3,822 research outputs found
Phase transformations in 40-60-GPa shocked gneisses from the Haughton Crater (Canada): An Analytical Transmission Electron Microscopy (ATEM) study
In order to better understand phase transformations, chemical migration, and isotopic disequilibrium in highly shocked rocks, we have performed a microprobe and an ATEM study on gneisses shocked up to 60 GPa from the Haughton Crater. This study reveals the following chemical and structural characteristics: (1) SiO2 dominant areas are formed by a mixture of pure SiO2 polycrystalline quartz identified by electron diffraction pattern and chemical analysis and a silica-rich amorphous phase containing minor amounts of aluminium, potassium, and iron; (2) Areas with biotitelike composition are formed by less than 200-nm grains of iron-rich spinels embedded in a silica-rich amorphous phase that is very similar to the one described above; (3) Layers with feldsparlike composition are constituted by 100-200-nm-sized alumina-rich grains (the indexation of the crystalline structure is under progress) and the silica-rich amorphous phase; (4) Zones characterized by the unusual Al/Si ratio close to 1 are formed by spinel grains (200-nm-sized) embedded in the same silica-rich amorphous phase; and (5) The fracturated sillimanites contain domains with a lamellar structure, defined by the intercalation of 100-nm-wide lamellae of mullite crystals and of a silica-rich amorphous phase. These mullite crystals preserved the crystallographical orientation of the preshock sillimanite. All compositional domains, identified at the microprobe scale, can thus be explained by a mixture in different proportion between the following phases: (1) a silica-rich amorphous phase, with minor Al and K; (2) quartz crystals; (3) spinel crystals and alumina-rich crystals; (4) sillimanite; and (5) mullite. Such mixtures of amorphous phases and crystals in different proportions explain disturbed isotope systems in these rocks and chemical heterogeneities observed on the microprobe
Atypical presentations of malignant otitis externa
Abstract Introduction: Malignant otitis externa is a life-threatening infection of the skull base. Its presentation is not always typical. Case reports: We report three cases of malignant otitis externa which illustrate the diversity of its clinical manifestations and the difficulties in its diagnosis. Discussion: The perception of malignant otitis externa as an infection caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa in diabetic patients is not always correct. The adoption of diagnostic criteria could be helpful in identifying atypical case
Iron and zinc sulphide mineralizations in Alvinella Pompejana Tubes: specific mineralogical markers of bacterial activity at hydrothermal vents?
Coupling curvature-dependent and shear stress-stimulated neotissue growth in dynamic bioreactor cultures: a 3D computational model of a complete scaffold.
The main challenge in tissue engineering consists in understanding and controlling the growth process of in vitro cultured neotissues toward obtaining functional tissues. Computational models can provide crucial information on appropriate bioreactor and scaffold design but also on the bioprocess environment and culture conditions. In this study, the development of a 3D model using the level set method to capture the growth of a microporous neotissue domain in a dynamic culture environment (perfusion bioreactor) was pursued. In our model, neotissue growth velocity was influenced by scaffold geometry as well as by flow- induced shear stresses. The neotissue was modeled as a homogenous porous medium with a given permeability, and the Brinkman equation was used to calculate the flow profile in both neotissue and void space. Neotissue growth was modeled until the scaffold void volume was filled, thus capturing already established experimental observations, in particular the differences between scaffold filling under different flow regimes. This tool is envisaged as a scaffold shape and bioprocess optimization tool with predictive capacities. It will allow controlling fluid flow during long-term culture, whereby neotissue growth alters flow patterns, in order to provide shear stress profiles and magnitudes across the whole scaffold volume influencing, in turn, the neotissue growth
Colloidal stability of tannins: astringency, wine tasting and beyond
Tannin-tannin and tannin-protein interactions in water-ethanol solvent
mixtures are studied in the context of red wine tasting. While tannin
self-aggregation is relevant for visual aspect of wine tasting (limpidity and
related colloidal phenomena), tannin affinities for salivary proline-rich
proteins is fundamental for a wide spectrum of organoleptic properties related
to astringency. Tannin-tannin interactions are analyzed in water-ethanol
wine-like solvents and the precipitation map is constructed for a typical grape
tannin. The interaction between tannins and human salivary proline-rich
proteins (PRP) are investigated in the framework of the shell model for
micellization, known for describing tannin-induced aggregation of beta-casein.
Tannin-assisted micellization and compaction of proteins observed by SAXS are
described quantitatively and discussed in the case of astringency
Multiexcitons confined within a sub-excitonic volume: Spectroscopic and dynamical signatures of neutral and charged biexcitons in ultrasmall semiconductor nanocrystals
The use of ultrafast gating techniques allows us to resolve both spectrally
and temporally the emission from short-lived neutral and negatively charged
biexcitons in ultrasmall (sub-10 nm) CdSe nanocrystals (nanocrystal quantum
dots). Because of forced overlap of electronic wave functions and reduced
dielectric screening, these states are characterized by giant interaction
energies of tens (neutral biexcitons) to hundreds (charged biexcitons) of meV.
Both types of biexcitons show extremely short lifetimes (from sub-100
picoseconds to sub-picosecond time scales) that rapidly shorten with decreasing
nanocrystal size. These ultrafast relaxation dynamics are explained in terms of
highly efficient nonradiative Auger recombination.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, to be published in Phys. Rev.
La EpistemologÃa y las prácticas del conocimiento
Intentamos transmitir una experiencia de investigación en tomo a las prácticas del conocimiento, abordadas desde el Proyecto “Tendencias epistemológicas y TeorÃas de la Subjetividad: su impacto en las Ciencias Humanas". Presentaremos las hipótesis de trabajo y el modelo complejo de las prácticas del conocimiento a partir de un uso instrumental de la epistemologÃa
Surface Magnetization of Aperiodic Ising Quantum Chains
We study the surface magnetization of aperiodic Ising quantum chains. Using
fermion techniques, exact results are obtained in the critical region for
quasiperiodic sequences generated through an irrational number as well as for
the automatic binary Thue-Morse sequence and its generalizations modulo p. The
surface magnetization exponent keeps its Ising value, beta_s=1/2, for all the
sequences studied. The critical amplitude of the surface magnetization depends
on the strength of the modulation and also on the starting point of the chain
along the aperiodic sequence.Comment: 11 pages, 6 eps-figures, Plain TeX, eps
CO2 production by impact in carbonates? An ATEM and stable isotope (C,O) study
Carbonates may have been a common target for large impacts on the Earth and possible related CO2 outgassing would have important consequences for the composition of the atmosphere. To estimate volatile release during such impacts, isotopic ratios (C-13/C-12 and O-18/O-16) were determined on highly shocked carbonate samples in combination with SEM and analytical transmission electron microscopy (ATEM) investigations. The study was performed on both naturally and experimentally shocked rocks, i.e. 50-60 GPa shocked limestone-dolomite fragments from the Haughton impact crater (Canada), and carbonates shocked in shock recovery experiments. For the experiments, unshocked carbonates consisting of mixture of dolomite and calcite from the Haughton area were used. Naturally shocked samples were collected in the polymict breccia near the center of the Haughton crater
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