974 research outputs found
MALEO: Modular Assembly in Low Earth Orbit. A strategy for an IOC lunar base
Modular Assembly in Low Earth Orbit (MALEO) is a new strategy for building an initial operational capability lunar habitation base. In this strategy, the modular lunar base components are brought up to Low Earth Orbit by the Space Transportation System/Heavy Lift Launch Vehicle fleet, and assembled there to form a complete lunar base. Modular propulsion systems are then used to transport the MALEO lunar base, complete and intact, all the way to the moon. Upon touchdown on the lunar surface, the MALEO lunar habitation base is operational. An exo-skeletal truss superstructure is employed in order to uniformly absorb and distribute the rocket engine thrusting forces incurred by the MALEO lunar base during translunar injection, lunar orbit insertion, and lunar surface touchdown. The components, configuration, and structural aspects of the MALEO lunar base are discussed. Advantages of the MALEO strategy over conventional strategies are pointed out. It is concluded that MALEO holds promise for lunar base deployment
Resonant Elastic Soft X-Ray Scattering
Resonant (elastic) soft x-ray scattering (RSXS) offers a unique element,
site, and valence specific probe to study spatial modulations of charge, spin,
and orbital degrees of freedom in solids on the nanoscopic length scale. It
cannot only be used to investigate single crystalline materials. This method
also enables to examine electronic ordering phenomena in thin films and to zoom
into electronic properties emerging at buried interfaces in artificial
heterostructures. During the last 20 years, this technique, which combines
x-ray scattering with x-ray absorption spectroscopy, has developed into a
powerful probe to study electronic ordering phenomena in complex materials and
furthermore delivers important information on the electronic structure of
condensed matter. This review provides an introduction to the technique, covers
the progress in experimental equipment, and gives a survey on recent RSXS
studies of ordering in correlated electron systems and at interfaces
The UE46 PGM-1 beamline at BESSY II
The UE46 PGM-1 undulator beamline at the BESSY II storage ring provides soft x-rays of tunable polarization, linear and circular. With two permanent endstations, a versatile XUV diffractometer and a 7-Tesla High-Field diffractometer, the setup is dedicated to both, resonant spectroscopy and scattering/diffraction
Probing amyloid protein aggregation with optical superresolution methods: from the test tube to models of disease.
The misfolding and self-assembly of intrinsically disordered proteins into insoluble amyloid structures are central to many neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. Optical imaging of this self-assembly process in vitro and in cells is revolutionizing our understanding of the molecular mechanisms behind these devastating conditions. In contrast to conventional biophysical methods, optical imaging and, in particular, optical superresolution imaging, permits the dynamic investigation of the molecular self-assembly process in vitro and in cells, at molecular-level resolution. In this article, current state-of-the-art imaging methods are reviewed and discussed in the context of research into neurodegeneration.This work was funded by grants from the Wellcome Trust, the Medical Research Council UK, the Alzheimer Research UK Trust, the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council UK, the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, and the Swiss National Science Foundation.This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from the Society of Photo-optical Instrumentation Engineers via http://dx.doi.org/10.1117/1.NPh.3.4.04180
Dual Behavior of Antiferromagnetic Uncompensated Spins in NiFe/IrMn Exchange Biased Bilayers
We present a comprehensive study of the exchange bias effect in a model
system. Through numerical analysis of the exchange bias and coercive fields as
a function of the antiferromagnetic layer thickness we deduce the absolute
value of the averaged anisotropy constant of the antiferromagnet. We show that
the anisotropy of IrMn exhibits a finite size effect as a function of
thickness. The interfacial spin disorder involved in the data analysis is
further supported by the observation of the dual behavior of the interfacial
uncompensated spins. Utilizing soft x-ray resonant magnetic reflectometry we
have observed that the antiferromagnetic uncompensated spins are dominantly
frozen with nearly no rotating spins due to the chemical intermixing, which
correlates to the inferred mechanism for the exchange bias.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
Magnetic domain fluctuations in an antiferromagnetic film observed with coherent resonant soft x-ray scattering
We report the direct observation of slow fluctuations of helical
antiferromagnetic domains in an ultra-thin holmium film using coherent resonant
magnetic x-ray scattering. We observe a gradual increase of the fluctuations in
the speckle pattern with increasing temperature, while at the same time a
static contribution to the speckle pattern remains. This finding indicates that
domain-wall fluctuations occur over a large range of time scales. We ascribe
this non-ergodic behavior to the strong dependence of the fluctuation rate on
the local thickness of the film.Comment: to appear in Phys. Rev. Let
Opening a nodal gap by fluctuating spin-density-wave in lightly doped LaSrCuO
We investigate whether the spin or charge degrees of freedom are responsible
for the nodal gap in underdoped cuprates by performing inelastic neutron
scattering and x-ray diffraction measurements on LaSrCuO, which
is on the edge of the antiferromagnetic phase. We found that fluctuating
incommensurate spin-density-wave (SDW) with a the bottom part of an hourglass
dispersion exists even in this magnetic sample. The strongest component of
these fluctuations diminishes at the same temperature where the nodal gap
opens. X-ray scattering measurements on the same crystal show no signature of
charge-density-wave (CDW). Therefore, we suggest that the nodal gap in the
electronic band of this cuprate opens due to fluctuating SDW with no
contribution from CDW
Angiogenic inflammation and formation of necrosis in the tumor microenvironment influence patient survival after radical surgery for de novo hepatocellular carcinoma in non-cirrhosis
BACKGROUND:
Tumor escape mechanisms mediated in the tumor microenvironment can significantly reduce the capacity of the anti-tumor function of the immune system. TIE2-expressing monocytes (TEMs), related angiopoietins, and tumor necrosis are considered to have a key role in this process. We aimed to investigate the abundance and clinical significance of these biomarkers in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
METHODS:
In this retrospective study, 58 HCC patients received surgery with a curative intent. The abundance of TEMs, angiopoietin-1 and -2 were detected in tumor specimens of the HCC patients (n = 58), and together with the occurrence of histologic tumor necrosis, were associated with established clinicopathological characteristics and survival.
RESULTS:
Patients with HCC characterized by necrosis and TEMs revealed reduced both overall survival and recurrence-free survival (all p < 0.05). Angiopoietins and TEMs were associated with metastatic and recurrent HCC. Furthermore, the formation of histologic tumor necrosis was associated with advanced tumor stage and density of TEMs (all p < 0.05).
CONCLUSIONS:
Histologic tumor necrosis, TEMs, and related angiopoietins were associated with multiple HCC parameters and patient survival. The tumor necrosis-TEM-angiopoietin axis may offer a novel diagnostic modality to predict patient outcome after surgery for HCC
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