376 research outputs found
Age of the Universe: Influence of the Inhomogeneities on the global Expansion-Factor
For the first time we calculate quantitatively the influence of
inhomogeneities on the global expansion factor by averaging the Friedmann
equation. In the framework of the relativistic second-order
Zel'dovich-approximation scheme for irrotational dust we use observational
results in form of the normalisation constant fixed by the COBE results and we
check different power spectra, namely for adiabatic CDM, isocurvature CDM, HDM,
WDM, Strings and Textures. We find that the influence of the inhomogeneities on
the global expansion factor is very small. So the error in determining the age
of the universe using the Hubble constant in the usual way is negligible. This
does not imply that the effect is negligible for local astronomical
measurements of the Hubble constant. Locally the determination of the
redshift-distance relation can be strongly influenced by the peculiar velocity
fields due to inhomogeneities. Our calculation does not consider such effects,
but is contrained to comparing globally homogeneous and averaged inhomogeneous
matter distributions. In addition we relate our work to previous treatments.Comment: 10 pages, version accepted by Phys. Rev.
Antioxidant Theranostic Copolymer-Mediated Reduction In Oxidative Stress Following Traumatic Brain Injury Improves Outcome In A Mouse Model
Following a traumatic brain injury (TBI), excess reactive oxygen species (ROS) and lipid peroxidation products (LPOx) are generated and lead to secondary injury beyond the primary insult. A major limitation of current treatments is poor target engagement, which has prevented success in clinical trials. Thus, nanoparticle-based treatments have received recent attention because of their ability to increase accumulation and retention in damaged brain. Theranostic neuroprotective copolymers (NPC3) containing thiol functional groups can neutralize ROS and LPOx. Immediate administration of NPC3 following injury in a controlled cortical impact (CCI) mouse model provides a therapeutic window in reducing ROS levels at 2.08–20.83 mg kg−1 in males and 5.52–27.62 mg kg−1 in females. This NPC3-mediated reduction in oxidative stress improves spatial learning and memory in males, while females show minimal improvement. Notably, NPC3-mediated reduction in oxidative stress prevents the bilateral spread of necrosis in male mice, which is not observed in female mice and likely accounts for the sex-based spatial learning and memory differences. Overall, these findings suggest sex-based differences to oxidative stress scavenger nanoparticle treatments, and a possible upper threshold of antioxidant activity that provides therapeutic benefit in injured brain since female mice benefit from NPC3 treatment to a lesser extent than male mice
Two-phase behavior in strained thin films of hole-doped manganites
We present a study of the effect of biaxial strain on the electrical and
magnetic properties of thin films of manganites. We observe that manganite
films grown under biaxial compressive strain exhibit island growth morphology
which leads to a non-uniform distribution of the strain. Transport and magnetic
properties of these films suggest the coexistence of two different phases, a
metallic ferromagnet and an insulating antiferromagnet. We suggest that the
high strain regions are insulating while the low strain regions are metallic.
In such non-uniformly strained samples, we observe a large magnetoresistance
and a field-induced insulator to metal transition.Comment: 5 pages ReVTeX, 5 figures included, Figures 3, 4 and 5 low
resolution, high resolution figures available on request from authors,
submitted to Phys. Rev.
The effect of social media communication on consumer perceptions of brands
Researchers and brand managers have limited understanding of the effects social media communication has on how consumers perceive brands. We investigated 504 Facebook users in order to observe the impact of firm-created and user-generated social media communication on brand equity, brand attitude and purchase intention by using a standardized online survey throughout Poland. To test the conceptual model, we analyzed 60 brands across three different industries: non-alcoholic beverages, clothing and mobile network operators. When analyzing the data, we applied the structural equation modeling technique to both investigate the interplay of firm-created and user-generated social media communication and examine industry-specific differences. The results of the empirical studies showed that user-generated social media communication had a positive influence on both brand equity and brand attitude, whereas firm-created social media communication affected only brand attitude. Both brand equity and brand attitude were shown to have a positive influence on purchase intention. In addition, we assessed measurement invariance using a multi-group structural modeling equation. The findings revealed that the proposed measurement model was invariant across the researched industries. However, structural path differences were detected across the models
Formation and stability of self-assembled coherent islands in highly mismatched heteroepitaxy
We study the energetics of island formation in Stranski-Krastanow growth
within a parameter-free approach. It is shown that an optimum island size
exists for a given coverage and island density if changes in the wetting layer
morphology after the 3D transition are properly taken into account. Our
approach reproduces well the experimental island size dependence on coverage,
and indicates that the critical layer thickness depends on growth conditions.
The present study provides a new explanation for the (frequently found) rather
narrow size distribution of self-assembled coherent islands.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures, In print, Phys. Rev. Lett. Other related
publications can be found at http://www.fhi-berlin.mpg.de/th/paper.htm
The influence of surface stress on the equilibrium shape of strained quantum dots
The equilibrium shapes of InAs quantum dots (i.e., dislocation-free, strained
islands with sizes >= 10,000 atoms) grown on a GaAs (001) substrate are studied
using a hybrid approach which combines density functional theory (DFT)
calculations of microscopic parameters, surface energies, and surface stresses
with elasticity theory for the long-range strain fields and strain relaxations.
In particular we report DFT calculations of the surface stresses and analyze
the influence of the strain on the surface energies of the various facets of
the quantum dot. The surface stresses have been neglected in previous studies.
Furthermore, the influence of edge energies on the island shapes is briefly
discussed. From the knowledge of the equilibrium shape of these islands, we
address the question whether experimentally observed quantum dots correspond to
thermal equilibrium structures or if they are a result of the growth kinetics.Comment: 7 pages, 8 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev. B (February 2, 1998).
Other related publications can be found at
http://www.rz-berlin.mpg.de/th/paper.htm
Effect of strain on surface diffusion in semiconductor heteroepitaxy
We present a first-principles analysis of the strain renormalization of the
cation diffusivity on the GaAs(001) surface. For the example of
In/GaAs(001)-c(4x4) it is shown that the binding of In is increased when the
substrate lattice is expanded. The diffusion barrier \Delta E(e) has a
non-monotonic strain dependence with a maximum at compressive strain values (e
0) studied.
We discuss the consequences of spatial variations of both the binding energy
and the diffusion barrier of an adatom caused by the strain field around a
heteroepitaxial island. For a simplified geometry, we evaluate the speed of
growth of two coherently strained islands on the GaAs(001) surface and identify
a growth regime where island sizes tend to equalize during growth due to the
strain dependence of surface diffusion.Comment: 10 pages, 8 figures, LaTeX2e, to appear in Phys. Rev. B (2001). Other
related publications can be found at
http://www.rz-berlin.mpg.de/th/paper.htm
Equilibrium shapes and energies of coherent strained InP islands
The equilibrium shapes and energies of coherent strained InP islands grown on
GaP have been investigated with a hybrid approach that has been previously
applied to InAs islands on GaAs. This combines calculations of the surface
energies by density functional theory and the bulk deformation energies by
continuum elasticity theory. The calculated equilibrium shapes for different
chemical environments exhibit the {101}, {111}, {\=1\=1\=1} facets and a (001)
top surface. They compare quite well with recent atomic-force microscopy data.
Thus in the InP/GaInP-system a considerable equilibration of the individual
islands with respect to their shapes can be achieved. We discuss the
implications of our results for the Ostwald ripening of the coherent InP
islands. In addition we compare strain fields in uncapped and capped islands.Comment: 10 pages including 6 figures. Submitted to Phys. Rev. B. Related
publications can be found at http://www.fhi-berlin.mpg.de/th/paper.htm
- …