On the variation of the gauge couplings during inflation

It is shown that the evolution of the (Abelian) gauge coupling during an inflationary phase of de Sitter type drives the growth of the two-point function of the magnetic inhomogeneities. After examining the constraints on the variation of the gauge coupling arising in a standard model of inflationary and post-inflationary evolution, magnetohydrodynamical equations are generalized to the case of time evolving gauge coupling. It is argued that large scale magnetic fields can be copiously generated. Other possible implications of the model are outlined.Comment: 5 pages in RevTex style, one figur

Effect of a liquid Phase on Superplasticity of 2-moI%-Y 2 0 3 -StabiIlzed Tetragonal Zirconla Polycrystals

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/66013/1/j.1151-2916.1990.tb09806.x.pd

Distortion in a 7xxx aluminum alloy during liquid phase sintering

The distortion in a sintered 7xxx aluminum alloy, Al-7Zn-2.5Mg-1Cu (wt. pct), has been investigated by sintering three rectangular bars in each batch at 893 K (620 °C) for 0 to 40 minutes in nitrogen, followed by air or furnace cooling. They were placed parallel to each other, equally spaced apart at 2 mm, with their long axes being perpendicular to the incoming nitrogen flow. Pore evolution in each sample during isothermal sintering was examined metallographically. The compositional changes across sample mid-cross section and surface layers were analyzed using energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy depth profiling, respectively. The two outer samples bent toward the middle one, while the middle sample was essentially distortion free after sintering. The distortion in the outer samples was a result of differential shrinkage between their outer and inner surfaces during isothermal sintering. The porous outer surface showed an enrichment of oxygen around the large pores as well as lower magnesium and zinc contents than the interior and inner surface of the same sample, while the inner surface was distinguished by the presence of AlN. The differential shrinkage was caused by different oxygen contents in local sintering atmosphere and unbalanced loss of magnesium and zinc between the outer and inner surfaces

The beta cell transcription factors and development of the pancreas

The pancreatic beta cell is the major source of circulating insulin in adult mammals. In the multistep process of insulin synthesis it is initiation of transcription that restricts insulin synthesis to the beta cell since all subsequent steps can be performed by other cell types. Many of the transcription factors that bind to the insulin promoter and activate insulin gene transcription have been isolated. Some of these factors are restricted in their expression pattern, but so far no truly beta cell-specific transcriptional activator has been found. Since different transcription factors synergize to activate insulin gene transcription, cell-specific transcription of insulin is probably realized through the interactions of a unique set of regulatory proteins in the beta cell. The same transcription factors that regulate insulin gene transcription in the adult beta cell are involved in determining cell differentiation during pancreatic development. The endocrine and exocrine pancreas form from the gut endoderm as a dorsal and a ventral bud which later fuse to build a single organ. The homeodomain protein PDX-1, an insulin gene transcription factor, is uniformly expressed in the early pancreatic bud, and null mutation of PDX-1 in mice results in a failure of the pancreatic bud to grow and differentiate. Other transcription factors, such as the helix-loop-helix protein Beta-2 and the homeodomain protein Nkx 6.1, show a restricted pattern of expression during embryogenesis and in the mature islet. Those proteins may serve a dual role for the organism: during embryogenesis they may determine islet cell differentiation and in the adult they may ensure tissue-specific expression of the islet cell hormones. A better understanding of the factors involved in insulin gene transcription and islet cell differentiation will ultimately provide the basis for novel therapy of diabetes

Synthesis, crystal structure and Hirshfeld surface analysis of 2-(perfluorophenyl)acetamide in comparison with some related compounds

The mol­ecular and crystal structures of the title compound, C8H4F5NO, were examined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction and Hirshfeld surface analysis. The title compound was synthesized by a new method at the interface of aqueous solutions of LiOH and penta­fluoro­phenyl­aceto­nitrile. In the crystal, hydrogen bonds and π-halogen inter­actions connect the mol­ecules into double layers. Analysis of the Hirshfeld surface showed that the most important contributions to the crystal packing are made by F⋯F (30.4%), C⋯F/F⋯C (22.9%), O⋯H/H⋯O (14.9%), H⋯F/F⋯H (14.0%) and H⋯H (10.2%) contacts. The Hirshfeld surfaces of analogues of the title compound were compared and the effect of perfluorination on the crystal packing was shown. © 202