Capillary-Wave Model for the Solidification of Dilute Binary Alloys

Starting from a phase-field description of the isothermal solidification of a dilute binary alloy, we establish a model where capillary waves of the solidification front interact with the diffusive concentration field of the solute. The model does not rely on the sharp-interface assumption, and includes non-equilibrium effects, relevant in the rapid-growth regime. In many applications it can be evaluated analytically, culminating in the appearance of an instability which, interfering with the Mullins-Sekerka instability, is similar to that, found by Cahn in grain-boundary motion.Comment: 17 pages, 12 figure

Assessment techniques, database design and software facilities for thermodynamics and diffusion

The purpose of this article is to give a set of recommendations to producers of assessed thermodynamic data, who may be involved in either the critical evaluation of limited chemical systems or the creation and dissemination of larger thermodynamic databases. Also, it is hoped that reviewers and editors of scientific publications in this field will find some of the information useful. Good practice in the assessment process is essential, particularly as datasets from many different sources may be combined together into a single database. With this in mind, we highlight some problems that can arise during the assessment process and we propose a quality assurance procedure. It is worth mentioning at this point, that the provision of reliable assessed thermodynamic data relies heavily on the availability of high quality experimental information. The different software packages for thermodynamics and diffusion are described here only briefly

Oxygen on Ni(111): A multiple-scattering analysis of the near-edge x-ray-absorption fine structure

Oxygen chemisorption and oxide formation on a Ni(111) surface have been monitored by using the near-edge x-ray-absorption fine-structure technique. The adsorption site of oxygen in the p(2×2) and (√3 × √3 )R30° superstructures has been determined by a multiple-scattering analysis. In both structures the oxygen occupies a threefold-coordinated fcc site with a nearest-neighbor O-Ni bond length of 1.85±0.05 Å on a Ni(111) surface relaxed outwards by ∼0.15 Å

Missing-row reconstruction in the system (2×1)O/Ag(110): A surface extended x-ray-absorption fine-structure study

Oxygen K-edge surface extended x-ray-absorption fine-structure studies on the (2×1)O/Ag(110) system confirm the long-bridge adsorption site with a nearest-neighbor O-Ag bond length of 2.05±0.03 Å. They show that oxygen adsorbs close to the surface inducing a reconstruction of the missing-row type. Structural similarities of the (2×1)O phases on Ni(110), Cu(110), and Ag(110) are discussed

Investigación en red sobre formación docente en investigación educativa

Desde 2009, tres Universidades argentinas y tres Institutos de Formación Docente venimos trabajando en un Proyecto de Investigación Científica y Tecnológica en Red, acerca de la colaboración entre Universidades Nacionales e Institutos de Formación Docente en la investigación de la Formación docente sobre comunicación, instituciones y ciudadanía. El Proyecto se desarrolla simultáneamente en tres planos, porque al investigar aspectos de la formación de los alumnos,se experimenta la formación en investigación de los docentes superiores y universitarios, y se investiga la propia relación entre docentes superiores y universitarios. Este artículo presenta la estrategia metodológica desplegada en el Nodo 1 - comunicación y lenguajes artísticos - que adoptó la denominación de Investigación Participativa Experiencial.Palabras clave: Formación docente. Redes. Investigación Participativa Experiencial.&nbsp

Test Results on the Silicon Pixel Detector for the TTF-FEL Beam Trajectory Monitor

Test measurements on the silicon pixel detector for the beam trajectory monitor at the free electron laser of the TESLA test facility are presented. To determine the electronic noise of detector and read-out and to calibrate the signal amplitude of different pixels the 6 keV photons of the manganese K line are used. Two different methods determine the spatial accuracy of the detector: In one setup a laser beam is focused to a straight line and moved across the pixel structure. In the other the detector is scanned using a low-intensity electron beam of an electron microscope. Both methods show that the symmetry axis of the detector defines a straight line within 0.4 microns. The sensitivity of the detector to low energy X-rays is measured using a vacuum ultraviolet beam at the synchrotron light source HASYLAB. Additionally, the electron microscope is used to study the radiation hardness of the detector.Comment: 14 pages (Latex), 13 figures (Postscript), submitted to Nuclear Instruments and Methods

Microwaves from GSM Mobile Telephones Affect 53BP1 and γ-H2AX Foci in Human Lymphocytes from Hypersensitive and Healthy Persons

The data on biologic effects of nonthermal microwaves (MWs) from mobile telephones are diverse, and these effects are presently ignored by safety standards of the International Commission for Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP). In the present study, we investigated effects of MWs of Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) at different carrier frequencies on human lymphocytes from healthy persons and from persons reporting hypersensitivity to electromagnetic fields (EMFs). We measured the changes in chromatin conformation, which are indicative of stress response and genotoxic effects, by the method of anomalous viscosity time dependence, and we analyzed tumor suppressor p53-binding protein 1 (53BP1) and phosphorylated histone H2AX (γ-H2AX), which have been shown to colocalize in distinct foci with DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs), using immunofluorescence confocal laser microscopy. We found that MWs from GSM mobile telephones affect chromatin conformation and 53BP1/γ-H2AX foci similar to heat shock. For the first time, we report here that effects of MWs from mobile telephones on human lymphocytes are dependent on carrier frequency. On average, the same response was observed in lymphocytes from hypersensitive and healthy subjects

First-principles study of ternary fcc solution phases from special quasirandom structures

In the present work, ternary Special Quasirandom Structures (SQSs) for a fcc solid solution phase are generated at different compositions, $x_A=x_B=x_C=\tfrac{1}{3}$ and $x_A=\tfrac{1}{2}$, $x_B=x_C=\tfrac{1}{4}$, whose correlation functions are satisfactorily close to those of a random fcc solution. The generated SQSs are used to calculate the mixing enthalpy of the fcc phase in the Ca-Sr-Yb system. It is observed that first-principles calculations of all the binary and ternary SQSs in the Ca-Sr-Yb system exhibit very small local relaxation. It is concluded that the fcc ternary SQSs can provide valuable information about the mixing behavior of the fcc ternary solid solution phase. The SQSs presented in this work can be widely used to study the behavior of ternary fcc solid solutions.Comment: 20 pages, 7 figure

Design and experimental validation of the action of small molecule-based inhibitors of the FADD protein

CD95 is one of the best studied members of the death receptor family. Activation of CD95 leads to the induction of the cell death programme, apoptosis, via formation of the death-inducing signaling complex (DISC). FA DD is a key adaptor protein for the formation of the C D95 DISC and activation of caspase-8 in the receptor complex. FA DD comprises the death domain and the death effector domain (DED). The death domain is essential for the interactions of FA DD with CD95, while DED is necessary for the recruitment of procaspase-8, -10 and the protein c-FLIP into the DISC. The search for the inhibitors that would block the interactions of FA DD with the other core proteins of the DISC is essential for the studies of the structure and function of this complex, investigation of the apoptosis mechanisms and development of new treatments for neurodegenerative diseases. In the course of this work, the screening for small inhibitors in silico that selectively interact with DED has been performed. For this purpose, the molecular modeling of the protein complexes and virtual screening of the potential inhibitors of FA DD has been performed. In addition, a new technology to test the activity of these inhibitors has been developed. The computational and experimental analysis performed allowed us to characterize the optimal conformation of the FA DD protein for the design of the small molecules that can bind in the region of amino acid residue Y25. We presume that further optimization of the structures of chemical compounds that can bind with the hydrophobic pocket next to the residue Y25 of FA DD will allow for the creation of the new perspective inhibitors of the programmed cell death

Association of Tinnitus and Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity: Hints for a Shared Pathophysiology?

BACKGROUND: Tinnitus is a frequent condition with high morbidity and impairment in quality of life. The pathophysiology is still incompletely understood. Electromagnetic fields are discussed to be involved in the multi-factorial pathogenesis of tinnitus, but data proofing this relationship are very limited. Potential health hazards of electromagnetic fields (EMF) have been under discussion for long. Especially, individuals claiming themselves to be electromagnetic hypersensitive suffer from a variety of unspecific symptoms, which they attribute to EMF-exposure. The aim of the study was to elucidate the relationship between EMF-exposure, electromagnetic hypersensitivity and tinnitus using a case-control design. METHODOLOGY: Tinnitus occurrence and tinnitus severity were assessed by questionnaires in 89 electromagnetic hypersensitive patients and 107 controls matched for age-, gender, living surroundings and workplace. Using a logistic regression approach, potential risk factors for the development of tinnitus were evaluated. FINDINGS: Tinnitus was significantly more frequent in the electromagnetic hypersensitive group (50.72% vs. 17.5%) whereas tinnitus duration and severity did not differ between groups. Electromagnetic hypersensitivity and tinnitus were independent risk factors for sleep disturbances. However, measures of individual EMF-exposure like e.g. cell phone use did not show any association with tinnitus. CONCLUSIONS: Our data indicate that tinnitus is associated with subjective electromagnetic hypersensitivity. An individual vulnerability probably due to an over activated cortical distress network seems to be responsible for, both, electromagnetic hypersensitivity and tinnitus. Hence, therapeutic efforts should focus on treatment strategies (e.g. cognitive behavioral therapy) aiming at normalizing this dysfunctional distress network