4,103 research outputs found
Improving the Functional Control of Aged Ferroelectrics using Insights from Atomistic Modelling
We provide a fundamental insight into the microscopic mechanisms of the
ageing processes. Using large scale molecular dynamics simulations of the
prototypical ferroelectric material PbTiO3, we demonstrate that the
experimentally observed ageing phenomena can be reproduced from intrinsic
interactions of defect-dipoles related to dopant-vacancy associates, even in
the absence of extrinsic effects. We show that variation of the dopant
concentration modifies the material's hysteretic response. We identify a
universal method to reduce loss and tune the electromechanical properties of
inexpensive ceramics for efficient technologies.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figure
Hydrodynamic theory of de-wetting
A prototypical problem in the study of wetting phenomena is that of a solid
plunging into or being withdrawn from a liquid bath. In the latter, de-wetting
case, a critical speed exists above which a stationary contact line is no
longer sustainable and a liquid film is being deposited on the solid.
Demonstrating this behavior to be a hydrodynamic instability close to the
contact line, we provide the first theoretical explanation of a classical
prediction due to Derjaguin and Levi: instability occurs when the outer, static
meniscus approaches the shape corresponding to a perfectly wetting fluid
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Use of antibiotics in plant agriculture
Antibiotics are essential for control of bacterial diseases of plants, especially fire blight of pear and apple and bacterial spot of peach. Streptomycin is used in several countries; the use of oxytetracycline, oxolinic acid and gentamicin is limited to only a few countries. Springtime antibiotic sprays suppress pathogen growth on flowers and leaf surfaces before infection; after infection, antibiotics are ineffective. Antibiotics are applied when disease risk is high, and consequently the majority of orchards are not treated annually. In 2009 in the United States, 16,465 kg (active ingredient) was applied to orchards, which is 0.12% of the total antibiotics used in animal agriculture. Antibiotics are active on plants for less than a week, and significant residues have not been found on harvested fruit. Antibiotics have been indispensable for crop protection in the United States for more than 50 years without reports of adverse effects on human health or persistent impacts on the environment.With the kind authorisation of the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) (www.oie.int), OIE Scientific and Technical Review Stockwell V.O. & Duffy B. (2012). Use of antibiotics in plant agriculture. In Antibiotic resistance in animal and public health (G. Moulin & J.F. Acar, eds). Rev. sci. tech. Off. int. Epiz., 31 (1), 199-210.Keywords: Oxolinic acid, Erwinia amylovora, Streptomycin, Burkholderia glumae, Gentamicin, Plant disease control, Xanthomonas arboricola pv. Pruni, Antibiotic residue, Bacterial spot of peach, Oxytetracycline, Fire blight of pear and apple, Bacterial panicle blight of ric
Global attractors for strongly damped wave equations with displacement dependent damping and nonlinear source term of critical exponent
In this paper the long time behaviour of the solutions of 3-D strongly damped
wave equation is studied. It is shown that the semigroup generated by this
equation possesses a global attractor in H_{0}^{1}(\Omega)\times L_{2}(\Omega)
and then it is proved that this global attractor is a bounded subset of
H^{2}(\Omega)\times H^{2}(\Omega) and also a global attractor in
H^{2}(\Omega)\cap H_{0}^{1}(\Omega)\times H_{0}^{1}(\Omega)
Description of Fischer Clusters Formation in Supercooled Liquids Within Framework of Continual Theory of Defects
Liquid is represented as complicated system of disclinations according to
defect description of liquids and glasses. The expressions for the linear
disclination field of an arbitrary form and energy of inter-disclination
interaction are derived in the framework of gauge theory of defects. It allows
us to describe liquid as a disordered system of topological moments and reduce
this model to the Edwards--Anderson model with large-range interaction. Within
the framework of this approach vitrifying is represented as a "hierarchical"
phase transition. The suggested model allows us to explain the process of the
Fischer clusters formation and the slow dynamics in supercooled liquids close
to the liquid--glass transition point
Deformation of a nearly hemispherical conducting drop due to an electric field: theory and experiment
We consider, both theoretically and experimentally, the deformation due to an electric field of a pinned nearly-hemispherical static sessile drop of an ionic fluid with a high conductivity resting on the lower substrate of a parallel plate capacitor. Using both numerical and asymptotic approaches we find solutions to the coupled electrostatic and augmented Young–Laplace equations which agree very well with the experimental results. Our asymptotic solution for the drop interface extends previous work in two ways, namely to drops that have zero-field contact angles that are not exactly π/2 and to higher order in the applied electric field, and provides useful predictive equations for the changes in the height, contact angle and pressure as functions of the zero-field contact angle, drop radius, surface tension and applied electric field. The asymptotic solution requires some numerical computations, and so a surprisingly accurate approximate analytical asymptotic solution is also obtained
Phantom scalar emission in the Kerr black hole spacetime
We study the absorption probability and Hawking radiation spectra of a
phantom scalar field in the Kerr black hole spacetime. We find that the
presence of the negative kinetic energy terms modifies the standard results in
the greybody factor, super-radiance and Hawking radiation. Comparing with the
usual scalar particle, the phantom scalar emission is enhanced in the black
hole spacetime.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figures, a revised version accepted for publication in
CQ
Deformation of the Fermi surface in the extended Hubbard model
The deformation of the Fermi surface induced by Coulomb interactions is
investigated in the t-t'-Hubbard model. The interplay of the local U and
extended V interactions is analyzed. It is found that exchange interactions V
enhance small anisotropies producing deformations of the Fermi surface which
break the point group symmetry of the square lattice at the Van Hove filling.
This Pomeranchuck instability competes with ferromagnetism and is suppressed at
a critical value of U(V). The interaction V renormalizes the t' parameter to
smaller values what favours nesting. It also induces changes on the topology of
the Fermi surface which can go from hole to electron-like what may explain
recent ARPES experiments.Comment: 5 pages, 4 ps figure
Experimental investigation of early-time diffusion in the quantum kicked rotor using a Bose-Einstein condensate
We report the experimental observation of resonances in the early-time
momentum diffusion rates for the atom-optical delta-kicked rotor. In this work
a Bose-Einstein condensate provides a source of ultra-cold atoms with an
ultra-narow initial momentum distribution, which is then subjected to periodic
pulses (or "kicks") using an intense far-detuned optical standing wave. A
quantum resonance occurs when the momentum eigenstates accumulate the same
phase between kicks leading to ballistic energy growth. Conversely, an
anti-resonance is observed when the phase accumulated from successive kicks
cancels and the system returns to its initial state. Our experimental results
are compared with theoretical predictions.Comment: 6 pages, 6 figure
Maintenance treatment of adolescent bipolar disorder: open study of the effectiveness and tolerability of quetiapine
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The purpose of the study was to determine the effectiveness and tolerability of quetiapine as a maintenance treatment preventing against relapse or recurrence of acute mood episodes in adolescent patients diagnosed with bipolar disorder.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Consenting patients meeting DSM-IV lifetime criteria for a bipolar disorder and clinically appropriate for maintenance treatment were enrolled in a 48-week open prospective study. After being acutely stabilized (CGI-S ≤ 3 for 4 consecutive weeks), patients were started or continued on quetiapine and other medications were weaned off over an 8-week period. Quetiapine monotherapy was continued for 40-weeks and other mood stabilizers or antidepressants were added if clinically indicated. A neurocognitive test battery assessing the most reliable findings in adult patients was administered at fixed time points throughout the study to patients and matched controls.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Of the 21 enrolled patients, 18 completed the 48-week study. Thirteen patients were able to be maintained without relapse or recurrence in good quality remission on quetiapine monotherapy, while 5 patients required additional medication to treat impairing residual depressive and/or anxiety symptoms. According to symptom ratings and global functioning scores, the quality of remission for all patients was very good.</p> <p>Neurocognitive test performance over treatment was equivalent to that of a matched control group of never ill adolescents. Quetiapine was generally well tolerated with no serious adverse effects.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This study suggests that a proportion of adolescent patients diagnosed with bipolar disorder can be successfully maintained on quetiapine monotherapy. The good quality of clinical remission and preserved neurocognitive functioning underscores the importance of early diagnosis and effective stabilization.</p> <p>Clinical Trials Registry</p> <p>D1441L00024</p
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