4,135 research outputs found
A New Method for Searching for Free Fractional Charge Particles in Bulk Matter
We present a new experimental method for searching for free fractional charge
in bulk matter; this new method derives from the traditional Millikan liquid
drop method, but allows the use of much larger drops, 20 to 100 mm in diameter,
compared to the traditional method that uses drops less than 15 mm in diameter.
These larger drops provide the substantial advantage that it is then much
easier to consistently generate drops containing liquid suspensions of powdered
meteorites and other special minerals. These materials are of great importance
in bulk searches for fractional charge particles that may have been produced in
the early universe.Comment: 17 pages, 5 figures in a singl PDF file (created from WORD Doc.).
Submitted to Review of Scientific Instrument
Changing Traditions: Supervision, Co-Teaching, and Lessons Learned in a Professional Development School Partnership
Considering how long societies have been educating their youth, the history of teacher education is relatively brief. The first efforts to provide systematic education for teachers with some kind of practical experience occurred in Rheims, France, in the late 17th century when Jean Baptiste De La Salle opened the first normal school
Reactive oxygen species induce virus-independent MAVS-oligomerization in systemic lupus erythematosus
The increased expression of genes induced by type I interferon (IFN) is characteristic of viral infections and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). We showed that mitochondrial antiviral signaling (MAVS) protein, which normally forms a complex with retinoic acid gene I (RIG-I)–like helicases during viral infection, was activated by oxidative stress independently of RIG-I helicases. We found that chemically generated oxidative stress stimulated the formation of MAVS oligomers, which led to mitochondrial hyperpolarization and decreased adenosine triphosphate production and spare respiratory capacity, responses that were not observed in similarly treated cells lacking MAVS. Peripheral blood lymphocytes of SLE patients also showed spontaneous MAVS oligomerization that correlated with the increased secretion of type I IFN and mitochondrial oxidative stress. Furthermore, inhibition of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) by the mitochondria-targeted antioxidant MitoQ prevented MAVS oligomerization and type I IFN production. ROS-dependent MAVS oligomerization and type I IFN production were reduced in cells expressing the MAVS-C79F variant, which occurs in 30% of sub-Saharan Africans and is linked with reduced type I IFN secretion and milder disease in SLE patients. Patients expressing the MAVS-C79F variant also had reduced amounts of oligomerized MAVS in their plasma compared to healthy controls. Together, our findings suggest that oxidative stress–induced MAVS oligomerization in SLE patients may contribute to the type I IFN signature that is characteristic of this syndrome
Dilepton Production in Nucleon-Nucleon Reactions With and Without Hadronic Inelasticities
We calculate elementary proton-proton and neutron-proton bremsstrahlung and
their contribution to the invariant mass distribution. At 4.9 GeV, the
proton-proton contribution is larger than neutron-proton, but it is small
compared to recent data. We then make a first calculation of bremsstrahlung in
nucleon-nucleon reactions with multi-hadron final states. Again at 4.9 GeV, the
many-body bremsstrahlung is larger than simple nucleon-nucleon bremsstrahlung
by more than an order of magnitude in the low-mass region. When the
bremsstrahlung contributions are summed with Dalitz decay of the ,
radiative decay of the and from two-pion annihilation, the result
matches recent high statistics proton-proton data from the Dilepton
Spectrometer collaboration.Comment: 1+17 pages plus 11 PostScript figures uuencoded and appended,
McGill/93-9, TPI-MINN-93/18-
Cumulative Effects of Neonatal Hyperoxia on Murine Alveolar Structure and Function
Background
Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) results from alveolar simplification and abnormal development of alveolar and capillary structure. Survivors of BPD display persistent deficits in airflow and membrane and vascular components of alveolar gas diffusion. Despite being the defining feature of BPD, various neonatal hyperoxia models of BPD have not routinely assessed pulmonary gas diffusion.
Methods
To simulate the most commonly-utilized neonatal hyperoxia models, we exposed neonatal mice to room air or ≥90% hyperoxia during key stages of distal lung development: through the first 4 (saccular), 7 (early alveolar), or 14 (bulk alveolar) postnatal days, followed by a period of recovery in room air until 8 weeks of age when alveolar septation is essentially complete. We systematically assessed and correlated the effects of neonatal hyperoxia on the degree of alveolar–capillary structural and functional impairment. We hypothesized that the degree of alveolar–capillary simplification would correlate strongly with worsening diffusion impairment.
Results
Neonatal hyperoxia exposure, of any duration, resulted in alveolar simplification and impaired pulmonary gas diffusion. Mean Linear Intercept increased in proportion to the length of hyperoxia exposure while alveolar and total lung volume increased markedly only with prolonged exposure. Surprisingly, despite having a similar effect on alveolar surface area, only prolonged hyperoxia for 14 days resulted in reduced pulmonary microvascular volume. Estimates of alveolar and capillary structure, in general, correlated poorly with assessment of gas diffusion.
Conclusion
Our results help define the physiological and structural consequences of commonly-employed neonatal hyperoxia models of BPD and informtheir clinical utility
Dynamic Critical Phenomena of Polymer Solutions
Recently, a systematic experiment measuring critical anomaly of viscosity of
polymer solutions has been reported by H. Tanaka and his co-workers
(Phys.Rev.E, 65, 021802, (2002)). According to their experiments, the dynamic
critical exponent of viscosity y_c drastically decreases with increasing the
molecular weight. In this article the kinetic coefficients renormalized by the
non-linear hydrodynamic interaction are calculated by the mode coupling theory.
We predict that the critical divergence of viscosity should be suppressed with
increasing the molecular weight. The diffusion constant and the dynamic
structure factor are also calculated. The present results explicitly show that
the critical dynamics of polymer solutions should be affected by an extra
spatio-temporal scale intrinsic to polymer solutions, and are consistent with
the experiment of Tanaka, et al.Comment: 17 pages, 2 figures, to be published in J.Phys.Soc.Jp
Weak Gravity Conjecture and Holographic Dark Energy Model with Interaction and Spatial Curvature
In the paper, we apply the weak gravity conjecture to the holographic
quintessence model of dark energy. Three different holographic dark energy
models are considered: without the interaction in the non-flat universe; with
interaction in the flat universe; with interaction in the non-flat universe. We
find that only in the models with the spatial curvature and interaction term
proportional to the energy density of matter, it is possible for the weak
gravity conjecture to be satisfied.Comment: 14 pages, 7 figures, typographical errors are corrected; conclusin is
unchange
Can the Existence of Dark Energy Be Directly Detected?
The majority of astronomers and physicists accept the reality of dark energy
and also believe that it can only be studied indirectly through observation of
the motions of stars and galaxies. In this paper I open the experimental
question of whether it is possible to directly detect dark energy through the
presence of dark energy density. Two thirds of this paper outlines the major
aspects of dark energy density as now comprehended by the astronomical and
physics community. The final third summarizes various proposals for direct
detection of dark energy density or its possible effects. At this time I do not
have a fruitful answer to the question: Can the Existence of Dark Energy Be
Directly Detected?Comment: 4 page
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