7,015 research outputs found
Comparing Infrared Dirac-Born-Infeld Brane Inflation to Observations
We compare the Infrared Dirac-Born-Infeld (IR DBI) brane inflation model to
observations using a Bayesian analysis. The current data cannot distinguish it
from the \LambdaCDM model, but is able to give interesting constraints on
various microscopic parameters including the mass of the brane moduli
potential, the fundamental string scale, the charge or warp factor of throats,
and the number of the mobile branes. We quantify some distinctive testable
predictions with stringy signatures, such as the large non-Gaussianity, and the
large, but regional, running of the spectral index. These results illustrate
how we may be able to probe aspects of string theory using cosmological
observations.Comment: 54 pages, 13 figures. v2: non-Gaussianity constraint has been applied
to the model; parameter constraints have tightened significantly, conclusions
unchanged. References added; v3, minor revision, PRD versio
Assessment of Pulmonary Fibrogenic Potential of Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes in Human Lung Cells
Multiwalled carbon nanotubes have been shown to possess unusual fibrogenic activity in vivo and are currently the focus of intense toxicological investigations. This study further determines the fibrogenic potential of well-dispersed MWCNT in human lung cell culture models and to develop a novel platform for understanding the cellular mechanisms of MWCNT-induced lung fibrosis. Survanta, a natural lung surfactant, showed effectiveness in dispersing agglomerates of MWCNT to fine structures similar in size to aerosolized one. At relevant low doses (0.002–0.2 μg/cm2), MWCNT exhibited a dose-dependent bio-effect on the human lung epithelial cells which is more pronounced in dispersed-MWCNT compared to non-dispersed form. Significantly elevated levels of fibrogenic mediators, such as transforming growth factor-β1 and matrix metalloprotienases-9 were observed in the dispersed-MWCNT treated lung epithelial cells. Based on previous in vivo studies showing that dispersed-MWCNT penetrated the interstitium and caused rapid interstitial fibrosis, we evaluated the potential direct interaction between lung fibroblasts and MWCNT. Direct stimulation of human lung fibroblast cell proliferation, collagen expression and fibroblast growth factor-2 were observed which suggests novel mechanisms of MWCNT-induced lung fibrosis. Our results indicate that the dispersion status of MWCNT determines their fibrogenic activity which is consistent with in vivo findings
(Small) Resonant non-Gaussianities: Signatures of a Discrete Shift Symmetry in the Effective Field Theory of Inflation
We apply the Effective Field Theory of Inflation to study the case where the
continuous shift symmetry of the Goldstone boson \pi is softly broken to a
discrete subgroup. This case includes and generalizes recently proposed String
Theory inspired models of Inflation based on Axion Monodromy. The models we
study have the property that the 2-point function oscillates as a function of
the wavenumber, leading to oscillations in the CMB power spectrum. The
non-linear realization of time diffeomorphisms induces some self-interactions
for the Goldstone boson that lead to a peculiar non-Gaussianity whose shape
oscillates as a function of the wavenumber. We find that in the regime of
validity of the effective theory, the oscillatory signal contained in the
n-point correlation functions, with n>2, is smaller than the one contained in
the 2-point function, implying that the signature of oscillations, if ever
detected, will be easier to find first in the 2-point function, and only then
in the higher order correlation functions. Still the signal contained in
higher-order correlation functions, that we study here in generality, could be
detected at a subleading level, providing a very compelling consistency check
for an approximate discrete shift symmetry being realized during inflation.Comment: v2 minor revisions; 39 pages, 5 figure
Inter- and Intragranular Effects in Superconducting Compacted Platinum Powders
Compacted platinum powders exhibit a sharp onset of diamagnetic screening at
mK in zero magnetic field in all samples investigated. This
sharp onset is interpreted in terms of the intragranular transition into the
superconducting state. At lower temperatures, the magnetic ac susceptibility
strongly depends on the ac field amplitude and reflects the small intergranular
critical current density . This critical current density shows a strong
dependence on the packing fraction f of the granular samples. Surprisingly,
increases significantly with decreasing f ( A/cm for f = 0.67 and A/cm for f
= 0.50). The temperature dependence of shows strong positive curvature
over a wide temperature range for both samples. The phase diagrams of inter-
and intragranular superconductivity for different samples indicate that the
granular structure might play the key role for an understanding of the origin
of superconductivity in the platinum compacts.Comment: 11 pages including 9 figures. To appear in Phys. Rev. B in Nov. 0
Comparison of stainless and mild steel welding fumes in generation of reactive oxygen species
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Welding fumes consist of a wide range of complex metal oxide particles which can be deposited in all regions of the respiratory tract. The welding aerosol is not homogeneous and is generated mostly from the electrode/wire. Over 390,000 welders were reported in the U.S. in 2008 while over 1 million full-time welders were working worldwide. Many health effects are presently under investigation from exposure to welding fumes. Welding fume pulmonary effects have been associated with bronchitis, metal fume fever, cancer and functional changes in the lung. Our investigation focused on the generation of free radicals and reactive oxygen species from stainless and mild steel welding fumes generated by a gas metal arc robotic welder. An inhalation exposure chamber located at NIOSH was used to collect the welding fume particles.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Our results show that hydroxyl radicals (<sup>.</sup>OH) were generated from reactions with H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2 </sub>and after exposure to cells. Catalase reduced the generation of <b><sup>.</sup></b>OH from exposed cells indicating the involvement of H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub>. The welding fume suspension also showed the ability to cause lipid peroxidation, effect O<sub>2 </sub>consumption, induce H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2 </sub>generation in cells, and cause DNA damage.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Increase in oxidative damage observed in the cellular exposures correlated well with <b><sup>.</sup></b>OH generation in size and type of welding fumes, indicating the influence of metal type and transition state on radical production as well as associated damage. Our results demonstrate that both types of welding fumes are able to generate ROS and ROS-related damage over a range of particle sizes; however, the stainless steel fumes consistently showed a significantly higher reactivity and radical generation capacity. The chemical composition of the steel had a significant impact on the ROS generation capacity with the stainless steel containing Cr and Ni causing more damage than the mild steel. Our results suggest that welding fumes may cause acute lung injury. Since type of fume generated, particle size, and elapsed time after generation of the welding exposure are significant factors in radical generation and particle deposition these factors should be considered when developing protective strategies.</p
Nanoparticle inhalation augments particle-dependent systemic microvascular dysfunction
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>We have shown that pulmonary exposure to fine particulate matter (PM) impairs endothelium dependent dilation in systemic arterioles. Ultrafine PM has been suggested to be inherently more toxic by virtue of its increased surface area. The purpose of this study was to determine if ultrafine PM (or nanoparticle) inhalation produces greater microvascular dysfunction than fine PM. Rats were exposed to fine or ultrafine TiO<sub>2 </sub>aerosols (primary particle diameters of ~1 μm and ~21 nm, respectively) at concentrations which do not alter bronchoalveolar lavage markers of pulmonary inflammation or lung damage.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>By histopathologic evaluation, no significant inflammatory changes were seen in the lung. However, particle-containing macrophages were frequently seen in intimate contact with the alveolar wall. The spinotrapezius muscle was prepared for in vivo microscopy 24 hours after inhalation exposures. Intraluminal infusion of the Ca<sup>2+ </sup>ionophore A23187 was used to evaluate endothelium-dependent arteriolar dilation. In control rats, A23187 infusion produced dose-dependent arteriolar dilations. In rats exposed to fine TiO<sub>2</sub>, A23187 infusion elicited vasodilations that were blunted in proportion to pulmonary particle deposition. In rats exposed to ultrafine TiO<sub>2</sub>, A23187 infusion produced arteriolar constrictions or significantly impaired vasodilator responses as compared to the responses observed in control rats or those exposed to a similar pulmonary load of fine particles.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These observations suggest that at equivalent pulmonary loads, as compared to fine TiO<sub>2</sub>, ultrafine TiO<sub>2 </sub>inhalation produces greater remote microvascular dysfunction.</p
Non-gaussianity from the bispectrum in general multiple field inflation
We study the non-gaussianity from the bispectrum in multi-field inflation
models with a general kinetic term. The models include the multi-field
K-inflation and the multi-field Dirac-Born-Infeld (DBI) inflation as special
cases. We find that, in general, the sound speeds for the adiabatic and entropy
perturbations are different and they can be smaller than 1. Then the
non-gaussianity can be enhanced. The multi-field DBI-inflation is shown to be a
special case where both sound speeds are the same due to a special form of the
kinetic term. We derive the exact second and third order actions including
metric perturbations. In the small sound speed limit and at leading order in
the slow-roll expansion, we derive the three point function for the curvature
perturbation which depends on both adiabatic and entropy perturbations. The
contribution from the entropy perturbations has a different momentum dependence
if the sound speed for the entropy perturbations is different from the
adiabatic one, which provides a possibility to distinguish the multi-field
models from single field models. On the other hand, in the multi-field DBI
case, the contribution from the entropy perturbations has the same momentum
dependence as the pure adiabatic contributions and it only changes the
amplitude of the three point function. This could help to ease the constraints
on the DBI-inflation models.Comment: 16 pages, no figur
Physical properties of FeSeTe single crystals grown under different conditions
We report on structural, magnetic, conductivity, and thermodynamic studies of
FeSeTe single crystals grown by self-flux and Bridgman methods.
The samples were prepared from starting materials of different purity at
various temperatures and cooling rates. The lowest values of the susceptibility
in the normal state, the highest transition temperature of 14.5 K, and
the largest heat-capacity anomaly at were obtained for pure (oxygen-free)
samples. The critical current density of A/cm (at 2
K) achieved in pure samples is attributed to intrinsic inhomogeneity due to
disorder at the cation and anion sites. The impure samples show increased
up to A/cm due to additional pinning centers of
FeO. The upper critical field of kOe is estimated
from the resistivity study in magnetic fields parallel to the \emph{c}-axis.
The anisotropy of the upper critical field reaches a value at . Extremely low values of the residual Sommerfeld coefficient for pure
samples indicate a high volume fraction of the superconducting phase (up to
97%). The electronic contribution to the specific heat in the superconducting
state is well described within a single-band BCS model with a temperature
dependent gap K. A broad cusp-like anomaly in the electronic
specific heat of samples with suppressed bulk superconductivity is ascribed to
a splitting of the ground state of the interstitial Fe ions. This
contribution is fully suppressed in the ordered state in samples with bulk
superconductivity.Comment: 11 pages, 11 figures, 3 table
Curvaton Dynamics and the Non-Linearity Parameters in Curvaton Model
We investigate the curvaton dynamics and the non-linearity parameters in
curvaton model with potential slightly deviating from the quadratic form in
detail. The non-linearity parameter will show up due to the curvaton
self-interaction. We also point out that the leading order of non-quadratic
term in the curvaton potential can be negative, for example in the axion-type
curvaton model. If a large positive is detected, the axion-type
curvaton model will be preferred.Comment: 14 pages, 4 figures; refs adde
Energetics and atomic mechanisms of dislocation nucleation in strained epitaxial layers
We study numerically the energetics and atomic mechanisms of misfit
dislocation nucleation and stress relaxation in a two-dimensional atomistic
model of strained epitaxial layers on a substrate with lattice misfit.
Relaxation processes from coherent to incoherent states for different
transition paths are studied using interatomic potentials of Lennard-Jones type
and a systematic saddle point and transition path search method. The method is
based on a combination of repulsive potential minimization and the Nudged
Elastic Band method. For a final state with a single misfit dislocation, the
minimum energy path and the corresponding activation barrier are obtained for
different misfits and interatomic potentials. We find that the energy barrier
decreases strongly with misfit. In contrast to continuous elastic theory, a
strong tensile-compressive asymmetry is observed. This asymmetry can be
understood as manifestation of asymmetry between repulsive and attractive
branches of pair potential and it is found to depend sensitively on the form of
the potential.Comment: 11 pages, 9 figures, to appear in Phys. Rev.
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