983 research outputs found
Photoluminescence transient study of surface defects in ZnO nanorods grown by chemical bath deposition
Two deep level defects (2.25 and 2.03 eV) associated with oxygen vacancies
(V) were identified in ZnO nanorods (NRs) grown by low cost chemical bath
deposition. A transient behaviour in the photoluminescence (PL) intensity of
the two V states was found to be sensitive to the ambient environment and
to NR post-growth treatment. The largest transient was found in samples dried
on a hot plate with a PL intensity decay time, in air only, of 23 and 80 s for
the 2.25 and 2.03 eV peaks, respectively. Resistance measurements under UV
exposure exhibited a transient behaviour in full agreement with the PL
transient indicating a clear role of atmospheric O on the surface defect
states. A model for surface defect transient behaviour due to band bending with
respect to the Fermi level is proposed. The results have implications for a
variety of sensing and photovoltaic applications of ZnO NRs
Semi-inclusive bottom-Higgs production at LHC: The complete one-loop electroweak effect in the MSSM
We present the first complete calculation of the one-loop electroweak effect
in the process of semi-inclusive bottom-Higgs production at LHC in the MSSM.
The size of the electroweak contribution depends on the choice of the final
produced neutral Higgs boson, and can be relevant, in some range of the input
parameters. A comparison of the one-loop results obtained in two different
renormalization schemes is also performed, showing a very good NLO scheme
independence. We further comment on two possible, simpler, approximations of
the full NLO result, and on their reliabilty
Neural correlates of cognitive control of reaching movements in the dorsal premotor cortex of rhesus monkeys
Mirabella G, Pani P, Ferraina S. Neural correlates of cognitive control of reaching movements in the dorsal premotor cortex of rhesus monkeys. J Neurophysiol 106: 1454-1466, 2011. First published June 22, 2011; doi: 10.1152/jn.00995.2010.-Canceling a pending movement is a hallmark of voluntary behavioral control because it allows us to quickly adapt to unattended changes either in the external environment or in our thoughts. The countermanding paradigm allows the study of inhibitory processes of motor acts by requiring the subject to withhold planned movements in response to an infrequent stop-signal. At present the neural processes underlying the inhibitory control of arm movements are mostly unknown. We recorded the activity of single units in the rostral and caudal portion of the dorsal premotor cortex (PMd) of monkeys trained in a countermanding reaching task. We found that among neurons with a movement-preparatory activity, about one-third exhibit a modulation before the behavioral estimate of the time it takes to cancel a planned movement. Hence these neurons exhibit a pattern of activity suggesting that PMd plays a critical role in the brain networks involved in the control of arm movement initiation and suppression.Mirabella G, Pani P, Ferraina S. Neural correlates of cognitive control of reaching movements in the dorsal premotor cortex of rhesus monkeys. J Neurophysiol 106: 1454-1466, 2011. First published June 22, 2011; doi: 10.1152/jn.00995.2010.-Canceling a pending movement is a hallmark of voluntary behavioral control because it allows us to quickly adapt to unattended changes either in the external environment or in our thoughts. The countermanding paradigm allows the study of inhibitory processes of motor acts by requiring the subject to withhold planned movements in response to an infrequent stop-signal. At present the neural processes underlying the inhibitory control of arm movements are mostly unknown. We recorded the activity of single units in the rostral and caudal portion of the dorsal premotor cortex (PMd) of monkeys trained in a countermanding reaching task. We found that among neurons with a movement-preparatory activity, about one-third exhibit a modulation before the behavioral estimate of the time it takes to cancel a planned movement. Hence these neurons exhibit a pattern of activity suggesting that PMd plays a critical role in the brain networks involved in the control of arm movement initiation and suppression
Influence of interface potential on the effective mass in Ge nanostructures
The role of the interface potential on the effective mass of charge carriers
is elucidated in this work. We develop a new theoretical formalism using a
spatially dependent effective mass that is related to the magnitude of the
interface potential. Using this formalism we studied Ge quantum dots (QDs)
formed by plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition (PECVD) and co-sputtering
(sputter). These samples allowed us to isolate important consequences arising
from differences in the interface potential. We found that for a higher
interface potential, as in the case of PECVD QDs, there is a larger reduction
in the effective mass, which increases the confinement energy with respect to
the sputter sample. We further understood the action of O interface states by
comparing our results with Ge QDs grown by molecular beam epitaxy. It is found
that the O states can suppress the influence of the interface potential. From
our theoretical formalism we determine the length scale over which the
interface potential influences the effective mass
THE CHURCH OF SANT'ANDREA IN BERGAMO: AN INTEGRATED SURVEY FOR KNOWLEDGE AND CONSERVATION
Abstract. The church dedicated to Sant'Andrea (St. Andrew) in Porta Dipinta street in Bergamo city is a treasure that keep inside it a rich heritage of great historical and cultural value, both from the architectural and from the artistic point of view. Lacking of the façade (left unfinished), it is often neglected, despite being on the main road leading to the old town from Sant'Agostino Gate. The approach to an historical building like this requires a multi-disciplinary integration, in order to join the technical competence of engineering sciences to the sensitivity of human and fine arts sciences. For a better understanding of the structural performances of the building, historical research, measurement survey, material and decay condition study have to complement each other.</p
NLO QCD corrections to the production of Higgs plus two jets at the LHC
We present the calculation of the NLO QCD corrections to the associated
production of a Higgs boson and two jets, in the infinite top-mass limit. We
discuss the technical details of the computation and we show the numerical
impact of the radiative corrections on several observables at the LHC. The
results are obtained by using a fully automated framework for fixed order NLO
QCD calculations based on the interplay of the packages GoSam and Sherpa. The
evaluation of the virtual corrections constitutes an application of the
d-dimensional integrand-level reduction to theories with higher dimensional
operators. We also present first results for the one-loop matrix elements of
the partonic processes with a quark-pair in the final state, which enter the
hadronic production of a Higgs boson together with three jets in the infinite
top-mass approximation.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figures, references added, published in Phys.Lett.
Effects of castration on the immunoreactivity to NGF, BDNF and their receptors in the pelvic ganglia of the male rat
Nerve growth factor (NGF) and brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and are members of the neurotrophin family, a family of neurotrophic factors that also includes neurotrophin (NT) 3 and NT4/5. Neurotrophins have essential roles in the survival, development and differentiation of neurons in the central and peripheral nervous systems. Neurotrophins exert their effects by binding to corresponding receptors which are formed by the tyrosine protein kinases TrkA, TrkB and TrkC, and the low affinity neurotrophic receptor (p75NTR). In the present study, using immunohistochemistry and quantitative analysis, we have investigated immunoreactivity to BDNF, NGF, TrkB, p75NTR and TrkA in the pelvic ganglia of normal and castrated rats. Neurons of the pelvic ganglia expressed both these neurotrophins and their receptors. After castration the immunoreactivity persisted. However, the number of BDNF- and p75NTR–IR cells statistically significant decreased after castration. These results suggest that castration modulates the expression of neurotrophins and their receptors in pelvic autonomic neurons
Aquaporins Are Differentially Regulated in Canine Cryptorchid Efferent Ductules and Epididymis
The efferent ductules and the epididymis are parts of the male reproductive system where spermatozoa mature. Specialized epithelial cells in these ducts contribute to the transport of fluids produced by spermatozoa's metabolic activity. Aquaporins (AQPs) have been demonstrated to be expressed in the spermatozoan membrane and testis epithelial cells, where they contribute to regulating spermatozoan volume and transit through environments of differing osmolality. Due to the lack of detailed literature regarding AQP expression in the canine male genital tract, the aim of this study was to investigate both the distribution and expression of AQP7, AQP8, and AQP9 in the efferent ductules and epididymal regions (caput, corpus, and cauda) from normal and cryptorchid dogs by using immunohistochemistry, Western blotting, and real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Our results show different patterns for the distribution and expression of the examined AQPs, with particular evidence of their upregulation in the caput and downregulation in the cauda region of the canine cryptorchid epididymis. These findings are associated with a modulation of Hsp70 and caspase-3 expression, suggesting the participation of AQPs in the luminal microenvironment modifications that are peculiar characteristics of this pathophysiological condition
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