13,365 research outputs found
Off-fault tensile cracks: A link between geological fault observations, lab experiments, and dynamic rupture models
We examine the local nature of the dynamic stress field in the vicinity of the tip of a semi-infinite sub-Rayleigh (slower than the Rayleigh wave speed, c_R) mode II crack with a velocity-weakening cohesive zone. We constrain the model using results from dynamic photoelastic experiments, in which shear ruptures were nucleated spontaneously in Homalite-100 plates along a bonded, precut, and inclined interface subject to a far-field uniaxial prestress. During the experiments, tensile cracks grew periodically along one side of the shear rupture interface at a roughly constant angle relative to the shear rupture interface. The occurrence and inclination of the tensile cracks are explained by our analytical model. With slight modifications, the model can be scaled to natural faults, providing diagnostic criteria for interpreting velocity, directivity, and static prestress state associated with past earthquakes on exhumed faults. Indirectly, this method also allows one to constrain the velocity-weakening nature of natural ruptures, providing an important link between field geology, laboratory experiments, and seismology
Do Reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus) (M. longissimus dorsi) Prefer Disturbed or Undisturbed Lichen Mats?
Field-theory calculation of the electric dipole moment of the neutron and paramagnetic atoms
Electric dipole moments (edms) of bound states that arise from the
constituents having edms are studied with field-theoretic techniques. The
systems treated are the neutron and a set of paramagnetic atoms. In the latter
case it is well known that the atomic edm differs greatly from the electron edm
when the internal electric fields of the atom are taken into account. In the
nonrelativistic limit these fields lead to a complete suppression, but for
heavy atoms large enhancement factors are present. A general bound-state field
theory approach applicable to both the neutron and paramagnetic atoms is set
up. It is applied first to the neutron, treating the quarks as moving freely in
a confining spherical well. It is shown that the effect of internal electric
fields is small in this case. The atomic problem is then revisited using
field-theory techniques in place of the usual Hamiltonian methods, and the
atomic enhancement factor is shown to be consistent with previous calculations.
Possible application of bound-state techniques to other sources of the neutron
edm is discussed.Comment: 21 pages, 5 figure
Persistence of Regional Unemployment: Application of a Spatial Filtering Approach to Local Labour Markets in Germany
The geographical distribution and persistence of regional/local unemployment rates in heterogeneous economies (such as Germany) have been, in recent years, the subject of various theoretical and empirical studies. Several researchers have shown an interest in analysing the dynamic adjustment processes of unemployment and the average degree of dependence of the current unemployment rates or gross domestic product from the ones observed in the past. In this paper, we present a new econometric approach to the study of regional unemployment persistence, in order to account for spatial heterogeneity and/or spatial autocorrelation in both the levels and the dynamics of unemployment. First, we propose an econometric procedure suggesting the use of spatial filtering techniques as a substitute for fixed effects in a panel estimation framework. The spatial filter computed here is a proxy for spatially distributed region-specific information (e.g., the endowment of natural resources, or the size of the ‘home market’) that is usually incorporated in the fixed effects parameters. The advantages of our proposed procedure are that the spatial filter, by incorporating region-specific information that generates spatial autocorrelation, frees up degrees of freedom, simultaneously corrects for time-stable spatial autocorrelation in the residuals, and provides insights about the spatial patterns in regional adjustment processes. We present several experiments in order to investigate the spatial pattern of the heterogeneous autoregressive parameters estimated for unemployment data for German NUTS-3 regions. We find widely heterogeneous but generally high persistence in regional unemployment rates.
Linear Chains of Styrene and Methyl-Styrene Molecules and their Heterojunctions on Silicon: Theory and Experiment
We report on the synthesis, STM imaging and theoretical studies of the
structure, electronic structure and transport properties of linear chains of
styrene and methyl-styrene molecules and their heterojunctions on
hydrogen-terminated dimerized silicon (001) surfaces. The theory presented here
accounts for the essential features of the experimental STM data including the
nature of the corrugation observed along the molecular chains and the
pronounced changes in the contrast between the styrene and methyl-styrene parts
of the molecular chains that are observed as the applied bias is varied. The
observed evolution with applied bias of the STM profiles near the ends of the
molecular chains is also explained. Calculations are also presented of electron
transport along styrene linear chains adsorbed on the silicon surface at
energies in the vicinity of the molecular HOMO and LUMO levels. For short
styrene chains this lateral transport is found to be due primarily to direct
electron transmission from molecule to molecule rather than through the silicon
substrate, especially in the molecular LUMO band. Differences between the
calculated position-dependences of the STM current around a junction of styrene
and methyl-styrene molecular chains under positive and negative tip bias are
related to the nature of lateral electron transmission along the molecular
chains and to the formation in the LUMO band of an electronic state localized
around the heterojunction.Comment: 17 pages plus 11 figures. To appear in Physical Review
Fly-by-light flight control system technology development plan
The results of a four-month, phased effort to develop a Fly-by-Light Technology Development Plan are documented. The technical shortfalls for each phase were identified and a development plan to bridge the technical gap was developed. The production configuration was defined for a 757-type airplane, but it is suggested that the demonstration flight be conducted on the NASA Transport Systems Research Vehicle. The modifications required and verification and validation issues are delineated in this report. A detailed schedule for the phased introduction of fly-by-light system components has been generated. It is concluded that a fiber-optics program would contribute significantly toward developing the required state of readiness that will make a fly-by-light control system not only cost effective but reliable without mitigating the weight and high-energy radio frequency related benefits
A common founding clone with TP53 and PTEN mutations gives rise to a concurrent germ cell tumor and acute megakaryoblastic leukemia
We report the findings from a patient who presented with a concurrent mediastinal germ cell tumor (GCT) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Bone marrow pathology was consistent with a diagnosis of acute megakaryoblastic leukemia (AML M7), and biopsy of an anterior mediastinal mass was consistent with a nonseminomatous GCT. Prior studies have described associations between hematological malignancies, including AML M7 and nonseminomatous GCTs, and it was recently suggested that a common founding clone initiated both cancers. We performed enhanced exome sequencing on the GCT and the AML M7 from our patient to define the clonal relationship between the two cancers. We found that both samples contained somatic mutations in PTEN (C136R missense) and TP53 (R213 frameshift). The mutations in PTEN and TP53 were present at ∼100% variant allele frequency (VAF) in both tumors. In addition, we detected and validated five other shared somatic mutations. The copy-number analysis of the AML exome data revealed an amplification of Chromosome 12p. We also identified a heterozygous germline variant in FANCA (S858R), which is known to be associated with Fanconi anemia but is of uncertain significance here. In summary, our data not only support a common founding clone for these cancers but also suggest that a specific set of distinct genomic alterations (in PTEN and TP53) underlies the rare association between GCT and AML. This association is likely linked to the treatment resistance and extremely poor outcome of these patients. We cannot resolve the clonal evolution of these tumors given limitations of our data
EPR studies of manganese centers in SrTiO3: Non-Kramers Mn3+ ions and spin-spin coupled Mn4+ dimers
X- and Q-band electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) study is reported on the
SrTiO3 single crystals doped with 0.5-at.% MnO. EPR spectra originating from
the S = 2 ground state of Mn3+ ions are shown to belong to the three distinct
types of Jahn-Teller centres. The ordering of the oxygen vacancies due to the
reduction treatment of the samples and consequent formation of oxygen vacancy
associated Mn3+ centres are explained in terms of the localized charge
compensation. The EPR spectra of SrTiO3: Mn crystals show the presence of next
nearest neighbor exchange coupled Mn4+ pairs in the directions.Comment: 17 pages, 8 figure
Low-energy Mott-Hubbard excitations in LaMnO_3 probed by optical ellipsometry
We present a comprehensive ellipsometric study of an untwinned, nearly
stoichiometric LaMnO_3 crystal in the spectral range 1.2-6.0 eV at temperatures
20 K < T < 300 K. The complex dielectric response along the b and c axes of the
Pbnm orthorhombic unit cell, \epsilon^b(\nu) and \epsilon^c(\nu), is highly
anisotropic over the spectral range covered in the experiment. The difference
between \epsilon^b(\nu) and \epsilon^c(\nu) increases with decreasing
temperature, and the gradual evolution observed in the paramagnetic state is
strongly enhanced by the onset of A-type antiferromagnetic long-range order at
T_N = 139.6 K. In addition to the temperature changes in the lowest-energy gap
excitation at 2 eV, there are opposite changes observed at higher energy at 4 -
5 eV, appearing on a broad-band background due to the strongly dipole-allowed O
2p -- Mn 3d transition around the charge-transfer energy 4.7 eV. Based on the
observation of a pronounced spectral-weight transfer between low- and
high-energy features upon magnetic ordering, they are assigned to high-spin and
low-spin intersite d^4d^4 - d^3d^5 transitions by Mn electrons. The anisotropy
of the lowest-energy optical band and the spectral weight shifts induced by
antiferromagnetic spin correlations are quantitatively described by an
effective spin-orbital superexchange model. An analysis of the multiplet
structure of the intersite transitions by Mn e_g electrons allowed us to
estimate the effective intra-atomic Coulomb interaction, the Hund exchange
coupling, and the Jahn-Teller splitting energy between e_g orbitals in LaMnO_3.
This study identifies the lowest-energy optical transition at 2 eV as an
intersite d-d transition, whose energy is substantially reduced compared to
that obtained from the bare intra-atomic Coulomb interaction.Comment: 10 pages, 14 figure
Radio Observations of the Supernova Remnant Candidate G312.5-3.0
The radio images from the Parkes-MIT-NRAO (PMN) Southern Sky Survey at 4850
MHz have revealed a number of previously unknown radio sources. One such
source, G312.5-3.0 (PMN J1421-6415), has been observed using the
multi-frequency capabilities of the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) at
frequencies of 1380 MHz and 2378 MHz. Further observations of the source were
made using the Molonglo Observatory Synthesis Telescope (MOST) at a frequency
of 843 MHz. The source has an angular size of 18 arcmin and has a distinct
shell structure. We present the reduced multi-frequency observations of this
source and provide a brief argument for its possible identification as a
supernova remnant.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures, Accepted for publication in MNRA
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