3,547 research outputs found
Competition between structural distortion and magnetic moment formation in fullerene C
We investigated the effect of on-site Coulomb interactions on the structural
and magnetic ground state of the fullerene C based on
density-functional-theory calculations within the local density approximation
plus on-site Coulomb corrections (LDA+). The total energies of the high
symmetry () and distorted () structures of C were
calculated for different spin configurations. The ground state configurations
were found to depend on the forms of exchange-correlation potentials and the
on-site Coulomb interaction parameter , reflecting the subtle nature of the
competition between Jahn-Teller distortion and magnetic instability in
fullerene C. While the non-magnetic state of the distorted
structure is robust for small , a magnetic ground state of the undistorted
structure emerges for larger than 4 eV when the LDA
exchange-correlation potential is employed.Comment: 4 figures, 1 tabl
Noise Source Identification of Small Fan-BLDC Motor System for Refrigerators
Noise levels in household appliances are increasingly attracting attention from manufacturers and
customers. Legislation is becoming more severe on acceptable noise levels and low noise is a major
marketing point for many products. The latest trend in the refrigerator manufacturing industry is to use
brushless DC (BLDC) motors instead of induction motors in order to reduce energy consumption and
noise radiation. However, cogging torque from BLDC motor is an undesirable effect that prevents the
smooth rotation of the rotor and results in noise. This paper presents a practical approach for
identifying the source of excessive noise in the small fan-motor system for household refrigerators.
The source is presumed to a mechanical resonance excited by torque ripple of the BLDC motor.
By using finite element analysis, natural frequencies and mode shapes of the rotating part of the system
are obtained and they are compared with experimental mode shapes obtained by electronic torsional
excitation test which uses BLDC motor itself as an exciter.
Two experimental validations are carried out to confirm the reduction of excessive noise
Guards and Culprits in the Endoplasmic Reticulum: Glucolipotoxicity and β-Cell Failure in Type II Diabetes
The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is a cellular organelle responsible for multiple important cellular functions including the biosynthesis and folding of newly synthesized proteins destined for secretion, such as insulin. The ER participates in all branches of metabolism, linking nutrient sensing to cellular signaling. Many pathological and physiological factors perturb ER function and induce ER stress. ER stress triggers an adaptive signaling cascade, called the unfolded protein response (UPR), to relieve the stress. The failure of the UPR to resolve ER stress leads to pathological conditions such as β-cell dysfunction and death, and type II diabetes. However, much less is known about the fine details of the control and regulation of the ER response to hyperglycemia (glucotoxicity), hyperlipidemia (lipotoxicity), and the combination of both (glucolipotoxicity). This paper considers recent insights into how the response is regulated, which may provide clues into the mechanism of ER stress-mediated β-cell dysfunction and death during the progression of glucolipotoxicity-induced type II diabetes
Recommended from our members
Combined DNA Methylation and Gastric Microbiome Marker Predicts Helicobacter pylori-Negative Gastric Cancer.
BACKGROUND/AIMS: While DNA methylation and gastric microbiome are each associated with gastric cancer (GC), their combined role in predicting GC remains unclear. This study investigated the potential of a combined DNA methylation and gastric microbiome signature to predict Helicobacter pylori-negative GC. METHODS: In this case-control study, we conducted quantitative methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction to measure the methylation levels of DKK3, SFRP1, EMX1, NKX6-1, MIR124-3, and TWIST1 in the gastric mucosa from 75 H. pylori-negative patients, including chronic gastritis (CG), intestinal metaplasia (IM), and GC. A combined analysis of DNA methylation and gastric microbiome, using 16S rRNA gene sequencing, was performed in 30 of 75 patients. RESULTS: The methylation levels of DKK3, SFRP1, EMX1, MIR124-3, and TWIST1 were significantly higher in patients with GC than in controls (all q<0.05). MIR124-3 and TWIST1 methylation levels were higher in patients with IM than those with CG and also in those with GC than in those with IM (all q<0.05). A higher methylation level of TWIST1 was an independent predictor for H. pylori-negative GC after adjusting for age, sex, and atrophy (odds ratio [OR], 15.15; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.58 to 145.46; p=0.018). The combination of TWIST1 methylation and GC microbiome index (a microbiome marker) was significantly associated with H. pylori-negative GC after adjusting for age, sex, and atrophy (OR, 50.00; 95% CI, 1.69 to 1,476; p=0.024). CONCLUSIONS: The combination of TWIST1 methylation and GC microbiome index may offer potential as a biomarker for predicting H. pylori-negative GC
- …