1,680 research outputs found
How Do Nonlinear Voids Affect Light Propagation ?
Propagation of light in a clumpy universe is examined. As an inhomogeneous
matter distribution, we take a spherical void surrounded by a dust shell where
the ``lost mass'' in the void is compensated by the shell. We study how the
angular-diameter distance behaves when such a structure exists. The
angular-diameter distance is calculated by integrating the Raychaudhuri
equation including the shear. An explicit expression for the junction condition
for the massive thin shell is calculated. We apply these results to a dust
shell embedded in a Friedmann universe and determine how the distance-redshift
relation is modified compared with that in the purely Friedmann universe. We
also study the distribution of distances in a universe filled with voids. We
show that the void-filled universe gives a larger distance than the FRW
universe by at if the size of the void is of the
Horizon radius.Comment: To appear in Prog. Theor. Phys. 10
Metal-nonmetal transition in LixCoO2 thin film and thermopower enhancement at high Li concentration
We investigate the transport properties of LixCoO2 thin films whose
resistivities are nearly an order of magnitude lower than those of the bulk
polycrystals. A metal-nonmetal transition occurs at ~0.8 in a biphasic domain,
and the Seebeck coefficient (S) is drastically increased at ~140 K (= T*) with
increasing the Li concentration to show a peak of magnitude ~120 \muV/K in the
S-T curve of x = 0.87. We show that T* corresponds to a crossover temperature
in the conduction, most likely reflecting the correlation-induced temperature
dependence in the low-energy excitations
Posterior interosseous nerve palsy secondary to pigmented villonodular synovitis of the elbow: Case report and review of literature
SummaryLocal tumor compression is the main mechanical cause of posterior interosseous nerve (PIN) palsy. The reported cases of these tumors do not include that of pigmented villonodular synovitis (PVNS). Here, we report a case of a 53-year-old male with a 9-year history of painless swelling in his left elbow and a few months of progressive weakness in his left hand. Imaging identified the mass, and histological examination of the biopsy specimens revealed PVNS. The mass was compressing the nerve at the arcade of Frohse, and we performed a complete resection of the mass. Following removal of the mass, the patient regained complete function in his left upper extremity, and no local recurrence has been detected after 2 postoperative years. The possibility of PVNS should be considered in the differential diagnosis of PIN palsy
Visualization of acetylcholine distribution in central nervous system tissue sections by tandem imaging mass spectrometry
Metabolite distribution imaging via imaging mass spectrometry (IMS) is an increasingly utilized tool in the field of neurochemistry. As most previous IMS studies analyzed the relative abundances of larger metabolite species, it is important to expand its application to smaller molecules, such as neurotransmitters. This study aimed to develop an IMS application to visualize neurotransmitter distribution in central nervous system tissue sections. Here, we raise two technical problems that must be resolved to achieve neurotransmitter imaging: (1) the lower concentrations of bioactive molecules, compared with those of membrane lipids, require higher sensitivity and/or signal-to-noise (S/N) ratios in signal detection, and (2) the molecular turnover of the neurotransmitters is rapid; thus, tissue preparation procedures should be performed carefully to minimize postmortem changes. We first evaluated intrinsic sensitivity and matrix interference using Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometry (MS) to detect six neurotransmitters and chose acetylcholine (ACh) as a model for study. Next, we examined both single MS imaging and MS/MS imaging for ACh and found that via an ion transition from m/z 146 to m/z 87 in MS/MS imaging, ACh could be visualized with a high S/N ratio. Furthermore, we found that in situ freezing method of brain samples improved IMS data quality in terms of the number of effective pixels and the image contrast (i.e., the sensitivity and dynamic range). Therefore, by addressing the aforementioned problems, we demonstrated the tissue distribution of ACh, the most suitable molecular specimen for positive ion detection by IMS, to reveal its localization in central nervous system tissues
Visualization of Spatiotemporal Energy Dynamics of Hippocampal Neurons by Mass Spectrometry during a Kainate-Induced Seizure
We report the use of matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) imaging mass spectrometry combined with capillary electrophoresis (CE) mass spectrometry to visualize energy metabolism in the mouse hippocampus by imaging energy-related metabolites. We show the distribution patterns of ATP, ADP, and AMP in the hippocampus as well as changes in their amounts and distribution patterns in a murine model of limbic, kainate-induced seizure. As an acute response to kainate administration, we found massive and moderate reductions in ATP and ADP levels, respectively, but no significant changes in AMP levels—especially in cells of the CA3 layer. The results suggest the existence of CA3 neuron-selective energy metabolism at the anhydride bonds of ATP and ADP in the hippocampal neurons during seizure. In addition, metabolome analysis of energy synthesis pathways indicates accelerated glycolysis and possibly TCA cycle activity during seizure, presumably due to the depletion of ATP. Consistent with this result, the observed energy depletion significantly recovered up to 180 min after kainate administration. However, the recovery rate was remarkably low in part of the data-pixel population in the CA3 cell layer region, which likely reflects acute and CA3-selective neural death. Taken together, the present approach successfully revealed the spatiotemporal energy metabolism of the mouse hippocampus at a cellular resolution—both quantitatively and qualitatively. We aim to further elucidate various metabolic processes in the neural system
Mach-Zehnder Bragg interferometer for a Bose-Einstein Condensate
We construct a Mach-Zehnder interferometer using Bose-Einstein condensed
rubidium atoms and optical Bragg diffraction. In contrast to interferometers
based on normal diffraction, where only a small percentage of the atoms
contribute to the signal, our Bragg diffraction interferometer uses all the
condensate atoms. The condensate coherence properties and high phase-space
density result in an interference pattern of nearly 100% contrast. In
principle, the enclosed area of the interferometer may be arbitrarily large,
making it an ideal tool that could be used in the detection of vortices, or
possibly even gravitational waves.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figures, Quantum Electronics and Laser Science Conference
1999, Postdeadline papers QPD12-
Ground-state phase diagram of the one-dimensional half-filled extended Hubbard model
We revisit the ground-state phase diagram of the one-dimensional half-filled
extended Hubbard model with on-site (U) and nearest-neighbor (V) repulsive
interactions. In the first half of the paper, using the weak-coupling
renormalization-group approach (g-ology) including second-order corrections to
the coupling constants, we show that bond-charge-density-wave (BCDW) phase
exists for U \approx 2V in between charge-density-wave (CDW) and
spin-density-wave (SDW) phases. We find that the umklapp scattering of
parallel-spin electrons disfavors the BCDW state and leads to a bicritical
point where the CDW-BCDW and SDW-BCDW continuous-transition lines merge into
the CDW-SDW first-order transition line. In the second half of the paper, we
investigate the phase diagram of the extended Hubbard model with either
additional staggered site potential \Delta or bond alternation \delta. Although
the alternating site potential \Delta strongly favors the CDW state (that is, a
band insulator), the BCDW state is not destroyed completely and occupies a
finite region in the phase diagram. Our result is a natural generalization of
the work by Fabrizio, Gogolin, and Nersesyan [Phys. Rev. Lett. 83, 2014
(1999)], who predicted the existence of a spontaneously dimerized insulating
state between a band insulator and a Mott insulator in the phase diagram of the
ionic Hubbard model. The bond alternation \delta destroys the SDW state and
changes it into the BCDW state (or Peierls insulating state). As a result the
phase diagram of the model with \delta contains only a single critical line
separating the Peierls insulator phase and the CDW phase. The addition of
\Delta or \delta changes the universality class of the CDW-BCDW transition from
the Gaussian transition into the Ising transition.Comment: 24 pages, 20 figures, published versio
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