A polyconvex transversely-isotropic invariant-based formulation for electro-mechanics: stability, minimisers and computational implementation

The fabrication of evermore sophisticated miniaturised soft robotic components made up of Electro-Active Polymers (EAPs) is constantly demanding parallel development from the in-silico simulation point of view. The incorporation of crystallographic anisotropic micro-architectures, within an otherwise nearly uniform isotropic soft polymer matrix, has shown great potential in terms of advanced three-dimensional actuation (i.e. stretching, bending, twisting), especially at large strains, that is, beyond the onset of geometrical pull-in instabilities. To accommodate for this in-silico response, this paper presents a phenomenological invariant-based polyconvex transversely isotropic framework for the simulation of EAPs at large strains. This research expands previous work developed by Gil and Ortigosa for isotropic EAPs with the help of the pioneering work by Schr\"{o}eder and Neff in the context of polyconvexity for materials endowed with crystallographic architectures in single physics mechanics. The paper also summarises key important results both in terms of the existence of minimisers and material stability. In addition, a series of numerical examples is presented in order to demonstrate the effect that the anisotropic orientation and the contrast of material properties, as well as the level of deformation and electric field, have upon the response of the EAP when subjected to large three-dimensional stretching, bending and torsion, including the possible development of wrinkling

Early Neoproterozoic limestones from the Gwna Group, Anglesey

Limestone megaclasts up to hundreds of metres in size are present within the Gwna Group mélange, North Wales, UK. The mélange has been interpreted as part of a Peri-Gondwanan fore-arc accretionary complex although the age of deposition remains contentious, proposals ranging from Neoproterozoic to Early Ordovician. This paper uses strontium isotope chemostratigraphy to establish the age of the limestone blocks and thus provide a maximum age constraint on mélange formation. Results show that, although the carbonates are locally dolomitized, primary 87Sr/86Sr ratios can be identified and indicate deposition sometime between the late Tonian and earliest Cryogenian. This age is older than that suggested by stromatolites within the limestone and indicates that the limestone did not form as cap carbonate deposits

Mass of the active galactic nucleus black hole XMMUJ134736.6+173403

A recent study of the X-ray source XMMUJ134736.6+173403 has revealed a strong quasi-periodic modulation of the X-ray flux. The observation of two quasiperiodic oscillations (QPOs) that occur on a daily timescale and exhibit a 3:1 frequency ratio strongly supports the evidence for the presence of an active galactic nucleus black hole (AGN BH). Assuming the orbital origin of QPOs we calculate the upper and lower limit on AGN BH mass M arriving at $M\approx 10^7-10^9M_{\odot}$. Comparing that to mass estimates of other sources, MMUJ134736.6+173403 appears to be the most massive source with commensurable QPO frequencies, and its mass represents the current observational upper limit on AGN BH mass based on QPO observations. We note it will be crucial for the falsification of particular resonance models of QPOs whether only single QPO with frequency that completes the harmonic sequence 3:2:1 is found in this source, or whether there is a new different pair of QPOs with frequencies in the 3:2 ratio. The former case would agree with the prediction of the 3:2 epicyclic resonance model and black hole mass $M\approx(5a^2 + 8a + 8)\times 10^{7}M_{\odot}$, where a is a dimensionless BH spin.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures, 1 table, accepted for publication in A&A Letters, minor corrections to the text to match published versio

Internal resonance in non-linear disk oscillations and the amplitude evolution of neutron star kilohertz QPOs

We explore some properties of twin kilohertz quasiperiodic oscillations (QPOs) in a simple toy-model consisting of two oscillation modes coupled by a general nonlinear force. We examine resonant effects by slowly varying the values of the tunable, and nearly commensurable, eigenfrequencies. The behavior of the actual oscillation frequencies and amplitudes during a slow transition through the 3:2 resonance is examined in detail and it is shown that both are significantly affected by the nonlinearities in the governing equations. In particular, the amplitudes of oscillations reflect a resonant exchange of energy between the modes, as a result the initially weaker mode may become dominant after the transition. We note that a qualitatively similar behavior has been recently reported in several neutron star sources by Torok (2008, arXiv:0812.4751), who found that the difference of amplitudes in neutron star twin peak QPOs changes sign as the observed frequency ratio of the QPOs passes through the value 3:2.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures, accepted by A&

Production and characterization of micro-size pores for ion track etching applications

For many years the applications of ion track etch materials have increased considerably, like charged particles detection, molecular identification with nanopores, ion track filters, magnetic studies with nanowires and so on. Over the materials generally used as track detector, the Poly-Allyl-Diglycol Carbonate (PADC), offers many advantages, like its nearly 100 % detection efficiency for charged particle, a high resistance to harsh environment, the lowest detection threshold, a high abrasion resistance and a low production costs. All of these properties have made it particularly attractive material, even if due to its brittleness, obtaining a thin film (less than 500 μm) is still a challenge. In this work, PADC foils have been exposed to a-particles emitted by a thin radioactive source of 241Am and to C ions from the Tandetron 4130 MC accelerator. The latent tracks generated in the polymer have been developed using a standard etching procedure in 6.25 NaOH solution. The dependence of the ion tracks' geometry on the ion beam energy and fluence has been evaluated combining the information obtained through a semiautomatic computer script that selects the etched ion tracks according to their diameter and mean grey value and nanometric resolution images by atomic force microscopy

Instrumentation for study of nanomaterials in NPI REZ (New laboratory for material study in Nuclear Physics Institute in REZ)

Nano-sized materials become irreplaceable component of a number of devices for every aspect of human life. The development of new materials and deepening of the current knowledge require a set of specialized techniques-deposition methods for preparation/modification of the materials and analytical tools for proper understanding of their properties. A thoroughly equipped research centers become the requirement for the advance and development not only in nano-sized field. The Center of Accelerators and Nuclear Analytical Methods (CANAM) in the Nuclear Physics Institute (NPI) comprises a unique set of techniques for the synthesis or modification of nanostructured materials and systems, and their characterization using ion beam, neutron beam and microscopy imaging techniques. The methods are used for investigation of a broad range of nano-sized materials and structures based on metal oxides, nitrides, carbides, carbon-based materials (polymers, fullerenes, graphenes, etc.) and nano-laminate composites (MAX phases). These materials can be prepared at NPI using ion beam sputtering, physical vapor deposition and molecular beam epitaxy. Based on the deposition method and parameters, the samples can be tuned to possess specific properties, e.g., composition, thickness (nm-μm), surface roughness, optical and electrical properties, etc. Various nuclear analytical methods are applied for the sample characterization. RBS, RBS-channeling, PIXE, PIGE, micro-beam analyses and Transmission Spectroscopy are accomplished at the Tandetron 4130MC accelerator, and additionally the Neutron Depth Profiling (NDP) and Prompt Gamma Neutron Activation (PGNA) analyses are performed at an external neutron beam from the LVR-15 research reactor. The multimode AFM facility provides further surface related information, magnetic/electrical properties with nano-metric precision, nano-indentation, etc

Evolutionary and geographical history of the Leishmania donovani complex with a revision of current taxonomy.

Leishmaniasis is a geographically widespread severe disease, with an increasing incidence of two million cases per year and 350 million people from 88 countries at risk. The causative agents are species of Leishmania, a protozoan flagellate. Visceral leishmaniasis, the most severe form of the disease, lethal if untreated, is caused by species of the Leishmania donovani complex. These species are morphologically indistinguishable but have been identified by molecular methods, predominantly multilocus enzyme electrophoresis. We have conducted a multifactorial genetic analysis that includes DNA sequences of protein-coding genes as well as noncoding segments, microsatellites, restriction-fragment length polymorphisms, and randomly amplified polymorphic DNAs, for a total of approximately 18,000 characters for each of 25 geographically representative strains. Genotype is strongly correlated with geographical (continental) origin, but not with current taxonomy or clinical outcome. We propose a new taxonomy, in which Leishmania infantum and L. donovani are the only recognized species of the L. donovani complex, and we present an evolutionary hypothesis for the origin and dispersal of the species. The genus Leishmania may have originated in South America, but diversified after migration into Asia. L. donovani and L. infantum diverged approximately 1 Mya, with further divergence of infraspecific genetic groups between 0.4 and 0.8 Mya. The prevailing mode of reproduction is clonal, but there is evidence of genetic exchange between strains, particularly in Africa

Quasiperiodic oscillations in a strong gravitational field around neutron stars testing braneworld models

The strong gravitational field of neutron stars in the brany universe could be described by spherically symmetric solutions with a metric in the exterior to the brany stars being of the Reissner-Nordstrom type containing a brany tidal charge representing the tidal effect of the bulk spacetime onto the star structure. We investigate the role of the tidal charge in orbital models of high-frequency quasiperiodic oscillations (QPOs) observed in neutron star binary systems. We focus on the relativistic precession model. We give the radial profiles of frequencies of the Keplerian (vertical) and radial epicyclic oscillations. We show how the standard relativistic precession model modified by the tidal charge fits the observational data, giving estimates of the allowed values of the tidal charge and the brane tension based on the processes going in the vicinity of neutron stars. We compare the strong field regime restrictions with those given in the weak-field limit of solar system experiments.Comment: 26 pages, 6 figure

Functionalized porous silica&maghemite core-shell nanoparticles for applications in medicine: design, synthesis, and immunotoxicity

Aim To determine cytotoxicity and effect of silica-coated magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) on immune response, in particular lymphocyte proliferative activity, phagocytic activity, and leukocyte respiratory burst and in vitro production of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and 8 (IL-8), interferon-gamma (IFN-γ), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), and granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF). Methods Maghemite was prepared by coprecipitation of iron salts with ammonia, oxidation with NaOCl and modified by tetramethyl orthosilicate and aminosilanes. Particles were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS), Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Cytotoxicity and lymphocyte proliferative activity were assessed using [3H]-thymidine incorporation into DNA of proliferating human peripheral blood cells. Phagocytic activity and leukocyte respiratory burst were measured by flow cytometry; cytokine levels in cell supernatants were determined by ELISA. Results γ-Fe2O3&SiO2-NH2 MNPs were 13 nm in size. According to TEM, they were localized in the cell cytoplasm and extracellular space. Neither cytotoxic effect nor significant differences in T-lymphocyte and T-dependent Bcell proliferative response were found at particle concentrations 0.12-75 μg/cm2 after 24, 48, and 72 h incubation. Significantly increased production of IL-6 and 8, and GMCSF cytokines was observed in the cells treated with 3, 15, and 75 μg of particles/cm2 for 48 h and stimulated with pokeweed mitogen (PHA). No significant changes in TNF-α and IFN-γ production were observed. MNPs did not affect phagocytic activity of monocytes and granulocytes when added to cells for 24 and 48 h. Phagocytic respiratory burst was significantly enhanced in the cultures exposed to 75 μg MNPs/cm2 for 48 h. Conclusions The cytotoxicity and in vitro immunotoxicity were found to be minimal in the newly developed porous core-shell γ-Fe2O3&SiO2-NH2 magnetic nanoparticles