83 research outputs found
Self-Aligned Organic Field-Effect Transistors on Plastic with Picofarad Overlap Capacitances and Megahertz Operating Frequencies
Thermodynamics of a model for RNA folding
We analyze the thermodynamic properties of a simplified model for folded RNA
molecules recently studied by G. Vernizzi, H. Orland, A. Zee (in {\it Phys.
Rev. Lett.} {\bf 94} (2005) 168103). The model consists of a chain of
one-flavor base molecules with a flexible backbone and all possible pairing
interactions equally allowed. The spatial pseudoknot structure of the model can
be efficiently studied by introducing a hermitian random matrix
model at each chain site, and associating Feynman diagrams of these models to
spatial configurations of the molecules. We obtain an exact expression for the
topological expansion of the partition function of the system. We calculate
exact and asymptotic expressions for the free energy, specific heat,
entanglement and chemical potential and study their behavior as a function of
temperature. Our results are consistent with the interpretation of as
being a measure of the concentration of in solution.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figure
Topological phase transition in a RNA model in the de Gennes regime
We study a simplified model of the RNA molecule proposed by G. Vernizzi, H.
Orland and A. Zee in the regime of strong concentration of positive ions in
solution. The model considers a flexible chain of equal bases that can pairwise
interact with any other one along the chain, while preserving the property of
saturation of the interactions. In the regime considered, we observe the
emergence of a critical temperature T_c separating two phases that can be
characterized by the topology of the predominant configurations: in the large
temperature regime, the dominant configurations of the molecule have very large
genera (of the order of the size of the molecule), corresponding to a complex
topology, whereas in the opposite regime of low temperatures, the dominant
configurations are simple and have the topology of a sphere. We determine that
this topological phase transition is of first order and provide an analytic
expression for T_c. The regime studied for this model exhibits analogies with
that for the dense polymer systems studied by de GennesComment: 15 pages, 4 figure
Structure, properties and interfacial interactions in poly(lactic acid)/polyurethane blends prepared by reactive processing
Polyurethane elastomers are promising candidates for the impact modification of PLA producing blends for example for biomedicine. Poly(lactic acid) (PLA)/polyurethane elastomer (PU) blends were prepared by reactive processing and physical blending as comparison. The blends were characterized by a number of techniques including microscopy (scanning electron microscopy, SEM, and atomic force microscopy, AFM), rotational viscometry, thermal (dynamic mechanical analysis), DMA, and mechanical (tensile) measurements. The analysis and comparison of the structure and properties of physical and reactor blends proved the successful coupling of the phases. Coupling resulted in more advantageous structure and superior mechanical properties compared to those of physical blends as confirmed by morphology, macroscopic properties and the quantitative estimation of interfacial interactions. Structural studies and the composition dependence of properties indicated the formation of a submicron, phase-in-phase structure which positively influenced properties at large PU contents. The results strongly support that reactive processing is a convenient, cost-effective and environmentally friendly technique to obtain blends with superior properties
Behavioral-cognitive therapy in the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorders: theory, therapy and clinical cases.
Behavioral-cognitive therapy in the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorders: theory, therapy and clinical cases
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