627 research outputs found
Resonators coupled to voltage-biased Josephson junctions: From linear response to strongly driven nonlinear oscillations
Motivated by recent experiments, where a voltage biased Josephson junction is
placed in series with a resonator, the classical dynamics of the circuit is
studied in various domains of parameter space. This problem can be mapped onto
the dissipative motion of a single degree of freedom in a nonlinear
time-dependent potential, where in contrast to conventional settings the
nonlinearity appears in the driving while the static potential is purely
harmonic. For long times the system approaches steady states which are analyzed
in the underdamped regime over the full range of driving parameters including
the fundamental resonance as well as higher and sub-harmonics. Observables such
as the dc-Josephson current and the radiated microwave power give direct
information about the underlying dynamics covering phenomena as bifurcations,
irregular motion, up- and down conversion. Due to their tunability, present and
future set-ups provide versatile platforms to explore the changeover from
linear response to strongly nonlinear behavior in driven dissipative systems
under well defined conditions.Comment: 12 pages, 11 figure
Electron tomography at 2.4 {\AA} resolution
Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) is a powerful imaging tool that has
found broad application in materials science, nanoscience and biology(1-3).
With the introduction of aberration-corrected electron lenses, both the spatial
resolution and image quality in TEM have been significantly improved(4,5) and
resolution below 0.5 {\AA} has been demonstrated(6). To reveal the 3D structure
of thin samples, electron tomography is the method of choice(7-11), with
resolutions of ~1 nm^3 currently achievable(10,11). Recently, discrete
tomography has been used to generate a 3D atomic reconstruction of a silver
nanoparticle 2-3 nm in diameter(12), but this statistical method assumes prior
knowledge of the particle's lattice structure and requires that the atoms fit
rigidly on that lattice. Here we report the experimental demonstration of a
general electron tomography method that achieves atomic scale resolution
without initial assumptions about the sample structure. By combining a novel
projection alignment and tomographic reconstruction method with scanning
transmission electron microscopy, we have determined the 3D structure of a ~10
nm gold nanoparticle at 2.4 {\AA} resolution. While we cannot definitively
locate all of the atoms inside the nanoparticle, individual atoms are observed
in some regions of the particle and several grains are identified at three
dimensions. The 3D surface morphology and internal lattice structure revealed
are consistent with a distorted icosahedral multiply-twinned particle. We
anticipate that this general method can be applied not only to determine the 3D
structure of nanomaterials at atomic scale resolution(13-15), but also to
improve the spatial resolution and image quality in other tomography
fields(7,9,16-20).Comment: 27 pages, 17 figure
Crystal Structure of Colloidally Prepared Metastable Ag2Se Nanocrystals.
Structural polymorphism is known for many bulk materials; however, on the nanoscale metastable polymorphs tend to form more readily than in the bulk, and with more structural variety. One such metastable polymorph observed for colloidal Ag2Se nanocrystals has traditionally been referred to as the "tetragonal" phase. While there are reports on the chemistry and properties of this metastable polymorph, its crystal structure, and therefore electronic structure, has yet to be determined. We report that an anti-PbCl2-like structure type (space group P21/n) more accurately describes the powder X-ray diffraction and X-ray total scattering patterns of colloidal Ag2Se nanocrystals prepared by several different methods. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations indicate that this anti-PbCl2-like Ag2Se polymorph is a dynamically stable, narrow-band-gap semiconductor. The anti-PbCl2-like structure of Ag2Se is a low-lying metastable polymorph at 5-25 meV/atom above the ground state, depending on the exchange-correlation functional used
Associated hyperon-kaon production via neutrino-nucleus scattering
We present the investigation of the neutrino-induced strangeness associated
production on nuclei in the relativistic plane wave impulse approximation
(RPWIA) framework at the intermediate neutrino energies. In this study, the
elementary hadronic weak amplitudes are embedded inside the nuclear medium for
the description of the exclusive channels of neutrino-nucleus interactions.
These amplitudes are extracted using a model-dependent evaluation of the
hadronic vertex using the Born term approximation in which the application of
the Cabibbo V-A theory and SU(3) symmetry are assumed to be valid. The nuclear
effects are included via the bound state wavefunctions of the nucleon obtained
from the relativistic mean field (RMF) models. Two kinematics settings are used
to examine various distributions of the differential cross section in the rest
frame of the target nuclei. The numerical results are obtained for the
neutrino-induced charged-current (CC) \,-production on bound
neutrons in and orbitals of C. The angular
distributions are forward peaked under both kinematic settings, whereas under
the quasifree setting the cross sections tend mimic the missing momentum
distribution of the bound nucleon inside the nucleus.Comment: This article is submitted to International Journal of Modern Physics
E (nuclear physics) and accepted on 31 October 20l
Charged kaon production by coherent scattering of neutrinos and antineutrinos on nuclei
With the aim of achieving a better and more complete understanding of
neutrino interactions with nuclear targets, the coherent production of charged
kaons induced by neutrinos and antineutrinos is investigated in the energy
range of some of the current neutrino experiments. We follow a microscopic
approach which, at the nucleon level, incorporates the most important
mechanisms allowed by the chiral symmetry breaking pattern of QCD. The
distortion of the outgoing (anti)kaon is taken into account by solving the
Klein-Gordon equation with realistic optical potentials. Angular and momentum
distributions are studied, as well as the energy and nuclear dependence of the
total cross section.Comment: 20 pages, 14 figure
Dark-field transmission electron microscopy and the Debye-Waller factor of graphene
Graphene's structure bears on both the material's electronic properties and
fundamental questions about long range order in two-dimensional crystals. We
present an analytic calculation of selected area electron diffraction from
multi-layer graphene and compare it with data from samples prepared by chemical
vapor deposition and mechanical exfoliation. A single layer scatters only 0.5%
of the incident electrons, so this kinematical calculation can be considered
reliable for five or fewer layers. Dark-field transmission electron micrographs
of multi-layer graphene illustrate how knowledge of the diffraction peak
intensities can be applied for rapid mapping of thickness, stacking, and grain
boundaries. The diffraction peak intensities also depend on the mean-square
displacement of atoms from their ideal lattice locations, which is
parameterized by a Debye-Waller factor. We measure the Debye-Waller factor of a
suspended monolayer of exfoliated graphene and find a result consistent with an
estimate based on the Debye model. For laboratory-scale graphene samples,
finite size effects are sufficient to stabilize the graphene lattice against
melting, indicating that ripples in the third dimension are not necessary.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figure
Polymorphisms within the canine MLPH gene are associated with dilute coat color in dogs
BACKGROUND: Pinschers and other dogs with coat color dilution show a characteristic pigmentation phenotype. The fur colors are a lighter shade, e.g. silvery grey (blue) instead of black and a sandy color (Isabella fawn) instead of red or brown. In some dogs the coat color dilution is sometimes accompanied by hair loss and recurrent skin inflammation, the so called color dilution alopecia (CDA) or black hair follicular dysplasia (BHFD). In humans and mice a comparable pigmentation phenotype without any documented hair loss is caused by mutations within the melanophilin gene (MLPH). RESULTS: We sequenced the canine MLPH gene and performed a mutation analysis of the MLPH exons in 6 Doberman Pinschers and 5 German Pinschers. A total of 48 sequence variations was identified within and between the breeds. Three families of dogs showed co-segregation for at least one polymorphism in an MLPH exon and the dilute phenotype. No single polymorphism was identified in the coding sequences or at splice sites that is likely to be causative for the dilute phenotype of all dogs examined. In 18 German Pinschers a mutation in exon 7 (R199H) was consistently associated with the dilute phenotype. However, as this mutation was present in homozygous state in four dogs of other breeds with wildtype pigmentation, it seems unlikely that this mutation is truly causative for coat color dilution. In Doberman Pinschers as well as in Large Munsterlanders with BHFD, a set of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) around exon 2 was identified that show a highly significant association to the dilute phenotype. CONCLUSION: This study provides evidence that coat color dilution is caused by one or more mutations within or near the MLPH gene in several dog breeds. The data on polymorphisms that are strongly associated with the dilute phenotype will allow the genetic testing of Pinschers to facilitate the breeding of dogs with defined coat colors and to select against Large Munsterlanders carrying BHFD
Dark-field transmission electron microscopy and the Debye-Waller factor of graphene
Graphene\u27s structure bears on both the material\u27s electronic properties and fundamental questions about long-range order in two-dimensional crystals. We present an analytic calculation of selected area electron diffraction from multilayer graphene and compare it with data from samples prepared by chemical vapor deposition and mechanical exfoliation. A single layer scatters only 0.5% of the incident electrons, so this kinematical calculation can be considered reliable for five or fewer layers. Dark-field transmission electron micrographs of multilayer graphene illustrate how knowledge of the diffraction peak intensities can be applied for rapid mapping of thickness, stacking, and grain boundaries. The diffraction peak intensities also depend on the mean-square displacement of atoms from their ideal lattice locations, which is parameterized by a Debye-Waller factor. We measure the Debye-Waller factor of a suspended monolayer of exfoliated graphene and find a result consistent with an estimate based on the Debye model. For laboratory-scale graphene samples, finite size effects are sufficient to stabilize the graphene lattice against melting, indicating that ripples in the third dimension are not necessary
The potential of lasmiditan in migraine
Lasmiditan, a highly selective 5-hydroxytryptamine receptor 1F (5-HT1F) agonist,
is the first drug in its class and is lacking triptan-like vasoactive properties. The US Food
and Drug Administration (FDA) has recently approved lasmiditan for the acute treatment of
migraine in adults based on positive results of two pivotal phase III trials, which showed a
significant difference to placebo in the proportion of patients achieving total migraine freedom
within 2h. More patients with lasmiditan achieved headache freedom and, in addition, freedom
from the most bothersome symptom, that is, photophobia, than with placebo. Treatmentrelated side effects seem to be related to the rapid penetration of the drug into the brain and
include dizziness, paresthesia and drowsiness, mostly of mild to moderate intensity. Interim
results from an ongoing long-term phase III trial suggest a decrease in the frequency of
adverse events after multiple lasmiditan use. Lasmiditan is a promising acute anti-migraine
therapy, in particular for patients with cardiovascular risk factors, contraindications, or
unwanted side effects to triptans
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