Pressure dependence of the Boson peak in glassy As2S3 studied by Raman Scattering

A detailed pressure-dependence study of the low-energy excitations of glassy As2S3 is reported over a wide pressure range, up to 10 GPa. The spectral features of Boson peak are analysed as a function of pressure. Pressure effects on the Boson peak are manifested as an appreciable shift of its frequency to higher values, a suppression of its intensity, as well as a noticeable change of its asymmetry leading to a more symmetric shape at high pressures. The pressure-induced Boson peak frequency shift agrees very well with the predictions of the soft potential model over the whole pressure range studied. As regards the pressure dependence of the Boson peak intensity, the situation is more complicated. It is proposed that in order to reach proper conclusions the corresponding dependence of the Debye density of states must also be considered. Employing a comparison of the low energy modes of the crystalline counterpart of As2S3 as well as the experimental data concerning the pressure dependencies of the Boson peak frequency and intensity, structural or glass-to-glass transition seems to occur at the pressure ~4 GPa related to a change of local structure. Finally, the pressure-induced shape changes of the Boson peak can be traced back to the very details of the excess (over the Debye contribution) vibrational density of states.Comment: To appear in J. Non-Cryst. Solids (Proceedings of the 5th IDMRCS, Lille, July 2005

On the origin of the λ\lambda-transition in liquid Sulphur

Developing a novel experimental technique, we applied photon correlation spectroscopy using infrared radiation in liquid Sulphur around $T_\lambda$, i.e. in the temperature range where an abrupt increase in viscosity by four orders of magnitude is observed upon heating within few degrees. This allowed us - overcoming photo-induced and absorption effects at visible wavelengths - to reveal a chain relaxation process with characteristic time in the ms range. These results do rehabilitate the validity of the Maxwell relation in Sulphur from an apparent failure, allowing rationalizing the mechanical and thermodynamic behavior of this system within a viscoelastic scenario.Comment: 5 pages, 4 eps figures, accepted in Phys. Rev. Let

Dynamics of proteins: Light scattering study of dilute and dense colloidal suspensions of eye lens homogenates

We report a dynamic light scattering study on protein suspensions of bovine lens homogenates at conditions (pH and ionic strength) similar to the physiological ones. Light scattering data were collected at two temperatures, 20 oC and 37 oC, over a wide range of concentrations from the very dilute limit up to the dense regime approaching to the physiological lens concentration. A comparison with experimental data from intact bovine lenses was advanced revealing differences between dispersions and lenses at similar concentrations. In the dilute regime two scattering entities were detected and identified with the long-time, self-diffusion modes of alpha-crystallins and their aggregates, which naturally exist in lens nucleus. Self-diffusion coefficients are temperature insensitive, whereas the collective diffusion coefficient depends strongly on temperature revealing a reduction of the net repulsive interparticle forces with lowering temperature. While there are no rigorous theoretical approaches on particle diffusion properties for multi-component, non-ideal hard-sphere, polydispersed systems, as the suspensions studied here, a discussion of the volume fraction dependence of the long-time, self-diffusion coefficient in the context of existing theoretical approaches was undertaken. This study is purported to provide some insight into the complex light scattering pattern of intact lenses and the interactions between the constituent proteins that are responsible for lens transparency. This would lead to understand basic mechanisms of specific protein interactions that lead to lens opacification (cataract) under pathological conditions.Comment: To appear in J. Chem. Phy

Stress distribution and the fragility of supercooled melts

We formulate a minimal ansatz for local stress distribution in a solid that includes the possibility of strongly anharmonic short-length motions. We discover a broken-symmetry metastable phase that exhibits an aperiodic, frozen-in stress distribution. This aperiodic metastable phase is characterized by many distinct, nearly degenerate configurations. The activated transitions between the configurations are mapped onto the dynamics of a long range classical Heisenberg model with 6-component spins and anisotropic couplings. We argue the metastable phase corresponds to a deeply supercooled non-polymeric, non-metallic liquid, and further establish an order parameter for the glass-to-crystal transition. The spin model itself exhibits a continuous range of behaviors between two limits corresponding to frozen-in shear and uniform compression/dilation respectively. The two regimes are separated by a continuous transition controlled by the anisotropy in the spin-spin interaction, which is directly related to the Poisson ratio $\sigma$ of the material. The latter ratio and the ultra-violet cutoff of the theory determine the liquid configurational entropy. Our results suggest that liquid's fragility depends on the Poisson ratio in a non-monotonic way. The present ansatz provides a microscopic framework for computing the configurational entropy and relaxational spectrum of specific substances.Comment: 11 pages, 5 figures, Final version published in J Phys Chem

EXPERIMENTAL STUDY ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF AN ENERGY DISSIPATION CONFIGURATION IN AN OPEN CHANNEL OF STEEP SLOPE

Στην παρούσα εργασία μελετάται πειραματικά η ροή σε σήραγγα υπό συνθήκες ελεύθερης επιφάνειας και έντονης κλίσης πυθμένα 1:10. Διερευνάται η δυνατότητα μείωσης της ταχύτητας ροής μέσω συνδυασμού κατακόρυφων, πλευρικών στοιχείων τραχύτητας και λεκανών καταστροφής ενέργειας με οδοντώσεις. Η μελετώμενη διάταξη στηρίζεται στην ύπαρξη επαναλαμβανομένων τμημάτων (modules) εντός των οποίων επιτυγχάνεται επαναληψιμότητα της ροής. Η αποτελεσματικότητα του σχεδιασμού διερευνήθηκε σε υδραυλικό ομοίωμα κλίμακας 1:12,5 που βασίσθηκε σε συνθήκες δυναμικής ομοιότητας κατά Froude για χαρακτηριστικές τιμές παροχής. Η επεξεργασία των μετρήσεων έδειξε ότι με κατάλληλη διάταξη πλευρικών στοιχείων τραχύτητας και διαμόρφωση της λεκάνης καταστροφής ενέργειας ελέγχεται η τιμή της ταχύτητας, ικανοποιείται η απαίτηση μεγίστου βάθους ροής σε σχέση με τις διαστάσεις της σήραγγας και επιτυγχάνεται επαναληψιμότητα της ροής σε κάθε module.The free-surface flow in a tunnel of steep bed slope 1:10 is studied experimentally. The effectiveness of vertical roughness elements on the side walls and energy dissipation basins with blocks is investigated, with the aim to reduce flow velocity in the tunnel. The design is based on the concept of repeated modules in order to achieve flow repeatability. The scale of the physical model was 1:12.5 under Froude similarity conditions. The analysis of measurements indicates that a suitable arrangement of vertical roughness elements on the side walls and a suitable design of the energy dissipation basin can control the flow velocity magnitude, satisfy the maximum flow depth requirement with respect to the tunnel dimensions, and achieve flow repeatability in each modul

A counterbalanced cross-over study of the effects of visual, auditory and no feedback on performance measures in a simulated cardiopulmonary resuscitation

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Previous research has demonstrated that trained rescuers have difficulties achieving and maintaining the correct depth and rate of chest compressions during both in and out of hospital cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Feedback on rate and depth mitigate decline in performance quality but not completely with the residual performance decline attributed to rescuer fatigue. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of feedback (none, auditory only and visual only) on the quality of CPR and rescuer fatigue.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Fifteen female volunteers performed 10 minutes of 30:2 CPR in each of three feedback conditions: none, auditory only, and visual only. Visual feedback was displayed continuously in graphic form. Auditory feedback was error correcting and provided by a voice assisted CPR manikin. CPR quality measures were collected using SkillReporter^®software. Blood lactate (mmol/dl) and perceived exertion served as indices of fatigue. One-way and two way repeated measures analyses of variance were used with alpha set <it>a priori </it>at 0.05.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Visual feedback yielded a greater percentage of correct compressions (78.1 ± 8.2%) than did auditory (65.4 ± 7.6%) or no feedback (44.5 ± 8.1%). Compression rate with auditory feedback (87.9 ± 0.5 compressions per minute) was less than it was with both visual and no feedback (p < 0.05). CPR performed with no feedback (39.2 ± 0.5 mm) yielded a shallower average depth of compression and a lower percentage (55 ± 8.9%) of compressions within the accepted 38-50 mm range than did auditory or visual feedback (p < 0.05). The duty cycle for auditory feedback (39.4 ± 1.6%) was less than it was with no feedback (p < 0.05). Auditory feedback produced lower lactate concentrations than did visual feedback (p < 0.05) but there were no differences in perceived exertion.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>In this study feedback mitigated the negative effects of fatigue on CPR performance and visual feedback yielded better CPR performance than did no feedback or auditory feedback. The perfect confounding of sensory modality and periodicity of feedback (visual feedback provided continuously and auditory feedback provided to correct error) leaves unanswered the question of optimal form and timing of feedback.</p

Entrepreneurial sons, patriarchy and the Colonels' experiment in Thessaly, rural Greece

Existing studies within the field of institutional entrepreneurship explore how entrepreneurs influence change in economic institutions. This paper turns the attention of scholarly inquiry on the antecedents of deinstitutionalization and more specifically, the influence of entrepreneurship in shaping social institutions such as patriarchy. The paper draws from the findings of ethnographic work in two Greek lowland village communities during the military Dictatorship (1967–1974). Paradoxically this era associated with the spread of mechanization, cheap credit, revaluation of labour and clear means-ends relations, signalled entrepreneurial sons’ individuated dissent and activism who were now able to question the Patriarch’s authority, recognize opportunities and act as unintentional agents of deinstitutionalization. A ‘different’ model of institutional change is presented here, where politics intersects with entrepreneurs, in changing social institutions. This model discusses the external drivers of institutional atrophy and how handling dissensus (and its varieties over historical time) is instrumental in enabling institutional entrepreneurship

Raman scattering study of the a-GeTe structure and possible mechanism for the amorphous-to-crystal transition

We report on an inelastic (Raman) light scattering study of the local structure of amorphous GeTe films. A detailed analysis of the temperature-reduced Raman spectra has shown that appreciable structural changes occur as a function of temperature. These changes involve modifications of atomic arrangements such as to facilitate the rapid amorphous-to-crystal transformation, which is the major advantage of phase-change materials used in optical data storage media. A particular structural model, supported by polarization analysis, is proposed being compatible with the experimental data as regards both the structure of a-GeTe and the crystallization transition. The remarkable difference between the Raman spectrum of the crystal and the glass can thus naturally be accounted for.Comment: Published in: J. Phys. Condens. Matter. 18, 965-979 (2006