328 research outputs found
First-Principles Studies of Hydrogenated Si(111)--77
The relaxed geometries and electronic properties of the hydrogenated phases
of the Si(111)-77 surface are studied using first-principles molecular
dynamics. A monohydride phase, with one H per dangling bond adsorbed on the
bare surface is found to be energetically favorable. Another phase where 43
hydrogens saturate the dangling bonds created by the removal of the adatoms
from the clean surface is found to be nearly equivalent energetically.
Experimental STM and differential reflectance characteristics of the
hydrogenated surfaces agree well with the calculated features.Comment: REVTEX manuscript with 3 postscript figures, all included in uu file.
Also available at http://www.phy.ohiou.edu/~ulloa/ulloa.htm
Sleep in wildland firefighters: what do we know and why does it matter?
Wildland firefighters perform physical work while being subjected to multiple stressors and adverse, volatile working environments for extended periods. Recent research has highlighted sleep as a significant and potentially modifiable factor impacting operational performance. The aim of this review was to (1) examine the existing literature on firefighters’ sleep quantity and quality during wildland firefighting operations; (2) synthesise the operational and environmental factors that impact on sleep during wildland firefighting; and (3) assess how sleep impacts aspects of firefighters’ health and safety, including mental and physical health, physical task performance, physical activity and cognitive performance. Firefighters’ sleep is restricted during wildfire deployments, particularly when shifts have early start times, are of long duration and when sleeping in temporary accommodation. Shortened sleep impairs cognitive but not physical performance under simulated wildfire conditions. The longer-term impacts of sleep restriction on physiological and mental health require further research. Work shifts should be structured, wherever possible, to provide regular and sufficient recovery opportunities (rest during and sleep between shifts), especially in dangerous working environments where fatigue-related errors have severe consequences. Fire agencies should implement strategies to improve and manage firefighters’ sleep and reduce any adverse impacts on firefighters’ work
Adsorption of benzene on Si(100) from first principles
Adsorption of benzene on the Si(100) surface is studied from first
principles. We find that the most stable configuration is a
tetra--bonded structure characterized by one C-C double bond and four
C-Si bonds. A similar structure, obtained by rotating the benzene molecule by
90 degrees, lies slightly higher in energy. However, rather narrow wells on the
potential energy surface characterize these adsorption configurations. A
benzene molecule impinging on the Si surface is most likely to be adsorbed in
one of three different di--bonded, metastable structures, characterized
by two C-Si bonds, and eventually converts into the lowest-energy
configurations. These results are consistent with recent experiments.Comment: 4 pages, RevTex, 2 PostScript gzipped figure
The role of electronic correlation in the Si(100) reconstruction: a quantum Monte Carlo study
Recent low-temperature scanning tunneling experiments have challenged the
generally accepted picture of buckled silicon dimers as the ground state
reconstruction of the Si(100) surface. Together with the symmetric dimer model
of the surface suggested by quantum chemistry calculations on small clusters,
these findings question our general understanding of electronic correlations at
surfaces and its proper description within density functional theory. We
present quantum Monte Carlo calculations on large cluster models of the
symmetric and buckled surface, and conclude that buckling remains energetically
more favorable even when the present-day best treatment of electronic
correlation is employed.Comment: 5 pages, Revtex, 10 figure
Back-Reaction In Lightcone QED
We consider the back-reaction of quantum electrodynamics upon an electric
field E(x_+) = - A'_-(x_+) which is parallel to x^3 and depends only on the
lightcone coordinate x_+ = (x^0 + x^3)/\sqrt{2}. Novel features are that the
mode functions have simple expressions for arbitrary A_-(x_+), and that one
cannot ignore the usual lightcone ambiguity at zero + momentum. Each mode of
definite canonical momenta k_+ experiences pair creation at the instant when
its kinetic momentum p_+=k_+ - e A_-(x_+) vanishes, at which point operators
from the surface at x_- =-\infty play a crucial role. Our formalism permits a
more explicit and complete derivation of the rate of particle production than
is usually given. We show that the system can be understood as the infinite
boost limit of the analogous problem of an electric field which is homogeneous
on surfaces of constant x^0.Comment: 37 pages, 2 figures, LaTeX 2 epsilo
Blueberry polyphenols increase lifespan and thermotolerance in Caenorhabditis elegans
The beneficial effects of polyphenol compounds in fruits and vegetables are mainly extrapolated from in vitro studies or short-term dietary supplementation studies. Due to cost and duration, relatively little is known about whether dietary polyphenols are beneficial in whole animals, particularly with respect to aging. To address this question, we examined the effects of blueberry polyphenols on lifespan and aging of the nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans, a useful organism for such a study. We report that a complex mixture of blue-berry polyphenols increased lifespan and slowed aging-related declines in C. elegans. We also found that these benefits did not just reflect antioxidant activity in these compounds. For instance, blueberry treatment increased survival during acute heat stress, but was not protective against acute oxidative stress. The blueberry extract consists of three major fractions that all contain antioxidant activity. However, only one fraction, enriched in proanthocyanidin compounds, increased C. elegans lifespan and thermotolerance. To further determine how polyphenols prolonged C. elegans lifespan, we analyzed the genetic requirements for these effects. Prolonged lifespan from this treatment required the presence of a CaMKII pathway that mediates osmotic stress resistance, though not other pathways that affect stress resistance and longevity. In conclusion, polyphenolic compounds in blueberries had robust and reproducible benefits during aging that were separable from antioxidant effects
Density-functional study of hydrogen chemisorption on vicinal Si(001) surfaces
Relaxed atomic geometries and chemisorption energies have been calculated for
the dissociative adsorption of molecular hydrogen on vicinal Si(001) surfaces.
We employ density-functional theory, together with a pseudopotential for Si,
and apply the generalized gradient approximation by Perdew and Wang to the
exchange-correlation functional. We find the double-atomic-height rebonded D_B
step, which is known to be stable on the clean surface, to remain stable on
partially hydrogen-covered surfaces. The H atoms preferentially bind to the Si
atoms at the rebonded step edge, with a chemisorption energy difference with
respect to the terrace sites of >sim 0.1 eV. A surface with rebonded single
atomic height S_A and S_B steps gives very similar results. The interaction
between H-Si-Si-H mono-hydride units is shown to be unimportant for the
calculation of the step-edge hydrogen-occupation. Our results confirm the
interpretation and results of the recent H_2 adsorption experiments on vicinal
Si surfaces by Raschke and Hoefer described in the preceding paper.Comment: 13 pages, 8 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev. B. Other related
publications can be found at http://www.rz-berlin.mpg.de/th/paper.htm
Co-Regulation of the DAF-16 Target Gene, cyp-35B1/dod-13, by HSF-1 in C. elegans Dauer Larvae and daf-2 Insulin Pathway Mutants
Insulin/IGF-I-like signaling (IIS) has both cell autonomous and non-autonomous functions. In some cases, targets through which IIS regulates cell-autonomous functions, such as cell growth and metabolism, have been identified. In contrast, targets for many non-autonomous IIS functions, such as C. elegans dauer morphogenesis, remain elusive. Here, we report the use of genomic and genetic approaches to identify potential non-autonomous targets of C. elegans IIS. First, we used transcriptional microarrays to identify target genes regulated non-autonomously by IIS in the intestine or in neurons. C. elegans IIS controls expression of a number of stress response genes, which were differentially regulated by tissue-restricted IIS. In particular, expression of sod-3, a MnSOD enzyme, was not regulated by tissue-restricted IIS on the microarrays, while expression of hsp-16 genes was rescued back to wildtype by tissue restricted IIS. One IIS target regulated non-autonomously by age-1 was cyp-35B1/dod-13, encoding a cytochrome P450. Genetic analysis of the cyp-35B1 promoter showed both DAF-16 and HSF-1 are direct regulators. Based on these findings, we propose that hsf-1 may participate in the pathways mediating non-autonomous activities of age-1 in C. elegans
Multiple configurations of N-methylpyrrole binding on Si(111)-7×7
The adsorption configurations of N-methylpyrrole on Si(111)-7×7 were investigated using high-resolution electron energy-loss spectroscopy, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), and density function theory calculations. Compared to physisorbed N-methylpyrrole, chemisorbed molecules present a different vibrational feature at 2886 cm-1 attributable to ν[(Si)Csp3-H] in addition to the vibrational features of (sp2)Cα-H (3106 cm-1), (sp2)Cβ-H (3050 cm-1), and C—H of CH3 (2944 cm-1) stretching modes, demonstrating the direct interaction between C=C bonds and Si(111)-7×7. The major change of N 1s XPS spectrum of N-methylpyrrole upon chemisorption strongly suggests the coexistence of two chemisorption states, further confirmed in the strong dependence of STM image features on the sample bias together with statistical analysis. The concurrent occurrence of [4+2] and [2+2] cycloadditions is proposed to account for these two adsorption configurations of N-methylpyrrole on Si(111)-7×
Coherent electron-phonon coupling and polaron-like transport in molecular wires
We present a technique to calculate the transport properties through
one-dimensional models of molecular wires. The calculations include inelastic
electron scattering due to electron-lattice interaction. The coupling between
the electron and the lattice is crucial to determine the transport properties
in one-dimensional systems subject to Peierls transition since it drives the
transition itself. The electron-phonon coupling is treated as a quantum
coherent process, in the sense that no random dephasing due to electron-phonon
interactions is introduced in the scattering wave functions. We show that
charge carrier injection, even in the tunneling regime, induces lattice
distortions localized around the tunneling electron. The transport in the
molecular wire is due to polaron-like propagation. We show typical examples of
the lattice distortions induced by charge injection into the wire. In the
tunneling regime, the electron transmission is strongly enhanced in comparison
with the case of elastic scattering through the undistorted molecular wire. We
also show that although lattice fluctuations modify the electron transmission
through the wire, the modifications are qualitatively different from those
obtained by the quantum electron-phonon inelastic scattering technique. Our
results should hold in principle for other one-dimensional atomic-scale wires
subject to Peierls transitions.Comment: 21 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. B (to
appear march 2001
- …