Magnetic properties of bcc Fe-Pd extended solid solutions

Supersaturated Fe-Pd solid solutions were prepared by mechanical alloying. X-ray diffractometry showed that the as-milled alloys were bcc from 0–26 at. % Pd. Saturation magnetization measurements and Mössbauer spectrometry measurements were performed on these powders. Consistent interpretations of both sets of measurements were possible if the magnetic moment at the Pd atom was 0.35μB and constant, and if the magnetic moments at Fe atoms were enhanced by neighboring Pd atoms in a way similar to the effects of Ni

Static and vibration analysis of functionally graded beams using refined shear deformation theory

Static and vibration analysis of functionally graded beams using refined shear deformation theory is presented. The developed theory, which does not require shear correction factor, accounts for shear deformation effect and coupling coming from the material anisotropy. Governing equations of motion are derived from the Hamilton's principle. The resulting coupling is referred to as triply coupled axial-flexural response. A two-noded Hermite-cubic element with five degree-of-freedom per node is developed to solve the problem. Numerical results are obtained for functionally graded beams with simply-supported, cantilever-free and clamped-clamped boundary conditions to investigate effects of the power-law exponent and modulus ratio on the displacements, natural frequencies and corresponding mode shapes

Novel inhibitors of the calcineurin/NFATc hub - alternatives to CsA and FK506?

The drugs cyclosporine A (CsA) and tacrolimus (FK506) revolutionized organ transplantation. Both compounds are still widely used in the clinic as well as for basic research, even though they have dramatic side effects and modulate other pathways than calcineurin-NFATc, too. To answer the major open question - whether the adverse side effects are secondary to the actions of the drugs on the calcineurin-NFATc pathway - alternative inhibitors were developed. Ideal inhibitors should discriminate between the inhibition of (i) calcineurin and peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerases (PPIases; the matchmaker proteins of CsA and FK506), (ii) calcineurin and the other Ser/Thr protein phosphatases, and (iii) NFATc and other transcription factors. In this review we summarize the current knowledge about novel inhibitors, synthesized or identified in the last decades, and focus on their mode of action, specificity, and biological effects

Sustainable Groundwater Management in the Arid Southwestern US: Coachella Valley, California

Sustainable groundwater management requires approaches to assess the influence of climate and management actions on the evolution of groundwater systems. Traditional approaches that apply continuity to assess groundwater sustainability fail to capture the spatial variability of aquifer responses. To address this gap, our study evaluates groundwater elevation data from the Coachella Valley, California, within a groundwater sustainability framework given the adoption of integrative management strategies in the valley. Our study details an innovative approach employing traditional statistical methods to improve understanding of aquifer responses. In this analysis, we evaluate trends at individual groundwater observation wells and regional groundwater behaviors using field significance. Regional elevation trends identified no significant trends during periods of intense groundwater replenishment, active since 1973, despite spatial variability in individual well trends. Our results illustrate the spatially limited effects of groundwater replenishment occur against a setting of long-term groundwater depletion, raising concerns over the definition of sustainable groundwater management in aquifer systems employing integrative management strategies

Cosserat-Type Rods

In this chapter we discuss a Cosserat-type theory of rods. Cosserat-type rod theories are based on the consideration of a rod base curve as a deformable directed curve, that is a curve with attached deformable or non-deformable (rigid) vectors (directors), or based on the derivation of one-dimensional (1D) rod equations from the three-dimensional (3D) micropolar (Cosserat) continuum equations. In the literature are known theories of rods kinematics of which described by introduction of the translation vector and additionally p deformable directors or one deformable director or three unit orthogonal each other directors. The additional vector fields of directors describe the rotational (in some special cases additional) degrees of freedom of the rod. The aim of the chapter is to present a Cosserat-type theory of rods and to show various applications