289 research outputs found
Spin Chirality in a Molecular Dysprosium Triangle: the Archetype of the Non-Collinear Ising Model
Single crystal magnetic studies combined with a theoretical analysis show
that cancellation of the magnetic moments in the trinuclear Dy3+ cluster
[Dy3(OH)2L3Cl(H2O)5]Cl3, resulting in a non-magnetic ground doublet, originates
from the non-collinearity of the single ion easy axes of magnetization of the
Dy3+ ions that lie in the plane of the triangle at 120 (deg.) one from each
other. This gives rise to a peculiar chiral nature of the ground non-magnetic
doublet and to slow relaxation of the magnetization with abrupt accelerations
at the crossings of the discrete energy levels.Comment: 4 pages and 5 figure
Spin canting in a Dy-based Single-Chain Magnet with dominant next-nearest neighbor antiferromagnetic interactions
We investigate theoretically and experimentally the static magnetic
properties of single crystals of the molecular-based Single-Chain Magnet (SCM)
of formula [Dy(hfac)NIT(CHOPh)] comprising
alternating Dy and organic radicals. A peculiar inversion between maxima
and minima in the angular dependence of the magnetic molar susceptibility
occurs on increasing temperature. Using information regarding the
monomeric building block as well as an {\it ab initio} estimation of the
magnetic anisotropy of the Dy ion, this anisotropy-inversion phenomenon
can be assigned to weak one-dimensional ferromagnetism along the chain axis.
This indicates that antiferromagnetic next-nearest-neighbor interactions
between Dy ions dominate, despite the large Dy-Dy separation, over the
nearest-neighbor interactions between the radicals and the Dy ions.
Measurements of the field dependence of the magnetization, both along and
perpendicularly to the chain, and of the angular dependence of in a
strong magnetic field confirm such an interpretation. Transfer matrix
simulations of the experimental measurements are performed using a classical
one-dimensional spin model with antiferromagnetic Heisenberg exchange
interaction and non-collinear uniaxial single-ion anisotropies favoring a
canted antiferromagnetic spin arrangement, with a net magnetic moment along the
chain axis. The fine agreement obtained with experimental data provides
estimates of the Hamiltonian parameters, essential for further study of the
dynamics of rare-earths based molecular chains.Comment: 11 pages, 8 figure
Geodesics in the space of measure-preserving maps and plans
We study Brenier's variational models for incompressible Euler equations.
These models give rise to a relaxation of the Arnold distance in the space of
measure-preserving maps and, more generally, measure-preserving plans. We
analyze the properties of the relaxed distance, we show a close link between
the Lagrangian and the Eulerian model, and we derive necessary and sufficient
optimality conditions for minimizers. These conditions take into account a
modified Lagrangian induced by the pressure field. Moreover, adapting some
ideas of Shnirelman, we show that, even for non-deterministic final conditions,
generalized flows can be approximated in energy by flows associated to
measure-preserving maps
Testing data types implementations from algebraic specifications
Algebraic specifications of data types provide a natural basis for testing
data types implementations. In this framework, the conformance relation is
based on the satisfaction of axioms. This makes it possible to formally state
the fundamental concepts of testing: exhaustive test set, testability
hypotheses, oracle. Various criteria for selecting finite test sets have been
proposed. They depend on the form of the axioms, and on the possibilities of
observation of the implementation under test. This last point is related to the
well-known oracle problem. As the main interest of algebraic specifications is
data type abstraction, testing a concrete implementation raises the issue of
the gap between the abstract description and the concrete representation. The
observational semantics of algebraic specifications bring solutions on the
basis of the so-called observable contexts. After a description of testing
methods based on algebraic specifications, the chapter gives a brief
presentation of some tools and case studies, and presents some applications to
other formal methods involving datatypes
Diamond Mirrors for High-Power Lasers
High-power lasers have numerous scientific and industrial applications. Some
key areas include laser cutting and welding in manufacturing, directed energy
in fusion reactors or defense applications, laser surgery in medicine, and
advanced photolithography in the semiconductor industry. These applications
require optical components, in particular mirrors, that withstand high optical
powers for directing light from the laser to the target. Ordinarily, mirrors
are comprised of multilayer coatings of different refractive index and
thickness. At high powers, imperfections in these layers lead to absorption of
light, resulting in thermal stress and permanent damage to the mirror. Here we
design, simulate, fabricate, and demonstrate monolithic and highly reflective
dielectric mirrors which operate under high laser powers without damage. The
mirrors are realized by etching nanostructures into the surface of
single-crystal diamond, a material with exceptional optical and thermal
properties. We measure reflectivities of greater than 98% and demonstrate
damage-free operation using 10 kW of continuous-wave laser light at 1070 nm,
with intensities up to 4.6 MW/cm2. In contrast, at these laser powers, we
observe damage to a standard dielectric mirror based on optical coatings. Our
results initiate a new category of broadband optics that operate in extreme
conditions
Comparative Assessment of Climate Change Scenarios Based on Aquatic Food Web Modeling
In the years 2004 and 2005, we collected samples of phytoplankton, zooplankton, and macroinvertebrates in an artificial small pond in Budapest (Hungary). We set up a simulation model predicting the abundances of the cyclopoids, Eudiaptomus zachariasi, and Ischnura pumilio by considering only temperature and the abundance of population of the previous day. Phytoplankton abundance was simulated by considering not only temperature but the abundances of the three mentioned groups. When we ran the model with the data series of internationally accepted climate change scenarios, the different outcomes were discussed. Comparative assessment of the alternative climate change scenarios was also carried out with statistical methods
Analysis of MEFV exon methylation and expression patterns in familial Mediterranean fever
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>MEFV mutations and decreased expression level of the gene are related to FMF pathology. DNA methylation at CpG islands is a well-known mechanism for transcriptional silencing. MEFV has a CpG island, spanning a part of the first intron and the whole of the second exon of the gene covering 998 bp region. Here, we tested the hypothesis that the MEFV transcript level in FMF patients correlates with its methylation level, and methylation, by allowing transcription silencing, has a role in FMF ethiopathogenesis.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The study group was composed of pediatric FMF patients (N = 51) and age-gender matched healthy controls (N = 21). The relative expression level of MEFV was assessed via quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and bisulfite sequencing (BS) was performed to analyse the methylation level quantitatively.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>MEFV expression in FMF patients were decreased compared to healthy controls (<it>P </it>= 0.031). Methylation level of exon 2 of MEFV was found to be slightly higher in FMF patients compared to healthy controls (76% versus 74%) (<it>P </it>= 0.049). The expression level of the MEFV was negatively correlated with the methylation level of the CpG island in both FMF and healthy controls groups (cor = -0.29, <it>P </it>= 0.041) but more so in the FMF only group (cor = -0.36, <it>P </it>= 0.035).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>In this study, the relation between reduced MEFV expression level and FMF was confirmed. Observed slight increase in methylation in FMF patients, and correlation of methylation with expression might be indicative of its role in FMF, however a larger dataset is needed to confirm our preliminary findings.</p
Cyanomethylene-bis(phosphonate)-Based Lanthanide Complexes: Structural, Photophysical, and Magnetic Investigations
10 pagesInternational audienceThe syntheses, structural investigations, magnetic and photophysical properties of a series of 10 lanthanide mononuclear complexes, containing the heteroditopic ligand cyanomethylene-bis(5,5-dimethyl-2-oxo-1,3,2λ5-dioxa-phosphorinane) (L), are described. The crystallographic analyses indicate two structural types: in the first one, [LnIII(L)3(H2O)2]*H2O (Ln = La, Pr, Nd), the metal ions are eight-coordinated within a square antiprism geometry, while the second one, [LnIII(L)3(H2O)]*8H2O (Ln = Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er), contains seven-coordinated LnIII ions within distorted monocapped trigonal prisms...
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