3,505 research outputs found
X-ray diffraction from shock-loaded polycrystals
X-ray diffraction was demonstrated from shock-compressed polycrystalline
metal on nanosecond time scales. Laser ablation was used to induce shock waves
in polycrystalline foils of Be, 25 to 125 microns thick. A second laser pulse
was used to generate a plasma x-ray source by irradiation of a Ti foil. The
x-ray source was collimated to produce a beam of controllable diameter, and the
beam was directed at the Be sample. X-rays were diffracted from the sample, and
detected using films and x-ray streak cameras. The diffraction angle was
observed to change with shock pressure. The diffraction angles were consistent
with the uniaxial (elastic) and isotropic (plastic) compressions expected for
the loading conditions used. Polycrystalline diffraction will be used to
measure the response of the crystal lattice to high shock pressures and through
phase changes
Variable clinical phenotype in TBK1 mutations: case report of a novel mutation causing primary progressive aphasia and review of the literature
TBK1 mutations are a recently discovered cause of disorders in the frontotemporal dementia (FTD)-amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) spectrum. We describe a novel L683* mutation, predicted to cause a truncated protein and therefore be pathogenic, in a patient presenting with nonfluent variant primary progressive aphasia (PPA) at the age of 65. Her disease progressed over the following years, leading to her being mute and wheelchair bound seven years into her illness. Brain imaging showed asymmetrical left-sided predominant atrophy affecting the frontal, insular and temporal cortices as well as the striatum in particular. Review of the literature found 60 different nonsense, frameshift, deletion or splice site mutations, including the newly described mutation, with data on clinical diagnosis available in 110 people: 58% of the cases presented with an ALS syndrome, 16% with an FTD-ALS overlap, 19% with a cognitive presentation (including behavioural variant FTD (bvFTD) and PPA) and 4% with atypical parkinsonism. Age at onset (AAO) data was available in 75 people: mean (standard deviation) AAO was 57.5 (10.3) in those with ALS, which was significantly younger than those with a cognitive presentation (AAO = 65.1 (10.5), p = 0.008), or atypical parkinsonism (AAO = 68.3 (8.7), p = 0.021), with a trend compared with the FTD-ALS group (AAO = 61.9 (7.0), p=0.065); there was no significant difference in AAO between the other groups. In conclusion, clinical syndromes across the whole FTD-ALS-atypical parkinsonism spectrum have been reported in conjunction with mutations in TBK1. It is therefore important to include TBK1 on future gene panels for each of these disorders, and to suspect such mutations particularly when there are multiple different phenotypes in the same family
First-order phase transition in a 2D random-field Ising model with conflicting dynamics
The effects of locally random magnetic fields are considered in a
nonequilibrium Ising model defined on a square lattice with nearest-neighbors
interactions. In order to generate the random magnetic fields, we have
considered random variables that change randomly with time according to
a double-gaussian probability distribution, which consists of two single
gaussian distributions, centered at and , with the same width
. This distribution is very general, and can recover in appropriate
limits the bimodal distribution () and the single gaussian one
(). We performed Monte Carlo simulations in lattices with linear sizes in
the range . The system exhibits ferromagnetic and paramagnetic
steady states. Our results suggest the occurence of first-order phase
transitions between the above-mentioned phases at low temperatures and large
random-field intensities , for some small values of the width .
By means of finite size scaling, we estimate the critical exponents in the
low-field region, where we have continuous phase transitions. In addition, we
show a sketch of the phase diagram of the model for some values of .Comment: 13 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in JSTA
Bioluminescence of Colonial Radiolaria in the Western Sargasso Sea
Colonial radiolaria (Protozoa: Spumellarida) were a conspicuous feature in surface waters of the Sargasso Sea during the April (1985) Biowatt cruise. The abundance of colonies at the sea surface at one station was estimated to be 23 colonies · m−2.
Bioluminescence by colonial radiolaria, representing at least six taxa, was readily evoked by mechanical stimuli and measured by fast spectroscopy and photon-counting techniques. Light emission was deep blue in color (peak emissions between 443 and 456 nm) and spectral distributions were broad (average half bandwidth of 80 nm). Single flashes were 1–2 s in duration at ≈23 °C, with species-dependent kinetics which were not attributed to differences in colony morphology, since colonies similar in appearance could belong to different species (even families) and display different flash kinetics. Although the presence of dinoflagellate symbionts was confirmed by the presence of dinoflagellate marker pigments in the colonies, luminescence in the radiolaria examined most likely did not originate from symbiotic dinoflagellates because of (1) differences in the emission spectra, (2) unresponsiveness to low pH stimulation, (3) differences in flash kinetics and photon emission of light emission, and (4) lack of light inhibition.
The quantal content of single flashes averaged 1 × 109 photons flash−1, and colonies were capable of prolonged light emission. The mean value of bioluminescence potential based on measurements of total mechanically stimulated bioluminescence was 1.2 × 1011 photons · colony−1. It is estimated that colonial radiolaria are capable of producing ≈2.8 × 1012 photons · m−2 of sea surface. However, this represented only 0.5% of in situ measured bioluminescence potential
Breakdown of scale-invariance in the coarsening of phase-separating binary fluids
We present evidence, based on lattice Boltzmann simulations, to show that the
coarsening of the domains in phase separating binary fluids is not a
scale-invariant process. Moreover we emphasise that the pathway by which phase
separation occurs depends strongly on the relation between diffusive and
hydrodynamic time scales.Comment: 4 pages, Latex, 4 eps Figures included. (higher quality Figures can
be obtained from [email protected]
Temperature dependence of binary and ternary recombination of H3+ ions with electron
We study binary and the recently discovered process of ternary He-assisted
recombination of H3+ ions with electrons in a low temperature afterglow plasma.
The experiments are carried out over a broad range of pressures and
temperatures of an afterglow plasma in a helium buffer gas. Binary and
He-assisted ternary recombination are observed and the corresponding
recombination rate coefficients are extracted for temperatures from 77 K to 330
K. We describe the observed ternary recombination as a two-step mechanism:
First, a rotationally-excited long-lived neutral molecule H3* is formed in
electron-H3+ collisions. Second, the H3* molecule collides with a helium atom
that leads to the formation of a very long-lived Rydberg state with high
orbital momentum. We present calculations of the lifetimes of H3* and of the
ternary recombination rate coefficients for para and ortho-H3+. The
calculations show a large difference between the ternary recombination rate
coefficients of ortho- and para-H3+ at temperatures below 300 K. The measured
binary and ternary rate coefficients are in reasonable agreement with the
calculated values.Comment: 15 page
Diffusion-limited reactions on disordered surfaces with continuous distributions of binding energies
We study the steady state of a stochastic particle system on a
two-dimensional lattice, with particle influx, diffusion and desorption, and
the formation of a dimer when particles meet. Surface processes are thermally
activated, with (quenched) binding energies drawn from a \emph{continuous}
distribution. We show that sites in this model provide either coverage or
mobility, depending on their energy. We use this to analytically map the system
to an effective \emph{binary} model in a temperature-dependent way. The
behavior of the effective model is well-understood and accurately describes key
quantities of the system: Compared with discrete distributions, the temperature
window of efficient reaction is broadened, and the efficiency decays more
slowly at its ends. The mapping also explains in what parameter regimes the
system exhibits realization dependence.Comment: 23 pages, 8 figures. Submitted to: Journal of Statistical Mechanics:
Theory and Experimen
Kink-induced transport and segregation in oscillated granular layers
We use experiments and molecular dynamics simulations of vertically
oscillated granular layers to study horizontal particle segregation induced by
a kink (a boundary between domains oscillating out of phase). Counter-rotating
convection rolls carry the larger particles in a bidisperse layer along the
granular surface to a kink, where they become trapped. The convection
originates from avalanches that occur inside the layer, along the interface
between solidified and fluidized grains. The position of a kink can be
controlled by modulation of the container frequency, making possible systematic
harvesting of the larger particles.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures. to appear in Phys. Rev. Let
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