Bose-Einstein Condensation of Helium and Hydrogen inside Bundles of Carbon Nanotubes

Helium atoms or hydrogen molecules are believed to be strongly bound within the interstitial channels (between three carbon nanotubes) within a bundle of many nanotubes. The effects on adsorption of a nonuniform distribution of tubes are evaluated. The energy of a single particle state is the sum of a discrete transverse energy Et (that depends on the radii of neighboring tubes) and a quasicontinuous energy Ez of relatively free motion parallel to the axis of the tubes. At low temperature, the particles occupy the lowest energy states, the focus of this study. The transverse energy attains a global minimum value (Et=Emin) for radii near Rmin=9.95 Ang. for H2 and 8.48 Ang.for He-4. The density of states N(E) near the lowest energy is found to vary linearly above this threshold value, i.e. N(E) is proportional to (E-Emin). As a result, there occurs a Bose-Einstein condensation of the molecules into the channel with the lowest transverse energy. The transition is characterized approximately as that of a four dimensional gas, neglecting the interactions between the adsorbed particles. The phenomenon is observable, in principle, from a singular heat capacity. The existence of this transition depends on the sample having a relatively broad distribution of radii values that include some near Rmin.Comment: 21 pages, 9 figure

Comparación de la cinética de la infección de ovas de trucha arcoíris (Oncorhynchus mykiss) con dos cepas de Piscirickettsia salmonis detectada mediante dot-blot#

En un estudio previo, se comprobó mediante microscopía de barrido, que la cepa LF-89 se adhiere a la pared de la ovamediante prolongaciones de su membrana externa, estructuras que han sido denominadas "Complejo de AdhesiónPiscirickettsial" o CAP, lo que facilitaría la posterior penetración de la bacteria al interior de la ova. Sin embargo,existen otras cepas aisladas, como la SLGO-95, que es más virulenta y resistente a antibióticos que la LF-89 y que no seha estudiado la posibilidad de unión a ovas. Por lo anterior, en el presente trabajo se comparó la cinética de infección deovas de trucha arcoíris, entre ambas cepas, utilizando como metodología la técnica de dot-blot. El método de "dot-blot"se realizó mediante la retención de proteínas en una membrana de polivinildifluoruro (PVDF), incubación conanticuerpos oligoclonales anti-P. salmonis y posteriormente con un segundo anticuerpo anti inmunoglobulina G deratón conjugado con peroxidasa. La reacción antígeno-anticuerpo se evidenció mediante un sustratoquimioluminiscente, utilizando una película autorradiográfica. La evaluación de la reacción se realizó mediantedensitometría utilizando un "software" computacional. Para estandarizar el método se realizaron diluciones seriadas dela suspensión de P. salmonis, desde 0,02 a 56 μg de proteína total. Para aumentar la sensibilidad se centrifugaron lasmuestras a 11.000 x g por 60 min. Además, se probaron diferentes concentraciones de anticuerpo primario, 1:1000,1:5000 y 1:10.000 y muestras de ovas y bacteria fueron sometidas a desnaturalización por ebullición. Se utilizaron ovasde reproductores libres de infecciones virales, Renibacterium salmoninarum y P. salmonis. Las ovas fueron incubadas(en duplicado) con 500 μL de una suspensión de P. salmonis, ya sea con la cepa LF-89 o SLGO-95 por 1,3, 10 y 60min. Luego, cada ova fue congelada a -70°C hasta ser procesada para la técnica de "dot blot". La muestra nocentrifugada de P. salmonis fue detectada como positiva sólo hasta 0,4 μg de proteína total. Cuando fue centrifugada a11.000 g por 1 h, la bacteria fue detectada hasta la última dilución estudiada (0,02 μg). Por otra parte, no hubo grandesdiferencias en la positividad obtenida mediante las tres diluciones de anticuerpos primarios. De acuerdo, al"background" obtenido y nitidez, se consideró como una mejor dilución de trabajo 1:5000. Cuando se realizó la cinéticade infección con la cepa LF-89, los resultados indicaron la aparición de señal positiva desde 1 min de exposición de lasovas a la bacteria. La reacción positiva se mantuvo hasta los 60 min. Con respecto a la cepa SLGO-95, los resultadosfueron similares, sin embargo, la cepa SLGO-95 demostró un mayor número de píxeles, lo que indica que esta cepa seune a la ova en mayor cantidad. Los resultados apoyan los estudios anteriores que indican que P. salmonis es capaz deinfectar verticalmente las ovas y que esta podría ser una de las formas de transmisión del agente en condiciones decultivo. Además, se comprueba que el grado de infección depende del tipo de cepa actuante.  

Phellinus Species Inducing Hoja de Malvón Symptoms on Leaves and Wood Decay in Mature Field-Grown Grapevines

Hoja de malvón is a common vine wood disease widely spread in grape production areas of Argentina which causes wood necrosis, decline, and the death of plants. Leaves are smaller than normal and chlorotic, with margins curled downwards. A basidiomycete, provisionally classified as Phellinus sp., is the fungus most frequently isolated from infected plants. The aim of this study was to determine the pathogenicity of this fungus in field-grown grapevines and to clarify its taxonomic positioning. The trunks and branches of five 13-year-old grapevines cv. Riesling were infected on October 1994. Six years later some of the infected grapevines showed foliar symptoms of hoja de malvón. The inoculated fungus was reisolated with relatively high frequency, together with other fungi from different necrotic areas near the inoculation sites. The fungus under study was ascertained to belong to the Hymenochaetaceae family (Aphyllophorales, Basidiomycota). Further inoculations of a much greater number of plants and with various associated fungi like species of the genera Phaeoacremonium, Phaeomoniella and Botryosphaeria, will be conducted

Glacial flour dust storms in the Gulf of Alaska : hydrologic and meteorological controls and their importance as a source of bioavailable iron

Author Posting. © American Geophysical Union, 2011. This article is posted here by permission of American Geophysical Union for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Geophysical Research Letters 38 (2011): L06602, doi:10.1029/2010GL046573.Iron is an essential micronutrient that limits primary productivity in much of the ocean, including the Gulf of Alaska (GoA). However, the processes that transport iron to the ocean surface are poorly quantified. We combine satellite and meteorological data to provide the first description of widespread dust transport from coastal Alaska into the GoA. Dust is frequently transported from glacially-derived sediment at the mouths of several rivers, the most prominent of which is the Copper River. These dust events occur most frequently in autumn, when coastal river levels are low and riverbed sediments are exposed. The dust plumes are transported several hundred kilometers beyond the continental shelf into iron-limited waters. We estimate the mass of dust transported from the Copper River valley during one 2006 dust event to be between 25–80 ktons. Based on conservative estimates, this equates to a soluble iron loading of 30–200 tons. We suggest the soluble Fe flux from dust originating in glaciofluvial sediment deposits from the entire GoA coastline is two to three times larger, and is comparable to the annual Fe flux to GoA surface waters from eddies of coastal origin. Given that glaciers are retreating in the coastal GoA region and in other locations, it is important to examine whether fluxes of dust are increasing from glacierized landscapes to the ocean, and to assess the impact of associated Fe on marine ecosystems.We appreciate support from the USGS CMGP, NCCWSC, the Mendenhall postdoc program, the Woods Hole PEP intern program, and from NASA‐IDS

Schiff base polymer based on triphenylaminemoieties in themain chain. Characterization and studies in solar cells

Polytriphenylamine (PTPA), a Schiff base polymer containing triphenylamine (TPA) segments and whose monomer contains triphenylamine and thiophene end groups, was synthesized. The monomer structure enabled the polymerization to be performed under conditions similar to those of thiophene. Oxidative coupling using FeCl3 as oxidizing agent in anhydrous CHCl3 medium was employed for the polymer synthesis. Scanning electron microscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, and cyclic voltammetry were used to characterize the polymer. PTPA exhibited high thermal stability with a mass loss of 13.3 % at 546.5 °C. The fluorescence spectrum showed emission at 300–550 nm and the optical band gap was found to be 2.6 eV. It was also established that PTPA forms complexeswith Lewis acids, e.g. MoO3 and CuI. Its absorption bandwidened and extended up to the near-IR. Itwas seen that PTPA is rich in π-electrons and thus can act as electron donor. The value of the Highest Occupied Molecular Orbital (HOMO) was−5.35 eV indicating its potential application in optoelectronic devices. An attempt was also made to investigate the photovoltaic potential of PTPA. Organic photovoltaic devices with various buffer layer structures, namely ITO/CuI/PTPA/C60/BCP/Al, ITO/MoO3/PTPA/C60/BCP/Al, and ITO/MoO3/CuI/PTPA/C60/BCP/Al, where ITO stands for indium tin oxide and BCP for bathocuproine, were utilized for the studies. Power conversion efficiency of these devices ranged between 0.21 and 0.43% under simulated AM 1.5 illumination (100mWcm−2). This result proved that polymers containing TPA in the main chain hold promising properties that would allow their use in photovoltaic devices

Pinning of quantized vortices in helium drop by dopant atoms and molecules

Using a density functional method, we investigate the properties of liquid 4He droplets doped with atoms (Ne and Xe) and molecules (SF_6 and HCN). We consider the case of droplets having a quantized vortex pinned to the dopant. A liquid drop formula is proposed that accurately describes the total energy of the complex and allows one to extrapolate the density functional results to large N. For a given impurity, we find that the formation of a dopant+vortex+4He_N complex is energetically favored below a critical size N_cr. Our result support the possibility to observe quantized vortices in helium droplets by means of spectroscopic techniques.Comment: Typeset using Revtex, 3 pages and 5 figures (4 Postscript, 1 jpeg

Specific heats of dilute neon inside long single-walled carbon nanotube and related problems

An elegant formula for coordinates of carbon atoms in a unit cell of a single-walled nanotube (SWNT) is presented and the potential of neon (Ne) inside an infinitely long SWNT is analytically derived out under the condition of the Lennard-Jones potential between Ne and carbon atoms. Specific heats of dilute Ne inside long (20, 20) SWNT are calculated at different temperatures. It is found that Ne exhibits 3-dimensional (3D) gas behavior at high temperature but behaves as 2D gas at low temperature. Especially, at ultra low temperature, Ne inside (20, 20) nanotubes behaves as lattice gas. A coarse method to determine the characteristic temperature $\mathcal{T}_c$ for low density gas in a potential is put forward. If $\mathcal{T}\gg \mathcal{T}_c$, we just need to use the classical statistical mechanics without solving the Shr\"{o}dinger equation to consider the thermal behavior of gas in the potential. But if $\mathcal{T}\sim \mathcal{T}_c$, we must solve the Shr\"{o}dinger equation. For Ne in (20,20) nanotube, we obtain $\mathcal{T}_c\approx 60$ K.Comment: 14 pages, 7 figure