5,441 research outputs found
Resonant x-ray scattering study on multiferroic BiMnO3
Resonant x-ray scattering is performed near the Mn K-absorption edge for an
epitaxial thin film of BiMnO3. The azimuthal angle dependence of the resonant
(003) peak (in monoclinic indices) is measured with different photon
polarizations; for the channel a 3-fold symmetric oscillation
is observed in the intensity variation, while the scattering
intensity remains constant. These features are accounted for in terms of the
peculiar ordering of the manganese 3d orbitals in BiMnO3. It is demonstrated
that the resonant peak persists up to 770 K with an anomaly around 440 K; these
high and low temperatures coincide with the structural transition temperatures,
seen in bulk, with and without a symmetry change, respectively. A possible
relationship of the orbital order with the ferroelectricity of the system is
discussed.Comment: 14 pages, 4 figure
Anisotropic strains and magnetoresistance of La_{0.7}Ca_{0.3}MnO_{3}
Thin films of perovskite manganite La_{0.7}Ca_{0.3}MnO_{3} were grown
epitaxially on SrTiO_3(100), MgO(100) and LaAlO_3(100) substrates by the pulsed
laser deposition method. Microscopic structures of these thin film samples as
well as a bulk sample were fully determined by x-ray diffraction measurements.
The unit cells of the three films have different shapes, i.e., contracted
tetragonal, cubic, and elongated tetragonal for SrTiO_3, MgO, and LaAlO_3
cases, respectively, while the unit cell of the bulk is cubic. It is found that
the samples with cubic unit cell show smaller peak magnetoresistance than the
noncubic ones do. The present result demonstrates that the magnetoresistance of
La_{0.7}Ca_{0.3}MnO_{3} can be controlled by lattice distortion via externally
imposed strains.Comment: Revtex, 10 pages, 2 figure
Substructural Identification of Flexural Rigidity for Beam-Like Structures
This study proposes a novel substructural identification method based on the Bernoulli-Euler beam theory with a single variable optimization scheme to estimate the flexural rigidity of a beam-like structure such as a bridge deck, which is one of the major structural integrity indices of a structure. In ordinary bridges, the boundary condition of a superstructure can be significantly altered by aging and environmental variations, and the actual boundary conditions are generally unknown or difficult to be estimated correctly. To efficiently bypass the problems related to boundary conditions, a substructural identification method is proposed to evaluate the flexural rigidity regardless of the actual boundary conditions by isolating an identification region within the internal substructure. The proposed method is very simple and effective as it utilizes the single variable optimization based on the transfer function formulated utilizing Bernoulli Euler beam theory for the inverse analysis to obtain the flexural rigidity. This novel method is also rigorously investigated by applying it for estimating the flexural rigidity of a simply supported beam model with different boundary conditions, a concrete plate-girder bridge model with different length of an internal substructure, a cantilever-type wind turbine tower structure with different type of excitation, and a steel box-girder bridge model with internal structural damages.This research was financially supported by the Ministry of
Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) of the Korea
government (code 12 Technology Innovation E09)
Refined Simulations of the Reaction Front for Diffusion-Limited Two-Species Annihilation in One Dimension
Extensive simulations are performed of the diffusion-limited reaction
AB in one dimension, with initially separated reagents. The reaction
rate profile, and the probability distributions of the separation and midpoint
of the nearest-neighbour pair of A and B particles, are all shown to exhibit
dynamic scaling, independently of the presence of fluctuations in the initial
state and of an exclusion principle in the model. The data is consistent with
all lengthscales behaving as as . Evidence of
multiscaling, found by other authors, is discussed in the light of these
findings.Comment: Resubmitted as TeX rather than Postscript file. RevTeX version 3.0,
10 pages with 16 Encapsulated Postscript figures (need epsf). University of
Geneva preprint UGVA/DPT 1994/10-85
Spin-lattice order in frustrated ZnCr2O4
Using synchrotron X-rays and neutron diffraction we disentangle spin-lattice
order in highly frustrated ZnCrO where magnetic chromium ions occupy
the vertices of regular tetrahedra. Upon cooling below 12.5 K the quandary of
anti-aligning spins surrounding the triangular faces of tetrahedra is resolved
by establishing weak interactions on each triangle through an intricate lattice
distortion. The resulting spin order is however, not simply a N\'{e}el state on
strong bonds. A complex co-planar spin structure indicates that antisymmetric
and/or further neighbor exchange interactions also play a role as ZnCrO
resolves conflicting magnetic interactions
Defects in Affordable Housing Projects in Klang Valley, Malaysia
Several affordable housing programs have been introduced by the government to achieve the objectives of several Malaysia Plans; however, the success of the housing programs has been reduced due to readily reported quality problems and defects. This research aims to identify the types of defects in affordable housing and determine what is causing the defects, so that solutions may be devised to raise the quality of housing stock in Malaysia. A questionnaire survey was distributed to 310 residents of affordable housing, located in four different regions in Klang Valley, Malaysia. The most commonly occurring defects in affordable housing are leaking pipes, total failure of water supply systems, cracking in concrete walls, faulty door knobs, and dampness to concrete walls. This suggests that improvements in workmanship, the use of superior materials, and changes to more customer-oriented supervision and monitoring may reduce the incidence of defects. Local conditions, such as heavy rainfall, may influence dampness, and may reduce the generalizability of findings to other areas with different weather patterns. The findings have been reported to the Construction Industry Development Board of Malaysia to improve the quality of affordable housing
Orbital ordering and enhanced magnetic frustration of strained BiMnO3 thin films
Epitaxial thin films of multiferroic perovskite BiMnO3 were synthesized on
SrTiO3 substrates, and orbital ordering and magnetic properties of the thin
films were investigated. The ordering of the Mn^{3+} e_g orbitals at a wave
vector (1/4 1/4 1/4) was detected by Mn K-edge resonant x-ray scattering. This
peculiar orbital order inherently contains magnetic frustration. While bulk
BiMnO3 is known to exhibit simple ferromagnetism, the frustration enhanced by
in-plane compressive strains in the films brings about cluster-glass-like
properties.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures, accepted to Europhysics Letter
Diffusion-Limited Annihilation with Initially Separated Reactants
A diffusion-limited annihilation process, A+B->0, with species initially
separated in space is investigated. A heuristic argument suggests the form of
the reaction rate in dimensions less or equal to the upper critical dimension
. Using this reaction rate we find that the width of the reaction front
grows as in one dimension and as in two
dimensions.Comment: 9 pages, Plain Te
Functional rescue of dystrophin deficiency in mice caused by frameshift mutations using Campylobacter jejuni Cas9
Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a fatal, X-linked muscle wasting disease caused by mutations in the DMD gene. In 51% of DMD cases, a reading frame is disrupted because of deletion of several exons. Here, we show that CjCas9 derived from Campylobacter jejuni can be
used as a gene editing tool to correct an out-of-frame Dmd exon in Dmd knockout mice. Herein, we used Cas9 derived from S. pyogenes to generate Dmd knockout (KO) mice with a frameshift mutation in Dmd gene. Then, we expressed CjCas9, its single-guide RNA, and the eGFP gene
in the tibialis anterior muscle of the Dmd KO mice using an all-in-one adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector. CjCas9 cleaved the target site in the Dmd gene efficiently in vivo and induced small insertions or deletions at the target site. This treatment resulted in conversion of the
disrupted Dmd reading frame from out-of-frame to in-frame, leading to the expression of dystrophin in the sarcolemma. Importantly, muscle strength was enhanced in the CjCas9-treated muscles, without off-target mutations, indicating high efficiency and specificity of CjCas9. This work suggests that in vivo DMD frame correction, mediated by CjCas9 has great potential for the treatment of DMD and other neuromuscular diseases
- …