A Generalized Circle Theorem on Zeros of Partition Function at Asymmetric First Order Transitions

We present a generalized circle theorem which includes the Lee-Yang theorem for symmetric transitions as a special case. It is found that zeros of the partition function can be written in terms of discontinuities in the derivatives of the free energy. For asymmetric transitions, the locus of the zeros is tangent to the unit circle at the positive real axis in the thermodynamic limit. For finite-size systems, they lie off the unit circle if the partition functions of the two phases are added up with unequal prefactors. This conclusion is substantiated by explicit calculation of zeros of the partition function for the Blume-Capel model near and at the triple line at low temperatures.Comment: 10 pages, RevTeX. To be published in PRL. 3 Figures will be sent upon reques

Talon cusp affecting primary dentition in two siblings: a case report

The term talon cusp refers to a rare developmental dental anomaly characterized by a cusp-like structure projecting from the cingulum area or cement-enamel junction. This condition can occur in the maxillary and mandibular arches of the primary and permanent dentitions. The purpose of this paper is to report on the presence of talon cusps in the primary dentition of two southern Chinese siblings. The 4 years and 2 months old girl had a talon cusp on her maxillary right primary central incisor, while her 2 years and 9 months old brother had bilateral talon cusps on the maxillary primary central incisors. The presence of this rare dental anomaly in two siblings has scarcely been reported in the literature and this may provide further evidence of a hereditary etiology.Article Link: http://www.rjme.ro/RJME/resources/files/540113211213.pd

Novel in-gap spin state in Zn-doped La_1.85Sr_0.15CuO_4

Low-energy spin excitations of La1.85Sr0.15Cu1-yZnyO4 were studied by neutron scattering. In y=0.004, the incommensurate magnetic peaks show a well defined ``spin gap'' below Tc. The magnetic signals at omega=3 meV decrease below Tc=27 K for y=0.008, also suggesting the gap opening. At lower temperatures, however, the signal increases again, implying a novel in-gap spin state. In y=0.017, the spin gap vanishes and elastic magnetic peaks appear. These results clarify that doped Zn impurities induce the novel in-gap state, which becomes larger and more static with increasing Zn.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Acute effects of inspiratory pressure threshold loading upon airway resistance in people with asthma

This is the post-print version of the final paper published in Respiratory Physiology & Neurobiology. The published article is available from the link below. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. Copyright @ 2009 Elsevier B.V.Large inspiratory pressures may impart stretch to airway smooth muscle and modify the response to deep inspiration (DI) in asthmatics. Respiratory system resistance (Rrs) was assessed in response to 5 inspiratory manoeuvres using the forced oscillation technique: (a) single unloaded DI; (b) single DI at 25 cmH2O; (c) single DI at 50% maximum inspiratory mouth pressure [MIP]; (d) 30 DIs at 50% MIP; and (e) 30 DIs at 50% MIP with maintenance of normocapnia. Rrs increased after the unloaded DI and the DI at 25 cmH2O but not after a DI at 50% MIP (3.6 ± 1.6 hPa L s−1 vs. 3.6 ± 1.5 hPa L s−1; p = 0.95), 30 DIs at 50% MIP (3.9 ± 1.5 hPa L s−1 vs. 4.2 ± 2.0 hPa L s−1; p = 0.16) or 30 DIs at 50% MIP under normocapnic conditions (3.9 ± 1.5 hPa L s−1 vs. 3.9 ± 1.5 hPa L s−1; p = 0.55). Increases in Rrs in response to DI were attenuated after single and multiple loaded breaths at 50% MIP

Design of hydraulic output Stirling engine

A hydraulic output system for the RE-1000 free piston stirling engine (FPSE) was designed. The hydraulic output system can be readily integrated with the existing hot section of RE-1000 FPSE. The system has two simply supported diaphragms which separate the engine gas from the hydraulic fluid, a dynamic balance mechanism, and a novel, null center band hydraulic pump. The diaphragms are designed to endure more than 10 billion cycles, and to withstand the differential pressure load as high as 14 MPa. The projected thermodynamic performance of the hydraulic output version of RE-1000 FPSE is 1.87 kW at 29/7 percent brake efficiency

Evidence for an incommensurate magnetic resonance in La(2-x)Sr(x)CuO(4)

We study the effect of a magnetic field (applied along the c-axis) on the low-energy, incommensurate magnetic fluctuations in superconducting La(1.82)Sr(0.18)CuO(4). The incommensurate peaks at 9 meV, which in zero-field were previously shown to sharpen in q on cooling below T_c [T. E. Mason et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 77, 1604 (1996)], are found to broaden in q when a field of 10 T is applied. The applied field also causes scattered intensity to shift into the spin gap. We point out that the response at 9 meV, though occurring at incommensurate wave vectors, is comparable to the commensurate magnetic resonance observed at higher energies in other cuprate superconductors.Comment: 8 pages, including 4 figure

Vertical variation of optical properties of mixed Asian dust/pollution plumes according to pathway of air mass transport over East Asia

© Author(s) 2015. This is an Open Access article made available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/We use five years (2009-2013) of multiwavelength Raman lidar measurements at Gwangju, South Korea (35.10° N, 126.53° E) for the identification of changes of optical properties of East Asian dust depending on its transport path over China. Profiles of backscatter and extinction coefficients, lidar ratios, and backscatter-related Ångström exponents (wavelength pair 355/532 nm) were measured at Gwangju. Linear particle depolarization ratios were used to identify East Asian dust layers. We used backward trajectory modeling to identify the pathway and the vertical position of dust-laden air masses over China during long-range transport. Most cases of Asian dust events can be described by the emission of dust in desert areas and subsequent transport over highly polluted regions of China. The Asian dust plumes could be categorized into two classes according to the height above ground at which these plumes were transported: (case I) the dust layers passed over China at high altitude levels (> 3 km) until arrival over Gwangju, and (case II) the Asian dust layers were transported near the surface and within the lower troposphere (< 3 km) over industrialized areas before they arrived over Gwangju. We find that the optical characteristics of these mixed Asian dust layers over Gwangju differ depending on their vertical position above ground over China and the change of height above ground during transport. The mean linear particle depolarization ratio was 0.21 ± 0.06 (at 532 nm), the mean lidar ratios were 52 ± 7 sr at 355 nm and 53 ± 8 sr at 532 nm, and the mean Ångström exponent was 0.74 ± 0.31 for case I. In contrast, plumes transported at lower altitudes (case II) showed low depolarization ratios (0.13 ± 0.04 at 532 nm), and higher lidar ratio (63 ± 9 sr at 355 nm and 62 ± 8 sr at 532 nm) and Ångström exponents (0.98 ± 0.51). These numbers show that the optical characteristics of mixed Asian plumes are more similar to optical characteristics of urban pollution. We find a decrease of the linear depolarization ratio of the mixed dust/pollution plume depending on transport time if the pollution layer traveled over China at low heights, i.e., below approximately 3 km above ground. In contrast, we do not find such a trend if the dust plumes traveled at heights above 3 km over China. We need a longer time series of lidar measurements in order to determine in a quantitative way the change of optical properties of dust with transport time.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio

Vacuum properties of a Non-Local Thirring-Like Model

We use path-integral methods to analyze the vacuum properties of a recently proposed extension of the Thirring model in which the interaction between fermionic currents is non-local. We calculate the exact ground state wave functional of the model for any bilocal potential, and also study its long-distance behavior. We show that the ground state wave functional has a general factored Jastrow form. We also find that it posess an interesting symmetry involving the interchange of density-density and current-current interactions.Comment: 25 pages, latex, no figure