385 research outputs found
Modeling of primary dendrite arm spacing variations in thin-slab casting of low carbon and low alloy steels
Solidification structure of a High Strength Low Alloy (HSLA) steel, in terms of dendrite arm spacing distribution across the shell thickness, is studied in a breakout shell from a thin-slab caster at Tata Steel in IJmuiden. Columnar dendrites were found to be the predominant morphology throughout the shell with size variations across the shell thickness. Primary Dendrite Arm Spacing (PDAS) increases by increasing the distance from meniscus or slab surface. Subsequently, a model is proposed to describe the variation of the PDAS with the shell thickness (the distance from slab surface) under solidifiction conditions experienced in the primary cooling zone of thin-slab casting. The proposed relationship related the PDAS to the shell thickness and, hence, can be used as a tool for predicting solidifcation structure and optimizing the thin-slab casting of low alloy steels
Bearing Capacity of Spatially Random Cohesive Soil Using Numerical Limit Analyses
This paper describes a probabilistic study of the two dimensional bearing capacity of a vertically loaded strip footing on spatially random, cohesive soil using Numerical Limit Analyses (NLAâCD). The analyses uses a Cholesky Decomposition (CD) technique with midâpoint discretization to represent the spatial variation in undrained shear strength within finite element meshes for both upper and lower bound analyses, and assumes an isotropic correlation length. Monte Carlo simulations are then used to interpret the bearing capacity for selected ranges of the coefficient of variation in undrained shear strength and the ratio of correlation length to footing width. The results are compared directly with data from a very similar study by Griffiths et al. in which bearing capacity realizations were computed using a method of Local Average Subdivision (LAS) in a conventional displacementâbased Finite Element Method (FEMâLAS). These comparisons show the same qualitative features, but suggest that the published FEM calculations tend to overestimate the probability of failure at large correlation lengths. The NLA method offers a more convenient and computationally efficient approach for evaluating effects of variability in soil strength properties in geotechnical stability calculations
Electronic transport properties of Cs-encapsulated single-walled carbon nanotubes created by plasma ion irradiation
Understanding/unravelling carotenoid excited singlet states.
Carotenoids are essential light-harvesting pigments in natural photosynthesis. They absorb in the blueâgreen region of the solar spectrum and transfer the absorbed energy to (bacterio-)chlorophylls, and thus expand the wavelength range of light that is able to drive photosynthesis. This process is an example of singletâsinglet excitation energy transfer, and carotenoids serve to enhance the overall efficiency of photosynthetic light reactions. The photochemistry and photophysics of carotenoids have often been interpreted by referring to those of simple polyene molecules that do not possess any functional groups. However, this may not always be wise because carotenoids usually have a number of functional groups that induce the variety of photochemical behaviours in them. These differences can also make the interpretation of the singlet excited states of carotenoids very complicated. In this article, we review the properties of the singlet excited states of carotenoids with the aim of producing as coherent a picture as possible of what is currently known and what needs to be learned
Non-adiabatic spin torque investigated using thermally activated magnetic domain wall dynamics
Using transmission electron microscopy, we investigate the thermally
activated motion of domain walls (DWs) between two positions in permalloy
(Ni80Fe20) nanowires at room temperature. We show that this purely thermal
motion is well described by an Arrhenius law, allowing for a description of the
DW as a quasi-particle in a 1D potential landscape. By injecting small
currents, the potential is modified, allowing for the determination of the
non-adiabatic spin torque: the non-adiabatic coefficient is 0.010 +/- 0.004 for
a transverse DW and 0.073 +/- 0.026 for a vortex DW. The larger value is
attributed to the higher magnetization gradients present
Electric transport properties of single-walled carbon nanotubes functionalized by plasma ion irradiation method
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Correlation between magnetic spin structure and the three-dimensional geometry in chemically synthesized nanoscale magnetite rings
The correlation between magnetic spin structure and geometry in nanoscale chemically synthesized Fe(3)O(4) rings has been investigated by transmission electron microscopy. We find primarily the flux closure vortex states but in rings with thickness variations, an effective stray field occurs. Using tomography, we determine the complete three-dimensional geometries of thicker rings. A direct correlation between the geometry and the magnetization which points out of plane in the thickest parts of the ring yielding an intermediate magnetic state between the vortex state and the tube state is found. The interaction between exchange coupled rings leads to antiparallel vortex states and extended onion states. (c) 2008 American Institute of Physics.Physics, AppliedSCI(E)EI2ARTICLE22null9
A high-mobility two-dimensional electron gas at the heteroepitaxial spinel/perovskite complex oxide interface of {\gamma}-Al2O3/SrTiO3
The discovery of two-dimensional electron gases (2DEGs) at the
heterointerface between two insulating perovskite-type oxides, such as LaAlO3
and SrTiO3, provides opportunities for a new generation of all-oxide electronic
and photonic devices. However, significant improvement of the interfacial
electron mobility beyond the current value of approximately 1,000 cm2V-1s-1 (at
low temperatures), remains a key challenge for fundamental as well as applied
research of complex oxides. Here, we present a new type of 2DEG created at the
heterointerface between SrTiO3 and a spinel {\gamma}-Al2O3 epitaxial film with
excellent quality and compatible oxygen ions sublattices. This
spinel/perovskite oxide heterointerface exhibits electron mobilities more than
one order of magnitude higher than those of perovskite/perovskite oxide
interfaces, and demonstrates unambiguous two-dimensional conduction character
as revealed by the observation of quantum magnetoresistance oscillations.
Furthermore, we find that the spinel/perovskite 2DEG results from
interface-stabilized oxygen vacancies and is confined within a layer of 0.9 nm
in proximity to the heterointerface. Our findings pave the way for studies of
mesoscopic physics with complex oxides and design of high-mobility all-oxide
electronic devices.Comment: 25pages, 5 figure
Impact of mediastinal, liver and lung 123I-metaiodobenzylguanidine (123I-MIBG) washout on calculated 123I-MIBG myocardial washout
PURPOSE: In planar (123)I-metaiodobenzylguanidine ((123)I-MIBG) myocardial imaging mediastinum (M) activity is often used as a background correction in calculating "washout" (WO). However, the most likely sources for counts that might produce errors in estimating myocardial (Myo) activity are lung (Lu) and liver (Li), which typically have higher counts/pixel (cpp) than M. The present study investigated the relationship between changes in Lu, Li and Myo activity between early and late planar (123)I-MIBG images, with comparison to M as the best estimator of non-specific background activity. METHODS: Studies on 98 subjects with both early (e) and late (l) planar (123)I-MIBG images were analysed. There were 68 subjects with chronic heart failure (CHF), 14 with hypertension (HTN) but no known heart disease and 16 controls (C). For each image, regions of interest (ROIs) were drawn: an irregular whole Myo, Lu, upper M and Li. For each ROI, WO was calculated as [(cpp(e)-cpp(l:decay corrected))/cpp(e)]x100%. RESULTS: Multivariable forward stepwise regression analysis showed that overall a significant proportion of the variation in Myo WO could be explained by a model containing M WO and Lu WO (37%, p < 0.001). Only in controls was M WO the sole variable explaining a significant proportion of the variation in Myo WO (27%, p = 0.023). CONCLUSION: Although increased Myo WO in CHF subjects reflects disease severity, part of the count differences measured on planar (123)I-MIBG myocardial images likely reflects changes in the adjacent and surrounding Lu tissue. The results for the controls suggest that this is the only group where a mediastinum correction alone may be appropriate for cardiac WO calculation
First-principles study of illite-smectite and implications for clay mineral systems
Illite-smectite interstratified clay minerals are ubiquitous in sedimentary basins and they have been linked to the maturation, migration and trapping of hydrocarbons(1), rock cementation(2), evolution of porewater chemistry during diagenesis(3) and the development of pore pressure(4). But, despite the importance of these clays, their structures are controversial. Two competing models exist, each with profoundly different consequences for the understanding of diagenetic processes: model A views such interstratified clays as a stacking of layers identical to endmember illite and smectite layers, implying discrete and independently formed units (fundamental particles)(5), whereas model B views the clays as composed of crystallites with a unique structure that maintains coherency over much greater distances, in line with local charge balance about interlayers(6). Here we use first-principles density-functional theory to explore the energetics and structures of these two models for an illite-smectite interstratified clay mineral with a ratio of 1:1 and a Reichweite parameter of 1. We find that the total energy of model B is 2.3 kJ atom(-1) mol(-1) lower than that of model A, and that this energy difference can be traced to structural distortions in model A due to local charge imbalance. The greater stability of model B requires re-evaluation of the evolution of the smectite-to-illite sequence of clay minerals, including the nature of coexisting species, stability relations, growth mechanisms and the model of fundamental particles.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/62760/1/nature01155.pd
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