Characterization of Fractures Subjected to Normal and Shear Stress

Results from a series of laboratory experiments to determine fracture specific stiffness, for a fracture subjected to shear and normal stress, are presented and analyzed. The experimental work focuses on the determination of relations between normal and shear fracture specific stiffness and between spatial distribution of fracture specific stiffness and fluid flow through the fracture The ratio of shear to normal fracture specific stiffness is experimentally investigated on a fracture subjected to shear as well as normal stress. Synthetic fractures made of gypsum and lucite were prepared with different fracture surface conditions: either well-mated or non-mated. For well-mated fracture surfaces, asperities were created by casting gypsum against sandpaper. A block of gypsum was cast against the sandpaper and then a second block was cast against the first block such that the two contact surfaces were well-mated. The surface roughness was controlled by using the sandpapers with different average grit size. Non-mated fracture surfaces were fabricated with two lucite blocks that were polished (lucite PL) or sand-blasted (lucite SB) along their contact surface. In the experiments, each specimen was subjected to normal and shear loading while the fracture was probed with transmitted and reflected compressional and shear waves. Shear and normal fracture specific stiffnesses were calculated using the displacement discontinuity theory. For non-mated fractures, the stiffness ratio was not sensitive to the application of shear stress and, as normal stress increased, approached a theoretical ratio which was determined assuming that the transmission of compressional and shear waves was equal. The stiffness ratio obtained from well-mated fractures ranged from 0.5 to 1.4, which deviated from the conventional assumption that shear and normal fracture specific stiffness are equal. The stiffness ratio increased with increasing surface roughness and with increasing shear stress. For well-mated surfaces under normal compression and no shear, the theoretical ratio gave a good approximation to experiment measurements. During shear, at constant load, and for well-mated fractures with large surface roughness, the stiffness ratio strongly depended on the shear fracture specific stiffness and increased with shear up to a maximum prior to failure. The spatial variability of fracture specific stiffness along a fracture was investigated seismically on granite specimens with a single fracture. Seismic measurements on intact and fractured granite specimens were obtained as a function of stress. The granite matrix exhibited stress-sensitivity due to the existence of micro-cracks and was weakly anisotropic, with a ratio of about 0.9 for shear wave velocities in two orthogonal directions. For fractured granite specimens, transmission of P- and S- waves across a fracture significantly increased as the fracture compressed. The increase of transmission was interpreted as the increase of fracture specific stiffness. Spectral analysis on the transmitted waves showed that the transmission of high frequency components of the signals increased and the dinant frequency approached the value of the intact specimen. The heterogeneity of the granite material resulted in a ±8∼12% variation in stiffness, which depended on the selection of an intact standard. Fracture specific stiffness was estimated at the dominant frequency of 0.3 MHz for normal specific stiffness and 0.5 MHz for shear. Fracture specific stiffness was non-uniformly distributed along the fracture plane and changed locally as a function of stress. The spatial variability of stiffness exceeded the variation of stiffness caused by the heterogeneity of granite matrix. It was found that local fracture geometry, e.g. local surface roughness distribution or local micro slope angles, influenced the magnitude of local shear fracture specific stiffness. The more uniform the asperity heights, the stiffer the fracture. Also, high micro-slope angles increased the shear fracture specific stiffness. The seismic response of the rock matrix (granite) and fracture with and without flow was utilized to correlate fluid flow with fracture specific stiffness. Experiments of fluid invasion into a rock matrix and along a fracture showed an increase in wave velocity and a decrease in wave amplitude when the rock became wet. Invasion velocity was determined seismically by tracking the fluid front in the rock matrix

Higgs phenomenology in the Peccei-Quinn invariant NMSSM

We study the Higgs phenomenology in the Peccei-Quinn invariant NMSSM (PQ-NMSSM) where the low energy mass parameters of the singlet superfield are induced by a spontaneous breakdown of the Peccei-Quinn symmetry. In the generic NMSSM, scalar mixing among CP-even Higgs bosons is constrained by the observed properties of the SM-like Higgs boson, as well as by the LEP bound on the chargino mass and the perturbativity bound on the singlet Yukawa coupling. In the minimal PQ-NMSSM, scalar mixing is further constrained due to the presence of a light singlino-like neutralino. It is noticed that the $2\sigma$ excess of the LEP $Zb\bar b$ events at $m_{b\bar b}\simeq$ 98 GeV can be explained by a singlet-like 98 GeV Higgs boson in the minimal PQ-NMSSM with low $\tan\beta$, stops around or below 1 TeV, and light doublet-higgsinos around the weak scale.Comment: 31 pages, 4 figures; v2: references added, light stop effects discussed, bound on the Higgs invisible decay rate correcte

Botomuappu-¯ho no kumiawase ni yoru mesosukeru shirika kozotai no chosei

制度:新 ; 報告番号:甲3570号 ; 学位の種類:博士(工学) ; 授与年月日:2012/2/25 ; 早大学位記番号:新590

String theoretic QCD axions in the light of PLANCK and BICEP2

The QCD axion solving the strong CP problem may originate from antisymmetric tensor gauge fields in compactified string theory, with a decay constant around the GUT scale. Such possibility appears to be ruled out now by the detection of tensor modes by BICEP2 and the PLANCK constraints on isocurvature density perturbations. A more interesting and still viable possibility is that the string theoretic QCD axion is charged under an anomalous U(1)A gauge symmetry. In such case, the axion decay constant can be much lower than the GUT scale if moduli are stabilized near the point of vanishing Fayet-Illiopoulos term, and U(1)A-charged matter fields get a vacuum value v ∼ (mSUSYMnPl)1/(n+1) (n ≥ 0) induced by a tachyonic SUSY breaking mass mSUSY. We examine the symmetry breaking pattern of such models during the inflationary epoch with HI ≃ 1014 GeV, and identify the range of the QCD axion decay constant, as well as the corresponding relic axion abundance, consistent with known cosmological constraints. In addition to the case that the PQ symmetry is restored during inflation, i.e. v(tI ) = 0, there are other viable scenarios, including that the PQ symmetry is broken during inflation with v(tI ) ∼ (4HIMnPl)1/(n+1) ∼ 1016–1017 GeV due to the Hubble-induced D-term DA ∼ 82H2 I , while v(t0) ∼ (mSUSYMnPl)1/(n+1) ∼ 109–5×1013 GeV in the present universe, where v(t0) above 1012 GeV requires a fine-tuning of the axion misalignment angle. We also discuss the implications of our results for the size of SUSY breaking soft masses.131211Nsciescopu

IRT5 Probiotics Changes Immune Modulatory Protein Expression in the Extraorbital Lacrimal Glands of an Autoimmune Dry Eye Mouse Model

PURPOSE. While the association between the gut microbiome and the immune system has been studied in autoimmune disorders, little is known about ocular disease. Previously we reported that IRT5, a mixture of five probiotic strains, could suppress autoimmune dry eye. In this study, we investigated the mechanism by which IRT5 performs its immunomodulatory function in a mouse model of autoimmune dry eye. METHODS. NOD.B10.H2b mice were used as an autoimmune dry eye model. Either IRT5 or PBS was gavaged orally for 3 weeks, with or without 5 days of antibiotic pretreatment. The effects on clinical features, extraorbital lacrimal gland and spleen proteins, and fecal microbiota were analyzed. RESULTS. The ocular staining score was lower, and tear secretion was higher, in the IRT5-treated groups than in the PBS-treated groups. After IRT5 treatment, the downregulated lacrimal gland proteins were enriched in the biological processes of defense response and immune system process. The relative abundances of 33 operational taxonomic units were higher, and 53 were lower, in the feces of the IRT5-treated groups than in those of the PBS-treated groups. IRT5 administration without antibiotic pretreatment also showed immunomodulatory functions with increases in the Lactobacillus helveticus group and Lactobacillus hamsteri. Additional proteomic assays revealed a decrease of proteins related to antigen-presenting processes in the CD11b(+) and CD11c(+) cells of spleen in the IRT5-treated groups. CONCLUSIONS. Changes in the gut microbiome after IRT5 treatment improved clinical manifestations in the autoimmune dry eye model via the downregulation of antigen-presenting processes in immune networks.11Ysciescopu

Factors associated with stroke in patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation beyond CHADS2 score

Background: This study was conducted to investigate factors associated with stroke in pa­tients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF) beyond CHADS2 score in terms of left ventricular (LV) diastolic function or left atrial (LA) function. Methods: One hundred and sixty-one patients with PAF and age less than 75 (mean age 61 ± 10; 69 male) who underwent transthoracic echocardiography were investigated. Patients were divided into two groups according to the stroke status (group 1 — no stroke vs. group 2 — presence of stroke). Baseline echocardiographic parameters and LA segmental (4 segments: basal septal, lateral, inferior, and anterior) strain rate (SR) during normal sinus rhythm were analyzed. Results: CHAD score (except S2) was similar between the two groups (0.6 ± 0.7 vs. 0.9 ± 0.7, p = 0.125). Patients with stroke had slightly lower body mass index (24.5 ± 2.7 vs. 23.4 ± ± 2.4, p = 0.052). Echocardiographic parameters did not show any differences in both systolic and diastolic functions between the two groups, however elevated E/E’ ratio was noted (9.5 ± ± 3.8 vs. 11.6 ± 3.9, p = 0.010) due to higher E velocity (63.5 ± 15.9 vs. 70.9 ± 16.0 cm/s, p = 0.046). In the analysis of LA SR, there are no differences of SR among the 4 segments. However, standard deviations (SD) of time to peak SR (SD of tA-SR) of the 4 segments were higher in patients with stroke (10.9 ± 9.9 vs. 22.1 ± 18.1 ms, p = 0.009) which indicates dyssynchronous contraction of LA. In multivariate analysis, SD of tA-SR (OR 1.074, CI 1.024–1.128, p = 0.004) and elevated E/E’ (OR 1.189, CI 1.006–1.406, p = 0.048) were independently associated with stroke in patients with PAF. Conclusions: Elevated E velocity, E/E’ and SD of tA-SR were associated with occurrence of stroke in patients with PAF even with similar CHAD scores. Increased SD of tA-SR and E/E’ were independently associated with stroke in patients with PAF.