10,117 research outputs found
Unfolding Rates for the Diffusion-Collision Model
In the diffusion-collision model, the unfolding rates are given by the
likelihood of secondary structural cluster dissociation. In this work, we
introduce an unfolding rate calculation for proteins whose secondary structural
elements are -helices, modeled from thermal escape over a barrier which
arises from the free energy in buried hydrophobic residues. Our results are in
good agreement with currently accepted values for the attempt rate.Comment: Shorter version of cond-mat/0011024 accepted for publication in PR
The high-pressure behavior of CaMoO4
We report a high-pressure study of tetragonal scheelite-type CaMoO4 up to 29
GPa. In order to characterize its high-pressure behavior, we have combined
Raman and optical-absorption measurements with density-functional theory
calculations. We have found evidence of a pressure-induced phase transition
near 15 GPa. Experiments and calculations agree in assigning the high-pressure
phase to a monoclinic fergusonite-type structure. The reported results are
consistent with previous powder x-ray-diffraction experiments, but are in
contradiction with the conclusions obtained from earlier Raman measurements,
which support the existence of more than one phase transition in the pressure
range covered by our studies. The observed scheelite-fergusonite transition
induces significant changes in the electronic band gap and phonon spectrum of
CaMoO4. We have determined the pressure evolution of the band gap for the low-
and high-pressure phases as well as the frequencies and pressure dependences of
the Raman-active and infrared-active modes. In addition, based upon
calculations of the phonon dispersion of the scheelite phase, carried out at a
pressure higher than the transition pressure, we propose a possible mechanism
for the reported phase transition. Furthermore, from the calculations we
determined the pressure dependence of the unit-cell parameters and atomic
positions of the different phases and their room-temperature equations of
state. These results are compared with previous experiments showing a very good
agreement. Finally, information on bond compressibility is reported and
correlated with the macroscopic compressibility of CaMoO4. The reported results
are of interest for the many technological applications of this oxide.Comment: 36 pages, 10 figures, 8 table
Quantum Arrival and Dwell Times via Idealised Clocks
A number of approaches to the problem of defining arrival and dwell time
probabilities in quantum theory make use of idealised models of clocks. An
interesting question is the extent to which the probabilities obtained in this
way are related to standard semiclassical results. In this paper we explore
this question using a reasonably general clock model, solved using path
integral methods. We find that in the weak coupling regime where the energy of
the clock is much less than the energy of the particle it is measuring, the
probability for the clock pointer can be expressed in terms of the probability
current in the case of arrival times, and the dwell time operator in the case
of dwell times, the expected semiclassical results. In the regime of strong
system-clock coupling, we find that the arrival time probability is
proportional to the kinetic energy density, consistent with an earlier model
involving a complex potential. We argue that, properly normalized, this may be
the generically expected result in this regime. We show that these conclusions
are largely independent of the form of the clock Hamiltonian.Comment: 19 pages, 4 figures. Published versio
Electronic control of the spin-wave damping in a magnetic insulator
It is demonstrated that the decay time of spin-wave modes existing in a
magnetic insulator can be reduced or enhanced by injecting an in-plane dc
current, , in an adjacent normal metal with strong spin-orbit
interaction. The demonstration rests upon the measurement of the ferromagnetic
resonance linewidth as a function of in a 5~m diameter
YIG(20nm){\textbar}Pt(7nm) disk using a magnetic resonance force microscope
(MRFM). Complete compensation of the damping of the fundamental mode is
obtained for a current density of , in
agreement with theoretical predictions. At this critical threshold the MRFM
detects a small change of static magnetization, a behavior consistent with the
onset of an auto-oscillation regime.Comment: 6 pages 4 figure
Patch Antenna Based on Metamaterials for a RFID Transponder
In this paper a self-diplexed antenna is proposed for a RFID transponder application. The development cycle is divided into two stages: antenna design and filters design. The antenna is based on a square microstrip patch filled with metamaterial structures. The inclusion of these structures allows simultaneous operation over several frequencies, which can be arbitrarily chosen. The antenna working frequencies are chosen to be 2.45 GHz (receiver) and 1.45 GHz (transmitter). In addition, the antenna is fed through two orthogonal coupled microstrip lines, what provides higher isolation between both ports. Some filters based on metamaterial particles are coupled or connected to the antenna feeding microstrip lines to avoid undesired interferences. This approach avoids using of an external filter or diplexer, providing larger size reduction and a compact self-diplexed antenna
Experimental evidence of solitary wave interaction in Hertzian chains
We study experimentally the interaction between two solitary waves that
approach one to another in a linear chain of spheres interacting via the Hertz
potential. When these counter propagating waves collide, they cross each other
and a phase shift respect to the noninteracting waves is introduced, as a
result of the nonlinear interaction potential. This observation is well
reproduced by our numerical simulations and it is shown to be independent of
viscoelastic dissipation at the beads contact. In addition, when the collision
of equal amplitude and synchronized counter propagating waves takes place, we
observe that two secondary solitary waves emerge from the interacting region.
The amplitude of secondary solitary waves is proportional to the amplitude of
incident waves. However, secondary solitary waves are stronger when the
collision occurs at the middle contact in chains with even number of beads.
Although numerical simulations correctly predict the existence of these waves,
experiments show that their respective amplitude are significantly larger than
predicted. We attribute this discrepancy to the rolling friction at the beads
contacts during solitary wave propagation
Young Super Star Clusters in the Starburst of M82: The Catalogue
Recent results from Hubble Space Telescope (HST) have resolved starbursts as
collections of compact young stellar clusters. Here we present a photometric
catalogue of the young stellar clusters in the nuclear starburst of M82,
observed with the HST WFPC2 in Halpha (F656N) and in four optical broad-band
filters. We identify 197 young super stellar clusters. The compactness and high
density of the sources led us to develop specific techniques to measure their
sizes. Strong extinction lanes divide the starburst into five different zones
and we provide a catalogue of young super star clusters for each of these. In
the catalogue we include relative coordinates, radii, fluxes, luminosities,
masses, equivalent widths, extinctions, and other parameters. Extinction values
have been derived from the broad-band images. The radii range between 3 and 9
pc, with a mean value of 5.7 +/- 1.4pc, and a stellar mass between 10e4 and
10e6 Mo. The inferred masses and mean separation, comparable to the size of
super star clusters, together with their high volume density, provides strong
evidence for the key ingredients postulated by Tenorio et al. (2003) as
required for the development of a supergalactic wind.Comment: 45 pages, 5 figures, 12 tables. Accepted for publication in ApJ.
Added Erratu
Effectiveness and Overall Safety of NutropinAq (R) for Growth Hormone Deficiency and Other Paediatric Growth Hormone Disorders: Completion of the International Cooperative Growth Study, NutropinAq (R) European Registry (iNCGS)
Objective: The International Cooperative Growth Study, NutropinAq® European Registry (iNCGS) (NCT00455728) monitored long-term safety and effectiveness of recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH; NutropinAq® [somatropin]) in paediatric growth disorders.
Methods: Open-label, non-interventional, post-marketing surveillance study recruiting children with growth disorders. Endpoints included gain in height standard deviation score (SDS), adult height, and occurrence of adverse events (AEs).
Results: 2792 patients were enrolled. 2082 patients (74.6%) had growth hormone deficiency (GHD), which was isolated idiopathic in 1825 patients (87.7%). Non-GHD diagnoses included Turner syndrome (TS) (n=199), chronic renal insufficiency (CRI) (n=10), other non-GHD (n=498), and missing data for three participants. Improvements from baseline height SDS occurred at all time points to Month 132, and in all subgroups by disease aetiology. At Month 12, mean (95% CI) change in height SDS by aetiology was: idiopathic GHD 0.63 (0.61;0.66), organic GHD 0.71 (0.62;0.80), TS 0.59 (0.53; 0.65), CRI 0.54 (-0.49;1.56), and other non-GHD 0.64 (0.59;0.69). Mean height ( ± SD) at the last visit among the 235 patients with adult or near-adult height recorded was 154.0 cm ( ± 8.0) for girls and 166.7 cm ( ± 8.0) for boys. The most frequent biological and clinical non-serious drug-related AEs were increased insulin-like growth factor concentrations (314 events) and injection site haematoma (99 events). Serious AEs related to rhGH according to investigators were reported (n=30); the most frequent were scoliosis (4 events), epiphysiolysis (3 events), and strabismus (2 events).
Conclusions: There was an improvement in mean height SDS in all aetiology subgroups after rhGH treatment. No new safety concerns were identified
The electronic structure of zircon-type orthovanadates: Effects of high-pressure and cation substitution
The electronic structure of four ternary-metal oxides containing isolated
vanadate ions is studied. Zircon-type YVO4, YbVO4, LuVO4, and NdVO4 are
investigated by high-pressure optical-absorption measurements up to 20 GPa.
First-principles calculations based on density-functional theory were also
performed to analyze the electronic band structure as a function of pressure.
The electronic structure near the Fermi level originates largely from molecular
orbitals of the vanadate ion, but cation substitution influence these
electronic states. The studied ortovanadates, with the exception of NdVO4,
undergo a zircon-scheelite structural phase transition that causes a collapse
of the band-gap energy. The pressure coefficient dEg/dP show positive values
for the zircon phase and negative values for the scheelite phase. NdVO4
undergoes a zircon-monazite-scheelite structural sequence with two associated
band-gap collapses.Comment: 35 pages, 11 figures, 2 Tables, 52 reference
Massive Clumps in the NGC 6334 Star Forming Region
We report observations of dust continuum emission at 1.2 mm toward the star
forming region NGC 6334 made with the SEST SIMBA bolometer array. The
observations cover an area of square degrees with approximately
uniform noise. We detected 181 clumps spanning almost three orders of magnitude
in mass (3\Msun \Msun) and with sizes in the range 0.1--1.0 pc.
We find that the clump mass function is well fit with a power law
of the mass with exponent -0.6 (or equivalently ). The
derived exponent is similar to those obtained from molecular line emission
surveys and is significantly different from that of the stellar initial mass
function. We investigated changes in the mass spectrum by changing the
assumptions on the temperature distribution of the clumps and on the
contribution of free-free emission to the 1.2 mm emission, and found little
changes on the exponent. The Cumulative Mass Distribution Function is also
analyzed giving consistent results in a mass range excluding the high-mass end
where a power-law fit is no longer valid. The masses and sizes of the clumps
observed in NGC 6334 indicate that they are not direct progenitors of stars and
that the process of fragmentation determines the distribution of masses later
on or occurs at smaller spatial scales. The spatial distribution of the clumps
in NGC 6334 reveals clustering which is strikingly similar to that exhibited by
young stars in other star forming regions. A power law fit to the surface
density of companions gives .Comment: 16 pages, 11 figures, 4 tables. To appear in the Astrophysical
Journa
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