13,024 research outputs found
Microscopic Selection of Fluid Fingering Pattern
We study the issue of the selection of viscous fingering patterns in the
limit of small surface tension. Through detailed simulations of anisotropic
fingering, we demonstrate conclusively that no selection independent of the
small-scale cutoff (macroscopic selection) occurs in this system. Rather, the
small-scale cutoff completely controls the pattern, even on short time scales,
in accord with the theory of microscopic solvability. We demonstrate that
ordered patterns are dynamically selected only for not too small surface
tensions. For extremely small surface tensions, the system exhibits chaotic
behavior and no regular pattern is realized.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figure
Mapping the spin-dependent electron reflectivity of Fe and Co ferromagnetic thin films
Spin Polarized Low Energy Electron Microscopy is used as a spin dependent
spectroscopic probe to study the spin dependent specular reflection of a
polarized electron beam from two different magnetic thin film systems:
Fe/W(110) and Co/W(110). The reflectivity and spin-dependent
exchange-scattering asymmetry are studied as a function of electron kinetic
energy and film thickness, as well as the time dependence. The largest value of
the figure of merit for spin polarimetry is observed for a 5 monolayer thick
film of Co/W(110) at an electron kinetic energy of 2eV. This value is 2 orders
of magnitude higher than previously obtained with state of the art Mini-Mott
polarimeter. We discuss implications of our results for the development of an
electron-spin-polarimeter using the exchange-interaction at low energy.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure
Lack of a retinal phenotype in a Syne-2/Nesprin-2 knockout mouse model
Syne-2 (also known as Nesprin-2) is a member of a family of proteins that are found primarily in the outer nuclear membrane, as well as other subcellular compartments. Syne-2 contains a C-terminal KASH transmembrane domain and is part of a protein network that associates the nuclear envelope to the cytoskeleton via the binding to actin filaments. Syne-2 plays a role in nuclear migration, nuclear positioning during retinal development, and in ciliogenesis. In a previous study, we showed a connection between Syne-2 and the multifunctional scaffold protein Pericentrin (Pcnt). The elimination of the interaction of Syne-2 and Pcnt showed defects in nuclear migration and the formation of outer segments during retinal development, as well as disturbances in centrosomal migration at the beginning of ciliogenesis in general. In this study, the Syne-2 KO mouse model Nesprin-2△ABD (Syne-2tm1Ngl, MGI) with special attention to Pcnt and ciliogenesis was analyzed. We show reduced expression of Syne-2 in the retina of the Syne-2 KO mouse but found no significant structural—and only a minor functional—phenotype. For the first time, detailed expression analyses showed an expression of a Syne-2 protein larger than 400 kDa (~750 kDa) in the Syne-2/Nesprin-2 KO mouse. In conclusion, the lack of an overt phenotype in Syne-2/Nesprin-2 KO mice suggests the usage of alternative translational start sites, producing Syne-2 splice variants with an intact Pcnt interaction site. Nevertheless, deletion of the actin-binding site in the Syne-2/Nesprin-2 KO mouse revealed a high variability in scotopic oscillatory potentials assuming a novel function of Syne-2 in synchronizing inner retinal processes
Velocity Fluctuations in Dynamical Fracture: the Role of Microcracks
We address the velocity fluctuations of fastly moving cracks in stressed
materials. One possible mechanism for such fluctuations is the interaction of
the main crack with micro cracks (irrespective whether these are existing
material defects or they form during the crack evolution). We analyze carefully
the dynamics (in 2 space dimensions) of one macro and one micro crack, and
demonstrate that their interaction results in a {\em large} and {\em rapid}
velocity fluctuation, in qualitative correspondence with typical velocity
fluctuations observed in experiments. In developing the theory of the dynamical
interaction we invoke an approximation that affords a reduction in mathematical
complexity to a simple set of ordinary differential equations for the positions
of the cracks tips; we propose that this kind of approximation has a range of
usefulness that exceeds the present context.Comment: 7 pages, 7 figure
Nuclear Spin Dynamics in Double Quantum Dots: Multi-Stability, Dynamical Polarization, Criticality and Entanglement
We theoretically study the nuclear spin dynamics driven by electron transport
and hyperfine interaction in an electrically-defined double quantum dot (DQD)
in the Pauli-blockade regime. We derive a master-equation-based framework and
show that the coupled electron-nuclear system displays an instability towards
the buildup of large nuclear spin polarization gradients in the two quantum
dots. In the presence of such inhomogeneous magnetic fields, a quantum
interference effect in the collective hyperfine coupling results in sizable
nuclear spin entanglement between the two quantum dots in the steady state of
the evolution. We investigate this effect using analytical and numerical
techniques, and demonstrate its robustness under various types of
imperfections.Comment: 35 pages, 19 figures. This article provides the full analysis of a
scheme proposed in Phys. Rev. Lett. 111, 246802 (2013). v2: version as
publishe
Phase-Field Model of Mode III Dynamic Fracture
We introduce a phenomenological continuum model for mode III dynamic fracture
that is based on the phase-field methodology used extensively to model
interfacial pattern formation. We couple a scalar field, which distinguishes
between ``broken'' and ``unbroken'' states of the system, to the displacement
field in a way that consistently includes both macroscopic elasticity and a
simple rotationally invariant short scale description of breaking. We report
two-dimensional simulations that yield steady-state crack motion in a strip
geometry above the Griffith threshold.Comment: submitted to PR
Influence of the temperature on the depinning transition of driven interfaces
We study the dynamics of a driven interface in a two-dimensional random-field
Ising model close to the depinning transition at small but finite temperatures
T using Glauber dynamics. A square lattice is considered with an interface
initially in (11)-direction. The drift velocity v is analyzed for the first
time using finite size scaling at T = 0 and additionally finite temperature
scaling close to the depinning transition. In both cases a perfect data
collapse is obtained from which we deduce beta = 1/3 for the exponent which
determines the dependence of v on the driving field, nu = 1 for the exponent of
the correlation length and delta = 5 for the exponent which determines the
dependence of v on T.Comment: 5 pages, Latex, Figures included, to appear in Europhys. Let
Mid-Infrared Images of Luminous Infrared Galaxies in a Merging Sequence
We report mid-infrared observations of several luminous infrared galaxies
(LIGs) carried out with the Infrared Space Observatory. Our sample was chosen
to represent different phases of a merger sequence of galaxy-galaxy interaction
with special emphasis on early/intermediate stages of merging. The mid-infrared
emission of these LIGs shows extended structures for the early and intermediate
mergers, indicating that most of the mid-infrared luminosities are not from a
central active galactic nucleus (AGN). Both the infrared hardness (indicated by
the IRAS 12, 25, and 60 \micron flux density ratios) and the peak-to-total
flux density ratios of these LIGs increase as projected separation of these
interacting galaxies become smaller, consistent with increasing star formation
activities that are concentrated to a smaller area as the merging process
advances. These observations provide among the first observational constraint
of largely theoretically based scenarios.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figures, please refer to ApJ Letters for the final
versio
Anti-melanocortin-4 receptor autoantibodies in obesity
Background: The melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R) is part of an important pathway regulating energy balance. Here we report the existence of autoantibodies (autoAbs) against the MC4R in sera of obese patients. Methods: The autoAbs were detected after screening of 216 patients' sera by using direct and inhibition ELISA with an N-terminal sequence of the MC4R. Binding to the native MC4R was evaluated by flow cytometry and pharmacological effects by measuring adenylyl cyclase activity. Results: Positive results in all tests were obtained in patients with overweight or obesity (prevalence: 3.6%) but not in normal weight patients. The selective binding properties of anti-MC4R autoAbs were confirmed by surface plasmon resonance and by immunoprecipitation with the native MC4R. Finally it was demonstrated that these autoAbs increased food intake in rats after passive transfer via intracerebroventricular injection. Conclusion: These observations suggest that inhibitory anti-MC4R autoAbs might contribute to the development of obesity in a small subpopulation of patients
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