2,978 research outputs found
Effect of characteristics of (Sm,Ce)O2 powder on the fabrication and performance of anode-supported solid oxide fuel cells
Effect of characteristics of Sm0.2Ce0.8O1.9 (SDC) powder as a function of calcination temperature on the fabrication of dense and flat anode-supported SDC thin electrolyte cells has been studied. The results show that the calcination temperature has a significant effect on the particle size, degree of agglomeration, and sintering profiles of the SDC powder. The characteristics of SDC powders have a significant effect on the structure integrity and flatness of the SDC electrolyte film/anode substrate bilayer cells. The SDC electrolyte layer delaminates from the anode substrate for the SDC powder calcined at 600 °C and the bilayer cell concaves towards the SDC electrolyte layer for the SDC powder calcined at 800 °C. When the calcinations temperature increased to 1000 °C, strongly bonded SDC electrolyte film/anode substrate bilayer structures were achieved. An open-circuit voltage (OCV) of 0.82–0.84 V and maximum power density of ~1 W cm−2 were obtained at 600 °C using hydrogen as fuel and stationary air as the oxidant. The results indicate that the matching of the onset sintering temperature and maximum sintering rate temperature is most critical for the development of a dense and flat Ni/SDC supported SDC thin electrolyte cells for intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cells
Expression of 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3β- HSD) in normal and cystic follicles in sows
3β-Hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3β-HSD) performs essential roles in the regulation of follicular development and the level at which it is expressed may reflect the steroidogenic capacity of follicles and their physiological status. The aim of this study was to investigate the expression of 3β-HSD protein and mRNA in normal follicles categorized by size into small (2 to 4 mm), medium (5 to 7 mm), large (8 to 10 mm) and cystic follicles (> 21 mm). The expression levels of 3β-HSD protein and mRNA were evaluated by western blotting and quantitative real-time PCR, respectively; whereas, the immunolocalization of 3β-HSD was examined in normal and cystic follicles. The results indicated that the expression of 3β-HSD protein and mRNA increased as follicles grew. High levels of 3β-HSD protein and mRNA (P < 0.01) were found in cystic follicles. Immunoreactions of 3β-HSD were localized in the theca cells in the normal and cystic follicles, with reactions indicating 3β-HSD also to be present in the granulosa cells of the cystic follicles, but to be less evident in or absent from the granulosa cells of normal follicles. Our results revealed that the expression and localization of 3β-HSD differed in the cystic follicles and normal follicles and suggest that 3β-HSD in cystic follicles plays an essential role in the formation and persistence of cysts. Our findings provide important additional insights into the pathogenesis of follicular cysts in sows.Key words: 3β-Hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3β-HSD), expression, follicular cysts, sows
Method of determining cosmological parameter ranges with samples of candles with an intrinsic distribution
In this paper, the effect of the intrinsic distribution of cosmological
candles is investigated. We find that, in the case of a narrow distribution,
the deviation of the observed modulus of sources from the expected central
value could be estimated within a ceratin range. We thus introduce a lower and
upper limits of , and , to
estimate cosmological parameters by applying the conventional minimizing method. We apply this method to a gamma-ray burst (GRB) sample as well as
to a combined sample including this GRB sample and an SN Ia sample. Our
analysis shows that: a) in the case of assuming an intrinsic distribution of
candles of the GRB sample, the effect of the distribution is obvious and should
not be neglected; b) taking into account this effect would lead to a poorer
constraint of the cosmological parameter ranges. The analysis suggests that in
the attempt of constraining the cosmological model with current GRB samples,
the results tend to be worse than what previously thought if the mentioned
intrinsic distribution does exist.Comment: 6 pages,4 figures,1 tables.Data updated. Main conclusion unchange
Soil Carbon and Material Fluxes Across the Eroding Alaska Beaufort Sea Coastline
Carbon, nitrogen, and material fluxes were quantified at 48 sampling locations along the 1957 km coastline of the Beaufort Sea, Alaska. Landform characteristics, soil stratigraphy, cryogenic features, and ice contents were determined for each site. Erosion rates for the sites were quantified using satellite images and aerial photos, and the rates averaged across the coastline increased from 0.6 m yr-1 during circa 1950-1980 to 1.2 m yr-1 during circa 1980-2000. Soils were highly cryoturbated, and organic carbon (OC) stores ranged from 13 to 162 kg OC m-2 in banks above sea level and averaged 63 kg OC m-2 over the entire coastline. Long-term (1950-2000) annual lateral fluxes due to erosion were estimated at -153 Gg OC, -7762 Mg total nitrogen, -2106 Tg solids, and -2762 Tg water. Total land area loss along the Alaska Beaufort Sea coastline was estimated at 203 ha yr-1. We found coastal erosion rates, bank heights, soil properties, and material stores and fluxes to be extremely variable among sampling sites. In comparing two classification systems used to classifying coastline types from an oceanographic, coastal morphology perspective and geomorphic units from a terrestrial, soils perspective, we found both systems were effective at differentiating significant differences among classes for most material stores, but the coastline classification did not find significant differences in erosion rates because it lacked differentiation of soil texture
Observation of eight-photon entanglement
Using ultra-bright sources of pure-state entangled photons from parametric
down conversion, an eight-photon interferometer and post-selection detection,
we demonstrate the ability to experimentally manipulate eight individual
photons and report the creation of an eight-photon Schr\"odinger cat state with
an observed fidelity of .Comment: 6 pages, 4 figure
Small RNA Profile in Moso Bamboo Root and Leaf Obtained by High Definition Adapters
Moso bamboo (Phyllostachy heterocycla cv. pubescens L.) is an economically important fast-growing tree. In order to gain better understanding of gene expression regulation in this important species we used next generation sequencing to profile small RNAs in leaf and roots of young seedlings. Since standard kits to produce cDNA of small RNAs are biased for certain small RNAs, we used High Definition adapters that reduce ligation bias. We identified and experimentally validated five new microRNAs and a few other small non-coding RNAs that were not microRNAs. The biological implication of microRNA expression levels and targets of microRNAs are discussed
Measurement of \psip Radiative Decays
Using 14 million psi(2S) events accumulated at the BESII detector, we report
first measurements of branching fractions or upper limits for psi(2S) decays
into gamma ppbar, gamma 2(pi^+pi^-), gamma K_s K^-pi^++c.c., gamma K^+ K^-
pi^+pi^-, gamma K^{*0} K^- pi^+ +c.c., gamma K^{*0}\bar K^{*0}, gamma pi^+pi^-
p pbar, gamma 2(K^+K^-), gamma 3(pi^+pi^-), and gamma 2(pi^+pi^-)K^+K^- with
the invariant mass of hadrons below 2.9GeV/c^2. We also report branching
fractions of psi(2S) decays into 2(pi^+pi^-) pi^0, omega pi^+pi^-, omega
f_2(1270), b_1^\pm pi^\mp, and pi^0 2(pi^+pi^-) K^+K^-.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure
Experimental measurement-based quantum computing beyond the cluster-state model
The paradigm of measurement-based quantum computation opens new experimental
avenues to realize a quantum computer and deepens our understanding of quantum
physics. Measurement-based quantum computation starts from a highly entangled
universal resource state. For years, clusters states have been the only known
universal resources. Surprisingly, a novel framework namely quantum computation
in correlation space has opened new routes to implement measurement-based
quantum computation based on quantum states possessing entanglement properties
different from cluster states. Here we report an experimental demonstration of
every building block of such a model. With a four-qubit and a six-qubit state
as distinct from cluster states, we have realized a universal set of
single-qubit rotations, two-qubit entangling gates and further Deutsch's
algorithm. Besides being of fundamental interest, our experiment proves
in-principle the feasibility of universal measurement-based quantum computation
without using cluster states, which represents a new approach towards the
realization of a quantum computer.Comment: 26 pages, final version, comments welcom
A Unified Approach to the Classical Statistical Analysis of Small Signals
We give a classical confidence belt construction which unifies the treatment
of upper confidence limits for null results and two-sided confidence intervals
for non-null results. The unified treatment solves a problem (apparently not
previously recognized) that the choice of upper limit or two-sided intervals
leads to intervals which are not confidence intervals if the choice is based on
the data. We apply the construction to two related problems which have recently
been a battle-ground between classical and Bayesian statistics: Poisson
processes with background, and Gaussian errors with a bounded physical region.
In contrast with the usual classical construction for upper limits, our
construction avoids unphysical confidence intervals. In contrast with some
popular Bayesian intervals, our intervals eliminate conservatism (frequentist
coverage greater than the stated confidence) in the Gaussian case and reduce it
to a level dictated by discreteness in the Poisson case. We generalize the
method in order to apply it to analysis of experiments searching for neutrino
oscillations. We show that this technique both gives correct coverage and is
powerful, while other classical techniques that have been used by neutrino
oscillation search experiments fail one or both of these criteria.Comment: 40 pages, 15 figures. Changes 15-Dec-99 to agree more closely with
published version. A few small changes, plus the two substantive changes we
made in proof back in 1998: 1) The definition of "sensitivity" in Sec. V(C).
It was inconsistent with our actual definition in Sec. VI. 2) "Note added in
proof" at end of the Conclusio
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