10,733 research outputs found
Elasticity-mediated self-organization and colloidal interactions of solid spheres with tangential anchoring in a nematic liquid crystal
Using laser tweezers and fluorescence confocal polarizing microscopy, we
study colloidal interactions of solid microspheres in the nematic bulk caused
by elastic distortions around the particles with strong tangential surface
anchoring. The particles aggregate into chains directed at about 30 degrees to
the far field director and, at higher concentrations, form complex kinetically
trapped structures. We characterize the distance and angular dependencies of
the colloidal interaction forces.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figure
Experimental Investigation of Land Mobile Prediction Methods and Modeling of Radio Planning Tool Parameters along Indian Rail Road Rural Zones
Mobile communication networks in rural zones were not given enough importance and emphasis unlike their urban counter parts due to the unattractive revenues and economic considerations for the cellular operators. In order to identify the suitable prediction methods for Indian rail road rural zones, train-based measurements were conducted in the northern and western rural zones along rail roads. These were carried out by recording the carriers emitted by the trackside base stations inside the moving train. The observed signal levels converted into path losses were compared initially with various conventional prediction methods. The observed results were also compared with the predicted results of radio planning tool utilizing digital terrain data. The constants of the model incorporated in the radio planning tool were tuned separately for north Indian and west Indian base stations based on the observed results. The suitability of the models has been evaluated in terms of standard statistical parameters
Oxidation mechanism in metal nanoclusters: Zn nanoclusters to ZnO hollow nanoclusters
Zn nanoclusters (NCs) are deposited by Low-energy cluster beam deposition
technique. The mechanism of oxidation is studied by analysing their
compositional and morphological evolution over a long span of time (three
years) due to exposure to ambient atmosphere. It is concluded that the
mechanism proceeds in two steps. In the first step, the shell of ZnO forms over
Zn NCs rapidly up to certain limiting thickness: with in few days -- depending
upon the size -- Zn NCs are converted to Zn-ZnO (core-shell), Zn-void-ZnO, or
hollow ZnO type NCs. Bigger than ~15 nm become Zn-ZnO (core-shell) type: among
them, NCs above ~25 nm could able to retain their initial geometrical shapes
(namely triangular, hexagonal, rectangular and rhombohedral), but ~25 to 15 nm
size NCs become irregular or distorted geometrical shapes. NCs between ~15 to 5
nm become Zn-void-ZnO type, and smaller than ~5 nm become ZnO hollow sphere
type i.e. ZnO hollow NCs. In the second step, all Zn-void-ZnO and Zn-ZnO
(core-shell) structures are converted to hollow ZnO NCs in a slow and gradual
process, and the mechanism of conversion proceeds through expansion in size by
incorporating ZnO monomers inside the shell. The observed oxidation behaviour
of NCs is compared with theory of Cabrera - Mott on low-temperature oxidation
of metal.Comment: 9 pages, 8 figure
Bioactivity and In Silico Studies of Isoquinoline and Related Alkaloids as Promising Antiviral Agents: An Insight
Viruses are widely recognized as the primary cause of infectious diseases around the world. The ongoing global pandemic due to the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 further added fuel to the fire. The development of therapeutics becomes very difficult as viruses can mutate their genome to become more complex and resistant. Medicinal plants and phytocompounds could be alternative options. Isoquinoline and their related alkaloids are naturally occurring compounds that interfere with multiple pathways including nuclear factor-κB, mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular-signal-regulated kinase, and inhibition of Ca²⁺-mediated fusion. These pathways play a crucial role in viral replication. Thus, the major goal of this study is to comprehend the function of various isoquinoline and related alkaloids in viral infections by examining their potential mechanisms of action, structure-activity relationships (SAR), in silico (particularly for SARS-CoV-2), in vitro and in vivo studies. The current advancements in isoquinoline and related alkaloids as discussed in the present review could facilitate an in-depth understanding of their role in the drug discovery process
Ferromagnetic Ordering in CeIr2B2: Transport, magnetization, specific heat and NMR studies
We present a complete characterization of ferromagnetic system CeIr2B2 using
powder x-ray diffraction XRD, magnetic susceptibility chi(T), isothermal
magnetization M(H), specific heat C(T), electrical resistivity rho(T,H), and
thermoelectric power S(T) measurements. Furthermore 11B NMR study was performed
to probe the magnetism on a microscopic scale. The chi(T), C(T) and rho(T) data
confirm bulk ferromagnetic ordering with Tc = 5.1 K. Ce ions in CeIr2B2 are in
stable trivalent state. Our low-temperature C(T) data measured down to 0.4 K
yield Sommerfeld coefficient gamma = 73(4) mJ/molK2 which is much smaller than
the previously reported value of gamma = 180 mJ/molK2 deduced from the specific
heat measurement down to 2.5 K. For LaIr2B2 gamma = 6(1) mJ/molK2 which implies
the density of states at the Fermi level D(EF) = 2.54 states/(eV f.u.) for both
spin directions. The renormalization factor for quasi-particle density of
states and hence for quasi-particle mass due to 4f correlations in CeIr2B2 is
12. The Kondo temperature TK ~ 4 K is estimated from the jump in specific heat
of CeIr2B2 at Tc. Both C(T) and rho(T) data exhibit gapped-magnon behavior in
magnetically ordered state with an energy gap Eg ~ 3.5 K. The rho data as a
function of magnetic field H indicate a large negative magnetoresistance (MR)
which is highest for T = 5 K.While at 5 K the negative MR keeps on increasing
up to 10 T, at 2 K an upturn is observed near H = 3.5 T. On the other hand, the
thermoelectric power data have small absolute values (S ~ 7 {\mu}V/K)
indicating a weak Kondo interaction. A shoulder in S(T) at about 30 K followed
by a minimum at ~ 10 K is attributed to crystal electric field (CEF) effects
and the onset of magnetic ordering. 11B NMR line broadening provides strong
evidence of ferromagnetic correlations below 40 K.Comment: 10 pages, 11 figure
An experimental study of the smectic A-smectic C transitions in monolayer, partially bilayer and bilayer systems
The smectic A-smectic C (A-C) transition in several compounds has been shown to be mean-field-like (MF) with a substantial tricritical crossover effect. However, a simple MF behaviour, i.e., with negligible tricritical influence, had not been reported till recently. The heat capacity measurements of the MIT group in two compounds exhibiting the bilayer A2-C2 transition revealed such a behaviour. It is of interest to investigate whether a simple MF behaviour can be observed for partially bilayer AdminusCd and monolayer A1-C1 transitions also. We report the first systematic order parameter measurements in the vicinity of the A2-C2, Ad-Cd and A1-C1 transitions. The data analysed in terms of power law and extended mean field expressions provide clear evidence of a simple MF behaviour in all three cases. The significance of this result is discussed
Forced Topological Nontrivial Field Configurations
The motion of a one-dimensional kink and its energy losses are considered as
a model of interaction of nontrivial topological field configurations with
external fields. The approach is based on the calculation of the zero modes
excitation probability in the external field. We study in the same way the
interaction of the t'Hooft-Polyakov monopole with weak external fields. The
basic idea is to treat the excitation of a monopole zero mode as the monopole
displacement. The excitation is found perturbatively. As an example we consider
the interaction of the t'Hooft-Polyakov monopole with an external uniform
magnetic field.Comment: 18 pages, 3 Postscript figures, RevTe
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