1,899 research outputs found
From solid solution to cluster formation of Fe and Cr in -Zr
To understand the mechanisms by which Fe and Cr additions increase the
corrosion rate of irradiated Zr alloys, a combination of experimental (atom
probe tomography, x-ray diffraction and thermoelectric power measurements) and
modelling (density functional theory) techniques are employed to investigate
the non-equilibrium solubility and clustering of Fe and Cr in binary Zr alloys.
Cr occupies both interstitial and substitutional sites in the {\alpha}-Zr
lattice, Fe favours interstitial sites, and a low-symmetry site that was not
previously modelled is found to be the most favourable for Fe. Lattice
expansion as a function of alloying concentration (in the dilute regime) is
strongly anisotropic for Fe additions, expanding the -axis while contracting
the -axis. Defect clusters are observed at higher solution concentrations,
which induce a smaller amount of lattice strain compared to the dilute defects.
In the presence of a Zr vacancy, all two-atom clusters are more soluble than
individual point defects and as many as four Fe or three Cr atoms could be
accommodated in a single Zr vacancy. The Zr vacancy is critical for the
increased solubility of defect clusters, the implications for irradiation
induced microstructure changes in Zr alloys are discussed.Comment: 15 pages including figure, 9 figures, 2 tables. Submitted for
publication in Acta Mater, Journal of Nuclear Materials (2015
Comparative Analysis of a Transition Region Bright Point with a Blinker and Coronal Bright Point Using Multiple EIS Emission Lines
Since their discovery twenty year ago, transition region bright points
(TRBPs) have never been observed spectroscopically. Bright point properties
have not been compared with similar transition region and coronal structures.
In this work we have investigated three transient quiet Sun brightenings
including a TRBP, a coronal BP (CBP) and a blinker. We use time-series
observations of the extreme ultraviolet emission lines of a wide range of
temperature T (log T = 5.3 - 6.4) from the EUV imaging spectrometer (EIS)
onboard the Hinode satellite. We present the EIS temperature maps and Doppler
maps, which are compared with magnetograms from the Michelson Doppler Imager
(MDI) onboard the SOHO satellite. Doppler velocities of the TR BP and blinker
are <,25 km s, which is typical of transient TR phenomena. The Dopper
velocities of the CBP were found to be < 20 km s^{-1} with exception of those
measured at log T = 6.2 where a distinct bi-directional jet is observed. From
an EM loci analysis we find evidence of single and double isothermal components
in the TRBP and CBP, respectively. TRBP and CBP loci curves are characterized
by broad distributions suggesting the existence of unresolved structure. By
comparing and contrasting the physical characteristics of the events we find
the BP phenomena are an indication of multi-scaled self similarity, given
similarities in both their underlying magnetic field configuration and
evolution in relation to EUV flux changes. In contrast, the blinker phenomena
and the TRBP are sufficiently dissimilar in their observed properties as to
constitute different event classes. Our work indicates that the measurement of
similar characteristics across multiple event types holds class-predictive
power, and is a significant step towards automated solar atmospheric
multi-class classification of unresolved transient EUV sources.Comment: 38 pages, 16 figure
Plant Glutathione Biosynthesis: Diversity in Biochemical Regulation and Reaction Products
In plants, exposure to temperature extremes, heavy metal-contaminated soils, drought, air pollutants, and pathogens results in the generation of reactive oxygen species that alter the intracellular redox environment, which in turn influences signaling pathways and cell fate. As part of their response to these stresses, plants produce glutathione. Glutathione acts as an anti-oxidant by quenching reactive oxygen species, and is involved in the ascorbate–glutathione cycle that eliminates damaging peroxides. Plants also use glutathione for the detoxification of xenobiotics, herbicides, air pollutants (sulfur dioxide and ozone), and toxic heavy metals. Two enzymes catalyze glutathione synthesis: glutamate–cysteine ligase, and glutathione synthetase. Glutathione is a ubiquitous protective compound in plants, but the structural and functional details of the proteins that synthesize it, as well as the potential biochemical mechanisms of their regulation, have only begun to be explored. As discussed here, the core reactions of glutathione synthesis are conserved across various organisms, but plants have diversified both the regulatory mechanisms that control its synthesis and the range of products derived from this pathway. Understanding the molecular basis of glutathione biosynthesis and its regulation will expand our knowledge of this component in the plant stress response network
Relative Reactivity of the Metal-Amido versus Metal-Imido Bond in Linked Cp-Amido and Half-Sandwich Complexes of Vanadium
Treatment of (η5-C5H4C2H4NR)V(N-t-Bu)Me (R = Me, i-Pr) and CpV(N-p-Tol)(N-i-Pr2)Me (Cp = η5-C5H5) with B(C6F5)3 or [Ph3C][B(C6F5)4] results in formation of the corresponding cations, [(η5-C5H4C2H4NR)V(N-t-Bu)]+ and [CpV(N-p-Tol)(N-i-Pr2)]+. The latter could also be generated as its N,N-dimethylaniline adduct by treatment of the methyl complex with [PhNMe2H][BAr4] (Ar = Ph, C6F5). Instead, the analogous reaction with the linked Cp-amido precursor results in protonation of the imido-nitrogen atom. Sequential cyclometalation of the amide substituents gave cationic imine complexes [(η5-C5H4C2H4NCR'2)V(NH-t-Bu)]+ (R' = H, Me) and methane. Reaction of cationic [(η5-C5H4C2H4NR)V(N-t-Bu)]+ with olefins affords the corresponding olefin adducts, whereas treatment with 1 or 2 equiv of 2-butyne results in insertion of the alkyne into the vanadium-nitrogen single bond, affording the mono- and bis-insertion products [(η5-C5H4C2H4N(i-Pr)C2Me2)V(N-t-Bu)]+ and [(η5-C5H4C2H4N(i-Pr)C4Me4)V(N-t-Bu)]+. The same reaction with the half-sandwich compound [CpV(N-p-Tol)(N-i-Pr2)]+ results in a paramagnetic compound that, upon alcoholysis, affords sec-butylidene-p-tolylamine, suggesting an initial [2+2] cycloaddition reaction. The difference in reactivity between the V-N bond versus the V=N bond was further studied using computational methods. Results were compared to the isoelectronic titanium system CpTi(NH)(NH2). These studies indicate that the kinetic product in each system is derived from a [2+2] cycloaddition reaction. For titanium, this was found as the thermodynamic product as well, whereas the insertion reaction was found to be thermodynamically more favorable in the case of vanadium.
Beyond prejudice: Are negative evaluations the problem and is getting us to like one another more the solution?
publication-status: Acceptedtypes: ArticleThis is a post print version of an article published in Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 2012, 35 (6), pp 438-439 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0140525X12001252
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2012For most of the history of prejudice research, negativity has been treated as its emotional and cognitive signature, a conception that continues to dominate work on the topic. By this definition, prejudice occurs when we dislike or derogate members of other groups. Recent research, however, has highlighted the need for a more nuanced and ‘inclusive’ (Eagly 2004) perspective on the role of intergroup emotions and beliefs in sustaining discrimination. On the one hand, several independent lines of research have shown that unequal intergroup relations are often marked by attitudinal complexity, with positive responses such as affection and admiration mingling with negative responses such as contempt and resentment. Simple antipathy is the exception rather than the rule. On the other hand, there is mounting evidence that nurturing bonds of affection between the advantaged and the disadvantaged sometimes entrenches rather than disrupts wider patterns of discrimination. Notably, prejudice reduction interventions may have ironic effects on the political attitudes of the historically disadvantaged, decreasing their perceptions of injustice and willingness to engage in collective action to transform social inequalities. These developments raise a number of important questions. Has the time come to challenge the assumption that negative evaluations are inevitably the cognitive and affective hallmarks of discrimination? Is the orthodox concept of prejudice in danger of side-tracking, if not obstructing, progress towards social justice in a fuller sense? What are the prospects for reconciling a prejudice reduction model of change, designed to get people to like one another more, with a collective action model of change, designed to ignite struggles to achieve intergroup equality
Creating an enduring developmental legacy from FIFA 2010: The Football Foundation of South Africa (FFSA)
Operator projection method applied to the single-particle Green's function in the Hubbard model
A new non-perturbative framework for many-body correlated systems is
formulated by extending the operator projection method (OPM). This method
offers a systematic expansion which enables us to project into the low-energy
structure after extracting the higher-energy hierarchy. This method also opens
a way to systematically take into account the effects of collective
excitations. The Mott-Hubbard metal-insulator transition in the Hubbard model
is studied by means of this projection beyond the second order by taking into
account magnetic and charge fluctuations in the presence of the high-energy
Mott-Hubbard structure. At half filling, the Mott-Hubbard gap is correctly
eproduced between the separated two bands. Near half filling, a strongly
renormalized low-energy single-particle excitations coexisting with the
Mott-Hubbard bands are shown to appear. Signifcance of momentum-dependent
self-energy in the results is stressed.Comment: 6 pages, final version to appear in J. Phys. Soc. Jp
Effect of tissue-grouped regulatory variants associated to type 2 diabetes in related secondary outcomes
Genome-wide association studies have identified over five hundred loci that contribute to variation in type 2 diabetes (T2D), an established risk factor for many diseases. However, the mechanisms and extent through which these loci contribute to subsequent outcomes remain elusive. We hypothesized that combinations of T2D-associated variants acting on tissue-specific regulatory elements might account for greater risk for tissue-specific outcomes, leading to diversity in T2D disease progression. We searched for T2D-associated variants acting on regulatory elements and expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) in nine tissues. We used T2D tissue-grouped variant sets as genetic instruments to conduct 2-Sample Mendelian Randomization (MR) in ten related outcomes whose risk is increased by T2D using the FinnGen cohort. We performed PheWAS analysis to investigate whether the T2D tissue-grouped variant sets had specific predicted disease signatures. We identified an average of 176 variants acting in nine tissues implicated in T2D, and an average of 30 variants acting on regulatory elements that are unique to the nine tissues of interest. In 2-Sample MR analyses, all subsets of regulatory variants acting in different tissues were associated with increased risk of the ten secondary outcomes studied on similar levels. No tissue-grouped variant set was associated with an outcome significantly more than other tissue-grouped variant sets. We did not identify different disease progression profiles based on tissue-specific regulatory and transcriptome information. Bigger sample sizes and other layers of regulatory information in critical tissues may help identify subsets of T2D variants that are implicated in certain secondary outcomes, uncovering system-specific disease progression
- …