4,823 research outputs found
Analysis of a Cone-Based Distributed Topology Control Algorithm for Wireless Multi-hop Networks
The topology of a wireless multi-hop network can be controlled by varying the
transmission power at each node. In this paper, we give a detailed analysis of
a cone-based distributed topology control algorithm. This algorithm, introduced
in [16], does not assume that nodes have GPS information available; rather it
depends only on directional information. Roughly speaking, the basic idea of
the algorithm is that a node transmits with the minimum power
required to ensure that in every cone of degree around
, there is some node that can reach with power . We show
that taking is a necessary and sufficient condition to
guarantee that network connectivity is preserved. More precisely, if there is a
path from to when every node communicates at maximum power, then, if
, there is still a path in the smallest symmetric graph
containing all edges such that can communicate with
using power . On the other hand, if ,
connectivity is not necessarily preserved. We also propose a set of
optimizations that further reduce power consumption and prove that they retain
network connectivity. Dynamic reconfiguration in the presence of failures and
mobility is also discussed. Simulation results are presented to demonstrate the
effectiveness of the algorithm and the optimizations.Comment: 10 page
Fire responses and resistance of concrete-filled steel tubular frame structures
This paper presents the results of dynamic responses and fire resistance of concretefilled
steel tubular (CFST) frame structures in fire conditions by using non-linear finite element
method. Both strength and stability criteria are considered in the collapse analysis. The frame
structures are constructed with circular CFST columns and steel beams of I-sections. In order to
validate the finite element solutions, the numerical results are compared with those from a fire
resistance test on CFST columns. The finite element model is then adopted to simulate the
behaviour of frame structures in fire. The structural responses of the frames, including critical
temperature and fire-resisting limit time, are obtained for the ISO-834 standard fire. Parametric
studies are carried out to show their influence on the load capacity of the frame structures in fire.
Suggestions and recommendations are presented for possible adoption in future construction and
design of these structures
β-Lapachone induces heart morphogenetic and functional defects by promoting the death of erythrocytes and the endocardium in zebrafish embryos
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>β-Lapachone has antitumor and wound healing-promoting activities. To address the potential influences of various chemicals on heart development of zebrafish embryos, we previously treated zebrafish embryos with chemicals from a Sigma LOPAC1280™ library and found several chemicals including β-lapachone that affected heart morphogenesis. In this study, we further evaluated the effects of β-lapachone on zebrafish embryonic heart development.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Embryos were treated with β-lapachone or dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) at 24 or 48 hours post fertilization (hpf) for 4 h at 28°C. Heart looping and valve development was analyzed by whole-mount <it>in situ </it>hybridization and histological analysis. For fractional shortening and wall shear stress analyses, AB and Tg (<it>gata1</it>:<it>DsRed</it>) embryos were recorded for their heart pumping and blood cell circulations via time-lapse fluorescence microscopy. Dextran rhodamine dye injection into the tail reticular cells was used to analyze circulation. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) was analyzed by incubating embryos in 5-(and 6-)-chloromethyl-2',7'-dichloro-dihydrofluorescein diacetate (CM-H<sub>2</sub>DCFDA) and recorded using fluorescence microscopy. <it>o</it>-Dianisidine (ODA) staining and whole mount <it>in situ </it>hybridization were used to analyze erythrocytes. TUNEL assay was used to examine DNA fragmentation.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We observed a linear arrangement of the ventricle and atrium, bradycardia arrhythmia, reduced fractional shortening, circulation with a few or no erythrocytes, and pericardial edema in β-lapachone-treated 52-hpf embryos. Abnormal expression patterns of <it>cmlc2</it>, <it>nppa</it>, <it>BMP4</it>, <it>versican</it>, and <it>nfatc1</it>, and histological analyses showed defects in heart-looping and valve development of β-lapachone-treated embryos. ROS production was observed in erythrocytes and DNA fragmentation was detected in both erythrocytes and endocardium of β-lapachone-treated embryos. Reduction in wall shear stress was uncovered in β-lapachone-treated embryos. Co-treatment with the NQO1 inhibitor, dicoumarol, or the calcium chelator, BAPTA-AM, rescued the erythrocyte-deficiency in circulation and heart-looping defect phenotypes in β-lapachone-treated embryos. These results suggest that the induction of apoptosis of endocardium and erythrocytes by β-lapachone is mediated through an NQO1- and calcium-dependent pathway.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The novel finding of this study is that β-lapachone affects heart morphogenesis and function through the induction of apoptosis of endocardium and erythrocytes. In addition, this study further demonstrates the importance of endocardium and hemodynamic forces on heart morphogenesis and contractile performance.</p
Irreversible proliferation of magnetic moments at cleaved surfaces of the topological Kondo insulator SmB6
The compound SmB is the best established realization of a topological
Kondo insulator, in which a topological insulator state is obtained through
Kondo coherence. Recent studies have found evidence that the surface of SmB
hosts ferromagnetic domains, creating an intrinsic platform for unidirectional
ballistic transport at the domain boundaries. Here, surface-sensitive X-ray
absorption (XAS) and bulk-sensitive resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (RIXS)
spectra are measured at the Sm N-edge, and used to evaluate electronic
symmetries, excitations and temperature dependence near the surface of cleaved
samples. The XAS data show that the density of large-moment atomic multiplet
states on a cleaved surface grows irreversibly over time, to a degree that
likely exceeds a related change that has recently been observed in the surface
4f orbital occupation
Nanowrinkled Carbon Aerogels Embedded with FeN x Sites as Effective Oxygen Electrodes for Rechargeable Zinc-Air Battery.
Rational design of single-metal atom sites in carbon substrates by a flexible strategy is highly desired for the preparation of high-performance catalysts for metal-air batteries. In this study, biomass hydrogel reactors are utilized as structural templates to prepare carbon aerogels embedded with single iron atoms by controlled pyrolysis. The tortuous and interlaced hydrogel chains lead to the formation of abundant nanowrinkles in the porous carbon aerogels, and single iron atoms are dispersed and stabilized within the defective carbon skeletons. X-ray absorption spectroscopy measurements indicate that the iron centers are mostly involved in the coordination structure of FeN4, with a minor fraction (ca. 1/5) in the form of FeN3C. First-principles calculations show that the FeN x sites in the Stone-Wales configurations induced by the nanowrinkles of the hierarchically porous carbon aerogels show a much lower free energy than the normal counterparts. The resulting iron and nitrogen-codoped carbon aerogels exhibit excellent and reversible oxygen electrocatalytic activity, and can be used as bifunctional cathode catalysts in rechargeable Zn-air batteries, with a performance even better than that based on commercial Pt/C and RuO2 catalysts. Results from this study highlight the significance of structural distortions of the metal sites in carbon matrices in the design and engineering of highly active single-atom catalysts
Giant magnetocaloric effect in magnets down to the monolayer limit
Two-dimensional magnets could potentially revolutionize information
technology, but their potential application to cooling technology and
magnetocaloric effect (MCE) in a material down to the monolayer limit remain
unexplored. Herein, we reveal through multiscale calculations the existence of
giant MCE and its strain tunability in monolayer magnets such as CrX (X=F,
Cl, Br, I), CrAX (A=O, S, Se; X=F, Cl, Br, I), and FeGeTe. The maximum
adiabatic temperature change (), maximum
isothermal magnetic entropy change, and specific cooling power in monolayer
CrF are found as high as 11 K, 35 JmK, and 3.5
nWcm under a magnetic field of 5 T, respectively. A 2% biaxial and 5%
-axis uniaxial compressive strain can remarkably increase of CrCl and CrOF by 230% and 37% (up to 15.3 and
6.0 K), respectively. It is found that large net magnetic moment per unit area
favors improved MCE. These findings advocate the giant-MCE monolayer magnets,
opening new opportunities for magnetic cooling at nanoscale
In vivo regulatory phosphorylation of the phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase AtPPC1 in phosphate-starved Arabidopsis thaliana
PEPC [PEP(phosphoenolpyruvate) carboxylase] is a tightly controlled cytosolic enzyme situated at a major branchpoint in plant metabolism. Accumulating evidence indicates important functions for PEPC and PPCK (PEPC kinase) in plant acclimation to nutritional Pi deprivation. However, little is known about the genetic origin or phosphorylation status of native PEPCs from −Pi (Pi-deficient) plants. The transfer of Arabidopsis suspension cells or seedlings to −Pi growth media resulted in: (i) the marked transcriptional upregulation of genes encoding the PEPC isoenzyme AtPPC1 (Arabidopsis thaliana PEPC1), and PPCK isoenzymes AtPPCK1 and AtPPCK2; (ii) >2-fold increases in PEPC specific activity and in the amount of an immunoreactive 107-kDa PEPC polypeptide (p107); and (iii) In vivo p107 phosphorylation as revealed by immunoblotting of clarified extracts with phosphosite-specific antibodies to Ser-11 (which could be reversed following Pi resupply). Approx. 1.3 mg of PEPC was purified 660-fold from −Pi suspension cells to apparent homogeneity with a specific activity of 22.3 units · mg−1 of protein. Gel filtration, SDS/PAGE and immunoblotting demonstrated that purified PEPC exists as a 440-kDa homotetramer composed of identical p107 subunits. Sequencing of p107 tryptic and Asp-N peptides by tandem MS established that this PEPC is encoded by AtPPC1. Pi-affinity PAGE coupled with immunoblotting indicated stoichiometric phosphorylation of the p107 subunits of AtPPC1 at its conserved Ser-11 phosphorylation site. Phosphorylation activated AtPPC1 at pH 7.3 by lowering its Km(PEP) and its sensitivity to inhibition by L-malate and L-aspartate, while enhancing activation by glucose 6-phosphate. Our results indicate that the simultaneous induction and In vivo phosphorylation activation of AtPPC1 contribute to the metabolic adaptations of −Pi Arabidopsis
Experimental observation and characterization of the magnetorotational instability
Differential rotation occurs in conducting flows in accretion disks and
planetary cores. In such systems, the magnetorotational instability can arise
from coupling Lorentz and centrifugal forces to cause large radial angular
momentum fluxes. We present the first experimental observation of the
magnetorotational instability. Our system consists of liquid sodium between
differentially rotating spheres, with an imposed coaxial magnetic field. We
characterize the observed patterns, dynamics and torque increases, and
establish that this instability can occur from a hydrodynamic turbulent
background.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures. Final version, accepted for publication in
Physical Review Letter
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