826 research outputs found
A closed form for the electrostatic interaction between two rod-like charged objects
We have calculated the electrostatic interaction between two rod-like charged
objects with arbitrary orientations in three dimensions. we obtained a closed
form formula expressing the interaction energy in terms of the separation
distance between the centers of the two rod-like objects, , their lengths
(denoted by and ), and their relative orientations (indicated by
and ). When the objects have the same length (),
for particular values of separations, i.e for , two types of
minimum are appeared in the interaction energy with respect to . By
employing the closed form formula and introducing a scaled temperature , we
have also studied the thermodynamic properties of a one dimensional system of
rod-like charged objects. For different separation distances, the dependence of
the specific heat of the system to the scaled temperature has been studied. It
is found that for , the specific heat has a maximum.Comment: 10 pages, 9 figures, 1 table, Accepted by J. Phys.: Condens. Matte
Anelastic spectroscopy study of the spin-glass and cluster spin-glass phases of LaSrCuO
The anelastic spectra of LaSrCuO have been measured at
liquid He temperatures slightly below and above the concentration which is considered to separate the spin-glass phase from the
cluster spin-glass (CSG) phase. For all the elastic energy loss
functions show a step below the temperature of freezing into
the CSG state, similarly to what found in samples well within the CSG phase,
but with a smaller amplitude. The excess dissipation in the CSG state is
attributed to the motion of the domain walls between the clusters of
antiferromagnetically correlated spin. These results are in agreement with the
recent proposal, based on inelastic neutron scattering, of an electronic phase
separation between regions with and , at least for
Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.
Dynamics of the Local Moment Induced by Nonmagnetic Defects in Cuprates
We present a study of the spin dynamics of magnetic defects induced by Li
substitution of the plane Cu in the normal state of YBaCuO. The
fluctuations of the coupled Cu magnetic moments in the vicinity of Li are
probed by near-neighbour Y {\it and} Li NMR spin lattice relaxation.
The data indicates that the magnetic perturbation fluctuates as a single entity
with a correlation time which scales with the local static
susceptibility. This behaviour is reminiscent of the low Kondo state of
magnetic impurities in conventional metals. Surprisingly it extends well above
the ``Kondo'' temperature for the underdoped pseudogapped case.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures (same), major modifications to text, accepted in
PR
Targeting mitochondrial 18 kDa translocator protein (TSPO) regulates macrophage cholesterol efflux and lipid phenotype
Abstract The aim of the present study was to establish mitochondrial cholesterol trafficking 18 kDa translocator protein (TSPO) as a potential therapeutic target, capable of increasing macrophage cholesterol efflux to (apo)lipoprotein acceptors. Expression and activity of TSPO in human (THP-1) macrophages were manipulated genetically and by the use of selective TSPO ligands
First-Principles Calculations of Hyperfine Interactions in La_2CuO_4
We present the results of first-principles cluster calculations of the
electronic structure of La_2CuO_4. Several clusters containing up to nine
copper atoms embedded in a background potential were investigated.
Spin-polarized calculations were performed both at the Hartree-Fock level and
with density functional methods with generalized gradient corrections to the
local density approximation. The distinct results for the electronic structure
obtained with these two methods are discussed. The dependence of the
electric-field gradients at the Cu and the O sites on the cluster size is
studied and the results are compared to experiments. The magnetic hyperfine
coupling parameters are carefully examined. Special attention is given to a
quantitative determination of on-site and transferred hyperfine fields. We
provide a detailed analysis that compares the hyperfine fields obtained for
various cluster sizes with results from additional calculations of spin states
with different multiplicities. From this we conclude that hyperfine couplings
are mainly transferred from nearest neighbor Cu^{2+} ions and that
contributions from further distant neighbors are marginal. The mechanisms
giving rise to transfer of spin density are worked out. Assuming conventional
values for the spin-orbit coupling, the total calculated hyperfine interaction
parameters are compared to informations from experiments.Comment: 23 pages, 9 figure
A magnetization and B NMR study of MgAlB superconductors
We demonstrate for the first time the magnetic field distribution of the pure
vortex state in lightly doped MgAlB () powder
samples, by using B NMR in magnetic fields of 23.5 and 47 kOe. The
magnetic field distribution at T=5 K is Al-doping dependent, revealing a
considerable decrease of anisotropy in respect to pure MgB. This result
correlates nicely with magnetization measurements and is consistent with
-band hole driven superconductivity for MgB
NMR and NQR Fluctuation Effects in Layered Superconductors
We study the effect of thermal fluctuations of the s-wave order parameter of
a quasi two dimensional superconductor on the nuclear spin relaxation rate near
the transition temperature Tc. We consider both the effects of the amplitude
fluctuations and the Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless (BKT) phase fluctuations
in weakly coupled layered superconductors. In the treatment of the amplitude
fluctuations we employ the Gaussian approximation and evaluate the longitudinal
relaxation rate 1/T1 for a clean s-wave superconductor, with and without pair
breaking effects, using the static pair fluctuation propagator D. The increase
in 1/T1 due to pair breaking in D is overcompensated by the decrease arising
from the single particle Green's functions. The result is a strong effect on
1/T1 for even a small amount of pair breaking. The phase fluctuations are
described in terms of dynamical BKT excitations in the form of pancake
vortex-antivortex (VA) pairs. We calculate the effect of the magnetic field
fluctuations caused by the translational motion of VA excitations on 1/T1 and
on the transverse relaxation rate 1/T2 on both sides of the BKT transitation
temperature T(BKT)<Tc. The results for the NQR relaxation rates depend strongly
on the diffusion constant that governs the motion of free and bound vortices as
well as the annihilation of VA pairs. We discuss the relaxation rates for real
multilayer systems where the diffusion constant can be small and thus increase
the lifetime of a VA pair, leading to an enhancement of the rates. We also
discuss in some detail the experimental feasibility of observing the effects of
amplitude fluctuations in layered s-wave superconductors such as the
dichalcogenides and the effects of phase fluctuations in s- or d-wave
superconductors such as the layered cuprates.Comment: 38 pages, 12 figure
Development of an erythropoietin prescription simulator to improve abilities for the prescription of erythropoietin stimulating agents: Is it feasible?
BACKGROUND: The increasing use of erythropoietins with long half-lives and the tendency to lengthen the administration interval to monthly injections call for raising awareness on the pharmacokinetics and risks of new erythropoietin stimulating agents (ESA). Their pharmacodynamic complexity and individual variability limit the possibility of attaining comprehensive clinical experience. In order to help physicians acquiring prescription abilities, we have built a prescription computer model to be used both as a simulator and education tool.
METHODS: The pharmacokinetic computer model was developed using Visual Basic on Excel and tested with 3 different ESA half-lives (24, 48 and 138 hours) and 2 administration intervals (weekly vs. monthly). Two groups of 25 nephrologists were exposed to the six randomised combinations of half-life and administration interval. They were asked to achieve and maintain, as precisely as possible, the haemoglobin target of 11-12 g/dL in a simulated naïve patient. Each simulation was repeated twice, with or without randomly generated bleeding episodes.
RESULTS: The simulation using an ESA with a half-life of 138 hours, administered monthly, compared to the other combinations of half-lives and administration intervals, showed an overshooting tendency (percentages of Hb values > 13 g/dL 15.8 ± 18.3 vs. 6.9 ± 12.2; P < 0.01), which was quickly corrected with experience. The prescription ability appeared to be optimal with a 24 hour half-life and weekly administration (ability score indexing values in the target 1.52 ± 0.70 vs. 1.24 ± 0.37; P < 0.05). The monthly prescription interval, as suggested in the literature, was accompanied by less therapeutic adjustments (4.9 ± 2.2 vs. 8.2 ± 4.9; P < 0.001); a direct correlation between haemoglobin variability and number of therapy modifications was found (P < 0.01).
CONCLUSIONS: Computer-based simulations can be a useful tool for improving ESA prescription abilities among nephrologists by raising awareness about the pharmacokinetic characteristics of the various ESAs and recognizing the factors that influence haemoglobin variability
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