Collective effects at frictional interfaces

We discuss the role of the long-range elastic interaction between the contacts inside an inhomogeneous frictional interface. The interaction produces a characteristic elastic correlation length $\lambda_c = a^2 E / k_c$ (where $a$ is the distance between the contacts, $k_c$ is the elastic constant of a contact, and $E$ is the Young modulus of the sliding body), below which the slider may be considered as a rigid body. The strong inter-contact interaction leads to a narrowing of the effective threshold distribution for contact breaking and enhances the chances for an elastic instability to appear. Above the correlation length, $r > \lambda_c$, the interaction leads to screening of local perturbations in the interface, or to appearance of collective modes --- frictional cracks propagating as solitary waves

Rack-and-pinion effects in molecular rolling friction

Rolling lubrication with spherical molecules working as 'nanobearings' has failed experimentally so far, without a full understanding of the physics involved and of the reasons why. Past model simulations and common sense have shown that molecules can only roll when they are not too closely packed to jam. The same type of model simulations now shows in addition that molecular rolling friction can develop deep minima once the molecule's peripheral 'pitch' can match the substrate periodicity, much as ordinary cogwheels do in a rack-and-pinion system. When the pinion-rack matching is bad, the driven molecular rolling becomes discontinuous and noisy, whence energy is dissipated and friction is large. This suggests experiments to be conducted by varying the rack-and-pinion matching. That could be pursued not only by changing molecules and substrates, but also by applying different sliding directions within the same system, or by applying pressure, to change the effective matching.Comment: 5 figure

Evidence for solar cycles in a late Holocene speleothem record from Dongge Cave, China

The association between solar activity and Asian monsoon (AM) remains unclear. Here we evaluate the possible connection between them based on a precisely-dated, high-resolution speleothem oxygen isotope record from Dongge Cave, southwest China during the past 4.2 thousand years (ka). Without being adjusted chronologically to the solar signal, our record shows a distinct peak-to-peak correlation with cosmogenic nuclide 14C, total solar irradiance (TSI) and sunspot number (SN) at multi-decadal to centennial timescales. Further cross-wavelet analyses between our calcite δ18O and atmospheric 14C show statistically strong coherence at three typical periodicities of ~80, 200 and 340 years, suggesting important roles of solar activities in modulating AM changes at those timescales. Our result has further indicated a better correlation between our calcite δ18O record and atmospheric 14C than between our record and TSI. This better correlation may imply that the Sun–monsoon connection is dominated most likely by cosmic rays and oceanic circulation (both associated to atmospheric 14C), instead of the direct solar heating (TSI)

Why Give Birth in Health Facility? Users' and Providers' Accounts of Poor Quality of Birth Care in Tanzania.

In Tanzania, half of all pregnant women access a health facility for delivery. The proportion receiving skilled care at birth is even lower. In order to reduce maternal mortality and morbidity, the government has set out to increase health facility deliveries by skilled care. The aim of this study was to describe the weaknesses in the provision of acceptable and adequate quality care through the accounts of women who have suffered obstetric fistula, nurse-midwives at both BEmOC and CEmOC health facilities and local community members. Semi-structured interviews involving 16 women affected by obstetric fistula and five nurse-midwives at maternity wards at both BEmOC and CEmOC health facilities, and Focus Group Discussions with husbands and community members were conducted between October 2008 and February 2010 at Comprehensive Community Based Rehabilitation in Tanzania and Temeke hospitals in Dar es Salaam, and Mpwapwa district in Dodoma region. Health care users and health providers experienced poor quality caring and working environments in the health facilities. Women in labour lacked support, experienced neglect, as well as physical and verbal abuse. Nurse-midwives lacked supportive supervision, supplies and also seemed to lack motivation. There was a consensus among women who have suffered serious birth injuries and nurse midwives staffing both BEmOC and CEmOC maternity wards that the quality of care offered to women in birth was inadequate. While the birth accounts of women pointed to failure of care, the nurses described a situation of disempowerment. The bad birth care experiences of women undermine the reputation of the health care system, lower community expectations of facility birth, and sustain high rates of home deliveries. The only way to increase the rate of skilled attendance at birth in the current Tanzanian context is to make facility birth a safer alternative than home birth. The findings from this study indicate that there is a long way to go

A systematic analysis of host factors reveals a Med23-interferon-λ regulatory axis against herpes simplex virus type 1 replication

Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) is a neurotropic virus causing vesicular oral or genital skin lesions, meningitis and other diseases particularly harmful in immunocompromised individuals. To comprehensively investigate the complex interaction between HSV-1 and its host we combined two genome-scale screens for host factors (HFs) involved in virus replication. A yeast two-hybrid screen for protein interactions and a RNA interference (RNAi) screen with a druggable genome small interfering RNA (siRNA) library confirmed existing and identified novel HFs which functionally influence HSV-1 infection. Bioinformatic analyses found the 358 HFs were enriched for several pathways and multi-protein complexes. Of particular interest was the identification of Med23 as a strongly anti-viral component of the largely pro-viral Mediator complex, which links specific transcription factors to RNA polymerase II. The anti-viral effect of Med23 on HSV-1 replication was confirmed in gain-of-function gene overexpression experiments, and this inhibitory effect was specific to HSV-1, as a range of other viruses including Vaccinia virus and Semliki Forest virus were unaffected by Med23 depletion. We found Med23 significantly upregulated expression of the type III interferon family (IFN-λ) at the mRNA and protein level by directly interacting with the transcription factor IRF7. The synergistic effect of Med23 and IRF7 on IFN-λ induction suggests this is the major transcription factor for IFN-λ expression. Genotypic analysis of patients suffering recurrent orofacial HSV-1 outbreaks, previously shown to be deficient in IFN-λ secretion, found a significant correlation with a single nucleotide polymorphism in the IFN-λ3 (IL28b) promoter strongly linked to Hepatitis C disease and treatment outcome. This paper describes a link between Med23 and IFN-λ, provides evidence for the crucial role of IFN-λ in HSV-1 immune control, and highlights the power of integrative genome-scale approaches to identify HFs critical for disease progression and outcome

Velocity tuning of friction with two trapped atoms

Our ability to control friction remains modest, as our understanding of the underlying microscopic processes is incomplete. Atomic force experiments have provided a wealth of results on the dependence of nanofriction on structure velocity and temperature but limitations in the dynamic range, time resolution, and control at the single-atom level have hampered a description from first principles. Here, using an ion-crystal system with single-atom, single-substrate-site spatial and single-slip temporal resolution we measure the friction force over nearly five orders of magnitude in velocity, and contiguously observe four distinct regimes, while controlling temperature and dissipation. We elucidate the interplay between thermal and structural lubricity for two coupled atoms, and provide a simple explanation in terms of the Peierls–Nabarro potential. This extensive control at the atomic scale enables fundamental studies of the interaction of many-atom surfaces, possibly into the quantum regime

Dynamic Evolution of Microscopic Wet Cracking Noises

Characterizing the interaction between water and microscopic defects is one of the long-standing challenges in understanding a broad range of cracking processes. Different physical aspects of microscopic events, driven or influenced by water, have been extensively discussed in atomistic calculations but have not been accessible in microscale experiments. Through the analysis of the emitted noises during the evolution of individual, dynamic microcracking events, we show that the onset of a secondary instability known as hybrid events occurs during the fast healing phase of microcracking, which leads to (local) sudden increase of pore water pressure in the process zone, inducing a secondary instability, which is followed by a fast-locking phase on the microscopic faults (pulse-like rupture)

Nanofriction in Cold Ion Traps

Sliding friction between crystal lattices and the physics of cold ion traps are so far non-overlapping fields. Two sliding lattices may either stick and show static friction or slip with dynamic friction; cold ions are known to form static chains, helices, or clusters, depending on trapping conditions. Here we show, based on simulations, that much could be learnt about friction by sliding, via e.g. an electric field, the trapped ion chains over a periodic corrugated potential. Unlike infinite chains where, according to theory, the classic Aubry transition to free sliding may take place, trapped chains are always pinned. Nonetheless we find that a properly defined static friction still vanishes Aubry-like at a symmetric-asymmetric structural transition, ubiquitous for decreasing corrugation in both straight and zig-zag trapped chains. Dynamic friction can also be addressed by ringdown oscillations of the ion trap. Long theorized static and dynamic one dimensional friction phenomena could thus become exquisitely accessible in future cold ion tribology