214 research outputs found
A Self-organizing Neural Network for Learning A Body-centered Invariant Representation of 3-D Target Position
Effect of Benzoic Acids on Barite and Calcite Precipitation
The effect of various benzoic acids on the precipitation of barite (BaSO4) and calcite (CaCO3) was investigated. The acids varied in the number of carboxylate groups, from dibenzoic acids (phthalic, isophthalic, and terephthalic) through to the hexabenzoic acid (mellitic acid). It was found that the stereochemistry of the dibenzoic acids was important, as was the pH of the solution (trimesic acid was used as a test case and showed that greatest inhibition was achieved with all carboxylate groups deprotonated). Interestingly, for both the calcite and barite systems, mellitic acid was found to be both a potent inhibitor and a significant crystal growth modifier. In the case of barite, the presence of mellitic acid produced nanoparticles that agglomerated. The nanoparticles were found to be 20 nm in size from X-ray diffraction (XRD) line width analysis and 20-50 nm from transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Humic acid was also tested and found to form bundled fibers of barium sulfate
Ordering phenomena in quasi one-dimensional organic conductors
Low-dimensional organic conductors could establish themselves as model
systems for the investigation of the physics in reduced dimensions. In the
metallic state of a one-dimensional solid, Fermi-liquid theory breaks down and
spin and charge degrees of freedom become separated. But the metallic phase is
not stable in one dimension: as the temperature is reduced, the electronic
charge and spin tend to arrange themselves in an ordered fashion due to strong
correlations. The competition of the different interactions is responsible for
which broken-symmetry ground state is eventually realized in a specific
compound and which drives the system towards an insulating state.
Here we review the various ordering phenomena and how they can be identified
by optic and magnetic measurements. While the final results might look very
similar in the case of a charge density wave and a charge-ordered metal, for
instance, the physical cause is completely different. When density waves form,
a gap opens in the density of states at the Fermi energy due to nesting of the
one-dimension Fermi surface sheets. When a one-dimensional metal becomes a
charge-ordered Mott insulator, on the other hand, the short-range Coulomb
repulsion localizes the charge on the lattice sites and even causes certain
charge patterns.
We try to point out the similarities and conceptional differences of these
phenomena and give an example for each of them. Particular emphasis will be put
on collective phenomena which are inherently present as soon as ordering breaks
the symmetry of the system.Comment: Review article Naturwissenschaften 200
Supervised Machine Learning Applied to Automate Flash and Prolonged Capillary Refill Detection by Pulse Oximetry
Giant infrared intensity of the Peierls mode at the neutral-ionic phase transition
We present exact diagonalization results on a modified Peierls-Hubbard model
for the neutral-ionic phase transition. The ground state potential energy
surface and the infrared intensity of the Peierls mode point to a strong,
non-linear electron-phonon coupling, with effects that are dominated by the
proximity to the electronic instability rather than by electronic correlations.
The huge infrared intensity of the Peierls mode at the ferroelectric
transition is related to the temperature dependence of the dielectric constant
of mixed-stack organic crystals.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
BEDT-TTF organic superconductors: the entangled role of phonons
We calculate the lattice phonons and the electron-phonon coupling of the
organic superconductor \kappa-(BEDT-TTF)_2 I_3, reproducing all available
experimental data connected to phonon dynamics. Low-frequency intra-molecular
vibrations are strongly mixed to lattice phonons. Both acoustic and optical
phonons are appreciably coupled to electrons through the modulation of the
hopping integrals (e-LP coupling). By comparing the results relevant to
superconducting \kappa- and \beta-(BEDT-TTF)_2 I_3, we show that
electron-phonon coupling is fundamental to the pairing mechanism. Both e-LP and
electron-molecular vibration (e-MV) coupling are essential to reproduce the
critical temperatures. The e-LP coupling is stronger, but e-MV is instrumental
to increase the average phonon frequency.Comment: 4 pages, including 4 figures. Published version, with Ref. 17
corrected after publicatio
Direct evidence of overdamped Peierls-coupled modes in TTF-CA temperature-induced phase transition
In this paper we elucidate the optical response resulting from the interplay
of charge distribution (ionicity) and Peierls instability (dimerization) in the
neutral-ionic, ferroelectric phase transition of tetrathiafulvalene-chloranil
(TTF-CA), a mixed-stack quasi-one-dimensional charge-transfer crystal. We
present far-infrared reflectivity measurements down to 5 cm-1 as a function of
temperature above the phase transition (300 - 82 K). The coupling between
electrons and lattice phonons in the pre-transitional regime is analyzed on the
basis of phonon eigenvectors and polarizability calculations of the
one-dimensional Peierls-Hubbard model. We find a multi-phonon Peierls coupling,
but on approaching the transition the spectral weight and the coupling shift
progressively towards the phonons at lower frequencies, resulting in a
soft-mode behavior only for the lowest frequency phonon near the transition
temperature. Moreover, in the proximity of the phase transition, the
lowest-frequency phonon becomes overdamped, due to anharmonicity induced by its
coupling to electrons. The implications of these findings for the neutral-ionic
transition mechanism is shortly discussed.Comment: 11 pages, 13 figure
Mapping Site-Specific Changes that Affect Stability of the NTerminal Domain of Calmodulin
Biophysical tools have been invaluable in formulating therapeutic proteins. These tools characterize protein stability rapidly in a variety of solution conditions, but in general, the techniques lack the ability to discern site-specific information to probe how solution environment acts to stabilize or destabilize the protein. NMR spectroscopy can provide site-specific information about subtle structural changes of a protein under different conditions, enabling one to assess the mechanism of protein stabilization. In this study, NMR was employed to detect structural perturbations at individual residues as a result of altering pH and ionic strength. The N-terminal domain of calmodulin (N-CaM) was used as a model system, and the 1H-15N heteronuclear single quantum coherence (HSQC) experiment was used to investigate effects of pH and ionic strength on individual residues. NMR analysis revealed that different solution conditions affect individual residues differently, even when the amino acid sequence and structure are highly similar. This study shows that addition of NMR to the formulation toolbox has the ability to extend understanding of the relationship between site-specific changes and overall protein stability
Neural circuits controlling behavior and autonomic functions in medicinal leeches
In the study of the neural circuits underlying behavior and autonomic functions, the stereotyped and accessible nervous system of medicinal leeches, Hirudo sp., has been particularly informative. These leeches express well-defined behaviors and autonomic movements which are amenable to investigation at the circuit and neuronal levels. In this review, we discuss some of the best understood of these movements and the circuits which underlie them, focusing on swimming, crawling and heartbeat. We also discuss the rudiments of decision-making: the selection between generally mutually exclusive behaviors at the neuronal level
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