Mechanisms of electric-field-induced alignment of block copolymer lamellae

We demonstrate that two mechanisms of lamellae reorientation observed experimentally under applied electric field [A. Böker H. Elbs, H. Hänsel, A. Knoll, S. Ludwigs, H. Zettl, V. Urban, V. Abetz, A. H. E. Müller and G. Krausch, Phys. Rev. Lett., 2002, 89, 135502] which have been previously described within dynamic self consistent field theory [A. V. Zvelindovsky and G. J. A. Sevink, Phys. Rev. Lett., 2003, 90, 049601] can be fully explained within a much more simple model using the Ginzburg–Landau Hamiltonian. A third alignment mechanism has been identified which was not previously reported. A more complete picture of reorientation under electric field emerges that clarifies the crucial role of structural defects

Experimental evaluation of PM emission from red mud basins exposed to wind erosion

The disposal of industrial and mineral processing residues represents a major concern for human health and the environment as a whole. In order to reduce the impact on soil and groundwater due to the waste leachability, the implementation of environmental regulations worldwide has favored the conversion of the disposal techniques from wet to dry (i.e., dry stacking or dry disposal). Such a change in the storage practice may cause the increase of particulate matter (PM) emission from the dry surfaces of the tailings exposed to wind erosion. Considering the significance of the environmental issue on a global scale and the increasingly stricter orientation of environmental policies, the need for modeling tools capable of estimating the contribution of tailing basins to air pollution becomes apparent. The paper deals with the disposal of red mud resulting from the bauxite processing in the alumina industry. An experimental research was carried with an environmental wind tunnel to estimate the Emission Factor (EF) of the basin surfaces as a function of the main affecting variables (i.e., residue water content and wind velocity). The article reports the results of the experimental test carried out on the red mud from a major basin located in Sardinia (Italy)

The Lagoons of Corfu: multiple impacts, conservation strategies and economic exploitations

In the Island of Corfu there are seven lagoons which have different biological and chemical characteristics and also different impacts and human interventions. In this research, a preliminary description of the lagoons is reported using available data from the literature. The lagoons of Corfu have been poorly studied from the point of view of ecological functuins and biodiversity. Specifically the lagoons are: 1.Lagoon Korission, it is the largest lagoon of Corfu. Located in the southwest of the island has an area of 600hectares approximately. Works like a fish farm and is protected area Natura 2000. The main intervention of the lagoon is the increasing of the human activities in the area of the lagoon; 2. Lagoon Chalkiopoulou, the second largest lagoon of Corfu, it has a total size of 180 hectares. There was a fish farm fifteen years ago. It is estimated that the last seventy years the lagoon has lost about 1/3 of its extent. This lagoon has received the most and the major intervention is the reduction in the area in order to create the Airport of Corfu; 3.Lagoon Antinioti, it is located northeast of Corfu and it has a total size of 100 hectares with the marshland Kounoufadi which is part of the lagoon. Works like a fish farm and is included in the protected areas Natura 2000. The main interference of the area has been done on the part of the marshland Kounoufadi where twenty years ago have been put polders by the municipality of Corfu in order to build a Municipal Stadium; 4. Lagoon Alykes Lefkimmis, it is a small lagoon of about 30 hectares in the southeast of Corfu. Along with former Alykes Lefkimmis is included in the protected areas Natura 2000. There is not significant human intervention in the lagoon in addition with the former Saline of Lefkimmi (which forms a single ecosystem) for which the area has decreased due to residential use. Three small lagoons in the area of Erimitis which is in the northeast part of Corfu, there are 3 small lagoon ecosystems (Akoli, Vromolimni and Avlaki) located on the northeast coast of Corfu. Each of these has a size of 2-4hectares. The most remarkable is that the lagoon Akoli in the past served as a fish farm and had an artificial orifice communicating with the sea. Such abandonment of this orifice it is noticed a decrease in the depth of the lagoon

Hybrid time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau simulations of block copolymer nanocomposites: nanoparticle anisotropy

Block copolymer melts are perfect candidates to template the position of colloidal nanoparticles in the nanoscale, on top of their well-known suitability for lithography applications. This is due to their ability to self-assemble into periodic ordered structures, in which nanoparticles can segregate depending on the polymer-particle interactions, size and shape. The resulting coassembled structure can be highly ordered as a combination of both the polymeric and colloidal properties. The time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau model for the block copolymer was combined with Brownian dynamics for nanoparticles, resulting in an efficient mesoscopic model to study the complex behaviour of block copolymer nanocomposites. This review covers recent developments of the time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau/Brownian dynamics scheme. This includes efforts to parallelise the numerical scheme and applications of the model. The validity of the model is studied by comparing simulation and experimental results for isotropic nanoparticles. Extensions to simulate nonspherical and inhomogeneous nanoparticles are discussed and simulation results are discussed. The time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau/Brownian dynamics scheme is shown to be a flexible method which can account for the relatively large system sizes required to study block copolymer nanocomposite systems, while being easily extensible to simulate nonspherical nanoparticles

Thickness and uniformity characterization of thin targets for intense ion beam experiments

The NUMEN Experiment aims to get information on the Nuclear Matrix Elements of the Neutrinoless Double Beta Decay, by measuring heavyion induced Double Charge Exchange (DCE) reactions cross sections. A good energy resolution is needed to clearly distinguish energy states of DCE products. To measure the energy of reaction products with the required resolution, the target must be thin and uniform to minimise dispersion and straggling effects on the ejectile energy. Few hundreds of nanometers of the target isotope are deposited on a Highly Oriented Pyrolytic Graphite substrate a few micrometers thick. The results of the characterisation of the first target prototypes of tin and tellurium are presented. The Scanning Electron Microscopy was used to qualitatively analyse the samples surface. A setup to study Alpha Particle Transmission has been assembled to measure thickness and uniformity of the targets; the thickness results have been verified by the Rutherford Backscattering measurements. To evaluate the effects of the thickness on the resolution of the DCE products energy, a Monte Carlo code has been implemented, using the measured thickness and uniformity as input data for the simulation

Expression analysis of HLA-E and NKG2A and NKG2C receptors points at a role for natural killer function in ankylosing spondylitis

Background. Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS) is a complex chronic inflammatory disease strongly associated with the majority of HLA-B27 alleles. HLA-E are non-classical MHC class I molecules that specifically interact with the natural killer receptors NKG2A (inhibitory) and NKG2C (activating), and have been recently proposed to be involved in AS pathogenesis. Objectives: To analyze the expression of HLA-E and the CD94/NKG2 pair of receptors in HLA-B27 positive AS patients and healthy controls (HC) bearing the AS-associated, B*2705 and the non-AS-associated, B*2709 allele. Methods: The level of surface expression of HLA-E molecules on CD14 positive peripheral blood mononuclear cell was evaluated in 21 HLA-B*2705 patients with AS, 12 HLA-B*2705 HC, 12 HLA-B*2709 HC and 6 HLA-B27 negative HC, using the monoclonal antibody MEM-E/08 by quantitative cytofluorimetric analysis. The percentage and density of expression of HLA-E ligands NKG2A and NKG2C were also measured on CD3-CD56+ NK cells. Results. HLA-E expression in CD14 positive cells was significantly higher in AS patients (587.0 IQR 424-830) compared to B*2705 HC (389 IQR 251.3-440.5, p=0.0007), B*2709 HC (294.5 IQR 209.5-422, p=0.0004) and HLA-B27 negative HC (380 IQR 197.3-515.0, p=0.01). A higher number of NK cells expressing NKG2A compared to NKG2C was found in all cohort analysed as well as a higher cell surface density. Conclusion: The higher surface level of HLA-E molecules in AS patients compared to HC, concurrently with a prevalent expression of NKG2A, suggests that the crosstalk between these two molecules might play a role in AS pathogenesis accounting for the previously reported association between HLA-E and AS

Au/ZrO2 catalysts for LT-WGSR: active role of sulfates during gold deposition

Two studies examined the effect of acculturation-contact discrepancies on well-being. Specifically, we tested the prediction that well-being will be compromised when cultural minorities' acculturation preferences are not met by the intergroup and intragroup contact in a new society. Study 1 found that for Polish immigrants (n=55) acculturation-contact discrepancies were associated with compromised well-being. Study 2 followed a cohort of international students (n=106) for a period of two academic years. Results suggested that discrepancies in students' acculturation-contact in their first year had harmful consequences for their well-being 1 year later. Overall, the two studies show that discrepancies between acculturation preferences and actual contact have negative implications for the psychological adaptation of acculturating individuals.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio