1,370 research outputs found
Surface tension of the isotropic-nematic interface
We present the first calculations of the pressure tensor profile in the
vicinity of the planar interface between isotropic liquid and nematic liquid
crystal, using Onsager's density functional theory and computer simulation.
When the liquid crystal director is aligned parallel to the interface, the
situation of lowest free energy, there is a large tension on the nematic side
of the interface and a small compressive region on the isotropic side. By
contrast, for perpendicular alignment, the tension is on the isotropic side.
There is excellent agreement between theory and simulation both in the forms of
the pressure tensor profiles, and the values of the surface tension.Comment: Minor changes; to appear in Phys. Rev.
Long-term dry immersion: review and prospects
Dry immersion, which is a ground-based model of prolonged conditions of microgravity, is widely used in Russia but is less well known elsewhere. Dry immersion involves immersing the subject in thermoneutral water covered with an elastic waterproof fabric. As a result, the immersed subject, who is freely suspended in the water mass, remains dry. For a relatively short duration, the model can faithfully reproduce most physiological effects of actual microgravity, including centralization of body fluids, support unloading, and hypokinesia. Unlike bed rest, dry immersion provides a unique opportunity to study the physiological effects of the lack of a supporting structure for the body (a phenomenon we call \u27supportlessness\u27). In this review, we attempt to provide a detailed description of dry immersion. The main sections of the paper discuss the changes induced by long-term dry immersion in the neuromuscular and sensorimotor systems, fluid-electrolyte regulation, the cardiovascular system, metabolism, blood and immunity, respiration, and thermoregulation. The long-term effects of dry immersion are compared with those of bed rest and actual space flight. The actual and potential uses of dry immersion are discussed in the context of fundamental studies and applications for medical support during space flight and terrestrial health care
Meissner effect, Spin Meissner effect and charge expulsion in superconductors
The Meissner effect and the Spin Meissner effect are the spontaneous
generation of charge and spin current respectively near the surface of a metal
making a transition to the superconducting state. The Meissner effect is well
known but, I argue, not explained by the conventional theory, the Spin Meissner
effect has yet to be detected. I propose that both effects take place in all
superconductors, the first one in the presence of an applied magnetostatic
field, the second one even in the absence of applied external fields. Both
effects can be understood under the assumption that electrons expand their
orbits and thereby lower their quantum kinetic energy in the transition to
superconductivity. Associated with this process, the metal expels negative
charge from the interior to the surface and an electric field is generated in
the interior. The resulting charge current can be understood as arising from
the magnetic Lorentz force on radially outgoing electrons, and the resulting
spin current can be understood as arising from a spin Hall effect originating
in the Rashba-like coupling of the electron magnetic moment to the internal
electric field. The associated electrodynamics is qualitatively different from
London electrodynamics, yet can be described by a small modification of the
conventional London equations. The stability of the superconducting state and
its macroscopic phase coherence hinge on the fact that the orbital angular
momentum of the carriers of the spin current is found to be exactly ,
indicating a topological origin. The simplicity and universality of our theory
argue for its validity, and the occurrence of superconductivity in many classes
of materials can be understood within our theory.Comment: Submitted to SLAFES XX Proceeding
The cardiovascular effects of salidroside in the Goto-Kakizaki diabetic rat model
Many factors, including hyperglycemia, hypertension, obesity, dyslipidemia, and a sedentary lifestyle, contribute to a high prevalence of cardiovascular disease. Specific vascular impairment treatments in the context of diabetes and vascular risk need to be improved. Salidroside is the primary active component of Rhodiola rosea and has documented antioxidative, cardioprotective, and vasculoprotective properties. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that salidroside has protective effects against hyperglycemia, hypertension, and vasodilation impairment in the Goto-Kakizaki (GK) rat model of diabetes. We evaluated cardiovascular parameters (e.g., daytime/nighttime systolic and diastolic blood pressure, heart rate, and activity), metabolic parameters (e.g., body weight, food and water consumption, serum fructosamine level, glucose tolerance), eNOS / phospho-eNOS expression level and in vitro vascular reactivity of aorta and second-order mesenteric arteries in Wistar-Kyoto (control) and GK (diabetic) rats treated with salidroside (40 mg/kg) or placebo (water) for 5 weeks. GK rats showed hypertension, marked glucose intolerance, and impaired endothelium-dependent and endothelium-independent vasodilation capacity. Salidroside showed beneficial effects on endothelial and non-endothelial vasodilation and likely acts on the endothelium and smooth muscle cells through the soluble guanylyl cyclase pathway. Despite its vascular effects, salidroside had no effect on blood pressure and heart rate in GK and control rats, it did not improve glucose metabolism or limit hypertension in the GK model of type 2 diabetes
Thermal rates for baryon and anti-baryon production
We use a form of the fluctuation-dissipation theorem to derive formulas
giving the rate of production of spin-1/2 baryons in terms of the fluctuations
of either meson or quark fields. The most general formulas do not assume
thermal or chemical equilibrium. When evaluated in a thermal ensemble we find
equilibration times on the order of 10 fm/c near the critical temperature in
QCD.Comment: 22 pages, 4 tables and 2 figures, REVTe
Towards an engineering model for curve squeal
Curve squeal is a strong tonal noise that may arise when a railway vehicle negotiates a curve. The wheel/rail contact model is the central part of prediction models, describing the frictional instability occurring in the contact during squeal. A previously developed time-domain squeal model considers the wheel and rail dynamics, and the wheel/rail contact is solved using Kalkerâs nonlinear transient CONTACT algorithm with Coulomb friction. In this paper, contact models with different degree of simplification are compared to CONTACT within the previously developed squeal model in order to determine a suitable contact algorithm for an engineering curve squeal model. Kalkerâs steady-state FASTSIM is evaluated, and, without further modification, shows unsatisfying results. An alternative transient single-point contact algorithm named SPOINT is formulated with the friction model derived from CONTACT. Comparing with the original model results, the SPOINT implementation results are promising and similar to results from CONTACT
Geographical variation in serological responses to recombinant Pneumocystis jirovecii major surface glycoprotein antigens
AbstractThe use of recombinant fragments of the major surface glycoprotein (Msg) of Pneumocystis jirovecii has proven useful for studying serological immune responses of blood donors and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive (HIV+) patients. Here, we have used ELISA to measure antibody titres to Msg fragments (MsgA, MsgB, MsgC1, MsgC3, MsgC8 and MsgC9 in sera isolated in the USA (n=200 and Spain (n=326), to determine whether geographical location affects serological responses to these antigens. Blood donors from Seville exhibited a significantly greater antibody titre to MsgC8, and significantly lower responses to MsgC3 and MsgC9, than did Cincinnati (USA) donors. Spanish blood donors (n=162 also exhibited elevated responses to MsgC1, MsgC8 and MsgC9 as compared with Spanish HIV+ (n=patients. HIV+ patients who had Pneumocystis pneumonia (PcP+) exhibited a higher response to MsgC8 than did HIV+ PcP- patients. These data show that geographical location plays a role in responsiveness to Msg fragments. Additionally, these fragments have utility in differentiating HIV+ PcP and HIV+ PcP+ among patient populations
The Collective Field Theory of a Singular Supersymmetric Matrix Model
The supersymmetric collective field theory with the potential is studied, motivated by the matrix model proposed by Jevicki
and Yoneya to describe two dimensional string theory in a black hole
background. Consistency with supersymmetry enforces a two band solution. A
supersymmetric classical configuration is found, and interpreted in terms of
the density of zeros of certain Laguerre polynomials. The spectrum of the model
is then studied and is seen to correspond to a massless scalar and a majorana
fermion. The space eigenfunctions are constructed and expressed in terms of
Chebyshev polynomials. Higher order interactions are also discussed.Comment: Revtex 8 pages, Submitted to Phys. Rev. D. References and preprint
numbers have been adde
Unusual bound states of quark matter within the NJL model
Properties of dense quark matter in and out of chemical equilibrium are
studied within the SU(3) Nambu-Jona-Lasinio model. In addition to the 4-fermion
scalar and vector terms the model includes also the 6-fermion flavour mixing
interaction. First we study a novel form of deconfined matter, meso-matter,
which is composed of equal number of quarks and antiquarks. It can be thought
of as a strongly compressed meson gas where mesons are melted into their
elementary constituents, quarks and antiquarks. Strongly bound states in this
quark-antiquark matter are predicted for all flavour combinations of
quark-antiquark pairs. The maximum binding energy reaches up to 180 MeV per
pair for mixtures with about 70% of strange quark-antiquark pairs. Equilibrated
baryon-rich quark matter with various flavour compositions is also studied. In
this case only shallow bound states appear in systems with a significant
admixture (about 40%) of strange quarks (strangelets). Their binding energies
are quite sensitive to the relative strengths of scalar and vector
interactions. The common property of all these bound states is that they appear
at high particle densities when the chiral symmetry is nearly restored. Thermal
properties of meso-matter as well as chemically equilibrated strange quark
matter are also investigated. Possible decay modes of these bound states are
discussed.Comment: 26 pages, 16 PostScript figures, RevTe
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