2,376 research outputs found
Direct Measurement of Effective Magnetic Diffusivity in Turbulent Flow of Liquid Sodium
The first direct measurements of effective magnetic diffusivity in turbulent
flow of electro-conductive fluids (the so-called beta-effect) under magnetic
Reynolds number Rm >> 1 are reported. The measurements are performed in a
nonstationary turbulent flow of liquid sodium, generated in a closed toroidal
channel. The peak level of the Reynolds number reached Re \approx 3 10^6, which
corresponds to the magnetic Reynolds number Rm \approx 30. The magnetic
diffusivity of the liquid metal was determined by measuring the phase shift
between the induced and the applied magnetic fields. The maximal deviation of
magnetic diffusivity from its basic (laminar) value reaches about 50% .Comment: 5 pages, 6 figuser, accepted in PR
On the effects of turbulence on a screw dynamo
In an experiment in the Institute of Continuous Media Mechanics in Perm
(Russia) an non--stationary screw dynamo is intended to be realized with a
helical flow of liquid sodium in a torus. The flow is necessarily turbulent,
that is, may be considered as a mean flow and a superimposed turbulence. In
this paper the induction processes of the turbulence are investigated within
the framework of mean--field electrodynamics. They imply of course a part which
leads to an enhanced dissipation of the mean magnetic field. As a consequence
of the helical mean flow there are also helical structures in the turbulence.
They lead to some kind of --effect, which might basically support the
screw dynamo. The peculiarity of this --effect explains measurements
made at a smaller version of the device envisaged for the dynamo experiment.
The helical structures of the turbulence lead also to other effects, which in
combination with a rotational shear are potentially capable of dynamo action. A
part of them can basically support the screw dynamo. Under the conditions of
the experiment all induction effects of the turbulence prove to be rather weak
in comparison to that of the main flow. Numerical solutions of the mean--field
induction equation show that all the induction effects of the turbulence
together let the screw dynamo threshold slightly, at most by one per cent,
rise. The numerical results give also some insights into the action of the
individual induction effects of the turbulence.Comment: 15 pages, 7 figures, in GAFD prin
Influence of density and temperature on the microscopic structure and the segmental relaxation of polybutadiene
We investigate the influence of temperature and density on the local structure and the dynamics of polybutadiene by controlling both hydrostatic pressure and temperature in polarized neutron diffraction experiments on deuterated polybutadiene and in inelastic incoherent scattering experiments on protonated polybutadiene. We observe that the static structure factor S(Q) does not change along macroscopic isochores. This behavior is contrary to the relaxations observed on the nanosecond and picosecond time scales and viewed by the dynamic incoherent scattering law S(Q,omega), which differ strongly along the same thermodynamic path. We conclude that the static behavior, i.e., S(Q), is dominated by macroscopic density changes, similar to the vibrational excitations in the meV range. However, the relaxation dynamics is more sensitive to thermal energy changes. This is confirmed by the finding that lines of identical relaxation behavior (in time, shape, and Q dependence), isochrones on the 10(-9) sec time scale, clearly cross the constant density lines in the (P,T) plane. Concerning S(Q), we can reasonably relate the variation of the main-peak position to the average neighbor chain distance and deduce crude microscopic thermal expansion and compressibility coefficients. In the low-Q regime, the observed pressure and temperature variation of S(Q) exceeds the compressibility contribution and suggests the existence of additional scattering, which might originate from structural correlations arising at higher temperature and low pressure
Comparison of different methods of measuring angle of progression in prediction of labor outcome
Objective: First, to compare the manual sagittal and para-sagittal and automated para-sagittal methods of measuring the angle of progression (AOP) by transperineal ultrasound during labor, and second, to develop models for the prediction of time-to-delivery and need for cesarean section (CS) for failure to progress (FTP) in a population of patients undergoing induction of labor.
Methods: This was a prospective observational study of transperineal ultrasound on a cohort of 512 women with singleton pregnancies undergiong induction of labor. A random selection of 50 stored images was assessed for inter- and intra-observer reliability between methods. In the cases of vaginal delivery univariate linear, multivariate linear and quantile regression were performed to predict time-to-delivery. Univariate and multivariate binomial logistic regression were performed to predict CS for FTP in the first stage of labor.
Results: The intra correlation coefficients (ICC) for the manual para-sagittal method for a single observer was 0.97 (CI 0.95-0.98) and for two observers was 0.96 (CI 0.93-0.98) indicating good reliability. The ICC for the sagittal method for a single observer was 0.93 (0.88-0.96) and for two observers was 0.74 (0.58-0.84) indicating moderate reliabilty for a single observer and poor reliability between two observers. Bland-Altman analysis demonstrated narrower limits of agreement for the manual para-saggittal approach than for the sagittal approach for both single and two observers. The automated para-sagittal method failed to capture an image in 19% of cases. The mean difference between sagittal and para-sagittal methods was 110. In pregnancies resulting in vaginal delivery, 54% of the variation in time-to-delivery was explained in a model combining parity, epidural and syntocinon use during labour and the sonographic findings of fetal head position and AOP. In the prediction of CS for FTP in the first stage of labour a model which combined maternal factors with the sonographic measurements of AOP and estimated fetal weight was superior to one utilising maternal factors alone (area under the curve 0.80 vs 0.76).
Conclusions: First, the method of measuring AOP with greatest reliability is the manual parasagittal technique and future research should focus on this technique, second, over half of the variation in time to vaginal delivery can be explained by a model that combines maternal factors, pregnancy characteristics and ultrasound findings, and third, the ability of AOP to provide clinically useful prediction CS for FTP in the first stage of labour is limited
The mean electromotive force due to turbulence of a conducting fluid in the presence of mean flow
The mean electromotive force caused by turbulence of an electrically
conducting fluid, which plays a central part in mean--field electrodynamics, is
calculated for a rotating fluid. Going beyond most of the investigations on
this topic, an additional mean motion in the rotating frame is taken into
account. One motivation for our investigation originates from a planned
laboratory experiment with a Ponomarenko-like dynamo. In view of this
application the second--order correlation approximation is used. The
investigation is of high interest in astrophysical context, too. Some
contributions to the mean electromotive are revealed which have not been
considered so far, in particular contributions to the --effect and
related effects due to the gradient of the mean velocity. Their relevance for
dynamo processes is discussed. In a forthcoming paper the results reported here
will be specified to the situation in the laboratory and partially compared
with experimental findings.Comment: 16 pages, 2 figures, in PRE pres
Hyperfine interaction and electronic spin fluctuation study on SrLaFeCoO (x = 0, 1, 2) by high-resolution back-scattering neutron spectroscopy
The study of hyperfine interaction by high-resolution inelastic neutron
scattering is not very well known compared to the other competing techniques
viz. NMR, M\"ossbauer, PACS etc. Also the study is limited mostly to
magnetically ordered systems. Here we report such study on
SrLaFeCoO (x = 0, 1, 2) of which first (SrFeCoO with x
= 0) has a canonical spin spin glass, the second (SrLaFeCoO with x = 1) has
a so-called magnetic glass and the third (LaFeCoO with x = 2) has a
magnetically ordered ground state. Our present study revealed clear inelastic
signal for SrLaFeCoO, possibly also inelastic signal for SrFeCoO
below the spin freezing temperatures but no inelastic signal at all
for for the magnetically ordered LaFeCoO in the neutron scattering
spectra. The broadened inelastic signals observed suggest hyperfine field
distribution in the two disordered magnetic glassy systems and no signal for
the third compound suggests no or very small hyperfine field at the Co nucleus
due to Co electronic moment. For the two magnetic glassy system apart from the
hyperfine signal due only to Co, we also observed electronic spin fluctuations
probably from both Fe and Co electronic moments. \end{abstract
Entrainment rates and microphysics in POST stratocumulus
The article of record as published may be located at http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jgrd.50878An aircraft field study (POST; Physics of Stratocumulus Top) was conducted off the
central California coast in July and August 2008 to deal with the known difficulty of
measuring entrainment rates in the radiatively important stratocumulus (Sc) prevalent in that
area. The Center for Interdisciplinary Remotely-Piloted Aircraft Studies Twin Otter
research aircraft flew 15 quasi-Lagrangian flights in unbroken Sc and carried a full
complement of probes including three high-data-rate probes: ultrafast temperature probe,
particulate volume monitor probe, and gust probe. The probes’ colocation near the nose of
the Twin Otter permitted estimation of entrainment fluxes and rates with an in-cloud
resolution of 1m. Results include the following: Application of the conditional sampling
variation of classical mixed layer theory for calculating the entrainment rate into cloud top
for POST flights is shown to be inadequate for most of the Sc. Estimated rates resemble
previous results after theory is modified to take into account both entrainment and
evaporation at cloud top given the strong wind shear and mixing at cloud top. Entrainment
rates show a tendency to decrease for large shear values, and the largest rates are for the
smallest temperature jumps across the inversion. Measurements indirectly suggest that
entrained parcels are primarily cooled by infrared flux divergence rather than cooling from
droplet evaporation, while detrainment at cloud top causes droplet evaporation and cooling
in the entrainment interface layer above cloud top.NSF supported H. Gerber, G. Frick, and S. Malinowski (ATM-0735121, AGS-1020445), D. Khelif (ATM-0734323), and S. Krueger (ATM-0735118). The Office of Naval Research and the Naval Postgraduate School supported in part the deployment of the Twin Otter aircraft
Strongly coupled U(1) lattice gauge theory as a microscopic model of Yukawa theory
Dynamical chiral symmetry breaking in a strongly coupled U(1) lattice gauge
model with charged fermions and scalar is investigated by numerical simulation.
Several composite neutral states are observed, in particular a massive fermion.
In the vicinity of the tricritical point of this model we study the effective
Yukawa coupling between this fermion and the Goldstone boson. The perturbative
triviality bound of Yukawa models is nearly saturated. The theory is quite
similar to strongly coupled Yukawa models for sufficiently large coupling
except the occurrence of an additional state -- a gauge ball of mass about half
the mass of the fermion.Comment: 4 page
Degradation of human kininogens with the release of kinin peptides by extracellular proteinases of Candida spp.
The secretion of proteolytic enzymes by pathogenic microorganisms is one of the most successful strategies used by pathogens to colonize and infect the host organism. The extracellular microbial proteinases can seriously deregulate the homeostatic proteolytic cascades of the host, including the kinin-forming system, repeatedly reported to he activated during bacterial infection. The current study assigns a kinin-releasing activity to secreted proteinases of Candida spp. yeasts, the major fungal pathogens of humans. Of several Candida species studied, C. parapsilosis and C. albicans in their invasive filamentous forms are shown to produce proteinases which most effectively degrade proteinaceous kinin precursors, the kininogens. These enzymes, classified as aspartyl proteinases, have the highest kininogen-degrading activity at low pH (approx. 3.5), but the associated production of bradykinin-related peptides from a small fraction of kininogen molecules is optimal at neutral pH (6.5). The peptides effectively interact with cellular B2-type kinin receptors. Moreover, kinin-related peptides capable of interacting with inflammation-induced B1-type receptors are also formed, but with a reversed pH dependence. The presented variability of the potential extracellular kinin production by secreted aspartyl proteinases of Candida spp. is consistent with the known adaptability of these opportunistic pathogens to different niches in the host organism
Observation of a Turbulence-Induced Large Scale Magnetic Field
An axisymmetric magnetic field is applied to a spherical, turbulent flow of
liquid sodium. An induced magnetic dipole moment is measured which cannot be
generated by the interaction of the axisymmetric mean flow with the applied
field, indicating the presence of a turbulent electromotive force. It is shown
that the induced dipole moment should vanish for any axisymmetric laminar flow.
Also observed is the production of toroidal magnetic field from applied
poloidal magnetic field (the omega-effect). Its potential role in the
production of the induced dipole is discussed.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures Revisions to accomodate peer-reviewer concerns;
changes to main text including simplification of a proof, Fig. 2 updated, and
minor typos and clarifications; Added refrences. Resubmitted to Phys. Rev.
Let
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