63 research outputs found
Orientational order in dipolar fluids consisting of nonspherical hard particles
We investigate fluids of dipolar hard particles by a certain variant of
density-functional theory. The proper treatment of the long range of the
dipolar interactions yields a contribution to the free energy which favors
ferromagnetic order. This corrects previous theoretical analyses. We determine
phase diagrams for dipolar ellipsoids and spherocylinders as a function of the
aspect ratio of the particles and their dipole moment. In the nonpolar limit
the results for the phase boundary between the isotropic and nematic phase
agree well with simulation data. Adding a longitudinal dipole moment favors the
nematic phase. For oblate or slightly elongated particles we find a
ferromagnetic liquid phase, which has also been detected in computer
simulations of fluids consisting of spherical dipolar particles. The detailed
structure of the phase diagram and its evolution upon changing the aspect ratio
are discussed in detail.Comment: 35 pages LaTeX with epsf style, 11 figures in eps format, submitted
to Phys. Rev.
A new multivariable 6-psi-6 summation formula
By multidimensional matrix inversion, combined with an A_r extension of
Jackson's 8-phi-7 summation formula by Milne, a new multivariable 8-phi-7
summation is derived. By a polynomial argument this 8-phi-7 summation is
transformed to another multivariable 8-phi-7 summation which, by taking a
suitable limit, is reduced to a new multivariable extension of the
nonterminating 6-phi-5 summation. The latter is then extended, by analytic
continuation, to a new multivariable extension of Bailey's very-well-poised
6-psi-6 summation formula.Comment: 16 page
Meissner effect, Spin Meissner effect and charge expulsion in superconductors
The Meissner effect and the Spin Meissner effect are the spontaneous
generation of charge and spin current respectively near the surface of a metal
making a transition to the superconducting state. The Meissner effect is well
known but, I argue, not explained by the conventional theory, the Spin Meissner
effect has yet to be detected. I propose that both effects take place in all
superconductors, the first one in the presence of an applied magnetostatic
field, the second one even in the absence of applied external fields. Both
effects can be understood under the assumption that electrons expand their
orbits and thereby lower their quantum kinetic energy in the transition to
superconductivity. Associated with this process, the metal expels negative
charge from the interior to the surface and an electric field is generated in
the interior. The resulting charge current can be understood as arising from
the magnetic Lorentz force on radially outgoing electrons, and the resulting
spin current can be understood as arising from a spin Hall effect originating
in the Rashba-like coupling of the electron magnetic moment to the internal
electric field. The associated electrodynamics is qualitatively different from
London electrodynamics, yet can be described by a small modification of the
conventional London equations. The stability of the superconducting state and
its macroscopic phase coherence hinge on the fact that the orbital angular
momentum of the carriers of the spin current is found to be exactly ,
indicating a topological origin. The simplicity and universality of our theory
argue for its validity, and the occurrence of superconductivity in many classes
of materials can be understood within our theory.Comment: Submitted to SLAFES XX Proceeding
Homogeneous nucleation of quark-gluon plasma, finite size effects and long-lived metastable objects
The general formalism of homogeneous nucleation theory is applied to study
the hadronization pattern of the ultra-relativistic quark-gluon plasma (QGP)
undergoing a first order phase transition. A coalescence model is proposed to
describe the evolution dynamics of hadronic clusters produced in the nucleation
process. The size distribution of the nucleated clusters is important for the
description of the plasma conversion. The model is most sensitive to the
initial conditions of the QGP thermalization, time evolution of the energy
density, and the interfacial energy of the plasma-hadronic matter interface.
The rapidly expanding QGP is first supercooled by about . Then it reheats again up to the critical temperature T_c. Finally it
breaks up into hadronic clusters and small droplets of plasma. This fast
dynamics occurs within the first . The finite size effects and
fluctuations near the critical temperature are studied. It is shown that a drop
of longitudinally expanding QGP of the transverse radius below 4.5 fm can
display a long-lived metastability. However, both in the rapid and in the
delayed hadronization scenario, the bulk pion yield is emitted by sources as
large as 3-4.5 fm. This may be detected experimentally both by a HBT
interferometry signal and by the analysis of the rapidity distributions of
particles in narrow p_T-intervals at small p_T on an event-by-event basis.Comment: 29 pages, incl. 12 figures and 1 table; to be published in Phys. Rev.
A human ciliopathy reveals essential functions for NEK10 in airway mucociliary clearance
Mucociliary clearance, the physiological process by which mammalian conducting airways expel pathogens and unwanted surface materials from the respiratory tract, depends on the coordinated function of multiple specialized cell types, including basal stem cells, mucus-secreting goblet cells, motile ciliated cells, cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR)-rich ionocytes, and immune cells1,2. Bronchiectasis, a syndrome of pathological airway dilation associated with impaired mucociliary clearance, may occur sporadically or as a consequence of Mendelian inheritance, for example in cystic fibrosis, primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD), and select immunodeficiencies3. Previous studies have identified mutations that affect ciliary structure and nucleation in PCD4, but the regulation of mucociliary transport remains incompletely understood, and therapeutic targets for its modulation are lacking. Here we identify a bronchiectasis syndrome caused by mutations that inactivate NIMA-related kinase 10 (NEK10), a protein kinase with previously unknown in vivo functions in mammals. Genetically modified primary human airway cultures establish NEK10 as a ciliated-cell-specific kinase whose activity regulates the motile ciliary proteome to promote ciliary length and mucociliary transport but which is dispensable for normal ciliary number, radial structure, and beat frequency. Together, these data identify a novel and likely targetable signaling axis that controls motile ciliary function in humans and has potential implications for other respiratory disorders that are characterized by impaired mucociliary clearance
Human Resource Flexibility as a Mediating Variable Between High Performance Work Systems and Performance
Much of the human resource management literature has demonstrated the impact of high performance
work systems (HPWS) on organizational performance. A new generation of studies is
emerging in this literature that recommends the inclusion of mediating variables between HPWS
and organizational performance. The increasing rate of dynamism in competitive environments
suggests that measures of employee adaptability should be included as a mechanism that may
explain the relevance of HPWS to firm competitiveness. On a sample of 226 Spanish firms, the
study’s results confirm that HPWS influences performance through its impact on the firm’s
human resource (HR) flexibility
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