206,985 research outputs found
How many electrons are needed to flip a local spin?
Considering the spin of a local magnetic atom as a quantum mechanical
operator, we illustrate the dynamics of a local spin interacting with a
ballistic electron represented by a wave packet. This approach improves the
semi-classical approximation and provides a complete quantum mechanical
understanding for spin transfer phenomena. Sending spin-polarized electrons
towards a local magnetic atom one after another, we estimate the minimum number
of electrons needed to flip a local spin.Comment: 3 figure
Containerless preparation of advanced optical glasses: Experiment 77F095
Containerless processing of optical glasses was studied in preparation for space shuttle MEA flight experiments. Ground based investigation, experiment/hardware coordination activities and development of flight experiment and sample characterization plans were investigated. In the ground based investigation over 100 candidate glass materials for space processing were screened and promising compositions were identified. The system of Nb2O5-TiO2-CaO was found to be very rich with containerless glass compositions and as extensive number of the oxides combinations were tried resulting in a glass formation ternary phase diagram. The frequent occurrence of glass formation by containerless processing among the compositions for which no glass formations were previously reported indicated the possibility and an advantage of containerless processing in a terrestrial environment
Lymphoscintigraphy and triangulated body marking for morbidity reduction during sentinel node biopsy in breast cancer
Current trends in patient care include the desire for minimizing invasiveness of procedures and interventions. This aim is reflected in the increasing utilization of sentinel lymph node biopsy, which results in a lower level of morbidity in breast cancer staging, in comparison to extensive conventional axillary dissection. Optimized lymphoscintigraphy with triangulated body marking is a clinical option that can further reduce morbidity, more than when a hand held gamma probe alone is utilized. Unfortunately it is often either overlooked or not fully understood, and thus not utilized. This results in the unnecessary loss of an opportunity to further reduce morbidity. Optimized lymphoscintigraphy and triangulated body marking provides a detailed 3 dimensional map of the number and location of the sentinel nodes, available before the first incision is made. The number, location, relevance based on time/sequence of appearance of the nodes, all can influence 1) where the incision is made, 2) how extensive the dissection is, and 3) how many nodes are removed. In addition, complex patterns can arise from injections. These include prominent lymphatic channels, pseudo-sentinel nodes, echelon and reverse echelon nodes and even contamination, which are much more difficult to access with the probe only. With the detailed information provided by optimized lymphoscintigraphy and triangulated body marking, the surgeon can approach the axilla in a more enlightened fashion, in contrast to when the less informed probe only method is used. This allows for better planning, resulting in the best cosmetic effect and less trauma to the tissues, further reducing morbidity while maintaining adequate sampling of the sentinel node(s)
Elevated temperature crack growth
Alloy 718 crack growth experiments were conducted to assess the ability of the selected path-independent (P-I) integrals to describe the elevated temperature crack growth behavior. These tests were performed on single edge notch (SEN) specimens under displacement control with multiple extensometers to monitor the specimen and crack mouth opening displacement (CMOD). The displacements in these tests were sufficiently high to induce bulk cyclic inelastic deformation of the specimen. Under these conditions, the linear elastic fracture mechanics (LEFM) parameter K does not correlate the crack growth data. The experimentally measured displacement gradients at the end of specimen gage length were used as the boundary conditions in elastic-plastic finite element method (FEM) analyses. These analyses were performed with a node release approach using CYANIDE, a GEAE FEM code, which included a gap element which is capable of efficiently simulating crack closure. Excellent correlation was obtained between the experimentally measured and predicted variation of stress and CMOD with crack length and the stress-CMOD loops for Alloy 718 tests conducted at 538 C. This confirmed the accuracy of the FEM crack growth simulation approach. The experimentally measured crack growth rate data correlated well the selected P-I integrals. These investigations have produced significant progress in developing P-I integrals as non-linear fracture mechanics parameters. The results suggest that this methodology has the potential of accurately describing elevated temperature crack growth behavior under the combined influence of thermal cycling and bulk elastic-inelastic deformation states
Tree indiscernibilities, revisited
We give definitions that distinguish between two notions of indiscernibility
for a set \{a_\eta \mid \eta \in \W\} that saw original use in \cite{sh90},
which we name \textit{\s-} and \textit{\n-indiscernibility}. Using these
definitions and detailed proofs, we prove \s- and \n-modeling theorems and
give applications of these theorems. In particular, we verify a step in the
argument that TP is equivalent to TP or TP that has not seen
explication in the literature. In the Appendix, we exposit the proofs of
\citep[{App. 2.6, 2.7}]{sh90}, expanding on the details.Comment: submitte
Elevated temperature crack growth
The purpose of this program was to extend the work performed in the base program (CR 182247) into the regime of time-dependent crack growth under isothermal and thermal mechanical fatigue (TMF) loading, where creep deformation also influences the crack growth behavior. The investigation was performed in a two-year, six-task, combined experimental and analytical program. The path-independent integrals for application to time-dependent crack growth were critically reviewed. The crack growth was simulated using a finite element method. The path-independent integrals were computed from the results of finite-element analyses. The ability of these integrals to correlate experimental crack growth data were evaluated under various loading and temperature conditions. The results indicate that some of these integrals are viable parameters for crack growth prediction at elevated temperatures
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