1,306 research outputs found
DEM simulation of the mechanical properties of SiC ceramic under pre-stressing
In this paper, the method of discrete element model (DEM) simulation was used to investigate the mechanical properties of SiC ceramic materials under the action of pre-stress. Using the bonded particle model (BPM), several different numerical tests (such as UCT, TPB, SENB tests) of SiC ceramic were established. Different pre-stress values were applied on the lateral surface of the ceramic specimen during the numerical simulation process, all tests were carried out at least 5 times with different random number, and the average mechanical properties results were calculated. It was showed that the existence of pre-stress has a significant effect on the mechanical properties of materials. It can enhance the strength of materials, while the force action on material in machining process force or action force the crack’s initiation and propagation was limited
A Lanczos algorithm for linear response
An iterative algorithm is presented for solving the RPA equations of linear
response. The method optimally computes the energy-weighted moments of the
strength function, allowing one to match the computational effort to the
intrinsic accuracy of the basic mean-field approximation, avoiding the problem
of solving very large matrices. For local interactions, the computational
effort for the method scales with the number of particles N_p as O(N_p^3).Comment: 12 pages including 3 figures; Late
Stimulation of Brain AMP-activated Protein Kinase Attenuates Inflammation and Acute Lung Injury in Sepsis
Sepsis and septic shock are enormous public health problems with astronomical financial repercussions on health systems worldwide. The central nervous system (CNS) is closely intertwined in the septic process but the underlying mechanism is still obscure. AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a ubiquitous energy sensor enzyme and plays a key role in regulation of energy homeostasis and cell survival. In this study, we hypothesized that activation of AMPK in the brain would attenuate inflammatory responses in sepsis, particularly in the lungs. Adult C57BL/6 male mice were treated with 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide riboneucleotide (AICAR, 20 ng), an AMPK activator, or vehicle (normal saline) by intracerebro-ventricular (ICV) injection, followed by cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) at 30 min post-ICV. The septic mice treated with AICAR exhibited elevated phosphorylation of AMPKalpha in the brain along with reduced serum levels of aspartate aminotransferase, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta), and interleukin-6 (IL-6), compared to the vehicle. Similarly, the expressions of TNF-alpha, IL-1beta, keratinocyte-derived chemokine and macrophage inflammatory protein-2 as well as myeloperoxidase activity in the lungs of AICAR-treated mice were significantly reduced. Moreover, histological findings in the lungs showed improvement of morphologic features and reduction of apoptosis with AICAR treatment. We further found that the beneficial effects of AICAR on septic mice were diminished in AMPKalpha2 deficient mice, showing that AMPK mediates these effects. In conclusion, our findings reveal a new functional role of activating AMPK in the CNS to attenuate inflammatory responses and acute lung injury in sepsis
Hamiltonian light-front field theory within an AdS/QCD basis
Non-perturbative Hamiltonian light-front quantum field theory presents
opportunities and challenges that bridge particle physics and nuclear physics.
Fundamental theories, such as Quantum Chromodynmamics (QCD) and Quantum
Electrodynamics (QED) offer the promise of great predictive power spanning
phenomena on all scales from the microscopic to cosmic scales, but new tools
that do not rely exclusively on perturbation theory are required to make
connection from one scale to the next. We outline recent theoretical and
computational progress to build these bridges and provide illustrative results
for nuclear structure and quantum field theory. As our framework we choose
light-front gauge and a basis function representation with two-dimensional
harmonic oscillator basis for transverse modes that corresponds with
eigensolutions of the soft-wall AdS/QCD model obtained from light-front
holography.Comment: To appear in the proceedings of Light-Cone 2009: Relativistic
Hadronic and Particle Physics, July 8-13, 2009, Sao Jose dos Campos, Brazi
Blocking cold-inducible RNA-binding protein protects liver from ischemia-reperfusion injury
Cold-inducible RNA-binding protein (CIRP) is a nuclear protein that has been recently identified as a novel inflammatory mediator in hemorrhagic shock and sepsis. We hypothesized that CIRP acts as a potent inflammatory mediator in hepatic ischemia-reperfusion (I/R), and thus blocking CIRP protects against I/R-induced liver injury. Male C57BL/6 mice were subjected to 70% hepatic ischemia by microvascular clamping of the hilum of the left and median liver lobes for 60 min, followed by reperfusion. Anti-CIRP antibody (1 mg/kg body weight) or vehicle (normal saline) in 0.2 mL was injected via the internal jugular vein at the beginning of the reperfusion. Blood and liver tissues were collected 24 h after I/R for various measurements, and a 10-day survival study was performed. Cold-inducible RNA-binding protein released into the circulation was significantly increased 24 h after hepatic I/R. Anti-CIRP antibody treatment markedly reduced hepatocellular damage markers and significantly improved the liver microarchitecture. Anti-CIRP also reduced the systemic and local inflammation demonstrated by attenuation in both serum and hepatic levels of interleukin 6. The expression of neutrophil-attracting chemokine as well as liver neutrophil infiltration was reduced by anti-CIRP treatment. Anti-CIRP also dramatically decreased the amount of apoptosis and nitrosative stress, evidenced by decrease in TUNEL (terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling) staining and inducible nitric oxide synthase and cyclooxygenase 2 levels, respectively. Finally, the 10-day survival rate was increased from 37.5% in the vehicle group to 75% in the anti-CIRP treatment group. Thus, targeting CIRP offers potential therapeutic implications in the treatment of hepatic I/R injury
Two-particle localization and antiresonance in disordered spin and qubit chains
We show that, in a system with defects, two-particle states may experience
destructive quantum interference, or antiresonance. It prevents an excitation
localized on a defect from decaying even where the decay is allowed by energy
conservation. The system studied is a qubit chain or an equivalent spin chain
with an anisotropic () exchange coupling in a magnetic field. The chain
has a defect with an excess on-site energy. It corresponds to a qubit with the
level spacing different from other qubits. We show that, because of the
interaction between excitations, a single defect may lead to multiple localized
states. The energy spectra and localization lengths are found for
two-excitation states. The localization of excitations facilitates the
operation of a quantum computer. Analytical results for strongly anisotropic
coupling are confirmed by numerical studies.Comment: Updated version, 13 pages, 5 figures To appear in Phys. Rev. B (2003
Microwave and terahertz dielectric properties of MgTiO3–CaTiO3 ceramics
The THz dielectric properties of MgTiO3–CaTiO3 ceramics are reported. The ceramics were prepared via a solid-state reaction route and the sintering conditions were optimized to obtain ceramics with high permittivity and low loss in the terahertz frequency domain. The amount of impurities (MgTi2O5) and grain size increased with increasing sintering temperature. The dielectric properties improved with increasing density, and the best terahertz dielectric performance was obtained at 1260 °C, with a permittivity of 17.73 and loss of 3.07×10−3. Ceramics sintered above 1260 °C showed a sharp increase in loss, which is ascribed to an increase in the impurity content
Optical transmission losses in materials due to repeated impacts of liquid droplets
Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/76812/1/AIAA-7018-720.pd
Wedgebox analysis of four-lepton events from neutralino pair production at the LHC
`Wedgebox' plots constructed by plotting the di-electron invariant mass
versus the di-muon invariant mass from pp -> e^+e^- mu^+ mu^- + missing energy
signature LHC events. Data sets of such events are obtained across the MSSM
input parameter space in event-generator simulations, including cuts designed
to remove SM backgrounds. Their study reveals several general features:
(1)Regions in the MSSM input parameter space where a sufficient number of
events are expected so as to be able to construct a clear wedgebox plot are
delineated. (2)The presence of box shapes on a wedgebox plot either indicates
the presence of heavy Higgs bosons decays or restricts the location to a quite
small region of low \mu and M_2 values \lsim 200 GeV, a region denoted as the
`lower island'. In this region, wedgebox plots can be quite complicated and
change in pattern rather quickly as one moves around in the (\mu, M_2) plane.
(3)Direct neutralino pair production from an intermediate Z^{0*} may only
produce a wedge-shape since only \widetilde{\chi}_2^0\widetilde{\chi}_3^0
decays can contribute significantly. (4)A double-wedge or
wedge-protruding-from-a-box pattern on a wedgebox plot, which results from
combining a variety of MSSM production processes, yields three distinct
observed endpoints, almost always attributable to \widetilde{\chi}_{2,3,4}^0
\to \widetilde{\chi}_1^0 \ell^+\ell^- decays, which can be utilized to
determine a great deal of information about the neutralino and slepton mass
spectra and related MSSM input parameters. Wedge and double-wedge patterns are
seen in wedgebox plots in another region of higher \mu and M_2 values, denoted
as the`upper island.' Here the pattern is simpler and more stable as one moves
across the (\mu, M_2) input parameter space.Comment: 28 pages (LaTeX), 8 figures (encapsulated postscript
Confront Holographic QCD with Regge Trajectories of vectors and axial-vectors
We derive the general 5-dimension metric structure of the system in
type II superstring theory, and demonstrate the physical meaning of the
parameters characterizing the 5-dimension metric structure of the
\textit{holographic} QCD model by relating them to the parameters describing
Regge trajectories. By matching the spectra of vector mesons with
deformed soft-wall model, we find that the spectra of vector mesons
can be described very well in the soft-wall model, i.e,
soft-wall model. We then investigate how well the soft-wall
model can describe the Regge trajectory of axial-vector mesons . We find
that the constant component of the 5-dimension mass square of axial-vector
mesons plays an efficient role to realize the chiral symmetry breaking in the
vacuum, and a small negative correction in the 5-dimension mass square is
helpful to realize the chiral symmetry restoration in high excitation states.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figure and 3 tables, one section adde
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