545 research outputs found
A deep narrowband survey for planetary nebulae at the outskirts of M33
Context: Planetary nebulae (PNe) are excellent tracers of stellar populations
with low surface brightness, and therefore provide a powerful method to detect
and explore the rich system of substructures discovered around the main spiral
galaxies of the Local Group. Aims: We searched the outskirts of the Local Group
spiral galaxy M33 (the Triangulum) for PNe to gain new insights into the
extended stellar substructure on the northern side of the disc and to study the
existence of a faint classical halo. Methods: The search is based on wide field
imaging covering a 4.5 square degree area out to a maximum projected distance
of about 40 kpc from the centre of the galaxy. The PN candidates are detected
by the combination of images obtained in narrowband filters selecting the
[OIII] and H + [NII] nebular lines and in the continuum
g' and r' broadband filters. Results:Inside the bright optical disc of M33,
eight new PN candidates were identified, three of which were spectroscopically
confirmed. No PN candidates were found outside the limits of the disc. Fourteen
additional sources showing [OIII] excess were also discovered. Conclusions:The
absence of bright PN candidates in the area outside the galaxy disc covered by
this survey sets an upper limit to the luminosity of the underlying population
of , suggesting the lack of a massive
classical halo, which is in agreement with the results obtained using the RGB
population.Comment: 13 pages, 18 figure
Point defects on graphene on metals
Understanding the coupling of graphene with its local environment is critical
to be able to integrate it in tomorrow's electronic devices. Here we show how
the presence of a metallic substrate affects the properties of an atomically
tailored graphene layer. We have deliberately introduced single carbon
vacancies on a graphene monolayer grown on a Pt(111) surface and investigated
its impact in the electronic, structural and magnetic properties of the
graphene layer. Our low temperature scanning tunneling microscopy studies,
complemented by density functional theory, show the existence of a broad
electronic resonance above the Fermi energy associated with the vacancies.
Vacancy sites become reactive leading to an increase of the coupling between
the graphene layer and the metal substrate at these points; this gives rise to
a rapid decay of the localized state and the quenching of the magnetic moment
associated with carbon vacancies in free-standing graphene layers
The cadherin–catenin complex in nasopharyngeal carcinoma
Abnormal Wnt signaling and impaired cell–cell
adhesion due to abnormal E-cadherin and b-catenin func tion have been implicated in many cancers, but have not
been fully explored in nasopharyngeal carcinoma. The aim
of this study was to analyze b-Catenin cellular location and
E-cadherin expression levels in nasopharyngeal carcinoma.
E-cadherin expression levels were also correlated with
clinical data and underlying pathology. b-Catenin and
E-cadherin expression were examined in 18 nasopharyn geal carcinoma and 7 non-tumoral inflammatory pharynx
tissues using immunohistochemical methods. Patient clin ical data were collected, and histological evaluation was
performed by hematoxylin/eosin staining. b-catenin was
detected in membrane and cytoplasm in all cases of naso pharyngeal carcinoma, regardless of histological type; in
non-tumoral tissues, however, b-catenin was observed only
in the membrane. As for E-cadherin expression levels,
strong staining was observed in most non-tumoral tissues,
but staining was only moderate in nasopharyngeal carci noma tissues. E-cadherin expression was associated with
b-catenin localization, study group, metastatic disease, and
patient outcomes. Reduced levels of E-cadherin protein
observed in nasopharyngeal carinoma may play an
important role in invasion and metastasis. Cytoplasmic
b-catenin in nasopharyngeal carcinoma may impair cell–
cell adhesion, promoting invasive behavior and a metastatic
tumor phenotype
Crystal growth, structure and ferromagnetic properties of a Ce3Pt23Si11 single crystal
A high-quality single crystal of Ce3Pt23Si11 has been grown using the
Czochralski method. The crystal structure is presented and the chemical
composition has been checked using an electron microprobe analyzer.
Measurements of the electrical resistivity and magnetic susceptibility
performed at low temperature show a ferromagnetic transition at Tc = 0.44 K.Comment: 12 pages, 9 figure
Interpocket polarization model for magnetic structures in rare-earth hexaborides
The origin of peculiar magnetic structures in cubic rare-earth (R)
hexaborides RB_6 is traced back to their characteristic band structure. The
three sphere-like Fermi surfaces induce interpocket polarization of the
conduction band as a part of a RKKY-type interaction. It is shown for the
free-electron-like model that the interpocket polarization gives rise to a
broad maximum in the intersite interaction I(q) around q=(1/4,1/4,1/2) in the
Brillouin zone. This maximum is consistent with the superstructure observed in
R=Ce, Gd and Dy. The wave-number dependence of I(q) is independently extracted
from analysis of the spin-wave spectrum measured for NdB_6. It is found that
I(q) obtained from fitting the data has a similarly to that derived by the
interpocket polarization model, except that the absolute maximum now occurs at
(0,0,1/2) in consistency with the A-type structure. The overall shape of I(q)
gives a hint toward understanding an incommensurate structure in PrB_6 as well.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, submitted to J.Phys.Soc.Jp
Quadrupolar Kondo Effect in Non-Kramers Doublet System PrInAg2
We performed ultrasonic measurement on the rare-earth intermetallic compound
PrInAg_2 to examine the quadrupolar Kondo effect associated with the
non-Kramers Gamma_3 doublet ground state. The characteristic softening of the
elastic constant (c_{11}-c_{12})/2 below 10 K in PrInAg_2 is attributed to a
Curie term in quadrupolar susceptibility for the quadrupole O_2^2=J_x^2-J_y^2
of the stable Gamma_3 ground state. (c_{11}-c_{12})/2 turns to a slight
increase with the -lnT dependence below 0.1 K, which suggests the quenching of
the quadrupolar moment in the quadrupolar Kondo state. Under applied magnetic
fields of 10 T and 15 T above 8.7 T corresponding to the Kondo temperature T_K
of ~ 0.86 K, the behavior of (c_{11}-c_{12})/2 is described in terms of
quadrupolar susceptibility for the stable 4f^2 state.Comment: PDF, 10pages + 5figures, Strongly Correlated Electron
Tug-of-war between corrugation and binding energy: revealing the formation of multiple moiré patterns on a strongly interacting graphene-metal system
The formation of multidomain epitaxial graphene on Rh(111) under ultra-high vacuum (UHV) conditions has been characterized by scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM) measurements and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. At variance with the accepted view for strongly interacting graphene-metal systems, we clearly demonstrate the formation of different rotational domains leading to multiple moiré structures with a wide distribution of surface periodicities. Experiments reveal a correlation between the STM apparent corrugation and the lattice parameter of the moiré unit cell, with corrugations of just 30-40 pm for the smallest moirés. DFT calculations for a relevant selection of these moiré patterns show much larger height differences and a non-monotonic behaviour with the moiré size. Simulations based on non-equilibrium Green's function (NEGF) methods reproduce quantitatively the experimental trend and provide a detailed understanding of the interplay between electronic and geometric contributions in the STM contrast of graphene systems. Our study sheds light on the subtle energy balance among strain, corrugation and binding that drives the formation of the moiré patterns in all graphene/metal systems and suggests an explanation for the success of an effective model only based on the lattice mismatch. Although low values of the strain energy are a necessary condition, it is the ability of graphene to corrugate in order to maximize the areas of favourable graphene-metal interactions that finally selects the stable configurationsWe acknowledge financial support from Spanish grants MAT2013-41636-P, MAT2011-23627, MAT2011-26534, CSD2010-00024 (MINECO, Spain) and S2009/MAT-1467 (CAM, Spain). A.J.M.G. was supported by a Marie Curie action under the Seventh Framework Programme. P.P. was supported by the Ramón y Cajal Progra
Contribution to the knowledge of early geotechnics during the twentieth century: Ralph Peck
Ralph B. Peck (1912–2008), graduate and doctor of philosophy in
civil engineering (1934 and 1937 respectively) from the Rensselaer
Polytechnic Institute, was one of the major contributors to the development
of geotechnics in the twentieth century. Born in Winnipeg (Manitoba) as an
American national, he was influenced from childhood by the world of civil
engineering through his father, Orwin K. Peck, who was a civil engineer,
mainly as a structural engineer in the railway sector.
In the absence of job offers as a structural engineer, Ralph Peck arrived at
Harvard University in 1938 to attend the soil mechanics courses taught by
Arthur Casagrande, which guided Peck's professional career towards
geotechnics. In addition to Casagrande, Peck had the opportunity to meet and
work with other very important people related to geotechnics:
Albert E. Cummings, Laurits Bjerrum, Alec W. Skempton and especially
Karl Terzaghi, with whom he established a great friendship, in addition to
providing support, professional advice and performing important work, such as
the Chicago Subway Works.
Peck actively dedicated himself to consulting work, which led him to visit
44 states within the United States and 28 countries on five continents. In
addition, he also participated in research work where he was asked and was a
committed lecturer at the University of Illinois, where he was a professor
for 32 years.
The objective of this paper is to analyse, through Peck's biography, his
contribution to the field of geotechnics based on his research, teaching and
consultancy work, and through the influence of Peck on other important people
in the field, such as Karl Terzaghi.</p
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