86 research outputs found
Optimization of thin film growth: Materials for energy storage and conversion
Through three examples taken in the field of energy storage and conversion, this paper reports how the property of thin films can be optimized by tuning the growth conditions. Focusing on the influence of the film composition, the substrate temperature and the pressure, oxides, fluorides, metal and hydrides thin films were successfully grown using the Pulsed Laser Deposition technique. A careful screening among a large range of metal addition (M=Co, Ta, W<20 %) enables the determination of the Ta and W compositions leading to the highest cycling stability of electrochromic Ni-based oxide thin films cycled in KOH electrolyte. The optical properties of Mg thin films are strongly sensitive to the chamber pressure as shiny metallic and transparent films are deposited in vacuum and under an Ar/H2 mixture, respectively. Optical changes were also achieved by ex situ hydrogenation of Mg-Cx films. Finally, the benefit of enlarging substrate temperatures to negative values is illustrated through the example of FeFx thin films, for which the substrate temperature is a key factor governing the FeF2 or/and FeF3 phase deposition.Through three examples taken in the field of energy storage and conversion, this paper reports how the property of thin films can be optimized by tuning the growth conditions. Focusing on the influence of the film composition, the substrate temperature and the pressure, oxides, fluorides, metal and hydrides thin films were successfully grown using the Pulsed Laser Deposition technique. A careful screening among a large range of metal addition (M=Co, Ta, W<20 %) enables the determination of the Ta and W compositions leading to the highest cycling stability of electrochromic Ni-based oxide thin films cycled in KOH electrolyte. The optical properties of Mg thin films are strongly sensitive to the chamber pressure as shiny metallic and transparent films are deposited in vacuum and under an Ar/H2 mixture, respectively. Optical changes were also achieved by ex situ hydrogenation of Mg-Cx films. Finally, the benefit of enlarging substrate temperatures to negative values is illustrated through the example of FeFx thin films, for which the substrate temperature is a key factor governing the FeF2 or/and FeF3 phase deposition
APPLICATION DE LA METHODE PROCUSTE A L'ANALYSE QUANTITATIVE DE LA « POULAINE » : INFLUENCE DE LA SPECIALITE ATHLETIQUE
National audienceLa méthode morphométrique Procuste, jusqu'alors destinée à l'étude quantitative de la forme géométrique des piÚces osseuses en anthropologie, est appliquée, pour la premiÚre fois, à une forme spécifique extraite d'un mouvement cyclique. La forme choisie ici est la « poulaine », caractéristique du mouvement relatif de la cheville par rapport à l'articulation de la hanche au cours d'un cycle complet de course chez l'humain. L'objectif de cette étude est de quantifier les changements de forme de la poulaine en fonction de la spécialité athlétique du coureur
Heavy-Light Meson Decay Constant from QCD Sum Rules in Three-Loop Approximation
In this paper we compute the decay constant of the pseudo-scalar heavy-light
mesons in the heavy quark effective theory framework of QCD sum rules. In our
analysis we include the recently evaluated three-loop result of order
for the heavy-light current correlator. The value of the bottom
quark mass, which essentially limits the accuracy of the sum rules for
meson, is extracted from the nonrelativistic sum rules for
resonances in the next-to-next-to-leading approximation. We find stability of
our result with respect to all types of corrections and the specific form of
the sum rule which reduces the uncertainty. Our results MeV and
MeV for the and meson decay constants are in impressive
agreement with recent lattice calculations.Comment: minor editorial changes, references added, to appear in PR
Fermion zero modes in N=2 supervortices
We study the fermionic zero modes of BPS semilocal magnetic vortices in N=2
supersymmetric QED with a Fayet-Iliopoulos term and two matter hypermultiplets
of opposite charge. There is a one-parameter family of vortices with
arbitrarily wide magnetic cores. Contrary to the situation in pure
Nielsen-Olesen vortices, new zero modes are found which get their masses from
Yukawa couplings to scalar fields that do not wind and are non-zero at the
core. We clarify the relation between fermion mass and zero modes. The new zero
modes have opposite chiralities and therefore do not affect the net counting
(left minus right) of zero modes coming from index theorems but manage to evade
other index theorems in the literature that count the total number (left plus
right) of zero modes in simpler systems.Comment: 9 pages, 1 figure. Uses Revtex4. Revised version includes discussion
about the back-reaction of the fermions on the background vortex. Version to
be published in Phys. Rev.
Wave functions and decay constants of and mesons in the relativistic potential model
With the decay constants of and mesons measured in experiment
recently, we revisit the study of the bound states of quark and antiquark in
and mesons in the relativistic potential model. The relativistic bound
state wave equation is solved numerically. The masses, decay constants and wave
functions of and mesons are obtained. Both the masses and decay
constants obtained here can be consistent with the experimental data. The wave
functions can be used in the study of and meson decays.Comment: more discussion added, to appear in EPJ
Heavy Quarkonium Physics
This report is the result of the collaboration and research effort of the
Quarkonium Working Group over the last three years. It provides a comprehensive
overview of the state of the art in heavy-quarkonium theory and experiment,
covering quarkonium spectroscopy, decay, and production, the determination of
QCD parameters from quarkonium observables, quarkonia in media, and the effects
on quarkonia of physics beyond the Standard Model. An introduction to common
theoretical and experimental tools is included. Future opportunities for
research in quarkonium physics are also discussed.Comment: xviii + 487 pages, 260 figures. The full text is also available at
the Quarkonium Working Group web page: http://www.qwg.to.infn.i
Selection and Validation of Reference Genes for Quantitative Real-Time PCR in Buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum) Based on Transcriptome Sequence Data
Quantitative reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) is one of the most precise and widely used methods of gene expression analysis. A necessary prerequisite of exact and reliable data is the accurate choice of reference genes. We studied the expression stability of potential reference genes in common buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum) in order to find the optimal reference for gene expression analysis in this economically important crop. Recently sequenced buckwheat floral transcriptome was used as source of sequence information. Expression stability of eight candidate reference genes was assessed in different plant structures (leaves and inflorescences at two stages of development and fruits). These genes are the orthologs of Arabidopsis genes identified as stable in a genome-wide survey gene of expression stability and a traditionally used housekeeping gene GAPDH. Three software applications â geNorm, NormFinder and BestKeeper - were used to estimate expression stability and provided congruent results. The orthologs of AT4G33380 (expressed protein of unknown function, Expressed1), AT2G28390 (SAND family protein, SAND) and AT5G46630 (clathrin adapter complex subunit family protein, CACS) are revealed as the most stable. We recommend using the combination of Expressed1, SAND and CACS for the normalization of gene expression data in studies on buckwheat using qRT-PCR. These genes are listed among five the most stably expressed in Arabidopsis that emphasizes utility of the studies on model plants as a framework for other species
Heavy quarkonium: progress, puzzles, and opportunities
A golden age for heavy quarkonium physics dawned a decade ago, initiated by
the confluence of exciting advances in quantum chromodynamics (QCD) and an
explosion of related experimental activity. The early years of this period were
chronicled in the Quarkonium Working Group (QWG) CERN Yellow Report (YR) in
2004, which presented a comprehensive review of the status of the field at that
time and provided specific recommendations for further progress. However, the
broad spectrum of subsequent breakthroughs, surprises, and continuing puzzles
could only be partially anticipated. Since the release of the YR, the BESII
program concluded only to give birth to BESIII; the -factories and CLEO-c
flourished; quarkonium production and polarization measurements at HERA and the
Tevatron matured; and heavy-ion collisions at RHIC have opened a window on the
deconfinement regime. All these experiments leave legacies of quality,
precision, and unsolved mysteries for quarkonium physics, and therefore beg for
continuing investigations. The plethora of newly-found quarkonium-like states
unleashed a flood of theoretical investigations into new forms of matter such
as quark-gluon hybrids, mesonic molecules, and tetraquarks. Measurements of the
spectroscopy, decays, production, and in-medium behavior of c\bar{c}, b\bar{b},
and b\bar{c} bound states have been shown to validate some theoretical
approaches to QCD and highlight lack of quantitative success for others. The
intriguing details of quarkonium suppression in heavy-ion collisions that have
emerged from RHIC have elevated the importance of separating hot- and
cold-nuclear-matter effects in quark-gluon plasma studies. This review
systematically addresses all these matters and concludes by prioritizing
directions for ongoing and future efforts.Comment: 182 pages, 112 figures. Editors: N. Brambilla, S. Eidelman, B. K.
Heltsley, R. Vogt. Section Coordinators: G. T. Bodwin, E. Eichten, A. D.
Frawley, A. B. Meyer, R. E. Mitchell, V. Papadimitriou, P. Petreczky, A. A.
Petrov, P. Robbe, A. Vair
Do precocial mammals develop at a faster rate? A comparison of rates of skull development in Sigmodon fulviventer and Mus musculus domesticus
Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/72993/1/j.1420-9101.2003.00568.x.pd
Probing of Exosites Leads to Novel Inhibitor Scaffolds of HCV NS3/4A Proteinase
Hepatitis C is a treatment-resistant disease affecting millions of people worldwide. The hepatitis C virus (HCV) genome is a single-stranded RNA molecule. After infection of the host cell, viral RNA is translated into a polyprotein that is cleaved by host and viral proteinases into functional, structural and non-structural, viral proteins. Cleavage of the polyprotein involves the viral NS3/4A proteinase, a proven drug target. HCV mutates as it replicates and, as a result, multiple emerging quasispecies become rapidly resistant to anti-virals, including NS3/4A inhibitors.To circumvent drug resistance and complement the existing anti-virals, NS3/4A inhibitors, which are additional and distinct from the FDA-approved telaprevir and boceprevir α-ketoamide inhibitors, are required. To test potential new avenues for inhibitor development, we have probed several distinct exosites of NS3/4A which are either outside of or partially overlapping with the active site groove of the proteinase. For this purpose, we employed virtual ligand screening using the 275,000 compound library of the Developmental Therapeutics Program (NCI/NIH) and the X-ray crystal structure of NS3/4A as a ligand source and a target, respectively. As a result, we identified several novel, previously uncharacterized, nanomolar range inhibitory scaffolds, which suppressed of the NS3/4A activity in vitro and replication of a sub-genomic HCV RNA replicon with a luciferase reporter in human hepatocarcinoma cells. The binding sites of these novel inhibitors do not significantly overlap with those of α-ketoamides. As a result, the most common resistant mutations, including V36M, R155K, A156T, D168A and V170A, did not considerably diminish the inhibitory potency of certain novel inhibitor scaffolds we identified.Overall, the further optimization of both the in silico strategy and software platform we developed and lead compounds we identified may lead to advances in novel anti-virals
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