621 research outputs found
A first-principles study of helium storage in oxides and at oxide--iron interfaces
Density-functional theory calculations based on conventional as well as
hybrid exchange-correlation functionals have been carried out to study the
properties of helium in various oxides (Al2O3, TiO2, Y2O3, YAP, YAG, YAM, MgO,
CaO, BaO, SrO) as well as at oxide-iron interfaces. Helium interstitials in
bulk oxides are shown to be energetically more favorable than substitutional
helium, yet helium binds to existing vacancies. The solubility of He in oxides
is systematically higher than in iron and scales with the free volume at the
interstitial site nearly independently of the chemical composition of the
oxide. In most oxides He migration is significantly slower and He--He binding
is much weaker than in iron. To quantify the solubility of helium at oxide-iron
interfaces two prototypical systems are considered (Fe|MgO, Fe|FeO|MgO). In
both cases the He solubility is markedly enhanced in the interface compared to
either of the bulk phases. The results of the calculations allow to construct a
schematic energy landscape for He interstitials in iron. The implications of
these results are discussed in the context of helium sequestration in oxide
dispersion strengthened steels, including the effects of interfaces and lattice
strain.Comment: 13 pages, 10 figures, 4 table
Effect of local chemistry and structure on thermal transport in doped GaAs
Using a first-principles approach, we analyze the impact of \textit{DX}
centers formed by S, Se, and Te dopant atoms on the thermal conductivity of
GaAs. Our results are in good agreement with experiments and unveil the physics
behind the drastically different effect of each kind of defect. We establish a
causal chain linking the electronic structure of the dopants to the thermal
conductivity of the bulk solid, a macroscopic transport coefficient.
Specifically, the presence of lone pairs leads to the formation of structurally
asymmetric \textit{DX} centers that cause resonant scattering of incident
phonons. The effect of such resonances is magnified when they affect the part
of the spectrum most relevant for thermal transport. We show that these
resonances are associated with localized vibrational modes in the perturbed
phonon spectrum. Finally, we illustrate the connection between flat adjacent
minima in the energy landscape and resonant phonon scattering through detailed
analyses of the energy landscape of the defective structures.Comment: 7 pages, 7 figure
Short-range order and precipitation in Fe-rich Fe-Cr alloys: Atomistic off-lattice Monte Carlo simulations
Short-range order (SRO) in Fe-rich Fe-Cr alloys is investigated by means of
atomistic off-lattice Monte Carlo simulations in the semi-grand canonical
ensemble using classical interatomic potentials. The SRO parameter defined by
Cowley [Phys. Rev. B 77, 669 (1950)] is used to quantify the degree of
ordering. In agreement with experiments a strong ordering tendency in the Cr
distribution at low Cr concentrations (~< 5%) is observed, as manifested in
negative values of the SRO parameters. For intermediate Cr concentrations (5%
~< c_Cr ~< 15%) the SRO parameter for the alpha-phase goes through a minimum,
but at the solubility limit the alpha-phase still displays a rather strong SRO.
In thermodynamic equilibrium for concentrations within the two-phase region the
SRO parameter measured over the entire sample therefore comprises the
contributions from both the alpha and alpha-prime phases. If both of these
contributions are taken into account, it is possible to quantitatively
reproduce the experimental results and interpret their physical implications.
It is thereby shown that the inversion of the SRO observed experimentally is
due to the formation of stable (supercritical) alpha-prime precipitates. It is
not related to the loss of SRO in the alpha-phase or to the presence of
unstable (subcritical) Cr precipitates in the alpha-phase.Comment: 9 pages, 8 figure
Inhomogeneity of the intrinsic magnetic field in superconducting YBa2Cu3OX compounds as revealed by rare-earth EPR-probe
X-band electron paramagnetic resonance on doped Er3+ and Yb3+ ions in
Y0.99(Yb,Er)0.01Ba2Cu3OX compounds with different oxygen contents in the wide
temperature range (4-120)K have been made. In the superconducting species, the
strong dependencies of the linewidth and resonance line position from the sweep
direction of the applied magnetic field are revealed at the temperatures
significantly below TC. The possible origins of the observed hysteresis are
analyzed. Applicability of the presented EPR approach to extract information
about the dynamics of the flux-line lattice and critical state parameters
(critical current density, magnetic penetration depth, and characteristic
spatial scale of the inhomogeneity) is discussedComment: 17 pages, 5 Figures. Renewed versio
Heterologous Gln/Asn-Rich Proteins Impede the Propagation of Yeast Prions by Altering Chaperone Availability
Prions are self-propagating conformations of proteins that can cause heritable phenotypic traits. Most yeast prions contain glutamine (Q)/asparagine (N)-rich domains that facilitate the accumulation of the protein into amyloid-like aggregates. Efficient transmission of these infectious aggregates to daughter cells requires that chaperones, including Hsp104 and Sis1, continually sever the aggregates into smaller “seeds.” We previously identified 11 proteins with Q/N-rich domains that, when overproduced, facilitate the de novo aggregation of the Sup35 protein into the [PSI +] prion state. Here, we show that overexpression of many of the same 11 Q/N-rich proteins can also destabilize pre-existing [PSI+] or [URE3] prions. We explore in detail the events leading to the loss (curing) of [PSI+] by the overexpression of one of these proteins, the Q/N-rich domain of Pin4, which causes Sup35 aggregates to increase in size and decrease in transmissibility to daughter cells. We show that the Pin4 Q/N-rich domain sequesters Hsp104 and Sis1 chaperones away from the diffuse cytoplasmic pool. Thus, a mechanism by which heterologous Q/N-rich proteins impair prion propagation appears to be the loss of cytoplasmic Hsp104 and Sis1 available to sever [PSI+]
Nationwide Investigation of the Pyrethroid Susceptibility of Mosquito Larvae Collected from Used Tires in Vietnam
Pyrethroid resistance is envisioned to be a major problem for the vector control program since, at present, there are no suitable chemical substitutes for pyrethroids. Cross-resistance to knockdown agents, which are mainly used in mosquito coils and related products as spatial repellents, is the most serious concern. Since cross-resistance is a global phenomenon, we have started to monitor the distribution of mosquito resistance to pyrethroids. The first pilot study was carried out in Vietnam. We periodically drove along the national road from the north end to the Mekong Delta in Vietnam and collected mosquito larvae from used tires. Simplified susceptibility tests were performed using the fourth instar larvae of Aedes aegypti, Aedes albopictus, and Culex quinquefasciatus. Compared with the other species, Ae. aegypti demonstrated the most prominent reduction in susceptibility. For Ae. aegypti, significant increases in the susceptibility indices with a decrease in the latitude of collection points were observed, indicating that the susceptibility of Ae. aegypti against d-allethrin was lower in the southern part, including mountainous areas, as compared to that in the northern part of Vietnam. There was a significant correlation between the susceptibility indices in Ae. aegypti and the sum of annual pyrethroid use for malaria control (1998–2002). This might explain that the use of pyrethroids as residual treatment inside houses and pyrethroid-impregnated bed nets for malaria control is attributable to low pyrethroid susceptibility in Ae. aegypti. Such insecticide treatment appeared to have been intensively administered in the interior and along the periphery of human habitation areas where, incidentally, the breeding and resting sites of Ae. aegypti are located. This might account for the strong selection pressure toward Ae. aegypti and not Ae. albopictus
Exploring CEvNS with NUCLEUS at the Chooz Nuclear Power Plant
Coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering (CENS) offers a unique way
to study neutrino properties and to search for new physics beyond the Standard
Model. Nuclear reactors are promising sources to explore this process at low
energies since they deliver large fluxes of (anti-)neutrinos with typical
energies of a few MeV. In this paper, a new-generation experiment to study
CENS is described. The NUCLEUS experiment will use cryogenic detectors
which feature an unprecedentedly low energy threshold and a time response fast
enough to be operated in above-ground conditions. Both sensitivity to
low-energy nuclear recoils and a high event rate tolerance are stringent
requirements to measure CENS of reactor antineutrinos. A new experimental
site, denoted the Very-Near-Site (VNS) at the Chooz nuclear power plant in
France is described. The VNS is located between the two 4.25 GW
reactor cores and matches the requirements of NUCLEUS. First results of on-site
measurements of neutron and muon backgrounds, the expected dominant background
contributions, are given. In this paper a preliminary experimental setup with
dedicated active and passive background reduction techniques is presented.
Furthermore, the feasibility to operate the NUCLEUS detectors in coincidence
with an active muon-veto at shallow overburden is studied. The paper concludes
with a sensitivity study pointing out the promising physics potential of
NUCLEUS at the Chooz nuclear power plant
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