3,757 research outputs found
Doping Evolution of Oxygen K-edge X-ray Absorption Spectra in Cuprate Superconductors
We study oxygen K-edge x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and investigate
the validity of the Zhang-Rice singlet (ZRS) picture in overdoped cuprate
superconductors. Using large-scale exact diagonalization of the three-orbital
Hubbard model, we observe the effect of strong correlations manifesting in a
dynamical spectral weight transfer from the upper Hubbard band to the ZRS band.
The quantitative agreement between theory and experiment highlights an
additional spectral weight reshuffling due to core-hole interaction. Our
results confirm the important correlated nature of the cuprates and elucidate
the changing orbital character of the low-energy quasi-particles, but also
demonstrate the continued relevance of the ZRS even in the overdoped region.Comment: Original: 5 pages, 4 figures. Replaced: 6 pages and 4 figures, with
updated title and conten
Secure Vehicular Communication Systems: Implementation, Performance, and Research Challenges
Vehicular Communication (VC) systems are on the verge of practical
deployment. Nonetheless, their security and privacy protection is one of the
problems that have been addressed only recently. In order to show the
feasibility of secure VC, certain implementations are required. In [1] we
discuss the design of a VC security system that has emerged as a result of the
European SeVeCom project. In this second paper, we discuss various issues
related to the implementation and deployment aspects of secure VC systems.
Moreover, we provide an outlook on open security research issues that will
arise as VC systems develop from today's simple prototypes to full-fledged
systems
Ion Pairs for Transdermal and Dermal Drug Delivery: A Review
Ion pairing is a strategy used to increase the permeation of topically applied ionised drugs. Formation occurs when the electrostatic energy of attraction between oppositely charged ions exceeds their mean thermal energy, making it possible for them to draw together and attain a critical distance. These ions then behave as a neutral species, allowing them to partition more readily into a lipid environment. Partition coefficient studies may be used to determine the potential of ions to pair and partition into an organic phase but cannot be relied upon to predict flux. Early researchers indicated that temperature, size of ions and dielectric constant of the solvent system all contributed to the formation of ion pairs. While size is important, this may be outweighed by improved lipophilicity of the counter ion due to increased length of the carbon chain. Organic counter ions are more effective than inorganic moieties in forming ion pairs. In addition to being used to increase permeation, ion pairs have been used to control and even prevent permeation of the active ingredient. They have also been used to stabilise solid lipid nanoparticle formulations. Ion pairs have been used in conjunction with permeation enhancers, and permeation enhancers have been used as counter ions in ion pairing. This review attempts to show the various ways in which ion pairs have been used in drug delivery via the skin. It also endeavours to extract and consolidate common approaches in order to inform future formulations for topical and transdermal delivery
Oxytocin is an age-specific circulating hormone that is necessary for muscle maintenance and regeneration.
The regenerative capacity of skeletal muscle declines with age. Previous studies suggest that this process can be reversed by exposure to young circulation; however, systemic age-specific factors responsible for this phenomenon are largely unknown. Here we report that oxytocin--a hormone best known for its role in lactation, parturition and social behaviours--is required for proper muscle tissue regeneration and homeostasis, and that plasma levels of oxytocin decline with age. Inhibition of oxytocin signalling in young animals reduces muscle regeneration, whereas systemic administration of oxytocin rapidly improves muscle regeneration by enhancing aged muscle stem cell activation/proliferation through activation of the MAPK/ERK signalling pathway. We further show that the genetic lack of oxytocin does not cause a developmental defect in muscle but instead leads to premature sarcopenia. Considering that oxytocin is an FDA-approved drug, this work reveals a potential novel and safe way to combat or prevent skeletal muscle ageing
Hydrodynamics of polar liquid crystals
Starting from a microscopic definition of an alignment vector proportional to
the polarization, we discuss the hydrodynamics of polar liquid crystals with
local -symmetry. The free energy for polar liquid crystals
differs from that of nematic liquid crystals () in that it
contains terms violating the symmetry. First we show
that these -odd terms induce a general splay instability of a
uniform polarized state in a range of parameters. Next we use the general
Poisson-bracket formalism to derive the hydrodynamic equations of the system in
the polarized state. The structure of the linear hydrodynamic modes confirms
the existence of the splay instability.Comment: 9 pages, corrected typos, added references, revised content, to
appear in PR
Probing the inter-layer exciton physics in a MoS/MoSe/MoS van der Waals heterostructure
Stacking atomic monolayers of semiconducting transition metal dichalcogenides
(TMDs) has emerged as an effective way to engineer their properties. In
principle, the staggered band alignment of TMD heterostructures should result
in the formation of inter-layer excitons with long lifetimes and robust valley
polarization. However, these features have been observed simultaneously only in
MoSe/WSe heterostructures. Here we report on the observation of long
lived inter-layer exciton emission in a MoS/MoSe/MoS trilayer van
der Waals heterostructure. The inter-layer nature of the observed transition is
confirmed by photoluminescence spectroscopy, as well as by analyzing the
temporal, excitation power and temperature dependence of the inter-layer
emission peak. The observed complex photoluminescence dynamics suggests the
presence of quasi-degenerate momentum-direct and momentum-indirect bandgaps. We
show that circularly polarized optical pumping results in long lived valley
polarization of inter-layer exciton. Intriguingly, the inter-layer exciton
photoluminescence has helicity opposite to the excitation. Our results show
that through a careful choice of the TMDs forming the van der Waals
heterostructure it is possible to control the circular polarization of the
inter-layer exciton emission.Comment: 19 pages, 3 figures. Just accepted for publication in Nano Letters
(http://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.nanolett.7b03184
Thermodynamics and magnetic field profiles in low-kappa type-II superconductors
Two-dimensional low-kappa type-II superconductors are studied numerically
within the Eilenberger equations of superconductivity. Depending on the
Ginzburg-Landau parameter \kappa=\lambda/\xi vortex-vortex interaction can be
attractive or purely repulsive. The sign of interaction is manifested as a
first (second) order phase transition from Meissner to the mixed state.
Temperature and field dependence of the magnetic field distribution in
low-kappa type-II superconductors with attractive intervortex interaction is
calculated. Theoretical results are compared to the experiment.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
Dependence of the flux creep activation energy on current density and magnetic field for MgB2 superconductor
Systematic ac susceptibility measurements have been performed on a MgB
bulk sample. We demonstrate that the flux creep activation energy is a
nonlinear function of the current density , indicating a
nonlogarithmic relaxation of the current density in this material. The
dependence of the activation energy on the magnetic field is determined to be a
power law , showing a steep decline in the activation
energy with the magnetic field, which accounts for the steep drop in the
critical current density with magnetic field that is observed in MgB. The
irreversibility field is also found to be rather low, therefore, the pinning
properties of this new material will need to be enhanced for practical
applications.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figures, Revtex forma
Gravity as Backreaction
Quadratic theory of gravity is a complicated constraint system. We
investigate some consequences of treating quadratic terms perturbatively
(higher derivative version of backreaction effects). This approach is shown to
overcome some well known problems associated with higher derivative theories,
i.e., the physical gravitational degree of freedom remains unchanged from those
of Einstein gravity.
Using such an interpretation of gravity, we investigate a
classical and Wheeler DeWitt evolution of gravity for a
particular sign of , corresponding to non- tachyon case. Matter is
described by a phenomenological . It is concluded that
both the Friedmann potential () and the
Wheeler DeWitt potential () develop repulsive barriers near for
(i.e., ). The interpretations is clear. Repulsive
barrier in implies that a contracting FRW universe ()
will bounce to an expansion phase without a total gravitational collapse.
Repulsive barrier in means that is a classically forbidden
region. Therefore, probability of finding a universe with the big bang
singularity ( ) is exponentially suppressed.Comment: Accepted for publication in Phy. Rev. D.,18 pages, 6 figures, Latex
fil
Characterization and topical delivery of phenylethyl resorcinol
Objective:
Phenylethyl resorcinol (PR) has been used widely in the personal care industry as a novel skin lightening ingredient. Surprisingly, there is only limited information describing the physicochemical properties of this active. Therefore, the primary objective of this study was to perform a comprehensive characterization of PR. A secondary objective was to investigate the delivery of this molecule to mammalian skin.
Methods:
Phenylethyl resorcinol was characterized using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). A new highâperformance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method for analysis of PR was developed and validated. The log P (octanol water partition coefficient), value, solubility and shortâterm stability of PR in a series of vehicles were also determined using HPLC. The evaporation of the selected vehicles was examined using dynamic vapour sorption (DVS). The permeation profiles of PR were investigated under finite dose conditions in porcine and human skin.
Results:
The melting point of PR was determined to be 79.13 °C and the measured log P (octanol water partition coefficient) at 21 °C was 3.35 ± 0.03. The linearity of the HPLC analytical method was confirmed with an r2 value of 0.99. Accuracy of the method was evaluated by average recovery rates at three tested concentrations, and the values ranged from 99 to 106%. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) were 0.19 and 0.57 ÎŒg mLâ1, respectively. The solubility of PR in PG, DMI, glycerol was within the range of 367 to 877 mg mLâ1. The stability of PR in tested solvents was also confirmed by the 72 h stability studies. From the DVS studies, 70â125% of applied formulations were recovered at 24 h. The permeation through porcine skin at 24 h ranged from 4 to 13 ÎŒg cmâ2, while the corresponding amounts of PR delivered through human skin were 2 to 10 ÎŒg cmâ2.
Conclusion:
The physicochemical properties of PR confirm it is suitable for dermal delivery. In this study, propylene glycol was the most promising vehicle for PR delivery to human skin. Future work will expand the range of vehicles studied and explore the percutaneous absorption from more complex formulations
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