2,994 research outputs found
Novel disordering mechanism in ferromagnetic systems with competing interactions
Ferromagnetic Ising systems with competing interactions are considered in the
presence of a random field. We find that in three space dimensions the
ferromagnetic phase is disordered by a random field which is considerably
smaller than the typical interaction strength between the spins. This is the
result of a novel disordering mechanism triggered by an underlying spin-glass
phase. Calculations for the specific case of the long-range dipolar
LiHo_xY_{1-x}F_4 compound suggest that the above mechanism is responsible for
the peculiar dependence of the critical temperature on the strength of the
random field and the broadening of the susceptibility peaks as temperature is
decreased, as found in recent experiments by Silevitch et al. [Nature (London)
448, 567 (2007)]. Our results thus emphasize the need to go beyond the standard
Imry-Ma argument when studying general random-field systems.Comment: 4+2 pages, 3 figure
Gravitational waves from three-dimensional core-collapse supernova models: The impact of moderate progenitor rotation
We present predictions for the gravitational-wave (GW) emission of
three-dimensional supernova (SN) simulations performed for a 15 solar-mass
progenitor with the Prometheus-Vertex code using energy-dependent, three-flavor
neutrino transport. The progenitor adopted from stellar evolution calculations
including magnetic fields had a fairly low specific angular momentum (j_Fe <~
10^{15} cm^2/s) in the iron core (central angular velocity ~0.2 rad/s), which
we compared to simulations without rotation and with artificially enhanced
rotation (j_Fe <~ 2*10^{16} cm^2/s; central angular velocity ~0.5 rad/s). Our
results confirm that the time-domain GW signals of SNe are stochastic, but
possess deterministic components with characteristic patterns at low
frequencies (<~200 Hz), caused by mass motions due to the standing accretion
shock instability (SASI), and at high frequencies, associated with gravity-mode
oscillations in the surface layer of the proto-neutron star (PNS). Non-radial
mass motions in the post-shock layer as well as PNS convection are important
triggers of GW emission, whose amplitude scales with the power of the
hydrodynamic flows. There is no monotonic increase of the GW amplitude with
rotation, but a clear correlation with the strength of SASI activity. Our
slowly rotating model is a fainter GW emitter than the non-rotating model
because of weaker SASI activity and damped convection in the post-shock layer
and PNS. In contrast, the faster rotating model exhibits a powerful SASI spiral
mode during its transition to explosion, producing the highest GW amplitudes
with a distinctive drift of the low-frequency emission peak from ~80-100 Hz to
~40-50 Hz. This migration signifies shock expansion, whereas non-exploding
models are discriminated by the opposite trend.Comment: Added new figure, figure 9. Updated figure 9, now figure 10. Modified
the discussion of the proto-neutron star convection. Added a figure showing
the average rotation rate as a function of radius. Added a section discussing
where the low-frequency gravitational waves are generated, this information
is visualized in figure 9. We also made some minor changes to the text and
selected plot
Evaluation of the therapeutic potential of ant-TLR4-antibody MTS510 in experimental stroke and significa of different routes of application
Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are central sensors for the inflammatory response in ischemia-reperfusion injury. We therefore investigated whether TLR4 inhibition could be used to treat stroke in a standard model of focal cerebral ischemia. Anti-TLR4/MD2-antibody (mAb clone MTS510) blocked TLR4-induced cell activation in vitro, as reported previously. Here, different routes of MTS510 application in vivo were used to study the effects on stroke outcome up to 2d after occlusion of the middle cerebral artery (MCAO) for 45 min in adult male C57Bl/6 wild-type mice. Improved neurological performance, reduced infarct volumes, and reduced brain swelling showed that intravascular application of MTS510 had a protective effect in the model of 45 min MCAO. Evaluation of potential long-term adverse effects of anti-TLR4-mAb-treament revealed no significant deleterious effect on infarct volumes nor neurological deficit after 14d of reperfusion in a mild model of stroke (15 min MCAO). Interestingly, inhibition of TLR4 resulted in an altered adaptive immune response at 48 hours after reperfusion. We conclude that blocking TLR4 by the use of specific mAb is a promising strategy for stroke therapy. However, long-term studies with increased functional sensitivity, larger sampling sizes and use of other species are required before a clinical use could be envisaged
The β-blocker Nebivolol Is a GRK/β-arrestin Biased Agonist
Nebivolol, a third generation β-adrenoceptor (β-AR) antagonist (β-blocker), causes vasodilation by inducing nitric oxide (NO) production. The mechanism via which nebivolol induces NO production remains unknown, resulting in the genesis of much of the controversy regarding the pharmacological action of nebivolol. Carvedilol is another β-blocker that induces NO production. A prominent pharmacological mechanism of carvedilol is biased agonism that is independent of Gαs and involves G protein-coupled receptor kinase (GRK)/β-arrestin signaling with downstream activation of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK). Due to the pharmacological similarities between nebivolol and carvedilol, we hypothesized that nebivolol is also a GRK/β-arrestin biased agonist. We tested this hypothesis utilizing mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) that solely express β2-ARs, and HL-1 cardiac myocytes that express β1- and β2-ARs and no detectable β3-ARs. We confirmed previous reports that nebivolol does not significantly alter cAMP levels and thus is not a classical agonist. Moreover, in both cell types, nebivolol induced rapid internalization of β-ARs indicating that nebivolol is also not a classical β-blocker. Furthermore, nebivolol treatment resulted in a time-dependent phosphorylation of ERK that was indistinguishable from carvedilol and similar in duration, but not amplitude, to isoproterenol. Nebivolol-mediated phosphorylation of ERK was sensitive to propranolol (non-selective β-AR-blocker), AG1478 (EGFR inhibitor), indicating that the signaling emanates from β-ARs and involves the EGFR. Furthermore, in MEFs, nebivolol-mediated phosphorylation of ERK was sensitive to pharmacological inhibition of GRK2 as well as siRNA knockdown of β-arrestin 1/2. Additionally, nebivolol induced redistribution of β-arrestin 2 from a diffuse staining pattern into more intense punctate spots. We conclude that nebivolol is a β2-AR, and likely β1-AR, GRK/β-arrestin biased agonist, which suggests that some of the unique clinically beneficial effects of nebivolol may be due to biased agonism at β1- and/or β2-ARs. © 2013 Erickson et al
Shape adaptation of beams (1D) and plates (2D) to maximise eigenfrequencies
Finding the optimal structural design to avoid resonance has been a goal for decades. While recent applied methods often result in using additional active systems or higher mass, structural adaptation enables to shift eigenfrequencies without adding weight. The aim of this study is to investigate the influence of the structural adaptation of a beam and a plate on its eigenfrequency change, while varying the height of the structural pre-deformation according to its mode shapes. Besides the maximisation of single eigenfrequencies, also the simultaneous increase of multiple eigenfrequencies is analysed. It is possible to almost exclusively raise the frequency of the targeted i-th mode shape (i = 1–5) of a beam, while the increase of the i-th plate mode shape frequency (i = 1–4) simultaneously alters other eigenfrequencies. Both the eigenfrequencies and specific mode shape frequencies are able to be significantly increased. In conclusion, the investigated, easy applicable method allows a strong eigenfrequency raise of axially constrained 1D and 2D structures by performing only small structural deformations without adding additional weight
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