1,163 research outputs found
The origin of stiffening in cross-linked semiflexible networks
Strain stiffening of protein networks is explored by means of a finite strain
analysis of a two-dimensional network model of cross-linked semiflexible
filaments. The results show that stiffening is caused by non-affine network
rearrangements that govern a transition from a bending dominated response at
small strains to a stretching dominated response at large strains.
Thermally-induced filament undulations only have a minor effect; they merely
postpone the transition.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure
Cavity atom optics and the `free atom laser'
The trap environment in which Bose-Einstein condensates are generated and/or
stored strongly influences the way they interact with light. The situation is
analogous to cavity QED in quantum optics, except that in the present case, one
tailors the matter-wave mode density rather than the density of modes of the
optical field. Just as in QED, for short times, the atoms do not sense the trap
and propagate as in free space. After times long enough that recoiling atoms
can probe the trap environment, however, the way condensates and light fields
are mutually influenced differs significantly from the free-space situation. We
use as an example the condensate collective atomic recoil laser, which is the
atomic matter-wave analog of the free-electron laser.Comment: To be published in a special edition of Optics Communications in
honor of the 60th birthday of Marlan Scull
Mapping the increasing risk of human alveolar echinococcosis in Limburg, The Netherlands
The parasite Echinococcus multilocularis was first detected in The Netherlands in 1996 and repeated studies have shown that the parasite subsequently spread in the local population of foxes in the province of Limburg. It was not possible to quantify the human risk of alveolar echinococcosis because no relationship between the amount of parasite eggs in the environment and the probability of infection in humans was known. Here, we used the spread of the parasite in The Netherlands as a predictor, together with recently published historical records of the epidemiology of alveolar echinococcosis in Switzerland, to achieve a relative quantification of the risk. Based on these analyses, the human risk in Limburg was simulated and up to three human cases are predicted by 2018. We conclude that the epidemiology of alveolar echinococcosis in The Netherlands might have changed from a period of negligible risk in the past to a period of increasing risk in the forthcoming year
Nimodipine has no effect on the cerebral circulation in conscious pigs, despite an increase in cardiac output
1. We studied the effects of four doses of nimodipine (0.5, 1, 2 and 4 micrograms kg-1 min-1) on systemic haemodynamics and on regional vascular beds, in particular the cerebral circulation, in conscious pigs. 2. Nimodipine caused dose-dependent, probably reflex-mediated, increases in heart rate (42% with the highest dose) and cardiac output (54%), while arterial blood pressure was only minimally affected. Left ventricular end-diastolic pressure and systemic vascular resistance decreased dose-dependently (35-40% at the highest dose) while stroke volume remained unchanged. 3. Total brain blood flow was not affected by the drug. Furthermore, we could not demonstrate any regional cerebral differences, as blood flows to both cerebral hemispheres as well as the diencephalon, cerebellum and brain stem remained unchanged.4. Blood flow to the kidneys, liver, small intestine and skin also did not change. Nimodipine caused dose-dependent increases in blood flow to the stomach (95%), myocardium (97%) and adrenal glands (102%), while blood flow to skeletal muscles (267%) increased most. 5. It is concluded that in the conscious pig, nimodipine is an arterial vasodilator which shows some selectivity for the skeletal muscle vasculature but does not increase total or regional cerebral blood flow.</p
Statistical approach to dislocation dynamics: From dislocation correlations to a multiple-slip continuum plasticity theory
Due to recent successes of a statistical-based nonlocal continuum crystal
plasticity theory for single-glide in explaining various aspects such as
dislocation patterning and size-dependent plasticity, several attempts have
been made to extend the theory to describe crystals with multiple slip systems
using ad-hoc assumptions. We present here a mesoscale continuum theory of
plasticity for multiple slip systems of parallel edge dislocations. We begin by
constructing the Bogolyubov-Born-Green-Yvon-Kirkwood (BBGYK) integral equations
relating different orders of dislocation correlation functions in a grand
canonical ensemble. Approximate pair correlation functions are obtained for
single-slip systems with two types of dislocations and, subsequently, for
general multiple-slip systems of both charges. The effect of the correlations
manifests itself in the form of an entropic force in addition to the external
stress and the self-consistent internal stress. Comparisons with a previous
multiple-slip theory based on phenomenological considerations shall be
discussed.Comment: 12 pages, 3 figure
Three-dimensional cross-linked F-actin networks:Relation between network architecture and mechanical behavior
Numerical simulations are reported for the response of three-dimensional cross-linked F-actin networks when subjected to large deformations. In addition to the physiological parameters such as actin and cross-linker concentration, the model explicitly accounts for filament properties and network architecture. Complementary to two-dimensional studies, we find that the strain-stiffening characteristics depend on network architecture through the local topology around cross-links
Micro-plasticity and intermittent dislocation activity in a simplified micro structural model
Here we present a model to study the micro-plastic regime of a stress-strain
curve. In this model an explicit dislocation population represents the mobile
dislocation content and an internal shear-stress field represents a mean-field
description of the immobile dislocation content. The mobile dislocations are
constrained to a simple dipolar mat geometry and modelled via a dislocation
dynamics algorithm, whilst the shear-stress field is chosen to be a sinusoidal
function of distance along the mat direction. The latter, defined by a periodic
length and a shear-stress amplitude, represents a pre-existing micro-structure.
These model parameters, along with the mobile dislocation density, are found to
admit a diversity of micro-plastic behaviour involving intermittent plasticity
in the form of a scale-free avalanche phenomenon, with an exponent for the
strain burst magnitude distribution similar to those seen in experiment and
more complex dislocation dynamics simulations.Comment: 30 pages, 12 figures, to appear in "Modelling and Simulation in
Materials Science and Engineering
Case-control risk factor study of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus pseudintermedius (MRSP) infection in dogs and cats in Germany
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Coupling a single solid-state quantum emitter to an array of resonant plasmonic antennas
Plasmon resonant arrays or meta-surfaces shape both the incoming optical field and the local density of states for emission processes. They provide large regions of enhanced emission from emitters and greater design flexibility than single nanoantennas. This makes them of great interest for engineering optical absorption and emission. Here we study the coupling of a single quantum emitter, a self-assembled semiconductor quantum dot, to a plasmonic meta-surface. We investigate the influence of the spectral properties of the nanoantennas and the position of the emitter in the unit cell of the structure. We observe a resonant enhancement due to emitter-array coupling in the far-field regime and find a clear difference from the interaction of an emitter with a single antenna
High-power femtosecond mid-infrared optical parametric oscillator at 7  μm based on CdSiP2
We report a femtosecond optical parametric oscillator (OPO) for the mid-infrared (mid-IR), generating a record average power of 110 mW at 7 μm. The OPO, based on CdSiP2 (CSP) as the nonlinear crystal, provides idler wavelength tuning across 6540–7186 nm with spectral bandwidths >400  nm at −10  dB level over the entire range, and a maximum bandwidth of 478 nm at 6.9 μm. To the best of our knowledge, this is the highest average power generated from a femtosecond OPO in the deep mid-IR. The OPO also provides near-IR signal wavelengths tunable across 1204–1212 nm with a usable power of 450 mW in 418-fs pulses at 1207 nm. The simultaneously measured signal and idler power exhibit a passive stability better than 1.6% rms and 3% rms, respectively. A mid-IR idler spectral stability with a standard deviation of the frequency fluctuations better than 40 MHz over 15 min, limited by the measurement resolution, is realized. Using the mid-IR idler from the CSP OPO, we perform Fourier-transform spectroscopy to detect liquid phase organic solvent, toluene (C7H8), in the molecular fingerprint region.Postprint (author’s final draft
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