3,208 research outputs found
Compositional uniformity, domain patterning and the mechanism underlying nano-chessboard arrays
We propose that systems exhibiting compositional patterning at the nanoscale,
so far assumed to be due to some kind of ordered phase segregation, can be
understood instead in terms of coherent, single phase ordering of minority
motifs, caused by some constrained drive for uniformity. The essential features
of this type of arrangements can be reproduced using a superspace construction
typical of uniformity-driven orderings, which only requires the knowledge of
the modulation vectors observed in the diffraction patterns. The idea is
discussed in terms of a simple two dimensional lattice-gas model that simulates
a binary system in which the dilution of the minority component is favored.
This simple model already exhibits a hierarchy of arrangements similar to the
experimentally observed nano-chessboard and nano-diamond patterns, which are
described as occupational modulated structures with two independent modulation
wave vectors and simple step-like occupation modulation functions.Comment: Preprint. 11 pages, 11 figure
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Emerging targeted strategies for the treatment of autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease.
Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is a widespread genetic disease that leads to renal failure in the majority of patients. The very first pharmacological treatment, tolvaptan, received Food and Drug Administration approval in 2018 after previous approval in Europe and other countries. However, tolvaptan is moderately effective and may negatively impact a patient's quality of life due to potentially significant side effects. Additional and improved therapies are still urgently needed, and several clinical trials are underway, which are discussed in the companion paper MĂŒller and Benzing (Management of autosomal-dominant polycystic kidney disease-state-of-the-art) Clin Kidney J 2018; 11: i2-i13. Here, we discuss new therapeutic avenues that are currently being investigated at the preclinical stage. We focus on mammalian target of rapamycin and dual kinase inhibitors, compounds that target inflammation and histone deacetylases, RNA-targeted therapeutic strategies, glucosylceramide synthase inhibitors, compounds that affect the metabolism of renal cysts and dietary restriction. We discuss tissue targeting to renal cysts of small molecules via the folate receptor, and of monoclonal antibodies via the polymeric immunoglobulin receptor. A general problem with potential pharmacological approaches is that the many molecular targets that have been implicated in ADPKD are all widely expressed and carry out important functions in many organs and tissues. Because ADPKD is a slowly progressing, chronic disease, it is likely that any therapy will have to continue over years and decades. Therefore, systemically distributed drugs are likely to lead to potentially prohibitive extra-renal side effects during extended treatment. Tissue targeting to renal cysts of such drugs is one potential way around this problem. The use of dietary, instead of pharmacological, interventions is another
63Cu NMR investigation of effect of small additions of Sn to Al-1.7 at.%Cu in promoting accelerated phase transformations on aging
Very recently 63Cu NMR has been shown to be extremely sensitive in detecting and differentiating between the precipitate phases that form in Al-Cu alloys during heat treatment. This technique is now used to quantify the effectiveness of small additions of Sn to the alloy Al-1.7 at.% Cu in promoting the rapid nucleation and growth of the θ\u27-phase precipitate. Two parallel series of 63Cu NMR spectra were recorded for Al-1.7 at.% Cu and Al-1.7 at.% Cu-0.01 at.% Sn: (i) aged at 130° C to observe the comparative rate of phase evolution and (ii) aged at 200° C to observe the rate of growth of θ\u27-phase and to compare with the Vickers hardness of the alloys aged at 200° C for similar periods. Evidence is presented that a metastable precursor phase to θ\u27 (labelled TPHM2757math001) is formed in Al-Cu-Sn which transforms to θ\u27 on further aging. <br /
New obstructions to symplectic embeddings
In this paper we establish new restrictions on symplectic embeddings of
certain convex domains into symplectic vector spaces. These restrictions are
stronger than those implied by the Ekeland-Hofer capacities. By refining an
embedding technique due to Guth, we also show that they are sharp.Comment: 80 pages, 3 figures, v2: improved exposition and minor corrections,
v3: Final version, expanded and improved exposition and minor corrections.
The final publication is available at link.springer.co
Controlling the Frequency-Temperature Sensitivity of a Cryogenic Sapphire Maser Frequency Standard by Manipulating Fe3+ Spins in the Sapphire Lattice
To create a stable signal from a cryogenic sapphire maser frequency standard,
the frequency-temperature dependence of the supporting Whispering Gallery mode
must be annulled. We report the ability to control this dependence by
manipulating the paramagnetic susceptibility of Fe3+ ions in the sapphire
lattice. We show that the maser signal depends on other Whispering Gallery
modes tuned to the pump signal near 31 GHz, and the annulment point can be
controlled to exist between 5 to 10 K depending on the Fe3+ ion concentration
and the frequency of the pump. This level of control has not been achieved
previously, and will allow improvements in the stability of such devices.Comment: 17 pages, 10 figure
Application of mixed formulations of quasi-reversibility to solve ill-posed problems for heat and wave equations: the 1d case
International audienceIn this paper we address some ill-posed problems involving the heat or the wave equation in one dimension, in particular the backward heat equation and the heat/wave equation with lateral Cauchy data. The main objective is to introduce some variational mixed formulations of quasi-reversibility which enable us to solve these ill-posed problems by using some classical La-grange finite elements. The inverse obstacle problems with initial condition and lateral Cauchy data for heat/wave equation are also considered, by using an elementary level set method combined with the quasi-reversibility method. Some numerical experiments are presented to illustrate the feasibility for our strategy in all those situations. 1. Introduction. The method of quasi-reversibility has now a quite long history since the pioneering book of Latt es and Lions in 1967 [1]. The original idea of these authors was, starting from an ill-posed problem which satisfies the uniqueness property, to introduce a perturbation of such problem involving a small positive parameter Δ. This perturbation has essentially two effects. Firstly the perturbation transforms the initial ill-posed problem into a well-posed one for any Δ, secondly the solution to such problem converges to the solution (if it exists) to the initial ill-posed problem when Δ tends to 0. Generally, the ill-posedness in the initial problem is due to unsuitable boundary conditions. As typical examples of linear ill-posed problems one may think of the backward heat equation, that is the initial condition is replaced by a final condition, or the heat or wave equations with lateral Cauchy data, that is the usual Dirichlet or Neumann boundary condition on the boundary of the domain is replaced by a pair of Dirichlet and Neumann boundary conditions on the same subpart of the boundary, no data being prescribed on the complementary part of the boundary
Algebraic Torsion in Contact Manifolds
We extract a nonnegative integer-valued invariant, which we call the "order
of algebraic torsion", from the Symplectic Field Theory of a closed contact
manifold, and show that its finiteness gives obstructions to the existence of
symplectic fillings and exact symplectic cobordisms. A contact manifold has
algebraic torsion of order zero if and only if it is algebraically overtwisted
(i.e. has trivial contact homology), and any contact 3-manifold with positive
Giroux torsion has algebraic torsion of order one (though the converse is not
true). We also construct examples for each nonnegative k of contact 3-manifolds
that have algebraic torsion of order k but not k - 1, and derive consequences
for contact surgeries on such manifolds. The appendix by Michael Hutchings
gives an alternative proof of our cobordism obstructions in dimension three
using a refinement of the contact invariant in Embedded Contact Homology.Comment: 53 pages, 4 figures, with an appendix by Michael Hutchings; v.3 is a
final update to agree with the published paper, and also corrects a minor
error that appeared in the published version of the appendi
An exact sequence for contact- and symplectic homology
A symplectic manifold with contact type boundary induces
a linearization of the contact homology of with corresponding linearized
contact homology . We establish a Gysin-type exact sequence in which the
symplectic homology of maps to , which in turn maps to
, by a map of degree -2, which then maps to . Furthermore, we
give a description of the degree -2 map in terms of rational holomorphic curves
with constrained asymptotic markers, in the symplectization of .Comment: Final version. Changes for v2: Proof of main theorem supplemented
with detailed discussion of continuation maps. Description of degree -2 map
rewritten with emphasis on asymptotic markers. Sec. 5.2 rewritten with
emphasis on 0-dim. moduli spaces. Transversality discussion reorganized for
clarity (now Remark 9). Various other minor modification
Maser Oscillation in a Whispering-Gallery-Mode Microwave Resonator
We report the first observation of above-threshold maser oscillation in a
whispering-gallery(WG)-mode resonator, whose quasi-transverse-magnetic, 17th
azimuthal-order WG mode, at a frequency of approx. 12.038 GHz, with a loaded Q
of several hundred million, is supported on a cylinder of mono-crystalline
sapphire. An electron spin resonance (ESR) associated with Fe3+ ions, that are
substitutively included within the sapphire at a concentration of a few parts
per billion, coincides in frequency with that of the (considerably narrower) WG
mode. By applying a c.w. `pump' to the resonator at a frequency of approx.
31.34 GHz, with no applied d.c. magnetic field, the WG (`signal') mode is
energized through a three-level maser scheme. Preliminary measurements
demonstrate a frequency stability (Allan deviation) of a few times 1e-14 for
sampling intervals up to 100 s.Comment: REVTeX v.4, 3 pages, with a separate .bbl file and 3 .eps figure
Measuring frequency fluctuations in nonlinear nanomechanical resonators
Advances in nanomechanics within recent years have demonstrated an always
expanding range of devices, from top-down structures to appealing bottom-up
MoS and graphene membranes, used for both sensing and component-oriented
applications. One of the main concerns in all of these devices is frequency
noise, which ultimately limits their applicability. This issue has attracted a
lot of attention recently, and the origin of this noise remains elusive up to
date. In this Letter we present a very simple technique to measure frequency
noise in nonlinear mechanical devices, based on the presence of bistability. It
is illustrated on silicon-nitride high-stress doubly-clamped beams, in a
cryogenic environment. We report on the same dependence of the frequency
noise power spectra as reported in the literature. But we also find unexpected
{\it damping fluctuations}, amplified in the vicinity of the bifurcation
points; this effect is clearly distinct from already reported nonlinear
dephasing, and poses a fundamental limit on the measurement of bifurcation
frequencies. The technique is further applied to the measurement of frequency
noise as a function of mode number, within the same device. The relative
frequency noise for the fundamental flexure lies in the range
ppm (consistent with literature for cryogenic MHz devices), and
decreases with mode number in the range studied. The technique can be applied
to {\it any types} of nano-mechanical structures, enabling progresses towards
the understanding of intrinsic sources of noise in these devices.Comment: Published 7 may 201
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