Resonant electron transmission through a finite quantum spin chain

Electron transport in a finite one dimensional quantum spin chain (with ferromagnetic exchange) is studied within an $s-d$ exchange Hamiltonian. Spin transfer coefficients strongly depend on the sign of the $s-d$ exchange constant. For a ferromagnetic coupling, they exhibit a novel resonant pattern, reflecting the salient features of the combined electron-spin system. Spin-flip processes are inelastic and feasible at finite voltage or at finite temperature.Comment: 4 pages including 4 .eps figure

Forced instability of core-annular flow in capillary constrictions

Instability of fluid cylinders and jets, a highly nonlinear hydrodynamic phenomenon, has fascinated researchers for nearly 150 years. A subset of the phenomenon is the core-annular flow, in which a non-wetting core fluid and a surrounding wall-wetting annulus flow through a solid channel. The model, for example, represents the flow of oil in petroleum reservoirs. The flow may be forced to break up when passing through a channel’s constriction. Although it has long been observed that the breakup occurs near the neck of the constriction, the exact conditions for the occurrence of the forced breakup and its dynamic theory have not been understood. Here, we test a simple geometric conjecture that the fluid will always break in the constrictions of all channels with sufficiently long wavelengths, regardless of the fluid properties. We also test a theory of the phenomenon. Four constricted glass tubes were fabricated above and below the critical wavelength required for the fluid disintegration. In a direct laboratory experiment, the breakup occurred according to the conjecture: the fluids were continuous in the shorter tubes but disintegrated in the longer tubes. The evolution of the interface to its pinch-off was recorded using high-speed digital photography. The experimentally observed core-annulus interface profiles agreed well with the theory, although the total durations of the process agreed less satisfactorily. Nonetheless, as the theory predicts, the ratio between the experimental and theoretical times of the breakup process tends to one with decreasing capillary number. The breakup condition and the dynamic theory of fluid disintegration in constricted channels can serve as quantitative models of this important natural and technical phenomenon

OxyCAP UK: Oxyfuel Combustion - academic Programme for the UK

The OxyCAP-UK (Oxyfuel Combustion - Academic Programme for the UK) programme was a £2 M collaboration involving researchers from seven UK universities, supported by E.On and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council. The programme, which ran from November 2009 to July 2014, has successfully completed a broad range of activities related to development of oxyfuel power plants. This paper provides an overview of key findings arising from the programme. It covers development of UK research pilot test facilities for oxyfuel applications; 2-D and 3-D flame imaging systems for monitoring, analysis and diagnostics; fuel characterisation of biomass and coal for oxyfuel combustion applications; ash transformation/deposition in oxyfuel combustion systems; materials and corrosion in oxyfuel combustion systems; and development of advanced simulation based on CFD modelling

A neomorphic cancer cell-specific role of MAGE-A4 in trans-lesion synthesis

Trans-lesion synthesis (TLS) is an important DNA-damage tolerance mechanism that permits ongoing DNA synthesis in cells harbouring damaged genomes. The E3 ubiquitin ligase RAD18 activates TLS by promoting recruitment of Y-family DNA polymerases to sites of DNA-damage-induced replication fork stalling. Here we identify the cancer/testes antigen melanoma antigen-A4 (MAGE-A4) as a tumour cell-specific RAD18-binding partner and an activator of TLS. MAGE-A4 depletion from MAGE-A4-expressing cancer cells destabilizes RAD18. Conversely, ectopic expression of MAGE-A4 (in cell lines lacking endogenous MAGE-A4) promotes RAD18 stability. DNA-damage-induced mono-ubiquitination of the RAD18 substrate PCNA is attenuated by MAGE-A4 silencing. MAGE-A4-depleted cells fail to resume DNA synthesis normally following ultraviolet irradiation and accumulate γH2AX, thereby recapitulating major hallmarks of TLS deficiency. Taken together, these results demonstrate a mechanism by which reprogramming of ubiquitin signalling in cancer cells can influence DNA damage tolerance and probably contribute to an altered genomic landscape

A pilot placebo-controlled study of chronic m-CPP administration in Alzheimer's disease

Meta000000-Chlorophenylpiperazine (m-CPP), a serotonin agonist and metabolite of the anti-depressant trazodone, was administered chronically to eight moderate to severely affected Alzheimer patients to determine whether it would produce improvement in behavioral symptoms complicating this illness. In doses up to 80 mg/day for 16 days, m-CPP was well tolerated and resulted in small but significant increases in anergy and depression-related symptoms compared with placebo. The effects of chronic m-CPP in this study contrast with the reported beneficial effects of the parent compound trazodone and selective 5-HT reuptake inhibitors in treating behavioral symptoms in Alzheimer patients.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/29223/1/0000278.pd

Digital Signal Processing

Contains an introduction and reports on fourteen research projects.National Science Foundation FellowshipNational Science Foundation (Grant ECS84-07285)U.S. Navy - Office of Naval Research (Contract N00014-81-K-0742)Sanders Associates, Inc.U.S. Air Force - Office of Scientific Research (Contract F19628-85-K-0028)Advanced Television Research ProgramAmoco Foundation FellowshipHertz Foundation Fellowshi

A distributed geospatial approach to describe community characteristics for multisite studies

Understanding place-based contributors to health requires geographically and culturally diverse study populations, but sharing location data is a significant challenge to multisite studies. Here, we describe a standardized and reproducible method to perform geospatial analyses for multisite studies. Using census tract-level information, we created software for geocoding and geospatial data linkage that was distributed to a consortium of birth cohorts located throughout the USA. Individual sites performed geospatial linkages and returned tract-level information for 8810 children to a central site for analyses. Our generalizable approach demonstrates the feasibility of geospatial analyses across study sites to promote collaborative translational research