1,032 research outputs found
First-principles study of (BiScO3){1-x}-(PbTiO3){x} piezoelectric alloys
We report a first-principles study of a class of (BiScO3)_{1-x}-(PbTiO3)_x
(BS-PT) alloys recently proposed by Eitel et al. as promising materials for
piezoelectric actuator applications. We show that (i) BS-PT displays very large
structural distortions and polarizations at the morphotropic phase boundary
(MPB) (we obtain a c/a of ~1.05-1.08 and P_tet of ~1.1 C/m^2); (ii) the
ferroelectric and piezoelectric properties of BS-PT are dominated by the onset
of hybridization between Bi/Pb-6p and O-2p orbitals, a mechanism that is
enhanced upon substitution of Pb by Bi; and (iii) the piezoelectric responses
of BS-PT and Pb(Zr_{1-x}Ti_x)O3 (PZT) at the MPB are comparable, at least as
far as the computed values of the piezoelectric coefficient d_15 are concerned.
While our results are generally consistent with experiment, they also suggest
that certain intrinsic properties of BS-PT may be even better than has been
indicated by experiments to date. We also discuss results for PZT that
demonstrate the prominent role played by Pb displacements in its piezoelectric
properties.Comment: 6 pages, with 3 postscript figures embedded. Uses REVTEX and epsf
macros. Also available at
http://www.physics.rutgers.edu/~dhv/preprints/ji_bi/index.htm
Effects of Thermal Spiking on Graphite-Epoxy Composites
Tests were performed evaluating the effects of thermal spikes on the moisture absorption characteristics, the ultimate tensile strength, and the buckling modulus of Thornel 300/Fiberite 1034 composites. Measurements were made on unidirectional and π/4 laminates, using different types of thermal spikes. A survey was also made of the existing data. This survey, together with the present data indicate how thermal spikes affect the mois ture absorption and the mechanical properties of different graphite-epoxy composites.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/66923/2/10.1177_002199837901300102.pd
Random line tessellations of the plane: statistical properties of many-sided cells
We consider a family of random line tessellations of the Euclidean plane
introduced in a much more formal context by Hug and Schneider [Geom. Funct.
Anal. 17, 156 (2007)] and described by a parameter \alpha\geq 1. For \alpha=1
the zero-cell (that is, the cell containing the origin) coincides with the
Crofton cell of a Poisson line tessellation, and for \alpha=2 it coincides with
the typical Poisson-Voronoi cell. Let p_n(\alpha) be the probability for the
zero-cell to have n sides. By the methods of statistical mechanics we construct
the asymptotic expansion of \log p_n(\alpha) up to terms that vanish as
n\to\infty. In the large-n limit the cell is shown to become circular. The
circle is centered at the origin when \alpha>1, but gets delocalized for the
Crofton cell, \alpha=1, which is a singular point of the parameter range. The
large-n expansion of \log p_n(1) is therefore different from that of the
general case and we show how to carry it out. As a corollary we obtain the
analogous expansion for the {\it typical} n-sided cell of a Poisson line
tessellation.Comment: 26 pages, 3 figure
Landauer Theory, Inelastic Scattering and Electron Transport in Molecular Wires
In this paper we address the topic of inelastic electron scattering in
mesoscopic quantum transport. For systems where only elastic scattering is
present, Landauer theory provides an adequate description of transport that
relates the electronic current to single-particle transmission and reflection
probabilities. A formalism proposed recently by Bonca and Trugman facilitates
the calculation of the one-electron transmission and reflection probabilities
for inelastic processes in mesoscopic conductors connected to one-dimensional
ideal leads. Building on their work, we have developed a self-consistent
procedure for the evaluation of the non-equilibrium electron distributions in
ideal leads connecting such mesoscopic conductors to electron reservoirs at
finite temperatures and voltages. We evaluate the net electronic current
flowing through the mesoscopic device by utilizing these non-equilibrium
distributions. Our approach is a generalization of Landauer theory that takes
account of the Pauli exclusion principle for the various competing elastic and
inelastic processes while satisfying the requirement of particle conservation.
As an application we examine the influence of elastic and inelastic scattering
on conduction through a two site molecular wire with longitudinal phonons using
the Su-Schrieffer-Heeger model of electron-phonon coupling.Comment: 25 pages, 8 figure
Moisture Absorption of Graphite-Epoxy Composites Immersed in Liquids and in Humid Air
Moisture absorption of graphite-epoxy composites immersed in liquids and in himid air were investigated. The moisture content as a function of time and temperature was measured for three materials: Fiberite T300/1034, Hercules AS/3501-5 and Narmco T300/5208. Tests were per formed a) with the materials immersed in No. 2 diesel fuel, in jet A fuel, in aviation oil, in saturated salt water, and in distilled water (in the range of 300 to 322 K) and b)with the materials exposed to humid air (in the range 322 to 366 K). The results obtained were compared to available composite and neat resin data.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/68153/2/10.1177_002199837901300205.pd
Unscreened Hartree-Fock calculations for metallic Fe, Co, Ni, and Cu from ab-initio Hamiltonians
Unscreened Hartree-Fock approximation (HFA) calculations for metallic Fe, Co,
Ni, and Cu are presented, by using a quantum-chemical approach. We believe that
these are the first HFA results to have been done for crystalline 3d transition
metals. Our approach uses a linearized muffin-tin orbital calculation to
determine Bloch functions for the Hartree one-particle Hamiltonian, and from
these obtains maximally localized Wannier functions, using a method proposed by
Marzari and Vanderbilt. Within this Wannier basis all relevant one-particle and
two-particle Coulomb matrix elements are calculated. The resulting
second-quantized multi-band Hamiltonian with ab-initio parameters is studied
within the simplest many-body approximation, namely the unscreened,
self-consistent HFA, which takes into account exact exchange and is free of
self-interactions. Although the d-bands sit considerably lower within HFA than
within the local (spin) density approximation L(S)DA, the exchange splitting
and magnetic moments for ferromagnetic Fe, Co, and Ni are only slightly larger
in HFA than what is obtained either experimentally or within LSDA. The HFA
total energies are lower than the corresponding LSDA calculations. We believe
that this same approach can be easily extended to include more sophisticated
ab-initio many-body treatments of the electronic structure of solids.Comment: 11 papes, 7 figures, 5 table
The Effect of Valproic Acid on Mesenchymal Pluripotent Cell Proliferation and Differentiation in Extracellular Matrices
Valproic acid (2-n-propylpentanoic acid, VPA) is a widely used antiepileptic and anticonvulsant drug. Previous studies have reported that VPA effects osteogenesis in vivo and in vitro, yet it remains unclear whether VPA promotes cell differentiation of osteoblasts derived from mesenchymal cells. The purpose of this study was to clarify the effect of VPA on undifferentiated pluripotent mesenchymal cell proliferation and differentiation into osteoblasts while analyzing the impact of the absence or presence of extracellular matrices (ECMs). Mouse mesenchymal cells were cultured on non-coated plastic, type I collagen-coated, and fibronectin-coated plates in the absence or presence of VPA. A cell proliferation assay was performed in which modified formazan dye content was analyzed and proliferation nuclear antigen (PCNA)-positive cells were counted at various concentrations of VPA. A high concentration of VPA did not clearly alter cell morphology, but large numbers of stress fibers were observed in these cells and the cell proliferation ratio was decreased with positive PCNA counts. In the presence of matrices, the cell proliferation ratio decreased at low VPA concentrations compared with the ratio obtained in the absence of these ECMs. On the other hand, VPA promoted osteoblastic differentiation in the presence of type I collagen. These findings indicate that for undifferentiated mesenchymal cells, VPA promotes a decrease in the cell proliferation rate in the presence of ECMs and promotes osteoblastic differentiation, both of which could provide insight into additional mechanisms of osteoblastic cell differentiation caused by VPA
Atomic X-ray Spectroscopy of Accreting Black Holes
Current astrophysical research suggests that the most persistently luminous
objects in the Universe are powered by the flow of matter through accretion
disks onto black holes. Accretion disk systems are observed to emit copious
radiation across the electromagnetic spectrum, each energy band providing
access to rather distinct regimes of physical conditions and geometric scale.
X-ray emission probes the innermost regions of the accretion disk, where
relativistic effects prevail. While this has been known for decades, it also
has been acknowledged that inferring physical conditions in the relativistic
regime from the behavior of the X-ray continuum is problematic and not
satisfactorily constraining. With the discovery in the 1990s of iron X-ray
lines bearing signatures of relativistic distortion came the hope that such
emission would more firmly constrain models of disk accretion near black holes,
as well as provide observational criteria by which to test general relativity
in the strong field limit. Here we provide an introduction to this phenomenon.
While the presentation is intended to be primarily tutorial in nature, we aim
also to acquaint the reader with trends in current research. To achieve these
ends, we present the basic applications of general relativity that pertain to
X-ray spectroscopic observations of black hole accretion disk systems, focusing
on the Schwarzschild and Kerr solutions to the Einstein field equations. To
this we add treatments of the fundamental concepts associated with the
theoretical and modeling aspects of accretion disks, as well as relevant topics
from observational and theoretical X-ray spectroscopy.Comment: 63 pages, 21 figures, Einstein Centennial Review Article, Canadian
Journal of Physics, in pres
JMJD6 is a tumorigenic factor and therapeutic target in neuroblastoma
Chromosome 17q21-ter is commonly gained in neuroblastoma, but it is unclear which gene in the region is important for tumorigenesis. The JMJD6 gene at 17q21-ter activates gene transcription. Here we show that JMJD6 forms protein complexes with N-Myc and BRD4, and is important for E2F2, N-Myc and c-Myc transcription. Knocking down JMJD6 reduces neuroblastoma cell proliferation and survival in vitro and tumor progression in mice, and high levels of JMJD6 expression in human neuroblastoma tissues independently predict poor patient prognosis. In addition, JMJD6 gene is associated with transcriptional super-enhancers. Combination therapy with the CDK7/super-enhancer inhibitor THZ1 and the histone deacetylase inhibitor panobinostat synergistically reduces JMJD6, E2F2, N-Myc, c-Myc expression, induces apoptosis in vitro and leads to neuroblastoma tumor regression in mice, which are significantly reversed by forced JMJD6 over-expression. Our findings therefore identify JMJD6 as a neuroblastoma tumorigenesis factor, and the combination therapy as a treatment strategy
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