 4 Al 2 O 9 crystals are studied. ► Concentration and temperature dependencies of fluorescence are investigated. ► The cross-relaxation transfer rates are experimentally determined. ► Strong influence of cross relaxation process on 5 D 3 emission quenching is observed. ► Decays are modelled using Inokuti–Hirayama approach. - Abstract: Spectroscopic properties of trivalent terbium (Tb 3+ ) activated Y 4 Al 2 O 9 (abbreviated YAM) crystals were studied. Concentration and temperature dependent emission spectra and fluorescence dynamics profiles have been investigated in YAM:Tb 3+ in order to understand better processes responsible for quenching of the terbium 5 D 3 and 5 D 4 emissions. Decays were modelled using Inokuti–Hirayama approach to obtain information on the energy transfer mechanism. The cross-relaxation transfer rates were experimentally determined as a function of temperature and Tb 3+ concentration. The investigation revealed strong influence of cross-relaxation process on 5 D 3 emission quenching. The two different processes responsible for the increase of fluorescence quenching with growing temperature were observed, both related to thermal activation energy. For temperatures above 700 K, the temperature dependence of the emission intensity ratio ( 5 D 3 / 5 D 4 ) becomes linear and the decay times are rapidly decreasing monotonously with increasing temperature, what is confirming the potential of Y 4 Al 2 O 9 :Tb 3+ material in high temperature luminescence thermometry.

  7. Strong environmental coupling in a Josephson parametric amplifier

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mutus, J. Y.; White, T. C.; Barends, R.; Chen, Yu; Chen, Z.; Chiaro, B.; Dunsworth, A.; Jeffrey, E.; Kelly, J.; Neill, C.; O'Malley, P. J. J.; Roushan, P.; Sank, D.; Vainsencher, A.; Wenner, J.; Cleland, A. N.; Martinis, John M.; Megrant, A.; Sundqvist, K. M.

    2014-01-01

    We present a lumped-element Josephson parametric amplifier designed to operate with strong coupling to the environment. In this regime, we observe broadband frequency dependent amplification with multi-peaked gain profiles. We account for this behavior using the “pumpistor” model which allows for frequency dependent variation of the external impedance. Using this understanding, we demonstrate control over the complexity of gain profiles through added variation in the environment impedance at a given frequency. With strong coupling to a suitable external impedance, we observe a significant increase in dynamic range, and large amplification bandwidth up to 700 MHz giving near quantum-limited performance.

  8. Determining the size and concentration dependence of gold nanoparticles in vitro cytotoxicity (IC50) test using WST-1 assay

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rosli, Nur Shafawati binti; Rahman, Azhar Abdul; Aziz, Azlan Abdul; Shamsuddin, Shaharum

    2015-01-01

    Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) received a great deal of attention for biomedical applications, especially in diagnostic imaging and therapeutics. Even though AuNPs have potential benefits in biomedical applications, the impact of AuNPs on human and environmental health still remains unclear. The use of AuNPs which is a high-atomic-number materials, provide advantages in terms of radiation dose enhancement. However, before this can become a clinical reality, cytotoxicity of the AuNPs has to be carefully evaluated. Cytotoxicity test is a rapid, standardized test that is very sensitive to determine whether the nanoparticles produced are harmful or benign on cellular components. In this work the size and concentration dependence of AuNPs cytotoxicity in breast cancer cell lines (MCF-7) are tested by using WST-1 assay. The sizes of AuNPs tested were 13 nm, 50 nm, and 70 nm. The cells were seeded in the 96-well plate and were treated with different concentrations of AuNPs by serial dilution for each size of AuNPs. The high concentration of AuNPs exhibit lower cell viability compared to low concentration of AuNPs. We quantified the toxicity of AuNPs in MCF-7 cell lines by determining the IC 50 values in WST-1 assays. The IC 50 values (inhibitory concentrations that effected 50% growth inhibition) of 50 nm AuNPs is lower than 13 nm and 70 nm AuNPs. Mean that, 50nm AuNPs are more toxic to the MCF-7 cells compared to smaller and larger sizes AuNPs. The presented results clearly indicate that the cytotoxicity of AuNPs depend not only on the concentration, but also the size of the nanoparticles

  9. Strong profiling is not mathematically optimal for discovering rare malfeasors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Press, William H [Los Alamos National Laboratory

    2008-01-01

    In a large population of individuals labeled j = 1,2,...,N, governments attempt to find the rare malfeasor j = j, (terrorist, for example) by making use of priors p{sub j} that estimate the probability of individual j being a malfeasor. Societal resources for secondary random screening such as airport search or police investigation are concentrated against individuals with the largest priors. They may call this 'strong profiling' if the concentration is at least proportional to p{sub j} for the largest values. Strong profiling often results in higher probability, but otherwise innocent, individuals being repeatedly subjected to screening. They show here that, entirely apart from considerations of social policy, strong profiling is not mathematically optimal at finding malfeasors. Even if prior probabilities were accurate, their optimal use would be only as roughly the geometric mean between a strong profiling and a completely uniform sampling of the population.

  10. Estrogen induced concentration dependent differential gene expression in human breast cancer (MCF7) cells: Role of transcription factors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chandrasekharan, Sabarinath; Kandasamy, Krishna Kumar; Dayalan, Pavithra; Ramamurthy, Viraragavan

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: •Estradiol (E2) at low dose induced cell proliferation in breast cancer cells. •E2 at high concentration induced cell stress in breast cancer cells. •Estrogen receptor physically interacts only with a few transcription factors. •Differential expression of genes with Oct-1 binding sites increased under stress. •Transcription factor binding sites showed distinct spatial distribution on genes. -- Abstract: Background: Breast cancer cells respond to estrogen in a concentration dependent fashion, resulting in proliferation or apoptosis. The mechanism of this concentration dependent differential outcome is not well understood yet. Methodology: Meta-analysis of the expression data of MCF7 cells treated with low (1 nM) or high (100 nM) dose of estradiol (E2) was performed. We identified genes differentially expressed at the low or the high dose, and examined the nature of regulatory elements in the vicinity of these genes. Specifically, we looked for the difference in the presence, abundance and spatial distribution of binding sites for estrogen receptor (ER) and selected transcription factors (TFs) in the genomic region up to 25 kb upstream and downstream from the transcription start site (TSS) of these genes. Results: It was observed that at high dose E2 induced the expression of stress responsive genes, while at low dose, genes involved in cell cycle were induced. We found that the occurrence of transcription factor binding regions (TFBRs) for certain factors such as Sp1 and SREBP1 were higher on regulatory regions of genes expressed at low dose. At high concentration of E2, genes with a higher frequency of Oct-1 binding regions were predominantly involved. In addition, there were differences in the spatial distribution pattern of the TFBRs in the genomic regions among the two sets of genes. Discussion: E2 induced predominantly proliferative/metabolic response at low concentrations; but at high concentration, stress–rescue responses were induced

  11. Estrogen induced concentration dependent differential gene expression in human breast cancer (MCF7) cells: Role of transcription factors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chandrasekharan, Sabarinath, E-mail: csab@bio.psgtech.ac.in [Department of Biotechnology, PSG College of Technology, Coimbatore 641004 (India); Kandasamy, Krishna Kumar [Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing, Cologne (Germany); Dayalan, Pavithra; Ramamurthy, Viraragavan [Department of Biotechnology, PSG College of Technology, Coimbatore 641004 (India)

    2013-08-02

    Highlights: •Estradiol (E2) at low dose induced cell proliferation in breast cancer cells. •E2 at high concentration induced cell stress in breast cancer cells. •Estrogen receptor physically interacts only with a few transcription factors. •Differential expression of genes with Oct-1 binding sites increased under stress. •Transcription factor binding sites showed distinct spatial distribution on genes. -- Abstract: Background: Breast cancer cells respond to estrogen in a concentration dependent fashion, resulting in proliferation or apoptosis. The mechanism of this concentration dependent differential outcome is not well understood yet. Methodology: Meta-analysis of the expression data of MCF7 cells treated with low (1 nM) or high (100 nM) dose of estradiol (E2) was performed. We identified genes differentially expressed at the low or the high dose, and examined the nature of regulatory elements in the vicinity of these genes. Specifically, we looked for the difference in the presence, abundance and spatial distribution of binding sites for estrogen receptor (ER) and selected transcription factors (TFs) in the genomic region up to 25 kb upstream and downstream from the transcription start site (TSS) of these genes. Results: It was observed that at high dose E2 induced the expression of stress responsive genes, while at low dose, genes involved in cell cycle were induced. We found that the occurrence of transcription factor binding regions (TFBRs) for certain factors such as Sp1 and SREBP1 were higher on regulatory regions of genes expressed at low dose. At high concentration of E2, genes with a higher frequency of Oct-1 binding regions were predominantly involved. In addition, there were differences in the spatial distribution pattern of the TFBRs in the genomic regions among the two sets of genes. Discussion: E2 induced predominantly proliferative/metabolic response at low concentrations; but at high concentration, stress–rescue responses were induced

  12. Lethal body concentrations and accumulation patterns determine time-dependent toxicity of cadmium in soil arthropods

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Crommentuijn, T.; Doodeman, C.J.A.M.; Doornekamp, A.; Pol, J.J.C. van der; Bedaux, J.J.M.; Gestel, C.A.M. van (Vrije Univ., Amsterdam (Netherlands))

    1994-11-01

    Time-dependent toxicity in bioassays is usually explained in terms of uptake and elimination kinetics of the toxicant. By comparing different species with essentially different accumulation kinetics, a firm test of this concept may be made. This article compares the sensitivity of six soil arthropods, the collembolans Orchesella cincta and Tomocerus minor, the oribatid mite Platynothrus peltifer, the isopods Porcellio scaber and Oniscus asellus, and the diplopod Cylindroiulus britannicus, when exposed to cadmium in the food. Survival was determined at various time intervals; accumulation of cadmium in the animals was measured at one time interval. Kinetic-based toxicity models were fitted to the data, and estimates were obtained for lethal body concentration, uptake rate constant, elimination rate constant, and ultimate LC50. Two different accumulation patterns could be discerned; these were correlated with time-survival relationships. One, species that have the possibility to eliminate cadmium will reach an equilibrium for the internal concentration and also an ultimate LC50. Two, species that are unable to eliminate cadmium but store it in the body will have an ultimate LC50 equal to zero. For these species the time in which the lethal body concentration is reached is more important. Taxonomically related species appeared to have comparable accumulation patterns, but lethal body concentrations differed. It is concluded that knowledge of the accumulation pattern is indispensable for the evaluation of species' sensitivities to toxicants.

  13. Azone® decreases the buccal mucosal permeation of Diazepam in a concentration-dependent manner via a reservoir effect

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Meng-Lund, Emil; Jacobsen, Jette; Jin, Liang

    2014-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to examine concentration-dependent effects of Azone® (AZ) on the buccal absorption of diazepam (DIAZ). Porcine buccal mucosa was placed in modified Ussing chambers and pretreated with 10 μL of 0%, 5%, 20%, and 50% (w/v) AZ in ethanol. DIAZ was administered to the don...

  14. Thermalization and confinement in strongly coupled gauge theories

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ishii Takaaki

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Quantum field theories of strongly interacting matter sometimes have a useful holographic description in terms of the variables of a gravitational theory in higher dimensions. This duality maps time dependent physics in the gauge theory to time dependent solutions of the Einstein equations in the gravity theory. In order to better understand the process by which “real world” theories such as QCD behave out of thermodynamic equilibrium, we study time dependent perturbations to states in a model of a confining, strongly coupled gauge theory via holography. Operationally, this involves solving a set of non-linear Einstein equations supplemented with specific time dependent boundary conditions. The resulting solutions allow one to comment on the timescale by which the perturbed states thermalize, as well as to quantify the properties of the final state as a function of the perturbation parameters. We comment on the influence of the dual gauge theory’s confinement scale on these results, as well as the appearance of a previously anticipated universal scaling regime in the “abrupt quench” limit.

  15. Lithological and seasonal variations in radon concentrations in Cypriot groundwaters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tasoula Kiliari; Anastasia Tsiaili; Ioannis Pashalidis

    2010-01-01

    The paper presents and discusses radon activity concentrations in Cypriot groundwater systems as a function of the background lithology and seasonal/meteorological conditions using an airborne radon monitoring system (ARM) after separation of radon by out-gassing. Radiometric analysis of groundwater samples obtained from non-contaminated systems showed that radon concentration in groundwaters varies strongly (0.1-10 Bq L -1 ) depending mainly on the hosting geological matrix but also to lesser degree on atmospheric/meteorological conditions. The associated excess annual dose has been estimated to range between 10 -6 and 10 -4 mSv y -1 , which is an insignificant contribution to the radiation exposure of the Cypriot population caused by airborne radon (0.5 ± 0.4 mSv y -1 ). (author)

  16. Concentration dependent carriers dynamics in CsPbBr3 perovskite nanocrystals film with transient grating

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Yinghui; Wang, Yanting; Dev Verma, Sachin; Tan, Mingrui; Liu, Qinghui; Yuan, Qilin; Sui, Ning; Kang, Zhihui; Zhou, Qiang; Zhang, Han-Zhuang

    2017-05-01

    The concentration dependence of the carrier dynamics is a key parameter to describe the photo-physical properties of semiconductor films. Here, we investigate the carrier dynamics in the CsPbBr3 perovskite nanocrystal film by employing the transient grating (TG) technique with continuous bias light. The concentration of initial carriers is determined by the average number of photons per nanocrystals induced by pump light (⟨N⟩). The multi-body interaction would appear and accelerate the TG dynamics with ⟨N⟩. When ⟨N⟩ is more than 3.0, the TG dynamics slightly changes, which implies that the Auger recombination would be the highest order multi-body interaction in carrier recombination dynamics. The concentration of non-equilibrium carriers in the film is controlled by the average number of photons per nanocrystals excited by continuous bias light (⟨nne⟩). Increasing ⟨nne⟩ would improve the trapping-detrapping process by filling the trapping state, which would accelerate the carrier diffusion and add the complexity of the mono-molecular recombination mechanism. The results should be useful to further understand the mechanism of carrier dynamics in the CsPbBr3 perovskite nanocrystal film and of great importance for the operation of the corresponding optoelectronic devices.

  17. Effect of nitrogen concentration and temperature on the critical resolved shear stress and strain rate sensitivity of vanadium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rehbein, D.K.

    1980-08-01

    The critical resolved shear stress and strain rate sensitivity were measured over the temperature range from 77 to 400 0 K for vanadium-nitrogen alloys containing from 0.0004 to 0.184 atom percent nitrogen. These properties were found to be strongly dependent on both the nitrogen concentration and temperature. The following observations were seen in this investigation: the overall behavior of the alloys for the temperature and concentration range studied follows a form similar to that predicted; the concentration dependence of the critical resolved shear stress after subtracting the hardening due to the pure vanadium lattice obeys Labusch's c/sup 2/3/ relationship above 200 0 K and Fleischer's c/sup 1/2/ relationship below 200 0 K; the theoretical predictions of Fleischer's model for the temperature dependence of the critical resolved shear stress are in marked disagreement with the behavior found; and the strain rate sensitivity, par. delta tau/par. deltaln γ, exhibits a peak at approximately 100 0 K that decreases in height as the nitrogen concentration increases. A similar peak has been observed in niobium by other investigators but the effect of concentration on the peak height is quite different

  18. Diamagnetic (cyclotron) resonance in semiconductors using strong magnetic fields

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sosniak, J

    1962-07-01

    Diamagnetic (cyclotron) resonance experiments have been carried out in the semiconductors indium-antimonide (InSb), the indium-arsenide (InAs). Pulsed magnetic fields up to 300,000 gauss and monochromatic infrared radiation of 9 to 13.5 microns wavelength were used to measure the effective mass of the conduction electrons in those materials. The samples were n-type single crystals, with a room temperature electron concentration of 1.9 x 10{sup 16} and 6 x 10{sup 16} per cm{sup 3} in InSb and InAs respectively. Both the InSb and InAs samples showed a strong dependence of the effective mass on the magnetic field. The results show that the conduction bands in those solids are highly non-parabolic. Measurements were also made of the resonance absorption coefficients, which were found to be considerably smaller than the values obtained from simple theory. The effect is explained by assuming that the magnetic field reduces the intrinsic electron density, and that the absorption coefficient depends on the shape of the conduction band. It is postulated as a consequence that the relaxation time of diamagnetic energy levels at high magnetic fields does not differ appreciably from the relaxation time used in the description of conduction processes. (author)

  19. Detecting positive quadrant dependence and positive function dependence

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Janic-Wróblewska, A.; Kallenberg, W.C.M.; Ledwina, T.

    2004-01-01

    There is a lot of interest in positive dependence going beyond linear correlation. In this paper three new rank tests for testing independence against positive dependence are introduced. The first one is directed on positive quadrant dependence, the second and third one concentrate on positive

  20. Detecting positive quadrant dependence and positive function dependence

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Janic-Wróblewska, A.; Kallenberg, W.C.M.; Ledwina, T.

    2003-01-01

    There is a lot of interest in positive dependence going beyond linear correlation. In this paper three new rank tests for testing independence against positive dependence are introduced. The first one is directed on positive quadrant dependence, the second and third one concentrate on positive

  1. Pharmacodynamic Model To Describe the Concentration-Dependent Selection of Cefotaxime-Resistant Escherichia coli

    Science.gov (United States)

    Olofsson, Sara K.; Geli, Patricia; Andersson, Dan I.; Cars, Otto

    2005-01-01

    Antibiotic dosing regimens may vary in their capacity to select mutants. Our hypothesis was that selection of a more resistant bacterial subpopulation would increase with the time within a selective window (SW), i.e., when drug concentrations fall between the MICs of two strains. An in vitro kinetic model was used to study the selection of two Escherichia coli strains with different susceptibilities to cefotaxime. The bacterial mixtures were exposed to cefotaxime for 24 h and SWs of 1, 2, 4, 8, and 12 h. A mathematical model was developed that described the selection of preexisting and newborn mutants and the post-MIC effect (PME) as functions of pharmacokinetic parameters. Our main conclusions were as follows: (i) the selection between preexisting mutants increased with the time within the SW; (ii) the emergence and selection of newborn mutants increased with the time within the SW (with a short time, only 4% of the preexisting mutants were replaced by newborn mutants, compared to the longest times, where 100% were replaced); and (iii) PME increased with the area under the concentration-time curve (AUC) and was slightly more pronounced with a long elimination half-life (T1/2) than with a short T1/2 situation, when AUC is fixed. We showed that, in a dynamic competition between strains with different levels of resistance, the appearance of newborn high-level resistant mutants from the parental strains and the PME can strongly affect the outcome of the selection and that pharmacodynamic models can be used to predict the outcome of resistance development. PMID:16304176

  2. CTX-M-1 β-lactamase expression in Escherichia coli is dependent on cefotaxime concentration, growth phase and gene location

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kjeldsen, Thea S. B.; Overgaard, Martin; Nielsen, Søren S.

    2015-01-01

    blaCTX-M-1 mRNA expression and CTX-M-1 protein levels were dependent on cefotaxime concentration, growth phase and gene location. These results provide insight into the expression of cephalosporin resistance in CTX-M-1-producing E. coli, improving our understanding of the relationship between ant...

  3. Wintertime Arctic Ocean sea water properties and primary marine aerosol concentrations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    J. Zábori

    2012-11-01

    Full Text Available Sea spray aerosols are an important part of the climate system through their direct and indirect effects. Due to the diminishing sea ice, the Arctic Ocean is one of the most rapidly changing sea spray aerosol source areas. However, the influence of these changes on primary particle production is not known.

    In laboratory experiments we examined the influence of Arctic Ocean water temperature, salinity, and oxygen saturation on primary particle concentration characteristics. Sea water temperature was identified as the most important of these parameters. A strong decrease in sea spray aerosol production with increasing water temperature was observed for water temperatures between −1°C and 9°C. Aerosol number concentrations decreased from at least 1400 cm−3 to 350 cm−3. In general, the aerosol number size distribution exhibited a robust shape with one mode close to dry diameter Dp 0.2 μm with approximately 45% of particles at smaller sizes. Changes in sea water temperature did not result in pronounced change of the shape of the aerosol size distribution, only in the magnitude of the concentrations. Our experiments indicate that changes in aerosol emissions are most likely linked to changes of the physical properties of sea water at low temperatures. The observed strong dependence of sea spray aerosol concentrations on sea water temperature, with a large fraction of the emitted particles in the typical cloud condensation nuclei size range, provide strong arguments for a more careful consideration of this effect in climate models.

  4. THE DEPENDENCE OF GLYCEROL ACCUMULATION AND STARCH HYDROLYZATES FERMENTATION FROM WORT CONCENTRATION

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Оliynichuk S. Т.

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of this work is to study the dependence of ethanol accumulation by-products and secondary products (glycerol and propionic acid during the fermentation in the case of increasing the wort concentration from 12 to 21% by weight of sugar as an example of commonly used in the alcohol industry the commercial dry yeast company “Danisco” and experimental osmophilic strain Saccharomyces cerevisiae DS-02-E, isolated from a concentrated (80% DM of rye malt wort which spontaneously fermented. The enzyme preparations “AMYLEX 4T”, “ALPHALASE AFP” and “DIAZYME SSF” were used for the liquefaction and saccharification of starch wort. The finished industrial of both yeast strains were added to the fermentation flasks in an amount of 10% by volume of the primary wort. In the mature brew the unfermented carbohydrates content was determined by colorimetric method with anthrone reagent, alcohol — by glass areometer-alcoholometer, acidity — potentiometrically, the concentration of dry matter — by areometer, glycerol content — by photocolorimetry method. In the brew distillate a volatile impurities content, namely propionic acid, was determined using gas chromatography. Statistical processing of the results of three series of experiments were carried out by calculating the arithmetical mean value of 5 measurements, their standard deviations and errors. To determine the probable differences between the mean values were used Student’s t test. Differences were considered statistically significant at P < 0.05. Reduction for accumulation of glycerol (between 38 till 53% at higher concentrations of nutrient medium in the case of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae DS-02-E as compared with commercial dry yeast, reduction the formation of unwanted by-product of fermentation — propionic acid (up to 34%, a better ability of the experimental strain to accumulate sugar of wort and to accumulate ethanol (up to 0.1–0.25% vol. were shown. It

  5. Dependence of Performance of Si Nanowire Solar Cells on Geometry of the Nanowires

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Firoz Khan

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available The dependence of performance of silicon nanowires (SiNWs solar cells on the growth condition of the SiNWs has been described. Metal-assisted electroless etching (MAE technique has been used to grow SiNWs array. Different concentration of aqueous solution containing AgNO3 and HF for Ag deposition is used. The diameter and density of SiNWs are found to be dependent on concentration of solution used for Ag deposition. The diameter and density of SiNWs have been used to calculate the filling ratio of the SINWs arrays. The filling ratio is increased with increase in AgNO3 concentration, whereas it is decreased with increase in HF concentration. The minimum reflectance value achieved is ~1% for SiNWs of length of ~1.2 μm in the wavelength range of 300–1000 nm. The performance and diode parameters strongly depend on the geometry of SiNWs. The maximum short circuit current density achieved is 35.6 mA/cm2. The conversion efficiency of solar cell is 9.73% for SiNWs with length, diameter, and wire density of ~1.2 μm, ~75 nm, and 90 μm−2, respectively.

  6. Strongly disordered superconductors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Muttalib, K.A.

    1982-01-01

    We examine some universal effects of strong non-magnetic disorder on the electron-phonon and electron-electron interactions in a superconductor. In particular we explicitly take into account the effect of slow diffusion of electrons in a disordered medium by working in an exact impurity eigenstate representation. We find that the normal diffusion of electrons characterized by a constant diffusion coefficient does not lead to any significant correction to the electron-phonon or the effective electron-electron interactions in a superconductor. We then consider sufficiently strong disorder where Anderson localization of electrons becomes important and determine the effect of localization on the electron-electron interactions. We find that due to localization, the diffusion of electrons becomes anomalous in the sense that the diffusion coefficient becomes scale dependent. This results in an increase in the effective electron-electron interaction with increasing disorder. We propose that this provides a natural explanation for the unusual sensitivity of the transition temperature T/sub c/ of the high T/sub c/ superconductors (T/sub c/ > 10 0 K) to damage effects

  7. Anatase phase stability and doping concentration dependent refractivity in codoped transparent conducting TiO2 films

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen, T L; Furubayashi, Y; Hirose, Y; Hitosugi, T; Shimada, T; Hasegawa, T

    2007-01-01

    Nb 0.06 Sn x Ti 0.94-x O 2 (x ≤ 0.3) thin films were grown by a pulsed-laser deposition method with varying Sn concentration. Through a combinatorial technique, we find that Sn concentration can reach a maximum of about x = 0.3 while maintaining the stable anatase phase and epitaxy. A doping concentration dependence of the refractivity is revealed, in which refractivity reduction at a wavelength of λ = 500 nm is estimated to be 12.4% for Nb 0.06 Sn 0.3 Ti 0.64 O 2 thin film. Sn doping induced band-gap blue shift can be contributed to the mixing of extended Sn 5s orbitals with the conduction band of TiO 2 . Low resistivity on the order of 10 -4 Ω cm at room temperature and high internal transmittance of more than 95% in the visible light region are exhibited for Nb 0.06 Sn x Ti 0.94-x O 2 thin films (x ≤ 0.2). Optical and transport analyses demonstrate that doping Sn into Nb 0.06 Ti 0.94 O 2 can reduce the refractivity while maintaining low resistivity and high transparency

  8. Concentration dependence of the partial volume, viscosity, and electric conductivity of solutions of lithium salts in aliphatic alcohols

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Eliseeva, O.V.; Golubev, V.V.

    2003-01-01

    Concentration dependence of partial volumes, electric conductivity and viscosity of lithium nitrate and chloride solutions in methanol, propanol, isopropanol, butanol, isobutanol, pentanol and isopentanol at 298.15 K were studied by the methods of densimetry, conductometry and viscosimetry. Structural specific features of the solutions studied are discussed on the basis of the calculated volumetric characteristics of the substance dissolved and solvent [ru

  9. Determining the size and concentration dependence of gold nanoparticles in vitro cytotoxicity (IC{sub 50}) test using WST-1 assay

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rosli, Nur Shafawati binti; Rahman, Azhar Abdul [School of Physics, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800, Pulau Pinang (Malaysia); Aziz, Azlan Abdul [School of Physics, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800, Pulau Pinang (Malaysia); Nano-Biotechnology Research and Innovation (NanoBRI), Institute for Research in Molecular Medicine (INFORMM), Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800, Pulau Pinang (Malaysia); Shamsuddin, Shaharum [Nano-Biotechnology Research and Innovation (NanoBRI), Institute for Research in Molecular Medicine (INFORMM), Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800, Pulau Pinang (Malaysia); School of Health Sciences, Health Campus, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 16150 Kubang Kerian, Kelantan (Malaysia)

    2015-04-24

    Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) received a great deal of attention for biomedical applications, especially in diagnostic imaging and therapeutics. Even though AuNPs have potential benefits in biomedical applications, the impact of AuNPs on human and environmental health still remains unclear. The use of AuNPs which is a high-atomic-number materials, provide advantages in terms of radiation dose enhancement. However, before this can become a clinical reality, cytotoxicity of the AuNPs has to be carefully evaluated. Cytotoxicity test is a rapid, standardized test that is very sensitive to determine whether the nanoparticles produced are harmful or benign on cellular components. In this work the size and concentration dependence of AuNPs cytotoxicity in breast cancer cell lines (MCF-7) are tested by using WST-1 assay. The sizes of AuNPs tested were 13 nm, 50 nm, and 70 nm. The cells were seeded in the 96-well plate and were treated with different concentrations of AuNPs by serial dilution for each size of AuNPs. The high concentration of AuNPs exhibit lower cell viability compared to low concentration of AuNPs. We quantified the toxicity of AuNPs in MCF-7 cell lines by determining the IC{sub 50} values in WST-1 assays. The IC{sub 50} values (inhibitory concentrations that effected 50% growth inhibition) of 50 nm AuNPs is lower than 13 nm and 70 nm AuNPs. Mean that, 50nm AuNPs are more toxic to the MCF-7 cells compared to smaller and larger sizes AuNPs. The presented results clearly indicate that the cytotoxicity of AuNPs depend not only on the concentration, but also the size of the nanoparticles.

  10. Ethanol concentration-dependent alterations in gene expression during acute binge drinking in the HIV-1 transgenic rat.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sarkar, Sraboni; Chang, Sulie L

    2013-07-01

    Binge drinking of high ethanol (EtOH) concentration beverages is common among young adults and can be a risk factor for exposure to sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV-1. We used a novel noninfectious HIV-1 transgenic (HIV-1Tg) rat model that mimics HIV-1 patients in terms of altered immune responses and deficits in cognitive learning and memory to investigate EtOH concentration-dependent effects on 48 alcohol-modulated genes during binge EtOH administration. HIV-1Tg and control F344 rats were administered water, 8% EtOH, or 52% EtOH by gavage (i.g.) for 3 days (2.0 g/kg/d). Two hours after final treatment, blood, liver, and spleen were collected from each animal. Serum blood EtOH concentration (BEC) was measured, and gene expression in the liver and spleen was determined using a specifically designed PCR array. The BEC was significantly higher in the 52% EtOH-treated HIV-1Tg rats compared with the 8% EtOH group; however, the BEC was higher in the 8% EtOH-treated control rats compared with the 52% EtOH group. There was no change in expression of the EtOH metabolism-related genes, Adh1, Adh4, and Cyp2e1, in either the 8 or 52% EtOH-treated HIV-1Tg rats, whereas expression of those genes was significantly higher in the liver of the 52% EtOH control rats, but not in the 8% EtOH group. In the HIV-1Tg rats, expression of the GABAA , metabotropic glutamate, and dopamine neurotransmitter receptor genes was significantly increased in the spleen of the 52% EtOH group, but not in the 8% EtOH group, whereas no change was observed in those genes in either of the control groups. Our data indicate that, in the presence of HIV-1 infection, EtOH concentration-dependent binge drinking can have significantly different molecular effects. Copyright © 2013 by the Research Society on Alcoholism.

  11. Strong Electroweak Symmetry Breaking

    CERN Document Server

    Grinstein, Benjamin

    2011-01-01

    Models of spontaneous breaking of electroweak symmetry by a strong interaction do not have fine tuning/hierarchy problem. They are conceptually elegant and use the only mechanism of spontaneous breaking of a gauge symmetry that is known to occur in nature. The simplest model, minimal technicolor with extended technicolor interactions, is appealing because one can calculate by scaling up from QCD. But it is ruled out on many counts: inappropriately low quark and lepton masses (or excessive FCNC), bad electroweak data fits, light scalar and vector states, etc. However, nature may not choose the minimal model and then we are stuck: except possibly through lattice simulations, we are unable to compute and test the models. In the LHC era it therefore makes sense to abandon specific models (of strong EW breaking) and concentrate on generic features that may indicate discovery. The Technicolor Straw Man is not a model but a parametrized search strategy inspired by a remarkable generic feature of walking technicolor,...

  12. A-FABP Concentration Is More Strongly Associated with Cardiometabolic Risk Factors and the Occurrence of Metabolic Syndrome in Premenopausal Than in Postmenopausal Middle-Aged Women

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anna Stefanska

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available We aimed at the evaluation of the relationship between adipocyte fatty acid binding protein (A-FABP and cardiometabolic risk factors in premenopausal and postmenopausal women. Additionally, we compared A-FABP with adipokines related to metabolic syndrome (MetS such as leptin and adiponectin. 94 premenopausal and 90 early postmenopausal middle-aged Caucasian women were subject to examinations. Postmenopausal women had higher A-FABP than premenopausal; this difference became insignificant after controlling for age. We found significantly higher correlation coefficients between A-FABP and TC/HDL-C ratio and number of MetS components in premenopausal women, compared to postmenopausal. Each 1 ng/dL increase in A-FABP concentration significantly increased the probability of occurrence of atherogenic lipid profile in premenopausal women, even after multivariate adjustment. All odds ratios became insignificant after controlling for BMI in postmenopausal women. A-FABP was more strongly associated with MetS than leptin and adiponectin in premenopausal women. Adiponectin concentration was a better biomarker for MetS after menopause. Our results suggest that the A-FABP is more strongly associated with some cardiometabolic risk factors in premenopausal than in postmenopausal women. Higher values of A-FABP after menopause are mainly explained by the fact that postmenopausal women are older. Because of the limitation of study, these results should be interpreted with caution.

  13. Seasonal variations of indoor radon concentrations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Majborn, B.

    1990-01-01

    Seasonal variations of indoor radon concentrations have been studied in a cluster of 10 single-family houses. Eight of the houses are of a similar construction with slab-on-grade foundations. The remaining two houses have different substructures, one of them having a crawl space, and the other having partly a basement and partly a crawl space. A 'normal' seasonal variation of the radon concentration with a maximum in winter and a minimum in summer was observed in most of the houses. In these houses the variation showed a strong correlation with the indoor-outdoor temperature difference on a 2-month basis. However, deviating seasonal variations were observed in some of the houses, notably in the two houses having different substructures. This paper reports that a re-examination of the data obtained in a previous study indicates that winter/summer ratios of indoor radon concentrations in Danish houses depend on the house substructure. The mean winter/summer ratios were about 2.1 for houses with slab-on-grade foundations, 1.5 for houses having a basement, and 1.0 for houses with a crawl space (geometric mean values). However, a study with more houses in each substructure category will be needed to show whether or not the indicated differences are generally valid for Danish houses

  14. Raman spectroscopic analysis of the carotenoid concentration in egg yolks depending on the feeding and housing conditions of the laying hens.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hesterberg, Karoline; Schanzer, Sabine; Patzelt, Alexa; Sterry, Wolfram; Fluhr, Joachim W; Meinke, Martina C; Lademann, Jürgen; Darvin, Maxim E

    2012-01-01

    Resonance Raman spectroscopic measurements are suited to analyze the concentration of carotenoid antioxidants in biological samples. Previously, it has been shown that the carotenoid concentration of nutritional egg yolks has a direct influence on the carotenoid content of human skin in vivo. In the present study, resonance Raman spectroscopy was used to analyze the carotenoid concentration in the yolks of hen eggs, which were housed in battery cages or alternatively on free-range grassland. The egg yolks of hens, which had access to grassland, contained approximately double the amount of carotenoid concentration than the egg yolks of hens housed in battery cages (p egg yolks, depending on fodder, housing and weather conditions, were investigated. Copyright © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  15. Concentration- and time-dependent genotoxicity profiles of isoprene monoepoxides and diepoxide, and the cross-linking potential of isoprene diepoxide in cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yan Li

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Isoprene, a possible carcinogen, is a petrochemical and a natural product being primarily produced by plants. It is biotransformed to 2-ethenyl-2-methyloxirane (IP-1,2-O and 2-(1-methylethenyloxirane (IP-3,4-O, both of which can be further metabolized to 2-methyl-2,2′-bioxirane (MBO. MBO is mutagenic, but IP-1,2-O and IP-3,4-O are not. While IP-1,2-O has been reported being genotoxic, the genotoxicity of IP-3,4-O and MBO, and the cross-linking potential of MBO have not been examined. In the present study, we used the comet assay to investigate the concentration- and time-dependent genotoxicity profiles of the three metabolites and the cross-linking potential of MBO in human hepatocyte L02 cells. For the incubation time of 1 h, all metabolites showed positive concentration-dependent profiles with a potency rank order of IP-3,4-O > MBO > IP-1,2-O. In human hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2 and human leukemia (HL60 cells, IP-3,4-O was still more potent in inducing DNA breaks than MBO at high concentrations (>200 μM, although at low concentrations (≤200 μM IP-3,4-O exhibited slightly lower or similar potency to MBO. Interestingly, their time-dependent genotoxicity profiles (0.5–4 h in L02 cells were different from each other: IP-1,2-O and MBO (200 μM exhibited negative and positive profiles, respectively, with IP-3,4-O lying in between, namely, IP-3,4-O-caused DNA breaks did not change over the exposure time. Further experiments demonstrated that hydrolysis of IP-1,2-O contributed to the negative profile and MBO induced cross-links at high concentrations and long incubation times. Collectively, the results suggested that IP-3,4-O might play a significant role in the toxicity of isoprene.

  16. Strong and Nonspecific Synergistic Antibacterial Efficiency of Antibiotics Combined with Silver Nanoparticles at Very Low Concentrations Showing No Cytotoxic Effect.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Panáček, Aleš; Smékalová, Monika; Kilianová, Martina; Prucek, Robert; Bogdanová, Kateřina; Večeřová, Renata; Kolář, Milan; Havrdová, Markéta; Płaza, Grażyna Anna; Chojniak, Joanna; Zbořil, Radek; Kvítek, Libor

    2015-12-28

    The resistance of bacteria towards traditional antibiotics currently constitutes one of the most important health care issues with serious negative impacts in practice. Overcoming this issue can be achieved by using antibacterial agents with multimode antibacterial action. Silver nano-particles (AgNPs) are one of the well-known antibacterial substances showing such multimode antibacterial action. Therefore, AgNPs are suitable candidates for use in combinations with traditional antibiotics in order to improve their antibacterial action. In this work, a systematic study quantifying the synergistic effects of antibiotics with different modes of action and different chemical structures in combination with AgNPs against Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus was performed. Employing the microdilution method as more suitable and reliable than the disc diffusion method, strong synergistic effects were shown for all tested antibiotics combined with AgNPs at very low concentrations of both antibiotics and AgNPs. No trends were observed for synergistic effects of antibiotics with different modes of action and different chemical structures in combination with AgNPs, indicating non-specific synergistic effects. Moreover, a very low amount of silver is needed for effective antibacterial action of the antibiotics, which represents an important finding for potential medical applications due to the negligible cytotoxic effect of AgNPs towards human cells at these concentration levels.

  17. Erbium concentration dependent absorbance in tellurite glass

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sazali, E. S., E-mail: mdsupar@utm; Rohani, M. S., E-mail: mdsupar@utm; Sahar, M. R., E-mail: mdsupar@utm; Arifin, R., E-mail: mdsupar@utm; Ghoshal, S. K., E-mail: mdsupar@utm; Hamzah, K., E-mail: mdsupar@utm [Advanced Optical Material Research Group, Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 81310, Skudai, Johor Bahru, Johor (Malaysia)

    2014-09-25

    Enhancing the optical absorption cross-section in topically important rare earth doped tellurite glasses is challenging for photonic devices. Controlled synthesis and detailed characterizations of the optical properties of these glasses are important for the optimization. The influence of varying concentration of Er{sup 3+} ions on the absorbance characteristics of lead tellurite glasses synthesized via melt-quenching technique are investigated. The UV-Vis absorption spectra exhibits six prominent peaks centered at 490, 526, 652, 800, 982 and 1520 nm ascribed to the transitions in erbium ion from the ground state to the excited states {sup 4}F{sub 7/2}, {sup 2}H{sub 11/2}, {sup 4}F{sub 9/2}, {sup 4}I{sub 9/2}, {sup 2}H{sub 11/2} and {sup 4}I{sub 13/2}, respectively. The results are analyzed by means of optical band gap E{sub g} and Urbach energy E{sub u}. The values of the energy band gap are found decreased from 2.82 to 2.51 eV and the Urbach energy increased from 0.15 to 0.24 eV with the increase of the Er{sub 2}O{sub 3} concentration from 0 to 1.5 mol%. The excellent absorbance of the prepared tellurite glasses makes them suitable for fabricating solid state lasers.

  18. Facile synthesis and strongly microstructure-dependent electrochemical properties of graphene/manganese dioxide composites for supercapacitors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Caiyun; Zhu, Xiaohong; Wang, Zhongxing; Sun, Ping; Ren, Yinjuan; Zhu, Jiliang; Zhu, Jianguo; Xiao, Dingquan

    2014-09-01

    Graphene has attracted much attention since it was firstly stripped from graphite by two physicists in 2004, and the supercapacitor based on graphene has obtained wide attention and much investment as well. For practical applications of graphene-based supercapacitors, however, there are still many challenges to solve, for instance, to simplify the technological process, to lower the fabrication cost, and to improve the electrochemical performance. In this work, graphene/MnO2 composites are prepared by a microwave sintering method, and we report here a relatively simple method for the supercapacitor packaging, i.e., dipping Ni-foam into a graphene/MnO2 composite solution directly for a period of time to coat the active material on a current collector. It is found that the microwave reaction time has a significant effect on the microstructure of graphene/MnO2 composites, and consequently, the electrochemical properties of the supercapacitors based on graphene/MnO2 composites are strongly microstructure dependent. An appropriately longer microwave reaction time, namely, 15 min, facilitates a very dense and homogeneous microstructure of the graphene/MnO2 composites, and thus, excellent electrochemical performance is achieved in the supercapacitor device, including a high specific capacitance of 296 F/g and a high capacitance retention of 93% after 3,000 times of charging/discharging cycles.

  19. Towards TDDFT for Strongly Correlated Materials

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shree Ram Acharya

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available We present some details of our recently-proposed Time-Dependent Density-Functional Theory (TDDFT for strongly-correlated materials in which the exchange-correlation (XC kernel is derived from the charge susceptibility obtained using Dynamical Mean-Field Theory (the TDDFT + DMFT approach. We proceed with deriving the expression for the XC kernel for the one-band Hubbard model by solving DMFT equations via two approaches, the Hirsch–Fye Quantum Monte Carlo (HF-QMC and an approximate low-cost perturbation theory approach, and demonstrate that the latter gives results that are comparable to the exact HF-QMC solution. Furthermore, through a variety of applications, we propose a simple analytical formula for the XC kernel. Additionally, we use the exact and approximate kernels to examine the nonhomogeneous ultrafast response of two systems: a one-band Hubbard model and a Mott insulator YTiO3. We show that the frequency dependence of the kernel, i.e., memory effects, is important for dynamics at the femtosecond timescale. We also conclude that strong correlations lead to the presence of beats in the time-dependent electric conductivity in YTiO3, a feature that could be tested experimentally and that could help validate the few approximations used in our formulation. We conclude by proposing an algorithm for the generalization of the theory to non-linear response.

  20. The effects of aspirin on platelet function and lysophosphatidic acids depend on plasma concentrations of EPA and DHA.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Block, Robert C; Abdolahi, Amir; Tu, Xin; Georas, Steve N; Brenna, J Thomas; Phipps, Richard P; Lawrence, Peter; Mousa, Shaker A

    2015-05-01

    Aspirin's prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD) events in individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus is controversial. Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and aspirin all affect the cyclooxygenase enzyme. The relationship between plasma EPA and DHA and aspirin's effects has not been determined. Thirty adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus ingested aspirin (81 mg/day) for 7 days, then EPA+DHA (2.6g/day) for 28 days, then both for another 7 days. Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) species and more classic platelet function outcomes were determined. Plasma concentrations of total EPA+DHA were associated with 7-day aspirin reduction effects on these outcomes in a "V"-shaped manner for all 11 LPA species and ADP-induced platelet aggregation. This EPA+DHA concentration was quite consistent for each of the LPA species and ADP. These results support aspirin effects on lysolipid metabolism and platelet aggregation depending on plasma EPA+DHA concentrations in individuals with a disturbed lipid milieu. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Age-dependent changes in the total protein concentrations in the ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    related changes in total protein concentrations in ten regions of the pig brain and hypophyses from birth to 36 months of age. Age-related changes in protein concentrations in all the brain regions except the pons and cerebral cortex were not ...

  2. Age-dependent changes in diastolic Ca2+ and Na+ concentrations in dystrophic cardiomyopathy: Role of Ca2+ entry and IP3

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mijares, Alfredo; Altamirano, Francisco; Kolster, Juan; Adams, José A.; López, José R.

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • Age-dependent increase in [Ca 2+ ] d and [Na + ] d in mdx cardiomyocytes. • Gadolinium significantly reduced both [Ca 2+ ] d and [Na + ] d at all ages. • IP 3 -pathway inhibition reduced cations concentrations in dystrophic cardiomyocytes. - Abstract: Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a lethal X-inherited disease caused by dystrophin deficiency. Besides the relatively well characterized skeletal muscle degenerative processes, DMD is also associated with a dilated cardiomyopathy that leads to progressive heart failure at the end of the second decade. The aim of the present study was to characterize the diastolic Ca 2+ concentration ([Ca 2+ ] d ) and diastolic Na + concentration ([Na + ] d ) abnormalities in cardiomyocytes isolated from 3-, 6-, 9-, and 12-month old mdx mice using ion-selective microelectrodes. In addition, the contributions of gadolinium (Gd 3+ )-sensitive Ca 2+ entry and inositol triphosphate (IP 3 ) signaling pathways in abnormal [Ca 2+ ] d and [Na + ] d were investigated. Our results showed an age-dependent increase in both [Ca 2+ ] d and [Na + ] d in dystrophic cardiomyocytes compared to those isolated from age-matched wt mice. Gd 3+ treatment significantly reduced both [Ca 2+ ] d and [Na + ] d at all ages. In addition, blockade of the IP 3 -pathway with either U-73122 or xestospongin C significantly reduced ion concentrations in dystrophic cardiomyocytes. Co-treatment with U-73122 and Gd 3+ normalized both [Ca 2+ ] d and [Na + ] d at all ages in dystrophic cardiomyocytes. These data showed that loss of dystrophin in mdx cardiomyocytes produced an age-dependent intracellular Ca 2+ and Na + overload mediated at least in part by enhanced Ca 2+ entry through Gd 3+ sensitive transient receptor potential channels (TRPC), and by IP 3 receptors

  3. Quantification of Kinetic Rate Law Parameters of Uranium Release from Sodium Autunite as a Function of Aqueous Bicarbonate Concentrations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gudavalli, Ravi; Katsenovich, Yelena; Wellman, Dawn M.; Lagos, Leonel; Tansel, Berrin

    2013-09-05

    ABSTRACT: Hydrogen carbonate is one of the most significant components within the uranium geochemical cycle. In aqueous solutions, hydrogen carbonate forms strong complexes with uranium. As such, aqueous bicarbonate may significantly increase the rate of uranium release from uranium minerals. Quantifying the relationship of aqueous hydrogen carbonate solutions to the rate of uranium release during dissolution is critical to understanding the long-term fate of uranium within the environment. Single-pass flow-through (SPTF) experiments were conducted to estimate the rate of uranium release from Na meta-autunite as a function of bicarbonate solutions (0.0005-0.003 M) under the pH range of 6-11 and temperatures of 5-60oC. Consistent with the results of previous investigation, the rate of uranium release from sodium autunite exhibited minimal dependency on temperature; but were strongly dependent on pH and increasing concentrations of bicarbonate solutions. Most notably at pH 7, the rate of uranium release exhibited 370 fold increases relative to the rate of uranium release in the absence of bicarbonate. However, the effect of increasing concentrations of bicarbonate solutions on the release of uranium was significantly less under higher pH conditions. It is postulated that at high pH values, surface sites are saturated with carbonate, thus the addition of more bicarbonate would have less effect on uranium release. Results indicate the activation energies were unaffected by temperature and bicarbonate concentration variations, but were strongly dependent on pH conditions. As pH increased from 6 to 11, activation energy values were observed to decrease from 29.94 kJ mol-1 to 13.07 kJ mol-1. The calculated activation energies suggest a surface controlled dissolution mechanism.

  4. Determination of radionuclide concentrations in animal feedstuffs for use following a nuclear emergency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hwang, W. T.; Ser, K. S.; Kim, E. H.; Choi, Y. K.; Han, M. H.; Choi, Y. H.

    2001-01-01

    The optimized derived intervention levels for animal products were evaluated based on cost-benefit analysis. From these results, the radionuclide concentrations in animal feedstuffs for use were derived. It was shown that radionuclide concentrations in animal feedstuffs for use depend strongly on animal products, radionuclides and feeding period. In case of the contaminated feedstuffs with long-lived radionuclides ( 137 Cs, 90 Sr), the feedstuffs with lower contamination should be supplied to animals with increase of feeding period due to the accumulation of radionuclides in animal products. While, in case of the contaminated feedstuffs with short-lived radionuclides ( 131 I), the feeding of higher contaminated feedstuffs was possible with increase of feeding period due to radionuclide decay. It was shown that 137 Cs concentration was lower than 90 Sr concentration in animal feedstuffs for use. It is primarily due to the higher feed-animal products transfer factor of 137 Cs

  5. Protein kinase C interaction with calcium: a phospholipid-dependent process.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Bazzi, M D

    1990-08-21

    The calcium-binding properties of calcium- and phospholipid-dependent protein kinase C (PKC) were investigated by equilibrium dialysis in the presence and the absence of phospholipids. Calcium binding to PKC displayed striking and unexpected behavior; the free proteins bound virtually no calcium at intracellular calcium concentrations and bound limited calcium (about 1 mol\\/mol of PKC) at 200 microM calcium. However, in the presence of membranes containing acidic phospholipids, PKC bound at least eight calcium ions per protein. The presence of 1 microM phorbol dibutyrate (PDBu) in the dialysis buffer had little effect on these calcium-binding properties. Analysis of PKC-calcium binding by gel filtration under equilibrium conditions gave similar results; only membrane-associated PKC bound significant amounts of calcium. Consequently, PKC is a member of what may be a large group of proteins that bind calcium in a phospholipid-dependent manner. The calcium concentrations needed to induce PKC-membrane binding were similar to those needed for calcium binding (about 40 microM calcium at the midpoint). However, the calcium concentration required for PKC-membrane binding was strongly influenced by the phosphatidylserine composition of the membranes. Membranes with higher percentages of phosphatidylserine required lower concentrations of calcium. These properties suggested that the calcium sites may be generated at the interface between PKC and the membrane. Calcium may function as a bridge between PKC and phospholipids. These studies also suggested that calcium-dependent PKC-membrane binding and PKC function could be regulated by a number of factors in addition to calcium levels and diacylglycerol content of the membrane.

  6. The modulation of TRPM7 currents by nafamostat mesilate depends directly upon extracellular concentrations of divalent cations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chen Xuanmao

    2010-12-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Concentrations of extracellular divalent cations (Ca2+ and Mg2+ fall substantially during intensive synaptic transmission as well as during some pathophysiological conditions such as epilepsy and brain ischemia. Here we report that a synthetic serine protease inhibitor, nafamostat mesylate (NM, and several of its analogues, block recombinant TRPM7 currents expressed in HEK293T cells in inverse relationship to the concentration of extracellular divalent cations. Lowering extracellular Ca2+ and Mg2+ also evokes a divalent-sensitive non-selective cation current that is mediated by TRPM7 expression in hippocampal neurons. In cultured hippocampal neurons, NM blocked these TRPM7-mediated currents with an apparent affinity of 27 μM, as well as the paradoxical Ca2+ influx associated with lowering extracellular Ca2+. Unexpectedly, pre-exposure to NM strongly potentiated TRPM7 currents. In the presence of physiological concentrations of extracellular divalent cations, NM activates TRPM7. The stimulating effects of NM on TRPM7 currents are also inversely related to extracellular Ca2+ and Mg2+. DAPI and HSB but not netropsin, blocked and stimulated TRPM7. In contrast, mono-cationic, the metabolites of NM, p-GBA and AN, as well as protease inhibitor leupeptin and gabexate failed to substantially modulate TRPM7. NM thus provides a molecular template for the design of putative modulators of TRPM7.

  7. Determining Role of the Chain Mechanism in the Temperature Dependence of the Gas-Phase Rate of Combustion Reactions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Azatyan, V. V.; Bolod'yan, I. A.; Kopylov, N. P.; Kopylov, S. N.; Prokopenko, V. M.; Shebeko, Yu. N.

    2018-05-01

    It is shown that the strong dependence of the rate of gas-phase combustion reactions on temperature is determined by the high values of the reaction rate constants of free atoms and radicals. It is established that with a branched chain mechanism, a special role in the reaction rate temperature dependence is played by positive feedback between the concentrations of active intermediate species and the rate of their change. The role of the chemical mechanism in the temperature dependence of the process rate with and without inhibitors is considered.

  8. [Computer modeling the dependences of the membrane potential for polymeric membrane separated non-homogeneous electrolyte solutions on concentration Rayleigh number].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Slezak, Izabella H; Jasik-Slezak, Jolanta; Bilewicz-Wyrozumska, Teresa; Slezak, Andrzej

    2006-01-01

    On the basis of model equation describing the membrane potential delta psi(s) on concentration Rayleigh number (R(C)), mechanical pressure difference (deltaP), concentration polarization coefficient (zeta s) and ratio concentration of solutions separated by membrane (Ch/Cl), the characteristics delta psi(s) = f(Rc)(delta P, zeta s, Ch/Cl) for steady values of zeta s, R(C) and Ch/Cl in single-membrane system were calculated. In this system neutral and isotropic polymeric membrane oriented in horizontal plane, the non-homogeneous binary electrolytic solutions of various concentrations were separated. Nonhomogeneity of solutions is results from creations of the concentration boundary layers on both sides of the membrane. Calculations were made for the case where on a one side of the membrane aqueous solution of NaCl at steady concentration 10(-3) mol x l(-1) (Cl) was placed and on the other aqueous solutions of NaCl at concentrations from 10(-3) mol x l(-1) to 2 x 10(-2) mol x l(-1) (Ch). Their densities were greater than NaCl solution's at 10(-3) mol x l(-1). It was shown that membrane potential depends on hydrodynamic state of a complex concentration boundary layer-membrane-concentration boundary layer, what is controlled by deltaP, Ch/Cl, Rc and Zeta(s).

  9. Corporate Governance Against Recommendations: The Cases of the Strong Executive and the Strong Ownership

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Král Pavel

    2012-09-01

    Full Text Available There are several basic configurations of corporate governance according to the separation of ownership and control (Jensen’s theory. Effective governance is described as a situation whenan owner (or group of owners keeps the right to ratify and monitor strategic decisions while management has the right to initiate and implement those decisions. There are two particular situations how this recommendation is partially broken and both situations are linked to CEO duality. The first case happens when an owner loses or does not exercise the right to monitor management of the organization and is termed as the strong executive. The second case is calledthe strong ownership and is distinguished by an owner taking over implementations of the decisions. The focus of the study was to explore particularly configurations of the strong executive and the strong governance. A mixed method research design was chosen to explore the differences between the basic governance configurations. The sample was chosen by purposive sampling and covered a hundred for-profit organizations of all size and from all sectors of economy.The data were collected through interviews with representatives, mainly members of top management. We revealed that both of these configurations can bear good corporate performance but also bigger risks. The strong executive is typical for organizations with dispersed ownership or a publicly owned organization and the performance of the organization is fully dependent on competencies but also personalities of managers. This configuration contains a high risk of misuse of authority. The strong ownership is effective in small organizations while in a larger organization leads to an overexertion of owners and low performance because they usually faceproblems to keep focus on the strategic issues of the organization.

  10. Sensitivity analysis of uranium solubility under strongly oxidizing conditions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu, L.; Neretnieks, I.

    1999-01-01

    To evaluate the effect of geochemical conditions in the repository on the solubility of uranium under strongly oxidizing conditions, a mathematical model has been developed to determine the solubility, by utilizing a set of nonlinear algebraic equations to describe the chemical equilibria in the groundwater environment. The model takes into account the predominant precipitation-dissolution reactions, hydrolysis reactions and complexation reactions that may occur under strongly oxidizing conditions. The model also includes the solubility-limiting solids induced by the presence of carbonate, phosphate, silicate, calcium, and sodium in the groundwater. The thermodynamic equilibrium constants used in the solubility calculations are essentially taken from the NEA Thermochemical Data Base of Uranium, with some modification and some uranium minerals added, such as soddyite, rutherfordite, uranophane, uranyl orthophosphate, and becquerelite. By applying this model, the sensitivities of uranium solubility to variations in the concentrations of various groundwater component species are systematically investigated. The results show that the total analytical concentrations of carbonate, phosphate, silicate, and calcium in deep groundwater play the most important role in determining the solubility of uranium under strongly oxidizing conditions

  11. Thickness Dependence of Magnetic Relaxation and E-J Characteristics in Superconducting (Gd-Y)-Ba-Cu-O Films with Strong Vortex Pinning

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Polat, Ozgur [ORNL; Sinclair IV, John W [ORNL; Zuev, Yuri L [ORNL; Thompson, James R [ORNL; Christen, David K [ORNL; Cook, Sylvester W [ORNL; Kumar, Dhananjay [ORNL; Chen, Y [SuperPower Incorporated, Schenectady, New York; Selvamanickam, V. [SuperPower Incorporated, Schenectady, New York

    2011-01-01

    The dependence of the critical current density Jc on temperature, magnetic field, and film thickness has been investigated in (Gd-Y)BaCu-oxide materials of 0.7, 1.4, and 2.8 m thickness. Generally, the Jc decreases with film thickness at investigated temperatures and magnetic fields. The nature and strength of the pinning centers for vortices have been identified through angular and temperature measurements, respectively. These films do not exhibit c-axis correlated vortex pinning, but do have correlated defects oriented near the ab-planes. For all film thicknesses studied, strong pinning dominates at most temperatures. The vortex dynamics were investigated through magnetic relaxation studies in the temperature range of 5 77 K in 1 T and 3 T applied magnetic fields, H || surface-normal. The creep rate S is thickness dependent at high temperatures, implying that the pinning energy is also thickness dependent. Maley analyses of the relaxation data show an inverse power law variation for the effective pinning energy Ueff ~ (J0/J) . Finally, the electric field-current density (E-J) characteristics were determined over a wide range of dissipation by combining experimental results from transport, swept field magnetometry (VSM), and Superconducting Quantum Interference Device (SQUID) magnetometry. We develop a self-consistent model of the combined experimental results, leading to an estimation of the critical current density Jc0(T) in the absence of flux creep.

  12. Dose-dependent interaction between gemfibrozil and repaglinide in humans: strong inhibition of CYP2C8 with subtherapeutic gemfibrozil doses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Honkalammi, Johanna; Niemi, Mikko; Neuvonen, Pertti J; Backman, Janne T

    2011-10-01

    Gemfibrozil 1-O-β-glucuronide inactivates CYP2C8 irreversibly. We investigated the effect of gemfibrozil dose on CYP2C8 activity in humans using repaglinide as a probe drug. In a randomized, five-phase crossover study, 10 healthy volunteers ingested 0.25 mg of repaglinide 1 h after different doses of gemfibrozil or placebo. Concentrations of plasma repaglinide, gemfibrozil, their metabolites, and blood glucose were measured. A single gemfibrozil dose of 30, 100, 300, and 900 mg increased the area under the concentration-time curve of repaglinide 1.8-, 4.5-, 6.7-, and 8.3-fold (P Gemfibrozil pharmacokinetics was characterized by a slightly more than dose-proportional increase in the area under the curve of gemfibrozil and its glucuronide. The gemfibrozil-repaglinide interaction could be mainly explained by gemfibrozil 1-O-β-glucuronide concentration-dependent, mechanism-based inhibition of CYP2C8, with a minor contribution by competitive inhibition of organic anion-transporting polypeptide 1B1 at the highest gemfibrozil dose. The findings are consistent with ∼50% inhibition of CYP2C8 already with a single 30-mg dose of gemfibrozil and >95% inhibition with 900 mg. In clinical drug-drug interaction studies, a single 900-mg dose of gemfibrozil can be used to achieve nearly complete inactivation of CYP2C8.

  13. The concentration of retail in Poland

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michał Gazdecki

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available The article discusses the processes of concentration taking place in retail in Poland. In spite of strong concentration processes, which took place after 2000, Poland still remains a country of dispersed retail structure. In the nearest years we can expect capital concentration (mainly takeovers in modern trade and contract concentration (for example, merchants’ societies in traditional trade.

  14. Simultaneous fluorescence light-up and selective multicolor nucleobase recognition based on sequence-dependent strong binding of berberine to DNA abasic site.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Fei; Shao, Yong; Ma, Kun; Cui, Qinghua; Liu, Guiying; Xu, Shujuan

    2012-04-28

    Label-free DNA nucleobase recognition by fluorescent small molecules has received much attention due to its simplicity in mutation identification and drug screening. However, sequence-dependent fluorescence light-up nucleobase recognition and multicolor emission with individual emission energy for individual nucleobases have been seldom realized. Herein, an abasic site (AP site) in a DNA duplex was employed as a binding field for berberine, one of isoquinoline alkaloids. Unlike weak binding of berberine to the fully matched DNAs without the AP site, strong binding of berberine to the AP site occurs and the berberine's fluorescence light-up behaviors are highly dependent on the target nucleobases opposite the AP site in which the targets thymine and cytosine produce dual emission bands, while the targets guanine and adenine only give a single emission band. Furthermore, more intense emissions are observed for the target pyrimidines than purines. The flanking bases of the AP site also produce some modifications of the berberine's emission behavior. The binding selectivity of berberine at the AP site is also confirmed by measurements of fluorescence resonance energy transfer, excited-state lifetime, DNA melting and fluorescence quenching by ferrocyanide and sodium chloride. It is expected that the target pyrimidines cause berberine to be stacked well within DNA base pairs near the AP site, which results in a strong resonance coupling of the electronic transitions to the particular vibration mode to produce the dual emissions. The fluorescent signal-on and emission energy-modulated sensing for nucleobases based on this fluorophore is substantially advantageous over the previously used fluorophores. We expect that this approach will be developed as a practical device for differentiating pyrimidines from purines by positioning an AP site toward a target that is available for readout by this alkaloid probe. This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2012

  15. Phase Structure of Strong-Field Tunneling Wave Packets from Molecules.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Ming-Ming; Li, Min; Wu, Chengyin; Gong, Qihuang; Staudte, André; Liu, Yunquan

    2016-04-22

    We study the phase structure of the tunneling wave packets from strong-field ionization of molecules and present a molecular quantum-trajectory Monte Carlo model to describe the laser-driven dynamics of photoelectron momentum distributions of molecules. Using our model, we reproduce and explain the alignment-dependent molecular frame photoelectron spectra of strong-field tunneling ionization of N_{2} reported by M. Meckel et al. [Nat. Phys. 10, 594 (2014)]. In addition to modeling the low-energy photoelectron angular distributions quantitatively, we extract the phase structure of strong-field molecular tunneling wave packets, shedding light on its physical origin. The initial phase of the tunneling wave packets at the tunnel exit depends on both the initial transverse momentum distribution and the molecular internuclear distance. We further show that the ionizing molecular orbital has a critical effect on the initial phase of the tunneling wave packets. The phase structure of the photoelectron wave packet is a key ingredient for modeling strong-field molecular photoelectron holography, high-harmonic generation, and molecular orbital imaging.

  16. Relative Nonlinear Electrodynamics Interaction of Charged Particles with Strong and Super Strong Laser Fields

    CERN Document Server

    Avetissian, Hamlet

    2006-01-01

    This book covers a large class of fundamental investigations into Relativistic Nonlinear Electrodynamics. It explores the interaction between charged particles and strong laser fields, mainly concentrating on contemporary problems of x-ray lasers, new type small set-up high-energy accelerators of charged particles, as well as electron-positron pair production from super powerful laser fields of relativistic intensities. It will also discuss nonlinear phenomena of threshold nature that eliminate the concurrent inverse processes in the problems of Laser Accelerator and Free Electron Laser, thus creating new opportunities for solving these problems.

  17. Underscreening in concentrated electrolytes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Alpha A; Perez-Martinez, Carla S; Smith, Alexander M; Perkin, Susan

    2017-07-01

    Screening of a surface charge by an electrolyte and the resulting interaction energy between charged objects is of fundamental importance in scenarios from bio-molecular interactions to energy storage. The conventional wisdom is that the interaction energy decays exponentially with object separation and the decay length is a decreasing function of ion concentration; the interaction is thus negligible in a concentrated electrolyte. Contrary to this conventional wisdom, we have shown by surface force measurements that the decay length is an increasing function of ion concentration and Bjerrum length for concentrated electrolytes. In this paper we report surface force measurements to test directly the scaling of the screening length with Bjerrum length. Furthermore, we identify a relationship between the concentration dependence of this screening length and empirical measurements of activity coefficient and differential capacitance. The dependence of the screening length on the ion concentration and the Bjerrum length can be explained by a simple scaling conjecture based on the physical intuition that solvent molecules, rather than ions, are charge carriers in a concentrated electrolyte.

  18. Facile synthesis and strongly microstructure-dependent electrochemical properties of graphene/manganese dioxide composites for supercapacitors

    Science.gov (United States)

    2014-01-01

    Graphene has attracted much attention since it was firstly stripped from graphite by two physicists in 2004, and the supercapacitor based on graphene has obtained wide attention and much investment as well. For practical applications of graphene-based supercapacitors, however, there are still many challenges to solve, for instance, to simplify the technological process, to lower the fabrication cost, and to improve the electrochemical performance. In this work, graphene/MnO2 composites are prepared by a microwave sintering method, and we report here a relatively simple method for the supercapacitor packaging, i.e., dipping Ni-foam into a graphene/MnO2 composite solution directly for a period of time to coat the active material on a current collector. It is found that the microwave reaction time has a significant effect on the microstructure of graphene/MnO2 composites, and consequently, the electrochemical properties of the supercapacitors based on graphene/MnO2 composites are strongly microstructure dependent. An appropriately longer microwave reaction time, namely, 15 min, facilitates a very dense and homogeneous microstructure of the graphene/MnO2 composites, and thus, excellent electrochemical performance is achieved in the supercapacitor device, including a high specific capacitance of 296 F/g and a high capacitance retention of 93% after 3,000 times of charging/discharging cycles. PACS 81.05.ue; 78.67.Sc; 88.80.fh PMID:25258609

  19. Strong Laws of Large Numbers for Arrays of Rowwise NA and LNQD Random Variables

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jiangfeng Wang

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Some strong laws of large numbers and strong convergence properties for arrays of rowwise negatively associated and linearly negative quadrant dependent random variables are obtained. The results obtained not only generalize the result of Hu and Taylor to negatively associated and linearly negative quadrant dependent random variables, but also improve it.

  20. Unexpected high 35S concentration revealing strong downward transport of stratospheric air during the monsoon transitional period in East Asia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Mang; Zhang, Zhisheng; Su, Lin; Su, Binbin; Liu, Lanzhong; Tao, Jun; Fung, Jimmy C. H.; Thiemens, Mark H.

    2016-03-01

    October is the monsoon transitional period in East Asia (EA) involving a series of synoptic activities that may enhance the downward transport of stratospheric air to the planetary boundary layer (PBL). Here we use cosmogenic 35S in sulfate aerosols (35SO42-) as a tracer for air masses originating from the stratosphere and transported downward to quantify these mixing processes. From 1 year 35SO42- measurements (March 2014 to February 2015) at a background station in EA we find remarkably enhanced 35SO42- concentration (3150 atoms m-3) in October, the highest value ever reported for natural sulfate aerosols. A four-box 1-D model and meteorological analysis reveal that strong downward transport from the free troposphere is a vital process entraining aged stratospheric air masses to the PBL. The aged stratospheric masses are accumulated in the PBL, accelerating the SO2 transformation to SO42-. Implications for the tropospheric O3 budget and the CO2 biogeochemical cycle are discussed.

  1. Effect of increased carbon dioxide concentrations on stratospheric ozone

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Boughner, R.E.

    1978-01-01

    During the past several years, much attention has been focused on the destruction of ozone by anthropogenic pollutants such as the nitrogen oxides and chlorofluoromethane. Little or no attention has been given to the influence on ozone of an increased carbon dioxide concentration for which a measurable growth has been observed. Increased carbon dioxide can directly affect ozone by perturbing atmospheric temperatures, which will alter ozone production, whose rate displays a fairly strong temperature dependence. This paper presents one-dimensional model results for the steady state ozone behavior when the CO 2 concentration is twice its ambient level which account for coupling between chemistry and temperature. When the CO 2 level doubled, the total ozone burden increased in relation to the ambient burden by 1.2--2.5%, depending on the vertical diffusion coefficient used. Above 30 km. In this region the relation variations were insensitive to the choice of diffusion coefficient. Below 30 km, ozone concentrations were smaller than the unperturbed values and were sensitive to the vertical diffusion profile in this region (10--30 km). Ozone decreases in the lower stratosphere because of a reduction in ozone-producing solar radiation, which results in smaller downward ozone fluxes from the region at 25--30 km relative to the flux values for the ambient atmosphere. These offsetting changes occurring in the upper and lower stratosphere act to minimize the variation in total ozone

  2. The composition dependence of magnetic, electronic and optical properties of Mn-doped SixGe1-x nanowires

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wei, Jianglin; Lan, Mu; Zhang, Xi; Xiang, Gang

    2017-07-01

    Mn-doped SixGe1-x nanowires (NWs) with different Ge concentrations have been studied by first-principles calculations. It is found that the spin dependent energy bands of the NWs show rich variations both in bandgap width and type (from indirect to direct) as the Ge concentration changes. The Mn-doped SixGe1-x NWs exhibit half-metallic characteristics for all Ge concentrations, and the ground states of the NWs are found to be ferromagnetic (FM). The net magnetization mapping and spin density of states calculations reveal that Mn 3d electrons have a strong hybridization effect with nearest Ge 4p electrons, which results in the Ge’s nontrivial contribution to the magnetic moment of the NWs. Further magnon dispersion studies show that the magnetic order stability of the NWs is influenced by Ge concentrations. Finally, the dependence of the optical properties of the magnetic NWs on the Ge concentration is demonstrated. Our results suggest that Mn-doped SixGe1-x NWs may be useful in spintronic and optoelectronic devices.

  3. Palladium configuration dependence of hydrogen detection sensitivity based on graphene FET for breath analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sakamoto, Yuri; Uemura, Kohei; Ikuta, Takashi; Maehashi, Kenzo

    2018-04-01

    We have succeeded in fabricating a hydrogen gas sensor based on palladium-modified graphene field-effect transistors (FETs). The negative-voltage shift in the transfer characteristics was observed with exposure to hydrogen gas, which was explained by the change in work function. The hydrogen concentration dependence of the voltage shift was investigated using graphene FETs with palladium deposited by three different evaporation processes. The results indicate that the hydrogen detection sensitivity of the palladium-modified graphene FETs is strongly dependent on the palladium configuration. Therefore, the palladium-modified graphene FET is a candidate for breath analysis.

  4. Ratio of bulk to shear viscosity in a quasigluon plasma: from weak to strong coupling

    CERN Document Server

    Bluhm, M; Redlich, K

    2012-01-01

    The ratio of bulk to shear viscosity is expected to exhibit a different behaviour in weakly and in strongly coupled systems. This can be expressed by the dependence of the ratio on the squared sound velocity. In the high temperature QCD plasma at small running coupling, the viscosity ratio is uniquely determined by a quadratic dependence on the conformality measure, whereas in certain strongly coupled and nearly conformal theories this dependence is linear. Employing an effective kinetic theory of quasiparticle excitations with medium-modified dispersion relation, we analyze the ratio of bulk to shear viscosity of the gluon plasma. We show that in this approach the viscosity ratio comprises both dependencies found by means of weak coupling perturbative and strong coupling holographic techniques.

  5. Raman D-band in the irradiated graphene: Origin of the non-monotonous dependence of its intensity with defect concentration

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Codorniu Pujals, Daniel

    2013-01-01

    Raman spectroscopy is one of the most used experimental techniques in studying irradiated carbon nanostructures, in particular graphene, due to its high sensibility to the presence of defects in the crystalline lattice. Special attention has been given to the variation of the intensity of the Raman D-band of graphene with the concentration of defects produced by irradiation. Nowadays, there are enough experimental evidences about the non-monotonous character of that dependence, but the explanation of this behavior is still controversial. In the present work we developed a simplified mathematical model to obtain a functional relationship between these two magnitudes and showed that the non-monotonous dependence is intrinsic to the nature of the D-band and that it is not necessarily linked to amorphization processes. The obtained functional dependence was used to fit experimental data taken from other authors. The determination coefficient of the fitting was 0.96.

  6. Phytoextraction with Salix viminalis in a moderately to strongly contaminated area.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tőzsér, Dávid; Harangi, Sándor; Baranyai, Edina; Lakatos, Gyula; Fülöp, Zoltán; Tóthmérész, Béla; Simon, Edina

    2018-02-01

    We tested the suitability of Salix viminalis for phytoextraction with the analysis of selected elements in soil, root, and leaf, and by visual tree condition assessment in an area with varying levels of contamination. Bioconcentration factor (BCF) and translocation factor (TF) were used to assess the phytoextraction potential of willows. The middle part of the study area was strongly contaminated, while the northern and southern parts were moderately contaminated. We found increasing element concentrations toward deeper layers. Mean concentrations of elements in roots were similar among the three parts, while in leaves the highest concentrations were found in the strongly contaminated part of the study area. Tree condition scores were the lowest in the strongly contaminated part of the study area, which was caused by Al, Ca, K, Mg, Ni, Sr, and Zn concentration. These elements induced leaf disease and leaf feeders. The highest BCF values were found for Cu, Fe, Mn, and Zn in root, and for Cd and Zn in leaves, indicating that S. viminalis had high accumulation potential of these elements. Furthermore, TF values were high for Cd, Mn, Sr, and Zn. Our results also demonstrated that soil element composition has major influence on the condition of S. viminalis individuals. Furthermore, visual condition assessment was found to be a useful tool to assess the phytoextraction potential of trees.

  7. Solution of the Eliashberg equations for a very strong electron-phonon coupling with a low-energy cutoff

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Weger, M.; Barbiellini, B.; Jarlborg, T.; Peter, M.; Santi, G.

    1995-01-01

    We solve the Eliashberg equations for the case of an explicit vector k dependence of the interactions, and of the resulting self-energies Σ 1 ( vector k,ω), Σ 2 ( vector k,ω). We consider a strong energy-dependence of the electron-electron scattering-rate τ ee -1 , which is associated with a strong energy-dependence of the electron-phonon matrix element g(k,k'). We characterize this energy-dependence by a cutoff ξ 1 , which is of the order of the phonon frequency ω ph . We find that we can account for a large number of unexpected features of the superconductivity of the cuprates by the BCS electron-phonon theory, if we consider very large values of the McMillan coupling constant λ ph , and small values of the cutoff ξ 1 . Specifically, the Coulomb interaction is found not to depress T c ; the isotope effect is strongly reduced when ξ 1 ph . We find solutions in which the gap function Δ( vector k,ω) has extended s-wave symmetry but is very anisotropic. We suggest that the underlying cause of the strong energy-dependence is a very small electronic screening parameter at the Fermi surface; the electron-phonon matrix element g is abnormally large, and this accounts for the high transition temperatures of the cuprates. An order of magnitude estimate suggests that the electron-phonon mechanism can account for transition temperatures up to about 200 K. We thus propose a very-strong-coupling theory, in which the renormalization functions, in particular the energy-renormalization X, depend very strongly on the superconducting gap Δ, and thus display a very strong temperature-dependence between T c and T=0. An experimental manifestation of the very strong coupling with a small cutoff is a zero bias anomaly sometimes observed in tunneling experiments. (orig.)

  8. Elevated CO2 response of photosynthesis depends on ozone concentration in aspen

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Noormets, Asko; Kull, Olevi; Sober, Anu; Kubiske, Mark E.; Karnosky, David F.

    2010-01-01

    The effect of elevated CO 2 and O 3 on apparent quantum yield (φ), maximum photosynthesis (P max ), carboxylation efficiency (V cmax ) and electron transport capacity (J max ) at different canopy locations was studied in two aspen (Populus tremuloides) clones of contrasting O 3 tolerance. Local light climate at every leaf was characterized as fraction of above-canopy photosynthetic photon flux density (%PPFD). Elevated CO 2 alone did not affect φ or P max , and increased J max in the O 3 -sensitive, but not in the O 3 -tolerant clone. Elevated O 3 decreased leaf chlorophyll content and all photosynthetic parameters, particularly in the lower canopy, and the negative impact of O 3 increased through time. Significant interaction effect, whereby the negative impact of elevated O 3 was exaggerated by elevated CO 2 was seen in Chl, N and J max , and occurred in both O 3 -tolerant and O 3 -sensitive clones. The clonal differences in the level of CO 2 x O 3 interaction suggest a relationship between photosynthetic acclimation and background O 3 concentration. - Photosynthetic acclimation to elevated CO 2 depends on the background oxidant levels.

  9. Geiger-Nuttall Law for Nuclei in Strong Electromagnetic Fields

    Science.gov (United States)

    Delion, D. S.; Ghinescu, S. A.

    2017-11-01

    We investigate the influence of a strong laser electromagnetic field on the α -decay rate by using the Hennenberger frame of reference. We introduce an adimensional parameter D =S0/R0, where R0 is the geometrical nuclear radius and S0˜√{I }/ω2 is a length parameter depending on the laser intensity I and frequency ω . We show that the barrier penetrability has a strong increase for intensities corresponding to D >Dcrit=1 , due to the fact that the resulting Coulomb potential becomes strongly anisotropic even for spherical nuclei. As a consequence, the contribution of the monopole term increases the barrier penetrability by 2 orders of magnitude, while the total contribution has an effect of 6 orders of magnitude at D ˜3 Dcrit. In the case of deformed nuclei, the electromagnetic field increases the penetrability by an additional order of magnitude for a quadrupole deformation β2˜0.3 . The influence of the electromagnetic field can be expressed in terms of a shifted Geiger-Nuttal law by a term depending on S0 and deformation.

  10. Concentration Dependence of Gold Nanoparticles for Fluorescence Enhancement

    Science.gov (United States)

    Solomon, Joel; Wittmershaus, Bruce

    Noble metal nanoparticles possess a unique property known as surface plasmon resonance in which the conduction electrons oscillate due to incoming light, dramatically increasing their absorption and scattering of light. The oscillating electrons create a varying electric field that can affect nearby molecules. The fluorescence and photostability of fluorophores can be enhanced significantly when they are near plasmonic nanoparticles. This effect is called metal enhanced fluorescence (MEF). MEF from two fluorescence organic dyes, Lucifer Yellow CH and Riboflavin, was measured with different concentrations of 50-nm colloidal gold nanoparticles (Au-NP). The concentration range of Au-NP was varied from 2.5 to 250 pM. To maximize the interaction, the dyes were chosen so their emission spectra had considerable overlap with the absorption spectra of the Au-NP, which is common in MEF studies. If the dye molecules are too close to the surface of Au-NP, fluorescence quenching can occur instead of MEF. To try to observe this difference, silica-coated Au-NP were compared to citrate-based Au-NP; however, fluorescence quenching was observed with both Au-NP. This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant Number NSF-ECCS-1306157.

  11. Atmospheric concentrations of 7Be, 10Be and 210Pb in northeast Asia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yamagata, T.; Tada, W.; T saito; Nagai, H.; Murayama, M.; Momoshima, N.; Matsuzaki, H.

    2005-01-01

    Cosmogenic nuclides 7 Be (T 1/2 = 53.3 d) and 10 Be (T 1/2 = 1.5 X 10 6 y) are very useful tracer for the aerosols originated in the upper atmosphere, In the case of 10 Be in surface air, however, two components from upper troposphere and from re-suspended dust from soil are mixed. We try to divide these sources, in order to know an interpretation of aerosol drives. To try to separate the two different source of 10 Be, we use 210 Pb (T 1/2 = 22.3y), progeny of 222 Rn, as continental component. In this study, the distribution of these nuclides in aerosols collected in the Northwest pacific and adjacent seas by employing the research Vessels as cut off the re-suspended dusts from soil are reported. Since research expeditions are mostly short term, continuous observation is very difficult. So we observed at Tokyo and Hachijo-Island, remote island located 300 km south from Tokyo, in 2002-2004. Seasonal variations for 7 Be, 10 Be and 210 Pb concentration were similar pattern at Tokyo and Hachijo-Island. The concentrations were high in April and October to November and low in July to August. Although 210 Pb concentration showed the seasonal variation similar to 7 Be concentration, the average 210 Pb concentration of Tokyo showed the value high about 35% as compared with Hachijo-Island, while the average 7 Be concentration having been mostly in agreement at both points. For the distribution of these nuclide, 7 Be and 10 Be concentrations in ocean air showed strong latitude dependence but 210 Pb concentration depend on distance from continent.

  12. In-situ potential risk dependence of environmental radon concentration mapping

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sajo B, L.; Horvath, A.; Mark, G.; Kasztovszky, Z.; Toth, E.

    1996-01-01

    In this study we present the importance of a close mesh measurements for radon concentration mapping and we demonstrate its necessity when dose calculations are involved. Our results indicate that large errors may be derived from data related to large area mapped with measurements considered characteristic; mean value of a selected region. We point out also that from place to place distant 30 cm radon concentration in the soil at the relaxation depth of 70 cm may differ by a factor of 2 or more. Waters of household wells were monitored also for information on the radon dynamic behaviour. We conclude that for effective dose calculations, particularly in areas with high radon concentration gradient and relatively high population density, the approximate spatial scale variation should be replaced by a systematic dose mesh sampling approach. (authors). 13 refs., 3 figs

  13. Suppressing an anti-inflammatory cytokine reveals a strong age-dependent survival cost in mice.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Virginia Belloni

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: The central paradigm of ecological immunology postulates that selection acts on immunity as to minimize its cost/benefit ratio. Costs of immunity may arise because the energetic requirements of the immune response divert resources that are no longer available for other vital functions. In addition to these resource-based costs, mis-directed or over-reacting immune responses can be particularly harmful for the host. In spite of the potential importance of immunopathology, most studies dealing with the evolution of the immune response have neglected such non resource-based costs. To keep the immune response under control, hosts have evolved regulatory pathways that should be considered when studying the target of the selection pressures acting on immunity. Indeed, variation in regulation may strongly modulate the negative outcome of immune activation, with potentially important fitness consequences. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Here, we experimentally assessed the survival costs of reduced immune regulation by inhibiting an anti-inflammatory cytokine (IL-10 with anti-IL-10 receptor antibodies (anti-IL-10R in mice that were either exposed to a mild inflammation or kept as control. The experiment was performed on young (3 months and old (15 months individuals, as to further assess the age-dependent cost of suppressing immune regulation. IL-10 inhibition induced high mortality in old mice exposed to the mild inflammatory insult, whereas no mortality was observed in young mice. However, young mice experienced a transitory lost in body mass when injected with the anti-IL-10R antibodies, showing that the treatment was to a lesser extent also costly for young individuals. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest a major role of immune regulation that deserves attention when investigating the evolution of immunity, and indicate that the capacity to down-regulate the inflammatory response is crucial for late survival and longevity.

  14. Sensing methanol concentration in direct methanol fuel cell with total harmonic distortion: Theory and application

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mao Qing; Krewer, Ulrike

    2012-01-01

    The nonlinear frequency response of a direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) is studied by analyzing the total harmonic distortion (THD) spectra. The dependence of the THD spectra on methanol concentration and methanol oxidation kinetics is investigated by means of both simulation and experiment. Simulation using a continuous stirred tank reactor network model suggests that the methanol concentration profile in the anode has a strong impact on the THD spectra. The experimentally observed nonlinear behavior of the DMFC anode can be qualitatively reproduced with a model containing a three-step methanol oxidation mechanism with Kauranen–Frumkin/Temkin kinetics. Both experiment and simulation results show that THD value has a monotonic correlation with methanol concentration at certain frequencies and its sensitivity to concentration is improved with increased current amplitude. The monotonic relationship enables the THD to sense the methanol concentration level by the DMFC itself, which is of mayor interest for the portable application as an external sensor for the system can be omitted.

  15. Anatase phase stability and doping concentration dependent refractivity in codoped transparent conducting TiO{sub 2} films

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chen, T L [Kanagawa Academy of Science and Technology (KAST), Kawasaki 213-0012 (Japan); Furubayashi, Y [Kanagawa Academy of Science and Technology (KAST), Kawasaki 213-0012 (Japan); Hirose, Y [Kanagawa Academy of Science and Technology (KAST), Kawasaki 213-0012 (Japan); Hitosugi, T [Kanagawa Academy of Science and Technology (KAST), Kawasaki 213-0012 (Japan); Shimada, T [Kanagawa Academy of Science and Technology (KAST), Kawasaki 213-0012 (Japan); Hasegawa, T [Kanagawa Academy of Science and Technology (KAST), Kawasaki 213-0012 (Japan)

    2007-10-07

    Nb{sub 0.06}Sn{sub x}Ti{sub 0.94-x}O{sub 2} (x {<=} 0.3) thin films were grown by a pulsed-laser deposition method with varying Sn concentration. Through a combinatorial technique, we find that Sn concentration can reach a maximum of about x = 0.3 while maintaining the stable anatase phase and epitaxy. A doping concentration dependence of the refractivity is revealed, in which refractivity reduction at a wavelength of {lambda} = 500 nm is estimated to be 12.4% for Nb{sub 0.06}Sn{sub 0.3} Ti{sub 0.64}O{sub 2} thin film. Sn doping induced band-gap blue shift can be contributed to the mixing of extended Sn 5s orbitals with the conduction band of TiO{sub 2}. Low resistivity on the order of 10{sup -4} {omega} cm at room temperature and high internal transmittance of more than 95% in the visible light region are exhibited for Nb{sub 0.06}Sn{sub x} Ti{sub 0.94-x}O{sub 2} thin films (x {<=} 0.2). Optical and transport analyses demonstrate that doping Sn into Nb{sub 0.06} Ti{sub 0.94}O{sub 2} can reduce the refractivity while maintaining low resistivity and high transparency.

  16. Ethylene regulates Apple (Malus x domestica) fruit softening through a dose x time-dependent mechanism and through differential sensitivities and dependencies of cell wall-modifying genes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ireland, Hilary S; Gunaseelan, Kularajathevan; Muddumage, Ratnasiri; Tacken, Emma J; Putterill, Jo; Johnston, Jason W; Schaffer, Robert J

    2014-05-01

    In fleshy fruit species that have a strong requirement for ethylene to ripen, ethylene is synthesized autocatalytically, producing increasing concentrations as the fruits ripen. Apple fruit with the ACC OXIDASE 1 (ACO1) gene suppressed cannot produce ethylene autocatalytically at ripening. Using these apple lines, an ethylene sensitivity dependency model was previously proposed, with traits such as softening showing a high dependency for ethylene as well as low sensitivity. In this study, it is shown that the molecular control of fruit softening is a complex process, with different cell wall-related genes being independently regulated and exhibiting differential sensitivities to and dependencies on ethylene at the transcriptional level. This regulation is controlled through a dose × time mechanism, which results in a temporal transcriptional response that would allow for progressive cell wall disassembly and thus softening. This research builds on the sensitivity dependency model and shows that ethylene-dependent traits can progress over time to the same degree with lower levels of ethylene. This suggests that a developmental clock measuring cumulative ethylene controls the fruit ripening process.

  17. Perceptual Sensitivity and Response to Strong Stimuli Are Related

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anna C. Bolders

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available To shed new light on the long-standing debate about the (independence of sensitivity to weak stimuli and overreactivity to strong stimuli, we examined the relation between these tendencies within the neurobehavioral framework of the Predictive and Reactive Control Systems (PARCS theory (Tops et al., 2010, 2014. Whereas previous studies only considered overreactivity in terms of the individual tendency to experience unpleasant affect (punishment reactivity resulting from strong sensory stimulation, we also took the individual tendency to experience pleasant affect (reward reactivity resulting from strong sensory stimulation into account. According to PARCS theory, these temperamental tendencies overlap in terms of high reactivity toward stimulation, but oppose each other in terms of the response orientation (approach or avoid. PARCS theory predicts that both types of reactivity to strong stimuli relate to sensitivity to weak stimuli, but that these relationships are suppressed due to the opposing relationship between reward and punishment reactivity. We measured punishment and reward reactivity to strong stimuli and sensitivity to weak stimuli using scales from the Adult Temperament Questionnaire (Evans and Rothbart, 2007. Sensitivity was also measured more objectively using the masked auditory threshold. We found that sensitivity to weak stimuli (both self-reported and objectively assessed was positively associated with self-reported punishment and reward reactivity to strong stimuli, but only when these reactivity measures were controlled for each other, implicating a mutual suppression effect. These results are in line with PARCS theory and suggest that sensitivity to weak stimuli and overreactivity are dependent, but this dependency is likely to be obscured if punishment and reward reactivity are not both taken into account.

  18. Strong orientation dependence of surface mass density profiles of dark haloes at large scales

    Science.gov (United States)

    Osato, Ken; Nishimichi, Takahiro; Oguri, Masamune; Takada, Masahiro; Okumura, Teppei

    2018-06-01

    We study the dependence of surface mass density profiles, which can be directly measured by weak gravitational lensing, on the orientation of haloes with respect to the line-of-sight direction, using a suite of N-body simulations. We find that, when major axes of haloes are aligned with the line-of-sight direction, surface mass density profiles have higher amplitudes than those averaged over all halo orientations, over all scales from 0.1 to 100 Mpc h-1 we studied. While the orientation dependence at small scales is ascribed to the halo triaxiality, our results indicate even stronger orientation dependence in the so-called two-halo regime, up to 100 Mpc h-1. The orientation dependence for the two-halo term is well approximated by a multiplicative shift of the amplitude and therefore a shift in the halo bias parameter value. The halo bias from the two-halo term can be overestimated or underestimated by up to {˜ } 30 per cent depending on the viewing angle, which translates into the bias in estimated halo masses by up to a factor of 2 from halo bias measurements. The orientation dependence at large scales originates from the anisotropic halo-matter correlation function, which has an elliptical shape with the axis ratio of ˜0.55 up to 100 Mpc h-1. We discuss potential impacts of halo orientation bias on other observables such as optically selected cluster samples and a clustering analysis of large-scale structure tracers such as quasars.

  19. Strong coupling constant extraction from high-multiplicity Z +jets observables

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnson, Mark; Maître, Daniel

    2018-03-01

    We present a strong coupling constant extraction at next-to-leading order QCD accuracy using ATLAS Z +2 ,3,4 jets data. This is the first extraction using processes with a dependency on high powers of the coupling constant. We obtain values of the strong coupling constant at the Z mass compatible with the world average and with uncertainties commensurate with other next-to-leading order extractions at hadron colliders. Our most conservative result for the strong coupling constant is αS(MZ)=0.117 8-0.0043+0.0051 .

  20. Three-dimensional electromagnetic strong turbulence. I. Scalings, spectra, and field statistics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Graham, D. B.; Robinson, P. A.; Cairns, Iver H.; Skjaeraasen, O.

    2011-01-01

    The first fully three-dimensional (3D) simulations of large-scale electromagnetic strong turbulence (EMST) are performed by numerically solving the electromagnetic Zakharov equations for electron thermal speeds ν e with ν e /c≥0.025. The results of these simulations are presented, focusing on scaling behavior, energy density spectra, and field statistics of the Langmuir (longitudinal) and transverse components of the electric fields during steady-state strong turbulence, where multiple wave packets collapse simultaneously and the system is approximately statistically steady in time. It is shown that for ν e /c > or approx. 0.17 strong turbulence is approximately electrostatic and can be explained using the electrostatic two-component model. For v e /c > or approx. 0.17 the power-law behaviors of the scalings, spectra, and field statistics differ from the electrostatic predictions and results because ν e /c is sufficiently high to allow transverse modes to become trapped in density wells. The results are compared with those of past 3D electrostatic strong turbulence (ESST) simulations and 2D EMST simulations. For number density perturbations, the scaling behavior, spectra, and field statistics are shown to be only weakly dependent on ν e /c, whereas the Langmuir and transverse scalings, spectra, and field statistics are shown to be strongly dependent on ν e /c. Three-dimensional EMST is shown to have features in common with 2D EMST, such as a two-component structure and trapping of transverse modes which are dependent on ν e /c.

  1. Dependence of the up-conversion emission of Li+ co-doped Y2O3:Er3+ films with dopant concentration

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Meza-Rocha, A.N.; Huerta, E.F.; Caldiño, U.; Carmona-Téllez, S.; Bettinelli, M.; Speghini, A.; Pelli, S.; Righini, G.C.

    2015-01-01

    The effect of dopant concentration on the up-conversion emission, and in particular on the Er 3+ related green and red emissions of spray pyrolysis deposited films of Y 2 O 3 :Er 3+ co-doped with Li + , is reported. Er 3+ concentrations in the films in the range of 1.1–5.6 at% (1.5–14 at% Er 3+ in the spraying solution) were studied, as well as the effect of co-doping them with Li + . Large concentrations of Er 3+ favor the red emission, especially for contents higher than 10 at% in the spraying solution. Li + co-doping improves the green and red emissions up to 365 and 171 times, respectively, depending on the Er 3+ and Li + concentrations. - Highlights: Up-converting Y 2 O 3 :Er 3+ and Y 2 O 3 :Er 3+ , Li + films were deposited by spray pyrolysis. The effect of Li + co-doping on the green and red UC Er 3+ emission is reported. Li + co-doping improves the green and red emission up to 365 and 171 times

  2. Atomic excitation and acceleration in strong laser fields

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zimmermann, H; Eichmann, U

    2016-01-01

    Atomic excitation in the tunneling regime of a strong-field laser–matter interaction has been recently observed. It is conveniently explained by the concept of frustrated tunneling ionization (FTI), which naturally evolves from the well-established tunneling picture followed by classical dynamics of the electron in the combined laser field and Coulomb field of the ionic core. Important predictions of the FTI model such as the n distribution of Rydberg states after strong-field excitation and the dependence on the laser polarization have been confirmed in experiments. The model also establishes a sound basis to understand strong-field acceleration of neutral atoms in strong laser fields. The experimental observation has become possible recently and initiated a variety of experiments such as atomic acceleration in an intense standing wave and the survival of Rydberg states in strong laser fields. Furthermore, the experimental investigations on strong-field dissociation of molecules, where neutral excited fragments after the Coulomb explosion of simple molecules have been observed, can be explained. In this review, we introduce the subject and give an overview over relevant experiments supplemented by new results. (paper)

  3. Structural and Dynamical Properties of Alkaline Earth Metal Halides in Supercritical Water: Effect of Ion Size and Concentration.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Keshri, Sonanki; Tembe, B L

    2017-11-22

    Constant temperature-constant pressure molecular dynamics simulations have been performed for aqueous alkaline earth metal chloride [M 2+ -Cl - (M = Mg, Ca, Sr, and Ba)] solutions over a wide range of concentrations (0.27-5.55 m) in supercritical (SC) and ambient conditions to investigate their structural and dynamical properties. A strong influence of the salt concentration is observed on the ion-ion pair correlation functions in both ambient and SC conditions. In SC conditions, significant clustering is observed in the 0.27 m solution, whereas the reverse situation is observed at room temperature and this is also supported by the residence times of the clusters. The concentration and ion size (cation size) seem to have opposite effects on the average number of hydrogen bonds. The simulation results show that the self-diffusion coefficients of water, cations, and the chloride ion increase with increasing temperature, whereas they decrease with increasing salt concentration. The cluster size distribution shows a strong density dependence in both ambient and SC conditions. In SC conditions, cluster sizes display a near-Gaussian distribution, whereas the distribution decays monotonically in ambient conditions.

  4. Mexico City ozone concentrations as a function of readily-available meteorological parameters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brown, M.J.

    1994-01-01

    Daily maximum ozone concentrations measured at four sites within the Mexico City basin during the winter months are plotted as functions of different meteorological parameters that are routinely measured at surface stations. We found that ozone concentrations are most strongly correlated to the increase in daytime temperature and the maximum daytime wind speed. We also discovered that high ozone values at the sites in the southern end of the basin occur when winds come out of the northeast. In contrast, wind direction was found to be uncorrelated with high ozone values at the northern sites. From straightforward combinations of the meteorological variables, we derived some simple rules for estimating lower and upper bounds on the ozone concentration. Scatter in the data was too long to give significance to best-fit equations and statistics. Additionally, a small rawinsonde data set was used to investigate ozone's dependence on boundary-layer height and near-surface temperature gradient. Results were inconclusive, however, due to the small size of the data set

  5. Strongly nonlinear dynamics of electrolytes in large ac voltages

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Olesen, Laurits Højgaard; Bazant, Martin Z.; Bruus, Henrik

    2010-01-01

    to suppress the strongly nonlinear regime in the limit of concentrated electrolytes, ionic liquids, and molten salts. Beyond the model problem, our reduced equations for thin double layers, based on uniformly valid matched asymptotic expansions, provide a useful mathematical framework to describe additional...

  6. Influence of dopant concentration on spectroscopic properties of Sr2CeO4:Yb nanocrystals

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stefanski, M.; Kędziorski, A.; Hreniak, D.; Strek, W.

    2017-12-01

    Optical properties of Sr2CeO4:Yb nanocrystals synthesized via Pechini's method are reported. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction data measurements. The unit cell parameters were determined using Rietveld refinement. It was found that they decreased with increasing amount of Yb ions. The absorption, excitation, emission spectra and luminescence decay profiles of the Sr2CeO4:Yb nanocrystals were investigated. It was observed that optical properties were strongly dependent on Yb concentration. It was found that Yb3+-O2- charge transfer transitions have great influence on the absorption spectra. It can be seen in the emission spectra that in addition to standard bands/lines corresponding to Ce-O metal-to-ligand charge transfer of Sr2CeO4 and f-f transitions of Yb3+, there is emission band centered at 744 nm. Its intensity depends on the concentration of the dopant. Recorded decay times become shorter with increasing dopant concentration due to the Yb3+ concentration quenching. Excitation spectra indicate the energy transfer from Ce-O charge transfer states to Yb3+2F5/2 state. The issue of appearance of down-conversion process in Sr2CeO4:Yb nanocrystals is considered.

  7. Molecular Binding Contributes to Concentration Dependent Acrolein Deposition in Rat Upper Airways: CFD and Molecular Dynamics Analyses

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jinxiang Xi

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Existing in vivo experiments show significantly decreased acrolein uptake in rats with increasing inhaled acrolein concentrations. Considering that high-polarity chemicals are prone to bond with each other, it is hypothesized that molecular binding between acrolein and water will contribute to the experimentally observed deposition decrease by decreasing the effective diffusivity. The objective of this study is to quantify the probability of molecular binding for acrolein, as well as its effects on acrolein deposition, using multiscale simulations. An image-based rat airway geometry was used to predict the transport and deposition of acrolein using the chemical species model. The low Reynolds number turbulence model was used to simulate the airflows. Molecular dynamic (MD simulations were used to study the molecular binding of acrolein in different media and at different acrolein concentrations. MD results show that significant molecular binding can happen between acrolein and water molecules in human and rat airways. With 72 acrolein embedded in 800 water molecules, about 48% of acrolein compounds contain one hydrogen bond and 10% contain two hydrogen bonds, which agreed favorably with previous MD results. The percentage of hydrogen-bonded acrolein compounds is higher at higher acrolein concentrations or in a medium with higher polarity. Computational dosimetry results show that the size increase caused by the molecular binding reduces the effective diffusivity of acrolein and lowers the chemical deposition onto the airway surfaces. This result is consistent with the experimentally observed deposition decrease at higher concentrations. However, this size increase can only explain part of the concentration-dependent variation of the acrolein uptake and acts as a concurrent mechanism with the uptake-limiting tissue ration rate. Intermolecular interactions and associated variation in diffusivity should be considered in future dosimetry modeling of

  8. Molecular Binding Contributes to Concentration Dependent Acrolein Deposition in Rat Upper Airways: CFD and Molecular Dynamics Analyses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xi, Jinxiang; Hu, Qin; Zhao, Linlin; Si, Xiuhua April

    2018-03-27

    Existing in vivo experiments show significantly decreased acrolein uptake in rats with increasing inhaled acrolein concentrations. Considering that high-polarity chemicals are prone to bond with each other, it is hypothesized that molecular binding between acrolein and water will contribute to the experimentally observed deposition decrease by decreasing the effective diffusivity. The objective of this study is to quantify the probability of molecular binding for acrolein, as well as its effects on acrolein deposition, using multiscale simulations. An image-based rat airway geometry was used to predict the transport and deposition of acrolein using the chemical species model. The low Reynolds number turbulence model was used to simulate the airflows. Molecular dynamic (MD) simulations were used to study the molecular binding of acrolein in different media and at different acrolein concentrations. MD results show that significant molecular binding can happen between acrolein and water molecules in human and rat airways. With 72 acrolein embedded in 800 water molecules, about 48% of acrolein compounds contain one hydrogen bond and 10% contain two hydrogen bonds, which agreed favorably with previous MD results. The percentage of hydrogen-bonded acrolein compounds is higher at higher acrolein concentrations or in a medium with higher polarity. Computational dosimetry results show that the size increase caused by the molecular binding reduces the effective diffusivity of acrolein and lowers the chemical deposition onto the airway surfaces. This result is consistent with the experimentally observed deposition decrease at higher concentrations. However, this size increase can only explain part of the concentration-dependent variation of the acrolein uptake and acts as a concurrent mechanism with the uptake-limiting tissue ration rate. Intermolecular interactions and associated variation in diffusivity should be considered in future dosimetry modeling of high

  9. Energy and calcium ion dependence of proteolysis during sporulation of Bacillus subtilis cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    O'Hara, M.B.; Hageman, J.H.

    1990-01-01

    The authors have shown, with an optimized [ 14 C]leucine-labeling and chasing procedure, that intracellular protein degradation in sporulating cells of Bacillus subtilis 168 (trpC2) is apparently energy dependent. Sodium arsenate, sodium azide, carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrozone, and N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide, at levels which did not induce appreciable lysis (≤ 10%) over 10-h periods of sporulation, inhibited intracellular proteolysis by 13 to 93%. Exponentially growing cells acquired arsenate resistance. In contrast to earlier reports, the authors found that chloramphenicol strongly inhibited proteolysis even when added 6 h into the sporulation process. Restricting the calcium ion concentration in the medium had no effect on rates or extent of vegetative growth, strongly inhibited sporulation, and inhibited rates of proteolysis by 60% or more. Inhibitors of energy metabolism, at the same levels which inhibited proteolysis, did not affect the rate or degree of uptake of Ca 2+ by cells. Restricting the Ca 2+ concentration in the medium reduced by threefold of the specific activity in cells of the major intracellular serine proteinase after 12 h of sporulation. finally, cells of a mutant of B. subtilis bearing an insertionally inactivated gene for the Ca 2+ -dependent intracellular proteinase-1 degraded protein in chemically defined sporulation medium at a rate indistinguishable from that of the wild-type cells for period of 8 h

  10. Strong dopant dependence of electric transport in ion-gated MoS2

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Piatti, Erik; Chen, Qihong; Ye, Jianting

    2017-01-01

    We report modifications of the temperature-dependent transport properties of MoS2 thin flakes via field-driven ion intercalation in an electric double layer transistor. We find that intercalation with Li+ ions induces the onset of an inhomogeneous superconducting state. Intercalation with K+ leads

  11. Generic strong coupling behavior of Cooper pairs in the surface of superfluid nuclei

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pillet, N.; Sandulescu, N.; Schuck, P.

    2007-01-01

    With realistic HFB calculations, using the D1S Gogny force, we reveal a generic behavior of concentration of small sized Cooper pairs (2-3 fm) in the surface of superfluid nuclei. This study confirms and extends previous results given in the literature that use more schematic approaches. It is shown that the strong concentration of pair probability of small Cooper pairs in the nuclear surface is a quite general and generic feature and that nuclear pairing is much closer to the strong coupling regime than previously assumed

  12. Generic strong coupling behavior of Cooper pairs in the surface of superfluid nuclei

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pillet, N. [DPTA/Service de Physique nucleaire, CEA/DAM Ile de France, BP12, F-91680 Bruyeres-le-Chatel (France); Sandulescu, N. [DPTA/Service de Physique nucleaire, CEA/DAM Ile de France, BP12, F-91680 Bruyeres-le-Chatel (France)]|[Institute of Physics and Nuclear Engineering, 76900 Bucharest (Romania)]|[Institut de Physique Nucleaire, CNRS, UMR 8608, Orsay, F-91406 (France); Schuck, P. [Institut de Physique Nucleaire, CNRS, UMR 8608, Orsay, F-91406 (France)]|[Universite Paris-Sud, Orsay, F-91505 (France)

    2007-01-15

    With realistic HFB calculations, using the D1S Gogny force, we reveal a generic behavior of concentration of small sized Cooper pairs (2-3 fm) in the surface of superfluid nuclei. This study confirms and extends previous results given in the literature that use more schematic approaches. It is shown that the strong concentration of pair probability of small Cooper pairs in the nuclear surface is a quite general and generic feature and that nuclear pairing is much closer to the strong coupling regime than previously assumed.

  13. Carbon nanotube yarns as strong flexible conductive capacitive electrodes

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Liu, F.; Wagterveld, R.M.; Gebben, B.; Otto, M.J.; Biesheuvel, P.M.; Hamelers, H.V.M.

    2015-01-01

    Carbon nanotube (CNT) yarn, consisting of 23 µm diameter CNT filaments, can be used as capacitive electrodes that are long, flexible, conductive and strong, for applications in energy and electrochemical water treatment. We measure the charge storage capacity as function of salt concentration, and

  14. Dependence of ion - photon emission characteristics on the concentration of implanted atoms of the bombarding beam

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Belykh, S.F.; Evtukhov, R.N.; Redina, I.V.; Ferleger, V.Kh.

    1989-01-01

    Results of experiment, where Dy + beams, its spraying products emitting intensively optical radiation with continuous spectrum (CSR), are used for tantalum surface bombardment, are presented. The given experiment allowed one to separate the scattered particle CSR contribution and was conducted under controlled beam n atom concentration on the target surface. E 0 energy and j 0 dysprosium ion flux density made up respectively 3.5 keV and 3x10 5 Axcm -2 . The obtained result analysis has shown that a notable dependence of spectrum type on n value is detected. Dy scattered atoms to not emit CSR. The main contribution to CSR is made by sprayed particles, containing dysprosium atoms

  15. Does mortality risk of cigarette smoking depend on serum concentrations of persistent organic pollutants? Prospective investigation of the vasculature in Uppsala seniors (PIVUS study.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Duk-Hee Lee

    Full Text Available Cigarette smoking is an important cause of preventable death globally, but associations between smoking and mortality vary substantially across country and calendar time. Although methodological biases have been discussed, it is biologically plausible that persistent organic pollutants (POPs like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs and organochlorine (OC pesticides can affect this association. This study was performed to evaluate if associations of cigarette smoking with mortality were modified by serum concentrations of PCBs and OC pesticides. We evaluated cigarette smoking in 111 total deaths among 986 men and women aged 70 years in the Prospective Investigation of the Vasculature in Uppsala Seniors (PIVUS with mean follow-up for 7.7 years. The association between cigarette smoking and total mortality depended on serum concentration of PCBs and OC pesticides (P value for interaction = 0.02. Among participants in the highest tertile of the serum POPs summary score, former and current smokers had 3.7 (95% CI, 1.5-9.3 and 6.4 (95% CI, 2.3-17.7 times higher mortality hazard, respectively, than never smokers. In contrast, the association between cigarette smoking and total mortality among participants in the lowest tertile of the serum POPs summary score was much weaker and statistically non-significant. The strong smoking-mortality association observed among elderly people with high POPs was mainly driven by low risk of mortality among never smokers with high POPs. As smoking is increasing in many low-income and middle-income countries and POPs contamination is a continuing problem in these areas, the interactions between these two important health-related issues should be considered in future research.

  16. The assumption of linearity in soil and plant concentration ratios: an experimental evaluation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sheppard, S.C.; Evenden, W.G.

    1988-01-01

    We have evaluated one of the main assumptions in the use of concentration ratios to describe the transfer of elements in the environment. The ratios examined in detail were the 'concentration ratio' (CR) of leaf to soil and the 'partition coefficient' (Ksub(d)) of solid- to liquid-phase concentrations in soil. Use of these ratios implies a linear relationship between the concentrations. Soil was experimentally contaminated to evaluate this linearity over more than a 1000-fold range in concentration. A secondary objective was to determine CR and Ksub(d) values in a long-term (2 y) outdoor study using a peat soil and blueberries. The elements I, Se, Cs, Pb and U were chosen as environmentally important elements. The results indicated that relationships of leaf and leachate concentrations were not consistently linearly related to the total soil concentrations for each of the elements. The modelling difficulties implied by these concentration dependencies can be partially offset by including the strong negative correlation between CR and Ksub(d). The error introduced by using a mean value of the ratios for Se or U resulted in up to a ten-fold increase in variability for CR and a three-fold increase for Ksub(d). (author)

  17. Stimulation and inhibition of bacterial growth by caffeine dependent on chloramphenicol and a phenolic uncoupler--a ternary toxicity study using microfluid segment technique.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cao, Jialan; Kürsten, Dana; Schneider, Steffen; Köhler, J Michael

    2012-10-01

    A droplet-based microfluidic technique for the fast generation of three dimensional concentration spaces within nanoliter segments was introduced. The technique was applied for the evaluation of the effect of two selected antibiotic substances on the toxicity and activation of bacterial growth by caffeine. Therefore a three-dimensional concentration space was completely addressed by generating large sequences with about 1150 well separated microdroplets containing 216 different combinations of concentrations. To evaluate the toxicity of the ternary mixtures a time-resolved miniaturized optical double endpoint detection unit using a microflow-through fluorimeter and a two channel microflow-through photometer was used for the simultaneous analysis of changes on the endogenous cellular fluorescence signal and on the cell density of E. coli cultivated inside 500 nL microfluid segments. Both endpoints supplied similar results for the dose related cellular response. Strong non-linear combination effects, concentration dependent stimulation and the formation of activity summits on bolographic maps were determined. The results reflect a complex response of growing bacterial cultures in dependence on the combined effectors. A strong caffeine induced enhancement of bacterial growth was found at sublethal chloramphenicol and sublethal 2,4-dinitrophenol concentrations. The reliability of the method was proved by a high redundancy of fluidic experiments. The results indicate the importance of multi-parameter investigations for toxicological studies and prove the potential of the microsegmented flow technique for such requirements.

  18. Entropy concentration and the empirical coding game

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Grünwald, P.D.

    2008-01-01

    We give a characterization of maximum entropy/minimum relative entropy inference by providing two 'strong entropy concentration' theorems. These theorems unify and generalize Jaynes''concentration phenomenon' and Van Campenhout and Cover's 'conditional limit theorem'. The theorems characterize

  19. STRONG FIELD EFFECTS ON PULSAR ARRIVAL TIMES: GENERAL ORIENTATIONS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang Yan; Creighton, Teviet; Price, Richard H.; Jenet, Frederick A.

    2009-01-01

    A pulsar beam passing close to a black hole can provide a probe of very strong gravitational fields even if the pulsar itself is not in a strong field region. In the case that the spin of the hole can be ignored, we have previously shown that all strong field effects on the beam can be understood in terms of two 'universal' functions: F(φ in ) and T(φ in ) of the angle of beam emission φ in ; these functions are universal in that they depend only on a single parameter, the pulsar/black hole distance from which the beam is emitted. Here we apply this formalism to general pulsar-hole-observer geometries, with arbitrary alignment of the pulsar spin axis and arbitrary pulsar beam direction and angular width. We show that the analysis of the observational problem has two distinct elements: (1) the computation of the location and trajectory of an observer-dependent 'keyhole' direction of emission in which a signal can be received by the observer; and (2) the determination of an annulus that represents the set of directions containing beam energy. Examples of each are given along with an example of a specific observational scenario.

  20. Micro-evaporation electrolyte concentrator

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Timmer, B.H.; van Delft, K.M.; Olthuis, Wouter; Bergveld, Piet; van den Berg, Albert

    2003-01-01

    The sensitivity of miniaturized chemical analysis systems depends most of the time on the obtainable detection limit. Concentrating the analyte prior to the detection system can enhance the detection limit. In this writing an analyte concentrator is presented that makes use of evaporation to

  1. Argon concentration time-series as a tool to study gas dynamics in the hyporheic zone.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mächler, Lars; Brennwald, Matthias S; Kipfer, Rolf

    2013-07-02

    The oxygen dynamics in the hyporheic zone of a peri-alpine river (Thur, Switzerland), were studied through recording and analyzing the concentration time-series of dissolved argon, oxygen, carbon dioxide, and temperature during low flow conditions, for a period of one week. The argon concentration time-series was used to investigate the physical gas dynamics in the hyporheic zone. Differences in the transport behavior of heat and gas were determined by comparing the diel temperature evolution of groundwater to the measured concentration of dissolved argon. These differences were most likely caused by vertical heat transport which influenced the local groundwater temperature. The argon concentration time-series were also used to estimate travel times by cross correlating argon concentrations in the groundwater with argon concentrations in the river. The information gained from quantifying the physical gas transport was used to estimate the oxygen turnover in groundwater after water recharge. The resulting oxygen turnover showed strong diel variations, which correlated with the water temperature during groundwater recharge. Hence, the variation in the consumption rate was most likely caused by the temperature dependence of microbial activity.

  2. Xenon capture on silver-loaded zeolites: characterization of very strong adsorption sites

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Daniel, Cecile; Elbaraoui, Adnane; Aguado, Sonia; Schuurman, Yves; Farrusseng, David; Springuel-Huet, Marie-Anne; Nossov, Andrei; Fontaine, Jean-Pierre; Topin, Sylvain; Taffary, Thomas; Deliere, Ludovic

    2013-01-01

    The number and strength of adsorption sites for Xe in silver-modified zeolites are estimated from isotherm measurements at various temperatures over a broad range of pressure (from 1 ppm to atmospheric pressure). Fully and partially exchanged silver zeolites were synthesized starting from Na-ZSM-5(25), Na-ZSM-5(40), Na-Beta, NaX, and NaY. We have discovered that silver-modified zeolites may present one or two distinct adsorption sites depending on the nature of the material and silver loadings. The strongest adsorption sites are characterized by isosteric heat of adsorption in the order of -40 to -50 kJ.mol -1 . For Pentasil-type zeolites, we observe a linear 2:1 correlation between the total amount of silver and the number of strong sites. The highest concentration of strong sites is found for fully silver exchanged ZSM-5 (5.7 * 10 -4 mol/g), which presents the largest silver content for Pentasil-type zeolite. The equilibrium constant of Ag-ZSM-5 at low pressure is about 50 times larger than that of AgX. Qualitative correlations were established between Xe adsorption isotherms and Xe NMR signals. We show that Xe NMR could be used as a quantitative method for the characterization of the strength and of the number of strong Xe adsorption sites on silver-exchanged zeolites. The numbers of strong adsorption sites responsible for the Xe adsorption at 10-1000 ppm can be determined by the length of the plateau observed at low Xe uptake. In practice, our findings give guidelines for the discovery and optimization of silver-loaded zeolites for the capture of Xe at ppm levels. It appears that the amount of silver is a key parameter. Silver-modified ZSM-5 shows adsorption capacities 2-3 orders of magnitude larger than currently applied adsorbents for atmospheric Xe capture. (authors)

  3. Vibrational tug-of-war: The pKA dependence of the broad vibrational features of strongly hydrogen-bonded carboxylic acids

    Science.gov (United States)

    Van Hoozen, Brian L.; Petersen, Poul B.

    2018-04-01

    of strongly hydrogen-bonded structures depend on the relative pKA and other structural parameters will guide studies of biological structures and analysis of proton transfer studies using photoacids.

  4. Photon and spin dependence of the resonance line shape in the strong coupling regime

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Miyashita, Seiji; Shirai, Tatsuhiko; Mori, Takashi; De Raedt, Hans; Bertaina, Sylvain; Chiorescu, Irinel

    2012-01-01

    We study the quantum dynamics of a spin ensemble coupled to cavity photons. Recently, related experimental results have been reported, showing the existence of the strong coupling regime in such systems. We study the eigenenergy distribution of the multi-spin system (following the Tavis-Cummings

  5. Dependence of carbon dioxide concentration on microalgal carbon dioxide fixation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yun, Yeoung Sang; Park, Song Moon [Department of Chemical Engineering, School of Environmental Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang (Korea); Bolesky, Bohumil [Department of Chemical Engineering, McGill University (Canada)

    1999-10-01

    Batch cultivation of chlorella vulgaris was carried out under various CO{sub 2} concentrations in order to understand and describe mathematically the CO{sub 2} inhibition of microalgal CO{sub 2} fixation. The volumetric CO{sub 2} transfer coefficient from mixture gas to culture medium was estimated from the volumetric O{sub 2} transfer coefficient obtained experimentally. Using this transfer coefficient and aquatic equilibrium relationship between dissolved inorganic carbons, the behavior of dissolved CO{sub 2} was calculated during microalgal culture. When air containing 0.035%(v/v) CO{sub 2} was supplied into microalgal culture, the fixation rate was limited by CO{sub 2} transfer rate. However, the limitation was disappeared by supplying mixture gas containing above 2%(v/v) CO{sub 2} and the dissolved CO{sub 2} concentration was maintained at the saturated value. In the range of CO{sub 2} partial pressure in the flue gases from thermal power sations and steel-making plants, the microalgal CO{sub 2} fixation rate was inhibited. The CO{sub 2} fixation rate was successfully formulated by a new empirical equation as a function of dissolved CO{sub 2} concentration, which could be useful for modeling and simulating the performance of photobioreaction with enriched CO{sub 2}. Also, it was found that the CO{sub 2} inhibition of microalgal CO{sub 2} fixation was reversible and that microalgal CO{sub 2} fixation process could be stable against a shock of unusually high CO{sub 2} concentration. 29 refs., 8 figs.

  6. Spatial occupancy models applied to atlas data show Southern Ground Hornbills strongly depend on protected areas.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Broms, Kristin M; Johnson, Devin S; Altwegg, Res; Conquest, Loveday L

    2014-03-01

    Determining the range of a species and exploring species--habitat associations are central questions in ecology and can be answered by analyzing presence--absence data. Often, both the sampling of sites and the desired area of inference involve neighboring sites; thus, positive spatial autocorrelation between these sites is expected. Using survey data for the Southern Ground Hornbill (Bucorvus leadbeateri) from the Southern African Bird Atlas Project, we compared advantages and disadvantages of three increasingly complex models for species occupancy: an occupancy model that accounted for nondetection but assumed all sites were independent, and two spatial occupancy models that accounted for both nondetection and spatial autocorrelation. We modeled the spatial autocorrelation with an intrinsic conditional autoregressive (ICAR) model and with a restricted spatial regression (RSR) model. Both spatial models can readily be applied to any other gridded, presence--absence data set using a newly introduced R package. The RSR model provided the best inference and was able to capture small-scale variation that the other models did not. It showed that ground hornbills are strongly dependent on protected areas in the north of their South African range, but less so further south. The ICAR models did not capture any spatial autocorrelation in the data, and they took an order, of magnitude longer than the RSR models to run. Thus, the RSR occupancy model appears to be an attractive choice for modeling occurrences at large spatial domains, while accounting for imperfect detection and spatial autocorrelation.

  7. Full-gap superconductivity with strong electron correlations in the β-pyrochlore KOs2O6

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kasahara, Y.; Shimono, Y.; Kato, T.; Hashimoto, K.; Shibauchi, T.; Matsuda, Y.; Yonezawa, S.; Muraoka, Y.; Yamaura, J.; Nagao, Y.; Hiroi, Z.

    2008-01-01

    To elucidate the superconducting gap structure and the influence of rattling motion on quasiparticle dynamics in the superconducting state of KOs 2 O 6 , the thermal conductivity and microwave surface impedance were measured at low temperatures. The magnetic field dependence of thermal conductivity and temperature dependence of penetration depth demonstrate full-gap superconductivity in KOs 2 O 6 . The quasiparticle scattering time is strongly enhanced in the superconducting state, indicating a strong electron inelastic scattering in the normal state. These results highlight that KOs 2 O 6 is unique among superconductors with strong electron correlations

  8. Dependence of upconversion emission intensity on Yb3+ concentration in Er3+/Yb3+ co-doped flake shaped Y2(MoO4)3 phosphors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lu Weili; Cheng Lihong; Zhong Haiyang; Sun Jiashi; Wan Jing; Tian Yue; Chen Baojiu

    2010-01-01

    Yttrium molybdate phosphors with fixed Er 3+ and various Yb 3+ concentrations were synthesized via a co-precipitation method. The crystal structure and the morphology of the phosphor were characterized by means of x-ray diffraction and field-emission scanning electron microscopy. Under 980 nm excitation, red and green upconversion emissions centred at 660, 553 and 530 nm were observed. Quantitative analyses on the dependence of upconversion emission intensity on the working current of a laser diode (LD) indicated that two-photon processes are responsible for both red and green upconversion emissions in both cases of low and high Yb 3+ concentrations. The relationship between the emission intensity ratio of 2 H 11/2 → 4 I 15/2 to 4 S 3/2 → 4 I 15/2 and the working current of the LD was studied for the samples doped with low and high Yb 3+ concentrations. Finally, a set of rate equations was established based on the possible upconversion mechanism, and an empirical formula was proposed to describe the Yb 3+ concentration dependence of upconversion emission intensity; the empirical formula fits well with the experimental data.

  9. Polarization-dependent solitons in the strong coupling regime of semiconductor microcavities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fu, Y.; Zhang, W.L.; Wu, X.M.

    2015-01-01

    This paper studies the influence of polarization on formation of vectorial polariton soliton in semiconductor microcavities through numerical simulations. It is found that the polariton solution greatly depends on the polarization of both the pump and exciting fields. By properly choosing the pump and exciting field polarization, bright–bright or bright–dark vectorial polariton solitons can be formed. Especially, when the input conditions of pump or exciting field of the two opposite polarizations are slightly asymmetric, an interesting phenomenon that the dark solitons transform into bright solitons occurs in the branch of soliton solutions.

  10. Investigation of concentration-dependence of thermodynamic properties of lanthanum, yttrium, scandium and terbium in eutectic LiCl-KCl molten salt

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wang, Yafei; Zhou, Wentao; Zhang, Jinsuo, E-mail: zhang.3558@osu.edu

    2016-09-15

    Thermodynamic properties of rare earth metals in LiCl-KCl molten salt electrolyte are crucial to the development of electrochemical separation for the treatment of used nuclear fuels. In the present study, activity coefficient, apparent potential, and diffusion coefficient of lanthanum, yttrium, scandium, and terbium in the molten salt (58 at% LiCl and 42 at% KCl) were calculated by the method of molecular dynamics simulation up to a concentration around 3 at% at temperatures of 723 K and 773 K. It was found that the activity coefficient and the apparent potential increase with the species concentration while diffusion coefficient shows a trend of increase followed by decrease. The calculated results were validated by available measurement data of dilution cases. This research extends the range of data to a wide component and would provide further insight to the pyroprocessing design and safeguards. - Highlights: • Investigation of activity coefficient, apparent potential and diffusion coefficient at different concentrations. • MD simulation was studied for the calculation of thermodynamic properties of rare earth elements in molten salt. • The present study is a pioneering work focusing on the concentration dependence of thermodynamic properties.

  11. Mycolactone-Dependent Depletion of Endothelial Cell Thrombomodulin Is Strongly Associated with Fibrin Deposition in Buruli Ulcer Lesions.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Joy Ogbechi

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available A well-known histopathological feature of diseased skin in Buruli ulcer (BU is coagulative necrosis caused by the Mycobacterium ulcerans macrolide exotoxin mycolactone. Since the underlying mechanism is not known, we have investigated the effect of mycolactone on endothelial cells, focussing on the expression of surface anticoagulant molecules involved in the protein C anticoagulant pathway. Congenital deficiencies in this natural anticoagulant pathway are known to induce thrombotic complications such as purpura fulimans and spontaneous necrosis. Mycolactone profoundly decreased thrombomodulin (TM expression on the surface of human dermal microvascular endothelial cells (HDMVEC at doses as low as 2 ng/ml and as early as 8 hrs after exposure. TM activates protein C by altering thrombin's substrate specificity, and exposure of HDMVEC to mycolactone for 24 hours resulted in an almost complete loss of the cells' ability to produce activated protein C. Loss of TM was shown to be due to a previously described mechanism involving mycolactone-dependent blockade of Sec61 translocation that results in proteasome-dependent degradation of newly synthesised ER-transiting proteins. Indeed, depletion from cells determined by live-cell imaging of cells stably expressing a recombinant TM-GFP fusion protein occurred at the known turnover rate. In order to determine the relevance of these findings to BU disease, immunohistochemistry of punch biopsies from 40 BU lesions (31 ulcers, nine plaques was performed. TM abundance was profoundly reduced in the subcutis of 78% of biopsies. Furthermore, it was confirmed that fibrin deposition is a common feature of BU lesions, particularly in the necrotic areas. These findings indicate that there is decreased ability to control thrombin generation in BU skin. Mycolactone's effects on normal endothelial cell function, including its ability to activate the protein C anticoagulant pathway are strongly associated with this

  12. Studies on influence of environmental factors on concentration on concentration of radionuclides

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anon.

    1974-01-01

    Environmental factors which seemed to influence the concentration of radionuclides to marine organisms including illumination, water temperature, coexisting stable elements, salt concentration, suspended matters in sea water and residue were studied. The influence of illumination was examined by algae using 137 Cs, 60 Co, 85 Sr, and 106 Ru as tracers, within 24 hours of illumination. The concentration of 137 Cs and 60 Co revealed remarkable increase of uptake in accordance with increasing illumination intensity, and 24 hours illumination showed 2 times concentration of that by 4 hours'. 85 Sr and 106 Ru showed no effect of illumination, and suggested their concentration was depending on adsorption to the surface. As for water temperature, the concentration factor of 65 Zn, 137 Cs obtained from fishes and shells by 22 0 C breeding was 2 times of that by 12 0 C breeding. Concerning the influence of coexisting stable elements, fishes and shells were examined by 54 Mn, 60 Co, and 65 Zn as tracers. When the stable elements concentration in sea water became 10 times the normal, concentration factor depending on adsorption and metabolism became respective one tenth and one second of the normal value. The influence of salt concentration was examined using 85 Sr, 65 Zn, and 137 Cs, and revealed that 28 to 40 per cent changes of salt level gave slight influence on concentration factor. In order to study the influence of suspended matters and quality of residue, 3 kinds of 106 Ru complex species were added. Concentration factor of Hijiki (Hijikia fusiforme) showed no remarkable difference between breeding in filtrated and non-filtrated sea water. However, clams living in the sand should be taken care of the concentration by the residue in the sea bottom. (Kanao, N.)

  13. Interaction between Electron Holes in a Strongly Magnetized Plasma

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lynov, Jens-Peter; Michelsen, Poul; Pécseli, Hans

    1980-01-01

    The interaction between electron holes in a strongly magnetized, plasma-filled waveguide is investigated by means of computer simulation. Two holes may or may not coalesce, depending on their amplitudes and velocities. The interaction between holes and Trivelpiece-Gould solitons is demonstrated...

  14. Concentration of 7Be in the lower atmosphere and fallout rate in Tokai

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Amano, Hikaru; Kasai, Atsushi

    1981-01-01

    Beryllium-7, cosmic ray produced radioactivity, its monthly average concentration in the lower atmosphere and monthly fallout rate were measured in Tokai, Japan. Then, the monthly variations were compared with those of fission products due to nuclear detonations in the atmosphere. The concentration of 7 Be in the lower atmosphere ranged from 0.5 x 10 -1 pCi/m 3 to 2.5 x 10 -1 pCi/m 3 in Tokai between the observed period, 1975 - 1977. The fallout rate of 7 Be vibrated widely, its range was from the detection limits to 1.2 x 10 4 pCi/m 2 . The monthly variations were not always the same with variations of the fission products. Fallout rate of 7 Be depended on the rain strongly. The concentration of 7 Be in the rain was measured, too. Then the range was from 9.2 pCi/l to 1.9 x 10 2 pCi/l between the observed period 1976.9 - 1977.2. (author)

  15. Concentration- and age-dependent effects of chronic caffeine on contextual fear conditioning in C57BL/6J mice

    Science.gov (United States)

    Poole, Rachel L.; Braak, David; Gould, Thomas J.

    2015-01-01

    Chronic caffeine exerts negligible effects on learning and memory in normal adults, but it is unknown whether this is also true for children and adolescents. The hippocampus, a brain region important for learning and memory, undergoes extensive structural and functional modifications during pre-adolescence and adolescence. As a result, chronic caffeine may have differential effects on hippocampus-dependent learning in pre-adolescents and adolescents compared with adults. Here, we characterized the effects of chronic caffeine and withdrawal from chronic caffeine on hippocampus-dependent (contextual) and hippocampus-independent (cued) fear conditioning in pre-adolescent, adolescent, and adult mice. The results indicate that chronic exposure to caffeine during pre-adolescence and adolescence enhances or impairs contextual conditioning depending on concentration, yet has no effect on cued conditioning. In contrast, withdrawal from chronic caffeine impairs contextual conditioning in pre-adolescent mice only. No changes in learning were seen for adult mice for either the chronic caffeine or withdrawal conditions. These findings support the hypothesis that chronic exposure to caffeine during pre-adolescence and adolescence can alter learning and memory and as changes were only seen in hippocampus-dependent learning, this suggests that the developing hippocampus may be sensitive to the effects of caffeine. PMID:25827925

  16. Concentration- and age-dependent effects of chronic caffeine on contextual fear conditioning in C57BL/6J mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Poole, Rachel L; Braak, David; Gould, Thomas J

    2016-02-01

    Chronic caffeine exerts negligible effects on learning and memory in normal adults, but it is unknown whether this is also true for children and adolescents. The hippocampus, a brain region important for learning and memory, undergoes extensive structural and functional modifications during pre-adolescence and adolescence. As a result, chronic caffeine may have differential effects on hippocampus-dependent learning in pre-adolescents and adolescents compared with adults. Here, we characterized the effects of chronic caffeine and withdrawal from chronic caffeine on hippocampus-dependent (contextual) and hippocampus-independent (cued) fear conditioning in pre-adolescent, adolescent, and adult mice. The results indicate that chronic exposure to caffeine during pre-adolescence and adolescence enhances or impairs contextual conditioning depending on concentration, yet has no effect on cued conditioning. In contrast, withdrawal from chronic caffeine impairs contextual conditioning in pre-adolescent mice only. No changes in learning were seen for adult mice for either the chronic caffeine or withdrawal conditions. These findings support the hypothesis that chronic exposure to caffeine during pre-adolescence and adolescence can alter learning and memory and as changes were only seen in hippocampus-dependent learning, which suggests that the developing hippocampus may be sensitive to the effects of caffeine. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  17. Plant adaptation to fluctuating environment and biomass production are strongly dependent on guard cell potassium channels

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lebaudy, Anne; Vavasseur, Alain; Hosy, Eric; Dreyer, Ingo; Leonhardt, Nathalie; Thibaud, Jean-Baptiste; Véry, Anne-Aliénor; Simonneau, Thierry; Sentenac, Hervé

    2008-01-01

    At least four genes encoding plasma membrane inward K+ channels (Kin channels) are expressed in Arabidopsis guard cells. A double mutant plant was engineered by disruption of a major Kin channel gene and expression of a dominant negative channel construct. Using the patch-clamp technique revealed that this mutant was totally deprived of guard cell Kin channel (GCKin) activity, providing a model to investigate the roles of this activity in the plant. GCKin activity was found to be an essential effector of stomatal opening triggered by membrane hyperpolarization and thereby of blue light-induced stomatal opening at dawn. It improved stomatal reactivity to external or internal signals (light, CO2 availability, and evaporative demand). It protected stomatal function against detrimental effects of Na+ when plants were grown in the presence of physiological concentrations of this cation, probably by enabling guard cells to selectively and rapidly take up K+ instead of Na+ during stomatal opening, thereby preventing deleterious effects of Na+ on stomatal closure. It was also shown to be a key component of the mechanisms that underlie the circadian rhythm of stomatal opening, which is known to gate stomatal responses to extracellular and intracellular signals. Finally, in a meteorological scenario with higher light intensity during the first hours of the photophase, GCKin activity was found to allow a strong increase (35%) in plant biomass production. Thus, a large diversity of approaches indicates that GCKin activity plays pleiotropic roles that crucially contribute to plant adaptation to fluctuating and stressing natural environments. PMID:18367672

  18. Temperature and concentration calibration of aqueous polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP solutions for isotropic diffusion MRI phantoms.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Friedrich Wagner

    Full Text Available To use the "apparent diffusion coefficient" (Dapp as a quantitative imaging parameter, well-suited test fluids are essential. In this study, the previously proposed aqueous solutions of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP were examined and temperature calibrations were obtained. For example, at a temperature of 20°C, Dapp ranged from 1.594 (95% CI: 1.593, 1.595 μm2/ms to 0.3326 (95% CI: 0. 3304, 0.3348 μm2/ms for PVP-concentrations ranging from 10% (w/w to 50% (w/w using K30 polymer lengths. The temperature dependence of Dapp was found to be so strong that a negligence seems not advisable. The temperature dependence is descriptively modelled by an exponential function exp(c2 (T - 20°C and the determined c2 values are reported, which can be used for temperature calibration. For example, we find the value 0.02952 K-1 for 30% (w/w PVP-concentration and K30 polymer length. In general, aqueous PVP solutions were found to be suitable to produce easily applicable and reliable Dapp-phantoms.

  19. Intravenous infusion of docosahexaenoic acid increases serum concentrations in a dose-dependent manner and increases seizure latency in the maximal PTZ model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Trépanier, Marc-Olivier; Kwong, Kei-Man; Domenichiello, Anthony F; Chen, Chuck T; Bazinet, Richard P; Burnham, W M

    2015-09-01

    Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is an omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (n-3 PUFA) that has been shown to raise seizure thresholds in the maximal pentylenetetrazole model following acute subcutaneous (s.c.) administration in rats. Following s.c. administration, however, the dose-response relationship for DHA has shown an inverted U-pattern. The purposes of the present experiment were as follows: (1) to determine the pattern of serum unesterified concentrations resulting from the intravenous (i.v.) infusions of various doses of DHA, (2) to determine the time course of these concentrations following the discontinuation of the infusions, and (3) to determine whether seizure protection in the maximal PTZ model would correlate with serum unesterified DHA levels. Animals received 5-minute i.v. infusions of saline or 25, 50, 100, or 200mg/kg of DHA via a cannula inserted into one of the tail veins. Blood was collected during and after the infusions by means of a second cannula inserted into the other tail vein (Experiment 1). A separate group of animals received saline or 12.5-, 25-, 50-, 100-, or 200 mg/kg DHA i.v. via a cannula inserted into one of the tail veins and were then seizure-tested in the maximal PTZ model either during infusion or after the discontinuation of the infusions. Slow infusions of DHA increased serum unesterified DHA concentrations in a dose-dependent manner, with the 200-mg/kg dose increasing the concentration approximately 260-fold compared with saline-infused animals. Following discontinuation of the infusions, serum concentrations rapidly dropped toward baseline, with half-lives of approximately 40 and 11s for the 25-mg/kg dose and 100-mg/kg dose, respectively. In the seizure-tested animals, DHA significantly increased latency to seizure onset in a dose-dependent manner. Following the discontinuation of infusion, seizure latency rapidly decreased toward baseline. Overall, our study suggests that i.v. infusion of unesterified DHA results in

  20. Doping dependent nonlinear Hall effect in SmFeAsO1-xFx

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Riggs, Scott C; Kemper, J B; Stegen, Z; Boebinger, G S; McDonald, R D; Balakirev, F F; Kohama, Y; Migliori, A; Chen, H; Liu, R H; Chen, X H

    2009-01-01

    We report the Hall resistivity, ρ xy , of polycrystalline SmFeAsO 1-x F x for four different fluorine concentrations from the onset of superconductivity through the collapse of the structural phase transition. For the two more highly doped samples, ρ xy is linear in magnetic field up to 50 T with only weak temperature dependence, reminiscent of a simple Fermi liquid. For the lightly doped samples with x xy (H) being both nonlinear in magnetic field and strongly temperature-dependent even though the Hall angle is small. The onset temperature for this nonlinear regime is in the vicinity of the structural phase (SPT)/magnetic ordering (MO) transitions. The temperature dependence of the Hall resistivity is consistent with a thermal activation of carriers across an energy gap. The evolution of the energy gap with doping is reported. (fast track communication)

  1. Significance of fingernail and toenail mercury concentrations as biomarkers for prenatal methylmercury exposure in relation to segmental hair mercury concentrations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sakamoto, Mineshi; Chan, Hing M; Domingo, José L; Oliveira, Ricardo B; Kawakami, Shoichi; Murata, Katsuyuki

    2015-01-01

    To investigate the appropriateness of mercury (Hg) concentrations in fingernails and toenails at parturition for detecting prenatal exposure to methylmercury (MeHg). Total Hg concentrations were measured in 54 paired samples of fingernails, toenails, maternal blood, and maternal hair (1cm incremental segments from the scalp toward the tip) collected at 4th weeks of (early) pregnancy, and the same specimens and cord blood collected at parturition. Strong correlations were observed between Hg concentrations in fingernails and toenails at early pregnancy (r=0.923, pMercury concentrations in fingernails and toenails at parturition represented strong correlations with those in cord blood (r=0.803, pMercury in fingernails and toenails at early pregnancy reflected the maternal Hg body burden level approximately 5 months retroactively. At parturition, Hg levels in fingernails and toenails also showed strong correlations with those in cord blood. In addition, Hg levels in fingernails and toenails at parturition reflected more recent MeHg exposure, compared with those at early pregnancy. These results suggest that fingernails and toenails at parturition are useful biomarkers for prenatal MeHg exposure for mothers and fetuses, especially during the third-trimester of gestation. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  2. First Measurements of Time-Dependent Nucleation as a Function of Composition in Na2O.2CaO.3SiO2 Glasses

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kelton, K. F.; Narayan, K. Lakshmi

    1996-01-01

    The first measurements in any system of the composition dependence of the time-dependent nucleation rate are presented Nucleation rates of the stoichiometric crystalline phase, Na2O.2CaO.3SiO2, from quenched glasses made with different SiO2 concentrations were determined as a function of temperature and glass composition. A strong compositional dependence of the nucleation rates and a weak dependence for the induction times are observed. Using measured values of the liquidus temperatures and growth velocities as a function of glass composition, these data are shown to be consistent with predictions from the classical theory of nucleation, assuming a composition-dependent interfacial energy.

  3. Metformin inhibition of mTORC1 activation, DNA synthesis and proliferation in pancreatic cancer cells: Dependence on glucose concentration and role of AMPK

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sinnett-Smith, James; Kisfalvi, Krisztina; Kui, Robert; Rozengurt, Enrique

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: ► Metformin inhibits cancer cell growth but the mechanism(s) are not understood. ► We show that the potency of metformin is sharply dependent on glucose in the medium. ► AMPK activation was enhanced in cancer cells incubated in physiological glucose. ► Reciprocally, metformin potently inhibited mTORC1, DNA synthesis and proliferation. ► Metformin, at low concentrations, inhibited DNA synthesis through AMPK. -- Abstract: Metformin, a widely used anti-diabetic drug, is emerging as a potential anticancer agent but the mechanisms involved remain incompletely understood. Here, we demonstrate that the potency of metformin induced AMPK activation, as shown by the phosphorylation of its substrates acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) at Ser 79 and Raptor at Ser 792 , was dramatically enhanced in human pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) cells PANC-1 and MiaPaCa-2 cultured in medium containing physiological concentrations of glucose (5 mM), as compared with parallel cultures in medium with glucose at 25 mM. In physiological glucose, metformin inhibited mTORC1 activation, DNA synthesis and proliferation of PDAC cells stimulated by crosstalk between G protein-coupled receptors and insulin/IGF signaling systems, at concentrations (0.05–0.1 mM) that were 10–100-fold lower than those used in most previous reports. Using siRNA-mediated knockdown of the α 1 and α 2 catalytic subunits of AMPK, we demonstrated that metformin, at low concentrations, inhibited DNA synthesis through an AMPK-dependent mechanism. Our results emphasize the importance of using medium containing physiological concentrations of glucose to elucidate the anticancer mechanism of action of metformin in pancreatic cancer cells and other cancer cell types.

  4. Preovulatory progesterone concentration associates significantly to follicle number and LH concentration but not to pregnancy rate

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Yding Andersen, Claus; Bungum, Leif; Nyboe Andersen, Anders

    2011-01-01

    Using data from a large prospective randomized controlled trial that evaluated the effect of recombinant LH (rLH)co-administration for ovarian stimulation, the present study assessed whether progesterone concentration on the day of human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG) administration was associated...... with or without rLH administration from day 6 of stimulation. There was no significant association between the late-follicular-phase progesterone concentration and the clinical pregnancy rate. However, progesterone concentration was strongly associated with the number of follicles and retrieved oocytes. Late......-follicular-phase LH concentration also showed a significant positive association with progesterone concentration (P = 0.018). Administration of rLH during ovarian stimulation did not affect progesterone concentration. The present study does not support an association between progesterone concentration on the day...

  5. Time-dependent Taylor–Aris dispersion of an initial point concentration

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Vedel, Søren; Hovad, Emil; Bruus, Henrik

    2014-01-01

    -specific theoretical results, and furthermore predict new phenomena. In particular, for the transient phase before the well-described steady Taylor–Aris limit is reached, we find anomalous diffusion with a dependence of the temporal scaling exponent on the initial release point, generalizing this finding in specific...... cases. During this transient we furthermore identify maxima in the values of the dispersion coefficient which exceed the Taylor–Aris value by amounts that depend on channel geometry, initial point release position, velocity profile and Péclet number. We show that these effects are caused by a difference...

  6. Assessment of potential positive effects of nZVI surface modification and concentration levels on TCE dechlorination in the presence of competing strong oxidants, using an experimental design.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kaifas, Delphine; Malleret, Laure; Kumar, Naresh; Fétimi, Wafa; Claeys-Bruno, Magalie; Sergent, Michelle; Doumenq, Pierre

    2014-05-15

    Nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI) particles are efficient for the remediation of aquifers polluted by trichloroethylene (TCE). But for on-site applications, their reactivity can be affected by the presence of common inorganic co-pollutants, which are equally reduced by nZVI particles. The aim of this study was to assess the potential positive effects of nZVI surface modification and concentration level on TCE removal in the concomitant presence of two strong oxidants, i.e., Cr(VI) and NO3(-). A design of experiments, testing four factors (i.e. nZVI concentration, nZVI surface modification, Cr(VI) concentration and NO3(-) concentration), was used to select the best trials for the identification of the main effects of the factors and of the factors interactions. The effects of these factors were studied by measuring the following responses: TCE removal rates at different times, degradation kinetic rates, and the transformation products formed. As expected, TCE degradation was delayed or inhibited in most of the experiments, due to the presence of inorganics. The negative effects of co-pollutants can be palliated by combining surface modification with a slight increase in nZVI concentration. Encouragingly, complete TCE removal was achieved for some given experimental conditions. Noteworthily, nZVI surface modification was found to promote the efficient degradation of TCE. When degradation occurred, TCE was mainly transformed into innocuous non-chlorinated transformation products, while hazardous chlorinated transformation products accounted for a small percentage of the mass-balance. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  7. Temperature and concentration quenching of Tb{sup 3+} emissions in Y{sub 4}Al{sub 2}O{sub 9} crystals

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Boruc, Z., E-mail: z.boruc@stud.elka.pw.edu.pl [Institute of Microelectronics and Optoelectronics, Warsaw University of Technology, ul. Koszykowa 75, 00-662 Warsaw (Poland); Fetlinski, B.; Kaczkan, M. [Institute of Microelectronics and Optoelectronics, Warsaw University of Technology, ul. Koszykowa 75, 00-662 Warsaw (Poland); Turczynski, S.; Pawlak, D. [Institute of Electronic Materials Technology, ul. Wolczynska 133, 01-919 Warsaw (Poland); Malinowski, M. [Institute of Microelectronics and Optoelectronics, Warsaw University of Technology, ul. Koszykowa 75, 00-662 Warsaw (Poland)

    2012-08-15

    Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Spectroscopic properties of Tb{sup 3+}:Y{sub 4}Al{sub 2}O{sub 9} crystals are studied. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Concentration and temperature dependencies of fluorescence are investigated. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The cross-relaxation transfer rates are experimentally determined. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Strong influence of cross relaxation process on {sup 5}D{sub 3} emission quenching is observed. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Decays are modelled using Inokuti-Hirayama approach. - Abstract: Spectroscopic properties of trivalent terbium (Tb{sup 3+}) activated Y{sub 4}Al{sub 2}O{sub 9} (abbreviated YAM) crystals were studied. Concentration and temperature dependent emission spectra and fluorescence dynamics profiles have been investigated in YAM:Tb{sup 3+} in order to understand better processes responsible for quenching of the terbium {sup 5}D{sub 3} and {sup 5}D{sub 4} emissions. Decays were modelled using Inokuti-Hirayama approach to obtain information on the energy transfer mechanism. The cross-relaxation transfer rates were experimentally determined as a function of temperature and Tb{sup 3+} concentration. The investigation revealed strong influence of cross-relaxation process on {sup 5}D{sub 3} emission quenching. The two different processes responsible for the increase of fluorescence quenching with growing temperature were observed, both related to thermal activation energy. For temperatures above 700 K, the temperature dependence of the emission intensity ratio ({sup 5}D{sub 3}/{sup 5}D{sub 4}) becomes linear and the decay times are rapidly decreasing monotonously with increasing temperature, what is confirming the potential of Y{sub 4}Al{sub 2}O{sub 9}:Tb{sup 3+} material in high temperature luminescence thermometry.

  8. Disorder dependent half-metallicity in Mn2CoSi inverse Heusler alloy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Singh, Mukhtiyar; Saini, Hardev S.; Thakur, Jyoti; Reshak, Ali H.; Kashyap, Manish K.

    2013-01-01

    Heusler alloys based thin-films often exhibit a degree of atomic disorder which leads to the lowering of spin polarization in spintronic devices. We present ab-initio calculations of atomic disorder effects on spin polarization and half-metallicity of Mn 2 CoSi inverse Heusler alloy. The five types of disorder in Mn 2 CoSi have been proposed and investigated in detail. The A2 a -type and B2-type disorders destroy the half-metallicity whereas it sustains for all disorders concentrations in DO 3a - and A2 b -type disorder and for smallest disorder concentration studied in DO 3b -type disorder. Lower formation energy/atom for A2 b -type disorder than other four disorders in Mn 2 CoSi advocates the stability of this disorder. The total magnetic moment shows a strong dependence on the disorder and the change in chemical environment. The 100% spin polarization even in the presence of disorders explicitly supports that these disorders shall not hinder the use of Mn 2 CoSi inverse Heusler alloy in device applications. - Graphical abstract: Minority-spin gap (E g↓ ) and HM gap (E sf ) as a function of concentrations of various possible disorder in Mn 2 CoSi inverse Heusler alloy. The squares with solid line (black color)/dotted line (blue color)/dashed line (red color) reperesents E g↓ for DO 3a -/DO 3b -/A2 b -type disorder in Mn 2 CoSi and the spheres with solid line (black color)/dottedline (blue color)/dashed line (red color) represents E sf for DO 3a -/DO 3b -/A2 b -type disorder in Mn 2 CoSi. - Highlights: • The DO 3 - and A2-type disorders do not affect the half-metallicity in Mn 2 CoSi. • The B2-type disorder solely destroys half-metallicity in Mn 2 CoSi. • The A2-type disorder most probable to occur out of all three types. • The total spin magnetic moment strongly depends on the disorder concentrations

  9. Concentration and limit behaviors of stationary measures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Wen; Ji, Min; Liu, Zhenxin; Yi, Yingfei

    2018-04-01

    In this paper, we study limit behaviors of stationary measures of the Fokker-Planck equations associated with a system of ordinary differential equations perturbed by a class of multiplicative noise including additive white noise case. As the noises are vanishing, various results on the invariance and concentration of the limit measures are obtained. In particular, we show that if the noise perturbed systems admit a uniform Lyapunov function, then the stationary measures form a relatively sequentially compact set whose weak∗-limits are invariant measures of the unperturbed system concentrated on its global attractor. In the case that the global attractor contains a strong local attractor, we further show that there exists a family of admissible multiplicative noises with respect to which all limit measures are actually concentrated on the local attractor; and on the contrary, in the presence of a strong local repeller in the global attractor, there exists a family of admissible multiplicative noises with respect to which no limit measure can be concentrated on the local repeller. Moreover, we show that if there is a strongly repelling equilibrium in the global attractor, then limit measures with respect to typical families of multiplicative noises are always concentrated away from the equilibrium. As applications of these results, an example of stochastic Hopf bifurcation and an example with non-decomposable ω-limit sets are provided. Our study is closely related to the problem of noise stability of compact invariant sets and invariant measures of the unperturbed system.

  10. Molecular Effects of Concentrated Solutes on Protein Hydration, Dynamics, and Electrostatics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abriata, Luciano A; Spiga, Enrico; Peraro, Matteo Dal

    2016-08-23

    Most studies of protein structure and function are performed in dilute conditions, but proteins typically experience high solute concentrations in their physiological scenarios and biotechnological applications. High solute concentrations have well-known effects on coarse protein traits like stability, diffusion, and shape, but likely also perturb other traits through finer effects pertinent at the residue and atomic levels. Here, NMR and molecular dynamics investigations on ubiquitin disclose variable interactions with concentrated solutes that lead to localized perturbations of the protein's surface, hydration, electrostatics, and dynamics, all dependent on solute size and chemical properties. Most strikingly, small polar uncharged molecules are sticky on the protein surface, whereas charged small molecules are not, but the latter still perturb the internal protein electrostatics as they diffuse nearby. Meanwhile, interactions with macromolecular crowders are favored mainly through hydrophobic, but not through polar, surface patches. All the tested small solutes strongly slow down water exchange at the protein surface, whereas macromolecular crowders do not exert such strong perturbation. Finally, molecular dynamics simulations predict that unspecific interactions slow down microsecond- to millisecond-timescale protein dynamics despite having only mild effects on pico- to nanosecond fluctuations as corroborated by NMR. We discuss our results in the light of recent advances in understanding proteins inside living cells, focusing on the physical chemistry of quinary structure and cellular organization, and we reinforce the idea that proteins should be studied in native-like media to achieve a faithful description of their function. Copyright © 2016 Biophysical Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. Global existence and large time asymptotic behavior of strong solutions to the Cauchy problem of 2D density-dependent Navier–Stokes equations with vacuum

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lü, Boqiang; Shi, Xiaoding; Zhong, Xin

    2018-06-01

    We are concerned with the Cauchy problem of the two-dimensional (2D) nonhomogeneous incompressible Navier–Stokes equations with vacuum as far-field density. It is proved that if the initial density decays not too slow at infinity, the 2D Cauchy problem of the density-dependent Navier–Stokes equations on the whole space admits a unique global strong solution. Note that the initial data can be arbitrarily large and the initial density can contain vacuum states and even have compact support. Furthermore, we also obtain the large time decay rates of the spatial gradients of the velocity and the pressure, which are the same as those of the homogeneous case.

  12. Quantum-orbit theory of high-order atomic processes in strong fields

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Milosevic, D.B.

    2005-01-01

    Full text: Atoms submitted to strong laser fields can emit electrons and photons of very high energies. These processes find a highly intuitive and also quantitative explanation in terms of Feynman's path integral and the concept of quantum orbits. The quantum-orbit formalism is particularly useful for high-order atomic processes in strong laser fields. For such multi-step processes there is an intermediate step during which the electron is approximately under the influence of the laser field only and can absorb energy from the field. This leads to the appearance of the plateau structures in the emitted electron or photon spectra. Usual examples of such processes are high-order harmonic generation (HHG) and high-order above threshold ionization (HATI). These structures were also observed in high-order above-threshold detachment, laser-assisted x-ray-atom scattering, laser-assisted electron-ion recombination, and electron-atom scattering. We will present high-order strong-field approximation (SFA) and show how the quantum-orbit formalism follows from it. This will be done for various above-mentioned processes. For HHG a classification of quantum orbits will be given [10) and generalized to the presence of a static field. The low-energy part of the HHG spectra and the enhancement of HHG near the channel closings can be explained taking into account a large number of quantum orbits. For HATI we will concentrate on the case of few-cycle laser pulse. The influence of the carrier-envelope relative phase on the HATI spectrum can easily be explained in terms of quantum orbits. The SFA and the quantum-orbit results will be compared with the results obtained by Dieter Bauer using ab initio solutions of the time-dependent Schroedinger equation. It will be shown that the Coulomb effects are important for low-energy electron spectra. Refs. 11 (author)

  13. Spin polarized states in strongly asymmetric nuclear matter

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Isayev, A.A.; Yang, J.

    2004-01-01

    The possibility of appearance of spin polarized states in strongly asymmetric nuclear matter is analyzed within the framework of a Fermi liquid theory with the Skyrme effective interaction. The zero temperature dependence of the neutron and proton spin polarization parameters as functions of density is found for SLy4 and SLy5 effective forces. It is shown that at some critical density strongly asymmetric nuclear matter undergoes a phase transition to the state with the oppositely directed spins of neutrons and protons while the state with the same direction of spins does not appear. In comparison with neutron matter, even small admixture of protons strongly decreases the threshold density of spin instability. It is clarified that protons become totally polarized within a very narrow density domain while the density profile of the neutron spin polarization parameter is characterized by the appearance of long tails near the transition density

  14. Simple concentration-dependent pair interaction model for large-scale simulations of Fe-Cr alloys

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Levesque, Maximilien; Martinez, Enrique; Fu, Chu-Chun; Nastar, Maylise; Soisson, Frederic

    2011-01-01

    This work is motivated by the need for large-scale simulations to extract physical information on the iron-chromium system that is a binary model alloy for ferritic steels used or proposed in many nuclear applications. From first-principles calculations and the experimental critical temperature we build a new energetic rigid lattice model based on pair interactions with concentration and temperature dependence. Density functional theory calculations in both norm-conserving and projector augmented-wave approaches have been performed. A thorough comparison of these two different ab initio techniques leads to a robust parametrization of the Fe-Cr Hamiltonian. Mean-field approximations and Monte Carlo calculations are then used to account for temperature effects. The predictions of the model are in agreement with the most recent phase diagram at all temperatures and compositions. The solubility of Cr in Fe below 700 K remains in the range of about 6 to 12%. It reproduces the transition between the ordering and demixing tendency and the spinodal decomposition limits are also in agreement with the values given in the literature.

  15. Numerical simulation of the double pits stress concentration in a curved casing inner surface

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wei Yan

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Sour or sweet oil fields development is common in recent years. Casing and tubing are usually subjected to pitting corrosion because of exposure to the strong corrosion species, such as CO2, H2S, and saline water. When the corrosion pits formed in the casing inner surface, localized stress concentration will occur and the casing strength will be degraded. Thus, it is essential to evaluate the degree of stress concentration factor accurately. This article performed a numerical simulation on double pits stress concentration factor in a curved inner surface using the finite element software ABAQUS. The results show that the stress concentration factor of double pits mainly depends on the ratio of two pits distance to the pit radius (L/R. It should not be only assessed by the absolute distance between the two pits. When the two pits are close and tangent, the maximum stress concentration factor will appear on the inner tangential edges. Stress concentration increased by double pits in a curved casing inner surface is more serious than that in a flat surface. A correction factor of 1.9 was recommended in the curved inner surface double pits stress concentration factor predict model.

  16. Strong field QED in lepton colliders and electron/laser interactions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hartin, Anthony

    2018-05-01

    The studies of strong field particle physics processes in electron/laser interactions and lepton collider interaction points (IPs) are reviewed. These processes are defined by the high intensity of the electromagnetic fields involved and the need to take them into account as fully as possible. Thus, the main theoretical framework considered is the Furry interaction picture within intense field quantum field theory. In this framework, the influence of a background electromagnetic field in the Lagrangian is calculated nonperturbatively, involving exact solutions for quantized charged particles in the background field. These “dressed” particles go on to interact perturbatively with other particles, enabling the background field to play both macroscopic and microscopic roles. Macroscopically, the background field starts to polarize the vacuum, in effect rendering it a dispersive medium. Particles encountering this dispersive vacuum obtain a lifetime, either radiating or decaying into pair particles at a rate dependent on the intensity of the background field. In fact, the intensity of the background field enters into the coupling constant of the strong field quantum electrodynamic Lagrangian, influencing all particle processes. A number of new phenomena occur. Particles gain an intensity-dependent rest mass shift that accounts for their presence in the dispersive vacuum. Multi-photon events involving more than one external field photon occur at each vertex. Higher order processes which exchange a virtual strong field particle resonate via the lifetimes of the unstable strong field states. Two main arenas of strong field physics are reviewed; those occurring in relativistic electron interactions with intense laser beams, and those occurring in the beam-beam physics at the interaction point of colliders. This review outlines the theory, describes its significant novel phenomenology and details the experimental schema required to detect strong field effects and the

  17. Preovulatory progesterone concentration associates significantly to follicle number and LH concentration but not to pregnancy rate

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Yding Andersen, Claus; Bungum, Leif; Nyboe Andersen, Anders

    2011-01-01

    Using data from a large prospective randomized controlled trial that evaluated the effect of recombinant LH (rLH)co-administration for ovarian stimulation, the present study assessed whether progesterone concentration on the day of human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG) administration was associated...... with or without rLH administration from day 6 of stimulation. There was no significant association between the late-follicular-phase progesterone concentration and the clinical pregnancy rate. However, progesterone concentration was strongly associated with the number of follicles and retrieved oocytes. Late...

  18. EDITORIAL: Strongly correlated electron systems Strongly correlated electron systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ronning, Filip; Batista, Cristian

    2011-03-01

    during SCES 2010. As we learned, past dogmas about strongly correlated materials and phenomena must be re-examined with an open and inquisitive mind. Invited speakers and respected leaders in the field were invited to contribute to this special issue and we have insisted that they present new data, ideas, or perspectives, as opposed to simply an overview of their past work. As with the conference, this special issue touches upon recent developments of strongly correlated electron systems in d-electron materials, such as Sr3Ru2O7, graphene, and the new Fe-based superconductors, but it is dominated by topics in f-electron compounds. Contributions reflect the growing appreciation for the influence of disorder and frustration, the need for organizing principles, as well as detailed investigations on particular materials of interest and, of course, new materials. As this special issue could not possibly capture the full breadth and depth that the conference had to offer, it is being published simultaneously with an issue of Journal of Physics: Conference Series containing 157 manuscripts in which all poster presenters at SCES 2010 were invited to contribute. Since this special issue grew out of the 2010 SCES conference, we take this opportunity to give thanks. This conference would not have been possible without the hard work of the SCES 2010 Program Committee, International and National Advisory Committees, Local Committee, and conference organizers, the New Mexico Consortium. We thank them as well as those organizations that generously provided financial support: ICAM-I2CAM, Quantum Design, Lakeshore, the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory and the Department of Energy National Laboratories at Argonne, Berkeley, Brookhaven, Los Alamos and Oak Ridge. Of course, we especially thank the participants for bringing new ideas and new results, without which SCES 2010 would not have been possible. Strongly correlated electron systems contents Spin-orbit coupling and k-dependent

  19. Strong dependence of ultracold chemical rates on electric dipole moments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Quemener, Goulven; Bohn, John L.

    2010-01-01

    We use the quantum threshold laws combined with a classical capture model to provide an analytical estimate of the chemical quenching cross sections and rate coefficients of two colliding particles at ultralow temperatures. We apply this quantum threshold model (QT model) to indistinguishable fermionic polar molecules in an electric field. At ultracold temperatures and in weak electric fields, the cross sections and rate coefficients depend only weakly on the electric dipole moment d induced by the electric field. In stronger electric fields, the quenching processes scale as d 4(L+(1/2)) where L>0 is the orbital angular-momentum quantum number between the two colliding particles. For p-wave collisions (L=1) of indistinguishable fermionic polar molecules at ultracold temperatures, the quenching rate thus scales as d 6 . We also apply this model to pure two-dimensional collisions and find that chemical rates vanish as d -4 for ultracold indistinguishable fermions. This model provides a quick and intuitive way to estimate chemical rate coefficients of reactions occuring with high probability.

  20. Metformin inhibition of mTORC1 activation, DNA synthesis and proliferation in pancreatic cancer cells: Dependence on glucose concentration and role of AMPK

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sinnett-Smith, James; Kisfalvi, Krisztina; Kui, Robert [Division of Digestive Diseases, Department of Medicine, CURE: Digestive Diseases Research Center, David Geffen School of Medicine and Molecular Biology Institute, University of California at Los Angeles, CA (United States); Rozengurt, Enrique, E-mail: erozengurt@mednet.ucla.edu [Division of Digestive Diseases, Department of Medicine, CURE: Digestive Diseases Research Center, David Geffen School of Medicine and Molecular Biology Institute, University of California at Los Angeles, CA (United States)

    2013-01-04

    Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Metformin inhibits cancer cell growth but the mechanism(s) are not understood. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer We show that the potency of metformin is sharply dependent on glucose in the medium. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer AMPK activation was enhanced in cancer cells incubated in physiological glucose. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Reciprocally, metformin potently inhibited mTORC1, DNA synthesis and proliferation. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Metformin, at low concentrations, inhibited DNA synthesis through AMPK. -- Abstract: Metformin, a widely used anti-diabetic drug, is emerging as a potential anticancer agent but the mechanisms involved remain incompletely understood. Here, we demonstrate that the potency of metformin induced AMPK activation, as shown by the phosphorylation of its substrates acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) at Ser{sup 79} and Raptor at Ser{sup 792}, was dramatically enhanced in human pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) cells PANC-1 and MiaPaCa-2 cultured in medium containing physiological concentrations of glucose (5 mM), as compared with parallel cultures in medium with glucose at 25 mM. In physiological glucose, metformin inhibited mTORC1 activation, DNA synthesis and proliferation of PDAC cells stimulated by crosstalk between G protein-coupled receptors and insulin/IGF signaling systems, at concentrations (0.05-0.1 mM) that were 10-100-fold lower than those used in most previous reports. Using siRNA-mediated knockdown of the {alpha}{sub 1} and {alpha}{sub 2} catalytic subunits of AMPK, we demonstrated that metformin, at low concentrations, inhibited DNA synthesis through an AMPK-dependent mechanism. Our results emphasize the importance of using medium containing physiological concentrations of glucose to elucidate the anticancer mechanism of action of metformin in pancreatic cancer cells and other cancer cell types.

  1. Strong motion duration and earthquake magnitude relationships

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Salmon, M.W.; Short, S.A.; Kennedy, R.P.

    1992-06-01

    Earthquake duration is the total time of ground shaking from the arrival of seismic waves until the return to ambient conditions. Much of this time is at relatively low shaking levels which have little effect on seismic structural response and on earthquake damage potential. As a result, a parameter termed ''strong motion duration'' has been defined by a number of investigators to be used for the purpose of evaluating seismic response and assessing the potential for structural damage due to earthquakes. This report presents methods for determining strong motion duration and a time history envelope function appropriate for various evaluation purposes, for earthquake magnitude and distance, and for site soil properties. There are numerous definitions of strong motion duration. For most of these definitions, empirical studies have been completed which relate duration to earthquake magnitude and distance and to site soil properties. Each of these definitions recognizes that only the portion of an earthquake record which has sufficiently high acceleration amplitude, energy content, or some other parameters significantly affects seismic response. Studies have been performed which indicate that the portion of an earthquake record in which the power (average rate of energy input) is maximum correlates most closely with potential damage to stiff nuclear power plant structures. Hence, this report will concentrate on energy based strong motion duration definitions

  2. Strong dietary restrictions protect Drosophila against anoxia/reoxygenation injuries.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Paul Vigne

    Full Text Available Reoxygenation of ischemic tissues is a major factor that determines the severity of cardiovascular diseases. This paper describes the consequences of anoxia/reoxygenation (A/R stresses on Drosophila, a useful, anoxia tolerant, model organism.Newly emerged adult male flies were exposed to anoxic conditions (<1% O2 for 1 to 6 hours, reoxygenated and their survival was monitored.A/R stresses induced a transient increase in mortality which peaked at the time of reoxygenation. Then flies recovered low mortality rates similar to those of control flies. A/R induced mortality was strongly dependent on dietary conditions during the 48 h that preceded anoxia. Well fed flies were anoxia sensitive. Strong dietary restrictions and starvation conditions protected flies against A/R injuries. The tolerance to anoxia was associated to large decreases in glycogen, protein, and ATP contents. During anoxia, anoxia tolerant flies produced more lactate, less phosphate and they maintained more stable ATP levels than anoxia sensitive flies. Moderate dietary restrictions, which increased the longevity of normoxic flies, did not promote resistance to A/R stresses. Diet dependent A/R injuries were still observed in sigma loss of function mutants and they were insensitive to dietary rapamycin or resveratrol. AICAR (5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide-1-beta-D-ribose-furanoside, an activator AMP kinase decreased A/R injuries. Mutants in the insulin signalling pathway were more anoxia tolerant in a fed state.Long A/R stresses induce a transient increase in mortality in Drosophila. This mortality is highly dependent on dietary conditions prior to the stress. Strong dietary restrictions and starvation conditions protect flies against A/R injuries, probably by inducing a major remodelling of energy metabolism. The results also indicate that mechanistically different responses develop in response to dietary restrictions of different strengths. AMP kinase and the insulin signalling

  3. Study of the transport characteristics of uranyl chloride in a highly concentrated aqueous solution of sodium chloride

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Murso, H.

    1986-01-01

    The purpose of this work was the study of the transport processes of uranyl chloride at various temperatures, in order to be able to estimate the danger potential of the intrusion of water during storage in salt form. For this the concentration dependency of the approximated principal diffusion coefficients of uranyl chloride in a table salt solution, which with a c(NaCl) = 5.2 mol/l is almost at the saturation point, was studied at 25, 40 and 50degC. The measurements were successful in the ternarian system UO 2 Cl 2 -NaCl-H 2 O with absorption optics. An unexpected temperature dependency of the diffusion coefficients was found, which reached its minimum at 40degC with UO 2 Cl 2 concentrations of less than 2x10 -2 mol/l. For comparison the diffusion coefficients were measured in the binary system UO 2 Cl 2 -H 2 O and compared with theoretical calculations. The cause for the poor correlation found here is thought to be the hydrolysis products, whose formation is strongly influenced by the foreign-electrolyte concentration (NaCl). For clarification, viscosity measurements and molar mass determinations (ultracentrifuge) will be done. Some pH-dependent hydrolysis equilibriums are being postulated and the equilibrium constants of uranyl hydroxo complexes are being determined by sedimentation analysis. (orig./RB) [de

  4. Adaptive Landscapes of Resistance Genes Change as Antibiotic Concentrations Change.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mira, Portia M; Meza, Juan C; Nandipati, Anna; Barlow, Miriam

    2015-10-01

    Most studies on the evolution of antibiotic resistance are focused on selection for resistance at lethal antibiotic concentrations, which has allowed the detection of mutant strains that show strong phenotypic traits. However, solely focusing on lethal concentrations of antibiotics narrowly limits our perspective of antibiotic resistance evolution. New high-resolution competition assays have shown that resistant bacteria are selected at relatively low concentrations of antibiotics. This finding is important because sublethal concentrations of antibiotics are found widely in patients undergoing antibiotic therapies, and in nonmedical conditions such as wastewater treatment plants, and food and water used in agriculture and farming. To understand the impacts of sublethal concentrations on selection, we measured 30 adaptive landscapes for a set of TEM β-lactamases containing all combinations of the four amino acid substitutions that exist in TEM-50 for 15 β-lactam antibiotics at multiple concentrations. We found that there are many evolutionary pathways within this collection of landscapes that lead to nearly every TEM-genotype that we studied. While it is known that the pathways change depending on the type of β-lactam, this study demonstrates that the landscapes including fitness optima also change dramatically as the concentrations of antibiotics change. Based on these results we conclude that the presence of multiple concentrations of β-lactams in an environment result in many different adaptive landscapes through which pathways to nearly every genotype are available. Ultimately this may increase the diversity of genotypes in microbial populations. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  5. An experimental study of strong reciprocity in bacteria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Inglis, R Fredrik; West, Stuart; Buckling, Angus

    2014-02-01

    Strong reciprocity, whereby cooperators punish non-cooperators, may help to explain the evolutionary success of cooperative behaviours. However, theory suggests that selection for strong reciprocity can depend upon tight genetic linkage between cooperation and punishment, to avoid the strategy being outcompeted by non-punishing cooperators. We tested this hypothesis using experimental populations of the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which cooperate by producing iron-scavenging siderophores and, in this context, punish non-cooperators with toxins. Consistent with theory, we show that cooperative punishers can indeed invade cheats, but only when the traits are tightly linked. These results emphasize that punishment is only likely to be favoured when the punishment itself leads to a direct or indirect fitness benefit to the actor.

  6. Atom-Pair Kinetics with Strong Electric-Dipole Interactions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thaicharoen, N; Gonçalves, L F; Raithel, G

    2016-05-27

    Rydberg-atom ensembles are switched from a weakly to a strongly interacting regime via adiabatic transformation of the atoms from an approximately nonpolar into a highly dipolar quantum state. The resultant electric dipole-dipole forces are probed using a device akin to a field ion microscope. Ion imaging and pair-correlation analysis reveal the kinetics of the interacting atoms. Dumbbell-shaped pair-correlation images demonstrate the anisotropy of the binary dipolar force. The dipolar C_{3} coefficient, derived from the time dependence of the images, agrees with the value calculated from the permanent electric-dipole moment of the atoms. The results indicate many-body dynamics akin to disorder-induced heating in strongly coupled particle systems.

  7. Combined incomplete LU and strongly implicit procedure preconditioning

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Meese, E.A. [Univ. of Trondheim (Norway)

    1996-12-31

    For the solution of large sparse linear systems of equations, the Krylov-subspace methods have gained great merit. Their efficiency are, however, largely dependent upon preconditioning of the equation-system. A family of matrix factorisations often used for preconditioning, is obtained from a truncated Gaussian elimination, ILU(p). Less common, supposedly due to it`s restriction to certain sparsity patterns, is factorisations generated by the strongly implicit procedure (SIP). The ideas from ILU(p) and SIP are used in this paper to construct a generalized strongly implicit procedure, applicable to matrices with any sparsity pattern. The new algorithm has been run on some test equations, and efficiency improvements over ILU(p) was found.

  8. Laser based imaging of time depending microscopic scenes with strong light emission

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hahlweg, Cornelius; Wilhelm, Eugen; Rothe, Hendrik

    2011-10-01

    Investigating volume scatterometry methods based on short range LIDAR devices for non-static objects we achieved interesting results aside the intended micro-LIDAR: the high speed camera recording of the illuminated scene of an exploding wire -intended for Doppler LIDAR tests - delivered a very effective method of observing details of objects with extremely strong light emission. As a side effect a schlieren movie is gathered without any special effort. The fact that microscopic features of short time processes with high emission and material flow might be imaged without endangering valuable equipment makes this technique at least as interesting as the intended one. So we decided to present our results - including latest video and photo material - instead of a more theoretical paper on our progress concerning the primary goal.

  9. Transfer and concentration factors in laboratory and environmental conditions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Paschoa, A.S.; Amaral, E.C.S.

    1993-01-01

    Environmental transfer factors, as well as concentration and accumulation factors, have been increasingly used in environmental dosimetric models. These models are often the basis for decision-making processes concerning radiological protection. However, the uncertainties associated with measured and default values of transfer and concentration factors are usually not taken into account in the decision making processes. In addition, laboratory-based values for these factors do not necessarily agree with site-specific and species-specific transfer and concentration factors. Soil-to-plant transfer factors and water-to-aquatic-organisms concentration factors are not only time and concentration-dependent, but also species-and site-specific environment-dependent. These uncertainties and dependencies may make the decision-making process, based on models, quite a difficult exercise. The current work examines, as an example, the time-dependent variations in the accumulation of 226 Ra in zooplankton in a laboratory experiment as compared with the concentration factor measured in a natural environment. In addition, the work reviews differences in 228 Ra and 226 Ra concentration factors for several plant families measured in a highly radioactive environment. (author). 9 refs, 3 figs, 3 tabs

  10. Strong Selective Adsorption of Polymers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ge, Ting; Rubinstein, Michael

    2015-06-09

    A scaling theory is developed for selective adsorption of polymers induced by the strong binding between specific monomers and complementary surface adsorption sites. By "selective" we mean specific attraction between a subset of all monomers, called "sticky", and a subset of surface sites, called "adsorption sites". We demonstrate that, in addition to the expected dependence on the polymer volume fraction ϕ bulk in the bulk solution, selective adsorption strongly depends on the ratio between two characteristic length scales, the root-mean-square distance l between neighboring sticky monomers along the polymer, and the average distance d between neighboring surface adsorption sites. The role of the ratio l / d arises from the fact that a polymer needs to deform to enable the spatial commensurability between its sticky monomers and the surface adsorption sites for selective adsorption. We study strong selective adsorption of both telechelic polymers with two end monomers being sticky and multisticker polymers with many sticky monomers between sticky ends. For telechelic polymers, we identify four adsorption regimes at l / d 1, we expect that the adsorption layer at exponentially low ϕ bulk consists of separated unstretched loops, while as ϕ bulk increases the layer crosses over to a brush of extended loops with a second layer of weakly overlapping tails. For multisticker chains, in the limit of exponentially low ϕ bulk , adsorbed polymers are well separated from each other. As l / d increases, the conformation of an individual polymer changes from a single-end-adsorbed "mushroom" to a random walk of loops. For high ϕ bulk , adsorbed polymers at small l / d are mushrooms that cover all the adsorption sites. At sufficiently large l / d , adsorbed multisticker polymers strongly overlap. We anticipate the formation of a self-similar carpet and with increasing l / d a two-layer structure with a brush of loops covered by a self-similar carpet. As l / d exceeds the

  11. Concentration-dependent induction of reactive oxygen species, cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in human liver cells after nickel nanoparticles exposure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ahmad, Javed; Alhadlaq, Hisham A; Siddiqui, Maqsood A; Saquib, Quaiser; Al-Khedhairy, Abdulaziz A; Musarrat, Javed; Ahamed, Maqusood

    2015-02-01

    Due to advent of nanotechnology, nickel nanoparticles (Ni NPs) are increasingly recognized for their utility in various applications including catalysts, sensors and electronics. However, the environmental and human health effects of Ni NPs have not been fully investigated. In this study, we examined toxic effects of Ni NPs in human liver (HepG2) cells. Ni NPs were prepared and characterized by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and dynamic light scattering. We observed that Ni NPs (size, ∼28 nm; concentration range, 25-100 μg/mL) induced cytotoxicity in HepG2 cells and degree of induction was concentration-dependent. Ni NPs were also found to induce oxidative stress in dose-dependent manner evident by induction of reactive oxygen species and depletion of glutathione. Cell cycle analysis of cells treated with Ni NPs exhibited significant increase of apoptotic cell population in subG1 phase. Ni NPs also induced caspase-3 enzyme activity and apoptotic DNA fragmentation. Upregulation of cell cycle checkpoint gene p53 and bax/bcl-2 ratio with a concomitant loss in mitochondrial membrane potential suggested that Ni NPs induced apoptosis in HepG2 cells was mediated through mitochondrial pathway. This study warrants that applications of Ni NPs should be carefully assessed as to their toxicity to human health. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  12. Coulomb Impurity Problem of Graphene in Strong Coupling Regime in Magnetic Fields.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, S C; Yang, S-R Eric

    2015-10-01

    We investigate the Coulomb impurity problem of graphene in strong coupling limit in the presence of magnetic fields. When the strength of the Coulomb potential is sufficiently strong the electron of the lowest energy boundstate of the n = 0 Landau level may fall to the center of the potential. To prevent this spurious effect the Coulomb potential must be regularized. The scaling function for the inverse probability density of this state at the center of the impurity potential is computed in the strong coupling regime. The dependence of the computed scaling function on the regularization parameter changes significantly as the strong coupling regime is approached.

  13. Frequency dependent polarization in blazars

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bjoernsson, C.I.

    1984-10-01

    It is argued that the intrinsic frequency dependent polarization in blazars finds its most straightforward explanations in terms of a single rather than a multicomponent sourcemodel. In order to reproduce the observations, under the assumption that the emission mechanism is optically thin synchrotron radiation, both a well ordered magnetic field and an electron distribution with a sharp break or cuttoff are necessary. Non-uniform pitch angle distribution and/or environments where synchrotron losses are important are both conducive to producing strong frequency dependent polarization. Reasons are put forth as to why such conditions ar expected to occur in blazars. Two specific models are discussed in detail and it is shown that they are both able to produce strong frequency dependent polarization, even when the spectral index changes by a small amount only. (orig.)

  14. [Ozone concentration distribution of urban].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yin, Yong-quan; Li, Chang-mei; Ma, Gui-xia; Cui, Zhao-jie

    2004-11-01

    The increase of ozone concentration in urban is one of the most important research topics on environmental science. With the increase of nitrogen oxides and hydrogen-carbon compounds which are exhausted from cars, the ozone concentration in urban is obviously increased on sunlight, and threat of photochemistry smog will be possible. Therefore, it is very important to monitor and study the ozone concentration distribution in urban. The frequency-distribution, diurnal variation and monthly variation of ozone concentration were studied on the campus of Shandong University during six months monitoring. The influence of solar radiation and weather conditions on ozone concentration were discussed. The frequency of ozone concentration less than 200 microg/m3 is 96.88%. The ozone concentration has an obvious diurnal variation. The ozone concentration in the afternoon is higher than in the morning and in the evening. The maximum appears in June, when it is the strong solar radiation and high air-temperature. The weather conditions also influence the ozone concentration. The ozone concentration in clear day is higher than in rainy and cloudy day.

  15. Age-dependent decline in acyl-ghrelin concentrations and reduced association of acyl-ghrelin and growth hormone in healthy older adults.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nass, Ralf; Farhy, Leon S; Liu, Jianhua; Pezzoli, Suzan S; Johnson, Michael L; Gaylinn, Bruce D; Thorner, Michael O

    2014-02-01

    Acyl-ghrelin is thought to have both orexigenic effects and to stimulate GH release. A possible cause of the anorexia of aging is an age-dependent decrease in circulating acyl-ghrelin levels. The purpose of the study was to compare acyl-ghrelin and GH concentrations between healthy old and young adults and to examine the relationship of acyl-ghrelin and GH secretion in both age groups. Six healthy older adults (age 62-74 y, body mass index range 20.9-29 kg/m(2)) and eight healthy young men (aged 18-28 y, body mass index range 20.6-26.2 kg/m(2)) had frequent blood samples drawn for hormone measurements every 10 minutes for 24 hours. Ghrelin was measured in an in-house, two-site sandwich ELISA specific for full-length acyl-ghrelin. GH was measured in a sensitive assay (Immulite 2000), and GH peaks were determined by deconvolution analysis. The acyl-ghrelin/GH association was estimated from correlations between amplitudes of individual GH secretory events and the average acyl-ghrelin concentration in the 60-minute interval preceding each GH burst. Twenty-four-hour mean (±SEM) GH (0.48 ± 0.14 vs 2.2 ± 0.3 μg/L, P adults compared with young adults. Twenty-four-hour cortisol concentrations were higher in the old than the young adults (15.1 ± 1.0 vs 10.6 ± 0.9 μg/dL, respectively, P young adults (0.16 ± 0.12 vs 0.69 ± 0.04, P age-dependent decline in circulating acyl-ghrelin levels, which might play a role both in the decline of GH and in the anorexia of aging. Our data also suggest that with normal aging, endogenous acyl-ghrelin levels are less tightly linked to GH regulation.

  16. Strong approximations and sequential change-point analysis for diffusion processes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mihalache, Stefan-Radu

    2012-01-01

    In this paper ergodic diffusion processes depending on a parameter in the drift are considered under the assumption that the processes can be observed continuously. Strong approximations by Wiener processes for a stochastic integral and for the estimator process constructed by the one...

  17. Polyaspartic Acid Concentration Controls the Rate of Calcium Phosphate Nanorod Formation in High Concentration Systems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Krogstad, Daniel V. [Biosystems and; Wang, Dongbo [Biosystems and; Lin-Gibson, Sheng [Biosystems and

    2017-08-31

    Polyelectrolytes are known to greatly affect calcium phosphate (CaP) mineralization. The reaction kinetics as well as the CaP phase, morphology and aggregation state depend on the relative concentrations of the polyelectrolyte and the inorganic ions in a complex, nonlinear manner. This study examines the structural evolution and kinetics of polyaspartic acid (pAsp) directed CaP mineralization at high concentrations of polyelectrolytes, calcium, and total phosphate (19–30 mg/mL pAsp, 50–100 mM Ca2+, Ca/P = 2). Using a novel combination of characterization techniques including cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM), spectrophotometry, X-ray total scattering pair distribution function analysis, and attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), it was determined that the CaP mineralization occurred over four transition steps. The steps include the formation of aggregates of pAsp stabilized CaP spherical nanoparticles (sNP), crystallization of sNP, oriented attachment of the sNP into nanorods, and further crystallization of the nanorods. The intermediate aggregate sizes and the reaction kinetics were found to be highly polymer concentration dependent while the sizes of the particles were not concentration dependent. This study demonstrates the complex role of pAsp in controlling the mechanism as well as the kinetics of CaP mineralization.

  18. Algorithmic implementation of particle-particle ladder diagram approximation to study strongly-correlated metals and semiconductors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prayogi, A.; Majidi, M. A.

    2017-07-01

    In condensed-matter physics, strongly-correlated systems refer to materials that exhibit variety of fascinating properties and ordered phases, depending on temperature, doping, and other factors. Such unique properties most notably arise due to strong electron-electron interactions, and in some cases due to interactions involving other quasiparticles as well. Electronic correlation effects are non-trivial that one may need a sufficiently accurate approximation technique with quite heavy computation, such as Quantum Monte-Carlo, in order to capture particular material properties arising from such effects. Meanwhile, less accurate techniques may come with lower numerical cost, but the ability to capture particular properties may highly depend on the choice of approximation. Among the many-body techniques derivable from Feynman diagrams, we aim to formulate algorithmic implementation of the Ladder Diagram approximation to capture the effects of electron-electron interactions. We wish to investigate how these correlation effects influence the temperature-dependent properties of strongly-correlated metals and semiconductors. As we are interested to study the temperature-dependent properties of the system, the Ladder diagram method needs to be applied in Matsubara frequency domain to obtain the self-consistent self-energy. However, at the end we would also need to compute the dynamical properties like density of states (DOS) and optical conductivity that are defined in the real frequency domain. For this purpose, we need to perform the analytic continuation procedure. At the end of this study, we will test the technique by observing the occurrence of metal-insulator transition in strongly-correlated metals, and renormalization of the band gap in strongly-correlated semiconductors.

  19. A Study on the Determination of Radionuclide Concentrations in Animal Feedstuffs for Use Following a Nuclear Emergency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hwang, Won Tae; Kim, Eun Han; Suh, Kyung Suk; Choi, Young Gil; Han, Moon Hee

    2001-01-01

    The optimized derived intervention levels for animal products were evaluated based on cost-benefit analysis. From these results, the radionuclide concentrations in animal feedstuffs for use were derived. It was shown that radionuclide concentrations in animal feedstuffs for use depend strongly on animal products, radionuclides and feeding period (period from the starting time to be fed with contaminated feedstuffs to production time of animal products). In case of feedstuffs contaminated with long-lived radionuclides ( 137 Cs, 90 Sr), the feedstuffs with lower contamination should be supplied to animals with increase of feeding period due to the bioaccumulation of radionuclides. While, in case of feedstuffs contaminated with short-lived radionuclides ( 131 I), the feeding of higher contaminated feedstuffs was possible with increase of feeding period due to radionuclide decay. It was shown that 137 Cs concentration in animal feedstuffs for use was lower than 90 Sr concentration. It is primarily due to the higher feed-animal product transfer factor of 137 Cs

  20. Influence of buffer zone concentrations on efficiency in partial filling micellar electrokinetic chromatography.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Michalke, D; Kolb, S; Welsch, T

    2001-05-04

    The potential of counter pressure-moderated partial filling micellar electrokinetic chromatography (PF-MEKC) was investigated in this work. Plate numbers of homologous omega-phenylalcohols were measured in a two-plug PF-MEKC system varying the concentrations and hence the ionic strengths of the background buffer compared to the sodium dodecyl sulfate-containing separation buffer and the counter pressure on the cathodic buffer reservoir. It was observed that plate numbers are strongly influenced by both the buffer concentrations and the counter pressure. Highest plate numbers were obtained with a buffer system where the concentrations are adjusted such that the electroosmotic flow velocities in both zones are equal. Differences in the local electroosmotic flow velocities of the zones caused by different buffer concentrations are responsible for tremendously reduced plate numbers. The efficiency drop is explained in several models by the formation of an intersegmental pressure which produces a parabolically shaped laminar flow component in both zones. Thus, the electroosmotic plug-like flow profile is distorted and the efficiency is reduced. The effect of counter pressure on efficiency turned out to be very complex in dependence on the buffer system applied.

  1. Modelling interactions of toxicants and density dependence in wildlife populations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schipper, Aafke M.; Hendriks, Harrie W.M.; Kauffman, Matthew J.; Hendriks, A. Jan; Huijbregts, Mark A.J.

    2013-01-01

    1. A major challenge in the conservation of threatened and endangered species is to predict population decline and design appropriate recovery measures. However, anthropogenic impacts on wildlife populations are notoriously difficult to predict due to potentially nonlinear responses and interactions with natural ecological processes like density dependence. 2. Here, we incorporated both density dependence and anthropogenic stressors in a stage-based matrix population model and parameterized it for a density-dependent population of peregrine falcons Falco peregrinus exposed to two anthropogenic toxicants [dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs)]. Log-logistic exposure–response relationships were used to translate toxicant concentrations in peregrine falcon eggs to effects on fecundity. Density dependence was modelled as the probability of a nonbreeding bird acquiring a breeding territory as a function of the current number of breeders. 3. The equilibrium size of the population, as represented by the number of breeders, responded nonlinearly to increasing toxicant concentrations, showing a gradual decrease followed by a relatively steep decline. Initially, toxicant-induced reductions in population size were mitigated by an alleviation of the density limitation, that is, an increasing probability of territory acquisition. Once population density was no longer limiting, the toxicant impacts were no longer buffered by an increasing proportion of nonbreeders shifting to the breeding stage, resulting in a strong decrease in the equilibrium number of breeders. 4. Median critical exposure concentrations, that is, median toxicant concentrations in eggs corresponding with an equilibrium population size of zero, were 33 and 46 μg g−1 fresh weight for DDE and PBDEs, respectively. 5. Synthesis and applications. Our modelling results showed that particular life stages of a density-limited population may be relatively insensitive to

  2. Dispersion relation of linearly polarized strong electromagnetic waves

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ferrari, A; Massaglia, S [Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Turin (Italy). Lab. di Cosmo-Geofisica; Dobrowolny, M [Comitato Nazionale per l' Energia Nucleaire, Frascati (Italy). Lab. Plasma Spazio

    1975-12-15

    A numerical study is presented of the dispersion relation of linearly polarized strong electromagnetic waves in a cold electron plasma. The nonlinear effects introduced by the relativistic motion of electrons are: (1) the dispersion relation depends explicitly on the field strength ..cap alpha..=eE/sub 0//mc..omega../sub 0/, and (2) the propagation of modes with frequencies below the formal electron plasma frequency is allowed.

  3. Semicalssical quantization of interacting anyons in a strong magnetic field

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Levit, S.; Sivan, N.

    1992-01-01

    We represent a semiclassical theory of charged interacting anyons in strong magnetic fields. We apply this theory to a number of few anyons systems including two interacting anyons in the presence of an impurity and three interacting anyons. We discuss the dependence of their energy levels on the statistical parameter and find regions in which this dependence follows very different patterns. The semiclassical arguments allow to correlate these patterns with the change in the character of the classical motion of the system. (author)

  4. Otolith Sr concentration analyzed by PIXE in Ariake estuary-dependent sea bass juveniles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ohta, Taro; Arai, Nobuaki; Tanaka, Masaru; Yoshida, Koji

    1997-01-01

    Japanese sea bass (Lateolabrax japonicus) is a typical euryhaline marine fish and frequently migrates from salt to freshwater environments during early life stages. We hypothesized that strontium concentrations in the otolith could be a useful index to examine freshwater entry because of its lower concentration in freshwater. Otoliths of Japanese sea bass juveniles collected in the Chikugo river and estuary were analyzed by Particle Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE) to see relationship between strontium concentration and ambient salinity. Strontium concentrations in otoliths of sea bass juveniles are significantly lower in the river samples than in brackish water samples. (author)

  5. Dependency of water concentration on ethanolysis of trioleoylglycerol by lipases

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Piyatheerawong, W.; Iwasaki, Y; Xu, Xuebing

    2004-01-01

    tested (Rhizomucor miehei lipase, Burkholderia cepacia lipase and Thermomyces lanuginosus lipase) required larger amounts of free water (ca. 7-9 wt.%) for their best performance and exhibited no ethanolysis reaction at low free water concentrations. The CALB's anomalous behavior was also observed...

  6. [Meeting point Stewart. Buffer bases, base excess and strong ions].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lang, W

    2007-04-01

    Development of a two-buffer model which simulates the acid-base properties of blood and allows comparison of the different acidbase concepts according to Stewart and to Siggaard-Andersen. The two-buffer model consisted of different aqueous solutions of bicarbonate/CO(2) (pCO(2), sCO(2), pK(1)), HEPES buffer (A(tot), pK(a)) and electrolytes. These were used to calculate the pH from the independent variables according to Stewart - strong ion difference (SID), pCO(2) and total concentration of the weak acids (A(tot)) - from which all other dependent variables (cHCO(3)(-), cA(-), BB, BE) were obtained and compared with the measured values. The normal pH (7.408) was calculated from the normal values for SID (48 mmol/l), pCO(2) (40 mmHg) and A(tot) (45.2 mmol/l) and agreed perfectly with the measured value (7.409+/-0.001). This was also valid for all calculated and measured pH values when the SID was varied: non-respiratory alkalosis ( upward arrow) or acidosis ( downward arrow), pCO(2):respiratory acidosis ( upward arrow) or alkalosis ( downward arrow) and A(tot):hyperproteinemic acidosis ( upward arrow) or hypoproteinemic alkalosis ( downward arrow) were varied and the sum of the buffer bases (BB) was always equal to the SID. All changes and hence BE were also equal, providing that A(tot) was normal. This was not the case, however, if A(tot) was outside the normal range, when BE was then the difference from the normal BB at the respective reference point. Whereas the deviation of the measured pCO(2) was acceptable (1.74+/-0.86 mmHg), this was not the case for the SID (-6.18+/-3.58 mmol/l) calculated from the measured ion concentrations (Na, K, Ca, Cl). Despite controversial discussions, both concepts are much closer than might be expected. Whereas in the Stewart approach the focus of analysis is on plasma, with the Siggaard-Andersen approach it is on blood. Hence, a combined analysis of the blood gases (pH, pCO(2), pO(2), sO(2), cHb, BE) and of the strong ion gap (SIG

  7. High pressure-temperature electrical conductivity of magnesiowustite as a function of iron oxide concentration

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Xiaoyuan; Jeanloz, Raymond

    1990-01-01

    The electrical conductivity of (Mg, Fe)O magnesiowustite containing 9 and 27.5 mol pct FeO has been measured at simultaneously high pressures (30-32 GPa) and temperatures using a diamond anvil cell heated with a continuous wave Nd:YAG laser and an external resistance heater. The conductivity depends strongly on the FeO concentration at both ambient and high pressures. At the pressures and temperatures of about 30 GPa and 2000 K, conditions expected in the lower mantle, the magnesiowustite containing 27.5 percent FeO is 3 orders of magnitude more conductive than that containing 9 percent FeO. The activation energy of magnesiowustite decreases with increasing iron concentration from 0.38 (+ or - 0.09) eV at 9 percent FeO to 0.29 (+ or - 0.05) eV at 27.5 percent FeO.

  8. The initial magnetic susceptibility of polydisperse ferrofluids: A comparison between experiment and theory over a wide range of concentration

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Solovyova, Anna Y.; Goldina, Olga A.; Ivanov, Alexey O.; Elfimova, Ekaterina A.; Lebedev, Aleksandr V.

    2016-01-01

    Temperature dependencies of the static initial magnetic susceptibility for ferrofluids at various concentrations are studied using experiment and statistical-mechanical theories. Magnetic susceptibility measurements are carried out for twelve samples of magnetite-based fluids stabilized with oleic acid over a wide range of temperatures (210 K ≲T ≲ 390 K); all samples have the same granulometric composition but different volume ferroparticle concentrations (0.2 ≲ φ ≲ 0.5). Experimental results are analyzed using three theories: the second-order modified mean-field theory (MMF2) [A. O. Ivanov and O. B. Kuznetsova, Phys. Rev. E 64, 41405 (2001)]; its correction for polydisperse ferrofluids arising from Mayer-type cluster expansion and taking into account the first terms of the polydisperse second virial coefficient [A. O. Ivanov and E. A. Elfimova, J. Magn. Magn. Mater 374, 327 (2015)]; and a new theory based on MMF2 combined with the first terms of the polydisperse second and third virial contributions to susceptibility. It turns out that the applicability of each theory depends on the experimental sample density. If twelve ferrofluid samples are split into three groups of strong, moderate, and low concentrated fluids, the temperature dependences of the initial magnetic susceptibility in each group are very precisely described by one of the three theories mentioned above. The determination of a universal formula predicting a ferrofluid susceptibility over a broad range of concentrations and temperatures remains as a challenge.

  9. Advances on multijunction solar cell characterization aimed at the optimization of real concentrator performance

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Garcia-Linares, Pablo, E-mail: pablo.garcia-linares@cea.fr; Dominguez, César, E-mail: pablo.garcia-linares@cea.fr; Voarino, Philippe, E-mail: pablo.garcia-linares@cea.fr; Besson, Pierre, E-mail: pablo.garcia-linares@cea.fr; Baudrit, Mathieu, E-mail: pablo.garcia-linares@cea.fr [CEA-LITEN, LCPV, INES, Le Bourget du Lac (France)

    2014-09-26

    Multijunction solar cells (MJSC) are usually developed to maximize efficiency under test conditions and not under real operation. This is the case of anti-reflective coatings (ARC), which are meant to minimize Fresnel reflection losses for a family of incident rays at room temperature. In order to understand and quantify the discrepancies between test and operation conditions, we have experimentally analyzed the spectral response of MJSC for a variety of incidence angles that are in practice received by a concentrator cell in high-concentration photovoltaic (HCPV) receiver designs. Moreover, we characterize this angular dependence as a function of temperature in order to reproduce real operation conditions. As the refractive index of the silicone is dependent on temperature, an optical mismatch is expected. Regarding other characterization techniques, a method called Relative EL Homogeneity Analysis (RELHA) is applied to processed wafers prior to dicing, allowing to diagnose the wafer crystalline homogeneity for each junction. Finally, current (I)-voltage (V) characterization under strongly unbalanced light spectra has also been carried out for a number of low-level irradiances, providing insight on each junction shunt resistance and corresponding radiative coupling.

  10. Advances on multijunction solar cell characterization aimed at the optimization of real concentrator performance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Garcia-Linares, Pablo; Dominguez, César; Voarino, Philippe; Besson, Pierre; Baudrit, Mathieu

    2014-01-01

    Multijunction solar cells (MJSC) are usually developed to maximize efficiency under test conditions and not under real operation. This is the case of anti-reflective coatings (ARC), which are meant to minimize Fresnel reflection losses for a family of incident rays at room temperature. In order to understand and quantify the discrepancies between test and operation conditions, we have experimentally analyzed the spectral response of MJSC for a variety of incidence angles that are in practice received by a concentrator cell in high-concentration photovoltaic (HCPV) receiver designs. Moreover, we characterize this angular dependence as a function of temperature in order to reproduce real operation conditions. As the refractive index of the silicone is dependent on temperature, an optical mismatch is expected. Regarding other characterization techniques, a method called Relative EL Homogeneity Analysis (RELHA) is applied to processed wafers prior to dicing, allowing to diagnose the wafer crystalline homogeneity for each junction. Finally, current (I)-voltage (V) characterization under strongly unbalanced light spectra has also been carried out for a number of low-level irradiances, providing insight on each junction shunt resistance and corresponding radiative coupling

  11. Conductivity-Dependent Flow Field-Flow Fractionation of Fulvic and Humic Acid Aggregates

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Martha J. M. Wells

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available Fulvic (FAs and humic acids (HAs are chemically fascinating. In water, they have a strong propensity to aggregate, but this research reveals that tendency is regulated by ionic strength. In the environment, conductivity extremes occur naturally—freshwater to seawater—warranting consideration at low and high values. The flow field flow fractionation (flow FFF of FAs and HAs is observed to be concentration dependent in low ionic strength solutions whereas the corresponding flow FFF fractograms in high ionic strength solutions are concentration independent. Dynamic light scattering (DLS also reveals insight into the conductivity-dependent behavior of humic substances (HSs. Four particle size ranges for FAs and humic acid aggregates are examined: (1 <10 nm; (2 10 nm–6 µm; (3 6–100 µm; and (4 >100 µm. Representative components of the different size ranges are observed to dynamically coexist in solution. The character of the various aggregates observed—such as random-extended-coiled macromolecules, hydrogels, supramolecular, and micellar—as influenced by electrolytic conductivity, is discussed. The disaggregation/aggregation of HSs is proposed to be a dynamic equilibrium process for which the rate of aggregate formation is controlled by the electrolytic conductivity of the solution.

  12. Concentration-Dependant Changes of PCB Patterns in Fish-Eating Mammals

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Boon, J.P.; van der Meer, J.; Allchin, C.R.

    1997-01-01

    Data sets on CB concentrations in fish-eating mammals from five laboratories were combined to test and refine a pharmacokinetic model. Clear differences in PCB patterns were observed between species, The ability to metabolize chlorobiphenyl (CB) congeners with vicinal H-atoms only in the ortho...

  13. Nontrivial effects of high-frequency excitation for strongly damped mechanical systems

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Fidlin, Alexander; Thomsen, Jon Juel

    Some nontrivial effects are investigated, which can occur if strongly damped mechanical systems are subjected to strong high-frequency (HF) excitation. The main result is a theoretical prediction, supported by numerical simulation, that for such systems the (quasi-)equilibrium states can change...... that can be substantial (depending on the strength of the HF excitation) for finite values of the damping. The analysis is focused on the differences between the classic results for weakly damped systems, and new effects for which the strong damping terms are responsible. The analysis is based...... on a slightly modified averaging technique, and includes an elementary example of an elliptically excited pendulum for illustration, alongside with a generalization to a broader class of strongly damped dynamical systems with HF excitation. As an application example, the nontrivial behavior of a classical...

  14. Temperature Dependency of the Correlation between Secondary Organic Aerosol and Monoterpenes Concentrations at a Boreal Forest Site in Finland

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, Y.; Zhang, W.; Rinne, J.

    2016-12-01

    Climate feedbacks represent the large uncertainty in the climate projection partly due to the difficulties to quantify the feedback mechanisms in the biosphere-atmosphere interaction. Recently, a negative climate feedback mechanism whereby higher temperatures and CO2-levels boost continental biomass production, leading to increased biogenic secondary organic aerosol (SOA) and cloud condensation nuclei concentrations, tending to cause cooling, has been attached much attention. To quantify the relationship between biogenic organic compounds (BVOCs) and SOA, a five-year data set (2008, 2010-2011,2013-2014) for SOA and monoterpenes concentrations (the dominant fraction of BVOCs) measured at the SMEAR II station in Hyytiälä, Finland, is analyzed. Our results show that there is a moderate linear correlation between SOA and monoterpenes concentration with the correlation coefficient (R) as 0.66. To rule out the influence of anthropogenic aerosols, the dataset is further filtered by selecting the data at the wind direction of cleaner air mass, leading to an improved R as 0.68. As temperature is a critical factor for vegetation growth, BVOC emissions, and condensation rate, the correlation between SOA and monoterpenes concentration at different temperature windows are studied. The result shows a higher R and slope of linear regression as temperature increases. To identify the dominant oxidant responsible for the BVOC-SOA conversion, the correlations between SOA concentration and the monoterpenes oxidation rates by O3 and OH are compared, suggesting more SOA is contributed by O3 oxidation process. Finally, the possible processes and factors such as the atmospheric boundary layer depth, limiting factor in the monoterpenes oxidation process, as well as temperature sensitivity in the condensation process contributing to the temperature dependence of correlation between BVOA and SOA are investigated.

  15. Evaluation of dissolved oxygen and organic substances concentrations in water of the nature reserve Alluvium Zitavy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Palaticka, A.; Noskovic, J.; Babosova, M.

    2007-01-01

    In 2006 concentrations of dissolved oxygen and organic substances were evaluated in water in the Nature Reserve Alluvium Zitavy (indirect method based on their oxidation by K 2 Cr 2 0 7 was used). The results are represented in mg of O 2 · dm -3 . Taking of samples took place in 6 sampling sites in regular month intervals. Based on obtained data and according to the standard STN 75 7221 (Water quality -The classification of the water surface quality) water in individual sampling sites was ranked into the classes of the .water surface quality. From the data it is clear that the concentrations of dissolved oxygen and organic substances in the Nature Reserve Alluvium Zitavy changed in dependence on sampling sites and time. The highest mean concentrations of dissolved oxygen in dependence on sampling time were found out in spring months and the lowest concentrations in summer months. They ranged from 1.6 mg 0 2 · dm -3 (July) to 9.0 mg O 2 · dm -3 (March). Falling dissolved oxygen values can be related to successive increase of water temperature, thus good conditions were created for decomposition of organic matter by microorganisms in water and sediments in which they use dissolved oxygen. In dependence on sampling place the highest mean concentration of dissolved oxygen was in sampling site No. 4 (6.0 mg 0 2 · dm -3 ) which is situated in the narrowest place in the NR. The lowest value was in sampling site No. 2 (3.6 mg 0 2 · dm -3 ) which is a typical wetland ecosystem. High mean values of COD Cr in dependence on sampling time were determined in summer months and low values during winter moths. Dependence of COD Cr values on sampling site was also manifested. The lowest mean value was obtained in sampling site No. 4 (59.5 mg · dm -3 ) and the highest value in sampling site No. 5 (97.1 mg · dm -3 ) which is also a typical wetland. Based on the results and according to the STN 75 7221 we ranked water in all sampling sites into the 5 th class of the water

  16. Dependence of the degree of antibacterial and antiphage action of ozone on cell and phage particle concentrations in nutrient media

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Grits, N.V.; Fomichev, A.Iu.

    1985-05-01

    The work was aimed at studying the inactivating effect of ozone on Escherichia coli K-12 AB1157, Pseudomonas aeruginosa PA01, Erwinia herbicola EH103 and their phages T4, SM and I4. The degree of bacterial and phage inactivation was found to increase with a decrease in their initial concentration during the treatment. The effect depends on differences in the quantity of ozone per cell or per phage particle in the reaction medium. This conclusion is based on the fact that, irrespective of the suspension density, the amount of surviving bacteria and phages plotted versus O3 concentration and recalculated per one bacterial cell or phage particle is described graphically by one and the same curve typical of a strain under study. This technique for assessing the sensitivity of microbiological objects to ozone can be used in order to compare experimental data obtained in different laboratories.

  17. <strong>Mini-project>

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Katajainen, Jyrki

    2008-01-01

    In this project the goal is to develop the safe * family of containers for the CPH STL. The containers to be developed should be safer and more reliable than any of the existing implementations. A special focus should be put on strong exception safety since none of the existing prototypes available...

  18. OZONE CONCENTRATION ATTRIBUTABLE PREMATURE DEATH IN POLAND

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Krzysztof Skotak

    2010-03-01

    Full Text Available Ozone in the lower part of the atmosphere (troposphere, strong photochemical oxidant, is not directly emitted to the atmosphere but formed through a series of complex reactions. Ozone concentrations depends on ozone precursors air contamination (mainly nitrogen dioxide and non-methane volatile organic compounds and meteorological conditions (temperature and solar radiation. The main sectors emitted ozone precursors are road transport, power and heat generation plants, household (heating, industry, and petrol storage and distribution. Ozone and some of its precursors are also transported long distances in the atmosphere and are therefore considered a transboundary problem. As a result, the ozone concentrations are often low in busy urban areas and higher in suburban and rural areas. Nowadays, instead of particulate matter, ozone is one of the most widespread global air pollution problems. In and around urban areas, relatively large gradients of ozone can be observed. Because of its high reactivity in elevated concentrations ozone causes serious health problems and damage to ecosystems, agricultural crops and materials. Main ill-health endpoints as a results of ozone concentrations can be characterised as an effect of pulmonary and cardiovascular system, time morbidity and mortality series, development of atherosclerosis and asthma and finally reduction in life expectancy. The associations with increased daily mortality due to ozone concentrations are confirmed by many researches and epidemiological studies. Estimation of the level selected ill-health endpoints (mortality in total and due to cardiovascular and respiratory causes as a result of the short-term ozone exposure in Poland was the main aim of the project. Final results have been done based on estimation method elaborated by WHO, ozone measurements from National Air Quality Monitoring System and statistical information such as mortality rate and populations. All analysis have been done in

  19. Fitness Effects of Chlorpyrifos in the Damselfly Enallagma cyathigerum Strongly Depend upon Temperature and Food Level and Can Bridge Metamorphosis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Janssens, Lizanne; Stoks, Robby

    2013-01-01

    Interactions between pollutants and suboptimal environmental conditions can have severe consequences for the toxicity of pollutants, yet are still poorly understood. To identify patterns across environmental conditions and across fitness-related variables we exposed Enallagma cyathigerum damselfly larvae to the pesticide chlorpyrifos at two food levels or at two temperatures and quantified four fitness-related variables (larval survival, development time, mass at emergence and adult cold resistance). Food level and temperature did not affect survival in the absence of the pesticide, yet the pesticide reduced survival only at the high temperature. Animals reacted to the pesticide by accelerating their development but only at the high food level and at the low temperature; at the low food level, however, pesticide exposure resulted in a slower development. Chlorpyrifos exposure resulted in smaller adults except in animals reared at the high food level. Animals reared at the low food level and at the low temperature had a higher cold resistance which was not affected by the pesticide. In summary our study highlight that combined effects of exposure to chlorpyrifos and the two environmental conditions (i) were mostly interactive and sometimes even reversed in comparison with the effect of the environmental condition in isolation, (ii) strongly differed depending on the fitness-related variable under study, (iii) were not always predictable based on the effect of the environmental condition in isolation, and (iv) bridged metamorphosis depending on which environmental condition was combined with the pesticide thereby potentially carrying over from aquatic to terrestrial ecosystems. These findings are relevant when extrapolating results of laboratory tests done under ideal environmental conditions to natural communities. PMID:23840819

  20. Fitness Effects of Chlorpyrifos in the Damselfly Enallagma cyathigerum Strongly Depend upon Temperature and Food Level and Can Bridge Metamorphosis.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lizanne Janssens

    Full Text Available Interactions between pollutants and suboptimal environmental conditions can have severe consequences for the toxicity of pollutants, yet are still poorly understood. To identify patterns across environmental conditions and across fitness-related variables we exposed Enallagma cyathigerum damselfly larvae to the pesticide chlorpyrifos at two food levels or at two temperatures and quantified four fitness-related variables (larval survival, development time, mass at emergence and adult cold resistance. Food level and temperature did not affect survival in the absence of the pesticide, yet the pesticide reduced survival only at the high temperature. Animals reacted to the pesticide by accelerating their development but only at the high food level and at the low temperature; at the low food level, however, pesticide exposure resulted in a slower development. Chlorpyrifos exposure resulted in smaller adults except in animals reared at the high food level. Animals reared at the low food level and at the low temperature had a higher cold resistance which was not affected by the pesticide. In summary our study highlight that combined effects of exposure to chlorpyrifos and the two environmental conditions (i were mostly interactive and sometimes even reversed in comparison with the effect of the environmental condition in isolation, (ii strongly differed depending on the fitness-related variable under study, (iii were not always predictable based on the effect of the environmental condition in isolation, and (iv bridged metamorphosis depending on which environmental condition was combined with the pesticide thereby potentially carrying over from aquatic to terrestrial ecosystems. These findings are relevant when extrapolating results of laboratory tests done under ideal environmental conditions to natural communities.

  1. Atoms in strong laser fields

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    L'Huillier, A.

    2002-01-01

    When a high-power laser focuses into a gas of atoms, the electromagnetic field becomes of the same magnitude as the Coulomb field which binds a 1s electron in a hydrogen atom. 3 highly non-linear phenomena can happen: 1) ATI (above threshold ionization): electrons initially in the ground state absorb a large number of photons, many more than the minimum number required for ionization; 2) multiple ionization: many electrons can be emitted one at a time, in a sequential process, or simultaneously in a mechanism called direct or non-sequential; and 3) high order harmonic generation (HHG): efficient photon emission in the extreme ultraviolet range, in the form of high-order harmonics of the fundamental laser field can occur. The theoretical problem consists in solving the time dependent Schroedinger equation (TDSE) that describes the interaction of a many-electron atom with a laser field. A number of methods have been proposed to solve this problem in the case of a hydrogen atom or a single-active electron atom in a strong laser field. A large effort is presently being devoted to go beyond the single-active approximation. The understanding of the physics of the interaction between atoms and strong laser fields has been provided by a very simple model called ''simple man's theory''. A unified view of HHG, ATI, and non-sequential ionization, originating from the simple man's model and the strong field approximation, expressed in terms of electrons trajectories or quantum paths is slowly emerging. (A.C.)

  2. Fracture mechanism of a dispersion-hardened molybdenum alloy with strong structural interfaces

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vasil'ev, A.D.; Malashenko, I.S.; Moiseev, V.F.; Pechkovskij, Eh.P.; Sul'zhenko, V.K.; Trefilov, V.I.; AN Ukrainskoj SSR, Kiev. Inst. Ehlektrosvarki)

    1978-01-01

    Fracture mechanism in the two-phase Mo-15wt.%Nb-3.5 vol.% TiN alloy known to be of ''brittle matrix-strong interfaces'' type has been investigated depending on tensile test temperature. Several temperature intervals of fracture have been found, each of them having its own peculiarities. A scheme is suggested for fracture mechanism changes in dispersion-hardened alloys with strong interfaces. At low test temperatures brittle cleavage fracture takes place. With temperature increase fracture mechanisms change in the following way: brittle intergranular fracture; fracture of ''microvoid coalescence'' type; fracture typical for reinforced materials with ductile matrix; intergran laru fracture. Particles of strengthening phase have been shown to play different roles depending on the test temperature in the fracture of the alloys studied

  3. Ellipticity dependence of the near-threshold harmonics of H2 in an elliptical strong laser field.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Hua; Liu, Peng; Li, Ruxin; Xu, Zhizhan

    2013-11-18

    We study the ellipticity dependence of the near-threshold (NT) harmonics of pre-aligned H2 molecules using the time-dependent density functional theory. The anomalous maximum appearing at a non-zero ellipticity for the generated NT harmonics can be attributed to multiphoton effects of the orthogonally polarized component of the elliptical driving laser field. Our calculation also shows that the structure of the bound-state, such as molecular alignment and bond length, can be sensitively reflected on the ellipticity dependence of the near-threshold harmonics.

  4. Modeling the concentration-dependent permeation modes of the KcsA potassium ion channel.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nelson, Peter Hugo

    2003-12-01

    The potassium channel from Streptomyces lividans (KcsA) is an integral membrane protein with sequence similarity to all known potassium channels, particularly in the selectivity filter region. A recently proposed model for ion channels containing either n or (n-1) single-file ions in their selectivity filters [P. H. Nelson, J. Chem. Phys. 177, 11396 (2002)] is applied to published KcsA channel K+ permeation data that exhibit a high-affinity process at low concentrations and a low-affinity process at high concentrations [M. LeMasurier et al., J. Gen. Physiol. 118, 303 (2001)]. The kinetic model is shown to provide a reasonable first-order explanation for both the high- and low-concentration permeation modes observed experimentally. The low-concentration mode ([K+]200 mM) has a 200-mV dissociation constant of 1100 mM and a conductance of 500 pS. Based on the permeation model, and x-ray analysis [J. H. Morais-Cabral et al., Nature (London) 414, 37 (2001)], it is suggested that the experimentally observed K+ permeation modes correspond to an n=3 mechanism at high concentrations and an n=2 mechanism at low concentrations. The ratio of the electrical dissociation distances for the high- and low-concentration modes is 3:2, also consistent with the proposed n=3 and n=2 modes. Model predictions for K+ channels that exhibit asymmetric current-voltage (I-V) curves are presented, and further validation of the kinetic model via molecular simulation and experiment is discussed. The qualitatively distinct I-V characteristics exhibited experimentally by Tl+, NH+4, and Rb+ ions at 100 mM concentration can also be explained using the model, but more extensive experimental tests are required for quantitative validation of the model predictions.

  5. Systems Biology Reveals Cigarette Smoke-Induced Concentration-Dependent Direct and Indirect Mechanisms That Promote Monocyte-Endothelial Cell Adhesion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Poussin, Carine; Laurent, Alexandra; Peitsch, Manuel C; Hoeng, Julia; De Leon, Hector

    2015-10-01

    Cigarette smoke (CS) affects the adhesion of monocytes to endothelial cells, a critical step in atherogenesis. Using an in vitro adhesion assay together with innovative computational systems biology approaches to analyze omics data, our study aimed at investigating CS-induced mechanisms by which monocyte-endothelial cell adhesion is promoted. Primary human coronary artery endothelial cells (HCAECs) were treated for 4 h with (1) conditioned media of human monocytic Mono Mac-6 (MM6) cells preincubated with low or high concentrations of aqueous CS extract (sbPBS) from reference cigarette 3R4F for 2 h (indirect treatment, I), (2) unconditioned media similarly prepared without MM6 cells (direct treatment, D), or (3) freshly generated sbPBS (fresh direct treatment, FD). sbPBS promoted MM6 cells-HCAECs adhesion following I and FD, but not D. In I, the effect was mediated at a low concentration through activation of vascular inflammation processes promoted in HCAECs by a paracrine effect of the soluble mediators secreted by sbPBS-treated MM6 cells. Tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα), a major inducer, was actually shed by unstable CS compound-activated TNFα-converting enzyme. In FD, the effect was triggered at a high concentration that also induced some toxicity. This effect was mediated through an yet unknown mechanism associated with a stress damage response promoted in HCAECs by unstable CS compounds present in freshly generated sbPBS, which had decayed in D unconditioned media. Aqueous CS extract directly and indirectly promotes monocytic cell-endothelial cell adhesion in vitro via distinct concentration-dependent mechanisms. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Toxicology. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  6. Effect of thermal treatments and Co concentration on the structural and luminescent properties of sputtered TiO{sub 2}:Co films

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Carmona-Rodriguez, J. [Instituto Tecnologico Superior de Poza Rica, Luis Donaldo Colosio, S/N Col. Arroyo del Maiz, 93230 Poza Rica, Veracruz (Mexico); Rodriguez-Melgarejo, F.; Hernandez-Landaverde, M.A.; Urbina-Alvarez, J.E.; Marquez-Marin, J.; Zuniga-Romero, C.; Jimenez-Sandoval, S. [Centro de Investigacion y de Estudios Avanzados del IPN, Unidad Queretaro, A.P. 1-798, 76001 Queretaro, Qro. (Mexico); Vargas, S.; Estevez, M. [Centro de Fisica Aplicada y Tecnologia Avanzada, UNAM, Campus Juriquilla, 76230 Queretaro, Qro. (Mexico); Rodriguez, R. [Centro de Fisica Aplicada y Tecnologia Avanzada, UNAM, Campus Juriquilla, 76230 Queretaro, Qro. (Mexico); Division de Ciencias de la Salud, UVM, Campus Queretaro, Juriquilla, Queretaro, Qro. (Mexico)

    2012-11-15

    Thin films of Co-doped titania were grown at room temperature by rf reactive co-sputtering. A post-growth annealing procedure was carried out at 300, 450, and 750 C in an inert argon atmosphere. The samples were studied using X-ray diffraction, micro Raman, UV-Vis, and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopies. The properties of the films were analyzed as a function of the Co concentration and the annealing temperature. The as-grown films were amorphous; however, after a thermal annealing procedure the samples presented a Co-concentration-dependent transition to the anatase phase. In particular, the samples annealed at 300 C showed a strong and broad PL signal that was quenched after exposure to an Ar{sup +} laser beam ({lambda} = 488.0 nm) focused through a microscope objective. The emission properties of the films have been ascribed to defects arising during the amorphous-anatase structural phase transition. It was also shown that the intensity and quenching rate of the PL depended upon the Co concentration and the annealing temperature. (Copyright copyright 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

  7. Using disposable solid-phase microextraction (SPME) to determine the freely dissolved concentration of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in sediments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jia Fang; Cui Xinyi; Wang Wei; Delgado-Moreno, Laura; Gan, Jay

    2012-01-01

    Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are brominated flame retardants (BFRs). The ubiquity and persistence of PBDEs in sediment have raised concerns over their environmental fate and ecological risks. Due to strong affinity for sediment organic matter, environmental fate and bioavailability of PBDEs closely depend on their phase distribution. In this study, disposable polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) fiber was used to derive the freely dissolved concentration (C free ) of PBDEs in sediment porewater as a measurement of bioavailability. The PDMS-to-water partition coefficient (log K PDMS ) was 5.46–5.83 for BDE 47, 99, and 153. In sediments, PBDEs were predominantly sorbed to the sediment phase, with C free accounting for free of PBDEs decreased as their bromination or sediment organic carbon content increased. The strong association with dissolved organic matter (DOM) implies a potential for facilitated offsite transport and dispersion in the environment that depends closely on the stability of sediment aggregates. - Highlights: ► A disposable SPME method was developed for measuring C free of PBDEs in sediment. ► C free decreased with increasing congener bromination or sediment OC content. ► C free of PBDEs accounted for DOC values suggest a high probability for DOM-facilitated offsite transport. - A SPME method based on disposable PDMS fibers was developed for measuring the freely dissolved concentration of PBDEs (C free ) in sediment porewater.

  8. Solution-processed organic thermoelectric materials exhibiting doping-concentration-dependent polarity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hwang, Sunbin; Potscavage, William J; Yang, Yu Seok; Park, In Seob; Matsushima, Toshinori; Adachi, Chihaya

    2016-10-26

    Recent progress in conducting polymer-based organic thermoelectric generators (OTEGs) has resulted in high performance due to high Seebeck coefficient, high electrical conductivity (σ), and low thermal conductivity obtained by chemically controlling the materials's redox levels. In addition to improving the properties of individual OTEGs to obtain high performance, the development of solution processes for the fabrication of OTEG modules is necessary to realize large thermoelectric voltage and low-cost mass production. However, the scarcity of good candidates for soluble organic n-type materials limits the use of π-leg module structures consisting of complementary elements of p- and n-type materials because of unbalanced transport coefficients that lead to power losses. In particular, the extremely low σ of n-type materials compared with that of p-type materials is a serious challenge. In this study, poly(pyridinium phenylene) (P(PymPh)) was tested as an n-type semiconductor in solution-processed OTEGs, and the carrier density was controlled by a solution-based chemical doping process using the dopant sodium naphthalenide, a well-known reductant. The electronic structures and doping mechanism of P(PymPh) were explored based on the changes in UV-Vis-IR absorption, ultraviolet photoelectron, and X-ray photoelectron spectra. By controlling the dopant concentration, we demonstrate a maximum n-type power factor of 0.81 μW m -1 K -2 with high σ, and at higher doping concentrations, a switch from n-type to p-type TE operation. This is one of the first cases of a switch in polarity just by increasing the concentration of the reductant and may open a new route for simplified fabrication of complementary organic layers.

  9. Polarized X-Ray Emission from Magnetized Neutron Stars: Signature of Strong-Field Vacuum Polarization

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lai, Dong; Ho, Wynn C.

    2003-08-01

    In the atmospheric plasma of a strongly magnetized neutron star, vacuum polarization can induce a Mikheyev-Smirnov-Wolfenstein type resonance across which an x-ray photon may (depending on its energy) convert from one mode into the other, with significant changes in opacities and polarizations. We show that this vacuum resonance effect gives rise to a unique energy-dependent polarization signature in the surface emission from neutron stars. The detection of polarized x rays from neutron stars can provide a direct probe of strong-field quantum electrodynamics and constrain the neutron star magnetic field and geometry.

  10. Polarized x-ray emission from magnetized neutron stars: signature of strong-field vacuum polarization.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lai, Dong; Ho, Wynn C G

    2003-08-15

    In the atmospheric plasma of a strongly magnetized neutron star, vacuum polarization can induce a Mikheyev-Smirnov-Wolfenstein type resonance across which an x-ray photon may (depending on its energy) convert from one mode into the other, with significant changes in opacities and polarizations. We show that this vacuum resonance effect gives rise to a unique energy-dependent polarization signature in the surface emission from neutron stars. The detection of polarized x rays from neutron stars can provide a direct probe of strong-field quantum electrodynamics and constrain the neutron star magnetic field and geometry.

  11. Spontaneous dressed-state polarization in the strong driving regime of cavity QED.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Armen, Michael A; Miller, Anthony E; Mabuchi, Hideo

    2009-10-23

    We utilize high-bandwidth phase-quadrature homodyne measurement of the light transmitted through a Fabry-Perot cavity, driven strongly and on resonance, to detect excess phase noise induced by a single intracavity atom. We analyze the correlation properties and driving-strength dependence of the atom-induced phase noise to establish that it corresponds to the long-predicted phenomenon of spontaneous dressed-state polarization. Our experiment thus provides a demonstration of cavity quantum electrodynamics in the strong-driving regime in which one atom interacts strongly with a many-photon cavity field to produce novel quantum stochastic behavior.

  12. Temperature dependence of the particle/gas partition coefficient: An application to predict indoor gas-phase concentrations of semi-volatile organic compounds

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wei, Wenjuan, E-mail: Wenjuan.Wei@cstb.fr [University of Paris-Est, Scientific and Technical Center for Building (CSTB), Health and Comfort Department, French Indoor Air Quality Observatory (OQAI), 84 Avenue Jean Jaurès, Champs sur Marne, 77447 Marne la Vallée Cedex 2 (France); Mandin, Corinne [University of Paris-Est, Scientific and Technical Center for Building (CSTB), Health and Comfort Department, French Indoor Air Quality Observatory (OQAI), 84 Avenue Jean Jaurès, Champs sur Marne, 77447 Marne la Vallée Cedex 2 (France); INSERM-U1085, Irset-Research Institute for Environmental and Occupational Health, Rennes (France); LERES-Environment and Health Research Laboratory (Irset and EHESP Technologic Platform), Rennes (France); Blanchard, Olivier [EHESP-School of Public Health, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Rennes (France); INSERM-U1085, Irset-Research Institute for Environmental and Occupational Health, Rennes (France); Mercier, Fabien [EHESP-School of Public Health, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Rennes (France); LERES-Environment and Health Research Laboratory (Irset and EHESP Technologic Platform), Rennes (France); INSERM-U1085, Irset-Research Institute for Environmental and Occupational Health, Rennes (France); Pelletier, Maud [EHESP-School of Public Health, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Rennes (France); INSERM-U1085, Irset-Research Institute for Environmental and Occupational Health, Rennes (France); Le Bot, Barbara [EHESP-School of Public Health, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Rennes (France); LERES-Environment and Health Research Laboratory (Irset and EHESP Technologic Platform), Rennes (France); INSERM-U1085, Irset-Research Institute for Environmental and Occupational Health, Rennes (France); and others

    2016-09-01

    The indoor gas-phase concentrations of semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs) can be predicted from their respective concentrations in airborne particles by applying the particle/gas partitioning equilibrium. The temperature used for partitioning is often set to 25 °C. However, indoor temperatures frequently differ from this reference value. This assumption may result in errors in the predicted equilibrium gas-phase SVOC concentrations. To improve the prediction model, the temperature dependence of the particle/gas partition coefficient must be addressed. In this paper, a theoretical relationship between the particle/gas partition coefficient and temperature was developed based on the SVOC absorptive mechanism. The SVOC particle/gas partition coefficients predicted by employing the derived theoretical relationship agree well with the experimental data retrieved from the literature (R > 0.93). The influence of temperature on the equilibrium gas-phase SVOC concentration was quantified by a dimensionless analysis of the derived relationship between the SVOC particle/gas partition coefficient and temperature. The predicted equilibrium gas-phase SVOC concentration decreased by between 31% and 53% when the temperature was lowered by 6 °C, while it increased by up to 750% when the indoor temperature increased from 15 °C to 30 °C. - Highlights: • A theoretical relationship between K{sub p} and temperature was developed. • The relationship was based on the SVOC absorptive mechanism. • The temperature impact was quantified by a dimensionless analysis.

  13. Long-wave model for strongly anisotropic growth of a crystal step.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khenner, Mikhail

    2013-08-01

    A continuum model for the dynamics of a single step with the strongly anisotropic line energy is formulated and analyzed. The step grows by attachment of adatoms from the lower terrace, onto which atoms adsorb from a vapor phase or from a molecular beam, and the desorption is nonnegligible (the "one-sided" model). Via a multiscale expansion, we derived a long-wave, strongly nonlinear, and strongly anisotropic evolution PDE for the step profile. Written in terms of the step slope, the PDE can be represented in a form similar to a convective Cahn-Hilliard equation. We performed the linear stability analysis and computed the nonlinear dynamics. Linear stability depends on whether the stiffness is minimum or maximum in the direction of the step growth. It also depends nontrivially on the combination of the anisotropy strength parameter and the atomic flux from the terrace to the step. Computations show formation and coarsening of a hill-and-valley structure superimposed onto a long-wavelength profile, which independently coarsens. Coarsening laws for the hill-and-valley structure are computed for two principal orientations of a maximum step stiffness, the increasing anisotropy strength, and the varying atomic flux.

  14. Dynamics of long-period irregular pulsations in high latitudes during strong magnetic storms

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kurazhkovskaya, N.A.; Klajn, B.I.

    1995-01-01

    Effects of strong magnetic storms within np type high-latitudinal long-period irregular pulsations at Mirny studied using data obtained at observatory of the magnetosphere south hemisphere. Variation of long-period irregular pulsation amplitude is shown to depend essentially on duration of storm initial phase and on the nature of solar wind heterogeneity enabling growth of strong storm. 14 refs

  15. Waves in strong centrifugal fields: dissipationless gas

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bogovalov, S. V.; Kislov, V. A.; Tronin, I. V.

    2015-04-01

    Linear waves are investigated in a rotating gas under the condition of strong centrifugal acceleration of the order 106 g realized in gas centrifuges for separation of uranium isotopes. Sound waves split into three families of the waves under these conditions. Dispersion equations are obtained. The characteristics of the waves strongly differ from the conventional sound waves on polarization, velocity of propagation and distribution of energy of the waves in space for two families having frequencies above and below the frequency of the conventional sound waves. The energy of these waves is localized in rarefied region of the gas. The waves of the third family were not specified before. They propagate exactly along the rotational axis with the conventional sound velocity. These waves are polarized only along the rotational axis. Radial and azimuthal motions are not excited. Energy of the waves is concentrated near the wall of the rotor where the density of the gas is largest.

  16. Resting spore formation of aphid-pathogenic fungus Pandora nouryi depends on the concentration of infective inoculum.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Zhi-Hong; Feng, Ming-Guang

    2008-07-01

    Resting spore formation of some aphid-pathogenic Entomophthorales is important for the seasonal pattern of their prevalence and survival but this process is poorly understood. To explore the possible mechanism involved in the process, Pandora nouryi (obligate aphid pathogen) interacted with green peach aphid Myzus persicae on cabbage leaves under favourable conditions. Host nymphs showered with primary conidia of an isolate (LC(50): 0.9-6.7 conidia mm(-2) 4-7 days post shower) from air captures in the low-latitude plateau of China produced resting spores (azygospores), primary conidia or both spore types. Surprisingly, the proportion of mycosed cadavers forming resting spores (P(CFRS)) increased sharply within the concentrations (C) of 28-240 conidia mm(-2), retained high levels at 240-1760, but was zero or extremely low at 0.3-16. The P(CFRS)-C relationship fit well the logistic equation P(CFRS) = 0.6774/[1 + exp(3.1229-0.0270C)] (r(2) = 0.975). This clarified for the first time the dependence of in vivo resting spore formation of P. nouryi upon the concentration of infective inoculum. A hypothesis is thus proposed that some sort of biochemical signals may exist in the host-pathogen interaction so that the fungal pathogen perceives the signals for prompt response to forthcoming host-density changes by either producing conidia for infecting available hosts or forming resting spores for surviving host absence in situ.

  17. Volkov basis for simulation of interaction of strong laser pulses and solids

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kidd, Daniel; Covington, Cody; Li, Yonghui; Varga, Kálmán

    2018-01-01

    An efficient and accurate basis comprised of Volkov states is implemented and tested for time-dependent simulations of interactions between strong laser pulses and crystalline solids. The Volkov states are eigenstates of the free electron Hamiltonian in an electromagnetic field and analytically represent the rapidly oscillating time-dependence of the orbitals, allowing significantly faster time propagation than conventional approaches. The Volkov approach can be readily implemented in plane-wave codes by multiplying the potential energy matrix elements with a simple time-dependent phase factor.

  18. Bootstrapping as a Resource Dependence Management Strategy and its Association with Startup Growth

    OpenAIRE

    T. VANACKER; S. MANIGART; M. MEULEMAN; L. SELS

    2011-01-01

    This paper studies the association between bootstrapping and startup growth. Bootstrapping reduces a startup’s dependence on financial investors, but may create new dependencies. Drawing upon resource dependence theory, we hypothesize that when bootstrapping does not create new strong dependencies it will benefit startup growth, especially when dependence from financial investors is high. However, when bootstrapping creates new strong dependencies it will constrain growth, especially when dep...

  19. Influence of hydrological regime on pore water metal concentrations in a contaminated sediment-derived soil

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Du Laing, G.; Vanthuyne, D.R.J.; Vandecasteele, B.; Tack, F.M.G.; Verloo, M.G.

    2007-01-01

    Options for wetland creation or restoration might be limited because of the presence of contaminants in the soil. The influence of hydrological management on the pore water concentrations of Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni and Zn in the upper soil layer of a contaminated overbank sedimentation zone was investigated in a greenhouse experiment. Flooding conditions led to increased Fe, Mn, Ni and Cr concentrations and decreased Cd, Cu and Zn concentrations in the pore water of the upper soil layer. Keeping the soil at field capacity resulted in a low pore water concentration of Fe, Mn and Ni while the Cd, Cu, Cr and Zn concentrations increased. Alternating hydrological conditions caused metal concentrations in the pore water to fluctuate. Formation and re-oxidation of small amounts of sulphides appeared dominant in determining the mobility of Cd, Cu, and to a lesser extent Zn, while Ni behaviour was consistent with Fe/Mn oxidation and reduction. These effects were strongly dependent on the duration of the flooded periods. The shorter the flooded periods, the better the metal concentrations could be linked to the mobility of Ca in the pore water, which is attributed to a fluctuating CO 2 pressure. - The hydrological regime is a key factor in determining the metal concentration in the pore water of a contaminated sediment-derived soil

  20. Strong out-of-plane magnetic anisotropy in ion irradiated anatase TiO2 thin films

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. Stiller

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available The temperature and field dependence of the magnetization of epitaxial, undoped anatase TiO2 thin films on SrTiO3 substrates was investigated. Low-energy ion irradiation was used to modify the surface of the films within a few nanometers, yet with high enough energy to produce oxygen and titanium vacancies. The as-prepared thin film shows ferromagnetism which increases after irradiation with low-energy ions. An optimal and clear magnetic anisotropy was observed after the first irradiation, opposite to the expected form anisotropy. Taking into account the experimental parameters, titanium vacancies as di-Frenkel pairs appear to be responsible for the enhanced ferromagnetism and the strong anisotropy observed in our films. The magnetic impurities concentrations was measured by particle-induced X-ray emission with ppm resolution. They are ruled out as a source of the observed ferromagnetism before and after irradiation.

  1. Strong white photoluminescence from annealed zeolites

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bai, Zhenhua; Fujii, Minoru; Imakita, Kenji; Hayashi, Shinji

    2014-01-01

    The optical properties of zeolites annealed at various temperatures are investigated for the first time. The annealed zeolites exhibit strong white photoluminescence (PL) under ultraviolet light excitation. With increasing annealing temperature, the emission intensity of annealed zeolites first increases and then decreases. At the same time, the PL peak red-shifts from 495 nm to 530 nm, and then returns to 500 nm. The strongest emission appears when the annealing temperature is 500 °C. The quantum yield of the sample is measured to be ∼10%. The PL lifetime monotonously increases from 223 μs to 251 μs with increasing annealing temperature. The origin of white PL is ascribed to oxygen vacancies formed during the annealing process. -- Highlights: • The optical properties of zeolites annealed at various temperatures are investigated. • The annealed zeolites exhibit strong white photoluminescence. • The maximum PL enhancement reaches as large as 62 times. • The lifetime shows little dependence on annealing temperature. • The origin of white emission is ascribed to the oxygen vacancies

  2. Hourly pattern of allergenic alder and birch pollen concentrations in the air: Spatial differentiation and the effect of meteorological conditions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Borycka, K.; Kasprzyk, I.

    2018-06-01

    In temperate climate widespread alder and birch are an important source of strong aeroallergens. The diurnal pattern of airborne pollen concentrations depends on the rhythm of pollen release from anthers as well as weather conditions, convection air currents, long-distance transport, pollen trap location and local vegetation. The aim of the study was to present a diurnal pattern of Alnus (alder) and Betula (birch) pollen concentrations in the air in a horizontal and vertical gradient and examine the weather parameters that had the greatest impact on the pattern. The study was conducted in Rzeszów City, southeast Poland over three years. Pollen grains were collected using a Hirst volumetric spore trap at three sampling points: two at 12 m the agl, and one at 1.5 m agl. Data were analysed using circular statistics and a nonlinear function. For alder, three models of hourly patterns were elaborated and the most common presented early morning minimum and early afternoon maximum. For birch, the most common model has one peak at night and a marked decrease in concentrations in early morning, although a second model has peak during early afternoon. A model with 3 peaks is much less common. These models are characteristic for warm temperate climate regions, where alders and birches are common. The diurnal patterns did not depend on the localization of traps or proximity of the pollen source, although these factors influenced the hourly concentrations, with higher values observed at roof level. Significant relationships between the hourly pollen counts and meteorological parameters were observed only for alder. Three incidents of increasing birch pollen concentrations were observed during the first two hours of precipitation and linked to a convection effect. Unstable weather conditions caused by air convection might strongly modify the circadian pattern and cause the nightly peaks concentrations. The general results are that people suffering from allergies may be exposed

  3. Nontrivial effects of high-frequency excitation for strongly damped mechanical systems

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Fidlin, Alexander; Thomsen, Jon Juel

    2008-01-01

    Some non-trivial effects are investigated, which can occur if strongly damped mechanical systems are subjected to strong high-frequency (HF) excitation. The main result is a theoretical prediction, supported by numerical simulation, that for such systems the (quasi-)equilibrium states can change...... that can be substantial depending on the strength of the HF excitation) for finite values of the damping. The analysis is focused on the differences between the classic results for weakly damped systems, and new effects for which the strong damping terms are responsible. The analysis is based on a slightly...... modified averaging technique, and includes an elementary example of an elliptically excited pendulum for illustration, alongside with a generalization to a broader class of strongly damped dynamical systems with HF excitation. As an application example, the nontrivial behavior of a classical optimally...

  4. The major/minor concept: dependence of the selectivity of homogeneously catalyzed reactions on reactivity ratio and concentration ratio of the intermediates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schmidt, Thomas; Dai, Zhenya; Drexler, Hans-Joachim; Hapke, Marko; Preetz, Angelika; Heller, Detlef

    2008-07-07

    The homogeneously catalyzed asymmetric hydrogenation of prochiral olefins with cationic Rh(I) complexes is one of the best-understood selection processes. For some of the catalyst/substrate complexes, experimental proof points out the validation of the major/minor principle; the concentration-deficient minor substrate complex, which has very high reactivity, yields the excess enantiomer. As exemplified by the reaction system of [Rh(dipamp)(MeOH)2]+/methyl (Z)-alpha-acetamidocinnamate (dipamp=1,2-bis((o-methoxyphenyl)phenylphosphino)ethane), all six of the characteristic reaction rate constants have been previously identified. Recently, it was found that the major substrate complex can also yield the major enantiomer (lock-and-key principle). The differential equation system that results from the reaction sequence can be solved numerically for different hydrogen partial pressures by including the known equilibrium constants. The result displays the concentration-time dependence of all species that exist in the catalytic cycle. On the basis of the known constants as well as further experimental evidence, this work focuses on the examination of all principal possibilities resulting from the reaction sequence and leading to different results for the stereochemical outcome. From the simulation, the following conclusions can be drawn: 1) When an intermediate has extreme reactivity, its stationary concentration can become so small that it can no longer be the source of product selectivity; 2) in principle, the major/minor and lock-and-key principles can coexist depending on the applied pressure; 3) thermodynamically determined intermediate ratios can be completely converted under reaction conditions for a selection process; and 4) the increase in enantioselectivity with increasing hydrogen partial pressure, a phenomenon that is experimentally proven but theoretically far from being well-understood, can be explained by applying both the lock-and-key as well as the major

  5. Strong copper(II) species in estuarine and sea waters investigated by a method with high detection window.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alberti, Giancarla; Biesuz, Raffaela; D'Agostino, Girolamo; Scarponi, Giuseppe; Pesavento, Maria

    2007-02-15

    The distribution of copper(II) in species of different stability in some estuarine and sea water samples (Adriatic Sea) was investigated by a method based on the sorption of the metal ion on a strongly sorbing resin, Chelex 100, whose sorbing properties have been previously characterized. From them, it is possible to predict very high values of detection windows at the considered conditions, for example side reaction coefficient as high as 10(10) at pH 7.5. Strong copper(II) species in equilibrium with Chelex 100 were detected, at concentration 2-20nM, with a reaction coefficient approximately 10(10.6) at pH 7.45 in sea water, strictly depending on the acidity. They represent 50-70% of the total metal ion and are the strongest copper(II) complexes found in sea water. Weak complexes too were detected in all the samples, with reaction coefficient lower than ca. 10(9) at the same pH. The method applied, named resin titration (RT), was described in a previous investigation, and is here modified in order to be carried out on oceanographic boat during a cruise in the Adriatic Sea.

  6. Strong dynamics and lattice gauge theory

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schaich, David

    In this dissertation I use lattice gauge theory to study models of electroweak symmetry breaking that involve new strong dynamics. Electroweak symmetry breaking (EWSB) is the process by which elementary particles acquire mass. First proposed in the 1960s, this process has been clearly established by experiments, and can now be considered a law of nature. However, the physics underlying EWSB is still unknown, and understanding it remains a central challenge in particle physics today. A natural possibility is that EWSB is driven by the dynamics of some new, strongly-interacting force. Strong interactions invalidate the standard analytical approach of perturbation theory, making these models difficult to study. Lattice gauge theory is the premier method for obtaining quantitatively-reliable, nonperturbative predictions from strongly-interacting theories. In this approach, we replace spacetime by a regular, finite grid of discrete sites connected by links. The fields and interactions described by the theory are likewise discretized, and defined on the lattice so that we recover the original theory in continuous spacetime on an infinitely large lattice with sites infinitesimally close together. The finite number of degrees of freedom in the discretized system lets us simulate the lattice theory using high-performance computing. Lattice gauge theory has long been applied to quantum chromodynamics, the theory of strong nuclear interactions. Using lattice gauge theory to study dynamical EWSB, as I do in this dissertation, is a new and exciting application of these methods. Of particular interest is non-perturbative lattice calculation of the electroweak S parameter. Experimentally S ≈ -0.15(10), which tightly constrains dynamical EWSB. On the lattice, I extract S from the momentum-dependence of vector and axial-vector current correlators. I created and applied computer programs to calculate these correlators and analyze them to determine S. I also calculated the masses

  7. Effects of acid concentration on intramolecular charge transfer ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    rate. Time-dependent density functional theory calculations have been performed to understand the observed spectroscopic results. Keywords. Intramolecular charge transfer; absorption and fluorescence; time resolved fluorescence measurements; acid concentration dependence; time-dependent density functional theory.

  8. Theory of strong-field ionization of aligned CO2

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Abu-Samha, Mahmoud; Madsen, Lars Bojer

    2009-01-01

    resonance states, and the alignment-dependent ionization yields do not follow the electron density of the initial states. The theory explains the breakdown of semianalytical theories, such as the molecular tunneling theory and strong-field approximation, where excited electronic structure is neglected....

  9. Static and kinetic friction of strongly confined polymer films under shear

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hirz, S; Subbotin, A; Frank, C; Hadziioannou, G

    1996-01-01

    In the present work, we investigate the dependence of relaxational processes in strongly confined polymer liquids as a function of the molecular mass and of the confining film thickness, both theoretically and experimentally. A qualitative agreement is observed between the theoretical predictions

  10. PREFACE: Strongly correlated electron systems Strongly correlated electron systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saxena, Siddharth S.; Littlewood, P. B.

    2012-07-01

    make use of 'small' electrons packed to the highest possible density. These are by definition 'strongly correlated'. For example: good photovoltaics must be efficient optical absorbers, which means that photons will generate tightly bound electron-hole pairs (excitons) that must then be ionised at a heterointerface and transported to contacts; efficient solid state refrigeration depends on substantial entropy changes in a unit cell, with large local electrical or magnetic moments; efficient lighting is in a real sense the inverse of photovoltaics; the limit of an efficient battery is a supercapacitor employing mixed valent ions; fuel cells and solar to fuel conversion require us to understand electrochemistry on the scale of a single atom; and we already know that the only prospect for effective high temperature superconductivity involves strongly correlated materials. Even novel IT technologies are now seen to have value not just for novel function but also for efficiency. While strongly correlated electron systems continue to excite researchers and the public alike due to the fundamental science issues involved, it seems increasingly likely that support for the science will be leveraged by its impact on energy and sustainability. Strongly correlated electron systems contents Strongly correlated electron systemsSiddharth S Saxena and P B Littlewood Magnetism, f-electron localization and superconductivity in 122-type heavy-fermion metalsF Steglich, J Arndt, O Stockert, S Friedemann, M Brando, C Klingner, C Krellner, C Geibel, S Wirth, S Kirchner and Q Si High energy pseudogap and its evolution with doping in Fe-based superconductors as revealed by optical spectroscopyN L Wang, W Z Hu, Z G Chen, R H Yuan, G Li, G F Chen and T Xiang Structural investigations on YbRh2Si2: from the atomic to the macroscopic length scaleS Wirth, S Ernst, R Cardoso-Gil, H Borrmann, S Seiro, C Krellner, C Geibel, S Kirchner, U Burkhardt, Y Grin and F Steglich Confinement of chiral magnetic

  11. Atomic and electronic structure of trilayer graphene/SiC(0001): Evidence of Strong Dependence on Stacking Sequence and charge transfer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pierucci, Debora; Brumme, Thomas; Girard, Jean-Christophe; Calandra, Matteo; Silly, Mathieu G; Sirotti, Fausto; Barbier, Antoine; Mauri, Francesco; Ouerghi, Abdelkarim

    2016-09-15

    The transport properties of few-layer graphene are the directly result of a peculiar band structure near the Dirac point. Here, for epitaxial graphene grown on SiC, we determine the effect of charge transfer from the SiC substrate on the local density of states (LDOS) of trilayer graphene using scaning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy and angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES). Different spectra are observed and are attributed to the existence of two stable polytypes of trilayer: Bernal (ABA) and rhomboedreal (ABC) staking. Their electronic properties strongly depend on the charge transfer from the substrate. We show that the LDOS of ABC stacking shows an additional peak located above the Dirac point in comparison with the LDOS of ABA stacking. The observed LDOS features, reflecting the underlying symmetry of the two polytypes, were reproduced by explicit calculations within density functional theory (DFT) including the charge transfer from the substrate. These findings demonstrate the pronounced effect of stacking order and charge transfer on the electronic structure of trilayer or few layer graphene. Our approach represents a significant step toward understand the electronic properties of graphene layer under electrical field.

  12. Transient and temperature-dependent phenomena in Ge:Be and Ge:Zn far infrared photoconductors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Haegel, N.M.

    1985-11-01

    An experimental study of the transient and temperature-dependent behavior of Ge:Be and Ge:Zn photoconductors has been performed under the low background photon flux conditions (p dot approx. = 10 8 photons/second) typical of astronomy and astrophysics applications. The responsivity of Ge:Be and Ge:Zn detectors is strongly temperature-dependent in closely compensated material, and the effect of compensation on free carrier lifetime in Ge:Be has been measured using the photo-Hall effect technique. Closely compensated material has been obtained by controlling the concentration of novel hydrogen-related shallow acceptor complexes, A(Be,H) and A(Zn,H), which exist in doped crystals grown under a H 2 atmosphere. A review of selection criteria for multilevel materials for optimum photoconductor performance is included. 55 refs., 47 figs

  13. Age-dependent changes in diastolic Ca{sup 2+} and Na{sup +} concentrations in dystrophic cardiomyopathy: Role of Ca{sup 2+} entry and IP{sub 3}

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mijares, Alfredo [Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Científicas, Centro de Biofísica y Bioquímica, Caracas (Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of); Altamirano, Francisco [Department of Molecular Biosciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA 95616 (United States); Kolster, Juan [Centro de Investigaciones Biomédicas, México D.F. (Mexico); Adams, José A. [Division of Neonatology, Mount Sinai Medical Center, Miami, FL 33140 (United States); López, José R., E-mail: jrlopez@ucdavis.edu [Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Científicas, Centro de Biofísica y Bioquímica, Caracas (Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of); Department of Molecular Biosciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA 95616 (United States)

    2014-10-03

    Highlights: • Age-dependent increase in [Ca{sup 2+}]{sub d} and [Na{sup +}]{sub d} in mdx cardiomyocytes. • Gadolinium significantly reduced both [Ca{sup 2+}]{sub d} and [Na{sup +}]{sub d} at all ages. • IP{sub 3}-pathway inhibition reduced cations concentrations in dystrophic cardiomyocytes. - Abstract: Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a lethal X-inherited disease caused by dystrophin deficiency. Besides the relatively well characterized skeletal muscle degenerative processes, DMD is also associated with a dilated cardiomyopathy that leads to progressive heart failure at the end of the second decade. The aim of the present study was to characterize the diastolic Ca{sup 2+} concentration ([Ca{sup 2+}]{sub d}) and diastolic Na{sup +} concentration ([Na{sup +}]{sub d}) abnormalities in cardiomyocytes isolated from 3-, 6-, 9-, and 12-month old mdx mice using ion-selective microelectrodes. In addition, the contributions of gadolinium (Gd{sup 3+})-sensitive Ca{sup 2+} entry and inositol triphosphate (IP{sub 3}) signaling pathways in abnormal [Ca{sup 2+}]{sub d} and [Na{sup +}]{sub d} were investigated. Our results showed an age-dependent increase in both [Ca{sup 2+}]{sub d} and [Na{sup +}]{sub d} in dystrophic cardiomyocytes compared to those isolated from age-matched wt mice. Gd{sup 3+} treatment significantly reduced both [Ca{sup 2+}]{sub d} and [Na{sup +}]{sub d} at all ages. In addition, blockade of the IP{sub 3}-pathway with either U-73122 or xestospongin C significantly reduced ion concentrations in dystrophic cardiomyocytes. Co-treatment with U-73122 and Gd{sup 3+} normalized both [Ca{sup 2+}]{sub d} and [Na{sup +}]{sub d} at all ages in dystrophic cardiomyocytes. These data showed that loss of dystrophin in mdx cardiomyocytes produced an age-dependent intracellular Ca{sup 2+} and Na{sup +} overload mediated at least in part by enhanced Ca{sup 2+} entry through Gd{sup 3+} sensitive transient receptor potential channels (TRPC), and by IP{sub 3} receptors.

  14. On Strong Positive Frequency Dependencies of Quality Factors in Local-Earthquake Seismic Studies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morozov, Igor B.; Jhajhria, Atul; Deng, Wubing

    2018-03-01

    Many observations of seismic waves from local earthquakes are interpreted in terms of the frequency-dependent quality factor Q( f ) = Q0 f^{η } , where η is often close to or exceeds one. However, such steep positive frequency dependencies of Q require careful analysis with regard to their physical consistency. In particular, the case of η = 1 corresponds to frequency-independent (elastic) amplitude decays with time and consequently requires no Q-type attenuation mechanisms. For η > 1, several problems with physical meanings of such Q-factors occur. First, contrary to the key premise of seismic attenuation, high-frequency parts of the wavefield are enhanced with increasing propagation times relative to the low-frequency ones. Second, such attenuation cannot be implemented by mechanical models of wave-propagating media. Third, with η > 1, the velocity dispersion associated with such Q(f) occurs over unrealistically short frequency range and has an unexpected oscillatory shape. Cases η = 1 and η > 1 are usually attributed to scattering; however, this scattering must exhibit fortuitous tuning into the observation frequency band, which appears unlikely. The reason for the above problems is that the inferred Q values are affected by the conventional single-station measurement procedure. Both parameters Q 0 and are apparent, i.e., dependent on the selected parameterization and inversion method, and they should not be directly attributed to the subsurface. For η ≈ 1, parameter Q 0 actually describes the frequency-independent amplitude decay in access of some assumed geometric spreading t -α , where α is usually taken equal one. The case η > 1 is not allowed physically and could serve as an indicator of problematic interpretations. Although the case 0 < η < 1 is possible, its parameters Q 0 and may also be biased by the measurement procedure. To avoid such difficulties of Q-based approaches, we recommend measuring and interpreting the amplitude-decay rates

  15. Jet quenching in a strongly coupled anisotropic plasma

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chernicoff, Mariano; Fernández, Daniel; Mateos, David; Trancanelli, Diego

    2012-08-01

    The jet quenching parameter of an anisotropic plasma depends on the relative orientation between the anisotropic direction, the direction of motion of the parton, and the direction along which the momentum broadening is measured. We calculate the jet quenching parameter of an anisotropic, strongly coupled {N} = 4 plasma by means of its gravity dual. We present the results for arbitrary orientations and arbitrary values of the anisotropy. The anisotropic value can be larger or smaller than the isotropic one, and this depends on whether the comparison is made at equal temperatures or at equal entropy densities. We compare our results to analogous calculations for the real-world quark-gluon plasma and find agreement in some cases and disagreement in others.

  16. Air ion concentrations in various urban outdoor environments

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ling, Xuan; Jayaratne, Rohan; Morawska, Lidia

    2010-06-01

    Atmospheric ions are produced by many natural and anthropogenic sources and their concentrations vary widely between different environments. There is very little information on their concentrations in different types of urban environments, how they compare across these environments and their dominant sources. In this study, we measured airborne concentrations of small ions, particles and net particle charge at 32 different outdoor sites in and around a major city in Australia and identified the main ion sources. Sites were classified into seven groups as follows: park, woodland, city centre, residential, freeway, power lines and power substation. Generally, parks were situated away from ion sources and represented the urban background value of about 270 ions cm -3. Median concentrations at all other groups were significantly higher than in the parks. We show that motor vehicles and power transmission systems are two major ion sources in urban areas. Power lines and substations constituted strong unipolar sources, while motor vehicle exhaust constituted strong bipolar sources. The small ion concentration in urban residential areas was about 960 cm -3. At sites where ion sources were co-located with particle sources, ion concentrations were inhibited due to the ion-particle attachment process. These results improved our understanding on air ion distribution and its interaction with particles in the urban outdoor environment.

  17. Effects of multiple electronic shells on strong-field multiphoton ionization and high-order harmonic generation of diatomic molecules with arbitrary orientation: An all-electron time-dependent density-functional approach

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Telnov, Dmitry A.; Chu, S.-I

    2009-01-01

    We present a time-dependent density-functional theory approach with proper long-range potential for an ab initio study of the effect of correlated multielectron responses on the multiphoton ionization (MPI) and high-order harmonic generation (HHG) of diatomic molecules N 2 and F 2 in intense short laser pulse fields with arbitrary molecular orientation. We show that the contributions of inner molecular orbitals to the total MPI probability can be sufficiently large or even dominant over the highest-occupied molecular orbital, depending on detailed electronic structure and symmetry, laser field intensity, and orientation angle. The multielectron effects in HHG are also very important. They are responsible for enhanced HHG at some orientations of the molecular axis. Even strongly bound electrons may have a significant influence on the HHG process.

  18. Hole dynamics and spin currents after ionization in strong circularly polarized laser fields

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barth, Ingo; Smirnova, Olga

    2014-01-01

    We apply the time-dependent analytical R-matrix theory to develop a movie of hole motion in a Kr atom upon ionization by strong circularly polarized field. We find rich hole dynamics, ranging from rotation to swinging motion. The motion of the hole depends on the final energy and the spin of the photoelectron and can be controlled by the laser frequency and intensity. Crucially, hole rotation is a purely non-adiabatic effect, completely missing in the framework of quasistatic (adiabatic) tunneling theories. We explore the possibility to use hole rotation as a clock for measuring ionization time. Analyzing the relationship between the relative phases in different ionization channels we show that in the case of short-range electron-core interaction the hole is always initially aligned along the instantaneous direction of the laser field, signifying zero delays in ionization. Finally, we show that strong-field ionization in circular fields creates spin currents (i.e. different flow of spin-up and spin-down density in space) in the ions. This phenomenon is intimately related to the production of spin-polarized electrons in strong laser fields Barth and Smirnova (2013 Phys. Rev. A 88 013401). We demonstrate that rich spin dynamics of electrons and holes produced during strong field ionization can occur in typical experimental conditions and does not require relativistic intensities or strong magnetic fields. (paper)

  19. Strong-pinning regimes by spherical inclusions in anisotropic type-II superconductors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Willa, R.; Koshelev, A. E.; Sadovskyy, I. A.; Glatz, A.

    2017-11-27

    The current-carrying capacity of type-II superconductors is decisively determined by how well material defect structures can immobilize vortex lines. In order to gain deeper insights into intrinsic pinning mechanisms, we have explored the case of vortex trapping by randomly distributed spherical inclusions using large-scale simulations of the time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau equations. We find that for a small density of particles having diameters of two coherence lengths, the vortex lattice preserves its structure and the critical current jc decays with the magnetic field following a power-law B-a with a ~ 0:66, which is consistent with predictions of strong pinning theory. For higher density of particles and/or larger inclusions, the lattice becomes progressively more disordered and the exponent smoothly decreases down to a ~ 0:3. At high magnetic fields, all inclusions capture a vortex and the critical current decays faster than B-1 as would be expected by theory. In the case of larger inclusions with diameter of four coherence length, the magnetic-field dependence of the critical current is strongly affected by the ability of inclusions to capture multiple vortex lines. We found that at small densities, the fraction of inclusions trapping two vortex lines rapidly grows within narrow field range leading to a shallow peak in jc(B)-dependence within this range. With increasing inclusion density, this peak transforms into a plateau, which then smooths out. Using the insights gained from simulations, we determine the limits of applicability of strong pinning theory and provide different routes to describe vortex pinning beyond those bounds.

  20. Platelet concentration in platelet-rich plasma affects tenocyte behavior in vitro.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Giusti, Ilaria; D'Ascenzo, Sandra; Mancò, Annalisa; Di Stefano, Gabriella; Di Francesco, Marianna; Rughetti, Anna; Dal Mas, Antonella; Properzi, Gianfranco; Calvisi, Vittorio; Dolo, Vincenza

    2014-01-01

    Since tendon injuries and tendinopathy are a growing problem, sometimes requiring surgery, new strategies that improve conservative therapies are needed. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) seems to be a good candidate by virtue of its high content of growth factors, most of which are involved in tendon healing. This study aimed to evaluate if different concentrations of platelets in PRP have different effects on the biological features of normal human tenocytes that are usually required during tendon healing. The different platelet concentrations tested (up to 5 × 10(6) plt/µL) stimulated differently tenocytes behavior; intermediate concentrations (0.5 × 10(6), 1 × 10(6) plt/µL) strongly induced all tested processes (proliferation, migration, collagen, and MMPs production) if compared to untreated cells; on the contrary, the highest concentration had inhibitory effects on proliferation and strongly reduced migration abilities and overall collagen production but, at the same time, induced increasing MMP production, which could be counterproductive because excessive proteolysis could impair tendon mechanical stability. Thus, these in vitro data strongly suggest the need for a compromise between extremely high and low platelet concentrations to obtain an optimal global effect when inducing in vivo tendon healing.

  1. Lanthanide-alkali double sulfate precipitation from strong sulfuric acid NiMH battery waste leachate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Porvali, Antti; Wilson, Benjamin P; Lundström, Mari

    2018-01-01

    In NiMH battery leaching, rare earth element (REE) precipitation from sulfate media is often reported as being a result of increasing pH of the pregnant leach solution (PLS). Here we demonstrate that this precipitation is a phenomenon that depends on both Na + and SO 4 2- concentrations and not solely on pH. A two-stage leaching for industrially crushed NiMH waste is performed: The first stage consists of H 2 SO 4 leaching (2 M H 2 SO 4 , L/S = 10.4, V = 104 ml, T = 30 °C) and the second stage of H 2 O leaching (V = 100 ml, T = 25 °C). Moreover, precipitation experiments are separately performed as a function of added Na 2 SO 4 and H 2 SO 4 . During the precipitation, higher than stoichiometric quantities of Na to REE are utilized and this increase in both precipitation reagent concentrations results in an improved double sulfate precipitation efficiency. The best REE precipitation efficiencies (98-99%) - achieved by increasing concentrations of H 2 SO 4 and Na 2 SO 4 by 1.59 M and 0.35 M, respectively - results in a 21.8 times Na (as Na 2 SO 4 ) and 58.3 times SO 4 change in stoichiometric ratio to REE. Results strongly indicate a straightforward approach for REE recovery from NiMH battery waste without the need to increase the pH of PLS. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

  2. Extension of lattice cluster theory to strongly interacting, self-assembling polymeric systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Freed, Karl F

    2009-02-14

    A new extension of the lattice cluster theory is developed to describe the influence of monomer structure and local correlations on the free energy of strongly interacting and self-assembling polymer systems. This extension combines a systematic high dimension (1/d) and high temperature expansion (that is appropriate for weakly interacting systems) with a direct treatment of strong interactions. The general theory is illustrated for a binary polymer blend whose two components contain "sticky" donor and acceptor groups, respectively. The free energy is determined as an explicit function of the donor-acceptor contact probabilities that depend, in turn, on the local structure and both the strong and weak interactions.

  3. Dispersion and concentration of elements in the Earth's crust an overview

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Iiyama, J.T.

    1991-01-01

    During the Earth's history of 4,500 x 10 6 years, the distribution of elements in its crust is strongly modified from the initial pattern. The paper overlooks at first how and to what extent this modification could be take place. It is emphasized that water in deep as well as in shallow parts of the crust plays an essential role in the transportation of elements. Whether a particular element thus transported by water are concentrated in particular places or diluted and dispersed in the crust or brought to the surface and join into the surface water depends on the geological and geochemical condition of the passages of these waters acting as transporter of the elements. If there was no preferential passages for water, these elements and water will diffuse into the surroundings and no particular concentration of elements will be resulted. On the contrary, the presence of preferential conduit (such as fissure or faults) will offer the places adequate for this concentration provided that a favorable physical and chemical conditions are present. The review thus intends to point out the importance of the tectono-geochemical conditions to be taken into consideration for the planning of the nuclear wastes disposal and of the environmental protection. (author)

  4. Concentration polarization in nanochannel DNA electrophoresis

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Dubsky, P.; Das, Siddhartha; van den Berg, Albert; Eijkel, Jan C.T.

    2011-01-01

    We demonstrate that the large field electrophoresis of a single DNA molecule in nanofluidic systems is accompanied by concentration polarization. We illustrate this phenomena by utilizing our electrophoretic simulation tool SIMUL. First we in-vestigate a simple system with univalent strong

  5. Mn concentration and quantum size effects on spin-polarized transport through CdMnTe based magnetic resonant tunneling diode.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mnasri, S; Abdi-Ben Nasrallahl, S; Sfina, N; Lazzari, J L; Saïd, M

    2012-11-01

    Theoretical studies on spin-dependent transport in magnetic tunneling diodes with giant Zeeman splitting of the valence band are carried out. The studied structure consists of two nonmagnetic layers CdMgTe separated by a diluted magnetic semiconductor barrier CdMnTe, the hole is surrounded by two p-doped CdTe layers. Based on the parabolic valence band effective mass approximation and the transfer matrix method, the magnetization and the current densities for holes with spin-up and spin-down are studied in terms of the Mn concentration, the well and barrier thicknesses as well as the voltage. It is found that, the current densities depend strongly on these parameters and by choosing suitable values; this structure can be a good spin filter. Such behaviors are originated from the enhancement and suppression in the spin-dependent resonant states.

  6. Scattering characteristics of relativistically moving concentrically layered spheres

    Science.gov (United States)

    Garner, Timothy J.; Lakhtakia, Akhlesh; Breakall, James K.; Bohren, Craig F.

    2018-02-01

    The energy extinction cross section of a concentrically layered sphere varies with velocity as the Doppler shift moves the spectral content of the incident signal in the sphere's co-moving inertial reference frame toward or away from resonances of the sphere. Computations for hollow gold nanospheres show that the energy extinction cross section is high when the Doppler shift moves the incident signal's spectral content in the co-moving frame near the wavelength of the sphere's localized surface plasmon resonance. The energy extinction cross section of a three-layer sphere consisting of an olivine-silicate core surrounded by a porous and a magnetite layer, which is used to explain extinction caused by interstellar dust, also depends strongly on velocity. For this sphere, computations show that the energy extinction cross section is high when the Doppler shift moves the spectral content of the incident signal near either of olivine-silicate's two localized surface phonon resonances at 9.7 μm and 18 μm.

  7. Non-equilibrium magnetic interactions in strongly correlated systems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Secchi, A., E-mail: a.secchi@science.ru.nl [Institute for Molecules and Materials, Radboud University Nijmegen, 6525 AJ Nijmegen (Netherlands); Brener, S.; Lichtenstein, A.I. [Institut für Theoretische Physik, Universitat Hamburg, Jungiusstraße 9, D-20355 Hamburg (Germany); Katsnelson, M.I. [Institute for Molecules and Materials, Radboud University Nijmegen, 6525 AJ Nijmegen (Netherlands)

    2013-06-15

    We formulate a low-energy theory for the magnetic interactions between electrons in the multi-band Hubbard model under non-equilibrium conditions determined by an external time-dependent electric field which simulates laser-induced spin dynamics. We derive expressions for dynamical exchange parameters in terms of non-equilibrium electronic Green functions and self-energies, which can be computed, e.g., with the methods of time-dependent dynamical mean-field theory. Moreover, we find that a correct description of the system requires, in addition to exchange, a new kind of magnetic interaction, that we name twist exchange, which formally resembles Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya coupling, but is not due to spin–orbit, and is actually due to an effective three-spin interaction. Our theory allows the evaluation of the related time-dependent parameters as well. -- Highlights: •We develop a theory for magnetism of strongly correlated systems out of equilibrium. •Our theory is suitable for laser-induced ultrafast magnetization dynamics. •We write time-dependent exchange parameters in terms of electronic Green functions. •We find a new magnetic interaction, a “twist exchange”. •We give general expressions for magnetic noise in itinerant-electron systems.

  8. Concentration factors for fish

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Feldt, W.; Lauer, R.; Melzer, M.; Siebert, W.

    1978-01-01

    Concentration factors are defined as operators allowing to calculate the specific activity of fish meat from a given concentration of an element in the water. This parameter depends among others from the content of stable isotopes and homologues in the different waters. If this parameter is reasonably to be used for model calculations it must be referred to water with all of its content substances, these calculations also being based on this type of 'water'. (orig.) [de

  9. Carrier concentration dependence of structural disorder in thermoelectric Sn1−xTe

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mattia Sist

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available SnTe is a promising thermoelectric and topological insulator material. Here, the presumably simple rock salt crystal structure of SnTe is studied comprehensively by means of high-resolution synchrotron single-crystal and powder X-ray diffraction from 20 to 800 K. Two samples with different carrier concentrations (sample A = high, sample B = low have remarkably different atomic displacement parameters, especially at low temperatures. Both samples contain significant numbers of cation vacancies (1–2% and ordering of Sn vacancies possibly occurs on warming, as corroborated by the appearance of multiple phases and strain above 400 K. The possible presence of disorder and anharmonicity is investigated in view of the low thermal conductivity of SnTe. Refinement of anharmonic Gram–Charlier parameters reveals marginal anharmonicity for sample A, whereas sample B exhibits anharmonic effects even at low temperature. For both samples, no indications are found of a low-temperature rhombohedral phase. Maximum entropy method (MEM calculations are carried out, including nuclear-weighted X-ray MEM calculations (NXMEM. The atomic electron densities are spherical for sample A, whereas for sample B the Te electron density is elongated along the 〈100〉 direction, with the maximum being displaced from the lattice position at higher temperatures. Overall, the crystal structure of SnTe is found to be defective and sample-dependent, and therefore theoretical calculations of perfect rock salt structures are not expected to predict the properties of real materials.

  10. Strong-field spatiotemporal ultrafast coherent control in three-level atoms

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bruner, Barry D.; Suchowski, Haim; Silberberg, Yaron; Vitanov, Nikolay V.

    2010-01-01

    Simple analytical approaches for implementing strong field coherent control schemes are often elusive due to the complexity of the interaction between the intense excitation field and the system of interest. Here, we demonstrate control over multiphoton excitation in a three-level resonant system using simple, analytically derived ultrafast pulse shapes. We utilize a two-dimensional spatiotemporal control technique, in which temporal focusing produces a spatially dependent quadratic spectral phase, while a second, arbitrary phase parameter is scanned using a pulse shaper. In the current work, we demonstrate weak-to-strong field excitation of 85 Rb, with a π phase step and the quadratic phase as the chosen control parameters. The intricate dependence of the multilevel dynamics on these parameters is exhibited by mapping the data onto a two-dimensional control landscape. Further insight is gained by simulating the complete landscape using a dressed-state, time-domain model, in which the influence of individual shaping parameters can be extracted using both exact and asymptotic time-domain representations of the dressed-state energies.

  11. Quantitative analysis of microbicide concentrations in fluids, gels and tissues using confocal Raman spectroscopy.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Oranat Chuchuen

    Full Text Available Topical vaginal anti-HIV microbicides are an important focus in female-based strategies to prevent the sexual transmission of HIV. Understanding microbicide pharmacokinetics is essential to development, characterization and implementation of efficacious microbicide drug delivery formulations. Current methods to measure drug concentrations in tissue (e.g., LC-MS/MS, liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry are highly sensitive, but destructive and complex. This project explored the use of confocal Raman spectroscopy to detect microbicide drugs and to measure their local concentrations in fluids, drug delivery gels, and tissues. We evaluated three candidate microbicide drugs: tenofovir, Dapivirine and IQP-0528. Measurements were performed in freshly excised porcine buccal tissue specimens, gel vehicles and fluids using two Horiba Raman microscopes, one of which is confocal. Characteristic spectral peak calibrations for each drug were obtained using serial dilutions in the three matrices. These specific Raman bands demonstrated strong linear concentration dependences in the matrices and were characterized with respect to their unique vibrational signatures. At least one specific Raman feature was identified for each drug as a marker band for detection in tissue. Sensitivity of detection was evaluated in the three matrices. A specific peak was also identified for tenofovir diphosphate, the anti-HIV bioactive product of tenofovir after phosphorylation in host cells. Z-scans of drug concentrations vs. depth in excised tissue specimens, incubated under layers of tenofovir solution in a Transwell assay, showed decreasing concentration with depth from the surface into the tissue. Time-dependent concentration profiles were obtained from tissue samples incubated in the Transwell assay, for times ranging 30 minutes - 6 hours. Calibrations and measurements from tissue permeation studies for tenofovir showed good correlation with gold

  12. Quantitative Analysis of Microbicide Concentrations in Fluids, Gels and Tissues Using Confocal Raman Spectroscopy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chuchuen, Oranat; Henderson, Marcus H.; Sykes, Craig; Kim, Min Sung; Kashuba, Angela D. M.; Katz, David F.

    2013-01-01

    Topical vaginal anti-HIV microbicides are an important focus in female-based strategies to prevent the sexual transmission of HIV. Understanding microbicide pharmacokinetics is essential to development, characterization and implementation of efficacious microbicide drug delivery formulations. Current methods to measure drug concentrations in tissue (e.g., LC-MS/MS, liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry) are highly sensitive, but destructive and complex. This project explored the use of confocal Raman spectroscopy to detect microbicide drugs and to measure their local concentrations in fluids, drug delivery gels, and tissues. We evaluated three candidate microbicide drugs: tenofovir, Dapivirine and IQP-0528. Measurements were performed in freshly excised porcine buccal tissue specimens, gel vehicles and fluids using two Horiba Raman microscopes, one of which is confocal. Characteristic spectral peak calibrations for each drug were obtained using serial dilutions in the three matrices. These specific Raman bands demonstrated strong linear concentration dependences in the matrices and were characterized with respect to their unique vibrational signatures. At least one specific Raman feature was identified for each drug as a marker band for detection in tissue. Sensitivity of detection was evaluated in the three matrices. A specific peak was also identified for tenofovir diphosphate, the anti-HIV bioactive product of tenofovir after phosphorylation in host cells. Z-scans of drug concentrations vs. depth in excised tissue specimens, incubated under layers of tenofovir solution in a Transwell assay, showed decreasing concentration with depth from the surface into the tissue. Time-dependent concentration profiles were obtained from tissue samples incubated in the Transwell assay, for times ranging 30 minutes - 6 hours. Calibrations and measurements from tissue permeation studies for tenofovir showed good correlation with gold standard LC-MS/MS data

  13. Reactive Transport Modeling Investigation of High Dissolved Sulfide Concentrations in Sedimentary Basin Rocks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xie, M.; Mayer, U. K.; MacQuarrie, K. T. B.

    2017-12-01

    Water with total dissolved sulfide in excess of 1 mmol L-1is widely found in groundwater at intermediate depths in sedimentary basins, including regions of the Michigan basin in southeastern Ontario, Canada. Conversely, at deeper and shallower depths, relatively low total dissolved sulfide concentrations have been reported. The mechanisms responsible for the occurrence of these brackish sulfide-containing waters are not fully understood. Anaerobic microbial sulfate reduction is a common process resulting in the formation of high sulfide concentrations. Sulfate reduction rates depend on many factors including the concentration of sulfate, the abundance of organic substances, redox conditions, temperature, salinity and the species of sulfate reducing bacteria (SRB). A sedimentary basin-specific conceptual model considering the effect of salinity on the rate of sulfate reduction was developed and implemented in the reactive transport model MIN3P-THCm. Generic 2D basin-scale simulations were undertaken to provide a potential explanation for the dissolved sulfide distribution observed in the Michigan basin. The model is 440 km in the horizontal dimension and 4 km in depth, and contains fourteen sedimentary rock units including shales, sandstones, limestones, dolostone and evaporites. The main processes considered are non-isothermal density dependent flow, kinetically-controlled mineral dissolution/precipitation and its feedback on hydraulic properties, cation exchange, redox reactions, biogenic sulfate reduction, and hydromechanical coupling due to glaciation-deglaciation events. Two scenarios were investigated focusing on conditions during an interglacial period and the transient evolution during a glaciation-deglaciation cycle. Inter-glaciation simulations illustrate that the presence of high salinity brines strongly suppress biogenic sulfate reduction. The transient simulations show that glaciation-deglaciation cycles can have an impact on the maximum depth of

  14. Multi-regional investigation of the relationship between functional MRI blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD activation and GABA concentration.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ashley D Harris

    Full Text Available Several recent studies have reported an inter-individual correlation between regional GABA concentration, as measured by MRS, and the amplitude of the functional blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD response in the same region. In this study, we set out to investigate whether this coupling generalizes across cortex. In 18 healthy participants, we performed edited MRS measurements of GABA and BOLD-fMRI experiments using regionally related activation paradigms. Regions and tasks were the: occipital cortex with a visual grating stimulus; auditory cortex with a white noise stimulus; sensorimotor cortex with a finger-tapping task; frontal eye field with a saccade task; and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex with a working memory task. In contrast to the prior literature, no correlation between GABA concentration and BOLD activation was detected in any region. The origin of this discrepancy is not clear. Subtle differences in study design or insufficient power may cause differing results; these and other potential reasons for the discrepant results are discussed. This negative result, although it should be interpreted with caution, has a larger sample size than prior positive results, and suggests that the relationship between GABA and the BOLD response may be more complex than previously thought.

  15. A Note on Weak vs. Strong Generation in Human Language

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fukui Naoki

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available This paper argues that various important results of formal language theory (e.g., the so-called Chomsky Hierarchy may in fact be illusory as far as the human language faculty is concerned, as has been repeatedly emphasized by Chomsky himself. The paper takes up nested dependencies and cross-serial dependencies, the two important dependencies that typically show up in the discussion of the central classes of grammars and languages, and specifically shows that the fact that nested dependencies abound in human language while cross-serial dependencies are rather limited in human language can be naturally explained if we shift our attention from dependencies defined on terminal strings to abstract structures behind them. The paper then shows that nested dependencies are readily obtained by Merge, applying phase-by-phase, whereas cross-serial dependencies are available only as a result of copying Merge, which requires a constituency of the relevant strings. These results strongly suggest that dependencies are possible in human language only to the extent that they are the results from the structures that can be generated by Merge, leading to the conclusion that it is Merge-generability that determines various dependencies in human language, and that dependencies defined on the terminal strings are indeed illusory. A possible brain science experiment to demonstrate this point is also suggested.

  16. Using Strong Gravitational Lensing to Identify Fossil Group Progenitors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnson, Lucas E.; Irwin, Jimmy A.; White, Raymond E., III; Wong, Ka-Wah; Maksym, W. Peter; Dupke, Renato A.; Miller, Eric D.; Carrasco, Eleazar R.

    2018-04-01

    Fossil galaxy systems are classically thought to be the end result of galaxy group/cluster evolution, as galaxies experiencing dynamical friction sink to the center of the group potential and merge into a single, giant elliptical that dominates the rest of the members in both mass and luminosity. Most fossil systems discovered lie within z fossil criteria within the look forward time. Since strong gravitational lensing preferentially selects groups merging along the line of sight, or systems with a high mass concentration like fossil systems, we searched the CASSOWARY survey of strong-lensing events with the goal of determining whether lensing systems have any predisposition to being fossil systems or progenitors. We find that ∼13% of lensing groups are identified as traditional fossils while only ∼3% of nonlensing control groups are. We also find that ∼23% of lensing systems are traditional fossil progenitors compared to ∼17% for the control sample. Our findings show that strong-lensing systems are more likely to be fossil/pre-fossil systems than comparable nonlensing systems. Cumulative galaxy luminosity functions of the lensing and nonlensing groups also indicate a possible, fundamental difference between strong-lensing and nonlensing systems’ galaxy populations, with lensing systems housing a greater number of bright galaxies even in the outskirts of groups.

  17. Cross-sectional dependence in panel data analysis

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Sarafidis, V.; Wansbeek, T.J.

    2012-01-01

    This article provides an overview of the existing literature on panel data models with error cross-sectional dependence (CSD). We distinguish between weak and strong CSD and link these concepts to the spatial and factor structure approaches. We consider estimation under strong and weak exogeneity of

  18. Three-dimensional electromagnetic strong turbulence. II. Wave packet collapse and structure of wave packets during strong turbulence

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Graham, D. B.; Robinson, P. A.; Cairns, Iver H.; Skjaeraasen, O.

    2011-01-01

    Large-scale simulations of wave packet collapse are performed by numerically solving the three-dimensional (3D) electromagnetic Zakharov equations, focusing on individual wave packet collapses and on wave packets that form in continuously driven strong turbulence. The collapse threshold is shown to decrease as the electron thermal speed ν e /c increases and as the temperature ratio T i /T e of ions to electrons decreases. Energy lost during wave packet collapse and dissipation is shown to depend on ν e /c. The dynamics of density perturbations after collapse are studied in 3D electromagnetic strong turbulence for a range of T i /T e . The structures of the Langmuir, transverse, and total electric field components of wave packets during strong turbulence are investigated over a range of ν e /c. For ν e /c e /c > or approx. 0.17, transverse modes become trapped in density wells and contribute significantly to the structure of the total electric field. At all ν e /c, the Langmuir energy density contours of wave packets are predominantly oblate (pancake shaped). The transverse energy density contours of wave packets are predominantly prolate (sausage shaped), with the major axis being perpendicular to the major axes of the Langmuir component. This results in the wave packet becoming more nearly spherical as ν e /c increases, and in turn generates more spherical density wells during collapse. The results obtained are compared with previous 3D electrostatic results and 2D electromagnetic results.

  19. Strongly anisotropic spin-orbit splitting in a two-dimensional electron gas

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Michiardi, Matteo; Bianchi, Marco; Dendzik, Maciej

    2015-01-01

    Near-surface two-dimensional electron gases on the topological insulator Bi$_2$Te$_2$Se are induced by electron doping and studied by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. A pronounced spin-orbit splitting is observed for these states. The $k$-dependent splitting is strongly anisotropic to a...

  20. Deactivation kinetics of acid-sensing ion channel 1a are strongly pH-sensitive.

    Science.gov (United States)

    MacLean, David M; Jayaraman, Vasanthi

    2017-03-21

    Acid-sensing ion channels (ASICs) are trimeric cation-selective ion channels activated by protons in the physiological range. Recent reports have revealed that postsynaptically localized ASICs contribute to the excitatory postsynaptic current by responding to the transient acidification of the synaptic cleft that accompanies neurotransmission. In response to such brief acidic transients, both recombinant and native ASICs show extremely rapid deactivation in outside-out patches when jumping from a pH 5 stimulus to a single resting pH of 8. Given that the resting pH of the synaptic cleft is highly dynamic and depends on recent synaptic activity, we explored the kinetics of ASIC1a and 1a/2a heteromers to such brief pH transients over a wider [H + ] range to approximate neuronal conditions better. Surprisingly, the deactivation of ASICs was steeply dependent on the pH, spanning nearly three orders of magnitude from extremely fast (pH 8 to very slow (>300 ms) at pH 7. This study provides an example of a ligand-gated ion channel whose deactivation is sensitive to agonist concentrations that do not directly activate the receptor. Kinetic simulations and further mutagenesis provide evidence that ASICs show such steeply agonist-dependent deactivation because of strong cooperativity in proton binding. This capacity to signal across such a large synaptically relevant bandwidth enhances the response to small-amplitude acidifications likely to occur at the cleft and may provide ASICs with the ability to shape activity in response to the recent history of the synapse.

  1. Single-cell and population NF-κB dynamic responses depend on lipopolysaccharide preparation.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Miriam V Gutschow

    Full Text Available Lipopolysaccharide (LPS, found in the outer membrane of gram-negative bacteria, elicits a strong response from the transcription factor family Nuclear factor (NF-κB via Toll-like receptor (TLR 4. The cellular response to lipopolysaccharide varies depending on the source and preparation of the ligand, however. Our goal was to compare single-cell NF-κB dynamics across multiple sources and concentrations of LPS.Using live-cell fluorescence microscopy, we determined the NF-κB activation dynamics of hundreds of single cells expressing a p65-dsRed fusion protein. We used computational image analysis to measure the nuclear localization of the fusion protein in the cells over time. The concentration range spanned up to nine orders of magnitude for three E. coli LPS preparations. We find that the LPS preparations induce markedly different responses, even accounting for potency differences. We also find that the ability of soluble TNF receptor to affect NF-κB dynamics varies strikingly across the three preparations.Our work strongly suggests that the cellular response to LPS is highly sensitive to the source and preparation of the ligand. We therefore caution that conclusions drawn from experiments using one preparation may not be applicable to LPS in general.

  2. Polyaniline: Aniline oxidation with strong and weak oxidants under various acidity

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bláha, Michal, E-mail: blaha@imc.cas.cz [Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, 162 06 Prague 6 (Czech Republic); Trchová, Miroslava; Bober, Patrycja; Morávková, Zuzana [Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, 162 06 Prague 6 (Czech Republic); Prokeš, Jan [Charles University, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, 180 00 Prague 8 (Czech Republic); Stejskal, Jaroslav [Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, 162 06 Prague 6 (Czech Republic)

    2017-06-15

    Aniline was oxidized with three strong inorganic oxidants (ammonium peroxydisulfate, cerium(IV) sulfate, potassium dichromate), two weak inorganic oxidants (iron(III) chloride, silver nitrate), and one organic oxidant (p-benzoquinone) in aqueous solutions of methanesulfonic acid (MSA) of various concentration. Whereas oxidation of aniline with ammonium peroxydisulfate yielded high-molecular-weight conducting polyaniline (PANI) in the whole acidity range, the oxidation with cerium(IV) sulfate led also to a single product close to PANI with considerably lower molecular weight and lower conductivity. Potassium dichromate gave PANI only at high concentration of MSA. The use of iron(III) chloride yielded composite mixtures of PANI and low-molecular-weight aniline oligomers. The oxidation of aniline with silver nitrate led to composites of silver and an organic part, which was constituted either by aniline oligomers or conducting polyaniline or both. p-Benzoquinone as oxidant produced mainly aniline oligomers with poor conductivity and 2,5-dianilino-p-benzoquinone-like structure detected in FTIR and Raman spectra when oxidation proceeded with weak oxidants. A general model of oxidation with strong and weak oxidants was formulated. - Highlights: • Comparison of aniline oxidation with oxidants of different redox potential. • UV–vis, FTIR and Raman spectroscopies combined with size-exclusion chromatography. • The contents of polymer and oligomers were analyzed and discussed. • General model of aniline oxidation with strong and weak oxidants was formulated.

  3. Using solute and heat tracers for aquifer characterization in a strongly heterogeneous alluvial aquifer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sarris, Theo S.; Close, Murray; Abraham, Phillip

    2018-03-01

    A test using Rhodamine WT and heat as tracers, conducted over a 78 day period in a strongly heterogeneous alluvial aquifer, was used to evaluate the utility of the combined observation dataset for aquifer characterization. A highly parameterized model was inverted, with concentration and temperature time-series as calibration targets. Groundwater heads recorded during the experiment were boundary dependent and were ignored during the inversion process. The inverted model produced a high resolution depiction of the hydraulic conductivity and porosity fields. Statistical properties of these fields are in very good agreement with estimates from previous studies at the site. Spatially distributed sensitivity analysis suggests that both solute and heat transport were most sensitive to the hydraulic conductivity and porosity fields and less sensitive to dispersivity and thermal distribution factor, with sensitivity to porosity greatly reducing outside the monitored area. The issues of model over-parameterization and non-uniqueness are addressed through identifiability analysis. Longitudinal dispersivity and thermal distribution factor are highly identifiable, however spatially distributed parameters are only identifiable near the injection point. Temperature related density effects became observable for both heat and solute, as the temperature anomaly increased above 12 degrees centigrade, and affected down gradient propagation. Finally we demonstrate that high frequency and spatially dense temperature data cannot inform a dual porosity model in the absence of frequent solute concentration measurements.

  4. Effect of pulsed corona discharge voltage and feed gas flow rate on dissolved ozone concentration

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Prasetyaningrum, A.; Ratnawati,; Jos, B.

    2015-01-01

    Ozonization is one of the methods extensively used for water purification and degradation of organic materials. Ozone (O 3 ) is recognized as a powerful oxidizing agent. Due to its strong oxidability and better environmental friendless, ozone increasing being used in domestic and industrial applications. Current technology in ozone production utilizes several techniques (corona discharge, ultra violet radiation and electrolysis). This experiment aimed to evaluating effect of voltage and gas flow rate on ozone production with corona discharge. The system consists of two net-type stainless steel electrode placed in a dielectric barrier. Three pulsed voltage (20, 30, 40 KV) and flow rate (5, 10, 15 L/min) were prepare for operation variable at high frequency (3.7 kHz) with AC pulsed power supply. The dissolved ozone concentration depends on the applied high-voltage level, gas flow rate and the discharge exposure duration. The ozone concentration increases with decreasing gas flow rate. Dissolved ozone concentrations greater than 200 ppm can be obtained with a minimum voltage 40 kV

  5. Effect of pulsed corona discharge voltage and feed gas flow rate on dissolved ozone concentration

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prasetyaningrum, A.; Ratnawati, Jos, B.

    2015-12-01

    Ozonization is one of the methods extensively used for water purification and degradation of organic materials. Ozone (O3) is recognized as a powerful oxidizing agent. Due to its strong oxidability and better environmental friendless, ozone increasing being used in domestic and industrial applications. Current technology in ozone production utilizes several techniques (corona discharge, ultra violet radiation and electrolysis). This experiment aimed to evaluating effect of voltage and gas flow rate on ozone production with corona discharge. The system consists of two net-type stainless steel electrode placed in a dielectric barrier. Three pulsed voltage (20, 30, 40 KV) and flow rate (5, 10, 15 L/min) were prepare for operation variable at high frequency (3.7 kHz) with AC pulsed power supply. The dissolved ozone concentration depends on the applied high-voltage level, gas flow rate and the discharge exposure duration. The ozone concentration increases with decreasing gas flow rate. Dissolved ozone concentrations greater than 200 ppm can be obtained with a minimum voltage 40 kV.

  6. Effect of pulsed corona discharge voltage and feed gas flow rate on dissolved ozone concentration

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Prasetyaningrum, A., E-mail: ajiprasetyaningrum@gmail.com; Ratnawati,; Jos, B. [Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Diponegoro University Jl. Prof. H. Soedarto Tembalang, Semarang, Central Java, Indonesia, 50276 (Indonesia)

    2015-12-29

    Ozonization is one of the methods extensively used for water purification and degradation of organic materials. Ozone (O{sub 3}) is recognized as a powerful oxidizing agent. Due to its strong oxidability and better environmental friendless, ozone increasing being used in domestic and industrial applications. Current technology in ozone production utilizes several techniques (corona discharge, ultra violet radiation and electrolysis). This experiment aimed to evaluating effect of voltage and gas flow rate on ozone production with corona discharge. The system consists of two net-type stainless steel electrode placed in a dielectric barrier. Three pulsed voltage (20, 30, 40 KV) and flow rate (5, 10, 15 L/min) were prepare for operation variable at high frequency (3.7 kHz) with AC pulsed power supply. The dissolved ozone concentration depends on the applied high-voltage level, gas flow rate and the discharge exposure duration. The ozone concentration increases with decreasing gas flow rate. Dissolved ozone concentrations greater than 200 ppm can be obtained with a minimum voltage 40 kV.

  7. Fire feedbacks over geological time and the evolution of atmospheric oxygen concentration

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mills, B.; Belcher, C.; Lenton, T. M.

    2017-12-01

    During the 4.5 billion year history of the Earth, the concentration of oxygen in the atmosphere has risen from trace levels to today's 21%. Yet over the last 400 million years, O2 concentration appears to have remained within a relatively narrow range (around 15% - 30%), despite dramatic changes in the nature of global biogeochemical cycling. This stability has been crucial for continued animal evolution, and is thought to have arisen through feedbacks between oxygen, wildfire and plant productivity: the strong oxygen- dependence of fire initiation and spread means that global photosynthetic primary productivity is suppressed when oxygen levels are high, and enhanced when levels are low. We present biogeochemical modelling of the long term carbon and oxygen cycles, which aims to capture the operation of the wildfire feedback alongside other key processes. We find that wildfire can effectively stabilize long term oxygen concentrations, but that the nature of this feedback has changed as plant evolution has provided different fuels. Specifically, the evolution of early angiosperms during the Cretaceous period provided new understory fuels that more easily facilitated crown and canopy fires. Adding these dynamics to our model produces a more stable system over long timescales, and the model predicts that oxygen concentration has declined towards the present day - a prediction that is supported by other independent estimates.

  8. Angular reflectance of suspended gold, aluminum and silver nanospheres on a gold film: Effects of concentration and size distribution

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aslan, Mustafa M.; Wriedt, Thomas

    2010-01-01

    In this article, we describe a parametric study of the effects of the size distribution (SD) and the concentration of nanospheres in ethanol on the angular reflectance. Calculations are based on an effective medium approach in which the effective dielectric constant of the mixture is obtained using the Maxwell-Garnett formula. The detectable size limits of gold, aluminum, and silver nanospheres on a 50-nm-thick gold film are calculated to investigate the sensitivity of the reflectance to the SD and the concentration of the nanospheres. The following assumptions are made: (1) the total number of particles in the unit volume of suspension is constant, (2) the nanospheres in the suspension on a gold film have a SD with three different concentrations, and (3) there is no agglomeration and the particles have a log-normal SD, where the effective diameter, d eff and the effective variance, ν eff are given. The dependence of the reflectance on the d eff , ν eff , and the width of the SD are also investigated numerically. The angular variation of the reflectance as a function of the incident angle shows a strong dependence on the effective size of the metallic nanospheres. The results confirm that the size of the nanospheres (d eff o and 75 o for a given concentration with a particular SD.

  9. Temperature and pressure dependent osmotic pressure in liquid sodium-cesium alloys

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rashid, R.I.M.A.

    1987-01-01

    The evaluation of the osmotic pressure in terms of the concentration fluctuations of mixtures and the equations of state of the pure liquids is considered. The temperature and pressure dependent experimentally measured concentration-concentration correlations in the long wavelength limit of liquid sodium-cesium alloys are used to demonstrate the appreciable dependence of the temperature and pressure on the osmotic pressure as a function of concentration. Introducing interchange energies as functions of temperature and pressure, our analysis is consistent with the Flory model. Thus, a formalism for evaluating the state dependent osmotic pressure is developed and our numerical work is considered to be an extension of the calculations of Rashid and March in the sense that a temperature and pressure dependent interchange energy parameter that more closely parameterizes the state dependent concentration fluctuations in the liquid alloys, is used. (author)

  10. Dependent failures of diesel generators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mankamo, T.; Pulkkinen, U.

    1982-01-01

    This survey of dependent failures (common-cause failures) is based on the data of diesel generator failures in U. S. nuclear power plants as reported in Licensee Event Reports. Failures were classified into random and potentially dependent failures. All failures due to design errors, manufacturing or installation errors, maintenance errors, or deviations in the operational environment were classified as potentially dependent failures.The statistical dependence between failures was estimated from the relative portion of multiple failures. Results confirm the earlier view of the significance of statistical dependence, a strong dependence on the age of the diesel generator was found in each failure class excluding random failures and maintenance errors, which had a nearly constant frequency independent of diesel generator age

  11. The quantum Zeno and anti-Zeno effects with strong system-environment coupling.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chaudhry, Adam Zaman

    2017-05-11

    To date, studies of the quantum Zeno and anti-Zeno effects focus on quantum systems that are weakly interacting with their environment. In this paper, we investigate what happens to a quantum system under the action of repeated measurements if the quantum system is strongly interacting with its environment. We consider as the quantum system a single two-level system coupled strongly to a collection of harmonic oscillators. A so-called polaron transformation is then used to make the problem in the strong system-environment coupling regime tractable. We find that the strong coupling case exhibits quantitative and qualitative differences as compared with the weak coupling case. In particular, the effective decay rate does not depend linearly on the spectral density of the environment. This then means that, in the strong coupling regime that we investigate, increasing the system-environment coupling strength can actually decrease the effective decay rate. We also consider a collection of two-level atoms coupled strongly with a common environment. In this case, we find that there are further differences between the weak and strong coupling cases since the two-level atoms can now indirectly interact with one another due to the common environment.

  12. Effective lagrangian for strong interactions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jain, P.

    1988-01-01

    We attempt to construct a realistic phenomenological Lagrangian in order to describe strong interactions. This is in general a very complicated problem and we shall explore its various aspects. We first include the vector mesons by writing down the most general chiral invariant terms proportional to the Levi-Civita symbol ε μναβ . These terms involve three unknown coefficients, which are calculated by using the experimental results of strong interaction processes. We then calculate the static nucleon properties by finding the solitonic excitations of this model. The results turn out to be, as is also the case for most other vector-pseudoscalar Lagrangians, better than the Skyrme model but are still somewhat different from the experiments. Another aspect that we shall study is the incorporation of scale anomaly of QCD into the Skyrme model. We thus introduce a scalar glueball in our Lagrangian. Here we find an interesting result that the effective glue field dynamically forms a bag for the soliton. Depending on the values of the parameters, we get either a deep bag or a shallow bag. However by including the scalar meson, we find that to get realistic scalar sector we must have the shallow bag. Finally we show some intriguing connections between the chiral quark model, in which the nucleon is described as a solitonic excitation, and the ordinary potential binding quark model

  13. Thermodynamically efficient solar concentrators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Winston, Roland

    2012-10-01

    Non-imaging Optics is the theory of thermodynamically efficient optics and as such depends more on thermodynamics than on optics. Hence in this paper a condition for the "best" design is proposed based on purely thermodynamic arguments, which we believe has profound consequences for design of thermal and even photovoltaic systems. This new way of looking at the problem of efficient concentration depends on probabilities, the ingredients of entropy and information theory while "optics" in the conventional sense recedes into the background.

  14. Hormonal regulation of gluconeogenesis in cereal aleurone is strongly cultivar-dependent and gibberellin action involves SLENDER1 but not GAMYB.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eastmond, Peter J; Jones, Russell L

    2005-11-01

    Storage oil is a major constituent in the cereal aleurone layer. The aim of this study was to investigate how gibberellin (GA) and abscisic acid (ABA) regulate conversion of oil to sugar in barley aleurone. The activity of the glyoxylate cycle enzyme isocitrate lyase (ICL) was surveyed in eight barley cultivars. Surprisingly, some cultivars do not require GA for the induction of ICL (e.g. Himalaya), whereas some do (e.g. Golden Promise). Furthermore, in Golden Promise, GA also stimulates triacylglycerol breakdown and enhances the net flux of carbon from acetate to sugar. In contrast, ABA strongly represses ICL activity and the flux of carbon from oil to sugar in both Golden Promise and Himalaya. Biolistics using a promoter reporter showed that GA and ABA regulate ICL at the level of transcription. Studies using barley and rice mutants and pharmacological agents show that GA-dependent induction of ICL activity is mediated by SLENDER1 and requires cGMP, but does not involve the transcription factor GAMYB. Gibberellin and ABA therefore act antagonistically to regulate gluconeogenesis in the aleurone layer as well as controlling the production and secretion of hydrolases into the starchy endosperm. We suggest that the variation between different barley cultivars might be a result of selective breeding to alter seed dormancy.

  15. Optimal laser heating of plasmas confined in strong solenoidal magnetic fields

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vitela, J.; Akcasu, A.Z.

    1987-01-01

    Optimal Control Theory is used to analyze the laser-heating of plasmas confined in strong solenoidal magnetic fields. Heating strategies that minimize a linear combination of heating time and total energy spent by the laser system are found. A numerical example is used to illustrate the theory. Results of this example show that by an appropriate modulation of the laser intensity, significant savings in the laser energy are possible with only slight increases in the heating time. However, results may depend strongly on the initial state of the plasma and on the final ion temperature. (orig.)

  16. Strong-Field Control of Laser Filamentation Mechanisms

    Science.gov (United States)

    Levis, Robert; Romanov, Dmitri; Filin, Aleskey; Compton, Ryan

    2008-05-01

    The propagation of short strong-file laser pulses in gas and solution phases often result in formation of filaments. This phenomenon involves many nonlinear processes including Kerr lensing, group velocity dispersion, multi-photon ionization, plasma defocusing, intensity clamping, and self-steepening. Of these, formation and dynamics of pencil-shape plasma areas plays a crucial role. The fundamental understanding of these laser-induced plasmas requires additional effort, because the process is highly nonlinear and complex. We studied the ultrafast laser-generated plasma dynamics both experimentally and theoretically. Ultrafast plasma dynamics was probed using Coherent Anti-Stokes Raman Scattering. The measurements were made in a room temperature gas maintained at 1 atm in a flowing cell. The time dependent scattering was measured by delaying the CARS probe with respect to the intense laser excitation pulse. A general trend is observed between the spacing of the ground state and the first allowed excited state with the rise time for the noble gas series and the molecular gases. This trend is consistent with our theoretical model, which considers the ultrafast dynamics of the strong field generated plasma as a three-step process; (i) strong-field ionization followed by the electron gaining considerable kinetic energy during the pulse; (ii) immediate post-pulse dynamics: fast thermalization, impact-ionization-driven electron multiplication and cooling; (iii) ensuing relaxation: evolution to electron-ion equilibrium and eventual recombination.

  17. Jets in a strongly coupled anisotropic plasma

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fadafan, Kazem Bitaghsir [Shahrood University of Technology, Faculty of Physics, Shahrood (Iran, Islamic Republic of); University of Southampton, STAG Research Centre Physics and Astronomy, Southampton (United Kingdom); Morad, Razieh [University of Cape Town, Department of Physics, Rondebosch (South Africa)

    2018-01-15

    In this paper, we study the dynamics of the light quark jet moving through the static, strongly coupled N = 4, anisotropic plasma with and without charge. The light quark is presented by a 2-parameters point-like initial condition falling string in the context of the AdS/CFT. We calculate the stopping distance of the light quark in the anisotropic medium and compare it with its isotropic value. We study the dependency of the stopping distance to the both string initial conditions and background parameters such as anisotropy parameter or chemical potential. Although the typical behavior of the string in the anisotropic medium is similar to the one in the isotropic AdS-Sch background, the string falls faster to the horizon depending on the direction of moving. Particularly, the enhancement of quenching is larger in the beam direction. We find that the suppression of stopping distance is more prominent when the anisotropic plasma have the same temperature as the isotropic plasma. (orig.)

  18. Horizontal mergers and weak and strong competition commissions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ristić Bojan

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available In this paper we analyse the horizontal merger of companies in an already concentrated industry. The participants in mergers are obliged to submit notification to the Competition Commission but they also have the option of rejecting the merger. At the time of the notification submission the participants do not know whether the Commission is strong or weak, and they can complain to the Court if the Commission prohibits the merger. We model the strategic interaction between Participants and Commission in a dynamic game of incomplete information and determine weak perfect Bayesian equilibria. The main finding of our paper is that Participants will base their decision to submit notification on their belief in a weak Commission decision and will almost completely ignore the possibility of a strong Commission decision. We also provide a detailed examination of one case from Serbian regulatory practice, which coincides with the results of our game theoretical model.

  19. Stabilization of arsenic and lead by magnesium oxide (MgO) in different seawater concentrations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kameda, Kentaro; Hashimoto, Yohey; Ok, Yong Sik

    2018-02-01

    Ongoing sea level rise will have a major impact on mobility and migration of contaminants by changing a number of natural phenomena that alter geochemistry and hydrology of subsurface environment. In-situ immobilization techniques may be a promising remediation strategy for mitigating contaminant mobility induced by sea level rise. This study investigated the reaction mechanisms of magnesium oxide (MgO) with aqueous Pb and As under freshwater and seawater using XAFS spectroscopy. Initial concentrations of Pb and As in freshwater strongly controlled the characteristics of the reaction product of MgO. Our study revealed that i) the removal of aqueous Pb and As by MgO was increased by the elevation of seawater concentration, and ii) the removal of As was attributed primarily to (inner-sphere) surface adsorption on MgO, independent on seawater concentrations, and iii) the retention mechanism of Pb was dependent on seawater concentrations where formations of Pb oxides and adsorption on the MgO surface were predominant in solutions with low and high salinity, respectively. The release of As fixed with MgO significantly increased in seawater compared to freshwater, although the amount of As desorbed accounted for <0.2% of total As. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Designing generalized conic concentrators for conventional optical systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eichhorn, W. L.

    1985-01-01

    Generalized nonimaging concentrators can be incorporated into conventional optical systems in situations where flux concentration rather than imaging is required. The parameters of the concentrator for maximum flux concentration depend on the design of the particular optical system under consideration. Rationale for determining the concentrator parameters is given for one particular optical system and the procedure used for calculation of these parameters is outlined. The calculations are done for three concentrators applicable to the optical system.

  1. Segregation and Clustering Effects on Complex Boron Redistribution in Strongly Doped Polycrystalline-Silicon Layers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Abadli, S.; Mansour, F.

    2011-01-01

    This work deals with the investigation of the complex phenomenon of boron (B) transient enhanced diffusion (TED) in strongly implanted silicon (Si) layers. It concerns the instantaneous influences of the strong B concentrations, the Si layers crystallization, the clustering and the B trapping/segregation during thermal post-implantation annealing. We have used Si thin layers obtained from disilane (Si2H6) by low pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD) and then B implanted with a dose of 4 x 1015 atoms/cm2 at an energy of 15 keV. To avoid long redistributions, thermal annealing was carried out at relatively low-temperatures (700, 750 and 800 'deg'C) for various short-times ranging between 1 and 30 minutes. To investigate the experimental secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) doping profiles, a redistribution model well adapted to the particular structure of Si-LPCVD layers and to the effects of strong-concentrations has been established. The good adjustment of the simulated profiles with the experimental SIMS profiles allowed a fundamental understanding about the instantaneous physical phenomena giving and disturbing the TED process in strongly doped Si-LPCVD layers. It was found that boron TED is strongly affected by the simultaneous complex kinetics of clustering, crystallization, trapping and segregation during annealing. The fast formation of small Si-B clusters enhances the B diffusivity whereas the evolution of the clusters and segregation reduce this enhancement. (author)

  2. Concentration/time-dependent dissipation, partitioning and plant accumulation of hazardous current-used pesticides and 2-hydroxyatrazine in sand and soil.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Neuwirthová, Natália; Bílková, Zuzana; Vašíčková, Jana; Hofman, Jakub; Bielská, Lucie

    2018-07-01

    The dissipation, partitioning dynamics and biouptake was measured for selected hazardous current-used pesticides (conazole fungicides: epoxiconazole, flusilazole, tebuconazole; prochloraz, chlorpyrifos, pendimethalin) and for a transformation product (2-hydroxyatrazine) in agricultural soil and quartz sand as representatives of a real and a worst-case scenario. Dissipation, uptake to Lactuca sativa and the freely dissolved concentration along with the organic carbon-normalized sorption coefficients (K oc ) were determined on days 12, 40, and 90 following the application of compounds at three fortification levels (0.1-1.0-10 mg/kg). Conazole fungicides showed similar dissipation patterns and were more persistent in soil than prochloraz, chlorpyrifos and pendimethalin. 2-Hydroxyatrazine showed a concentration-depended decrease in persistency in soil. Lettuce roots were shown to accumulate higher amounts than shoots where the extent of root uptake was driven by compound partitioning. This was evidenced by the ability of freely dissolved concentration (C free ) to reliably (r 2  = 0.94) predict root uptake. Concentration in leaves did not exceed the maximum residue levels (MRLs) for lettuce, which was likely given by the low root-to-shoot translocation factors (TFs) of the tested compounds varying between 0.007 and 0.14. K oc values were in the range of literature values. Sorption to soil was higher than to sand for all compounds, yet following the K oc dynamics compounds did not appear to be sequestered in soil with increasing residence time. From these results, it follows that the tested compounds may persist in soil but since they did not accumulate in lettuce above MRLs, contamination of the food web is unlikely. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Stabilizing strongly correlated photon fluids with non-Markovian reservoirs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lebreuilly, José; Biella, Alberto; Storme, Florent; Rossini, Davide; Fazio, Rosario; Ciuti, Cristiano; Carusotto, Iacopo

    2017-09-01

    We introduce a frequency-dependent incoherent pump scheme with a square-shaped spectrum as a way to study strongly correlated photons in arrays of coupled nonlinear resonators. This scheme can be implemented via a reservoir of population-inverted two-level emitters with a broad distribution of transition frequencies. Our proposal is predicted to stabilize a nonequilibrium steady state sharing important features with a zero-temperature equilibrium state with a tunable chemical potential. We confirm the efficiency of our proposal for the Bose-Hubbard model by computing numerically the steady state for finite system sizes: first, we predict the occurrence of a sequence of incompressible Mott-insulator-like states with arbitrary integer densities presenting strong robustness against tunneling and losses. Secondly, for stronger tunneling amplitudes or noninteger densities, the system enters a coherent regime analogous to the superfluid state. In addition to an overall agreement with the zero-temperature equilibrium state, exotic nonequilibrium processes leading to a finite entropy generation are pointed out in specific regions of parameter space. The equilibrium ground state is shown to be recovered by adding frequency-dependent losses. The promise of this improved scheme in view of quantum simulation of the zero-temperature many-body physics is highlighted.

  4. Inorganic speciation of dissolved elements in seawater: the influence of pH on concentration ratios

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Byrne Robert H

    2002-01-01

    Full Text Available Assessments of inorganic elemental speciation in seawater span the past four decades. Experimentation, compilation and critical review of equilibrium data over the past forty years have, in particular, considerably improved our understanding of cation hydrolysis and the complexation of cations by carbonate ions in solution. Through experimental investigations and critical evaluation it is now known that more than forty elements have seawater speciation schemes that are strongly influenced by pH. In the present work, the speciation of the elements in seawater is summarized in a manner that highlights the significance of pH variations. For elements that have pH-dependent species concentration ratios, this work summarizes equilibrium data (S = 35, t = 25°C that can be used to assess regions of dominance and relative species concentrations. Concentration ratios of complex species are expressed in the form log[A]/[B] = pH - C where brackets denote species concentrations in solution, A and B are species important at higher (A and lower (B solution pH, and C is a constant dependent on salinity, temperature and pressure. In the case of equilibria involving complex oxy-anions (MOx(OHy or hydroxy complexes (M(OHn, C is written as pKn = -log Kn or pKn* = -log Kn* respectively, where Kn and Kn* are equilibrium constants. For equilibria involving carbonate complexation, the constant C is written as pQ = -log(K2lKn [HCO3-] where K2l is the HCO3 - dissociation constant, Kn is a cation complexation constant and [HCO3-] is approximated as 1.9 × 10-3 molar. Equilibrium data expressed in this manner clearly show dominant species transitions, ranges of dominance, and relative concentrations at any pH.

  5. Directional growth of Ag nanorod from polymeric silver cyanide: A potential substrate for concentration dependent SERS signal enhancement leading to melamine detection

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roy, Anindita; Sahoo, Ramkrishna; Chowdhury, Joydeep; Bhattacharya, Tara Shankar; Agarwal, Ratnesh; Pal, Tarasankar

    2017-08-01

    Attention has been directed to prepare exclusive one-dimensional silver nanostructure from the linear inorganic polymer AgCN. Successive color change from yellow to orange, to red and finally to green reflects the evolution of high yielding Ag nanorods (NRs) from well-known -[Ag-CN]- chains of polymeric AgCN at room temperature. The parental 1D morphology of AgCN is retained within the as-synthesized Ag NRs. So we could successfully exploit the Ag NR for surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) studies for sensing a popular milk adulterant melamine down to picomolar level. We observed interesting concentration dependent selective SERS band enhancement of melamine. The enhanced 1327 cm- 1 SERS signal intensity at lower concentration (10- 9 and 10- 12 M) of melamine speaks for the preferential participation of -C-N of melamine molecule with Ag surface. On the other hand, '-NH2' group together with ring 'N' participation of melamine molecule onto Ag surface suggested an adsorptive stance at higher (10- 3-10- 7 M) concentration range. Thus the binding modes of the molecule at the Ag surface justify its fluxional behavior.

  6. Strong influence of deposition and vertical mixing on secondary organic aerosol concentrations in CMAQ and CAMx

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shu, Qian; Koo, Bonyoung; Yarwood, Greg; Henderson, Barron H.

    2017-12-01

    Differences between two air quality modeling systems reveal important uncertainties in model representations of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) fate. Two commonly applied models (CMAQ: Community Multiscale Air Quality; CAMx: Comprehensive Air Quality Model with extensions) predict very different OA concentrations over the eastern U.S., even when using the same source data for emissions and meteorology and the same SOA modeling approach. Both models include an option to output a detailed accounting of how each model process (e.g., chemistry, deposition, etc.) alters the mass of each modeled species, referred to as process analysis. We therefore perform a detailed diagnostic evaluation to quantify simulated tendencies (Gg/hr) of each modeled process affecting both the total model burden (Gg) of semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOC) in the gas (g) and aerosol (a) phases and the vertical structures to identify causes of concentration differences between the two models. Large differences in deposition (CMAQ: 69.2 Gg/d; CAMx: 46.5 Gg/d) contribute to significant OA bias in CMAQ relative to daily averaged ambient concentration measurements. CMAQ's larger deposition results from faster daily average deposition velocities (VD) for both SVOC (g) (VD,cmaq = 2.15 × VD,camx) and aerosols (VD,cmaq = 4.43 × Vd,camx). Higher aerosol deposition velocity would be expected to cause similar biases for inert compounds like elemental carbon (EC), but this was not seen. Daytime low-biases in EC were also simulated in CMAQ as expected but were offset by nighttime high-biases. Nighttime high-biases were a result of overly shallow mixing in CMAQ leading to a higher fraction of EC total atmospheric mass in the first layer (CAMx: 5.1-6.4%; CMAQ: 5.6-6.9%). Because of the opposing daytime and nighttime biases, the apparent daily average bias for EC is reduced. For OA, there are two effects of reduced vertical mixing: SOA and SVOC are concentrated near the surface, but SOA yields are reduced

  7. Concentrations and Sources of Airborne Particles in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

    Science.gov (United States)

    Licina, Dusan; Bhangar, Seema; Brooks, Brandon; Baker, Robyn; Firek, Brian; Tang, Xiaochen; Morowitz, Michael J.; Banfield, Jillian F.; Nazaroff, William W.

    2016-01-01

    Premature infants in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) have underdeveloped immune systems, making them susceptible to adverse health consequences from air pollutant exposure. Little is known about the sources of indoor airborne particles that contribute to the exposure of premature infants in the NICU environment. In this study, we monitored the spatial and temporal variations of airborne particulate matter concentrations along with other indoor environmental parameters and human occupancy. The experiments were conducted over one year in a private-style NICU. The NICU was served by a central heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) system equipped with an economizer and a high-efficiency particle filtration system. The following parameters were measured continuously during weekdays with 1-min resolution: particles larger than 0.3 μm resolved into 6 size groups, CO2 level, dry-bulb temperature and relative humidity, and presence or absence of occupants. Altogether, over sixteen periods of a few weeks each, measurements were conducted in rooms occupied with premature infants. In parallel, a second monitoring station was operated in a nearby hallway or at the local nurses’ station. The monitoring data suggest a strong link between indoor particle concentrations and human occupancy. Detected particle peaks from occupancy were clearly discernible among larger particles and imperceptible for submicron (0.3–1 μm) particles. The mean indoor particle mass concentrations averaged across the size range 0.3–10 μm during occupied periods was 1.9 μg/m3, approximately 2.5 times the concentration during unoccupied periods (0.8 μg/m3). Contributions of within-room emissions to total PM10 mass in the baby rooms averaged 37–81%. Near-room indoor emissions and outdoor sources contributed 18–59% and 1–5%, respectively. Airborne particle levels in the size range 1–10 μm showed strong dependence on human activities, indicating the importance of indoor

  8. Concentrations and Sources of Airborne Particles in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dusan Licina

    Full Text Available Premature infants in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs have underdeveloped immune systems, making them susceptible to adverse health consequences from air pollutant exposure. Little is known about the sources of indoor airborne particles that contribute to the exposure of premature infants in the NICU environment. In this study, we monitored the spatial and temporal variations of airborne particulate matter concentrations along with other indoor environmental parameters and human occupancy. The experiments were conducted over one year in a private-style NICU. The NICU was served by a central heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC system equipped with an economizer and a high-efficiency particle filtration system. The following parameters were measured continuously during weekdays with 1-min resolution: particles larger than 0.3 μm resolved into 6 size groups, CO2 level, dry-bulb temperature and relative humidity, and presence or absence of occupants. Altogether, over sixteen periods of a few weeks each, measurements were conducted in rooms occupied with premature infants. In parallel, a second monitoring station was operated in a nearby hallway or at the local nurses' station. The monitoring data suggest a strong link between indoor particle concentrations and human occupancy. Detected particle peaks from occupancy were clearly discernible among larger particles and imperceptible for submicron (0.3-1 μm particles. The mean indoor particle mass concentrations averaged across the size range 0.3-10 μm during occupied periods was 1.9 μg/m3, approximately 2.5 times the concentration during unoccupied periods (0.8 μg/m3. Contributions of within-room emissions to total PM10 mass in the baby rooms averaged 37-81%. Near-room indoor emissions and outdoor sources contributed 18-59% and 1-5%, respectively. Airborne particle levels in the size range 1-10 μm showed strong dependence on human activities, indicating the importance of indoor

  9. Indoor radon concentration and its possible dependence on ventilation rate and flooring type

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ashok, G. V.; Nagaiah, N.; Shiva Prasad, N. G.

    2012-01-01

    The results of radon concentration measurements carried out in dwellings with natural ventilation for 1 y in Bangalore are reported. Measurements, covering three sessions of the day (morning, afternoon, night) were performed two times in a month for 1 y at a fixed place of each dwelling at a height of 1 m above the ground surface in selected dwellings. The low-level radon detection system (LLRDS), an active method, was used for the estimation of radon concentration. The measurements were aimed to understand the diurnal variation and the effect of ventilation rate and flooring type on indoor radon concentration. The geometric mean (±geometric standard deviation) of indoor radon concentration from about 500 measurements carried out in 20 dwellings is found to be 25.4 ±1.54 Bq m -3 . The morning, afternoon and night averages were found to be 42.6 ±2.05, 15.3 ±2.18 and 28.5 ±2.2 Bq m -3 , respectively. The approximate natural ventilation rates of the dwellings were calculated using the PHPAIDA-the on-line natural ventilation, mixed mode and air infiltration rate calculation algorithm and their effects on indoor radon concentrations were studied. The inhalation dose and the lung cancer risk due to indoor radon exposure were found to be 0.66 mSv y -1 and 11.9 per 10 6 persons, respectively. The gamma exposure rate was also measured in all the dwellings and its correlation with the inhalation dose rate was studied. (authors)

  10. Multiphoton above threshold effects in strong-field fragmentation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    B Madsen, C; Anis, F; B Madsen, L

    2012-01-01

    We present a study of multiphoton dissociative ionization from molecules. By solving the time-dependent Schrödinger equation for H2+ and projecting the solution onto double continuum scattering states, we observe the correlated electron-nuclear ionization dynamics in detail. We show—for the first...... time—how multiphoton structure prevails as long as one accounts for the energies of all the fragments. Our current work provides a new avenue to analyze strong-field fragmentation that leads to a deeper understanding of the correlated molecular dynamics....

  11. Mass concentration coupled with mass loading rate for evaluating PM_2_._5 pollution status in the atmosphere: A case study based on dairy barns

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Joo, HungSoo; Park, Kihong; Lee, Kwangyul; Ndegwa, Pius M.

    2015-01-01

    This study investigated particulate matter (PM) loading rates and concentrations in ambient air from naturally ventilated dairy barns and also the influences of pertinent meteorological factors, traffic, and animal activities on mass loading rates and mass concentrations. Generally, relationships between PM_2_._5 concentration and these parameters were significantly poorer than those between the PM loading rate and the same parameters. Although ambient air PM_2_._5 loading rates correlated well with PM_2_._5 emission rates, ambient air PM_2_._5 concentrations correlated poorly with PM_2_._5 concentrations in the barns. A comprehensive assessment of PM_2_._5 pollution in ambient air, therefore, requires both mass concentrations and mass loading rates. Emissions of PM_2_._5 correlated strongly and positively with wind speed, temperature, and solar radiation (R"2 = 0.84 to 0.99) and strongly but negatively with relative humidity (R"2 = 0.93). Animal activity exhibited only moderate effect on PM_2_._5 emissions, while traffic activity did not significantly affect PM_2_._5 emissions. - Highlights: • Sink PM_2_._5 loading rates correlate well with source PM_2_._5 emission rates. • Sink PM_2_._5 concentrations correlate poorly with source PM_2_._5 concentrations. • Mass loading rate complements mass concentration in appraising sink PM_2_._5 status. • PM_2_._5 emissions is dependent on wind speed, temp, solar strength, and RH. • Cow traffic activity affects PM_2_._5 emissions, while traffic activity does not. - Both PM mass loading rate and concentrations are required for comprehensive assessment of pollution potential of PM released into the atmosphere.

  12. Ciprofloxacin provokes SOS-dependent changes in respiration and membrane potential and causes alterations in the redox status of Escherichia coli.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smirnova, Galina V; Tyulenev, Aleksey V; Muzyka, Nadezda G; Peters, Mikhail A; Oktyabrsky, Oleg N

    2017-01-01

    An in-depth understanding of the physiological response of bacteria to antibiotic-induced stress is needed for development of new approaches to combatting microbial infections. Fluoroquinolone ciprofloxacin causes phase alterations in Escherichia coli respiration and membrane potential that strongly depend on its concentration. Concentrations lower than the optimal bactericidal concentration (OBC) do not inhibit respiration during the first phase. A dose higher than the OBC provokes immediate SOS-independent inhibition of respiration and growth that can contribute to a decreased SOS response and lowered susceptibility to high concentrations of ciprofloxacin. Cells retain their metabolic activity, membrane potential and accelerated K + uptake and produce low levels of superoxide and H 2 O 2 during the first phase. The time before initiation of the second phase is inversely correlated with the ciprofloxacin concentration. The second phase is SOS-dependent and characterized by respiratory inhibition, membrane depolarization, K + and glutathione leakage and cessation of glucose consumption and may be considered as cell death. atpA, gshA and kefBkefC knockouts, which perturb fluxes of protons and K + , can modify the degree and duration of respiratory inhibition and potassium retention. Loss of K + efflux channels KefB and KefC enhances the susceptibility of E. coli to ciprofloxacin. Copyright © 2016 Institut Pasteur. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  13. Strongly coupled dark energy with warm dark matter vs. LCDM

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bonometto, S.A.; Mezzetti, M. [INAF, Osservatorio di Trieste and Trieste University, Physics Department, Astronomy Unit, Via Tiepolo 11, 34143 Trieste (Italy); Mainini, R., E-mail: bonometto@oats.inaf.it, E-mail: mezzetti@oats.inaf.it, E-mail: roberto.mainini@mib.infn.it [Physics Department G. Occhialini, Milano-Bicocca University, Piazza della Scienza 3, 20126 Milano (Italy)

    2017-10-01

    Cosmologies including strongly Coupled (SC) Dark Energy (DE) and Warm dark matter (SCDEW) are based on a conformally invariant (CI) attractor solution modifying the early radiative expansion. Then, aside of radiation, a kinetic field Φ and a DM component account for a stationary fraction, ∼ 1 %, of the total energy. Most SCDEW predictions are hardly distinguishable from LCDM, while SCDEW alleviates quite a few LCDM conceptual problems, as well as its difficulties to meet data below the average galaxy scale. The CI expansion begins at the end of inflation, when Φ (future DE) possibly plays a role in reheating, and ends at the Higgs scale. Afterwards, a number of viable options is open, allowing for the transition from the CI expansion to the present Universe. In this paper: (i) We show how the attractor is recovered when the spin degrees of freedom decreases. (ii) We perform a detailed comparison of CMB anisotropy and polarization spectra for SCDEW and LCDM, including tensor components, finding negligible discrepancies. (iii) Linear spectra exhibit a greater parameter dependence at large k 's, but are still consistent with data for suitable parameter choices. (iv) We also compare previous simulation results with fresh data on galaxy concentration. Finally, (v) we outline numerical difficulties at high k . This motivates a second related paper [1], where such problems are treated in a quantitative way.

  14. Temporal correlation functions of concentration fluctuations: an anomalous case.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lubelski, Ariel; Klafter, Joseph

    2008-10-09

    We calculate, within the framework of the continuous time random walk (CTRW) model, multiparticle temporal correlation functions of concentration fluctuations (CCF) in systems that display anomalous subdiffusion. The subdiffusion stems from the nonstationary nature of the CTRW waiting times, which also lead to aging and ergodicity breaking. Due to aging, a system of diffusing particles tends to slow down as time progresses, and therefore, the temporal correlation functions strongly depend on the initial time of measurement. As a consequence, time averages of the CCF differ from ensemble averages, displaying therefore ergodicity breaking. We provide a simple example that demonstrates the difference between these two averages, a difference that might be amenable to experimental tests. We focus on the case of ensemble averaging and assume that the preparation time of the system coincides with the starting time of the measurement. Our analytical calculations are supported by computer simulations based on the CTRW model.

  15. Concentration Polarization in Translocation of DNA through Nanopores and Nanochannels

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Das, S.; Dubsky, P.; van den Berg, Albert; Eijkel, Jan C.T.

    2012-01-01

    In this Letter we provide a theory to show that high-field electrokinetic translocation of DNA through nanopores or nanochannels causes large transient variations of the ionic concentrations in front and at the back of the DNA due to concentration polarization (CP). The CP causes strong local

  16. Multiple-Input Subject-Specific Modeling of Plasma Glucose Concentration for Feedforward Control.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kotz, Kaylee; Cinar, Ali; Mei, Yong; Roggendorf, Amy; Littlejohn, Elizabeth; Quinn, Laurie; Rollins, Derrick K

    2014-11-26

    The ability to accurately develop subject-specific, input causation models, for blood glucose concentration (BGC) for large input sets can have a significant impact on tightening control for insulin dependent diabetes. More specifically, for Type 1 diabetics (T1Ds), it can lead to an effective artificial pancreas (i.e., an automatic control system that delivers exogenous insulin) under extreme changes in critical disturbances. These disturbances include food consumption, activity variations, and physiological stress changes. Thus, this paper presents a free-living, outpatient, multiple-input, modeling method for BGC with strong causation attributes that is stable and guards against overfitting to provide an effective modeling approach for feedforward control (FFC). This approach is a Wiener block-oriented methodology, which has unique attributes for meeting critical requirements for effective, long-term, FFC.

  17. Heavy quark potential in a static and strong homogeneous magnetic field

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hasan, Mujeeb; Chatterjee, Bhaswar; Patra, Binoy Krishna [Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Department of Physics, Roorkee (India)

    2017-11-15

    We have investigated the properties of quarkonia in a thermal QCD medium in the background of strong magnetic field. For that purpose, we employ the Schwinger proper-time quark propagator in the lowest Landau level to calculate the one-loop gluon self-energy, which in the sequel gives the effective gluon propagator. As an artifact of strong magnetic field approximation (eB >> T{sup 2} and eB >> m{sup 2}), the Debye mass for massless flavors is found to depend only on the magnetic field which is the dominant scale in comparison to the scales prevalent in the thermal medium. However, for physical quark masses, it depends on both magnetic field and temperature in a low temperature and high magnetic field but the temperature dependence is very meager and becomes independent of the temperature beyond a certain temperature and magnetic field. With the above mentioned ingredients, the potential between heavy quark (Q) and anti-quark (anti Q) is obtained in a hot QCD medium in the presence of a strong magnetic field by correcting both short- and long-range components of the potential in the real-time formalism. It is found that the long-range part of the quarkonium potential is affected much more by magnetic field as compared to the short-range part. This observation facilitates us to estimate the magnetic field beyond which the potential will be too weak to bind Q anti Q together. For example, the J/ψ is dissociated at eB ∝ 10 m{sub π}{sup 2} and Υ is dissociated at eB ∝ 100 m{sub π}{sup 2} whereas its excited states, ψ{sup '} and Υ{sup '} are dissociated at smaller magnetic field eB = m{sub π}{sup 2}, 13 m{sub π}{sup 2}, respectively. (orig.)

  18. Universal linear-temperature resistivity: possible quantum diffusion transport in strongly correlated superconductors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hu, Tao; Liu, Yinshang; Xiao, Hong; Mu, Gang; Yang, Yi-Feng

    2017-08-25

    The strongly correlated electron fluids in high temperature cuprate superconductors demonstrate an anomalous linear temperature (T) dependent resistivity behavior, which persists to a wide temperature range without exhibiting saturation. As cooling down, those electron fluids lose the resistivity and condense into the superfluid. However, the origin of the linear-T resistivity behavior and its relationship to the strongly correlated superconductivity remain a mystery. Here we report a universal relation [Formula: see text], which bridges the slope of the linear-T-dependent resistivity (dρ/dT) to the London penetration depth λ L at zero temperature among cuprate superconductor Bi 2 Sr 2 CaCu 2 O 8+δ and heavy fermion superconductors CeCoIn 5 , where μ 0 is vacuum permeability, k B is the Boltzmann constant and ħ is the reduced Planck constant. We extend this scaling relation to different systems and found that it holds for other cuprate, pnictide and heavy fermion superconductors as well, regardless of the significant differences in the strength of electronic correlations, transport directions, and doping levels. Our analysis suggests that the scaling relation in strongly correlated superconductors could be described as a hydrodynamic diffusive transport, with the diffusion coefficient (D) approaching the quantum limit D ~ ħ/m*, where m* is the quasi-particle effective mass.

  19. Strong composition dependence of adhesive properties of ultraviolet curing adhesives with modified acrylates

    Science.gov (United States)

    Feng, Yefeng; Li, Yandong; Wang, Fupeng; Peng, Cheng; Xu, Zhichao; Hu, Jianbing

    2018-05-01

    Ultraviolet (UV) curable adhesives have been widely researched in fields of health care and electronic components. UV curing systems with modified acrylic ester prepolymers have been frequently employed. In order to clarify composition dependence of adhesive properties of adhesives containing modified acrylates, in this work, several UV curing adhesives bearing urethane and epoxy acrylates were designed and fabricated. The effects of prepolymer, diluent, feed ratio, initiator and assistant on adhesive performances were investigated. This work might offer a facile route to gain promising high-performance UV curable adhesives with desired adhesive traits through regulating their compositions.

  20. Scale dependence of deuteron electrodisintegration

    Science.gov (United States)

    More, S. N.; Bogner, S. K.; Furnstahl, R. J.

    2017-11-01

    Background: Isolating nuclear structure properties from knock-out reactions in a process-independent manner requires a controlled factorization, which is always to some degree scale and scheme dependent. Understanding this dependence is important for robust extractions from experiment, to correctly use the structure information in other processes, and to understand the impact of approximations for both. Purpose: We seek insight into scale dependence by exploring a model calculation of deuteron electrodisintegration, which provides a simple and clean theoretical laboratory. Methods: By considering various kinematic regions of the longitudinal structure function, we can examine how the components—the initial deuteron wave function, the current operator, and the final-state interactions (FSIs)—combine at different scales. We use the similarity renormalization group to evolve each component. Results: When evolved to different resolutions, the ingredients are all modified, but how they combine depends strongly on the kinematic region. In some regions, for example, the FSIs are largely unaffected by evolution, while elsewhere FSIs are greatly reduced. For certain kinematics, the impulse approximation at a high renormalization group resolution gives an intuitive picture in terms of a one-body current breaking up a short-range correlated neutron-proton pair, although FSIs distort this simple picture. With evolution to low resolution, however, the cross section is unchanged but a very different and arguably simpler intuitive picture emerges, with the evolved current efficiently represented at low momentum through derivative expansions or low-rank singular value decompositions. Conclusions: The underlying physics of deuteron electrodisintegration is scale dependent and not just kinematics dependent. As a result, intuition about physics such as the role of short-range correlations or D -state mixing in particular kinematic regimes can be strongly scale dependent