High porosity metallic glass foam: A powder metallurgy route

A powder metallurgy route to the fabrication of metallic glass foam is introduced. The method involves consolidating metallic glass powder blended with blowing agent particulates to produce expandable precursors, capable of yielding foams with porosities as high as 86%. The foams are found to inherit the strength of the parent metallic glass and to be able to deform heavily toward full densification absorbing high amounts of energy

NbSe3: Effect of Uniaxial Stress on the Threshold Field and Fermiology

We have measured the effect of uniaxial stress on the threshold field ET for the motion of the upper CDW in NbSe3. ET exhibits a critical behavior, ET ~ (1 - e/ec)^g, wher e is the strain, and ec is about 2.6% and g ~ 1.2. This ecpression remains valid over more than two decades of ET, up to the highest fields of about 1.5keV/m. Neither g nor ec is very sensitive to the impurity concentraction. The CDW transition temperature Tp decreases linearly with e at a rate dTp/de = -10K/%, and it does not show any anomaly near ec. Shubnikov de-Haas measurements show that the extremal area of the Fermi surface decreases with increasing strain. The results suggest that there is an intimate relationship between pinning of the upper CDW and the Fermiology of NbSe3.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure

Matter-gravity couplings and Lorentz violation

The gravitational couplings of matter are studied in the presence of Lorentz and CPT violation. At leading order in the coefficients for Lorentz violation, the relativistic quantum hamiltonian is derived from the gravitationally coupled minimal Standard-Model Extension. For spin-independent effects, the nonrelativistic quantum hamiltonian and the classical dynamics for test and source bodies are obtained. A systematic perturbative method is developed to treat small metric and coefficient fluctuations about a Lorentz-violating and Minkowski background. The post-newtonian metric and the trajectory of a test body freely falling under gravity in the presence of Lorentz violation are established. An illustrative example is presented for a bumblebee model. The general methodology is used to identify observable signals of Lorentz and CPT violation in a variety of gravitational experiments and observations, including gravimeter measurements, laboratory and satellite tests of the weak equivalence principle, antimatter studies, solar-system observations, and investigations of the gravitational properties of light. Numerous sensitivities to coefficients for Lorentz violation can be achieved in existing or near-future experiments at the level of parts in 10^3 down to parts in 10^{15}. Certain coefficients are uniquely detectable in gravitational searches and remain unmeasured to date.Comment: 59 pages two-column REVTe

On the Temperature Dependence of the Rate Constant of the Bimolecular Reaction of Two Hydrated Electrons

It has been a longstanding issue in the radiation chemistry of water that, even though H2 is a molecular product, its “escape” yield g(H2) increases with increasing temperature. A main source of H2 is the bimolecular reaction of two hydrated electrons (e-aq). The temperature dependence of the rate constant of this reaction (k1), measured under alkaline conditions, reveals that the rate constant drops abruptly above ~150°C. Recently, it has been suggested that this temperature dependence should be regarded as being independent of pH and used in high-temperature modeling of near-neutral water radiolysis. However, when this drop in the e-aq self-reaction rate constant is included in low (isolated spurs) and high (cylindrical tracks) linear energy transfer (LET) modeling calculations, g(H2) shows a marked downward discontinuity at ~150°C which is not observed experimentally. The consequences of the presence of this discontinuity in g(H2) for both low and high LET radiation are briefly discussed in this communication. It is concluded that the applicability of the sudden drop in k1 observed at ~150°C in alkaline water to near-neutral water is questionable and that further measurements of the rate constant in pure water are highly desirable.Received:13 June 2013; Revised: 27 August 2013; Accepted: 28 August 201

Integrated weed management systems with herbicide-tolerant crops in the European Union: lessons learnt from home and abroad

Conventionally bred (CHT) and genetically modified herbicide-tolerant (GMHT) crops have changed weed management practices and made an important contribution to the global production of some commodity crops. However, a concern is that farm management practices associated with the cultivation of herbicide-tolerant (HT) crops further deplete farmland biodiversity and accelerate the evolution of herbicide-resistant (HR) weeds. Diversification in crop systems and weed management practices can enhance farmland biodiversity, and reduce the risk of weeds evolving herbicide resistance. Therefore, HT crops are most effective and sustainable as a component of an integrated weed management (IWM) system. IWM advocates the use of multiple effective strategies or tactics to manage weed populations in a manner that is economically and environmentally sound. In practice, however, the potential benefits of IWM with HT crops are seldom realized because a wide range of technical and socio-economic factors hamper the transition to IWM. Here, we discuss the major factors that limit the integration of HT crops and their associated farm management practices in IWM systems. Based on the experience gained in countries where CHT or GMHT crops are widely grown and the increased familiarity with their management, we propose five actions to facilitate the integration of HT crops in IWM systems within the European Union

Determinants for the success of regional ICT ventures: a close examination of south korea

Background This study identifies the key motivational factors in enhancing economic performance and increasing new job opportunities for information and communication technology ventures (ICTVs) in South Korea and examines their potential causal relationships through structural equation modeling analysis on data collected from over 200 ICTVs located in Daedeok Innopolis. Results The results indicate that the economic performance of ICTVs is determined mainly by government support, innovation effort, and private equity and support. Government support and innovation effort are also positively associated with new job opportunities. Conclusions The theoretical, industrial implications of the key findings, and recommendations for the Korean government are discussed.This work was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea Grant funded by the Korean Government (NRF-2014S1A5A2A01011769). This study was also supported by the Dongguk University Research Fund of 2015

Prior Helicobacter pylori infection ameliorates Salmonella typhimurium-induced colitis: Mucosal crosstalk between stomach and distal intestine

Background: Helicobacter pylori infection is associated with a lower risk of chronic autoimmune diseases including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). H. pylori modulates the gastric immune response, decreasing the local inflammatory response to itself. In mice, chronic Salmonella typhimurium infection induces colitis similar to Crohn's disease, characterized by inflammation, which progresses toward fibrosis. The aim of this study was to determine whether prior H. pylori infection acts at a distance to modulate the immune response of S. typhimurium -induced colitis. Methods: Mice were infected with the mouse-adapted strain of H. pylori (SS1), followed by infection with S. typhimurium . The effect of H. pylori on colitis was determined by gross pathology, histopathology, cytokine response, and development of fibrosis in the cecum. Gastritis and systemic immune response was measured in response to infection. Results: H. pylori suppresses the Th17 response to S. typhimurium infection in the mouse cecum, but does not alter the Th2 or T-regulatory response or the development of fibrosis. H. pylori infection induces IL-10 in the mesenteric lymph nodes, suggesting an extragastric mechanism for immunomodulation. H. pylori / S. typhimurium coinfection decreases inflammation in both the cecum and the stomach. Conclusions: This study demonstrates a potential mechanism for the negative association between H. pylori and IBD in humans. H. pylori represses the lower gastrointestinal tract Th17 response to bacterially induced colitis via extragastric immunomodulatory effects, illustrating immunological crosstalk between the upper and lower gastrointestinal tract. (Inflamm Bowel Dis 2011;)Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/84386/1/21489_ftp.pd