5,913 research outputs found
Nanofriction Visualized in Space and Time by 4D Electron Microscopy
In this letter, we report a novel method of visualizing nanoscale friction in space and time using ultrafast electron microscopy (UEM). The methodology is demonstrated for a nanoscale movement of a single crystal beam on a thin amorphous membrane of silicon nitride. The movement results from the elongation of the crystal beam, which is initiated by a laser (clocking) pulse, and we examined two types of beams: those that are free of friction and the others which are fixed on the substrate. From observations of image change with time we are able to decipher the nature of microscopic friction at the solid−solid interface: smooth-sliding and periodic slip-stick friction. At the molecular and nanoscale level, and when a force parallel to the surface (expansion of the beam) is applied, the force of gravity as a (perpendicular) load cannot explain the observed friction. An additional effective load being 6 orders of magnitude larger than that due to gravity is attributed to Coulombic/van der Waals adhesion at the interface. For the case under study, metal−organic crystals, the gravitational force is on the order of piconewtons whereas the static friction force is 0.5 μN and dynamic friction is 0.4 μN; typical beam expansions are 50 nm/nJ for the free beam and 10 nm/nJ for the fixed beam. The method reported here should have applications for other materials, and for elucidating the origin of periodic and chaotic friction and their relevance to the efficacy of nano(micro)-scale devices
Irreversible Chemical Reactions Visualized in Space and Time with 4D Electron Microscopy
We report direct visualization of irreversible chemical reactions in space and time with 4D electron microscopy. Specifically, transient structures are imaged following electron transfer in copper-tetracyanoquinodimethane [Cu(TCNQ)] crystals, and the oxidation/reduction process, which is irreversible, is elucidated using the single-shot operation mode of the microscope. We observed the fast, initial structural rearrangement due to Cu^+ reduction and the slower growth of metallic Cu^0 nanocrystals (Ostwald ripening) following initiation of the reaction with a pulse of visible light. The mechanism involves electron transfer from TCNQ anion-radical to Cu^+, morphological changes, and thermally driven growth of discrete Cu^0 nanocrystals embedded in an amorphous carbon skeleton of TCNQ. This in situ visualization of structures during reactions should be extendable to other classes of reactive systems
The New Horizon Run Cosmological N-Body Simulations
We present two large cosmological N-body simulations, called Horizon Run 2
(HR2) and Horizon Run 3 (HR3), made using 6000^3 = 216 billions and 7210^3 =
374 billion particles, spanning a volume of (7.200 Gpc/h)^3 and (10.815
Gpc/h)^3, respectively. These simulations improve on our previous Horizon Run 1
(HR1) up to a factor of 4.4 in volume, and range from 2600 to over 8800 times
the volume of the Millennium Run. In addition, they achieve a considerably
finer mass resolution, down to 1.25x10^11 M_sun/h, allowing to resolve
galaxy-size halos with mean particle separations of 1.2 Mpc/h and 1.5 Mpc/h,
respectively. We have measured the power spectrum, correlation function, mass
function and basic halo properties with percent level accuracy, and verified
that they correctly reproduce the LCDM theoretical expectations, in excellent
agreement with linear perturbation theory. Our unprecedentedly large-volume
N-body simulations can be used for a variety of studies in cosmology and
astrophysics, ranging from large-scale structure topology, baryon acoustic
oscillations, dark energy and the characterization of the expansion history of
the Universe, till galaxy formation science - in connection with the new
SDSS-III. To this end, we made a total of 35 all-sky mock surveys along the
past light cone out to z=0.7 (8 from the HR2 and 27 from the HR3), to simulate
the BOSS geometry. The simulations and mock surveys are already publicly
available at http://astro.kias.re.kr/Horizon-Run23/.Comment: 18 pages, 10 figures. Added clarification on Fig 6. Published in the
Journal of the Korean Astronomical Society (JKAS). The paper with
high-resolution figures is available at
http://jkas.kas.org/journals/2011v44n6/v44n6.ht
Agency Conflicts, Financial Distress, and Syndicate Structure: Evidence from Japanese Borrowers
We examine how borrower firm characteristics affect the size structure in the Japanese syndicated loan market for the 1999-2003 period. Consistent with the view by Lee and Mullineaux (2004), we find that syndicates are smaller when borrowers have higher credit risk, while firms with greater information asymmetry are associated with larger syndicates in Japan. These results are primarily driven by nonkeiretsu (non-business group) firms. This suggests that the role of enhanced monitoring and facilitated renegotiation is especially useful for banks participating in Japanese syndicated loan for non-keiretsu firms. On the other hand, information problems seem to be less severe for keiretsu (business group) firms which tend to have easier access to syndicated loan via the intermediation of in-house banks in the relevant syndicate. Finally, we find that keiretsu (non-keiretsu) firms have less (more) fraction of loan by their agent banks as the maturity rises. It appears that main banks of keiretsu firms with informational advantage are likely to retain less of the loan and form a more dispersed syndicate to "signal' that the loan is of high quality with increased maturity. This further confirms the view that information problems are less severe in the keiretsu firms.
Cdk5 Phosphorylates Dopamine D2 Receptor and Attenuates Downstream Signaling
The dopamine D2 receptor (DRD2) is a key receptor that mediates dopamine-associated brain functions such as mood, reward, and emotion. Cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (Cdk5) is a proline-directed serine/threonine kinase whose function has been implicated in the brain reward circuit. In this study, we revealed that the serine 321 residue (S321) in the third intracellular loop of DRD2 (D2i3) is a novel regulatory site of Cdk5. Cdk5-dependent phosphorylation of S321 in the D2i3 was observed in in vitro and cell culture systems. We further observed that the phosphorylation of S321 impaired the agonist-stimulated surface expression of DRD2 and decreased G protein coupling to DRD2. Moreover, the downstream cAMP pathway was affected in the heterologous system and in primary neuronal cultures from p35 knockout embryos likely due to the reduced inhibitory activity of DRD2. These results indicate that Cdk5-mediated phosphorylation of S321 inhibits DRD2 function, providing a novel regulatory mechanism for dopamine signaling.X111111sciescopu
Controlling Ferromagnetic Easy Axis in a Layered MoS2 Single Crystal
We report the effective methods to induce weak ferromagnetism in pristine MoS2 persisting up to room temperature with the improved transport property, which would lead to new spintronics devices. The hydrogenation of MoS2 by heating at 300 degrees C for 1 h leads to the easy axis out of plane, while the irradiation of proton with a dose of 1 x 10(13) P/cm(2) leads to the easy axis in plane. The theoretical modeling supports such magnetic easy axes.open16
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