2,324 research outputs found
Dynamic SU(2) Lattice Gauge Theory at Finite Temperature
The dynamic relaxation process for the (2+1)--dimensional SU(2) lattice gauge
theory at critical temperature is investigated with Monte Carlo methods. The
critical initial increase of the Polyakov loop is observed. The dynamic
exponents and as well as the static critical exponent
are determined from the power law behaviour of the Polyakov loop, the
auto-correlation and the second moment at the early stage of the time
evolution. The results are well consistent and universal short-time scaling
behaviour of the dynamic system is confirmed. The values of the exponents show
that the dynamic SU(2) lattice gauge theory is in the same dynamic universality
class as the dynamic Ising model.Comment: 10 pages with 2 figure
Generalized Dynamic Scaling for Critical Magnetic Systems
The short-time behaviour of the critical dynamics for magnetic systems is
investigated with Monte Carlo methods. Without losing the generality, we
consider the relaxation process for the two dimensional Ising and Potts model
starting from an initial state with very high temperature and arbitrary
magnetization. We confirm the generalized scaling form and observe that the
critical characteristic functions of the initial magnetization for the Ising
and the Potts model are quite different.Comment: 32 pages with15 eps-figure
Field emission properties of nano-composite carbon nitride films
A modified cathodic arc technique has been used to deposit carbon nitride
thin films directly on n+ Si substrates. Transmission Electron Microscopy
showed that clusters of fullerene-like nanoparticles are embedded in the
deposited material. Field emission in vacuum from as-grown films starts at an
electric field strength of 3.8 V/micron. When the films were etched in an
HF:NH4F solution for ten minutes, the threshold field decreased to 2.6
V/micron. The role of the carbon nanoparticles in the field emission process
and the influence of the chemical etching treatment are discussed.Comment: 22 pages, 8 figures, submitted to J. Vac. Sc. Techn.
Stabile Chlorine Isotope Study of Martian Shergottites and Nakhlites; Whole Rock and Acid Leachates and Residues
We have established a precise analytical technique for stable chlorine isotope measurements of tiny planetary materials by TIMS (Thermal Ionization Mass Spectrometry) [1], for which the results are basically consistent with the IRMS tech-nique (gas source mass spectrometry) [2,3,4]. We present here results for Martian shergottites and nakhlites; whole rocks, HNO3-leachates and residues, and discuss the chlorine isotope evolution of planetary Mars
Stable Chlorine Isotopes and Elemental Chlorine by Thermal Ionization Mass Spectrometry and Ion Chromatography; Martian Meteorites, Carbonaceous Chondrites and Standard Rocks
Recently significantly large mass fractionation of stable chlorine isotopes has been reported for terrestrial and lunar samples [1,2]. In addition, in view of possible early solar system processes [3] and also potential perchlorate-related fluid/microbial activities on the Martian surface [4,5], a large chlorine isotopic fractionation might be expected for some types of planetary materials. Due to analytical difficulties of isotopic and elemental analyses, however, current chlorine analyses for planetary materials are controversial among different laboratories, particularly between IRMS (gas source mass spectrometry) and TIMS (Thermal Ionization Mass Spectrometry) groups [i.e. 1,6,7] for isotopic analyses, as well as between those doing pyrohydrolysis and other groups [i.e. 6,8]. Additional careful investigations of Cl isotope and elemental abundances are required to confirm real chlorine isotope and elemental variations for planetary materials. We have developed a TIMS technique combined with HF-leaching/ion chromatography at NASA JSC that is applicable to analysis of small amounts of meteoritic and planetary materials. We present here results for several standard rocks and meteorites, including Martian meteorites
External and intrinsic anchoring in nematic liquid crystals: A Monte Carlo study
We present a Monte Carlo study of external surface anchoring in nematic cells
with partially disordered solid substrates, as well as of intrinsic anchoring
at free nematic interfaces. The simulations are based on the simple hexagonal
lattice model with a spatially anisotropic intermolecular potential. We
estimate the corresponding extrapolation length by imposing an elastic
deformation in a hybrid cell-like nematic sample. Our estimates for
increase with increasing surface disorder and are essentially
temperature--independent. Experimental values of are approached only when
both the coupling of nematic molecules with the substrate and the anisotropy of
nematic--nematic interactions are weak.Comment: Revisions primarily in section I
A disease-specific measure of health-related quality of life for use in adults with immune thrombocytopenic purpura: Its development and validation
BACKGROUND: No validated disease-specific measures are available to assess health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in adult subjects with immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP). Therefore, we sought to develop and validate the ITP-Patient Assessment Questionnaire (ITP-PAQ) for adult subjects with ITP. METHODS: Information from literature reviews, focus groups with subjects, and clinicians were used to develop 50 ITP-PAQ items. Factor analyses were conducted to develop the scale structure and reduce the number of items. The final 44-item ITP-PAQ, which includes ten scales [Symptoms (S), Bother-Physical Health (B), Fatigue/Sleep (FT), Activity (A), Fear (FR), Psychological Health (PH), Work (W), Social Activity (SA), Women's Reproductive Health (RH), and Overall (QoL)], was self-administered to adult ITP subjects at baseline and 7–10 days later. Test-retest reliability, internal consistency reliability, construct and known groups validity of the final ITP-PAQ were evaluated. RESULTS: Seventy-three subjects with ITP completed the questionnaire twice. Test-retest reliability, as measured by the intra-class correlation, ranged from 0.52–0.90. Internal consistency reliability was demonstrated with Cronbach's alpha for all scales above the acceptable level of 0.70 (range: 0.71–0.92), except for RH (0.66). Construct validity, assessed by correlating ITP-PAQ scales with established measures (Short Form-36 v.1, SF-36 and Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, CES-D), was demonstrated through moderate correlations between the ITP-PAQ SA and SF-36 Social Function scales (r = 0.67), and between ITP-PAQ PH and SF-36 Mental Health Scales (r = 0.63). Moderate to strong inter-scale correlations were reported between ITP-PAQ scales and the CES-D, except for the RH scale. Known groups validity was evaluated by comparing mean scores for groups that differed clinically. Statistically significant differences (p < 0.01) were observed when subjects were categorized by treatment status [S, FT, B, A, PH, and QoL, perceived effectiveness of ITP treatment [S], and time elapsed since ITP diagnosis [PH]. CONCLUSION: Results provide preliminary evidence of the reliability and validity of the ITP-PAQ in adult subjects with ITP. Further work should be conducted to assess the responsiveness and to estimate the minimal clinical important difference of the ITP-PAQ to more fully understand the impact of ITP and its treatments on HRQoL
Chlorine Isotopes: As a Possible Tracer of Fluid/Bio-Activities on Mars and a Progress Report on Chlorine Isotope Analysis by TIMs
Significantly large mass fractionations between chlorine isotopes (Cl-35, Cl-37) have been reported for terrestrial materials including both geological samples and laboratory materials. Also, the chlorine isotopic composition can be used as a tracer for early solar system processes. Moreover, chlorine is ubiquitous on the Martian surface. Typical chlorine abundances in Gusev soils are approx.0.5 %. The global surface average chlorine abundance also is approx.0.5 %. Striking variations among outcrop rocks at Meridiani were reported with some chlorine abundances as high as approx.2%. Characterizing conditions under which chlorine isotopic fractionation may occur is clearly of interest to planetary science. Thus, we have initiated development of a chlorine isotopic analysis technique using TIMS at NASA-JSC. We present here a progress report on the current status of development at JSC and discuss the possible application of chlorine isotopic analysis to Martian meteorites in a search for fluid- and possibly biological activity on Mars
Universal Short-time Behaviour of the Dynamic Fully Frustrated XY Model
With Monte Carlo methods we investigate the dynamic relaxation of the fully
frustrated XY model in two dimensions below or at the Kosterlitz-Thouless phase
transition temperature. Special attention is drawn to the sublattice structure
of the dynamic evolution. Short-time scaling behaviour is found and
universality is confirmed. The critical exponent is measured for
different temperature and with different algorithms.Comment: 18 pages, LaTeX, 8 ps-figure
Distribution of macrophages in the developing cochlea of the common marmoset, a primate model animal
IntroductionMacrophages are essential immune cells in the cochlea that contribute to inflammation, tissue repair, and homeostasis. They also play an important role in local cochlear immunity. The developmental immigration and maturation of macrophages in the cochlea have been investigated and are considered essential for normal hearing acquisition. Most of our current knowledge regarding cochlear development is based on rodent models because of the ethical challenges of using human fetal samples for research. However, inter-species differences between rodents and humans have been reported. In this study, we used a primate animal model to investigate the distributions of macrophages in the developing cochlea. The common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus), a small monkey species that inhabits the New World, was used as the model.MethodsWe investigated the distribution of macrophages in the developing cochlea of the common marmoset by performing immunohistochemical analyses of cochlear tissue from common marmoset embryos at different development stages.ResultsWe revealed detailed distribution changes in the macrophages of a primate animal model cochlea. This observation indicates that most of the changes in the general distribution of macrophages were well preserved between rodents and this primate. The distribution changes observed in the common marmoset were also compatible with observations in the human fetus; although, observations in the human fetus are limited. Our observations in this study also revealed several differences between common marmosets and rodents.ConclusionThe time course of immunological development and maturations established in this study will aid in the study of the primate-specific developmental biology of the inner ear. These observations may eventually lead to new therapeutic strategies for hearing loss in humans. In addition, understanding the immunological steady-state of the cochlea may help in the study of age- and genetic-induced hearing loss and in the design of regenerative therapies
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